One week down, ?? to go

Afternoon walk in LA

We've been staying with my in-laws for about a week now. It's been going as well as it could, given the situation. Everybody is getting along. M is happy and excited to have so much adult attention. O and I are taking turns watching her and working, and my MIL has been watching her A LOT. Hours and hours of help that we wouldn't have if we stayed home. So that's been truly amazing.

I have continued to feel like #&%$ a lot of the time...still mild but ongoing nausea, heartburn, a lingering respiratory infection from two weeks ago - maybe it's COVID-19, but who the hell knows, and I won't be able to get tested! I'm exhausted about 80% of the time, and tired the other 20%. And I'm sleeping about 8 hours a night, plus taking naps most days. Today I napped for almost two hours. It kind of helped.

The local 7-Eleven has a mini Beer Pong section!

That said, I've been pretty good about reminding myself to be grateful for the many many things I have:

• Lots of family time and family support
• Early morning yoga (using the YogaDownload.com podcast)
• Morning walks/jogs
• My boss and my company being really understanding. Definitely not as productive as I normally am or as I have set out in my goals
• Regular walks with O. Today we went on a hike in Griffith Park, and it was great to get out into some nature and spend time together
• Spring weather. It's been raining a bunch, but also some really nice sunny mornings, and in a week or so it seems like it will get a lot warmer here!

I think the gratitude helps me keep from falling apart. Though I can't guarantee that won't happen during this time. 

My MIL playing with M on the porch

I think I will look back on at least some of this time with fondness. And at least the pregnancy part of it will come to an end in three months, not sure about the pandemic part. Then we'll have a whole new crazy challenge...but I just can't think about that right now. 

Weekend recap

On Friday night, we received notice that M's preschool will be closing for three weeks (at least). So we decided to drive down to Los Angeles to spend some time with my in-laws. They both still work, but my mother-in-law is working from home, and at least this way O and I can put in a few hours of work a day (morning, dinnertime, etc.) and get a few breaks. Plus, they have a backyard where M can play outside, including a covered porch, which is great since it'll be raining on and off.

We spent Saturday taking M outside (in the rain!) and packing for our trip. O took M out for a couple of hours while I did a spin/strength workout at home, ran some laundry, etc. I briefly napped in her room after putting her down. After nap, I took her out and she really enjoyed playing in a puddle.

This morning we got up around 6-6:30, worked out (I did a very short but intense spin workout and then went out for a walk/jog, though the jog part was less than 0.5 miles and kind of painful). Then we finished packing. Packing took about 1.5 more hours than expected - we had a ton of food in our fridge from Friday's shopping trip (in anticipation of crowded stores this weekend), so wanted to bring that down to avoid wasting it. Thankfully M played independently and adorably most of the time.

We headed out a bit after 10:30. The freeways were clear - nothing like a pandemic to make a drive to LA super easy. We made a couple of long-ish bathroom stops, and still made it before 5pm. M did really well despite the long drive and very little screen time. She napped for less than 30 minutes though...oh well. Now my MIL is prepping dinner, O and M and are reading, and I'm looking forward to maybe a bit of relaxation time before bed...unless I just crash at 8:30. All in all, I am reminding myself that we are extremely lucky to be able to have this very comfortable "alternative arrangement" during a truly crazy and disturbing time. Oh, and my digestive system wasn't totally miserable today, so that was very nice, too.

Random photo from earlier this week, from an early evening scooter ride

Pregnancy update - almost 26 weeks

There is very little I enjoy about being pregnant. Aside from knowing that it will hopefully lead to the appearance of an adorable little human who makes my life fuller and makes my heart explode with love and tenderness...just like my other little human does. Not a small thing.

That said, there is a few "small things" that feel very big now and make me feel frustrated, dejected and downright depressed a lot of the time.

• I still have some low-level nausea these days, plus acid reflux and other hard-to-describe abdominal discomfort. My digestive system never really feels OK. Some parts of the day are better, some parts are worse. But it's very noticeable and relentless. This is by far the worst part of the whole experience.

• Also, I've read all about this "surge of energy" that comes during the second trimester, but I have not been blessed by such a surge. I feel like I need at least 9 hours of sleep a day, lots of coffee (a problem when pregnant), and am keeling over with exhaustion by 6pm unless I nap. Which is hard with a full-time job and with a toddler.
• On the positive side, the various aches and pains I was experiencing at this time during the last pregnancy are more mild this time. I don't have much symphysis pubis dysfunction symptoms this time - they began at about 15 weeks last time. I'm even still able to jog a few days a week, which feels like such a treat this time! 

How am I coping with this? 

• Exercise
• Therapy every other week
• Meditation (just started about a week ago)
• Positive self-talk? Sort of. 
• Reminding myself that I've already made it pretty far and that I will be done in just a few months, hopefully to NEVER do this again!
• Trying to take it one day at a time. Occasionally I even succeed!