Weekend at Home.

You may think I'm exaggerating, but this past weekend was the first one we spent at home with nowhere to be, no obligations, no big to-do list, just a normal, uneventful weekend at home in about a year and a half.  It was perfect.

Friday night our friend Adam came to visit.  We talked, ate spaghetti and the boys played some video games.  Well, me too-brushed up on my Mario Kart.  

Saturday Trevor had a softball tournament.  And so did Danny.  Rowdy came along for the fun.  Between games, Danny watched Trevor play and Trevor and I watched Danny play.

Jamie, Adam and the boys were having a fun night out at the Holiday Inn in town.  We joined them for supper (and dessert) then watched them on the water slides.  

 I've been on the water slides myself, and, yes, they're as much fun as they look.

Sunday we did a bunch of nothing!  OK, that's not true.  I think we watched about 4 hours worth of How I Met Your Mother on Netflix.  Somewhere in there we got some homemade beef jerky going.  I sent quite a bit to Kuwait, but I must say it's nice to actually be able to eat it myself.  Plus, like Trevor says, baby needs protein, right?  

What. A. Great. Weekend.

-A

14 weeks

For the most part, this has been a good week.  I've discovered two favorites, can't say I'd call them cravings, but I now really love eating slices of mild cheddar cheese and salad (specifically the kind you get at a salad bar with shredded carrots and cabbage, right? that's cabbage?) with French dressing.  Those are some pretty good favorites if I do say so myself.

I've been getting lightheaded at times, usually in the morning, so I try to make it a point to get plenty of fluids.  I let myself have one big glass of the Lipton sweetened iced tea a day (ok occasionally 2 glasses) then the rest is usually water.  I drink that sparkling water like nobody's business; the burps make me feel better if I need it, too.  My appetite in general seems to be getting better, thankfully, now I just try to stay on top of making healthy choices.  Some days I would love a nice, big sandwich piled with cold deli ham, but I'm following the no lunch meat rule.  Some people say it's fine, but I think I'll survive without it.

Overall I've been feeling pretty good, less tired, less nauseous.  In fact, Sunday night I stopped taking my Unisom.  Monday afternoon I started to feel kind of crummy and as soon as I got home from work I threw up, and it was a doozy.  First time I threw up from actually feeling crappy and not from gagging.  So, that night I was back on the Unisom, but I think the combination of food/fluid loss and having been off the meds, I still wasn't feeling right on Tuesday.  I went into work Tuesday morning at 8, left at 8:30 and threw up by 8:45.  I have been taking the 1/2 Unisom every night and have been feeling just fine, so I figure I'll give it another couple weeks.  I don't want to jinx it, but my gagging problem seems to be improving a bit, not a lot, just a bit.  Speaking of jinxing, I haven't wanted to mention this either, but here it goes.  My acne has been at its worst in recent years.  I was even given a few different medications for it (that I had to stop when trying to conceive).  I assumed it would go hog wild after stopping the prescriptions, especially getting pregnant right away, but by some miracle my skin has been clearer than it's been in a long time.  I realize I have a long way to go yet and that could change at any time, but I'll take it for now!

They say frequent urination typically goes away in your second trimester then comes back in the third.  I'm excited to announce I only had to get up in the middle of the night to pee 4/7 nights the past week!  Such a big accomplishment.  And I think that's all the excitement I've got for now.  I took two pictures this week because I've been getting a few comments here and there about my "bump."  I'm certainly not offended, but I wanted to prove that my "bump" is actually bloat.  I'm rounding out just a tad, but anything noticeable to others at this point is bloating.  The first photo I took right when I woke up and the second I took around 5pm after eating a couple meals and snacking.  See the difference? :)

P.S. anyone else who's documented a pregnancy in photos find it very difficult not to suck your belly in? 

This week's first time mom question: I'm almost positive we'll skip the crib bumpers, but just out of curiosity what are your thoughts on them?

-A

Parker is 6.

Our nephew, Parker, turned six this week, so Sunday we got to get together with family for his party.  He wanted a surprise party, so he took a nap then Jamie and Adam decorated.  When he woke up, we were all there, quietly waiting to yell "Surprise!!"  He seemed pleased, albeit sleepy, when he came out of his room.  

Like the mature adults we are, we all chucked the decorative beach balls at each other in the living room for quite some time while waiting to eat.  There was a lot of delicious food, plenty of cake and ice cream and a very happy birthday boy.

After the dinner, presents, cake and ice cream, the younger boys headed outside to play with one of Parker's new toys.  That's right, we went to another slip n slide party. 

Naturally, once I put my phone away and was done taking photos, the boys got pretty creative.  They put the tree in different places so they could crash into it, got out an inflatable slide to get going faster, then used it as a tunnel.  What is it about a bunch of boys, a hill, some water and plastic?  It just gets their minds going like nothing else.

