Week 14... here I come!

Since we last conversed via the blog, my dear friends and family, I have entered a new stage of life known as the 2^nd trimester of pregnancy – and although many people PROMISED me it would be… I have to say it’s not all sunshine and roses… not yet anyway. I will say that I have WAY more energy – and it’s one of those things where I don’t totally notice that I feel that much better, but I look back on the day and think, “Wow – I didn’t desperately feel like I needed a nap at 1pm today. That’s gotta be good, right?”

Unfortunately, in nausea and exhaustion’s place have come headaches and dizziness – which aren’t as bad, but aren’t what I’d consider to be a fair and even trade at this point either. In addition to those pleasant ailments, I have horrible seasonal allergies that have attacked with some serious punch as Fall blows in – and the number of used Kleenex’s in every trash can in the house and violent sneezing that can be heard from 2 houses down is out of control. Fortunately, I’ve been given clearance to take Tylenol for the head and Claritin for the nose by my lady doctor, so I’m medicated when I need to be – although it rarely helps. Okay -- enough complaining!

 So – right after I last posted, AT and I took a celebratory one-year anniversary weekend trip to good ol’ Wisconsin Dells. It was great. Many pros and cons – one major PRO was the B&B/room that we rented – it was lovely and cozy. CON = very hoosh tourists at every turn. The town itself is quite hilarious with it’s likeness to Branson and being the #1 waterpark capital IN THE WORLD – but we made the best of it and dutifully divided the weekend into an Adam Day and an Annie Day. Adam’s Day consisted of hiking, kayaking and going to an affordable Wisconsin supper club dinner, where the clientele ranged in age from 65-90 years, and we walked to Dairy Queen on the way home. Annie’s Day involved a trip to the spa for massages; some lounging and reading at the pool, and a fancier sunset dinner cruise to close out the weekend. We both agreed that my day won. Boom!

But I did forget to pack my selfie stick.

First trimester symptoms were still in full force while we were away, so my bedtime came and went each night around 9pm, and I couldn’t eat as many cheese curds as I would have normally liked – but overall, it was a fabulous time. And I should really show more appreciation to Adam for it, because he planned the whole thing.  And he didn't get to take full advantage of the beer and nightlife since he had the ol' sleepy, fat bag lady to take home after dinner each evening. He’s a good egg, that Truebe kid! J

Upon our return, I had my 12-week doctor’s appointment – and thankfully, everything is looking great! We got to hear the baby’s heartbeat, and the doctor (and of course the student accompanying her – which ALWAYS happens to me) agreed that both Truebe Tyke and the gal housing him or her seem to be making wonderful progress. Phew! I don’t go back to the doctor until the very beginning of October, so I guess I’ll just plan to keep on keepin’ on at this point. My belly’s got nowhere else to go but out, right?!

Unfortunately, I have not gotten my appetite back on track quite yet… I have actually ingested a couple vegetables – steamed broccoli seems to smell great (very odd, because it usually does not) and taste delicious right now, once I load it up with some butter and S&P, of course. And I’ll still skip a meal here and there – mostly because work is absolutely freakin’ crazy and terrible right now, and I have to talk to clients and schedule meetings over the lunch hour – but Adam would be very proud of me today because I had a ½ grapefruit, some type of natural nut/honey/oat bar and cup of coffee for breakfast, some Goldfish as a snack, and a leftover hamburger, cottage cheese and a banana for lunch. Yes – these are the things that I brag about to him and ask for gratification.

Truebe Tyke sucking his/her little baby thumb

We had a very low-key and super productive Labor Day weekend that involved a hike to a local national state park near Muskie called Wildcat State Den (which was kind of awesome), a visit from my mom, major cleaning, and me bringing out the Fall decs (Adam loves the accumulation of 18 pumpkins to the home décor he sees every day), a trip to see Lena/BK and meet some of their QCA friends, and the purchase of… wait for it… a new stove and dishwasher!! I’ve been nagging the ol’ ball and chain about the need for these upgraded appliances since I moved in a year ago – so this is a very exciting milestone! Next up – new countertops and carpet for the living room upstairs J

Peach on board

We’ve been slowly but surely disseminating the news to a broader audience – Adam’s telling his work peeps, I’ve clued in a few of my colleagues – but the question remains about how we make it totally public and official…. Yes, the elusive Facebook announcement! Now, I have plans for this occasion (obvi) – BIG PLANS -- but as we all know Adam, he’s against each of my ideas, 100%. He has even threatened to “out me” with a rare status update of his own that just says “We pregs” – with Annie Truebe (via the tag). IF this happens, please be aware that a reign of terror will come down on him, and if you expect to see him at any upcoming family gatherings or trips to the brewery, he may NOT show up, because he will be black and blue from the beating I will give him. Hormonal Annie has strength beyond her means!! But really – I’m usually pretty smart, tactful and tasteful with my social media actions – and Adam claims that he loves me for it – so I’m torn between doing something girly/typical and finding something cute/unique that Adam doesn’t want to crawl in a hole and die over.

Jenn sent these to me via Etsy - and it didn't let her leave a gift message, so I literally opened it, got teary-eyed 'cause I love them, and then almost cried again 'cause I didn't know who to thank. 

Mystery solved though - Ghorms is the best.

So – more to come on the Facebook debacle, and many other topics as I continue on this adventure of growing a human – and hopefully you’ll see something come out via public service announcement before the next time I write a blog post.

XOXO