16 Weeks

I am posting this early since I will be in Japan!

Since last post I have lost more weight, I am now down 9 lb’s.  At this point I should have gained around 5 lb’s for the first trimester and a pound a week in the second trimester.  I just keep telling myself that Dr. Doo isn’t worried so I am not going to stress.  I am sure stressing won’t help…hopefully Japanese food will be my cure for weight loss.  I just think it is ironic that it took getting pregnant to get to my ideal weight…it just shows me how much I used to love food and how I would rather have a little chunk and good food then be tiny and hungry.
Lately Adam and I have been thinking a lot about baby names.  We have a list of girl names and a list of boy names.  Our girl name criterion is that they are strong female names, names that will be perfect for a lawyer, a kindergarten teacher or even a dancer.  Both of us agree that we want a masculine boys name, in this day of so many interchangeable names we want something more butch, but classic.  Names for both need to be good for a baby, a kid, a teenager, an adult and a grandparent.  The names have to be classic but not old sounding, and not overly common.  As a kindergarten teacher I need to make sure that the name is reasonable to learn to spell and write, and I don’t want my kid to be one of 5 with the same name in his/her class.  I am really happy with our girls list and it will be easy for us to name 5 girls, however our boys list is totally lacking character.  We are trying a couple of each out to see if we get tired of saying/hearing it.

So, I read a book (The Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy) and it talked about how if you have a male doctor to expect to fall a little in love with him…I didn’t really understand and I thought it was crazy to think about but honestly I can see it happen to me.  I have not had a happy, bouncy, glowing pregnancy up till now (who knows my fingers are crossed), and the one thing that gets me through each month is knowing that I will get to go to the doctor and see my baby.  I know this isn’t true but I feel like Dr. Doo is the only one on my side sometimes, he doesn’t tell me “just eat anyway” he has never said he is worried about me or the baby, and he always makes me feel good.  I mean who wouldn’t love the only guy who is able to let you see your baby and hear it’s heartbeat.  I have an appointment the Tuesday after we get back where I will find out if it’s a boy or a girl and I think I am more excited about my appointment then I am about Japan…oops.  I 100% know what gender my baby is…Adam won’t be sure until the baby is born I think, but I know in my heart and that’s all I need…however I could be way off.  Check in next Tuesday to see if we are blue or pink!

Ode To Laundry

I am one of those crazy people who actually enjoy doing laundry…I find it frustrating because as soon as you finish a load there is always something else in the hamper.  Sometimes (back in NC) I would even do laundry after I changed into my pj’s just so I could throw in what I was wearing.  If you ask me to list my top ten favorite things, I would have to list sleeping on freshly cleaned sheets, but not any freshly cleaned sheets, sheets cleaned in Tide Clean Breeze detergent and dried in a drier.  Adam is probably so embarrassed that I am writing that little secret of mine but it helps me make the point of how much I love laundry.
HOWEVER, I absolutely HATE doing laundry in China.  I send out our jeans, Adam’s nice shirts and my cotton t-shirts that need to be shrunken back to size and shape.  I hate to complain that someone else does my laundry but all our clothes come back smelling like chemicals, and they aren’t lasting.  I have tried washing everything in the washer here but the jeans get so stiff that they are awful to wear, not to mention they take forever to dry, or that 2 pair fill up our machine.  Adam’s button up shirts I send basically because I don’t want to iron a bunch of shirts that look like they had been rolled up into a ball for 3 years.  My little cotton t-shirts, well let’s just say they don’t look like anything a human would wear when they come out of my washer.  I do enjoy practicing my Chinese with the lady at the cleaners (who drops everything or anyone when I walk in…the joys of being a foreigner in China).  Our washer is small and also destroys clothing so I have had to come up with a system of washing and hanging clothes so that they are wearable then I iron all of Adam’s polo’s. 
As I was doing laundry tonight I have decided I will have to hand wash my babies clothing since things don’t come out soft and the smell of detergent is really strong (tide here just isn’t the same).  I want my baby to have soft clothes J
I know this is one of those entries that sound like I am complaining but I have to say I love it here!  I just want people to know my life isn’t all copy designer shoes and lunch with the ladies.

It’s All About The PLAN!

