Being Pregnant Rocks!

That is what I keep telling myself. Here are the reasons so far that it totally rocks!

1. You can go to Taco Time and not feel like a hog when you eat a bean burrito and a huge soft taco. Mmmm, baby likes hot sauce!

2. Cartoon boobs. You know the ones I mean. They are huge, melon-esque beauties that resemble Jessica Rabbit. My husband certainly appreciates them even if the shirt I wore today won't be wearable ever again.

3. You don't have to clean the cat box. I am not sad about this. Trust me.

4. You don't feel guilty if you need to sit down, nap, or rest periodically. Even though you feel like you are 80 years old, you need to remind yourself that you are pregnant, not old. Don't feel guilty! Take advantage of it now before the baby comes.

5. Everyone fawning all over you. Okay, this might sound narcisstic, but I love that my mother-in-law, mother, sister, etc. all ask me how I am feeling. It will magnify ten-fold when all my coworkers find out I am sure.

Yes folks, being pregnant sure rocks.

A Few More Things

In my haste of posting, I forgot a few things. First, my due date moved, which is fine! I figured it would since I ovulated on day 16 and not on day 14. So, my originally due date of February 10th has moved to February 11th or 12th. It would be funny if I had the peanut on the 12th, because that is my little sister's birthday!

Great, now my mind has forgotten the other things I wanted to blog about........Maybe they will come back to me.

One funny thing is that my coworker (who shall remain unnamed at this time) is also pregnant. We were three days apart, but now that my due date moved, we are only one day apart! Well, since we share the same birthday, it makes sense that our babies would share a birthday too. I truly feel sorry for my supervisor. My manager knows we are both expecting, and while she is nervous about us being out at the same time, she is thrilled for the both of us! My supervisor might be another matter. She will probably go into panic mode and then bring that panic mode onto us. You know what? Work will survive without the two of us. My supervisor will survive too. I have a feeling I will receive some phone calls while on maternity leave, but so be it.

So, now in my family, we have three of us due within a few months of each other. My cousin is due on September 25th (with a girl). My sister is due on November 12th (with a boy), and I am due on the 11th of February (with what looks to be a peanut right now). How cool is that to have that many babies in the same family? The only bummer thing is that my cousin lives in Lake Tahoe, I live in Portland and my sister lives in New Hampshire. That's really far away.

I still can't remember the other things I want to type about. Oh well. On that note, my little sister will be here soon. We are going to the baby mecca (aka Babies R Us) to buy shower gifts for my cousin. Maybe I will pick some ideas up for myself.

Houston, We Have a Heartbeat!

Yesterday was a roller coaster day. I started out the day nervous and feeling very anxious. My first appointment with the OB was at 1:30, so I had to last half of the day at work and then head to my appointment.

Thank God my husband was with me. I would have been either biting all my fingernails off or throwing up if I had to go alone. He held my hand in the waiting room and in the ultrasound room.

The last time I had an ultrasound that was hunting for a baby, all I saw was an empty sac. I knew immediately that something was wrong. This time, I saw the sac and something in the sac! My heard was overjoyed. What was even better was that we got to see it's tiny heartbeat flickering away. That was the coolest thing I have ever seen. The ultrasound tech turned on the sound for a couple of seconds and we got to hear our baby's heartbeat!

I can't explain what an amazing experience that was! My husband got a little misty-eyed. I love him so much. I love that he's emotional and caring. After I made the ultrasound tech confirm there was only one baby with a heartrate of 153 beats per minute, we went and talked with my doctor. He seemed surprised to see us for some reason. His comment was "you didn't waste any time!". Ummmmm, actually, it has been a year since I got pregnant the last time Mr. Man.

So, the only bummer of the day, and trust me, this is so not that huge of a deal, is that we have decided not to go to Jamaica in December. I would be 31 to 32 weeks along and the thought of taking that long of a flight scares me. My OB was perfectly fine with it, however, he did tell us the risks. Delivering at 32 weeks in a foreign country and blood clots.

This is another reason why I love my husband: His comment to me in the car was "It's just not worth the risks". I love that man. I thought he would be so disappointed. We have been planning this trip for a year. We are only out our $400 deposit, so that's not that big of a deal.

It was a great day. We spent the rest of the day celebrating by going out to dinner with my in-laws. My mother-in-law is thrilled beyond belief. Now I know where her son gets his emotions and excitement.

So Excited!

It's really sad that I can get so excited over something so incredibly meaningless. Well, it's not meaningless to me.

