Not too much is new: C has continued to be fighting a cough, which has been compounded by an increasingly sore throat, as well as intermittent nausea. It seems like the nausea is generally getting better--or at least, more infrequent.

I'm hearing more reports about how pregnant women really really need to get vaccinated for Swine Flu--but then they say shots wont be available until October. WTF? I don't get it.

I'm trying to make sure C gets a regular flu shot as soon as she can.

Also, got HUGE news from my sister-in-law and her husband (a.k.a. "J&M")... more on that much later.

Sewing machine

Yesterday I pulled out the sewing machine my mother-in-law gave us and attempted to sew up the blown-out crotch of my favorite work pants. Like all the other things I do so infrequently, I had to reteach myself how to do what I wanted to do: thread a bobbin (?); re-thread the machine; then figure out how to use it. After maybe an hour, I had completely sewn up the 1-inch hole. Bam!

Pumped on my success, I trimmed a couple hedges around the house, and weeded some garden beds. Bam!

I went on a quick bike ride to pick up some lunch--bam!--and even went on a short run--bambam! We even walked our dog, twice! SUPER BAM!

I don't think any of that really happened in the order I just described, but needless to say we got some stuff done.
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The weather is getting breezy around here and it seems like Summer is getting ready to pack up and head south. A new season is always a little bit exciting, but I'm not thrilled for Summer to end.

Coughing

As few as two days ago, C developed a dry cough that seems only to be a problem in the middle of the night. I don't believe it's really part of a cold, but for as persistent as it has been, I have no clue. The only real concern I have about it is the loss of sleep from which both of us are starting to suffer. A couple varieties of cough-drops are scattered throughout the house and in various bags. Hopefully she'll take my advice and take some honey on bread or in warm water.

Anyway, not much is new. She threw up yesterday but I feel like the discomfort that comes with the coughing has kept her complaints about nausea to a minimum.

Last night I found her looking at baby products online. A pack'n-play/bassinet combo? Car-seats too. I wasn't too surprised at the price of those things and wouldn't hesitate to spend more money on better quality... gear. I'm a gear-head in my own right, so I guess that's no surprise, to myself.

First doctor visit!

Today I was supposed to travel to Cincinnati for work with Mark and two colleagues from the company that contracted us. Last Friday was the day I realized that this work trip and C's first big appointment with the doctor were going to conflict. My stomach hit the floor at that staff meeting. Not knowing how to broach the subject--as we've decided to keep the news a secret--I kept my mouth shut. As the weekend went on I started questioning whether I should mention everything to Mark in an effort to stay in town and go to the appointment. Sunday night I decided I would approach Mark and try to avoid Cincy. Yesterday afternoon, when I got back to the office from the field, I went into Mark's office and asked if he had a moment to talk as I shut the door behind me. I could tell he was instantly panicked as I never appear so serious. I knew he thought I was preparing to tell him I was quitting. I teared up as I started with "I didn't want to tell you like this..." and broke the news that C was pregnant. What I meant was that I wanted to tell him later on down the road, when the pregnancy was more certain, and we could be enjoying a beer at the bar. I was really emotional--which made me quite embarrassed--but to let the flood of excitement about the baby and stress about work pour out got to me. Long story short, Mark was super supportive and at one point said, "There are definitely things more important than work." I could barely believe how supportive he was--but then again, I know Mark is a big family man and while he appears to be a workaholic, he definitely does everything he can for his family and so would understand why this first visit to the doctor would be so important.

--

So, today we were able to wake up slower than usual to prepare for our first exam. The doctor seems really cool and I was thrilled to witness the first ultrasound that showed a little bean with a heartbeat. C seemed pretty annoyed that I made such a deal about being there, but hopefully, deep down, she was relieved that I was nearby and so excited. Everything is still so early, but today's visit calmed the biggest fears we've faced so far, to let room for a whole new round of concerns to settle in.

We left the office with a couple photos of our blueberry sized embryo and treated ourselves to second-breakfast at Panera. Awesome.

Good life go!

August 23 (Sunday)

Got home from our trip to Cincy. First time visiting Mom's new house. Just before Uncle David Phillippi's wedding, we told Mom our news that we were expecting. She screamed and kept saying "Are you serious!" She was super excited which made me feel really good. She was really pumped and was excited to talk about it for the rest of the time we were hanging out.
At the wedding, Abbie subtly called C out for being pregnant by aggressively inquiring about why C wasn't drinking alcohol. I guess she started asking how C was feeling in the mornings, devilishly prying for information. C played it off, proving that she never liked alcohol in the first place, and saying she'd been feeling well in the morning. I guess Abbie dropped it after that. Heh.
We were out pretty late--got back to Mom's around midnight. C was able to sleep in pretty well and was still exhausted all day. She's been bummed about the overwhelming tiredness, but I am not surprised and have tried to encourage her to sleep as much as possible.
Home now and picking up pizza for dinner. I've been trying to be really accomodating to C's appetite--which isn't unusual--but it seems like maybe she's even more pickey than usual. It's only complicated because she tries to make me decide and I feel like she should be the one calling those shots. Long story short, deciding about food has been a sloppy dance around options and indecision. This is the only thing that has annoyed me, and it's really not a big issue. Oh well. She hasn't been complaining much about nausea today which is great news. Hopefully this keeps up.

