Expecting

There's a lot I had forgotten about pregnancy. I was talking to a friend recently about morning sickness -- which she had happily escaped with her first two pregnancies -- and she was saying that for a while she almost thought it was made up, or at least not as bad as everyone made it out to be (she did get quite sick during her third pregnancy, though). And that's sort of how, after the fact, I looked back on my early pregnancy with Ezra. I remember wandering the aisles of Whole Foods, searching for something I could eat (usually sour candy and ginger beer -- God bless Reed's!), but -- until this past week -- I think I looked back on that time thinking, "Man, was I ever a big baby! It can't have been that bad." Oh, yes, it was.

I should say here that I got off easy as far as all pregnancy symptoms go. I'd say on the 1-10 scale, with 10 being the most difficult pregnancy, mine was probably a 2. Or a 1.5. After the nausea dissipated, it was a 0.

But oh, the nausea. I know that I didn't have it that bad, but I can't imagine having it much worse. I've always been a big baby when it comes to dealing with nausea, but the nausea known as "morning sickness" is a pretty singular type. It's not a stomach flu you can ride out in a couple of days -- it might last weeks or, heck, months for all you know. And the things that work for someone else -- or even the things that work for you when you've got a stomach flu -- might not work for you then. Some women swear by bland foods -- likely because a heightened sense of smell is usually an accompanying symptom -- but I can't stomach them. Crackers, no thanks. Plain pasta? No way. We had pasta for dinner twice this week and I don't know if I can do it again.

And it only gets worse if you don't eat. I don't even want to think about how much sugar and junk I've consumed the past few days (sweet and sour seem to work for me), but if I eat enough of that, sometimes I can consider something with actual nutritive value. Last night I crashed so hard that the only acceptable thing was a bowl of chocolate ice cream. Not vanilla. Not a piece of chocolate bar. Chocolate ice cream. Green & Black's. (Thankfully, we had exactly that kind in the freezer.)

I have started to feel better -- the end of this past week was the worst of it, I think. But I still have to tread carefully and make sure I'm eating constantly -- well, as constantly as possible. As soon as something sounds palatable, I've been seizing on the opportunity and eating it -- whether it's plain cheese slices, potato chips dipped in Greek yogurt, or garlic-stuffed green olives.

All this to say, yes! We are expecting another baby! Bumblebee should be here around Christmas.