Babies NEED a Lot...

So... um... like... babies... yeah, they NEED lots of stuff. How did I not know this? I already had six children.

When I say they NEED stuff, I don't mean material items, although there are some of those, like diapers, tiny clothes, a "non-expired" car seat, blood tests (so says that state of Indiana), heat (apparently they don't keep themselves warm very well until they've taken in lots of calories), a place to sleep, etc.

But, I was prepared for all of that. I had a pretty good idea going into this pregnancy of exactly what items I would really use and which ones were just sort of space hogs.

It's the other stuff that I sort of forgot about, like the things that babies need that just suck up all of your extra time; as if I had much extra time. But, seriously, my calendar is generally empty right now and I'm typing as fast as I can to get this blog posted while baby's big brother takes a turn rocking her to keep her happy. I'm not suggesting that she is an unhappy baby, she's not.

But, yesterday, I needed to take her for those state mandated blood tests. It was just a drive to the hospital, a few minutes in the lab and then a drive home. With my youngest being nearly four years old now, I've become accustomed to saying "Shoes! Coats! Everyone!" and being out the door in five minutes or less. I've also become accustomed to saying "Count Off!" once we're in the van and knowing that everyone will say their number and that means that they are buckled in and ready to go.

Now, all of a sudden, I have to make sure that I have an extra diaper, wipes, change of clothes, etc ready to go in case we need them. Then, I have to consider the last time she ate and the likelihood that she might get hungry in the forty minute drive to the hospital... or if I could possibly stop and get milk on the way home or would that be stretching her "outing-toleration" limit. What is her outing-toleration limit? I have no idea, I've only known her for two days. There are so many things to be considered before I even walk out the door. My days of five minutes to the car are over, at least for now.

NaNoWriMo Baby, Interrupted

...and then Karin had a baby and her and Jay lived happily ever after... oh wait, that was me.

I've been so proud of my diligence in posting a port of my novel each day, but last night's posting was interrupted by the pending arrival of our seventh child. I labored at home all day and we finally arrived at the hospital at 1:40 am this morning (November 14th) We were just in time as the remainder of my labor went quickly and Sarah was born at 3:40 am this morning.

So, my apologies to anyone who's been following the story and a promise that I will be back on track as soon as possible. And, I promise you a satisfying end to the story by November 30th.

But, for today, I hope you'll join me in taking a break from Karin's adventure and enjoying the wonderful journey that is my life as my family welcomes this little girl to the world.

NaNoWriMo Adventure, 8 days in

Some of you may have noticed that I am behind on my word count. At the end of day 7 (yesterday), I should have written 11,669 words. I ended the day about 3000 words behind. I could make all sorts of excuses, like it's really hard to focus when there is always a child demanding your attention. My kids are distracting, it's true.

I'm also 39 weeks pregnant today and that is a bit of a distraction, but it's also a great motivator because I know that I will fall behind during my couple day stay at the hospital. I intend to keep writing during those days, but contractions have a way of taking over all other functions and making it impossible to think straight.

But, I'm not posting today to make excuses. I wanted to share a few thoughts on the whole experiment. The concept of writing live insists that editing be limited. I find myself thinking about changes I might like to make, or a detail that I should have included sooner. I find myself thinking of interesting things that could happen next, only to find that I haven't given enough background information or believable clues for it to seem realistic.

Sometimes, I think I should have used a different name or described something in a different way, or I simply wish I had spent more time setting up a scene or describing a place or emphasizing how a character felt. In general, these are all things that are easily edited in the process of creating a story.

But, writing live is a different kind of adventure. As each day's work is posted, it would be unfair to all readers to go back and make changes to previous posts, no matter how much they might add to the overall story. Instead, the characters have taken on a life of their own. They are who they are, and I can manipulate their environment and circumstances, but I can no longer change their personalities.

It creates a unique challenge for me as a writer. As you, dear reader, discover the unfolding of the story, bit by bit, day by day, so do I. It's an exciting adventure to be on and I'm glad that we are sharing it together.

