The Adventures of My Sickness

Ok, so a couple of weeks ago I was sick with an upper respiratory infection. I battled that for about 5 or 6 days and was able to return to work and have a semi normal routine again. However, I still had this lingering cough. It wasn't much.... but it was there and it would make itself known from time to time and I'd say "the cough is always the last thing to go!"
I made it through my work week last week all except for Friday. Friday I was having awful pregnancy related sickness (puked in the shower guys.... totally awesome) and I decided it would be better if I stayed at home near my toilet.

Well, Saturday rolls around and I still feel pretty crappy. I run a couple of errands with my mom though and then came home and crashed. Around 8:00 I really started to feel gross and I was really hot.... but cold.... but hot..... I took my temperature. Yup. I had a fever. Maybe it was just some weird little bug.

Sunday, I feel...... like I can function but only slightly. I'm completely drained of all energy and have absolutely no appetite... which is not good with baby making me nauseous. Sunday night.... another fever. Ok, something is wrong. Looks like I'm going to the doctor first thing Monday morning.

Monday morning, I've been hit by a bus. The wind has been knocked out of me. I can't stop coughing. Even though I slept TEN HOURS the night before I'm still exhausted. I go to the doctor. Yes, my lungs sound terrible. Yes, my fever is still there. Take a deep breath, oh that cough sounds bad. Another? Coughing fit two. Yes, I think you have bronchitis. Prescribes me a Zpack, tells me to get claritin, tells me to do Abuterol treatments if I need to, and of course I can still take Tylenol and Robitussin. All completely safe for pregnancy. Get lots of rest, drink plenty of fluids.... blah blah blah.

It is Tuesday. 

I slept for shit last night. Fell asleep around 1:00, woke up at 4:45. Couldn't breathe, my lungs hurt, my cough is so strong sometimes I gag. I'm nauseous because of the pregnancy and cry. I cry a lot. This wasn't supposed to be the most fun trimester but what I am going through is awful. It is only day two of the antibiotic and instead of pushing myself to continue with life I am RESTING. 

I have this incredible guilt about laying in bed all day when that is precious time that could be used for something else, like... I don't know... WORK. However, if I am still this sick after three weeks then my body is telling me to SLOW THE FUCK DOWN WOMAN. So I am. I have a very understanding employer to which I am more thankful than I can ever put into words.... but that doesn't make the guilt go away. I just keep telling myself "What good am I to them sick? I shouldn't spread my germs to them. If I don't rest I will never get better. My health is more important than me putting on a brave face and going to work." I have to take so much better care of myself now that I'm making another human. That human's life is precious and if mommy isn't well then baby won't stand a chance. 

So here I am. Miserable. Laying in bed with my Macbook because I am so behind on homework from this sickness too.... yet I'm blogging instead of doing said homework because my brain felt like this was the more easily accomplished task. 

One of my "feel better" buddies and some Vick's going in one of my many Scentsy burners. (Like that trash can FULL of kleenex?)

My night stand.... water, toast, tea, and crackers. This is my life people. 

___________________________________________________

Pregnancy Stuff:

Not much to update here. Being sick has made my pregnancy not so fun. I'm going on 10 weeks and I am so glad that this trimester is almost over. I want to look back on this time and go "Yeah, I felt like garbage but it was worth it to get here." That will happen, right? Right!? 

My wonderful husband and my 9 week belly.

One of the errands I ran on Saturday with my mom was to the Motherhood store in the mall. I didn't want to spend a ton of money on maternity clothes, however, I needed some stuff to get me through the summer. Those shorts are absolutely amazing and so comfortable. I got that shirt I am wearing in 4 different colors. They are super soft and super stretchy. I can grow into them. I got two skirts for work as well. I am going to be wearing the same 5 or 6 outfits over and over again and I don't care. They're comfy, they fit, and I am going to be hot and miserable for the next 3 or 4 months and I wanted things that wouldn't make me want to scream. 

Mom mentioned a swimming suit but that I couldn't fathom spending $40-$60 on. The clothes... yes, because they will (honestly) fit me after pregnancy and that will be nice when I'm still bloaty and trying to lose the weight. I told my mom that I get to swim in the privacy of her backyard and I'd just wear a two piece and they'd all have to deal with my sexiness. End of story. 

