I know it’s been a long time since I’ve added an entry, but what do you expect? I’m pregnant and unreliable. Haha
I can nearly see the finish line from here. I only have about 7 days until my official due date, June 3rd. Everything has gone quite well thus far with no problems. This week he said I was about 75% effaced and about 2 cm dilated. I’m not getting my hopes up, but he seems to think I might deliver early. I certainly wouldn’t complain about that. Really it’s only recently I’ve been getting quite uncomfortable. Apart from being a bit tired, I usually feel quite well. And I’ve discovered that a short 30 minute to 1 hour nap goes a LONG way, so I’ve had the luxury of making that a priority most every day.
Although I normally feel quite well, the past couple days I’ve been suffering with some sort of head cold I think. As I write this it‘s 4am and I’m sitting up in bed trying to minimize the pain. Basically I’m dealing with sinus pressure and headache, drainage in the back of the throat that has given me the worse sore throat I’ve probably ever had. It’s really painful to swallow and I’ve lost my voice. I whisper some, but that’s still painful. The sinus pressure makes my teeth hurt like crazy, so I’m sure I look pretty silly at times when I’m pushing on my teeth with my fingers, trying to alleviate some pain. I got an antibiotic from my doctor, so hopefully that will clear everything up within a few days. I’m not worried because I’m trusting God that things will happen according to His perfect plan, but it’s hard not to be a little nervous at the possibility I might go into labor before I’ve recovered from whatever this sickness is. Loved ones, I ask that you please pray for this to pass quickly. I appreciate the support so much.
Mentally and emotionally things have been interesting lately. I really feel like God is preparing me. Recently my emotions and mind have felt quite relaxed, not anxious. I’ve felt pretty prepared and I’ve enjoyed more and more just being home. Although I’ve felt I’ve suffered with a bad case of pregnancy brain for many months now, I’ve actually felt a bit more clear headed in the past week or so. Has my pregnancy brain gotten so bad that I just don’t even see it anymore? Or have I actually had some of my brain come back? Haha. Who knows? Probably Michael could answer that.
Since I’ve been pregnant, sometimes I’ve been caught off guard as to how I instinctively react to different situations. This past Sunday was one of those “situations”. At church this week they recognized the high school seniors, as they will be graduating sometime in the next couple of weeks. As many churches and schools do, they showed a slide show of the students with pictures of them as a baby and then a recent picture. I’ve always thought these slide shows were kind of fun, but this time… I caught myself crying about the second picture in (and I’m not a crier). It took about 10 seconds for my brain to say “Oh my goodness, look at that baby picture….now she is a young adult ready to leave for college. That could be Caleb’s baby picture!” Caleb hasn’t even been born yet and his life flashed before my eyes! I kept thinking, “How could they do this to me? When will this slide show be over?? Can we talk about something else???” It was pretty ridiculous. Haha. I’m glad it’s over.
Michael and I took several “baby classes” over the past couple of months and enjoyed them very much. We took Prepared Childbirth, which is like Lamaze, which was 4 separate sessions of breathing exercises, physical exercises intended for use during pregnancy, practicing of techniques used to cope with pain during labor, and much more. I think the ladies particularly enjoy this class because much of it is your husband messaging you or caressing you while you are in various comfortable positions. Haha. We also took a class called “Caring for Mom / Caring for Baby” and a Breast Feeding Class. Those were both one session classes, and they also seemed to be helpful.
I’ve really really appreciated how attentive and involved Michael has been throughout this entire pregnancy and that certainly includes his willing participation in these classes. It’s comforting to me to know he’s there in body and mind as a part of this team. But I have to tell you this story of something that happened not too long ago that got my delicate pregnant mind temporarily freaked out. In our prepared childbirth class we learned that during pregnancy women often have bad leg cramps, usually in the middle of the night. So we were taught how to quickly get rid of these cramps. Coaches were instructed how to hold his wife’s leg and ankle, and how to stretch out the calf until the cramp went away. At the time of these instructions I had not yet experienced one of these infamous leg cramps and had counted that a blessing. Well, that changed. A few weeks after class I woke up in the middle of the night yelling from the pain of a leg cramp. Michael shot up out of bed like a rocket and was freaking out, yelling “What?! What’s going on?!” He probably thought I was in labor or had some medical emergency I suppose. I quickly told him “Leg cramp! Leg cramp!” He proceeded to “help” by attempting to use the technique we learned in class, except his own version of it. He was on the wrong side of me, he was holding my leg and ankle wrong, he went too fast which caused more pain. I can barely speak because of the pain, but I attempt to tell him he’s hurting me. He repositions himself, and then suddenly he lets go and says in a whiny voice “Ow my shoulder hurts and I’m nauseous” and immediately crawls back into bed and back to sleep in seconds. Although the cramp was mostly gone, I lay there still in some pain thinking “Oh my gosh. We can’t even handle a leg cramp, how will we ever handle labor!?” So I go back to sleep a bit stressed, and the next day I bring up the topic to Michael. He says something to the effect of “If you were having a leg cramp, why didn’t you ask for my help? You should ask me for help.” I was shocked. I said “What are you talking about?? I did ask you for help, and you even attempted to give me help. But about as soon as you started helping me you complained of shoulder pain and nausea and went straight back to sleep with me still in pain.” He seemed pretty surprised and then started laughing. He didn’t remember a thing about that. Apparently Michael was asleep during the fiasco, and the moral of the story is – whenever you wake up with a cramp or wake up in labor, make sure your husband is actually awake before he starts helping you. Despite this one silly situation I think Michael and I both feel pretty prepared for labor and delivery. I’m positive he will be an excellent coach. As long as we make sure he is awake!Haha
Friday, May 27, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Sweet Dreams
Dreams seem to be a common topic with pregnant woman. I've often heard or read about how pregnant women often have very vivid and strange dreams. Some so vivid they have a hard time during the daytime overcoming the feelings evoked by those dreams, including undeserved anger towards someone who did them wrong within their dream.
