Dreams?

People often talk about how pregnant women have crazy, vivid dreams. Don't ask me why (because, frankly, I'm too tired to google the subject matter) but it's true.

Most women I've talked to about this have had "baby dreams." They dream about what gender their baby will be, what their baby will look like, and fears they have for becoming a parent... Well, so far I've had dreams about moving into a 2 bedroom apartment with 12 other people, getting stuck inside a parking garage stairwell, singing a duet with Taylor Swift, being forced to partake in a pie eating contest, and one slightly inappropriate scenario that probably should not be shared in such a public forum. Baby was not present in any of these dreams.

I'm not sure what any of this means, but I'll just add it to the list of reasons why pregnancy is a very unusual experience.

8 weeks 6 days

Tomorrow I will be 9 weeks, and I'm starting to see a little teeny tiny light at the end of this black tunnel of a first trimester. I barely recognize myself and have spent most of the past two weeks sleeping in bed or next to our dirty toilet (see past post on pregnancy problems here).

I have gained 6 pounds in 9 weeks of saltine crackers and morning sickness.

6.

However!... Today I woke up feeling somewhat human for the first time in a month! I'm guessing I'm not out of the morning sickness woods, but I'll take this opportunity to clean my house and workout while I can.

I think one of the only things that has been helping with the morning sickness (besides Zofran, which works for an hour or two) are PSI bands! If you haven't heard of them and have any issues with morning or motion sickness, you really should check them out. I'm in love.

I'm hesitantly posting this makeup-less, sickly picture of me in the spirit of full disclosure and accurate account keeping. PSI band, extremely chipped nail polish, and large dark circles. Please don't judge me.

Boy or Girl?

I've spent the past hour of my life watching "gender reveals" on youtube, and subsequently crying my eyes out. It has me dreaming about our little babe!! So, I looked up a few old wives tales for predicting gender and thought I'd share some with you... Most are silly and probably pretty inaccurate, but It's all in good fun.

1. The metal or ring test: Tie a ring (or a needle) to a piece of string and have someone hold it over you. If it moves in a circle, it's a girl. If it moves back and forth, it's a boy.

Looked like circles to me. Girl: 1.

2. Morning Sickness: If you have it all day, it's a girl. If you don't have much of it, it's a boy.

As you already know... I have it. all day. bad. Girl: 1.

3. Cold feet: If you have them during pregnancy, it's a boy. If you don't, it's a girl.

I always have cold feet - pregnant or not. I'm a socks wearer. Boy: 1.

4. Chinese Lunar Calendar: Calculate your lunar year and the lunar month in which you conceived (based on the chinese new year). Find your gender on the Chinese Lunar Chart.

According to the calculator at this website, My lunar age is 24 and the lunar month in which we conceived (Jan) is 12. Boy: 1.

5. Sweet or Sour?: If you are craving sweets, it's a girl. If you are craving more sour or salty things, it's a boy.

All food is gross to me these days. But, what I can stomach has been all sour or salty. Boy: 1.

6. Even and Odd: If the mother's age at conception and the year of conception are both even or both odd, it's a girl. If one's even and one's odd, it's a boy.

One's even one's odd. Boy: 1.

7. Right side or left side? If mom likes to lay on her left side, it's a boy. Right side, it's a girl.

I lay on my right side most nights. Girl: 1.

Results -

Boy: 4 points

Girl: 3 points.

Hmm... I guess we will find out in about 2 more months! What do you think it is?! I'm going to post a poll at the very bottom of the blog. Let us know what you think!

Pregnancy Problems

We need food.

I need food, husband needs food, baby needs food.

Food comes from the grocery store.

Few things make me more sick than a trip to the grocery store.

Pregnancy Problems.

It's Alive!

We had our first ultrasound today!! What a joy to see our little bean and it's beautiful, wonderful, perfect flicker of a heartbeat... It makes things so much more real. I'm almost 8 weeks - A month out from "being in the clear," but, I just had to share with the world today (and when I say world, I mean facebook). We're trusting God for a healthy, full-term baby!

