the top 10 of pregnancy number 4

1. undeniable cravings. they change with each thought and mood. but once my heart is set on something i might see or smell or think of...bam, i need it. i need it or there is a very real possibility i may puke. some things i've just HAD to have: steak. organic grape juice. lasagna. grapefruit. pho noodles. bubble tea. fruit tart. once i've satisfied the specific craving, i usually don't have any desire to eat it ever again.

2. at the very beginning, before i even knew i was pregnant, i was at my parents' house. we had just watched this documentary about juicing and decided we'd all juice together. so we did. i drank so much juice and still felt starved. i was extremely fatigued and no energy to even get up and change samiyah. luckily, i was surrounded by my mother, aunt, grandmother, sisters who all helped care for my children. and i seriously thought that the hunger and fatigue was just a side effect of the juicing....little did i know. i only vigorously juiced for 1.5 days and then had to stop. i kept juicing but also ate real food as well. i was tired, tired, tired! nursing alongside making a human being will do that to ya.

3. mood swings. i'm extremely emotional. i get choked up watching any commercials with puppies, kittens, really any baby animal will bring me to tears. i get choked up watching the x-factor, the biggest loser, waving good-bye to isaiah and makayah as they head off to school. choked up as i pick them up from school. choked up whenever i see samiyah smile her cheesy, toothy smile. basically, i'm on the edge of crying all the time.

4. i have to pee all the damn time. 12am, 3am, 5am, it's the most annoying part because it is so hard for me to fall back asleep. i'm one of those people who thinks about all i have to do tomorrow, and start planning for this and that in my head. it's hard enough trying to get to sleep initially, much less trying to stay asleep.

5. one of the "symptoms" that led me to maybe thinking of taking a pregnancy test was a stuffy nose. weird, right? but, with isaiah i was so stuffy. i wasn't sick, just stuffy. so, that coupled with my extreme hunger and fatigue...well, i knew something was up.

6. i can drink buckets of water. in fact, i have to drink buckets of water just to keep my mouth from feeling like i just swallowed the entire sahara desert. i will even wake up in the middle of the night because i am so thirsty. maybe if i didn't have to drink so much water, number four on this list wouldn't be an issue.

7. i get hot and cold flashes. one minute i'm shivering under a thousand blankets. the next, i'm sweating bullets pushing open the windows. it's nuts.

8. i'm 10 weeks and look like i'm 20. when i was pregnant with the girls, i didn't show at all until 4 months. i didn't have to wear any maternity clothes until 4 months. let's just say, i've unpacked my box of maternity clothes, again.

9. i'm anemic. well, i don't know for sure. BUT, the nurse did call and tell me to give her a call about my blood test. she said i shouldn't be alarmed, she just needed to give me some tips to correct something. and since i've been anemic during the first trimester with all three of my past pregnancies, why should this be any different? i've been loading up the legumes, but i think i should still give the nurse a call. ;)

10. with all the crazy, nutty things that happen during my pregnancies, this has to be the easiest one, considering i have three children to watch after and actively care for. honestly, isaiah's was the easiest because i could sleep and eat whenever i wanted to. but if i were as tired as i was with isaiah now...i'd be passed out on the couch from 3pm-7am. that's not the most ideal situation to put my mischievous kids in.

all in all, thank you baby number 4 for making this pregnancy quite memorable and manageable as i run after your three siblings. it's very considerate of you. i am looking forward to the easy part of the second trimester when my energy returns in full force, and when we can see the 20 week ultrasound. that is always my favorite part.