Other than that, I'm just looking forward to my appointment on the 20th to see how much the little peanut has grown and hopefully feeling better in the second trimester! 

_______________________________________________

House Things:

We have our inspection set for May 7th still and the radon test was all taken care of. Loan documents (preliminary stages) have been signed and we are patiently waiting for the next steps.  

(totally random and not related side note... I have been using my iPad so much lately that every time I go to use my Macbook I try and touch the damn screen all of the time..... spoiled person problems)

Anyway, I keep measuring furniture around the apartment to figure out where I want to put everything and Andrew just laughs at me. I tell him he won't be laughing when we go to put our King size bed into a smaller bedroom than we have now. It is going to fit.... but it'll be nice and snug. We will have enough room on each side of the bed for our night stands and that's it. Then, we  should have an extra 5.5 to 6 feet of space from the foot of the bed to the other wall. 

We have been so spoiled living in these apartments with HUGE master bedrooms...... it will be interesting to see the bed once it is in our new bedroom. 

I'm also having dad and Seth revamp a cabinet for litter box storage. I think I mentioned that before; but I picked out a cabinet that I like (from Wal Mart so it isn't expensive at all) and dad and Seth will cut a kitty door into it and make it litter box friendly. Got some ideas from this fabulous link.  I love Buzzfeed. 

Anywhoo.... that's all of my news for now. I've been MIA and now you know why. Once I'm done with my homework (at some point today, I swear it) I will be sleeping as much as I can. 

The Day I Put Make Up On

Pregnancy Stuff:
I haven't been wearing make up due to the fact that I can cry so easily now. It is easier to just not having anything on my face so that when the tear ducts open up I won't be worried about running mascara or smudging. Well, I went three days with no crying fits and this morning I thought it would be wonderful to put on make up and feel kind of girly.
I want to cry.
I just have this overwhelming urge to sob uncontrollably. Luckily, I have been able to keep my composure and not let loose. If I was home though? It'd be bad. Sometimes I cannot pinpoint the exact reason that I want to cry but I think today is a mixture of the fact that there's a lot going on in my life (house, work, baby, moving, orchestra concert....) and I am just so, stinking tired. And so stinking tired of feeling like garbage. I'm also tired of never wanting to eat anything that I have around the apartment or what I pack for lunch. I end up running someplace to get what sounds good which completely shoots my dining out budget to shit. BUT, if the thought of eating something makes me want to gag and throw up then I can't very well eat it now can I?
I am getting incredibly frustrated but I know I'm hitting the end of my first trimester and I just need to hang in there. *sigh*

Other than that nonsense, I'm still sleeping well at night but waking up way before my alarm goes off. I feel like I don't get nearly enough sleep every night but how much more could I possibly get? I get about 8-9 hours if I get to bed on time. Last night I got about 7 and a half because I stayed up a little later to read. I guess by Thursday I'm just so exhausted that I'm ready for the week to be done so I can throw in the towel and be a lazy ass all weekend.
Oh, and I still hate clothing. Nothing is comfortable except pajamas.

I also started a baby registry today! How fun! I figured picking out furniture and a few non gender specific things would be nice so I can get a feel for what my tastes are and what colors I really like. I'm not going to be super traditional and do all pink for a girl or all blue for a boy. I am really digging a combo of gray, white, and pastel yellow.... which does not go with the baby blanket I am making. Haha!
My wonderful parents (I don't know if dad knows yet) have offered to buy the crib I pick out. I want one that converts into a bed and I found one I really liked! Thanks mom & dad!
_____________________________________________________
House Things:
We meet with our mortgage guy tomorrow at 1:00 to sign more stacks of paperwork to get things going. Then we are supposed to go on May 1 to have the inspection and radon testing done. All this crazy stuff that we've never had to do before. Again, probably another reason I feel overwhelmed right now. Renting an apartment is so much easier. :)
I know it will all be worth it in the end and I am glad I'm going through all of this now instead of 3 or 4 months from now when I'm even bigger, it is hot and I'm even more miserable. I just wish I could clone myself so that Becky could do all this work and I could sleep.
Plus, Andrew's schedule is so unpredictable and ALL over the place that scheduling times to do anything is almost impossible. I'll be happy when he has a regular schedule again someday.... if he gets one... haha.
_____________________________________________________
Have I mentioned how tired I am?
Tonight we have chamber orchestra from 5:30 - 7:30 and I'm going to go to bed as soon as I get home. No joke. I'm going to fall over in all of my clothes and just sleep. I hope Andrew takes the dogs out because I'll be dead to the world.
Tonight is our last regular practice! Next Thursday is dress rehearsal and then Friday is the concert!! I cannot believe that went by so quickly! I will be excited for the fall semester of orchestra because it will have more people and we'll get to play even better music! I love what we're playing now, don't get me wrong, but with a full symphony orchestra and a full sound you can do so much more!

