Hello 2nd Trimester! I love you already...

Everyone says the 2nd trimester is the best trimester, the time when nausea and fatigue fade and you begin to regain your appetite and energy. Let's just say, I have definitely been looking forward to the 2nd trimester!

Let me start by saying, I had a pretty rough 1st trimester. I definitely learned the full meaning of the words "morning" sickness and felt a kind of tired that I have never felt before. The day before we found out that I was pregnant, I started feeling sick. Very sick, and continued to feel very sick for approximately the next 7-8 weeks. I couldn't hold much down, had an extremely overly-sensitive sense of smell and horrible food aversions. The worst part of being extremely sick during early pregnancy is...no one can tell you're pregnant! They just think you're crazy when you suddenly leave your cart in the middle of the isle at Wal-Mart to take off in a sprint to the bathroom. Or, they stare at you in disgust when you have to suddenly pull over the car to gag into a plastic sack (yes, I was in the habit of always having a plastic sack within reach...just in case). There were so many times I wanted to shout, "I'm not crazy or contagious! I'm just pregnant!"

David has been such a trooper the last several weeks! He went grocery shopping each week so I wouldn't have to experience the unbearable stench of chicken that permeated every inch of Wal-Mart, he humored me and ate fast food for dinner several nights in a row when all I could keep down was Sonic french fries, and he kept our house (for the most part) presentable when I couldn't drag myself off the couch to clean it.

The first weeks were definitely rough, but at the same time they were also wonderful. I have never been so happy to throw up. Every time I was sick I knew it meant that Baby H was growing and changing, and that was all I needed to make it through the day.

Now that I am feeling good and have more energy, I am looking forward to the upcoming changes that the 2nd trimester brings. I am looking forward to gaining weight, hearing the heartbeat and finding out the gender. I am looking forward to planning for Baby H's arrival, decorating the nursery and seeing my body change as our baby grows. I can't believe we are already one-third of the way through this pregnancy. Even though the first months were sometimes difficult, they still seemed to go by so quickly. I know that July will be here before we know it. There is much to be done and much to be figured out in the next few months. Keep your fingers crossed for us as we prepare!

P.S. We get to hear the heartbeat at our appointment next week. Yay!

Hungry = Happy!

Only recently have I begun to have any appetite whatsoever. My first couple of months were rather difficult (more to come later on the joys of the 1^st trimester) and I didn’t eat much. There were days when nothing, and I mean nothing, sounded appetizing. The only thing that made me eat anything on some days was the knowledge that it was now my responsibility to nourish my body, to in turn nourish my child. So you can imagine how excited I was to discover recently that I was hungry!

And yes, I have been so hungry the past week! Yesterday all I could think of at work was BBQ sauce, in particular, Rib Crib BBQ sauce. Maybe this doesn’t sound strange to you, but for any of you who know my eating habits, you know I don’t eat a lot of meat, BBQ or otherwise. So, it was a bit strange for me.

Every Friday night is Friday night date night for me and David. Usually we have this conversation…”What do you want for dinner?” “I don’t know, what do you want for dinner?” Not last night. Last night for Friday night date night, David and I went to Rib Crib and I had wonderful, delicious, heavenly BBQ. And I loved every bit of it. I guess you could call this a “craving”. I don’t know, all I know is that I was hungry, I wanted some BBQ, we ate some BBQ and it made me happy. J Thank you Rib Crib.

Baby's Name is NOT Olio

Ok, so I started this blog without telling David all the details about it. He knew I was starting it, but I named it, picked out a layout, etc. So, tonight I posted my first entry. After looking at the blog, my darling husband informed me that the name of the blog "Our Little Olio" sounds like we are naming the baby Olio. Just to be clear, we are NOT naming the baby Olio. Olio has always been one of my favorite words. I don't know why, I just like the way it sounds. Olio means: a : a miscellaneous mixture : hodgepodge b : a miscellaneous collection. I figured that is exactly what this blog will be, all of the miscellaneous things associated with pregnancy, family and parenthood. So...again, we are not naming the baby Olio. :)
















Here is our first picture of Baby Hodson, taken at Week 11. The first ultrasound was the most amazing thing I have ever seen. After weeks of "is there really something in there?" we got to see our little baby for the first time. Baby's growth was right on track for 11 weeks and evidently we have a little wiggle worm on our hands. The doctor said Baby was very active and we were able to see it wiggle and turn over. Our next appointment is scheduled for the first week of February, when we will get to hear the heartbeat for the first time!

And So It Begins...

Welcome!

The whole blogging thing is new to me, but something I definitely wanted to start because...We're having a Baby!!! And we are so incredibly excited to begin a new chapter of our lives together. I have never blogged before, so we'll all have go through the growing pains together as I figure out exactly what I am doing. With family and friends scattered throughout several states, I thought a blog would be the best way to keep everyone updated on our fun new journey!

After weeks and weeks of online research, browsing and reading other people's blogs, I have become completely captivated by the opinions, advice and stories of all the women and families out there who have been through the incredible adventure that we are only just beginning. More than anything, I have realized how important it is to share and document all of the amazing things that will be happening to our little family over the next several months. And most importantly, I want to be able to always remember every wonderful day of this beautiful story.

So...welcome to Our Little Olio. This is the place to find out all of the fun and crazy things that David and I are going through as we try to figure out how to deal with, live through and enjoy our first pregnancy. Keep in mind that we have absolutely no idea what we are doing! We are taking it day by day, so this is most definitely a learning process for us! Feel free to comment, laugh at, or leave advice for us!

Yesterday was the beginning of Week 13, so Baby Hodson is set to make his/her debut July 27, 2010!