August 21 (Friday): Part II

Just got a text message from C: "So sick. I don't understand how to deal with this and have any sort of normal life.."
What a bummer. I wish I could do something to make her feel better. The least I can do, I realize, is to do anything she asks to help her feel as comfortable as possible. And to do it without complaint.
One thing I forgot to add earlier is that I'm nervous about being home this weekend, around my parents and siblings, and to not tell them. It's really a bit premature to go spreading the news, and although I'm super excited and want my family to be excited, I just don't want to jump the gun. C has her first doctor's appointment on Tuesday (Aug 25), so we'll hopefully know a lot more by then. If only the appointment was before our trip to Cincy...

August 21 (Friday)

Talking to C on Google Chat. She threw up for the first time today. Not every day has been so terrible, but today's nausea has been the worst apparently. Not sure what would make her feel better. Feeding her lots of bread and ginger-filled things. I think we've done as much as we can. We've managed to get to the gym a few nights this week for some exercise, and have been taking Alden on at least one walk per day. I think getting out has been keeping her mind off the sickness.
We're going to Cincy this weekend--uncle's wedding--and I'm worried it's just not going to be any fun to be around a lot of people--especially since we're trying to keep it a secret, mostly.

August 16 (Sunday)

C's Bday. She's feeling sick again--as she has been for the past 3 or 4 days. Just straight nauseated. Trying home remedies like ginger ale mixed with lemonade. Apparently Canada Dry Ginger Ale doesn't have real ginger in it--just "natural flavors" and "caramel color" so I picked up some Reed's Original Ginger Brew from the grocery store's Natural Food section. Bread has seemed to work to settle C's stomach too.
I've been feeling really guilty about the nausea she's been experiencing and all the discomfort that will be weighing her down over the next 9 months, not to mention the trauma of child birth. I'm just counting on there being truth in all the good stories you hear about pregnancy and bonding with the baby growing inside. Hopefully this period of "morning sickness" passes quickly.

August 9 (Sunday): "Try to make him black!"

Went to the gym.
A young dark skinned kid overheard me telling my name to the girl behind the desk.
"Strong. You should name your son Goliath" he said.
I replied, "You think that's cool, my wife's last name is Love."
"Love-Strong"
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Later, on our way out, as we were walking down the stairs, we heard the kid holler up the stairway, "Love-strong!"
As we walked by I said, "We're trying to come up with baby names. What do you think?"
"Jordan" (patting both hands on his chest)
C: "Is that your name?"
"Yeah."
(We get further down the hall)
"Try to make him black!" he hollers while the girl behind counter gasps in embarrassment

Lots of laughter

August 8 (Saturday)

Getting prepared to go to Yellow Springs with Gary, Sue, Mike, and Jess. We reveal to J & M that we're expecting--I held out the pregnancy test stick for them to read--C thought that was gross.

August 7 (Friday)

Took another pregnancy test, to be sure.

Still "Pregnant"

August 2 (Sunday): Big news

Returned home from a weekend in Cleveland. We had celebrated Nanny & Papa's 60th wedding anniversary, as well as Terry's 23rd birthday which brought lots of family in from out of town, plus multiple dogs, the fire pit, and beer.
C hadn't been feeling well and was feeling really curious about her body and her truant period. She wasn't sure about anything but knew she wasn't feeling right. To be honest, she didn't look different at all but I trust that she knows her body well. Between the highway and home we stopped to pick up a late lunch (Noodles & Company) and a pregnancy test. We both figured what the result would be - negative - and that it would ease our minds (hers especially). Just having the box of tests was nerve-wrecking but C wanted to wait. It was as if we already knew the answer - negative - and would just do it later, as if it were a load of laundry or something. After lunch, C decided to get it over with. Nonchalant, I went downstairs to cut some drywall. Moments later I heard a panicked "David!" as if a spider had just jumped out of the sink upstairs. I bounded up the steps because I realized there was a bit of excitement in her voice. She explained that even though the instructions said the digital result was expected to appear in 3 minutes, it showed up freakishly instantaneously as if the unanticipated answer was unmistakable. An answer we were both surprised to see: "Pregnant." Well, sort of surprised. I mean, for the past couple of months we were "not not trying" and had even put a little thought into when was a biologically correct time to conceive. I was even strategizing what days I would ride my bike to work so as to keep my little navy of sperm afloat (side note: people started noticing I was driving more and were getting inquisitive; I tried to play coy)... There was at least a little bit of effort.

Work, dirt

While it seems like I have more complaints about my job than one should, days like today make up for the bad ones, a hundred times over. Most of my day were spent establishing a prairie garden outside of the big wall-to-wall/floor-to-ceiling window that is the back side of our office. Alongside our intern, I turned over sod, loaded dirt from my house (stockpiled from our patio construction) in two trips, unloaded the dirt, spread it out, then planted a few preliminary plants. While we were loading dirt into the truck I was also able to let Aldy run free in the backyard and do his business. With the addition of some more flowers, we'll have a pretty impressive prairie garden blossoming below our bird feeder, to provide more food and habitat for native wildlife. It reminded me how inspiring my boss can be and how nice it has been to work for a small company that allows me to work on such cool projects.