Mother Truckin' Hormones - Month 2

written August 29, 2011
week 7
The big news this week: Hands and feet are emerging from developing arms and legs — although they look more like paddles at this point than the tiny, pudgy extremities you're daydreaming about holding and tickling. Technically, your baby is still considered an embryo and has something of a small tail, which is an extension of her tailbone. The tail will disappear within a few weeks, but that's the only thing getting smaller. Your baby has doubled in size since last week and now measures half an inch long, about the size of a blueberry. (info from www.babycenter.com)

When the going gets tough...

Weeks 1-5 = feeling awesome
Week 6 = feeling not the best but I survived
Week 7 = holy man...not good.

Every day seems to get progressively worse and this freaks me out. Karl insists it's anxiety, but he's not carrying a lentil bean in his belly right now and I try to remind him of this. I'm not so sure "anxiety" is really what is making me feel nauseous. I've never been prescribed anxiety meds or have been told I have anxiety... I call it "morning sickness". But then again, Karl's never been pregnant.

I thought things were getting better Friday into Saturday. I even agreed to go to Karl's parent's cabin for the night. I made him stop at Buffalo Tap in Savage on our way and I got some delicious buffalo bites (yummy) because when I get hungry, I need to eat. Saturday I woke up feeling great. I had a couple crackers since I know Karl's family eats a lot later than I normally do and thank God I did because we didn't eat until 11-something. I went on a walk with my mother-in-law, sat around the fire, read a couple magazines, went fishing with Karl and for a boat ride later - I felt really good. The weather was gorgeous.

Then Sunday came. As soon as I got up, I felt like crap. The entire day I felt awful. I had a bowl of chicken noodle soup around two and some of a steak salad around dinner time, but it was all force fed. Enter Monday morning (today): oh boy. I purposely ate a bunch of crackers as I was waking up because it's a work day and, well, I need to get to work and I need to be feeling good and I didn't want to chance anything. The crackers did not help. As soon as I stepped out of the shower, I dove back into bed. I forced myself to go downstairs where I stared at the TV and prepared a shoulder roast in the slow cooker. I raced back upstairs and snuggled up in bed. Ugh. I seriously thought I'd start crying. I can't stand this. I can't live like this. I so take my health for granted!!!

I knew I couldn't be late to work again without my coworkers catching on (last Tuesday I came in late due to a pounding headache) so I forced myself to put some makeup on. I barely dried my hair and quickly put on clothes. I grabbed some crackers and seltzer water. On my drive in to work I realized I needed food if I planned on getting through the morning since I felt incredibly dizzy and light headed. So I stopped at McDonald's and got a Coke and an Egg McMuffin - my saving grace. The Coke immediately perked me up and tasted like heaven. I started feeling really good and devoured my Egg McMuffin and now think I'll survive the day.

I just hope this doesn't last the entire time because I don't know how I'm going to handle feeling this way or how my teeth or baby is going to appreciate a Coke every single day for the next eight months. But if it makes me feel better....

Other things I've noticed:

1. I'm feeling incredibly stuck
This makes me nervous because I shouldn't be feeling this way. I knew this "becoming-a-parent" moment would be coming, but I guess I figured things would be different. I always thought I'd be a stay-at-home mom - that I'd have the luxury to stop working, but I'm about 95% so sure this won't be the case. With health insurance and short term disability and all the bills coming in...this little dream I built up in my head isn't working out. I need a new car soon, Karl just got one, and Karl has student loans and is going back to school and he'll have bills coming our way - even if his work is paying for it, there are little things that add up (a new laptop, flights out to the school, his books, etc). And this freaks me out. I hate debt. Ever since I put my hands on a credit card, I've always paid in full. If I didn't have the money, I didn't need the item. With that said, we're both going to have to work and there really is no other way around it. Someone else besides me is going to have a hand in raising our child. Akkk! Can I really pass on our child to some stranger to watch while I'm working all day? This is when I really wish I lived closer to my parents.

2. I've lost a lot of my drive
I always have an abundance of energy and drive. And I feel like it's all gone. I really don't care about dust in the house and the piles of laundry and the toothpaste gunk building up in the sinks. Okay, I do care about it - a lot more than usual - but I don't care about cleaning it up. I don't care if I don't make dinner or if I don't finish a project on time. I just want to relax when I get home. As a woman, I feel like I was born to be the caregiver. I'm so in for a treat, aren't I? But at the same time I'm tired of worrying about it so I just need to let go.

