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Amy's Journal
Expecting December 2003
Sat Jul 12, 2003
Tiny Bubbles... 17 weeks now, is that the baby or is no?
Hello. Here I am, I've never kept a pregnancy journal of any kind before... well I did try to start one when I was pregnant with John Michael but only wrote a few things.
I am 17 weeks if I'm remembering correctly. I said in an email post a few weeks ago, how I was entering the WORST month of pregnancy in my opinion. I mean, for the first month I don't even know I'm pregnant yet. Then when I'm about 6 to 8 weeks, I start getting that bone-numbing exhaustion.. the all-day-long nausea/motion sickness... and there is no doubt I am pregnant... I can feel it every minute. Then about another month to 6 weeks later, it's over. I rarely get nauseated or dizzy, start feeling almost normal for energy-- at least, only need one short nap most days.
And that's it. For a month or 6 weeks, there are no signs that I'm pregnant. I have to just continue to have faith that yes, I'm still pregnant. I can't feel it, and I can't prove it, but I am.
But there were little signs. Like at about 15 weeks, when I realized that I was getting my libido back from wherever it was lost those first weeks, and I was *ahem* experiencing marital unity with my belovedand I COULD FEEL IT! I mean, I could feel my uterus! It got all hard with the flood of hormones from our lovemaking, and I could feel it, like a hard softball sitting in my pelvis. I wanted to feel it and was so glad it was there. There it was, I was pregnant.
I have a little plastic "fetal model" I got while training as a childbirth educator. It's a model of an 11 week fetus. I carried it around for several weeks. It was a token proving that I had a baby just like that nestled deep within me.
But now, I'm 17 weeks. I can feel the top of my womb just a couple of fingers-breadths below my navel... (at least, when I can get past the fluffiness). I can feel those toning contractions throughout the day, not just when lovemaking.
And finally it happened... those bubbles and bumps I've felt for weeks, that I always in the end had to admit were gas twinges... well, now it's not so. I have been feeling a few tiny flutters, signs of life.
And the horrible month of waiting is over.
And my libido is back fully. *wink*
Wed Jul 30, 2003
Hee hee! I'm showing! And I felt a thump~
So why do I still wonder whether I'm pregnant?
Could I possibly be imagining all this? Am I really pregnant? What proof do I have that I'm pregnant? My last menstrual perios is March 13, pretty sure I ovulated on March 31 or April 3. Had a day of spotting on... Oh I think it was April 13. I was queasy and dizzy from late April to late May. I was also so incredibly tired that I took 4 hour naps daily. Then my nipples got sore, and my milk dried up. Now I look pregnant. So is this real?
I am somewhat amused by my inability to really *accept* that I'm going to have a baby until I'm like 9 months pregnant. During my last pregnancy I think I didn't really accept that I was really pregnant until I was in labor....
So I am showing... if I can figure this thing out, I'll post a belly pic. I can feel my fundus right at my belly button, perfect for the 20 weeks that I estimate I am. As for feeling baby kicks... the tiny bubbles I reported last time... were infrequent and still hard to tell from maybe gas bubbles. (Who me? Gas? LOL) But yesterday I felt several distinct THUMPS and they were down pretty low.
My mom took my dad's blood pressure last week while we were there, because he'd missed his medication several times. It was fine, like 128/78, which encouraged him to maybe continue to skip the medication. His blood pressure medication gives him asthma! So then he has to take a med for that. Of course. That's how the industry flourishes. Anyhow... took mine too, just for fun.. it was like 90/60... then we did Jeff's and his was 139/94 and Mom was alarmed... Now Jeff has never had a blood pressure that high... and he did feel dehydrated and we *had* been through a lot last week. He also noticed palpitations when climbing stairs that day. So. Long story short, I went ahead and picked up a blood pressure cuff at Sam's Club for $17 the other day. Jeff's blood pressure was only 104/78 when I took it so *whew* that's ok.
