Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Week17: Turning a corner

Another post I never got to share...

May 1st, 2015

With the number of weeks I have spent venting about how crappy I feel, I think it is about time I start talking about the fact I think, I hope, I believe I’m turning the corner.  This week, I’ve gone a whole 5 days without throwing up.  Seriously, this is a major major improvement.  For a few weeks there, it was counting the hours in between the races to the bathroom and then I went a whole 5 days. 

I’ve noticed while the nausea is still present, it seems to be diminished and less severe that it has been.  I’m celebrating every victory. 

Perhaps the most exciting, well actually there are two things this week, that happened was that my appetite is back and that I was treated to a maternity shopping trip thanks to my mother and father in law.

Let’s start with the appetite.  It kicked in on Tuesday and it hasn’t really waned.   Tuesday morning before work I ate a large bowl of cereal and raced out the door.  By the time I got to work I was hungry again, so I found some crackers lying on my desk and shoved them down.  That was not enough, I went to the break room at work and pulled out my apply slices which were supposed to be part of my lunch.  I ate them like they were nothing and still I was hungry.  I texted Jarrett and said, “I’m starving, I can’t get enough food today.”  Back to the break-room I went to scrounge up some other food when I found a homemade fruit cocktail cake sitting on the table open for all to share.  I cut myself a good size portion and even though I’m not a fan of fruit cocktail, I devoured that cake like it was nothing.  It was 9:08 a.m. 

Since then, I’ve found myself having at least 4 meals a day.  Now I eat breakfast around 6:30, a second breakfast around 9, followed by lunch at 11, snack at 2, a second snack at 4 and supper at 6.  Seriously, I can’t get enough food.  I’ve been stepping on the scale each morning for several weeks, and I’ve quickly realized, those first few weeks when the scale didn’t budge or even went down a pound or two, have quickly been rising in the other direction.  I swear one day it jumped 5 pounds.  Considering how much I’m eating, it shouldn’t really surprise me.

Here’s one more example of my appetite.  Saturday night, after a full day of baseball, we went out for dinner with Nana and Papa.  I’ve been craving a steak for a few weeks now and decided it was my chance to indulge.  I ordered myself a 14 ounce ribeye with a side of mash potatoes and macaroni and cheese.  I think I surprised the wait staff that I ordered the huge man portion sized meal, because when they went to bring us the food, they listed off what they had on the plate and immediately looked to the two men at the table.  Nope, that huge meal, that’s for me.   And boy did I scarf it down.   Not only did I eat everything on my plate, but I also ate several of the appetizers that came before.  It was yummy!

On Sunday morning at church I couldn't help but sing praises to God in thanksgiving that I was feeling better.  Seriously I’m so thankful to feel well enough to be able to stay off the couch from the hours of 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.  I’m still pretty much a couch potato from the moment the kids go to bed until I do, but at least now I have the ability to help the kids with their homework, prepare dinner and even stop by the library (a weekly tradition the kids and I have had for a few years but pretty much gave up in the first three months). 

Boy am I thankful to feel better.

And onto my second highlight of the week.  I’ve said it in the past and truly mean it… I was hoping to be able to save as much money as possible on this pregnancy and one of my plans in how to do it was to borrow maternity clothes or find them for as cheaply as possible.  I’ve never been a fashionista who I don’t think anyone would expect me to look any differently at this stage in life either right? J  And that was my plan until my ever so thoughtful and generous mother and father in law offered to treat me to a few new pieces of clothing I can wear throughout this pregnancy.  Saturday night after dinner, Jarrett took the kids home to put them to bed and I got to go shopping with Nana.  It was SO much fun for many reasons.  A)  I can’t even remember the last time I went shopping to buy a new piece of clothing for myself.  B) I always enjoy shopping with Jarrett’s mom and C) they were so kind they wanted to treat me. Don’t think it can get any better. 

Our shopping adventure was a success, when I actually found several new outfits, dresses and shirts I can wear for the next few months (and even after).  Nana is an excellent seamstress and already altered a few of the shirts to make them even cuter and she said after the baby comes she’d add some darts to the shirt, to take them in so they can be used after for work too.  As Nana told me when she was pregnant with her boys, the first two times she only borrowed clothes but when she was pregnant with Nolan (her youngest) she was treated to a new pregnancy outfit and she said she enjoyed that tremendously.  She wanted me to be able to feel similarly and I’m so thankful and excited.  Infact, after I had tried on everything at the store and came home, I made Jarrett sit through a 30 minute fashion show as I tried on everything again.  I have to say, she was right, actually wearing maternity clothing that we picked out and was purchased just for me, did do my attitude wonders.  It made me feel so excited about the transformation happening and the growing baby in my stomach.  While I’ve felt excitement before in this pregnancy (when we have ultrasounds), getting a new wardrobe, along with feeling better, makes this whole experience seem completely different than how I was feeling the weeks prior. 

I got up to shower this morning and as I looked at my expanding stomach in the mirror, I felt genuine happiness and love of what I’m experiencing. 

The other aspect of this pregnancy that I’m starting to feel, and can only imagine it getting stronger is a deep love for the baby I feel every once and a while fluttering inside me.  While I don’t feel movement all that regularly and if I’m being really honest, I don’t even know if what I’m feeling is the baby, but I can’t help in believing what I am feeling is this tiny miracle made from Jarrett and I making his presence known.  I seem to notice it most in the middle of the night after I’ve gotten up to pee several times.  Almost like a popcorn floating throughout my stomach or sometimes even a wave of motion from one side of my stomach to the other.  Still very faint but enough to make me know what I felt was something I’ve never experienced before. 

And I’ve started picturing over and over in my mind, what this baby will be like.  How he will fit into our family and how our family dynamic will change and grow because of our 4th surprise addition.  I am starting to allow myself to look forward again to the baby moments.  The tiny cute toes and precious little cries.  I know its going to be hard to balance four children and I’m not quite sure how I’ll do it, but I remember feeling that way when Isabelle came home.  We got through that and can’t imagine our lives without her.  The same will happen for this baby too.  I find my heart growing love for this baby just as my stomach grows proving to me that yes this is real and not still a dream.

Highlights of the week:
How far along are you? 17 weeks 6 days
How I’m feeling?  Praise the Lord, I have days when I feel good.  Yes, you did read that correctly.
Total weight gain…  I would say 4-5pounds since finding out I’m pregnant.
How big is baby? I Baby is about 5 ounces and 5 inches long from head to bottom.  About the size of a turnip. 
Maternity clothes…  Thanks to a wonderful friend and my in-laws I think I’m set. 
Best moment this week… highlighted above!
Movement… Flutters every once in a while
Food cravings… Steak
Food aversions… anything with tomatoes or tomato-based products, nothing with lots of garlic and or too spicy
Belly button in or out… In but I’m a seeing its morphing happening
What I miss…  Sleeping through the night and being able to go for a run.  I seriously spot out every runner I see, and wish I could join them but know there will be time in the future to pick up running again.  I was excited this week, I felt well enough Saturday morning to get up and go out for a walk.  It was glorious! 
What I’m looking forward to… wearing some of my borrowed and new maternity clothes.  Regular clothes are getting a bit too snug.


Until next time,
Angie






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