Honeymooning!

I've hit the 12 week mark! Halleluyah!

I haven't thrown up since Wednesday or felt too nauseous the past week so I'm hoping things are on the upswing and I'll start to get my appetite and energy back (so Tad can have his wife back, haha). Here's the recap of the past week:

Week 11: I've needed less sleep, which is encouraging. Still bouts of nausea but they're typically when my stomach is empty (so it's my own fault). I still can't let go of my morning Luna bar in bed before I get up - it seems to help and I'm afraid if I stop I will pay for it. I know ahead of time when I'm going to be sick so I'm thankful it's not sudden urges. Because my stomach is empty, there's not much to throw up so I just let it happen because I know I'll feel better afterwards. I've been lucky to have all the public restrooms to myself when I do get sick though and I've found I can pretty much throw up anywhere - Walgreens, Buckhead Church, the office, etc. The time has flown by though... I remember thinking "how am I ever going to make it through 6 weeks of this?"

Week 12: I'm really hoping for the next post I will be able to say - all symptoms gone. I have entered the baby honeymoon phase!!! :)

The baby bump is DEFINITELY there and I'm in love with the belly band, minus it being a little bumpy when I wear certain pants and the fact I can't clip my pedometer on my pocket because the band covers it up (read: dork). I'm going to use it as long as I can instead of buying maternity clothes. I would imagine when the warmer temps hit it will be cooler to just put on dresses than wear all the layers - belly band, camisole, shirt, etc.

We both have started to tell more people in the past week. One, because I was so close to the 12 week mark and two, because of the people we've been around. Let me explain... I found out last Sunday that Dustin Thompson passed away. He's Corey's brother and Aaron's cousin. I pretty much spent more time with these two guys and the Hawkins/Thompson family from '98 through my sophomore year of college than anyone else so this news was shocking. Dustin worked for Riverdale Fire so he and Tad had been talking a lot about getting Tad on there. Tad even saw him at the firehouse the week before. It shook both Tad and me to the core and I wanted to take every opportunity I could to be with the family, because they really are like family to me. I also knew I wanted to tell all of them about the pregnancy because it would be a tiny piece of happiness in this otherwise really sad time. Dustin and Corey's mom, Sandy, even put a note on facebook - "Bright spots in my darkness. News of new life beginning. Amazing women who will be amazing mothers." I just love them so much and I'm thankful they included us in all of their family time. Tad and I were really lucky to spend time with them after the funeral at Grandmother and Bru's then go to Corey and Kim's. Last night I went down to Aaron and Corey's Uncle Jody's for dinner and games. It was good to see Aaron (he flew in from Cali) and Tad and I are hoping to make it to LA for his wedding next month. Here's a picture of Dustin. I still cry every time I see pics of him and my heart still hurts, but I know I will see that smile again one day!

Brecken

I forgot to mention in my last post that Brecken Thomas Conrey was born on February 5th. :) We were at the cabin with small group but went by to see Jess, Wayne and baby Brecken (also bb, haha) on the way home. I think this was the first emotional pregnancy moment because I cried as soon as I started holding him and then again when Tad held him and he broke out into this huge grin. He's just so beautiful and I can't believe that he belongs to Jessica!

I went up there again a couple of Wednesday nights ago and spent the night. It was a real treat to get to love on him all Thursday while I worked from their house. He's the best baby and I'm praying bb is just as good! Wouldn't Tad and I be lucky!

Here's a pic of him. I was on pacifier duty while Jess napped, but who needs a pacy when he's so happy he's smiling in his sleep? Love, love, love him!

Hearts Day

I'm been a slacker so far in February with the blog, but I feel like I've truly been in survivor mode with the nausea, fatigue and throwing up. Like I said before, Tad is AMAZING and has really been my rock. Thank God the man loves me like the church and doesn't mind a little lot of housework.



Jenny said she wished she had kept a little log of symptoms to know if the pregnancy was the same for each of her kids so here's a quick recap of what I've felt:



Week 9: Hardest week to date in a lot of ways. The nausea wasn't constant, but I threw up more. It was sudden waves of nausea when I let myself get too hungry and then tried to eat something too late. Didn't work well. I'm not sure I'll be eating collard greens for a while. That burned coming up. Sorry, TMI. The fatigue was also at a high. There were a couple of nights I went to bed at 7 or 8 o'clock and still didn't feel rested when my alarm went off at 6:15 AM (so I would snooze until 7:00). My friend Jamie (Myle's wife) said she tried to explain to him that it was a tired she had never felt before. I couldn't agree more. She also said that getting up with Jude at all hours of the night still doesn't compare to the fatigue she felt during the first trimester. THERE'S HOPE! ;)



Week 10: I pretty much slept the weekend away, even though it was 60 and sunny outside and I could've used a dose of vitamin D. I did go to a wine party (and faked it really well, if I do say so myself) and then to Married Life Live at Buckhead Church with some of our small group and the Peeks. Tad wanted to get a drink afterwards with friends since he passed his EMT practical, but thankfully Jenny took me home and we both fell asleep on the couch watching The Office. I'm glad I have another worn out pregnant companion. :) As far as symptoms, the nausea has gotten better, but I'm not sure if it's because I figured out how to keep it under control or if it's going away. I'm hoping for the latter. Sunday I went to Target to buy a bella band and then went to the grocery store, and I remember thinking wow, what a big deal - I really have been avoiding the public, except work people and small group. Of course, I threw up when I got home because I was out too long without eating. :)



So this blog is not a pity me party even though I felt like all I've got to tell of the pregnancy so far is a positive pee stick and the terrible side effects... but there is good news! We had our second midwife visit yesterday. This time we met with Anjli and we loved her just as much as Margaret! How lucky are we to instantly fall in love with the people delivering this baby? I feel like it's such a blessing, and that the birthing experience will be so much better because one of them will be a part of it.



This appointment was a little more invasive than the last, but I was thankful for that because I wanted all the confirmation I could get! First she did a general physical exam and then she took a look at my cervix. She said, "It's the color of pregnancy -- a bluish tint." Who knew the thing changed colors? God didn't miss any details, that's for sure. Then she felt it and said it was the right size for 9.5 - 10 weeks along. (I was 10 weeks on Saturday.) It felt good to know my body was doing the right things to support the baby.



But the most exciting part of the visit was that we heard the heartbeat and it was the best V Day gift EVER! I was a little worried it was still too early, but she found it pretty quickly and it was 150-160 bpm which she said is good! We recorded it and have been listening to it a lot like little giddy kids. It was very exciting! She said the chances of miscarriage after hearing a heartbeat go down to about 3%. Music to my ears!







Tad was hoping to tell folks after hearing the heartbeat, but I'm still holding on to the 12 week mark. It's just what you do, right? I know my parents and Tad's parents are really eager, but I told them both that's the deal with finding out first, you gotta wait the longest to spread the news.

Here's to a fast two weeks!