First Trimester Novel

In case anyone is interested, I kept a log of the first trimester. Glad these weeks are behind me, but still so many more to go. February is far away!

Week 4: We just found out we are expecting baby number 2. It all seems so surreal. It definitely hasn't sunk in yet. Two babies. (Olivia. Obviously. Don't think twins). Something we have always wanted. But I'll admit, I had a lot of drinking planned for the summer. I keep forgetting I'm pregnant. At work I went straight for sushi for lunch. Crap. Then I got in the lunch meat / sandwich line. Crap. Settled for a salad. 

Olivia keeps saying "mama baby" which is 1) adorable and 2) two of the ten words she knows, so, mostly, just a coincidence. We have just as good of a chance of her saying 'mama bubble.'

I am 100% convinced this one is a boy. From the moment I found out. I keep saying "he" which is weird because I accidentally call all babies "she" because of Olivia. I knew Olivia was girl from day one - so we'll see if I'm right on this one. 50 / 50 chance. 

Week 6: The insomnia is bad this time. I keep waking up at 1 am for the day - and don't go to bed until 10/11. By the time work rolls around, I'm exhausted. I've started drugging myself to sleep - but that can't good long term. With Olivia, I never slept well until I had her. Which wasn't often, but at least the 2 or so hours I would get were hours of solid sleep. 

I've thrown up twice, and the gag reflex is on high alert - like when I brush my teeth or someone says something gross. I have been more tired - which is magnified with full time work and a toddler and a husband a million miles away. (Dan was in Korea for two weeks). I took two naps this weekend - which is unheard of in my life. I get nauseous a couple times a day for about 20 minutes. Overall, much more manageable than when pregnant with Olivia.

Week 8: Ignore my last sentence. Although the nausea started earlier, it slowly and steadily made its way to just as awful as when pregnant with Olivia. Which is awful. Dan had to throw out his coffee because I couldn't stop puking / gagging in the car. He now uses it as an excuse to buy those Starbuck's frappuccinos instead of brewing coffee here. It's all I have in me to get my prenatal vitamin down. The food aversions haven't been quite as bad. Luckily. Usually there is one thing in the world that sounds edible (unlike nothing with Olivia) and Dan has been a great sport in following me to who-knows-where to go get that for dinner. I get super sick if I don't eat for longer than 2 hours. Once that happens, eating doesn't help, I'm SOL the entire day. So I'm eating so much more than normal and probably much more than I should be eating, but anything not to throw up. 

They are so so so worth it though. I had forgotten how bad it was with Olivia. But I just look at her face and know that this is all so worth it - and eventually I'll forget again and might even be nuts enough to have a third. Or a fourth. 

On the fun side, I bought boy clothes this week. I'm so convinced, there's nothing that makes me think this one is a girl. I'll give them to friends with boys if I'm wrong.

Week 10: Guys I'm huge. I mean at 4 weeks I went to a bachelorette party, and my super supportive friend was all "yeah, I mean, you look pregnant." Now I look like I did at 22 weeks with Olivia. I have a picture to prove it. My NT scan isn't for another 3 weeks and I'm running out of work clothes. 90% of it is queso, but I mean, the baby is the size of a grape. That counts for something, right?

Sheet washing day, and a screenshot from last time, to send to friends who didn't believe me.

Cannot handle the heat well this time. I was 34 weeks pregnant labor day weekend when we were in Charleston and it was in the high 90s. We averaged walking 11 miles a day. I get third trimester hot. But this is so different. It's like I'm going to pass out. I get dizzy. I feel like I'm going to fall over. Olivia wanting to play on the playground every day after daycare, me in my work clothes (long pants and, many times, long sleeves) and high 90s is not a good mix right now. 

We got to have a quick ultrasound and the heartbeat was 169. Much lower than Olivia, which was 183. Boy. 

Week 12: I'm dyingggg to tell everyone. I mean, we've told a lot of people, but I just want the NT scan to come back with everything okay. I'm also wondering if people at work noticed that I was wearing maternity jeans. Elastic waistbands for life! 

The weirdest part of this pregnancy is that I don't like sweets. WHAT. I know. I would have slapped myself if I was reading this not pregnant. Sweets are my favorite thing ever. I'd eat dessert all day every day if it were socially acceptable. I kind of do. Anytime those quizzes would say "salty or sweet" I'd be all, who the eff doesn't want sweet? You are clearly not human. Well. Nothing sweet. It started at 4 weeks with me wanting candy / cookie cake / etc. but it making me super nauseous after eating it. For hours. Then it turned to nothing sweet sounds good at all. I even bypassed all the cupcakes (and the people eating the cupcakes) at Blair's shower. We had a key lime pie in the house and Dan offered me some and I said "no but would you heat me up some more chicken?" Chicken? What is wrong with me??? Boy.

Still feeling sick all the time. Still not handling the heat well. It got better at 18 weeks with Olivia. I'm holding out hope for that. Lemon drops used to work, but now they are too sweet. Peppermints also. Ginger chews do help if I can get them down. That's a big if. I hate the taste of ginger. I'm going to buy those preggie drops that are super sour - maybe that will help? I have to keep ice water near me at all times and just keep thinking that I'm hopefully halfway through it.

Week 14: Still not feeling well, yadda yadda, sounding like a broken record. Those preggie drops are awesome though. Nothing cures the nausea, but they really do take the edge off. I have no clue why they work, but I'm not questioning it. Went to the beach this week and got a lot of sleep. Was able to sleep in until 7 everyday which was amazing. And had Dan and my parents there to help with Olivia - so it made everything so much more tolerable. Hopefully only a month or so left and I'll start feeling better.