Speaking of orchestra and my violin, that is another reason I am so happy about a house. Now I can play my violin all I want to... and my piano. It'll be amazing.

Babies Galore!

My bestest friend in the whole wide world gave birth early this morning (2:55am) to a beautiful and healthy baby boy named Vaughn Hugo! So cute! That is the best news to start off a day!! I'm giving mommy time to rest and take care of what she needs to before bombarding her with messages or texts. I love her dearly and will be talking to her very soon. So happy for the new mommy & daddy!

I have another friend, Meagan, who is also due VERY soon and am excitedly waiting for her to announce the birth of her healthy baby boy!
_______________________________________________________
Pregnancy Stuff:
I feel like I'm way behind the finish line. Haha. All these spring babies! I know November will be here faster than I can comprehend right now but my goodness it still seems so far away. I barely ate anything yesterday after my chicken nugget lunch. I had another smoothie in the afternoon and then when Andrew got home around 6:15 he wanted frozen pizza. So, I made that up (added more cheese of course) and ended up eating 3 slices of that and then instantly felt poopy. Pizza wasn't the best choice for me but it honestly did taste good going down.....
I had an upset stomach the rest of the night and when I went to take my prenatal vitamins I had to choke down two cheese sticks so I wouldn't puke them back up.

I am enjoying a wonderful smoothie this morning and have another one for lunch. It has: plain greek yogurt, skim milk, banana, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, and of course, ice cubes.

Everything dumped in (the yogurt looks like whipped cream....mmmmm)

Blending process

All ready for the day!

I also packed a plain bagel with some cheese spread, cheese sticks, and cottage cheese. I'd die without cheese. Luckily (knock on wood) I have not experienced any constipation from all of this dairy. I seem to still be pretty OK on that end (haha) and hope that I don't have to give up cheese because it really is the only thing that sounds good all of the time.

Other feelings:

• Still crazy nauseous - just taking this one day at a time and hoping it tapers off after week 8 like my doctor promised. 
• Always tired - I sleep like a champ until about 4am when the urge to pee is unreal.
• Puffy - I know this will just continue to get worse, but right now knowing I haven't gained one damn pound it is weird. My clothes are so tight around the middle. Stretchy clothes and maxi dresses are fabulous
• The boobs - Gah. My boobs. I FINALLY found a bra that doesn't make me want to punch something. It is soft, thin, no wire, supportive, and I even forget I have it on sometimes. Thanks Meijer! It's almost like a sports bra but it hooks in the back and doesn't give you a uni-boob. 

That's about it right now. Yay? 

___________________________________________________________

Goals Before Move:

Yesterday I posted a lovely list of things I want to accomplish before we move. I went ahead and crossed three off the list last night!

• Clean out under the bathroom, wet bar, and kitchen sinks. Really. How do these areas accumulate so much weird stuff?
• Clean out coat closet. We are two people. Why is our coat closet full to the max? We each wear the same damn two coats all of the time.... 
• Clean out the bathroom closet. The closet in our bathroom is HUGE. Therefore, it has accumulated quite a bit of stuff on top of stuff (still fairly organized with baskets and rubber maid tub drawers) but they all need to be cleaned out. 
• Clean out the hall closet. I just don't even want to touch that one... I believe we still have boxes that weren't unpacked from when we move 2 years ago........ 
• Clean out Andrew's dresser. Clothes for donations
• Clean out my dresser. Clothes for donation
• Clean out our closet. Clothes, purses, and shoes for donations
• Clean out from under the bed. Again, rubber maid tubs and boxes just keep getting slid under there and they need a good going through.
• Clean out kitchen cabinets and drawers. Mostly organize this area. Pots, pans, dishes, etc. 
• We also have a kitchen "junk" drawer (so to speak) that needs organized..... pens, batteries, doggie medicine, doggie treats, etc.

