34 Week Belly

Well, here it is.


He's really starting to shoot right on out there, huh? At my 32 week ultrasound, he was measuring 4 pounds 12 ounces, which puts him on track to be a big boy. Everything looked good, and he is head down. Just waiting now for him to put on more weight and get ready to meet us in about 6 weeks!

I am getting really TIRED lately. I'm not enjoying this or getting used to it at all. Every day I think of the things I need to do when I get home, then once I get there, I'm so tired that most of it goes out the window. Exhaustion is a feeling I am not accustomed to experiencing on a daily basis. Because of this and also the fact that I am getting another cold, I've become a tad grumpy.

I go back to the doctor this week, then one more 2 week visit before we start weekly checks. It has gone by SO fast, I can't believe that it is nearly time for him to be here. I'm still overwhelmed and terrified and nervous and all those good things, but mostly I am excited to meet him and hold him and kiss him, and prayerful that he will be happy and healthy and we won't screw him up too much!

Ten Things Tuesday

Today, I am thankful for:

1. A healthy active baby boy. This little guy moves almost nonstop! Not only does it constantly reassure me that he is growing just the way he should, it also provides a source of entertainment throughout the day as I watch my belly roll and jump all by itself.

2. Friends who have been there, done that, and want me to know all about it. I have never been one to be bothered by "too much information". I'm so lucky to have friends that want me to know all the wonderful and not so pleasant aspects of pregnancy, childbirth, and the post-partum time. I feel so prepared and so less anxious, just because I know no topic is off limits.

3. My nieces and nephews. Perhaps I've mentioned them before? Well, they're still so precious to me, and I can't wait for Andrew to be able to meet all his cousins!

4. A new sewing machine. Okay, so I've technically had it since June, but just recently decided to get over my fears and use it. It's a wonder what a modern machine with new parts can do, as opposed to the 1972 model from my Grandmother that I was "using". I'm so proud that I've been able to do most of the bedding and such for Andrew's room myself. (okay, so Mary helped me A LOT, but still).

5. Insulated mugs and plastic straws. I am able to remember to drink lots of water so much easier when I can keep a ton of it on my desk staring at me all day long. I can always feel a difference on the days when I don't get at least 60-70 ounces in.

6. 3 year old chatter. I'm looking forward to spending an evening with my favorite 3 1/2 year old little girl. You never know what is going to come out of her mouth!

7. Other people's blogs. I have found the most helpful blogs recently, that have helped to spur me to do better at trying new foods and planning ahead with our menus and grocery shopping.

8. New recipes. I sometimes get overwhelmed when I sit down to look at all my cookbooks or magazines (which has probably contributed to my lack of desire to plan meals right now), but I do love a new idea or new flavor combinations.

9. Our nation. Even though I did not vote for our President, I am hopeful that the promises he has made and the changes he is working toward will be a positive thing for our country. God tells us to respect our leaders, and I have no doubt that that certainly includes the ones that we don't agree with. I have faith that He will continue to carry our nation, and that we should look to Him for guidance and answers in the years ahead. "Troublesome times are here, filling men's hearts with fear..." but his is our Rock and our Salvation! We are still blessed to be citizens of the United States.

10. A husband with a sense of humor. We probably giggled more than we should have during childbirth class, but I am so grateful that we don't take ourselves or each other too seriously. And while I have promised a swift kick to the groin if any jokes are made during the actual labor, I know that's his own way of dealing with stress, and that I will probably need a little "mood lightening" then!

On the baby front...

I am 32 WEEKS pregnant! That means I only have 8 weeks (or less! yikes!) left until we get to meet our little guy. Where has the time gone? I am definitely feeling pregnant now. I get uncomfortable a lot, especially in my back, and get tired so much quicker than I am accustomed to. We have 3 or 4 showers scheduled this month, which is amazing (see how blessed we are?), so we should have everything we need soon. I'm working on getting things lined out at my job for my maternity leave, and have begun my last semester of teaching at UCA. So many changes right now, but I know it's all worth it. We're preparing for the biggest and best change of our lives!

Pics of Andrew's bed and my belly coming soon.

Is it really January already?

Where has the time gone? It's January, y'all. That means that in just over 10 weeks (or less, as everyone keeps pointing out to me), this little guy will come to live with us. Ours. Totally dependant on his momma and daddy for everything. Can you say "scared out of my mind"? Reality is starting to set in, and while I can't explain the happiness I feel, I also am just plain terrified. Pregnancy hormones are a beautiful thing, aren't they?

