Week 17: Is it a baby or a beer belly?

Week 17 has been one of those awkward weeks, because people look at you weird thinking hmmmm... is she just fat? or is there a child in there? I feel like my stomach looks totally normal in the morning and then by the afternoon, i'm all out there. 

My preggo clothes don't fit yet, and then my regular clothes are feeling a bit snug. So I'm not exactly sure which direction I need to go, but i'll tell you what would help. 

FALL. WEATHER. 

All my oversized sweater would really help me right now. However, in the ABQ, we are still basking in 90 degree weather. Rude. If anyone wants to come at me for the last comment, No I don't hate summer, but Jesus I was not made for Summer weather. Nevermind what my winter self told me earlier this spring. I. Cant. Hang. 

I went to Trader Joe's and experienced all the fall things. Pumpkin is in full bloom and so are the sugar skulls. I'm literally doing everything I can not to decorate for Halloween yet. 

I'm not sure i'm that strong. Last year, Sept 1, I put all my spooky stuff up. This year I'm trying to have some restraint. 

I'm getting really excited about Balloon Fiesta. I'm not sure if we will go to the festival or not, because I have some serious PTSD about crowds, but I am excited for the feel of a new season. I think we all are. 

I'm still on my sourdough kick. 

Peep my sweet take on Cinnamon and sugar sourdough bread. She's so pretty. Probably my best one yet. I'm able to keep my sourdough starter alive. This gives me hope that I'll actually be able to keep 3 children alive at once during a pandemic. Y'all, I have really lowered expectations these days. 

Week 17 BEBE stats! 

If you ever wondered how my bladder feels in this pregnancy, have no fear, this picture explains everything. You see those little fists? 

Every. 10. Minutes. I. Must. PEE. 

This in no way is conducive to my work life. 

He's completely healthy and measuring big, a week bigger in fact. Here's to hoping he's not as big as Allie, because I don't know if my nether regions can handle another episiotomy. Yes, I still overshare here, nothing has changed. 

This week my hormonal outbursts are at an all time high. My children are really the ones who have endured this and bless them. I feel as though the mood swings could cause whiplash. 

During this pregnancy, I have purged alot of my house. Way more than normal. I do feel like my inner Marie Kondo is coming through. Could be good? Could have nothing left by the time this child comes?Who knows? I also feel like I don't want to move with a whole bunch of shit, like I did last time from California to New Mexico. 

Cravings: Still on my V8 kick. Trader Joe's onion chips. I really am a monster. I'm a huge fan of their okra chips. But these onion things are great. They are not like the crispy onions you put on green bean casserole. I'm hoping these salty vibes aren't forever. 

Aversions: Eating full meals. This is a weird one. Usually i'm a finish your plate kinda gal, not now. I can fully be ready to put something away and in the middle, i'll just stop eating and go find something else, like a bowl of cereal. 

I have lots of energy still. I'm going to keep riding this train until the wheels fall off. I'm so ambitious, I think i'll run a 5K at Thanksgiving at 28 weeks. I haven't ran more than 3 miles this entire pregnancy. Whatever. I'm really in it for the turkey gloves, which I'm sure my daughter will run off with and wear for the next year.  

Thanks for listening to my weekly rants, friends! Until next week! 

Week 16: Turns out we're all just a sponge.

This week I had started on a really low note. Things aren't going very well at work, not personally but just the feel of the ICU. It really is so different from last year. Young people are dying for no good reason other than the C-19 (and unvaccinated) and it's heart breaking. 

Let me say that again, it's really fucking heart breaking. 

We coded a 20 year old. 20. Years. Old. There was nothing we could do to save him. Nothing. 

Do you know how that makes me feel? 

Worthless. Defeated. These adjectives are to name a few. 

This is my reality. 

Every week. 

Every shift.

This is what is asked of a critical care nurse. 

I've advocated many, many times for therapy. It's really a part of my daily life. I see my therapist 2x a month, which has really served me well. I feel like every time i've gone to therapy I always leave feeling much better than when I started my session. This week we touched on how the grieving process of my mother, but then we switched gears and talked about my experiences at work. For the most part, being a pregnant ICU nurse, I feel ok. I have really, really sad days, but mostly i'm able to leave those experiences at work and not think about them at home. I am fortunate. However, I would be lying to you if I didn't also grieve the loss of some of my patients at home. I guess that's the empathy part of being a nurse and what makes me human. If you think things don't affect nurses and docs the same way you're affected in the real world you'd be wrong. 

I think most health care workers right now feel like a sponge that is over-saturated. There is too much water and the water needs to be wrung out. The water represents feelings, emotions, over-stimulation of grief. Something really important my therapist told me is that we need to rid the water when we can. We need to get rid of things that don't serve us in the moment. It's absolutely true. For me it's blocking out the noise of social media and picking up a book. Or playing with my children and getting rid of the outside world for just a bit. This doesn't mean i'm sticking my head in the sand, it means i'm able to be mindful and stay in the moment. 

I don't write this post for sympathy. I write this as a perspective of my on-going therapy/life and hope that someone else is able to relate or feel less alone. 

Something I get a lot these days:"Well you don't have to do this, you can just quit". 

It's true. I can.

