Labor and Delivery

First of all, thank you for your patience with me.  This post is long overdue, but I'm just going to write about the labor and delivery in this post, and more will come later.  Ok, here it goes.

Reader beware:  Content has not been rated.  You may think I've gone too far and said to much, and I probably have.  I'm giving you all the details of this event.  But having a baby completely abolishes your care for G-rated material.  Modesty is no longer in my vocabulary, and I apologize for any "vivid" pictures I've painted in your mind. I only hope that one day you can forget them! Unfortunately you can't unread something, so proceed with caution...

It was Friday April 13th.  I was in no mood to make supper so, we made a quick trip to town for some Runza.  Little did I know, it would be our last meal together without a baby.  On the way home, it was about 8:00, I started having a few contractions. Very mild and somewhat random, so I didn't get too excited...we'd been through this once already.  We got home and got ready for bed and they were still coming fairly regularly.  I was certainly anxious to have this baby in our arms, so I got up and tried walking, hoping that it would bring on stronger and more consistent contractions.  These contractions were different from the ones of the last experience.  These were rather inconsistent.  One would be 5 min, the next would be 7, then 4, then 6...  I was assuming it was false labor.  But they continued all night, and never got more painful or unbearable.  I did more walking, and lots and lots of thinking.  I never fell asleep though.  At about 3:30 we decided we should go in and get checked.  So we packed up our things and left the house at 4. The nice thing about going into labor in the night, is that you don't have to fight traffic!  There was no one on the road. James and I enjoyed a nice conversation on the way to the hospital and tried to prepare ourselves for what may be ahead.

This was at 4:30 when we checked in.  This was the temporary room,
and obviously spirits were high! 

We arrived at the hospital at 4:30 AM.  We checked in and we were placed in a temporary room until they knew for sure that I was in labor.  She checked to see how dilated I was, and told us that I was about 4 1/2 cm dilated and still 80% effaced.  She said she could feel my water bulging as well.  We were instructed to walk for an hour, and then they'd check me again.  It was 5:00 then, and I only made it to 5:30.  Within that 1/2 hour the contractions became extremely intense, far worse than I'd experienced.  They were much closer together, too.  I felt like I didn't have much recovery time before the next one started up again.  My mom and sister, Ashton, arrived just in time to see me give up on walking.  So back to the room we went and I was checked once more.  I was almost at 6 cm.  At this point, they decided to move me to a labor/delivery/recovery room.  The contractions had become painful enough that I already felt kind of foggy.  I remember someone...not sure who...took my arm and escorted me to the new room.  On the way I vaguely remember feeling drips of water on my toes.  I found it rather strange at first, and then I did that math.  My water broke! Thankfully I had enough sense to enlighten the others about my discovery.

My account of the events that followed may not be completely accurate.  Please do not hold me liable for anything written that is false information, haha.  As I sit here, there is no one to remind me of the order of events or the details.  I honestly can't recall everything that happened, I felt like I was in a daze.  Almost like I'm trying to remember the details of a dream... It's hard.

I know I had a few more contractions in the new room, and I do remember asking my nurse how soon I could have something for pain.  She smiled at me and said I could have something now, if I wanted.  That was the greatest thing I could have heard at that point!  Now, generally I'm a wimp.  I don't like pain, and I don't tolerate it very well.  But that, my friend, was not pain.  It was, for lack of a better word, hell.  (Now, for all of you women that have experienced childbirth, the "natural way," I GREATLY applaud you.  You are my hero. But modern medicine is a Godsend!)  A few minutes later, she either gave me a shot or something through the IV... I know those were the options, but I don't know which one she did.  haha This is bad.  Anywho, how wonderful! It made me sleepy, but the best part was that it allowed me to sleep! Because if you remember, I hadn't slept at all that night and now we were starting a new day.  Sleep was essential.  I conked out for an hour and a half. It was much needed sleep and much appreciated! I have no idea what time this was...