I didn't realize having a blog would be so hard to keep up with. I haven't posted anything since Thanksgiving, but really, what do I have to talk about, besides my belly is getting big? Or, gee, it's a little harder to get up off the couch now? I don't want to use this as a place to post complaints or give everyone lovely details about pregnancy related "joys". But I figured since we just had Christmas and New Year's, maybe that would give me something interesting.

We had a great Christmas. We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with the Hearne's, and then the weekend with my family. Chad got his precious Blu-Ray player, and we have spent the week watching movies and playing Rock Band together. He also did very well on his gifts to me, which he is so proud of. I got a new cookbook, and under counter cookbook holder, a personalized chef's hat, and 2 Wii cooking games. I'd say the guy knows me pretty well, huh? Andrew racked up; I think I opened a total of 7 presents with his name on them, most of them thanks to Aunt Amanda.

I've been off work for 2 weeks now, and have one more week to go. We've been working on the nursery a lot. We finished painting, hung new blinds, and got the furniture up. Next up will be finishing bedding and then just putting everything away. I'm still amazed at the amount of stuff we have been given already. I'll post pics of the room as soon as it's presentable.

We are starting 2 week doctor visits now. I had my glucose test this week (not pleasant, especially considering the waiting room was a toasty 80 degrees), and will have another ultrasound in a couple of weeks. Andrew is growing and beginning to be quite the wiggle worm. It's so funny to me to be able to sit and watch my belly jump around and twitch with his movements. I'll post a belly shot below. Since I haven't posted one in over a month, you should be able to see quite a difference. Everyone seems to enjoy pointing out "as big as you are, you'll probably go early", and "that's a big boy in there". Doesn't really add any calm to my current state of nervousness! Even Chad takes great pleasure in reminding me what a big baby he was and that "Andrew will probably be 12 pounds". I'll take whatever size the good Lord determines I can handle, as long as he is healthy. 2009 is going to be a year where our lives change forever, in the best way possible. We'll become a little family of 3. Happy New Year everybody!

Below are some Christmas pics of us, the nieces and nephews, and a belly shot. Enjoy!

10 Things Tuesday

A couple of friends regularly do a "10 Things Tuesday"post in which they list 10 things they are thankful for that week. I thought it especially pertinent this week, as we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving.

1. My husband. As much as he has been known to annoy and lo, even frustrate and irritate me, there is still no one else I would rather spend my life with. He loves me, and I have never once doubted or questioned that. Plus, he's pretty cute!

2. Friends. I have the best friends anyone could ever ask for. We are quite a diverse group of folks, which makes for fun times and great memories. Even the friends that I don't get to see as much, you'd never know that time has passed when we do get to visit.

3. Baby showers! I had my first shower last week, given by my UCA co-workers. It was a great shower, and I got lots of good stuff to get us started. My super terrific Grad Assisistant gave us a diaper bag and made us a too cute fleece blanket.

4. Pumpkin. I love all things pumpkin, and I really love that fall is the time when everyone else realizes how great pumpkin is and makes more desserts and puts it on sale (10 for $10 at Kroger!). Plus, Vitamin A is good for me, so I can eat as much of pumpkin as I want!

5. My nieces and nephews. What a sweet group of kiddos! They are growing up way too fast, and I can only hope they know how much Aunt Dawn loves them.

6. Being pregnant. I am privileged to be a part of the creation of life, and am humbled to think that God chose us to partner with him in bringing this amazing boy into the world.

7. Chocolate. I can't mention pumpkin and forget about chocolate! It makes me happy.

8. Exercise. I am very thankful for the fact that I have been able to keep up the same exercise schedule, because I know that is helping me keep my weight under control, and is why I still feel so good. Plus, our instructor 2 days per week was pregnant this time last year, and brings me a little something every week as her baby outgrows things.

9. My parents. I couldn't ask for better. They love me, they love Chad, they have raised me in the church and are great examples of marriage and parenting for us.

10. Smiles. I love that I walk into work every morning and am greeted with multiple smiles and "Good Morning!"s. I'm thankful that I can give a smile to someone and feel better for it.

