Think skinny thoughts…

Posted on October 22, 2013 by playinghousewi

For the past 8 or so months, I have been celebrating my slimmed down, wedding body. It was about 3 years (50 diets and endless workouts) in the making, but I had successfully dropped all of my early-mid 20’s, binge-drinking and after-bar-eating weight and gotten back to a size I didn’t think I’d see again. I was even to the point where I felt comfortable eating lunch in nothing but my bikini (oh how I miss my honeymoon). That was a dream of mine. Yes, it’s a strange one, but I have always aspired to feel comfortable hunched over a cheeseburger in my bikini. Whatever… everyone has to have goals.

Anyway, my point is not to praise my wedding-bod, but to wish it good luck for a relatively slender future.

I’ve spoken to many mommas who claim to have lost weight in their first trimester. I am barely half-way through mine and I swear to you, I’m feeling thicker. Two weeks ago, I went to Banana Republic and tried on this super cute, simple black dress for my dreaded 10-year reunion this weekend. The dress looked great. I decided to order it online last week and it arrived last night. I excitedly tried it on and… needless to say, I will NOT be wearing that cute little dress. I literally looked pregnant.

That might be a weird statement because I am pregnant… but not as pregnant as I looked. Woof.

BUT, just for fun, I puffed out my buddah belly in front of the mirror again and decided that the dress would be ADORABLE if I were 6 months pregnant and not trying to keep my early pregnancy a secret from my graduating class.

I ended up deciding to wear a black dress that I already have. Win-Win… It’s slimming where it needs to be and will allow me to shove my face with some delicious food at the reunion without giving away my secret AND my husband will be quite pleased with the fact that I’m not buying more clothing.

As for my growing belly, I am going to be working hard to manage my portions. That’s really my issue. I love healthy food… I just love a lot of it.

Tonight, we’re actually having my cousin, Amy, over for dinner… I’m making white sauce chicken pizza and garlic sauce pizza, cheesy garlic bread and a Caesar salad. The girl has dietary restrictions, so we had to make a meal with no: meat, tomatoes, spicy, beans, peppers, and acidic food. So, tonight won’t be the model for my healthy eating, but it will be delicious. We can’t be perfect every day, right?

Healthy eating ends at lunch and will resume tomorrow… we’re having my Milly’s AMAZING Soy-Glazed Salmon with Brussels Sprouts Rice.

Symptoms

I slept through the night all the way until my husband’s alarm went off at 6 am! That’s 7 hours all the way through. I’m pretty happy about that. In terms of morning sickness, my worst times are definitely in the morning through maybe 1 pm or so and then later in the evening. In the mornings, I’m pretty queasy. Breakfast is becoming a thing of the past, although, I’m still able to choke down my morning “shake”… which is more like juice.

It includes:

Leaves of 4 pieces of Kale (stems removed)

1 cup frozen Strawberries

1/2 cup fresh Parsley

1 Banana

1 cup Juice and/or Water

1 teaspoon Ground Flaxseed

(recipe is for 2 servings, apx: 100 calories per serving)

It’s delicious. My husband and I both love it.

After the smoothie, I’m pretty spent on food. At least until lunch. In terms of the evenings, the nausea returns and comes accompanied by a whopping headache and severe exhaustion. Last night, I may have fallen asleep mid-conversation. It was crazy. I was up, folding laundry and putting everything away when all of a sudden it hit me. As I got closer to making it through my pre-bed routine, I became even more exhausted until I collapsed in bed. I think even my face was tired.

Anyway, I’d love to continue, but I have to pee.

Actually, one more important note before sign-off… I couldn’t be happier! I have a good feeling about this little sesame seed and am feeling very grateful. The cramping seems to be gone and the other side-effects as well. I’m feeling fat, healthy and happy!

Big Weekend!

Posted on October 21, 2013 by playinghousewi

Saturday, October 19. 2013

After a failed attempt at telling my parents on Friday evening, we decided to try again on Saturday. My brother was in town for a wedding and my niece and nephew were staying at my parents for the weekend. The husband and I went over there for lunch and after we ate, I pulled out a bag of goodies. I had some furry slap bracelets for the kids (something to preoccupy them during my reveal), and some “honeymoon souvenirs” to show my mom. With my niece on my mom’s lap, I showed her some necklaces and then pulled out a box and said, “Mom, look at this one. It’s my favorite from our trip.”

In total “my mom style,” she half-ass started opening the box, attention lost on the surroundings. With me standing at her side, she finally got the box open and in it was a card. I helped her open the card (because her attention was almost completely lost at this time), which read, “Baby Lang – Due 6-18-14” and had a positive pregnancy test stuck to it. My mom made her weird, “I’m not paying attention” laugh and then just stared at the card. It felt like forever, but FINALLY, she got it! She looked at me and screamed, “WHAT!” and burst into tears. All the while, my poor brother is just staring at us like, “What the f is on that card??”