At this point I don't think I can say I have had more vivid or more strange dreams than usual. I just think I normally have vivid and strange dreams. But occasionally I'm intrigued by a dream I have.
Not long ago I dreamt that I actually saw Caleb. Apparently it was within days of his birth, and I remember holding him in my arms in a semi-cradled position but held a little upright and out away from me so I could get a good look at him. Of course he was beautiful and oh so cute. But what was funny to me that really stood out was that he had strawberry blonde hair. Within this same dream I later took Caleb into a home store to shop. I was there with my mother, and after being there for only a few minutes a thought hit me. "What am I doing out here shopping with a baby who's only a day or two old?!" Haha. It's funny how no matter how strange a dream is (not that this one is particularly strange), you can have a moment of clarity and logic.
I got to thinking about dreams again lately because in the past couple of weeks I've had several dreams about drowning. I don't think I've ever dreamt about drowning before, and yet I've had several lately. So I decided, out of curiosity, to see what some "dream dictionaries" say about the meaning of drowning. I don't put much weight in dream dictionaries, but I was just curious to see what they said. The common thread I found in the different definitions I read was a feeling of being overwhelmed with emotion. I would have to say that accurately defines me lately. haha. Some have even heard me mention that one of the more annoying symptoms of pregnancy, in my opinion, is being so emotional. Plus, I think when you're pregnant for the first time, you have SO many more reasons than usual to be emotional. So it's a double whammy. At least most of the emotions are good and happy ones. And the ones I wouldn't consider "happy emotions" aren't so bad. They're things like nervousness, a little fear or a little anxiousness regarding the big change and commitment and responsibility of being a parent. But the fear and anxiousness is rare, so don't worry. It's mostly just nervousness.
At this point I don't think I can say I have had more vivid or more strange dreams than usual. I just think I normally have vivid and strange dreams. But occasionally I'm intrigued by a dream I have.
Not long ago I dreamt that I actually saw Caleb. Apparently it was within days of his birth, and I remember holding him in my arms in a semi-cradled position but held a little upright and out away from me so I could get a good look at him. Of course he was beautiful and oh so cute. But what was funny to me that really stood out was that he had strawberry blonde hair. Within this same dream I later took Caleb into a home store to shop. I was there with my mother, and after being there for only a few minutes a thought hit me. "What am I doing out here shopping with a baby who's only a day or two old?!" Haha. It's funny how no matter how strange a dream is (not that this one is particularly strange), you can have a moment of clarity and logic.
I got to thinking about dreams again lately because in the past couple of weeks I've had several dreams about drowning. I don't think I've ever dreamt about drowning before, and yet I've had several lately. So I decided, out of curiosity, to see what some "dream dictionaries" say about the meaning of drowning. I don't put much weight in dream dictionaries, but I was just curious to see what they said. The common thread I found in the different definitions I read was a feeling of being overwhelmed with emotion. I would have to say that accurately defines me lately. haha. Some have even heard me mention that one of the more annoying symptoms of pregnancy, in my opinion, is being so emotional. Plus, I think when you're pregnant for the first time, you have SO many more reasons than usual to be emotional. So it's a double whammy. At least most of the emotions are good and happy ones. And the ones I wouldn't consider "happy emotions" aren't so bad. They're things like nervousness, a little fear or a little anxiousness regarding the big change and commitment and responsibility of being a parent. But the fear and anxiousness is rare, so don't worry. It's mostly just nervousness.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Baby Gear Galore
Wednesday Michael and I spent ALL day registering for all the baby gear. I’m amazed sometimes at how Michael can survive shopping longer than I can. I’m really glad though, because while I was trying to make the “right” decision, he was totally there with me, in mind and body, and not trying to rush me through and onto something else. I had fun, and I think Michael did as well.
It's so funny to me sometimes to see what husbands all of a sudden get opinionated on. (Like when you decide to redecorate the guest room and throughout the process they couldn't care less about the choices you make because they just want you happy. But all of a sudden they are very opinionated on the choice for curtains. Seems so random.) Michael had a special fascination with pacifiers, so if you notice we have registered for a lot of pacifiers you now know why. haha. Michael likes them. I'm just glad he was interested in the process.
I think it helped that I prepared quite a bit before I went in. I went one day with Carolyn when she was registering for Lilly and I was TOTALLY overwhelmed with all the STUFF. They have a product for EVERYTHING. It’s crazy. I was thinking “Surely one does not need all this junk. But what of it do you really need??” That feeling really stuck with me. So when we found out we were pregnant, I decided I would go in armed and ready, knowing what kind of items I actually needed, and what items I could skip over. I read a book on baby gear and talked to a few people, and then made myself a shopping list. I reviewed specific products online for a couple days, and then we went in Wednesday for the final “kill”. I didn’t feel overwhelmed. I felt like I knew exactly what I was looking for and didn’t waste time contemplating items I had already determined were unnecessary. Though I don’t expect to know every single item I need ahead of time. I may find something particularly helpful once Caleb arrives and I learn what kind of temperament he has and what he likes, but I just don’t want to waste any money on a bunch of stuff I don’t really need and that just takes up more room than it’s worth.
I’m glad to get that task checked off my list. One reason I wanted to get it done right away was to get a better idea of how much money we need in preparation for Caleb’s arrival. I was able to tally up the total of all my registries and determine how much it would cost us to totally outfit the baby ourselves. So although I’m sure I’ll receive some gifts at my shower from my registries, I now have a “worst case scenario” to plan for. Makes me feel a lot more at ease to be as prepared as possible.
