THANKS MOM!

When I become a mom, I want to do special things like send my kids presents in the mail.  This little box of chocolate from my mom totally made my day and I've eaten two pieces already (10:30 am).   Thanks mom, you are the best.  Someday, maybe I can be just as wonderful to my kids.  

PS.  It's my parents 40th wedding anniversary this Sunday.  Congratulations guys!  And in true Hensley vacation form, they will spend it touring the Lincoln home in Springfield, IL to celebrate his birthday and maybe visit the Clinton Library.  Now you understand why I became a history teacher... I was brainwashed. 

Who's counting...

So I just added the "ticker" at the top.  

Off topic for a second... what's with all this new web lingo.  What the heck is a Twitter?  Sounds like a disease no one wants and when did it become a word everyone knows?  Isn't it the same as "blogging"?  I just don't think it's fair for those of us who grew up in the beginning of this technology boom to find ourselves all of sudden dated by the tech lingo we use.  

Okay back to baby.  I am feeling a lot better, but knocking on wood b/c I know that could change any minute.  NOT good enough to hit the gym yet, or at least that's my excuse.  I don't know if I like this "ticker" count down.  It makes me nervous.  ONLY 200 and some days until your life changes forever!  I think my stomach just turned inside out and now my brain is reminding me of all the things I have to do.  

When planning your marriage, you knew there was a count down... but it was count down till I get to wear that AMAZING dress or go on my honeymoon! ( And of course marriage)  This feels different.  Like the countdown of a new dawn, a new perspective on my life that I can't read or prepare for because there are no words.  I guess that's exciting too.  I read in the books that it is normal to feel uncertain during your pregnancy or have moments when you think "take it back".  I bet that changes when you actually can see something in there or feel it moving around.  I'm hoping!  Not that I want to "give it back", but there are moments when complete terror comes over me and I can't imagine being able to be good enough for this baby.  Or a kid does something stupid at school and I sigh thinking "Baby please don't come out like that!"

So I rambled a little today, thanks for listening.  I promise to have pictures after this weekend when I go to Sierra's and she shows me how to change the resolution on my digital camera.  The 4 1/2 year old PC owner who took a picture of her fish is too busy (I feel like that commercial mocks my intelligence).  

Sickly, Bloated, and Nerdy...

Ah pregnancy, well at least now when some part of my body is acting weird I go directly to the source.  That tiny little heartbeat the size of a peanut, bless it's heart...beat.  Yesterday I found out another interesting pregnancy fact.  My contacts had been bugging me the last month or so.  I figured it was my time to switch out the old with a new set.  When I tried that and my contacts still hurt it dawned on me, "Wait, maybe this is something to do with pregnancy BECAUSE WHAT DOESN'T?"  Sure enough, google told me that because of water retention your cornea gets bigger or smaller (can't remember) therefore disrupting your contacts.  Some women said they only can wear their glasses while they are pregnant.  

HA!  Double HA!  Pregnancy does not know who it is dealing with when it comes to wearing glasses.  I was in contacts when I was in the sixth grade b/c my parents were afraid if they didn't do something I would go totally blind (somewhat untrue...but close).  I remember the day I got my first pair.  After years of having to wear goofy glasses where my prescription began to resemble the bottom of coke bottles and my activities only got sweatier, I was in heaven.  No longer would I be geeky looking.  No longer would my stick figure body be twice as small as my oversized frames... or bangs (late 80's).  No longer would I be called four eyes or have to wander through the pool in the summer pretending I can see.  I HAD CONTACTS! And I never looked back.  Anyone who knows me or grew up with around me probably can count on their hands how many times they have seen me in glasses (bedtime doesn't count).  I hate them... for the same reason I hate any underwear that you can't run a marathon in.  Uncomfortable, moving around too much when you sweat, and watching TV while lying down is impossible.  So now I have to give up my contacts for the peanut sized heart beat.  Well.... okay, but only because I'm sure it is much more adorable than Ricky Benson who decided I was cute enough to hold hands with after getting contacts.... and then broke up with me while I was in California to go out with my best friend.  It was all about convenience at that age. 

PS.  If you are thinking it can't be that bad just know I've never met anyone who can beat my prescription... Left eye 9.0, Right eye 8.5 ... anyone?  anyone?

Never again..

1. Never again will I assume I'm the exception to the rule when it comes to morning sickness when I'm only one week pregnant.

