37 Week Updates

Yesterday I hit the last big pregnancy milestone- at 37 weeks, our baby is now considered full term! It is a great feeling to know we have a healthy little one cooking away in there, and that if she decided to make an early debut she is in great shape to do so.

How far along? 37w1d today

How big is baby? The size of a watermelon! At our ultrasound last week she was estimated at 5 pounds, 6 ounces, and will continue to gain about an ounce a day.

Weight gain? Yesterday my scale read 134.6- so up about 2.5 pounds from last week, for a total gain of 26.6 pounds so far.

37 week belly

Cravings/Aversions? Nothing notable... loving veggies as often as I can get them, and ice cream still rocks my world.

Sleep? Better the last part of this week! I have actually been sleeping in a bit, which feels amazing. Sadly it doesn't give me any additional energy during the day- I still feel drained and tired overall- but am grateful I am sleeping longer stretches. I've been talking to BC about wanting more snuggle time with him- and unfortunately he chose around 5:45 this morning to make good on this request, after I returned to bed from my 3rd or 4th nightly bathroom visit. Super sweet, but given my light sleep patterns and that I am still half asleep for those bathroom visits, the snuggling was enough to jar my body & mind into a fully awake, alert state- and I could not get back to sleep. Poor BC- his intentions were so good, but I was mad at that timing, as this was one of my few mornings to really sleep in. Alas, I was up earlier than I have been in days and am now extra tired.

Symptoms? This week has been a doozy. To include:

*The return of morning sickness- for the last 4 days I've had a big supply of peanut butter crackers next to the bed that have been life savers. When I wake close to morning time waves of nausea will come over me and I need to eat something immediately! I almost threw up one morning last week because the nausea was so intense.

*Heartburn- I wouldn't say it is extreme, but it is a bit new to me on this pregnancy journey.

*Looser/more regular BMs- this is a good thing! That colace really got things going again. I had several days in a row of good regularity before things got a little too loose- have laid off the colace the last 2 days, and go figure- NO BM again. I need to find a healthy balance there.

*Fatigue- I seem to have permanent bags under my eyes and just feel exhausted overall. I worked a FULL day yesterday- including showing property for 3.5 hours. I don't think I can do any more long stretches like that anymore... about 2 hours in my body felt so achy & sore from the constant standing, and I also started to get really light headed & felt at times like I might faint. Not good!

*Sore body- I definitely feel it in my hips & legs if I have been standing or walking too much. Walking tends to bring on the Braxton Hicks as well. Last Monday I went to prenatal yoga AND BC and I went for a longer than usual walk after dinner. By about 8pm I seriously could.not.walk. My body was SO tight and SO achy, it was all I could do to get myself into a warm bath & into bed.

All of this together is helping make me VERY ready for this little lady to arrive! I have fully moved out of my "freak out" phase and am now of the mindset that I'd love for her to come soon. Our home is ready, our hearts are ready, and even though business isn't totally buttoned up, I feel ready to hand things off into my colleagues' very capable hands.

Most looking forward to? Meeting our baby! I am so ready and so excited.... just about two weeks left now until her debut. And I should mention here that my cousin- the one who dreamed about BOTH of my pregnancies vividly before ANYONE was told about them (she has psychic gifts like that)... had another vivid dream last week where our daughter came early, before her scheduled c-section. Time will tell, but I say..... BRING IT! I've had energetic agreements with her on timing throughout this pregnancy, to include:

*Not coming before November 1st
*Only coming when she is big enough/healthy enough to not have to stay in the hospital
*Earlier this week I added on to give me through this weekend to tie up some more business

Check, check, and almost check....   if any of you readers want to wager a guess, I'd love to hear them! Do you think our little one will stay put until our scheduled delivery, or make an early appearance on her own terms? 

First Trimester Relapse

This week my pregnancy symptoms have definitely been giving me a run for my money.

Tuesday night Austin had an amazing cold front roll through, dropping temperatures almost 25 degrees in 15 minutes - from 95 down to 70. BC and I took full advantage and headed out for a brisk walk/run. My body was actually really excited to run a bit in this cooler weather! The downside? Flashing migraine lights started halfway through my jog. It got me running a bit faster, as I wanted to get home quickly to proactively take some niacin + Tylenol in an attempt to ward off the pain.

