I'll have one of everything, please!

Now that the big news is out, my blog seems to have a purpose. While carrying a child inside of me for the next 7 months won't be all that is going on in my life, it will certainly be one of the more important - and certainly entertaining - storylines. So prepare yourself. I don't plan on holding much back.

Today marks my 9th week of pregnancy. However, the baby is really only 7 weeks old. Apparently, someone who failed math in school created the pregnancy timetable. Or a man came up with it. You choose. So nine weeks - holy cow.

I read every week about things that are (or should be) going on with me and the baby. Here's this week's breakdown.

BUN:

Right now it's about the size of a martini olive (oh, how I miss martinis... *tear*) and weighs about the same as a penny. It's got arms and legs with little webbed fingers and toes. It's got most major organs (coming this week: either ovaries or boy-balls!), and its brain is continuously developing. It's already got eyes, ears, and a nose. I'd give anything to be able to see its teensy face (but no ultrasound again until week 16 or 20, I think). Supposedly, the baby is beginning to move around in there. But I still won't be able to feel that for a couple of months - Bun's still way too small for me to feel now.

ME:

Food: If you didn't know I was preggo, you'd never think anything of it. Or at least that's what people are telling me. At first I gained like 7 pounds, but I think it's because I acted like a Hoover in the initial weeks - I ate anything I could put my hands on. I've never in my life felt a hunger like pregnancy hunger. I'm completely full and fine one second, and all of a sudden I become this raving maniac on the prowl for food. Do not get in my way and DEFINITELY do not try to carry a conversation with me. Unless it's about going somewhere to eat. As we're getting into the car to go to said place. Lately, though, I'd like to think that I've learned to manage the hunger a little bit better. I've actually lost a few of the pounds I initially gained because I'm not constantly camped out in our pantry at home. And I'm not having cravings, per se. Not to the point of waking up at 2am wanting a pickle, or making Kevin drive to the ice cream store 10 minutes before it closes for a banana split (like I've heard about another mom whom I absolutely adore). Not saying that will never happen, but I'm just not there yet. I am, however, at the point where there are certain things that I can eat for every single meal, every day. Pizza. Cheese fries from Chilis or Outback. Bean, cheese, and jalepeno tacos/burritos/quesadillas. Chipotle veggie burritos. Pasta. Clearly things that are not the healthiest of choices, but I'm not going to try to fight it. It's all so good!! I've noticed the one food aversion I've developed since getting pregnant is meat, especially beef. I can't eat it! I can eat bacon, shrimp, and I've been able to do a little bit of chicken. But the thought of a burger makes me queasy. Hopefully this won't last forever. On a healthier note, I drink a ton of water every day. I'm allowed a certain amount of caffeine, but I usually don't even get near the max amount. I try to keep it to just 1 Coke or tea a day. And no coffee at all, which is really hurting my mornings.

Sickness: There were about 2 1/2 weeks (unfortunately including 1 week that we were without power due to Hurricane Ike) where I was absolutely miserable with nausea. Like, must-lay-down-now (and forever if possible!), the-room-is-spinning, contents-of-my-stomach-are-sitting-in-my-throat kind of nausea. The worst. Fortunately, I haven't actually actually gotten sick. I despise throwing up. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can go this entire time without actually doing it. Some people have asked me "Wouldn't you rather just throw up so you feel better?" And my answer every time has been a fat "NO". While, yes, I'm sure I'll feel better after I throw up, I know that the nausea will inevitably come back. So no throwing up for me, thanks. Dr. Wonderful (as I'll call her from now on) told me that I can take Dramamine for the nausea (my choices in medicine are now seriously limited), and we'd move to something stronger if necessary over the next month. But Dramamine seems to be doing the trick! I take it in the morning before I leave for work, and I keep one in my purse in case I need it later in the day. Those 2 1/2 weeks of misery seemed to have been the worst of it - I have a few bad days occasionally where I just need to lay down. Or when I have to go to the grocery store. No lie - I can smell the fish counter before I walk through the door (I'm the crazy girl literally running past the meat section plugging her nose and holding her breath - ladies aren't lying about the heightened sense of smell!!). But for the most part, I really only get nauseated now when I start to get hungry. And I've found that Starbucks Blended Lemonade works miracles for me on subsiding the nausea and holding me over until meal times.

Craziness: I now go from laughing to crying in about 2.2 seconds. It's pathetic. It can be a story, a tv show, a commercial, or just a thought in my head that triggers me. Poor Kevin was the target of my mental instability yesterday. He made a crack about a possible Halloween costume (that involved a preggo-style Chandra). It was something that pre-pregnancy, I would've just shot him a dirty look, slapped him in his man-place, or pulled the hair on his legs. Something playful, but also in the "Don't F with me, Crane" department. But Pregnant Chandra reacted completely differently. I sat there for a second, brushing my teeth, letting his comment sink in...overanalyzing. Suddenly tears began welling in my eyes, so I tried to fight them back and leaned further over the sink to try to hide my face from him. But then I lost it completely. My welled-up eyes became water fountains, and I couldn't keep my shoulders from shaking with my sobs. He came out of the closet and caught me, against all of my efforts to crawl down the sink drain and hide away. He was blind-sided. He didn't know what was going on - "are you hurt? are you sick? what's wrong??" All I could do was look at him with a mouthful of toothpaste, red-faced and out of breath from crying and say "That wasn't FUNNY!" He was heartbroken and must've apologized about 20 times in a minute. I must say that I have the most incredible husband, seriously. He has been absolutely amazing and super-supportive of all things preggo-Chandra (except, of course, for comments about Chandra-inspired Halloween costumes). This was his free pass - his one "get out of jail free" card.

So there's the bulk of my experiences as of now. Hopefully week 9 will be a good one! Just for giggles, every time you sip on your morning coffee or order a margarita with dinner, please enjoy it just a little more and know that I'm living vicariously through you ;)