An Update
Hello again. Didn’t mean to be away for so long, but I guess that happens sometimes (to me, anyway)…
I am still pregnant (hurrah!) and due in April.
Let’s just get into some Q&A, shall we?
When did you get over your miscarriage fears and start telling people about the baby?
Probably too soon. I started feeling more confident around Week 7, and that’s when we started telling close friends and family. I told some more friends after my 10 week appointment when we heard the heartbeat and saw an ultrasound. My work found out at almost 12 weeks.
I say this is probably too soon because it’s become apparent to me that people do have miscarriages even after 11 weeks or so. My sister was pregnant and due a few weeks after me, but miscarried at 7 weeks, so it has been a sad/awkward, especially since many people heard about both pregnancies at the same time.
How did you stop drinking so much Coke Zero?
This was actually pretty easy. It disgusts me now. I occasionally drink one now, but when I was having morning sickness, that is the last thing I wanted to drink.
So you are having morning sickness?
God, yes, and it’s terrible. I hoped I wouldn’t be one of those people who complained about pregnancy when there are so many who would kill to be able to get pregnant, but I am. I had all-day morning sickness starting in Week 6 and ending just recently, though I still have problems once in a while (yesterday, you might have seen me driving down the highway while puking in a airline sickness bag - attractive). I have taken several kind of medications for it, and I’m glad it’s gone (stay away!). I have also had a cold and possibly the flu, which was lovely.
What have you been doing the past two months, besides puking?
Basically nothing. Sitting on the couch and watching TV. Which is why I’m really excited that the Apartment Therapy Spring Cure starts this week, now that I have the energy to do it! Plus my house is like a toxic dump.
Is it a boy or a girl?
I don’t know yet, but you can bet you’re sweet ass I’ll be finding out next month.
Do you want a boy or a girl?
I want a baby with a small head. A girl would be nice, but I’ll take a boy too (sorry future son).
Do you have any names picked out?
I do, but my husband hates them. And I hate his. So we are waiting until we know the gender of the baby before we revisit this topic.
Is the basement finished yet?
No, it’s not, but it’s getting there. We should be ready to put in the floor pretty soon, which means we’ll be able to move the office down there so we can start getting the nursery ready.
Is the basement more expensive than you thought it would be?
Um, yes. I think we’ll end up having spent around $10,000.
But you’re still making extra debt payments, right?
Full disclosure: No, we’re not. We stopped a few months ago in order to cover the remaining cost of the basement project. We are also hiring a lawyer to legalize our current custody/child support arrangements, which is going to be about another $2,000. I’m hoping we will be able to start our full extra payments again in January.
What about the cost of baby?
I’ve begun stocking up on diapers and wipes, and am planning on using some of our new extra cash flow to cover the cost of furniture, car seats and other major expenses. The kicker, of course, is daycare. I’m not sure if we’ll be able to pay the entire cost of daycare without reducing our $2,000 monthly extra debt payment. Luckily, my stepson will not have daycare costs when the baby is born because he’ll be entering 6th grade. So that saves us about $300/month, but daycare for a baby is probably at least $600/month. We’ll see.
Well, that’s my update! I have another doctor’s appointment tomorrow morning, so hopefully things will go as well as the last one!
Snowflaking, the popular concept of throwing all your extra little bits of money toward your debts, has quickly snowballed into its own website and carnival. Check out the first edition of the 
Snowflaking your debts can sometimes seem like a never-ending fool’s game of pennies and nickels, but stop for a minute and consider how you acquired your debt in the first place.
So far, my debt-reduction efforts have been leading to weight gain, not weight loss. After all, sitting in front of a computer for hours and not buying salads because they’re more expensive than burgers does not a thin person make.
