8 weeks, 5 days
I didn't do a very good job taking notes and leaving helpful hints for future pregnancies. I guess I didn't know what to keep track of. But now, at eight weeks, I'm full blown-out nauseous. And it's horrible. I don't like the feeling; I'd much rather just throw up and get the sick over with. So for future reference, milk and dairy (like ice-cream) aggravate it. Stay away from that. Emetrol (the medicine with the rainbow) is alright, but it doesn't last. The bottle says take every 15 minutes if you need to. And with intense nausea, the 2 Tablespoons don't work. So you just have to deal with it. I've tried drinking water (wash it out), drinking Sprite (burp it out), eating chocolate or fruit, anything really. I haven't found the cure. Even if I figure out what I'm craving, like Chinese food, the satisfaction in my belly doesn't last long. Prenatal vitamins also aggravate it, so I take those with food, and in the morning when the nausea is for the most part "worst".
Here's what the experts say:
- Eat small meals, slowly
- Avoid laying down after eating, especially on the left side
- Get out of bed slowly
- Eat food cold or at room temperature
- Stay away from spicy, acidic, or fried foods (which is interesting because lately all I want is spicy…)
- Drink cold, carbonated drinks in between meals, or even sour drinks like lemonade
- Sip throughout the day
- Avoid the triggers like smells or car rides
- Get fresh air
- Wear comfy clothes
- Rest
- Ginger
So here's looking to weeks ahead when all of this subsides (about Week 14).
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Saturday, December 27, 2014
A Christmas Reveal
The night before Christmas, in the Alvidrez house, a little boy was stirring because he found out he was going to be a big brother. We told him we had a special surprise. I reminded him of when he was a baby and before that when he was in his mommy's belly by showing him his blog book. Then, we announced that there is another baby in mommy's belly. We went to the doctor the day before and she found a baby in there. He asked questions like: When is the baby coming? Tomorrow? And can I have one? He even said a special prayer for the baby and told the baby, Hey, I'm your big brother. It was the sweetest thing. The best reveal I will ever get to experience I think. We showed him the pictures we had taken earlier of him in a Santa hat - mad face, silly face, smoochy face, I'm going to be a big brother face. And we explained how Grammy and Maecy were going to find out. That as they opened each picture, he could tell them the face he made. It would be his Christmas surprise!
The next morning we had to wake up early for Christmas service and Aldo and I agreed it would be better for each of us to open one present, mom opening the pictures. Luke jumped out of bed immediately - no one complains or plays 'possum when they hear the words It's Christmas! Luke found two presents on his bed from Santa (a ninja turtles sticker book and the new life-like movie). Aldo and I opened up our stockings. Grammy opened up four pictures individually. She vaguely remembered seeing the photos, but didn't know this is what I did - and she was completely surprised! A great reaction. She said there were times when she thought we might be, and then quickly threw the idea out. We spent some time talking and then quickly headed to church together. The first thing Luke does is tell his friends that there's a baby in mommy's tummy. A friend of ours came up to me and said, "You know Luke is telling everyone you're pregnant… Are you?" It's a good thing we had told mom that morning…
When we got back home we opened up most of our presents. Luke couldn't wait. And Ruby re-wrapped the pictures for us. Maecy and Juan ended up arriving a little before lunch, so we decided to let her open them before the rest of the family. As she was opening up the second one, I looked out the window and saw Granddad in the driveway. We had to rush her through it - and she had no idea what was going on - it was kind of chaotic. I wish it wasn't, but she was surprised at the end anyway. I quickly ran the pictures downstairs to re-wrap them AGAIN!
When everyone showed up it was time for lunch. Luke had been doing a fantastic job at keeping the secret, but near the end of the meal, when everyone was getting dessert, he shouted, My Grammy is having a baby! Whoops! He was on the other side of the room. All I heard was my mom and maybe a few others do the shhh-sound at him. Everyone turns to one another like what's going on? and why is he in trouble… It's actually quite hilarious in retrospect. I explained it to them by saying that Luke was telling everyone what they got for Christmas. It was the honest truth, and they seemed appeased with the answer. Aldo turns to me and says, we have to do it NOW. Granddad would open the presents this time. We gave him the presents and he opened the first one. I don't know why, but he thought the "mad face" was hilarious, to the point where he might have been crying and couldn't stop laughing. We had to move him on to the second one. Not as funny as the first I guess. After the third one he was guessing what could be the fourth - maybe a descent picture… and congratulations. Not too bad. Well worth the wait, just to see all of their different reactions alone.
