Pregnancy Hunger

I don’t know how it is for everyone else… but being pregnant takes hungry to a whole new level.

At first I was hungry all the time; this weird combination of hunger/nausea.

It was like... I’m so hungry I’m nauseous.

And when I finally did eat it something, it was the BEST something I’d ever had.

I’m convinced I had the best chipotle burrito, of my life, about 7 weeks ago.

I’m also at the top of my salad making game.

I keep coming up with the most amazing salad ingredient combinations, ever.

AND Casey has gotten so much better at cooking.

He made the tastiest salmon I’ve ever tasted about a month ago.

Is it all just a product of my imagination?

Overactive pregnancy taste buds?

I really hope not.

At first I was strict with my pregnancy foods

After I got through my first trimester, I started to change that.

I’m of the opinion that anything is fine in moderation.

Except drugs, I don’t condone drugs.

Additionally, telling me I can’t have something makes me want it more.

In moderation; I’ll eat a sandwich, feta in my salad, order a diet coke at a restaurant

and I will definitely have a few sips of Casey’s beer.

(I’m only putting this out there so that when my kid comes out weird,

you can all take solace in the fact that I didn’t follow every rule, so that’s probably why it’s weird)

Also, you google the weirdest stuff when you’re pregnant.

Every little symptom - I google.

I don’t even want to share some of my search terms.

20 week ultrasound this Friday!!!

My parents are coming down from Kansas City to be at the appointment.

They’ve NEVER seen an ultrasound.

I’m almost more excited to see their reactions than the baby. Wish us luck!

Random

Random happenings:

I eat in the middle of the night.

Normally it’s applesauce.

But I was getting tired of trying to spoon it out of that little container in the dark so I’ve moved onto ritz whole wheat crackers.

It doesn’t happen every night

but if I wake up and I’m hungry, I get a snack.

I also chat with Casey.

Normally I just telling him how hungry I am and he’ll ask me if I need anything else.

This has been going on for at least 2 months.

So when I mentioned it to him this week and he had no idea what I was talking about – things got weird.

I need a baby on board shirt.

I NEED it.

I’m back into a workout routine.

It helps. It makes me feel better about myself, it gives me energy

and I sleep way better after I've worked out.

BUT I took about 10 weeks off and now that I'm back I think people think I’ve gained weight.

I know I would think that about someone else –

there's a lot of familiar faces at the gym.

 I would notice if one of the other patrons was gone for a while and came back heavier.

So I told Casey I want a baby on board shirt.

I think it would answer their questions.

I ordered a maternity suit.

Major life fail.

I so wanted to be the cute pregnant girl at the neighborhood pool all summer

but after having an honest conversation with myself I decided on the modest tank-ini.

Not my proudest moment.

The worst part?

After making the purchase I realized that Casey and I will have matching swimwear.

I ordered him a pair of Gap swim trunks a few months ago and they're navy and white striped.

Well, guess what, so is my maternity suit.

Yep, we’re going to be that awkward couple.

Anyone want to meet up at the pool?

Hi Baby

I've been keeping a weekly diary of my thoughts/feeleings about pregnancy.

Just a word document titled "Hi Baby" and I was planning to share.

After re-reading those entries I've decided not to share.

I shouldn't complain. So I'm not gonna do it on my blog.

But I want to be honest.... it hasn't been easy.

This might lend to my previous post,

the part where I said we didn't really weigh all the options.

All I was trying to do was plan around busy season.

I never thought about morning sickness. Not once.

My mom wasn't sick, my friends weren't sick, so I wouldn't be sick.

Starting around week 5, I got sick.

Nauseous all day long and throwing up every morning.

Saltines in the nightstand and comfort food for days but nothing worked.

At week 10 I told Casey I quit.

I quit being pregnant.

I would have done anything to make it stop.

...Let's be honest I was throwing up in Phoenix and I was probably 1 week pregnant.
That's when Ali and I both knew.

The boys didn't catch on to that one.

