Saturday, December 27, 2008

doing the work

Hi ya'll-
this is KK.

I have to tell you I've been a bit nervous to post anything. N (as we will now call the previous injector, for now I am the injector!!), as you all probably have noticed, has quite a way with words and I am a little nervous about following her act.

That said, I thought I should log (or would it be blog) in and tell you what has been going on with us even if I am no where near as entertaining!

N is sick. Very sick. Sick with a capital S sick.

I make her an english muffin with Jiffy on it and she eats two bites. Christmas Eve? An english muffin with peanut butter that she ate in entirety. Christmas day dinner? We had a feast at my best friend from childhood's families house and she ate.... (drum roll please)... half of one dinner roll.

Friends of ours passed over some ovaltine and that is going really well. Indeed- once this sickness has passed I am quite certain she will never want to see a jar of ovaltine again!!!



And last night at another gathering of good friends, she ate 4 small pieces of french bread with cheddar cheese.

I know, I know, you are saying to yourselves: why, KK, it sounds like she is eating a ton! And, it sounds like she is out and about doing all sort of festive activities!

You are completely correct- N has been a real trooper tagging along with me. We went to her families for Christmas Eve and morning, then to my families and other friends in Detroit on Christmas Day. On Boxing Day, I actually kidnapped her after going to the U of M Birthing Center to fill out paperwork and get all of her appointments set. We went to Riverside Arena in Livonia to a rollerskating party (yes, you read that right!), and then to see friends in from Florida in Ann Arbor.



But everywhere we go she either lays under a blanket or sits on the couch. With a blank look in her eye and with "fog in her head", or so she says. Which is all good and fine with me and with everyone she sees. I think that really, she is the only one having a problem with it. She doesn't like to feel sick (really, who does?) but she REALLY doesn't like it. She can't deal with it- and not being able to deal with it spirals her into further depression.

Before our 3 days of being out and about she was confined to the couch for a week. Her dad [FYI: her family is being totally and completely amazing about her being pregnant. Really supportive and loving. It is beautiful to watch], understanding depression, asked the real questions: are you taking showers? (answer: no); are you exercising? (answer: no). And he told her that she HAS to take a shower and she HAS to exercise. You can't go from riding your bike 20 miles a day to not doing a single thing but lying on the couch and expect that the lack of endorphins won't mess you up. So true, so true, Mr. G. So she took some showers and then used the treadmill at their house. It really did help. Yay! (and now that we have -what 70 degree weather, ha ha- above freezing weather I will go out on walks with her and Pookah the dog. Or kidnap her again to go to the gym (she is extremely afraid of being anywhere should she need to vomit. Which she is deathly afraid of, I am sure she has mentioned somewhere in this blog).

She has lost about 5-8 lbs at this point.

I am feeling o.k. with all of this- I know she will be okay. She will gain the weight back and much much more, she will feel better, she will be happy again, she will be active, she will learn to trust her body and love her body and except the innate wisdom of herself.

She has to do the work of pregnancy.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

See, now when you open a post with "ya'll" I think you're from here and not a midwestern girl like I know you are. Good job, blogging, by the way.
And good work taking care of N. It must feel crazy and crazier for you both, but, wow, am I ever happy your family is growing.
xo

Stephanie said...

I'm so glad the ovaltine is working. That was all I could handle until I got closer to week 12. I lost a lot of weight too. But it was fine once I felt better. And no, I do not ever want ovaltine again! :)
I'm so excited for you two!

Anonymous said...

Oh, poor N. Lucky that she has you doing such a good job of looking after her. It'll pass before long, I'm sure. Oh, and good to "hear" your "voice", KK!

Zoe the Wonder Dog said...

Well, been there twice and survived, but oh, I feel for you N! I was crushed by tiredness and the low-level, always-there green feeling. The latter was cured (er, mitigated?) by canned Coke. Had to come from a can... the sugar, the bubbles, and the touch of caffiene did me wonders in getting through the first trimester (and I am not a pop drinker normally).

Lyn said...

Welcome KK! I've often wondered about the mysterious KK when reading here so I'm glad to hear your voice (and sorry that N is feeling crappy, which I assume means you are also doing any and all chores that need doing, which also stinks). I'm curious...is N going to bike? I am (OK--actually was) a daily biker (no car) until TTC when my acupuncturist made me swear up and down I wouldn't bike. I put her off for a few months and then reluctantly agreed. It kind of makes me crazy not to bike.

Andre said...

W/ Solstice Stephanie lived on potato chips and she always had a lemon to smell. I guess the citrusy smell helped in the same way that Sweet Tarts helped.

Zoe the Wonder Dog said...

I biked while pregnant -- not far mind you, but then we only lived 2 miles from campus -- up until my knees hitting my big ol' belly got uncomfortable. The only sports my midwife steered me away from were those that might result in a broken limb. She said giving birth with a broken leg sucked!!!!

FWIW, like many folks, the best exercise I found was a 45 minute walk every morning and lots of swimming.

Anonymous said...

Exercising during pregnancy (running for me, biking for N, whatever one is used to pre-pregnancy) has helped me so much. I was lucky not to suffer from very much morning sickness, but I think running (ok more like slow jogging) had a lot to do with that - kept my energy and appetite up. I lost 5 pounds in the first trimester but have certainly gained that back, and then some. Good luck! So happy for you both!

Sweet and Stable said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

I just checked in and found out about the crazy bad-assedness! Git it done girls! My hearty congratulations to the couple, my sweet squeezes to KK.

Kirsten said...

KK, you did a great job blogging. And it is so funny how you reversed roles and you are now "the injector." Congrats to you both and I wish you nothing but happiness.