Nasty Nausea and Late Night Cravings

What do Arby's, Chocolate Milk, Pumpkin Seeds, Pistachio Ice Cream, Jolly Ranchers, Almond M&Ms, Ginger Ale, Bagels and Matzah Pizza have in common?

These are your mother's recent cravings, some of which represent late-night-in-pajamas Kroger visits or early-morning in-pajamas Einstein's trips or cold-and-rainy-grocery visits.

Some of them are also, purportedly, homeopathic/sweet tooth nausea remedies.

But, really, your brother, mother and I are just hoping that once the first trimester passes that the nausea will too. Because, for the love of all that's holy, we need our Holly back!

She's laid up on the couch like she's got some 18th century epidemic, and the only thing that can save her is...pumpkin seeds...the David brand...at 9:30 at night. Oh, but those only work for a bit, and by the next day, the pumpkin seeds might as well be poison.

So, I've been eating them. I assume I'll eat the M&Ms and other items too. Sympathize with me for future sympathy weight.

You are 8 weeks old and 2 days. You are the size of a raspberry!My sources tell me that your fingers and toes are now only slightly webbed and your cute little tail is now gone altogether. The source also says that you're moving your tiny arms and legs like crazy, but that your mother can't feel it yet.

I beg to differ: from the amount of seasickness we've got in this house, I'd say something's making a wave pool in your Mom's belly! But, that's okay- that's what you're supposed to be doing!

As for me? Well, I'm moving my arms and legs like crazy too: walking through the grocery store and waving my arms at the aisles until everything your mother's craving is in the basket!

update: as the weekend progressed I went back to Kroger's for Almond Milk, Mangoes, Fruit Leather, Plums (which I forgot), more Almond Milk, Almond Butter and Rice Cakes.

And then the other night you mother asks me "would it be too much trouble to make an apple crumble?" So, I baked.

At least I didn't have to go to the store!

Just like Starting Over

Little One, remember when I said this might be a Potbelly Pregnancy?

Well, what they say about parents forgetting all about pregnancy being the only way they would do it over again may have a grain of truth to it.

Your Mom has remembered the basics and is mastering them: the nausea is back with a vengeance, the cravings are coming fast and furious, but causing more nausea and she has to pee quite frequently.

But, we forgot some of the finer details like: deli meat bad for pregnant ladies!

Oops! Don't worry, you'll be perfectly fine. Only 3 delicious Wreck sandwiches before we recalled that deli meat rule. But, it's better safe than sorry.

So, on Sunday, your mother, brother and I ventured back to our old stomping grounds, where we hadn't been for at least 2 weeks: Freebirds, home of the pregnant woman's favorite chicken quesa-ritto. Oh, and Long John Silver's too.

And today your Mom craved and at Deep-fried God-knows-what at Long John Silvers.

So, we forgot about the deli meat. But, we forgot how triumphant the minor victories and news updates along the way make us feel.

Your Mom got blood work done at your first sonogram, and then again 5 days later. We got the results yesterday: the hormone levels rose from 5,000 to 18,000! I don't really know exactly what that means, but it feels like cause for celebration because, generally, it means we're right on track, you're growing like crazy and week 6 is a good week. (Edit: Dr. Bertrand later told us that those numbers showed 'every indication of a healthy pregnancy'...so...pretty much exactly what I said!)

Even with the nausea. And the dead-end cravings ("I'm starving, but nothing sounds good!). And the near vomiting. And the soreness. And the exhaustion. And the nausea...and that's just how I'M feeling!

These are all signs, along with the bloodwork, that you've left the starting blocks and are right on track for your 9-month marathon.

And for all the little milestones along the way, we'll be there, cheering you along and cheering for ourselves too.

Who knew that starting over could be the greatest thing since sliced bread (hold the meat).

Orange You Glad I went to the Airport?

You are officially well into your 15th week inside your Mom's belly. The fruit equivalent of your size, on average, is a naval orange! The site says that on average a baby at your age will be 4 inches in length...although you were 4 inches from rump to crown about two weeks ago!

But still, an orange is a pretty big piece of produce! You are continuing to grow in your Mom's tummy and nearing normal proportions. This week your legs should finally be longer than your arms. No wonder in the video you were so easily touching your toes! Your arms were longer than your legs. But not any more!

