It rained a lot last week. And when it rains a lot, people with septic systems often have some issues. And we were some of them. Jack had drill this weekend and was gone on Friday morning when I noticed after cleaning the house that things were smelling a little sewer-y.
I called Waterworks and four septic companies. Waterworks is great, but doesn’t specialize in septic systems, so they came out quickly, but couldn’t do much. Septic companies all get slammed during rainy periods, so it took a lot of calling around till I could find someone to come help.
But the guy that came out was amazing and taught me so much about our septic system, fixed the issue temporarily, and told me what to buy to prevent it from happening again for about $250 vs. the $20,000+ we were told it might cost in the spring.
My friend Hayley was over on Friday as I dealt with all this. Originally, she came over to help with getting some stuff ready around the house pre-baby, and we did clean up the guest room and nursery a bit, but mostly we sat around chatting while I waited to find out what was going on with the septic system.
The Weekend
On Saturday, I went to lunch with my grandparents, who I called frantically when I noticed the septic issue. I mostly wanted a friendly voice, but also was pretty sure they used to have a septic system and might know what was going on. But it turned out the issue was a little more complicated than either they or I had knowledge of. I hadn’t seem them in quite a while, so it was super nice to hang out with them and catch up!
I spent the rest of the weekend painting the guest room closet, starting thank-you notes from my baby shower, and running errands. This week, we’re hoping to mow for the last time this year, put the guest room back together, and start sanding the baseboards for the nursery.
And we’re still trying to take it relatively easy because work is crazy for us both right now. 
Time is moving way too quickly and I could use a pause button.
Previous Updates
I’m Pregnant! + The First Trimester
At 29 weeks pregnant, baby girl is supposedly the size of a butternut squash
Symptoms
My hunger has felt pretty normal and maybe even a little reduced this week. But there’s been Halloween candy around, so I’ve been eating plenty.
I’ve been able to ease back on the aloe water, senna, and magnesium. I still take them but in smaller doses less frequently.
My sciatica is back with a vengeance. Most of the weekend, when I woke up I needed a bit to shift baby girl to a place that let me walk walk comfortably.
I have to pee a whole lot and I’m crazy thirsty.
I slept pretty terribly for most of the week, and I think I had my first night of real pregnancy insomnia on Sunday. After I slept for a few hours on the couch after dinner, I was awake from about 2am to 5am, with a 45 minute snooze before I got up for the day.
My belly button is definitely starting to pop out.
Baby girl is so active and she really likes to curl up in a ball on my right side.
Food
My diet is still pretty much my normal, plus extra snacks. I mostly made eggs for dinner when Jack was gone, and we had Chipotle and pizza a couple nights. I also made:
- Broccoli Cheddar Chicken & Rice Casserole with rice in place of orzo and nearly twice as many veggies
- Pot roast & this ridiculously awesome bread with potatoes my grandma gave me from her garden this weekend and extra veggies
Aside from that, I’ve had a lot of apples, grapes, peanut butter, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, and dates. Last week I made our favorite banana cake for the first time in ages, so also that and Halloween candy Jack picked up to hand out to our zero trick-or-treaters.
Exercise
I’m still following the Expecting and Empowered pregnancy guide, so that covered three of my workouts, and I’ve been doing some pelvic floor and flexibility work daily.
I walked the boys on the not-rainy days last week, but with plenty of housework to do, I’ve been staying active and my body feels tired at the end of most days.
Preparations
My mom and I went shopping for some baby clothes last week! They were the first clothes I’ve shopped for, and I definitely need more, but it was exciting to start.
We discovered baby girl dances a lot to Mongolian metal music (I think that’s what Spotify calls it…) and “The Passenger” by Iggy Pop.
I also started making freezer meals for after baby girl is born, which I’ve been saying I’ll start for probably months. While I was prepping dinner on Monday, I threw together a bag of Spicy Peanut Soup with Sweet Potato & Kale (and some extra spices + chicken because we like meat in this house). Tuesday night, I put together this Italian Beef, which is amazing on sandwiches, in stuffed peppers, in shepherd’s pie (in place of ground beef), and also by itself.
I started taking the Expecting and Empowered Prepping for Labor & Delivery course, which is excellent and a little overwhelming.
Stories
When I saw my mom, she said, “Oh, now you actually look pregnant. I’ll take a picture so everyone can tell.” When the septic company guy came over, he asked where my mom and dad were because he thought I was the 16-year old kid of whoever owns my house. I showed him my ring and pulled my shirt against my belly and said, “Um, it’s my house. Well, mine and my husband’s. I’m 25 and married and pregnant…”
I still cannot get over the fact that the guy thought that you were 16. Dad and I are wondering when people will stop thinking that you are a teenager?!?!?
I’ll take it.