Food Poisoning = no fun

So I am home today working away because I woke up at 3am to go to the bathroom and with a horrible gurgling stomach. For the next three hours I was throwing up and more. Not fun. I'm still not 100% better but managed to get down two English muffins and some apple juice. I'm hoping I feel better soon. It's very hard to not only be nauseous from pregnancy but also nauseous from illness.

I'm fairly certain it's not a bug and food poisoning because I'd felt "fine" (aside from the normal nausea that's been around for the last 7 weeks) all weekend. I was craving pizza yesterday after watching "Mystic Pizza" (I always crave pizza after watching that movie!) and we ended up in Lynnwood because Tito had to get his prescription for contact lenses. So we went to a place called Alfy's Pizza because we'd never been and a friend I know likes it.

Something should have tipped me off about this place. Maybe when we walked in and no one was there to greet us but then I looked over and saw a worker re-stocking the salad bar with no gloves on (he actually dumped a huge pile of olives into a bucket and it was overflowing so he was pushing it down with his hands. I didn't have salad for that reason even though I wanted some veggies. Or maybe it was when I saw one of the chefs delivering pizza to another table with a dirty bowl in his hand. And then a few minutes later when he delivered our pizza, he had the same dirty bowl in his hand, which I assumed was his as he had the fork from the bowl in his mouth. I'm not kidding. I just looked at him, but at that point I was starving and didn't think anything of it.

The pizza was sub-par to say the least. Think cafeteria pizza. In my opinion, it was really doughy (I like thin crust), the cheese was weird (I like a cheese that is melted and when you pull away the slice of pizza from the others there is a trail of cheese left), and the sauce was way too saucy (I'm really particular about my sauce because I don't really like tomatoes that much so I don't like sauce that overpowers the rest of the pizza.) Also the pepperonis (which I cleared to eat with my OB) didn't seem cooked all the way. And they were too spicy. Like they were government issued pepperonis or "fake pepperoni" instead of real, "crispy when cooked" pepperonis. So I ended up picking them off and eating just the cheese.

We came home and watched a movie ("Vicky, Christina Barcelona" which was good) and then went to bed. But I woke up at 3am feeling so sick. Needless to say, I will never return to Alfy's Pizza again, no matter if it's another branch or my life depends on it. I guess I'm spoiled by my thin crust, perfect cheese and pepperoni mix from Pat's Pizza back during college. It's a good thing that place does not exist over on the West Coast, as I would eat it every day during this pregnancy. When we went back to Maine in June, Tito and I ate there twice. :) It's so good. For out here in Seattle, we'll stick with Pagliacci's. I guess I'm a pizza snob now. Oh well, it beats getting sick.

A new home

Since we're adding to our family, we decided that we need a new place to live. We currently live in a nice, large 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment in a quiet, small complex.

Occasionally there's some noise we don't like (we've had upstairs neighbors that we kindly called "The Elephants" because of their heavy footed walking, or the college boys who lived across the hall who would have parties and I would call noise complaints on them (yes, I did that!) or the people who moved in after "The Elephants" moved out and one night turned their television up so loudly that it was rumbling our house (yes, I called noise complaint on them too...and they moved out shortly thereafter!)

But we decided that we needed another bedroom or den space to have enough space for the baby and all of the houseguests who will be visiting and staying with us.

So for the past three weekends, we have spent our Saturdays touring apartments, condos and houses for rent in the area. We've found out that we're lucky in the fact that we have so much space in our current place. That some apartments and what they view as "large living space" is teeny tiny (when you squish three bedrooms, livingroom, dining room, kitchen and two bathrooms into 1100 sq. feet it's going to mean either tiny bedrooms or tiny livingroom.)

We've found one complex that we really like. Tons of storage, tons of space, a garage that is included with the apartment (most don't include it and you have to pay separate rent on it.) The downside is that it's on the 3rd floor of a building. Which means stairs. Tito is afraid of me taking stairs when I'm later on in the pregnancy. I'm ok with it since I climb three flights each day at work (building with no elevator.) I love the space of the place, it's townhome style, tons of places for storage, closet space, washer/dryer, etc. We can also paint it whatever we want (as long as we paint it back), put up shelves, etc. But we're still touring places to see if there's one better out there.

