11 Weeks

This week was also better than average, as I’ve only felt sick one or two days out of the week. So now when people ask how I’ve been feeling, I can honestly say that I have more good days than bad. But, I noticed a new problem surfacing this week- sciatic nerve pain! When I stretch or move in a certain way, I suddenly start to feel a sharp pain down my back and legs. It was particularly bothersome the other night, so I asked Eric to rub my lower back to see if that would relieve the pressure. When he lightly rubbed the area, it sent those nasty pains down my legs and it was almost unbearable! So I’ve been trying to take it easy, stretching here and there, in hopes that the pains will lessen or go away.

I had a three day weekend this past week, which was very nice to catch up on some much needed rest. I’m starting to think that my sleep is positively correlated to how well I feel, since lots of sleep makes me feel at my best whereas little or restless sleep causes me to feel sick during the day. So I’ve definitely been making time for more sleep by going to bed earlier and staying in bed longer- my typical morning routine of showering, doing my hair and make-up, and everything else to make sure I look presentable has kind of gotten thrown out the window. Now I’m lucky if I do my hair before leaving the house!

We told the rest of our immediate families over the weekend about the pregnancy. I made it a priority to tell everyone in person, if possible- and I think it was appreciated. I’m feeling relieved, now that everyone is pretty much in the know. I was a little anxious to tell some people for some reason, even though the news was very well received by everyone we told. Then Eric took it upon himself to make the grand facebook announcement, so I followed by posting a few pictures on my page. Now everyone knows!! It is kind of fun to watch all the congratulations rolling in from our extended group of family and friends. It’s good to know that so many people are thinking about us and wishing us well!

Update on the home front- we have to (well, have chosen to) delay putting the house on the market. We decided this mainly because FHA guidelines rule that our original appraisal holds true for four months- meaning that if we had a buyer, their fair market price would be our appraisal price, and therefore, we would not be able to sell the house for much more than we paid. Once realtor fees and taxes are factored in, it would cost us somewhere between 8-12K to sell the house at the moment. So, our realtors highly suggested that we wait until the appraisal expires in June to put the house on the market. Hopefully at that point, we can sell the place without having to put much if anything toward the sale. So that’s where we are at the moment.

Eric is definitely being laid off on May 7, which is disappointing, but at least we have a firm answer now. He took the opportunity to speak at his most recent union meeting by giving a 3-minute talk about why his job position is vital to the county (and it was televised!). It was well received, but in the end will not change anything about their decision to cut his position. So, he’s currently trying to put his resume out there to find what is available in the job market. Even a part-time job would help right now, especially now that we’ll have to budget for cobra coverage. We’re really going to have to watch our budget closely right now, since we’ll be staying put for another two months… we’re hoping and praying that all will work out and that we’re making the right decisions for us and our little family. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

According to all my reading, the baby is the size of a “large plum” right now. I don’t feel much different, other than being kind of bloated. And my clothes still fit, so that’s definitely a good thing. One of the questions we get right away when we tell someone is whether we want to find out if we’re having a boy or a girl. I think we’re decided that we do want to find out- simply so we can prepare and plan ahead of time. It’s kind of odd, but I feel like I already know what we’re having… I won’t say what that is, but I just have a feeling. Plus, once we know what we’re having, I think we’ll be able to envision life and mentally prepare ourselves a little better. As far as I know, we should have the option of finding out the sex at our “big” ultrasound scheduled for June 18th.