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October 23, 2002
Monday, October 21, 2002
7 Weeks
The magical milestone is upon me... the dreaded 7-week mark that I've had a bit of anxiety over... so how are things going?
It seems that the Morning Sickness Fairy just can't leave me alone completely. Having said that, I'm still grateful because it hasn't been TOO bad... but I just barely hit the 7-week mark. As I've said before, only time will tell. On Saturday morning at about 5am, as I was finishing up some charting on my patients at work, that ever-familiar wave of nausea hit me out of the blue. It's the strangest feeling. When I get that particular type of nausea, my breathing automatically changes. I got a cup of crushed ice and began chewing on it. When I get that feeling, I always something very cold and sometimes very fruity... like a slush or sherbet. It didn't help that I was beyond exhausted that morning. The ice was helpful and two hours later, I got in my car and went home. The ride home was awful. Not only was I nauseated, but I was so tired that I kept closing my eyes for very brief seconds. It scared me. I called home... the answering machine came one. I hung up. A few minutes later, I called home again... this time I was so desperate to talk that I just talked to the machine. A few minutes after that, I called Mike's cell phone... "You've reached the voicemail for Mike..." Drats. Why couldn't he just pick up the phone. Surely they weren't still sleeping? I made it home, miraculously in one piece and without injuring any other drivers on the road. Yes, my boys were still slumbering. I undressed and dropped into bed and I think I was asleep before I even hit the pillow.
I woke up around 12:30 or 1pm and decided to get up for the day. Still a bit nauseated, but not too bad. We had errands to run. We went and took lunch to my husband's grandmother and spent some time with her. Then we headed out to do some grocery shopping. We hit Costco for some bulk items. It was crowded but also fun... all of the Christmas decor was out... and let's not forget all the samples to be had on a Saturday. Mike and I oftentimes go to Costco on Saturdays on purpose... you can get full and eat the equivalent of a meal just by eating samples from each table! Anyway... part way through that shopping adventure, I had had enough. My back hurt and the stretching in my uterus was quite painful. I was a scared... why was I hurting already at only 7 weeks gestation? I knew in that very instant that I have long, uphill battle for the next 33 weeks or so. Somehow, I think pregnancy is going to be just as challenging for me this time around as it was last time.
We hurried home. We unloaded our groceries, fed Ethan dinner and put him to bed. Then Mike made us some enchiladas for dinner. They were good... but when I had gotten down to about 3 bites left on my plate, I began regretting that I had ever eaten them. I immediately looked at Mike and said, "I'm going to bed". He was tired so we shut off everything and went to bed. By the time I actually crawled into the bed, I was writhing. I was so nauseated and so bloated and so sick. I was breathing so hard and shaking my leg and I was just absolutely sure that I would have to make a run for the toilet. By some miracle, it all stayed down and after vigorously rubbing my feet together, the feeling subsided and I was able to fall asleep. I slept really hard. When I awoke the next morning, I was still icky. I hate that feeling... I really hate it.
Could My Tummy Really Be Popping Out Already?
Before we went out on Saturday, I went digging for something to wear. No problem... two clean pairs of jeans. I put the first pair on... hmmm... why won't it zip? It zipped three days ago? Oh well... probably just tight from being in the drier. On to pair #2... same story. Not yet... already? Sure enough, my tummy definitely has a pouch to it. I ended up throwing on a maternity blouse with a pair of baggy pants because it was the most comfortable thing I own!
It's Official... We're Minivan Owners!
We traded in one of our beloved Toyota Echos for a new Kia Sedona minivan! I absolutely love our new vehicle and although I fought it tooth and nail with Mike, I am now really glad he pushed me into the idea. We HAD to get a bigger car. There was no two ways about it. We absolutey could not fit two baby seats into the Echo... at least not safely. We have tried it and it just doesn't work. Still, a minivan? Forget it. I have never, ever had a desire to own one... they just seem so big. Mike a ton of homework and finally narrowed it down to two. We went and test drove a couple of them last weekend and settled on the Kia. We got a GREAT deal on it and got out of a lease, which was the icing on the cake. It's emerald green, it has all the toys, a ton of power, and I LOVE it!
The Accident
On Saturday, when we got home from Costco, Mike backed the minivan into the garage so that we could unload our groceries easily. Afterward, he went to pull the vehicle out of the garage but unfortunately forgot that the back hatch was still open. From the opposite side of the house, I heard a big crash and went running. Sure enough, the unthinkable had happened. The garage door suffered far more damage than the van had. The only noticeable damage on the van is that the rear windshield wiper is busted. The garage door on the other hand... oh boy. It had really broken... it was crooked, off track and it smelled as if the door opener had burned out. All we could see was dollar signs. How would we afford to fix it? We HAD to get the door closed in order to secure our house... but it wouldn't even move when we pulled on it manually. My father-in-law came over and he and Mike worked on it for a couple of hours. We finally managed to get it closed and then started wondering how much it would cost to get fixed or replaced. Who would we even call?
Mike called his brother, David and he said he could come over the next morning. David showed up and floored my husband... with a couple of simple tools and ten minutes worth of time, he had the door back on track, the tension straightened out, and the door opener working properly. We were astounded. You would never even know that it was broken at all! It works perfectly! Thank heaven for David's expertise! We are so grateful... he saved us hundreds (and potentially thousands) of dollars!
