7 Quick, well, you know

1. I have noticed this week, that the earlier Fuss takers her nap, the shorter her nap. If I can keep her up (and keep from wanting to strangle her) until 2:00 or later, she usually takes a decent nap and I have minimal time for her to ramp up the fussiness before her daddy gets home. Those are the days I prefer.

2. I have a weird rash under my arms and I'm not sure what caused it. It's driving me crazy, though and I'm over it. I'm trying some Benedryl cream on it, but I hope that fixes it, since i don't know that I can take anything else and it is really irritating.

3. My friend Jo had her big ultrasound yesterday and signs point to a girl this time around for her. Several of my friends who had boys are having girls this time around. My husband keeps getting this feeling that I'm having a boy this time, but I'm really not sure.

4. I'm loving this new season of Burn Notice, but the 10:00 time on a night when I have to go to work the next day is killing me. Same goes with White Collar. I relly miss having that on Fridays and wish the networks would quit messing with my schedule.

5. My Saints won the NFC Championship last weekend, despite the major amount of smack talk from my step-dad (a lifetime Packers fan and a big fan of Brett Favre). He also bet my husband a bottle of wine that not only would the Vikings win, but that they'd win by 14 points or more. Guess he owes us a bottle, huh? But I'm very excited that my cousin-in-law who is from the New Orleans area, was able to pick me up a Saints hat while she's "home" this week. I've been looking all over for Saints gear (for a couple of years. I've been a Saints fan since 2004, even when they stunk. I'm not a bandwagon girl) and it's impossible to find in FL. A is sending to me through the mail and I'm psyched!

6. I can't figure out a cute way to announce my pregnancy on my FB page. My husband announced it last night by letting everyone know my current cravings (Sushi and Sugar cookies) and we're hearing lots of feedback from mutual friends, but I have others who are only my friends and... you get the idea.

7. I keep getting weird symptoms that I'm sure are pregnancy related or not. But my back continues to twinge and twitch, I don't have the best circulation in my hands these days, I'm back to frequent (usually mild) headaches, more irritability. And I'm starting to truly fear that there might, in fact, be a boy inside me. What on earth am I gonna do with one of those?

For more quick takes, visit Conversion Diary.

No Sushi?!?!

Last week at the Dr's office, my midwife gave me a nice little photocopied packet of info Do's and Don'ts for this pregnancy. A few things she said might be different from last time, etc. I don't know if that indicated that more research has been done, or a shift in "conventional wisdom" or just that we have a couple new OB medical personnel in the office now, but specifically, the new things I remember her pointing out were:
1. No drugs but Tylenol and Tums until 12 weeks. (Unless given by the OB staff) I don't remember being told the 12-week time line last time... After 12 weeks, I have a much clearer list of approved OTC medicines I can take for aches, pains, et al.
2. Don't lift anything over 25 pounds when exersizing (my question? does that include my 26 pound daughter? answer: just try not to carry her constantly)
3. No sushi. None.

And this is what is killing me.

I love sushi. Now, I'm a sushi roll sort of girl - I'm not into the chunks of raw/cold meats on a brick of sticky rice so much, but I love me some California roll, some Philly roll, some Volcano roll with lava sauce... (I'm drooling here as I think about it) and I've heard all the "no sushi when you're pregnant!" warnings, but I've also done some of my own research and learned that Japanese women don't drop their sushi when they are pregnant, so it's really a matter of being intelligent when you are consuming sushi. Make sure you're confident in the sushi-makers sanitary standards, etc. When I was pregnant with Fuss, I had occasional cravings for sushi and I would simply make sure that the rolls I ate were of the cooked-meat variety (smoked salmon, crab, shrimp tempura) and while that meant that I did have to skip a few of my favorite rolls, I still got my fix and everyone was happy.

