Death to Ramen!

It must have been three or four years that I'd last had Ramen noodles before I got pregnant.  This is likely because they're terrible for you and have no nutritional value whatsoever.  But, I've been eating them quite frequently, since they are one of the few foods I've been able to stomach.  Today, after a few bites of Ramen, Jeff says, "I think you should have an apple with lunch."  I said, "Okay...and why's that?"  He responds, "Well, you've been eating a lot of Ramen lately and not a lot of fruits and vegetables."  Although I know he is trying to do what's in the baby's and my best interest, his comment set me off.  I insisted that I'd been eatling plenty of vegetables and that he had no idea what an extraterrestrial being taking over your body does to your appetite.  Then, I walked over to the cabinet, took out two (12 packs) of Ramen and dramatically mashed them into the trash can.  I put on my best "drama queen" face and stormed out of the kitchen.

Although I gave Jeff a hard time for implying that my eating habits need a bit of tweaking, he's right.  These first few months are critical for the baby's development, and I should be thinking about everything I put into my body.  So, after a few minutes of cooling off, I went online, searched for baby-friendly recipes and headed to the grocery store.  As a result, I'll be replacing the Ramen with chicken salad sandwiches (made primarly with plain yogurt instead of mayo) on whole wheat bread, with frequent snacks of yogurt, granola bars, apples, and peanut butter crackers.  For dinner this week, salmon, baked potatoes, brunswick stew and homemade veggie pizza are on the menu.  Hopefully, my baby and husband will be pleased.

Twins! Or, Maybe Not.

I'm pretty sure that my baby is already playing tricks on me.  I began feeling much better on Monday and was still feeling good yesterday.  Then, this morning, my head was back in the toilet!  I had another doctor's appointment today, and the doctor reassured me that I still have 3 weeks of misery remaining and not to get my hopes up for any sort of early relief.

My doctor also reassured me that the baby is growing.  Without going into too much detail, during the exam, she said "Oh yes, the uterus is certainly growing!", leading me to believe that my uterus is exceptionally large.  So, I figure that this could mean one of two things:  1) the baby has inherited my genes for height (I'm sure he'll inherit many other wonderful qualities from Jeff...a love of math, perhaps...or, those beautiful green eyes)  2) the baby is actually babies.  After all, my mom is a twin, and the "twin genes" filter down from the mama's side of the family.  So, this got me thinking...what if I have twins?

The way I see it, there are some really wonderful things about having twins and some pretty big downfalls to having twins.  Let's weigh the options:
Positives:
1. Fewer times I have to endur morning sickness
2. Fewer times I have to be in a hospital with a lot of sickly people
3. They could share clothes, therefore decreasing my expenses
4. There's a chance I could have a boy and a girl all in one shot
5. When you have two pets, they keep each other occupied...does that work with babies, too?
6. I can probably forgo a gym membership, since I'll be chasing two bambinos around
7. My nieces and nephew will have more friends
8. The more the merrier....right?

Negatives:
1. Two of everything is going to be expensive, and I will likely be living off of a diet of Ramen noodles and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
2. I could have to take leave from work earlier than planned (Should this be under the positives?)
3. I will undoubtedly be exhausted...all of the time
4. Ouch!

Well, doing a simple side-by-side comparison, it does seem that there are more benefits to having twins. I should find out in three weeks at my next appointment. Or, maybe I just have a really big baby...



Twins?



Big Baby?







Decisions, Decisions, Decisions!

I never thought I'd say this, but I miss working out.  I used to have to drag myself out of bed in the mornings to go the gym.  I miss those mornings.  Although I've begun feeling better, I still can't fathom any sort of aerobic exercise.  I hope things change soon!

So, while I'm stuck on the sofa in the evenings, I've been looking at all sorts of baby things.  I know it's too early to put together a baby room, but I'll be ready when the time comes!  Although not in my baby budget, I love love love Restoration Hardware!  I would decorate my entire house from their store, if I could afford it.  Here is my favorite room...although it seems a little feminine, I think it could easily work for a little boy, with some tweeking!