I used the stethoscope that came with it to see if I could hear baby sounds. I couldn't hear anything. Guess I'll try again later.
Well... I got a few questions from ladies at work today about when my ultrasound was... I mean, I'm 20 weeks so I MUST be having an ultrasound right? I just told them I don't peek and smiled. My summer break is over and I'll be back to my regular schedule of working every Wednesday morning. Starting school with the kids tomorrow; it's too hot to go outside and play. And since we got rid of the TV we can't do that anymore so we might as well start school.
Told the children today that we were going to be in Basic Training for the next 20 weeks.... so that they can run the household when Mommy is in her confinement. I kind of like the old fashioned word confinement... I am confining myself, but I like to keep that recovery period... the Hispanics call it the Quarantina or something.
OH-- one more thing. A gal at my workplace had been TTC too... and she found out she was pregnant while I was out on summer break. She's like 6 weeks behind me. Well today she asked me what names we had picked out-- I told her William for a boy, Belen for a girl... of course everyone else I've had to explain where the name Belen came from... not her... she's picked Belen for a girl too! But for her, it's her grandmother's name.
Another gal at work had brought up a big bag of her maternity clothes to give me... I had really looked forward to it, she had some really cute clothes. Two other ladies didn't realize they were for me and gave them away to WIC moms who came in! Oh well. I did get a great clearance sale at Target and bought a pair of black pants for $4.48, skirt for $4.48, a hoodie for $3.48, and a dress for $4.48. Then I paid $15 for some jeans and $9.99 for another shirt. Then I went to J.C.Penny's and got a bunch of stuff 80% off... a sweater for $4.78, 3 shirts that were $34 for less than $5 each, another shirt for just under $6 and another one for $7. With the few things from my past pregnancies still decent, I guess I'm set. This should be enough to get me through. And it's fun to have new things.
Well that's enough rambling for now. Well one more thing.. the gal at church who kept telling me she'd bring me a home pregnancy test that she had left over from testing last year (her baby just turned 1).. she ended up using the test herself! She's due end of Febreary, early March... her 5th baby and her oldest will be 8 1/2... so I won't be the only weirdo at church anymore... although poor dear, she's getting a lot of "trying to keep up with the Joneses?" comments. LOL
Amy Jones
Fri Aug 01, 2003
I hadn't imagine weaning would be like this
Parting is such sweet sorrow.
Well, I guess we're barely making it to 2 years. His birthday is next Thursday but he hasn't "really" nursed in several days-- like maybe last Saturday or even Friday?
He had slowed down and dropped bedtime nursings a few months ago... but was still nursing first thing in the a.m. and then at 9, 11, 1, 3.... so he was still nursing a lot during the day. Then we went on vacation and he easily went to just nursing in the a.m. in bed with me, then maybe once in the afternoon... then he skipped a few mornings... a few afternoons... then he skipped an entire day.... then he asked to nurse but refused to latch on and just nibbled on the tip of my nipple a little... then a few days later he asked to nurse but only put his face against my breast and sighed and relaxed and snuggled. Today he asked to nurse, and when I lifted my shirt he just looked at it, smiled and went away.
I did sort of figure he'd lose interest when I lost my milk... which was about 4-5 weeks ago now. But I held on to the hope that he was so addicted to the booby for a pacifier that he'd hang on until my milk came back. But he honestly seems to not remember how to latch on now.
*sigh* It's a bittersweet milestone. I made it to 2 years... give a week. And I'm sure he'll still ask a few more times yet.... but I know now to be expecting each time to be the last time.
I'm so happy how breastfeeding him worked out. It was not easy. I used the Lact-aid to supplement him for the first 9 months, and then just relied on cups and solids to supplement and had the experience for the first time in my life of "just breastfeeding like a normal mom of a breastfeeding toddler." And I have high hopes that having such a successful nursing experience this time will make next time all the easier yet... praying that nursing Reuben so long yielded some recanalization or new milk producing tissue so that my milk supply will be even higher next time. With Jacob I probably produced about half of what he actually needed before I gave up. Bethany got 1/2 to 2/3... Reuben got 2/3 to 3/4 of his supply from me.