I'm finally fully engaged and fully excited that I'm going to be a mom! The tear on Cam's cheek when the doc showed us our babe leads me to believe that he is just as excited as me.

When we first got married we decided that we were going to wait 3-5 years until we even thought about having kids. I've caught the baby bug more than once in the last year and half, but still "knew" it would be best to wait. Needless to say, I had a little bit of anxiety about the timing of our pregnancy. But, I'll tell you what, when I saw our "surprise" on the screen today, I didn't even think twice about being thrilled. What a gift from a loving God!

I promise I'll try to keep this blog focused on more entertaining, less mushy matters in the future. But, I just had to share a little sap today - a day that I'll never forget.

7 weeks 4 days

I've never been very good at keeping secrets - A month ago when I sat on the bathroom floor staring at a positive pregnancy test I was convinced that I could go the full first trimester without telling anyone. A week later, 10 people knew. Today, 30 people know. I have a big mouth.

I am 7 weeks and 4 days pregnant today. Our babies mouth, nose, and eyes are all forming this week, and the tiny tadpole is starting to sprout some arms and legs. He or she is the size of a blueberry, the length of a tic tac, and weights less than a gram.

What I want to know is, how can something that tiny make a grown woman feel so sick? I'm queasy all day and count it a success if I can keep down all three meals. My favorite hobby these days is napping, and I haven't been to the gym or put on an acceptable amount of makeup in weeks. This baby has removed my will to clean my house or put on clothes that match. All I can say is this: Praise God for an amazing husband and good pair of sweat pants!

Just be happy you're not Cam.

It's 7:34 pm. Time for bed.

Pregnancy Problems.

I'm too sleepy to clean my dirty toilet.

I'm too sick not to spend a generous amount of time hugging my dirty toilet.

Pregnancy Problems.

we're having a baby.

On January 23rd I felt funny. Actually, I had been feeling funny all week. That night, after our small group I ran to the drug store to buy a pregnancy test because, well, that is what I do. Every other month I convince myself I'm pregnant, take a test that boldly pops up negative, and then I go about my life. Typically, I don't bother Cam with these things because I love him too much to intentionally expose him to crazy town... He has his hands full as it is. This day, however, he called me in the middle of my pee stick expedition and harped me with questions until I gave in and told him what I was doing... He and Jack Bauer have a fool-proof way of getting information... Our phone conversation went something like this:

k: Hi babe!

c: Hi, what are you doing?

k: Oh just needed to stop by the store real quick.

c: What store?

k: Just the drug store.

c: Which drug store?

k: Rite-Aid.

c: What are you getting?

k: Oh nothing. Just some girl stuff.

(usually this is my go-to answer to end any and all questioning)

c: No no no. Don't use "girl stuff" on me again. What are you buying?

k: FINE! A pregnancy test! Geez! Leave me alone!! (exhibit a: hormonal.)

Ok so it wasn't exactly water boarding, but I'm a terrible liar and I gave in... Sensing the excitement in his voice, I told him I probably wasn't pregnant and he should just calm down and not get too excited (Cam's one of those rare finds who has been dreaming of having a kid since he was a kid.)

When I got home I went straight for the bathroom so I could put my husbands mind at ease that we weren't having a baby. I peed on the stick and waited for my moment of relief...

What I saw instead was a second, faint, little pink line.

I've taken a hundred negative tests. This one was for sure positive. I instantly started to shake and headed for Cam, who just smiled. ear to ear. biggest smile I've ever seen, and calm as a cucumber. We're having a baby.

For those of you who have been dying to see a positive pregnancy test, today is your lucky day. And, for those of you who are scweemish about things like pregnancy tests, swollen boobs, and vomit, this is probably not going to be your favorite blog. To the rest of you, thanks for taking this journey with me.