Okay... I think that is enough for one day. It's a rare slow night at work. I wrote this entire entry at 2am at work. I have such a hard time finding the time to keep up with my entries these days... I'm glad I had this window of time tonight! Keep praying for me that that Morning Sickness Fairy will take pity on me and go easy on me! Please! I need all the help I can get!
Wednesday, October 23, 2002
Update on Being Green
As Kermit the Frog says, “It’s Not Easy… Being Green.” Oh Kermit, I understand. After I got off work on Monday, I drove home and felt worse than I’ve felt yet. I know that being beyond tired wasn’t helping matters any. I felt like a most neglectful mother to Ethan. When I’m THAT sick, one thing that is tremendously helpful is just to be in a horizontal position. So, I set up barricades around the living room so that he could not escape. I had all his toy out and put on Baby Mozart in into the video machine and then just dozed on the couch. I could barely keep my eyes open and I was heaving so badly. It’s the worst feeling in the world. With my first pregnancy, I could just “check out”… sleep all day if I wanted to. Now, I have another human being to look after and I’ve got to keep my wits about me. We spent the entire day that way.
I finally had to get up and make Ethan some lunch. It was so challenging. I worked as fast as I could. Normally, I make it a rule to feed him in his highchair, in the dining room. But that day, I just made finger foods (still healthy though!) and went back into the living room to be flat. He sat on the floor next to me and ate his lunch with my help. I nearly cried.
When Mike got home that afternoon, he asked me if there was anything that he could do to help. “I NEED a Dairy Queen Georgia Mud Fudge Blizzard.” It was all I could think about. He took Ethan and got me one. Surprisingly enough, I felt like a million dollars after I ate it and was feeling just fine for the rest of the night!
Yesterday (Tuesday) was better. I think that getting sleep was incredibly helpful. I had Mike bring me some crackers and 7-Up to munch on before I even got out of bed… not exactly the breakfast of pregnant champions, but hey, a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. It was tremendously helpful. Throughout the day, I realized that if I just ate constantly, I was okay. The nausea was there but it was tolerable if I just ate. It doesn’t take a lot of food, just little bits all the time… I tried to eat little bits of chicken and cheese and crackers, etc. Unfortunately, 7-Up was the only drink that didn’t make sick yesterday. I have got to get back on track with my water drinking. My poor little embryo!
Meeting a Fellow Diary Writer
I was so honored to be able to meet fellow Moms Today writer Stephanie and her family last night! We’ve been planning this little meeting for some time. She is visiting WA as part of her vacation (from CO). We had arranged to meet at the Old Spaghetti Factory in Tacoma. We’ve talked on the phone several times and she’s such a peach, I was really excited to finally meet her in person. Let me just say, she did NOT disappoint! She is even more fun in person!
So we met at the restaurant at 6:30pm… just before she walked in, I admit that I had that brief little twinge of nervousness, but of course that was washed away immediately. I had never seen a picture of her before, but I recognized those three beautiful girls of hers as soon as she opened the door! She and her husband are such nice, nice people! (Not that I ever doubted that or anything!) We had a GREAT time… ate lots of pasta, played games with her oldest daughter and just chatted. Ethan and Mackenna are only 2 weeks apart in age so it was fun to see the two of them sitting together. It was a nice meal.
After we were done eating, we took some pictures and then headed over to our cars and actually just talked for awhile. Then, I got to experience Christmas in October! Stephanie told me that she was bringing me all of her maternity clothes… did she ever! Let me first say that I don’t own much in the way of maternity clothes. When I got pregnant with Ethan, I bought a pair of maternity shorts and a pair of Capri pants (neither of which I can wear til the weather gets warm again!). Fellow Moms Today writer Lara sent me some clothes last year as well… a few nice blouses, a pair of jeans and a dress. That is IT for my clothes. I didn’t spend much money on clothes because I was forced to buy maternity scrubs to work in… and two pairs cost me $100.
This pregnancy I will have NO problems… short sleeved shirts, long sleeved shirts, shorts, pants, a skirt, a dressy blouse, pajamas, overalls, nursing shirts, you name it, she had it! And it’s all mine! I’m so excited I can hardly stand it! I told her that this came at the perfect time because my pants aren’t fitting very well already. I really feel like I hit the jackpot. Thank you Steph for NOT taking that stuff to the consignment shop!!!!
Anyway… we had a great time. My husband can be nervous about sitting with people that he doesn’t know but he even kept saying, “They are such cool people. I could definitely hang out with them!” Steph is such a good mommy and you could tell that Jeremy is an excellent daddy… they make it look very easy to have three children. Her daughters are so personable and outgoing and very well-behaved. They were full of laughter and so polite… I heard lots of “pleases” and “thank yous”. Really, just a sweet family. My only regret is that we don’t live closer. Bah humbug… that is the downside to meeting someone on the internet!
Stephanie: Thanks for meeting us last night! Thanks for your friendship and thanks for the clothes! I had a great time and I hope this won’t be the last time we see each other!
Well, this is quite a long entry. I think I’d better close things for now. So far this morning, I’m feeling good… I hope it sticks. Gotta keep those saltines handy!!!
~~Christina & the Jellybean :-)
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