Another week

Hello again,
Hope everyone had a nice weekend. We were able to work on a few things this weekend but didn't get done as much as I had hoped. Garrett worked on work benches for the garage and almost finished one of the two. He needs to order casters and then he'll be done with the first one. He made good progress on the second and will probably finish it this week. They look really nice. He may have been closer to being done if the power hadn't gone out on Friday night. I had already gone to bed and then he came in and said the power was out and that the tope of a utility pole across the road was on fire. The fire was out by the time the utility company came out. They said the isolator had gone bad and got it fixed right away.
Saturday was a busy day with the Garden Expo at the Tippecanoe fairgrounds in the morning and then the Purdue Grand Prix race in the afternoon. Then out to dinner with Garrett's boss and his wife and a co-worker and his wife. It was a fun day and very tiring.
Sunday morning we got up and I started sanding the spackle spots in the office room in preparation to paint. More spackle needs to be put on in a few spots so no painting yet. I took a nice long afternoon nap and still slept well last night. For dinner I cut a few asparagus and sauteed them to go along with the main dish. I can hardly keep up with the stuff it grows soooo fast. Now with this rain I'm sure it will grow even faster. It's great though so I won't complain. It's fun to go into the garden and gather part of my dinner.

Things are going well on the baby front. Anxiously waiting to feel movement. I have another check-up at the end of this week and will get to hear the heart again. I had read that sleeping on your back can reduce blood flow to your legs and uterus starting with the second trimester. I am a back sleeper, occasional side sleeper, so for a week I woke up every time I wanted to move and positioned myself with pillows. I wasn't sleeping well and my hips were killing me from the constant side sleeping so I called the doctor's office and asked about it. They said I don't need to worry about avoiding sleeping on my back until later, sometime in the third trimester. Even though my uterus is growing, it's not big enough to be compressing the vena cava to have an impact on blood supply to Baby. I was relieved and have slept better ever since. Another reason not to believe everything you read on the net. A change I've noticed is my hair and face have become greasy like when I was in middle school. My Head and Shoulders wasn't doing any good. I'd get out of the shower and it seemed as though I hadn't even washed my hair. I went back to using Paul Mitchel's tea tree special shampoo. It used to do a great job and then I decided I didn't want to pay for it anymore. After a week of using it my skin was showing irritation in the form of a rash that I had struggled with for a few years. After discontinuing that shampoo and later the birth control, my skin improved dramatically. So I'm guessing there is something in each of those that my body doesn't like. I tried Garrett's Perts Plus and it has been doing a better job without the skin irritation. As for the face break-outs, I'll just have to deal with it. It's worth it. :)

Taking it Easy

Hi everyone! Things are going well. I've been harvesting our asparagus crop almost daily and it tastes oh so yummy. I am bringing in the extra to work and people snatch it right up. No wasting here. Garrett and I fell asleep on the couch last night. He woke up and told me we'd been asleep for over an hour. It felt like it had been maybe 15 minutes. Water has been my primary drink for years and my body got used to consuming a steady amount. Now it seems I can hardly drink enough to keep up. I'm constantly drinking and can barely keep up. Juicey Juice has been really great to add to the selection and I'll have an Orange soda every so often.

Baby should be about the size of a peach and becoming proportionate to the body with arm and leg lengths and head size. It will also be passing it's first bowel movement which is neat but something I'd rather not think about. My hip bones are getting harder to feel among other changes. I won't go into too much detail. Now that most people at my work know about it, anytime we pass each other they take a quick glance at my stomach. I think it's funny because they try to not make it obvious but it's getting hard to miss. I don't mind as long as they don't come up and rub my belly. I'm sure it will happen and I don't know what my response will be. I suppose it depends on the circumstance. Only family and close friends are allowed. Now, don't go overboard with that.

Anyway, Garrett has been working in the garage making work benches and getting things organized and I've lent a hand here and there. It is supposed to rain this weekend so hopefully we can get more things done in the office bedroom so in about two months we can start on Baby's room. Did I mention we're starting the 2nd trimester?!! Wow, time is flying! I will probably repeat that so please forgive me. Catch up with ya later! Have a great weekend!

3 Months!

We've made it to the 3 month mark! I hope to feel more energetic and get my appetite back soon so I can function again. Garrett and I talk to Baby frequently but we're going to start talking to it more and reading children's books out loud. Baby hears me talk all the time but it really needs to hear both of us. It will be good practice for us, too. I've had a craving for Jello the last few days so I bought a package of Orange flavored that I plan to make tonight. That's the only sugary craving I've had, other than chocolate. Chocolate has been hard to resist. I have allowed myself a little tiny bit every couple of days which has helped keep my sanity.

