Weeks 14 to 17

The next weeks brought on some major improvements. I was having more energy with less nausea, and was able to wean myself off of Zofran. Which, for being such a wonder drug also had its drawbacks - headaches and constipation, which I found were more common in others than I had thought. My sister in law, Heather, was actually the one who told me she got major headaches with Zofran and so was only able to take a half at a time. Not knowing the association earlier, I was more than happy to trade a pounding headache for a little more nausea. Also, with the stomach calming down I was able to get back into swimming in the apartment community pool. However paradoxical it may sound, I had more energy but felt more tired at the same time. Maybe the same amount of tiredness just not compounded by the nausea.

On the first of September my mom called and told me that Grandpa Sonntag had suffered a stroke. It was a massive injury and it was unclear if he was going to make it through the next few days. He was in the ICU, paralyzed on his left side, in A-fib, and occasionally responsive. After a couple of days of continued ups and downs Chris and I decided to take an impromptu trip to Utah to see the family over Labor Day weekend. Being away from the family is tough when you are missing the fun memories, but even more difficult when you can't be there to help through the hard times. Jan picked us up from the airport after an early morning flight and took us straight to the hospital. A few aunts and uncles were there, but from what I had heard there had pretty much been a continuous flow of visitors. Only allowing 3 people in the ICU at a time we had a couple of good moments with Opa. He had enough energy and was aware enough that he could respond to us being there. We told him we had just arrived in Utah and came to see him. Opa said to me that I had 'married a good man'. At another time during one of our visits we told Opa hello and that it was Paige and Chris visiting. He said 'I love Chris'. It was touching to me to see how much Grandpa cared for my husband. Chris said it was only because he gave Opa Ativan. We showed Grandpa the ultrasound pictures of Baby Bell. He said the baby was 'beautiful, just like it's mother'. We asked him what we should name it and he said 'Donald'. We got a good laugh out of that. And when asked if that should be the name even if it's a girl he said 'Dawn'. He also told my cousin Jacob and his wife Ashley that their baby, due in December, should be named 'Donny'.


While in Utah over the Labor Day holiday we were able to get Baby Bell in on my favorite hobby - triathlon. I had been aching to do a triathlon before I got too pregnant to participate so the South Davis Labor Day Triathlon was a perfect opportunity. Jan even got in on the fun. Chris and I scrounged up some gear the night before, thanks to my dad, brother, and mom. We didn't have any high expectations considering we were on borrowed equipment and I was pregnant. I tried not to push anything too hard to keep from getting my heart rate too high and overdoing it. Even with my moderation I happened to pull out a 2nd place finish in my category and 6th female overall. I guess that tells you what the competition was like since a pregnant girl could come out okay. Chris came in 3rd in his age group. Our trophies were hammers with our categories and places etched in the side. We came back from Utah feeling like champions. However, traveling seemed to take it's toll once again and I was laid up for a couple of days recuperating from my exertions.


While I had been busy being pregnant every day Chris was absorbed with the sports medicine fellowship. The busiest part taking place in the fall with lots of football games which pretty much last until the end of the year, and then rolls on over to basketball season. Once the spring hits things with the fellowship are supposed to slow down. Chris kept making big plans and goals for the spring as far as trips we should take, bike rides and events to participate in, and things that we would like to do in the fall but due to the football schedule would have to wait. I would just laugh and say 'In the spring my goal is to have a baby'. He would then remember that our life would be changing drastically. Chris did mention that going to Utah and getting away from the fellowship for a weekend he realized how focused he had been during the first part of his training, which of course is not bad thing, but I think he started remembering that I am pregnant and would be having our own spring chicky to mix things up.


We had our first meeting with my obstetrician on the first day of week 15. With the Kaiser Permanente system being the way it is I thought it strange that my first exam and appointment was so far into my pregnancy. With the access to healthcare I had through Chris I wasn't concerned, but I would worry about anyone else who didn't have any knowledge about pregnancy, prenatal care, what to eat and not to eat, what medicines to avoid, etc. Chris joined me for the appointment so he could meet Dr. Wang as well. It was a rather uneventful meeting with the usual ob/gyn exam and review of health history. Dr. Wang said she would be doing a vaginal ultrasound. AAAAH! That didn't sound pleasant. I asked if she could try an abdominal since Chris had already done one - two actually - and found the baby without a problem. Thankfully she agreed. It was fun seeing Baby Bell again, even if it was on a poor ultrasound machine with a screen the size of a portable DVD player. Again, we didn't get a good enough look to see the sex for certain, but we were still leaning toward a girl.





Some fun and rather unexpected news that was revealed was that my brother Alex and his wife Marty were also pregnant. Not sure if either of them were very interested in having children the information was surprising and great. Marty was 8 weeks along and would be 7 - 8 weeks behind myself, meaning that our little ones would be playmates. They can 'throw sand at each other in the sandbox' as Alex put it. I instantly felt for Marty and how she must have been feeling. Ugh. That first part of being pregnant is pretty heinous.


As the weeks continued it brought with it an increased appetite and some of those 'cravings' you hear about pregnant women getting. While driving on our way to go mountain biking one morning I had an intense necessity for a sausage, egg, and cheese Mcmuffin. We had to take a detour through a nearby McDonald's in order to satisfy the craving. On another day we were at the Rose Bowl watching a UCLA football game and at the half I had to have a stadium hot dog. The food, though it always seems to be something unhealthy, tastes ten times better, and 'hits the spot' when that craving is being indulged.

When the skirt I had chosen to wear to church was just a little too tight and I could no longer suck in the little bulge on my stomach I started to feel the 'I'm fat as a horse' vibe. I could have sworn Baby Bell must have doubled (or tripled) in size the last few weeks. Or maybe it was just that I was getting my appetite back. I had some days of feeling sorry for myself. I was not feeling attractive, Chris was super busy with the fellowship, my family back home was absorbed with everything going on in their lives (legitimately so as Opa was still recovering, Jan and Alex were in school, Rich started a new job, and Heather's dad was not doing well). To make myself feel better I went on a small shopping spree. I bought some things that work well now, but also allowed room for the belly-to-be. I hadn't been on a spree in a while and felt guilty spending money on myself like that when we were on tight money terms. Chris, in his ever-supportive way told me it was good and that I probably needed everything I bought. What a winner of a husband.

Not wanting to risk another bike accident on the road Chris and I kept to the mountain bikes - in a pregnant-lady-safe kind of way. I would laugh because Chris would race up the hills in order to feel like he was getting a better workout, and I would put the bike in my lowest gear and work my way up, not wanting to get too hot or my heart rate too high. When I realized that even on the flats I was panting like a dog on a hot summer day Chris told me that it's like I'm 'riding a tandem but I'm doing all the pedaling'. At another time he reminded me that just like eating for two, I'm 'pedaling for two' as well. Even running began to change. I could feel my posture altering just a little bit and I felt like I needed to have someone realign my pelvis so I could get my stride back. And worse, with Baby Bell getting bigger and bouncing on the bladder, after 5 minutes of running I was keeping an eye out for the nearest bathroom.