Woohoo! I have three huge bags of stuff to donate. It amazes me how much stuff I was holding onto. Once upon a time (2009-2011) I was the thinest I've ever been. I wore an 8/10 and S/M. We all know this because I whine about it all of the time. Anyway, I have been holding on to a lot of those clothes because: 1) They were expensive and super cute (lots of Express stuff), 2) I want to wear them again after baby is born, and 3) because I have a hard time accepting the fact that I got so big again. However, some of the stuff I had I ended up doing the "I'm going to be a mom. Do I really need to keep this TINY jean skirt?" No, no I don't. I kept 6 pairs of jeans. The size I am now, a size 14, a size 12, and 3 size 10s that were my favorite. I basically kept things in each size so that when I do lose this weight again, I have go to clothes for each phase of weight loss. Other than that, I got rid of a lot of stuff. It feels good to clean everything out and get it organized. I also have the "If I haven't worn it in a year, get rid of it." That applied to shoes too. 

After I did all of that cleaning I was absolutely exhausted. I ended up plopping down on the couch and not moving until it was time to get up and go to bed. I don't know if I will tackle any projects tonight. It will depend on how I am feeling after my appointment with Linda. 

__________________________________________________

Other than all of that, I'm still super excited about the house and get to sign more paperwork tonight! 

McNuggets Please

Pregnancy Stuff:
I cannot stop eating McDonald's Chicken Nuggets. What the hell!? Almost every single day I want those stupid, greasy, fried, sodium filled, probably not chicken nuggets dipped in sweet&sour sauce. It needs to stop! The thought of other food just isn't appealing to me though *grumble*
Whatever, if my body is hungry for it and I can actually eat it without puking, bring it on.

I've been doing so well with cutting caffeine out of my diet completely but I recently realized how AMAZING regular coke is at calming my stomach. Who knew? Tons of people have told me that before but I didn't believe it. Really? Coke? Shouldn't I want Ginger Ale, Sprite, or 7-Up? No, Coke. So, in the past couple of weeks I have had 2 regular Cokes and both times it has helped my stomach tremendously. Whatever body. You're so weird.

I bought a Ninja last night! I LOVE it. Thank you to those of you that recommended it to me. I got this one:

Once I got it home I cleaned it up and made a smoothie from Cassie's Cookbook and it was delicious! It made enough for two of them. I had one last night and one this morning for breakfast. Yum! It has all sorts of berries, greek yogurt, and skim milk. Perfect punch of protein for my morning. Especially since I follow up that healthy little thing with chicken nuggets.... *sigh*

So I guess you could say my diet consists of:
Smoothies, milk, cheese sticks, cottage cheese, chicken nuggets, coke, water and saltine crackers.
Awesome.
______________________________________________________________
On Buying a House:
Well, it has been announced on Facebook but....

WE GOT A HOUSE!

We put in an offer last night, the guy counter offered (which we knew he would), and then we sent another offer back and he accepted! We have a closing date of June 9, 2014 which is my Birthday! Best birthday present ever! Our very first house. 

It is a cute little three bedroom house and I love the kitchen and living room. Everything is so open! And look at that marvelous sunshine that comes in the front. The cats will enjoy that. All of the floors are new, so it currently smells like new carpet. All light fixtures are new, the bathroom has built in shelves with a hamper and it is just precious! It only has a one car garage but we are used to that anyway. The backyard is absolutely huge (for this size of a house) and I know the dogs are going to love it! So will I once I get my garden planted, some pretty flowers put in, and a nice privacy fence put up. The privacy fence will have to wait a little while until we can buy the supplies (my dad can put in privacy fences) but at least it is fenced now with chain link and that will keep the dogs in. 

