Another Graduation Day

I had the last appointment with Dr. Fast today which included a wanding and a peek at the newest member of our family. He/she seemed to be moving around happily and everything looked good. I was especially happy to see a nice looking spine. I've been a little worried. With Luke, I took prenatal vitamins for a looooong time. This time, I let my prescription lapse b/c my prescription plan doesn't cover the fancy ones I take and they're $50 a month. Maybe it's just guilt. I've been taking even fancier pills this time. (By the way, putting the DHA pill in the freezer to reduce the fish taste is only minimally effective.) The morning sickness is better, although it can still rear it's ugly head when least expected. Overall, I don't feel as debilitated. I think the end is near. I am still only eating soup, which seems to be fine since I seem to be gaining weight quite well.

I feel a little numb about all of this. As we were waiting for Dr. Fast to see us, I overheard a woman talking to the receptionist about her bill. She was trying to sort out a payment that included a cancelled IUI and other unpleasantness. I heard all of this and felt grateful because we were probably the luckiest people in the waiting room, but a big part of me feels overwhelmed. Not ungrateful, just a little bit unready for what lies ahead. This train is bound for glory, as the spiritual goes, so there's no stopping it now.

Because of the shuttle mission, we will be staying in town this year. That means everyone is coming to our very tiny house for Thanksgiving. M's niece is coming in from Tulane and my parents and brother are driving in from Austin. I have never in my life baked a turkey. I know it's not that hard, and I am a decent cook, but I am still a little afraid of poisoning everyone. I may not even feel like eating my own cooking, though, so I might be the only well one left if poisoning occurs. We'll just call it a safety precaution.

Survival

Through all of this I try to focus on two things 1) sickness must mean a healthy pregnancy, 2) I can survive this. Surviving is the state I am in right now. I get up, go to work, come home, go to bed. All of the stuff in between (except for time with Luke) has gone to the wayside. There are days when I feel ok and then days when I can barely function. I think that the fact that I had very little morning sickness last time is making this seem worse than it really is. In the mean time, I have soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. Not exactly brain food for the baby, but it stays down so it will have to do. The second ultrasound is one week from today and that is certainly something to look forward to. There is a still a big part of me that can't believe this is actually happening. Of course, it's easier to believe when I'm kneeling next to the the toilet and feeling like shit.

I want to bring to everyone's attention a project that I think is very worth while. As many of you know, Matt has been the recipient of much kindness from strangers friends who have sent their love, good wishes, and lots of toys to Madeline. He came up with a wonderful way to give back. Please go here for details or click on the icon to the right. Times are tough for a lot of people right now and it can be a charity overload during the holidays, but anything you can do will make a big difference to someone who really needs a little cheer.


A Bad Mommy tagged me for this meme:

1. Real Moms don’t flinch when they talk about boobs. They do make you laugh your brains out.

2. Real moms go on vacation. Real moms go on vacation and learn to play traffic cop.

3. Real moms brag about their kids

3. Real moms do not mince words when they present the truth.

4. Real moms juggle

5. Real moms “resist the guilt and embrace the journey”

6. Real moms don’t give a damn to media generated Mommy Wars

7. Real moms have kids with potty mouths.

8. Real moms need a break sometimes.

Thank you for all of the support and suggestions. It really helps to remember that I am a part of a larger community. Oh, and this smiling face helps, too.

New Path

Everything looked good today at the RE. I am measuring right on target at 7 weeks and we measured a heartbeat of 132. I left with a bag full of fancy new prenatal vitamins and a much greater sense of confidence in this pregnancy. I have to say that the NP I have been seeing is wonderful and I really appreciate the extra time she takes to answer my questions. So, we look towards a due date of 6/24/09.

The morning sickness is still pretty bad. I am nauseous most of the day, except for about 30 minutes after I eat. I am going to take B6 to see if that helps. Has anyone out there tried that? Any other suggestions are very welcome.

In other news, North Carolina was wonderful. I have never been to that part of the country and was amazed at the beauty. We were in the Lake Lure area. Fall was in full swing and the cool temps were a welcome change.

We stayed at a place that was sort of a compound with several houses you could rent.
Our cabin was so cute and had a little fireplace. It also had a TV so that I could see my Red Raiders beat UT. ::awesomesauce::

Teal was a beautiful bride!

M worked really hard to take some wonderful photos. The river photos will be amazing and totally worth the trouble of getting out to the rocks.

It was really nice to get away. We missed Luke terribly, but he was fine with my parents. He was really clingy yesterday, as if he didn't notice we were gone until we got back. He was back to his normal self today, though. It feels good to be together again.

I will post the u/s picture as soon as I scan it and I'll do the meme that A Bad Mommy tagged me to do.