Routine

If you're wondering why there have so far been very few pictures on this blog, wonder no more: I spend all day in pajamas, with unkempt hair and no makeup, mostly horizontal because that position seems to be the one that is most likely to keep my meals where they belong (inside me, duh). So self-portraiture hasn't really been on my mind.

That said, I'm feeling kind of sickly proud today because tomorrow I will hit the ten week mark, and that means I will have been living with this ridiculous nausea for about a month. And lived to tell the tale. Besides the smell food, here are things that jar my gag reflex:

• The mention (or viewing) of most foods in books, magazines, commercials, or any other circumstance
• Yawning
• Sneezing

Yes. Yawning and sneezing. The other day I felt a sneeze coming on and charged for the bathroom because I was afraid I would get more than I bargained for. (There were some sketchy noises for Steve to enjoy, but all ended well.)

This has lead to some kind of disgusting conversations, including one where Steve asked me which I preferred, throwing up or having diarrhea. Pleasant, no?

Coping skills have (mostly) set in by now, though, and I am feeling really lucky this time around that I get to be home. Settling Grace and myself into a routine (however lame it is!) has made the hours that Steve is gone much more manageable, and I am thankful every day that despite my moaning and groaning, I have (sometimes barely) the mental fortitude to get up and face food again each day.

Here is what our day is like:

• 7:30a - Steve gets Gracie up, changed, and they breakfast together.
• 7:45a - He gets me up and heads out for school/CPE
• 8:00a - I eat breakfast, and focus on keeping it down for an hour. If I'm feeling good, Gracie and I play Legos together.
• 9:00a - Gracie hangs in her crib and reads books so I can sleep off my post-breakfast nausea.
• 9:45a - Alarm goes off, and I spend a few minutes convincing myself to get up
• 10:00a - Watch Sesame Street together
• 11:00a - Watch Kipper together
• 12:00p - Lunch
• 12:30p - Gracie naps, I try to do some writing for work
• 1:00p - I jump on the nap train and sleep until Gracie wakes up
• 3 or 4p - Gracie gets up, I lay on the couch and try not to puke
• 5:00p - Steve calls on his way home
• 7:00p - Gracie goes to bed
• 10:00p - I go to bed. Poor Steve. We are usually such night owls.

There is usually a lot more nausea and some throwing up in there, too, but I am SO thankful that I don't have to ride out this trimester at work this time!

Steve has been amazing. Food runs, looking after Gracie, cleaning the kitchen, packing up the apartment for our move, and telling me I am cute even though I am in pj's 24/7. If I have to throw up, it is SO amazingly comforting to have him there to lean back against until my body calms down. He puts a cool cloth on my neck, gets me a glass of water, and after all that he still wants to cuddle with me.

So my body is sick, but oh man, am I lucky.

(p.s. Please pray that this ends before I take Gracie to CA in two weeks because I am terrified of losing my lunch on the plane!)