Sometimes you just need to treasure the ponders of your heart...

Monday, July 14, 2014

Updates from Week 29...

It's Week 29 y'all!  (That's leftover from my Virginia days)  I don't have many heart ponders or stories to tell today, so I figured I'd update you on some milestones we're hitting.

* We are now officially more weeks along than I am years old.  Well, I guess we hit that milestone last week, but I keep forgetting my age along with everything else these days...oh pregnancy brain!

* I have gained 22 pounds which puts me exactly where I should be on the growth chart.  Hurray!

*My belly has doubled as a table more than once.  Ha!

*I said goodbye to my toes a few weeks ago, and am very close to asking Landon to assist in shaving my legs (talk about marital trust tests and bonding!).

*At my last doctor's appointment, she kept using the word "Perfect!" to describe everything....Little One's heartbeat, the size of my uterus, my weight gain, etc, etc.  It's rather comforting to know that we are doing so well!

*I'm pretty sure Little One's first pair of walking shoes needs to be tap shoes.  She and Landon had quite the tap recital the other night -- he would tap at her, and she would tap back.  And we aren't just talking one or two taps.  Shuffles, step-ball-changes, buffaloes, time steps....maaaaybe I'm exaggerating, but it at least felt like she was matching his rhythm!

*My glucose screening was last week and if you know me, you know that I don't do needles.  Like, at all.  As I was squeezing Landon's hand, tearfully looking into his eyes while trying not to faint, I quite honestly said, "I think this is the first time I've thought -- why did you do this to me???"  I'm told it probably won't be the last time I think that, but one can hope.

*There is a girl at work who is newly pregnant and we have great fun emailing back and forth all day about all things baby.  So fun!

*Babies 'R' Us discontinued selling the car seat I picked out.  Grrrr.  Of course, it went with the stroller, so now I have to find a new car seat AND a new stroller.  And I thought I was all done with that....

*I met a lovely Norwegian mom at a lunch cafe the other day.  It was so interesting to hear her tales of giving birth in Norway once and giving birth in her home in the US another time.  Her accent was amazing.  Connecting with a person over motherhood is certainly a delight.  I do love to connect with random people, and now I have this natural little starting point.  It definitely brings back memories of my mom talking to random mothers in stores.  I rolled my eyes and got impatient then, but now I kinda think it's the coolest thing ever.

* Speaking of my mom!!!  She is coming to visit in 10 days!!!!!!  I couldn't be more excited!  I wake up each morning thinking, "She's almost here!"  I am so looking forward to her feeling Little One move, talking about all things baby, and of course, shopping for her granddaughter. :)

*Speaking of grandmothers!!!!  The day after my mom leaves, Landon's parents are coming into town!!!  I couldn't be more excited! I am so looking forward to them feeling Little One move, talking about all things baby, and of course, shopping for their granddaughter. :)

*My favorite thing to do these days is just sit and watch my belly move all over the place.  I am excitedly looking forward to when I can see a hand or foot.  For now, I'm very happy with all the bumps and rolls and totally misshapen belly!

*The 7-11 app is the best thing ever right now.  It's their birthday week, and if you have their app, every day they are giving away something for free.  I am especially looking forward to Wednesday with their free Twix ice cream bars!!  I will be going early.  And maybe to multiple locations.  It's happening.

**Bonus 7-11 story.  We have one on our block (so convenient for ice cream/slurpee cravings!!) and we have gone two different times when the same girl is working.  BOTH times she has said, "Awww....are you having a boy???"  Just like that.  No "Are you expecting?"  No "Do you know what you're having?"  She just scans our stuff and then looks at my belly and says, "Awww...are you having a boy???"  And both times I have said, "Um, no.  A girl!"  Why does she ask it that way??  I'm confused.

*As of Week 29, we pretty much are very excited to see our little girl soon, and very much willing to wait for that to happen.  Time just seems to be flying.  It's the MIDDLE OF JULY already.  2 1/2 months to go!!!

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Heartburn, Hiccups, and Winding Down the 2nd Trimester


25.5 Weeks - June 18, 2014
There's a baby in there!

I'm constantly more and more aware of her, this little girl who is taking on a personality already.  She is SO active!!  I absolutely love it.  My belly bounces all over the place, and I have to decide between watching it bounce or laying a hand on to touch her.  It's the coolest, most special feeling in all the world -- and I'm already (prematurely!) lamenting when it will go away.  BUT then she'll be here and I can hold and cuddle and squeeze all I want.

She's finally gotten the hiccups at least once, which is so darn cute.  Everyone keeps asking about it, and while she's active and moves a lot, it's rarely rhythmic.  Yesterday, though, it was this pattern of little "hic!"s that made me smile so big.  A few weeks ago, the skirt I was wearing in the above photo helped me actually feel her heartbeat.  It has a stretchy top, though it's not a maternity skirt, that I could either pull all the way over my belly or rest it just below (anything in between was uncomfortable!).  When sitting, it was more comfortable to have it up high.  Little One was also sitting up high that day, and suddenly I became very aware of a fast pulsing just under the skirt band.  I put my fingers on it, and sure enough, a pulse that landed somewhere in the 130's.  SO FUN.  My mind can barely contain that there are two beating hearts in me right now.

She still loves Landon's voice, which is handy, because she has unfortunately found a few places to rest and kick her feet that hurt like crazy.  They must be nice resting places for her because once she's found them, she stays and nothing I do can move her. She's daddy's girl already and when he calls to her from the other side, she tends to move towards him, giving mama's belly some much needed relief.  I really can't wait to see them interact together.