Sunday, December 21, 2014
The Glow
What is "the glow" and why does everyone say I have it?
I imagine streams of light beaming off of my skin and a bright, white smile like the Crest whitening commercials. But let's be honest, that's not at all what I look like, or feel like. I feel like I've gained some poundage and I'm sure that's the truth too. I'm bloated. I'm nauseous - full, blown out nauseous. I have zits not even in the T-zone! The stinkin' thing is in the middle of my cheek! Aldo said that my skin is glowing and I just don't get it.
John from church said that I was glowing three weeks ago, and that he was surprised when the following week I looked like I was glowing again. And finally last week he had the thought that I'm pregnant and got up the courage to ask me.
Today one of the young couples in our church came in with their 4-pound newborn baby girl. Aldo and I were looking at her (probably with dreamy, doe-eyed faces), discussing how small she was and how awake and aware she was. Her little hands were shaking in the air and she was wide awake listening to Pastor. Then Pastor Joe walks over and says, "I love when young couples look at these babies, should we expect some news soon?" We're the only young couple in front of him. I TURNED SO RED! On a scale of 1 to 10, it was a 13… and that's a direct quote from a person in the congregation that was sitting on the other side of the room. Everyone was looking at me. Everyone! On a regular day, when embarrassed I can turn pretty red. But pregnant, with all of this extra blood going through my body… you can only imagine. And not just that, it's supposed to be a surprise!!!!
How can this be a surprise when my body is GLOWING! It seems like everyone is noticing it. Drat I tell you! Just drat!
The Medical Explanation of "The Glow":
Pregnancy hormones make your skin produce more oil. In some situations, that's going to produce more of a glow and make the skin look soft - in other situations, people start to get acne.
Another contributing factor is the increase in blood flow. During pregnancy, your body increases the production of blood by approximately 50%. The proposed theory is that this increase in blood flow and circulation leads your face to be brighter, or more fuller.
On top of all of this, as I'm writing this post, mom comes in to ask about sending pictures to family for Christmas. I'm sure she saw the two tabs at the top of the page when I opened up the internet screen: This Little Light blog and an article on "turning beet red". At this point I'll be completely surprised if she doesn't know or even suspect that we're having a baby and announcing it Christmas day. Ugh - I dislike when surprises are ruined. :(
Thursday is coming soon! I'll let you know more then.
I imagine streams of light beaming off of my skin and a bright, white smile like the Crest whitening commercials. But let's be honest, that's not at all what I look like, or feel like. I feel like I've gained some poundage and I'm sure that's the truth too. I'm bloated. I'm nauseous - full, blown out nauseous. I have zits not even in the T-zone! The stinkin' thing is in the middle of my cheek! Aldo said that my skin is glowing and I just don't get it.
John from church said that I was glowing three weeks ago, and that he was surprised when the following week I looked like I was glowing again. And finally last week he had the thought that I'm pregnant and got up the courage to ask me.
Today one of the young couples in our church came in with their 4-pound newborn baby girl. Aldo and I were looking at her (probably with dreamy, doe-eyed faces), discussing how small she was and how awake and aware she was. Her little hands were shaking in the air and she was wide awake listening to Pastor. Then Pastor Joe walks over and says, "I love when young couples look at these babies, should we expect some news soon?" We're the only young couple in front of him. I TURNED SO RED! On a scale of 1 to 10, it was a 13… and that's a direct quote from a person in the congregation that was sitting on the other side of the room. Everyone was looking at me. Everyone! On a regular day, when embarrassed I can turn pretty red. But pregnant, with all of this extra blood going through my body… you can only imagine. And not just that, it's supposed to be a surprise!!!!
How can this be a surprise when my body is GLOWING! It seems like everyone is noticing it. Drat I tell you! Just drat!