Don't mistake-- I'm still looking for milk donors to have milk in the freezer ready to go for the next baby... I will line it up in advance because it's easier to give away than it is to find it. :) And since I had to supplement Reuben and all 5 of the others, I want donor milk so I can avoid formula. Bethany and Reuben both got the benefit of having 100% human milk for the first 4 weeks for Bethany and 9 weeks for Reuben.
Well.. that's the story of my toddler weaning....
Tue Aug 12, 2003
5 months, not a whole lot going on
Hey, after my last post, which was made late on a Friday night, Reuben woke up that Saturday morning and latched on well and nursed a long time... then nursed 3 other times that day. Since then it's been 1-2 times a day... so he isn't weaned after all. Just like a fickle 2 year old, huh?
We had a great baseball birthday for him. Got him the "grow to pro" baseball tee thing from Fisher Price which he LOVES. Made him a baseball birthday cake, and a baseball pinata, and for party favors gave out Cracker Jacks. We just invited 2 families who are friends... none of our real family could come. But these 2 families have toddlers that are Reuben's best friends... Reuben asks for them by name and is always glad to see them. J.T. is the adopted son of some friends who also brought their 11 yo son and 2 other foster babies who are 13 months and 8 months. The other friend is Talitha who will be 3 in Nov, and they also brought their sons who are the same ages as my boys... so the boys had a BLAST with friends there, Reuben had a BLAST with J.T. and Talitha... we all had fun. I served Hot Dogs, Corn Dogs, chips and ice cream and cake. :)
Well, I've totally outgrown any pre-pregnancy clothes. Went shopping and got some new maternity clothes all 80% off at J.C. Penny and Target. It is so nice to have new maternity clothes after wearing the others 5 times over the last 10 years. :) I could use one more pair of jeans or a denim skirt... if I can find them cheap because I am way out of money.
I feel kicks now throughout the day... not a LOT of movement, but some. I feel my uterus get hard several times a day.
We had a week of GREAT *ahem* recreation... and then I sort of lost the urge... think we figured out that it coincided with Reuben's week of not nursing and then nursing again. Can breastfeeding really affect your libido so much? ... Now when Jeff sees Reuben wanting to nurse, he says "Man, don't suck it all outta momma, save some for me!" My nips still hurt, so I've been telling Boo he needs to just nurse for "5" because my milkies are hurt. He's accepting of that and sometimes asks me if I need "Ice?" LOL
He just started something fun... on his birthday (Aug 7)... previously when I asked him "Where's Baby?" He'd pat my right breast. Well on his birthday, he came up to me and lifted my shirt and said "BABY?" and gave me a huge raspberry on my belly. John Michael (6.5) thought this was hilarious and started doing it too. Now at least once a day Boo will caress my belly and tell the baby "Hi." I guess up to now my belly didn't look impressive enough to house a baby.
Well, I've been online too long I guess because the natives are getting restless.
Wed Sep 03, 2003
Where does the time go?
Really, I've tried to find time to update.
Well I'm 25 weeks tomorrow. I haven't really gained any weight yet... I lost down to about 158 and am back up to 163, but I was 163 when I got pregnant. And I'm not in a hurry to gain any more since I was 161-163 at full term with each of the first 4 children! :o
I feel bigger than I have in the past though. I also think my butt looks smaller, so maybe that's why I'm not gaining weight-- since I'm sticking to a better diet than in the past, I'm losing some of the overweight I had before I got pg??? You think? When I mentioned it to Jeff he said maybe my butt just looks smaller because everything else is bigger in comparison. Hardy har har.
