First Trimester

Hello everyone,
    I figure the best place to start would be to recap on what my first trimester was like...You didn't miss anything too exciting.

....A little background....
Alex and I had started trying to have a baby mid-October. I have an irregular cycle, making it incredibly difficult to track my ovulation. I had just removed Mirena (the IUD birth control) and hadn't had that 5-7 day virus that turns me into a crazy bitch. I figured I would get my birth control removed and start tracking my cycles. That way we could those people with the scheduled sex...Alex was more for the "let's pull the plug and see what happens" track. (I think he believed that would lead to more sex) Anyhow, the story begins.





November:
     Alex and I had just returned from a trip to Ketchikan; where we visited my mom and watch my cousin B wrestle in a tournament there. The night we were unpacking I decided I NEEDED Bloody Mary mix with lime; just the mix...and I had to have it right that minute. I begged Alex to come with me to the liquor store so I wouldn't feel like an alcoholic making a run for drink mix at 10 o'clock at night. He agreed after 15  minutes of whining. I made a jest "wait until I'm pregnant, then the fun will really start."

The next day, (November 14th) I decided to take a pregnancy test. I had stocked up on these bad boys so that when I occasionally (once a week) woke up thinking I was experiencing pregnancy symptoms (normally just gas) I could ensure that I was or wasn't pregnant. It was 7am, for those of you who don't know, mornings transform me into a mindless zombie. I went into the bathroom and took the test while still half-zombie. I sat on the toilet while I waited for the test to "soak". About 20 seconds in, there is a faint 2nd line next the first line (which alone normally makes me cry from baby-crazy-syndrome). I stared (zombie-ly) at the test for about 5 minutes. I had to be sure that the 2nd line wasn't just because I was sitting in the dark...on the toilet.

After the 5 minutes of "test anxiety", I ran out of the bathroom and woke up my husband. It went something like this:

ME: I'm pregnant!
Alex: ZZZzzZZZ
ME: ALEX! I said I'm pregnant!
Alex: ZZZzzZZZ
(violent shaking off the bed until Alex stirs...at which point I try to look like I was just standing there)
ME: I'm pregnant! (holding out the test with my trembling hands)
Alex: you pregnant.....you are?!
ME: yep, now I gotta call Lena. She'll be pissed I told you first.

later that day, I went to the doctor to confirm the pregnancy. I had been guzzling water all day because I was sure that my baby needed extra...which made my pregnancy test come back negative at the clinic. I bawled in the doctor's office. It was awful, I felt like I should have known that I couldn't really be pregnant. Luckily, our doctor decided it was worth running a blood test to make sure I was or wasn't pregnant....4 hours later, while I was at cheerleading practice, the doctor confirmed my pregnancy. An ultrasound later that week showed the baby to be about 6 weeks.

Being that I am a super impatient person, I convinced Alex into letting me tell our family that night...they were all sooo excited. The downside was that through out November I had major cramping; which sent me to the hospital 3 times and put me on bed rest for days. Every time I felt the slightest cramp, I was kicking myself for telling everyone so soon that I was expecting. My baby was still so fragile, so many things could've gone wrong.

December
Holy smokes, when women say they were tired during their first trimester I always thought that I could deal with that....It's awful. I felt so tired that I wanted to just cry....ALL THE TIME. I could barely keep my head up 90% of the time. I was peeing at all hours of the day. I was sick ALL DAY. Morning sickness is not restricted to the morning hours. I was constantly nauseous and often puking. I swore off bananas after eating one that I was sure was rotten (it wasn't). I lost 12 pounds during November and December from morning sickness.

January
In the last week of December and first week of January, I noticed I was able to eat again. I woke up one day and realized "I haven't thrown up yet"...it was glorious. Needless to say, I quickly put weight back on. The first week of January, I went to Colorado Springs for one of my best friend's weddings. It was amazing. However, being pregnant meant getting sick on the plane and being tired the whole time. I now thank Lena for being in my wedding when she was 7 months pregnant. It was so tiring at 3 months...oh yeah, I passed my first trimester the day of the wedding. I had 2 things to be excited for that day.

Now, I am back to work and coaching cheerleading. My life feels so busy. Some days, I'm not sure how I will manage it...but I love it.