Quick Takes (6)

-1-

Ted's gone for the weekend. He left Thursday for a tennis tournament on the coast. He'll be back on Sunday (Saturday if they lose) and I hate it. I hate when he leaves. I miss him instantly. We're like a disgusting cheesy movie when it comes time to say our goodbyes. Hugging and holding each other and refusing to let go. Looking back at each other as we walk away. Staring in the rear view mirror as long as he'll remain in sight. It's laughable really. And I hope it lasts forever.

AND TODAY IS HIS BIRTHDAY!!! Happy Birthday Babe!

-2-

I started summer school this week and am really having a hard time getting through it. The idea of some extra money for working three weeks in the summer sounded great.....pre pregnancy. Now I just cannot get up the motivation to do a good job and can't wait until my last day-June 24th. I'm not telling anyone at work yet so I'm having to hide all my symptoms. The good news is that the regular school year will start up just as I'm entering that glorious second trimester. Great timing God!

-3-

Speaking of symptoms, they're coming in full force! I'm extremely tired. A tired I have never felt before. Sometimes I'm so tired that I can't fall asleep. As if the act of falling asleep requires more energy than I can bare to exert. And the term "morning sickness" is a joke. It definitely doesn't go away when the morning does. For the last several days I've been queasy pretty much all day. Eating only helps a little. And I set a new record last night getting up to pee a total of three times! (I NEVER did this before I was pregnant.) It's not really that bad, cause I'm so tired I can usually fall right back asleep. And I bought some night-lights yesterday so I'm no longer walking into the walls. Actually, I think if Ted walked in on me peeing at 3:00 am he would find me smiling like an idiot. It's a beautiful little reminder in the middle of the night that I am, in fact, still pregnant. I can't help but feel a little giddy each and every time.

[Side note: does anyone know if shortness of breath (sometimes extreme) and a sudden increased heart rate when lying down are normal? Yes, I will ask my doctor, but wanted your opinions too.]

-4-

And then there's the CRAVINGS! I didn't have any until right around the 6 week mark but boy are they here now! And I think they're funny. Ted thinks they're hilarious. Wednesday night I ate bacon and mashed potatoes and gravy (the thought of the leftover enchiladas I had just made the night before made me sick). Yesterday, just two hours after my lunch (leftover mashed potatoes) I had an extreme craving for Spaghetti O's. I went to the grocery store and stocked up on that and several cans of chicken noodle soup. I ate the entire can in a matter of minutes, nasty little meatballs and all. Delicious. I was particularly nauseous this morning and the only thing I could eat at 9:30 was the chicken noodle soup. I wonder what oddball food I'll have a hankering for next...

-5-

I got some GREAT news from my doctor this week (still my NaPro doctor-I haven't met the new one yet).  My progesterone was so good that we can stop PIO injections!!! Woo Hoo! After we figured out the best way to do them, they really weren't that bad (the trick is going incredibly slow, like releasing it over a 5 minute time span) but I was still sore for several days after. For anyone that cares, my number was 80! Waaaaay higher than average. For once my body is doing something right! I also got the results from my third quantitative hCG. It was a full nine days after the one before it (and it should double every 48-72 hours) so I calculated that it needed to be at least 3,000 to be on track. My entire body tightened as I prepared to hear the results from the nurse. I had no idea what was coming. The result? A whopping 19,000!!! Grow little baby grow! (And don't ask about the chance of that indicating multiples-I have no idea.)

-6-

Our first ultrasound is this Monday!! We're going to meet the new doctor and see/hear the baby's heartbeat! The great blood work results have eased some of my fear about the ultrasound. This little one's heart should have been beating for a while now. Surely my progesterone wouldn't stay so high and hCG keep climbing if it wasn't beating. Right? If I'm wrong-don't tell me. I had three crazy dreams last night about the ultrasound. The first: everything was fine and the baby was moving its little legs super fast (it doesn't even have legs yet). The u/s tech told us that meant it was a boy because boys are more active. I was TICKED that she told us and started bawling. The second: we discovered my uterus was filled with a million little tiny white specs. The baby had exploded inside of me. I started bawling. The third: The u/s tech said everything was fine but wouldn't let me see the screen. She said the hospital had not invested in screens that can move for the mother to see them. Again, realizing I wouldn't get to see my baby, I started bawling. 

-7-

I have great friends. That's it. I just wanted to share. Well, that's not it-I guess I can elaborate. Having lived in the South for a full year now, I can happily say that I've made just as good of friends down here as I have back home. I have a great group of girls that I've met through Ted's grad program and can do girly things with. I've met several wonderful families that I can go to the pool with or visit with after church and talk about everything from childbirth to the Latin Mass. I've stayed close with many of my friends back home and have the ability to relish in a nice long phone call every now and then. And then there's Jude and Alisha, who are so wonderful I could write an entire post about them. They had me over last night for dinner since Ted was gone, as they have done so many times. I just love them and am constantly amazed that we met such an awesome couple in the middle-of-nowhere that shares our values and knows how to have a great time. I never go to bed without thanking God for my husband and our little baby, but I often forget to thank God for my friends. But seeing as they are all incredibly awesome and helping me get to heaven every day, I should really be more grateful. So if you're my friend and reading this (blog friends totally included)-thanks!