This was in my inbox this morning when I got to work, with the subject line "a very special dog". Dave has harvested the great pumpkin. Truly, this is one of the largest pumpkins every grown in our back yard, and maybe even in our neighborhood. It's the 5th to come off the vine so far, and we've got at least 4 more coming. I can't wait until we get to carve them and bake them into pies!
You would think that I would have it figured out by now - filling my stomach with food or drink too quickly makes me feel extremely sick. I knew this about food, but I just learned today that it works for liquid too. I drank a ton of cranberry juice over lunch, partially because I think I might be coming down with a UTI, and partially because it's delicious. Now, 2 hours later, my poor tummy is causing me great pain, and I can't eat anything because the smell of all foods is making me nauseous. I guess it's officially time to stop bragging that "I just haven't felt that sick yet!" because it is totally untrue. Bleh.
Yesterday was a much nicer day, even though I had to be at work for 10 hours. The difference? Coffee. Right around 3, I had a huge cup of steaming hot deliciousness, something I've been avoiding since I got pregnant. Oooh, it made all the difference. I had energy, I was helpful in my meetings, and Dave and I had a great night at home. The only downside was that even though my eyelids were drooping at 9:00, I tossed and turned for at least an hour before I could sleep. Apparently once you swear off your daily dose of caffeine, it change the way it affects you. 6 months ago, I could have had that cup of joe at 8:30, and still have been snoozing an hour and a half later. That makes me nervous to go back to alcohol next year - I won't be able to have more than a few sips!
11 weeks along, and according to babycenter.com, the baby's skin is still transparent, allowing the blood vessels to show through. The bones are beginning to harden and tiny toothbuds are starting to appear under the gums. The fingers and toes have separated and soon the baby will be able to open and close its fists. Pretty neat.
I feel like I'm holding on, but yesterday was really hard. Dave worked his butt off to make a delicious dinner, and I was so exhausted and grouchy that I didn't enjoy it and made him feel sad. It was a long day at work, and that makes it so much harder to be joyful and happy at home. By the time I get home and comfortable, I'm ready for a nap, and if I succumb and try to take one, I'm waking up around 7 to try to eat dinner, get to the gym, do some knitting, walk the dog, and maybe watch part of a movie before I crash at 8:30. There's just not enough hours in the day....for sleeping. Even though we went to bed super early last night (like 9 pm), and I didn't have to get up until 7, I still felt super groggy and did not want to get up. You would think that 10 hours of sleep per night plus a nap in the afternoon or evening would be enough, but right now, I'm barely struggling through. I'm tired of being tired, and I can't wait for this stage to pass. Everything I've read and everyone I've talked to have promised that it gets better soon, so I will continue to wait as patiently as possible. And maybe sneak away for a lunch time siesta.
We did the ultrasound yesterday, and came home with this very cool photo. I know that it looks a lot like a blob, but if you turn your head and squint, it sort of looks like a baby. The head is on the left, the baby is on its back, and its little arms are sticking up. During the ultrasound we got to see it move, and that was really trippy and neat. The heartbeat was cool too, and I can't stop taking the photo out and looking at it. Somehow having a photograph makes it so much more real.
Everything else checked out as well. I'm doing fine, and the baby is about one and a half inches long. The visit with the midwife was fairly short, and I'm happy to know I don't have to have another visit until 16 weeks. While it's nice to know that everything is good and sound, it's still crappy to go to the clinic and sit and wait for the provider to get their act together. We had an 8:20 and 9:00 appointment, one for the ultrasound, one for the midwife. We were done with the ultrasound at 8:26, and didn't get to see the midwife until almost 9:45. That's a long wait, even though I did bring my knitting. Dave didn't have anything to entertain him, though, so he had to read such interesting magazines as Golf Digest and Alaska! Not his top choice.
Today the sun is finally shining, so he's laboring in the garden. We're going to go down to Calhoun to walk the dog (we've already done Harriet and Nokomis this year, only a few lakes left before fall!) which should be nice. Irene is still learning to chase sticks into the lake, but it's fun when she catches on. She's not much of water dog, which has always been disappointing to me. I like to remind myself that she's only 3, so maybe one day when she's older she'll just all of a sudden take to the water. I can hope!
This is my attempt (using photo booth) to take a photo of the fog out the windows of my office. You get the idea. I love the fog. The crickets were awfully loud this morning, and it was nice to wake up to. Dave surprised me with some homemade raspberry scones, which I'm waiting until mid-morning to eat. The smell delicious, though, and make coming into work that much nicer.
I'm very sleepy most of the time these days, and even though I'm getting nearly 10 hours of sleep each night, I also feel like I need a nap in the middle of the day. Who knew a person could sleep this much? I blame the tiny little baby that I'm growing. Tomorrow morning will be our first ultrasound. The main reason for doing one this early is to rule out twins, as well as to get the correct due date. I can't wait!
Look! Pregnant!We're still not telling everyone yet (well, I'm not telling everyone yet), so I though it would be fitting to tell the anonymous world of the internet.
I'm over 10 weeks, so it's about time to start making some phone calls, but as of yet, I'm still adjusting. Dave has already planned the nursery completely in his head, and I won't let him start moving furniture. I figure that's what the dead of winter is for, and we've just barely finished up the summer.
I'm looking forward to some cooler weather. Minnesota has been cruelly hot this year, and since we chose a house without central air, it's been a tough few weeks. The last 4 days have brought torrential rain, and I'm hoping that ends soon. I can't wait until the cool nights and frosty mornings of fall.
I refuse to take a "before" photo of my midsection, so instead I bring you Irene, looking adorable with one ear up, one ear down.
