Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Danny- This is Safe To Read


We had our 18 week ultrasound today and have only good news to report:

1.  Baby gave up the goods and let us see their parts.  
2.  All of baby's guts are in the right places, the right sizes, etc.

You'll have to email me or call The Dorks if you want to know baby's gender.  And then you have to promise not to tell Danny, who wants to be surprised next March.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

the joy of tenacious throat boogers

I've been up since about 3:30 this morning, still coughing and hacking.  This morning's episode was especially exciting because the coughing fit was paired with a nosebleed.  It was good times.

I'm medicating with the two drugs in my pregnant repertoire, but with minimal relief.  I've gone through two boxes of tissues in four days.  I wake up countless times either coughing or wincing because the coughing has irritated my round ligaments.  My voice is raspy and virtually gone by the end of the day.

I'm obviously the picture of health because people keep telling me that I look pale or cock their head to the side and ask how I'm feeling.  These are usually well-meaning people just passing through who haven't heard me hack up a lung yet.

I asked one of the physicians today to go back into the recesses of his mind to that one semester in medical school that he did his OB rotation, then quizzed him to see if he could think of anything else I could take.  He laughed at me and said that he wouldn't give me anything if I was pregnant in 1972, but encouraged me to call my OB to see if anything had changed since then.

I had planned on doing that anyway, so I did.  I explained my dilemma to the secretary who takes phone messages.  I explained in a broken voice what was going on, and ended it with "just tell them that I am dying".  She laughed.  I explained that I was very serious and to please write exactly that on the message.  In no uncertain terms, I need some kind of cough medicine that will work.

About five hours later his nurse calls me back.  By this time I sound incredibly awful.  I pointed this out to his nurse, who agreed with me.  And then laughed at me.  There's nothing else I can take.  At this point I laughed because I was sure this was some kind of joke.

It wasn't.

So now I've been blessed to add benadryl to my arsenal, which I've been told will probably not make any difference.

By this time of the day, which is still early to everyone in the universe except my father (who has undoubtedly been in bed since 7), my voice is gone.  When I think about talking, I cough.  The Hater and I have taken up sign language, which is special because his ASL database is limited to "more", "help", "all done", and "I love you".

About an hour or so ago, when I could still talk, I offered again to sleep in the other bedroom so I wouldn't keep him up coughing.  He's still holding out, insisting that I don't bother him... but I know I do.

I've learned a very important lesson out of all of this:  
I don't think I would have made a very good pioneer woman.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

throat of fire

So my pregnancy congestion nose combined with the weather change has ended up in a raw throat and coughing fits.  It's fabulous.

I don't feel nearly as awful as I sound... but I must sound pretty bad because The Hater is always telling me to sit down and rest.

Which is a problem, too, because I've not slept well for about a week.  I don't know if that's driven by hormones, the pregnancy, the cold or some kind of awful combination of the three.  Whatever it is, I don't really care.  

I'd just like my non-raw throat back.  (at least, that's my first demand of the universe)

Thursday, October 09, 2008

lock down?

MTSU was on lock-down today.  Local police, Homeland Security and the FBI were all involved.

Here's a link to info about it from The Tennesseean.  Looks like in the last hour they arrested the only suspect, who they think acted alone.  

Awful.  I know it's too early for details or to know what's going on, but if it's as bad as it potentially could have been, I'm glad for the swift action.  

I'm happy with Blue Raiders flying below the radar.

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

placenta brain

Since I have a lifetime of experience to draw on here --  I think I'd like to officially say that feeling pregnant isn't as bad as feeling hypo.  Both conditions have several things in common:
  • I'm not nearly as efficient as when I feel "normal".
  • I can sleep anytime, anywhere, with anything in the background.
  • Diet is restricted.
  • I can't remember words that I want to use, and I use the wrong word without realizing it.  (Yesterday's word was "feather".  Today's word was "wrench".  Any noun I couldn't place became a wrench.  Example:  (in the lunch line, pointing at the plastic cutlery - "I forgot my wrench.  Could you pass it to me?")
  • Constipation.
  • Weight gain.
  • Short mental fuse.  My tolerance for stupidity is greatly reduced.  (The difference between being hypo and pregnant here is that when I'm pregnant I have a little more energy - unfortunately, enough energy to verbalize my dissatisfaction with said stupidity.  This is why we couldn't watch the Presidential Debate very long last night.  I think The Hater was afraid I'd bust something while yelling back at the tv.)
  • "Hypo brain" and "placenta brain":  Both cause me to be sound stupid when in actuality I'm really an educated person who knows how to speak in complete sentences.
  • When people find out why you don't feel good, they look at you and say "awwhhhh".  (The difference is that when you're hypo, people give you a sad face when they say it, and when you're pregnant they give you a happy awwhhhh.  But it's the same exact sentiment.)
  • MOST IMPORTANTLY:  Both of these things help me to realize what a wonderful, supportive husband I have to take this roller coaster ride with me.  I am so very fortunate to have him.  He's all protein, no artificial sweetener.  
I'm a little bit excited that I was able to come up with 10 points, even sporting stupidbrain.  

Sunday, October 05, 2008

the new alphabet

We continue baby's indoctrination into football culture today.  We've discussed fantasy strategy and are currently watching Peyton play.  These lessons follow yesterday's lessons of SEC football.  I wanted to talk about Sunbelt football, too, but The Hater said that would make things more complicated than they needed to be.

We may go to the political HQ tonight to get a yard sign for the yard.  Our neighbors have the opposition in their yard; so now it's like our obligation to represent for the other party.  I think the office is open until 8 tonight - we'll probably venture out after Peyton's game is over.  We're also teaching baby the importance of good prioritization.