Oh, Boy....or Girl

So I found myself wide awake and STARVING at 2 o'clock in the morning about 4 nights ago. And nature was REALLY calling me. Then the same thing happened again the following night. Those who know me know that I have slept through hurricanes and can hold it for the entire 24 hours if I need to. These odd behaviors, along with a conspicuous absence of a certain monthly visitor and that twinge in my stomach that I couldn't seem to shake, only led to one conclusion, which was later confirmed by 2 home pregnancy tests, one of which I nearly dropped into the toilet after seeing its result. I'm knocked-up! It's still fairly early in the game but I'm one of those fortunate women, who get to enjoy pregnancy symptoms as soon as the zygote yells "I'm home!" Hence why I'm updating this at midnight. I'm always hungry. Not to say that I wasn't before, but now I really have to eat or bad things will happen. I also experience a mild wave of the poorly-named morning sickness for the first time today. It's all kind of like a sick practical joke, actually. I'm always hungry but absolutely have no appetite for anything since all food smell disgusting to me. I eat, I get nauseous. I don't eat, I get a bit more nauseous and really tired. Wil and I had to go to the medical clinic today to take another test to confirm the pregnancy for the purpose of making appointments. My poor husband. He's had a rough week. The soldiers just got back from the field and it's recovery week. That means that they have to go through every single piece of equipment and account for absolutely everything in their possession. He's been going in to work early and coming home late. He doesn't get enough sleep at night because I'm bouncing in and out of bed between the bathroom and kitchen trips. Needless to say, I wasn't at all surprised to see him nodding off as the nurse was going through all the pregnancy stuff with me. Didn't stop me from kicking him in the shin but can't say that I was surprised that he slept through parts of our first visit. We both are elated but completely terrified. We want kids but we always talk about it like our retirement: definitely will happen...someday. I was amazed how quickly and easy it came but also very thankful for the fact that I know that Wil will be here for all of my pregnancy and the baby's birth. I'm grateful for this time together since I know he'll be on the next plane to far away land once the doctors clear him.

Our little one will have lots of friends to play with since he/she is one of approximately 500 babies to be born within the next year. Baumholder is experiencing a rapid population surge, thanks mainly to the deployment rotation. It's to the point that our small medical facility can't handle it, so I'll be seen at Landstuhl, where Wil will be having his surgery. Wonder if we can coordinate our appointments?

One curious thing that happened even before I took the test was Paddy's reaction. He seemed to detect that something was a bit different about me and would not leave me alone. He constantly shoved his nose up my crotch, something he never did before (Brutus is the crotch sniffer in our house), sniffed me from head to toe, and proceeded to whine before rolling onto his back begging for a tummy rub. It's as if he somehow knew that his time of being the biggest baby in the house was numbered and he needed to milk it for all that he could. Our prediction about the boys is that Brutus will eventually warm up to the baby after realizing that it's pretty non-threatening and become a loyal and quiet protector, while Paddy will quickly realize that a baby, and subsequently a todler, is his (human) meal ticket and will be the baby's best friend and playmate. I know both of them adore babies and tolders but it's quite another story when they have to live with one 24-7.

And by the rate things are going, the baby will come before our internet is running again. I'm finished with my bowl of cereal now and should try to get some z's. There will be plenty of late night updates, as the baby is conditioning me to be awake at odd hours, and the bandwidth from the poor neighbor is limitless at night. Please keep the baby in your thoughts and prayers. This child is going to need a lot of help!