Weeks 9-13: Some "Normal" Symptoms for a Change

Besides the nasty cramping and lower body pain that I had in the first few weeks, I eventually developed a few more "normal" symptoms... most noticeably, heightened sense of smell.  I had to hold my breath walking through our kitchen because the combination of aromas were so strong to me.  Opening the door to the fridge was like torture, and I swear I could have tracked an onion down if it was hidden in a drawer in the basement!

I also had some mild food aversions... one day scrambled eggs sounded absolutely disgusting to me... then it was chicken... those both lasted about 2-3 weeks, which might not sound like long, but they are pretty much staples in our diet- Brian has eggs nearly every morning before work.  Suffice it to say, he made his own breakfast on several occasions during that time.  I also had a sudden distaste for chocolate, which, if you know me, is pretty much unheard of.

The flip side to this was that some foods I couldn't get enough of.  The downside to zero morning sickness is that I still had an appetite, and it was growing!  The old adage that when you're pregnant you're "eating for two" is a far cry from the truth.  Per my favorite pregnancy book (thank you awesome people at the Mayo Clinic for developing something less fear-mongering than "What to Expect"), a pregnant woman only needs an additional 300 calories per day.  That's a couple of glasses of milk and an apple... not another trip through the drive through.  Telling that to my starving self was another story.  I'm very glad I gave up fast-food when we moved here in 2009.  If I hadn't, I might have been a regular at Burger King or one of the other similar fine-dining establishments on base. 

So anyway, here were some of the most prominent cravings during the 1st 3 months of this pregnancy:

Saltine flavored Goldfish crackers.... I lived off these the first few weeks!

Cantelope

Cooked carrots

Mashed potatoes

Mac and Cheese

That last one was the worst... there was one day that I came home from work around lunchtime and ate an entire box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.  The ENTIRE box.