Wow, I’m technically halfway there!  –Although, it seems like I have such a long way to go, still!  Mostly, it still doesn’t REALLY feel like I’m pregnant, and more like I’ve had some crazy disease for 2 months, and now a stomach bug that I can’t kick…except of course for some of the really small kicks here and there.

Aurora’s kicks are soft and subtle and still resemble the smooth fluttering, in a way (opposed to the hard jabs I know come later).  But, it’s hard enough to know that that’s what’s going on.  I still have “morning sickness – normal people variety” but I had it with Lorelei too, and I think it finally went away in the 28th week.  It’s amazing to reread my journal entries from Lorelei, it’s almost EXACTLY the same, with the dates slightly off by a few weeks.  EERIE!  lol.  In a way, it’s comforting because some of this stuff I just don’t remember, but then again I don’t want to become a self-fulfilling prophecy over here because I’m expecting something icky that happened last time.

Apparently, MONTHS 2 and 3 of my pregnancy are generally the WORST.  Like, hospitalizations and IVs and inability to function on my own.  You know the drill (for my case), and if you don’t, you should go back and read those posts.

MONTHS 4,5, and 6 are marked with a lesser “morning sickness,” the one I refer to as the “normal people morning sickness” – where basically I feel sick at different points of the day but can take Zofran and clear it up.  OR, I could possibly lay down with some simple foods and VERY slowly and calmly eat and lie down until I feel better.  But, let’s not kid ourselves, that takes WAY too long.  Although, sometimes I have no choice but to do it anyhow and Lorelei has been pretty understanding about it.  I even have a bed set up in her room for when I get sick and have to lay down as she plays.  Also, towards the end of Month 5 and beginning of Month 6 (last time), my stomach started acting funny…all sorts of cramps are documented, including other weird stomach stuff (like being sick).  And, around this time, my tailbone and hips get majorly messed up and I have moments where I can’t even walk for a bit (remedied by lying down on my side with a pillow in between my legs…just have to wait for it to go away.  It’s from the baby putting pressure on things and everything moving around).  The cramps…I have no clue why I get those except for body stuff changing.  I also have some sharp shooting pains in my belly (mostly left and right sides) that feel a lot like the “stitches” you get after running (for those of us never in shape), only they’re numerous all at once and in a different area.  But, it’s kind of that sharp pain/pulled muscle type feeling and THAT’S NORMAL.  It’s stuff stretching.  Of course, I know the technical terms for all of this but it’s EARLY an I have pregnancy brain, apparently right now.  So, forgive me.  But, if you’re having it too…it’s okay.  Not contractions.  Not dying.  Moving on…

OOOh…forgot to mention, in BOTH pregnancies – MONTH 4 or so, I had this weird foggy feeling in my head like my ears wouldn’t pop and I felt like I had vertigo (dizziness, liquid in my ears).  Eventually, it just went away on it’s own.  I was convinced each time I had an inner ear infection…but my ear would never hurt ENOUGH to go to the doctor (it only sporadically gave me discomfort, but was not enough to make me worried).

(I’ll post more about MONTHS 7,8 and 9 later because all I remember is that I had indigestion BAD at night no matter WHAT I ate, and I was pretty uncomfortable from the body changes…that, and last time I was so freaked out about contractions and didn’t know what they’d feel like.)

So, this week is following course pretty well…

-”normal people” morning sickness
-some stomach upsets
-cramps and the sharp shooty growing pains
-exhausted
-nightmares
-pain in my “tail-bone” area – ISH, making it hard to walk sometimes
-beginning of “nesting” feelings
-no intense cravings
-still itchy, but the steroid cream is keeping it mostly under control
-in ADDITION (this is separate issue from above but ADDS to the itchiness – ) unquenchable dry skin.  Have had to start using anti -dandruff products (although my scalp just itches but doesn’t really produce anything…although I’m sure it would should I scratch hard enough.  ew.), sensitive skin this and that for face and body, and have quit using exfoliation stuff for my body and really hot water.
-My body needs a lot of sleep right now, which kind of gets in the way…but, hey…who am I to argue with it?  lol
-Emotions kind of go up and down on some things, but it’s easy to recognize what’s hormonal and what’s not.  Clue:  I’m not really writing about the weird hormonal emotional situations much on here…like the runaway cozie (drink cozie) that drifted into the street and kept getting ran over and made me want to cry.  Right, inanimate objects being ran over actually made me want to tear up (but I didn’t) one evening.  Like I said, I can totally tell the difference between hormonal emotions and Ashley emotions.

Welcome back!