Wednesday night I was washing up for bed, doing nothing out of the ordinary, when the flashing migraine lights started again! WTF. Feeling really bad having to do another round of niacin + Tylenol, I eased myself into bed with throbbing temples. Cue a night full of fitful, restless sleep- including a 1am wake up where I HAD to go get a snack to ward off nausea (that hasn't happened since week 10 or so!)

Then this morning at 6:30 I woke up with intense nausea. As I ran downstairs in an attempt to quickly eat something, I didn't make it in time and had to detour to the bathroom to throw up. I haven't thrown up this entire pregnancy and now at almost 17 weeks- BAM. When BC woke up and I shared the morning's events with him, all he said was "somebody's pregnant!" Thanks for the sympathy, love.

After showering I decided to make quick work of preparing breakfast. As my eggs & toast were nearing completion I spied some suspicious movement at our kitchen sink. There he was- a HUGE Texas- sized cockroach investigating the discarded eggshells (those suckers are about 2+ inches long down here). Now, I am typically one to catch a spider and let it outside, but cockroaches and their lightning speed really freak me out (the ones down here can also fly!) So I took swift action and washed him down the sink then ground him into oblivion with the garbage disposal. Feeling equally bad and disgusted, I immediately ran to the bathroom and threw up again.

Oh sweet little one, you know I'm willing to take on anything to bring you here safely. But I pray that this is NOT the start of a new 'thing' or 'phase' in our pregnancy journey together. And if I'm putting prayers out there? Please let that be the last cockroach I see INSIDE our house for a long, long time!


Today I will visit my chiropractor in the hopes of alleviating the migraines. I also have a regular OB appointment this afternoon- where hopefully I'll hear our little one's strong heartbeat ticking away. I imagine there has been some growth going on, with all the 'fun' I've had this week!

16 Weeks (The Hormonal Roller-Coaster)

Today I am 4 months pregnant.  While out shopping earlier, I was loving catching glimpses of my wee baby bump in mirrors- it is definitely noticeable now to anyone who knows me (though strangers may just think I am bloated!)

This past week was the first where I felt some strong hormonal tides commandeering my body. Wednesday night's sleep was racked with insanely manic, busy, stressful dreams- constant frenzied stories in my mind. I slept though the night, but b/c of the crazed dreams woke Thursday in a sluggish fog which hovered over me the entire day. I proceeded to have one of 'those' days- where full glasses of water were spilled, knees were bumped, calls were dropped, horrendous drivers were cutting me off, etc. The energy was seriously awry.

I started the day trying to be very zen about it all- "I have a towel right here to mop up that gallon of water!" "What's another bruise on my knee?" But as the day progressed, I became a grouchy, ornery mess. It also didn't help that my nausea had come back to taunt me.

To test me further, one of my colleagues left town Thursday- and I was set to cover her business while she was away. She had left me a list of buyers, sellers, contracts, etc, and said that things should be pretty quiet.

*Famous last words.*

Within 2 hours of her leaving I'd heard from two different clients of hers, one of which had a new listing they wanted to see ASAP.

Did I mention my own business has been quite busy as well?

The best way to describe how I felt with every call coming in (from her clients and my own) was:

"GrrrrrRRRRRRrrrrrrr."

Thursday evening before bed I said a little prayer to please please PLEASE calm the manic dreams. Let me rest and feel rested. The Universe listened- no manic dreams! However, it threw me another curveball; I awoke in the middle of the night to a massive headache. A throbbing, nauseating, pulsating headache. I took 2 Tylenol, drank a glass of water, & eventually fell back asleep with my knuckles lodged into the nubs on the back of my neck. Thanks, Universe. I'll be adding that little gem to the nightly prayer list of items to please avoid.

Needless to say Friday was another "grrrrrRRRRrrrrr" day. Little patience, little energy, and an overall feeling of being extremely drained. It was a non-stop business day- writing offers, showing property, answering calls, etc. As the day came to a close, I took a MUCH needed catnap before heading out with BC for date night.

And as such, my batteries were gently recharged. We had a fabulous dinner, and I even allowed myself about 1/2 a glass of white wine as a naughty treat (it was a-mazing). I watched a documentary called "First Position" that I'd been wanting to see, and got to bed nice and early.