The Medical Explanation of "The Glow":
Pregnancy hormones make your skin produce more oil. In some situations, that's going to produce more of a glow and make the skin look soft - in other situations, people start to get acne.
Another contributing factor is the increase in blood flow. During pregnancy, your body increases the production of blood by approximately 50%. The proposed theory is that this increase in blood flow and circulation leads your face to be brighter, or more fuller.
On top of all of this, as I'm writing this post, mom comes in to ask about sending pictures to family for Christmas. I'm sure she saw the two tabs at the top of the page when I opened up the internet screen: This Little Light blog and an article on "turning beet red". At this point I'll be completely surprised if she doesn't know or even suspect that we're having a baby and announcing it Christmas day. Ugh - I dislike when surprises are ruined. :(
Thursday is coming soon! I'll let you know more then.
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Keeping the Secret
Turns out it's not so easy keeping this surprise a secret. Every time I am with my mom, I feel awkward like she can read my mind and I wonder... Am I acting normal? Is this what I would normally say? Am I mentioning having kids or complaining about my stomach more than usual? Lately I've had the feeling like my stomach is crushed for space or bloated - and I don't know if that's the pregnancy or just me being bloated along with nervousness. Also, I can't tell if I'm actually nauseous from pregnancy or psyching myself into nauseousness from being nervous. For some reason we have been around each other more than usual (it must be the weekend), but I've had more opportunities to accidentally give something away, or just say something from the pressure. I'm holding out though.
The other day I went to pick up my prescription at the Walmart pharmacy for prenatal vitamins. Turns out they couldn't get the prescription any longer, so they faxed the doctor's office requesting a prescription for something similar for me and received no response. They said I might have better luck getting in contact with the doctor. I called and Luke was with me there waiting in line. All I told him was I had to pick up my medicine. (I really can't wait to tell Luke and see his reaction. Will he be excited? Will he understand? Will he talk about it with all of his friends, and will he watch out for tapping me in the stomach and helping me around the house?) Anyway, the doctor didn't pick up - so I asked if I should just get an over-the-counter in the meantime and also asked if they could contact me when something comes in. As I was giving them my phone number, Dad walked up. He was dropping off a prescription for Stacia. Had he been there moments earlier, all news would have been blown. Our plans for telling him Wednesday would have gone out the window. Wow! TIMING. So I left without getting my prenatals and had to go back today. I keep thinking - who am I going to run into at Walmart today?
Aldo had to drive Ruby to work today. He said they were talking about her kids and how they parent, etc. and the topic of birth came up. They traded horror stories and Aldo said, "Next time…" in words more or less. Ruby straight up asked if we were pregnant. He threw up his hands and said, "Well, I hope so, we've been trying for 4 years…" HE IS THE WORST AT KEEPING SECRETS. YOU CAN READ HIS FACE.
Speaking of reading faces, John came up to me at church on Sunday and said I was glowing and had been for the past couple of weeks. He asked me if I was pregnant. I walked away (I was sitting right next to mom! I'll be surprised if she didn't hear or has any hint by now.) and said, "What?! Glowing? You're crazy." He follows me toward the restroom and calls it out again. How in the world did he know? I didn't know last Sunday! It wasn't an actual possibility in my mind until I came home from school somewhere mid-week.
I'd like to write more but I'm not sure what to say. I'm eager for August 2015. All of this in-between stuff is antagonizing. I made my first OB/GYN appointment for December 23rd! Same doctor Luke had; she was amazing. And it's on a Tuesday so Aldo will be able to come with me. I wonder if she'll remember us. Second, I have to sign up for WIC again. I want to get a white board going with names. I want to shop til I drop for baby clothes. And have a belly already!! How different is this pregnancy going to be from the first? How different is this child going to be from Luke? I think of me and Maecy and how different we are - school, athletics, career paths, humor, etc. It's nuts. How different is this little one's personality going to be. And as I type this - I cross my fingers that this will also be an easy birth. I fear sometimes that Luke was so easy, the next one will be the "48 hours of labor" or something. And that Luke has been so easy as a kid, the next one will be the one that turns our hair gray. Last, I know that the first gets attention because they're the only child. And the second one is kind of breezier… but I want to capture every moment with Number 2. I want every one of my children to get one-on-one attention. I'll try my best. As I've said before, ever since I was little all I wanted to do was be a mother. I'm so happy I get to be a mother again! This house needs a baby in it.
