Pregnancy Week 14

Dear Nakasone-Chan,

Sorry, I neglected to write you the last couple of weeks. You have been busy growing inside of me and unfortunately it’s taken a major toll on my body. I’ve officially joined the ranks of sloth-hood and haven’t been doing much at all lately except for working, watching TV and sleeping. Of course lately sleeping has been my all time #1 favorite activity. Who knew I could beat my current record of 12 straight hours of sleep?

The most notable thing that happened in the last couple of weeks was that we got to see you for the very first time. It was such an amazing experience for both me and your dad. Such an overwhelming feeling came over me when I first saw you on the ultra sound. I’ve never felt that kind of emotion before in my life. I guess that’s motherhood.

According to our ultra sound video you are very active baby (which definitely doesn’t come from me)! The doctor kept commenting on how much you were moving around. Every time she would try and take a still shot, you would move to the next position.

We found out this week that you are 2 weeks further along than what we originally anticipated. This means your expected birthday is now February 18th, which is only a day before my birthday! If you are born on February 18th, you will share a birthday with your second cousin, Emma.

So far, most of our friends and colleagues (that know about you) think you are boy. However, we won’t find out until October 13th.

Even though we are both now entering the second trimester, my nausea has not subsided. Although I’m now getting a couple hours of relief in the afternoon it’s still raging on in the morning and at night. Your grandmom Knapp (my mom) experienced the same pattern of morning sickness. She said that she felt relief towards her 16th week. I’m praying that I’m following the same path, because a whole 9 months of nausea does not sound fun.

Cravings this week:
HOTDOGS!
Originally I read that you shouldn’t eat hotdogs while pregnant. However, I’ve been seriously craving them since week 11. I asked the doctor at my last appointment whether it was ok to eat the occasional hotdog. Luckily for me she said yes, but don’t make a habit of it since they aren’t very good nutritionally. The first thing I did after my appointment was rush to the Home Depot food stand (which make excellent hotdogs and polish sausages) and ordered up a jumbo dog. IT WAS DELICOUS! Fortunately, that one hotdog satisfied my cravings and I haven’t been tempted to eat anymore hotdogs.

Love,
Mommy

Pregnancy Week 9

Nakasone-Chan,

This is going on the 5th straight week that you’ve been seriously kicking my butt. Morning sickness and nausea plagues me 24/7 with hardly any relief. It’s kind of hard to believe something the size of a grape has such an affect on me. Your dad claims it’s all of his Asian genes invading and conquering my body.

Eating has been extremely challenging in the last couple of weeks since my tummy is constant state of nausea. I think this has to be the first time in history that I actually don’t feel like eating. There have been a few staples that have been getting me by the last couple of weeks which basically consist of carbs and sugar. I’m hoping that I’ll have my 2nd and 3rd trimester to start eating better.

At this point only a few people know about you including most of the immediate family and a few close friends. Two of my colleagues at work including my boss know about you, but that’s only because my working hours were cut drastically due to morning sickness and fatigue. Luckily, I work with an amazing team that is totally understanding of my condition.

Even though I’m in a state of constant morning sickness and fatigue, I’m still trying to get outside and run 2-3 days per week. To some people running while pregnant is taboo, but the doctor reassured me it was fine since I was an avid runner before you came along. I have, however, drastically reduced my speed to 12-13 minute miles and generally do not run over 4 miles. Personally, I enjoy my runs as it allows me to clear my head and spend some quality time thinking about you.

What you crave this week:
Raisin Bagels with full fat cream cheese
Watermelon
Cool Ranch Doritos

Love,
Mommy