I slept soundly. No manic dreams, no headaches.

This morning I woke up with rainbows and butterflies all around me. An email came in from my colleagues' clients wanting to go see homes about a 35 minute drive away.

"Well, SURE! Does 10am work?"

As I was returning from my country house viewing adventure, another colleague who was out of town texted me, asking if there was any way I could show his buyers a few homes in East Austin later that day?"

"No problem- send along those MLS numbers!"

And thus was my Saturday. Admittedly I was a bit exhausted by day's end from it all, but oh so grateful for the abundance of patience and ease and sunshiny happiness I awoke with today. It was needed.

I attribute the hormonal surges to a lot of activity going on with the babe- which is a nice segway to my 16 week updates:

How far along? 16 weeks

How big is baby? The size of an avocado! The coolest thing about this week's development is that tiny bones are forming in the baby's ears, meaning he/she can now start to hear our voices! Knowing this, I am going to be singing more to the little one, in the hopes that he/she inherits my ear for music (unfortunately BC, as much as he tries, is tone-deaf). The little one is developing eyelashes, eyebrows, & more hair, and also forming taste buds.

Total weight gain? Up 2.2 lbs this morning. Sadly, still constipated.

Sleep? The manic dream episode this week was something else- like my system was oozing with stress hormones & using them to create an exhausting nocturnal adventure. Between that and the horrible headache I had two really off nights. Other than that- as long as I get to bed at a decent hour- I sleep well. Reading prior to bed helps a LOT- I can only go about 10-15 minutes before getting bleary-eyed, but it definitely puts my mind in a state of ease.

Food cravings/aversions? We had sushi last night, and it tasted like pure HEAVEN (don't worry- I made sure the rolls I ordered had allowable, cooked fish inside). My body needs a healthy dose of protein daily, and I am definitely wanting to eat more often. I don't feel well if I eat too much or too little- leaving me feeling on most days like poor little Goldilocks.

Symptoms? My nausea kicked back in the last few days, on/off throughout the day. The crazy manic dream episode was new and something I hope I don't revisit. I am still feeling pretty fatigued, and had quite the hormonal mood swings this week.

Most looking forward to?  Some ENERGY. Where are you, oh so elusive 2nd trimester energy? I promise to put you to good use should you choose to gift me with your presence. I am also very much looking forward to starting to feel the baby move- apparently that often begins between 18-20 weeks... not too far off now!

14 Weeks

How far along? 14 weeks

How big is baby? The baby is now about the size of a peach- about 3.42 inches, and weighing close to 1.52 ounces. A fine layer of hair called "lanugo" is starting to form and protect the baby's skin. He/she is now relying upon the placenta and umbilical cord to nourish it, and is practicing inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid.

Total weight gain: This morning's weigh in showed a .8 increase from my base, so down a little from last week. I think this is entirely based on what I am eating + what is/isn't (ahem) coming out of me. I've actually had an amazing week of being a bit more "regular!" 

 BC asked me this morning how I could possibly only have gained .8 of a pound when my belly is getting so big? He surmised maybe it was due to losing some muscle weight. To which I replied "so you think I'm getting FLABBY?" He stopped surmising right there and then, which was definitely a smart choice.

I thought it would be fun to start recording how far along I am on notes (and yes, the sticky pad note is a tad dorky). Didn't anticipate the challenges of a mirror reflection! May have to corral BC for future shoots.

Sleep: Still good- trying to get in a 20-30 minute catnap each day when able.

Food cravings: I continue to love mango. It is like Christmas if I can find it already cut up and packaged at the store- otherwise I roll my sleeves up and do my best to hack into fresh ones (those suckers are slippery and HARD to prepare).

I also salivate every time I hear the word pancakes. Mmmmmm pancakes.

Food aversions: Nothing notable

Symptoms? I've had a few 'exciting' new things develop this past week. One was headaches. There have been several days where I get an achy headache that starts in my shoulders, emanates up my neck, and finally rests in my temples. It will taunt me until at last fall asleep at night, often with one hand nudged in a fist beneath my neck. I also awoke in the middle of the night this week to flashing migraine lights- the first I've had in awhile (and sadly there wasn't even any hanky panky preceding said migraine).