And today my husband and I went to lunch at our favorite Thai/sushi restaurant up by his work. We started going there when it was only Thai food and loved it and it's where my husband had his first good sushi and it's been a favorite place ever since. I'd been thinking about Thai food there for a week or so and finally had the chance to go up and see him today and get some. I talked him into getting a sushi combo meal and I ended up filching some sushi from him because Oh My Gosh did it look good.

And I shouldn't have done that because after I had a piece of something, suddenly my Thai food wasn't as tasty. It was still good, but all I really wanted was that darn sushi.

I have a feeling that there is no way I'm going to make it without some sushi this pregnancy - I'm already starting to obsess about it and it's been less than an hour since we left the restaurant. There will likely be sushi in my immediate future. And to tell you the truth, I can't wait to have it again!!!!

Surviving and Looking Back

Food isn't as fun as it was before this pregnancy. Naps and sleep aren't as restful (which is, in part, contributed to by the large amounts of snoring coming from my allergic-to-weather husband, which I can only do so much about), and don't even get me started on my bowel movements... (I know, you're saying thank you for that one, aren't you?) and I'm wondering how I survived my first trimester of my first pregnancy (and vaguely remembering the massive amounts of fights my husband and I had when I couldn't stay awake long enough to do ANYTHING useful).

*********************

My friends who got pregnant around the time I was pregnant before are getting there Big Ultrasounds these days, finding out their genders, etc. I was writing out some of the highlighted weeks in my calendar today and I realized that for my old due date, I will be 28 weeks pregnant with Small Fry, past the point of knowing the gender and moving on to actually getting closer to having a baby, even though it will be 3 months later than I planned.

It's never completely over, when you lose a baby - even when you lose one early on. I have to declare this as my 3rd pregnancy for all my paperwork at the OB/GYN. In some ways, I'm glad that I need to remember, and in some ways, I wish I could forget. I wish I could forget because it covers every moment of THIS pregnancy. Every time my symptoms are different from when I was pregnant with Fuss, I start to wonder and worry. I can't just sit back and relax completely, because there is always that worry that something bad could happen.

10 on Tuesday

1. What accomplishment are you most proud of?
Having and raising Fuss. Being a mom is hard work and I'm not doing too bad right now. I still have plenty of room for improvement, of course.

2. How much did you weigh when you were born?
7 lbs, 8 oz.

3. What is your favorite perfume?
Burberry Britt

4. How many siblings do you have?
Biologically, none, I'm an only child. I adopted one of my own - my sister, C. But there is no legal or biological relationship there.

I have 3 SILs and one BIL by marriage.

5. How many children would you like to have? (Or how many do you have?)
I had always said 2-3, my husband always said 3-4. We've settled on 3, and if there is no boy in those 3, we'll probably try once more. But if we end up with 4 girls, that's it.

6. What’s the best class you took in college?
Nonverbal Communication. I loved that class.

7. What was your favorite game to play when you were a child?
Uno! I loved that game, and actually still do. My grandma taught me to play it and we played it every time I visited her and when we went on vacations. My in-laws like it, too, and between them we've got all the new versions, too. It's a family thing.

8. What character on Friends are you most like?
Probably Monica - at least she's the one I can relate to the most. Maybe because she seems the most sane. Although, I've got a lot of Rachel in me, too.

9. Are you a phone person? (ie: Do you like talking on the phone?)
Yes. But it has to be with certain people. I get nervous and pace when I have to have long conversations with people I'm not quite comfortable talking on the phone with. I also think that being able to have conversations on the phone, easily is one of those things that defines how good my friendship with said person is.

10. What was the best vacation you ever took?
My honeymoon was pretty fabulous. So relaxing, fun, etc. We went to St Augustine - the oldest city in FL which is beautiful, historical and has plenty of high-end options like gorgeous bed and breakfasts, a spa, restaurants, etc.

For more 10 on Tuesday, click here.

