Baby Frame Gender Reveal!

What an amazing, joyful experience it was to see Baby Boy and all his healthy parts! I had been dying to know the gender pretty much since we got pregnant, but my doctor doesn't do a gender determination sonogram until 20 weeks, and I knew I couldn't wait that long. A few people had suggested that we find an ultrasound center to see pictures of our baby. If you want to see the gender earlier than your doctor normally does it, it can cost upwards of $1000 because the sonogram isn't one of the "prescribed" ones. But if you go to an ultrasound center or a technician school, it is WAY cheaper, and they'll let you come see your baby as often as you want.

We went in on Tuesday and got to see our little guy, which was really wonderful. Conrad couldn't make it to the first appointment I had at 10 weeks, so he never got to see the wiggleworm that is our kid, only the pictures afterward. The center we went to was really nice. They had really big rooms with large couches and big-screen TV's so you could bring your whole family to see 3D and 4D images of your baby. The room was totally dark, and all we saw was our baby projected on the screen.

Before we saw the gender, we watched him wiggle around for a bit. He kept hiccuping and making sucking motions with his face, and he would kick against me with all his strength. It was so fun to watch the movements that I knew were happening inside me, but I couldn't feel them because he's only about 3 ounces. If you look at the first image, you can see his reclined position as he's about to push hard and extend his legs.  Work those muscles, Baby! In the second image, you'll see a white line on his face which shows where his tooth buds are forming in his jaw. 

Our technician was really sweet. She got lots of cool shots. This one is a little "thumbs up," and you can see how good those little bones in his arm are looking!

In this picture, Baby rolled onto his side, showing us his little spine and bottom. His legs are little grasshopper legs, really long and lean like his daddy's.

And there's the cutest little potty I've ever seen! We're looking up between his legs like he's sitting on a copier. Conrad and I cried and held hands really tightly. We laughed and sniffled as we watched him move. She moved the sensor so we could see between his legs, and right away she said, "Oh! I see something! That's a little boy!" I screamed a little bit, then I admitted to her that I wanted a boy REALLY badly and I've been calling him a him since the very beginning. Conrad laughed and said, "Yeah, she really wanted a boy."

We grabbed some sandwiches later and called family members to tell them the news, and I kept bursting into tears while I tried to eat.
I'm so filled with gratitude that we have a SON on the way, and that we were so blessed to get pregnant with a healthy baby.

Baby Frame's Gender!

My MIL and FIL when we told them the gender! They rushed upstairs to put on their matching t-shirts for some pictures.

We found out our baby's gender! Leave a comment with your guess of boy or girl, and I'll pick a winner tomorrow for some free ad space in March! 

Intuition

This place. AmIright? I'm itching for summer already. I'm also just plain itching because my skin is stretching and I have too much estrogen, but that's a tale for another day. 

Yesterday I woke up and I could tell right away that if I stayed home and watched TV or computed all day, that I'd feel really sick. So I decided I needed to get out of the house. I headed out around 9, picked up some breakfast at McD's, then ran to Target for some toilet paper. Because toilet paper is not like milk, where you can survive without it for another day or two. Then I got this feeling that I should go see Conrad. I drove up to his work, just to see if he was there, and I saw his truck. Then I saw him. He looked like he was having a rough morning. He saw me drive up and his face lightened. He got in the car and we chatted and kissed for a minute or two. Then I got out of the car and left. 

His proverbial cloud had been lifted, simply by seeing a happy, loving face. I was thinking later about the initial feeling I had, "Go visit your love." Was that intuition? Was it the spirit telling me he needed me to make him feel better? Was I just guessing? Did baby want to be near Daddy (just kidding)? Whatever it was, I'm glad I followed the prompting. 

You hear stories about people who followed promptings and ended up saving someone's life or avoiding disaster, but what about those small, every-day promptings we all have that just tell us to help someone, or call someone, or visit someone? Those are equally huge in a lot of ways. Conrad said my little surprise drop-in was totally what he needed. I'm glad I was able to influence his mood positively (sometimes, as wives, we may not always be "lifters"). 

