the tooth fairy

I can't remember how long ago it was that I placed my last baby tooth under my pillow, anticipating that shiny quarter. (Yes, it's been a while.) I'll get a chance to relive the good ole days next Monday night, after I get a nothing-but-problems molar ripped from my mouth. I'll have a really attractive gap in my smile for a year. Lewis says I should get an eye patch to match.

But actually the tooth fairy, or one of her friends, already left something for me. Much better than a quarter, even with inflation. Many of you know this already, but I'm pregnant! I told work today, so now I can make it official. Was afraid someone at work might read the blog. Silly me... they already know all about life in Sweden.

Here's a little recap of how the first 15 weeks have gone.

Weeks 1-3: No clue I'm pregnant, I drink snaps with my brother-in-law in Copenhagen. I also eat lots of roquefort cheese.

Week 4: Why do I feel like I have permanent PMS? Lewis is praying it goes away too.

Week 5: Wasn't my period supposed to come like a week ago? Lewis goes to the Apoteket and buys a pregnancy test. When I get home from work, he has translated the instructions from Swedish to English from a website and proceeds to verbally run through them with me. He says we need to wait 3 minutes and then look to see if it's a plus. I pee on the stick and see a big blue plus appear before me within 10 seconds. I spend the next 2 minutes and 50 seconds screaming for Lewis to get back to the bathroom and look. Both of us are in shock and don't quite believe it. Are these things even reliable? So I call the local clinic first thing the next day to get a blood test. "We don't do that in Sweden," they say. But, I plead, I need to find out that I'm really pregnant and that everything is alright. "Did you buy your pregnancy test from the apoteket?" Yes. "Then you're pregnant. We'll see you in week 10." Week 10???!!!! (Now I'm crying.) But I need to get vitamins. "What?" You know, pills. "We don't do pills. Are you having any problems?" No. "Then we'll see you in week 10."

Week 6: I search the internet for anything that could be potentially wrong with the pregnancy/baby and obsess over it. Oh yeah, and I got a nice little yeast infection.

Week 7: I stop taking yeast infection cream for fear of hurting the baby despite the fact that the pharmacist said it was safe.

Week 8: Nausea, major food aversions to everything, especially coconut milk

Week 9: I throw up after getting a whiff of something in the sink in the middle of the night. Feel so bad the next day I need to take a sick day.

Week 10: Yay, finally the midwife appointment with all the answers we've been looking for. Too bad all we talk about is family history and drinking habits. We leave very bummed to have zero confirmation of the life growing inside me. We start vacation that same day and give the baby its first taste of good music at a concert in Göteborg.

Week 11: I discover how good a McFish sandwich is and can't stop talking about it the whole rest of the drive (and the rest of the week). I can't believe my pregnancy cravings have led us to eat at the evil empire.

Week 12: In typical American style, we decide we can't wait until week 20 for an ultrasound. And we intend to do something about it. We drive 3 hours to Linköping to meet with a private doctor, Anders Selbing, who could give us one. It's actually a special test for Down Syndrome, called a NUPP in Swedish and NT in English. The experience is unbelievable. Beyond words. One of those things I'll never forgot. Everything looks great from a medical perspective, and it's our first real confirmation that the plastic stick was right. Celebrate with a McFish sandwich on the way home.

Week 13: No more morning sickness!! Woo-hoo. We buy the baby its first toy, outfit and stuffed animal in Lyon, France. I also become obsessed with caramel gelato. It's the new McFish.

Week 14: Go shopping for cool prams. I almost have to give Lewis CPR when he sees the price tags. He spends the entire car ride home trying to convince me to just carry the baby everywhere.

Week 15: Need to hide my growing pooch at work until my boss returns from vacation. By the end of the week I have to rubberband my pants to be able to wear them. People must think I ate REALLY well while we were traveling.

Week 16: Get to listen to the heartbeat again. Sounds good, the midwife says, at 150. Drop the bomb at work that I will be taking maternity leave for a year beginning in January. (In Sweden, women get 1 year paid maternity leave by law.)

So that's where we are today. Yes, we're freaking out a bit about money and being on one income, plus the fact that Lewis will be really busy in school this year and I will be sort of doing it all. OK, I'm the one really freaking out about that. But, actually, Sweden is probably the most stress-free place to have a child. It also has the lowest infant mortality rate in the world.

More on that in the weeks ahead...

 

Comments

[Michelle]

So where's the picture of your belly????

[ginny]

You'll probably wish you hadn't asked that. (Or at least the rest of you who have no desire to see my fat belly!) :) Lewis takes a belly picture on the 15th of each month, so stay tuned...

[jp]

i've been trying to write you THREE for weeks. months. very nice...starting this whole entry with the "tooth fairy" fake. even tony meola! would've fallen for that BACK IN THE DAY. (fake low left, kick upright....RIGHT WHERE GRANDMA KEEPS THE PEANUT BUTTER.)

anyway...i am so excited for you...all the conversations you, me and joy had in the ccgBasement®...excited for you and lewis....excited for the whole figlar clan.

AND PLEASE TELL ME WHY A VEGETARIAN HAS TO GET A MOLAR PULLED???#@$@!%

must be the drinking....can't remember LEWIS ever writing about gettin' a toof pulled. sheesh. at least you could mix a little FLOSS in with all the cucumbers, alfalfa and pysillum husks (spelling be damned.)

i'll write you two sometime. catch you up. but while things may be a-changing around here....NOTHING is as exciting as what you two are going through.

i spent all weekend with jack and samantha....almost 4....and i can tell you that EVERY day that i've spent with them during their lives here has been LIKE NOTHING ELSE. not always great. never awful. just LIKE NOTHING ELSE. and i can't wait to hear your stories.

best of luck to all of you.

ps. did i miss tilly in my earlier count? the FOUR of you.

jp

[jp]

pss. dude. i just watched that titoMoving movie. i was staring at your uterus the whole time. sorry. gosh i hope your family doesn't read comments. i REALLY hope lewis doesn't read comments.

BUT DAMN, I WAS LIKE TOTALLY STARING AT YOUR UTERUS THE WHOLE TIME!!!!

w.o.w.

[ginny]

Ha ha ha! You were just dying for a way to work Tony Meola in there, weren't you?! Thanks JP... for the inspirational words and for just making me laugh on a Monday morning. For the record, my tooth woes stem back to my pre-vegetarian days. And when it comes to my uterus, well, who can blame you for staring? I've got one HOT womb! Oh no I didn't!!!