10 week pregnancy update

It's been hard to write lately as Dawson has decided he no longer needs a nap!  Anyway I thought I would start some updates weekly.

I had my first appointment with my new midwife last week and I really love her.  She was unlike any doctor I have had before.  She completely let me take the lead and actually talked to me, not just sat and filled me with medical information.  It put my anxiety at ease pretty much immediately.  She asked a lot of questions about my pregnancy with Dawson and my delivery and it brought back memories I feel I have tucked away because I really didn't enjoy it all at the moment.  

I started thinking a lot about bringing another baby home and I won't lie, I have had some serious moments of panic when I think "what the heck are we doing?!" As Joe told me during transition with Dawson.. Too late now :) 

I had an ultrasound at 10 weeks on the dot and was measuring right on schedule.. And most importantly, there's only one kickin' around in there! I've also consistently been able to find the baby's heartbeat with the home doppler.  

How far along? 10 weeks 3 days.  Baby is the size of a prune! 

Weight gain? According to the scale this morning I have actually lost about 12 pounds since my hospital visit for fluids.  

Belly button? Still looks normal :) 

Wedding rings on or off? Still on.. I think I was somewhere near the end of my 2nd trimester with Dawson when I finally put them on a chain around my neck. 

Movement? Nothing yet, too early.  We did see him or her wiggling away during the ultrasound though! 

Maternity clothes? Pants, yes.  Still wearing a lot of my regular shirts but not all.  

Symptoms? Feeling? Nausea and vomiting still going on.  I'm on zofran 3 times a day and Reglan and promethegan as needed.  Most days I need a combination.  I'm still feeling really awful.  Tired, lots of nausea, still fighting a cough and the pregnancy rhinitis has kicked up this week full force.  My energy level is pretty low.  

Mood? Depends on when you ask me!  The nausea, vomiting, and loss of cooking has me pretty down.  I'm at home a lot and quite frankly I'm tired of it.  I miss my social life. 

Missing? Real food, cooking dinner, baking.  It also just dawned on me that I will not be enjoying any ice cold beer this summer either. 

Looking forward to? Getting the heck out of the first trimester.  Also, starting group prenatal visits next month. 

Sleep? Between Dawson and my cold, it's not going well.  I'm also finding it hard to breathe when I lay on my back now which didn't hit until 3rd trimester with Dawson. 

Exercise? Very little of that going on.  I try to take a walk with Dawson outside when it's not raining.  I miss running but it's kicking my asthma up and I just do not have the energy for it.  

Any cravings? No cravings really.  My go-to foods are turkey sandwiches (has to be from someplace out), stroganoff, plain croissants, and iced tea (decaf).  Otherwise I haven't been eating much else.  Salty and crunchy things seem to go down the easiest. 

Food aversions? Everything? Grilled chicken, same as last pregnancy.  Anything savory or sweet.  Anyone who knows me knows I am a sucker for sweets.. Baked goods, icecream,  chocolate.. But I can hardly look at it right now.  

Otherwise we are just chugging along.   I'll try to write more often! 

This blog is suffering

It isn't that I haven't had time to blog, I'm just having some issue finding anything besides my hum drum daily life to blog about.  Normally I'm baking, cleaning, cooking, and going on outings with Dawson and I like to write about that but lately I am literally just a lump on the couch.

Cooking is my hobby.  I love to tweak recipes and believe it or not, I kind of like meal planning and grocery shopping.  Some of my favorite posts on this blog are recipes.  I hadn't thought about how little I cooked while pregnant, especially in the first trimester.  I also hadn't realized how much I really enjoy it.  

Right now I can barely look at most food let alone smell it so recipes probably won't be something you see a lot of here for a while.  It kind of makes me sad, but I know during the third trimester I go pretty nuts freezer stocking.  Until then it will probably be just a lot of everyday feelings, obstacles, and pregnancy updates I post about! 

Boy or girl? Why does it matter?

This pregnancy has come with some questions that I don't remember getting with Dawson, although I am sure I got them.

The biggest question Joe and I have gotten during this pregnancy thus far is whether or not we want a boy or a girl this time.  Most people assume we would like a girl because we already have a boy.  Joe and I have pretty much maintained that we want a healthy happy baby, whether it be a boy or a girl.  We would be over the moon for another boy, but equally excited if the baby is a girl.

I will admit that when I was pregnant with Dawson I wanted a boy.  Somehow in my deluded little head I decided a boy would be easier because they aren't so dramatic.  Obviously I was wrong.  Dawson has enough drama for 8 kids and then some.  He has not been an easy child in general.  I love him to pieces but he has been a challenge.  I guess that's what parenthood is all about though! 

 I feel like almost on a daily basis I watch someone (whether it be in person or through Facebook or blogs) struggle.  Sometimes their struggle involves just having a baby, sometimes it's that their babies have minor or even severe health problems.  If our baby was not healthy, I wouldn't love him or her any less by any means, but I know it would come with challenges that make Dawson seem like a walk in the park.   

