Morning Sickness Blues

Bleeechhh! I hate being sick. I hate the first trimester. I am not a very good pregant woman. You know, there are some women who have bodies that just like being pregnant; they're healthier, they have more energy - Candace (my SIL) even loses weight! But not me. I feel sick or I feel big and cumbersome and achy. And I whine a lot. And I'm always thoroughly exhausted. I suppose there is some Grand Design in making me this way... maybe so I'll have more empathy for people who have chronic health problems (I never have been very understanding towards sick people because I really never get sick)? I dunno. Anyway, I'm miserable. Morning sickness? Ha! More like "every-stinkin'-breathing-moment sickness"!

My poor gallant husband has put up with it all admirably - I know he's already stressed with his church calling and work, but he has helped out so much around the house and with the boys, sleeps on the couch most nights (he says I'm too grouchy in the mornings every time he moves or makes a noise), and doesn't goad me too much over the fact that I hold my breath every time he kisses me because I can't stand any smells at the moment (which is really no reflection of how he smells - I don't breathe through my nose when I put my chapstick on for the same reason).

Only another 6 or so weeks or misery to go!

Stratton's Doctor Visit

Stratton caused me a little excitement earlier this week. Monday morning he was complaining about his ear that he had bumped earlier that morning and as I was looking at it, something sparkled from inside his ear. He had said something to me at church the day before about how he had something sparkly in his ear to keep the water from getting in, but I thought his primary teacher had just been talking to him about earwax. Well I couldn't get it out so I ended up taking him into the doctor's office and paying the $15 copay to have the nurse practitioner use this handy little gadget that just popped it right out. I suppose I should've been grateful it wasn't anything worse than that. As I had taken Creighton over to be with Mom Rogers for the dr visit, we went back and Stratton played there while Creighton and I took a nap.. Thank heaven for family because I was feeling pretty sick on Monday!

Today I felt pretty decent. I still felt nauseated, mind you, but it was more of a minor nausea, not a keep-me-by-the-bathroom nausea. So I took the boys to the park. Yes, I was rather impressed with myself too. I actually lasted almost an hour too because I was able to sit in the shade, for the most part. It was so hot - nearly 100 degrees. I asked Stratton how hot he thought it was, "Blasted hot!" was his reply. And it's only mid-July!!

..but close enough! Ric and I went backpacking last Friday and Saturday to Notch Lake in the High Uintas with my sister (Karina) and her new husband (Devin), two of my brothers (Jacob and Daniel), and Jacob's girlfriend (Brittany). We left the boys with Ric's brother and wife (Dave and Makell). I was really anxious about this because I've been so sick, but I was determined to do it because it's what Ric really wanted to do for his birthday (July 4th) and we've been planning it for over a month. (Plus, we'll be taking about 8 girls up there in August so we had to scope it out.) So with lots of prayers and lots of moral support from my wonderful husband and family, I did it! And I only threw up once on the whole trip.

It's a two mile hike down in, with a 500 foot elevation change. Notch Lake was absolutely gorgeous, but dang cold. I'll admit, it was handy to have the snowbanks around to stick the food in, but it made for a cold night and a difficult time finding a good dry spot to pitch our tents. The boys were crazy and had to jump in the lake after we got all set up - just to prove their manliness, I suppose - while us girls laughed at their idiocy. We all relaxed or took walks, exploring the area. Then we did dinner and s'mores (a camping must), and turned in for the night. It was a long, cold night, despite the fact that my and Ric's sleeping bags zip together! After breakfast we cleaned up camp and hiked back out. And it only took an hour to hike out, compared to our 2 1/2 to hike in... probably just as much due to the fact that we knew the trail better as to me trying to suck it up and just push until we got there so that I wasn't slowing everyone down (and Ric carrying most of our gear in his pack!).

After we got back home, we all decided we wanted to go see a movie, so in order to get to and earlier showing we just dropped the gear off at our house and went to see "The Proposal"... yes, all smelly! Cute movie, minus some language and a few other things. All in all, it was a fun weekend! Love my hubby and family!!!

Announcing...!

Well the last time I wrote was the day before my fifth anniversary. The morning of our anniversary I left for Girls' Camp with our ward. Kind of lame for Ric, I know. But we figured that since our anniversary was on a Monday, we really wouldn't be able to do anything cool anyway. So I was gone from Monday until Thursday. Ric stayed here but the boys went to stay with his parents so that he could focus on work. And from what I hear, they had an absolute blast at Grandma's. Stratton didn't even want to come home! (Sniff, sniff!) I had fun too, though. It was emotional work (you know girls) but it was a nice break in other ways. I guess Creighton had a temperature and Ric and Mom didn't want to worry me, but Mom told me about it when I called later. I think it was just probably from teething, but Mom said she got some good cuddle time in with Crater!

That weekend was Father's Day.... Over at Mom and Dad Rogers', Dave and Makell announced that Makell is pregnant! We are all so excited for them! Their baby is due in January.

The following week was recuperation from camping - laundry and etc. Camp really wore me out. I was so tired last week. Even when I went running in the mornings, it felt like I was running through mud! So I started taking my iron pills again because I was so tired.

I met Makell over at Sean's house (with my boys in tow) on Thursday to work on the garden. It was a carpet of weeds! Makell's been feeling sick and I remembered all too well what that was like. In fact, just being out in the heat and being tired and thinking about Makell being sick, I started feeling sick. I felt a little that way all Friday too. I thought that was pretty lame to have sympathy sickness for your sister-in-law! Then Ric asked me if my period shouldn't have started already... uh, oh! So that night, when Ric and Stratton and Ric's Dad went to the Father's and Son's, I took a pregnancy test. Negative. Whew!

Well all day Saturday I still felt kind of icky and still the same Sunday morning. By then I figured I had better just take the second test, just to make sure. I showed the results to Ric and he pointed out that I had been reading it wrong (honestly, who reads a pregnancy test wrong?) and yep, I am pregnant after all! Now, admittedly, this was not our plan. We were going to wait another year to have another baby - so many things going on until after next March - but evidently Heavenly Father and this baby had other plans! Ha, ha, funny joke on Ric and Serity!

So we've told our families now (by Stratton yelling, "Surprise, Mommy has a baby in her tummy!" at the Stratton family Sunday dinner and Rogers FHE in Sean's garden) because with me being this sick, it's hard to keep it a secret. This really bites. I hate being sick. I just keep looking at Creighton because I was so sick with him, and reminding myself that he was worth it. So I've spent most of this week lying flat on my back in bed or on the couch. My house is heading towards disaster and my children are getting quite neglected, but thank goodness for a wonderful husband and family that have already helped out a lot! And only about 8 weeks of this left!