7 Weeks

Man, what an exhausting week! First the pregnancy symptoms are getting the best of me. I have been feeling so tired, so nauseous, and so blah that normal functioning is not happening. I'm trying to listen to my body and when it says rest, I try to rest. The lab missed my progesterone reading on my bloodwork, so they had to run it again, and I found out on Friday that my progesterone levels are on the low side. Normal range for the first trimester is 9-28 and mine was at 9. So, on Amber's suggestion, I got progesterone cream from Rita's Health Food Store and have been supplementing. Just two days of cream and I can tell a little difference! I was able to make it yesterday through working all day, and we even did a little car shopping in the evening. Today I haven't really been nauseous and only now at 3:00 am I laying down for a little bit.

On Wednesday, I went to have a parent-teacher conference with Grayson's teacher. She said he was doing well and right on par with what he should be learning. Her spelling skills continue to astound me, however. When I said Grayson had no complaints about kindergarten, she wrote down, "No complants". Then said, "How do you spell complaints?" This only emphasizes to me the importance of reading as much as possible at home!!! But all in all, Grayson is doing well and with a little encouragement he can really excel. (And the teacher really is sweet, bless her heart, but just a member of the texting generation!)

I also got my hair cut on Wednesday, and here is the photo I used for inspiration:
I'm so happy with how it turned out, I will try to post a picture that is actually of me once I download it! I haven't had bangs in a long time, and I am getting the hang of having to fix them every morning. But the nice thing about my hair is that I can let the rest air dry and it looks okay.

Friday was the horrible day when my symptoms were at their worst, and they combined with a sinus headache to keep me in bed most of the day. I went to class, but after that I closed down shop and came home. I hate to do that, but sometimes I can't suffer through it.

Saturday we tried to go car shopping, but it was a bust. We went to Gilman Subaru / Honda, and they had nothing used that was in our price range at all. I'd love to have a Honda Odyssey, but those things are so pricey! It's hard to find a used one for less than 30K, and the new ones range from 35-40K. So that is just not happening. Other cars I'd like to look at would be the Toyota Sienna, VW Routan, and the Mazda 5. I'm trying to stay away from the Kia Sedona, but I really need to look at it too because the price is right. It's definitely a budget car, but I think I have to accept that we are a budget family. The Subaru was/is so beautiful, and I felt pretty cool driving it. I doubt I will feel very cool driving a Kia. That's the price you pay, right?

Saturday night I watched "The Business of Being Born", a documentary that I had partially watched a couple of years ago, but felt it was timely for me now! It was so good, and reaffirmed everything that I've experienced with my other two births. I can't wait to have the supportive birth I want surrounded by my loved ones and the midwives! I just pray and think positive thoughts that this pregnancy will be healthy and all will be well, and that my body will allow me to have the birth I want.

I've also been reading Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, by Ina May Gaskin, one of the most famous midwives who started The Farm in Tennessee, a commune that helped repopularize midwifery and homebirth. This is a great book that I will have to re-read as I get closer to delivery because it has a lot of spiritual exercises about mind/body connection, the birthing process, etc. It's not only a hippy-dippy birthing book, but it gives really straightforward information about all the drugs and interventions used in medical birth and the potential side effects to mom and baby that doctors don't tell you. One passage I really love comes from a birth story. The mother felt empowered by her natural birth, and says,

"through the process of natural childbirth, I gained a lot of confidence in
myself. I left my comfort zone and the culture I had grown up with. I learned
that I can work through scary and painful situations and be strong and present
when I need to be. My fear of not knowing how to be a good mother has
disappeared..."

This so clearly expressed what I felt after Ellie's birth, and I hope to have the same feelings this time.