The other day I went to pick up my prescription at the Walmart pharmacy for prenatal vitamins. Turns out they couldn't get the prescription any longer, so they faxed the doctor's office requesting a prescription for something similar for me and received no response. They said I might have better luck getting in contact with the doctor. I called and Luke was with me there waiting in line. All I told him was I had to pick up my medicine. (I really can't wait to tell Luke and see his reaction. Will he be excited? Will he understand? Will he talk about it with all of his friends, and will he watch out for tapping me in the stomach and helping me around the house?) Anyway, the doctor didn't pick up - so I asked if I should just get an over-the-counter in the meantime and also asked if they could contact me when something comes in. As I was giving them my phone number, Dad walked up. He was dropping off a prescription for Stacia. Had he been there moments earlier, all news would have been blown. Our plans for telling him Wednesday would have gone out the window. Wow! TIMING. So I left without getting my prenatals and had to go back today. I keep thinking - who am I going to run into at Walmart today?
Aldo had to drive Ruby to work today. He said they were talking about her kids and how they parent, etc. and the topic of birth came up. They traded horror stories and Aldo said, "Next time…" in words more or less. Ruby straight up asked if we were pregnant. He threw up his hands and said, "Well, I hope so, we've been trying for 4 years…" HE IS THE WORST AT KEEPING SECRETS. YOU CAN READ HIS FACE.
Speaking of reading faces, John came up to me at church on Sunday and said I was glowing and had been for the past couple of weeks. He asked me if I was pregnant. I walked away (I was sitting right next to mom! I'll be surprised if she didn't hear or has any hint by now.) and said, "What?! Glowing? You're crazy." He follows me toward the restroom and calls it out again. How in the world did he know? I didn't know last Sunday! It wasn't an actual possibility in my mind until I came home from school somewhere mid-week.
I'd like to write more but I'm not sure what to say. I'm eager for August 2015. All of this in-between stuff is antagonizing. I made my first OB/GYN appointment for December 23rd! Same doctor Luke had; she was amazing. And it's on a Tuesday so Aldo will be able to come with me. I wonder if she'll remember us. Second, I have to sign up for WIC again. I want to get a white board going with names. I want to shop til I drop for baby clothes. And have a belly already!! How different is this pregnancy going to be from the first? How different is this child going to be from Luke? I think of me and Maecy and how different we are - school, athletics, career paths, humor, etc. It's nuts. How different is this little one's personality going to be. And as I type this - I cross my fingers that this will also be an easy birth. I fear sometimes that Luke was so easy, the next one will be the "48 hours of labor" or something. And that Luke has been so easy as a kid, the next one will be the one that turns our hair gray. Last, I know that the first gets attention because they're the only child. And the second one is kind of breezier… but I want to capture every moment with Number 2. I want every one of my children to get one-on-one attention. I'll try my best. As I've said before, ever since I was little all I wanted to do was be a mother. I'm so happy I get to be a mother again! This house needs a baby in it.
Saturday, December 13, 2014
Surprise - We're Pregnant!
6 Weeks
We've been wanting a baby for a while, so it's been exciting news. I still think it hasn't hit me yet though, because I feel like my belly should be popped out. I forgot all about the pre-belly part: the initial doctor appointments, the car sickness and eating nothing but Cup O' Soups, the announcing to family and friends, the absence of a belly and feeling pretty normal and wandering what the baby's doing in there - oh, it's only gas.