Now, to get back to it. I've got a word count to catch up.

If you would like to join the adventure, the story starts here.

Thankful for the Simplest Things

People keep posting things that they are thankful for, but I'm just not that into it. Although, today, I am thankful that I decided to post my NaNoWriMo live on my blog because last night my computer crashed. I lost several documents when I had to force a restart and restore the computer to an earlier date.
Had I kept the story in MS Word only, it would be gone. It's only one day worth of writing, just under 1500 words; but it still would have been tough to start again.
Having the first day's work posted here means that I have only lost a few hundred words of notes that I had started to type up late last night after posting. It's always disappointing to lose any work, but I am very thankful that I didn't lose more.

And, just so that I don't feel left out of the thankfulness club...

I'm also thankful for brilliant, beautiful children who love to play games together and keep each other entertained so that I can squeeze in time to write.

I'm thankful that God gave me two daughters to help out around the house, and who love to care for babies, before he gave me four energetic sons.

I'm thankful for a basically uneventful pregnancy thus far, as it allows me to focus on caring for my family and getting my house ready for our new arrival.

I'm thankful that my husband is nearly finished with his Seminary studies and that we have the hope of receiving a call in the spring to a place that we can call home for more than a year.

Lastly, at least for today, I'm thankful for easy to use, portable thumb drives to save my work on in case my computer suddenly reaches the end of its life.

Did you swallow a planet?

Have you ever heard someone say something totally insensitive to a pregnant woman? Some of the most common are:

"Haven't you had that baby yet?"

"When are you due?" (said to a woman who is past her due date or to one that had her baby two years ago)

"You're huge!" "You must be having twins." (or some variation of this comment on Momma's growing belly)

"Are you going to eat ALL of that?!"

"Do you know what you're having?" (Ummmm, I'm pretty sure it's NOT a puppy)

"Will you have more?" "Are you done yet?" (Done what? Being married? My sex life is really none of your business)

"My labor was....[insert horror story]"

There are many more and there are lots of blog posts about them, so I won't go on. But, I'll share my favorite, because it happened to me today:

17 year old daughter: "Momma, you look really pregnant."

Me: "Well, I am really pregnant."

Daughter: "Yeah, but, you look like you swallowed a PLANET!"

Thank God for distractions...

The last few weeks of pregnancy are always the hardest mentally because I start thinking it could be any day now. The false or "practice" contractions come more often and they start to make me imagine that they are real. My body produces excess Relaxin and my pelvic bones feel like they are all loose and shaking around when I walk; I can even hear them popping together sometimes. It becomes nearly impossible to roll over, and I often find I'm off balance and feel like my feet are always on top of each other when I walk.

But, I know it will all be over soon.

That's what makes it so hard mentally, is the knowing that it is all coming to an end, but not knowing exactly when, and I do not do well with unknowns - it stresses me out!

So, this month, while I wait, God has given me a gift... at least I'm choosing to see it as a gift.

He has seen fit to fill my October schedule with children's dental work - my calendar is so full and my days so busy this month, that I'm sure it will pass by in such a flurry that I will suddenly find myself nearly due with baby and wonder where those few weeks went.

We start with Summer, our oldest, who will have the pleasure of losing all her wisdom teeth tomorrow. She inherited this problem from her father, who also had his removed. I have all mine, they fit just fine in my mouth and I'll keep them thank you very much.

Then, Tyler and Jacob who have no cavities but do have deep pitted back teeth (like their mother) will each have to go in and get sealants done.

The whole dental thing started a couple of weeks ago when Ethan was playing with boys on the playground and "raced" directly into a metal pole, breaking his front top tooth. I took him in to see how much damage had been done and then went ahead and scheduled all the kids for checkups while we were there. Ethan will go in later this month and have a cap put on his front tooth.