I just spent the entire day (from when I woke up to about 9:30 at night) working out the details of our trip to Japan.  I had already spent a lot of time doing research on plane ticket prices and hotels (which took a long time as well) in July.  For pretty much all the trips we have taken so far I have planned down to where we will eat…as structured as it is for vacation it makes the trip so much more relaxing and less stressful.  I usually plan too much so we can weed out the stuff we don’t feel like doing but we end up with more time to do extra things we see along the way.  I love that we don’t waste one second saying where should we eat…I don’t know where do you want to eat blah blah blah!  Since food is such an issue for me the last thing I want (or want to put Adam through) is being stuck somewhere where we can’t find somewhere to stop for a snack.  This pregnancy puts a whole new spin on everything because not only do we need to be near food, but I need to make sure we go to a Japanese restaurant where they serve cooked fish that isn’t exotic, plus some cool Japanese sushi and fresh fish for Adam to enjoy.  One of the mornings we will go to the fish market where they say you can stop off for sashimi and sushi rolls at booths on the street (this day I had to plan for a second lunch location so Adam could enjoy the very fresh sushi and I can eat something that won’t harm the baby). 

I read our travel book basically from cover to cover and did research on the internet to decide which cities we wanted to travel to.  We decided on Tokyo (of course) Kyoto and Osaka.  We arrive in Tokyo on Friday night and will take the Bullet train to Kyoto next Tuesday afternoon.  On Thursday we will take the train to Osaka and fly out of Osaka on Sunday morning. 

I am excited about everything but there is one thing in particular that I am really looking forward to (mainly because they could turn out to be the best thing ever or a total waste of money).  One of the things is sooooo expensive that I don’t even like to think about but is something that every website I looked at and our book mentioned was something you HAD to do in Japan.  We are staying in a Japanese Guest House (Ryokan)…we will basically sleep on a futon and sit on the floor but it should be really cool.  My only requirement for the Ryokans I looked at was that they had a bathroom on the floor (so glad I thought of that since I wasn’t even pregnant when I reserved this room)…we actually are staying in an updated guest house where they have bathrooms in your room.  It should be a real Japanese experience. 

This has been a tough job because I reserved the hotel months ago (without knowing anything about the areas…mainly looking at the price).  Usually I pick the cheaper hotel with good reviews and we have to spend a little extra on transportation to get to the tourist areas or the City center.  As it turns out our Tokyo hotel is right in the center of the metro system and equidistant from the three different areas we will visit on three different days, our Kyoto Ryokan is walking distance to some tourist things and our Osaka hotel is right in the center of the things I had planned for us.  This trip has also been difficult because I know nothing about Japan and I don’t know anyone who knows anything about the cities we are traveling to.  The difference between this trip and our trips to Thailand or Vietnam was we are going to a much bigger city with many more things to do and I have to plan for 10 days in three cities rather than some weekend relaxation time mixed with a few cultural sites. 

I’ll let you know how it turns out!!!

15 Weeks

I am beginning to eat a little more.  Thursday I ate a small portion of bland white fish, some carrots (which I haven’t eaten since the carrot incident), a slice of garlic toast (which was HUGE! I haven’t been able to eat toast lately, let alone with seasoning) and a half of a grapefruit.  I have also started drinking milk again…the only way I can drink it is mixed with chocolate (the milk here is in cartons and that doesn’t do much to the flavor…especially when you are flavor sensitive like I happen to be right now).  I have added half sandwiches to my food rotation (grilled cheese or peanut butter).  The biggest celebration for me was the chicken I ate on Friday.  Chicken was the first food that I couldn’t eat (week 6), the first smell that made me sick and the food that no matter how it came up in conversation totally ruined anything I attempted to eat.  Jodie and I took a trip to Shenzhen for lunch at a Thai/Indian restaurant and I ordered boneless chicken (seasoned with lemon…which I could eat whole, ginger…which is great for settling the stomach and Indian seasonings…THE RISK) with a side of fries (my safe food) and some naan.   Jodie ordered curry and fish…and the smell didn’t bother me!  Food still really scares me and I don’t look forward to eating anything but I am feeling soooooo much better and I only had one bad day this week (and this bad day was the equivalent of a good day 2 weeks ago).  Things continue to look up and hopefully food won’t be an issue at all on our Japan trip. 

*I typed this up on Friday after being so excited about overcoming new foods, however Saturday I traumatized my driver by getting out of the car and throwing up in the corner of the parking garage and before I knew it I was back on my dry cereal and apple diet.  It is very discouraging especially after such a great week to have 4 days of nausea and vomiting.  I can’t decide if its worse to see a little light, get excited then realize you are still stuck, or if it would be worse to be consistently sick and not have any expectations.  I feel like I haven’t been a real human being in over 2 months. Even last week when I felt good it is hard to feel really good when you think the feeling is only temporary.  I am so glad that the baby is growing and is healthy…that’s all I can ask for.  I am truly blessed in so many ways and I have such a wonderful life, but this is me venting a bit. 

*****Cool Week 15 Fact: My baby is the size of an apple…I thought this is cool since I am very familiar with the size of an apple considering I have eaten at least 3 apples a day for the past 2 months.

