100 Days of Pregnancy: Days 53 & 52

Let me start off by saying the weather today is gorgeous! It's 25 degrees Celsius out and sunny. Although, with this hot weather comes me sweating...and let me tell you, I sweat like a man. I'm talking my shirts are always wet under my armpits and under my boobs and my underwear is soaked (ahaha, it's worse now with pregnancy as well...my feet even sweat!). But I'm not complaining...I just sit with a fan blowing on me at all times. 

All of the garden centers have their flowers out and they are all beautiful...I want them all!! I love gardening but right now, I just don't have the energy for it...I don't even have the energy to pull the weeds from the garden (which needs to be done since my garden is at the front of the house). 

Also, I am feeling so much better today. Still very tired and still can't hear out of my right ear, but the sinus pressure is gone! Finally :) These antibiotics are doing their job. 

Baby boy's kicks have also gotten a lot stronger. There are times now that I actually say "Ow" because it hurts. And sometimes it feels like he's trying to adjust my spine for me (he's already thinking about his mama and wanting to help). I love his kicks and how powerful they are becoming and I love watching my belly contort when he practices his gymnastics. It's a lot of fun and I know I'm going to miss it when he is born since this is something that only him and I share, but I can't wait to meet him and hold him in my arms. 

100 Days of Pregnancy: Day 54

I'm still battling whatever is going on inside of my body, which I believe is a sinus infection. I've been on the antibiotics for more than 24 hours now. I think I'm starting to feel better...I was at least able to sleep, but I'm still exhausted. Right now, my goal is to drink, drink, and drink! I haven't been eating or drinking as much the past few days and my body is feeling it today. I always have the Gatorade instant powder on hand because dehydration happens very quickly with an ileostomy. 

How far along? 32 weeks 2 days

Total weight gain? 27 lbs (I haven't weighed myself since my last appointment but I think I may have dropped 2-3 lbs from being so sick)

Maternity clothes? Yes

Stretch marks? It looks like I have a stretch mark that is peaking it's way out from under my ostomy bag. I was just so itchy after I put on my bag that I kept scratching (which I know I'm not supposed to do because the skin there is so sensitive) and once the bruising went away from my scratching, I saw what looks like a stretch mark. I'll know for sure if it is when I change my appliance. I'm curious to see if it's a stretch mark or if it's my previous scar that's somehow stretched. 

Sleep: Not so good since becoming sick. Last night was pretty good but I did wake up a few times sweating buckets. If I don't sleep with a fan blowing directly on me, I sweat BIG time (it's gross) and lately I've had to turn off my fan and turn on the humidifier. 

Best moments this week: Feeling this little guy have the hiccups...at first I was wondering what was going on and then it dawned on me. I felt them for the first time on Sunday night and then again last night around the same time.

Miss anything? I miss not being sick! Oh how you always take feeling great for granted.

Food cravings/aversions: Pad Thai this week! I don't have any cravings that seem to really stick...not like you see in movies at least

Showing? Yes

Gender: It's a BOY!!!!!

Labour signs: No...I don't even have Braxton Hicks contractions. I've maybe had one or two.

Symptoms: Heartburn, sciatic nerve pain occasionally, cramps in my calves each night, leaky boobs (which is kind of exciting because that's something I never thought would happen)

Belly button in or out? It's becoming more flat each week.

Wedding ring on or off? Off, but I'm wearing my "Love Knot" ring which is sized larger and fits comfortably. Funny story about my Love Knot ring...when hubby bought it for me, I thought the sales lady called it a "Love Nut" ring...hubby still teases me about that! I have the matching earrings to the ring as well.

Happy or moody most of the time? I'm happy but emotional. I felt so sorry for myself on Sunday evening when my ear ache was so bad that I just cried...cried and cried and cried some more.

Looking forward to: My baby sprinkle shower next month!!

100 Days of Pregnancy: Day 55

Last night was another long night. My ear ache was really bad and the pain woke me up. In the morning, I noticed that my right ear was completely plugged and everything in it was echoing (which it still is). I went to the walk in clinic and the doctor took a look but couldn't see my ear drum because there was so much fluid in my ear. He prescribed me Amoxicillin anyway and told me I could start taking it now or come back in 2-3 days and he'll try and flush my ear and take a better look. I decided to start the meds because of everything else going on (like the bright yellow snot). Once I got to work, the pressure just got worse and I could feel my sinuses on the right side of my face (I went home shortly after I got to work). It's the evening now and my right side is full of pressure that even my upper teeth hurt. So I'm hoping the meds will start to take effect. They say it normally takes 24-48 hours to start feing better once antibiotics are started.

