Journal

8/1/03 (5w1d): It's our 5th Wedding Anniversary. Chris gave me a great journal with a beautiful drawing he calls "Mother of the World" on the first page. We just found out that I'm pregnant about a week ago. I wasn't feeling so great, nothing specific, just a little tired and maybe a little nauseous. But I thought it might be in my head. I took a couple of home tests though over a few days and they were both positive. I also had two blood tests done, which were both positive. Hopefully everything will go by the book and we'll get to meet our "bean" in 9 months (no sooner, no later). At any rate, we had a nice dinner at the Olive Garden (although I couldn't eat what I ordered so I switched with Chris!) and then we shopped in Kittery for camping gear for next weekend (Jackman, ME). Well, I'm getting tired and would like to finish Harry Potter #5 before I fall asleep. Can't wait to read the series to the little bean!

8/3/03 (5w3d): I'm very tired these past two days. And the nausea's getting worse. I actually had a very close call this morning. Can't do the dishes (smells). Can't pin down exactly what's doing it but I know coffee is on the list! Had spaghetti and meatballs last night... that hit the spot. Although I couldn't eat the garlic bread (too much butter?). Just plan on relaxing for the rest of the day. I guess we're working hard.

8/12/03 (6w5d): We have a heartbeat! Went for our first ultrasound this morning and we saw the heart beating at about 135 beats per minute. (Anything above 100bpm is considered normal). The technician said that we have cleared a major hurdle and the chances of miscarrying have gone way down now that we've seen the embryo inside the uterus and a heart beating. The bean measured at 6w5d (I thought we were 7w0d) so our official due date is 4/1/04. Next appointment is set for 8/29/03, which will be 9w1d. Maybe we'll be able to hear the heartbeat then. Feeling even more sick and tire now. Finding it hard to choose what to eat, although salad is usually a winner. And pasta - even Spaghetti O's. Weird!

8/21/03 (8w0d): We've made it this far! I think I'm getting a cold/sore throat that Chris had. Otherwise still feeling gross in the morning - mostly while I'm at work. I threw up most every day in the past week. Always feel better right after! Baked potatoes are my new best friend (quick and cheap at Wendy's). Other than the sickness, my breasts are still sore from day to day - showering is no fun. I am loving the "below the belly" pants that I have and can't wait to start showing. Right now they are just more comfortable than my jeans which are restrictive. At the same time, I'm hoping that I gain slowly so that I don't put on too much weight, especially since I started with some extra. We took a picture last night and hope to take one every 4 weeks for a while and then more frequently towards the end of the pregnancy. Having trouble sleeping. Chris has been great though, getting me drinks and food when I don't feel well (which feels like all the time now).

8/23/03 (8w2d): I did get that cold and sore throat that Chris had. Stayed home from work yesterday because of the sinus congestion. It hurt my head to stand up! I tried taking Sudafed to clear it up but then I couldn't sleep - weird! Usually it makes people drowsy. Vicks VapoRub worked better last night, at least to fall asleep. I'm getting up more often to pee (2x a night). Got sick yesterday about 11am - pickles, yuk! Almost got sick this morning but I'm still hanging on. We're working on the webpage all day today. Hope everybody likes it.

8/26/03 (8w5d): I'm still so sick. The cold is slowly going away but the nausea isn't. It seems pervasive: every day, at different times of the day. I thought I had it down to a pattern but I really can't figure it out. We have our first appointment with the CNM Friday. I don't know what they plan to do other than a urine screen, internal exam and try and listen for the heartbeat. I'm trying not to get too excited about that prospect because it's an outside chance this early (I'll be 9w1d), but the thought is in the back of my head. It would be very reassuring although all this nausea is pretty reassuring in itself!

8/27/03 (8w6d): Lost my entire breakfast this morning about 10 minutes before leaving for work. Juice and half a bagel. Just stinks! Guess I need to eat more protein. The crackers don't do jack for making me feel better. And neither does fruit (although it tastes great!). Went through the whole day feeling sick most of the time. I've got no energy or patience either. I think I'm starting to sound like a broken record! Oh well. I guess I should be happy that everything to this point had been textbook. Not even any spotting (which apparently is very common). I think the doctor's appointment will help me to feel a bit better about things. I haven't been taking the prenatals as regularly as I should be. I feel like swallowing them makes me more ill. Maybe it's the iron? I don't know. I spoke with a pharmacist last night and he told me there are chewable prenatals. I could try those unless it's the iron that's making me sick. In that case, chewable kids vitamins may do the trick. The CNM may also prescribe something to combat the nausea and give me tips on what to eat. We'll see.