Thank you, Trader Joes...

...for making Candied Ginger. It is a pregnant lady's best friend.

I wish I'd have found this stuff a month ago — it has done more than anything else to help me keep nausea at bay.

Thank goodness a client recommended it.  I'd tried ginger tea, and found it to be helpful, but ginger flavor on its own is pretty gross and drinking a whole mug not-so-enticing.  That ginger is burny on the way down your throat!

This, I can bite into tiny pieces and just swallow with some water.  Grossness minimized, and it knocks out the nausea like nothing else.

I'm a happy girl, for sure.

Not much to report, other than that I'm feeling pretty decent and was really able to get a lot done this week work-wise.  It's nice to feel a little accomplished for once.

Also, we have our next Dr. appointment Monday, so I hope to have some new, somewhat human-looking pictures to post!

Til then. :)

Go Uncle Kevo!

Our first baby outfit came from an unlikely source — and it's AWESOME!



The hat is SO tiny and sweet... I just melted at the sight of it.

I had been looking for some baby Hawks gear ever since we found out, so it was a total win (Kevin even thought to buy an appropriate size for baby's first full football season). Thanks Uncle Kev!

Two Blue Lines

Somehow I had a feeling I'd be back to blogging again, if and when we ever undertook this adventure. Right now I'm reading Anne Lamott's wonderful book, Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year, and I find myself not wanting to forget anything.

Except for the puking. Happy to forget the puking.

We received our big news on a Thursday late in April, the day after flying home from Maui. We finally bought the shiny TV we'd been saving for, and were relaxing in our camping chairs, testing it out.

Did I mention we sat in camping chairs in our living room our first 8 weeks here until our couch arrived? We did. It was about as amazing as you could imagine.

On our vacation, I felt dizzy for most of the trip but didn't think anything of it. Being obnoxiously prone to motion sickness, I assumed it was because we were snorkeling and body surfing in the waves every day — even as I tried to fall asleep, I felt like I was bobbing around in the ocean.

I still felt wonky as we sat watching TV, so I nonchalantly murmured, "Need to pee right quick," (which was TRUE) and headed for the bathroom...where my fate awaited me.

When the first line turned blue, I thought, "Ah, no big deal, that's the one that tells you if the test is working."

Imagine my complete confusion when both lines turned blue. Apparently the first line is the "Hey, honey, guess what? You're knocked up!" line.

Picturing the moment beforehand, I always thought I'd cry a few graceful, sparkling tears. Instead, I went for the shaking, hyperventilating approach. It's quite possible I said a four-letter word or two under my breath (hint: it wasn't "baby"). I'm sure I looked a little crazy and am glad I had a moment to compose myself.

Apparently it doesn't matter if you're hoping to be pregnant or not (we were) — it always comes as a shock when you finally do come up with those two blue lines. In a moment, they change everything.

A few minutes later, I marched out into the living room, pee stick in one hand, box with instructions in the other. J's eyes grew big and he said, "Are you kidding?"

"Nope."

As I'd predicted, he grabbed the box, and it became a tennis match: box, pee stick. Box, pee stick.

Then he grabbed me.

Pretty awesome moment for us, as moments go.

Then, like most new fathers-to-be, J congratulated himself. "See, I told you I'd impregnate you. BOOM! Done!"

Then, almost in the same breath: "Think it's too late to take the TV back?"

I half-expected that, too. I reminded him that baby wouldn't arrive tomorrow, and that we might need a cheap form of in-home entertainment in the days and months ahead.

Six weeks later, Baby L is about the size of a large lime (according the the pregnancy book we bought the night we found out) and I am so in love with this little being already that it's a bit overwhelming.

Even with the puking. I haven't had it half as bad as some people, but still . . . the puking. My sources tell me this should subside in a week or two, and I can hardly wait. I don't mean to complain, but it's hard to appreciate my so-called "pregnancy glow" in the reflection of the toilet bowl. ;)

News!

Well, we arrived home from our vacation to Maui to find some rather life-changing news:



This was our first view of Baby L in May @ 9 weeks. I'm still amazed that something that tiny has a heartbeat already. What a moment.

Justin and I are both thrilled and terrified and all the things we probably should be. My estimated due date is December 31 (Justin: "Go, tax deduction!"), so it's sure to be an exciting year for us.

More soon!