The only appliance we have to buy is a washer/dryer. It has to be a stackable unit because it goes in that little closet you see in the kitchen. Other than that, we have a fridge and everything else comes with it! Score! 

I'm very excited and I cannot wait for June 9th. I already put in our intent to vacate our apartment because they need 60 days notice and we should be able to move the second or third week of June! Another plus for me? I work for a moving company. So, of course I am going to hire the guys here to pack and move me and I know they'll do an excellent job. I'm super excited to be able to start buying things around July to put in the nursery and get that room all baby ready! 

It is just such wonderful news for us! It is our first house and I know it is going to be special. Plus, being three bedrooms we have room to grow a little more if we wanted to. ;)

_____________________________________________________

Goals Before Move:

This is very important. Haha. I already have a list of things in my head I want to accomplish before moving and I've started to write them down in my wonderful Erin Condren Planner so that I have a time frame set as well. They mostly consist of cleaning things out and donating/throwing stuff away.

Goals before move:

• Clean out under the bathroom, wet bar, and kitchen sinks. Really. How do these areas accumulate so much weird stuff?
• Clean out coat closet. We are two people. Why is our coat closet full to the max? We each wear the same damn two coats all of the time.... 
• Clean out the bathroom closet. The closet in our bathroom is HUGE. Therefore, it has accumulated quite a bit of stuff on top of stuff (still fairly organized with baskets and rubber maid tub drawers) but they all need to be cleaned out. 
• Clean out the hall closet. I just don't even want to touch that one... I believe we still have boxes that weren't unpacked from when we move 2 years ago........ 
• Clean out Andrew's dresser. Clothes for donations
• Clean out my dresser. Clothes for donation
• Clean out our closet. Clothes, purses, and shoes for donations
• Clean out from under the bed. Again, rubber maid tubs and boxes just keep getting slid under there and they need a good going through.
• Clean out kitchen cabinets and drawers. Mostly organize this area. Pots, pans, dishes, etc. 
• We also have a kitchen "junk" drawer (so to speak) that needs organized..... pens, batteries, doggie medicine, doggie treats, etc.

I think that's it. I can tackle a few of those things in one go. Like, both dressers and possibly the closet can be done in the same day. I just need to make a schedule and stick to it! That way when the guys come to pack they aren't packing things that aren't necessary! I want to make their job a lot easier too. 

So, I have my work cut out for me the next month and a half but I couldn't be more excited about it. 

We finally have a house. 

I can't stop smiling. 

Day 59

Pregnancy Stuff:
We got to finally meet/see Baby C for the first time on Friday!

Heartbeat is 170bpm and incredibly steady! The technician said everything looked wonderful and so far baby was doing great! Let me tell you how crazy it was to see the little heartbeat on that screen. I could have watched it all day long. Unfortunately that would have been super uncomfortable. Ha! I think Andrew was more in shock over it that anything else. I kept looking over at him and he just had a look of  amazement on his face and he didn't say much.
Our doctor is amazing and I already love her. She was recommended by a friend and by my doctor so I was very thankful to have first hand knowledge that she was awesome. She reassured me that it was OK that I was outgrowing clothes and looking pregnant already and also assured me that even though I'm heavy I am completely healthy and perfectly OK to carry this child. Even though I left the office feeling completely violated (haha) I also felt really good knowing that everything was going smoothly and perfectly!
We will get the gender scan sometime in July! Eek!
My next appointment will be a few days after 12 weeks on May 20. I'm excited to see how much baby C grows!

Feeling:
Still nauseous constantly, nothing helps anymore.
Always tired. I slept NINE hours last night and felt like I could have slept four more.
Never hungry. At first I was doing OK with food. Now just the mere thought of it turns my stomach. I'm able to eat lunch and that is about it.
Uncomfortable in clothes. I don't like clothes anymore. I love pajamas. Loose fitting flowly pajamas. Bras are the DEVIL. I hate all and any bras.
Random heartburn. The heartburn is not nearly as bad as it was in the beginning. I think I'd rather have that back than this damn nausea.
_______________________________________________________________
Other Things:
We may have found a house! We are meeting with our realtor today to put in an offer! I am so freaking excited! Andrew is going to go take a peek at it and then we'll head to the ReMax office to sign some paperwork and give her some money to put in the official offer to buy. The only reason we're moving so fast is because someone else "might" be interested and we want to beat them to it. Get a nice contract pending. I'm ready for a house. The seller is putting in a new 15x15 patio in the HUGE backyard and then they either have to lay sod or throw down some grass seed but it is super cute and totally redone on the inside. New carpet and everything. I've been decorating it in my head ever since I saw it. I also have big plans for the backyard. They've done some really cute landscaping and already put in decorative bricks for a flower bed and an area for a nice little garden! It's perfect and I hope that everything goes smoothly! Keep your fingers crossed for us!