Have you ever had an experience where you followed a feeling that ended up helping someone? Have you ever been on the receiving end of a prompting? Tell me about it in the comments!

Fifteen

- I want to go on a roller coaster more than anything. Probably only because I know I can't.

- I'm making more of an effort to eat more produce, since my diet has consisted mainly of carbs and dairy. I bought some stuff this week to make healthy choices easier. I bought salad mix, pre-cut fruit, tortilla wraps, and turkey. Three months ago, this would have been weak sauce. These things were all part of my diet. And then the little booger inside me decided he only wanted cheese, because apparently mamas with love handles are better mamas. So we're starting small.

-Cravings this week: salads, fruit, fresh foods. This "health initiative" isn't very hard considering I want all of the foods. I think your body is pretty good at telling you what it needs.

-I'm noticing with all these bump pictures that I look more pregnant in the pics than I do in real life. In real life, I don't actually look like I have a bump. All my shirts are getting mysteriously tight around the middle, and I'm getting a bigger butt, but no "real" bump. I like to pretend, though, so I'm going to keep posting pictures.

- Conrad's work schedule has been weird lately. He's had to work a lot of night shifts, which means I sleep alone until he comes home. When he gets in bed at 3am, my sleep is seriously disturbed, which gets to be really frustrating when it's already hard enough to get comfortable. So what does he do? Does he tell me to get over it? No. He sets up a sleeping bag next to the bed, and on nights when he works late, he sleeps on the floor. When I told him to go sleep in the guest bed, his reply was, "the sleeping bag is actually really comfortable, and I want to be close to you." Oh my gosh. I deserve an award for Best Husband Picker. (Or should we maybe give the award to him?)

- I found a site on Pinterest that goes through your pregnancy week by week and tells you what you should do each week. It's mostly all stuff I already knew, but some of the suggestions are good, like signing up for a prenatal yoga class and preparing for a babymoon. See the article here.

- Speaking of Pinterest, somebody better come to my house and Pin-tervene. I've been on it a lot lately. A lot. Here's some baby/pregnancy related stuff that I liked.

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no source given, but this is awesome

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Nautical Baby Shower that goes perfectly with my current favorite, the beach/whale nursery!

How do you incorporate healthier foods into your pregnancy diet without making yourself gag? When should I start talking to my mom about a baby shower?

Fourteen

Pregnancy this week

Everyone, meet my belly

- I'm officially in my second trimester! I'm about a third of the way through.

- The belly has arrived! I had a few people mention my pregnant belly this week, which means it's now noticeable to others! I'm really proud of my growing bump, and I'm happy that I don't just look bloated.

- If I had typed this post earlier in the week, I would have told you how great I was feeling. How I hadn't thrown up in over a week, and how my energy is coming back. But Saturday, all progress was derailed. We went to a friends birthday barbeque, and Conrad and I shared a hot dog and a cheeseburger. We went to the park for a couple hours, then went back to the party house for cake. I had one particularly hefty piece, and it was the sugariest cake I've probably ever had. The sugar didn't feel so great on my stomach, since I had eaten a few hours before and had a nearly empty stomach. I had another hot dog to try to fill myself with food. But then I was still hungry, so I had another one. And then I took a really long nap (like, a hard nap, not a soft, catnap). I woke up after a few hours and felt really sick. I knew it was time to eat again, but those three hot dogs were really barking. Needless to say, that stuff had to come out. I've felt woozy ever since.

- My appetite is increasing. I find myself really looking forward to the next meal instead of dreading it. I'm able to hold my food down (unless it's an excess of hot dogs), and even brushing my teeth is easier. I don't feel as sick at night anymore.

- I finished reading The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy this week. It was super funny. I'd get in the bath and just read for an hour. I'd laugh out loud every few paragraphs. If you are wanting a good pregnancy book but don't want one that's so tame and medical as "What to Expect," get this book.

