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

Knock Knock.

I imagine it was odd for Ashley and Ryan to knock on the front door when they came over for dinner the other night.  Ashley lived with me for 7 months while Trevor was deployed and, thus, had her own house key.  Since I had been feeling awful and keeping the big pregnancy secret, we'd been procrastinating getting together with them since Trevor got home. 

I knew Ashley from school and mutual friends.  I actually ran into her at the post office when I saw her sending out five flat rate boxes with some confusion on the customs forms.  I assumed they were going to an APO/FPO so I sent her a Facebook message.  It turned out her boyfriend, Ryan, was in Afghanistan and she was also looking for a place to live in town, so that was that.  Ryan was an active duty Marine and just had a short time left to serve after this last deployment.  He moved back to Owatonna in December so I got to know both Ashley and him very well.

So we snacked and talked, then talked and ate.  It was good to see them and catch up, and great for them to finally meet Trevor and for him to meet them.  And just in the nick of time since they're moving to the metro area in a couple weeks.

-A

Second OB Appointment, 12.5 weeks

Hooray!!  OK, so we're a few days shy of the official 2nd trimester, but we're calling it good.  We just had our second OB appointment today and all is well!

For those of you just finding this out, obviously, we're pregnant.  Click here to read from the beginning.  If you skip that part, let me just tell you I won't be posting these to Facebook (to spare everyone the pregnancy details if they're not interested) but you can type your email address in the "Follow by Email" box to get updates when there's a new post.  I've been taking "belly" photos, but really there's nothing to see yet.  I was pretty bloated for a while, it went down, now I think it's back, but I'm not sure I can call it a baby bump yet.

Baby Gibbs is due January 25, 2013.  If you do the math, it will appear I got pregnant before Trevor got home.  For those of you who haven't been down this road yet, they start counting pregnancy with the first day of your period, not when you actually got pregnant.  But, again if you do the math, we really didn't waste any time!

Here is the post about our first appointment.  As for today's appointment, it was a quick one.  Well, after almost an hour and a half of waiting it was quick, gotta love the doctor's office!  The doctor came in, asked a few questions, then got out the doppler.  She assured us sometimes it takes a little bit to find the heartbeat, but it really didn't take long at all, phew!  A solid 160 beats per minute and we were happy :) As for symptoms, they've been gradually getting better the last couple weeks...for the most part.  I'm off the Zofran completely and surviving on half a Unisom in the evening.  Luckily, my "morning sickness" is actually "evening sickness" and Unisom helps with nausea and happens to be a sleep aid-works very well.  My boobs are sore, especially when I wake up, but I can deal with that.  My gag reflex is as bad as ever.  That's the only thing that's caused me to actually throw up...6 times now.  I gag on pills or food quite a bit, but if I gag twice-bad news!  Fatigue is getting better, but I'm getting the occasional headache and lightheaded at times, usually after a shower.  All in all, much more manageable than a few weeks ago!

We quickly started making phone calls and it's been so fun to share the news!  For those of you who continue reading, I'll be posting some first time mom questions-I'm sure I'll have plenty-I'd love some input in the comments.

-A

Saturday the 14th.

I've been looking forward to this weekend for some time now.  Thankfully, I have no Friday the 13th horror stories to tell, but what I can tell you is I'm a fan of Saturday the 14th.

Trevor was sick last week.  I'll spare you the details, but luckily he was feeling better by Saturday.  Rowdy let us sleep in a little Saturday morning, then we got ready to head to Stillwater for my cousin Drew's graduation open house.  We got there shortly after my dad did and had a nice visit with my dad, Drew, my aunt Karon and a few of the other guests.  Drew made a great photo slideshow and it was fun looking back at all the photos.  Tony, his brother, had some awesome cornrows back in the day-I had forgotten about those.  

After the graduation party we stopped home to let Rowdy out and meet up with David, Jenny and their dog, Tripp, before heading to party #2.  One of our very good friends Adam fell for a lovely woman, Meg, he met while vacationing in Mexico.  After he made two trips to visit her in the Boston area, it was finally her turn to come visit him...and meet a lot of people!  Someday I'll devote an entire post to their cute, mushy, romantic love story, but today let's focus on the slip 'n slide party.

Now when I say slip 'n slide, I'm not talking the standard premade type you can buy at Target.  This thing required 30 pool noodles, two (or three?) sprinklers, baby oil and a huge yard.  I took this photo at about the 2/3 mark, so this isn't even the whole thing.

