1st trimester woes and whines

Tomorrow I'll be 11 weeks! Only 1 more week (or 2 or 3 depending on who you're talking to) until I'm in the second trimester. Wow, it's went fast! Speaking of going fast, my belly popped out right around 6 weeks. But worse than that, my hips and thighs seem to have reverted right back to where they left off with Jack in October. Yikes! So at this point, I can barely fit into my old jeans even if I'm wearing a BellaBand. Yes, I will freely admit that I've already donned the maternity jeans, but c'mon, they're so comfortable!!

One of the first questions I get asked when people find out I'm expecting is how I'm feeling.
"Ugh, sick. But not as bad as with Jack."
To which everyone usually responds, "Ohhh, that must mean it's a girl!"
I've heard too many stories that do not affirm that tale, so we shall have to wait and see!
Anyway, I don't have any food aversions this time around, but am definitely feeling some cravings. Then again, that could just be me taking advantage of this IMMENSE HUNGER I've been feeling for the past 5 weeks. All I can say is, I can't get enough chocolate milkshakes, Chick-Fil-A and by-golly if I could find a place that sells sticky buns around here I'd be eating one of those a day too. (And thank you Facebook friends for all the great sticky bun recipes, I plan on making them but I'm afraid I'll ruin my husband's strict diet.)

Also, my acute sense of smells is back! Twice now I've driven through a particular part of our neighborhod and was overwhelmed with the scent of smoked bologna. Which only meant I HAD to have some. I didn't know what the stuff was really called, so it took a while for the grocer man and I to find me the biggest hunk of summer sausage. We had a party at our house that day, I ate about half of it with some crackers and cheese, just like I had dreamed about...

Of course, a keen sniffer definitely has it's drawbacks. Especially when it comes to the foulest smelling 11 month old poop I have EVER SEEN! I don't know what's going on with Jack's GI track this week, but it's been almost unbearable. And to top it all of, he's suddenly decided he no longer likes getting his diaper changed. So now he yells, wiggles, rolls over, puts his hands "down there", kicks his feet into the dirty diaper, and then grabs it and swings it over his head. Needless to say, this job has gotten extremely messy.

This morning was no exception. After wiping down Jack's diaper area, feet, hands, and anything else that obstructed my diaper changing efforts, I went to deposit a full-to-capacity diaper into the diaper pail. Only to discover the bag had run out. Now don't get me wrong, I love my Diaper Genie. That thing is a lifesaver for people with touchy gag reflexes. Except when the bag runs out. So not only did I have to put the steaming object into the bag MYSELF but I also had to open the bag of old, reeking diapers to do so. And then close it back out, with a puff of stale air, to tie it shut. I was dry-heaving the entire time. Jack thought this was the most hilarious thing ever. And, no lie, 5 minutes later he pooped again. Geesh Jack, a little recovery time would be nice!

After our morning walk he and I were playing on the couch. Sometimes we get a little wild. But with a spirited baby I don't think I'm in danger of "over activity." Anything to wear the kid out a little. Anyway, all the jiggling and laughing must have stirred something up because mid-laugh he burped-spit all over my shirt. It smelled like rotten Kix, which is what he had been snacking on after breakfast (plain Kix, not rotten ones). I immediately commenced to dry-heaving again. And Jack got in another good laugh.

Aside from the cravings and smells, there are some days when I just feel like crap. Days when I don't feel like changing out of my pajamas and just want to lay on the couch and watch girly movies. But fortunately, these days are few and far between, although I have managed to get through both Anne of Green Gables movies recently. [These are the perfect not-feeling-so-hot movies, except when you're a hormonal preggo. I pretty much bawled through the majority of "The Sequel."]

Most days, I just feel like I'm about to throw up at any time, and then I get really tired between 1-5pm. I've only actually thrown up once, which is why I don't think this is as bad as last time. If I remember correctly I was sick at least once in morning and often in the afternoon or after dinner, for about weeks 9-14. I want to say I'm more tired this time around, but I think it's just the fact that I have an energetic little boy who likes to crawl up the stairs 20 times a day and throw things into the toilet and bathtub. (Did I mention I WILL be buying a gate this week!)

The truth is, I think my 11 month old baby and my 11 week old fetus have been conniving behind my back. I can tell they're already going to be best buds:

#2: "Hey big bro, I'm going to be going through a growth spurt the next three days and am really laying the hormones on Mom. This would be a good time for you to learn how to wipe all the pictures off the fridge and fulfill your dream of dumping the dirt out of Mom's plants."

Jack: "Great idea sib. How 'bout I wear Mom out so much with chasing me up and down the stairs that she's too tired to make lunch and NEEDS her Chick-Fil-A. I know how much you love a #1 combo with no pickle!"

#2: "Deal bro, you got it!"

And so it goes. Suffice it to say, after the morning I've had, I will be taking Jack gate-shopping this afternoon and buying myself a chicken sandwich on the way!