- I've done a lot of thinking about what is coming, like labor, delivery, nursing, caring for a baby, losing baby weight, body changes, etc., and I have decided that I'm truly not scared. I'm probably being naive, but I know I can handle everything that's heading my way. The experience is what I make of it.

- One of my friends brought us dinner on Sunday. I stayed home from church because I wasn't feeling well (leftover from Saturday) and she asked Conrad where I was and if she could bring us dinner. I mean, I knew people did acts of service for you once your baby was born, but while pregnant? This girl was just too nice.

- Things I'm craving: Still meat, but NO chicken. Beef, turkey, fish, pork, and even lamb are better to me than chicken. Every time I try to make chicken, I gag a little and push my plate over to Conrad. I seem to always want a sandwich or a burger, even at breakfast. I want things that have a briney, vinegary flavor, so things like pickles, mustard, and vinegar go great with my sandwich craving. I'm thinking about trying to can some dilly beans. My mom used to make them and I have a hankering for them that is like a thousand winds. It cannot be stopped.

How do you advertise?

One of my clients

A few months ago, I was certified to apply eyelash extensions. I've done a few clients since then, but not enough to cover the costs of becoming certified, and not nearly as much as I had hoped. I'm stumped when it comes to advertising for this sort of thing. It's not like a blog where your location doesn't matter. All that matters with blogging is what you say.

I tried Craigslist with no luck. Every time I'd list an ad, three people would list a better deal. I can only lower my prices so much before I'm losing money. Also, jerks would spam Craigslist and post ten identical ads in a row, all using my ad content word for word, but with better prices.

I considered making flyers and postcards and sending them to various neighborhoods. The post office lets you just pick a route and they'll send them for you. You don't need to address your stuff or anything. Just pay and send. Except it costs about $100 to have the postcards made, and I'd only get 80. There's also not a very high guarantee that I'd get a good return on my investment.

I even looked into our city's local Clipper magazine that has coupons and ads for lots of local businesses. The people who run the company can't seem to give me a straight answer when it comes to price. They've even asked for lots of personal info without giving me any information on the advertisements. Which seems super scammy to me.


So I thought I'd turn to you, oh mighty readers. If you have a locally based service business, how do you advertise? How do you gain customers? It has to be local, since I obviously can't apply eyelashes if I'm in San Diego and you're in New York. Or even two hours away. Services are pesky because you have to be physically nearby in order to deliver.

My goal is to have 1-2 clients per week, which isn't even that much, but finding unique customers is harder than it looks!

So what's your advice? Where and how should I advertise? What's a fairly priced method with a good return?

March

Stats:

800+ GFC followers

3000+ social media followers

7,000-10,000 pageviews per month

If you're interested in awesome blogging opportunities and great ways to expand your blog or shop, go here to book your spot for March! Depending on the spot you book, you can get a sponsor feature, featured in the newsletter, and participation in the group giveaway (or your own private giveaway!). 

If you'd like a slightly less awesome (but still great) opportunity without the commitment of sponsorship for a month, you can donate to the 1000 FB follower giveaway! Fill out the form here. 

Hope to see you in March!

Beach House Dreams

For those of you who don't know, we live in North San Diego County, about ten minutes from the beach. This isn't like when realtors say "you're ten minutes from wherever!" but you're really an hour and a half from anything. We are actually ten minutes, maybe eight, from the ocean.

We bought our condo a year and a half ago, and have slowly been accumulating things that make a house a home. Much of our furniture was free or gifts, and no single item cost more than $200. Needless to say, we have quite the collection of non-matching, used, repurposed, cheap furniture.

Lately, I've begun nesting. Or at least I think it's nesting. I think a lot about what furniture I want for baby's room, I registered for a bunch of stuff at Target, and I'm finally up off the couch after 13 weeks of projectile vomiting. I think that's nesting.

