11w

I can't believe I'm this far already. Past pregnancies seemed to creep to this point-this time it's flying. 2 more weeks and I'm in the second trimester... Huh?!?! At least I bought a belly book already... Now I just need to fill it out!

Today emotions have been running high. Way too high. And my house is trashed so I'm stressed. Every single day I think "oh I'll do it tomorrow"...one of these days that's not going to serve me well at all, especially when the addition gets going!

10w3d

Through all of this so far I've learned the importance of taking care of myself, especially since I don't have anyone here to do it for me-to make sure I'm eating, to rub my feet when they are sore. Last week I woke up with a horrible kink in my neck that ran down my back. It was there for days and finally I broke down and scheduled a massage for myself-and I even walked on the wild side and scheduled it for 90 minutes! Woohoo! I figure if I am going to start treating myself, I'm going to really treat myself. After I was done I went ahead and signed up for a membership so I can keep getting this done once a month. It's going to be completely imperative through this pregnancy especially. The knot in my neck is gone... I'm hoping to sleep wonderfully (HA-decent at best) tonight.

Speaking of sleep, I had my first super vivid pregnancy dream last night-it was a horrible nightmare that someone had a gun and a flashlight and was trying to break into my house via the sliding glass door. My neighbors came to the rescue but it was still one of the most terrifying dreams I've had in a long long time. Hopefully it's not a repeating theme or anything.

I'm still pretty nauseous most of the time. I'm able to get down breakfast and then something mid afternoon. That's still a major improvement so I'll take it, but I'm very much looking forward to this part being gone forever.

I wore a maternity shirt today because my other regular shirts are starting to get a little short (laaaaame). Maternity pants are awesome though.

9w2d

Weeeellll, the kids know now.  Two days ago I had the ultrasound picture out to show a friend and completely forgot to put it away. Maya saw it after school, and since she's obsessed with babies and has seen the other ultrasound pictures before, she quickly came to the conclusion that this was a new little brother or sister and flipped. Screaming, squealing, jumping all over the place! She's thrilled and hopes for another brother, and asked if she could be there when the baby is born.

Today I wore maternity pants for the first time this pregnancy. I could still fit into my regular ones for awhile I'm sure, but unless I have a very loose top on I have some unflattering lines going on so for the most part this will be easier.

I'm so completely and utterly exhausted and drained-I can't just rest, there is no choice at all. If the kids are to be fed, I am to do it. My house is trashed, I better pray for a burst of energy. My knee is killing me-suck it up, buttercup!

It is one of those nights, however, that I'm about to be in bed by 9. The dishwasher just beeped and there's nothing crucial that needs to be washed. I get up early by nature anyway so I'll just shower then (or make better friends with my dry shampoo). Can't wait till this part has passed!

8w6d

I've been feeling sooooo tired lately. Pretty overwhelmingly- my house has been trashed for days (not just "four kids live here" trashed, "please don't come into my house" trashed). I'm sure it would help if I actually got decent sleep at night but between nightmares, Emma's teething, and Patrick's seizures, that's impossible. I sit on the couch now and can't move-I've been trying to fold a load of laundry for an hour-a load of towels. Pathetic. It's seriously going to be a miracle if I survive this.

My aversions to everything are pretty strong too, and if I do manage to eat I feel miserable afterwards.

I did finally order a couple maternity clothing items though as I know I will be definitely expanding in a couple of weeks. I just need something a little more forgiving and a little looser around the belly! I'm going to have to go back and look what I grew like with Emma, as I'm sure this time will be similar.

8w1d

I'm hoping to be able to write more as things get easier around here. The past few weeks have been a challenge getting used to being on my own and our new routine-I've been horribly sick and soooo tired all the time. I'm eating and sleeping a little better-so that's a start.

Today I went in for my initial OB visit-which included an ultrasound! I was very excited to see that I will be loving on just one baby again this time :) heart rate was strong at 166bpm, and as can be expected at 8w baby was just a little teeny blob, not much movement-but a sweet little blob at that! This baby is already so precious and so loved.