I really hope I can stop posting about being sick sometime soon!!

100 Days of Pregnancy: Day 56

I was so hopeful about feeling better when I woke up this morning but again, through the night things intensified and I woke up feeling miserable. As the morning wore on I felt better but around dinner time, my right ear started to hurt and the pain escalated quickly. I've tried everything to relieve the pain from Polisporin ear drops to chewing gum to open up the tubes to a hot compress. I don't know how I'm going to manage the pain through the night. All I can think about is going to a walk in clinic in the morning to see what's going on. I know if it's an infection the only thing that can be done is antibiotics. I just want relief. Now I understand why kids are so miserable when they have an ear infection. The ear is just so sensitive.

I am ready to not be sick anymore!!!

100 Days of Pregnancy: Day 57

Last night I did not get a good sleep. I was tossing and turning, kept waking up, and by 430, I knew I wouldn't be falling back asleep. My throat was so sore and my head was full of pressure. I always sleep with a fan on and that definitely didn't help my throat. Once J woke up at 545 (which is early for him but I didn't mind since I was already awake), I was able to grab the humidifier out of his room. Hubby got home around 630 and I was able to go back to bed and get about an hour and a half of good sleep. This cold just seems to be kicking my butt. I'm feeling better one than I was yesterday but I'm ready to be feeling 100% better, not just 60%.

Since the winter is over and the spring and summer bring storms, it means out greyhound has bad anxiety. He is terrified of thunderstorms and will just stand, pant, and pace around the house. It's not pleasant having a dog standing beside the bed panting in your face in the middle of the night. So we bought him a thundercoat today. The pressure from it is supposed to calm anxiety. I really hope it works for him. We have 60 days to try it out and can return it if it doesn't work.

Dodger in his Thunder Shirt

100 Days of Pregnancy: Day 58

Yesterday I could feel a nasal drip on the back of my throat. This is never a good sign and normally leads to a full blown cold. Sure enough, yesterday evening things just got worse. Sore throat, stuffy nose, achy body, head that is pounding, and shoulders and neck that feel like someone's been sitting on them all day. Needless to say, I barely slept. I stayed home from work today because I feel just as bad. I'm finally lying in bed again but I doubt I'll be able to sleep. The Tylenol is helping with my achy body but my head is still pounding and my shoulders and neck are atill so sore.

On a brighter note, this is my 100th post. It's not fun to be writing about being sick but hopefully tomorrow I'll wake up feeling better.

100 Days of Pregnancy: Days 60 & 59

Yesterday was a busy day. I always find I'm more exhausted at the end of the day when I have a day off as opposed to working...J keeps me running around! I booked yesterday off because hubby had an appointment with his specialist. Hubby has kidney disease and lately, his creatinine levels (which measure his kidney function) have been creeping up. The type of kidney disease he has is called IgA Nephropathy (also known as Berger's Disease). What happens is IgA (a protein that helps the body fight infections) settles on the kidneys making it very hard for the kidneys to do their job (filter out toxins, electrolytes, and extra water). IgA is an autoimmune disorder, meaning my hubby has a defective form of IgA that causes his own immune system to attack his body. So once the IgA hits the kidneys, it activates the immune system just like it would if it were fighting an infection.

Unfortunately, there's no way to stop this from happening. Medications slow down the disease, but since I met my husband, I knew he would eventually need a transplant. Luckily, he has an amazing family who are all willing to start the transplant workup when it is time. And after yesterday's appointment, it looks like it is time. His creatinine level was over 400. At 400, that's when the transplant workup begins. The doctor is holding off for one more month just to get another blood test done. The reason for this is because hubby's appointment was pushed forward 2 weeks and he had no choice but to get bloodwork done right after a bad case of food poisoning. So for this month, we are going to try our best to eat kidney friendly foods (foods low in potassium, sodium, and phosphorus and avoid processed foods as much as possible). This will fall a lot on me since I cook and do the grocery shopping. I'm going to try and prepare meals on the weekend since I'm tired when I get home from work and am trying to spend as much time with J. I know we have lots of support with all of this and I know family and friends would be more than willing to step in and help us out.

All of this is definitely scary and makes me worry like crazy, but I know everything is in God's hands. I have to trust God's plan and pray for God's will to be done. This doesn't stop me from praying for a miracle every day!!!

Right now, I'm trying my best to focus on the present and just taking life one day at a time. I think that's best for hubby so I don't drive him up the wall (he's very laid back and doesn't worry about much) and best for the baby growing inside of me who needs a stress free mama.

One. Day. At. A. Time.