Next, I remember contractions starting back up a little. I was pretty positive and felt rested, but the medication quickly was unable to help take care of the contractions.  I think she gave me some more, but told me that it works best the first time and may not do much with stronger contractions.  They came on really strong at this point.  So many times I wanted to just cave in and bawl my eyes out.  It was the worst thing I've ever experienced.  I believe that at this point, I told James that we couldn't do this again.  :)  It was a weak moment.  I was very vulnerable and desperate and I think I would have told anyone anything.   It's just a good thing there was no one around! Although it was terrible, there was no screaming or cursing, like in all the movies.  It was really pretty calm, but intense.  --  The nurse offered the jacuzzi tub to help with relaxation. I thought that it sounded pretty awesome, so I agreed.  It took a few minutes for the tub to fill, and then I got in.  I'm not positive but I think I only lasted 3-5 contractions in the tub before we called the nurse in and told her we decided we wanted an epidural.  We'd been open to the idea, but I really didn't know if I'd need it... Well I did.  So she called the anesthesiologist.  I knew in my mind that it would take a while for him to be able to get there and then a little while before it would kick in.  I knew that I could try to fight through another 1/2 hour of these contractions, but I didn't want to wait 1/2 hour and then decide I can't take it and then have to wait another 1/2 hour for the epidural to actually work.  I felt completely exhausted and desperately longed for a break.  So after maybe 10 minutes in the tub, I was back out.  Hospital gown back on, and back to the bed for me.  My mind was more at ease, knowing that relief was on it's way.  More strong contractions and finally the doctor came in to give the epidural.  Now, the anesthesiologist is a funny guy.  He tells you mid-contraction to hold still or it won't work.  HA!  He's a comedian at night. I remember thinking in my head with a very sarcastic tone, "Yeah right buddy.  Why don't we swap places and see if you ever try to tell a laboring woman that again!"  Once again, I was miserable and do not take responsibility for my thoughts in those long hours.  Somehow I managed to stay still long enough for him. Now they make you sign a paper before they give you an epidural, stating risks and liability.  I saw this paper after the delivery and my signature made me laugh out loud.  It looked as awful as I felt!  haha.  And once again, I have no idea what time this was, close to lunchtime maybe.  I'm going to let you in on a little secret, epidurals help, but it's not happy faces either!  Childbirth is still childbirth. You can still feel pain. I think I had a little bit of relief, maybe a 1/2 hour before I had dilated to 10cm.  This gave James enough time to run for a quick lunch, and yogurt apparently.  I told him I wanted some... haha.

I had dilated to 10 and could tell because with each contraction I started feeling all sorts of pressure on my pelvis.  Pushing time was coming! The nurse said she could feel his head already.  This gave me a boost of motivation.  I felt more rested and ready to take on this last scene.  I started pushing laying down, and that felt pretty good...but there's something about it feeling good that means you're not getting anywhere.  :(  So the nurse instructed me to try my hand hands and knees for a while.  That was not comfortable at all.  But I was making progress so I was encouraged to stay there.  At this point, pushing helped each contraction pass. Unfortunately, the baby's heart rate would drop after every contraction that I pushed.  So I had to sit every other contraction out and just try to breath through it.  This gave the baby time to get his heart rate back up.  Man alive, it's a terrible feeling, wanting to push, but not being able to! This went on for a while...I have no idea how long. I had made enough progress, that it was time to call in the doctor.  (Now a side note: It was a Saturday, meaning I got the on-call doctor, not MY doctor.  Thankfully, the on-call doctor was a sweet gal named Dr. Haake.  She did a marvelous job and I couldn't have been happier with her.) At this point I started using the bar thing to assist in pushing.  This uses gravity to my advantage helping the baby advance down farther.  The doctor came in and started coaching me through each push.  3 sets of 10 second pushes with each contraction.  Pushing is a three steps forward, two steps back type of process. You make a lot of progress with a push and then when you stop, that little head backs up.  In that moment, I felt good.  Don't get me wrong, it hurt like the dickens, but I felt really strong.  I believe that I owe that to the epidural.  It took the intensity of the contractions so that I could really focus on the task at hand.  It gave me the strength to really finish strong.  Funny story that happened at this point:  James had been up by my head for the majority of the pushing.  We had talked weeks before and it seemed like he just wanted to be at my head and not have to be "involved" down below.  Well, after a really successful push, the doctor exclaimed, "We see the head!" James took the cue and said to my mom, "Do you want to be up here with Megan?"  My mom replied, "No, that's okay, you can." His response, "No, I want to watch."  :)  I couldn't smile on the outside, but on the inside I giggled.  Suddenly this was real, and a miraculous event was about to occur.  A few contractions later, the I heard those words that to this day make me tear up thinking about it.  "One more good push, and you'll have your baby in your arms."  Oh man. Time stopped.  I knew that a new life was about to enter this world.  There's no words that can describe that feeling in that moment.  The anxiousness is overwhelming, but you realize how much you have to be thankful for.  I felt so broken before the Lord in that moment.  He was about to perform a miracle and I felt his smile.  This was the moment that we'd waited for, 9 months of the unknown was about to become known.  Love was about to be born.

