Four Month Update

Today marks 16 weeks of pregnancy.  I had a doctors appointment last night where, after listening to the heartbeat, I was told I have a "happy baby in there".  This of course makes for a happy me.  Everything is right on schedule.  I am not exactly showing yet and I've even lost another pound.  The doctor says this is all fine.  She also told me that sometimes if you start off a little 'heavier', the baby uses all that stored fat I already have!  I have no problem with this.  I've even been encouraging the baby to use more!!!! 

Another wonderful thing happened to me on this day.  I discovered, inadvertently, that my maternity pants that I claimed were all too big, are adjustable.  AWESOME!    Getting dressed in the morning isn't so bad now.  There is definitely something about your clothes that can either make you really uncomfortable all day or really feel good about yourself.  This week, I'm feeling pretty good.

Still Spoiled

I have to admit, I've been excessively spoiled for the last 29 years.  I am an extremely lucky girl with amazing parents who have always done their best to protect, teach, and, yes, spoil me, whether intentionally or not.  Since my choice of foods are quite limited these days either because they make me sick, don't appeal to me, or are on the preggo no-no list, my parents decided to hook me up.  For breakfast, my mom made me the most enjoyable banana bread I've ever had.  Each day at work I sneak to unwrap it so no one else sees it because let's face it, I am not sharing.  Then, since my craving for turkey was making me crazy and I can't (or won't) have deli meats, my parents cooked me up an entire turley breast, sliced it, and packaged it for me.  These turkeys sandwiches have made for the best lunches I've had in four months.   I wonder if I will lose my rank in February!

Thinking Outside the Belly

I sometimes have to remind myself that we do have a life outside of this growing belly.  So that I don't bore myself with baby blogs only, I've decided to add in a few other tales.
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The first of which is the story of my first Bears game.  While I'd been to Soldier Field many years ago for a Madonna concert with my dad (I was 5), I haven't been there for a game.  My mother-in-law was kind enough to get us tickets to the first pre-season game of the year.  She hooked Eric and I up with seats in the United Club which was great!  I can't say the same for the Bears' performance, but being there was still fun and it was nice to get out and do something out of the ordinary.  We had a beautiful night in Chicago, thanks to Bob and Sherri.

The Same Questions

No, we are not finding out the sex of the baby.
No, we are not sharing our names.

Who knew these answers would get people so worked up. More often than not, I get lectured on why I SHOULD find out what I am having. Some of their reasons:
1) so I can plan my nursery
2) so that people know what colors to buy
3) so THEY don't have to wait to find out

Really, when the kid is a month old, will these things matter to any of these people? No, to them, my kid will just be another baby whether it is in green, pink, or blue clothes and regardless of the color room it sleeps in. Give it up people. We'll all know in 5 months.

Pregnant, Not Just Fat

At 15 weeks, I find getting dressed to be the most devasting part of my day. While the buttons and zippers are all broken on my pre-preggo pants, the maternity ones I bought are just a little too big. I can imagine it's only a matter of time before I am busting the elastic on the maternity pants too, but at this point, I just want the belly. I want, when my fat is sticking out, people to know it is a baby, and not an over indulgence on burritos. There has been a lot of stretching going on lately so maybe in the next few weeks I'll get that bump I so desperately want.

My Poor Husband

Eric is such a trooper. In an effort to please my aching, starving belly, he would call me every day and ask what I wanted for dinner. I would tell him, and by the time I got home, my earlier choice was now revolting to me.  When I thought I was craving something, it either ended up being a huge disappointment or it made me sick.

I can't say that I have any real cravings as of yet,.  However, we have had our fair share of Outback salads lately. Red meat is really appealing to me right now too. Filets are my fav. Why couldn't I yearn for something a little cheaper?

The smell of McDonalds french fries is revolting to me. Milk and cheese are not my friend. And I still love a good piece of cake.

