Soda

Well. I'm still puny, but I've figured out a new trick. Apparently my tummy likes carbonated water. If I drink some soda, often my tummy will calm down enough to allow me to eat! My a- little-older-and- MUCH wiser friends kept telling me to try it. Hallaleujah!!! My poor body. I guess I've been starving lately. (Don't worry, I haven't lost anymore weight. Still stable.) I've been eating as much as I can get down, but that's significantly less than usual. I've been waking up at 2,3,4 in the morning hungry. Not last night though- I had a little soda, a reasonable meal (as opposed to the few bites I can normally force down) at 9:30 at night (after my feable attempt at 5:00 pm), and actually slept through the night. Miracles do happen.

As for Dave. He's such an angel. I think every once in a while he takes the sickness away for me for a day or two. Last week, I felt reasonably good. Dave on the other hand, well you saw his Great Expectations e-mail. I tease him every once in a while about his being pregnant.

I'm really lucky to be married to such an incredible person. Poor guy. T wo nights ago, I was up for at least 3 hours off and on. I barely got any sleep. The next morning, Dave says empathetically, "I'm sorry you had a such a rough night." He, of course, was completely exhausted. When I don't sleep well, neither does he. He probably got no more sleep than I did. But he made no mention of that. He's really just a kind person.

He will be thrilled when this trimester is over. I think it's tough on him watching me be sick all the time. The situation pulls on his empathy strings.

I guess I should mention, in some wierd way, I don't mind all of this. It just lets me know that my body is still doing what it should be- being pregnant. I have an aunt who had 13 miscarriages. My mother had none. I guess being sick is just confirmation that things are still going alright. I'm not "worried" about that, but I'm old enough to realize it's a risk that people take in being pregnant. I'm happy for the evidence that things are still ok. Even if that evidence is not alot of fun.

All-in-all, life is good.

Great Expectations

Our doctor gave us a book called Great Expectations: a guide to enjoying your pregnancy. It's kind of a miniature What to Expect When You're Expecting. It has a lot of helpful and interesting information about during and after the pregnancy. It says the following about fathers:

While you are pregnant, the baby's father is also sort of "pregnant." He, too, is going through change, anxieties, fears, doubts, joys and stresses.

I must say I whole-heartedly agree at this point. I'm sure most of it is emotional, but some days I feel I'm going to be sick too. I guess we really are pregnant.

Puny

As Dave said, I'm relatively puny these days. It seems the little one is absorbing about 2/3 of my resources- which is Ok by me. It's kinda funny though, it's like my whole pace has slowed. Most people mark my personality by my moderately fast paced walk and overall high energy level. These days, I walk slow enough to force Dave to about 1/3 of his usual pace. It's just funny to watch me change.

I'm also a lot quieter. I think the reasons for this are two-fold: 1. My overall energy level is at a crawl and 2. I'm always a little afraid that if I talk, I loose whatever food I have managed to consume. (I'm feeling pretty protective of my stomach contents. I was loosing about a lb a week for a while there.)

My little sister said the other day, "You don't sound very excited." I just smiled and assured her that I am VERY excited in my quiet and calm voice- I'm sure she wasn't convinced. She's used to me expressing enthusiasm through my loud, excited, and outgoing voice. Now days, I express that more quietly... I tend to giggle quietly, smile my quiet smile, and then flap my arms imitating the little one inside. SO CUTE!!! Wiggley little one! Pretty amazing for a babe that's not quite an inch in size. Absolutely adorable! I am thrilled! I think overall though, I'm most likely to express that through just feeling more contemplative. My body reminds me constantly about the HUGE changes that are taking place. The funny thing is... I'm not showing and won't be for quite a while, but I feel VERY pregnant.

One more thing- ya know, I've always prided myself on my poor sense of smell. I find it quite a blessing in life and have bragged about it for years-- well until lately. Recently my nose has become quite a sensitive fella. Sniffing out and causing gags on even the most mundane odors and even things that I would previously have enjoyed. I think it's pretty funny. Well, when I'm not gagging. Life is funny.

Overall though, I'm doing quite well. A lot of people have a much harder time than me. I've learned a lot of strategies to keep me balanced. Hey whatever it takes to get that little one what she needs.

2nd Month and... Wow!

Some people say that the first trimester is the worst. April's sick everyday. Sometimes all she has to do is smell food and she's ready to hurl. I think it's making me sick too :). Supposedly the morning sickness will go away in a few more weeks. We're hoping.

I've heard pregnancy (at least at this stage) compared to long-term PMS. That seems about right to me. Thankfully April doesn't really have mood swings during PMS, and she hasn't had them so far while pregnant. She is tired a lot. Sometimes she goes to bed at 7:30.

She's on Spring Break this week. It's a good thing, she needs the rest.

8 Weeks, 6 Days

This image was taken today. We can now see a head and four limbs. You should've seen the little one wigglin' around!