Monday, December 14, 2009 (Week 21)

• Dear Baby,
  
  Your daddy and I have certainly "heard" a lot from you lately! You seem to have finally figured out this whole coordinated movement thing, and you're already a little dancer, soccer player, or boxer in the making. I don't prefer boxing as a future hobby, but that's your choice entirely. If you want to mangle that little face we're working so hard to make, I'm not so sure I'll approve. But, we'll discuss it later...much later.
  
  I have to tell you that, although he tried to hide it from me, your dad was very frustrated that I could feel your little movements several weeks ago when he could not. He would sit for a few minutes with his hand on my belly, but nothing would happen. He said he just wasn't sure what he was supposed to feel, and he would give up. Then, last week, you decided to give him 3 or 4 really big kicks. You then proceeded to dance across my belly, and we could both see your movements! It was the most amazing thing either of us have ever seen, and I have to say it made us both a bit emotional. Again, your dad tried to hide it from me.
  
  Tomorrow, we go for an ultrasound on base, and we hope you're willing to show us your "bits" as the Brits would call them. Daddy believes you're a boy, and I believe you're a girl. We have absolutely no scientific rationale as to why we believe that, but we just both have a "feeling." Regardless of whether you're a boy or a girl, I want you to know that you will be loved and cared for as the gift of God you are to us.
  
  Take care, continue to grow and develop, and please ignore the Hot Fries, Sour Patch Kids, and pizza I can't stop eating these days. When you arrive it's nothing but good veggies for the both of us!
  
  We love you and can't wait to see you again tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m.!
  
  ~Mommy (That's the first time I've ever thought to write that!)

Wednesday, November 11, 2009 (Week 16)

• PICKLES! I forgot how much I love pickles! I hate to sound stereotypical here, but it's amazing how they seem to satisfy my need for a salty, crunchy snack. Rest assured, though, I haven't craved ice cream at all - much less ice cream WITH pickles. Ewww.
• I think I may have felt a bit of fetal movement yesterday while out shopping with Brian. We were waiting in line for the bathroom (my new favorite activity) at Marks & Spencer, and I had my hand on my belly. I felt just a slight twitch against my hand and immediately my face lit up, and I just KNEW. But now I'm not so confident. Was it just my stomach growling because I was hungry? Am I imagining it because I talked about it earlier in the day? I guess I'll have to wait a few more weeks until I have the outline of a baby's foot protruding out of my belly before I'll know for sure.
• Somehow, the thought of parenthood has completely changed my biological clock. I now feel this nagging sleepiness around 9 p.m. I wake up 3 and 4 times a night for no apparent reason. And I've now started springing out of bed at 7 a.m. That's right, I said springing out of bed at SEVEN O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING. Those of you who know me best realize this is nearly as big a miracle as conception itself. I suppose the Lord is preparing me for lots of missed sleep and early mornings. But couldn't I just hibernate and store it all up instead? No chance.

Friday, November 6, 2009 (Week 15)

• Time has flown, and I'm pretty much entirely over this whole nausea thing! But I'll be honest, a few weeks in the Mediterranean tested my nausea limits. Anyone ever heard of a little thing called deodorant? I was moments away from passing out samples of Sure or Secret...or even a bar of soap! And don't get me started on the public bathrooms.
• Without the nausea and excessive sleepiness, it's hard to tell there's a baby in my belly. Of course, there is still this issue with tight clothing, but it sometimes just feels like a bad day (or two weeks) at the buffet. Oooh, the buffet...how I miss it.
• It may come as no surprise, then, that my face has expanded a bit more than my waistline these past few weeks. I actually had a neighbor of mine (a male, of course) say, "Wow, I can see your face is filling out!" I politely smiled before knocking out his front teeth.
• Current cravings:  sushi (Not the raw kind, mom! No need to freak out.), red meat, milk and fruit
• Current aversions:  coffee (still), chicken, raw tomatoes and peppers...actually make that most vegetables

Monday, September 28, 2009 (Week 10)

• Because of the smells, I still can't go near our fridge, pantry, dishwasher or kitchen sink. I wonder if Brian thinks this is psychosomatic.
• I finally had to break down and buy some maternity pants - at TEN WEEKS! And to be honest, I don't think they'll last until 20 weeks. Guess I'll just have to break down and buy a muu-muu after all (seems they're pretty cheap at NursingHomeApparel.com).
• I've just about worn myself out on peanut butter toast and cheese quesadillas. What I wouldn't give to live close to a Chick-fil-A, Moe's or Roly Poly. Oh, and someone PLEASE help me stop thinking about all that delicious Mexican food I'm missing. No one told me I would crave things that are 4,000 miles from our house!

Thursday, September 17, 2009 (Week 8, Day 6 according to the nurse)

• Yesterday, I hated fresh tomatoes. Today, I ask for them on my Subway. Poor Brian. It's confusing me, so it must really confuse him.
• I'm a little nervous about traveling to the Czech Republic. What if I HATE the food? Must remember to pack lots of snacks.
• I feel a bit of the sickness waning, which means it is either 1) entirely in my head or 2) nearing the end of lethargy and queasiness. Now if we could just reach the end of mood swings and bossiness. 

Thursday, September 10, 2009 (Week 7)

• Is it healthy to eat every two hours? I know I'm eating for two, but this is ridiculous. It's like I'm eating for two buffalo. I'm fully expecting to blow up like a beach ball (no childhood comments from my family, please). And I'll be sure to post lots of flattering pictures of that. 
• Now my entire kitchen smells horrible - not just the fridge. I cleaned out all the cupboards, scoured the counter tops, unloaded the dishwasher, poured Drano down the sinks, cleared out the fridge, and took out the trash (well, Brian did). Next comes nose plugs.
• Chief is acting very strange. I think he's depressed. Is there canine Zoloft?
• G-baby is approximately half an inch in length this week and is actually the size of a raspberry (not a grain of rice as previously stated). 
• My favorite foods this week:  kiwi, watermelon, grapes, plums (fresh from Mirka's garden!), Fla-Vor-Ice, toasted turkey and cheese sub from Subway (toasted is the only healthy way for a pregnant woman to eat lunch meat, apparently), PBJ, chicken fingers, and chocolate flavored Boost (which is the only thing I can stomach in the morning). No strange cravings...yet. 

Wednesday, September 09, 2009 (Week 7)

• Why do I feel hungry every 15 minutes? This baby is the size of a grain of rice. 
• Why am I so TIRED all the time? Again, this baby is the size of a grain of rice.
• How many chicken fingers is really TOO many chicken fingers?
• Does anyone else get nauseous just opening the refrigerator? 
• I thought moving to the country was a great idea. That was before I developed my super-power. Nose of a bloodhound + horse manure and dead, rotting chicken carcasses = loo
• Page 481 of What to Expect When You're Expecting reads: "I've heard about mood swings during pregnancy, but I wasn't prepared for this. One day she's up, the next days she's down, and I can't seem to do anything right." Someone, ANYONE, please lock me in the room with this guy. I'll straighten him out. Insensitive jerk.
• On an unrelated note, Brian's been acting extremely nice to me lately.