Day 4

It's amazing how quickly things change when you find out you're pregnant. I bought the old standby, What to Expect When You're Expecting, and have been reading and skimming it. I realized that a lot of my diet habits have to stop, and that a lot of them are already on the right track for healthy me and healthy baby. So more fruits, veggies and water, and less sugar, caffeine and no alcohol. Which makes this secret pretty hard to keep, because my friends know I love to drink wine! The Dining In was easy, since I'd already volunteered to drive Dandy and Amber so they could have a little without-the-kids fun for once.

I went to Tricare to make my appointment today. For my non-Army friends, we don't have an OB or a hospital here on post. So when in "delicate condition", you have to use a doctor on the economy (aka in Germany). Since women have babies every day, and particularly often in the Army, they already have an established network of doctors that speak english, and that have been attending to us Americans for quite awhile. I chose Dr. Stadlbauer, since he's seen a lot of my friends here. I would have had a completely different system for choosing a doctor in the states, but here it's a little bit different. We'll see how it goes!

The combination of tripling my water intake and being pregnant means I have to pee all the time. The combination of a healthier diet and all that water means I've actually lost two pounds. I'd love to be going to the gym right now, but I want to check with my doctor first. The good news is that I'll only have to wait two more days!

So far no morning sickness and only mild fatigue. I hope that I can erase some of that with regular exercise, and a regular schedule since I quit my job! The weather is getting nice, which means in addition to my gym time Oscar will get two walks a day, and I'll get all the fresh air I've missed since winter pulled the grey clouds over us.

I watched The Discovery Channel's documentary, From Conception to Birth, and it was pretty interesting. Right now I'm more amazed at the miracle of conception than I am of the miracle of birth. Understandably so, since I'm so much closer to one than the other. It's amazing what forces are at work in your body! Only 3 out of 10 American women conceive their first time around, and we had such a short window to work with! The scarier part is that 1 out of 6 women miscarry their pregnancy, so I'm crossing my fingers. I figure my job is to make sure my body is as healthy as possible, and the rest is up to nature.