In addition to baby room brainstorming, I've been baby name brainstorming!  If we have a boy, we've got the name in the bag.  If it's a girl, I'm stumped.  I've always loved the name Grey for a girl, but Jeff loathes that name.  We both like Natalie and Meredith.  Jeff thinks our little girl should have my middle name, Roan (if this happens, I will definitely add an "e" to the end!), which I think is pretty darn sweet of him.  So, here are our ideas:

Boy:

Whitten Minor Sparks

Whitten was Jeff's grandfather's name, and Minor was my grandfather's middle name.  This name is so special to Jeff and me that I almost hope we have a boy just for that reason.  

Jeff's grandfather was a hard-working family man.  He raised his five children, worked as a coal miner and was a respected preacher in their town in southwest Virginia.  Jeff remembers him as warm, loving and gentle.  One of Jeff's fondest memories with his grandfather was their trips to cattle auctions together.    

Although I was too young to remember my grandfather, my mother speaks so highly of him that I know he must have been something quite special.  Growing up on a farm in rural Louisa, Virginia, survival superceded education, and he never received a formal education past the 3rd grade.  Yet, he went on to start a successful bus line, which is still in operation today (Winn bus lines, Richmond, VA).  One of my most prized possessions is a small glass piggy bank that he filled to the top with buffalo nickels he'd find on the bus after daily routes.  

Sadly, neither Jeff nor I spent enough time with our grandfathers, as Whitten was taken by black lung and my grandfather by cancer when we were young.  But, we hope they each grin from above while they watch little Whitten Minor grow.      

Girl (only 2 ideas so far!):

Meredith Emerson Sparks

Natalie Roane Sparks

I clearly have more brainstorming to do with girl names...or, maybe not.  Maybe one of these will work!

Ok, it's almost time for The Bachelor finale - goodnight!

First Appointment

Jeff:  "She's been sick 24/7...something is wrong!  This can't be normal...Is she okay?"
To Jeff's surprise, the nurse confirmed that, although there are a handful of women who don't suffer from morning sickness (...pretty sure there is some sort of witchcraft involved there), it's completely normal for most women, and it should subside by week 12.  The nurse confirmed that I am pregnant and that Jeff should continue scooping the kitty litter box (score!)  Lucky for Jeff, the "female" exam isn't until the second appointment. 

I'm looking forward to the 12-week ultrasound.  Although the baby's gender isn't typically learned until the 20-week ultrasound, the nurse said that, if the baby is positioned exactly right, we may be able to tell.  But, either way, we'll definitely know if there are multiples in there!

In the meanwhile, Jeff has been very supportive.  He made a wonderful chicken dinner last night, which I told him I wouldn't be able to stomach, right before he set the table.  He makes daily trips to the grocery store to purchase whatever it is that I think I can stomach that day (note to self:  pizza is a very bad decision and will inevitably result in a bonding moment between my face and the toilet bowl).  He's been on dish duty for the past week and a half.  I can tell this is all starting the wear him out...he was asleep by 8:30 last night.

Oh, Baby! Here We Go!

Watching my sweet little baby bump grow, shopping for adorable maternity clothes, picking a meaningful baby name, all things that made me think that my pregnancy would be one of the most wonderful times of my life. This was, of course, until week 6 when morning sickness hit. It wasn't until then and failed attempts of using ginger gum, sea bands and saltines to ease my nausea, that I realized pregnancy is tough! And, how come nobody told me this? Well, I'm telling you! So here it is, the Diary of a Wimpy Mama!

(My husband, Jeff, holding a positive test on Valentine's Day!)

I'm now just about 8 weeks along. My husband, Jeff, and I confirmed the big news on Valentine's Day. I shouldn't say that it was a surprise, considering I'd taken a test the day before, which looked promising. What does that mean? It was negative. And, it was positive. So, here I learned my first lesson of pregnancy:
1. When the test instructions indicate that you need to wait 3 minutes to read the results, wait the 3 minutes!
I took this first test during the wee hours of the morning. After immediately reading a negative result, I trashed the test. That afternoon, Jeff and I were in the bathroom both getting ready before we went out for a bit. I told him that I'd taken a test and that it turned out negative. Without thinking much about it, I pulled the test out of the trash can. It was positive. Well, we spent the next hour on Google trying to figure out what that meant. After all, the test had been sitting in the can for over 6 hours at that point - could it really be trusted? So, we made a decision that I would take another test the next day, Valentine's Day.  Over some cheap Chinese food, served on tacky Valentine's decorations from the Dollar Tree, we celebrated what would undoubtedly be one of our most memorable Valentine's Days.