April 6, 2014 - Week 17
As the title suggests, this post will just be a smattering of things. So, smatter away I will!
Smatter #1: Sickness
If you are observant, you will notice Week 16 was not lucky enough to get a baby post. This is because I was busy being miserable with a cold. I really cannot complain too much, though, I suppose. I was only miserable for a handful of days and God looked upon me favorably and kept me from the third and most vicious part of my sick cycle, The Cough.
When I get sick, I go through three stages. The sore throat, the congestion, and the cough. At each stage, I declare that it is the stage that I hate the most, but this is not really the truth. I hate the coughing the most. The sore throat that comes from drainage is miserable due to it making eating, drinking, and talking extremely unpleasant. The congestion is miserable because it makes my nose raw from using up a box of tissues each day and the periods of panic from not being able to breathe through the bubbles in my windpipe. But, the sore throat usually only lasts for a day or so, and the raw nose is greatly relieved by my newly discovered solution of applying Burt's Bees lip balm to the irritated areas. The Cough on the other hand... It can last for weeks. It makes sleeping impossible. It hurts everything from my throat down to my stomach. It has no cure, except time. I hate The Cough.
This time around, I was praying so hard that I would not get The Cough, that this cold was mild enough to warrant skipping stage three. Not only did I have the memory of my last battle with The Cough still in mind [twas absolute misery, I tell you], but I was already feeling slight effects of my nose blowing and throat clearing on the muscles in my lower abdomen. By day 3 or 4, I was even becoming mildly concerned that the constant force being exerted down there would somehow result in the kpluBlet being unceremoniously spewed out of my belly button. Yes, that sounds like a drastic and unrealistic scenario, but I seriously entertained this concern as being 1.7% possible. I am coming to accept that the most prominent pregnancy symptom I am experiencing is Utter Lack of Reason. *shakes fist*
But, God is good. I didn't even get a mild case of The Cough. My uterus stayed in its appropriate environment, as did the kpluBlet, and my belly button remains intact. Disaster averted.
Smatter #2: Movement
Flutterings. Quickenings. Popcorn poppings. Butterfly frolickings.
Nothing.
It's so hard to be patient!
I keep moving the marker for what needs to happen for me to be at peace. First, it was the first appointment. Then it was the ultrasound. Next came the initial blood work. Then the second appointment. Recently, I can finally start seeing a neat curve-like shape to my abdomen, and so of course that means I have increased my requirements for peace of mind to physically feeling movement from the kpluBlet. Nothing yet.
I'm not overly concerned as the range of time when you first recognize baby movement seems to be a pretty wide range of time. I'm not concerned, but I am impatient. Since I cannot install a window to look inside my uterus whenever I have the urge, I tell myself that I will just have to settle for the feelings of life inside of me. The feelings are bound to come sooner or later, but why oh why can it not be sooner? I realize more and more each day how impatient of a person I am. I need to go read the last chapter of a new book. Be right back.
Okay, I feel a little better now.
Smatter #3: Gender
Aside from the birth itself, I think the only thing left to fully, completely make this pregnancy real to us is finding out whether the kpluBlet is a boy or a girl. This is sure to be an unsurprising statement but, I am impatient. Finding out the gender will mean getting to see the kpluBlet once again on an ultrasound. Finding out the gender will mean getting to officially name our little half-Asian. Finding out the gender will mean the baby shopping can commence. It will be quite the day.
Speaking of baby shopping, going to the zoo on a fine Sunday afternoon makes for a perfect stroller-scouting opportunity. There were strollers galore! In this particular setting, however, I was limited to Jason's favorite instruction of "Look with your eyes, not with your hands," as the multitude of parents apparently would not have appreciated me testing out the various functions of their strollers. Or snacking on their child's bag of Cheerios. Sigh.
Smatter #4: Energy
I have felt absolutely incredible this week. Lethargy and the blues are a thing of yesterweek. Curling up on the couch with zero desire to do anything is no more. I feel like my normal self for the first time in a while. No more cold symptoms. The sun is out and Jason and I go out for a walk or spread out towels in our "backyard" and read for an hour. I literally feel myself rejuvenating. LIT-erally.
Pregnancy seems to go in these weird week-ish cycles. Twinges are present one week and are gone the next. Odd stomach sensations come one week and leave the next. Feeling like a hot air balloon tethered to the ground one week and feeling pleasantly deflated the next. Wanting a nap every 3 hours one week and managing to not take a nap all week the next. Worrying you won't make it to the bathroom 9 times a day one week and then experiencing Normal Person Bladder Control the next. The cycle-like feeling is really odd, but also anxiety-deflating. Knowing there's a very good chance that some little abnormal sensation is going to pass within a week keeps me from allowing myself to freak out for no particular reason.
This week, and hopefully for the ones to come, I am fully and completely energized. It has been lovely with a capital L. I physically and mentally feel great. God is good. Now if kpluBlet would just learn some Morse code and tap out a few messages, I would be absolutely satisfied. But alas, in all of our baby brainstorming sessions, we have not come up with a method to teach the kpluBlet Morse code except through Morse code...
Who knew a tiny little onion-sized person would be sitting inside of me right this minute?
Dear Tiny Little Half-Asian kpluBlet,
Oh, little one. You're so tiny and hidden away and yet you seem to affect every little part of our lives, even now. I can only imagine how much more true this will be once you arrive and we get to solemnly shake hands. You will rightfully assume that you are the center of our world.
So, here's the scoop, kpluBlet. Here is how the world will work. Puma will chase the balled-up tissues. You will chase the Puma. We will chase you. Got it? Okay, good.
Life will be ever so bright when your cuteness arrives.
***Now that our secret posts and real time have caught up to each other, and since our secret posts aren't really much of a secret anymore, this shall be the last of them. Our normal life ramblings shall pick back up from here on out [which means Jason will finally blog again!].***
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