And now you know (if you didn't already)

So I had another hilarious and completely unrealistic celebrity dream last night (no, not the Jonas Brothers). This time it was a "Miss" Janet Jackson on the phone asking me to be in one of her new music videos--to be filmed at a beach location, specifically.
I was very flattered by the call, and really wanted to be in the video, but felt that I needed to confess to Miss Jackson, "I don't think I'd feel comfortable wearing a swimsuit on camera...I'm pregnant you see, and I swear that I'm already showing!" She was very understanding and assured me that I wouldn't be asked to wear anything that I wasn't comfortable with.

Morning dawns. I am laughing about my dream (and again the self-flattery). Then the wave of nausea hits as well as the truth: I will never be in a music video, and I am indeed pregnant.

So the cat's out of the bag. Baby Pete (#4) will join our family this spring.

There are several feelings associated with this pregnancy. First, of course we are happy and obviously I'm thinking pink. Admittedly, there is a little guilt over the fact that so many of my friends (and many of my favorite people in general) are struggling to conceive and it breaks my heart. There are also the normal emotions of feeling overwhelmed, overjoyed, and...plain old sick and tired (literally).

My pregnancies have all gone very much the same: Nausea, lots of vomiting, IVs at the ER to get hydrated, weeks spent in bed or on the couch at the mercy of my poor husband and friends and family that have been so kind as to bring me meals, clean my floors, take my kids for a few hours, etc. etc. Midway through each pregnancy, I've started feeling a bit more "normal" although I continue taking nausea medication during the entire duration of the pregnancy and have continued to vomit even days AFTER each baby is born. Now, I write by way of history. I know that many women have it WAY worse, and I truly do feel blessed to be able to have healthy babies.

Because my current sense of smell is magnetized by about 100% , it makes tasks such as changing diapers, sorting and changing laundry, opening the refrigerator, cooking, and doing dirty dishes very challenging. Well, yesterday as I lounged on my couch looking at my messy, stinky kitchen, I had an epiphany! I went upstairs and found the nose plug that has been sitting in a jewelry box for the past eight years (I bought this to do a spoof on synchronized swimming for a work thing during the Sydney Olympics).
(Sorry, no photo of me actually wearing the nose plug. Rest assured, it's a lovely image.)

So, I kept the little nose plug in my pocket all day, and pulled it out to use during all of the difficult and stinky moments of my day. I am happy to report that things went much better than usual! Yes, I think I've just found my new best friend.