7 weeks

God just multiplied his grace over this week.  On Monday, I had to teach for the first time since the morning sickness had become worse than it was with Bunny.  I was dreading it.  But I planned on getting up as early as possible to get my body adjusted to being awake and hopefully helping the morning sickness to subside earlier.  at 5:30 or so, I woke Dave up who grabbed me a Zofran and a Zantac and then made me scrambled eggs (Just like with Bunny, they work wonders on my pregnant belly).  Then I got dressed and showered and went to work.  I was shocked because I didn't throw up at all! Not once.  I mean, I was nauseated and not feeling well, but things were so much better.  I told my coworkers and my students then (my students were the reason I decided to let the cat out of the bag everywhere but Facebook anyway, because I knew I couldn't hide it from them and that my family and coworkers should know before they did).  As I taught, I don't know if it was because my mind was off of the problem or if it was because God just gave me extra grace or what, but things went so smoothly.

So far this week, I'm still pretty sick, but I only threw up once since last Sunday--that was last night--and it wasn't acidic and uncomfortable like it had been.  It wasn't like it was fun either, but it was bearable.

I got to see my midwife this week.  She saw me this early basically so she could start a chart for me since she'd already prescribed me meds without having met me yet.  I filled out lots of papers, went through a quick "education" of how things go with her midwifery and answered lots of questions.  I was hoping she'd look for a heartbeat or do an ultrasound because she says that they normally check for twins when morning sickness is really bad, but she didn't.  She did, however, send me for some bloodwork.  But anyway, after the visit--which was reassuring--I still have nothing but my symptoms and the pregnancy test (well tests, I did actually take a second one eventually) to prove that there's actually a baby in there.

The toughest thing for me right now is making sure I'm a good mom.  I find I'm short tempered and irritable, mostly because I'm so tired and sick and I'm starting to notice that my lack of attention is taking a toll on Bunny.  I hate that it's that way, but it is.  I'm working hard to make sure we play together a little each day no matter how awful I feel and that if I do have moments of feeling well, they're spent with her.  But I'm also struggling against her new, fresh attitude and the sudden need to have me with her all the time.  We really need to break that habit because once a new baby comes into her life, she's going to have to get used to sharing her time with me.  It's hard because I need to address the new attitude problem and the arguing that happens constantly, but I'm not entirely sure that it isn't just her acting out because of her new circumstances. Play time has become a lot of coloring and watching movies.  If I'm feeling particularly well, I'll skip the TV because more than an hour a day is detrimental to one so small, but many times I just have to survive and doing so means getting into bed with her and a movie.  Overall, though, she's really excited about the new baby.  When we told her, after she processed it she was like, "Okay, when is the baby going to come out?"  and I had to tell her it wouldn't be for a LONG time.  Not until summer.  Hopefully the next few weeks of the first trimester will pass quickly and we can get into a stage quickly where Mommy's feeling better and Bunny can start to see the outward evidences of the new baby in the family. 

I'm not having any cravings this time around.  I'm pretty much averted to all food.  Last week, I'd lost three pounds, but after only throwing up once this week, I'm pretty sure I gained them back.  I also found that eating veggies and meat seem to help the acid that builds in my stomach.  I certainly don't feel as much reflux after eating those things, or even things like applesauce.  I do eat carbs such as crackers or bread, but if I have carbs or especially dairy, the problem is exacerbated.  So right now, the struggle is just making sure I'm fed and that it's something I'll keep down.  The Zofran and the Zantac help immensely with that. I also try to eat foods that neutralize stomach acid.  Veggies and meat are good for that, as is applesauce.  Unfortunately, those things don't keep my belly full for long so I'm constantly hungry and never wanting to eat.

And smells...oh the smells.  I can't stand smelling ANYTHING! I baked pumpkin bread today and I'm now baking some cranberry bread and both usually emit scents that I find tantalizing and homey, but today, the smell is repulsive.

I have noticed a new symptom.  Constipation.  Not fun.  It kinda feels like practice for pushing the baby out.  Yep, I said it.