Riding for Two

Being pregnant for the first time can easily be compared to being on a roller coaster, blindfolded. Not only do you find constant changes to your body, your emotions and your thought processes every day but you really have no idea what's coming next and when it does come (whatever "it" may be) you are left in the dark wondering, "is this normal"? You cannot anticipate what stomach dropping (no pun intended) careening turn will come next and then...the free fall. A barrage of conflicting, sometimes confusing (sometimes even hurtful-although well intentioned) messages from loved ones, big, scary words thrown out by doctors with little or sometimes no explanation, the feeling of worry that washes over you every time there is a random ache, pain or change in your body, worry not only for yourself but for your developing baby whom you are trying so hard to protect yet have no way of communicating with. The ride can be thrilling but it can also be downright terrifying.

And herein lies the reason that, I believe, every newly pregnant woman should treat herself to a copy of the pregnancy bible, "What to Expect When You're Expecting". This book has really been a lifesaver for me. It goes through, week by week of your pregnancy and advises on what to eat, weight gain, what will be covered at each doctors visit, where to find local resources, symptoms (what's normal, what's not and how to address), aches pains, sleep patterns, fetal development, childbirth techniques, etc...

The list goes on and on which is why the book was written rather than someone like me trying to cover every informational aspect of pregnancy since the beginning of time in a Google Blog. But I can say, speaking from experience, that I have found this book immensely helpful. Everything I have experienced thus far has been addressed in some way in this book and the sections that describe what the doctor will discuss at each visit have been spot on, helping to eliminate some of that "lost in the dark" feeling and the anxiety that comes with it. Another positive about the book is that many of the questions are sent in by pregnant readers and the responses to these questions, while informative are often humorous in a gentle, non-offensive way.

There is much comfort in reading the submissions of other women and realizing that I am not the first to have gone through this whole "pregnancy" thing and that pretty much everything I have experienced so far, no matter how scary it feels to me, has been a normal part of being a pregnant, worried, first time mommy. So, if you are pregnant, do yourself a favor, check out your local bookstore or jump on Amazon.com and get yourself a copy of this book. The price you pay for the book is worth the peace of mind it brings. Who wants to ride a roller coaster while pregnant anyway? Especially blindfolded. Yikes!

Here's to getting "off" the ride!

-New Mommy in Town

Some Say Love...

Found this quote tonight. So beautiful... I hope that one day when I look back over my life, I will find that my roots, my husbands roots and our children's roots have become one beautiful, strong tree!

Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being "in love" which any of us can convince ourselves we are.

Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Your mother and I had it, we had roots that grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossoms had fallen from our branches we found that we were one tree and
not two.

--St. Augustine

Puzzle of the Day

Well...probably Puzzle of the Month (or Year) since I don't have a wealth of puzzles to choose from. Anyway, found this puzzle and thought it was an interesting question. Not sure what the answer is or if there is any right answer but seems like a fun one to think about! Maybe I will post more puzzles as I find them. :)

Enjoy!

You approach two talking doors. One door leads to your destination, while the other door leads to certain death. You do not know which door is which. You are able to ask only one question to determine which door is which. One door tells the truth, and one always lies. You want to go to the door of your destination. What question will you ask to determine which door leads to your destination, and why will it give you the correct answer?

The Case of The Pregnant Husband

As I continue into the foray of pregnancy and my baby continues to grow, move, kick and develop inside of me, I am not surprised to find that I am gaining weight, becoming more emotional and am requiring more sleep than I can ever remember wanting or needing. What I AM surprised by are the emotional outbursts, mood swings, weight gain and additional sleep requirements that my HUSBAND is exhibiting.

For example, last night, after sitting in somber, contemplative silence for most of the night, I ventured to ask my significant other what was on his mind. In response I received a grunt and a shoulder shrug. A few minutes later at the ripe old hour of 9:00pm on a Saturday night, he announced he was going to bed and moped upstairs (this after a five hour nap that afternoon, mind you). I went to lay down with him hoping to get some insight into what was on his mind. After laying in silence for several minutes, I asked him if he had any interest in buying a new I Phone. He replied that he did not. "Good, I remarked, I have heard bad things about them". Uh-oh! Apparently negative speak of I Phones was not to be on the menu this evening. "Well, I haven't heard bad things about them" he roared back at me, "EVERYONE I know that has one LOVES it" suddenly he launched into a rant about how I am always bashing him, criticizing everything he likes, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah... This rant continued for a few more minutes until I managed to ease my pregnant, aching back off the bed without doing any permanent harm to myself and escape to the relative safety (and quiet) of our living room. As I sat in silence in our darkened living room with my purring cat looking up from my lap as if to assure me that HE would never go off on me in such a manner I began to wonder, "Just exactly who is the pregnant one here?"

It seems that as my pregnancy has progressed, my husbands symptoms (aching back and feet, nausea, sleepiness, heartburn, mood swings, etc...) have increased at a much accelerated pace to any symptoms I have experienced. This can be frustrating because when I want to take up the whole couch and take a nap, he has beat me to it, when I want to be pampered, his back is hurting him, when I'm not feeling well, neither is he. Is this natures way of preparing me for child rearing? By first presenting me with a pregnant husband, desperately in need of my care?

This question still hung heavy on my mind as I tip toed back into the minefield of our bedroom. As I laid down as gently as possible so as not to wake the beast, he surprised me once again by wrapping his arms around me, lodging his head against my shoulder and whispering that he loved me. Instead of following my first instinct, which was to look at him like he had three heads and ask him just what planet of hormonal dysfunction he was residing on, I wrapped my arms around him and told him I loved him too. As I lay awake I acknowledged that, while there may be much confusion and many things I am not aware of regarding pregnant husbands (and pregnant wives for that matter) there is one thing I am 100% sure of, and that is this: For the rest of our hopefully long lives together, I will never ever speak poorly of the I Phone in my husbands presence again!

Dedicated to Pregnant Husbands (and Wives, and perhaps undeservingly judged I Phones Everywhere)

-New Mommy In Town