On a good note, though, Oranges are very good for you. And you've been very good to your Mother! The post-plane nausea has all-but disappeared, and she's gotten her appetite back; although she's now mostly hungry for Egg Drop soup and egg rolls.

The site also says you should be very busy in there, wiggling and squirming around, though your Mommy can't feel it quite yet. But she's looking more and more pregnant each day! Check this one out from our trip to Maine:

Someone else has been moving around like crazy this week too: me! But I wasn't in anyone's belly...I was in a plane. But at the airport in Chicago yesterday afternoon, waiting to come home you and your Mom, I saw stars from one of your Mom's most favorite television shows: "Myth Busters."

I went up to the stars, Tory, Grant and Kari, and got their autographs, a picture and chatted with them.

I even asked them for advice on baby names, since your Mom and I seem to have writer's block on baby boy names!

Now Kari, who apparently just had a baby girl 10 months ago, said she couldn't give me her best boy names, in case she had a boy next. Then she offered "a boy named Sue" (which is a Johnny Cash song and also completely not an option for your name).

After some moments of thinking, Kari and Tory both offered up the name "Buster."

"Buster" is their show's famous crash-test dummy who gets stabbed, beaten up, drowned, exploded and abused in every episode.

The bruised and battered "Buster."

I also pointed out that "Buster" from "Arrested Development" doesn't fare to well either (See below).

But, Tory added that "Buster Keaton" did quite well with that name. And, hey, the name "Keaton" isn't too bad... but it's not an option either!

So, needless to say, the Mythbusters, who can solve nearly every conundrum thrown at them, couldn't do anything to help bypass this baby naming boondoggle! Well, except maybe they contributed two names that are definitely off the list (and weren't on the list to begin with!)

But don't worry; your Mom and I will have a great name picked out for you by the time you are ready to come out into the world!

Holy Holly Hearing!

Pregnancy continues to give your Mom super powers: super taste, super smell, super-sensitive vision.

But, now there are another couple of super strengths to add to the list.

SUPER JAWS and HYPER HEARING

Even though she pretends not to hear me on regular basis, your Mom's hearing seems to have been suped up by pregnancy too. And, not that she had a glass jaw before, but man, she might be able to pull a plane with her teeth now!

Last night at around 11:30 pm, your Mom was hungry (surprise, surprise). So, she got herself a bowl of Frosted Flakes. She started chomping down - CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH.

I looked around for a microphone to see why that noise was so loud, but there was no artificial amplification!

I assumed it was her high quality wooden teeth that made such a loud noise; and I stand by that hypothesis. Pregnancy may have given your mother enhanced jaw strength. No Frosted Flakes survived the incident to confirm or deny that claim.

According to your mom, though, Frosted Flakes is just too loud of a cereal. The decibels put out by chomping on one Frosted Flake is simply too loud for those with super human hearing. In fact, the Frosted Flakes were hurting her ears. Something like a "Cheerios" puts out a pleasant and more subdued sound, she explained, but those Flakes create a cacophony of chomping. But Holly's super hunger was able to win that battle, and she ate the whole bowl, while serenading me, Preston and Toby with a symphony of crunch-Crunch-CRUNCH!

So, add two more radioactive superhuman abilities to the list: a bite that would make Washington and his wooden chompers jealous and hyper-sensitive hearing that most would need spy equipment to duplicate.

Now if only I could get her to stop pretending to not hear me when I'm whining! I really have important things to say when I'm whining!

P.S. Remember when I said that the nausea was waning? I totally lied. She's still nauseous a lot. It's definitely less than it was before, but last night she had to hit the Candy hard (before the cereal) to help calm the nausea. I definitely claimed "Mission: Accomplished" far too early on that one. Maybe you shouldn't listen to me either!

Bumper Art

So, as you can see, because your Mom is so tiny, she's actually starting to show a little bit! Holly can't wait until she's properly showing; at this nebulous "kinda showing" stage she's afraid people will just think that she's been eating too many sweets or partaking in too many brewskies. But soon enough that little belly will be a big baby bump! And since the pants are already not fitting, we think we're in for a big bump! Us Weinsteins are big babies when we're born. Depending on who you ask, they might say that we're big babies when we're adults too. But those people are hardly worth listening to.