Thank God for good girlfriends...

In addition to morning sickness, It WAS busy season.

You know that thing I was trying to plan around.

I was miserable.

Especially in the begining when I was so sick and felt sorry for myself because I was so sick and I couldn't focus and every.single.person who came into my office annoyed me. Their presence alone made me more nauseous and all I wanted to do was go home and sleep or thow up in my own bathroom.
Yeah. (TRYING NOT TO COMPLAIN HERE)

By week 8 - I had to tell my bosses I was pregnant.

Can you imagine? No friends. No family. Co-workers were the only ones who knew.

But I had to do it because the expectations were too high and I was being a complete brat.

Such a brat.
I told one co-worker who sits by me he wore too much cologne.
The thought of it right now makes my stomach hurt.
I swear I threw up numerous times soley because of that cologne.
I told another co-worker he couldn't eat at his desk becasue the smell was nauseating.
So then he started eating in the copy room, not even kidding. A little chair by the copy machine.
I threw a fit when they ordered sandwich trays for a lunch meeting.
THEN I made them wait to start the meering until after I warmed up some soup.
 and the next week when they ordered BBQ... I told our admin that it smelled up the whole floor and I was going home.
Oh, it's funny now.

After 12 weeks I FINALY got some life-changing anti-nausea medicine.

(My doctor wanted me to wait until I was through the first 12 weeks)

As soon as I started taking it I felt better.

What's scary about that is I still take it every morning.

I've tried to wait it out, but as soon as I get out of bed and start moving around I get intense waves of nausea so I pop a pill and it works instantly.  I'm stocking up on these magic pills for the next pregnancy because I would never wait 12 weeks again.

Here is the culprit. @ 13 weeks old.
He/She totally looks like Casey. Right?
This kid better look like me, but i have a feeling it will be a mini-Casey.
I'm making one for the other team over here.
Casey soooooo owes me... I remind him every day:)

Baby Winchell

And so it begins…

every major life event deserves a blog post, right?

Today I’m officially 17 weeks pregnant.

That’s really CRAZY.

At first I was counting the days.
Then I quickly realized if I kept counting days I would be counting for a really really long time.

So I try not to think about it,
how much time has gone by versus how much time I have left,
I’m just going with it.

First lesson of parenting? No idea.

Back to December:

Yes we were trying.

We didn’t talk about it that much. Maybe we should have.

We just decided to try in December and it worked.

I realize that’s something to be thankful for right there.
But to be completely honest I also think a few attempts would have done us some good.
More time to want it and more time to prepare.
But God has a plan and ours was innate to us.
We’re not contemplators or option weighers.

Maybe we should be, but we’re not.

I had to go on a work trip in mid-January and I knew it then.

Not officially.

So I hunted around the gift shop for a pregnancy test.

I wasn’t really sure what I would do if I found one.
I didn’t really want to find out in a hotel room.

I didn’t find one.

Next stop – O’hare.

Again, I didn’t really want to find out in an airport. 
Although if i found that test I would have taken it in the airplane bathroom if i had too.
 Luckily, I didn't find one and so Friday morning I went to Walgreens and got what I needed.
 The whole way there I thought I was going to throw up on myself –
like, searching around my car for anything that might hold the contents of my stomach.
I didn't have to take the test to know I was pregnant.

When i got home I just took the test.

No contemplation of the life change that was about to come my way.

I just wanted to know. Then there it was. I didn't feel anything. 

I will quote my friend Lauren on this one -

"it's like somebody tells you you're going to the moon"

ok. do you know what to pack?
do you know if you are going to like it, no. 
So how can you react?  

I waited to tell Casey until he got home that night.

He was at a happy hour with the guys so I knew I had some time after work to gather my accomplices, Tex and Kia.

They put on some fancy bows and wiggled at the door so proud of their news.

Casey was so excited.

Then I got so excited.

AND you should have seen Tex and Kia - SO SO excited!
We're having a baby!!!

Big Brother & Big Sister.