Very Pregnant/ And Why this one's different

I am about 7 weeks, 3 days pregnant. I am already showing severely (I haven't been skinny in years, so I've always had a soft-ish belly) but but really, I look like I'm seriously further along than my less-than-2-months. I know they say that you show earlier the second time around, but I'm feeling like a cow right now. I introduced maternity pants to my working wardrobe early on the last time, because sitting at a desk for 9 hours a day, it was just so much more comfortable to have something stretchy, but I need them this time around.

I craved vegetables last time - loved broccoli especially. My other big cravings included burritos (with lots of melted cheese) and milkshakes/ice cream (I preferred milk shakes, but would accept ice cream if a shake was unavailable). I haven't had the need for milk shakes yet, but I haven't had one since finding out I was pregnant, either, so we shall see. But I'm loving morning eggs - over easy with cheese melted on top - more than I can ever remember doing so.

Last time, I would go to work and be ready to fall asleep by 3:00. By the time I got home from work at 6, I would fall asleep on the couch while my husband would cook dinner. Drove him crazy. I took naps every weekend day and I took a few extra days off work to rest up. Nowadays, I can take a little down time some days, occasionally even take a nap while Fuss is sleeping. I'm a little better at the end of the day, but so often, I am so ready to collapse long before my usual 10:00 bedtime. And I don't get nearly as much done around the house, since I'm using up more of my Fuss naptime time to rest myself.

I need a drink (and I can't even have one)

Why is it that when you're pregnant, you have so much stress (concerns over your new baby, your old baby, where both of them are going to sleep, how you are going to afford it, etc., etc.) and yet you can't have a drink to help you relax? It really blows.

Thursday afternoon, while getting ready to finally get some laundry done, the Fuss woke up early from her nap. She demanded milk AND juice, neither of which I had ready (she's little demanding when she first wakes up) and when I went to pour her milk, I discovered that the brand-new gallon of milk I bought yesterday had slow-leaked half the gallon all over my fridge. Fuss had tripped me when I brought it in yesterday and I dropped it, but it had looked okay (but obviously wasn't). The other thing I discovered (along with an ink pen that had mysteriously cemented itself to the the bottom of the fridge under the crisper drawer) was that I desperately need to clean out my fridge. I was hoping to leave that until the baby was born and my mom came over to avail herself of her cleaning services, but I don't know that that is going to happen. Methinks it's gonna need to be sooner than that.

Somewhere along the way, Fuss has acquired an obsession with deodorant sticks and stole one from the bathroom, shortly after I sat down after cleaning up the milk mess. I guess she will be clean and fresh this afternoon.

Then she wanted her paci, but we are phasing out the paci during waking hours, so she then had a major meltdown, which really didn't work for me, either.

Early today, she pooped in her diaper and then she stuck her hand down the back of her diaper and pulled some out. Yeah. She then tried to wipe it all over me and the chair I was sitting in, before I realized what, exactly she had on her hand to begin with. Yeah, it's been that kind of day.

I sent Daddy Fuss a text joking that I needed a drink. He wrote back, "water or a virgin margarita?" Ha ha, very funny. But I think I'm gonna have a breakdown before the night is through if things keep going on like this.

Adjusted

I have been having this horrific (really? two "r"s and one "f"? seems wrong...) back pain this week which I attribute to a few things:
1. It's been so cold that my muscles are tense and tight and all my shivering is driving my back crazy
2. We moved our furniture around last week so the couch was more usable for snuggling in front of the TV, and my couch is far too big for me to sit on regularly, so I slouch and slump on it, with no support for my lower back
3. The muscle memory of pregnancy is setting in, reminding my body that it knows how to loosen up and doing so in a timely manner.
4. Random repetitive motion that is always the case when you are the mother of a toddler

