Guess What??

We are having another beautiful baby!!!!!!!!  We are SO excited!!!!!  November just cant come soon enough. We had started feeling like it might be time to start thinking about #3 last Fall, but we weren't quite ready.  By November, Brad said he thought it was time and I still wasnt quite there.  Then in January, I started feeling better about a baby.... and Brad was thinking we should wait again.  Then finally some time after that, we were both on the same page.

I knew I was pregnant at about 2 weeks.  It was actually our first morning at Disneyland.  I got out of bed and walked passed a mirror and couldnt believe it was me.  My stomach had popped and was super tight and round.  It was soooo weird.  I told Brad that morning that I was sure I was pregnant.  After that, I was SO hungry!!!  All I could think about was food.  Disneyland food tasted amazing and I have no idea if it actually is that good, or if it was just crazy pregnancy taste buds.  I'll have to back one day and find out.

Finally after what seemed like forever... I was able to take a pregnancy test and confirm it.  It was basically old news by then for us, so we were ready to just tell people.  So I think we ended up announcing it just a few days later.  We had family in town and it seemed like a good time.  Thats always one of my favorite things!!  Telling everyone and seeing their reactions and excitement! 

So all was great with the world and we were overjoyed to be getting to welcome another perfect soul in to the world and especially since 2 of Brad's brother's and their wives were expecting at the same time and so were Nathan and Kaitlin.  Such perfect timing!!!

And then at about 7 weeks.... the morning sickness set in.  I had morning sickness with my first two pregnancies and it sucked pretty bad, but this time --  OH MY GOSH.  I really felt like I was dying EVERY SINGLE DAY!!!!  It felt like the worst flu I've ever had that just lasted a month and a half.  moving hurt, breathing hurt, thinking hurt, eating hurt, not eating hurt even worse.  Nothing fixed it.  With the other pregnancies, I'd be bad for a bit, but then I'd find a few things I could stomach and stick to those and I would just kind of find my groove.  Not this time.  I'd get a craving for something and think 'finally!  If I just eat this one thing, I'll be able to not feel as sick.'  So I would send Brad to Lin's and 11:30 at night for frozen waffles and peach jelly rings and then I'd have one bite.... and I'd be sick.  I seriously couldnt find anything that worked.  I was starving and throwing up and weak and totally useless.  I cant count how many nights I would wake up at 2am to pee and get so sick from the walk to the bathroom that I had to just lay in bed in the dark eating crackers until I could fall asleep.

During this time, Brad did everything.  Im not even exaggerating.  He is amazing and it makes me want to cry just thinking about it.  He was so busy trying to study for the board exam, but was taking care of the kids and me and laundry and cleaning and cooking and shopping and everything else.  He got up with the kids every morning and let me sleep.  He'd make me whatever i wanted to eat, even though we would both know that it was going to make me sick.  He took Clark to school and picked him up.  He changed every diaper.  He did all the baths and medicine and stories and picking up toys.  And after every long day, he'd rub my feet and get me strawberry-kiwi shasta and feel sorry for me.  He has been incredible.  I love that man so much!!!!

So it was a tough month and a half.  I know there are so many people who have it worse than me, but I was pretty drained.  I started to feel kinda defeated and started wondering if we even made the right decision.  I started wondering if maybe we were having a baby too soon and wondering if I would even be able to handle another pregnancy and another baby.

Then on the last saturday in April, at 8:30 in the morning, I started getting the most horrible, sharp pains in my abdomen.  I thought it was weird, but probably normal, so I tried to ignore it.  But it didnt go away.  After an hour and hardly being able to stand up, I called my doctors office and talked to a nurse.  She told me that I needed to go into the emergency room to get an ultrasound and make sure the baby was okay.  I hung up and suddenly felt scared,  I thought that the nurse would tell me that it was fine and probably nothing and just to rest.

So Brad drove me in to Mesquite and they admitted me into the hospital and after waiting for a really long time, they did the ultrasound.  I was totally panicking and so worried that something was wrong.  After weeks of questioning what I wanted, it was so clear in that moment.  I just wanted to hear a heartbeat.  I just wanted my baby.  Even if it meant that I was going to be deathly ill for 9 months straight, I just wanted my baby.  It was such a relief to hear them say everything was okay and that the baby was healthy and fine.  

I was still in pain, so they gave me morphine and the next thing I knew they were testing for apendicitis and calling an ambulance and sending me to a hospital in vegas.  I was so doped up though, I couldnt hardly get a sentence out, let alone tell them that I was fine and I didnt want to go to Vegas.  So I finally started to come out of the medication fog when we were arriving at Mountain View.  They took me in and I immediately told them I was fine.  I was still hurting, but not as bad, and knew it was fine.  They kept saying, 'yes but you're nauseous and dizzy on top of the pain and that concerns us' and I was like, 'Im pregnant and you havent let me eat or drink anything all day.  Of course Im sick.'  Anyway, against medical advisement, I left.  I told them I'd come back if it got worse.  And it didnt.  The pain tapered off over about a week.  No idea what it was, but Im content thinking it was just to remind me of how much I want this baby.

After that I only had about a week and a half of morning sickness and it just didnt seem as bad.  I was still puking and tired, but I felt stronger, like I could handle it.

Then my 2nd trimester started.  Oh wonderful 2nd trimester!!!  I can eat again!!!!  I havent thrown up in a week and my stomach muscles are starting to feel less sore.  I can pee in the night and just go back to sleep.  I can wake up in the morning without feeling like I want to die.  I can go to the grocery store and I can watch tv without getting nauseous.  I can change diapers and play with the kids again.  And most importantly, I can give Brad a little bit of a break!!  Its magical!!!  Im so so so happy to be passed the first trimester.  

So after an interesting start, we are enjoying the excitement of this new little person thats already making its presence very, very known!!!  :)