Moods are in Full Swing! ~ Six Weeks, Six Days

I always thought of life as a pregnant woman as a nine month transition into becoming a mother. Little did I know how fast life would change in the first two months! After discovering that I was truly pregnant, I drove more cautiously than I've driven since I was a new driver. Energetic road trips have become an off-and-on road-naps, cleaning the house has become a day-long process, and even the food lover in me is hiding for cover! Productive hours are planned around activities that can be done from the sitting and laying down position so as to prolong the energetic hours as long as humanly possible. This week the onset of nausea and food aversions have been so extreme that the foodie in me has gone through the five stages of grief (denial, anger, barganing, depression and acceptance) and is finally coping a little better.

For the first time in our marriage, we have the ability to eat organic, and I have been taking advantage of that, learning new, spicy, fun, healthy recipes. Now even the idea of a mild green pepper is asking too much. To look at the bright side of my new picky-spoiled-child tastes, not only am I gaining a new appreciation for Life Cereal and Ramen Noodles, I'm going to be learning a lot more about a whole different type of cooking! Let's call it, healthy comfort food- that is if I can convert these old classics into healthy, bland meals.

Moods are in full swing, as Shaun and I discovered today at Walmart. That we were even voluntarily at a Walmart is a recipe for disaster, as we both hate the place with passion. I've had a rough day in the nauseous department, and could have fallen asleep on the bottom shelf of any isle with a space open enough had I gotten the chance. I had my only burst of energy all day after we completed collecting the grocery items on my list, and I was soooo excited that I told Shaun and he let me take over the cart. Avoiding Walmartins who were cutting me off and running into my cart, we arrived at the auto center (where we intended on checking out as our car had its oil replaced), and my energy and good mood were completely depleted. We couldn't check out there- I felt ready to cry and Shaun was frustrated too. Only his frustration was quickly replaced with concern when a series of miscommunication between the two of us (he still thought I had energy, and I thought he had a bad attitude) caused me to communicate my in-appreciation of his "attitude". Oh brother! The look of shock at how I had taken Shaun's comment was written all over his face, and he held my hand and gave me a shoulder rub while we stood in line behind four full carts. Praise the Lord for a husband who is able to lead from the standpoint of putting my needs ahead of his own at times like this! I apologized for my crazy mood swing, he told me it was okay that he knows it's an emotion filled time, and although he feels concern for me when it happens, he also is slightly entertained by how fast my moods can change. I didn't know that there had been more than one instance of this- ugh!

The forth of July weekend brought back memories of being a little kid. I got to play with my nephew and young cousins all I wanted! I played hard, and then found myself needing a nap all afternoon- stuck on the couch having the little ones come up to me instead of me down to them. Play hard, sleep harder was the game. I'm so glad Shaun could come this year- I really needed his support, love and help. It was endearing to me to watch as Shaun and our nephew Dakota bonded for the first time, especially the last morning we were up north after Dakota climbed up in "A Shun" (translation: Uncle Shaun)'s lap and watched tractors circling in the form of a bike during the "tour de france". My family is so much fun, and I wish we could have stayed longer to see my Aunt Debby more, but I'm glad we got to go as long as we were able to. My mom had a little grandma bag waiting for us when we arrived with goodies for the baby. An adorable giraffe stuffed animal (which was funny because I'd been wanting a giraffe for some reason and couldn't find one), the same brand pacifiers as I had when I was a baby, the softest Winnie the pooh blanket, some toys, and a set of bibs with wonderful sayings like, "But Grandma said I can". My sister gave us a boppy pillow, a diaper cake, and maternity shirt she made herself. I haven't even let myself buy much yet, so it's fun to see my family so excited! Many thanks to Shaun for making sure that the diaper cake made it home in one piece for the nursery which is slowly coming together.