Naturally, thinking about baby's nursery makes me daydream about the rest of the house, and how I'd decorate it if some altruistic person decided to give me $100,000 to spend. "Here, you deserve this money," says the stranger. "You're gestating, and no one's ever experienced what you're experiencing. Thank you for pushing DNA into the future."

Here's how I'd decorate our little almost-on-the-beach-house. I'd use lots of white. White on the walls, white bed spreads, white pillows. Fabrics would be soft and drapey. I'd use neutrals and burlaps and woods. I'd probably throw in some blue.

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And for the nursery:

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Don't forget about the 1000 FB follower giveaway! Now taking donations! If you have a shop or blog you'd like to promote, this is the perfect way! Click here to fill out the donation form. No purchase necessary. 

How well does your spouse know you?

This questionnaire was so fun! I loved hearing Conrad's answers, and it turns out we know each other pretty well! Grab the questions and link up for a fun Valentine's activity!

Ever wonder if your spouse really knows you?! Like even the simplest questions? Well now is the time to find out!

Here are the instructions:

1. Fill out the questions below with your answers
2. Hand over the same set of questions to your spouse and see if they can answer the questions about you. 
3. Write your post and compare both of your answers
4. Link up here on February 14th

Here are the questions: Feel free to add or take away any questions you want.

 How long have you been married?

T: Almost 4 years

C: 3.85 years

Where was your first date?
T & C: Rock climbing at hangar 18. 
Where was your first kiss?
T: Our friend Adi's bedroom

C: Adi's apartment at Cal Poly Pomona

 Who first said, "I love you"?
T: I did.

C: Tess did one night while I was driving her home.

What were your wedding colors?
T: White and light gold with green plants. Bridesmaids wore eggplant colored dresses.

C: White and...gold? I think? Purple! We had purple in there. 

What is her most commonly used phrase?
T: Probably a bad word.

C: Probably the SH word. Or Son-of-a... She doesn't really have a phrase she says, besides cursing.

 Who is her celebrity crush?
T: Steve Zahn, or Joseph Gordon Levitt.

C: Hugh Jackman? Steve Zahn, Brad Pitt. I'll leave it there. 

If she was ordering drinks for both of you what would you each get?
T: I'd get a diet coke and he'd get a coke.

C: A coke and a diet coke.

What is the best meal she has ever cooked you?
T: I rarely cook a good meal. Maybe ratatouille with baguettes and goat cheese? I recall him liking that.

C: Oh oh oh my gosh. Anything with mashed potatoes and asparagus always comes out good, no matter what meat it's paired with. I'm going with that. 

What is the worst meal she has ever cooked you?
T: I made egg salad once, and I ran out of mustard so I used dried mustard, but it was in huge clods, and I, for some reason, put a lot of onions in it. That was pretty bad.

C: There have been a few poorly planned meals that turned out bad. I can't think of one in particular. I think that's a good thing. 

What is the most-played song on her iPod?
T: The Way You Make Me Feel by Michael Jackson, or I'm A Cuckoo by Belle and Sebastian

C: Strawberry Weed by The Caesars

What would she say is your most annoying habit?
T: At night, if the covers aren't evenly weighted over both of us, I get really mad at him. That's more my OCD problem than his, though. I guess his would be when he kisses me right in my ear hole. GRRRR!

C: Making the blankets be wrong in bed. 

What is the last thing she does before she goes to bed?
T: Freak out about the covers. And I always want to be looking at each other as the lights get turned off. I want his face to be the last thing I see each night.

C: She gets in bed, then has to get out of bed again to get her retainer or a drink of water. 

 If you could throw out one item of her clothing what would it be?
T: Lately, it would have to be my bathrobe, since it's one of the only things I can ever wear that doesn't make me feel sick. 

C: All of the clothes in the pile. The pile drives me crazy.

What would you say is your favorite thing about her?
T: My pregnant glow. Ugh. 

C: There's a lot of things I like. I like when she puts her face up against my back in between my shoulder blades.