I gave everything I had in those last 30 seconds. I heard her say, "We have the head, one push for the shoulders." This part of the story, to be continued.......

Daddy cutting the cord!

Skipping ahead past baby details... (I'm trying hard to increase the suspense by referring to him as "baby" I'm aware that you all know his name and probably every other detail about him, but for now, let's pretend that I have left you hanging. Thanks..)  After the baby was born, the placenta was delivered and then the joy of the room was quickly hushed.  Apparently I had suffered a cervical tear, (for those of you that don't know, it's a tear inside.)  I've read now that they are rather uncommon and usually only occur with the use of forceps or a vacuum extractor, or a very fast delivery.  Which I didn't have any of those things, so I don't know what exactly caused mine.  I was enjoying a new life in my arms when I was quickly "made aware" that there was an emergency.  Of course, they didn't tell me that.  I felt it.  The doctor literally used to hands to pry my open.  They placed some sort of tool in my to "hold" me open so that the doctor could get inside to see what was going on.  It was all kind of surreal. Every time I looked down I saw her pull out another rag drenched in blood.  I don't think I knew enough of what was going on to actually panic, but I could tell my the new mood of the room that things had changed.  I can say that this was almost the most painful thing of the entire process.  I was so frustrated, because my baby was here, and I wasn't supposed to hurt anymore! It should be over! The bloody rags began to pile up and I actually had to hand my baby off because I hurt so bad.  With each move of her hand, it made me let out a cry. I was almost out of breath at times because of the sharp pain.  She started to stitch up the tear...and I could feel everything.  I could feel her threading it through and pulling tight.  Ouch.  The doctor had been so gentle through the whole delivery, but now my comfort was the least of her cares.  (I wouldn't have had it any other way, she had a job to do, and she did it.)  Anyways, finally I was stitched up and the bleeding had stopped.  Later I was informed that my blood count had fallen, obviously, and they'd put me on iron pills to help recover.  It's crazy to think about how fast the situation can turn into an emergency.  I'm very grateful for the skills of the doctor and nurses to help lead me to a quick recovery. It could have been much worse and really serious if they wouldn't have worked as fast and precisely as they did.

One thought that's occurred to me: When Eve experienced the first labor of the entire universe, I bet all she could think about was, "Man, I really regret that bite of fruit." What a curse we have on us!

I haven't mentioned much about my coaches.  My mom was with me every minute.  She helped me remember that I needed to breathe.  Yeah, sometimes I forgot and would hold my breath, not the greatest idea.  After giving birth, you realize how much you are truly loved by your mom.  She went through that for you.  It was great having her there, she understood what I was going through and could truly support me.  She helped answer questions from the nurses when I felt like I would punch anyone that tried talking to me.  She ran the cameras after the birth, to make sure we had the event well documented. I was so grateful that she was there.
My other coach was my best friend.  James was so crucial to my success.  He dealt with the details when I wasn't able to.  He's been such a helpmate and I couldn't have imagined trying to do it without him.  Some of the moments I can recall the best are when he took my face during a rough contraction and stared me dead in the eyes and gave me the assurance that I desperately needed. I'll never forget those moments.  They are tender memories, having made it that far together and knowing that our future was about to change.  He was strong for me. I know he would have taken my pain in a heartbeat if given the chance.  He's such a blessing. Experiencing this with him has only made my love for him grow more and more.


What a day, growing on the farm...

At this rate, won't he just drop out?

Just when you thought you had me figured out, I go and write 2 posts back-to-back! Don't be too impressed, I don't have much to say...

