Halloween 2005

Halloween has been my absolute favorite holiday for as long as I can remember. Christmas is also nice, but Halloween is my favorite. I love the decorations, the crisp air, the autumn colors, the pumpkins, etc. I could seriously list every single aspect and it would take up this whole entry.

When I was little, I lived in New Orleans. I remember going Trick-or-Treating once with Meredith, Carlton, and Krystal. When we moved to Pearl River, my parents didn't want us Trick-or-Treating anymore. I blame the church we went to as the pastor was very fire-and-brimstone. I'm surprised we were able to decorate Christmas trees. When I grew older, I told myself if I ever had kids, I would take them Trick-or-Treating, as well as participate in all the other holidays.

Since I don't have a kid to take Trick-or-Treating (yet), Emily and Alex invited us to go watch Saw II at the movie theater... a waste of money, in my opinion. It was exactly like Saw. I don't get the hype around it. We were going to go back to their place after the movie, but the queasiness kicked in full-force, so we had to come home. I'm looking forward to the next trimester when the queasiness (hopefully) goes away.

Breaking News

Zac was sick last week, so now I'm sick this week. My throat hurts, so I can't eat much more than brothy soups and mushy crackers. Totally not what I want at all. In other news, autumn is in the air, so Zac and I are going to take Zoey for a walk and enjoy the colors and fresh air.

We told Mawmaw and Kenny about the baby coming. Mawmaw was indifferent (which we expected), but Kenny was happy for us. Mawmaw is just worried about us, I think. She wants Zac to get a better job so he can provide for us and so we can get our own place. We've got some money saved, but it's not enough to get our own place yet. 

Bud

I started bleeding yesterday afternoon. The nurse at the Pregnancy Crisis Center told me how common miscarriages are, to monitor myself for cramping, keep track of the blood color (red is bad, brown is good), and try to rest. I did as instructed and the bleeding eased up. However, this morning I woke up to bright red droplets, so Zac brought me to the emergency room. We waited about three hours, worrying about the worst. I tried to watch Seinfeld on the waiting room TV to distract myself, but I was worried. I was finally called back, poked with needles and stuffed with a catheter so the nurses could run tests. It was humiliating and painful and completely unnecessary, but what do I know, I'm just a "patient".
Finally, after what seemed like days, I was able to see my little Bud, floating around on the screen with tiny flipper-like hands and feet. The fluttering heartbeat was strong and steady. From the measurements, I'm eight weeks and three days pregnant, making Bud's due date May 23. I was told to take it easy and take my vitamins, but everything looks good. I'm just nervous. The bleeding went away this evening so I'm just going to take it one day at a time and hope I can meet him or her in May.

Bud-post

I went to the clinic and met my OBGYN, Dr. N. My height, weight, and blood was checked and I'm "surprisingly underweight" (???) I have to increase my calorie intake. I'm also slightly anemic. I can now indulge in all the pasta and Bourbon chicken I want to satisfy these salt cravings.

Pregnancy Highlights:
How far along: Maybe 9 weeks?
Size of baby: A grape!
Total weight gain: Not much.
Maternity Clothes: None yet. So far, nothing is too snug.
Gender: No idea.
Movement: None yet.
Sleep: A lot. Naps are my favorite.
What I miss: Wine.
Cravings: Salty food. Mainly Chinese chicken or egg rolls.
Symptoms: Tired, random nausea throughout the day, sensitive to certain smells (perfume, mostly).
Best moment this week: Reading the development of each week. Bud is growing so fast every week. It's just amazing.