I've made up a list for this weekend, and it looks like we've got 9 places to see this weekend. So we're starting early and hoping that we'll get them all in and hopefully we'll find something. It's frustrating because we have the cats too, and we're not parting with them. But some houses for rent don't allow cats. Some places require pet rent of $35 a month per cat (ridiculous!) I don't mind paying a deposit, some of which is non-refundable, but I draw the line at rent for a pet that makes no noise, is inside all day and does no damage.

The upside is that wherever we land, I can't physically move anything. I'll be able to pack but that's it. Not too bad in my opinion! Tito is out of town next weekend for a friend's wedding so I'm going to get boxes and pack up a bunch of our stuff that we're not using right now. Just so it's done...

Weekly Update - 10 weeks along

How Far Along: 10 weeks

What "They" Say About Our Baby's Development: "Though it's barely the size of a kumquat — a little over an inch or so long, crown to bottom — and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, your baby has now completed the most critical portion of its development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in its body rapidly grow and mature. It's swallowing fluid and kicking up a storm. Vital organs — including kidneys, intestines, brain, and liver (now making red blood cells in place of the disappearing yolk sac) — are in place and starting to function, though they'll continue to develop throughout your pregnancy. If you could take a peek inside your womb, you'd spot minute details, like tiny nails forming on fingers and toes (no more webbing) and peach-fuzz hair beginning to grow on tender skin. In other developments: Your baby's limbs can bend now. Its hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over its heart, and its feet may be long enough to meet in front of its body. The outline of its spine is clearly visible through translucent skin, and spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from its spinal cord. Your baby's forehead temporarily bulges with its developing brain and sits very high on its head, which measures half the length of his body. From crown to rump, it's about 1 1/4 inches long. In the coming weeks, your baby will again double in size — to nearly 3 inches.

Weekly Food Comparison: A kumquat! I've never had a kumquat before or really seen on in real life so this is a hard comparison for me. Getting bigger though!

The Good: Having more bouts of energy in the evenings so I am actually able to do housework occasionally. Although I think it's still early, I've occasionally been feeling some fluttering/popcorn popping sensations in the left part of my abdomen. I can only feel it internally. Last night I had Tito put his hand there to see if he could feel it from the outside and he couldn't but when he did that there was a crazy bit of fluttering. Like I said, I know it's early, but I don't think it's gas, I think it's the baby moving. We're both excited to get to the point where we can both feel it on the outside.

The Bad: I think I am in the thick of things when it comes to the nausea now. Definitely having to constantly eat, so I've got saltines at my desk at work. Also cucumber seems to be helping. While I'm never really hungry - probably because I'm eating all the time!

The Weird: Mood swings are here. I'll go from snapping for no reason to crying in an instant. And crying at the oddest things. Last night I was crying at a great performance on America's Got Talent (am I embarrassed that I cried at this show or that I was watching it? Neither!) :)

Currently Craving/Avoiding:

Avoiding: Orange juice, soda (even ginger ale which used to settle my stomach), most sweets, chocolate, ice cream. Doesn't even seem appealing to me.

Craving: Milk, bread, and this week's new craving was Skittles. First "sweet" craving although I could only have a few and then had to stop because the sugar was hurting my stomach. Also craving meat - hamburger, steak and fish. Mostly red meat.

The Weekly Belly Bump: Tito is noticing it more. I am noticing it more too. It's definitely larger at night as compared to the morning due to what I eat and drink. I have to give myself two shots a day and usually the morning one is easier to "see" my belly than in the evening (it's still possible, just takes a bit more finagling!) Tito is sweet and rubs my belly goodbye in the mornings too. :)

Weekly Update - Week 9

How Far Along: 9 weeks


What "They" Say About Our Baby's Development: "You can’t feel it yet, but those newly formed arms and legs might just very well start your baby moving during this week. Almost a full inch long and about 1/8 an ounce, your baby is looking every day more and more like a little person. This is helped by the shrinking of the embryonic tail we all start with at the base of the spinal cord. The growth of your baby's head, now almost half the size of his or her body, has been impressive in this time, though babies keep them tucked down close to the chest. This week also sees the beginning of nipples and hair follicles. Internally, reproductive organs, either testes or ovaries, are forming as do other internal organs including the pancreas, bile ducts, gallbladder and anus."