Another really strange thing that has happened is what feels like a pulled butt muscle on my left side. I really haven't been doing any strenuous exercise- mostly brisk walks, yoga, and some leg/glute strengthening. There also wasn't a moment or a discrete event that "pulled" this muscle- it just seemed to start hurting out of nowhere. My curiosity had me googling "pulled butt muscle in pregnancy" (seriously) and that led me to discover "pelvic girdle pain." During pregnancy a woman's body releases a chemical called relaxin that softens the ligaments around the pelvic area in preparation for birth. Because of this softening the pelvis is no longer in a locked position and more prone to injury resulting in swelling or pain. Sweet. Why oh why is NOW the time my beloved chiropractor decides to go to Hawaii for 2 weeks to get married?


I've forgot to mention another strange thing that has plagued me since early on in pregnancy- my right armpit itches all.the.time. I have no idea what that is about, and why it is concentrated to one side? I have also been more sensitive to earrings- they bother me & itch much more quickly than they did pre-pregnancy.

My nausea is still mostly reserved for the mornings, and pounces on me suddenly about 30 minutes after I wake up. It is a 'must eat something NOW' kind of feeling. One of my pregnancy phone apps said of 14 weeks: "If you are still feeling nausea from time to time, you may be one of the few women who experience it throughout pregnancy." Super sweet.

Most looking forward to: Planning a "Babymoon" trip with BC hopefully in August. My desire for a Mexican beach vacation got vetoed, so now we are thinking about a week in New Mexico (hey, it's still a version of 'Mexico!'). August is a fantastic time to get out of Austin's raging heat- and going to either water or the mountains sounds lovely to me.


***I also think I might have felt some 'flutterings' last night for the first time! After I laid down in bed, I felt some gentle gurgling like movement on my lower right side. I don't really ever feel food related energy down there, so paid extra attention. With this gentle fluttery gurgling feeling were a couple little 'pops'- which I imagined might be tiny feet or hands poking as the baby moved? Who knows if it was really anything, but it was super fun to imagine it might be the little one dancing around in there.***

11 Weeks

How far along? 11 weeks

How big is baby? We have a little lime today. Here's what the "What to Expect" website says about week 11:

Your Baby in Week 11 of Pregnancy

Your baby (now about two inches long) has been pretty busy this week, growing hair follicles, fingernails, and ovaries (if she's a girl). She has distinct human characteristics by now, with hands and feet in front of her body, with ears nearly in their final shape, open nasal passages on the tip of her tiny nose, a tongue and palate in the mouth, and visible nipples. What else makes her look human? Those hands and feet have individual fingers and toes .

Total weight gain: I was up 1/2 a pound this morning, but I think it is only because I am still suffering from wicked constipation.

Sleep: Pretty good overall. Though I have had a couple nights this past week where I had bad heartburn and/or nausea that kept me up.

Food cravings: I am back to eating my normal diet for the most part, which is great! I did make some chocolate chip cookies the other night, which were heavenly. I also bought a box of super fiber rich cereal- 15 grams of fiber/serving- in a further attempt to get things a 'movin.

Food aversions: Still not craving meats. And when I eat them they aren't settling very well, giving me a sour stomach at night. Maybe this babe is a vegetarian?

Symptoms? My nausea came back in the past couple of days. Yesterday was a bad one, with all day nausea & a strong sensitivity to smells. I also woke up around 5am this morning with terrible nausea & had to immediately eat a spoonful of peanut butter (which I keep next to the bed) in order to settle my stomach. Still very, very constipated, and have been sleepier than normal this past week. I also had a moment today when walking past our bedroom mirror where I stopped and marveled that YES indeed! -that stomach was sticking out!! I've noticed my belly button- which normally looks like a line/slit- is totally open & round- being pulled wider by the belly expansion. Crazy.

Guesses on the sex? I had a dream this past week that I saw our newborn, and it was a little girl. Then she bit me (what is up with that?) I also had a dream that one of the psychic women I know here in town was telling me it is a boy. So go figure....

Most looking forward to: Having our 12 week ultrasound next week, and hopefully "coming out" after we see everything is healthfully progressing. Every time I get a little paranoid that perhaps the baby stopped growing I just have to look down at my belly. SOMETHING is growing in there, that is for sure!