14 Weeks

I am feeling so much better; I no longer am nauseous 24/7!  I still have a motion sickness problem, so I try to sleep in the car or eat continuously, and I am still working on how to not feel sick in the elevators (avoiding is out of the question since we live on the 24^th floor).  And my headaches have been really bad (I have taken Tylenol a few times in the past couple weeks).  I am hoping to get an appetite back soon (hopefully in the next 2 weeks so I will be able to eat in Japan).  I am so happy to have more good days then bad!

I am sleeping a lot, I usually go to bed by 10 and sleep until at least 8:30 – 9:00 and I have a nap during the day.  I think part of the reason is that well…I’m pregnant, but the other reasons are I wake up a lot at night, and because the baby is taking all my stored vitamins (which is totally wonderful…I can re-fuel later but baby needs to keep growing). 

My friends here are saying that I look pregnant…since I am losing weight; the belly really stands out (literally).  I can still wear my low cut jeans and other pants unbuttoned with my “bella bands” (I had the tailor make me a few different sizes and I am on the smallest right now).  I cleaned all the clothes out of my closet that I won’t be able to wear pregnant.  Now my closet is totally bare but when I am in the apartment I wear cotton shorts or yoga pants and t-shirts so I am able to wear “real clothes” a few times between washing.  I have started wearing my fitted t-shirts again because I am lovin’ my little bump that no longer looks like the result of a heavy meal.

I have discovered a cure for fatigue and nausea…baby shopping!  I love that little baby clothes are soooooo cheap here I picked up a few boy things and a few girl things…knowing that we will have other children and if we end up with all boys I am sure I will know someone with a girl who will love my cute little finds (or vice versa).  I am able to by copy carter and copy baby b-gosh outfits for about $2 - $3 US.  As grandma would say…you can’t leave them there for that price, and since I don’t actually need them yet I bargain really low (if they like my offer GREAT…if not…oh well maybe the next shop will like it…but they usually don’t let me walk too far).  I have also done a lot of research on things that I will need to order from the States.  We are trying to have the bare minimum until we move back to NC.  Some people have asked what they can send us and really we don’t need too much…I am thinking about how we have to get everything home and how it took 4 months for our shipment to come here (I am guessing it won’t take that long but I am not going to take any chances).  I think the best thing to do if you want to get the baby something is wait and give it to him/her when we return.  When we come back the baby will be 4 – 5 months old and will have different needs. 

*****COOL WEEK 14 FACT:  Our little one is growing eyebrows!

3 Day Weekend

One of the things I love about China, but kind of frustrates Adam is the amount of Holidays!  Adam had Wednesday off a couple weeks ago for the Moon Cake Festival and he had this Friday off for National day.  Now Adam would usually work these days but we like to give the driver time off and Adam can’t get cabs to the factory.  At first he gets annoyed at the amount of work that won’t get done but as soon as he gets to sleep in and enjoy a cup of coffee he is happy to have a day off.  Friday morning Adam went to the hospital to get his blood type (I am O- and if Adam is + the baby and I will need shots).  Funny thing though the Chinese don’t do + or -.  According to the test Adam’s blood type is A.  I guess this means a trip to Hong Kong to find out more info. 
We invited my friend JJ over to watch Star Wars (Adam and JJ both wanted to watch and Jodie and I figured we could let them watch it and be off the hook…no such luck for me).  JJ joined us for the first movie in the series and Adam and I watched the next 2 on our own.  Only 3 more to go!  Adam did volunteer to watch a series with me another time (I am letting him decide between the Twilight series and High School Musical 1-3).
Saturday we walked around downtown and joined some of Adam’s co-workers for dinner and a Chinese movie.  Sunday our plans are to be totally lazy (again) and watch movies and lay around. 
I think one of the best parts of Chinese Holidays is the fact that it is WAY too crazy to go out and do anything so the best thing to do is stay at home and be lazy (picture trying to have lunch at a mall restaurant at noon on Black Friday x 10…then imagine the 4 million people that live in and around Huizhou hanging out in the 3 main entertainment areas).  I love a good lazy weekend at home with my hubby.

Things people don’t tell you about being pregnant…well at least no one told me:

*You automatically add 2 weeks to however long a baby has been inside you…what is with those 2 weeks?  Why do you count it before conception?
*The burping…I burp all the time…and actually I let ‘em rip…is not caring another pregnancy thing?
*That I would feel so tired in the first trimester…the upside, I have had the greatest sleep of my life!
*Stuffy nose every morning
*Lack of focus…I am already a little ADD (OK A LOT ADD) but I have taught myself over the years to work through it, but I have absolutely no focus at all.  Chinese class is now just a two hour frustration period for my teacher (as if it wasn’t already frustrating to teach me Chinese)…and again I don’t even care about the fact that I am not focused…I don’t even try to pretend.
*The bad taste in your mouth