My sister and her boyfriend are coming over for dinner. I have been thinking about dinner all week. The thought of eating my family spaghetti sauce is making my mouth water. I can't freakin' wait!

So, yes, I am excited about spaghetti sauce. You know what else I am excited about? McDonald's cheeseburgers. And nachos (with lots of salsa and sour cream). And lasagna. And V-8 juice. Now, what do all these things have in common? Ding ding ding! Tomatoes! I love tomatoes and can't get enough of them lately. Actually, most every other food sounds disgusting to me with the exception of the items listed above. Granted, I have only indulged in a cheeseburger once. I certainly can't make a habit of it otherwise I would end up weighing 800 pounds.

So, in between being nauseous and tired, I want to eat. But only if food sounds good. Normally, I am a huge sweets person. Not during this pregnancy. I don't really want any sweets. My husband mentioned a sundae the other night and I about hurled.

A word to the wise: Don't talk too much about food around pregnant women. You might just get punched.

Now, if 6:00 would come quickly! I want my spaghetti!

Morning Sickness

I has it. Granted, it's not terrible. Yet. I woke up on Sunday feeling slightly hungover. I thought it was from my lack of sleep and eating three pieces of pepperoni stuffed crust pizza, but alas it wasn't. I felt queasy and uncomfortable for most of the day. Food didn't sound good. Sleep sounded good, but I had just woken up. I took a hot shower and literally changed back into my pajamas. My poor husband probably thinks I am a total bum.

The morning sickness lasted most of the day, and I have to say, whoever called it "morning" sickness is on crack. It isn't just in the morning. Mine lasts all day. Again, it's not bad. I can't imagine those poor women that feel awful and throw up all the time. How miserable. I sincerely hope I don't turn into one of them. Kudos to you ladies! I don't know how you do it. I wouldn't be able to go one stinkin' day living like that.

What is bizarre to me is going from being ravenously hungry all the time and thinking of nothing BUT food to not wanting any food at all. Literally no food sounds good. Nothing. Not even my favorite thing on God's planet: The family spaghetti sauce. The thought of it almost makes me want to gag. My husband text messaged me earlier today and said "I made meatloaf last night, feel free to have some". Uhhhh, no. I opened the refrigerator door, took one whif and almost passed out. There will be no meatloaf for me. EVER! Or at least for the next nine months.

I stared at my lunch on my desk at work today in horror. How was I ever going to eat THAT?! It looked disgusting and smelled even more disgusting, but since I was hungry and know I have to eat, I choked it down. Once you get started and take a bite, it doesn't taste so bad. I really hope this doesn't last because I was eating so healthy and now I am eating like crap.

On a good note, I will take the morning sickness as a very good sign. If this baby wasn't growing and sucking nutrients from me, I probably wouldn't be sick. Right? At least that is what I am telling myself.

Today, I am 6 weeks pregnant and my baby is the size of a sweet pea. How cute is that? It's amazing to me that a sweet pea takes so much energy and can make mommy so queasy. Amazing!

Can I Catch a Break?

Seriously, between this back pain and this spotting, I am going to die an early death.

I woke up this morning feeling refreshed after a good night's sleep. I went to the bathroom as I always do and.......red blood. I know brown is okay, but when I see red, I panic. So that's exactly what I did. I thought the worst and resolved myself to the fact that I was having another miscarriage.

After an hour and some reassuring posts from friends (online friends), I decided to call my mother. She suggested I call the doctor. Now why the heck didn't I think of that? Before I called the doctor, I thought I would take a shower. If they wanted me to go to the emergency room, I wanted to be clean and have shaved legs. Only *I* could think of such ridiculousness at a time like that.

So, I called the doctor and the on-call called me back. He was very nice. He reassured me that red spotting is not uncommon. Unless it's accompanied by severe cramps, I shouldn't worry. Now, of course, that is easier said then done, but I will certainly try. I explained my past history of miscarriage and that it started out with brown blood before. Again, he said try not to worry and that many women have spotting and even heavy bleeding in their first trimester. He suggested it could be implantation bleeding or the placenta growing and attaching itself.

I felt a little better. Better enough to go outside and do some weeding in my vegetable garden for a little while. Trust me, it took my mind off things, even if for an hour.

I can't stop thinking that I might miscarry. If I do, there isn't anything I can to stop it. I just have to understand that it's my body's way of getting rid of a pregnancy that otherwise wouldn't be viable.

I am going to take it easy tonight. Rest, eat some pizza (I have been craving it something fierce), and watch some tv. Hopefully I will still be pregnant tomorrow, and the next day, and the next.