Landon says I'm giving him some training in resisting her girlish pleas, as I go to bed much earlier than him nowadays.  He hangs out with me for awhile, prays with me, and tops of my water glass...but sometimes I just don't want him to leave quite yet.  "Pleeeease stay here?" I coo with big, brown eyes.  "Just a few more minutes.  You need to sleep," he lovingly replies.  "But I looooove you!  I don't waaaant you to leeeeave!"  Maybe I do whine a little, but hey, I only see him for a few hours a day.  Resistance training or not, I still maintain that she is going to have him melting all over the place.

I've been looking all over for a rocking chair.  It seems like a motherly thing to get.  Of course, I had something very specific in mind -- one just like my mom had when I was a baby.  Impossible, right?  Wrong!  Craigslist is wonderful.  I found this beauty for $20 in almost perfect condition.



That's where I'll spend most of my mornings...and nights....and every two hours....  It's perfect.

Granted, my baby isn't the only baby who will love it.  Apparently there was a spider egg sac wedged in one of the curves, and now we're taking care of baby spiders spinning their art in various corners and spaces.  Ugh!  But I think we're winning the battle.

We are winding down the second trimester, with only 2.5 days until we hit the home stretch.  So crazy.  How did time go so quickly??  Why is it moving so slowly??  A few weeks ago, I definitely hit "freaking out about labor".  It wasn't pretty.  Too many horror stories.  Why do people think it's okay to freak out a first-time prego lady??  It's not okay.  She already has fears about the unknown and they are just not helping.  We had a doctor's appointment that week and I got to ask my fearful questions and she answered them quite satisfactorily.  I feel better. :)

Around the same time, a girl at work I barely knew came down to my desk to excitedly tell me she just found out she's pregnant.  "We're not telling anyone yet, but I know you're expecting, too, and I just wanted to come tell you!!"  She was already glowing.  I loved it.  She joins me now once a week for my lunch-time walk and we talk about babies and life.  It's fun that God put someone in my life that I could encourage so immediately after feeling discouraged and frustrated with other people and their "advice" and stories.

This last month has brought some relief from the morning sickness (finally!!), with only the occasional relapse, but it has also introduced something I've never experienced before -- heartburn.  WHAT??  I knew it was possible.  All the books and websites say it's possible.  I was just hoping it wouldn't happen to ME.  And oh, has it ever.  I find myself singing a song from the musical Wicked: "What is this feeling so sudden and new??"  According to old wives' tales, Little One is going to have a full head of hair.  I think I'd rather have a little baldy who grows hair later than all this heartburn now!  It really doesn't matter what I eat, how I sleep, what I take for it....it's almost always present. Sigh.

With all the fear and all the pain that this pregnancy has gifted me, it has also brought a lot of joy and a ton of perspective.  I really can't stop raving about how wonderful it is to feel her so actively.  I dream of little curls and silly giggles.  I think more often and more deeply about my own childhood, my parents, and sacrifice.  Something that's kept me going through the pain and fear is "Love endures all things."  The Holy Spirit whispered it to me at the height of my "labor is going to be like what???" freakout, and it was instant comfort.  Love truly does endure all things.  I've never met this little girl, but I love her dearly, and if going through inordinate amounts of pain is what I must endure to meet her and love her and care for her, then I will endure it....somehow.  :)  I'm toying with the idea of having it posted somewhere in my delivery suite as a focal point.

Love endures all things.

Those four words bring up so many thoughts and so many tears.  The love of a mother for her children.  The love of a husband for his pregnant wife.  The love of God watching His son die.  The love of Jesus for his wandering followers.  Love endures all things...and still loves on the other side.  Love itself is the reason for enduring, the strength in endurance, and the joy that transforms pain.  How strong a force is love!!

As the second trimester winds down, I'm more and more reminded how REAL this is all getting.  Life is changing drastically.  I'm excited and terrified and in awe.  And more than a little moody. ;)  I'm grateful that we're now within the window of very good survival rates should premature birth occur.  I'm very much hoping to go up to or even past my due date (with my maternity leave plans!), but if I have learned anything throughout this year, it's that I don't control anything....so I guess we'll see!

My last little tid-bit is that we have finished our baby registry!  We decided to just go with Babies 'R' Us to make it simpler, and to take advantage of their rewards program that gives parents a gift card at the end with 5-10% "cash" back from all purchases made through the registry.  Pretty cool.  Granted, I balk at having all this "stuff" and tried to choose things that would be compact and portable for our little apartment -- but who knows!  If you feel like checking it out, you can here.  To answer a few FAQs:

- No, we're not decorating a nursery.  Little One will be sleeping in our room.  We only plan on being in this 1 bedroom apartment for a year after she's born, and then we'll deal with a nursery then.

- I'm currently obsessed with frog and monkey items...and foxes and lions.  But mostly frogs and monkeys.  Why?  I don't know, but I find them incredibly cute right now.

- Yes, I'll be breastfeeding, and planning on utilizing a pump when I go back to work, but we've also been advised to have a bit of formula on hand just in case.  I think it's good advice.

- Yes, I'm having at least one, maybe two, baby showers (which I'm not planning -- they're just telling me where and when!  And I'm not currently sure about either!) and I'm desperately missing my Va Beach friends for this special time.

- No, I'm not sure which diaper brand I'm going with; I'm a little nervous to decide without my baby here, hearing it's a lot of trial and error.  But I will never, never, never turn away diapers or wipes of any brand.

That's all I can think of right now.  I'm sure there are things I missed or "can't live without" that I have no clue about and things that I will discover later that I wish I had.  Gift cards are always handy for that, though, right??  ;)

Alright, my friends.  This post is long enough!  Until next time....!

25.5 Weeks - June 18, 2014