3. I don't want to write (at least right now)
Me? Doesn't want to write? I started a new book and I can't seem to get to it. I have the time, but most of that time is spent napping or talking myself into feeling better. The last thing I want to do is try and focus on words when I feel so crappy. How can I be a writer if I don't even want to write??? Please tell me this will pass.

4. I have to talk myself into everything  
The couch is my friend right now. I literally have to cheer myself on to go to work, to go for a walk, to go to the grocery store, to go to the gym, to fill my car up with gas, to get new windshield wipers. What is with that?? I love exercise. I love the outdoors. I love doing new things! Last night I forced myself out the door and it was the best decision I could've have made. The weather was perfect and the fresh air felt great. I knew the walk would work miracles, so why is it so hard to do?

So in my head I keep telling myself, this too shall pass. It has to!!!!! I want to be excited and happy and my ol' bubbly self.
Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful; for beauty is God's handwriting...thank God for it.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Fresh Tomatoes? Now what? Salsa!

Best salsa ever!
serves as many as you want
(recipe given to me by church organist - Karen Daniels)

1 jar of already made salsa (garden fresh - she recommends Pace)
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp cumin
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
3 green onions chopped
as much cilantro as you like
1 garlic clove, minced
pepper to taste
salt to taste

I had a bunch of fresh tomatoes lying around from our deck plants so I decided to make mine from scratch.

6 large tomatoes (chopped and ground up)
2 cartons of grape tomatoes chopped and diced
1 yellow pepper, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1/4 tsp cumin
1 jar of black beans with jalapeños, drained and rinsed
3 green onions chopped
1/2 tablespoon dried onion
pepper to taste
salt to taste
1 garlic clove, minced
cilantro to taste
2 limes (squeeze lime juice)

My take - We had a work salsa competition and I made this. It ended up tasting very close to how the recipe from already-made salsa tastes like and the best part is this one is super fresh. I had lots of good feedback on mine! I'll be making this again because it can go on everything!!

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Cherry-Chipotle Chili

"Cherries are rich in anthocyanins, which can jump-start your immune system and mop up free radicals."

Cherry-Chipotle Chili
serves 4
(recipe found in Self Magazine August 2011)

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 lb lean ground turkey
3/4 tsp salt (preferably kosher)
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 medium carrots, diced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp chili powder
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes
2 cups pitted black cherries (fresh or frozen)
2 canned chipotle chilies, diced, plus sauce
2 bay leaves
1 can (15 oz) white beans (such as cannellini or navy), rinsed and drained
1/4 cup nonfat plan Greek yogurt (optional)
Chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

1. In a large pot, heat oil over medium-heat. Cook turkey with salt and pepper, stirring, until browned, 5 to 10 minutes.

2. Add carrots, onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until carrots soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in chili powder. Add tomatoes, cherries, chipotles, bay leaves and 1/2 cup water; bring to a boil.

3. Reduce to simmer; cook, stirring once or twice, until chili thickens, 10 to 15 minutes. Add beans; cook 2 minutes. Flavor with chipotle sauce to taste.

4. Remove bay leaves. Divide chili among 4 bowls. Top each with 1 tbsp yogurt and garnish with cilantro, if desired, before serving.

Karl's reaction - "Whoaaaaa, this is hot!! Mouth is on fire!! Burn. Burn. Burn. It's different babe. I think if the spice was taken down a few notches, it'd be real good."

My take - Yeah, I went a little wild with the chipotle chilies. I never cooked with them before and didn't realize how hot they really are. Also, the grocery store didn't have frozen cherries so I had to take the pits out of fresh cherries, which was a HUGE pain. This tasted really good heated up the next day!

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Rolled Lasagne

A delicious Italian dinner

Rolled Lasagne
serves 4
(recipe found in Fitness Magazine May 2011)

Rolled Lasagne

8 lasagna noodles
3 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 12-ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 ounces goat cheese
1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
1 large leek, white part only, chopped
1 3/4 cups slices cremini mushrooms
1 bunch asparagus, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 ounces low-fat mozzarella, grated
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup fresh mint
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
I also used Jennie-O turkey Italian meatballs to give Karl his meat!