The places I registered are:
Babies R’ Us
Target
www.nurturedfamily.com
www.diaperbagboutique.com
Let me explain a little something about the two web stores. I registered at Nurtured Family, because I plan on doing clothe diapers. Instead of registering at a specific diaper brand web page like fuzzy bunz or bum genius, I was able to register here for several different brands. I’ve heard good things about different brands, and some things I’ve heard and read have said to try a couple different brands to determine which ones you and your baby like best. This just seemed like an easy solution. This store also carries a variety of other baby products, but mostly what I needed was diapers. Then Diaper Bag Boutique is just one “fun item” for me. Haha. So I know you don’t need any sort of fancy or expensive diaper bag, but I was really trying my best to just be practical on other items but I was hoping for a fun diaper bag that doesn’t look juvenile. I am the one carrying the diaper bag, not my baby. Haha. Since I’ve been pregnant I’ve been browsing diaper bags at various stores and online and haven’t liked a single one, until this one. I LOVE it. Look at it and tell me it isn’t totally cute, even if it’s not your personal style. It’s super cute. Haha. Likely Michael and I will simply buy it ourselves, but I just wanted to show the ladies how cute it is. Haha. I’ll probably wait until the last minute to buy it though, just in case we don’t have the money for it. Which, in that case, I’ll THEN go buy the super inexpensive no thrills or frills bag.
Well we’re getting more and more excited about Caleb’s arrival. I think Daphne is particularly anxious. I keep finding her lying in the nursery “waiting”. That’s quite unusual for her. She never used to go in that room, and usually she either lies on the floor in the room we’re in, or in her bed. I’m curious to see how she will be with a baby around. I know she’s great with kids, but I wonder what kind of adjustment this will be for her as well. Maybe she’s in the nursery practicing her guarding skills? Although if that’s the case, someone should tell her that I’m keeping the baby with me at all times for now, until June that is. If she wants to guard him, she should stick with me.
It's so funny to me sometimes to see what husbands all of a sudden get opinionated on. (Like when you decide to redecorate the guest room and throughout the process they couldn't care less about the choices you make because they just want you happy. But all of a sudden they are very opinionated on the choice for curtains. Seems so random.) Michael had a special fascination with pacifiers, so if you notice we have registered for a lot of pacifiers you now know why. haha. Michael likes them. I'm just glad he was interested in the process.
I think it helped that I prepared quite a bit before I went in. I went one day with Carolyn when she was registering for Lilly and I was TOTALLY overwhelmed with all the STUFF. They have a product for EVERYTHING. It’s crazy. I was thinking “Surely one does not need all this junk. But what of it do you really need??” That feeling really stuck with me. So when we found out we were pregnant, I decided I would go in armed and ready, knowing what kind of items I actually needed, and what items I could skip over. I read a book on baby gear and talked to a few people, and then made myself a shopping list. I reviewed specific products online for a couple days, and then we went in Wednesday for the final “kill”. I didn’t feel overwhelmed. I felt like I knew exactly what I was looking for and didn’t waste time contemplating items I had already determined were unnecessary. Though I don’t expect to know every single item I need ahead of time. I may find something particularly helpful once Caleb arrives and I learn what kind of temperament he has and what he likes, but I just don’t want to waste any money on a bunch of stuff I don’t really need and that just takes up more room than it’s worth.
I’m glad to get that task checked off my list. One reason I wanted to get it done right away was to get a better idea of how much money we need in preparation for Caleb’s arrival. I was able to tally up the total of all my registries and determine how much it would cost us to totally outfit the baby ourselves. So although I’m sure I’ll receive some gifts at my shower from my registries, I now have a “worst case scenario” to plan for. Makes me feel a lot more at ease to be as prepared as possible.
The places I registered are:
Babies R’ Us
Target
www.nurturedfamily.com
www.diaperbagboutique.com
Let me explain a little something about the two web stores. I registered at Nurtured Family, because I plan on doing clothe diapers. Instead of registering at a specific diaper brand web page like fuzzy bunz or bum genius, I was able to register here for several different brands. I’ve heard good things about different brands, and some things I’ve heard and read have said to try a couple different brands to determine which ones you and your baby like best. This just seemed like an easy solution. This store also carries a variety of other baby products, but mostly what I needed was diapers. Then Diaper Bag Boutique is just one “fun item” for me. Haha. So I know you don’t need any sort of fancy or expensive diaper bag, but I was really trying my best to just be practical on other items but I was hoping for a fun diaper bag that doesn’t look juvenile. I am the one carrying the diaper bag, not my baby. Haha. Since I’ve been pregnant I’ve been browsing diaper bags at various stores and online and haven’t liked a single one, until this one. I LOVE it. Look at it and tell me it isn’t totally cute, even if it’s not your personal style. It’s super cute. Haha. Likely Michael and I will simply buy it ourselves, but I just wanted to show the ladies how cute it is. Haha. I’ll probably wait until the last minute to buy it though, just in case we don’t have the money for it. Which, in that case, I’ll THEN go buy the super inexpensive no thrills or frills bag.
Well we’re getting more and more excited about Caleb’s arrival. I think Daphne is particularly anxious. I keep finding her lying in the nursery “waiting”. That’s quite unusual for her. She never used to go in that room, and usually she either lies on the floor in the room we’re in, or in her bed. I’m curious to see how she will be with a baby around. I know she’s great with kids, but I wonder what kind of adjustment this will be for her as well. Maybe she’s in the nursery practicing her guarding skills? Although if that’s the case, someone should tell her that I’m keeping the baby with me at all times for now, until June that is. If she wants to guard him, she should stick with me.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
What's In a Name
I think there is a lot in a name. My mom has often said that people live up to the names given to them. Whether the "name" be "stupid", "smart", "funny", "mean", or literally there name, be it Timothy, Sarah, Robert or Tera. She warned me to be careful what I called people, good or bad, because whether they are truly that name or not, they will begin to live up to it.