Weekly Food Comparison: A Grape (which is strange because I ate grapes for lunch today. Weird that my baby is this size! And amazing how much it's grown in a few short weeks!)

The Good: My hair is looking better and better. :) It feels like it's growing faster and thicker (although I read that I'm actually losing less than normal making it appear thicker.) My nails are also growing in really strong and really fast. I feel like I have to give myself a manicure and pedicure weekly now.

The Bad: Nausea. Still here. All day. And the past week it seems to be worse at night. I barely made it through dinner without getting sick. I'm also exhausted, preferring to come home most nights, eat, then crawl into bed. Last night was the first time in two weeks we watched television in the livingroom, since I'm usually watching it in bed and falling asleep at about 8pm or so.

The Weird: I feel extremely hungry before meals. As if I could eat three meals. I definitely have a case of "my eyes are bigger than my stomach", and will order a big meal and then can barely get 1/4 of it down. Case and point, last weekend, Tito and I went to dinner at a new restaurant who'd sent us a coupon for $15 off our meal (i.e. a free meal!) so we decided to go. I was SO hungry we ordered an appetizer of breadsticks. I ate a couple, then decided to wait until our meals got there so I could eat that. Meals came, and I had ordered a 1/2 lb burger (well done, mind you!) and fries. I cut the burger in half (for ease of eating, because in my mind, I was going to eat the whole thing!) and could only finish about 3/4 of the 1/2 and about 6 fries. And then I was done. So full, I couldn't eat another bite.

Currently Craving/Avoiding: Avoiding: string cheese sticks. The thought of them makes me nauseous. When a week ago I could have eaten three in a row, now I can't even stand the sight of them in my fridge. I had to put them in a drawer so I wouldn't see them when I opened the fridge. Also still avoiding sweets, except I did have a chocolate milkshake last week.

Craving: Milk (still), water, most liquids without a lot of sugar in them (the sugar makes my stomach upset which is weird to this normally 1-Diet-Coke-A-Day lady. I can't really stomach soda at all.) Grocery shopping is hard because I never know what I'll actually eat.

The Weekly Belly Bump: Definitely getting more prominent. My younger brother Sean was over for dinner last night and I turned to him and said "I'm getting a belly" and his reply was "I wasn't going to say anything but..." It's definitely noticeable to Tito and I though since we see it every day. I've been wearing larger shirts though which cause people in my office to ask if I'm showing. :) I'm thankful that my doctor gave me some new techniques last week on how to give myself my twice a day injections and now my bruises are fading and I just have some tiny red dots around my abdomen. Most are on one side (not the side I photographed!)

9 weeks pregnant

Weekly update

Here is a weekly baby update for everyone who is interested in following along. I'm one day off but doing this in the future...I'll officially be 8 weeks tomorrow on Friday (but since it's only 9 hours away I think I'm safe.)

How Far Along: 8 weeks

Weekly Food Comparison: A Kidney Bean

The Good: We saw our little jalapeno's heartbeat and blob-like figure for the first time on Tuesday! It was an amazing experience and we can't wait to see it again in 3.5 weeks!

The Bad: All day nausea is still here. I've been eating every two hours (small meals) but my stomach always feels full.

The Weird: I've been having a few heart palpitations at night, but have learned that this was normal. With my heart history though I couldn't help but feel a little scared about it, but it turns out to be due to the increased blood flow due to the baby.

Currently Craving/Avoiding: Still craving green peppers and cheese. Also still craving hamburgers which is hard for this gal who hasn't been eating red meat in almost two years (but I have indulged in two hamburgers, but haven't been able to finish either.) I'm also drinking more milk than I've ever had in my life. We've gone through two gallons in a week. Avoiding? Chocolate (which is painful), sweets in general. I just don't have a taste for them right now.

The Weekly Belly Bump: Sometimes I feel like it's there, mostly at the end of the day. Most of the time it just feels like bloating. I can feel parts of my stomach already getting hard though which is interesting. Here's from the beginning to now...

3 Weeks (just after finding out I was pregnant)


4 weeks pregnant


6 Weeks Pregnant


7 Weeks Pregnant

And I'm back with some actual news!