Belly shot below! This was taken 2 weeks ago, at 22 weeks. I'm a little slow getting them uploaded, so they'll probably always be late. I go for my 24 week appointment this afternoon. So far everything is great! Andrew is turning into quite the wiggleworm lately, and prefers to use my bladder as a trampoline. It's such a comforting feeling to be able to experience his movements as he grows!

"I am fearfully and wonderfully made"

Sorry this is so small, it was hard to get it to upload right. Ain't he purty?

Below is the belly shot I promised (and warned you about). This was taken at 18 weeks, so I'm about 2 weeks bigger now.

Blessed

For those of you who don't know already, the little angel that chose us to be his parents just happens to be a little boy! A dirt and bugs, rough and tumble, sports and cars boy! As my friend Dawn said when she found out her little one was a boy, "What am I doing to do with a BOY?" Luckily, I've had two precious nephews and a host of other little boy buddies to give me plenty of practice. There's nothing like a momma's boy! I should know, I married one. And when they have a good momma, you can't ask for anything better. I just hope and pray my angel turns out half as great as his daddy, quirks and all.

After we opened the "envelope" (aka napkin note) on Thursday and started calling people to tell them our news, it hit me just how blessed we really are. Between the four of us, we made 10 calls in the first 5 minutes. My phone went dead from making calls, because there were so many people waiting to hear our news. Later that evening we viewed the ultrasound video with some friends, and almost got teary seeing them be excited over it. This sweet boy already has so many people that love him and are as anxious to meet him as we are. Our "family" continues to grow, and for that I am truly thankful.

This weekend we visited my brother and sister in law and the kiddos. Both of my nephews have a birthday in October, so this was a combo visit. We had a lot of fun, and even decorated some pumpkins (or "punks", as Hannah calls them). Of course, forgetful Aunt Dawn didn't remember to bring her camera, so I can't share with you their interesting creations. I also got to visit with my friend Ashley, and her daughter Ella, who is so much fun!

I hit the halfway mark tomorrow, 20 weeks! I'm showing now, and finding it even more difficult for clothes to fit. It's weird to think my belly will get so much bigger, because its hard as a rock and seems at its limit now. Amazing how our bodies know just how to handle all these changes.
The baby's room is cleaned out now, and will soon get a fresh coat of paint and shiny new furniture. We make all these preparations, but can we ever really be "ready" for this? I'm praying we're up to the challenge, because I know this darlin' will turn our world upside down in the best way possible!

Oh My Word, I am Cranky!

Wow, hormones have definitely set in full force! So far today, I have snapped at several people (some for good reason, some just because I was annoyed, one was my boss), had my feelings hurt by something that should have rolled off, and nearly been in tears multiple times. NOT myself, by any stretch of the imagination. Oh what a lucky man I get to go home to tonight!

Other than the highly volatile and increasingly unmanageable emotional state, I feel great! My belly seems to have just popped right out there, so I am officially down to 2 pairs of pants for work. Even the safety pinning does me no good anymore, as the zipper won't go up enough to be decent under my shirts. You'd think I'd be excited about the fact that I am forced to spend money on clothing, but I am still at a weird point where nothing fits quite like it should. My sweet friend Mary did buy me a few new tops to wear, so I don't feel quite as repetitive with my wardrobe.

I've been in the mood to cook a lot lately (when I can actually remember the names of the recipes), but am having some trouble with my leg going to sleep when I stand too long. A weird and annoying feeling, but I am trying to manage it with the help of my chiropractor aka sister-in-law. Speaking of the memory thing (wasn't I?), I sat down to plan menus for Chad for the next couple of weeks, and couldn' t for the life of me remember what I cook or what he likes to eat! Names of recipes simply were lost in the fog that has become my pregnancy brain. Poor thing, he may be stuck eating nachos for the next 5 months.

I still haven't gained a lot of weight, which is good for my super sensitive-I know I'm getting some eye rolls-afraid of gaining weight-self, but I have read that I should gain 10-14 pounds in my second trimester, which freaks me out tremendously. I know I know, I'm growing another human inside me, but it's still hard for a weirdo like me who has never had to "worry" about it. It's hard this week to eat as much as I need or as much as I want to though. I'm strangely full a lot of the time, and just don't want much.

For my good friend and new mommy Dawn, I promise I will post belly shots soon! For the rest of you, be warned! I am posting belly shots soon!

17 weeks and counting!