I've kept that in mind, and so far it seems true, at least most of the time. For this reason and others I knew I wanted to pick great names for my future children, names they would strive to live up.
Michael and I recently decided on the name "Caleb Andrew" for our baby. We both liked the sound of the names, their meanings, and we liked the Caleb and Andrew in the Bible. Caleb means “faith, devotion, and whole hearted.” Andrew means “warrior” or “courageous”.
The Caleb in the Old Testament wandered in the desert with Moses and the Israelites. When they arrived at Canaan, Caleb was one of the twelve spies (one from each tribe) that went into Canaan to check it out and report back to the rest of the people. Upon the spies return they reported great things about the land of Canaan, and that it was indeed flowing with milk and honey. Caleb and another spy, Joshua, insisted they defeat the people and take over Canaan, while the other ten spies convinced the people that this was impossible. The people were huge and the city was fortified, they did not believe they could defeat them. Despite Caleb and Joshua’s efforts, the people believed the other ten spies and had lost their faith and questioned why God even brought them to this place. They were so faithless that many wanted to return to captivity in Egypt where they could die. As you know God punished them by making them wander in the dessert until everyone over 20 had died, because they would not be allowed into Canaan. BUT because Caleb and Joshua were faithful and believed God, they would be allowed to enter Canaan when it came time. Because of this, Caleb is known for his faith, devotion and whole heartedness.
Andrew of course was a disciple. He was a fisherman (which Michael thinks is really cool) and brought many people to the Lord, including his own brother Peter. Jesus instructed Andrew (and the other fisherman he was with) to be fishers of men. And he was. Andrew is the disciple that brought the boy with the 5 loaves and two fish to the hillside where Jesus miraculously fed thousands of people. He was also present at many other “major” events in the Bible. Andrew is also the name of Michael’s best friend. Andrew is a great Christian man, a true friend and great influence and encouragement to Michael. We really appreciate him and are honored that he is willing to share his name with our little boy.
I've kept that in mind, and so far it seems true, at least most of the time. For this reason and others I knew I wanted to pick great names for my future children, names they would strive to live up.
Michael and I recently decided on the name "Caleb Andrew" for our baby. We both liked the sound of the names, their meanings, and we liked the Caleb and Andrew in the Bible. Caleb means “faith, devotion, and whole hearted.” Andrew means “warrior” or “courageous”.
The Caleb in the Old Testament wandered in the desert with Moses and the Israelites. When they arrived at Canaan, Caleb was one of the twelve spies (one from each tribe) that went into Canaan to check it out and report back to the rest of the people. Upon the spies return they reported great things about the land of Canaan, and that it was indeed flowing with milk and honey. Caleb and another spy, Joshua, insisted they defeat the people and take over Canaan, while the other ten spies convinced the people that this was impossible. The people were huge and the city was fortified, they did not believe they could defeat them. Despite Caleb and Joshua’s efforts, the people believed the other ten spies and had lost their faith and questioned why God even brought them to this place. They were so faithless that many wanted to return to captivity in Egypt where they could die. As you know God punished them by making them wander in the dessert until everyone over 20 had died, because they would not be allowed into Canaan. BUT because Caleb and Joshua were faithful and believed God, they would be allowed to enter Canaan when it came time. Because of this, Caleb is known for his faith, devotion and whole heartedness.
Andrew of course was a disciple. He was a fisherman (which Michael thinks is really cool) and brought many people to the Lord, including his own brother Peter. Jesus instructed Andrew (and the other fisherman he was with) to be fishers of men. And he was. Andrew is the disciple that brought the boy with the 5 loaves and two fish to the hillside where Jesus miraculously fed thousands of people. He was also present at many other “major” events in the Bible. Andrew is also the name of Michael’s best friend. Andrew is a great Christian man, a true friend and great influence and encouragement to Michael. We really appreciate him and are honored that he is willing to share his name with our little boy.
Friday, January 7, 2011
It's a Boy!!!
My crazy dream and most everyone's predictions were correct. It's a boy! We had our 19 week appointment this week and found out the news. We are SUPER excited.
Since we found out, things have felt surprisingly different for me. I don't mean physically, but mentally and emotionally. It feels way more real now. This is the most excited I've been through this journey thus far, but it's also the most nervous/scared I've been. Yesterday I felt quite overwhelmed with a mixture of emotions. My mind was so busy yesterday I had to just sit in the nursery and do nothing for about an hour. I literally mean nothing. Kids would call it "time out". haha. I keep thinking "In only a few months I'm going to be responsible for a human being and all of their needs." That thought is quite over whelming to me. Michael and I have waited this long for two main reasons. 1. We wanted to be done with school first because we knew raising a baby and going to school would be exponentially harder than doing them one at a time. 2. We knew that taking care of a baby was a huge responsibility, and that teaching and raising up a child was a big important job. We didn't take the decision lightly.
Even though since I was a little girl I dreamed of being a mom, now that it's here IT'S SCARY. haha. It's not that I'm scared of being a bad mom. I think I'm just scared of the responsibility of the raising up and teaching of the child, and the emotions involved in having your own child that you love and care that much about. Even before this baby is born, my heart aches that he will have the best things in life, will do great things, and be extremely successful and love the Lord with all of his heart. How much stronger will these feelings get once he's arrived? I'm sure much more.
