Fifteen weeks

No...no bump picture...

See, here's the thing...despite my whole food diet and my active lifestyle and my use of a holistic chiropractor and a naturopath...I'm overweight. I'm the beautiful fat girl that everyone wants to be friends with because she looks...well, comfortable...and non-threatening! And everyone says, "Oh, you are so pretty!" or "Oh, you look great, Shelly", because what else do you say to the anomaly that is me.

And, what's worse is...I have absolutely NO idea why I'm overweight. I've been there, done and tried that. And no one has any answers for me.

So. There it is. Naked honesty.

My "baby bump" is always huge from the beginning, making my first miserable, vomit-filled weeks even worse because I instantly look like I've gone off the deep end, burying my emotions in Twinkies and soda and white bread.

I do actually look truly pregnant right now, but that pretty belly curve that most women have is more like a series of badly graded hills on me.

But I don't say this to make anyone feel sorry for me, it's my life, I'm used to it...and sometimes I actually feel like I look cute pregnant. Thank goodness my husband is the amazing man he is, and manages to make me feel beautiful and lets me know he loves me for just me, not the package me is wrapped in...although he insists that he likes that, too! *grin*

Anyhow...back to the pregnancy update:

Still feeling queasy, occasional vomit, but rare
Gagging a lot, sucking on endless Starlight Mints and peppermint gum
Using doTerra's Citrus Bliss oil to smell to avert nausea
Sea Bands work sometimes, but I've used them so much, I'm developing round marks on the insides of my wrists

Craving: steamed cauliflower, apples, juice (cider and orange juice), popcorn, broccoli (cooked and raw), eggs/french toast
Can tolerate (but don't really want): beans and rice, applesauce, canned peaches, steamed green beans, raw carrots
Can't eat (results in vomit): meat of any kind, nuts, anything with much of a flavor (haha!) or much of a smell (hahahaha!)

Now really needing maternity clothes. I had one pair of jeans left from one other pregnancies that I am wearing and a huge dumpy fleece sweatshirt that I will wear in the house because I'm notoriously freezing in the winter. Other than that, I had just been wearing gauchos, tank tops, long t shirts with a rubber band in the button of my capris, etc.

But now it's cold outside...so I finally went and bought a few things...and *whew* I'm much more comfortable!!!

I'm able to do pieces and parts of our normal daily routine now. One load of dishes,one load of laundry, swish and swipe the bathroom every couple days, most days we can do school, I can take the kids to their activities, and run one small errand. But that's about it.

Normally I push myself while I'm pregnant, and pretty much ignore it and go on with life as normal. But this time, I think since I had those miscarriages, I'm a bit more respectful of the mystery and miracle of the new life inside of me...and I'm resting. A lot more. Things are getting done, just very slowly.

Things the kids are saying:
Ava,"Mommy, are those the baby jeans?" (referring to the maternity jeans I had just bought) She calls the front panel a "baby sack"! Every night before bed, she kisses me, and then kisses my belly.
Alec and Benji, "Mom, if this baby is a boy, I hope he's rowdy like Josiah!" (our 3 year old neighbor)

{10/8/12, 15 weeks}