During their visit, we also discovered that Caitlin, who had ten - YES 10!!! cavities at her last visit, 6 months ago, now only has one - But, this one is so deep it is now down to her nerve. I don't know how to get her to take sound advice and stop eating bedtime snacks that just sit in her mouth all night long.

Finally, our baby, poor little 3 year old Noah, who went to the dentist for the very first time in his whole life, needs a crown. Apparently, at some point, unknown to the rest of us, our little toddler broke one of his molars, and it had become infected - how he had no pain, we're not sure. But, now he needs major dental work. Seriously, who ever heard of a 3 year old with a crown on his tooth? Poor guy.

I figure, this schedule of appointments, all in the next 20 days will certainly keep me busy enough to not be worried about when baby is coming or how many days until she gets here. Dear God, thanks for the distraction.

I'm in labor, but it's just my imagination...

We try to describe it, in lady-like terms. We try to explain it in ways that won't terrify the young girls who've yet to experience motherhood.

But, there really aren't any nice ways to say what it's like.

I feel constipated!

My husband thinks this is a really unattractive statement. But, I really don't know of any other way to describe the tension in my lower abdomen that is sometimes so severe, I start imagining I might just push this baby out right now.

They call them Braxton Hicks.

You've probably heard of them. Some people say they don't hurt. I disagree. Maybe I'm just wimpy.
There's really nothing that can be done about them either. It's like my body is practicing; working out in preparation for a marathon...

While a part of me finds this exciting as I think I'll be holding my baby soon; it's just pretending because I know that I still have nearly 6 weeks to go and these "practice" contractions will be keeping me from relaxing or getting a good night sleep for all of them.

So, all you pregnant women can join me in a pity party as we cry over our aching bellies.

What was I thinking?

Have you ever agreed to do something and then later wondered exactly how it would all work? Or maybe even wondered exactly what you were thinking when you said yes?
You know, when you say you'll do something totally crazy like write your NaNoWriMo live on your blog?

So, I've got 26 days until it starts... I'm thinking it through.

There are rules, like you have to actually write the novel during the 30 days. You can't write it ahead of time and then just post it in November. But, you can plan ahead.

So, I'm thinking about characters, locations, situations, plot, etc.
Then, I get thinking about word count. To write 50,000 words in 30 days, you have to write about 1,800 words per day. Now, if I keep my calendar clear, I can usually accomplish this without too much trouble. Thank God I learned how to type... FAST! It's the figuring out what to say that takes time.

But, then, just this morning in the shower... do you do your best thinking there? I do. Maybe it's because it is the only quiet spot in my house. Suddenly, standing there in the shower, it occurred to me that I am going to lose a couple of writing days while in the hospital having Baby Seven. Hmm. What to do??

So, I'm going to have to recalculate my daily word count so that I stay ahead in the first week or two and give myself a break in the middle, you know, cuz I love you guys and I am so excited to share a story with you, but, having a baby is a lot of work, so I'll need a day or two off there.

I hope you are getting as excited as I am. See you next month.

What if I wrote you a novel?

What if I wrote a novel? Just for you.

Have you ever heard of NaNoWriMo? It stands for National Novel Writing Month. It happens every November. The challenge is to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days.

It's all about quantity. Just getting those words out as fast as you can.

It is supposed to have a beginning - middle - end and it should read like a novel; but it doesn't have to be a good novel.

I've participated in NaNoWriMo for the past two years. The first year I attempted it and failed. Well, I didn't fail exactly, since you really get credit just for taking on the challenge to begin with. But, I didn't make 50,000 words in 30 days.

The second time I tried it - I committed, took it seriously, cleared my calendar and I DID IT!

It wasn't a great story, but it all came together and made sense and the ending brought all the problems to a reasonable conclusion, and isn't that really all we can ask from a story written in a fit of literary abandon?

So, I propose a new twist to this year's challenge. I want to write a novel for you.
I can't promise that I will succeed, only that I will give it my best effort.

