Banana Baby

Well, here We are, at the end of two months and heading into the third month (i.e. the end of the first trimester). The parasite in my uterus is looking ever more human. Organogenisis has commenced. In fact, all Her organs are almost completely developed.

My body is reacting as it should, at least according to The Books. My appetite is growing. I salivate more. I belch 100% more. I have never belched so much. I could be a belching world champion. If there was a pregnant girl Olympics, I would undoubtedly win the gold medal in belching. I have always been a gassy person. The Morrisons are a flatulent family indeed, but this is simply ridiculous. Interestingly, my tooting has significantly decreased as my belching increases. What else? Blue veins are appearing on my breasts, which have grown but not noticeably to anyone other than myself and maybe Casey if he checks me out while standing at a 46 degree angle in the sunlight and when the crow crows twice. My heartburn last month was far more worse than it is this month, but its still there. I have yet to vomit and am only occasionally nauseated (but geez when it does hit, it really sucks). My gastrointenstinal issues mainly come in the form of nasty heartburn, severe bloat and belching. I do get very tired at random times throughout the day. I used to have severe problems falling asleep in the evenings, now I sleep like a baby, or shall I say with a baby, which is now officially a fetus and no longer an embryo.

Other pregnancy effects include moood swings. My mood swings are no longer as intense as they were several weeks ago, when before I knew I was knocked up I just I thought I was having the worst PMS in my life or worse I was just going crazy and needed a prescription for Prozac. It's funny-ha-ha now but at the time I was seriously making an appointment with my gynecologist so she could give me a referral to a psychiatrist. My world was crumbling from the inside out and there wasn't enough exercise or nutritional changes that could help. It was time to consider some serious drugs. You can imagine my initial sigh of relief when I learned I wasn't crazy at all, only pregnant. Woohoo! Then 72 hours later the "Oh Shit!" kicked in.
Welcome to the world of unplanned pregnancy. Yes, yes it's all blessings and angels and storks and tiny cute things but it's also a lot of "holy crap, I am so not the right person to be doing this and this is so not the right time for this to be happening."

Despite the decrease in crazy I still suffer from mood swings nonetheless and often find myself not necessarily unexcited but perhaps indifferent? Detachment maybe? I often find that other people in my life are far more excited about this than I am and they often squeal when they are in my presence or offer me LOADS of unsolicited advice. I love the ones that insist a healthy pregnancy means sitting around all day eating "whatever you want." That lifestyle isn't healthy when you aren't pregnant, how can it all of a sudden become healthy when you are pregnant? (Come on folks, use your noggins) This is my philosophy, my pregnancy and therefore my pregnancy lifestyle. I figure I have even more incentive to curb my bad habits and continue on a path of healthy, natural and organic living. I am still exercising regularly but more moderately, less jogging, more swimming, lots of stretching, etc. I keep an eye on my core body temp and my heart rate.

I sometimes believe my indifference may be a sign of depression (something I feel I have always been susceptible to), which according to my pregnancy books is normal so I don't beat myself up about it too bad. I also put my emotional shortcomings aside long enough to make sure I am taking care of myself and the tiny life brewing inside me. That's gotta count for something.

As far as eating habits go, I am even more conscious and aware of my choices...and cravings...and aversions. Baby Morrison apparently is taking after her father in the broccoli area, she doesn't like it. Mommy Morrison loves broccoli so this has been an adjustment. This experience has given me a glimpse into my dining room four or five years from now when I am creatively trying to incorporate tiny trees into my daughter's diet. Maybe I can bribe her with skittles...it works with my niece.

Baby Morrison also loves Chinese food (mostly she just wants the steamed rice and egg rolls), strawberry ice cream, cheeseburgers, chocolate chip cookies and ALL THE FRUIT I CAN POSSIBLY EAT. I wouldn't be surprised if I was growing a banana in my belly. Banana-soy milk smoothies? Hook me up to an i.v.

We of course have already had a conversation about cheeseburgers, surely we can find healthier alternatives to incorporate more iron and protein in our diet. I told her we can indulge in cheeseburgers once, maybe twice a month. It will be a special treat we really enjoy and can appreciate. In return she gets to have organic, grass-fed beef steaks, or well-done salmon, with steamed veggies and/or steamed rice. Or her other favorite, a simple grilled cheese sandwich with a small glass of organic tomato juice. Yum. We're already honing our negotiating skills. She says, "Mommy, feed me a cheeseburger please." I say, "We had a cheeseburger last week and I am not getting into the habit of clogging my arteries now. You know our family's history of heart disease, I'm not going to do it." She says, "OK fine. How about grill cheese and a banana smoothie tonight but you defrost the steaks for tomorrow?" I say, "Deal. That's very sensible of you." She says, "Thank you, I learned from you (she's kissing up while in utero so she has some brownie points stored upon her arrival)."

See? I'm not a bad mother. Ok. All this blogging has made me hungry.


Funny side note: the week after I found out I was pregnant we started the Cell Reproduction chapter in Biology. I was reading about meiosis while it was actually happening inside my uterus. How crazy is that?? Talk about timely.