Pregnancy Diaries - The Little Things

Finally! I can talk about this pregnancy - for it's no longer the secret it once was. And boy, was it hard to keep!

We told our family at Christmastime - so now the news is officially OUT! Yay!

I'd like to keep a little journal of all the little fun (and not-so-fun) experiences of this pregnancy and I'm elated to finally get to do it and share it with you! The fun thing about this is when this child is old enough to enjoy it, I'll let him/her read just how amazing, painful, eventful and interesting his/her first nine months really was! (By the way, it should be soon and very soon and I will no longer be referring to our baby as "he/she" or "him/her".)

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The Cravings:

In the first several weeks (and still counting) I've had my fair share of cravings. Oddly enough, I'm not following the "Ice Cream and Pickles" trend (although my taste for pickles HAS increased a bit).

These are a few of my favorite foods...

Fresh Fruit. Especially strawberries, apples (I've eaten applesauce like my life depended on it!), honey dew, pineapple, blueberries, grapes (THAT was short-lived and you'll see why by the end of this post), etc.

Pasta. I wanted spaghetti like mad for, like, 2 days and that wore off as soon as it came on. I had this weird thing for Mac & Cheese (ONLY the Blue Box would do) and Chocolate Milk...in THAT order.

Salad. This only lasted a few weeks - but the cold, crunchiness of it was quite refreshing - but, if there were croutons...it was a big NO.

The Aversions:

ANYTHING Garlic or Onion. This is incredibly sad because if you know me, you know that I adore savory seasonings like Garlic and Onion. As of late, though...not so much...my breath makes me nauseous if I indulge.

Sweets. Wierd, huh? I can do the occasional chocolate, but if someone made a pie, cake or anything like that, I was NOT attracted. ALTHOUGH, just last week I got a HUGE Hershey's chocolate bar (with almonds, my favorite!) from someone at church...I savored small pieces at a time and it was the perfect anti-puke treat!

The Pukies:

For any of you with potentially weak stomachs. Be forewarned. I will be as tasteful as possible.

Turkey Sandwiches are better fully chewed. Be warned. If you are ever feeling nasty (like the Pukies are about to catch up with you) please, please, please chew your food VERY well. There's nothing like playing peek-a-boo with your lunch when you're trying desperately to lose it. Seriously. And needless to say, I haven't had a Turkey Sandwich since.

The Action-Movie Barf. As much as I LOATH tossing my cookies, I actually felt pretty cool about this one. I think my Sniffer has reached the skills of those of Hound Dogs...because, when I smell something strong (good or bad) or even something faint, my stomach can turn to knots in a matter of seconds. Worst Case Scenario: I had a glass of hot Apple Cider in the car and spilled it on the console. I cleaned it up as best as I could, but apparenlty, some of it leaked into an unreachable spot. The lingering scent of rotten apples came back to bite me in the patootie.

It was a beautiful December day, just outside of the Flat Rock Post Office. Jim pulled the car up to the curb to pick me up...and I was feeling good. Wellll, until I sat in the car, that is. My Sniffer was working overtime.

"Mmm. I don't feel so good." I murmured to Jim.

My relflexes set in and I immediately reached for the door handle and, while we were traveling a speedy 20 mph down the road, I leaned out of the car door and let the road have it. Big time. Jim found a place to park (sort of) and I finished the job, stationary. Feeling a bit relieved and finally able to speak, I said, "That was awesome. I've NEVER puked from a moving vehicle before! It was like an action movie!"

Drink 32 oz. of water before the appointment. Before the first ultrasound, I was instructed to drink 32 oz. of water so I would have a full-bladder. It was a nice thought, but instead - since my appt. was scheduled for 9am - I had to gulp down ALL of that water in basically 1 hour (due to my sleeping-in habits). Yeah, so about 1/2 way to the clinic, the water was no longer heading towards my bladder. Instead, it was making it's way nicely (with my breakfast of grapes) towards the upholstry of the Grand Prix. I apologized profusely to Jim, who very patiently and graciously cleaned the mess while I was in the waiting room. What a guy, eh?

Unfamiliar Pains and Flutters:

The "U" Word. It's good to be pregnant and informed at the same time. It's the kind of combination every pregnant woman needs. It also makes for some fun and slightly surprising answers to the commonly asked question "How do you feel?"

When I feel an odd lower abdominal pain, I've coped by saying "My uterus hurts..." and the thought alone that I just said that aloud makes me laugh and forget that my uterus, in fact, does hurt. Jim's response and others as well makes for good entertainment. Jim's cousin's husband, Joe, refuses to be around when the "U" word is mentioned. His wife was pregnant just last year and adopted the same phraseology.

It felt like bubbles. Now I'm close to the point in my pregnancy where I could possibly feel the baby moving. He/She is only still 4-5 inches long, but is very active. Since this past Saturday (when I hit 15 weeks on the dot), I think I've felt this little bubbly flutter about 5 or so times. Now, it may be indigestion - but, THOSE kind of bubbly flutters are followed up by something else, if ya know what I mean. And THESE bubbly flutters have been in just the right place - right where the baby is at this stage in pregnancy. So, I'm thinking I felt a baby in there!