During my pregnancy with Harper, I began subscribing to an online pregnancy information site. It was a wonderful source of information that allowed me to give up on all of the reading I was trying to keep up with when it came to the 10 or so pregnancy books I had bought and accumulated from other mothers. With this site, all of the info was emailed to me in a "Cliff Notes" version that even included pictures. Another reason I am so happy that we have the internet.
The site is www.babycenter.com and you enter some basic information and it calculates your due date and tracks your pregnancy. Based on the due date, it sends you weekly updates on the progress of your unborn babe along with pictures of what the little bean sprout might look like at any given week. This week, for example, Baby Brace (BB) is the size of a lime and is beginning to look more human and less alien. I think if you click on this link, you should be able to see the quasi-scientific cartoon photo of what BB looks like: http://www.babycenter.com/general/1498244.html
Even now, I still get weekly updates and advice about where Harper should be in his development. I am glad to say, if this site is correct, he is on track. Even its prediction of tantrums and manipulating behavior was right on the nose. This site has been a "god send" when it comes to searching for useful parenting information as well. I have looked up things like "Why does my little one throw up every time we are in public places", "Why is my 2 month old not talking yet", "When should I start feeding him chocolate?", "When can I start teaching him to do house chores?" and "Why does he want to bite everyone who takes anything he is playing with or is thinking about playing with"? Trust me, it has calmed a many of my fears and made me realize that he is more normal than I am!
So back to the site as it relates to BB's pregnancy. Today, I got an update that was titled "5 Surprising Pregnancy Side Effects" and I thought I would share with those of you who could really care less but just read my updates because you are my friend or you are related to me - either way... Thanks!
Here goes:
1. Forgetful - Check. This one has been going on for about 8 weeks now. I have forgotten people's names I work with, I forget where I put my car keys and I am continually calling Harper by the dogs names.
2. Clumsy - Check. The other day at work, I went to the water cooler and much to my surprise there was no water. So, I thought I would be very resourceful and change the big 5 gallon water holder. After all, I have done this several times before without incident (but I was not pregnant and clumsy). As I was pulling the empty container out, my head got in the way and the empty 5 gallon bottle whacked me right between the eyes. No problem - I laughed it off. Then I picked up the full 20 lb or more refill and went to put it on top of the tank but lost my grip and dropped it on my toes. I quickly looked to see if anyone saw me and said a few choice words and then laughed again in pain. Once safely and securely in tact, I put my Nalgene bottle under the spout and begin filling it up - I do not understand why, but I lost my grip again, and my Nalgene bottle went to the floor and water went everywhere. I think I have clumsy down to an art!
3. Short of breath - Not there yet - but I have avoided exercise, stairs, steep hills and any other thing that raises the heart rate. So this one could be laying dormant in my system just waiting for me to move quickly.
4. Dizzy - Dizzy no but ditzy yes!
5. Craving odd foods - well I haven't craved anything like dirt or ashes or clay but if you count tater tots saturated in vinegar - I've got this one covered too! It is funny because with my first pregnancy I didn't really buy into this craving thing. I didn't really have any strong convictions about what I needed to eat. This time around, I analyze food days prior to eating it. I know exactly what I want for dinner because I have rehearsed eating it several times throughout the day. The one thing that I loved the most during pregnancy #1 was Mexican, but this time I seem to have an aversion to it. Funny how things can be so different.
These were the top 5, but I thought I would add a three more of my own:
6. Crying at the drop of a hat - for those of you who know me very well, you know that I don't cry alot. But, for the last several weeks I think I have worried Matt and made him wonder if he really married such an emotional time bomb. The other day I started crying uncontrollably when Matt wanted to take a stab at a few "handyman" projects. It was a very emotional experience thinking that he might mess our door frame up and we were having guests over in 48 hours for a Halloween party! I think he relented only because he thought it might send me over the edge and he might have to commit me to a mental insitutution and he would be left to care for Harper and the dogs for an undetermined amount of time by himself.
7. Carpal Tunnel - For the skeptics - this is real problem! I always wondered about those people who claimed they had carpal tunnel before I was pregnant. But during the last 6 weeks of my first pregnancy I thought I was going to die from the pain. Unfortunately, this issue has raised its nasty head way too early with BB's pregnancy. I am imagining that I won't be able to even open my hands by week 30. Maybe I will just be walking around with balled up fists. I wonder if my boss will buy into this notion when I say that I can't open my hands to type, answer the phone or shake anyone's hand but I would still like to stay on the payroll until I deliver.
8. Needing to pee LOTS! - I am a person that tries to limit the number of times that I visit the ladies room during the day. For some reason, it has always seemed to be a hassle and unproductive. But, even this early in pregnancy, I am up to about 10-12 pee breaks during the day and at least 2 during the night. UGH~
Well, I think this is probably enough to digest for this week. I hope you are enjoying and we have our second doctor's appointment on Thursday, so I will probably do a mini-update unless anything crazy needs to be reported. I will end by referring to the above very cute picture of Harper. We introduced him to licking the batter off the mixing beaters this weekend. Like his father and mother - he was an instant fan! These moments are all the reasons that I can't wait for BB's birth to add another one to the mix!
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