2. Never again will I tell people "I have this nausea all figured out" one day and then find my entire plan does not work the next.

3.  Never again will I have Matt drive me to Safeway to find something to eat when I feel really really sick because it turns out the card aisle is only one doesn't make me want to hurt people!

4.  Never again will I tell Matt that would rather "Throw up violently all day then feel like this"

5.  Never again will I eat anything made or resembling spaghetti noodles.

6. Never again will I assume what sounds good one minute will still sound good going into my mouth the next...

7.  Never again will I induce vomiting b/c it seems like the better alternative.

8.  Never again will I think my life doesn't involve gas... all day!

9.  Never again will I decide to get pregnant without remembering what it feels like that first trimester and spend hours in therapy trying to prepare myself.

10.  And never again will I complain about being sick on this blog b/c in the long run, it's worth it, I'm just a big sissy, and if I think I know what pain is now... I'm in for a huge surprise in six months!

Move over OJ here comes CHEESE PUFFS (orange theme)

Our appointment went well yesterday.  All my blood work is normal and everything looks good.  I get to hear the heartbeat March 13th.  That is very exciting!  The nausea is still there, but I think I have it licked.  When I start to feel sick I think of what I could eat right away and then run out and eat it.  Yesterday morning was pancakes and peanut butter and last night was cheese puffs.  Matt is doing really well.  I call him on his way home and bark orders like "CHEESE PUFFS NOW!" and he brings them home without wanting to divorce me.  I still can't cook at home without wanting to throw up or open the frig which means I eat out a lot (expensive!)  I know it's temporary so that's my saving grace.  I actually made it in the grocery store yesterday and spent $50 worth of groceries.  When I got home I realized 3/4 of that was fruit and cereal.  The only aisle that didn't make me want to hurl.  Oh well!  

The weight thing is weird to get use to.  I don't know if you other preggies felt this way, but I was happy when I went in yesterday and saw I weighed the same.  Then I thought "No wait, I want to gain weight? Right?"  

Bring on the belly :)  I can not wait to feel him/her kicking or hear the heartbeat.  Seems like it is so far away!  

We Have a Heartbeat!

We went in on Friday for an ultrasound and we finally saw the baby (or blob that will be the baby).  It is only 6 weeks and 4 days old.  I think it's kind of funny that every time I go to the doctor my baby keeps getting younger.  Monday I will be at week 7.  This puts our due date at Sept. 28th.  So the most amazing part for me was seeing the baby's/blob's heartbeat.  It was this flutter right in the middle.  AMAZING... Now my job is just to keep that heart beating FOR THE REST OF IT'S LIFE.  WOW... the moments of massive realization throughout this whole process keeps amazing me.  Is it still like this with baby 2, 3, 4, or 16 (in some people's case)?  I have another appt. on Thursday, Feb. 12th as a follow up to the blood work and ultrasound.  

OMG Orange Juice is AMAZING!

I started to get the "nausea" this week.  I say "nausea" like it's the plague because I remember watching and hearing horror stories from my girlfriends like Kelly and Annie.  In a way it makes me cranky and want to burn things more than usually (I'm pyro preggie).  Still goes to show that no matter how many books you read or friends you talk to, you just don't "get it" until it actually happens to you.  I'm so sorry I wasn't more supportive to anyone in my life suffering from morning sickness.  

Anyway, so I at first decided I couldn't even think of eating, but after the first day of dry heaving I realized that was probably not the answer.  And then the school secretary gave me starbursts and a speech on how morning sickness was caused by the imbalance of acid in your stomach that just needs to be neutralized with sugar. I love science! No wonder Kelly loved Oreo cookies so much and Ann loved Root Beer.  So my answer is anything to do with Oranges.  I never realized what an amazing fruit it is!  If I was any good at poetry I would write "An Ode to the Orange" (get on that Ann) and say it everyday.   This morning I was eating my breakfast sandwich and looked over to see an orange staring back at me.  Like a vampire I stabbed it with a knife, cut it in half, and sucked all the juice out of in less than one minute.  When the carnage was over I was like "What just happened?"  So prevent myself from doing that in front of my students, I bought this huge bottle of OJ and I have been drinking it all day.  Yes, I realize that if I drink the whole thing it will equal 800 calories (good lord), but I can't explain how much better I feel all day.  So my question is... are the food cravings the body's way of fixing the imbalances or will I hate oranges in two weeks and move on to liver and onions (ah... just threw up a little right there...burn it).