I really just wanted to give a short quick update.  I had my appointment yesterday and I'm now dilated to 4 cm and still 80% effaced.  At this rate, if I just hold off a couple of weeks, I'll dilate to 10 without even needing to go to the hospital! Just kidding!!! I'm very excited that I've progressed this far already!  The doctor said she thinks Chick will be an "average size."  About 7 1/2 lbs, she thought.  It was nice to hear that I probably don't have a 9-pounder in there! :)  

But I thought that yesterday was going to be the day to have a baby.  With the storms coming through this week, apparently it put every pregnant woman in labor, but me.  I saw 4 different babies on my facebook that were all born yesterday.  Surely, I'd go too? Not the case... We'll see what happens. Trying to be patient!

Doing my best to keep everyone posted, now that we're so close! Keep us in your prayers!

Locked and Loaded!

Where has the time gone?  We're at 38 weeks, only 2 left! Wow, it is incredible how fast this pregnancy has gone.  We are now going to weekly appointments to check progress.  Two weeks ago I was dilated to 2 1/2 cm and 75% effaced.  Last week I hit 3 cm, and 80% effaced.  That means that I'm basically already done with the first progression of early labor. Once I start having regular contractions or my water breaks, I'll be going into the hospital to have this baby.  :)

Speaking of having this baby, Saturday night we had some friends over and didn't get to bed until almost 12:00.  I woke up to use the restroom at 12:30 and when I laid back down, I realized that I was having a few contractions.  This was pretty common, but something felt different with these.  I waited a little while and had a few more.  I had never had that many at one time. So I got up to walk around and see if they would go away, meaning they were fake.  I walked for about 45 minutes and started timing each contraction.  They were five minutes apart on the dot! Now keep in mind that we were told to leave for the hospital when they are 5 minutes apart.  After having these for about an hour I went to the computer and printed off my "Hospital List."  And then I went into panic mode.  James had slept the first hour or so, but had woke up to my rummaging around trying to pack the bags.  I told him how consistent and close the contractions were, and we decided he should probably go shower and pack his bag.  The contractions began to get stronger and stronger.  At first it was almost hard to tell when they started and ended, but by 2:30 they were much stronger and were easy to tell apart.  My sister, Ashton was staying the night at our house, and I just about woke her up 3 times.  But decided I'd wait until the last minute, so she could get as much sleep as possible.  I was ready to walk out the door a few times, but James stopped me.  We had everything packed and ready to go by 2:45, but James told me to lay down for a little bit and try to rest.  He realized that I didn't even have an hour's worth of sleep in my system and that if this was for real, it'd be a long night and day ahead of us.  I gave in and tried to lay down.  Each contraction seemed to get a little bit stronger and my mind was racing! I was positive that it would be impossible for me to fall asleep now.  I kept telling James that I didn't want to have the baby in the car!! It's a 30 minute drive to the hospital, but this is my first rodeo and I just don't know what to expect. With each contraction, I grew more positive that we'd be having a baby in the next 24 hours.  An Easter baby! I thought to myself that it was going to be the most memorable Easter of my life, and probably the most painful as well! But how fitting would that have been?! Easter is all about the resurrection; it's about new life.  It would have been too perfect to have a baby on Easter Sunday.

Adorable tractor diaper cake! So sad I had to take it apart,
but we got plenty of pictures! :)

