13 Weeks

• End of the first trimester!! Woo-hoo!!
  I have not written about the pregnancy in a couple of weeks, becasue it was more of the same old thing.
  Feeling sick, feeling tired, etc., etc.
  But now, I feel like I am turning a corner, at least mentally.
  I can tell myself that the worst is behind me, and the lingering nausea will soon pass.
  I am getting my energy back, and am feeling ready to tackle some painting jobs around the house.
  I am also looking forward to going to the hairdresser's and getting a much needed trim and color.
  On top of that, I can wear maternity clothes, and look a little pregnant, instead of just "fat".
  So things are good.
  I even think I felt the baby move, although Ed doesn't think it is possible yet.

The Disney Decision

Three years ago we took a family trip to Disney World with Ed's parents. We had a wonderful time, and decided that we would like to go with the rest of his family next time. So we started planning a trip for Spring 2007. We thought E and Peter would really love it, and economically speaking, N and Erika wold be free, yet old enough to have fun. We got Jim and Steph, Linda and Bob (Ed's sister and husband), and Ed's parents on board with the idea. Since then there has been much anticipation on E's part, as well as ours. We have all really been looking forward to this trip. Well, as you know, our "plans" to have a baby earlier this year did didn't actually happen. So as each month passed, we realized we were getting closer and closer to a "deadline" if we wanted to make it to Disney. That deadline passed, and we decided that we needed to put Disney on hold and keep trying for a baby. So here we are. I am due the exact week that we have been planning to go, for three years. Ironic, isn't it? Needless to say, everyone else is going ahead with the trip. I would like to push it back until the fall, but with Jim teaching, Easter week is the only one that works for him. I feel like we did make a conscious decision, knowing we would probably miss this trip, but I still am really disappointed that we are going to miss it. And as you can imagine, E is too. She has been talking about seeing Mickey when she is six for the past 2 years.
So now it comes to our decision. Ed's parents have generously offered to take E with them, all expenses paid. It is a wonderful offer, but we are not sure how we will respond. For one thing, she will probably have a great time for the first few days, but I can see her getting homesick after that, especially as the week will be action packed and she will get exhausted. Another thing is that we will probably have a new baby right before they leave, or while they are away, and I'm not sure I want her gone for that. And the final reason is a little selfish-- I want to be there to see her reaction, and to be a part of that experience, I don't want to miss sharing in her joy and excitement. They will probably be buying the plane tickets soon and need our response, and we really don't know what to do. We don't want to deprive her of this opportunity, yet.... what do you think??

The Red Dragons

• Well, it is clear that E has inherited more than my crafty genes, she has also received my "athletic" ones too. I have kind of suspected all along, but it was very clear today in the game that she doesn't quite have the hustle and drive that I am sure my sisters possessed at that age. She started out pretty cheerfully, running along, attempting to kick the ball, but by the end she was clearly dragging, running behind the crowd of little girls, not even attempting to put her foot on the ball. It was super hot, so she did get overheated, and it was probably the most sustained "running" that she has ever done. We were just glad she didn't end in tears, and that she had fun, at least in the beginning before getting so hot and tired. I think her favorite part was after the game, when she got to play on the playground and have a soft pretzel.
  As a side note, her friend, Allison, is on the same team, and that girl has got the moves! She was weaving in and out, stealing the ball, dribbling up the field and scored so many times I lost count after 6! It was impressive to watch, and hard to believe it was her first game too. The girl has a future in athletic pursuits!
  
  The team warms up E has her turn to dribble and....
  Score! E and Allison before the first kick
  After the game, a pretzel and a smile!

And the results are...

No twins!!! Just one little "walnut" in there, thank the Lord!
I do not know what I would have done with twins.
I was having visions of bedrest, c-section recovery, endless bottles, no sleep, not being able to go grocery shopping, etc., etc.
It was really cool to see the heartbeat, and the little arm and leg "buds".
It's hard to believe I am 1/4 of the way done,
and in 10 more weeks I will have the "official" ultrasound, and find out if we are having a boy or girl.
I am kind of feeling boy, but we were completely surprised by N, so my feelings aren't completely reliable.
Whatever he/she is, this baby is sure giving its mama a hard time already.
I am looking forward to the golden 2nd trimester!

The Big Day

E's first day of school went really well. She woke up excited, and quickly got ready. Aunt Cara even came over to give her a little card and gift, which was a special way to start her day. I drove her to school, since it was the first day, and walked her inside. Her teacher was waiting in the hallway, greeting the students as they came in. I kind of stood off to the side for about ten minutes and watched Ellie as she waited to go to her classroom. She was kind of quiet, taking everything in, but she didn't seem anxious or fearful. I didn't actually see any children crying, although a couple of moms were shiny-eyed. After her neighborhood friend arrived, I said my good-byes and left.
All day long there was a definite void in our house, and I kept thinking about her, wondering what she was doing and how her day was going. Finally 3:20 rolled around and I went to pick her up. I can't tell you what a wonderful feeling it was to pull up and see her walking toward me, her little face beaming. I felt like I hadn't seen her in days, instead of hours. She gave a complete report of the day, and was able to answer all of my questions. She said her favorite part of the day was "Everything". This morning she woke up early again, and was eager to go. She was very excited to ride the bus, and went off happily for her second day (although poor N started crying when E got on the bus, saying, "N ride bus too!! N school!! "). I am just extremely thankful that she had a great time at school, and it puts me a little more at ease to know that she is happy and comfortable.

Aunt Cara visits in the morning

All ready to go!!

"Class of 2019", can you believe it?

With her teacher, Miss Weihenmayer ("wine-mayor")

Waiting in the hallway

Week 10

Things are looking up. I feel a whole lot better in the mornings, just a mild sick feeling here and there. The trade off is that the afternoons and evenings are worse, but I am just glad that half my day I feel almost normal. And of course, it helps that as each week passes by, the end of the first trimester is that much closer.

Another bit of good news is that the OB does not think I am carrying twins. I am still going to have an ultrasound (on Thursday) to make sure, but her feeling is that there is only one in there. Ellie did say she had a dream the other night that we were having a boy and a girl, so we will see!

Food aversions are still there, but I have an odd craving for meat. Yesterday I read an article about the popularity of Italian roast pork sandwiches, and it made my mouth water. The #1 spot in Philly is DiNic's at Reading Terminal Market, and I was more than tempted to drive down there for lunch, but I wasn't sure if it was open on Labor Day. I have also been craving ribs, which is funny since I have only had them once, and wasn't that impressed by them. And my final craving is for some Korean kalbi, or short ribs. I have a great recipe for them, and have wanted to make them for dinner but I have been holding off because I want to have my parents over the next time I make them, and I'm not really up for dinner company yet. So to sum it up, I am kind of feeling like Pheobe on "Friends" when she was pregnant.

And tomorrow is E's first day of kindergarten, so I will be posting pictures and a full report.