That's really all of the exciting news that I have right now. Besides me not feeling the greatest everything else is going wonderfully. Classes are almost done (then summer classes start), our orchestra concert is May 2, and Andrew takes his final on May 19 and then he'll be done with school! Things are moving along quite nicely and I hope that any hiccups are small and easy to overcome.

Day 55

Pregnancy Things:
I promise that won't be the title of my posts all of the time. It is just that the creative part of my brain doesn't seem to be working that great today. In fact, my brain just isn't working well at all. I was typing out a response to a discussion question for my management class today and I could think of the phrase "skill set". I stared at the damn computer screen for about 5 minutes until it finally came to me. Good grief. Is this that forgetfulness that pregnant women always talk about?

I was crazy nauseous last night and it is probably because I didn't eat much. I couldn't stand the thought of eating. I ended up having three cheese sticks before bed so I could take my prenatal vitamin and that seemed to settle it OK. When I woke up this morning I wasn't nearly as nauseous as I usually am so I think cheese sticks before bed are a good call. Something like that milk or cottage cheese. I'm telling you... cheese is my go to. This baby had better not be lactose-intolerant like their daddy. Ha!

My Day 55 update from Baby Bump was about naming said child. I haven't really gotten to that point yet. I'd rather know the gender before I start doing that and that is quite a ways away.

So this happened this morning:

It is one of those things. I was driving to work thinking "OMG, that sounds so good." and then I got it and ate it and that was the end of that. The smoothie was delicious too, even though I know it is nowhere near as healthy as ones I could make at home. I've been craving smoothies lately but my damn smoothie maker broke. I suppose for the time being I could just make them in a food processor. It'll puree everything until I can get a different blender of sorts.
______________________________________________________________
Funny Picture of the Day:

BAHAHAHA! Any of you teeny boppers out there that were *N Sync fans will understand why that is so freaking funny. I found that on Pinterest and laughed for a good 20 minutes before saving the photo and sending it to Sydney. Good times. Good times.
____________________________________________________________
Other Things:
Uhh, not much else. Pregnancy has really taken over my life. Big time. Now that I have basically accepted I'm going to feel kind of shitty every day I think it is better. I am able to find more motivation to do things like clean and do homework. Haha. I even want to go to the store to get stuff for smoothies. I haven't enjoyed going to the store since I found out I was pregnant. Grocery shopping sucks when food is a major turn off. Mainly I want frozen fruits and some spinach. Nom nom.

I gave my realtor a list of four more houses and we are hopefully going to look at those soon. I'm torn between living in Springfield vs. living in Taylorville. For those of you that aren't familiar with the geography, Taylorville is about a 30 to 40 minute drive from Springfield depending on traffic. You get to Springfield by driving Route 29 which recently has become mostly a four lane highway. However, there are still spots of two lane that can be kind of scary and it isn't the most magical drive, especially in winter. I know some people don't mind the drive but I know my husband hates it with a fiery passion. The problem is...  you can get a LOT of house for very little money and the taxes are ridiculously cheap. Like, $780 a year cheap. To me, that would be a perfect starter home.... but it's in Taylorville.... and I work in Springfield... and so does Andrew....

It is one of those things we really have to weigh the pros and cons of and decide what we want to do. I don't want to settle for a house in Springfield just because it is in Springfield. If I fell in love with a house in Taylorville I'd want to live there. I guess it all depends on what my gut and heart tell me.....

Day 54

Only 226 more days to go! Piece of cake, right?