I'll have 6 children at home and the only thing on my calendar is having a baby somewhere around the 15th of November. But, rather than obstacles, I'm looking at these things as inspiration. What could be more emotionally moving than bringing new life into this world? What could be more challenging or rewarding than raising children? Isn't that what a good novel needs; challenges, rewards and emotional movement?

I think that's a good place to start.

I don't know what the story will be about; how it will begin or how it will end. It's a mystery for us to explore together. So, I commit to showing up on November 1st and posting the first words of this crazy tale. Will you be here?

NOTE: So as not to confuse the novel posts with my regular real-life blogging, I will create a Label for NaNoWriMo2012 and all of the novel will be posted there.

It's Time To Live With Less

With my past 2 pregnancies, my nesting instinct led to redecorated bedrooms and lots of painting. That was back before we were renters. Now, it isn't my house... in fact, most of it isn't even my furniture. So, this time nesting will look very different.

I've tried to set some goals for this year.

1) Less books. I know that this doesn't seem to make any sense, but being pregnant meant that in our last move, I didn't do much of the heavy lifting. My husband says that if I had seen the looks on the faces of the men who helped us when they saw 'another box of books' I would understand that some had to go. So, I'm working on it. First, I'm trying to read as many as I can - check out the Professional Writing label on this blog for book reviews as I finish them.

2) Less clothes. It's hard to know when we have too many and when we don't have enough. I try to purge and take inventory, but then I always have a child who can't find anything to wear. So, I've taken to labeling all the dresser drawers and keeping labeled boxes in the closet with spares and up-sizes of just about everything. I'm trying to stop there. This is especially challenging as we are all so excited about the new baby coming that we want to go out and buy MORE clothes. I think 5-7 outfits per child, especially the older ones who don't spill food and run in the mud so much anymore, is plenty. But, the older they get, the more attached they are to their clothes and the less likely they are to give them up. It's a vicious cycle.

3) Less paper. I've been writing for a long time; mostly on paper. These little scraps add up. I've granted myself a clear storage tub that I can lift by myself (even when I'm pregnant and it's full). My goal is to pare down the amount of paper, either by typing up the handwritten copies and printing them or by simply getting rid of some of the old garbage.

4) Less pictures. This has been an ongoing challenge. I love to take pictures. But, it seems that whether they are prints or saved digitally, my habit is to store them and never really put them to good use. So, getting the best of the best into albums that can sit on the shelf and be shared with family and friends and then purging the rest, I am going to make our next move with less pictures.

5) Less toys. This may be the hardest one of all. Every time I think I can get rid of a toy, someone tells me it's their favorite, and then I just can't let it go. Then, there are some toys that my kids may not even care about, but I personally love, and I can't seem to let them go either. But, my goal for this year is to move with less toys - I don't know what that means exactly or what it will look like in reality, but I do know that it has to be done.

So, with these goals in mind, I head into the last 9 weeks of pregnancy, motivated and already exhausted. Funny how that works.

WHY DOES MY NOSE GET PREGNANT?

My nose! Yes, my nose is the most affected part of my body during pregnancy. I get all the other symptoms; terrible nausea from conception to delivery - hyperemesis even, pelvic bones that come apart due to my body's overproduction of Relaxin and cause so much joint pain that I have to have my husband roll me over in the middle of the night, a belly so large that I waddle instead of walk and of course, all the lovely things like pressure on my bladder and toes in my rib cage.

But, the worst is my poor nose.

EVERYTHING STINKS!!!

I mean everything.

The inside of my van smells like spoiled milk. I've vaccuumed, sprayed and Febrezed like crazy, but it won't go away.

Our couch smells like dog... we don't own a dog, but the previous owner did.

The baseboards by the back door smell like cat urine. We don't have a cat either.

The basement smells like sewage, especially when it rains.

The milk smells spoiled, the cantaloupe smells like old garbage, and the garbage cans, oh, don't even get me started on the smells that come from our garbage cans.

