Happy Friday to you all! My kids have been out of school all week, so it doesn’t even seem like Friday!
Well, I’ve been a little bit of a slacker blogger lately. We’ve been busy (as usual) and I’ve been running around in a million different directions (as usual), but the main reason I haven’t been a stalwart blogger is because I’ve been feeling just like this…
Actually, I’ve been feeling worse than that. Blah, blah, blah. AND, it’s not going to end anytime soon because we’re going to be welcoming Banner Baby #6 in August!!
Ya.
We are so excited, but I know we’re a little bit crazy too! I told Kev I have a problem and I just love babies TOOOO much! I think I need to go to “Babies Anonymous”, lol!
But, this will definitely be our last baby….Kev and I are both feeling like old parents. Kev’s already told me he will probably be in a wheelchair and on an oxygen tube while he’s still raising children, lol!
Our baby is due around August 18th. I will be 38 (yikes!) and Kev will have just turned 43 (Eeee.) When in the world did we get so old!??
I’m going to try to cherish the whole process though because I know this will be our last one. Having and raising kids has been the most difficult and the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done and will ever do! It’s kind of sad to think that the whole “having babies” part of my life will be over soon.
I’m too sentimental….sigh.
Anyway, I’ve been feeling SO SO terrible the past couple weeks. I feel just like I have the flu, only I have to force myself to eat! Thankfully, I don’t usually throw up when I’m pregnant…I just feel like I want to 24/7. It really is so tough and I’m just trying to take it a day at a time. I’m feeling quite claustrophobic and trapped in my sick body. 🙁
I should start to feel better in about 7-8 weeks though….I usually stay sick until I’m about 15-16 weeks along. Blah.
Sooo, I’m sorry to say that my “healthy living oomph” might be lacking a little the next couple months. I’ve still been trying to workout, but I’ve just been eating whatever sounds good….actually nothing sounds good, so I’ve just been eating whatever doesn’t sound too gross. Here are some of the things I’ve been surviving on…
Protein Pancakes (so comforting and yummy)….
Oatmeal (also so comforting and yummy)…
Leftover soup (White Chicken Chili) from the freezer and an orange (easy, quick and warm)….
Eggs (topped with cheese) with a side of toast (this tasted so good to me and took two seconds to make!)…
An apple with cottage cheese (weird, but good!)….
Yes, I’ve pretty much been stickin’ to quick, easy, comforty things. Food is not my friend right now. It’s sad….I miss it.
Ya know, this pregnancy will be interesting because I’m going to try really hard to stay really healthy throughout it! I exercised the entire time with my #3 baby, but didn’t do so well with the rest of them. I also didn’t particularly eat well with any of my pregnancies! I pretty much just ate whatever sounded good and I gained entirely too much weight!
I gained about 40ish pounds with my first 3 babies and 50+ pounds with my last two. Yikes! Yes, pregnancy is not cute on me. BUT, I’m going to do an experiment and exercise the entire time and eat as well as I can. We’ll see how it goes.
I will of course keep y’all updated on my progress.
Anyway, I also have to tell you guys about something freaky that happened to me the other day!
Soooo, on New Years Day Kev and I were chillin’ out working on a puzzle together…
All of a sudden, I started to feel very dizzy and light headed. I thought it was just head rush, so I put my head between my legs, but it wouldn’t stop. I ended up laying on the floor….then I noticed the right side of my body started to feel tingly, heavy and less coordinated. I also noticed that I couldn’t think straight and I couldn’t speak perfectly clearly. It wasn’t anything dramatic, it was quite subtle, but it was still very freaky.
Kev had to carry me onto our bed and the room wouldn’t stop spinning! I also started to see an “aura” around things and started to get a slight headache.
Well, Kev decided to take me to the Emergency Room. They immediately suspected a stroke (which is what I was worried about too!), but they quickly ruled that out, thank goodness. They ended up doing an MRI, checking for clots, checking my heart and doing a bunch of blood tests. Thankfully, everything came back normal.
They eventually decided that I had a very severe form of a migraine called a Hemiplegic Migraine. Weird!?
I’ve never really suffered from Migraines before. I’ve seen spots and had subtle headaches before, but nothing major. I read on the internet that these types of migraines can be brought on by stress, sleep deprivation, hormonal changes and other things….I’ve definitely been experiencing every one of those things!
Soooo, I feel pretty normal today, but I’m still just a little woozy. I’m going to focus on getting my sleep and trying to chill. I’m a very happy and optimistic person by nature, but unfortunately I’m also a high stress and high anxiety kind of person as well. I’m going to really try to cut things out of my life and I’ll probably simplify my workout schedule quite a bit too.
I LOVE my classes at the gym, but I drive 20-25 minutes each way to get there! I’m probably going to start working out from home more (boo) and going to the Golds Gym Express (essentially just a weight room and cardio machines), which is only 5 minutes away from me.
I’m also going to spend more time just hanging out with my kids, watching TV and simplifying life. Sounds great. I really feel that if I can control my stress, I’ll be fine. I’ll of course let y’all know if I have any other weird things happen to me.
Anyway, that’s the end of my crazy post!! BIG news and FREAKY news.
Kev is on his way home from work and we’re going to head out for a quick date.
I hope you all have a great weekend!
Huge congratulations!!! So very exciting!!! You are such an incredible mom!!!