Remember when I said that I was so thankful that I was not one of those people that had to eat before getting out of bed due to nausea? Yeah, that didn't last long. This morning I didn't even want to get up to pee in fear that I would get sick. I finally got up to pee around 6:30 and then crawled back into bed and forced myself to eat four saltine crackers before attempting to get up again. Forcing yourself to eat when you're that nauseated is very difficult. At least for me it is. As soon as the cracker hit my tongue it is a fight to make myself chew and swallow it. I finally talked myself into sitting up fully and then getting into the shower to get ready. It was just a bad morning and it hasn't gotten any better. I couldn't eat much before work so I settled on 3 cheese sticks and I brought a small bowl of fat free cottage cheese to hopefully eat within the next 20 minutes or so just to get some more protein in my body.

Also, I want to take a quick moment to say: THANK GOD FOR GINGER ALE. It has been so helpful to calm my stomach. I try to only drink one a day because there is so much sugar and so many calories in regular soda.... but it helps so much.
___________________________________________________________
Home Making:
I'm ready to nest. I know a lot of to-be moms don't hit this stage for a little while but I'm ready. Andrew and I have been looking at houses and I'm antsy to find a place and start making it a home. We found a house we really liked but the taxes on it are outrageous so we may have to let go of that one. We are going to see a couple more very soon and I hope that one really jumps out at me. We are putting in our 60 day notice to leave the apartment at the end of the month so we definitely have to find something before July 1! Also, I want a garden!! I have ALWAYS wanted a garden but have never had a yard to have one.

Even though I don't know the sex of the child, I know what color scheme I want to go with and then I can add accent colors once I know the gender. Plus, pretty soon we are probably going to start accumulating baby things and we have nowhere to put them! Our apartment is only 800 square feet... IF that. We don't have room to add furniture or baby things!
____________________________________________________________
Food & Stuff:
I love Cassie's blog. If you have never been to it before, please go and check it out. She is a wonderful woman who is insanely talented and I get so many wonderful ideas and recipes from her blog! I was browsing her blog a lot yesterday getting ideas and I ended up buying her Cookbook for my iPad (kindle edition) and it is AMAZING. I posted on her Facebook Page that I couldn't wait until I was done with my first trimester of pregnancy and could eat normal food again so I could make some of the wondrous things she has in there! Seriously, check her out.

That being said, I just have to say once more that I miss food. I miss having well balanced and portioned meals that are healthy and clean. I miss eating a mostly plant based diet. Right now I'm eating a 90% dairy diet. Haha.

I promise I'm doing my best to stay optimistic. I know a lot of women would do anything to be pregnant and would love to go through this process. I am thankful that my body is able to do such an amazing thing.... I just want to feel better.
___________________________________________________________
Sorry I'm such a picture slacker lately.
My motivation has left me at the moment and if I get at least one chore done at night I feel accomplished. No room for any fun or frivolous things. Ha!

I Have Forgotten What it is Like....

... to feel normal. Seriously.
Sorry for the uber long hiatus. I have been living in my bed since last Tuesday evening. After we ate dinner I started to get a horrid sore throat. It hurt to swallow. So I did a little searching on line and guess what? Preggo people aren't really supposed to have cough drops..... or unpasturized honey.... or really anything that helps with a sore throat. I was angry and feeling like shit. I went to the doctor first thing on Wednesday morning and they did a strep test. Thankfully it wasn't strep. She said I had an upper respiratory infection (URI) and that I could take regular Robitussin for the cough and Tylenol for any pain. I wasn't thrilled but at least it was something.
So on top of feeling bloated, nauseous, and constantly riddled with heartburn I got to add on a sore throat, runny/stuffy nose, coughing, and an aching body. Fun stuff, huh?
I ended up calling back in to the doctor on Friday because I still felt awful, possibly worse, and she finally prescribed a Z Pack. YAY! I can tell you right now that after taking the first two pills I felt SO.MUCH.BETTER. I was able to actually move from the bed to the couch on Friday and my wonderful mother came over to help with laundry and get stuff cleaned up a bit.
Saturday, I felt even better and I showered AND put make up on. WOW!
Sunday, still had a shitty cough, but again was able to get cleaned up and beautified and spent the day with Andrew. (we looked at houses!)

