Mish mash

I feel like I have so much to write about, and at the same time I don't know what to write about. A lot of little blurbs and bits, and I know I have my NT pictures to post - I'll try to do that tomorrow.

I'm feeling very, very sad about Haiti. I don't know what to think about it. I hate that I am a "rich American" and feel like I am helping by throwing money at the problem - but on the other hand, I have no idea what else I could do. I read a book a while back about Dr. Paul Farmer, who has worked for years to alleviate suffering in many poor places in the world, but whose special focus was Haiti. The book is Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder. The organization Dr. Farmer co-founded is Partners in Health, and they are accepting donations for Haiti - so if you want to make a donation but don't know which aid organizations are reputable, I would vouch for this one. And because they have been in Haiti for years, they already have the basic infrastructure to provide aid, so you know your donation will be well-used.

On the home front, I am doing well. The nausea has subsided for at least a few days, and I am trying to eat a lot. I even made it to the gym today, which I NEED to do to complete my knee surgery rehab. It's also a nice place to weigh myself, since I don't have a scale at home.

And that's how I know that at 14 weeks (minus one day) I STILL haven't really gained any weight - I'm up about 2-3 pounds, but my weight generally fluctuates and I'm not over the upper limit I usually set for my non-pregnant self.

Are there any women out there who are pregnant with twins or who have given birth to twins who can tell me if this is normal? Dr. Luke doesn't think so at all. I eat two breakfasts, lunch, and dinner, and at least one small afternoon snack. I never let myself get hungry (and if I do happen to get hungry, I eat right away). I haven't been working out, although I'm starting a low-level exercise routine for my knee and my cardiovascular health.

Other than that, the pregnancy seems to be going well. I'm getting lots of weird pains and cramps and stretching and pulling, but nothing that I'd consider a big deal. I have back-aches and pain that feels like sciatica, but thankfully it comes and goes quickly. I'm getting a bit more of a belly, especially after a big meal, but no one at work has noticed at all.

The other big exciting news in my life is that we're looking for a house. Which we've BEEN doing for about 3 years, but now at least we have a reason to need a house and a goal and even a sort of deadline, so we're feeling more motivated. Unfortunately, I live in one of the worst places for house-hunting and there's not much on the market at all, let alone something nice for a reasonable price. Considering my due date of July, the likelihood of babies arriving by the end of June, the need to move at least a month or two before that (April-May), and the need to put in an offer at least a month before that (March), we don't have a lot of time. I hope some stuff comes on the market in February!

So to recap - please consider helping the Haitians, pregnancy is going well except for weight gain, and we are hoping to find a house in a really unlikely market. Busy times!