September 5, 2006: 12 weeks 2 days

I decided this last weekend to try to go without my Zofran. (Probably not the best idea for Labor Day weekend… hindsite.) My morning sickness has to be nearing an end, doesn’t it? Sunday went well. I ventured to the mall with V and had a good time. Monday… not nearly such a pretty sight. That early afternoon it dawned on me, after having puked once, that this was a self-imposed trial period. I had another 14 or so tablets and that I better just go back to it.

Another thing I have been plagued with is dizziness. I didn’t have this with Leif either. According to the online sources I read in the first trimester this is attributed to high levels of hormones that draws blood to the placenta, but then the blood doesn’t always return so readily to the brain. I have to say that I am seriously concerned about these apparent “high levels of hormones”. This is what has been causing my extreme morning sickness (or so the sources say), now the dizziness too? This child is going to be seriously hormonal apparently. (Images of my sister float by…) Or should I just once again reiterate my concern about twins. As long as I keep saying it, it won’t happen. Right?

Wow am I whiney or what? I guess a good sign is that my vegetable aversion lifted today. Permanently, I don’t know. Right now I don’t care. I got a healthy dose of vegetables in at the Mongolian Grill. Everything looked so good that I bought a medium and I plan to eat the leftovers for dinner tonight.

Less than a week now until my next appointment and we will get to listen to the heartbeat! We are really excited.

This weekend we went to a picnic where there was an abundance of babies. Leif was completely enamored. More by the ones that could sit up and crawl. I am not sure he ever noticed the 6 week old in the carseat (thankfully). I think it might be sinking in, but I can’t tell for sure. Twice this weekend he kissed my belly (not that I have a “real” belly, just a sagging bloat thing) unprovoked.

I have received a number of well meaning nuggets of advice from other parents of two with regards to how to introduce the new baby. Many have to do with sleep arrangements because Leif is still in the crib. Our current plan is to buy an inexpensive (read Target plastic thing) drawer set to hold the baby’s clothes and put it in our room. We will use the cosleeper until 6-8 months or so as we did with Leif (until I became concerned about him crawling out of it). We had the nursery, but never used it during this time with Leif. Our plan is to let Leif keep his room and stay in his crib (barring any changes, like he starts to climb out or other) until after the baby comes. This will also help in us having the guest room for a few months longer while family comes to visit after the baby arrives. My thought is to disturb Leif’s life as little as possible. Then once we get closer to wanting the crib for #2 (about a year from now), buy him a big boy bedroom set and redecorate the guest room to his tastes. All just tentative thoughts right now, of course.

There are pros and cons to this method, but I have been surprised how many people (ok, like two) have adamantly told me this is the wrong way to go. One even told me this morning Leif will grow up to be very resentful of the baby taking his furniture and it is setting he and the baby up for lifelong animosity. Frankly this comment made me laugh. She has two kids and a Masters in Chemistry, so a child psychologist she is not. But I do respect her opinion and her kids have an age spread similar to what mine will. On the other side of the fence is a woman I know whose daughter is in Leif’s daycare. She and her husband went this way mostly out of pure laziness in changing things around, but also they (frighteningly) weren’t sure their baby was going to make it until month 8.

So I need more data points. Opinions? Anyone feel strongly one way or the other and why?