So while those thoughts rush through my mind I also am so excited and happy at the thought of having someone who is literally a part of me. Another person to add to the family to love. Someone I'll get to watch and play with and build lots of fun memories with. Goodness - how much will Michael and I learn on this journey?? That's crazy to think about, because I know it's a lot! haha. And I'm certain that parenthood will be something that draws us closer to God and teaches us more about Him. We have a lot to look forward to.
Just yesterday Michael said "I can't wait until our baby boy is here." I'm definitely happy and excited about our baby's arrival, but I was thinking "I can wait!"
Here are the results from our "baby photo shoot".
My favorite one is that last one. I can't believe how big his foot looks. He must have Michael's feet. Oh boy, all the shoes we buy Michael...now we'll have another one who needs shoes every few months. haha
My sister in law, Joi, got Michael and me the sweetest gift the other day. It's a picture frame with a verse and a place to put a sonogram picture. The verse is one I've heard many many times before, but it takes on a whole new meaning for me now.
Psalm 139:13-16 (NLT)
Since we found out, things have felt surprisingly different for me. I don't mean physically, but mentally and emotionally. It feels way more real now. This is the most excited I've been through this journey thus far, but it's also the most nervous/scared I've been. Yesterday I felt quite overwhelmed with a mixture of emotions. My mind was so busy yesterday I had to just sit in the nursery and do nothing for about an hour. I literally mean nothing. Kids would call it "time out". haha. I keep thinking "In only a few months I'm going to be responsible for a human being and all of their needs." That thought is quite over whelming to me. Michael and I have waited this long for two main reasons. 1. We wanted to be done with school first because we knew raising a baby and going to school would be exponentially harder than doing them one at a time. 2. We knew that taking care of a baby was a huge responsibility, and that teaching and raising up a child was a big important job. We didn't take the decision lightly.
Even though since I was a little girl I dreamed of being a mom, now that it's here IT'S SCARY. haha. It's not that I'm scared of being a bad mom. I think I'm just scared of the responsibility of the raising up and teaching of the child, and the emotions involved in having your own child that you love and care that much about. Even before this baby is born, my heart aches that he will have the best things in life, will do great things, and be extremely successful and love the Lord with all of his heart. How much stronger will these feelings get once he's arrived? I'm sure much more.
So while those thoughts rush through my mind I also am so excited and happy at the thought of having someone who is literally a part of me. Another person to add to the family to love. Someone I'll get to watch and play with and build lots of fun memories with. Goodness - how much will Michael and I learn on this journey?? That's crazy to think about, because I know it's a lot! haha. And I'm certain that parenthood will be something that draws us closer to God and teaches us more about Him. We have a lot to look forward to.
Just yesterday Michael said "I can't wait until our baby boy is here." I'm definitely happy and excited about our baby's arrival, but I was thinking "I can wait!"
Here are the results from our "baby photo shoot".
My favorite one is that last one. I can't believe how big his foot looks. He must have Michael's feet. Oh boy, all the shoes we buy Michael...now we'll have another one who needs shoes every few months. haha
My sister in law, Joi, got Michael and me the sweetest gift the other day. It's a picture frame with a verse and a place to put a sonogram picture. The verse is one I've heard many many times before, but it takes on a whole new meaning for me now.
Psalm 139:13-16 (NLT)
"You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous, and how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formeed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed."
Friday, December 31, 2010
First Two Doctor Visits & More...
Ok. So I know it's been a long time since my last post, but I'm sure you all know how life can get sometimes, and I'm continually learning how to deal with all the physical and emotional changes during pregnancy.
A lot has happened since my last post. I've been to two ob/gyn appointments, with two DIFFERENT doctors. Those doctor’s appointments have been the only ones in my life I've been anxious and excited to go to. It's exciting learning about your baby and hearing the doctor say you and the baby are perfectly healthy.
There was some stress and complications with finding a doctor that accepted our insurance program. I started at one doctor who said they took my insurance, but once we were in the appointment we found out they didn't accept are particular program within that insurance company. Ah! I thought it was all settled. So then we spent much time and effort trying to find a doctor in New Braunfels who took my insurance. We used the online search engine from the insurance company and it would just say "No results". We then called the insurance company to try to get an exception made to pay for a doctor out of network. Actually we had to make that request twice because we learned when we called to check on the status that Michael can't make that request. I had to. And yet, the lady who took his request failed to mention that. Plus these people were SO rude. I hate dealing with that kind of stuff. And many of you may know how much worse it is when you’re pregnant. I'm normally not very emotional and I'm pretty rational, but.... all bets are off now. Haha. Sometimes I don't even know who I am. Then I called the doctor’s office to the doctor that we were trying to get the exception made for, and come to find out, they aren't willing to take patients who are out of network because it's a pain in the butt for them to get paid. Ah! I don't blame them, but I was getting pretty frustrated and stressed trying to figure this all out. I just really wanted to have a doctor that delivered at the hospital here in New Braunfels in case there might be an emergency at delivery and I need to get to the hospital quickly. Thank the Lord, I finally found a doctor. I just started calling doctors around town, even though my insurance information online said they weren't covered. I found that one of the doctors that came highly recommended to me was covered by my insurance. Woo hoo! I was so relieved. I immediately ran over to their offices to fill out all that paperwork ahead of time, just to make sure I was good to go and in the clear. I DID NOT want to find out otherwise a few weeks later when I’m sitting in my appointment.
My first appointment with the first doctor went well. I was happy with the doctor and the answers she gave to my huge long list of questions, but I didn’t come out of there thinking “Wow. I love this doctor. She’s amazing.” I had my first sonogram. That was the best part. Here is Baby Coburn.