And, finally, after Elliot had given up on the slip n slide, he ran into the house excitedly with this.

He made sure to take good care of this "tree frog."  

Happy Birthday, Parker!

-A

30 (or 78) day.

When soldiers return from a deployment, they are to have 90 days off drilling (and work if they choose to take it).  In Minnesota (and other states now, too), they get that 90 days off typical drill, but it's replaced with reintegration workshop day type drills.  We all refer to them as the 30-60-90 because they're intended to take place 30-days, 60-days and 90-days post homecoming.  Due to timing, venue availability and other factors, our 30 day was this past Saturday...at the 78 day mark.  I don't think any of the soldiers complained since it just meant a much longer break until putting that uniform on again.  And for the men "putting that uniform on" includes shaving and getting a haircut, too.  Soldiers are required to attend all of these and family members are encouraged to attend the 30 and 60 day events.  Often times soldiers and family members complain about going, but I really do think it's beneficial.  Last reintegration didn't go so well and it was good to have heard all the information.  It helped me realize I wasn't crazy, this was common and have some tools to help us along.  This time, even though things have been going very well, I was still looking forward to it.  It's always good information, for now or in the future, for ourselves or for a friend who may need it.  Besides all that, it's fun to catch up with everyone-the soldiers with whom Trevor deployed (well, his battalion), the friendships that got us both through the last year+.

The day went like this.  We got up as if it were a work/school day and headed to the Civic Center in Rochester.  Everyone was together for the opening session in the auditorium for some housekeeping announcements and the first two sessions, suicide prevention and resilience or "hunt the good stuff."  Suicide prevention is a very important one and, no matter how many times we've all already heard it, is worth repeating.  Some may disagree, but I think it's important.  Maybe it isn't a concern for me specifically, but I know someone who needs the information.  And maybe I didn't know that person the last time I heard this presentation, or maybe they didn't need it then.  The point is, you never know who will need to hear this stuff or when, so pay attention and take it seriously.  The second general session was about resilience, specifically optimism, and showing us how to find the good stuff, no matter how small, in life.

Throughout the rest of the day we had to go to "Provider Alley," where many resources/providers had booths as well as attend three break out sessions.  We chose post deployment pay and benefits, stress management and stretching your dollar/money management.  To be honest, I was more impressed with the sessions offered at the 30 day after Trevor's Kosovo deployment.  The speakers on Saturday were good, I just didn't feel like there were as many relevant choices for us this time.  There was a lot of focus on job search/employment which is great because that's a big issue, just not for us.

After the long day, Trevor and I were excited to have a nice quiet dinner planned with my dad.  The shrimp truck was in town again so my dad made jambalaya and got some sweet corn.  I'm not actually a fan of jambalaya, so I enjoyed some plain boiled shrimp and plenty of corn on the cob instead.  The men had fun picking hot sauces to try.  More and more I'm realizing I married my father, but he's a pretty cool dude so I think we'll still call it a win!

-A

13 weeks

Call it what you want: 13 weeks, 3 months, 2nd trimester-we've made it.  It's actually kind of weird not having this pregnancy be a secret anymore.  I think we both got so used to it being a secret it started to feel normal.  We're certainly very appreciative of all the congratulations and excitement though.  And what a relief to even make it this far (a long way to go yet, I know!).

Symptoms have been about the same this week as last week.  No gag barfing in the last week though.  Gagging, absolutely, just not causing me to throw up.  I've actually started to occasionally gag on nothing, just randomly happens.  I'm finding it difficult to drink plain water, so I drink carbonated water (the non sugary kind, just plain sparkling water-the burping makes me feel better, too) or water with sliced cucumbers in it.  I'm still needing the half a Unisom at night and still getting up to pee in the middle of the night, but it's tolerable.  In general I haven't felt quite as tired as I did a few weeks ago, but it still hits me every so often.  Yesterday I could hardly keep my eyes open all afternoon.  The weather today was much nicer than it's been so I was able to get out for a walk.  My appetite comes and goes.  I can eat snacks all day (I try to keep it healthy with apples, bagels, cucumbers) but actual meals, especially supper, just don't sound good.  I'm hoping that goes away soon.

Now that we're past the 1st trimester, this is all starting to feel more real.  We've discussed names (don't even ask! and while you're whining about that we're not finding out the sex either) and have decided on a "theme" for the nursery (ocean).  Right now what will be the nursery is more like one giant storage closet, something we'll need to tackle in the coming months.  Things I'm irrationally worried about: where and when to have a baby shower and what if Trevor is at class in Mankato and I need to get to the hospital (also in Mankato).

That's about all I've got for this week.  Oh, and for those of you reading this who can answer some first time mom questions for me...here's number one: What's your best pregnancy tip/advice?

  I should stop taking these after I eat.  It may appear there's a bump, but I think it's just post-eating bloat.  Correct me if you think I'm wrong.

-A