Week 5, Day 1

New Symptoms:

• exaggerated gag reflex
• mood swings
• crying spells
• increased appetite
• cravings for Vitamin C
• muscle stitches

It's finally beginning to truly sink in. Symptoms are mounting and overcoming my denial.

Last night, I finished off the rest of the box of grape tomatoes, and I want another box.  This morning, I drank a tall glass of apple juice and wanted another.  Lemon water sounds divine right about now.  Good for general nourishment, but also great for my digestive system, which is historically unruly.

Climbing out of bed this morning, I felt that familiar stretch-and-tug in my abdomen.  My uterus is groaning in protest, "Nooo, I don't wanna!"

I have to be careful about moving too quickly.  Sometimes, the stretch-and-tug becomes a sharp stitch that takes my breath away.

And I have to be careful about not being too obvious about it.  We won't be telling the kids about the pregnancy until Monday, and if they notice me hobbling around like an old lady before they know what's going on, they'll immediately assume something is very, very wrong.  Then, they'll worry and worry, and they won't stop bugging me about going to see a doctor.

And speaking of doctors...

Home Birth

If it's at all financially possible, I definitely want to go the home birth route.  As it is, I know absolutely nothing about home birth.  Ideally, I'd just like to have a professional here with the family to get me through labor, do the delivery, clean up the kid, and make sure my pipes are in good working order.  Anything beyond that, we can handle just fine.

But whoever it is that we entrust with that job, we need to find them NOW.  I've got four weeks to make a commitment, and then it'll be time for my first exam.

Old Habits & New Curiosities

Some things I'll repeat with this baby:

• co-sleeping
• breastfeeding
• homeschooling

Other things I'm interested in exploring for this baby:

• Attachment parenting
• "baby-wearing"
• cloth diapers
• homemade baby food