Anxiety dream

First off-- forgot to mention that Friday was my last day of Crinone.  Hooray!  One less med.  I suppose now what's left is for the long haul: Lovenox injections, baby aspirin, prenatal vitamin, and Folbic (massive folic acid supplement).  I've also been taking B6-- not sure how long I'll keep that up, as I'm starting to suspect it's keeping me up at night.  Maybe I'll just wisen up and take it in the morning.  Too easy?

I don't know if it's the absence of the extra hit of progesterone or what, but I did feel better this weekend.  More good days, please.

Last night, I had a major anxiety dream about our appointments on Thursday.  Everything that could go wrong went wrong, at least twice.  First, the MFM appointment was cancelled and rescheduled for the next day.  But our whole family had already driven up in that direction, so rather than make the long trek home (subconscious: the MFM office is too far away), we got a hotel room.

In the hotel room, I was freaking out, trying to remember if the appointment was rescheduled to 12, 12:30, 1, or 1:30.  And then, when it was magically the next morning, I suddenly realized I'd forgotten to cancel the OB appointment, and so now I probably had to pay a fee or something (heaven forbid).  Then I decide the appointment is at 1:30, but it's still really early in the day, and since the hotel is closer to the office than our house, I know it's too early to leave, so I worry about how to use up the time.

But the next thing I know, I look at my watch and it's 1:21.  Ack!  Rick is staying with the girls and not going with me for some reason.  (And I think he's actually sitting in the lobby wearing curlers, lipstick, and smoking a cigarette-- um, not sure where that came from.)  I have to get dressed, but all I can find are denim-ish looking leggings, an animal print skirt, and another animal print (not matching) top.  I pull it all on and run out to the car, holding my keys.  Except I can't run, because the skirt is way too tight, so I have to strip it off and then I'm just wearing these horribly trashy leggings.

When I get outside, I see a tornado in the distance, and everybody is waiting for it to pass before we can get in our cars and go.  But I know I'm late, so I just get in the car anyway.  Then I realize I have no idea exactly how to get to the MFM from the hotel-- but I have a vague idea of where the highway is, so I head in that direction (the tornado has barreled through by now, thankfully).  So I start driving through this gate, but then I realize the gate is actually doors to an interior area of the hotel, so I've driven inside.  And I can't just reverse, because the doors open one-way, towards the inside.  So I had to do a tight turn-around in the pool/lobby area and go out the other side of the doors, where they opened toward the outside.  That's when I remember being annoyed that Rick wasn't going to the appointment with me, because I knew he wouldn't have driven into the hotel.  And that's when I woke up.

Good gracious, I have issues!  What in the world prompted all of that craziness?  For the record, I know exactly when (and where) my appointment is on Thursday and Rick will be going with me (and driving, I imagine).  Nutty girl, right here.

Oh-- other news: I had to dig out maternity pants today and it was such a RELIEF to put them on and not feel constricted.  Ahhhh.  I've never had to wear them so early, but, well, I've never carried a litter of babies either. 

Photo project: 10 weeks

So like I said, I'd like to take a series of consistent photos-- same background, same lighting, same (minimal) clothes.  This is the first installment!

Wearing booty shorts and a sports bra, because I figure this journey is going to impact my entire body-- not just the belly-- and I'm determined to document it, scary as it may be.  I would tell you to avert your eyes, but this is the real world.  Muscle up and take it!

Plan right now is photos every 5 weeks-- 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35.  I'll take informal ones otherwise, but I'm not going to strip down and drag out the photo equipment every week.

Here we go!

10 weeks

Houston, we have fetuses!  Hooray!  Our little trio has graduated out of the embryonic stage this week and now are three teeny tiny fully formed babies, with six months of growin' left to do.

Here's what babycenter has to say this week:

How your baby's growing:

Though he's barely the size of a kumquat — a little over an inch or so long, crown to bottom — and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, your baby has now completed the most critical portion of his development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in his body rapidly grow and mature.
He's swallowing fluid and kicking up a storm. Vital organs — including his kidneys, intestines, brain, and liver (now making red blood cells in place of the disappearing yolk sac) — are in place and starting to function, though they'll continue to develop throughout your pregnancy.
If you could take a peek inside your womb, you'd spot minute details, like tiny nails forming on fingers and toes (no more webbing) and peach-fuzz hair beginning to grow on tender skin.
In other developments: Your baby's limbs can bend now. His hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over his heart, and his feet may be long enough to meet in front of his body. The outline of his spine is clearly visible through translucent skin, and spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from his spinal cord. Your baby's forehead temporarily bulges with his developing brain and sits very high on his head, which measures half the length of his body. From crown to rump, he's about 1 1/4 inches long. In the coming weeks, your baby will again double in size — to nearly 3 inches.
 

http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-10-weeks_1099.bc

And their picture:

Fingers and toes!

But Mariela will be disappointed with the kumquat description.  Not a helpful reference, babycenter!  An inch and a quarter is about 3 m&m's long.  I will not tell you how I know that, but it's certainly not because I just opened a Fun Size pack.  I wish I could tell you the size in peanut m&m's, which are my preference.  Alas.

I am feeling fine.  Not fabulous, but better, I think.  M called this afternoon and I was telling him it's hard to say that it's getting better because everything changes on a day-by-day basis.  My eating habits are definitely still screwed up.  I have a really, really hard time eating vegetables, which is not at all typical for me.  Also have a hard time drinking enough water and staying hydrated-- somehow, the more I drink, the worse I feel.  But trying to improve little by little.

Weight is the same as last week, I think.  159.6.  I will start gaining soon!  Really!

I have some grand plans for taking consistent belly shots that I'm hoping to launch this weekend.  Could use a little help from the weather-- I need natural light and today it is gloomy.  But hopefully I'll have something soon!