A month later I had my first appointment with my new doctor. I LOVE him. He has a great bedside manner, and is very comforting and friendly. He and I both thought it strange that my first doctor failed to mention to me that she came up with a new estimated due date. Her estimate was June 6, three weeks after the first estimate (which was estimated according to my last period). So I went into this second appointment thinking I was 17 weeks pregnant, and come to find out it was more like 13 ½. Goodness, I had backtracked several weeks – so it felt. Strangely I felt good about the news though, because I kept having a feeling I wasn’t as far along as the calculations said I was. I guess it’s nice to know some “feeling” I was having was actually correct. My new doctor did a sonogram and came up with his own estimated due date, which is now June 3. Here is Baby Coburn at this appointment.
In the past week or so I THINK I've been feeling the baby move. I'm not sure exactly what I'm looking for, so it's a guess. But I've definitely been feeling things in the area of the baby that are otherwise unexplainable. haha. I've heard the feeling described in so many different ways, but the feelings I've had I would describe as a quick rumble.
Some have been curious and asking about my symptoms and how I’ve been feeling. Being pregnant is a strange thing. Haha. Seems like I never know what to expect from day to day. Overall I would say I’m doing quite well. I’m feeling pretty good and I’m very happy and excited. (Michael is happy and excited too. :) ) First trimester I was slightly queasy most of the time and threw up a couple times, but nothing I would consider really miserable or anything. I definitely was super tired, but have mostly gotten over that now. I thought I would be completely over it by now, but no, that’s not the case. Haha. Like I said before it’s different from day to day. Like a roller coaster ride, I feel like my hormones go up and down from day to day. Some days I feel very energetic and “normal”, while other days I’m just dragging my feet and can’t survive without a nap. The strange thing that has happened lately though, is that that constant queasiness has gone, but there have been many times that out of nowhere I’m struck with the immediate need to RUN to the bathroom to throw up. That’s about twice a week now. I’m nervous to be too far from a bathroom, because it comes on without ANY warning. I’m okay with it because I don’t ever feel bad, and as quickly as it comes on it dissipates. But what’s a little annoying is that I don’t usually like eating. It’s just not fun anymore. Haha. This isn’t the case 100% of the time, but maybe 90% of the time. It’s mostly a chore now. Usually NOTHING sounds good. I would rather NOT eat, but I know if I don’t eat a little every few hours I will start feeling sick. Sometimes to test how extreme these feelings are, I will sit and imagine that I could have anything in the world to eat. Usually, STILL nothing sounds good. I go thru the list of usual favorites and I’m thinking “Blah. No Thank you.”
Question for you all – Why is it that as soon as you’re not supposed to have something, all of a sudden you really want it? First trimester it was hot dogs. I normally don’t care for hot dogs. I can take them or leave them. But about as soon as I found out I was pregnant I was dying for a hot dog. Hot dogs are one of those items on the restricted or limited list. Funny thing is I found out that my sister in law Cari went thru the same thing over the hot dog. Haha. Luckily I’m over it now. But let’s just move on to caffeine. So I’m supposed to limit my caffeine intake to no more than the equivalent of two cups of coffee a day. Normally I do not consume very much caffeine and am perfectly happy with that. I would have about 1-2 cups of coffee per month, then a glass a tea maybe 3-4 times a week, and not all of the tea would have caffeine in it. I almost never have soda. Well goodness, I’m surprised at how difficult it has been for me to stay away from caffeine. I’m guessing it’s because of me being tired. When I found out I was pregnant I decided to play it safe and eliminate coffee all together (easy right?) and then limit my tea to no more than 1 glass a day. Sounded so easy. This “issue” has been getting a little better lately (haha), but I’ve been surprised that this has been a struggle for me. I try to not have a caffeinated drink unless I’m REALLY craving one, just because I know I will crave it at some point. Although, first and foremost, I don’t stress over the issue. I’m convinced that’s worse.
I have definitely noticed a difference in how my body reacts to stress. I would say that normally I react to stress quite well. It doesn’t get to me that easily, and mostly there isn’t a lot that stresses me out. I always try to live by the little motto “don’t stress the small stuff”. But since I’ve been pregnant, no matter how hard I try I can’t ignore the fact that something might be stressing me. If I do, I get sick. If I get stressed, forget about me being able to hold down ANY food. I just have to go to bed. Michael is SO SO good to help in this area. He helps in MANY areas, but especially this one. I’m relieved to know that if a stressful task needs to be taken care of (like a dispute on a bill for example), he is happy and willing to take care of it, and gives me permission to not even have to think about it. Under normal circumstances I wouldn’t mind taking care of it myself, but I thank God every day that I have such an amazing husband who is so extremely attentive and understanding to the weird things that are going on with his wife. Haha. I promise I have the best husband ever. Haha. Everyone should know how amazing he is. I can be kind of nutty sometimes and Michael will just put up with it and appease my strange requests. If ever I’m in any discomfort he tries to do anything he can to make it better. He insists on trying different ideas if the first thing doesn’t work. He regularly makes me hot tea (decaf – haha), and gets me a cool towel for my head when I have a headache, and will get me water, or pillows or anything else to try to make me comfortable. He treats me like a princess (as you can probably figure out by now), and I DO SO appreciate it. I am SO SO blessed. I can’t stress that or express that enough.
I often think about what it will be like to be pregnant with a second or even third child. I know I have it so good right now, with having the luxury to not work, or have many other responsibilities. I have the luxury of just staying home and doing nothing if I don’t feel well. Or take a nap whenever I need to. Or have a good amount of time to get ready for this baby. I can begin to imagine how different it will be with a second or third pregnancy. Haha. So I’m just going to say – I don’t expect every pregnancy to be like this (with these luxuries and all), but I’m just going to enjoy it while it lasts! Haha
A lot has happened since my last post. I've been to two ob/gyn appointments, with two DIFFERENT doctors. Those doctor’s appointments have been the only ones in my life I've been anxious and excited to go to. It's exciting learning about your baby and hearing the doctor say you and the baby are perfectly healthy.