What's her go-to drink at Starbucks?
T: Iced Passion Tea, sweetened.

C: Passion fruit tea?

What's her blog's name?! 
T & C: The Framed Lady!

Do you ever stop loving someone?

I typically think Valentine's is ridiculous. Men are made to feel guilty if they don't buy their ladies something on what should be just another day. Many of us aren't even Catholic, and don't actually celebrate the true Saint's day. But in honor of celebrating love, I thought I'd discuss its nature.

This question popped into my mind a while ago. I was in the car alone, and I thought about it the whole way home. What I decided was no, you don't.

Not really. Even if you start loving someone else. Even if that person hurt you. Even if a lot of time has passed. You don't stop loving.

Think about an old boyfriend or girlfriend, maybe one you had in high school. Someone you loved. My guess is, you still have a spot in your heart for them, even if things ended horribly. How about a family member who wronged you? You still have that little grain of love for them.

My theory:
Once you have felt even the smallest amount of love for someone, that love can never truly be extinguished, whether romantic, familial, etc.

This is not to say that you will always want to be with or near this person. You may not ever trust them. Things may be very awkward, or you may start fighting the second you're in the same room.

I think our hearts do everything they can to remind us of the happy memories and good qualities in people, which is why you see so many off-again-on-again relationships. People want to forgive, and hope that there is change. They never truly stop loving, even after decades.

We love people for how they help us, change us, and love us. Even if we aren't compatible or similar in any way.

While in the car, I thought back to an old boyfriend in high school. The break up was particularly difficult. I chose to end it. Nobody was unfaithful, but I knew in my heart that we wouldn't be happy if we stayed together. The problem was, I loved him. I totally hurt him, and we never really spoke after high school. I look back so fondly of our relationship. He was exactly who I needed. I have such love in my heart for him, even after seven years, and after I'm married to someone else.

Love is not purely "current love." For Valentine's day tomorrow, I hope we can think of people we have love for, other than just our SO's.

Celebrate and express your love tomorrow! Happy Valentine's Day! What do you think? Do you ever truly stop loving?

Thirteen

Either I'm in the second trimester now, or I will be next week. Things are changing! Hope you're ready for TMI, because here are some updates:

- Morning sickness is getting better - sort of. I seem to throw up a lot less, but it's being replaced by really painful stomach gas. I'm not sure which is worse.

- I'm still sleeping on my stomach. I'm just about to the point where it's slightly uncomfortable, but if I put a pillow under one side (like under my right or left hip), I can elevate just enough to sleep pretty well.

- Cravings: MEAT, cheeseburgers, any and all dairy products.

- Hot baths seem to help with stomach aches. I think the warmth and the pressure of the water on my body are soothing. Or something. I'm not going to pretend like I know anything.

- I don't really have pregnancy rage or weepiness, but I get these weird moods or urges that are pretty strong. For example, Conrad likes regular Coke, and I like Diet. We went to Costco for some pizza, and decided to share a drink. He got half regular, half diet. I was legitimately mad at him for a good twelve hours, even though he went and switched it out for all Diet. Another example, I'm dying to rearrange my house. I don't know if it's even pregnancy related, but the intensity of the desire to throw my furniture away is almost overwhelming.

- There is no greater enemy to me right now than laundry and dishes. NONE. Not even gas.

- I miss my family like crazy. One of my books says this is normal. You'll want to be with family once you start experiencing it for yourself.

- Acne is mostly under control. Pre-pregnancy, I was able to shower every other day and be perfectly clean and fresh. Since I got pregnant, though, I've had to adjust my shower routine to avoid sophomore-esque breakouts. As long as I shower, or even just rinse, daily, it's no big deal.

- I had this weird pain the other day that felt like my stomach muscles were tearing. My poor body has never experienced trauma like this before. And it's only the beginning. Baby is currently the size of a shrimp, according to Baby Center (I won't be eating shrimp this week), and it needs to get to the size of a... well, a baby.