Here are two different belly shots from today:

Babycakes and I head into a 3 day seminar tomorrow- sort of an intensive therapy event called "Conscious Loving & Living." We are excited to hopefully deepen our bond & our communication in preparation for this little one to rock our world join our family. I will be bringing my pregnant lady provisions- a huge lunch sack filled with all sorts of snacks, so no matter what I am craving or how bad my nausea gets I'll be prepared!

10 weeks

How far along? 10 weeks today

How big is baby? Baby is now the size of a prune! The little one's organs are all fully formed & beginning to function, while her cartilege and bones are starting to develop. Apparently the fingernails & hair are starting to appear as well! Mind blowing.

Total weight gain: -1/2 lb. This morning I am down again about 1/2 lb from my normal weight (which is crazy with everything I am eating & how- ahem- 'stopped up' I am).

Maternity clothes? I did go out and buy 2 Target belly bands this week- but haven't needed to use them yet. Still rocking the unbelted look & living in pajama pants while at home.

Sleep: I continue to wake up quite a bit throughout the night. The last 2 nights I have had uncomfortable body aches- first with my legs (that was a really rough night where I finally caved and took some tylenol), then last night with my hips. Apparently blood circulation suffers in pregnancy, which can contribute to body aches. Awesome! I also missed my nap yesterday- which I could feel profoundly as 6pm crept up on me.

Food cravings: With the nausea easing up, I am starting to return to my normal diet again, which includes more vegetables. The only "I need it NOW" craving I had this past week was for cereal. We now possess a box of Special K with red berries- which was amazing for about 2 days (and now I am over it again. Such is the fickle life of early pregnancy). I've incorporated Congee back into my breakfast rotation the past couple days- trying to do anything I can to ease up the wicked constipation.

Food aversions: Not really craving any meats, though I wouldn't say it is an outright aversion. My taste buds have definitely calmed down quite a bit in the last 4-5 days.

Symptoms? My nausea has gotten MUCH better (starting last Sunday). I still had a bad night a couple nights ago and had to have a spoonful of peanut butter this morning, but it is still so much better. The night body aches are a new thing, and, as referenced, I've also been having pretty bad constipation. I've had gentle abdominal cramping on and off the last few days, likely due to my uterus continuing to stretch and grow.

Guesses on the sex? I was SURE my cousin was pregnant with a girl- but they just found out this week she is carrying a perfect little boy! Which makes me wonder if my intuition is way off in that realm. She did say before they found out that they had only had boys names picked out and struggled with girls' names. We are just the opposite- have our girl name all ready (well- at least the first name) but no clue for a boy. We'll see if that means anything!

Most looking forward to: The N/T scan we have scheduled in 2 weeks, which will take a really thorough look at our babe. I can't wait to see the little one again, and pray that everything looks on track & healthy.


Here is my 10 week photo- don't think the teeny tiny bump has changed much from last week:

And in closing, just because he is so cute, here is a picture of Mr. Otis from this morning, perched in a precarious position watching out the window for his neighborhood kitty friends:

You Must Have Finally Relaxed!

Anyone in the infertility world will tell you that one of the WORST things you can say to someone who has struggled to conceive is to "just relax." Closely following this is when you tell folks you are pregnant after some 3 years trying, and they say "oh- you must have finally relaxed."

My sweet grandmother was the first to say the latter to me. While on the phone with her soon after our big announcement, she chirped in her loving Grandmother voice: "I knew it would happen once you relaxed!" I cringed a bit, but it is really hard to be mad at Grandma.

Then last night I set out for a long walk along the water. Early on I ran into an acquaintance- a friend of a friend- whom I see maybe once a year in social circles. The catch-up small talk commenced:

"So how ARE you? How is real estate?"
-All is great! The market has really picked up.

"How is BC? Your house?"
-He's awesome- and we are LOVING our home.

"What else? Anything else new?

(This is always the point where I quickly assess how 'safe' I feel to share the BIG news)

-Well, we are actually having a baby in November! So that is big news!

"Oh wow! Was it a surprise or something you planned?"