My fundal height is 26 cm. I've never measured more than my weeks before. That was last Firday or Saturday.. I haven't done it this week... hold on, I guess I could go do that... well 26 1/2... no huge shocker there. I've been taking Jeff's blood pressure and it's been pretty consistently low since those last weeks of July and beginning of Aug when it was sort of high. Like yesterday it was 118/78. So I'm pleased. I guess the supplements helped? MY blood pressure is same as always... 98/68 yesterday. :) Did I mention I had a WIC appointment and they did my iron level; it was 36.
There are lots of pg women at church. We were teasing that we should all line up and take a preggo belly shot together. :) Get in order of due dates and have the progressive belly photo. One gal is HUGE... she's for sure got just one baby, but she's carrying high and looks huge... I thought she might be due in Sept and she's not due til NOV. So we have 2 due in Oct; 4 due in Nov; 2 due in Dec; 2 due in Jan; 3 in Feb; 2 in March and 2 in April so far. Someone said something not-so-very-nice about how no one will want to do baby showers every week for the next 6 months! I said "whatever." I don't want a baby shower anyway--- I want a baby BATH.
See, Jeff promised me a nice big soaking or jacuzzi tub... years ago. We never got around to it before Reuben was born.. but last November pulled out the old tub. Then we had our plans for the new bathroom. Jeff printed them for me and I tacked them to the bathroom wall to inspire us. We've slowly done some work-- taken out the closet, made a hole in the wall for the door, and taken down the soffit, scraped off the ceiling texture, and put a patch over the hole from the soffit... but we still need to make a hole for the new door, clean out the tool closet in the garage, open the closet to the bathroom and then close off the door to the garage, put insulation the closet walls, re-plumb the bathroom to move the sink and the tub... and then buy and install new sink, then tear out the old sink and install the new tub. THEN of course finishing work-- re-do walls, floors, etc... then the existing master closet becomes part of the laundry room since we are running out of space for children's clothes. *SIGH*
Back in May it seemed easy to get all this done before the baby came. Then somehow hardly anything's been done all summer, and we have no money to keep working on it. So I have a feeling I'll end up using the child's inflatable wading pool I got on clearance for $7 for birthing... I suppose I can set it up easily on the huge expanse of bare concrete floor in my bathroom!!!!
Ok... back to pregnancy journalling... Reuben loves to say "Hew-wooo" to the baby by putting his mouth right ON my belly button. He says it in a really low voice. The baby will have some affinity for foghorns, I think. The kids are still placing their bets on whether it's a girl or a boy. For a while they were saying "Boy/Girl Twins!" and now Jacob and John Michael think it would be fun to have "boy/boy twins!" I think they are a little crazy. I know there is some "twins" virus going around... but I sincerely still fear twins!
Well... I must go make dinner. The boys have Cub Scouts tonight. The baby's kicking... right now!
Oh that reminds me-- one more story. Last night we were all cuddled up (me and Jeff that is LOL) and my belly was against his belly.. and he could feel the baby kicking way around my left side, sort of low... I could feel pretty intense kicking however, on my right side, way around the side and sort of middle, not high or low. That baby must have been stretched out transverse about as far as he/she could stretch!
Well. That's about it.
Wed Sep 10, 2003
6 months down... starting to feel it
Well I'm suddenly feeling very pregnant. I ended up running to Sugar Land with my DH and kids on Saturday for my nephew's b'day; then DH was able to drive FIL's Jeep home so the kids and I could stay a few more days. I took the kids and my nephew to the beach (Galveston-- the State Park beach there) on Monday. It wasn't too hard on me although I was exhausted when we all got back to MIL's house. But I was it, the only adult (MIL and FIL are in Alaska again) so I had to just set the kids in front of Jungle Book 2 so I could lie down! :D It was fun wearing my "pregnant goddess" bathing suit at the beach with 6 kids in tow Haha.