Ahhhh relief!

Later in the evening, we had Mark’s mom and grandpa over to celebrate my Milly (mother-in-law)’s birthday. I made Indian food, we played a game of Clue, and then had birthday cake and opened presents. We gave his mom her birthday card and some flowers first, and then gave her the box we had given to my mom earlier that day. She stared, and stared, and then very quietly – fighting back tears – said, “Really?” Lots of hugs and a good 5 minutes of her hiding her head in Mark’s chest later, we decided to FaceTime with Mark’s sister. We chatted and then showed all of Milly’s birthday gifts, including the card with the pregnancy test stuck to it! Everyone was so happy… it was amazing to finally share the excitement with everyone!

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Last, but not least, it was time to tell my sister. She and her husband had been laying low for the weekend, so, on Sunday we planned to all get together for lunch so they could retrieve their children from my parents and see my brother. Before lunch, I had gone to my mom’s house to quickly make a shirt for my nephew that read, “I’m getting a cousin! Expected Delivery: 6-18-14” using an iron-on transfer. Once he was in the shirt and ready to go, I made my way to meet my sister and beat my parents and the kids to the restaurant. My sister and her husband arrived just a few minutes after us and thankfully, we were able to get a table before my parents and the kids came in. My nephew went right to my sister for help taking his jacket off and her reaction was hilarious. The jacket was unzipped and then, using her mom juggling skills, she moved the edge of the jacket over a bit with her pinky to reveal the full message on the shirt. She instantly SCREAMED… in the restaurant… and ran over to me! It was a perfect reaction. She was so sweet.

To add a little funny to the whole thing, right behind my sister was a girl I went to high school with. I hoped and prayed that she didn’t notice my sister’s scream, or me, to ensure my secret stayed secret a little longer. Oh well!

After lunch, Mark, my parents and I headed over to Aurora Grafton Medical Center to check out the labor and delivery center. I really wanted to see the hospital before selecting a doctor. Prior to our visit, I was going between the West Allis Women’s Center and the Grafton hospital and after the visit, I was set. The nurses were absolutely amazing and answered my entire list of questions (see below). They also ALL recommended the same three doctors, which was very reassuring. So, I’ve officially selected Dr. Kosnik and will hopefully deliver at the Grafton Medical Center.

It felt like a huge relief to have my secret out and have a doctor selected…

Clearly, the only way to celebrate such a big weekend was a trip to CostCo! Mark’s first to be exact!

Symptoms

So, this weekend I have been deciding how PC to be with this “symptoms” section. I am pretty private when it comes to my body, but feel like there is value in sharing my full experience. So, here it is… for the past week, I have had light to mild cramping. In addition to that, I’ve noticed that after my many trips to the ladies room, I can see a faint pink or very light brown coloring left on the toilet paper. I emailed my regular doctor and she simply said, “that could be reason for concern.” Obviously, that has left me in a total panic. However, I’ve done a LOT of Googling and it seems that it’s pretty normal. Right now, my uterus is expanding, and in doing so, there is cramping and a little bit of blood (some old blood that’s being released and some new). So, I’ve decided to monitor, but not freak out about it. I found this thread, which made me feel a lot better.

Other than that, my sleep is a lost cause and I’m headachy. BUT… all the while, feeling obnoxiously happy and optimistic.

Questions When Selecting a Hospital

Here’s the list of questions I asked the hospital when I went for my mini-tour. Also, they have scheduled “tour times,” but I called the Labor & Delivery department and asked if I could just stop by for a quick visit to check things out. I would recommend doing the same. They had no time to spruce anything up and I got one-on-one time to ask all of my questions.

Does the hospital offer birth classes?
Can we see the worst room? (Often times, during a more formal tour, they will show you the best room… ask to see the worst, because there is sometimes a big difference!)
What kinds of rooms are available?
Are all rooms private?
Does the labor and delivery happen in one room? Or will you have to switch rooms?
What is the usual care if labor is progressing slowly?
What percentage of women get an episiotomy?
What drug-free measures for pain relief are available?
How does the doctor / nurse help a mother stick to her birth plan?
What percentage of births are C-Sections?
If a C-Section is required, will my husband be allowed in the room with me?
Is the baby taken out of the room after birth?
Does this hospital have a newborn ICU?
If I deliver early, will I still come to this hospital?
What happens if all the birthing rooms are taken?
Which doctor would you recommend?
Do you have experience working with a Doula? Any recommendations of Doulas?

Hush Hush or Holler?

Posted on October 18, 2013 by playinghousewi

As of right now, we have not told anyone that there is a tiny, sesame-seed-sized baby growing inside of me.

