12 weeks

Tomorrow marks *magic* week 12 for me (I really hope it ends up being some kind of magic for me). I can't believe I've had this child growing in my belly for 3 months already! They were right when they said the time will fly by extremely quickly. I guess the last 3 weeks probably felt like the longest considering they were spent at home sick and useless, but it still certainly doesn't feel like I've been pregnant that long!

So, number one problem with my pregnancy was obviously that horrible sickness that grounded me to the couch for 3 weeks. Number two problem - gas. Horrible. I can handle being tired, having sore joints and muscles, and dealing with the emotional rollercoaster that is pregnancy, but I can't deal with the damn gas pains. Seriously, I wake up in the morning, get dressed, look in the mirror and think "damn, I'm still hot." But by the end of the day, my belly is SO pumped up with gas that I look like I'm 5 damn months pregnant! And all the books say to eat lots of fruits and vegetables so as not to gain too much weight and get the right nutrition for the baby, but all that does is add to the ugly belly problem. It also doesn't feel to comfortable to walk run around all day with a bunch of energetic kids having gas pains all day. SUCKS!

But for the more positive side... =o) I just wanted to take a second to recognize all the wonderful people in my life that are making this emotional experience so much easier for me. My husband has been an absolute angel. He spent the last three weeks running back and forth between home, work, the pharmacy and the er catering to my every need. He never complains when I'm short with him, he rubs my back, cocoa butter's my stomach, and takes care of the dog when he's being a pain in the ass. I couldn't have asked for a more supportive husband and future father of my child. He's put up with so much without even the smallest of complaints AND is still somehow excited about the baby. Yay! We're also really lucky to have both our moms. I can call them at any hour just to cry to someone else besides Doug. They've been so supportive and encouraging... wouldn't have gotten through this without them! And I can't say enough about everyone I work with. I'm so thankful that I don't have to worry about being stuck in situations that aren't safe or aren't healthy for me. Everyone is one hundred percent willing to jump in for me in situations that could become physically dangerous or when I absolutely have to pee (like every five minutes). They're also very supportive emotionally. I get to vent a lot and they help me make light of all the negative side effects I've been suffering. It's absolutely amazing.

Doug and I have some friends currently living in New Zealand that just had their second child. He was born with a condition called encephalocele. Basically his brain has grown out through a hole in the back of his skull into a membrane covered sack. He has surprised everyone by living a miraculous 23 days when he was not expected to make it through delivery, but it is inevitable that he will die. I just wanted to post a link to her blog - I feel like the greatest gift I can give to her when my words obviously won't suffice is to help her pass her inspirational words onto others. I also know that the power of prayer is not something to be taken for granted, so the more the merrier! Her blog address is: www.mnssams.blogspot.com And let it remind you to seize the day and appreciate your loved ones.




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