There was some stress and complications with finding a doctor that accepted our insurance program. I started at one doctor who said they took my insurance, but once we were in the appointment we found out they didn't accept are particular program within that insurance company. Ah! I thought it was all settled. So then we spent much time and effort trying to find a doctor in New Braunfels who took my insurance. We used the online search engine from the insurance company and it would just say "No results". We then called the insurance company to try to get an exception made to pay for a doctor out of network. Actually we had to make that request twice because we learned when we called to check on the status that Michael can't make that request. I had to. And yet, the lady who took his request failed to mention that. Plus these people were SO rude. I hate dealing with that kind of stuff. And many of you may know how much worse it is when you’re pregnant. I'm normally not very emotional and I'm pretty rational, but.... all bets are off now. Haha. Sometimes I don't even know who I am. Then I called the doctor’s office to the doctor that we were trying to get the exception made for, and come to find out, they aren't willing to take patients who are out of network because it's a pain in the butt for them to get paid. Ah! I don't blame them, but I was getting pretty frustrated and stressed trying to figure this all out. I just really wanted to have a doctor that delivered at the hospital here in New Braunfels in case there might be an emergency at delivery and I need to get to the hospital quickly. Thank the Lord, I finally found a doctor. I just started calling doctors around town, even though my insurance information online said they weren't covered. I found that one of the doctors that came highly recommended to me was covered by my insurance. Woo hoo! I was so relieved. I immediately ran over to their offices to fill out all that paperwork ahead of time, just to make sure I was good to go and in the clear. I DID NOT want to find out otherwise a few weeks later when I’m sitting in my appointment.
My first appointment with the first doctor went well. I was happy with the doctor and the answers she gave to my huge long list of questions, but I didn’t come out of there thinking “Wow. I love this doctor. She’s amazing.” I had my first sonogram. That was the best part. Here is Baby Coburn.
A month later I had my first appointment with my new doctor. I LOVE him. He has a great bedside manner, and is very comforting and friendly. He and I both thought it strange that my first doctor failed to mention to me that she came up with a new estimated due date. Her estimate was June 6, three weeks after the first estimate (which was estimated according to my last period). So I went into this second appointment thinking I was 17 weeks pregnant, and come to find out it was more like 13 ½. Goodness, I had backtracked several weeks – so it felt. Strangely I felt good about the news though, because I kept having a feeling I wasn’t as far along as the calculations said I was. I guess it’s nice to know some “feeling” I was having was actually correct. My new doctor did a sonogram and came up with his own estimated due date, which is now June 3. Here is Baby Coburn at this appointment.
In the past week or so I THINK I've been feeling the baby move. I'm not sure exactly what I'm looking for, so it's a guess. But I've definitely been feeling things in the area of the baby that are otherwise unexplainable. haha. I've heard the feeling described in so many different ways, but the feelings I've had I would describe as a quick rumble.
Some have been curious and asking about my symptoms and how I’ve been feeling. Being pregnant is a strange thing. Haha. Seems like I never know what to expect from day to day. Overall I would say I’m doing quite well. I’m feeling pretty good and I’m very happy and excited. (Michael is happy and excited too. :) ) First trimester I was slightly queasy most of the time and threw up a couple times, but nothing I would consider really miserable or anything. I definitely was super tired, but have mostly gotten over that now. I thought I would be completely over it by now, but no, that’s not the case. Haha. Like I said before it’s different from day to day. Like a roller coaster ride, I feel like my hormones go up and down from day to day. Some days I feel very energetic and “normal”, while other days I’m just dragging my feet and can’t survive without a nap. The strange thing that has happened lately though, is that that constant queasiness has gone, but there have been many times that out of nowhere I’m struck with the immediate need to RUN to the bathroom to throw up. That’s about twice a week now. I’m nervous to be too far from a bathroom, because it comes on without ANY warning. I’m okay with it because I don’t ever feel bad, and as quickly as it comes on it dissipates. But what’s a little annoying is that I don’t usually like eating. It’s just not fun anymore. Haha. This isn’t the case 100% of the time, but maybe 90% of the time. It’s mostly a chore now. Usually NOTHING sounds good. I would rather NOT eat, but I know if I don’t eat a little every few hours I will start feeling sick. Sometimes to test how extreme these feelings are, I will sit and imagine that I could have anything in the world to eat. Usually, STILL nothing sounds good. I go thru the list of usual favorites and I’m thinking “Blah. No Thank you.”
Question for you all – Why is it that as soon as you’re not supposed to have something, all of a sudden you really want it? First trimester it was hot dogs. I normally don’t care for hot dogs. I can take them or leave them. But about as soon as I found out I was pregnant I was dying for a hot dog. Hot dogs are one of those items on the restricted or limited list. Funny thing is I found out that my sister in law Cari went thru the same thing over the hot dog. Haha. Luckily I’m over it now. But let’s just move on to caffeine. So I’m supposed to limit my caffeine intake to no more than the equivalent of two cups of coffee a day. Normally I do not consume very much caffeine and am perfectly happy with that. I would have about 1-2 cups of coffee per month, then a glass a tea maybe 3-4 times a week, and not all of the tea would have caffeine in it. I almost never have soda. Well goodness, I’m surprised at how difficult it has been for me to stay away from caffeine. I’m guessing it’s because of me being tired. When I found out I was pregnant I decided to play it safe and eliminate coffee all together (easy right?) and then limit my tea to no more than 1 glass a day. Sounded so easy. This “issue” has been getting a little better lately (haha), but I’ve been surprised that this has been a struggle for me. I try to not have a caffeinated drink unless I’m REALLY craving one, just because I know I will crave it at some point. Although, first and foremost, I don’t stress over the issue. I’m convinced that’s worse.
