Weeks 3-9: Signs and Symptoms

If you're wondering why I skipped weeks one and two, re-read the last part of the previous post. I wasn't technically pregnant during weeks one and two, they just count them for the fun of it; they're freebies.
Because I had the flu super-imposed over the pregnancy for the first couple of weeks of actually being pregnant, I noticed nothing out of the ordinary. Any fatigue I felt I attributed to the illness. Any bloating or light cramping I felt I attributed to regular womanly issues. I was drinking so much water to stay hydrated that I would have been surprised had I not been using the bathroom more frequently. My candle was burning at both ends, and I had no idea.
After I got that big fat positive, I started to see that the fatigue, bloating, slight cramping, and bathroom frequency were not going to disappear. I was actually reassured by the cramping -- it wasn't painful, it was just a constant reminder that 'stuff' was happening. Stuff!!
S. and I read up on what to expect in The Book, and I saw that in just a few weeks time, I could anticipate good ol' morning sickness. Mo' Sick was my biggest fear about pregnancy -- seriously. I can take soreness, aching, itching, sharp pain, you name it, but slap on a little nausea and I am Miserable. I'd had one close friend who'd recently had an absolutely horrible time of it, vomiting so much she had to have an IV and lost 10 pounds.
And of course, the expected onset of mo'sick at 6 weeks was the very day we were going to be flying to NYC for Christmas vacation with my family in CT.
Fortunately, mo'sick did not start then. I had rice cakes ready to go. We'd read in the book that small, frequent snacks were better to have than big meals, and that having something bland to eat by your bedside would help with the early morning ravages. We were ready.
What finally kicked it in was two very rich, very intense dinners in a row -- I have my mom's husband to thank for that. By night two -- Christmas Eve, naturally -- I had foghorns going off in my belly. Warning! Rocks ahead! Rocks that weigh 1,000 lbs, camping out in your belly! Yoohoo! For the first time in my life, I didn't go to Christmas Eve service with my step-father; I ate some ginger chews, crawled into bed, and slept. I made it through with minimal suffering.
The next morning brought a sensation most of you are probably familiar with: my metabolism woke up before I did, and I was so hungry I was downright queasy. Since I was familiar with the feeling, I went downstairs and ate something, and it was easily relieved.
Only, then it came back an hour later. So I ate something, and it left. Then it came back again.
And that's how it's been for me, and let me tell you, I have been unbelievably lucky. I eat a little bit of food all day long and I'm good. Only twice have I had a fluttery-nauseous feeling, and both times I ate something or drank water and it went away. Usually it's just the high-acid quease which I can manage. I have been super vigilant about getting a lot of sleep too, which helps.
Sitting here typing at nearly 10 weeks I will say though, with full gratitude for the easy hand I've been dealt, that I am looking forward to 12-13 weeks when this feeling should subside. Manageable though it is, the high-acid quease keeps me on edge.
The only other major symptom? Thirst. Oh, the thirst. Living in Colorado's high and dry atmosphere does not help. I drink and drink and drink, until I am sick of water, and then I drink some more. I remember days when I drank caffeine in the morning and alcohol at night and I was thirsty, but that made sense. And still, the thirst was not like this!