21 Weeks!

!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Those are what I use when the impolite, unladylike cuss words are waltzing through my head and about to come out the front of my face.

I am sick. Again. I woke up on the morning of Christmas Eve, and started to cry. My throat hurt so bad, I could  hardly stand it. I debated on whether or not to go to the doctor, but it was Christmas Eve and I could tell my throat wasn't necessarily infected, just incredibly swollen.

I always tell my students who are losing their voices that the voice and it's surroundings are muscles, and when you strain a muscle, or it becomes swollen, you alternate hot with cold.

So that's what I did. A cup of hot cocoa, a cold glass of water. By mid-day, it was bearable and by that evening, it was gone. But then came the headache, which could only mean one thing.

I have a terrible sinus infection.

How am I not surprised? I have yet to go to the doctor, because incredibly enough, I have actually had some time to relax, which I think is helping the snot in my nose go from a disgusting green all the time to a disgusting, light green only some of the time.

We'll see what happens in the following weeks.

In other news, we had our "20 week" appointment yesterday, which is actually on the eve of 21 weeks. The nurse said we had to go over the results of my ultrasound, which was interesting because I'm pretty sure with James, I had to prompt my doctor to tell me about what he saw in the ultrasound, which was "nothing! Everything looks great!"

This time, it was a different story. Not a horrible story that won't have a happy ending, but a story nonetheless.

I have a low-lying placenta. Which simply means that Baby Girl decided to implant herself really low on my uterine wall, and the placenta developed too close to my cervix for the doctor's taste. Usually, if they see that in the first trimester, it's not a huge deal as the uterus expands. But in the second trimester, they don't want to see that. The doctor, who is the same one I had to prompt almost exactly two years ago, said that sometimes this problem will correct itself, or get to the point where I can still have a natural birth, but if not, he will schedule me for a c-section. Because James came so quickly, and the second is most likely going to be faster, it will probably be before Baby Girl's due date. And possibly, therefore, before James' second birthday. We'll see what happens.

Beyond that, the doctor mentioned that should I have any bleeding or severe cramping, to call immediately as that could be a sign that with the uterus expanding, the placenta has actually started detaching from the uterine wall. This is bad.

I laughed when he said severe cramping, as that's what I've been having for the last week. Doc D. told me it's most likely from the low-lying placenta and to just be sure to drink plenty of water!

So that's it for this week. It's been, yet again, an interesting week, but it's been a tiring one. Tomorrow, it's back to school, so it will be interesting to see if I can manage to get back into a routine. We shall see!

How far along? 21 weeks! Jesus, just get me to the end.
Maternity clothes? Yes. But I did put on my regular jeans the other day and they were comfortable around my belly, so I wore them for the most part.
Weight gain? Yes, thanks to the holidays! But as the doctor said, still below my pre-pregnancy weight, by one pound. Still, it's a good weight to be at.
Stretch marks? None!
Best moment this week? Too many to count! It snowed all day Monday and we lazed around our house, getting our lives back in order and preparing for the New Year. It was beautiful! Spending time with James and my husband. Getting James' big boy room decorated. Sorting out James' infant clothes to see what Baby Girl will be able to wear. It was a fun week. Minus the sinus infection. :)
Miss anything? Surprisingly, a few of my co-workers, who I am excited to see tomorrow, and my students! It's been an awesome break, but I can't wait to see my wonderful students and friends tomorrow!
Movement? Every day, about four times a day she gets pretty crazy in there! Usually 6:30 a.m., 3:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. I can guarantee some movement. Then there's always a few kicks here and there that I can feel between those times.
Food cravings? Bizarrely enough, pineapple! Eric went grocery shopping (and spent twice as much as I typically do on food!) and got a ton of pineapple. James didn't like it, so I ate some and it was like my palette exploded. I have thus eaten all the pineapple, since yesterday. Delicious.
Anything make you queasy or sick? I love Eric's chili. Love it. But he made it for our New Year meal today and the thought kind of makes me sick. I choked some down today and once i started eating it, it wasn't that bad, but just thinking about it for some reason, turns me off of it. But I plan to take some for lunch tomorrow anyway!
Labor signs? Nope, just pesky cramping.
Symptoms? Gah! Sensitive boobs!
Belly button in or out? IN!
Linea nigra? Nothing.
Wedding ring on or off? On!
Happy or moody?  Happy! It's been a great week!
Looking forward to: Although it's two months away, I'm looking forward to our third trimester ultrasound to see if the placenta has moved. This, for two reasons. First, so we can see our baby girl again, and see her features again, and her cuteness. Secondly, to make sure the placenta has moved. I just don't want to have a c-section. I want everything to be like it was with James. Change is hard for me, and if I have to anticipate something different that I have never experienced before, it makes me very anxious. Although, by 40 weeks, I bet I will be ready to just be DONE with pregnancy! :)