Really looking forward to the day o' appointments next week, when we get another glimpse at ze bebes (that was my French accent, if it's not clear).

A little late

This video is about embryonic development, weeks 2 through 9.  I love this stuff-- really, if anything is miraculous to me, it's human development-- particularly the very early part.  And as many of these kinds of things as I've watched, I still gasped a little when it jumped from 5 weeks to 9 weeks.  The difference is just incredible.

http://bcove.me/1kwsr2wi

Busy weekend

We ended up spending most of the weekend with the C family.  They were staying at a rented house out on the lake in Lago Vista.  We got out there a little after 7 on Friday night and hung out and had dinner-- spaghetti with three different sauces, bread and salad.  Only half the crew was there that night (of an eventual total of 20 people?)-- another carload arrived about 30 minutes after we left.

On Saturday, Mariela had dance, so I stayed home and waited on her.  Meanwhile, Rick and Andie went back out to the house and everyone went out on the boat for a few hours.  My crazy husband and daughter even went swimming, even though it was WAY too cold for that.  When I picked up Mariela, we joined the party.  By the time we ate that night, I wasn't feeling great, but I did eat some delicious tandoori chicken.  The girls and I slept over that night-- Rick had to go home because he worked the next day.

Sunday morning we got up, ate breakfast, played a little while, and then the girls and I headed hom for a brief laundry folding mission.  At home, the girls made celebratory signs for J's triumphant MS 150 finish.  We went to the finish line and met everyone at about 1:00 and J crossed sometime around 2.  It was very exciting to see him and celebrate what he's accomplished-- biking from Houston to Austin!  Andie's now saying she wants to do it next year.  I don't think so, kid.

We hung out near the Texas Children's tent for a while before finally deciding to go eat at Pappadeaux's-- it's hard to find a restaurant to take 20 people on a busy event day without a reservation!  Dinner was delicious.  Mariela spent a lot of it snuggling up to the grandmother crowd and lapping up the attention.  It was good to get to talk to J a bit, since he hadn't been there the rest of the week.  Rick missed out!

Everybody headed home again at about 6.  Fun, full weekend.  And somehow I managed to lose a pound-- not sure that's ever happened after a C family weekend.  Ugh, come on, body!  Eat up!  Pack it on!  Now's your chance!

9 weeks

What say ye, babycenter?

How your baby's growing:

Your new resident is nearly an inch long — about the size of a grape — and weighs just a fraction of an ounce. She's starting to look more and more human. Her essential body parts are accounted for, though they'll go through plenty of fine-tuning in the coming months. Other changes abound: Your baby's heart finishes dividing into four chambers, and the valves start to form — as do her tiny teeth. The embryonic "tail" is completely gone. Your baby's organs, muscles, and nerves are kicking into gear. The external sex organs are there but won't be distinguishable as male or female for another few weeks. Her eyes are fully formed, but her eyelids are fused shut and won't open until 27 weeks. She has tiny earlobes, and her mouth, nose, and nostrils are more distinct. The placenta is developed enough now to take over most of the critical job of producing hormones. Now that your baby's basic physiology is in place, she's poised for rapid weight gain.
 

http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-9-weeks_1098.bc

So how are these three little grapes treating me?

Not too bad, all considered.  My morning sickness is not terrible for the most part.  Sometimes at night I have some long stretches of misery, but I've thankfully had a decent time of it during the workday.  I had a tougher morning than usual today because I gagged on my toothpaste and once you've gone down that road, it's hard to turn back.  But I'm feeling ok now.  Need to think about eating something soon.

The babies' family is in Austin this weekend, to fete Uncle J, who is biking the MS 150.  So at some point, we're sure to go hang out with them, which will be fun.

Oh-- and my weight this week was 159.6.  We'll round up and call that 160 and a pound gained, shall we?  Babies are definitely growing-- I can feel the top of my uterus about an inch under my belly button.  I think 20 weeks is when it's supposed to get to belly-button level, but I'm guessing we'll be there next week.

Not a lot going on otherwise.  No appointments this week or next week-- next medical event on the radar is MFM first trimester ultrasound and OB appointment, both on May 2.

Food!

I feel like I'm halfway through a normal eating day, so I'm going to jinx it now, but blogging what I've eaten:

Breakfast: 

• 0% plain greek yogurt (more than half a cup, less than a cup-- don't know exactly)
• 1/2 t sugar, because I like to cut the bitterness of the yogurt a bit
• handful of green grapes, halved
• 1/4 c Grape Nuts
• Glass of V8 vegetable juice

All mixed together and it was yummy.  About 25 g protein, I think.

Snack:

• 6 bites of lowfat cottage cheese.  I figure that's about 1/2 c-- they were big bites.

12 g protein.

Lunch:

• Chicken kebab sandwich
• Falafel "shot" (one piece of falafel in some sauce with a lemon wedge

From Kebabalicious.  There was a huge line, but it was good, so I'll say it was worth it.  It was not my favorite chicken schwarma sandwich ever-- I miss Marakesh for my downtown Middle Eastern cuisine needs.  Alas.  RIP Marakesh.  Guesstimate: 50 g protein.

I also ate a mini Three Muskateers (the tiny, bite-sized ones), which was not worth the effort.  Sweets are not my thing at the moment.

For snack this afternoon, I have an orange and more cottage cheese.  Another 12 g protein.

Dinner:

Hmm.  This will be the problem, since I usually am not keen to eat by dinner.  But it looks like I'll have 100g of protein in me by then, so that's a good start.  If I can think of some marginally palatable meat-based meal, I should hit 150g for the day.  Go me.  Hitting the minimum.  'Course, my goal is more like 200g, but whatever.  I will work up to that.