If I told you Adam's parents made him chug this beer while slip 'n sliding, would you believe me?  You should.

We moved onto a few rounds of bean bags that dragged on forever and ever.  It was fun regardless and we had some good laughs and great conversation.  I love getting to know new people.  Meg and I have been emailing for a while now so it was fun seeing the person I have gotten to know via email come to life.  Does that make her sound like Pinocchio?  She's totally cooler than Pinocchio. 

As the night went on, there were more laughs, more conversations, and more slip 'n slides.

These two went down wrestling-what a sight that was.  David and Jenny spent the night with Tripp.  The dogs played hard this morning and, bonus!, Rowdy has been napping all day.

I hear our kabobs are almost done-perfect timing. 

-A

Independence Day.

We had a great 4th of July-both the day of and the weekend afterwards.  We both had the 4th off and it was miserably hot.  I spent most of the day inside because heat and I do not mix.  I did get Rowdy's pool out for him so he could splash around in it.  Trevor, on the other hand, mowed the lawn and hoed the garden.  Bless his heart.  We had a nice quiet afternoon before the whole family arrived for potluck dinner then fireworks.  Everyone brought good food and the house was packed.  My dad brought some firecrackers and Elliot and Parker got a kick out of those.  Speaking of those two, they got pretty dirty playing in the sandbox so we washed their clothes and put them in Trevor's tan army shirts.  They looked like little Monks.  Anyway, we found a spot to watch the fireworks here in town and they were really pretty good!  Parker (5) even said "Woah! I bet the fireflies are saying this is even cooler than our light!"  He was pretty impressed, jumping at each firework, saying it was his favorite, with many "WOAH!"s in between.  (Trevor took some photos on the 4th and I've been procrastinating this post waiting to get them from him, but we've been pretty busy.  I'll add them later.)

Since I don't work Fridays anyway, I took Thursday off too and just made a big, long weekend out of the 4th.  Trevor had to go back to school Thursday and Friday though.  Saturday we joined John, Mari, Calen, Linnea, Jon, Moe, Jon, Nicole, Kourtney, Shannon and all of the kiddos on Elysian for some fun at the cabin.  

   
We started the day on the water trampoline while some of the others went out for a boat ride and tubing.

Then kayaking and paddle boating.

 

My dad got us some fireworks a couple weeks ago and we knew it would be best to save them for the lake...good plan!  They were awesome!

 

And when the bugs got too bad, we headed inside for game time.  We started with Trivial Pursuit, a very old Trivial Pursuit, but that didn't go so well since many of the answers were as old as the game itself.  We switched to Mad Gab which was much more entertaining.

Hopefully you all had as much fun this past week/weekend as we did!

-A

10 weeks, 4 days

No photo with this post.  I've been procrastinating the post because I've been waiting to take a photo, but that's just not happening.  No worries, there's really nothing to see yet aside from varying levels of bloating.  The good news is that by varying levels of bloating I mean it's actually gone down some.  Let me back up a bit...

A couple days after that first appointment we headed to visit family in Wisconsin.  I had been feeling pretty good minus the constipation issue.  I was still in need of nausea relief so I was taking Zofran, but the side effects of that were no good.  I decided to give it a shot without Zofran and have now been off it for about 10 days.  Throughout the day I feel good enough without it (at least to make it worth getting rid of that yucky side effect), but evenings are no fun.  Evening sickness is probably better than morning sickness because I can be lazy and just go to bed.  Also, I've started taking Unisom to help with that which is a sleep aide, much better to be taking that at night than in the morning.  All in all I've been feeling pretty darn good, relatively speaking.  I have to really make an effort to drink plenty of fluids and my appetite isn't completely normal, but I don't feel like death all day.  Oh, one more fun tidbit:  my gag reflex is awful.  I gag on my pills, supper, yogurt, when flossing my teeth, you name it.  Twice I've thrown up from gagging, not nausea, gagging. 

Less than two weeks til our next appointment.  I'm feeling pretty good about things, but still anxious to make sure there's still a solid heartbeat!  I'm sure I'll be nervous in one way or another the whole time, but I'm hoping my mind will be at ease to know we made it to 12.5 weeks and all is well.  And, bonus, that's when all of this stops being a secret.  CAN'T WAIT.  We have a couple get togethers/parties coming up that are going to be very tricky to hide.  I can come up with excuses not to drink, but no hot tubs, no slip n slides, no water skiing/tubing and no drinking get a little obvious.

I'll do better on an 11 week photo this Friday.

-A