(Oh, how to answer this?! I decided to go the open book route)

-We've actually been trying almost 3 years, but it was a total surprise this month- a month my fertility specialist told me we couldn't do interventions due to ovarian cysts.

"Sounds like you must have finally relaxed."

-Well, it was great to see you! I had better get on with my walk before it gets too dark. (Could.not.leave.fast.enough)

I see how I may have asked for that, given the progression of the conversation. I played it over and over again in my mind wondering if I should have shared less? I know folks mean no harm when they say things like that, but truly they have NO IDEA what the struggle of infertility is like, and how, if it was just as easy as relaxing, I would have been knocked up a long time ago (endometriosis, anyone?)

Saturday BC and I headed out to celebrate his 42nd birthday. I was having a rough day nausea wise- which found me breathing in a panting fashion on the ride to the steakhouse. BC made sure they brought us bread & butter immediately- which helped tame the beast that is my stomach these days.

A few months ago while BC and I had been out to a local coffee shop, he'd spied a boob mug on the shelves and remarked how hilarious it was- and how fun that would be to have. Cue me doing some quick internet research- and finding said boob mug available in Europe. I promptly ordered it to present to him on his birthday (in a 5 star restaurant, no less- all class here). BC wasted no time requesting the bartender fill his new mug with wine.

About the only action BC is getting these days-

 it's the least I could do.

I consumed copious amounts of bread and butter, a lobster tail, mixed vegetables, rice, and a delicious chocolate mouse cup for dessert. And then at home an hour later I was voracious again and had a 2nd meal of cheesy pasta noodles. Total beast.

Happily, when I woke Sunday morning my typical "I need to eat NOW" nausea was gone! And the day went by quite smoothly from there. I am actually now on my 3rd good day in a row- where the all day nausea is almost nonexistent. My appetite also seems to be normalizing and allowing me to eat more regular, healthy foods again. And the energy I had yesterday evening was amazing- it was the first long walk I'd taken in a very long time! I am hopeful I may be out of the thick of it with the 1st trimester (while also being a freak and paranoid that the symptoms going away could mean the babe has stopped growing. Will I ever stop worrying?) I will be 10 weeks along on Thursday, and the 10 week point is when my cousin said she too started feeling much better.

Hopefully this upswing in energy & health will also bode well for BC. Sweet boy, it may be time to set the boob mug aside!

First Photo

I guess technically this aura photo was our baby's first mug shot, but I have to say I think this picture takes the cake:

This is Baby Lambert at 7 weeks 4 days, measuring right on schedule (measured at 7w3d) with a strong heartbeat of 146. It was crazy to actually hear the heartbeat- and BC declared that this was his favorite part of the appointment! I think we are both just so happy and relieved to have seen our little one and to know he/she is growing healthy and strong. Dr. Vaughn said our risk of miscarriage now goes down to 6-7%, so that was super reassuring to hear!

As far as symptoms go, my nausea is totally playing hide and seek with me. The last 2 days it has been seeking me throughout the night- causing me to feel quite unwell when I wake between sleep cycles, and hence interrupting my sleep quite a bit. This morning I got SUPER close to throwing up- I *think* because my prenatal vitamin might have just hit my stomach (I did have food in there, but possibly not enough). My boobs are still very sore and up about a cup size, and aside from the occasional sharp tug around my belly, that is really it. Spot has been MIA for almost a week now, and I say GOOD RIDDANCE to him!

We had our company Client Appreciation Party yesterday, and happily my nausea stayed at bay for the duration of the event. I brought my own metal coffee mug to drink out of- typically it would have been filled with beer, but this year I had plenty of water in there (and the party goers were none the wiser!)

Our Juice Homes, LLC team. 

Couldn't ask for more amazing people to work with!

Oh happy, happy day!

Oh, Baby

Yesterday I woke up feeling much less nauseous- and foolishly thought I was out of the woods (and even had a moment of panic- 'my symptoms are gone! What does this mean?) HA.

Cut to today. This little one is absolutely making itself known- as I have my first official "All Day of Unrelenting Nausea" day. Ick. Nothing I eat will curb it, and everything I eat doesn't really taste good. After my morning Congee I went to my fav coffee shop thinking my regular omelet would hit the spot. While awaiting its arrival I had to breathe slow and steady and was seriously afraid I might throw up. I picked at the omelet- which helped my belly for maybe 15 minutes after (especially the cheese. I am lovin' the cheese). I absolutely couldn't touch their refried beans, which tasted way different from the ones I love from our local taco stand.

