Over the next couple of weeks, Jack and I have a "break." I put that in quotes because we have a mile-long list of things to do while we finally have several days in a row at home. One of which is cleaning out the "throw-it-in-there" room (soon to be nursery). It will be wonderful to have that room cleaned up, but I dread the process. We will also be registering over the next couple of weeks. All of this is in addition to our regular Christmas festivities, of course.
At 24 weeks, our little girl is about the size of an eggplant. While she does move at least a little each day, it's still inconsistent. I'm so thankful that she and I are doing well and we can really enjoy this Christmas anticipating all the wonderful changes for next year. Another item on the list for the next couple of weeks is our next doctor appointment and 4D ultra-sound. I'm excited about getting to see her again and hear her little heartbeat. I have a feeling after January, the ball will start rolling down the hill really quickly and April will be here before we know it. I'll feel better after we can get some of these important things accomplished before I start feeling more pressure.
On a slightly strange note, I did a little music shopping on iTunes and Pandora recently upon the suggestion of a friend to get some lullaby music that I can play now to get the baby used to the sound. The idea is that playing this music when she's here will comfort her since she will be used to the sound. Did you know that there are several lullaby albums that have taken rock artists and made their songs into instrumental "lullabies"? I think the strangest one for me was "Dream On" from Aerosmith's lullaby album. I remember turning up the speakers loud in my car anytime I would listen to that song in college and now it's a lullaby? I guess in some ways it's better than the lyrics to "Rock-A-Bye Baby." :)
Friday, December 17, 2010
Friday, December 3, 2010
Moving along (in more ways than one!)
I am now 22 weeks pregnant. It's hard to believe how fast this semester and this pregnancy has gone. I know soon I'll be saying, baby in arms, that this whole experience flew by. At 22 weeks, there are a few things I have learned and begun to experience.
1. Maternity clothes are heavenly, particularly at Thanksgiving. You can't get much more comfortable than elastic everything and never being self-conscious about your growing stomach because, after all, there's a baby in there!
2. Sleeping on your side isn't great, but it's manageable. I've always been a stomach-sleeper, back is second best, sides only when I have to. While my doctor has said that sleeping on my back some is ok, I am really supposed to keep it to sides if possible. I think now, after about 5 weeks of that I'm beginning to get used to it. Several pillows beside the bed that I can use and toss as needed also helps. Poor Jack, his bed is being taken over by a big pregnant lady and 5 of her pillows.
3. Feeling a baby move inside you is maybe the coolest thing ever. People keep telling me that I'll become tired of this and it will get annoying and maybe they're right, but right now I LOVE feeling her move around in there. I've been trying to pay attention to the times when she most often reminds me of her presence. So far I've noticed it most when I've been sitting and listening to student speeches or comprehensive exam defenses. Either she is a budding communication scholar or she's tired of hearing about communication and wants out of there! I haven't quite figured out which yet.
That's the news up to this point. I hope your December is going well and God has blessed you as He has Jack and I.
1. Maternity clothes are heavenly, particularly at Thanksgiving. You can't get much more comfortable than elastic everything and never being self-conscious about your growing stomach because, after all, there's a baby in there!
2. Sleeping on your side isn't great, but it's manageable. I've always been a stomach-sleeper, back is second best, sides only when I have to. While my doctor has said that sleeping on my back some is ok, I am really supposed to keep it to sides if possible. I think now, after about 5 weeks of that I'm beginning to get used to it. Several pillows beside the bed that I can use and toss as needed also helps. Poor Jack, his bed is being taken over by a big pregnant lady and 5 of her pillows.
3. Feeling a baby move inside you is maybe the coolest thing ever. People keep telling me that I'll become tired of this and it will get annoying and maybe they're right, but right now I LOVE feeling her move around in there. I've been trying to pay attention to the times when she most often reminds me of her presence. So far I've noticed it most when I've been sitting and listening to student speeches or comprehensive exam defenses. Either she is a budding communication scholar or she's tired of hearing about communication and wants out of there! I haven't quite figured out which yet.
That's the news up to this point. I hope your December is going well and God has blessed you as He has Jack and I.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Thanksgiving
As I spent time today making fruit salad and pumpkin pie for tomorrow, I couldn't help but spend time thinking about holidays. Every year about this time I reflect on the differences between this year and last as well as anticipate the future. It's been quite a year for us. Last Thanksgiving we never would have predicted that dad would be recovering from a stroke this year. He's doing really well, by the way, but still recovering. I also really didn't imagine that I would be pregnant this Thanksgiving. I'm sure I'll be nostalgic next year too, but next year I'll be thinking about the past and the future with our little girl in the kitchen watching me cook. :)
Saturday, November 6, 2010
New to the Blog
For your enjoyment (and mine, too) I have added two tickers to this blog. One is the countdown until our little one makes his/her appearance. The other allows you to "shop" through the produce section with me as our sweet potato makes its way to watermelon. I hope you enjoy them like I will!