So, despite the fact that I love my old chiropractor, he is too far away (mere minutes from my office at the agency, but approximately an hour round trip from my house) so I sucked it up and talked to a customer I've known for years who has his own chiropractic practice. I've had a few casual friends and acquaintances who have mentioned they've gone to him over the years, (and when I brought it up, he said he'd give me a discount!) I had my first appointment today (got a friend to watch the Fuss - much too long an appointment to drag her to!) and, mostly, I liked it. He told me a lot more details than my old Dr. (which was fine either way) and despite the fact that for the first appointment, I had to wear a hospital gown instead of remaining fully clothed, (that creeps me out for some reason) and 15+ years ago, I know this guy used to like to date significantly younger women (he's married now, much less flirty, etc. He dated a friend of mine back in the day - granted she was 10 years older than me, about 22 and he was in his mid-thirties... all perfectly legal and whatnot, but it was weird back then to me, the little 12 year old to see this "old man" dating my friend, but I digress...)

Several of my lower vertebra were screwy and my tailbone, so hopefully, I'm all better now.

Week 7 of my pregnancy with Small Fry and I'm still feeling the nausea, but haven't yet thrown up (knock on wood!) we shall see what happens.

I'm so excited!

Yesterday (Tuesday) I went to the doctor and had my first ultrasound to check for a heartbeat and measure for a due date.

We saw a heartbeat right away, so that was good and all the measurements (yolk sac, cervix length) were perfect. The baby was measuring within a day of the EDD by LMP, so exactly right on. I'm down 2 pounds from the last time I weighed in at the grocery store.

My official due date is September 9th. My preferred due date with early induction is September 2nd and my midwife said that should be perfect. September 2nd was my grandfather's birthday and I think it would be so great to have a baby born on his birthdate.

10 on Tuesday: Books

It’s another themed week. This week: Books. This one will strike the fancy of many of you. I fear that I’m going to feel worse about myself after this. As a lover of reading, I’m shocked at how few books I actually remember. So let’s see how this goes.

1. Favorite book(s) when you were a child and why?
The Good Night Book by Eloise Wilkin, The Velveteen Rabbit, my mom and I read Pollyanna, Anne of Green Gables and The Narnia Chronicles once I was a little older.

2. First “grown-up” book you remember reading (i.e. written for adolescents or with adult themes, such as The Outsiders or Catcher in the Rye).
The Zion Covenant series by Brock and Bodie Thoene. There were probably others, but that's what I remember specifically

3. Favorite movie that came from a book (even if you didn’t read the book and just love the movie).
So many... and I always read the book. The Notebook is probably my favorite.

4. Movie that you loved so much that you WISHED there was a book out so that you could find out more about the movie.
You’ve Got Mail. gotta go with Chelsea's answer here.

5. Worst book you’ve ever read?
I usually block them from my memory.

6. Book that everyone raves about that you either a) haven’t read and feel slightly dumb for not having read it or b) have tried to read and hated and so feel slightly dumb that everyone is getting something you don’t.

7. If you were forced to choose only 3 books that you could read for the rest of your life, which ones would they be? (Or if you were stranded on a desert island, which 3 books would you want there with you?).
The Notebook, the Bible, and Gone With the Wind (because at least it would take lots of time to read)

8. Name one book that if you could recommend that everyone you know read, what is it?
I have a series that I would recommend - the O'Malley series by Dee Henderson. (begins w/ The Negotiator) the series so beautifully spells out different aspects of God, and a lot of the excuses that adults use or have to keep from accepting God.

9. What is your “guilty pleasure” reading?
Chick Pop Lit (especially of the British variety like the Shopaholic series) or Nora Roberts.

10. What book (excepting the Bible or other major document of your religion/faith) has changed your outlook on life the most?
Love and Respect.

For more 10 on Tues, click here.

I got a case of the Mondays...

Ugh. It's Monday. And somehow we ended up with an unexpected cold snap again (not as bad as it's been, but I was expecting highs in the 70's and got 60's instead - and wasn't dressed for it).

My back is killing me. Like I had trouble sleeping last night because of the discomfort/pain. It is tight and feels so screwed up and I just really need some relief.