Well, the first thing that hinted at being pregnant is that I've been keeping track of my cycles. After I missed three days I took a test. Negative. I noticed later that I was drinking a lot of water. Way more than usual for me - I never drink enough. So I took another test after five days. Negative. The next day, in the morning when I was teaching school, I felt an instant bout of tiredness. I thought I was going to pass out on the kids. I kept telling myself to get it together. So they went up for exercises and I drank more water to wake myself up. At this point I still felt like I wasn't pregnant and I was just off schedule. Lunch was coming up and I could hear Miss Pat upstairs getting ready. An awful stench drifted downstairs like rotted meat. It was so gross! I figured, maybe she's cleaning out the fridge or dog got something, older kid did something - we're not eating that. When we walked upstairs for lunch, it was spaghetti and I smelled it again. As we were sitting at the table, I looked around at the kids and at Miss Pat. Nobody said anything about it. Doesn't anyone smell it? They just kept eating like it was delicious spaghetti. So I took a bite. As it came up to my mouth, I could smell it. As it was in my mouth, I could taste it. So I prayed silently that I wouldn't get E. Coli or Ebola Virus and kept eating. It bugged me all day. Before bed I got out the phone and looked up the symptoms of pregnancy. Sure enough - fatigue, frequent urination, food cravings, nausea, spotting, constipation, tenderness, and heightened sense of smell. All of which I was having.
For the past week I had been waking up early for some reason, from 3:30-5:30 in the morning every day. It sucked. The next day after looking up the symptoms, I woke up at 5:30 with the urge to go to the bathroom. I thought, I don't want to get out of bed. Go back to sleep, go back to sleep, go back to sleep. Ugh - I'm awake. Might as well take a test. I got up, took a test. Positive. I knew it! I KNEW IT!! The rest of the morning I was wide awake, trying to secretly wake up Aldo by nudging him with my elbow or drooping my feet on him. He finally woke up around 7:00 am and went into the bathroom. I had left the test out on the counter for him to see. He came back out and said, "So, what are we going to do today?" Uhhhhh….. I said, "I think you need to brush your teeth." He went back in and came back out. "Didn't you see anything in there, honey?" "No." I got out of bed and went in the bathroom, and waved my hands magically over the positive test. His face LIT UP. He immediately wanted to call everybody, but I wouldn't let him call everyone. We phoned Zac, Pastor Tony, and Miss C. Then we planned how we were going to tell the rest of the family. Christmas is coming up you know…
That was Wednesday, December 10th. Later that day I had to work at the library and Mitzy planned a small Christmas get-together before Christmas because Lily and Vero are going to Texas for the holidays. We agreed to keep it secret until Christmas. Aldo called me at the library saying he was going to blab. I gave him a pep talk, and after I hung up, it was hard to keep it from the ladies at the library who overheard. They were all ECSTATIC for us too. Luke's going to be a big brother!
Thursday, Aldo planned on meeting up with his dad for lunch and surprising him by bringing him by Luke's swim lessons. Afterwards he would tell him that for Christmas we want to take him shooting at the shooting range. I can't wait to impress him with my sharpshooting skills (something I found out this last Thanksgiving). While we were standing there, he turned to me and says, "I'm going to tell him." "Ok." We went back to watching Luke swim, and after Luke is done I look over - Aldo had showed him the little picture I made without me knowing. I missed his finding-out face! Aldo says he did a double take and was super happy.
Yesterday, I went to the regular doctor for confirmation. She said I was 6 weeks pregnant and need to schedule soon with my OB/GYN, prescribed me some pre-natals, and my EDC (estimated date of confinement or due date) is August 5th.
I'm so excited. Luke said he wants a sister that is his age. Not sure that's how it works. But he's so good with babies! And he needs a play friend. If I have baby around August, then within a month Luke will go to Kindergarten. He'll get to ride the bus and have his own thing. There won't be much rivalry, I'll have time for both! I'm so excited for it to come. And for his reaction on Christmas Eve. For Mom's reaction, for Dad's reaction! For Aldo and Luke to feel my pregnant tummy together! For Luke to whisper secrets to my belly. For having to make a circle with my arms at night for where the baby will be. For baby showers! And diaper bags and baby shoes and clothes! This is going to be great!
We've been wanting a baby for a while, so it's been exciting news. I still think it hasn't hit me yet though, because I feel like my belly should be popped out. I forgot all about the pre-belly part: the initial doctor appointments, the car sickness and eating nothing but Cup O' Soups, the announcing to family and friends, the absence of a belly and feeling pretty normal and wandering what the baby's doing in there - oh, it's only gas.
