Oh baby!

So. It's been a long week. I've puked all over town, fallen asleep at work, and heard the baby's heartbeat. HOLY CRAP.

I had my first official doctors appointment on Thursday. It took me approximately 45 minutes to pee in a cup. Yep. Talk about a shy bladder. Once I FINALLY squeezed out some urine, they immediately took me back to the room with a big CONGRATS! My doctor came in beaming, so excited, and ready to chat. We talked through all the, what I assume to be normal, things. Symptoms. Problems. Expectations.

They were able to squeeze us in with the sonographer too, so we were able to see and hear the baby that same day. Puking the last 5 weeks, being so tired I can't hold my head up, hearing the doc say congrats did not feel real. As soon as I heard the heartbeat, it was there. Real. Actual. And boy, did the tears start falling. Even sweet Bob teared up a little. The sonographer printed some pictures for us, and then I went out to do the pre-screening blood tests for genetic disorders. They haven't taken that much blood from me since the mysterious elbow incident of 2010.

So anyway. We have a baby. Growing and making it's Mama super crazy sick. Hank also seems to be aware of it's presence. He's now resting his head on my belly when we sit together, and it's super sweet.

For now, meet our March baby!

A crying jig. Or twelve.

So. The hormones are raging, and the tears are falling. Every single freaking thing causes me to cry. Commercials. Songs. Thoughts... Every thing.

The most frequent bringer-oner of tears... thinking of how I'll tell my Daddy that I'm pregnant. My poor Daddy has been waiting soooo long for a grandkid. As as I sit here crying, I realize how proud I am to be able to give him one.

I've arranged for him to pick me up from the airport when I go home in a couple weeks. If I don't tell him immediately, I don't know if I will be able to wait until we get back to the g'rents house (30 minutes away). I certainly can't tell him while he's driving... Dude would probably run off the road. So then do I tell him at the airport or wait and tell he and the g'rents all together? Gah!

Mom already knows, I had to tell her to get her input on morning sickness. She had it for 9 long months with my Brother Little. I knew she'd have some good suggestions for me. So anyway. It's soooo hard not to share with everyone yet!

I go to the doctor the day after tomorrow. Squeeeeee!!

Salty lemons.

I've always been a fan of lemons. The saltier the better, in my opinion. And right now, I'm craving salty lemons. When I was a kid, my parents used to get so mad at me for eating them, citing harm to my teeth as the reason behind their aggravation. I think it was really because I was eating them and they wanted them. Anyway. I've been inhaling lemons and tomatoes, with salt, of course. I don't know what that means exactly, but I'm anticipating elevated blood pressure during this pregnancy. I've GOT to get my salt cravings under control. Asap.

So this week is our first doctors appointment. I would have already gone in, between Bob's work schedule and Dr. J's maternity leave, it's been a nightmare. Doc returns to work Monday and Bob comes home on Wednesday. So Thursday, we'll go in and check this little nugget out on an ultrasound. I'm pretty pumped about it! I'm ready. I think.

I'll just say- I adore my doctor. I've only seen her once before, last year at my check up, but she was so awesome. When I saw her last year, it was after a long summer of funerals, a wedding, a cross country move, and getting used to Bob being gone all the time. To say I was in a bad place mentally would be an understatement. During my appointment, she just talked to me. As a friend. As a person. We spent 20 minutes just chatting about anything and everything. She immediately made me feel comfortable. I'd never had a female gynecologist before, which I told her, so she made it all super easy and open. I'm excited to experience this with her!

Smelly melly.

I've always had a pretty sensitive sense of smell. But now, I can smell anything and everything. And it's awful. Even the mention of smells sends me running to the toilet.

It's not just smells. The mention of things I don't like make my stomach churn immediately. My poor co-worker mentioned applesauce this morning and I lost my ritz crackers in the office garbage can.

After the last two weeks, this kid could be one and done. It'll take me a long time to forget this misery. I just hope this doesn't last past the first trimester... Good lord. Bleh.

The remedies.

So. I drove to work this morning, via two parking lots. In which I threw up. I walked into work, told my boss I was experiencing day long morning sickness, and came back home. Once life stopped spinning, I went to CVS and bought out the entire aisle of nausea aids. The best thing so far? Sea sickness bracelets. Score. Big time. I recommend.

But I figured if all else failed, at least I had Reese's cups. Those always work in any situation. I've had 5 so far today, all while wearing my awesome and stylish new wristbands!

Morning my ass.

So. Morning sickness is no joke. All day "morning" sickness is just plain wrong. I have cravings for food, but when it comes down to it, it all makes me sick. Bleh.

Like the cheesefries the other night- bleh. And the unopened bags of steak fingers in the freezer- bleh. And the Publix fried chicken that we purchase by the bucket- bleh.

For now, it's ritz crackers, ginger chews, and ginger ale. So gourmet

The search for steak... fingers.

So. When I was in elementary school, we had the most kick ass lunch menu ever. It was so good, that I still think about it. Often. It was a set menu every day, with sandwiches if you wanted that instead. Every day we had the choice of a hamburger, a ham and cheese sandwich, or a barbeque sandwich, and fries.

Monday we had chicken fingers and fries. Tuesday was a pizza pocket, corn chips, and cheese dip (which I've searched for ever since). Wednesday was fried fish filets and fries. Thursday was steak fingers, and you guessed it... fries. I don't remember what was Friday, which means it was something I didn't eat. So I had a ham and cheese and fries.

So the steak fingers... Any time I see them in the store, I buy them. Today I've been craving them, but I couldn't find them in my local grocery store. Or any of them. However, I FINALLY FOUND THEM! I went to four different stores, and finally found them at Publix. They won't taste exactly the same, but it'll be close enough. And I can't wait! But first- dinner tonight is Outback. I actually want food. Cheesefries and a cesar salad. Mmmmmmmm.

I'm taking my Mother's advice- if there's something you will actually eat- eat it. And often.

Holy nausea, Batman!

So. Guess what you shouldn't do? Fly to Maine, while pregnant, and experiencing ridiculous morning sickness. Every seafood sign, every lobster roll, every crab shack, every mention of non-beef related items made me queasy. Bleh. Literally. Then throw in a crazy bumpy flight (or two) and you have one insanely green pregnant lady.

On an uplifting note, I found some ginger chews at Trader Joes tonight and they're helping. Thank gawd. My diet has consisted of tums, ritz crackers, and ginger ale, and I'm still sickly. Then add in the exhaustion... it's exhausting. Literally.

I've heard that these are signs of a healthy pregnancy, so I'm totally okay with it. I'd rather be sick and tired and have a healthy baby than whatever the alternative is.