And the nausea has started with a vengance this weekend. I spent a good hour refusing to step too far away from a recepticle of some sort, afraid I wasn't going to throw up. It eventually dissipated, but oh my goodness, was it awful and tense and miserable. I've read about women who just have weeks and months of this nausea - not throwing up, but feeling like they wanted to - and I just don't know how I'd handle that. The last time, it seemed like it got better after I'd throw up, so there was that relief.

And I'm cranky and tired. I just want to curl up and relax and feel better. I can't believe I'm not even 2 months into this. I'm pathetic. :S

Rant

My mom's best friend's daughter (we refer to mom's best friend as my "aunt", so her daughter would be my "cousin") just had her 3rd child. Her first 2 were boys and she was thrilled to find out that her third (and likely final) was a girl. Her whole life her dream was to be a wife and mother, but sometimes I wonder about that.

She gave up breast feeding her first 2 in the first month because it was "hard." Never mind that they have no money and formula is expensive, it was hard, so she quit. My aunt was bragging to my mom (not in a bad way, but in a proud way) the other day that my cousin was exclusively breast feeding the new baby since she had just taken to it, and my aunt was so happy about this, but on FB my cousin is suddenly talking obsessivly about losing weight (she's 3 weeks postpartum - and she's never overweight - she eats like crazy when she is pregnant, but it never looks like she is going crazy.)

She's talking about all these crash diets - Special K, grapefruit, etc. And I'm sitting here going - "just keep BFing and it will melt off." Basically, I'm of the opinion that if she would just stop being selfish and do something for her kid, it will all work out.

7 Quick Takes: I have today off edition

1. I got to sleep in this morning and it was blissful. Of course, the bad dream I woke from at nearly 6am wasn't really all that refreshing, but that last hour in bed? Oh yeah.

2. It is forecasted to be a balmy 74 degrees today. I'm thinking of breaking out the tank tops. It's been below 60 for nearly 2 weeks and while I know you northerners are laughing or rolling their eyes, this is a record for this area and we do not have the accommodations for this type of cold.

3. We are attempting to drive to Orlando this afternoon to visit an old friend we haven't seen in years. Despite the fact that the 2 main routes are closed down to one lane each because of 2 separate sink holes. WTH?

4. We are planning to eat Cheese Fries from Lonestar while we are there, since the only Lonestar left in the state is in Orlando. (I capitalize Cheese Fries because they are THAT important). :)

5. Pretty sure my husband has mapped out an alternate route to our destination, but I'm going to encourage him to bring the GPS just in case. Plus, that will help us locate Lonestar once we are there.

6. Next week begins the winter premieres of some of our favorite shows (Burn Notice, White Collar - both USA network shows, yes, but they are good!) but we are saddened by the fact that they have moved the Friday night time slots to during the week (on nights before I have to work in the morning). Sigh.

7. Fuss took a shower with me this morning and refused to get out of the tub when we were done. Despite the fact that her teeth were chattering from being chilly. I had to remove her manually and listen to her scream. I'm hoping the rest of the day goes much better.

Catch Joy and Updates

I was at work today and and Fuss wanted to play catch. She was so cute. She's actually got pretty good aim... but since I was sitting down in my chair (parked in front of the heater) she had to to fetch as many balls as I tossed her. She was so cute running every which way after her bouncy balls... the look on her face was pure joy. It was one of those moments I never want to forget. Her little curly pigtails bouncing behind her...

The pregnancy continues on without much new happening. I have an appointment on Tuesday to hopefully see the heartbeat. I've had some minor spotting on and off, but it's been mostly darker spotting and it's been light in quantity. We're on on self-imposed "pelvic rest" which is annoying, but we're both thinking we'd rather be safe than sorry.

