Notes on My Pregnancy

Since we are refraining from telling the world our wonderful news until after the ultrasound, at the earliest, I thought I would make notes on what has been going on thus far.

March 23, 2012


Well, morning sickness started on March 8. Nothing huge. Just nausea and dry heaves. I had periods where I didn't feel sick at all. Of course, then I would panic and worry that maybe there was something wrong with the baby.  So, my prayers to God would center on asking him for more morning sickness as a sign that the baby is okay. Is that insane or what? God has answered my prayers. Starting this past Tuesday, March 20, full-blown morning sickness began, just like it did with Ginny.  I lost my dinner on Tuesday and Wednesday.  Yesterday was a bit better, but not much. I almost wish I had lost dinner. It is easier to deal with than getting sick with acid alone (bleh).  I'm sure this is TMI for many. I apologize.  However, this morning started with a bang when I got sick after brushing my teeth. Since I had not yet eaten anything, it was not pleasant in the least (not that it ever is, but it seems worse on an empty stomach).

While I hate this part, in many ways I'm grateful for it. It means my hormones are where they need to be and it is likely that our baby is okay.  Only 1 1/2 more weeks until the ultrasound. I can't wait!

April 1, 2012


Today was awful! I had nausea from lunch until 10 p.m.  I was supposed to be the reader for Mass (narrating the Passion), but because I was so sick, I called the Deacon to get a sub. I felt so guilty. I had practiced. Normally my nausea isn't that bad and "wears" off a bit before dinner. Not today. Sigh.

April 3, 2012


I'm concerned. I know it is paranoia, but it seems like my morning sickness has eased off a bit. I haven't lost dinner since Friday. For a while there, I was losing dinner every night. Now, not so much. Yes, I still have a bit of nausea, but I worry. Having lost the one baby and discovering it at the ultrasound is what makes me so paranoid. I'm afraid that I will go in tomorrow for the u/s and find out the baby doesn't have a heart beat. All I can do is pray that all is well. If it isn't, there isn't much I can do.

April 4, 2012


I knew I was being paranoid. Saw the baby this morning. Growing on track, healthy, and the heart rate was 178 bpm. Love this baby so much! Will tell our families soon and tell the world right after. :) We decided to tell people before the 1st tri ends because the odds of a loss after seeing the heartbeat are low, and I figure if we did lose the baby (which of course I do NOT want to happen), I would likely share with the world in my blog anyway. Might as well share the joy for now!

Jayhawk Love

Last night was the NCAA Finals with my KU Jayhawks facing the Kentucky Wildcats.

Every year, at tournament time, I fill out a bracket. Every year, I put KU as the ultimate winner.  Obviously, it doesn't always happen, and it didn't happen last night either. But I so believe and love my team I think it is possible that they can win every year. I'm ever the optimist!

We didn't play our best last night. The Jayhawks had some great moments and really pulled it together in the second half. But, my team made quite a few stupid mistakes that could have made a difference. Whether that difference would have meant only being 2 behind as opposed to 8 or a win, I'm not sure. They faced a formidable team, the best team this past season. Kentucky dominated, which is hard to deny. And, honestly, I'm okay with that.

Me hanging out with a Clydesdale before the Orange Bowl, 2008

It is hard to explain my Jayhawk love to others. My husband has seen it from me. It amuses him at times.  You can't really understand it unless you are a Jayhawk. KU Jayhawks are used to losing football teams. We always hope to get a winning team, but we don't expect it either.  For some reason, this concept seems to confuse people. They think they upset us, particularly Mizzou fans, by saying our football team sucks. How can that upset us? We know it is usually true!  In 2008, KU did go to the Orange Bowl, facing Virginia Tech, and won. I know. I was there! It was a thrill to see my football team win, but unlike VTU fans, I went to the game expecting us to lose.

Basketball is different though. At KU, basketball is in our blood. We love, adore, and eat up basketball! We expect our teams to win.  And why not? Every coach, save one, has had a winning record at KU. Not many schools can say that (and certainly not Mizzou). The only coach who had a losing record was our first coach, James Naismith, the inventor of the game.

I find myself getting irritated by people who try to claim that KU always chokes in the NCAA. That is so far from the truth. After all, under Bill Self, our current coach, we have only gotten eliminated in one of the first 2 rounds 3 times (2005, 2006, 2010).  The only earlier that we left was in 2009 in the Sweet 16. Otherwise, we have made it to the Elite 8 or beyond.  For some reason, though, commentators and others like to emphasize our losses instead of our incredible history of wins or even the fact that we have appeared in the NCAA Tournament every year since 1990. Not many teams can say that.

As a fan, I not only love my team, but despise others who I feel wronged us. Heck, I don't even like our former coach, Larry Brown, who I feel wronged KU. KU got all these sanctions from the NCAA while he disappeared for the NBA.  I especially don't like Duke and Coach K.  And don't get me started on former Duke player, Christian Laettner.  

My Jayhawk love will continue through my life. I hope I can pass it on to my daughter.  One of these days, when she is a bit older, I hope to take her to a KU basketball game at Allen Field House. Until then, I'll keep trying to teach her the Jayhawk chant!

Rock Chalk, Jayhawk, KKKKKKKK UUUUUUUUU!

Escaping Pink and Princesses

I have an adorable 11 1/2 month old baby girl.  Because she is a girl that must mean that everything she owns should be pink, right? NOOOOOO!!! I am so over pink already. I'm done with it.  I never thought a color would bother me so much. Pink has really gotten on my nerves.

I'm sure when I was a little girl that I loved pink. Of course, I don't remember that time. The first favorite color that I had, that I remember, was blue.  I guess by the age of 8 I was already tired of pink.

Pink wouldn't bother me so much if it wasn't so present in anything you try to buy a baby girl. The vast majority of toys out there being marketed to girls are PINK. For some toys, it is hard to find a gender neutral color. I notice that boys have a larger selection of colors and styles. They aren't limited to blue in the same ways that girls are to pink.  Why is that?  

This is not to say that I hate pink. I like the color, but in small, tasteful doses. Instead what you end up with is a room full of Pepto-Bismal---clothes, toys, decorations saturated with pink.  Silly me, I would like my daughter to enjoy a wide range of colors and not be forced into believing that pink is the way to go, just because she is a girl.

Not only am I sick of pink, I can't stand the Disney princesses. She isn't into them, yet, but Disney is sure doing a job trying to market them to her already.  Of course, the Disney princesses are always decorated with a pink background, which makes them doubly bad.  I just hope this trend dies off a bit before my daughter is old enough to catch onto the strange mania that has most little girls dreaming of being Belle, Cinderella or Aurora.  I remember wanting to be a princess when I was little, but my dreams weren't so specific.  Hopefully, Ginny's imagination will go beyond these Disney constructs being handed to her and every other little girl out there.  Hopefully.

Until then, I will deal with some pink, particularly those that are gifts, and try to get as much for her as I can that isn't pink and doesn't have a princess on it.