How am I feelin'......

Awesome but that isn’t how it started.

The past few weeks have been interesting. Last week with some hot flashing nights with minimal sleep. Could be part of the unknown and uncertainty plus the hormones kicking up. I was getting up every night to pee. So between the hot flashes and bathroom runs I was not enjoying life.

The weekend wasn’t much better. Spent much of the time resting or sleeping. Really didn’t feel good at all, wondering how long this last will. Kona really didn’t seem to mind just hanging out in bed all day. The kicker was the weekend was beautiful in the high 70's - low 80's. Need to get a new hammock since our old one broke, to hang out on for weekends like this past one.

But this week I have figured out that as long as I eat something every 1-2 hours I do much better. I really don’t think I was eating enough last week since we still were in the could this really be true thinking..... So now I am taking in anywhere from 2000-2500 calories a day. (Check out Sparkpeople.com great online tool for food/calorie tracking.) Being pregnant means I need to increase my calorie consumption by 300 calories daily. Plenty of fruit and veggies are being eaten. I have pre-packaged (meaning portions measured in Ziploc bags) snacks so I can just grab and go. My car and work have cheerios, rice cakes, graham crackers, and granola bars. Just trying to be prepared and keep with healthy choices. Those people who know I am a huge fan of ice cream, I am able to fit in a milk shake daily, need the calcium ya know. :^) My doctor advised staying away from caffeine daily so once I finish my coffee ice cream I am going to switch to something without caffeine, even though I am in denial that coffee ice cream has it... I am drinking a minimum of 96 ounces of water a day. The night bathroom runs are non-existent as long as I drink minimal amounts after 6:30pm. Taking a mulit vitamin, Tums for calcium, and folic acid daily.

Tired is an understatement. I already required a lot of sleep (8-9 hours a night minimum) pre-pregnancy but now I just don’t feel like I can get enough. I lose energy daily starting around 1:00pm. That is when I fantasize about how I can manage to shut my eyes for 20 minutes at my desk or walking to my car to take a power nap or walking to a local park to just relax or even laying down under my cube. Love the weekends or days off where I don’t have to get up at a certain time but I still lose energy. Nap time seems like something I need to work in on the weekends. :^)

Once I get home I take Kona out for a run or sometimes a walk if my energy feels really low. My doctor said to keep exercising and just to be careful riding my bike. She said to listen to my body. I am now trying to have a different focus on running by not worrying how fast or far I am going, as long as I am getting out there. Usually after I go running I get a burst of energy and feel really good.

No weird food items yet. Chicken is not one of the things that is really appetizing right now. I usually go through those phases where we just eat too much chicken I have to stay away so we will see what next week brings. Can’t really blame this one on being pregnant.

My husband is awesome. He has been so helpful from jumping up to turn the fan on at 3am to getting me drinks to taking the dog out so I can rest. I think this is going to be an amazing experience and I am glad I have a great support system with Jacob and Kona too.

So far only our parents know since we want to get through the first trimester before telling others. That may change quick as there are a few events coming up that may make it known for more people. Like a Dirt Divas trip to the mountains in April and heading to TX to visit.

Check back next week as Wednesday is my first OB-gyn nurse visit. Then off to Texas for the weekend.