The Way I Loved You

The Way I Loved You lyrics
Songwriters:John Rich and Taylor Swift
He is sensible and so incredible
And all my single friends are jealous
He says everything I need to hear and it's like
I couldn't ask for anything better

He opens up my door and I get into his car
And he says, you look beautiful tonight
And I feel perfectly fine

But I've been screamin' and fightin'
And kissin' in the rain
And it's two a.m. and I'm cursin' your name
You're so in love that you act insane
And that's the way I loved you

Breakin' down and comin' undone
It's a roller-coaster kinda rush
And I never knew I could feel that much
And that's the way I loved you

He respects my space and never makes me wait
And he calls exactly when he says he will
He's close to my mother
Talks business with my father
He's charming and endearing, and I'm comfortable

But I've been screamin' and fightin'
And kissin' in the rain
And it's two a.m. and I'm cursin' your name
You're so in love that you act insane
And that's the way I loved you

Breakin' down and comin' undone
It's a roller-coaster kinda rush
And I never knew I could feel that much
And that's the way I loved you

He can't see the smile I'm fakin'
And my heart's not breakin'
'Cause I'm not feelin' anything at all

And you were wild and crazy
Just so frustrating, intoxicating, complicated
Got away by some mistake and now

I'll be screamin' and fightin'
And kissin' in the rain
It's two a.m. and I'm cursin' your name
I'm so in love that I acted insane
And that's the way I loved you

Breakin' down and comin' undone
It's a roller-coaster kinda rush
And I never knew I could feel that much
And that's the way I loved you

And that's the way I loved you
I never knew I could feel that much
And that's the way I loved you

For Christmas, I got the 2nd Taylor Swift CD (or, as Fuss calls her, Tay-er), and I'm loving it - it brings back memories of my younger days - high school, early college, etc. (Confidential to Maggie: You need some inspiration for the teen books? listen to Taylor Swift's Fearless CD)

Anyhow, I thought I'd do a series about how the different songs remind me of my life in the younger days. This song is one of the most obvious to me - early in college I met a guy and we had this really dramatic relationship. He was very dramatic, himself, and he added all sorts of drama to my life. We had one of those relationships that was all passion and arguments. He was my first truly serious relationship and it lasted over 2 years. So this song reminds me of that. However, I can truly say that I DO NOT miss that relationship. I do not miss the drama and the fighting and the never knowing where I stand. And while all this is certainly true of my husband, there is plenty of passion and excitement in being with him.

I think when you're young, those type of relationships are what you think a grown up relationship is all about. And that sort of thing quickly burns itself out - it's not as real as you want it to be. I'll take the relationship I'm in any day over something so crazy. I'm as in love with my wonderful husband as I ever thought possible - and truly, it gets better and better with time.

10 on Tuesday

1. Are you usually late, early, or right on time?
Growing up, I was always late because my mom is chronically late and she drove, etc. I got better when I was on my own to the early-to-right-on-time place. But now, with a baby, I run behind more often than I like.

2. What is your middle name?
Yates

3. What are the last 4 digits of your cell phone number?
1359

4. How big is your bed?
Quenn

5. What are you allergic to?
Red dye in large quantities. I can handle a little, but if I take medication w/ red dye, it causes me to throw up.

6. What is the first thing you do in the morning?
Look at the clock.

7. What was your favorite TV show growing up?
MacGyver, Full House, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman... depending on when you're talking about.

8. Will you, or did you, go to your 10 year high school reunion?
Yes, I did. I always thought I'd be the one to plan it, but I had a baby that year and it didn't happen. Thankfully, old friend Rob took care of it.

9. If a tree falls in the forest and nobody is there to hear it, does it still make a sound?
Yes, because a sound is a sound even if it isn't heard.

10. What, in your opinion, is the greatest invention? (You know, since sliced bread…)
Central heating and air. Or the internet.

I'm so glad my kid doesn't have hooves...

Fuss came down with a fine, bumpy, rash on her hands and legs last night. Add to that the weird little red marks around her mouth that weren't clearing up (I thought they were cold sores or irritation from the paci or something) and I decided to take her to the pediatrician this morning. Turns out she has Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease, a virus that creates sore, painful bumps on the above mentioned body parts.