After I've been sitting or standing for very long, I feel very heavy ...like my belly is a lead weight... and the only thing that makes me feel better is to lay down. I also start feeling those tightenings. As a matter of fact, I've been playing board games with my kids and sitting on my birth ball at the computer and yet feel a need to lay down and rest. *sigh*... I wish I had that total vibrancy and energy they say you get in the 2nd trimester. :) Of course only a few weeks and I'll be 3rd trimester! Already!
Today at work one lady gave me the 3rd degree about prenatal care. The other girls there are very understanding and think I'm cool to do UC... but this one lady was all like "How old are you? You need to be seeing someone..." I asked her what they could do for me that I wasn't already doing for myself.. she said "You need a blood sugar test!" I laughed and pointed out that even in my doctor or MW pregnancies, that I never had the blood sugar test done and my OB was OK with that. I said I'm asymptomatic and there's really not much to change in my diet to make it any better. Anyhow... Jeff told me to be careful, try to lead her to believe in the next weeks that I'm being seen by at least a MW so that she doesn't get it into her head to cause us any trouble.
I've still been trying to find the fetal heart tones with the stethoscope that goes with our blood pressure cuff... haven't really found it yet but can hear bumps and kicks louder. Can definitely feel this baby. Jeff is so funny-- he'll come up to me and start tapping or thumping my belly... I'll say what are you doing, trying to wake it up? He says Yeah and grins real big. :P He's so funny. I have no complaints though... in the past with my "attended" pregnancies, he was very distant and didn't want to bond with the baby until it was born. Now... with UP, he is so much more protective and wants to feel the baby and check up on us...
OK... other symptoms/things going on. I didn't take my supplements to my MIL's house this weekend, and the last few days I've had heartburn. The good news is that Breyers Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream seems to get rid of the heartburn pretty quickly. The bad news is that I've gained 2 lbs! Well getting back to my regular supplement program hopefully will help. Digestive enzymes, magnesium, calcium, Vit C, B complex... and the protein shakes I eat for breakfast. I have a YUMMY recipe I've been using-- 8 oz milk, 1 1/2 scoops protein powder, 1/2 c blueberries, 1/2 cup strawberries and 2 Tbsp orange juice concentrate. The fruits are all frozen to make my smoothie like a shake. It has 20 g protein and the fiber and vitamins and stuff from the fruit... and it's yummy. Don't have to add sugar at all.
Need to go clean the kitchen, take a little rest, make a little dinner. Tonight is Cub Scout night and John Michael gets his Tiger scout book-- he is so excited. :)
Mon Sep 29, 2003
Third trimester... seems to have gone so fast
I know that in 10 weeks I will *not* be saying it's going fast. Ha. But right now it seems I haven't been pregnant very long at all. And yet I'm 28 weeks, we're in the third trimester. The last third of pregnancy.
I lost my tape measure... well *I* didn't.. Jacob used it for some math project and after that it disappeared. So I can't play with the tape measure anymore. Which is just as well. I still have never figured out a heartbeat with a stethoscope.... never could find Reuben's with a stethoscope either, although other people say they can hear with a stethoscope. I just can't. I can hear kicks and I can hear my own heartbeat.. but I can't discern the baby's heartbeat with it. Just as well.. it gets me too riled up about whether it's a boy or girl... like when I finally did hear Reuben's heartbeat, and it was 126... and I just *knew* then it was a boy... so in a way hearing a heartbeat would totally "ruin" the fact that we want to wait to find out if we have a boy or a girl.
I have only gained about 3 lbs this entire pregnancy. I feel so much better than I did during my pregnancy with Reuben and I give much of the credit for that to Winsor Pilates. :D My "powerhouse" is powerful enough to carry a baby without the aches and pains I had last time. Yay.
