Week 8 - I Think I've Got This Morning Sickness Figured Out

So I got my ultrasound on Monday. There are no aliens, just Little One with a tiny yolk sac and a really fast heartbeat. Holding Andy's hand while watching it flash on the screen was when everything really hit home for me. Yes, this is real, and yes, we are having a baby. The date has been adjusted to April 10th, though I don't really have high hopes for giving birth within a week of then anyway. Knowing my mom's history, I'll probably be 9-11 days late. Unfortunately, this also means my baby could share Hitler's birthday or the anniversary of my dad's death. How's that for morbid thinking? I suspect my doctors will try to move things along before then, which will get a hearty two thumbs up from me.

All this means I'm now officially 8 weeks pregnant, and Little One is the size of a raspberry or a kidney bean, depending on who you ask. Just one Little One, so no Little Too or even a Little Three to make life hectic. Probably best that way, but I'm pretty sure it will be a little while before I entertain the possibility of a second baby, given the way morning sickness made me feel so utterly rotten the last couple weeks. I wouldn't wish this nausea on anyone. The 4 pounds I've lost because I barely ate while my stomach was being ridiculous? I'll take that and be happy. It also gives me a little leeway for later one, which I'll need considering the restrictions the doctors will probably put on me for optimal weight gain. You would never tell that I lost weight though, because I'm totally showing and unfortunately look about 4 months pregnant when I'm bloated instead of two. Sometimes I can get away with my pre-pregnancy clothes, but it's less of an issue now because...

I finally found clothes! In my size! And they're not ugly! Wooo! In fact, Andy managed to find petite plus size pants, so I don't even need to get my jeans hemmed. It's fabulous, and totally comfy. Thank you Susan, your card totally worked and cheered me up for shopping! I even got some only-slightly-granny panty style undies, which is preferable to the "I am asexual now that I am pregnant and must cover every inch of my bottom and then some" version that was also available. Luckily I've pretty well deduced my size and what not, so I can order online instead of driving all the way out to Bethesda or Waldorf (so much further than Pentagon City). Also, are there simply no plus size pregnant women in Virginia?? Because Maryland has at least three malls with plus-size maternity clothes, and the nearest one in Virginia is Fredericksburg. Ain't no way I'm driving down 95 on a Saturday to get clothes with an elastic band sewn in, no way, no how. And now I don't have to, since I got two pairs of jeans and two pairs of work pants, and two shirts and a long-sleeve shirt for when it starts to get cool. But the next time I go shopping, I will definitely take advantage of any "Parking for Expectant Mothers" spaces available. Andy suggested we snag one, but I felt so guilty because what if a woman who's 7 months along needs to go shopping and she has to struggle all the way back to her car because *I* took her spot? Then we had to leave early because I got tired and I realized, oh, I guess this is also useful for those first trimester-exhausted women. Good to know for next time.

In addition to some cute new pants and basic shirts, I have the most comfy shoes I have ever owned, and they're totally cute and feminine and feel like SLIPPERS. Literally, complete with that nice soft sole that's like wearing a terrycloth sock, but with ribbon and a bow. How cool is that? Even my sister who complains about my boring fashion sense thought they were cute. And how can you refuse your doctor when he tells you to get better shoes? He took one look at my sandals with a nice pointed heel while walking out the door after our initial appointment so I could get dressed, and stopped dead, turned to me and said, "You're going to need new shoes. Those will kill your feet really soon." He then kept walking and damn was he right. So Zappo's has another happy customer and I have slippers that I can wear to work.

Also much better is the fact that I'm not sick as badly. Apparently the doctor also wasn't kidding when he told me to eat foods that appeal to me. As someone who has struggled with trying to not eat ice cream every day in a row until it's all gone whenever we buy it, this is a bit of a mindf*ck. I keep arguing with myself about whether I really should have it since I had it every day for the last week, even though I know I need to get extra calories and the calcium isn't a bad addition either. It's just so hard to get past the messages I had finally internalized about keeping everything balanced and indulging only in strict moderation. I hadn't realized until now that my relationship with food isn't as healthy as I assumed. Luckily I've also finally realized that if I snack on something before I get hungry, I won't get nauseous and then I can actually eat tiny portions of whatever Andy is also eating for a meal. Occasionally it gets frustrating that I have to live so much around remembering when I last ate and how much of it, but it's worth the alternative.

And in my final round of "Did you really want to know that?", not having much morning sickness has made me... friskier, shall we say? As in, I feel like a teenager who knows how much fun it can be but isn't getting any. Except that isn't exactly the case, Andy's thoroughly enjoying this. However, there are only so many times I can give him the wink, wink, nudge, nudge before he tells me I'm on my own. And the bastard is going to be gone next weekend at a bachelor party. Doesn't he know you're supposed to indulge pregnant women? (wink, wink, nudge, nudge, honey...)