Disclaimer: this post is much longer than it needs to be. Get over it. I’m pregnant.
This has been the worst day so far in my pregnancy. I only left my bed long enough for lunch with Gabriel and my daily walk. I feel like I have the flu. But I know it’s just the June Bug in my belly. I have gotten almost nothing done today except for a couple necessary phone calls. The apartment is cluttered and my laundry dirty (something I suppose I’ll be more accustomed to after the baby is born). I haven’t even felt like blogging today. I just wanted to share a little of our lives with you.
Lately, I’ve had somewhat of a heightened anxiety regarding contagious illnesses, especially the flu. I get nervous when I’m at work, repeatedly in contact with the general public. I even put up a sign in my treatment room that says that clients are required to tell me if they’re sick. Yesterday, a lady told me she was sick. Okay. So what good does the sign do if I still have to work with her? I disinfect everything in the room, but that doesn’t do much for the air in a room that’s closed up the whole day with potentially sick people and me in it. Medical masks are the only solution I can think of. I’ve had to cast aside some of my immune boost methods, seeing as how the labels discourage pregnant women from taking them. The flu shot became remarkably appealing after hearing that one of my coworkers recently had a client who later claimed she was getting over the swine flu. Really, people? Who does that? There was overwhelming feedback on Facebook when I mentioned I was considering the shot, but really all that it accomplished was two things: fear of the shot, and fear of sickness. Either way, I’m fearful. This is not okay. The only other thing I can think of to do is stay at home all day everyday. But we can’t afford that right now, AND I would most likely go insane. As the passing weeks bring me closer to the day when I will be a non-working stay-at-home mom, I am trying to soak up and appreciate the world of employment as best as I can. Honestly, I just like my job. I know I’ll LOVE being a mother, and I seriously can’t wait. But not working and not mothering at the same time are incredibly unappealing to me.
So that’s a window into my troubled thoughts.
Speaking of troubled thoughts. The possibilities of healthcare coverage (even aid from the government) are swiftly slamming the doors. I’m somewhat at a loss. It looks like I almost should quit working, just so we qualify for help. This is silly, in my opinion. However, I really don’t know what else to do. My current course of action: sit tight and just wait. I’m only just now getting into my 7th week. I’ve got time to figure this out. In the mean time, I’ve been doing a ton of research to ensure I’m making the healthiest decisions for my Bun, and that I know what to expect. What is totally reassuring is that I’m surrounded by awesome moms and moms-to-be that are full of valid advice and support. I don’t know what I’d do without them. [Thanks, ladies! I love you!] If something feels like it’s going wrong, I will bite the bullet and pay a visit out-of-pocket.
I really enjoy having a good reason to watch my diet and exercise. This is actually fun. I’ve always liked keeping track of things, but if I don’t have a goal or a good reason, it usually falls by the wayside. This time, with the genius of my hubby, I’ve created a spreadsheet for my nutritional intake. It’s fascinating to see what all I actually eat now (much more than I’m used to, but very healthy, nonetheless). I’m proud of myself for how nutritionally rich my food choices have been. I would say that my choices have been based on what my body says it needs, but my cravings have majorly waned in the last couple days. I think the main reason is I’ll think of something I want (today it’s french fries and pepperoni… not very healthy), and then immediately feel like I would just puke it up. I haven’t thrown up yet, but the nausea is still there. Food is not as appealing, though I still eat plenty because I know I should. Amazingly, the acupressure points I learned about recently in my prenatal massage course (which I took before I even knew I was prego) have actually worked very well at alleviating my nausea. Too bad I can’t massage clients with my thumb digging into my opposite wrist. I might invest in some acupressure bracelets. I’m hoping that the sick feelings don’t get any worse and I can just sail right through the next few weeks to my second trimester. I hear trimester #2 is the ultimate happy prego time with fewer woes. That’s when I’m technically allowed to start “showing”. However, my belly is already swollen, either from water weight or because it just hurts to hold my tummy in now. My feet are already swollen– hence the new $15 running shoes I recently invested in– so maybe my belly’s just retaining water too. I haven’t really gained any weight yet, but Gabe says maybe it’s just redistributing itself. I wouldn’t mind just sticking my tummy out and telling everyone I’m prego, but when I say I’m still in my first trimester, they might just look at me funny. My primary concern is that I don’t swell so much that I can’t fit into the bridesmaid dress I just picked up a couple days ago (it’s beautiful, by the way, nice choice Maggie!)
On a not-so-woeful note, let me tell you about my hero.
Gabriel is my angel, no pun intended. He is the absolute most patient and loving husband. He doesn’t complain when I don’t clean the apartment like I say I’m going to, or when I don’t feel well enough to go to the grocery store, or I’m forgetful or emotional or mean (dang hormones)… and I really don’t know how he puts up with me moping around and groaning about how miserable I feel. This can’t be the funnest time for him, but he never shows it. He’s just the same loving, funny, compassionate guy I’ve waited for my whole life. Lately we’ve been watching movies or shows online while we crochet together, since I rarely feel like going out and doing anything anymore. I’m always laughing at his jokes and attempts to lighten the mood. He’s more than I ever thought to ask for. All the time, I’m learning new things about him that makes me love him even more. The beauty of who he is fascinates me.
The parents.
Pop & Dawn were planning on coming to visit us on Thanksgiving this year, but plans have changed. Since the news of the baby, they’ve decided to save their visit until he actually arrives. We are very thrilled that they will be here for the dawn of our parenting days, but I have to say that I’m sad that they won’t be here for Thanksgiving. It will be hard enough for me to be away from “home”, as it will be my first holiday apart from my family. But I know this is something I need to be gracious about, especially since it will be better now that I’m a wife and we have our own little family. We’ll have plenty more holidays with the ‘rents.
As for a visit from my folks, Poppa & Mom are planning on coming here at the end of December, and we are extremely excited about this! They’ll be here for the conference, but they’ll be here a couple of extra days just to spend time with us. We’re really looking forward to it.
