so how long have you been pregnant? given that this is my second back-to-back nursing/pregnancy and my fourth baby in six years, it feels like i've been pregnant for a very, very long time. in fact, there is a gentleman in my ward who refers to me as "that lady who's always pregnant and who wears awesome shoes." guilty as charged.
did you get sick with this pregnancy? you know, i've heard it said that every pregnancy is different, but in my experience, they've all been pretty much the same (only i just keep getting older and slower and more dimply overall). so as we have come to expect, i spent about ten weeks out-of-commission this go round, and another several weeks fully regaining my strength. (for refresher courses on hyperemesis gravidarum, which i made famous *cough* before kate middleton did, see here, here, and here).
how did you manage being sick with three young kids? the blessed truth is that i don't have to manage. i have a faithful entourage of people who do most of the hard work for me, and i just have to survive.
i have a great team of doctors and nurses who have seen me through three previous pregnancies and who are there at the helm with all my drugs, iv care, and any other medical attention that i need.
then of course, i have such a supportive and stalwart family and community. each of my immediate family members spent some time out here this summer and all were kind and helpful and understanding.
my husband: man, oh, man is my husband a rock, allowing me to talk him in to this again and again. husbands, think of your dear wives. think of everything they do. now think for a minute that they weren't going to be able to do any of it. for months. stress you out much?
and my dearest littles are such troopers. they are loving, gentle, and resilient. they know what to expect and are dutiful in their roles to "leave mommy alone."
my mother, as you know, is a saint who even though she was recovering from cancer treatment herself, would not be stopped from helping out, and in fact, did a great deal, including managing most of my food intake.
but the great hero of this pregnancy is uncle schmatt. he had the summer off between undergraduate and graduate school and somehow got talked into coming here to spend it with our ragtag crew (the vacation of his dreams!) yes, he made breakfast. yes, he made lunch. yes, he made dinner every. single. night (and to bryan's utter delight, he had it ready at six o'clock, on the dot). yes, he changed diapers. yes, he vacuumed and cleaned. yes, he entertained children. yes, he went grocery shopping and did meal planning. and no, he never complained.
so when you're sick in bed, what do you do all day? i get asked this question a lot, and the very simple (but mind-blowing) answer is absolutely nothing. i don't read. i barely talk. i don't knit or write or craft or play games. heck, i don't even put on clothes. occasionally i'm able to watch some mindless movies, but i spend the vast majority of my days staring at the wall or listening to the boy across the street work (fruitlessly) on his basketball skillz: boing. boing. boing. rim. boing. boing. boing. rim.
don't pity my boredom, though, because one has to been in his right mind to be "bored," and i am definitely not in my right mind. during the worst times, i'm losing up to one pound a day, and it's taking all my energy to a) fight the starvation, b) remain unplugged from some ghastly needle, and c) try to remain perfectly still. i have to think constantly about what i'm going to eat next. what i'm going to drink next. how i'm going to keep from throwing it up. and what my plan is if i do throw it up. there is no brain power left to be bored.
is the new baby a boy or a girl? once again, we have been assured that it is either the one or the other, but again, we don't know for sure which one. my motherly "intuition" is pretty terrible (my record being 0 for 3 at this point), but i was thinking for the first half of the pregnancy "definitely girl" and for the second half "definitely boy." really, your guess is as good as mine!
and finally, when is this little cherub due to arrive? this coming january.
as an added bonus, here is a recent pic of his or her newest little highness:
(profile view with the head at the right of the screen -- nose pointing up -- and the giant abdomen at the left).
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