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook the lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain, rinse and set aside. Reserve 1 tablespoon pasta water.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a medium pot over medium-low heat. Add the garlic; cook 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes; cook 15 minutes. Whisk in 1 tablespoon of the goat cheese until combined. Set aside.

3. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the onion; sauté 3 minutes. Add the leek; cook 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms; cook 10 minutes. Add the asparagus; cook 3 minutes.

4. Turn heat off; add 1 1/2 tablespoons goat cheese and mozzarella, reserved pasta water, nutmeg, salt, and black pepper. Add the mint and basil, reserving 1 teaspoon of each.

5. Spread 1/2 cup tomato sauce on the bottom of a baking dish. Spoon 1/2 cup vegetable mixture onto each noodle, roll up and place seam side down in baking dish. Drizzle with remaining tomato sauce; crumble remaining goat cheese on top. Bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle with the Parmesan and reserved mint and basil; serve.

Karl's reaction:  "Mmm, this is pretty good, babe! This goat cheese really adds a zing!"

My take - I really made a mess of our kitchen making this recipe, but I really liked the unique taste of this. Really good!

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First Wave of Yuck - Month 2

written August 23, 2011
6 weeks

"I just need to go back to bed for a few minutes."

At least that's what I kept telling myself this morning as I tried focusing on Fox 9 News and the carbonated lime infused water I sipped.

My head started pounding at 3 a.m., about the same time an insane crazy thunderstorm hit. Around 3:30 I went downstairs and popped two Tylenol and ate a few crackers. I couldn't take the headache and knew I had to go into work so I had to do what I had to do. At 4:30 I didn't feel much different but I was finally able to fall asleep until my dreaded alarm went off at 6:00.

I practically crawled to the shower and felt like a total zombie. I was too hot so I turned the shower to freezing cold. Then my mouth tasted soapy. My head and eyes felt extremely heavy. My stomach felt like it was loaded with acid. And more than anything I wanted to dive back into bed with Karl. Instead I marched downstairs and tried to talk myself into breakfast. No dice. Everything sounded gross. So I stared at the TV again and argued with the voices in my head.

Finally I decided to go back up to bed. I just need another hour of sleep and I will be fine, I thought. So I did. The sleep actually worked, even though half the time I was freaking about how late I'd be for work. (BTW, I don't think pregnant woman should have to worry about stuff like this. We can't control all the hormones ragging inside us.) I woke up an hour later but this time felt like a worse-off zombie than before.

I thought back to the night before. I did play four games of volleyball - and they weren't the easiest of games. There were a couple times I didn't dive or didn't chase after a ball, but my heart rate went up and I was sweating. Could volleyball be the culprit? Thankfully yesterday was the championship volleyball game (we took second) and the season is done...well...until fall league. Fall league will start up at the end of September and we only play for an hour, so that shouldn't be that bad. Right? My team might hate me.

Cravings: I'm not sure when these are supposed to start but I find myself dreaming about food while at work, a lot.

1. Culver's Butter Burgers (I know....say what?). The crazy thing is Karl "loves" going to Culver's because they screw up our order every time. Some how we always get something we never asked for. I asked for the "single" Butter Burger and Karl asked for the exact same thing. We were very careful how we explained our order. We sat down in the chair and got the double. Goofy. But it totally hit the spot!!!

2. Izze.  All natural organic carbonated water. It has to be the carbonation, right? I love the feel of bubbles hitting my sour stomach. I love this drink. It's the closest I can find to Clearly Canadian. And it isn't loaded with fake sugar crap.

3. Mendota Sparkling Water (lime and lemon). Besides totally wanting carbonated everything, I'm also craving lemons and limes like nobody's business. I always have had a thing for sour things though. I could eat them whole but I don't think my teeth would like that.

4. Meat.
Tonight Karl and I will be going to Woolley's Steakhouse (Embassy Suites) where all the magic happened on August 22, 2009 - our wedding day! And yes, I will be ordering a steak!!!! I'm totally craving a steak right now.

And as I finish writing this, I feel much better. Ahhh. Thank God!