- Not showing yet. I've always had a pooch, even at my thinnest, so I probably just look like a regular, bloated chick to most people. My pants won't button (or even zip partially). Usually I'm just at home wearing my loosest sweats, my robe (or Conrad's, if mine's being washed), and my hair's in a bun. So much for prenatal radiance.

- Even with all the weird, uncomfortable changes, I love it. I love knowing there's a baby growing in my body. I would never have made it as an L & D nurse, or an OB. I would have just sat there with the women saying "it's so amazing!" over and over, and probably rubbing their bellies in a creepy way.

Mother Knows Best

The older I get, the truer the words. I started reading The Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy, and there was an excerpt I liked.

On sharing your pregnancy with your mother:

"This could be the beginning of a beautiful relationship because it is the official transformation from being Mommy's little girl into being another woman, almost equal in stature. You, too, are going to be somebody's mother."

I realized while reading it that my Mom's birthday was a few days ago, and though she doesn't read this blog because of vision impairment, I always do a little tribute to my family members so that those who do read will know they were remembered.

If you look at this birthday post, you'll see that in the early '90's, matching outfits, preferably Laura Ashley or another floral designer, were the way to go. 

Bloggers needed! Get in on this giveaway!

See that? Over 1000 likes on Facebook! This is amazing! I'm so excited about all the new people who are being reached by TFL! I decided that to celebrate all the new followers, I should share all the new followers with you, my blogging friends!

Here's what I need:
You! Well, you and your donation. Fill out this form to participate in the giveaway, and we'll all do our best to share as many followers as possible with each other!

UPDATE: I'm no longer accepting entries for donations. You can enter the giveaway here!

Back on board

I found this picture from almost a year ago, and I realized it pretty accurately portrayed how we felt about pregnancy about six weeks ago. (I should clarify that this is because I was sick, not because I didn't want a babe)

I'm sitting here, eating my tortellini with pesto, knowing in 7 months I'll hate myself for all my carb and dairy based meals, shaking my fist at the sky saying "this baby weight is so freaking hard to lose!"

I was browsing Pinterest, when a sudden desire to jump back into blogging hit me. Morning sickness is getting better in some ways, and worse in others (almost no vomiting, but really painful stomach aches from gas). I figure if I'm well enough to nearly resume my normal daily activities - aside, of course, from dishes and laundry - then I'm well enough to try to blog at the capacity I once was.

TODAY'S EVENT
Conrad and I went to lunch at this new Jewish-style deli, and we decided to drop in to Barnes and Noble. When we go to B & N, we quickly grab a large pile of books that seem appealing, find a spot to sit, and binge-read. We almost never buy the books, because, hello, amazon.

Today, I grabbed a couple parenting books friends had recommended, and several home-decorating books, and we plopped down and browsed them together. Conrad decidedly set the parenting books aside to buy, as they were text-only, and not as fun to look through. Together we flipped through the pages of the home-decorating books, talking in hushed voices about our favorite styles. We've always loved looking at homes and floor-plans and styles together.

Then he did something super wild. He decided he wanted to buy one of the home books. This sort of purchase NEVER happens.

He sure keeps me on my toes.

When you fall in love with a cousin. And other things.

I had the most wonderful day, full of events that most people have already experienced.

Conrad has been doing night work this week, which means he's home with me during the day. I love/hate it. I love having him here, but I feel like I can't do my normal daytime stuff.

Today was the first time I felt able to exercise since I got pregnant. I got dressed to go for a walk, and I noticed that my belly was almost it's normal size, which tells me that the bloat from early pregnancy is gone, or nearly gone. I went for a mild walk with my friend, and then we went and grabbed some free pancakes for lunch at IHOP. [Thank you, genius who decided there should be a "national pancake day."]

I came home and watched a few old episodes of Downton Abbey [I would marry this show if our legislation allowed that sort of thing... mmm, Cousin Matthew...amiright?]. I ate apples and cheese and snuggled with Conrad while we waited for our lasagna to cook.

