The Symptoms...

Week 8! Our baby is now the size of a raspberry :)

While I have always been fortunate with mild morning sickness in all of my pregnancies (and this one is following in suit) - that doesn't mean I don't have symptoms.

Here are some of my symptoms and how I've been managing them:

Morning Sickness: It's here. I just don't find myself hugging the porcelain throne like many pregnant women do. Instead it's a tight-rope walk. One step toward being too hungry sends me spiraling into a world of nausea where I don't feel hungry, I just feel ill. One step towards being too full and I feel like a bloated, beached whale who is about to puke up Jonah himself. It's not pretty. However,  the antidote: I've been able to keep this mostly at bay by eating frequent, small snacks. Some of my favorite on-the-go snacks this pregnancy are: buttered cookies from the tin, greek yogurt (muller, the kind where you can dump caramelized almonds or berries in), and bagels with butter.

Itchy, dry legs: I typically get itchy, dry legs in the winter. But I've reached a whole different level of frenzied scratching lately. It's just my damn shins! It feel ssoooooo amazing to scratch, but when I look down I've nearly scrapped my skin raw.  The Antidote: Aquaphor! I discovered this stuff when Scarlett had eczema as a toddler and a friend recommended it. It's similar to Vaseline in consistency, although slightly thicker.  It's helping, although it hasn't solved the problem. I also remember my sister gifted me a Burt's Bees peppermint leg cream during on of my previous pregnancies that had a wonderful cooling effect. Might need to invest in more of that!

Bizarre Dreams: Like... REALLY vivid, REALLY strange dreams out of nowhere. The other night I had a dream that I pulled a maggot out of my eye lid. Yeah. No fucking thank you. The Antidote:  I really wish I knew!

Exhaustion: Extreme, spontaneous, unwarranted exhaustion. The kind that physically hurts. The kind that makes you momentarily contemplate death because at least you'd be laying down. It comes on randomly (sometimes just a few hours after I wake up), even after I full night sleep (I slept 9 hours last night... I was still tired for about 80 percent of my day). The Antidote: Naps. Lots of them. Also, they say you are allowed roughly 1-2 cups of coffee a day. I've been measuring out 10 ounces when I am really feeling the exhaustion, and I savor each and every drop. It's liquid gold.

Bloat: The moment food touches my lips, I look 5 months pregnant. I've been taking my daily bump pictures in the morning before I have anything to eat. If I took a picture in the evenings you would swear those photos were taken months apart, not hours apart. The Antidote: Suck it in, don't stuff yourself, and blame it on the baby belly. That's all I've got!

Acid Reflux: Nothing makes an already nauseous pregnant lady feel more nauseous than hot bile creeping up her throat. Gross. Thankfully this hasn't been too terrible yet, but it has caught me off guard a few times and I do remember it got progressively worse with my previous pregnancies. The Antidote: Tums. And avoid acidic food.

Cravings: So far my cravings have consisted of: lobster bisque, burritos, crab rangoons, tacos, 7 layer dip, WaWa's mac and cheese, rice and beans. Fair warning: This kid might pop out wearing a sombrero. The Antidote: Chipotle, Taco Bell, Tijuana Tacos, and of course, your local grocery store. This symptom really isn't so bad ;)

And finally...

Euphoria: Because life is seriously the coolest fucking thing. Everywhere I go I feel like I'm harboring this amazing secret. This precious, extraordinary cargo that is full of hope and the terrifying. wonderful unknown. And the best part is, this time, I get to do everything with my little sidekicks. As if the miracle of life wasn't incredible enough to the average adult, holy crap, you should see kids react to it. The girls are completely enamored. I've always felt we have a strong family unit and that my husband, the girls and I all work together beautifully and compliment one another so well. This experience is letting us all see that in action. I feel like we are all in this together. I cannot wait to see my babies hold our baby for the first time. The pride on their faces. The excitement in their eyes. The way they will be little cheerleaders for this little one's first steps, words, laughs. There is so much good happening.

I am a lucky lady. :)

And with that... I bid you aduei. Until next time.

xo,
T