EVERYTHING STINKS! It isn't just that I notice these smells when no one else does; but I notice them so strongly that sometimes I have to hold my breath.

Last week, at Walt Disney World, going into the Pirates of the Caribbean, the fog maker at the beginning took my breath away and it was like my lungs were going to close up and never let air in again.

When my daughter got in the van after painting her finger nails, the chemical smell gave me an immediate headache. I almost made her walk home.

The smells are SO STRONG - even things that smell good, STINK!

I've noticed this in different intensities and during different times during all of my pregnancies. Apparently, this is all caused by hormones, estrogen in particular. Like all the other symptoms of pregnancy, this too shall pass when baby comes. Just one more reason to look forward to labor and birth.

Folks… We Have a Cheeseburger

I cannot think of any time that it would be acceptable to stick a camera between a child’s legs and take a picture… but, apparently, it’s all the rage with the ultrasound technicians. Everybody wants to know if it looks like a cheeseburger or a turtle.

One of the fun things that you get to do when you plan a hospital birth rather than a home birth (trying to look at all the positives here) is an ultrasound. In fact, it's so much fun, that you should invite everyone.

By everyone, I mean, like your husband and a few of the kids...

and a couple more

well, I would say just bring them all. They won't mind sitting in the waiting room with  you for an hour, well they won't mind much, and it will be worth it when they get to see their new sibling up on that screen.

Of course, the kids will be the ones demanding to know the gender, especially if they're already outnumbered 4 to 2. This is one of the last pictures that the technician will take, and if you don’t want to know, then they promise to keep it a secret. 

Mom just wants to know that baby is healthy and growing and that all the parts are there. 

Watch the heart beating.

See the tiny feet.

Look at that sweet face. 

It looks just like the other six.

Oh, darling, sweet baby, now that I’ve seen you, I long to hold you. I didn’t need to have an ultrasound. In fact, with my last two pregnancies, we didn’t have one at all. But, things are different when you have hospital policy to work with.

“You can refuse” people tell me, but I just don’t know how to say no. I do what the doctor tells me to. So, I spent 24 hours without carbs, drank 32 oz of water so someone could push a camera against my full bladder, ate 2 bags of nastily sweet jelly beans so a tech could stick a needle in my arm and test my blood for every STD known to man even though I’ve been tested 4 times in 17 years and I’m still married to the same man, and I filled a cup with urine for some other test that I’m not quite sure of.

But, when it was all over, my children had the joy of seeing their new sibling, hearing the baby’s heartbeat and experiencing it together. We had pictures to take home and share and now, our oldest daughter knows just what color clothes to shop for. 

"If it looks like a turtle it’s a boy, and if it looks like a cheeseburger that means it’s a girl," the technician told us, and when she pointed the camera between our baby’s legs, we definitely saw a cheeseburger. 

She even took an up close shot, printed it out and drew an arrow to it with the word "FEMALE" on it. 

That was probably because our 9yo son kept saying, "But, it could still be a boy, right?" 

No prenatal care until 27 weeks

The first appointment. 

It was as good as I could have hoped for while still being completely dreadful.  

I waited until 27 weeks to have my first OB visit, simply because I didn’t want to go to an OB at all. 

I’ve had 4 hospital births and 2 home births… the difference is so vast that I, a writer at heart and by trade, cannot even begin to put into words how it feels to return to a hospital experience now.

Michelle is a midwife, licensed in the state of Indiana, but only to perform hospital births under the supervision of an OB/GYN. She is as nice a girl as I could have hoped for. She even looked at my history and said that women who’ve had home births don’t usually return to the hospital. She asked me if anything had gone wrong. Then, she asked me if I was sure that I wanted to be there.

That’s when I lost it. All the tears that I had shed in the 45 minute drive to her office had not depleted my supply.

 “No, I don’t want to be here. I cried the whole way” I admitted as my tears began to flow again. I was scared. I am scared.

I don’t want to repeat the hospital births that I had. 

