I read a lot about early pregnancy symptoms the first few weeks after discovering I was pregnant. Morning sickness, headaches, frequent urination, constipation, sore breasts, mild cramps, possible spotting, etc. At the time, I thought I was lucky because I had hardly ANY of these symptoms. Little did I know that most of these were just overshadowed by my other health problems, but at the time, I was pretty happy about it.
Now that the fluid around my heart isn't causing such a burden on the rest of my body, a lot of these symptoms creep up on me once in a while. One that I feel is here to stay until Ethan arrives is peeing: CONSTANTLY.
At first I thought it was due to the excessive amount of water I have been drinking to aid with the swelling that I'm still struggling with most days. Then it hit me. Or maybe I should say, then HE kicked me. I've learned that apparently my bladder is my son's favorite pillow.
I can pee before I leave the house, and by the time I get to my destination (usually no more than 10 minutes) I'm running to the nearest bathroom before doing anything else. It's ridiculous.
Last night, I was watching American Idol feeling nice and cozy in my chair. I realize as soon as the show comes on that I need to pee, but I want to wait for a commercial. It was AGONY to wait for the commercial, but I survived. (I realize that my television technology would have allowed me to rewind the show and not miss anything, but of course I didn't think of that at the time.)
By the end of American Idol, I realized that I needed to pee AGAIN. So I got up, started running the water for a warm bath, and went. By the time the tub was full, I needed to go AGAIN. Are you sensing a pattern? I exaggerate not, between American Idol and 10pm I believe that I peed 10 times.
I knew this was a part of it, but GEEZE LOUISE! I couldn't figure out why last night was even more frequent than a normal "pregnant" day. I understood as soon as I climbed in bed. I told you, my sons favorite pillow has to be my bladder. And he was struggling to get comfortable last night. He kicked and punched and rolled and tossed and turned. With every single movement, I had a ridiculous urge to pee. By this point, there was NOTHING left to pee so I would leave the bathroom annoyed that I left my comfortable bed to waste time trying to relieve that "gotta go gotta go gotta go right now" feeling. Ethan and I had a nice little talk about giving Mommy a break before she fell asleep.
Apparently, he didn't listen. I was up 5 or 6 times throughout the night, and those are the times that I remember. I woke up this morning to my husband laughing at me mercilessly about my "sleepwalking to the bathroom." Apparently, instead of stumbling into the master bath as normal, I tried to leave our bedroom. When he asked where I was going, I informed him that his son was sitting so low I couldn't stop peeing. He again asked me where I was going and I told him, "To the bathroom." He pointed to the master bath and told me, "Um, sweetie, the bathroom is over there." I told him, "Well I'm used to using this one. (apparently referring to the guest bathroom clear across the house)" Somehow, he managed to talk me into staying in the bedroom and using the closer bathroom.
I have no recollection of this conversation, but I'm convinced that my subconscious was also annoyed at my excessive time in my bathroom and wanted a change of scenery.
Ethan, please give your Mommy a break from the bathroom today and find a new pillow. Love you baby boy, but give it a rest!
2. Add your package of Italian Dressing Mix to the melted butter. 
3. Slice raw chicken breasts into strips, and add to the mixture. Allow to cook on high for at least 2 hours to allow chicken to cook.
4. Once the chicken is cooked, add Cream of Mushroom Soup and cream cheese. Mix thoroughly. Keep on high until simmering.
5. Serve over your favorite pasta! 
