Little Lee

Today is the day we get to publicly share our joy...

We have a little monster on the way!

Today is the start of the second trimester and we both heave a HUGE sigh of RELIEF.
Seriously, the past three months have been ROUGH.
We found out we were having a baby at 4 weeks and we couldn't believe it.
It only really sunk in at about 9 weeks when we got to see and hear the baby's heartbeat :)
It was a real miracle.

We had a difficult time trying to conceive.
I wouldn't say we had the worst time because it didn't involve needles and drugs and we are both very thankful for that.
But I think God put us through just enough so that we would really appreciate how this child is a true gift from Him and not a plain result of our 'efforts'... if you know what I mean ;)

We started trying in January and as the months passed, I got more and more discouraged.
Q was my rock, constantly reminding me that God's plan is better and higher than ours and we just need to trust that He will give us a child when it was the right time.
And what do you know! The husband was right.

After 8 months of worrying and praying and contending and trying, we finally had a little bun in the oven. But the trials were far from over.
I was the walking textbook of pregnancy symptoms.

1. Morning sickness should be renamed to just plain SICKNESS.
I felt sick THROUGHOUT the day.
And because I didn't want to share the pregnancy prematurely with anyone yet, it made it even harder...
Around friends, I had to pretend that everything was fine and dandy when actually I was feeling very green with nausea.
Even my toothpaste made me want to puke.
Had to switch to kid's toothpaste which made me want to eat jello every time I brushed.

2. I had the nose of a dog. Seriously.
Smells got to me, it was difficult to get comfortable any where..
I smelt everything from the neighbour's cologne (even when I was in my house in my room) to almost every meal they had in their home.
I smelt everyone's breath as they walked past me and the rubber tires of the bus, 3 meters away from me.

3. I felt tired all the time.
One batch of ironing would require a recovery nap right after.
It became a routine to do a chore then take a half an hour nap, have a small snack, then do another chore, take another nap, then snack.. and so on.

4. Constipation was a heartless beech.
Sometimes I had both constipation and diarrhoea.
Think it impossible?
I experienced it first hand.
Did you know you can poop three different types of poop in one sitting?
First comes the huge hard one which was the build up from the constipation.
Then the normal one that has been in your system for the normal number of hours.
Then the diarrhoea which makes your butt burn and you want to hurl from the smell.
My take on this is nature's way of preparing you for the poopy diapers that will come.

5. My immune system is normally already quite low. But the pregnancy made me super susceptible to all sorts of illnesses. And of course, I had to get the common flu.
It is bad to have the flu when you aren't pregnant, and hell to have it when you are.
Add nausea, bloating, constipation, diarrhoea, cramping and vomiting to the mix of usual flu symptoms and you have a ball of misery.

6. Acne.
Felt like a teenager all over again..
Except when I were an actual teenager, I didn't have acne.
Started breaking out like mad and my facial wash was causing me to puke so I had to find a new one to replace it in order to combat the growth on my face.

But after the initial shock of symptoms, I got used to being sick.
Feeling ill was the new normal and I just had to find ways to cope with all of them.
The only thing that was on my mind most of the time was the baby's safety and growth.
If the baby was growing well and doing well, it really didn't matter how sick or horrid I felt.
Each cramp, jolt, sneeze and cough caused me to worry about the child in me.
Each night when I hurl, I worry that the violence in which my stomach was spasming would cause trauma to the child.
But God's creation is amazing.
He put the delicate little human being into a huge water bag so that the baby would be cushioned from whatever impact my body went through.

But anyway, now we are on to the next trimester!
And we are really excited!
I'm excited because this trimester promises to be much easier and the risk of a miscarriage has dropped dramatically.
Everyone else is excited because this trimester, we learn the baby's gender.
Still going to pray every single day for this child because there is still a long 6 months to go before we get to meet our little bundle of joy.
Thanks to all who have been praying with us!