They weren’t terrible, in fact, I would have to say that they were completely normal as far as hospital births go… but, I don’t ever want to do it again.

She promised to do her best to give me the most comfortable experience possible, while still following hospital policies of course. So, here I am. Terrified of my future, but praying for the best.

27 week pregnancy picture

I thought I would never do this. I've seen oodles of pregnancy photos posted online. Some of my friends even post a new picture every week, creating an album showing the progression of their growing belly. They are usually first time moms. It's the sort of thing that I probably would have done when I was a first time mom, if I had thought of it. Certainly, if there had been a Facebook community to share it with, I'd have been much more likely to do it.

But, now, I'm nearly 40. This is my 7th baby. I'm already overweight, so there isn't such a distinct "bump" to document and it all seems sort of silly to me.

All of that said, I did see an opportunity today to take a shot to commemorate this child's growth in our family. We measured everyone else to see how tall they've gotten, why not measure this baby too? While the kids were playing at the local Science Center, I stepped into the phosphorescence booth to "capture" my shadow.

So, without further ado, here it is. My first pregnancy photo.

The Class Reunion

Have you ever been to a class reunion? I just attended my first... at 20 years! Yes, we all cared that much. It was actually a great turnout, I would guess about 75% of our class showed up. I had no idea what to expect, but I can assure you that if you are worried about the extra weight you've gained or all those new wrinkles...everyone looks twenty years older and most of them have gained weight too.

Some look better than others. I had the honor of working the check-in table so I got to see everyone who came in. Some of the guys I would have never noticed in high school turned out to be very good-looking men. It works the other way too though, some of the guys who used to be super hot turned out to be... well, let's just say, not so hot anymore.

Some things were just as I'd expected. The girls who had lots of boyfriends in high school had had lots of husbands too. The boy who was in all the college prep classes and you just knew would make something of himself... well, here's out that conversation went.

Me: So, what have you been doing for twenty years.
Him: Oh, well, I went to school and then to work.
Me (curious after hearing lots of "I had a job for five months and now I'm looking for something else" and "Yeah, I've been at [name the factory] for twenty years" just had to ask) What kind of work do you do?
Him: (nonchalantly): I'm a doctor
Me: Oh

But, of course, what else?
I went nearly 6 months pregnant, and at first I was bummed that I didn't get to take advantage of the open bar. However, as the evening progressed and people around me got drunk while I stayed sober, things got very interesting. People I'd hardly known in high school suddenly became very friendly.

Maybe you're going or not going because of the "one that got away". There's always that one guy...you know, the big crush, the first love, the old flame; the one you thought you would never get over. He's the guy who still shows up in your dreams now and then, even twenty years later, and you still wonder what might have been. Unless you married your high school sweetheart, you know who I'm talking about and you are picturing him right now.

For me, it came down to one moment. I can still imagine myself sitting in his parents car behind the bowling alley. I didn't say no, but I hesitated. I wanted to say yes to his every request. Every ounce of my being wanted to. But, something stopped me; maybe it was immaturity or inexperience or maybe just plain fear. I didn't say no, but I didn't say yes. He let it go and never tried again.

As this reunion approached, I wondered if seeing him would bring me back to those moments, if it would reignite emotions I'd forgotten. At the end of the evening, I realized that it was God in that moment, just as it was God who has led me through all such moments and into the arms of my wonderful husband. I realized that any other path holds a reality of what would have been that can never come close to the fantasies of what could have been.

But, you really go to see where everyone else ended up in life and find out how your life measures up. I came home to a husband who has loved me every moment of the past eighteen years and six children who had worked hard to get our house unpacked and missed me dearly. I didn't marry my high school sweetheart and I never finished law school, but at the end of the day, my life is just what God had planned for me and it measures up pretty good.

Something's missing

Two of my little boys were fighting today, and I was about to admonish them when I thought of something that Gramma would say. It was what she always said when we were naughty and our mother admonished us. She would say, "Let them be. They're not hurting anything." 