I found new pants but of course they are all too long so I'll be hemming pants this weekend. I found a pair of jeans and a tan and a green pair of thin, lightweight cargo capris that can also be full length. The capri length goes to my ankles since I'm so short so they'll be kept the full length. There really isn't a lot of selection I discovered so I'll be able to make due with a couple pairs for a few months.

We have aspargus! Our crop has really taken off in the last week. Too bad Garrett doesn't like it. I plan to bring in most of it to co-workers so it doesn't go to waste. I had some last night sauteed in olive oil and it was tasty. Next time it needs a little garlic.

We'll be working on the house again this weekend but it's supposed to be in the mid 60's so it will be great to have windows open. The cats sure like them open and jump to the sill and watch the birds. Our landscaping has really taken off this week and I've been taking photos of everything that's coming back from dormancy. I love to see all the colors of the trees and bushes. I need to spend some time and research to see what all the flowering trees are named. Supposedly the previous owner has a diagram of the entire landscaping around the house but I haven't come across it yet.

Everyone have a great weekend and we'll chat again next week!

Pants

It's time to buy new pants. Last week I was hoping to go another 2-3 weeks before needing pants but decided this weekend that I can't hold out any longer. It's uncomfortable when I sit and they dig into my gut. I've also hit the last hole on my belt and there's not room for any more expansion. At this rate we very well could have a large baby like the two of us were. Ugh. For those who don't know, Garrett was a 9 pounder, I was 8lb. 14oz. The NP said since we were big there is a good chance this one will be about the same. I'll look on the bright side, Baby is growing! Lafayette has a second hand maternity clothes store that I plan to check out at some point in the next few months. Being sweet like he is, Garrett suggested we take an evening this week and go shopping for new clothes. Hopefully I can find something in between non-pregnant pants and full-out maternity pants.

Baby is nearly 2.5 inches long and will be growing rapidly from now on. My appetite has increased a good deal even though I've started to occasionally feel lousy about an hour after eating. I'm being careful not to eat too much at once but to graze like the cows. I will soon feel like one so I may as well graze like one. I haven't craved unhealthy sweets. They don't sound very tasty right now but fruits and some vegetables have been quite good. If I don't eat something every 2-3 hours, my stomach becomes unhappy and it's hard to eat after that. I've been going through a lot of granola bars and applesauce. I have carrots and low acid fruits on hand to keep me going. This is a great time to be pregnant because all the yummy fresh fruits are coming into season and will be easier to find in the store.

We're continuing to work on odd jobs around the house so we'll have less to worry about come the Fall. Hope everyone is doing well. I don't know how many people are following this. I would love to hear from you so maybe some more Comments could be posted! Happy Monday everyone!

Little Heart

We heard Baby's heart beat on Friday! It was such a wonderful sound. It was a very strong beat and the Practitioner found it quickly. We did not have an ultrasound this time but we will in a couple of months. It was reassuring and made it more real for both Garrett and myself. I go again in 3.5 weeks to check the heart and I can hardly wait.

Baby's eye lids have formed and fused and will open in the last trimester. The bones are developing and hardening. The head makes up for half of the mass but the rest of the body will quickly catch up in the coming weeks. Baby should be about the size of a lime and be wiggling it arms and legs. I know it's busy growing because it's wearing me out. The on and off nausea has subsided mostly and the Spring weather has helped me stay motivated to exercise. It was so humid yesterday I was sweating a bit after my walk with Huntley but it was really nice to be outside. We've been cleaning up the yard the last two evenings. Cutting out the dead flower stalks and Garrett mowed yesterday for the first time. I made chocolate chip cookies this weekend and have allowed myself one or two each day, which is really hard to not eat more!! I have avoided chocolate from the beginnning until now. The Practitioner said I can start having a little and I just had to have cookies!

We're really excited that everything is looking good and we couldn't be happier.

Excitement

Tomorrow is our first ultrasound! Garrett and I get to see Baby and hear it's little teeny tiny heart beat. It will be fascinating and I can hardly wait. I feel like time is already going so quickly.

I'm feeling relatively good. Huntley and I have started our regular evening walks since the weather has turned nice and it's given me a little more energy. The wind was constantly blowing yesterday at the homestead so we didn't walk too long.

Garrett took Huntley out this morning and there was a Coyote running across the field behind our house. Huntley wanted to check it out along with a rabbit in the yard. They had a very exciting morning. We've been watching a pair of dark colored Coyotes the last few weeks that rummage through the corn stubble. I'm happy if they stay out in the field and not come up to the house like one did a couple months ago. I turned on the back deck light and there it was about five feet off the deck. Surprise!

I won't have access to post anything for the weekend so I'll give you an update next week. I hope everyone has a nice Easter!