Me: Fifteen Weeks Pregnant

Ok, so here's the deal. I have a love/hate relationship with posting baby belly pics on facebook. One part of me wants to throw caution to the wind and jump on the bandwagon. Just do it, as Nike would say. Another part of me wants to erase any and all related thoughts about baby belly pics from my mind.

This is where I compromise. I desperately want to document the journey of this pregnancy, but I'm just not quite sure how open I want to be about airing my belly size. Instead of showcasing my new bod to 500 plus facebook friends, I think I'll opt to do it via blogger. That way, I have my documentation and I don't feel like every single person I know is recording my belly shape and size. Of course, those pregnancy hormones I keep hearing about might change my mind and you may see some photos creep up onto my facebook page. We'll see.

Anyway. This is me at 15 weeks pregnant. At first, I was thinking that I was going to show really early and blow up to the size of a hot air balloon. Now I'm not so sure. I guess part of me just always automatically assumed that I'd be one of those pregnant ladies with a big ole belly. Maybe not. It's still up in the air.

Weddings Are Wonderful

**Sigh**

I'm feeling sorry for myself.

When I look on Facebook, all I see are countless posts from FB friends who are planning their upcoming weddings and engagement/wedding photography blog posts from recent weddings. And it's making me sad.

Weddings are happy. Marriage is wonderful. I loved my wedding, my husband is a blessing, and I couldn't be happier where we are today. But I can't help but feel a little sad that I don't have a wedding to plan for this spring and summer.

Don't get me wrong. I'm more than thrilled for anyone tying the knot. It's a big step and a huge committment; one not to be taken lightly. I sincerely hope that all couples take time to really consider what they're getting into--pledging their love and their lives to one another in front of God, their families, and their friends. Promising fidelity, loyalty, and friendship that will last forever.

Ok, getting a little off topic here. As you can tell, I'm really into marriage. But that's a whole other blog post...

Anyway, I'm just a teensy bit sad that I'll never have another wedding to plan. (I don't like to entertain the thought that I could ever remarry. Again, another blog post. To keep it short, King's the only husband for me.) Yes, my niece Sydney may call on me for help one of these days, or I might have a daughter one day who will need me. But the difference is that I won't be the one in the driver's seat. I'll just be a helper. I couldn't have made it through our wedding without all my little helpers--my mom, sister, niece, aunts, cousins, etc. They were all so wonderful! But I'll never be the one to make the decisions again.

**Sigh**

Oh well. I'm happy. I'm happily married to a happily married man, and we're happily expecting our first baby in a few short months. In case you haven't noticed, I'm happy. So in honor of how happy I am, I'll show you a few photos from THE HAPPIEST day of my life--August 7th, 2010--the day I married King.

Enjoy.

Sick and Scared

I haven't been a very dedicated blogger the past few weeks, and for that, I apologize. I've had some other things going on. Mainly, it warmed up there for a little piece and I was able to spend some time outside. Sewing and blogging were far removed from my mind. Secondly, I had been away on a business trip with my husband this week and was stuck in bed, sick as a dog.

Yes. Sick. It started out as simple nausea, which I thought I could handle. I'm 15 weeks pregnant, so of course, I chalked it up to morning sickness. Here I was, already in my second trimester, considering myself lucky that I had made it through the first several months of pregnancy without getting that dreaded morning sickness. And wha-bam! It hits me.

As it turns out, it wasn't just morning sickness and nausea. And this is where I stop with the details and you can fill in with your own imagination. From my short stint as a microbiologist (ok, I took one class for college a year ago), I was sure that I had some type of foodborne illness. I was thinking salmonella, Staphylococcus aureaus, Escherichia coli, etc. I also considered toxoplasmosis, which I would have contracted from my sweet cat, Theo.

I called my ob/gyn's office and spoke to one of his nurses. She suggested an OTC medicine for a simple "stomach bug". Whatever that means. Luckily, I had some of the medicine here at the house, took it, and felt fine. My husband and I were supposed to be leaving for Frankfort that day for a business trip. At the time, I felt well enough to travel the 3 1/2 hour long drive and thought I was better. Made the trip just fine, no problem. Unfortunately, I was not better the next day. In fact, I was worse. There I was, in a strange city, by myself at the hotel while King was at his conference, sick and scared that I was going to need medical attention. Normally, I wouldn't have been so concerned. But when you're pregnant (especially pregnant with your first child), you just worry more than normal. King was worried. I was worried. My folks at home were worried. Dehydration could have set it at any moment, and I was scared that I was going to find myself in a hospital bed, hooked up to an IV. I was scared for our baby. It was late one night, and I finally called my own hospital in Bowling Green and spoke to one of the ob's on call. He didn't sound too concerned, thought it was just a "G.I. bug" and told me to stay hydrated. I felt a little more relieved. But, I was still worried about traveling home the next day....

Thankfully, we made it home it what seemed like an hour. A 3 to 3 1/2 hour long trip took no time. Now I'm home, feeling better, and getting more rest just in case I'm not 100%.

The moral of the story is this: it's scary to be sick in a strange city when you're alone in a hotel room for most of the day--especially when you're pregnant.

Another added moral of the story: never travel when you think you could be sick. Even if you think you could be feeling better. Just stay at home. Or if you're like me and scared to stay by yourself, stay with someone else. Stay with your mom; she'll take care of you. This is what I should have done!