Awful Morning

I woke up today at my usual time and was in so much pain I couldn't move. Over two weeks ago, I threw my back out after doing a lot of yardwork. I wanted to take advantage of the three day Memorial Day weekend, but instead, it took advantage of me. I have been icing my back, using a heating pad, and taking Tylenol. I haven't felt any better. So, fast forward to Wednesday. I went to the chiropractor and I instantly felt better. Yesterday I even felt good. I was sore, but it wasn't the excruciating pain that I had been dealing with.

Today, I couldn't get out of bed. I don't know if I slept wrong, or if my thrashing in the middle of the night re-injured it. It took me five minutes to will myself enough effort to get up. It hurt like Hell!

So, I walked around the house for a minute to try and get the muscles going. That lasted about a minute. I almost didn't make it to the bathroom before I collapsed on the floor. I was in so much pain that I got severely nauseous and almost threw up.

I had to make a split decision: Try and throw up into the toilet or try and heave myself up onto the toilet so I wouldn't poop myself. Nice huh? So, with all my strength, I got up and proceeded to sweat and watch the room spin for a good five minutes. Thank God the sink is right next to the toilet so I could lay my face down on the cool ceramic.

Bless my husband's heart. I called for him and woke him from a dead sleep to help me off the toilet. He got me to the couch, brought me a banana, some water and Tylenol. I knew I married him for a reason. He takes good care of me.

Thank goodness, I feel better. After stretching, moving around, some ice and rest, I feel much better. I hate having to call in sick to work, but I didn't have a choice. I probably wouldn't have been able to make it the five blocks to walk to MAX.

So, my bout with nausea was interesting. I feel for women that have to go through that all the time. I don't know how they can handle it. I almost passed out just after one incident. Let's hope this isn't a pattern that continues.

On a better note, my spotting hasn't returned today. Thank the Lord!

Le Sigh

Well, I'm spotting. Not red spotting, just a little brown. However, before you say "Brown spotting is common in early pregnancy", I would just like to say that with my miscarriage, this is exactly how it started. I had some brown spotting (never any cramping) that continued for a few days. Now, if I see any more brown tomorrow, it might send me into a panic.

I am really praying and wishing that nothing is wrong. I want this baby so much. My husband wants this baby so much. I don't think I could emotionally handle another miscarriage.

I know that jinxing yourself isn't possible, but I can't happen to help but think that maybe I brought this upon myself. Was I too excited about this pregnancy? Was I too complacent? Am I not taking care of myself enough? I can second guess myself all I want but that doesn't change the fact that this pregnancy is out of my control. It's in God's hands. I will just have to remember to pray and ask for His will to be done.

Please stick around little baby. I love you so much already!

All the Bad Things

Even with my past history of a miscarriage, I am not walking on eggshells with this pregnancy. What do I mean by this?

Example#1: I still drink a small cup of coffee with artificial sweetener every morning.

I am a caffeine addict, and cutting this out completely is out of the picture. As long as I stay under 300mg. a day, it's perfectly fine. And artificial sweetener in moderation is fine. My OB told me so much to the dismay of one person that said "You are going to kill your baby!". Um gee, thanks.

Example#2: I am going to have a delicious hot dog with dinner tonight.

That's right, a HOT DOG. Nitrates, yum! Now, again, everything in moderation. I am making the family macaroni and cheese recipe and considering that my mommy always used to put hot dogs on the top while it was baking, I am not one to break tradition.

Example #3: I plan on flying late in my pregnancy.

Now this isn't for sure yet, but my husband and I had already planned and put a deposit down on a trip to Jamaica. If my OB says I am okay to travel at 31-32 weeks, we are going for it. How often do you get to go to Jamaica after all? As long as I can get up frequently and move around and drink lots of water, AND my OB says it's okay, what's the harm? Of course, we will not be disappointed if we can't go. We will just drive somewhere like the coast for our babymoon/vacation.

I am sure I could think of more examples, however, I haven't eaten breakfast yet. My body needs fueling.

Don't worry peeps, I am doing healthy, smart things too. I take a prenatal vitamin every day, eat very healthy (thank you BabyFit!) and make sure to drink tons of water. I just don't want to stop living life completely. If this baby is meant to stick around, it will. That is my number one wish for this year. We want this baby very much. It took us a long time to get here.

Weight Rant

I chat on an internet forum (I won't name it here to keep the innocent that way) and lately, there is a huge debate going on about weight. Now, I am not a skinny girl to begin with. I could have stood to lose another 20 pounds before I got pregnant, but I am going to step on my soapbox for a few minutes.

