Well hey there! It's been SEVERAL years since I've posted anything on here. You know how it is, life got busy but also not super interesting and I sort of forgot about posting updates. I'll give you a quick run-down of the past 4 1/2 years since the last post and then move on to the important things.
2014- I got a different job at the same company, thus beginning a 3 and a half year journey that ultimately I could have done without. Mr and I went to Ireland and Scotland and absolutely fell in love with it. I found out I actually DO have Celiac's disease and so I really DO need to not eat the gluten, even if I really want it. We also found out how bad my side effects can get (not a fun time).
2015- More of the same. Work work work. I turned 30. Lots of camping, hiking and backpacking trips around Oregon and Washington. We finally ventured to Crater Lake, threw and EPIC Harry Potter themed Halloween party, and took Mr to Tennessee for his first time. We also finally made it to Universal Studios Orlando and found that it was our most favorite place to vacation in the US.
2016- Work. Camping, backpacking, hiking. All the house projects! New downstairs flooring, new carpets upstairs, stained the fence, had to have the hot water heater fixed SEVERAL TIMES, got new kitchen and bathroom counter tops. Took Mr to Colorado for the first time ever and he LOVED it. Got another epic tattoo. Mr got his FIRST tattoo ever. Lots of concerts- living out our middle and high school music dreams. Had to put the cat down (saddest day ever). Did this whole Minimalist thing and got rid of SO MUCH JUNK. Very liberating. Got really super upset with American politics and started listening to lots of punk rock again.
2017- Continued the Minimalist thing sort of, mostly. Got a new job! Got a new car! Went back to Orlando for another Universal Studios vacation because its OUR FAVORITE, OK? Then went to Disneyland because we can, OK? Took Mr to Upstate NY for the first time ever and showed him Amish people and Niagara Falls. Went to lots of concerts. Lots of Punk concerts. Attended some protests and marches.
2018- Still love the newer job. Went treasure hunting in Montana. Visited Yellowstone National Park for the first time ever and saw all of the amazing nature things with Mr. Took a sabbatical from work and went to South Korea and Japan with Mr and one of our good friends. Got to PET OWLS IN AN OWL RESCUE ZOO (and didn't cry!!). Came home from overseas and then took my mom to Yellowstone and treasure hunting as well. Finished my sabbatical and returned to work. Got Pregnant.
Yep, that about sums it all up.
Oh wait, that last bit.
Turns out that Mr and I are ready (we think) to have kids, so we gave that a try and now I'm pregnant. So here we are at the second half of this post that I'd like to call "Don't Give Me Unsolicited Advice".
As I type this I am in my 10th week of pregnancy. Here's the thing, it's hard but not the worst thing ever. Are we excited to be having a baby of our own soon? Yes. Do I love every minute of being pregnant? NO. I know it's a different experience for everyone and that every woman has her own journey with pregnancy. I knew going into this that there would be some hard and uncomfortable things to deal with... mostly because I'm the type of person that researches everything and asks everyone all of the questions before I do anything major in my life so I had some idea of what was ahead of me.
So far I haven't had it that bad, especially knowing what some of my family and friends have been through in their pregnancies. I have had or currently have all of the usual stuff: sore boobs, bigger boobs, mood swings, cravings, food aversions, smell aversions, nausea (I refuse to call it morning sickness because it happens WHENEVER IT FEELS LIKE IT, not just in the morning), mild headaches, mild cramps, loose-feeling joints (if that makes any sense), peeing constantly, increased burps and gas, bloating, constipation, fatigue, vivid dreams, hair and nails that grow like crazy.
There's something about pregnancy that makes everyone forget about boundaries. Not everyone does this, but in general I've noticed that those boundaries get pushed a bit more than usual. I also think that people forget who I am in all of this. Have I ever been one to go along with what everyone else is doing or making my decisions based off of the larger group trend? Have I ever been ok with people crossing my boundaries? Not really. And none of that has changed.
I love that people care about me and want to know how I'm doing, but I think some are getting confused and maybe asked me the wrong question. Example of this in a recent conversation:
Person I know: "How are you feeling?"
Me: "Mostly good, except I didn't realize how tired I would be in the first trimester! I'm yawning all day long and I need naps all the time!
Person I know: "Yeah, you should definitely be going to bed earlier, and sleeping in later. It's much better for the baby, so don't forget to rest! And stop staying up so late!".
Me: "... Yeah, so I'm definitely getting lots of sleep each night..."
Person I know: "OH! And don't forget to take a good prenatal vitamin. It's so important! I think I have some leftover that I'll bring you. And drink lots of water. Pregnant women need more water, so even if you aren't thirsty make sure you are sipping on that water!"
Me: "Yeah... I've got a prenatal vitamin that I've been taking since before we got pregnant since we were planning this..."
Person I know: "How about the MORNING SICKNESS? Do you have that yet? You should keep some crackers by your bedside and nibble a few first thing in the morning. It saved me! And also take some extra vitamin B6. But be careful, there are certain medications that you definitely shouldn't be taking.... really, though, its a good sign when you aren't feeling good because it means things are going well in there!"
Me: " *big sigh*... yeah, I've gotta get going so... talk later I guess"
Person I know: "Yes! Keep me updated! I have so many helpful tips!"
Alright, so this is a conversation that I've had almost verbatim recently. I think what the person should have asked me instead of how I was feeling should have been something closer to "Can I dump all of my pent-up pregnancy tips on you even though you are a smart person and probably know most of them?". Then it would give me a chance to respond appropriately depending on the situation and save me some frustration.
It stresses me out when I get unsolicited advice and have to deal with your overwhelming and often unhelpful "tips". And you know what? Stress is bad for the baby... and we don't want that, do we?
So I promise I will start blogging again regularly and keep all those interested updated on the pregnancy. I will CLEARLY STATE when I am wanting advice, just so there is no confusion.
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