Week 8

Finally....it's week 8!  The week of the doctor's appointment!  My appointment is Thursday at 8am, so I am very excited.  I will report back with the estimated due date (the Internet says March 4) and if I come back with any ultrasound photos.

The past week has been okay, but I have been feeling very tired and have had several panic attacks in the middle of the night or after waking from a nap.  This has happened to me before in the past several years, and each time I Google looking for answers.  Apparently, this happens to many people, but nobody has any answers on why or how to prevent it.  It is scary to wake up and feel so disoriented and detached from reality, panicking that something is seriously warong.  Yesterday the feeling didn't fully go away for more than an hour.  I think maybe I need to do more to alleviate stress.  Since I have been so tired, it has been difficult to even think of exercising in any way, and it is way too hot out to go for a walk.  I bought a prenatal exercise DVD that came in the mail yesterday, so I can try that out.  I would also like to get back in the pool, since I think swimming some laps would really help.

This week is the week of the raspberry, which is pretty cool.  It is strange to try to imagine that inside me somewhere there is a little raspberry-sized baby wiggling around.  :-)

Week 7

Yay, it's the week of the blueberry!

I gotta tell you, I am soooooooooo tired all the time and hungry every 2 hours (like ravenously, stomach-achingly hungry).  I was in a virtual coma on the couch yesterday and did absolutely nothing all day.  I also cried about 20 times this weekend, including at The Olive Garden!  That was fun.  (NOT!)  I also will need to buy some new pants soon.  I can fit into them, but they are quite uncomfortable after sitting at work for hours on end.  We can wear jeans to work now....how about including yoga pants?  :-)

My doctor's appointment is next week, so at least I will finally find out something.  That is still the hardest part right now.

Today for lunch I decided I was going to eat one of my twice-weekly servings of fish in the form of a tuna sandwich.  I was so psyched up for that tuna sandwich on whole wheat with lettuce, tomato, and onion.  I waited in line for 15 minutes, my stomach growling the entire time, just to find out that they had no tuna today!!!!!!  Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.  And of course I'm not allowed to each lunch meat, so I just walked away dejectedly.  I wound up getting a "10 spice chicken" with summer vegetables and orzo.  Well, the chicken was hard as shoe leather, and the summer vegetables were really spicy, so all I could eat was the orzo.  What a waste of money!  Similar to my lunch on Friday that I had to throw out because it had a spider in it!  I may have to give up on the work cafeteria.

Week 6

Week 6 starts today!  And as if right on cue, the waves of nausea started!  There's nothing like being on a teleconference and wanting to hang up and run to the bathroom.  LOL

Time is going by soooooooo slowly leading up to my first doctor's appointment.  I hope that I am doing everything I can so far for a healthy baby!  Than is helping out by making me fruit smoothies almost every night.  Delicious!

This week, the baby is the size of a sweet pea.

Week 5

Days are going by so slowly leading up to the 8 week doctor's appointment!  All I want to do is go shopping for baby things, but I don't want to get overly excited and then find out something is wrong.  :-(  It is still strange being pregnant but not knowing what is going on or feeling any strong symptoms.  I feel some cramping once in a while, but that's it (I guess I should be happy!).  I have been drinking a lot of water and fruit smoothies (thanks Than!).  I need to get some exercise regimen started up.  Than and I went for a walk yesterday, which was nice.  It is just so darn hot out!

This week, the baby is the size of an apple seed.  Still soooo tiny!

The waiting game

I made my first doctor's appointment, but it isn't until July 26.  I understand from all of my reading on the Internet so far that doctors don't want to see you until you are at least 8 weeks pregnant.  But what are you supposed to do until then???  How do I know everything is okay in there?  It is tough not knowing anything when it is happening inside you!  I am going to take another home pregnancy test this weekend just to make sure things are still okay.  Does that make me sound paranoid?  Oh well!

Big news!

This past Saturday (6/23), I took a pregnancy test, and I'm pregnant!  I had a feeling that I was, but with all of the health problems that I have had this year, I have had a worry in the back of my mind that when we finally decided to try to have a baby, it would be a difficult journey.  I never thought it would happen the first "official" try.  We both said that "after Ireland" would be a good time, since I made it perfectly clear that my dream trip to Ireland was happening before we had kids.  Otherwise, I was scared it wouldn't happen.  So dream trip complete (although I am totally ready to go back!!), and we are now apparently gearing up for a baby!

As I said, I found out on Saturday by taking a pregnancy test.  Than was gone all day at a softball tournament, so I went out and bought more tests and planned to take one again the next day just to be certain.  I actually took 2 tests (different brands) the next morning, and both were positive.  Since it was Sunday, Than would be sleeping until noon, so I headed out to church.  For some odd reason, I had this feeling that my priest would know.  When Than and I were preparing to get married, we asked my priest about taking marriage classes.  As far as I knew, it was mandatory.  Well, my priest took a good look at the two of us and said something like "What else do you need to learn?  You love each other, what else can they teach you?  I can tell by looking at you that you will be fine."  Anyway, back to this Sunday.  After church, I walked back to my car with my parents, and we spent some time in the parking lot chatting.  Well, wouldn't you know that the priest comes out and from across the parking lot shouts "Natalia...do you have something to say?"  I at first didn't know what he meant, and then he goes "Are you pregnant?"  Mind you, he was SHOUTING across the parking lot.  While I was dumbfounded as to what to say, my mom told him no.  And then I said "Actually....he's right."  So lots of smiles and hugging commenced.  I did tell Than finally that evening.  I'm not sure why it was so difficult.  I guess I needed my priest to jump in to give me a good conversation starter.  LOL

According to BabyCenter.com, apparently the baby is the size of a poppy seed.  That is so odd to imagine.  I think it's hard to think about being pregnant without feeling pregnant.  Any fat stomach on me at this point is due to plain old eating and not exercising!  LOL  I had a few too many potatoes and Bulmers Irish ciders on vacation.  :-)

So far I have been feeling some bad cramping pains on my left side that I hope and pray are normal and nothing to worry about.  I have been feeling really awful the past few days and wound up at the urgent care center with a diagnosis of sinusitis.  I think I also may not be eating enough because I am seriously stressing out about all the things you're not supposed to eat, so I haven't been doing so well with what's in the house.  Last night's breakthrough was a chicken parm hoagie from WaWa after the urgent care center.  I think that seriously helped cure me because I feel at least 75% better.

We most probably won't be telling anyone else about this for 3 months, so I guess I will be blogging for my own sake.  I have visions of making a book out of this (like Devon), so I figured I better get started!