My kids are distracting me from saying anything terribly substantial now... but here's a quick update anyway... School is good, we'll be at a good stopping place by Christmas so we can do some "unschooling" for at least a few months if not longer after this baby is born. Oh... here's a cute story to add... my brother is getting married April 4 (I think that's the date) ... so we were at Walmart the other day, and Bethany spotted some pretty lacy frilly dresses and they were marked down from $13.96 to $9. There were pink, off white, and white... and Bethany wanted the "white wedding dress." Of all the styles they had, this one dress was the ONLY one that came in both a 5T *and* a 3/6 mo size. So we bought one of each... on faith that this might be the baby sister she prayed for last Spring. If it turns out to be a boy, I can always take the dress back to Walmart if I have to. :) And if it *is* a sister, they will look so wonderful in their white dresses at my brother's wedding... and for Easter too I guess.
Well, until next time...
Thu Oct 02, 2003
Choosing their names
I decided I wanted this post from the forums into my journal for safekeeping. :) Here it is again.... in reply to "Share how you chose your babies' names"...
God chose Jacob's name... it's a long story and I actually posted it to the yahoogroups listserv on his birthday a couple of weeks ago. But suffice it to say, God was working in me, and Jacob means, to us, that God is merciful and has plans for our lives no matter how badly we think we've messed up our life! His middle name is Daniel which means God-- not man or even myself-- is my judge.
When I was pg with Mark we were certain we were having a girl. So certain was everyone that the first few pages of his hospital records all say "Baby girl Jones" even after he was born! They just didn't comprehend he was a boy after all the time thinking he would be a girl. Even the U/S said he was a girl! (He was just a very modest boy LOL) Anyhow... we had not been able to really agree on a girl's name, but we hadn't picked out a boys name AT ALL. When he was born, and they took him away to resuscitate him, I looked up at Jeff and said "His name is Mark Edward." Jeff said "Yes, that's perfect." Neither of us really thought about it, it just came to us. Later we got a chance to think about it... Mark is also my dad's and grandfather's name, and it means "Warrior." Edward is Jeff's middle name and also his Dad's middle name, and it means "Prosperous protector." Mark had a really rough birth and there were several times they really thought he would die. Mark's birth brought out the prayer warrior in all of us and also... God was his prosperous protector... they told me when he was 4 days old that "if he lived" he would be blind, deaf and mentally retarded because of all the brain damage from his birth. Well he is perfectly sound and whole, God protected him completely.
When I was pg with John Michael I just liked the sound of that name. Didn't put a lot more thought into it than that... I just latched on to it and couldn't imagine using any other name. It fits him perfectly of course, it's a name inspired by heaven just for this little boy. John means /Given by God, Michael means Who is like Thee? Well, John Michael came only 16 mos after Mark, and it was sort of a test of our QF faith decision... and God certainly showed us through John Michael that he, and every other child, is given by God for a specific purpose, and Who is like God, who can form a child and place him into a family? The words of God to Job mean a lot to me now... who was there when He formed the earth? Who can know how He forms one in the womb? Who can dare to think they know more or can plan better than God Himself? Who indeed is like God? We are His humble servants. This was a turning point for our family in our choice to walk the narrow path, no matter the cost.
Bethany Grace-- oh this was the culmination of the hardest year of my life getting harder, the darkest before the dawn. I was SO overwhelmed with my 3 boys in just over 3 years. We lived in the mountains and had very little real support. I was lonely, Jeff worked long hours-- gone 12 hours a day with his commute. I would slip into depression and then force myself out in almost manic ways... one day I'd have bread baking, something good cooking, house clean and candles lit and soft music playing when Jeff got home... other days I'd lay on the couch all day and just wallow in my misery. It was horrible. THEN... we were in a car accident that killed 5 people and induced terrible "survivor guilt/PTSD" in me... we moved from Colo to Texas.... we were told our pregnancy was high-risk and were put under a LOT of stress with weekly U/S scans and then they induced me at 37 weeks... then in her first 2 weeks breastfeeding went so poorly that she was 11 oz under birthweight at 2 weeks... I had to jump through hoops to keep her breastfeeding... and I was still dealing with all the other stress.. she ended up being sick all the time... it took a while to treat my PPD and get life going again. We chose her name ... Bethany Grace... Bethany was a compromise, Jeff chose it... I wanted Elisabeth Anne, so Bethany was a mixture of that. But it means House of Poverty... and at the time I was emotionally and spiritually impoverished.. KWIM? Grace... because our mantra through these months was "His grace is sufficient" as we went about our daily duties... mechanically, without joy, but trusting that God was in this and at the end of it and we would muddle through.
