An education

This morning we had our "education" appointment with a nurse. It's required before meeting with the OB. I'm not sure who learned more: the nurse or us. She asked a bazillion questions (the most detailed medical history I've ever given). Then I learned fun facts like: every time I come to their office, I have to pee in a cup and sit in the waiting room holding my pee cup in a paper bag. (What a fun club!)

I also learned about a slew of genetic tests they offer. And I learned what to expect for future appointments — how frequent, etc. And she "educated" me on all the pregnancy don'ts (alcohol, drugs, tobacco, raw fish, etc.) I thought it was really weird they waited this late to share that information with me. I mean, I'm 10 weeks tomorrow, isn't most of the damage already done?

Then they drew an armful of blood, and I got a flu shot. Overall, a pretty productive 90 minutes.

The weirdest part (besides carrying around my pee cup) was checking out other procreators in the waiting room. We were the oldest and best dressed ... by about a decade and an outlet mall. To be fair, I was dressed for work -- but seriously, does no one else in this town go to work after an 8 a.m. doctor appointment?

The good, the bad and the ugly

It doesn't much uglier than layers of dinner in the toilet.

The bad news: I throw up every night.

Some good news (for the husband, at least): I just discovered mouthwash that's not (yet) vomit-inducing.

Nine weeks down. Will this ever end?

Week from hell

I just completed the work week from hell: five days of travel and working nights until 10 p.m. Motion sickness + pregnancy nausea = one very unhappy girl.

So now I'm home still trying to recover. Sleep, eat, sleep.

Hello, fetal pole!

Yesterday we had our first ultrasound. It was -- still is -- surreal. We saw the yolk sac, fetal pole and fluttering heartbeat. Really, we saw a blurry blob with a quivering middle, but the ultrasound tech assured us it contained all those parts.

It's measuring right on time: 6 weeks, 5 days. Expected due date = Sept. 15.

One more milestone down. Countless more to go.

As I lay dying

If hell exists, there must be a special place reserved for whomever termed this "morning" sickness.

A new combo -- half a Unisom before bed, a B complex vitamin in the AM -- takes the edge off. But I am far from feeling well.

The past two days have been hell. Yesterday, I didn't even leave my bed. This is like the world's worst hangover with no relief in sight.

How do other women deal?