I hope that you don’t have any more of those migraines – that sounds pretty scary!!!
I think your plan to take it easy sounds like a great idea!!
Thanks so much, you’re so sweet. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for no more migraines either!
What exciting news, Melanie! I love a big family. I come from a family of 6, and my oldest sibling is 14 years older than me. Take care and try not to over do it. So sorry to hear about the migraines. At least you know the cause and how to control it. Working out closer to home sounds like a good idea. My gym is across the street from my building and it’s very handy.
Thanks! That’s funny you come from six kids too…my oldest son will be 15 1/2 years older than this baby. I’m from a family of 7 kids and I’m so grateful. I’ve been enjoying taking it easy a bit and working out from home. It’s been nice. 😉
Omg CONGRATS Melanie!!! Baby #6 wow…you are incredible, just incredible. How in the world do you do it all?!?!? So sorry to hear you are feeling so sick, I was that way with Olivia for many weeks, it was awful and I didn’t even want to get out of bed, but by week 10 I think I was fine. I hope you feel better soon and again, congrats!
Thanks, you are so kind. I don’t know how in the world I do it all either…that’s probably why my body is freaking out with crazy migraines. 😉 I really hate the whole “sick pregnant” stuff too. It’s so not fun. I’m counting down the days! I wish I would feel better by week 10, but I usually don’t feel better until week 15 or 16. Uggghhh.
Congratulations on your big news. I cannot even imagine having another baby. I am way to close to being a grandmother. Heehee. I am excited for you. With how close you are to your sisters I have always thought Beooklyn needs a sister.
Freaky news…I am so glad that everything is okay. I still think about what happened to us in NYC with Tori and maybe it was something like that as well…low blood sugar. Make sure to take care of yourself. I know you will never do anything to put your little one in harms way. I am excited to follow you on the journey of your last pregnancy. I am here if you need me for anything.
Thanks so much my friend! I can’t imagine you being a grandmother, but that could happen in the next couple years, huh!? Crazy! I was definitely thinking about Tori when I had my crazy migraine too. I know pregnancy can do weird things. I’m hoping it never happens again. I WISH YOU WERE HERE!
oh my goodness!!!! Congrats to you and your family. So exciting 🙂
Thank you so much! We are all so excited. 😉
Congratulations to you! So exciting! Lots of good ideas for healthy eating in the pics!
Thanks! I’m trying so hard to still eat well, but it’s been tough. I miss food tasting good. 🙁
Congrats. I really want kids someday, but am still single. As I am already in my 30s I love seeing people having kids in their 30s because hopefully that will be me someday.
Thanks! I sure hope you can find an awesome guy and have a beautiful family! You are a wonderful person and would be a wonderful mom!
Congrats! That’s wonderful! So excited for you and your family and can’t wait to follow your pregnancy journey on here as well as all your tips…me and my husband are about to start trying to have a baby as well 🙂
Thanks so much! We are so excited. I wish you the best of luck as you start the journey of motherhood too! So fun.
UGH!!! I hate when a drive to the gym takes longer than working out – LOL – granted, you should be working out more than 20/25 minutes, but still 😉 Just so un-motivating driving there!!!!! 🙁 I am sorry you’ve been feeling so craptastical!!!!! But at least you have those heavenly pancakes to wrap around your stomach like a warm blanket!
I know! I really hate that my gym is so far away, but I love my classes so much! I’m hoping I’ll learn to love working out from home more and I hope I’ll feel better soon!
Congratulations!!!!! So exciting! When I was pregnant with our last, we knew it was our last and I took full advantage of eating everything I wanted! Don’t worry about that…enjoy your pregnancy, take it easy, you are in great shape and will bounce back quickly. 🙂
Thanks! I know, with all of my other pregnancies I just ate whatever I wanted and it was nice. I’m really hoping to stay as healthy as I can, but I’ve also been eating whatever sounds good too. I can’t wait until this initial sick part is over!
First of all, CONGRATULATIONS!!! Ahh that’s so exciting! I love babies! I hope you have a happy and healthy pregnancy! Which brings me to number 2: I’m so sorry to hear about your migraine! That sounds really scary and I hope that it doesn’t happen again! I’m glad it wasn’t a stroke!
Thanks so much, we are so excited! Yes, the migraine was so so scary and I’m really hoping it won’t happen again! Yuck.
I am only just reading this and clearly am behind, but congratulations! how exciting! I’ve been out of touch since we welcomed baby #2 on Dec 27th! I’m just now starting to get back on the computer and in touch with the world. Two is it for us. I can’t imagine having babies 3-5, much less #6, but I do agree babies are awesome. I’m excited to share your journey through this, as I’m sure your other followers are too. Hope you’re feeling better. 🙂
Thanks so much! Congratulations to you too! I’m so happy to hear your sweet baby arrived. I hope you’re feeling well and are at least getting a little sleep.
Holy crap – just catching up – this is amazing news!! Congratulations, Mel (and hubby)!!! 🙂 If it was up to me and I can one day afford it, I want to have a big family, too!
Ya, I’m thinking “Holy crap” too, lol! I really love kids and can’t wait to have a sweet little baby in our house again. 😉
Congratulations!!!!! I am so happy for you and your family!! 🙂 Best wishes with baby #6!
Thank you so much!