Our next baby was miscarried. It was too early to know whether it was a girl or boy, and in my mind I've always referred to this baby as Christian/ne. This baby was the end of my hardships and depression and the beginning of a rock solid faith and child like trust in my God, that nothing will ever overcome. I had such peace through my miscarriage, I never faltered in my belief that God was in control and I was actually *happy* through this time, because my JOY came from the Lord and was my strength.
The next baby was all UP/UC. It was a joyous time of leaning on the Lord and no others. Our marriage changed, as together we sought the Lord and He gave us an intimacy and understanding of each other that we've never had before. Jeff's grandpa's name was Reuben, and he died when I was about 7 or 8 weeks pg, and we decided then and there to name our baby Reuben if it was a boy. Reuben means "It's a boy!" or more elegantly, "Behold, a son!" We chose Joseph to go with it, "May He add" because we truly feel excited to let God add to our family, to add to our blessings, and even to our sorrows if it pleases Him... whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lords and we have no fear of man any longer.
I got on a kick after we named our daughter Bethany... and made a list of other names that would fit a "theme" of Bible places... Olivia for the Mount of Olives, paired with Faith. ...Moriah Joy..... Eden Purity.... Belen (spanish for Bethlehem) Hope... and even Beulah Victoria... since THIS baby is due Christmas Day... we are pulled to Belen Hope, with it's ties to Christmas... plus HOPE has been a recurring theme for us since we found out we were pregnant... I mean... Jeff ordered the new Hillsong DVD.. it arrived, it was called "Hope." Our pastor preached a sermon series on... Hope. I picked out a new nail polish just because I liked the color, and believe it or not, written in tiny letters on the top, "Hope." Jeff and Bethany only "hope" we have enough girls to use all those pretty names now! LOL
If this baby were a boy... well, all the other boys it turned out had a Grandpa's name.. and my mom's dad Bill is the only one who doesn't have a baby named after him... SO... we feel good about naming the next boy William... if THIS baby is a boy, we feel led to make it William Immanuel, God is with us. William means "resolute" (determined, set, bent)... And we ARE "resolute that God is with us"!!!!!
Wow that turned out long... guess you have to be long to explain 7 names LOL
Thu Oct 09, 2003
Man, you hit the 3rd trimester and WHAM
How does this happen??? LOL
Guess it happened with the 2nd trimester too... One day I don't even look pg... and then WHAM suddenly there's a belly. :o
Well... a couple of weeks ago I said I lost the measuring tape so I hadn't used it. Well I found it last week, and I meaured 29 cm... and my waist was 40"... I remember being surprised that my waist was only 4" bigger than it had been before pg. WELL... tonight I measure 34 cm and my waist is 43"! But... I still weigh 166. So still not quite 3 lbs heavier than before pg.
I feel FANTASTIC. Much better than a month ago. I got a video called "Crunch Yoga Mama" that was recommended in Fit Pregnancy Magazine. I only got it because I happened to see it at Ross for only $5 or something. OH! It feels SO GOOD. It's wonderful. It stretches JUST the right places, it's just .... wonderful. I highly recommend it. Plus it's so sweet the way she talks about sending your love to your baby, and when you do poses where you look down towards your belly she says "say hello to baby!" and she also reminds you that baby can hear your voice so you should talk to your baby every day.
