November 4, 2003 - My last few cycles had been very irregular, lasting longer than the usual 28 days that was normal for me.  The cycle that ended in September lasted 34 days.  When this one surpassed the 34-day mark, I really wasn't concerned.  I was just sure things were still off for me so I figured I'd just wait and see what happened.  When we hit day 42 with no end in sight, I began to get a little suspicious, but not as much as Frank.  I'd been a little more emotional than normal lately so he wanted to see if his thoughts were correct.  I really didn't want to do it, but he went out and bought a pregnancy test on November 2nd and I took it immediately.  The positive line could not have appeared any faster.  Frank was very happy but I was still a bit nervous about the prospect, so we agreed that this would be our little secret for the next few weeks.  As of the cruise, I will have passed the 8-week point and maybe by that time we'll be ready to make our announcement to our family.  We are very hopeful that Frank's sister Maria will have some happy news to announce before that time.  It would be great to have cousins so close in age to grow up together.

November 5, 2003 - Things are going well.  This morning I started experiencing some mild nausea.  Usually I can go all morning without eating and not even think twice about it.  However, now that I'm pregnant I can't let my stomach get too empty or I start feeling sick.  I got to work and was feeling a bit ill, so I fixed myself a big bowl of chicken noodle soup for breakfast, since that's what I had here in the kitchen.  That worked wonders.

November 10, 2003 - Ok, the sick feeling whenever I go too long without eating is still around.  Also, I definitely have cravings for some foods, and I especially want more seafood these days.  I also don't seem to want sugar as much, which tells me this one might be another boy.  With Noelle, it seemed like I always wanted sugar.  My pants are already uncomfortable and I can no longer fit into one pair of jeans that I've been wearing for a little while.  That's a little sad.  I'm still trying to enjoy my final days of having a waist right now and I'm not ready for spandex quite yet.  We leave for our cruise in just less than two weeks, November 20th, and I hope I have enough warm-weather clothing to fit me by that time.  I'm definitely more tired, especially in the evenings, and I can barely hold my eyes open past 8pm these days, which is kinda sad.  However, all of these are signs that things are going well and perhaps in a few more weeks I'll be ready to share our big news with everyone.

November 13, 2003 - I seem to be feeling better these days, but my eating habits have been going haywire.  Yesterday I had a pizza AND a seafood sub for lunch.  I just had to have both.  It was terrible and I felt awful after I ate all of that food, but I couldn't stop myself.  Today I had a crabmeat quesadilla and it was yummy.  I don't seem to be as tired in the evenings anymore, or at least in the last two days.  However, Frank's been really tired and rundown lately, so we've been going to bed early anyway.  I'm trying to drink more water and remember to take a vitamin at least once a day.  Technically I hit the 8-week mark on November 18th, but I still consider it to be later so really it's more like the end of next week.  After that I'll call and setup an appointment with my doctor.

November 17, 2003 -  I definitely have a few more pregnancy signs, all good things.  My cravings tend towards salty and seafood items these days.  Saturday morning I woke up and all I wanted, for breakfast no less, was some homemade crab dip.  I had a recipe that I created a long time ago, so it was off to the store to buy the ingredients.  After grocery shopping and getting the kids lunch and down for naps, I made a big batch of it.  It wasn't my best creation, but still good and made for a great lunch.  Of course, after that I didn't want anything to eat for the rest of the day.  Perhaps that's the reason I seem to be losing weight and not gaining any, despite my very bad eating decisions.  It's because I seem to get a craving for something, but when it comes time to actually eat I end up getting full so fast that I can't finish anything.  Then, I don't want to eat for the rest of the day because it seems that full feeling stays with me.  We leave for our cruise in just less than 3 days, and I still need to go through my summer clothes and make sure I have a few outfits that fit without being uncomfortable.  Some of my clothes are already getting tight, and I think I'm already developing a little bulge, but I'm not in a hurry to break out my maternity clothing yet.

November 25, 2003 -  The belly just keeps on growing!  I'm "technically" 9 weeks pregnant as of today, though with my self-adjusted date it's more like 8 weeks and 4 days.  I can still disguise the belly for a while, but my clothing is getting tighter every day.  I haven't seemed to have the cravings for the last few days, but we were on a cruise where I was constantly eating anyway.  Most of the entrees I had for dinner were seafood, and the one night I had lobster and prime rib I ended up sending it back out to sea that evening.  I'm not sure what caused that one.  Today I seem to want sweets though.  Unfortunately, my heartburn issues are already starting to surface.  It's not terrible yet, but I do know that I'll need to invest in some tums very soon.  I finally made an appointment to see a doctor today, but the first one I could get was December 5th.  That seems like such a long way away, but I think I can handle that.  That gives me some time to lose some weight AFTER Thanksgiving so perhaps my first initial weigh-in won't be too bad.  Other than that, all is well.