In telling those who needed to know (my husband, my OB, etc.) several people confused it with Hoof and Mouth Disease, a disease that only effects animals with cloven hooves. Oops.

It's pretty contagious, so I'm debating the wisdom of taking her to work with me. You can carry the virus even if it doesn't show in you, and while it primarily effects little children, and there aren't a lot of those around at work, I worry anyhow. But at the same time, we really need the money, especially with the new baby coming along.

7 Quick Takes: Early pregnancy edition

1. Yeah. Maternity pants. I'm embracing it. I even bought some new ones from Target today. My favorite ones from my pregnancy with Fuss are really too big - so I got some that fit through the hips and butt better. Ironically, they are a number size smaller than the non-maternity ones I bought in December and they have room to grow.

2. The cravings and symptoms are setting in. I am back to loving vegetables and my boobs are killing me. (Fuss was climbing on me last night and she nearly brought me to tear with a well-placed punch to the chest - oof!)

3. At MOPs today, half the women at my table were publicly pregnant. Add in me and we're talking more pregnant to not ratio. I didn't announce my pregnancy, but I hope to next month. I'd like to have my first maternity appointment by then, so I'll be more comfortable letting people know once I've seen the heartbeat.

4. Today was the first day that it isn't miserably cold out this week. But this weekend is supposed to be even colder than the week has been. I was sort of planning to hibernate all weekend and just avoid going outside, but I realized that I have both responsibilities (grocery shopping) and plans (birthday lunch and a movie with my mom) so I can't just hide out. But we won't be going out more than necessary.

5. We're planning to start potty-training some time soon. I bought some books on Amazon that should be helpful. But I really want to get away from this incredibly cold weather before making her sit on that freezing cold seat at work, specifically. We shall see.

6. I'm also ready to move her into a big girl bed soon, but I don't want to introduce too many new things at the same time, so I guess I need to make some decisions on what is most important. I've got nearly 9 months + before she needs to be out of the crib, so potty-training will likely come first.

7. She likes to tell me she wants to go potty and at first I was happy to oblige. But she never actually goes and often it's the worst time to do it, so I admit I've been less than patient about it sometimes. I'm aware that my attitude is going to have to change if I really want her to get potty trained (I do. I reallyreally do) and so I'm working on that.

Small Fry

Cold. Yes. Still.

I went through my archives the other day to see how I was feeling at this point in my pregnancy with Fuss. Apparently by 6 weeks (I'm currently 5 weeks) I was feeling some regular, if sporadic nausea in the mornings, but didn't start my regular throwing up until a little later. Should be interesting to see what happens this time around. My husband had a boy-vibe at the get-go, but yesterday was thinking it was a girl. My only leaning was that it might be twins, which kinda freaks me out. :) I can see the benefit of having 2 at once time, but... it also scares me silly.

I walked in the door of the grocery store this afternoon and smelled deli smells - specifically cheese, but I could picture it all - and I felt so sick to my stomach. I didn't gag or actually need to throw up, but it was a really awful feeling, regardless. I read once about a woman who had severe nausea from walking past the dairy dept in her grocery store and I'm really hoping this doesn't happen to me. I kinda like the grocery store and I'd hate to be miserable when I do my trips every week.

I gave up on my avoidance of maternity clothes. My pants are too tight - even the one-size-up pair of jeans I bought about 3 weeks ago - to button comfortably. I can't wear my jeans, which are my major daily clothing staple (plus it's cold, so jeans are the ideal choice anyhow) and while my maternity jeans are way too big right now, they are certainly more comfortable than a pair of too-tight jeans. I'm thinking about going out to find some others that maybe fit better, but will still grow with me during my pregnancy.

We named this little bean last night - at least until we find out the gender. Small Fry. I can't wait to see my little Small Fry.