Heartburn has been coming back, along with cravings for pickles and olives... so I've been using my enzymes more faithfully and also eating pickles and olives when I think about it or want them. I have to think part of the reason the heartburn has come back is that the baby has started invading my stomach space. I also find that if I slouch or bend over I can't breathe.
Oh, and one last thing... this is the start of the end. At the end of this week we'll be down to SINGLE DIGIT COUNTDOWN... at the end of the 10th week it will be Christmas and my baby will be "due." New Years is the end of the 11th week from now.... I can't believe it's this close... for the longest time I haven't hardly felt pregnant, and then still didn't feel "very" pregnant, and it seemed SO LONG to Christmas. And already we're down to single digits.
So .... I started making sure things were ready this week. Started with Christmas gifts, looking at what I already have for whom and reminding myself of who else I need to get a gift for (buy make or find). I started Christmas Cards this week... going over the list, addressing envelopes. We planned Thanksgiving at MIL's house 2 weeks ago, and have it organized so just have to do it when it comes. So.... I can concentrate on the actually important things....
One last thing to mention--- baby's movements have been mostly private affairs between me and baby. DH could feel baby if he was touching me, like if I press up against his back in bed. But this week.... people have started noticing baby movements from just sitting near me or even across the room! The bumps are so jarring. I do remember even Jacob, my firstborn, used to entertain the other folks in my college classes during lectures... they'd stare at my belly just to see it jump and move like it was alive... Hee hee..... Well it's that time again, baby is big enough to make some real movements now. I had a baby at the WIC clinic this week that weighed just over 4 lbs... was 4 weeks old too btw... anyhow, I know that based on "averages" that my baby in the womb is 2 lbs 12 oz to 3 lbs right now, so I just looked at this 4 lb baby in awe, thinking "Wow, almost that big!" Unbelieveable......
Well, until next time....
Thu Oct 23, 2003
Nesting... and other things
I guess I was off in my counting last time, because it's only 9 weeks left now but it's been 2 weeks since I posted that it was 10 weeks.
I still weigh 166. I am still getting heartburn. I was so hungry last night, I just kept having to get snacks every 1-2 hours. But tonight, I am not hungry at all... just feel full all day.
Tomorrow afternoon I'm going on a retreat with my MIL and 2 SILs. It's going to be fun... and the kids look forward to having a Daddy weekend with no mommy. :) They don't do that much... I mean, DH has gone and left the kids alone with just Mommy.. but to be alone with just Daddy ... I don't think they've ever done it now that I think of it.. at least not for 2 whole days! I leave Friday at 3:30 and we're done at noon Sunday, but by the time we clean up and pack and drive home it will be 3 I'm sure.
Got DSL today so hopefully I can work on getting some pictures up now that I don't have to wait forever to do everything on the web. DH is also giving me his old laptop since he got a new one, and got us wireless networking in the house.. so I can use my notebook to connect from any room in the house and even out in the yard!!! That will be GREAT for sitting outside now that the mosquitos are calming down a little bit... well they aren't yet but they will die off as soon as we get a couple of cold nights which *has* to be any day now right? Although today it was 91 and we were swimming in the backyard pool.
I still feel great, still doing my exercises and eating what I want mostly, eating healthy. Tonight I made a "chili casserole" which basically means I didn't feel like cooking so I took already browned ground beef seasoned with onions that was in the freezer, mixed it with a can of beans and a can of tomatoes, and poured cornbread batter on top and baked. Made spinach on the side because I am always craving spinach. Love it. Luckily the kids love it too.. at least all but Jeff and Jacob love it.
Can't think of anything else to write... things are good here, I'm happy, I got another room in the house decluttered and cleaned. I've gotten both Reuben and Mark up to Walmart for pictures... will get Jacob's done when we pick up Mark's in a couple of weeks... then I'll do Bethany and John Michael in the winter and the new baby too I guess.
Not much of an update... so boring I'm not sure why I bothered... except to try out how fast my new DSL is LOL
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