Some people feel called to ministering to the poor. You don't do it because you have to, you do it because you're hoping in some small way, you can make a difference. I guess i'm not ready to hang my hat up because I feel like in the wake of something horrible, I want to make a small bit of difference. Even if it means that the outcome won't be favorable. Or maybe years from now, the experiences that I've had over the last year will serve me better as a health care professional. I guess I won't know until I know. 

Lots of big feels this week, but in a good way. Our thoughts are much better out in the open than the ones we ever keep in our head... it's a-lot less heavier that way.  

On to much lighter topics like my hair. 

Shout out to my friend, Ashley, who singlehandedly helped me track (stalk) down my stylist who left the studio I normally go to. Anywho I found her and she worked her magic!! If you're in the ABQ area and need a great stylist, I have one and am happy to message her contact!! 

Ok we need to touch on my hair. In 33 years, I've never dyed my hair. never had a weird phase in high school or College with pink hair. I've pretty much maintained the same thing until now. At first, I didn't know if I was going to like it. I have to say I woke up this morning and feel like i'm new again. 

My mood was lighter. I did something for me. Something different. In times like these, it's so easy to give up all of yourself to something without saving a piece of your soul for yourself. I feel like i'm able to hold on to a little bit more every week without expending all my energy into something that doesn't always serve me back. 

Baby stats for Week 16. 

This is the week, I began feeling pregnant. My hips felt a little less pliable this week. Much of my time is spent on my feet, my children have no remorse for my condition. They expect us to go, go, go as much as possible. I also am able to see my bump. A sweet little bump i've been longing to see for 16 weeks. Honestly to the whole world it really still looks like a food baby or a beer belly at best. 

I have another anatomy scan this next week, which I'm very excited for. This pregnancy gives me so much to look forward to. 

Cravings: I am all about savory foods this week. I'm back on avocado and eggs.  I can eat pork because it's salty to match my attitude these days. 

Aversions: Meat. I still only find veggie options. 

This is the week that I felt this little bebe move. I thought it was gas. Turns out it was a baby. He's already a mover and a shaker and he brightens my mood every single day. 

Anywho friends, here's to all the brighter days ahead and all the good times that will be here again. 

Week 15- Baby Coates is a.....

 BOY OH BOY OH BOY. I'm shocked. I seriously thought this was a girl. 

Really we had an array of emotions in our house. Allie was a little devastated this is not a girl.  

We are thrilled. This baby is healthy and growing and seriously that's all we could ask for. Shout out to my friend Catherine. She made this beautiful cake for me. I'm so thankful for her and her friendship. This cake was amazing.  

Then we had a boy that was not sure why we were eating cake but nevertheless was here for all of it. 

This week has been pretty full. Lots of stuff going on. 

Allie had a tonsilectomy. I could write a saga on how that's been going... Really trying to reason with a 5 year old is has its ebbs and flows. 

First of all, tantrums are still in full swing. I thought we were over that stage. 

We're definitely not. 

Trying to get a 5 year old to drink water or even soup at this point is so hard. It really has to be her idea. This infuriates the RN in me. I'm used to working with adults, even the poutiest ones. Kids have their own language and perceptions, Matt has been really great with her, while i'm on Team JUST TAKE THE WATER/TYLENOL/MOTRIN BECAUSE I SAID. These hormones have not helped. We wake up diligently every 3 hours at night to make sure she take the motrin and tylenol alternatively to stay ahead of the pain. It makes me feel like im not ready for a newborn stage again at 33. 

We also celebrated this boy's 3rd birthday. 

THREE. HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE? It was a Spiderman/Batman themed day. He had everything he wanted. Our Eli Andrew is too big. When they tell you babies don't keep. They mean it. I literally remember everything about this day three years ago, it was labor day weekend and I was 41 weeks preggo. I wanted nothing more than this child to exit my body. It was hot. I didn't have central A/C in my california house and my two year old child at the time did not know the meaning of a rest day. I did stairs at the park that morning while trying to will myself to have contractions strong enough to go to the hospital. At 11:47pm on September 4, he was here. I love this sweet boy so much. He is going to be the best big brother I could ask for. 

As if my plate isn't overflowing enough, to distract myself from the outside world, I've been baking bread. I finally kept a sourdough starter alive long enough to use it. I'm super proud of these. The first is a traditional sourdough. 

I'm super proud of this one. It's a green chile cheese sourdough and I'm so happy with how beautiful she turned out. Matt has approved of this new venture in this pregnancy. Now I pray I don't gain a million pounds. 

Last but never least my preggo stats for the week! 

Obligatory 15 week picture. It literally looks like I have a food baby. When I tell people I'm actually pregnant no one believes me. I had one co-worker that said he thought I was kidding. Wut? Why would I kid about being 15 weeks pregnant. I'm not this moody on a regular basis. Or maybe I am? Oh well!

Cravings: Still craving all the pickles, cooked sushi, V8 (it's been like 4 cans a day, I don't know what's going on here), SALTY carbs. Salty meats. Edamame. Veggies. Celery and cottage cheese. 

Aversions: I'm getting over the meats, but largely won't due beef unless its jerky. 

Still able to work 3 days a week at work. Physically I feel strong and can do most things. I've felt like getting back on the bike after my unfortunate dog bite, which is almost 85% better. 

Here's to the next week and starting to compile a list of baby names!!