Right now I am doing my best to just focus on taking care of myself.  I am still struggling with fluids, and I have had some touch and go moments where the possibility I would end up in the hospital again is high.  I've lost about 10-12 pounds over the last couple of weeks.  Keeping my eye on the prize... A healthy baby.  

Pregnancy sucks.

And it's awesome all at the same time.  This week though, it sucks.  There, I said it.

Thursday morning sickness hit me like a truck.  I managed to eat throughout the day and drink some Gatorade.   Zofran (anti nausea medication) is a complete joke this time around.  

Friday morning I took a tumble down our stairs.  I'm okay, but pregnancy sure did throw a wrench in the healing process.  I called my midwife's office and they told me to go to urgent care or my primary care provider.  I was a little panicked so I called Dawson's doctor's office (he goes to a family practice) and asked if they could see me on short notice.  They did, but they weren't so helpful.  They told me to take Tylenol, ice it, and stretch.  

I managed through the weekend with Joe's help.  Did I mention this is all at the tail end of Joe having the flu for 4 days? Yeah.  Poor guy goes from that to his wife throwing up, not cooking, and falling down the stairs and calling him all emergency style at his work.  

Monday I was still not doing well.  I was in a lot of pain (understatement of the century) so I called my midwife's office again and this time they sent me to the ER because the nurse was fairly certain with all the throwing up and struggling to drink, I probably would need fluids as well as something for the pain. Awesome! Monday night was spent in the ER.  Many of you who know me know that I HATE having an IV with a passion.  A couple of years ago my anxiety would have kept me at home denying the fact that I needed anything.  I did it though.  I felt like this was a pretty big accomplishment for me, as silly as that sounds.  

Tomorrow is my intake appointment (a class on dos and don'ts) and blood work at my midwife's office.. Even though I was just there yesterday.   Joe is going with me.  Then my next appointment will be on the 23rd, when we get to see baby for the first time.. I also have anxiety about that, but that's another post.  I'm not going to lie, I am not looking forward to tomorrow.   I don't like having blood taken, although I do survive each time.  I am one of those people that struggles to not pass out afterwards and during. The first blood draw for pregnancy just flat sucks.  They take quite a bit of blood.  I'm trying not to psych myself out about it.  Joe will be there to hold my hand and it will be over semi quickly.  

I'm still pretty sore almost a week after my fall, but I am learning to work around things.  I just can't do everything right now.   I feel like this is early training for what it will be like when I'm much larger and having to take care of Dawson.  I'm learning to get creative :) help from Grandma K sure does help too! 

There's the update :) 

Influenster JollyVoxBox Reviews

I can't recall whether I have mentioned that I am an Influenster member? Anyway, it's a pretty cool little review system.  You just review and answer questions about products you own, and you are scored on your participation.  If you stay active, you can qualify for a VoxBox.

I qualified and recieved the JollyVoxBox just before Christmas.

Note: All items recieved from influenster were complimentary and for honest review purposes only.

I recieved in my VoxBox:

- The Duck Brand Mini Ducklings tape

- Puffs Brand tissues

- NYC HD Color Trio

- The Skinny Cow candy

- Rimmel London Show Off Lip Lacquer

I used the Duck Brand tape to repurpose this dishwasher detergent container.  Originally I thought I would use it for my desk but I realized it's perfect for small garbage in my bathroom.  I don't know about anyone else, but we end up with floss, q-tips and razor packages all over our sink area.  What I loved most about this tape is I can rip it with my fingers! It also is easy to un-stick from itself if you accidentally find yourself in that situation :)  Although I doubt you would, as it doesn't curl either.  I have a bunch of little projects I would love to use this stuff on.  Best of all, it comes in all kinds of prints and colors! 

The Puffs tissues came in very handy this week as Joe came down with the flu and I am battling the usual early pregnancy stuffiness.  I already buy puffs so obviously I love them! They are just softer to me than other brands and I tend to get a raw nose pretty easily.  

The NYC HD color trio couldn't have come at a better time.  To be honest, I have never tried many of their cosmetics because they just seemed cheap.  However, my mind has changed.  While it isn't as great as Urban Decay, it's close.  I'll be buying more of these from here on out! My only regret is not getting a picture of myself with it on! 

The Skinny Cow candy is gone.  I got some chocolate peanut butter patties and between myself and Dawson, they didn't last long.  They are guilt free, why would they? You would think something that's low calorie wouldn't taste good but actually the chocolate is pretty creamy.  I actually prefer their candy to a lot of other popular brands.  I don't feel like I'm giving anything up.  Also, they sell this stuff at Costco.. Awesome! 

The Rimmel London Show Off Lip Lacquer is the only thing I wouldn't buy again.  Not because it wasn't a quality product, but because I don't typically wear lipstick or color on my lips in general.  I did try it though, and it was quite long lasting and didn't lose it's shine for the entire day.   It also didn't feel gummy or chalky like a lot of lipsticks do.  I actually forgot I was wearing it! 

So there you have it :) hopefully I will be able to review other products from another Influenster VoxBox in the future!