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Telling the Family - Month 2

post written August 21, 2011
6 weeks

This week's major developments: The nose, mouth, and ears that you'll spend so much time kissing in eight months are beginning to take shape. If you could see into your uterus, you'd find an oversize head and dark spots where your baby's eyes and nostrils are starting to form. His emerging ears are marked by small depressions on the sides of the head, and his arms and legs by protruding buds. His heart is beating about 100 to 160 times a minute — almost twice as fast as yours — and blood is beginning to course through his body. His intestines are developing, and the bud of tissue that will give rise to his lungs has appeared. His pituitary gland is forming, as are the rest of his brain, muscles, and bones. Right now, your baby is a quarter of an inch long, about the size of a lentil. (info from www.babycenter.com)
Oh, and by the way, we're pregnant!

That's pretty much how it's been coming out in front of our parents and siblings. We didn't do the t-shirts or wrapped up frames, though those would be nice. Instead it's been more like, "How was your weekend? So yeah, we brought some boxes over. Oh, and Christie's pregnant." And then the eyes bug. It's awesome.

Tonight we told Karl's parents. Jim (Karl's dad - my father in law) just got back from Alaska. We decided we wanted to come over and hear about his trip and see pictures. He gladly showed off his amazing pictures and indulged in crazy bear stories. Then Karl decided to speak up and said, "We're just storing some boxes in your garage for Nancy's garage sale. Oh, and Christie's pregnant."

The faces and on Jim and Judy (Karl's mom and my mother-in-law) were so priceless. It was great. It's so hard not to get choked up every time. The scary part is letting them know that it's still early and anything can happen, but we figure the more people we have praying for a healthy Baby K, the better - but we still don't want the whole world to know until we're past that "safe" period.

Month 2 - Six weeks (in my Twins shirt)

I will say I love bringing joy to everyone's faces and can't wait to tell everyone!!!

As for how I've been feeling. Considering the past two nights I've stayed up way past my bedtime and have woken up fairly early, I've been pretty much tired all day long. I really don't feel motivated to do much, which worries me since I always have so much to do.

I almost felt like I was back in college this weekend. Just didn't do a whole lot of anything. I wish I was more like that all the time because it's nice just to enjoy two days off from crazy work.

I did wake up with my first wicked headache this morning and didn't have any Tylenol lying around and had an appointment with my trainer at 9:00 a.m. at Life Time Fitness. I literally had to shove a boiled egg down my throat, as I felt a little queasy. I told my trainer immediately I wasn’t feeling the best and we worked through the circuit at a slow speed, but perfect for me. My headache was fine during the workout but after it was wicked. So I went to Walgreens and talked to the Pharmacist to make sure I was buying the right headache stuff for baby.

Then I went back to bed. And pretty much the entire day was spent lying in bed. And I'm okay with that since the past two weeks have been incredibly stressful with work and figuring life out. I really enjoy relaxing right now.

Tomorrow Karl and I celebrate our two-year wedding anniversary!!!!! I have volleyball at 7:15 so we decided we'll do our fancy night out on Tuesday. I really found a good one in that man! The first song we danced to on our wedding day was Then by Brad Paisley. The lyrics are so true. I really thought I loved Karl on August 22, 2009 to the max. Who was I kidding? I love him a million times more and then some. Ha...and I thought I loved you then...

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Entering Month Two of Pregnancy

written August 18, 2011
5 weeks

Deep in your uterus your embryo is growing at a furious pace. At this point, he's about the size of a sesame seed, and he looks more like a tiny tadpole than a human. He's now made up of three layers — the ectoderm, the mesoderm, and the endoderm — which will later form all of his organs and tissues.
The neural tube — from which your baby's brain, spinal cord, nerves, and backbone will sprout — is starting to develop in the top layer, called the ectoderm. This layer will also give rise to his skin, hair, nails, mammary and sweat glands, and tooth enamel. (info from www.babycenter.com)

Yeah! We made it to month two.

Lots of exciting stuff happening. Sometimes I wonder if I'm walking on a cloud. I remember feeling this way when I fell in love with Karl and he proposed - and I knew I'd be spending forever with him. When I was dating a bunch, I always thought spending so much time with someone would scare me, but that was never the case with Karl! I had this feeling inside me that I needed to spend as much time with him as I could and I never had enough. So after he proposed, nothing could bring me down or pull me from the clouds.