Side note: freezer lasagna takes for freaking ever to cook. Oh, it's three hours before dinner? Better get started, pregnant lady who's already starving.

We ate dinner, and I went back to my lover, Downton. I laid on the couch, and all of a sudden, I felt some gas bubbles. Except gas bubbles are in your intestines, which are behind the uterus. These were more, er, frontal. I froze. I paused my lover, and my other lover sat in silence, holding the belly that holds our baby. I told Conrad he wouldn't be able to feel it, but he tried anyway.

Around ten weeks, I thought I had felt the baby move. People had told me it might feel like gas bubbles, so I thought I'd recognize the feeling. The thing was, about ten minutes later, I was all fart fart fart, and I felt a little silly. This time, it was frontal, extremely light, and I could only feel it if I stopped moving. Also, I had just eaten, which I think wakes baby up or makes him move around.

Then Conrad left for his night shift, and I watched more Downton lover, and ate some late night sauteed mushrooms, and cried a little bit, and had a soda in the hopes that making my baby a caffeine junkie might allow me to feel him move a little more. To no avail.

I know he's so small right now, so I may go several weeks without feeling anything again, but it sure was nice to imagine him bouncing around in there, shouting at the top of his bean-sized lungs "That lasagna was yummy, Mom!" and jumping on my bladder like a water bed. Filled with urine.

Twelve

I got my blood drawn for genetic screening.
Didn't even cry.

I'm noticing that my personality is leveling out. Before pregnancy, I was very emotional, quick to anger, and easily bothered. Now I'm much more calm, which I attribute to just plain obliviousness.

I just don't notice stuff that used to make me mad, like bad drivers or being cold.

Having moderately terrible morning sickness helps calm you down, too. When you're throwing up for weeks on end, you tend to let lesser things slide. It really puts into perspective the things that are worth freaking out about. It also shows you how little control you have over most things.

Some pregnancy notes, both awkward and awesome:
- I'm noticing that I'm breaking out more. Not on my face. My face is actually pretty clear. My chest is taking the brunt of these hormones. When I mentioned it to Conrad, he said, "Ya, it's like going through puberty all over again. You're full of hormones, stuff is growing, and your going to get zits and hairs in weird places." What a sage.

- Morning sickness hasn't really subsided. I still get sick pretty consistently, but I'm figuring out what I can and can't eat, and when I can eat, and how much I can do in one day before I get sick from exhaustion [hint: it's not a lot].

- Conrad is loving my cravings. We'll go get cheeseburgers at 9:00 at night, and one of us will promptly throw it all up. He likes picking things up for me. One day I texted him and told him I wanted Fruity Pebbles. He picked some up after work and we stayed home and munched Pebbs all night.

- My belly is growing!! I can no longer button my pants. I wear a Be Band to hold everything together. Shirts still fit, but are getting tighter around the middle. Can't feel baby moving yet.

- Speaking of clothes, my mom and grandma took me shopping for maternity clothes - an activity which sounded like the cruelest of tortures. I get to the store and am trying to find something just to humor them, and this perky sales lady wouldn't leave me alone and just let me shop. She kept following me and telling me the prices for everything (as if I couldn't read the prices myself), and telling me all about her pregnancies. She could tell I wasn't enjoying myself, so rather than just leave me alone, she starts explaining how she knows how frustrating it can all be. I'm thinking to myself, "YOU are the reason it's horrible! Get away from me! Stop trying to upsell me on ugly clothes!"

I go in the dressing room with my mom, who can tell I'm totally overwhelmed, and I just start crying. My mom and I proceeded to talk crap about the sales girl until I stopped crying, and we speed-walked right out of the store, with the girl calling behind us, "come back and visit me soon!" Poor thing must have been desperate for human attention.

- My latest cravings (though, I must specify, they are usually one-time cravings. I rarely want the same thing again sooner than a few weeks): Fruity Pebbs, apple fritter, cheeseburgers, meat (I want meat a lot).