I let them be, and then I cried. It's probably because I'm pregnant... well, okay, I know it's because I'm pregnant. But, it's not just because of hormones; it's because of what is missing this time. I wanted so badly to call her and talk about life in the "seven club".

My grandmother had seven children. I am pregnant with my seventh child.

When I was pregnant with my first, I called her. I had all sorts of questions, like "you had seven kids, how did you do this and that and the other thing?" She had buried two of her children before I was even old enough to think about having any. I asked her how she survived. She told me that she missed them, but she knew where they were. I've never known such a faith as hers.

She had two girls and five boys.
I had two girls first. Over the years, I turned to her for advice and guidance. She always gave me faith and wisdom. She knew so much more than I could ever imagine knowing. Even now. Which is why I need her so much.

When I had four: two girls and two boys, I called her. We talked about the differences in boys and girls. She told me that girls will hold a grudge for weeks, but boys will be over it in one fist fight. She was right.

Now, that I have two girls and four boys, I wonder if I will have another boy and my count will match hers. I wonder if she would be proud of me for the way my kids are growing up. She'd have never said if she wasn't, but I wonder just the same.

I want to ask her about life with seven kids. What's it like?
I want to ask her about raising a multitude of boys.
There are so many things I want to ask, but she is gone. I miss her, and I know where she is, and thanks to her amazing faith, I know that we will be together again. But, now, in this earthly life, I have so many unanswered questions. I miss her, and all I can do is cry.

7 weeks pregnant - I'm so sick!!

I don't have morning sickness. In fact, I feel just fine in the morning. And, if I didn't eat, I'd feel great all day; well, except for starving. It's the eating that makes me sick. It doesn't seem to matter what I eat or how much or when. It all makes me ill. It's the worst in the afternoon.

It is comforting in a way, as I consider that all of my previous pregnancies have been this way; they have all gone well and produced healthy, beautiful children. So, as long as I'm sick, I feel normal, I guess.

WARNING: Gross parts to come.

My entire digestive system seems to go crazy when I'm pregnant. My throat tightens up, so I have to take smaller bites. It's like it knows that I am looking at my food and thinking, "What will that be like coming back up?"
I know from experience that spaghetti noodles will go up my nose and get caught in my throat and that I will choke on them. I avoid spaghetti, or I break it into small pieces when I'm cooking it and I chew it a lot.
Milk comes up spoiled if it sits in my stomach too long. I hate that. But, I crave milk, so I keep drinking it anyway.
Yogurt isn't better.
Anything spicy burns on it's way back through.
Foods with sharp edges ( like chips) cut into my esophagus and cause me to throw up blood. It's gross... and scary.

I've got a lot of experience with this, so much so that I eat, vomit, and eat again, and it sometimes, it doesn't even bother me. But, no matter how much I have been through this, it still seems odd to prepare every meal thinking about how it will taste and feel when it inevitably comes back up.

When should you announce your pregnancy?

Feb. 3rd was the first day of my last period. That is the answer to the first question you will be asked when you go to see the OB/GYN (or when you call the midwife). Then, they calculate 40 weeks from that date to give you a due date. According to this method, I am due on November 9th and yesterday marked the 5 week mark.
Many women do not even know that they are pregnant this early; and I have been given advice to wait to tell. "What if you miscarry?" is the argument for waiting until the end of the 3rd trimester (around 12 weeks) before sharing your blessed news with others.
I would have taken that advice and waited, but as soon as I saw the 2 lines on that pregnancy test, I wanted to tell my husband. I tried to hint... but, my daughters got the clues before my husband did and then there was no stopping the news from spreading throughout the world. My daughters are not good at keeping secrets; especially something this exciting.
I've heard others argue that waiting because you are afraid something will go wrong is a lonely decision. If you miscarry, who will support you in your grief if no one knew you were expecting?
So, when should you tell?
When did/would you tell?