I have definitely noticed a difference in how my body reacts to stress. I would say that normally I react to stress quite well. It doesn’t get to me that easily, and mostly there isn’t a lot that stresses me out. I always try to live by the little motto “don’t stress the small stuff”. But since I’ve been pregnant, no matter how hard I try I can’t ignore the fact that something might be stressing me. If I do, I get sick. If I get stressed, forget about me being able to hold down ANY food. I just have to go to bed. Michael is SO SO good to help in this area. He helps in MANY areas, but especially this one. I’m relieved to know that if a stressful task needs to be taken care of (like a dispute on a bill for example), he is happy and willing to take care of it, and gives me permission to not even have to think about it. Under normal circumstances I wouldn’t mind taking care of it myself, but I thank God every day that I have such an amazing husband who is so extremely attentive and understanding to the weird things that are going on with his wife. Haha. I promise I have the best husband ever. Haha. Everyone should know how amazing he is. I can be kind of nutty sometimes and Michael will just put up with it and appease my strange requests. If ever I’m in any discomfort he tries to do anything he can to make it better. He insists on trying different ideas if the first thing doesn’t work. He regularly makes me hot tea (decaf – haha), and gets me a cool towel for my head when I have a headache, and will get me water, or pillows or anything else to try to make me comfortable. He treats me like a princess (as you can probably figure out by now), and I DO SO appreciate it. I am SO SO blessed. I can’t stress that or express that enough.
I often think about what it will be like to be pregnant with a second or even third child. I know I have it so good right now, with having the luxury to not work, or have many other responsibilities. I have the luxury of just staying home and doing nothing if I don’t feel well. Or take a nap whenever I need to. Or have a good amount of time to get ready for this baby. I can begin to imagine how different it will be with a second or third pregnancy. Haha. So I’m just going to say – I don’t expect every pregnancy to be like this (with these luxuries and all), but I’m just going to enjoy it while it lasts! Haha
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Getting Rid of Our "Baby" to Make Room for Baby
Some of you may have seen that Nissan commercial they have on tv right now, where the women tells her husband they are pregnant. After about two seconds into their celebratory hug, you see a thought come across his mind. It looks a little like panic, and then he runs out to the drive way where his Nissan Z is sitting. He pulls and tugs on various parts of the vehicle, until magically he has turned his Z into a Nissan Maxima. Michael had that moment. Haha.
When I told him that we were pregnant, his first words were, "WHAAAAAT?!......We need to sell the Challenger."
About two weeks ago we did just that. We said bye bye to our V8 engine with Hemi and 372 horsepower, and said hello to affordability, versitilty and ROOM. Will this baby ever know what sacrifice we made for it? Haha. Actually, although on one hand I was sad to see our challenger go (I often wonder who she will end up with, and if they will take good care of her), I am VERY VERY happy with our new Dodge Journey. A fitting name for exactly what we're on - a new journey. Michael and I are both very excited and very happy with our new wheels.
The Dodge Journey is a crossover, and it will seat up to 7 people. It actually has three rows of seats, and the back two rows fold down flat, so we can carry a lot of cargo if we need to. I love it already because it's great for taking Daphne places. We like to take her with us sometimes, and with the third row folded flat there is lots of room for her to lay down. In the challenger Daphne would often drool on Michael's shoulder or whine right in his ear - something he wasn't fond of. But now she's so far away she can't reach us. haha. Plus I think she loves all the visibilty she has, as she's surrounded by big windows. The Journey has a lot of other fun little features, like hidden ice chest compartments, a cooled compartment in front of the front passenger, and a 6 disc CD/DVD player. I love all the configurations I can make with folding seats flat, or leaving them upright, and I love that they are super easy to adjust. I was also pleasantly surprised at how comfortable the mid row of seats is for ADULTS, not just children.
So although we will miss our "baby", we're excited to have made this change for baby. (And by the way - it really wasn't much of a sacrifice at all. haha. I love my new car.)
When I told him that we were pregnant, his first words were, "WHAAAAAT?!......We need to sell the Challenger."
About two weeks ago we did just that. We said bye bye to our V8 engine with Hemi and 372 horsepower, and said hello to affordability, versitilty and ROOM. Will this baby ever know what sacrifice we made for it? Haha. Actually, although on one hand I was sad to see our challenger go (I often wonder who she will end up with, and if they will take good care of her), I am VERY VERY happy with our new Dodge Journey. A fitting name for exactly what we're on - a new journey. Michael and I are both very excited and very happy with our new wheels.
The Dodge Journey is a crossover, and it will seat up to 7 people. It actually has three rows of seats, and the back two rows fold down flat, so we can carry a lot of cargo if we need to. I love it already because it's great for taking Daphne places. We like to take her with us sometimes, and with the third row folded flat there is lots of room for her to lay down. In the challenger Daphne would often drool on Michael's shoulder or whine right in his ear - something he wasn't fond of. But now she's so far away she can't reach us. haha. Plus I think she loves all the visibilty she has, as she's surrounded by big windows. The Journey has a lot of other fun little features, like hidden ice chest compartments, a cooled compartment in front of the front passenger, and a 6 disc CD/DVD player. I love all the configurations I can make with folding seats flat, or leaving them upright, and I love that they are super easy to adjust. I was also pleasantly surprised at how comfortable the mid row of seats is for ADULTS, not just children.
So although we will miss our "baby", we're excited to have made this change for baby. (And by the way - it really wasn't much of a sacrifice at all. haha. I love my new car.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)