So for the most part, I’ve been feeling pretty dang good throughout this pregnancy.  The only yucky thing that I have experienced is feeling dizzy in the morning.   Starting in the second trimester I had these little bouts quite frequently.  If I felt light-headed pre-pregnancy, it meant that my blood sugar was low, so I’d amp up the juice/fruit/anything with sugar in it.  But unlike pre-pregnancy, eating or drinking did nothing to make me feel better…if anything, it made me feel worse.  So finally, at the suggestion of my mother, I focused less on consuming sugary foods and more on getting some protein in my belly.  And it did the trick!  No more dizzy spells!  I starting eating scrambled eggs at first, and now rotate between eggs and peanut butter/toast, and even add in Carnation Instant Breakfast (CIB) or Special K protein drinks, which have loads of protein.

By the way, drinking CIB brings out Disco Baby.  Baby REALLY likes CIB.

Another way I’ve been adding protein is through fruit smoothies.  I can’t get enough of them.  They are super easy to make, and you can vary them so much, depending on what you’re in the mood for.  I have been buying a variety of fruit, everything from bananas to blueberries to strawberries to apples and using a different variation of fruit each time.  No measurements here – I dump milk and vanilla yogurt and a packet of vanilla Carnation Instant Breakfast to the blender, toss in some fruit, blend it up, and there we go!  Yummy breakfast or snack in a cup.  Can’t beat it, and don’t have to feel guilty about eating it because it’s packed full of nutrient-dense foods. And protein. And CIB for baby. 

Thanks, everyone, for your thoughts and prayers over the past few weeks.  It means a lot that we have so many people who care about us. We are very blessed! 

I’m glad to report that within the past week, I’ve begun to feel human again…which I was starting to doubt would ever happen!  It’s been a slower process than I expected…I guess deep down I didn’t really believe that it would take me so long to get back on my feet.  Even now it takes me longer than normal to get up and moving, and laughing, coughing and sneezing still hurts like the dickens, but my endurance is much better and I’ve been sleeping better this week – woo-hoo!  I’ve done too much a few times, and have paid for it in the days following, but I am learning that I need to truly just take it easy and not push too hard.  I feel like I’m constantly reminding myself that even though I’m moving around better, my insides are still healing and need to be treated tenderly.

My most recent appointment went well.  My doctor ripped the tape off my incision (literally – ouch) to check it out.  Here’s my vanity being revealed: I was afraid to look at it, because I really thought the sight of it would a.) gross me out, and b.) make me cry my eyes out at the sight of my no-longer-unblemished belly.  Seriously.  But the doctor made me look, and it looked awesome!  I could hardly even tell anything had happened.  Loved my doctor so much at that moment.  She did an amazing job.  Relief!  Of course, as time goes by, the scar may become a bit more obvious, but I’m ok with that now.  Then she taped me back up, gave me a shot of something (meds, not booze ), told me she’d see me in four more weeks, and sent me on my way.  So we drove 3 hours to get there, sat in the office for 30 minutes, and drove the 3 hours home.  We get to do that for the next 3 months until she gives me a clean bill of health. 

So, I’m making progress and feeling better.  Sorry about being slow in posting updates on the blog…until lately, I kind of didn’t want to think about the procedure any more than necessary.  Just now getting to the point where I can look back on everything without being a complete emotional wreck.  Ready to move forward!  Yay!