Being pregnant feels like that, but even better, because Karl is with me, and is such a huge part of this and I realized now why I had to wait such a long time before I found him. The wait was so worth it - he's going to be an amazing and attentive father. I'm so glad I get to experience this with him. Creating a child together is something crazy, awesome.
Life feels different. I feel like I'm carrying this amazing miracle and there is so much more than science behind it all. I've been reading a lot of books on pregnancy with pictures and I catch myself saying, "this is just nuts," out loud plenty of times. It really is crazy. I can't believe any of this. The body is so incredible. Now I'm starting to feel a sliver of that connection moms have with their children. Motherhood takes on a whole new meaning once you actually begin to experience it. Wow.

I think I'm at week five, almost six, which is pretty cool. A couple things that have happened during this time:

1. We told my brother Mike on the walk over to Dairy Queen (there's one across the street from us). I needed to tell SOMEONE. And since Karl and I live next door to Mike and he always is just so kind and sweet and listens and cares....how could we not? He was so caught up in talking about cutting off cow's heads and his work that he missed Karl calling him Uncle Mike. Finally we got our ice cream and told him. His face broke in a bigger smile than normal (yes, his smiles can get HUGE) and his face turned all red. It was cool. He was way excited. Then we went back talk about cows and Cargill.

2. We told my parents on Tuesday, August 16. Let me just say this was so cool. So cool. Okay, it was beyond cool. We of course wanted to tell them in person but a five-hour drive is not in the cards for us right now. We wanted to them to come up here for Labor Day but didn't want to wait for that either. So we skyped them. The thing with skype was it kept freezing up, oh, and I have never skyped my parents. Seemed a bit fishy but they didn't bite.

As my computer kept freezing, we stalled them and let them go on a walk while Karl installed the latest version on my computer. My parents returned from their walk and we skyped again. It froze on us a couple more times, so finally I just let it out and my mom's face WAS PRICELESS!!! I am not kidding. I think she said something like, "SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" and fell back in her chair, clapped her hands and giggled a ton. That part was awesome. Then I think my dad congratulated Karl for his awesomesauce or something manly like that. Then they asked for "ETA" (estimated time of arrival). Then my mom kept saying, "I can't believe it. This is awesome."

Yes, yes, it is!!!! So exciting bringing them so much joy!!!!!!!!

3. We're going to tell Karl's family once his dad gets back from Alaska this weekend. We figure Jim will have the 'back-to-reality blues' after such an amazing trip. Then we can come in and say, "Surprise, your high is not over just yet!" That'll be fun. I can't wait!!!

4. I had to cancel playing in an all-day volleyball tournament scheduled at the end of August. So I've been talking to my trainer at Life Time about my health and fitness and keeping my body in prime shape. Then he emails me that I might just have to give up on competitive, all-day volleyball for awhile. Say what!??!?!

Volleyball. Is. My. Life.

But after the Derby Day volleyball tournament earlier this month, I realized how much eight hours of volleyball in the heat and sun had affected my body the following day, so I finally agreed (especially after Karl yelled at me) and thankfully the captain of the team said he'll handle. Phew!

This. Child. Is. My. Life.

5. I actually still feel really good. Today (Thursday, Aug. 18) is the first day where I feel a little weird. Otherwise I've felt like I have a ton of energy and I'm glowing. My skin has cleared up. I'm actually starting to fill out my bras for once in my life (yippeeee!! Watch out low-cut shirts!). And I feel like my normal self. I stopped drinking coffee after I had a few sips last Sunday before church and felt funny. I'm wondering if my body is wondering today where the caffeine is and that's why I feel somewhat like a zombie. I have been drinking tea instead because I like hot drinks in the morning and that's been working out. I have crackers stuffed in my purse just in case too. But I've kept up my working out routine (squats, pull ups, lunges, pike push ups) and have been walking more than running and choose the elliptical over the stair stepper. I must keep telling myself, "You can't workout to lose weight anymore."

I've also been trying to eat more protein. I've read that protein is good and pregnant moms needs lots of it. Seems to be helping so far!

6. I'm still biting my nails. For some reason I thought I'd stop this. Silly me. Karl says, "I'm pretty sure baby K doesn't appreciate eating your fingernails." Trying to let that stick because he probably is right. Ewwww.

7. Our ultrasound is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 12 at 7:50 and we can't wait!!!! This is going to be awesome!!!!!!!!

I like the laughter that opens the lips and the heart, that show at the same time pearls and the soul. 

-Victor Hugo 

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