Yes, I'm pregnant! I'm 7 weeks and 5 days along, and we saw our baby's heartbeat for the first time yesterday morning. Nothing compares to the feeling that I felt as I lay on the table, in the world's smallest room, with an ultrasound machine next to me, and surrounded by Tito, a nurse, my doctor and a student doctor. At one point all of them were literally leaning over me to see that sweet heartbeat! I know I'll remember that moment for years to come, both for the way I felt and for the comicality of it all.

I of course freaked out a little when I first looked at the screen and saw nothing. What I didn't know until a little bit later was that my doc was looking at my ovaries and bladder not my uterus! As soon as he started looking at the uterus, there it was...our little baby blob with a nice strong, fast, flickering heartbeat. It was amazing. I started crying, couldn't stop (happy tears, happy tears!) and held onto Tito's hand who was also emotional, although he kept leaning towards the screen (and subsequently OVER me!) :)

This whole pregnancy was a surprise, or as much as one can be for someone TTC. We totally thought our timing was off this month. I've known since I got a positive HPT on July 15th...which was only 8 days past ovulation for me. So early, but I was at the gym working out and just felt dizzy and not right. Bought a test on the way home, took it, and instantly there was a faint line. We've been TTC for 7 months so I've taken plenty of these tests now, and know what an evaporation line looks like. This was not one! I decided to leave it for the recommended 3 minutes and went to put away groceries. In the meantime Tito came home, and I bypassed him to the bathroom because I wanted to make sure the test was positive before I told him! He thought I was playing some sort of game and "hiding" on him and followed me into the bathroom. I couldn't shut the door in time and he came in and saw me holding the stick. I just put it down and said "Babe, I think I might be pregnant." He, being the analytical engineer that he is said "that line isn't the same color as the other one. I don't know if you are." I explained to him all about HCG levels and that there really is no "false positive" no matter how light. So what did we do? We Googled. Yes, we Googled other people's 8dpo positive pregnancy tests. And I took another one a few hours later with the same results. And another one the next morning - still positive and getting darker.

I called my doc and was able to get in to see the attending the next day to confirm. I expected a blood test. They said since I'd peed on three HPT's that I was pregnant. It still didn't feel "real". But I started taking all of the precautions (funny thing was that I'd bought a bottle of wine when I'd bought the HPT figuring if it was negative I'd have a drink. So I called Tito and said "I can't have that drink now...I'm really pregnant.")

I, being skeptical, took another 6 tests over the course of the following week, watching the line get darker each time. In my defense, I didn't buy them all. They were all ones I'd bought before when we were TTC and hadn't used. I figured they'd probably expire before I'd get a chance to use them again, and I felt wasteful throwing them out, so I took them!

We of course were super excited and in awe. Happy and unable to put into words how we felt. We knew it was still early (I was just shy of 4 weeks at this point) but we told my parents and his parents, and then his whole family (being a Latino family, you can't just tell one person or two, you need to share with everyone!) So we were assured that many prayers were coming our way and the baby's way for a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby and mom at the end of it all.

Since finding out I've felt every spectrum of the pregnancy symptoms. My doc said it was normal although most books said you don't feel them until 6 or 7 weeks. I had the dizziness, lightheadedness, nausea, food aversion, smell aversion, back pain, sleeplessness, headaches, etc., etc., etc. Poor Tito has to deal with me not being able to stand the smell of his cologne or some foods he makes. It seems like the things I notice the most are the bad smells...so the catbox (of which I'm relieved of cleaning duty!), trash, garbage disposal, food in the fridge, etc.

Since I hit 6 weeks, it seems like the hormones have cranked up and the feelings I "shouldn't have gotten" according to books and everyone else, were intensified. Nausea lasts all day with no relief in site. I've tried a few things that seem to work - watermelon, ginger ale, ginger chews (these work but are gross, so I will not be eating them!), lemon candies, and my doctor recommended to me taking vitamin B6. He said if that didn't work on its own I could take B6 with Unisom. Took a B6 last night and it seemed to work. I also keep snacks by my bed, and when I get up to go to the bathroom at night I eat a cracker or two before falling back asleep. Helps to keep food in my stomach.

I'm looking foward to sharing this journey with you all over the next 7 months or so.