Chilly Cold

I am so cold. I know, those of you who live in the frigid north are probably rolling your eyes, but keep in mind that our concept of central heat is much different than yours, my winter wardrobe is primarily light weight sweaters and jeans, etc. So It's been in the 30's over night the last few nights and the 50's during the day with no sign of lietting up over the next week. I feel like my feet are frozen. The place I work at doesn't have heat at all - we have a small space heater, but I can't even put it in it's optimal place because the Fuss will mess with it, which is a safety hazard, ya know?

The girl who worked the afternoon shift at our northern-most store, got arrested on Thursday. It has something to do w/ her boyfriend dealing drugs, but meanwhile my dad is stuck with 2 open slots in the same time slot, so I'm going to be working a little more in the coming days. It's rough. I don't like working 5 days a week, but we can use the money and he can use the help. My psuedo step-mom also got laid off from her job at the end '09 so she'll be helping out some while she searches for another position and waits for interviews to come along. (She was a VP of a commercial loans dept in a local bank - you can imagine that she isn't too interested in making a career out of working the counter of a dry cleaners, but she'll always help out when she's available.)

I feel like I'm already showing - my new jeans are too tight, I look bloated in the belly. I was a little heavy when I got pregnant (like I was when I was pregnant with Fuss) but I really shouldn't be in maternity clothes already, should I? I wore a couple of maternity sweaters over the weekend - partially because I have a better winter wardrobe in maternity clothes (that aren't size 6) but I'm resisting the maternity pants for now. I love my maternity clothes, usually, but I feel like there is a line. And 4 weeks is definitely too early for stretchy pants.

Being near the dogs is driving me crazy. They smell so bad. It's their breath - they just got haircuts and baths 2 weeks ago, but whenever they get near me, I can smell them and I cannot stand it. My sensitivity to smells is gonna do me in. I've been joking around that the baby is already trying to kill me - like Stewie Griffin from Family Guy. So I think, for now, we're calling the baby Griffin. But I'm not sold on that name.

Great Expectations

On New Year's Eve, I took an HPT. It was + almost immediately and I am very excited to be pregnant once again. I am feeling so much better about this pregnancy and maybe it was my subconscious suspecting that there was in fact a problem with that pregnancy. But while I know that there is still a chance that something bad might occur (and truly, until I hold a healthy baby in my arms, there is always that chance that SOMETHING bad could go wrong...) I just feel more confident this time around.

We are still tossing around temporary names for this one, but needless to say we will eventually have another little Fuss running around. We'll need to differentiate between them, so Fuss might get a new name sometime soon. We shall see.

I began taking my progesterone supplements immediately, which was the suggestion of my midwife the last time around. No real reason to delay it. Still taking my prenatals, but that never really stopped.

I'm hoping to get an appointment w/ the midwife for very late January/very early February. I should be about 8 weeks from LMP by that point. I am very excited right now. And I've already begun feeling some symptoms (my odor sensitivity has kicked in to high gear and we had to throw out our old living room rug. Thankfully, we got some money for Christmas and could afford a new one!)

We don't have a gender preference this time around, though I always think that having a girl would be easier. haha. We have a name picked out for each, already. The Chinese gender predictor charts claim boy 3 out of 3 times (w/ Fuss it was evenly split 50/50 depending on which one we looked at) but a friend recently sent me a link to a biorhythm chart which is predicting girl, so who knows? :)

Hero-ics

Friday night we went to our friend's house and hung out and had dinner. They have 2 boys and Fuss came along so it was a busy evening, but they just got Band Hero for Christmas and they wanted us to come check it out (we've played Guitar Hero a few times. I'm not very good at it, but Daddy Fuss is, so we girls talk and the boys play their game, usually).

I LOVE this game. But only when I get to sing. I had the best time belting out these songs! (At least the ones I knew - it's harder than you think to sing songs you've never heard before, even with the words scrolling in front of you.)

I miss singing. I always had fun doing it and it was such a part of my life all through my school days and then it just sort of faded away.