Well, the first thing that hinted at being pregnant is that I've been keeping track of my cycles. After I missed three days I took a test. Negative. I noticed later that I was drinking a lot of water. Way more than usual for me - I never drink enough. So I took another test after five days. Negative. The next day, in the morning when I was teaching school, I felt an instant bout of tiredness. I thought I was going to pass out on the kids. I kept telling myself to get it together. So they went up for exercises and I drank more water to wake myself up. At this point I still felt like I wasn't pregnant and I was just off schedule. Lunch was coming up and I could hear Miss Pat upstairs getting ready. An awful stench drifted downstairs like rotted meat. It was so gross! I figured, maybe she's cleaning out the fridge or dog got something, older kid did something - we're not eating that. When we walked upstairs for lunch, it was spaghetti and I smelled it again. As we were sitting at the table, I looked around at the kids and at Miss Pat. Nobody said anything about it. Doesn't anyone smell it? They just kept eating like it was delicious spaghetti. So I took a bite. As it came up to my mouth, I could smell it. As it was in my mouth, I could taste it. So I prayed silently that I wouldn't get E. Coli or Ebola Virus and kept eating. It bugged me all day. Before bed I got out the phone and looked up the symptoms of pregnancy. Sure enough - fatigue, frequent urination, food cravings, nausea, spotting, constipation, tenderness, and heightened sense of smell. All of which I was having.
For the past week I had been waking up early for some reason, from 3:30-5:30 in the morning every day. It sucked. The next day after looking up the symptoms, I woke up at 5:30 with the urge to go to the bathroom. I thought, I don't want to get out of bed. Go back to sleep, go back to sleep, go back to sleep. Ugh - I'm awake. Might as well take a test. I got up, took a test. Positive. I knew it! I KNEW IT!! The rest of the morning I was wide awake, trying to secretly wake up Aldo by nudging him with my elbow or drooping my feet on him. He finally woke up around 7:00 am and went into the bathroom. I had left the test out on the counter for him to see. He came back out and said, "So, what are we going to do today?" Uhhhhh….. I said, "I think you need to brush your teeth." He went back in and came back out. "Didn't you see anything in there, honey?" "No." I got out of bed and went in the bathroom, and waved my hands magically over the positive test. His face LIT UP. He immediately wanted to call everybody, but I wouldn't let him call everyone. We phoned Zac, Pastor Tony, and Miss C. Then we planned how we were going to tell the rest of the family. Christmas is coming up you know…
That was Wednesday, December 10th. Later that day I had to work at the library and Mitzy planned a small Christmas get-together before Christmas because Lily and Vero are going to Texas for the holidays. We agreed to keep it secret until Christmas. Aldo called me at the library saying he was going to blab. I gave him a pep talk, and after I hung up, it was hard to keep it from the ladies at the library who overheard. They were all ECSTATIC for us too. Luke's going to be a big brother!
Thursday, Aldo planned on meeting up with his dad for lunch and surprising him by bringing him by Luke's swim lessons. Afterwards he would tell him that for Christmas we want to take him shooting at the shooting range. I can't wait to impress him with my sharpshooting skills (something I found out this last Thanksgiving). While we were standing there, he turned to me and says, "I'm going to tell him." "Ok." We went back to watching Luke swim, and after Luke is done I look over - Aldo had showed him the little picture I made without me knowing. I missed his finding-out face! Aldo says he did a double take and was super happy.
Yesterday, I went to the regular doctor for confirmation. She said I was 6 weeks pregnant and need to schedule soon with my OB/GYN, prescribed me some pre-natals, and my EDC (estimated date of confinement or due date) is August 5th.
I'm so excited. Luke said he wants a sister that is his age. Not sure that's how it works. But he's so good with babies! And he needs a play friend. If I have baby around August, then within a month Luke will go to Kindergarten. He'll get to ride the bus and have his own thing. There won't be much rivalry, I'll have time for both! I'm so excited for it to come. And for his reaction on Christmas Eve. For Mom's reaction, for Dad's reaction! For Aldo and Luke to feel my pregnant tummy together! For Luke to whisper secrets to my belly. For having to make a circle with my arms at night for where the baby will be. For baby showers! And diaper bags and baby shoes and clothes! This is going to be great!
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