A Wee Bit of Whining

Here is the part where I told you was for me, not you. Feel free to read, as this is a record of my experience with morning sickness. First off, I'd like to say, "Morning sickness, my ass. How about every freaking waking moment sickness". There, that sounds about right. At eight weeks exactly, it kicked in. I remember this day because I was off of work, and heading in for my first ultrasound. Following the ultrasound, I was taking my niece Emily to see the latest installment of the Twilight series. I remember calling Eric before leaving the house telling him I was dying and wouldn't make it through the day. I felt this way until 14 weeks. Now, I definitely had it easier than some ladies. I never did throw up, though I begged for it often. I just constantly felt nauseous and the headaches were terrible. I was in bed every night by 7:30, which is not a complaint. Sleep is, after all, my favorite activity. The worst part of not feeling good was right in the middle of it all, I had to give about 10 tours of our recycle center at work. I am pretty sure that each of those tours fell on days where it was 90 degrees or hotter. Many times, I thought I would barf right on these people, but luckily for them, and for the sake of my job, I did not.

At 15 weeks today, I am finally over the nausea, but this acid reflux/heartburn business is killer. It's almost worst that the pukey feeling. I am hoping to get some relief when I go to the doctor next week. Otherwise, I guess I'll just wait until March to feel better.

Breaking The News

Though this was definitely no surprise pregnancy, I still took my time before buying the test. After almost a year, the excitement of buying a test tends to wear off and becomes the source of stress, always expecting the negative. At first I snuck around the store, made sure no one was in the aisle, quickly grabbed a test and hid it under my purse until checkout. The element of surprise was a huge deal for me so I didn't want anyone to see me buying it. Well, not this fateful June night. I knew it was time to test so I went in very calmly, bought the test, and stared at it for a few minutes when I got home. Finally, I did my business and pretended to occupy my thoughts in the kitchen. Of course I didn't wait the full suggested wait time, but it was clear as day: 2 pink lines. I started to shake immediately and then tried to come up with a way to tell Eric. Fifteen minutes later, he came downstairs, only for a dinner break in between Call of Duty matches. I started handing him all things he requested from the store that night; razors, deodorant, toothpaste, postive pregnancy test. I had to say it twice because in true Eric fashion he was talking over me. His reaction?   He says, "No Shit?". Wow, thanks for that. Having been in this position before and only having disappointment, we wouldn't let ourselves get too excited. But, as the weeks went on, it started to build and we started to talk about it a little more.

Ten weeks later, and a Laxton family party approaching, we decided since everyone was together, now was the time to tell his family. We actually didn't even decide for sure until a few minutes before Eric walked into the dining room, where his whole family stood and told them the news. Of course there was lots of screaming and hugging to follow. Everyone was very excited and had lots of questions which we were more than happy to answer. We were just thrilled to be able to talk about it amongst other people. Our nephew TJ (10 years old), who I've dubbed the 'baby-whisperer' was so excited, he immediately started talking to my belly. I didn't have the heart to tell him it was just the fat he was talking to!

Two weeks later, after being stressed out about having the perfect situation to tell my parents, the moment was upon us. I made up an excuse to come over on a Saturday, the night before a family party for my mom's bday. After dinner, I grabbed a box of Fannie May candy and told them I got it free at the mall earlier that day. Only when they opened it, no candy was to be found. Just a box full of baby pacifiers. (the baby's original due date was Valentine's Day, hence the box of chocolates). It took a few seconds for a reaction and when it finally came, it came in the form of tears from my mom who jumped up starting hugging us. From my dad came a look of shock and a red face. Ever my protector, his concern was first for me and wanting to make sure I was ok. Seconds later, he was up and hugging us as well. After a few hours of baby talk, and the news finally settling in, this tired pregnant chick had to go home and go to bed. It was a lot of excitement for one day.

I was pleased with myself to have pulled off that surprise. All this time, that was my main goal. I wanted a genuine, shocked reaction, and that is exactly what I got. It was one of those moments I'd spent my entire life thinking about and I couldn't ask for anything more.