Calling All Vegetarians

I have been a vegetarian for almost two years but I'd cut a bitch for an Arby's Beef N Cheddar right now. I have been having immensely vivid dreams of food, mostly surrounding things that I would not normally eat--proving that this is definitely Mike's kid. Pulled pork sandwiches and now Arby's sandwiches. I'm going insane!

I have never been a big meat eater (I didn't have a hamburger my entire four years of HS) but I had a few weaknesses like Boneless Buffalo Wings from Buffalo Wild Wings and bacon-- I used to LOVE BLTs but I've found a good substitute in tempeh bacon (Great, now I want a freaking BLT.) It was pretty easy for me to give up meat all together, especially because I became a vegetarian for ethical reasons. To put it plainly, I do not agree with the inhumane conditions in which animals are raised on factory farms in America and the even more disturbing slaughterhouse practices. Not to mention all the unnecessary hormones and antibiotics that are pumped into the animals and are then ingested by us.

When I found out I was pregnant I was afraid that I was going to start craving meat. Some people say that cravings mean something--that it's your body's way of telling you it's missing out on key nutrients. I don't think my cravings necessarily mean that I NEED an Arby's sandwich but maybe I need to eat more protein. The problem is that up until now I got most of my protein from beans--which sound totally unappetizing right now. I don't know what I'm going to do! This kid is determined to return me to carnivore status.

I have been thinkinga bout it a lot this past week and I think am willing to give into the whims of pregnancy (as long as I don't actually think about what I'm eating)--I know that I can make conscious decisions on where I buy the meat I cook at home. I can try my hardest to get free range, hormone free, etc. However, one of my biggest fears right now is getting incredibly sick when I go to reintroduce meat into my diet. I'm sick enough as it is!  I haven't had any meat what so ever since April 2010, with the exception of a bite of bacon when we were England (since their bacon is different and I wanted to see how it tasted) as well as a bite of sausage at a brewery in England. Are any of my readers former vegetarians? Any tips for me should I decide to go forward with this transition? Help!

4 Weeks.

 

Beta #1........... 153! I am "officially" pregnant. My doctor kept using the word "exceptional."  "You're exceptionally pregnant." "Your numbers are exceptional."  Holy shit, I'm pregnant! (As if there was any denying the 7 pregnancy tests I've taken?) He is so confident in my levels that he doesn't want me to come back in until next Friday for another test. How will I ever make it another week without being tempted to POAS? Today was amazing. After the blood draw we stopped at (where else?) Pane.ra because I had a dream about a french toast bagel last night. It was strange, like a Homer Simpson donuts-flying-through-the-air type dream. Weird.

After we grabbed some breakfast we headed over to BRU in search of baby books. As we were pulling into the parking lot I was telling Mike about how the heart(s) will start to beat as early as next week and I said, "Isn't that amazing?" Mike responded with, "No, you know what's amazing? The fact that we're about to go into BRU for us and not someone else. I never  thought that would happen." I cried. He laughed at me and I showed him this picture --->

As we walked into BRU I just had to take this picture because like Mike said, it was a really big deal we were about to walk in there to buy something for ourselves!


I know it's really early but I bought a pregnancy journal and already started filling it out. I have been waiting almost four years for this and I want to remember everything that we're going through right now. I had to laugh at some of the questions at the beginning though, "Was this pregnancy planned or a surprise?"  "When did you first start thinking about having a baby?" "Did you get pregnant right away or did it seem to take awhile?" I couldn't help but shake my head and laugh.

Mike's been wanting to rub my non-existent belly a lot and talk to Bunsen and Beaker. It's going to take me a long time to get used to this. He said something like, "What? I want to rub it. You have my child growing inside there." and my reply was, "Yeah, I sure hope they put the right ones back in."  He did not appreciate this joke at first but before long we were joking about our kids coming out looking like Michael Jackson, back when he was cute. So obviously I don't have a bump yet but what I do have is BLOAT. I'm still in the "Is she pregnant or did she eat too much pizza?" stage, especially since my pants haven't buttoned since I started all the IVF drugs. At least I don't have to suck it in anymore! <3

4 Weeks

How far along? 4 weeks.
How big is baby?

 In week 3, sperm meets egg, and voila: conception! (Hahahahaha. If only it was that easy.) our little zygote sets off on a six-day trek through your fallopian tubes, dividing and redividing into identical cells as it travels to your uterus. Read more about baby this week.
>In week 4, now safe in your womb, the ball of cells (blastocyst) splits in two, becoming the embryo and the placenta. The amniotic sac and fluid are forming around baby, and will act as a cushion for the next eight months. 

Symptoms:  Lots and lots of cramps (Please God, let this be normal!) Fatigue and bloat.
Total weight gain/loss: I've gained three pounds since the start of my IVF cycle.
Maternity clothes? None. Just a belly band. I've been bloated this entire IVF cycle so it's more out of comfort than necessity.
Sleep:  I'm exhausted and in bed by 8 most nights. Unfortunately I'm up around 3 every morning for some reason and I always have a difficult time getting back to sleep.

Best moment this week: Getting my first ever positive pregnancy test and telling Mike, "There's two lines!" Movement:   It's way too early. 
Food cravings:  Pizza. Especially greasy Costco pizza.

Gender:  Too early.
Labor Signs:  Nope.

Belly Button in or out?  In.

What I miss:  Nothing really.  Life is good.

What I am looking forward to: Seeing our baby(ies) heartbeat(s) at our first ultrasound on 12/30.
Next Appointment: Next Friday for a repeat blood draw.

Weekly Wisdom: If you're still struggling with infertility, cling to hope. I am living proof that miracles do happen.

Milestones: Just getting pregnant is a pretty huge milestone in my life right now.