23 Weeks Pregnant and the Stomach Flu

I feel like I might die. I was up all night last night and threw up three or four times (I lost count). Nathan had it the night before and Henry has had a snotty nose, cough and diarrhea for four days. We were in St. Cloud over the weekend for the annual trivia contest at KVSC radio. Nathan and I are both alumni and continue to volunteer every year. Problem is, college radio stations are virus incubators. The pregnant lady probably should have stayed home rather than risk getting sick at six months, but that sort of attitude would prevent me from ever leaving the house which I do rarely anyway. I cannot not sleep as every time I close my eyes they fly open again two minutes later because of the very real feeling that I might have to run to the bathroom again. In the last two hours I've managed to keep down about 10 ounces of water, so I may be turning the corner. Dehydration during pregnancy can be very, very bad for the baby if it lowers the amount of amniotic fluid she has to float around in, so I have to force myself to keep sipping. I seriously do not remember being sick like this since high school. Nathan is not out of the woods himself yet, but he is bravely taking care of Henry today so that I can stay in bed. My midwife says that since my immune system is compromised, illness like this can last twice as long as it does for the average non-pregnant person. And dehydration can land me on IV fluids. So, I will be trying to avoid that. Meanwhile, the baby is very active which is good. My stomach muscles all the way around her just plain hurt from the force of it all. I have only gained ten pounds this pregnancy, so I don't have much I can afford to lose either. All around this time around has been much harder than Henry's pregnancy. Thankfully, only 17 weeks to go!

The Age of Discovery

The age of 15 months is a time of constant exploration and discovery. We visited Como Conservatory last week and Henry could barely contain himself, literally running through the tropical room and the sunken garden. He loved watching the turtles and listening to the birds, but it was the water and the koi pond that really drew his excitement. Before I knew it he was elbow deep, smacking the fish with his chubby little fingers.
As part of the Saint Paul Winter Carnival, we visited the snow sculpture competition and snow maze. It was quite cold and at first Henry didn't seem too thrilled. Once he got to crawl around on some of the sculptures, however, it was a blast :)
The stats at 15 months:
Height 32 1/4 inches (80%)
Weight 23 lbs 5 ounces (25%)
Head 19 1/4 inches (90%)

Since Henry was sick and on antibiotics for 10 days, he experienced a drop in weight, but is feeling better and once again eating well so he should rebound. He also had two more shots and only has one more to go at 18 months and then he's done until Kindergarten. The doctor was also able to get a blood draw from him to do allergy testing since he had a negative reaction to peanut butter. We should know more in a couple of days. This was the first time anyone has been successful drawing blood from his tiny veins.

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice

I am 20 week pregnant today (half way!) and I had a Level II ultrasound this morning. Everything looks good, healthy and normal and we are quite certain it's a girl! She was very active and gave the technician some trouble because she wouldn't stop moving long enough to get really good pictures. Here are a few, however, for you to enjoy (or try to make out). I think I could clean these up a bit if I a) had a decent scanner and/or b) knew how to use the delightful Photoshop software I own (eyes rolling)...

Laundry Assistant

January Fun - See what you snowbirds are missing?

It was nearly 30 degrees today. A great day for sledding around the neighborhood and soaking up some sunshine. Henry has gotten the hang of the sled and yells if I stop for too long. He holds on now and handles corners like a champ although he took one faceplant in the snow today. To his credit, he shook it off without crying and got right back in. He likes to watch the squirrels and listen for the birds and today said hello and waved at the mailman.

Black Bean Tacos

These are really, really good. Just had to share.
http://www.bonappetit.com/magazine/fasteasyfresh/2009/02/crispy_black_bean_tacos

Another year, another baby!

Happy New Year! Good news! Nathan, Henry and I will welcome a new baby into our world in June. I am 17 weeks pregnant and the results of all of the preliminary tests are in. Everything looks good! We will find out at the end of this month whether it is a boy or a girl. The official due date is June 14th, which is the anniversary of Nathan proposing to me at the Twins game and the day we usually celebrate by going off to a baseball game somewhere. I guess this year we might have to postpone depending on when the baby decides to arrive.

So far this pregnancy has been much, much different than the first. I've been sicker and more prone to headaches. Maybe its a girl?