march 3- i'm fine. and how are you?

here's an update on how i'm doing.. since i know how much you care!

----i still have bo. really, really bad bo. i'm sticking to my antibacterial soap, followed by immediate deodorization... it's working.. sorta.
----smells are really the only thing that sets off nausea at this point. whew! i'm so happy to be past the ickiness phase!
----my hair seems to be falling out in clumps. :/ the thick luscious hair of my high school days is long gone. (as though i didn't lose enough in my last pregnancies.. i'm losing more now. i guess this is a recurrent thing.)
----i'm still a little sleepy. but overall i have SO much more energy! thadd and i started a new bike riding plan... hopefully we'll get out of the house more, and i'll get a little more exercise that i have been. (read: anything is more than none.)
----i'm winded just walking up the stairs. not tired, or near muscle failure or anything, just breathing heavy. i guess it's all the extra blood.
----about a week ago i started getting some lower abdominal pains. they aren't cramps. but i'm not sure what they are. i had ligament pain with max, but it wasn't until i was about 19 or 20 weeks. (and to be honest i don't remember exactly what it felt like.) i did read on whattoexpect.com that you can expect to start having ligament pain around weeks 14-15.. which is where i am. so i'm hoping that's all it is. (whatever it is, it seems to be worse when i need to pee.)
----the frequent urination is mostly gone- yay! (for a little while anyway)
----no kicks yet... but maybe some flutters. i'm still undecided.
----the pooch seems to be getting more pronounced everyday! it's like i wake up in the morning and go- "wow, i don't think i was that big yesterday". in fact i was a little worried about it. (i guess most all pregnant women have the fear that they're becoming a fatty.) but i haven't gained any weight. (that i know of yet- my appointment's on friday.) it is getting harder to do my shots since my belly is stretching a bit. (it's much easier to give shots when there's a nice chunk of fat to grab onto and stick. sorry, i guess that might be gross.)
----my dizziness seems to be a little better too. i'm hoping that it's nothing too serious, and that my body finally figured out how to share blood with my brain AND the baby.
----the headaches are coming more frequently though. eek! like, almost everyday i wake up with at least a little one. i think that, like morning sickness, it's probably hormonal since it's occurring the same time everyday. i've been drinking TONS of water... and taking meds when i have to... but they don't usually last past early afternoon.
----i have a poo confession: i'm having diarrhea everyday! at least once! still! icky.... but i suppose it beats constipation. (am i right?) i'm just REALLY trying with all my might to not get hemorrhoids. those SUCK!
----and finally, the forgetfulness. its really been going full force for about 3 weeks now. i can't remember nouns for the life of me! the other day, for instance, i was trying to tell a story and couldn't think of the word 'turnpike'. "it's a road. that you pay to go on. oklahoma has them. they have high speed limits. there's a tollbooth." haha.. it's really funny. thadd and i are actually getting a kick out of this one. it's like being in a permanent game of password with me. :)

feb 16- a tiny bit heavy in the belly

so.. as you can tell from my previous and extra long post... we have our computer back!!! yay! which means it will only be a matter of time before i'm able to properly scan in and post all my ultrasound pictures to date! i have another doctors appt tomorrow. so i'll have another one then. (i should also get the results from the pint of blood they took from me last week.)
on the ickiness front i'm doing better. the nausea is almost completely gone. i'm just really dizzy and tired all the time. i think i'm supposed to feel more energetic soon.... right? :) i still can't really stand the smell of meat... particularly cooking meat at certain times of the day.
i am having trouble sleeping... insomnia and restlessness in full force! it's like wow- where's my snoodle? (i've already got thadd's agreement that it's coming out of the march budget. sleep is just way too important to miss.)
on a high note my excessive ear wax has calmed down a little. haha!
a few days ago i actually had the "heavy" sensation in my belly for the first time. i don't think i noticed it with max... but i'm conscious of every detail with the fleck. it's actually a neat experience to feel everything a little sooner, and know what's going on with my body. (and the baby) my sister has me all neurotic about feeling the kicks. she's convinced i should feel them like... this week! (i looked up the "normal" and it said between 14 and 26 weeks.) i think i still have some time to go. :)
so i'll keep you all updated on a much more regular basis. and soon i'll be posting belly pics. thadd's actually really excited about watching my belly get bigger. (or maybe he's excited because that means the BABY is bigger!) he's chasing me around with a camera. you can definitely see a little pooch (below my fat pooch.) right above my pelvic bone... and it's hard as a rock! what a crazy thing- to have a little person growing in my abdomen!

feb 6- watching wiggles

it was so amazing over the past few weeks to see the gummy bear grow arms and legs, and then today... to see them moving around!
i had a stomach virus last week. which is not what you want- trust me. apparently i have to get it about once a year. so i spent about 12 hours in the hospital and got 4 bags of fluids. my bilirubin levels were elevated, so i got to get transported to the hospital (from the clinic) in an ambulance. woo-hoo! riding backwards in an ambulance, pregnant, with a stomach virus, on hawaiian roads.. this is also an experience i'll tell you to skip.
they never did find out why my levels were elevated... said it just could be random. so hopefully everything is good with that.
i'm still having some odd cravings and aversions. i guess i'm just going to have to get used to passing on steak for at least the next few months. i've started eating ketchup on my eggs- which i haven't done since i was about 13. and i really can't stand the taste of soda. i keep thinking "mmm.. i'd really like a coke" then i get it and i can only drink a couple of sips.. it's just too sweet and syrupy. ick.
thadd is convinced that the fleck is a girl. mostly due to the fact that i've been a little moody. just a little. with max, and all my prior pregnancies i've been super sweet and so considerate. just as loving as can be. notsomuch this time. :) but i'm trying to not go all crazy pregnant woman on him. :)
i've been having really crazy dizzy spells lately too. i guess i'm like a victorian era woman... just swooning while i'm with child. the doc said it's normal. probably due to all the extra blood my body is starting to have to pump around. he said just not to exert myself, get up slowly... the usual.
i am still periodically having spotting. in fact i was very nervous about my ultrasound today.. that things might not turn out so great. but they did. and the doctor said that some people spot their whole pregnancy.. etc.etc. blah blah... doesn't make me feel any better... blah blah. but at least i'm confident for today. and that's really what i have to do. just take it one day at a time.
as i mentioned above... the weekly ultrasounds should make you jealous. watching the baby grow in such a detailed way is really an amazing experience. we're really happy to be able to follow this baby so closely.
i've had my ob registration appointment. (where they order bloodwork, and you do a ton of paperwork.) and will have my first real ob appt. on feb 20. i got the bloodwork done today. i think they took a pint and a half.
my computer is still on the lam. but i should have it back hopefully early next week.. so i'll be able to keep more updates on here.
again, thanks for all of your support!
i scanned in all my recent pictures- but the lab here on base doesn't have a very good scanner. i'm just going to wait. sorry! i promise to have them up next week! 4 more pictures then!