Now, my report for today on how I am feeling: horribly nauseous and dizzy. Score.

I told Andrew this morning that I probably won't feel "normal" until the baby is about a year old. My body is going through some crazy stuff and will continue to feel awkward for quite awhile. Just gotta get used to it.
_______________________________________________________
Food Aversions & Stuff:
I miss healthy food. I miss it so much it hurts. I'm so tired of being a carb and cheese craving machine. When I'm on WW or following a healthy eating plan I'm always like "Man, I'd kill for (insert carby, nasty food here) right now." But now, I'd kill for a salad.... roasted vegetables.... raw fruit..... ANYTHING.
The way I am eating would make most people cringe. However, I still haven't gained any weight. BUT my clothes are getting super tight and my coat doesn't zip up right now... makes me feel gross. Haha. I wish I could stay at home all day and lounge in stretchy pants or pajamas. Oh, and no bra. I hate wearing a bra these days.

My food right now looks like this:
cheese sticks
plain bagels
rice chex cereal
skim milk
tortilla shells with cheese
sherbet
more milk
more cheese
cottage cheese
mac'n'cheese
plain pasta
cheese pizza
peaches

Yeah, that's my life right now. Again, I cannot stress how much I miss vegetables. It is also weird that certain smells can trigger my gag reflex. Smells that have never bothered me before now makes me incredibly ill.

I keep telling myself that in 4 more weeks I will (hopefully) get out of this stage and feel better. I just pray I'm not one of those people that is sick the entire time.
_______________________________________________________________
Here's a photo:

8 Weeks!

Sorry for the glare from the window. I wasn't going for perfect. Just wanted a shot to update my BabyBump App. 

Oh, and Andrew has decided to photo bomb every belly picture. Isn't he swell?

Again, feelings are: nauseous, tired, heartburn, food aversions, nauseous, sore boobs..... did I mention nauseous?

I Hate My Hair

Ok, I guess that is kind of a lie. I don't hate my hair. My hair is very thick and very pretty. I hate the length that it is right now. Remember back in December when I cut 6 inches off my hair and was super excited because I bought extensions? Yeah, it has now grown to a length that makes me absolutely insane and I'm about to take some scissors and go crazy. It is that length that is too short to do anything with but long enough that it is annoying when it is down. It is at the "The only think I can do is flip it out because that's what it is going to do anyway" stage. I hate that stage.
I love my extenstions. However, it it a little time consuming to put them in and blend it with my actual hair that I only do it at night or on weekends. At work, my hair is forever in a ponytail. BORING. Especially since I'm chubby and bloated right now and pulling my hair back isn't flattering at all.
Becky.Problems.

I am going tonight to see my amazing hair stylist and I'm going to tell her to either 1) Chop it all off like I had it here:

(maybe even a little shorter than that.... love Andrew's face...)

or 2) just have her put layers in it, even it out, and give me some bangs I can mess with. And of course, still wear extenstions when I feel the need to have super long hair.
___________________________________________________________
Pregnancy Stuff:
I feel like absolute crap today. Extremely nauseous and crazy tired. My wonderful cat was nice enough to take a massive dump in the litter box when I was brushing my teeth and it made me dry heave.  It is so hard to try and choke down breakfast when the thought of food makes you want to gag too.I finally decided that some chicken noodle soup would be good and had that. Then, when I got to work I still thought I would be sick and ate some Goldfish crackers. Now I just want to go home and go to sleep.

Last night I took a cool bath with Epsom salts because I was so hot I thought I would die and because I was so tired of how bloated I was. I think it helped a little bit. The cool water felt amazing and the Epsom salts helped a little with the bloat. I feel a lot less bloat today than I did yesterday and I may have to make that a nightly thing. I drink so much lemon water during the day that you would think I wouldn't have any problems. Oh no... I'm the Queen of bloat right now.

Isn't pregnancy glamorous? I feel like a pretty princess.... said no pregnant woman ever.... and if they do. I want to slap the shit out of them. Ha!

My first ultra sound is in 2 weeks. I'm very excited about it!
___________________________________________________________
Well, not much else to update. I go see Linda tonight and get to tell her my exciting news and then tomorrow I have a marvelous dentist appointment. Yay?