You are pregnant. Now is not the time for dieting. However, this doesn't mean that you should pig out and indulge in McDonald's every day either. Eat healthy and get some exercise (if you can). That's it! End of story. I have been eating very very healthy, but I am also not going to deny myself a craving every now and then. I am not saying that I am going to eat 6 cupcakes in one sitting, but if I feel like a damn cupcake, then I am going to eat that cupcake.

I am so sick of hearing ladies talk about how they only ate lettuce and water today. Okay, that might be a slight exaggeration, but still. That can't be healthy. According to another website I joined, as a pregnant woman, you should be eating around 2200 calories a day, or slightly less if you are overweight.

This debate seems to go on every.single.day on that internet forum. One person speaks up and says "Pregnancy is not an excuse to let yourself go". I agree with that. Then another person states "Cherish this time and don't deny yourself the foods you want". I agree with that also. There is a balance. Each individual person needs to find that balance. I personally am okay with gaining 20 pounds during this pregnancy. Some women would panic at that thought.

Like I said before, I could stand to lose another 20 pounds, but that isn't happening. As soon as I found out I was pregnant, I discontinued my Weight Watchers online subscription (I had recently lost about 20 pounds) and I am okay with that. I can always come back to Weight Watchers after I deliver. I will not die.

::Steps off soapbox::

Now, where is that cupcake.

I kid, I kid.

The Husband

I want to do a full post devoted to Jason, my husband. He is probably the funniest person I know. The first time I got pregnant, I told him in a really fun, cute way. This time however, I was so shocked that the situation went something like this:

::Rachel runs into the bedroom holding two pregnancy tests and rouses Jason from a deep sleep:

R: "Uhhh, I'm pregnant. And FREAKING OUT! I went drinking last night!"
J: "You're pregnant huh? Cool."

::Jason then rolls over and goes back to sleep::

Honestly, I couldn't have asked for a better reaction. It was perfectly Jason. Calm, cool, no drama Jason.

When he gets up from sleeping, what does he do? Rubs my belly and says "So we're pregnant huh?". My reply "Yes, we are pregnant, now stop rubbing my fat". Typical response from me.

Every day since then, he asks me the typical guy questions.

1. How are you feeling? (tired, hungry and crampy)
2. What's wrong? (when he sees me looking like a zombie)
3. Can I get you anything (I am sure that novelty will wear off soon)

I love my husband. I truly do. He's so cute in relation to this pregnancy stuff. I love that he asks me if he can get me anything. My answer is always no but I may have to take him up on it.

He did do one slightly annoying thing to me the other night. He woke ME up out of a deep sleep (payback probably) to ask me: "Can I eat your leftover Pad Thai?". Ummmm, yes honey. "Are you sure?" YES HONEY, eat the damn Pad Thai and let me go back to sleep.

Don't mess with a pregnant lady and her sleep (see question number 1 above).

Some Background

I decided to start this blog as a way to express, in writing, how my pregnancy is going. Now, based on my past history, it might be that this blog is only active for a few weeks. When I say "past history" I mean that for the last 18 months, my husband and I have been trying to have a baby. We were successful in June of 2008, but sadly, I miscarried that baby the day before my husband's birthday in July. A whole separate entry would be needed for the aftermath of my miscarriage. It was truly the most painful, emotional time in my life. I wouldn't wish a miscarriage on my worst enemy.

After getting the green light from my doctor to try again, I started getting frustrated when nothing was happening. I realize that it can take a healthy couple a year to get pregnant, but I don't consider myself healthy. I have a lot of funky stuff going on in the woman region. That's neither here nor there. So, nine months later and still not pregnant. I decided to call a new doctor to discuss my "issues" going on with my body. I will not disgust you with the disgusting-ness of my "issues".

The very next day after I called the new doctor to schedule a second opinion appointment, guess what? Pregnant! PREGNANT! Hopefully this one will stick around for more than ten weeks.

So what was my immediate reaction? Panic. Why do you ask? I had gone out drinking the night before with some girlfriends. I just knew I wasn't pregnant, so a few drinks can't possibly hurt. The next morning when I took a test for sh*ts and giggles, I was shocked. So shocked that I had to take two more tests to be absolutely certain. I could kick myself now for drinking the night before knowing that I was pregnant. I know you don't share nutrients with the baby right away and yada yada. Here's the kicker: I drink MAYBE twice a year. Hardly ever.

So, there's the background. Our journey in a nutshell. Of course, there is so much more detail around it, but I am too tired and lazy to type it all out. I attribute that to the fact that I am four weeks pregnant.