To fill in from where I left off in the last update, Wednesday, May 28 was an overbooked day for me! I started with a quick WOD with Mom and Rose, went to Ray's for a few groceries, started the crockpot (with said groceries -- I made beef barbacoa), left for Topeka for my pre-natal appointment, then got groceries at Aldi's and Dillon's, came home and put the groceries away, finished making dinner (served the barbacoa on salads with chopped fresh tomatoes and shredded cheese - yummy!) and then John and I went to Molly's first birthday celebration. We got home after 8 pm and finished eating dinner. By that point, I was feeling pretty bad and could tell that I had overdone it. I went to bed by about 9:30 pm.
Thursday, May 29, was the feast of the Ascension. After going to Mass, I pretty much took it easy all day - the effects of Wednesday were still wearing on me and I had a bad toothache/sinus pressure on the right side of my face. John made dinner on the grill (rosemary and balsamic flank steak and roasted zucchini and summer squash - yummy!). After a few bites of meat and making my way through the veggies, I rounded out dinner for my sensitive mouth with a fruit-yogurt smoothie.
Unfortunately, all that delicious, healthy food came back up right before we went to bed Thursday night -- and my substitute dinner wound up being 3 slightly-stale blueberry muffins. Oh well! Whatever works to fill the stomach and keep it from coming back up!
As of writing this post (Wednesday, June 4), I can't remember what I did Friday of last week... oh yes! I went to the chiropractor in the morning to see if he could help reduce my persistent headache and/or low back ache. It was a very interesting visit, with him pinpointing some unspoken symptoms (recent irritability - because T3 was out of place? - and some possible adrenal overdrive from my left adrenal gland - which could be one of the causes of my insomnia and fitful sleep lately). Interestingly, he adjusted my face and head (as well as neck, shoulders, back, tailbone, pubic bone, intestinal sphincters (!) and knees) and my teeth have felt better ever since! Later, Rose came over and visited on her lunch break; and in the afternoon, Mom came by for a visit.
Friday evening, I didn't feel up to cooking and the dish I had planned (stuffed shells) was going to take almost an hour to bake even after prep and assembly; so we decided to go to Topeka and get dinner at the Olive Garden! It was a really spontaneous outing and fun! The salad, breadsticks, and my fettuccine alfredo hit the spot perfectly! :)
Saturday, May 31, John went to Mass and afterwards, we went to the track and I walked a couple of laps while he jogged. Headed home and did our budget for the week. Then he went to help James (and Claude) with remodeling the back porch, while I spent 4 hours or so finishing the graduation dress I was sewing. I took it over to the graduate-to-be :) when I was finished and it seemed to fit well. While I was there, I got a small sewing job from her dad to take a dress shirt of his and make the long sleeves into short sleeves.
In the afternoon, my sweetie and I had a bit of a miscommunication/misunderstanding, but it ended up clearing the air a lot and making for a really good weekend - thanks be to God for His grace! :) John did dishes while I ironed some clothes, cleared off the dining room table, swept and did a quick mopping. The kitchen and dining room looked so much better after that!
In the evening, Joey and Mary invited us to James and Katie's to play games. It all worked out so well, as we had been debating whether to see if either couple wanted company that night. :) We played Wits and Wagers and had a great time.
Sunday, June 1, we went to Mass and John made brunch. (I'm so spoiled! :)) We took it pretty easy and just visited/talked, went outside for a couple of smokes :), checked on our little garden, and then John helped me plan some main dishes for the next week's menu. While I was figuring out side dishes and making the grocery list, he took a nap and started making pizza for dinner. When I was finished with the grocery list (felt so good to get it done before Monday morning!), I made a cauliflower-romaine-apple salad to go with the pizza.
John made a praise-worthy effort to use only things we already had in the house for pizza toppings. He came up with alfredo sauce, bacon, caramelized chopped shallots, and shredded mozzarella cheese. It was amazing!!! I told him that even though it was just using a motley assortment of what we had on hand, I was declaring it a "repeat"! :)
For dessert, we had chocolate-caramel ice cream with crushed corn flakes and enjoyed a nice thunderstorm that rolled in.
Monday, June 2, I headed into Topeka in the morning, got groceries, came home and got them put away by 1:30 pm -- only possible because I had gotten the menu and grocery list made earlier! It was nice to be home with most of the afternoon left. I took an hour or so break, then spent an hour or so de-junking (culling through all my clothes - putting some in the garage sale pile and storing those that I won't be able to wear for the duration of the pregnancy). In the evening, John helped me carry a lot of garage sale stuff out to the Blazer - it made the living room look a lot better!
Rose came over after work for a smoke and to say hi. We invited her to stay for dinner (Pullman subs - which I had been craving for 4-5 days, and they tasted so good :) - along with cucumber salad and potato chips). John worked out after work and time sure goes fast, so we didn't sit down to dinner until 8 pm! Rose visited until a little after 10 and then John gave her a ride home, since her car is in the shop. We said Rosary and called it a night!
Yesterday (Tuesday, June 3) I "turned" 16 weeks! It was a tired day following a restless night of sleep and a nightmare about John being killed. :-/ Nonetheless, I managed to get some bbq beef started in the crockpot, to wash our sheets, to make stuffed shells (and freeze them), and to make apple cinnamon bread. In the evening, we had bbq beef sandwiches (pretty tasty!), leftover roasted squash and zucchini, and potato chips. John did dishes and we said Rosary (last week of the Rosary Crusade!).
In doing a little research about adrenal fatigue, I found a couple of articles indicating that honey before bedtime can help reduce the amount of cortisol and adrenalin produced by the body - inducing more restful, deep sleep. It was worth a try, so John got me a cup of chamomile tea with honey and made us both toast with honey on it.
I did sleep a bit better last night than the last couple of nights ("only" woke up 5-6 times and my dreams weren't nightmares), so I think I will try using honey again tonight and see if it was coincidental or related.
This morning, I went to the chiropractor for a recheck and got readjusted. It seemed pretty routine, but hopefully will help. I couldn't shake the headache I had woken up with, so I took a couple of ibuprofen and had a cup of coffee -- after an hour or so, I felt better.
This afternoon, I need to continue de-junking, take some stuff over to Mom's for our (eventual) garage sale, and make a fruit salad to go with dinner (John is going to grill chicken for chef's salads). It's been a blah day with a slow, uncomfortable (headachy and back-achy) start and little-to-no motivation... hopefully I can turn that around this afternoon!
To summarize recent symptoms, I've had insomnia (waking up every hour or two and sometimes staying awake for 30+ minutes when I wake up), some strange/vivid dreams, some headaches, and mild-but-persistent low back aches. I've been grouchy/irritable and feeling a little hormonal and emotional. I've also been feeling overwhelmed by not feeling up to doing as much as I mentally WANT to get done.
I feel like my belly is really starting to pop, but it may not be as obvious to other people. I can now feel the underside of my belly on my legs when I lean forward, which is new. :) I also ordered maternity undies yesterday, as my regular ones are starting to bind uncomfortably.
On that note (haha), I will sign off now with hopes of getting a 16-week belly picture soon. :)