Your dog Toby (that's the white one [don't worry, you can learn their names later]) really wanted to be in these pictures too, but I cropped him out, as he didn't really fit in the frame. But here are his cameos:
It'll be really fun to spot him when there are like 50 pictures that he's darting in and out of. Well, maybe your definition of "fun" isn't the same as mine; but you'll understand when you get older that fun has to be had in small doses.

Speaking of your dogs, though, I think it's time we tell them that you're on the way. They might not react too well, they're not to used to sharing your Mom. Me they could probably do without.

On a side note, with each passing day the nausea seems a little less and less severe; we're almost to the point where your mother is enjoying life again! But the cravings continue...whenever I hear a little "crinkle crinkle crinkle" coming from the kitchen late at night, I know that it's your Mom hitting those Rice Krispies one more time before bed.

We may wind up having to name you "Snap," "Crackle" or "Pop." Well, "Pop" is taken already (my dad is your "Pops" (see picture)). But "Crackle" is pretty nice!

Consensus: Senses are Senseless

Besides her sense of taste being all out of whack, your Mom's other senses are giving her fits too.

Her Eyes deceive her.

+ Yesterday she couldn't come water the garden with me, because the visual of running water flowing out of the hose made her nauseous.

+For his birthday we bought BJ "The Watchmen" (you can see it when you're 15; I will force you to read the comic book first though). But your Mom couldn't even look at the gift. The lenticular cover on the DVD gave her motion sickness!

The biggest clue that her eyes are messed up:

+ Your mother said I looked cute the other day.

The Olfactory seems to be working at full steam.

The old sniffer has been in high gear for a couple of weeks now:

+ Note: Don't cook salmon for yourself with a pregnant woman in the house. EVER. Don't ask.

+ We couldn't walk by the old boat house down at White Rock Lake because it "smelled like old fish." For the record, I was at maximum smell capability, and I didn't smell a thing!

+ Our dogs (well, I guess they're your dogs too, now!), Preston and Toby, have a certain aroma (when they're clean, not dirty) that your Mom absolutely loves. "Their feet smell like Cheetos," your Mom used to say. But, their smell is now too overpowering for Holly's nose!

And, the lastest victim of your mother's nose:

+ ME! My smell (my signature scent) is too much-- it's overwhelming her! Now we're not talking about post-lawn-mowing or bike-riding sweaty stink or even Tex-Mex induced airborne events. We're just talking my regular smell...my musk. So, I've been rendered into some sort of Rogue-type character...I can't get too close to the one I love because my mutant ability can do incredible harm.

But, at least I'm cute! (according to a very reliable source)

On a side note, I've also been instructed to take my constitutionals elsewhere...not in the master bathroom. At least I'm still allowed to do it indoors! It's too hot outside for that kind of nonsense.

p.s. Cravings update: Last night your Mom needed Breathe Right strips to...well...breathe. This is an unrelated symptom to pregnancy...probably allergies (hopefully to ragweed or cottonwood...not Aaron). But, while at the store, I got your Mom some stuff she was craving: Wintergreen Gum, Peaches and Shockers (but, alas, they were out of Shockers).

From Gumville to CandyLand

Gum was doing the trick for a while. Chewing it kept the nausea at bay. Gum was our savior! But now, it seems, gum is no longer the golden child.

Holly's traded in the gum for hard and sour candy like Shockers, Gobstoppers and Jolly Ranchers (at the doctor's suggestion).

Life sure is sweet, but we're both really excited for when the nausea is a thing of the past.

And also, you shouldn't eat that much candy. It'll rot your teeth out.

PS, you'll be proud of me. I didn't eat any of the candy. I like chocolate anyway. Now when your mom starts getting chocolate cravings, and there's oodles of chocolate laying around the house, I'll be in trouble. Augustus Gloop trouble.

Your Second Photo Shoot

Today your mom and I went to see Dr. Hagood again and you had your second check-up. Everything about you is perfect, said the doctor. Your heartbeat has increased its speed and sounds like a beating drum. You've also grown a lot too! You're now the size of a raspberry, and about 8.5 weeks old. Check out these pictures! You're really doing some grade-a growing in there!

You kind of look like a Gummy Bear right now- you have little arm and leg buds beginning to develop. See?

Look how little you are! But you're really starting to move a lot too; the doctor saw you turning!

Your Mom is feeling a little better, but she still is pretty nauseous and eating like crazy! She is now eating a bowl of cereal every night before she goes to bed! (But nothing good...usually Rice Krispies or Cheerios with raisins added in).