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.

Week 9

I am in that unfortunate pregnancy stage of looking like I am gaining weight, yet not looking pregnant yet. I am still fitting into most of my pants, though some have been put to the side until post baby. But I am definitely feeling the squeeze. Also, I am finding this body change happening a whole lot sooner this time around. Those poor stomach muscles have just given up the fight already and are letting go. All this for a baby the size of a kidney bean. I mean, I think E was an orange at least, and N probably a clementine, but a kidney bean?
It is kind of funny how the pregnancy trackers like to compare the growing baby to produce. It's like I have an ever changing fruit basket for a belly, going from a blueberry to a watermelon. I am just hoping I don't have a pair of kidney beans in there right now (which is the popular opinion).
I have my first OB visit this week, which I am looking forward to. It is kind of the first step in that inevitable march to the delivery room, picking up tempo from once a month, to every other week, and then every week. I won't be able to hear the heartbeat yet, but I am guessing I will have an early ultrasound scheduled to rule out the possibility of the above pair of beans.

Gap-toothed Girl

Last night over dinner, E's tooth was literally hanging by one corner. She was having trouble chewing, but when we tugged on the tooth, there was a little twinge, so she didn't want us to pull it. She even got a little teary-eyed at the prospect of losing it. So we said she could "keep" her tooth for one last night, and that today it would come out. This morning I couldn't stand to see it dangling any more, so I asked her if I could pull it out for her. She agreed, and bravely let me take a little pull, and Pop! It was out. She was quite fine about it coming out, and has enjoyed drinking beverages through a straw in the gap. Tonight the tooth fairy will visit our house again!!

Week 8

• Yes, I am still incredibly nauseous, even more so this week. I feel like I am becoming a hermit. I don't leave the house unless absolutely necessary-- we run out of milk, bread, and eggs, like some family in the middle of a snowstorm. I have missed church and playgroup as well. But I'm not depressed about it, I feel so sick I can't even think about what I am missing.
  
  But this will all pass. Everyday I just pray to get through it. And I have enough to keep me busy at this point. Peter and Erika are back. I was a little nervous about babysitting them while I felt this way, but yesterday was OK. They really occupy E and N, which gives me a little break as well. I was even able to add our neighbor friend into the mix for a couple of hours yesterday, and it was fine.
  
  So am I excited about this baby, after all this griping and moaning about how I feel? Tentatively, yes. I mean, we wanted a third, and I am looking forward to having a newborn again. It's just hard to picture what our family will look like as 5. My sister calls it going from "man to man" to "zone". I can see that. E will have to grow up, and give up her spot on a parent lap, in a parent's arms. N will definitely need more independence and to shed some of his jealousy for my time and attention. As before, I worry about letting go of my "baby" and having another take its place. I think that these are just feelings I am going to have to work through in the months to come, and not until I hold that little one will I be able to fully accept and welcome these changes.

First Tooth for the Tooth Fairy

A couple of weeks ago E went to the dentist, and came home with the announcement that she had two loose teeth. I couldn't believe it, I thought she wouldn't have any teeth fall out until first grade. Well, she has been wiggling those teeth and today one popped out. It's so funny to see her little smile with a gap-- my baby girl is growing up!!



It will be interesting how long it takes for her to figure out who the Tooth Fairy is. We recently had a conversation that went like this.
"Mommy, I think that the tooth fairy is a person"
"You do?"
"Yes, because fairies aren't real"
"Yes, you're right, fairies are imaginary."
"I think a person comes into the house through the window because all the doors are locked, and takes the tooth."
"Well, I can tell you that isn't how it happens."
"Then how does it happen? Do you know?"
"Yes, but I am going to let you figure it out."
"But I want you to tell me now!"
"I promise I will tell you if you don't figure it out after you lose a few of your teeth."

And she seemed satisfied with that, for now.

Week 7

I knew it was coming any day, and it has arrived. That pregnancy 'symptom' that goes by the misnomer "morning sickness". If it were just in the morning, I would be able to function almost normally. But as it is, I have this underlying nausea almost all day long. Eating doesn't do much to relieve it, and certain foods just bring waves of nausea if I even think of them. I honestly don't remember feeling this badly with my first two pregnancies. With E, I had some sickness everyday, usually in the evening, but either it wasn't so bad, or I was just so happy to be pregnant that even nausea didn't slow me down. With N, I think it was a lot like with E, I don't remember feeling so sick, all the time. That ball of nausea that just rests in the back of my throat and the pit of my stomach, forcing me to look away from that bowl of ripe tomatoes, shut the refrigerator door as quickly as possible, making the act of cooking dinner an almost unbearable chore. Yet I know that if I didn't feel sick, I would be worried about the baby. Besides sensitivity to smells, morning sickness is most likely caused by the surge in the pregnancy hormone in the first months of pregnancy, so it is a very good sign that things are going as they should. Yet, the Curse of the Fall is weighing heavily on me, and I am looking forward to relief in another month or so.

Another successful surgery

• Today N had another ear tube surgery. One of the original tubes from last year had fallen out and he has had several ear infections as a result. So today he had the tubes put in again. We arrived at the CHOP specialty care center around 7:40 am. Since he wasn't allowed to eat or drink before the surgery, I was thankful for this early arrival time. We were checked in, and although N was a little nervous in the beginning, wanting to be held, he soon became comfortable and sat on the bed by himself. The nurses were wonderful, gentle and kind, and quickly put him at ease. We watched "Elmo in Grouchland" while we waited for his turn, and for the relaxation medication to kick in. N was completely relaxed by the time they carried away, and he went without a protest although he still clutched tightly to 'baby'. I barely had time to drink a cup of coffee before I was called back to be with him while he awoke in recovery. He was fast asleep, and I sat and read a book for about 15 minutes until he woke up, calmly stretching and reaching for me. He was fascinated by the pulse-ox on his big toe and didn't want it taken off. He also loved the slurpee they gave him as we left and he sucked away contentedly on the way home. I am so thankful for how well it went, and am looking forward to another infection-free winter.
  
  Getting ready to go
  
  
  The pulse-ox on his toe
  
  
  Sleeping in recovery