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Really? A Watermelon?
Ok, so you know that I've been looking at websites that tell me the size of our little treasure. (This week is a sweet potato, by the way.) Well, today I was looking at www.thebump.com and I noticed a produce list for the entire pregnancy. I was enjoying looking at it until I got down to the last few weeks...
Watermelon...this child will be the size of a watermelon by the time I deliver.
Granted, I've been doing a good job of being in denial about the whole delivery part of this, but at that moment it was hard to ignore what's coming. :S
Watermelon...this child will be the size of a watermelon by the time I deliver.
Granted, I've been doing a good job of being in denial about the whole delivery part of this, but at that moment it was hard to ignore what's coming. :S
Thursday, October 21, 2010
16 Weeks
Just to update you, I'm officially 16 weeks pregnant. I have several sources that I go to each day/week to learn more about my baby's changes and how he/she is growing. He/she is about the size of an avocado now and although he/she has been moving for about 8 weeks now, I should start to feel the movements within the next few weeks. I am very excited about that part.
While there are definite signs that I'm pregnant (like the fact that I really can't wear my normal clothes much anymore) sometimes it is still difficult to believe. That is one reason why I'm so excited to start feeling the movements. Like hearing the heartbeat at my doctor appointments, feeling him/her move will reconfirm for me how real all of this is and remind me that in a few short months, I'll be holding a little Fran and Jack combo in my arms.
In a couple of weeks or so we get to have what my doctor called "the big ultrasound." I am eager to see how much baby has changed since the 8 week pictures. Plus, if all goes well, we will learn the sex that day. Please continue to pray for us as we work to make decisions and prepare for the big changes to come.
While there are definite signs that I'm pregnant (like the fact that I really can't wear my normal clothes much anymore) sometimes it is still difficult to believe. That is one reason why I'm so excited to start feeling the movements. Like hearing the heartbeat at my doctor appointments, feeling him/her move will reconfirm for me how real all of this is and remind me that in a few short months, I'll be holding a little Fran and Jack combo in my arms.
In a couple of weeks or so we get to have what my doctor called "the big ultrasound." I am eager to see how much baby has changed since the 8 week pictures. Plus, if all goes well, we will learn the sex that day. Please continue to pray for us as we work to make decisions and prepare for the big changes to come.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Help! This kid needs a room...
Becoming pregnant leaves a couple with many more questions than answers. What is the sex? Do we find out the sex? Names? Preschool? Which college should he/she attend? Ok...maybe I'm getting a little ahead of myself. (Although I have made the stipulation that the baby's name should sound good with "Dr." attached to it. Just planning for the future. Haha.)
Lately the big question on my mind (as well as the question I'm getting from others) is what is the nursery theme/colors going to be? Jack and I have made very few decisions so far in this process. What we do know is which room will be the baby's. Unfortunately it's the "throw it in there" room. Do you have one of those? Whenever company is coming over or you have some item that you need to put somewhere and there is no where it can go you "throw it in there." Currently, that room is a wreck for that exact reason. (If you are still following this blog, you'll remember that this is the one room not pictured in the House Remodel post.) Yeah. It was a mess then and it's still a mess now. With the door closed, it's out of sight and out of mind. So once we get it cleaned up and cleaned out, we need to choose a theme. Granted, we don't know the sex yet (although we do plan to find out) and that may have a impact on the theme. So here's my question...where do I go for inspiration or what are your favorite nursery themes/colors? I've seen a few things that I like and so has Jack. We probably won't make this decision completely until we know more and begin to get things cleaned up but I'm a little lost on this one right now. Any advice would be appreciated. [Be forewarned, posts asking for advice/help are likely to become more frequent.]
Lately the big question on my mind (as well as the question I'm getting from others) is what is the nursery theme/colors going to be? Jack and I have made very few decisions so far in this process. What we do know is which room will be the baby's. Unfortunately it's the "throw it in there" room. Do you have one of those? Whenever company is coming over or you have some item that you need to put somewhere and there is no where it can go you "throw it in there." Currently, that room is a wreck for that exact reason. (If you are still following this blog, you'll remember that this is the one room not pictured in the House Remodel post.) Yeah. It was a mess then and it's still a mess now. With the door closed, it's out of sight and out of mind. So once we get it cleaned up and cleaned out, we need to choose a theme. Granted, we don't know the sex yet (although we do plan to find out) and that may have a impact on the theme. So here's my question...where do I go for inspiration or what are your favorite nursery themes/colors? I've seen a few things that I like and so has Jack. We probably won't make this decision completely until we know more and begin to get things cleaned up but I'm a little lost on this one right now. Any advice would be appreciated. [Be forewarned, posts asking for advice/help are likely to become more frequent.]
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