6 MONTHS

It’s been a while since I’ve updated. Things are progressing along. I’m getting larger by the second. I’m starting to feel Addison kick more and more. I remain sick. My newest complaint is an overwhelming desire to sleep, sleep, sleep. I am always uncomfortably exhausted. I know I don't eat right, but this is craziness. What happened to that second trimester energy burst I heard all about? Ugh!

Work continues to be a challenge, as it seems that’s where I do most of my vomiting these days. I have only gained 2.5 pounds since conception. Heartburn is also an issue, but I received some good advice from other women to try Zantac and it has helped considerably. Other pregnant women around my stage of pregnancy complain of extremity swelling, hip pain, and back pain. I am thankful that I have no issues with any of those symptoms yet. I do get headaches, but I’ll take those over back pain. I have been sick since January, and Cliff has taken care of me since that time. He has kept up with the household chores, including laundry. He is working two jobs. He makes sure Landen gets to school or day care on time and gets picked up. He makes sure Landen and I are fed. This has been his biggest challenge, because I most often refuse to eat. He still tries. He still puts some kind of food in front of me as often as he can. He has listened to daily complaints from me, and I haven’t heard him complain even once. I don’t know where he finds time to get things done, but he does. I can mention something little, such as needing a towel hook in the bathroom. He wont say anything, and I’ll notice that I have a new towel hook the next day. Today, he came home between jobs and installed a ceiling fan, then listened to me say “no” to every meal he offered, and then he cooked something anyway before he went to his second job. I am blessed to have someone who has supported me through a very difficult time. We recently went to our 20 year class reunion. Here I am on the way out the door.

Now, if anyone would have told either Cliff or myself that we would be attending our 20 year class reunion, with me carrying his child, we would have laughed and told you to go back on your meds. We were recently trying to remember how things came to be. Neither of us could. We aren’t sure how in the world we ended up becoming parents together after all these years. We agree that Addison has a purpose here on this earth and we believe we were brought together for that reason. We had a great time at the reunion and enjoyed catching up with friends who are like family to us. Addison even got to take part, as she received beach toys and Princess on Board vehicle window signs. I’m sure our classmates are also perplexed by Cliff and I. We can’t explain it. We are obviously not in control. We have had an absolute blast shopping for pink, girly stuff. I’ve already purchased her Halloween costume (a surprise), and Cliff bought her this bracelet.

She’s going to be such a diva! We finally reached a decision on bedding. Here it is.

We registered at Babies R Us (babiesrus.com), under Cindy Vandervort (Yulee, FL) or registry number 48466125. Now, that was a challenge. Neither of us had any idea of what we were doing. There are SO many decisions to be made. We did the best we could. Poor Addison. My cousin, Carrie, has recently offered to give us several items that her twins have outgrown. We are very thankful for that. I know everything will come together, but my controlling personality makes it difficult for me to relax. I want things done and organized now, even though we still have 15 weeks to go. I am trying to get out more, but it is so difficult for me. I would rather stay home, and on my couch when I am not working. I’ve been off for the last two days and I’ve done nothing but sleep. It’s a miserable existence. I’ve been to the beach a couple times recently. The first trip, you can see by the picture that I was pretty miserable.

I did better on the second trip, which was at night with my nieces.

And Cliff, Landen, and I made a day trip last weekend. I did even better then. I hate that I’ve had such a difficult pregnancy and have complained so much. I know that Addison will be more than worth every symptom. I want to put this bible verse somewhere in her nursery. I believe it is quite fitting.

My next ultrasound is on 7/10. I have a fear that they will say she has turned into a he! I’m really worried about it, and Cliff makes fun of me. I recently had to do a bunch of (unnecessary) testing, related to my sinus tachycardia. Everything came back normal, except for a borderline low TSH (thyroid) level. They will watch it. I was a really bad patient and was over a month late in getting all the testing completed. One of the tests included saving urine for 24 hours. That was Cliff’s favorite part. It was quite disgusting. I enrolled Addison in a Dr. Seuss book club. Cliff and I both love to read, so I hope that she will too. I have figured out that she is a night owl like Cliff. She likes to do karate at night while I’m trying to sleep. I wonder if she will be grouchy like me in the mornings or calm and laid back like Cliff. I feel that she will have most of Cliff’s physical features, due to the Asian gene. We want to have a 4D ultrasound once I’m further along. That will allow us to get a broad idea of her physical characteristics. I can’t wait. I'm thinking of scheduling it at 30 weeks, which will be the first week in August. My current craving is chocolate milk. I remember that I thought I would never, ever drink chocolate milk again, as the mere thought of it would make me gag. Now, I love it. I also crave most fruit. Cliff and I can eat an entire cantaloupe in one sitting. Other than that, I can’t think of any real cravings. I don’t have the pregnancy glow either. I look like a sick version of Casper really. I know this is related to the months and months of sickness. I look very scary on my days off, because brushing my hair is just not important anymore. It barely gets done on the days I have to work. My co-workers continue to be very helpful and do all of my lifting and squatting. I can no longer get back up once I have squatted down! One or two of the nurses have offered to do things that they know would make me gag, such as emptying colostomy bags or collecting sputum samples. That means a lot to me. I can make it 15 more weeks. I think I can, I think I can...