If you don’t know me, I am that person you don’t want to confide in because of my inability to keep secrets private. It’s not that I like to gossip necessarily, it’s just that I get so darn excited. Literally, secrets boil up inside of me until they just kind of explode out. I once broke the news that a friend was pregnant to our entire office… with a jumping starburst. With arms and legs spread into the air, I screamed, “Jenna’s pregnant!” I can’t be blamed for that… right? I can only handle so much happiness and excitement before I must pass it on and share it with others.

So, my point… keeping this a secret is going to be very difficult.

At the same time, I am struggling with the best way to break the news, how the timing will map out, etc. And all the while, I’ve had about 25 moments in the past 2 days where I have nearly picked up the phone to call my mom and blurt out, “I’m pregnant.” So, what should I do?

I’ve read so many blogs with cute ways to tell people and I just love the idea, but maybe I should just say, screw it… I could stop by my mom’s on the way out tonight and give her the news. I don’t want to slip and tell someone else before she finds out…

Decisions, decisions…

Symptoms

It feels as if I have been peeing every hour, so today, I decided to take a log of all bathroom breaks during my work day. I may or may not have skipped out of work early today, so in a mere 7.5 hours, I peed 7 times. Apparently it doesn’t just feel like I’m peeing every hour… I am peeing every hour. Other than that and my damn cold, I’m feeling great!

Also, as a side note, is it weird that during one of my seven bathroom outings today, I stood in front of the mirror and pushed out my stomach as far as I could and put my hands on it as if I were pregnant? Fine, I did it twice.

And what did I learn from this exercise? My only chance of being a cute little pregnant lady is if I gain in my belly only. Otherwise, I’m definitely going to look like a nesting doll.

This could be me in 6 months…

Baby on Board

Posted on October 17, 2013 by playinghousewi

Today marks 7 months of marriage with my amazing husband and the day we officially found out I am pregnant. I stress the word officially, because literally since September 27^th (just one or two days after ovulation), I have had an inkling that I was pregnant. So much so, that today’s positive HPT (mommy-to-be code for Home Pregnancy Test) was the tenth test I’ve taken in the past three weeks. And actually, I was conveniently at the doctor yesterday for my flu shot, begging her to take a pregnancy blood test so I could stop obsessing. She denied my request.

So, this morning – my 7th day sans period – I decided to take another test and this time, confirmation!! Being that this was our first month of “not trying not to get pregnant” (or whatever we called it), I don’t know if I’m really that in-tune with my body or if I was searching for signs. Either way, today I can say with confidence that I’m pregnant!

Telling the Husband…

Breaking the news to the daddy-to-be!

This morning began the way many of my mornings had recently… I got up early, ran to the bathroom to pee on that magical stick and waited. Of course, this meant pretending I was patient, putting the stick on the other side of the counter while I brushed my teeth… sneaking a peek every 15 of so seconds. THEN… it happened. What I had been waiting to happen for the last 9 tests. The second line appeared. Lightly, but it was there! I can’t even explain how I felt… relieved, excited, and whatever the emotion is that’s paired with the, “Holy shit” reaction. I was definitely feeling that.

Now was the fun part: surprising my husband! So, as I had planned over the past three weeks, I took our little framed, “I Love You Because…” sign and finished the sentence with… “you’re going to be an amazing dad.” Then, I propped the pee stick up against the frame and put it by my husband’s sink and waited patiently for him to drag his butt out of bed.

Finally, 45 minutes or so later, he emerged. I hid my smile and continued getting ready as my husband came into the bathroom. He immediately went to the toilet and, mid-pee, noticed my reveal. With the stream still flowing, he grinned and said, “REALLY?? Come in for a hug!!” So, almost as magically and even more “actual real life” than I had planned, my husband and I hugged and celebrated the little baby we were brewing to the bitter smell of his morning pee.

The Symptoms

The first few days after ovulation, I was absolutely brain-dead. I have a tendency to be a little ditzy, but I was operating at a level of pure ridiculousness. From forgetting to set a timer while cooking (3 times in one cooking session), to getting on the highway going the wrong direction on my daily drive to work, to literally pouring my bowl of soup all down the front of my shirt, I just wasn’t “feeling myself.”

Thankfully, the utter brain-dead feeling only lasted 3 or so days… although I’m still waiting to regain my motivation at work. The next big thing I noticed was my bionic sense of smell. I was on the other side of the basement from the litter box and still had to speed steam my shirt while holding my breath before RUNNING upstairs for fresh air.

The other big (and fun) ones were the headaches and serious bloating. I tend to get headaches quite often, so at least I’m used to that. But the bloating… Yikes. By the end of every day, my stomach is rivaling Buddah’s.

But honestly, nothing is unmanageable. And actually, now that I have that blessed positive test, it all feels great. I cannot even begin to explain how frustrating it is to have a gut feeling about something, signs that support your gut feeling, a period that’s 7 days late, and a test that says it’s all in your head.

So now that I can put that behind me, I’ve found my incapable-of-chilling-the-f-out brain obsessing over my next hurdle… will I be able to carry this little sesame seed through the first trimester?