Green bean

That's the way we chose to describe the baby to Kara and Nathan on Monday during my first ob/gyn appointment, once my uterus was in clear view on the ultrasound screen. A very chubby green bean. Or maybe a Tootsie Roll. I could keep going here, but you get the point.

 

Everything is going swimmingly. I am properly fatigued and nauseated and as of today am currently 7w1d along in this pregnancy, which aligns perfectly with our date of conception. This gives us a due date of July 5, 2011, though I will deliver him earlier than that, since my history of two c-sections removes any discussion of how Number Three will enter the world. The baby looks good and produced a strong heartbeat of more than 140 beats per minute during the ultrasound. For the rest of the afternoon, Nathan kept saying, "Want. to. see. the baby's. heartbeat?" And once we were back in the car, he and Kara each had to have their very own picture of the baby to study and hold and crumble and very possibly eat. It was really quite adorable.

My doctor and I talked a bit about my sudden onset of pre-eclampsia symptoms with Nathan, and some baseline testing can be done at the time of my gestational diabetes test (around 28 weeks), but other than that, all we can do is keep a close eye on my weight, protein levels, and blood pressure, especially near the end, and be prepared to jump into action should there be a reason. I'm cleared to continue running, though right now curling into a ball on the couch and burying my face in a pillow is about all the exercise I can handle.

I'm still hella overwhelmed, which I think has a lot to do with how crummy I feel. I've lost interest in the majority of food, and all things chicken and pork, except for Chicken McNuggets, a craving I have been fighting for almost a week. Dairy products aren't sitting well, so not even ice cream is a comfort, but cheese continues to be my friend. I am ridiculously tired come dinnertime and usually crawl into bed immediately after the last child has gone down for the night. Uterine cramping is still going strong, mostly due to dehydration, I think, because I have always been terrible about drinking enough water even when I'm not gestating. All of this physical upset means that I am terrible about returning e-mails and phone calls and sitting about three pounds below my normal weight (in other words, no maternity clothes yet). It also contributes to my feeling of dread when thinking about what lies ahead; I am already obsessing over nursing and wondering how I can navigate that situation to produce different (i.e. successful) results (no advice, though, please!), planning our finances so that we can upgrade our family car when we are already squeezing every penny, and dreading the going-back-to-work routine AGAIN. I know! One thing at a time, right? Keep perspective, God provides, etc. But it's hard not to fast forward to next year when I already know this pregnancy will fly by so fast. Even if it feels like I'm inching along right now. I still can't believe I've known for so long--Sunday will mark the four-week anniversary of my first positive pregnancy test. Technology really is amazing.

I'm excited about next week, though--I'm taking off the entire week of Thanksgiving, thanks to my awesome vacation accural as a long-time employee (six years in June!). I plan to lay around in sweatpants the entire time, save for the one-hour photography session Luke and I will be scheduling to formally document our existence as a family of four one last time. And if I'm feeling good and motivated, maybe I can even get some ink onto the pages of Nathan's baby book. You're welcome, son. 

Comments

[Erica]

You will be fine girl! You have done this two other times, third time is the charm. Right? Also, as far as the baby book goes...they don't remember when they crawled, so if you put in the wrong date, they aren't going to call you out on it. :) I still need to finish Hannah's baby book and she is 9. Don't even ask about Ben's....poor third child that he is. Enjoy your week off!

[Jen L.]

Look at the sweet little baby! I'm glad the kids are so excited. We already know Kara's a great big sister and I have a feeling Nathan will follow suit and be an awesome big brother. Hope your queasiness goes away soon. Enjoy your vacation week!

[Jess]

My son has dubbed ours Bob the Blob.

And I am subsisting on ginger ale, applesauce, crackers, fruit snacks (wha??), creamsicles, and canned pears. Anything else sends me to the toilet. Meat of any kind? OH EW. My poor family has been eating a lot of pancakes and french toast. It's all I can cook that doesn't make me hurl.

[Molly]

I had such the taste for chicken nuggets last month, so I ordered some. And then I remembered why I hadn't eaten them in so long. They taste like greasy fried nothingness, with a little bit of spongy chicken something or other in the middle. Fried taste, all afternoon.

[AJU5's Mom]

Y'all are brave taking the kids with you to the appointment. I took AJU5 to some OB appointments, but the only ultrasounds she saw were before she was 13 mo (and had no clue as to what was going on).

Glad everything is looks good so far and the dates "match".

[rkmama]

Such a sweet idea to give the kids their own picture!
It's hard not to fixate on something as life changing as adding a new member to your family. Here's to hoping the nausea goes down and your energy comes up!

[DesignHER Momma]

girl, I am just catching up with you, CONGRATS! Wow, so very excited!
~emily

[Grandma Molly]

That is the sweetest little Green Bean ever. I hope that you feel better soon.

[Parker_B]

Adorable little green bean! Enjoy your week off- you so deserve it!

[Cluelessmom]

awwwwwwww, can't resist those awe-inducing first ultrasounds! Hope the first trimester ickiness passes quickly for you.

[Christina]

For about two weeks, all I could eat was cheese. Salty cheese.

[Lisa]

I felt very overwhelmed during my third pregnancy and had many moments when I really thought I was insane for ever thinking I could handle another one! But the transition from two to three has actually been much easier than it was going from one to two. I think once you've survived having the first two so close together, you understand that the world will not end if someone has to cry for a few minutes before they get what they want! We are two weeks in with three of them (and just changing one to a big girl bed and potty training the other) and yes, it's hectic but the older two adore their baby sister and are actually old enough to do some simple things like get the burp cloth for Mommy or throw the diaper away and they feel proud of themselves for being good helpers.

Hope that's an encouragement to you!

[Belle]

What an adorable little tootsie roll! I will try very hard to fight the urge to eat it.

[elizabeth]

Congratulations! (I've been reading for a long while, but only stop by now and again as of late)
I'm pregnant with #4 and I totally hear you on the food aversion! And the constant feeling of "barfiness", as I like to call it. Not throwing up at all, but having that constant feeling like I might, the minute the food leaves my stomach.
I did have fun stuffing myself with pie yesterday at my family's Thanksgiving celebration, though. I hope you can have a bit during your luxurious week-long vacation!

[eva]

I am a vegetarian, often pretty much vegan.

At 7 weeks pregnant I had a massive urge for a sausage mcmuffin. I couldn't fight it. Ate that mcmuffin, it was sublimely perfect, and boom, the craving was gone. What I'm saying is, ENJOY THE MCNUGGETS!!