I still can't stomach sweets- and today everyone else is tasting WAY too salty. My taste buds are on a crazy roller-coaster ride, and they seem to change their preferences at the drop of a hat.

I'm currently cooking up a pot of West African Peanut Soup. So far my nose is LOVING the smell of it, and I hope my taste buds and then belly love it as well! Fingers crossed.

I am hoping this all day nausea isn't the start of a new 'thing.' We have our annual company Client Appreciation Party on Sunday, and I will be sending my prayers to the powers that be that I feel well enough to be there and be present (4 hours of standing and socializing outside in our Texas heat!).

All in all, I am still grateful to be having symptoms that clearly point to our little one growing and developing. As I've said before, I am willing to take on anything that comes for the health of this baby!

 But this part is definitely not fun.

**************************

Update: my soup is absolutely hitting the spot! All that ginger probably helps. Grateful I have a big pot of it that should last for several days. Sweet relief (for now).

6 Week Updates

When I first told my cousin (who is 3 months pregnant) that I too was pregnant, she warned me about the 6 week mark. She said she had felt great until 6 weeks hit and then BAM- she had 4 weeks of pretty constant nausea.

Last Thursday I hit 6 weeks and thought "hey hey! I am totally going to be that girl who doesn't get morning sickness."

Then at 6 weeks, ONE day (good one, universe!)- voila. After breakfast #1 of my congee mush I got a wicked wave of nausea that had me breathing deeply and looking at what else I might stuff in my mouth at that second. And it has continued every morning since then (and often at night too).  It is definitely not 'all day' nausea, and thankfully I haven't felt the need to throw up, but it is intense when it hits. I now have a supply of crackers and peanut butter next to my bed, and anytime I wake to use the bathroom during the night (which is often!) and feel that icky tickle in my throat, I eat a snack, take a drink of water, breathe- and usually it subsides.

I remembered reading something about how having morning sickness correlates with a lower chance of miscarriage, so of course I had to google it. I ended up finding lots of articles confirming this- which is really crazy & fascinating. I am just so happy to finally be pregnant that I am willing to take & put up with anything that comes my way- morning sickness included.

I am starting to have more specific cravings & aversions, which seem to change constantly. Last night, turning my nose up at a fridge full of Easter dinner leftovers, I wanted nothing more than a simple (and heavenly!) bowl of ramen. Today at Whole Foods I stocked up on more soups & noodles, only to find in the check out line that the idea of refried beans was the only thing on earth I thought would taste good to me at that moment. Thankfully I live in Austin, where every 2 blocks is a taco stand. Those tacos tasted as amazing as I'd hoped (with the exception of the dude mixing up my request for tomatoes with onions- I HATE onions!)

I have also had a pretty constant aversion to sweets since very early in this pregnancy. We hosted the family Easter celebration this weekend, and I was a baking fool- making my sister-in-law's cake pops and baking my traditional sugar cookies:

And I didn't want to eat ANY of them. So sad. I made BC let me have one tiny bite of his cake pop- just so I could see how they turned out. They were dee-lish, but I still absolutely didn't want any more bites.

Spot has still been stopping by maybe 1x/day, if even, and remains extremely light & brown. I think I've finally got used to him enough not to feel alarmed, but still hope he takes a permanent hike soon. And I still have a tickle of glee with every bathroom visit where he doesn't show up!

I can't help thinking that this whole pregnancy thing is like a mad science experiment. As the baby grows & develops it interacts in totally different & unique ways with my body. This week, for instance, as I begin to experience what 'morning sickness' is,  our baby's nervous system & organs are all starting to develop. The heart is already beating, and its facial features are starting to take shape. Amazing how quickly these little ones grow.

I had my last beta blood draw Thursday at exactly my 6 week point. The nurse said anything over 10,000 is really great- and I came in at 35,485! It was strong enough that I was told I didn't need to do any more blood draws- yippee! Now we await our 1st sonogram in about a week, where we pray to hear a strong heartbeat. Go baby, go!