Unpacking.

All of our belongings FINALLY arrived on the 16th. We had been sleeping on an air mattress for two weeks and sitting on the floor the rest of the time. Are you aware of how difficult it is to hold a 10-12 lb infant all day with no arm support? Props to cave men because I think I would die without my rocking chair! Sleeping on a bed for the first time was like magic. I actually sleep at night. REAL SLEEP. 

As wonderful as having all of our stuff is, here comes the less glorious part...unpacking. UGH. We had SO MUCH JUNK that our boxes almost touch the ceiling and we can't move anywhere! Though I went through a lot of our things on my own back in VA before we moved, we still ended up with a ton of crap here that we do not want! (gimme a break. I was heavily pregnant with a toddler or with both newborn and toddler. sleep sounded more important!) We only had one day between Williams's graduation and when we had to leave, so the whole thing was a hot mess. Anyway, that means we are up to our ears in boxes, packing paper, and unwanted items while trying to put away things we do want AND manage the kids and the dog in all the mess...it's been crazy.

My wonderful husband completed the kitchen the other day and I completed Luka's room today. Our bedroom is halfway done as is Eloise's. We are really trucking along seeing as it has only been two full days since we got our things and William had to work one of them! I am hoping with my whole heart that we will be 100% done by next weekend.

It's been rough, but we are getting there! The kids are starting to really adjust and get into a routine and so are we. Things can only get better as we start to settle into our new home :)

-Kacy

Hyperemesis Gravidarum

Today, May 15, is Hyperemesis Gravidarum Awareness Day. HG is a serious illness that sometimes occurs in pregnancy. It is categorized by severe weight loss (at least 5%, but usually around 10%), dehydration and production of ketones, nutritional deficiencies, metabolic imbalances, and trouble with daily activities. With both of my pregnancies I have suffered from HG. With my son, Luka, I was severely ill from 6 weeks until he was born. I often just put pillows and blankets on the floor of the bathroom so I could vomit there. Most days, I never left my bed. The scent of my own husband made me sick. Turning the light on made me sick. I would drive around with a plastic bag hanging from my ears so I could vomit into it hands-free. I had to turn around and go home copious amounts of times to change because I spontaneously vomited on myself. Yet, most people still never understood how badly I felt.

It is not "morning sickness." It can't be cured with saltines or go away in a couple of hours. It is 24/7, persistent, concerning vomiting. It is throwing up five sips of water. It is going to the ER for IVs because you haven't been able to keep anything down in days. It is taking medicine designed for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Hyperemesis is REAL and can be terribly damaging to the mother or child, but most people haven't even heard of it. Not enough research has been done to determine an exact cause nor cure. Women who get HG will suffer well into their second trimester or even until their baby is born. 

HG is known to get worse with each subsequent child, limiting the prone women to fewer pregnancies to avoid the dreaded vomiting. Many women who have had it admit to feeling suicidal due to the never ending nausea and depression that comes with needing to be in a dark and quiet environment for nine months. It is a serious illness that should be receiving much more attention than it does. 

I'm not extremely passionate about many 

causes, but this one I have experienced first hand. We want a large family of six children, but are unsure how possible that is as I had HG again while pregnant with Eloise and, though it tapered down in my second trimester, it was extremely difficult to care for Luka as I was alone with William off at training. 

I understand if the issue of funding research for Hyperemesis doesn't sound important to you. It is difficult to fully understand the severity of something you haven't experienced, witnessed, or even heard of. However, it is a big deal and it needs to be made aware of. I truly hope one day there is a cure for HG and that then no other woman nor baby will have to undergo the physical and mental stress of a relentless "morning sickness"

-Kacyl

Meet Elvis

Well, we FINALLY did it. We got a dog! Since moving to Kansas, we have been looking for a perfect pup. Luka has been begging for a dog since he could speak and we knew as soon as we were able, we would be adding one to our family. As soon as we got here we started searching shelters, Craigslist, petfinder...EVERYTHING! and no luck in finding a match for us. Three weeks and a lot of disappointment later, we have finally added a puppy to the Drake family! Meet Elvis: a 9 week old Miniature Pinscher! He is the sweetest little boy and loves to cuddle and play and chew! We are completely in love and can't wait to watch him grow!

-Kacy

Kansas Thus Far

So far, us Drakes LOVE Kansas! For everyone who told us "you're going to hate it!" and "there's nothing out there!" (which is incredibly rude, by the way) you must not have had any idea of where we lived before. We lived in the center of nothingville. It took around 25 minutes to get to the nearest Walmart. A total of an hour and a half (round trip) to get fast food. At our gorgeous apartment here in Kansas, we are FIVE MINUTES from a Walmart, Starbucks, and bunches of food places. THE SUBWAYS AND LIQOUR STORES HAVE DRIVE THRUS HERE. We are only 20 minutes from the mall and other larger shopping centers. We have neighbors and a pool and a playground that we can comfortably walk to from our building. This is everything we have ever wanted! There is even a zoo and plenty of museums close by. The weather has been a bit rainy, but the last couple of days have been sunny and bright and warm and windy. It is so bright and sunny out, that we barely have to turn our lights on in the house!

We still don't have our furniture which is a bit tough. We have an air mattress that William, Eloise, and I sleep on and Luka sleeps in his pack-n-play, but that's about all we have at the moment. Soothing a baby sans rocking chair is definitely giving me some biceps though! And it may be hard and my body may hurt, but I would rather us be here with William than in Virginia without him, anyway.

-Kacy