Well obviously I'm still pregnant.  So to finish the story... James kept giving me time restrictions.  First it was, "let's wait until 3:30, then we'll see where you're at."  3:30 came and the contractions were stronger than they'd been, but they were still tolerable.  So we decided to wait until 4:00 to see where we're at.  I felt so unsure.  I think I asked God a million times to break my water so we'd have some clarification and know it's really time.  I'm a little bit embarrassed to say that was my first prayer on Easter.  We really are such selfish beings, aren't we?  Anyways, by 4:00 the contractions were starting to get pretty rough.  I started to have to focus during them and make sure that my body stayed relaxed, and didn't tighten up.  I started breathing through them a little more and was getting good at acknowledging when one was coming on, or one was slowing down.  I'd been laying down for over an hour, so my sleep deprivation started to kick in.  I started feeling more relaxed in between the contractions and I started to use the few minutes in between to rest.  At about 4:15 I told myself, "Okay, two more and it's time."  One finished and I quickly fell asleep right after it.  I woke up a few minutes later to the next one, and fell asleep after it finished.  I had one more and I glanced at the clock and it said 4:30.  By then I was just wanting to sleep through them, so I closed my eyes again.  Next thing I knew, James' alarm went off at 6:00.  The contractions had either completely stopped or just slowed down enough for me to sleep through them.  I was really grateful that we didn't end up making a trip to Grand Island.  I went to church yesterday and to two family Easters.  James and I left early last night so we could come home and catch up on our sleep.  We hit our pillows at 6:30 p.m. and slept very soundly all night long.  I feel much more rested this morning! I'm glad that we had this little eye-opening experience.  I think we were able to get most of the nerves out and now we have a much better idea of what to expect.  I'll be able to recognize contractions much easier and know what they'll feel like.  I also think that we have a better sense of when we really need to leave for the hospital. We feel much more prepared!  I have my weekly appointment on Wednesday and I'm very anxious to see if all of those contractions helped me progress even more! But who knows, maybe we won't even make it until Wednesday! :)


We were able to take maternity pictures last week.  I had a lot of fun and I'm excited to see how they turn out.  We got a couple back to get a sneak peak, and they look great! We shot for about 2 hours and it was a nice day.  It was a little breezy, but we managed.  I was just very happy we were able to get them in before the baby's arrival. This was the third date we tried to shoot.  The first two didn't work out for various reasons, and I was thinking that they just wouldn't happen! But sometimes I'm too much of a Negative Nancy... I'll be sure to post the rest as we get them!

So I also told you that I'd be posting babymoon pictures... Well, if you know me at all, you won't be surprised to hear that I didn't get any pictures taken.  :S  We did have a wonderful time though! We went to the lodge and really just relaxed.  We did a little bit downtown, but for the most part we just enjoyed doing "nothing" together haha.  It's always much easier to do that when you're not at home.  I'm really glad we decided to go; it was so much fun.  It will be interesting when it's not just the two of us any longer.

I was planning on posting nursery photos as well, but I've decided to hold off and wait a little longer.  The nursery is basically completed, just need to find a shade for the window and a small table to put a lamp on.  We also need to get the doors put back on, since they were taken off to paint and re-carpet.  The other thing is that my vinyl wall decor isn't finished yet.  And it just won't be the same if I show the nursery to you now without them.  They might not be done until after the baby comes, but then you'll also be able to see his name on the wall.  So, you must wait a little longer to see the finished product! :)

I mentioned last post that my church was throwing me a baby shower.  It was a lot of fun! I had a good laugh when I read the sign-in sheet at the shower.  My mom wrote, "We can't wait for our little baby Chick to hatch!"   :)  He really should have been an Easter baby, huh?  We received so many generous gifts and we are truly blessed! Chick got some really cute "farm" things, and I know he's going to love them! We are pretty much set on baby items, and I feel a huge relief! We purchased the last of the essentials, but now we're ready for the best gift of all to arrive!  (Chick)

Chick and I with the shower hostesses! 

So last week was April 1st, meaning the infamous April Fools Day.  I woke up on my own, before the alarm and I laid in bed for a while.  I realized that it was April 1st, and I thought, "I should play a joke!"  Well before my brain even processed it, I shook James and said, "My water just broke!"  (Now, keep in mind that at this time, I wasn't having regular contractions and we were not very prepared. haha)  For some reason I felt that I needed to completely scare him to death by playing this awful prank.  His eyes got big and he responded, "Are you serious?!"  (This is where I was a good wife.)  Instead of having the water bottle next to my bed ready to dump out, or peeing myself to make this joke go any further... I simply just waited a few seconds and said, "April fools." in a very sheepish tone.  He didn't laugh. Apparently it was funnier to me than it was to him.  I wouldn't have any idea why... HA! That really wasn't very nice.  I could have given him a heart attack...  I suppose he could have faked one and I would have deserved it.  :)

We toured the hospital 2 weeks ago.  Just one more thing to help us be more prepared for the big day.  The hospital is so so nice.  The LDRP rooms are so big and cozy.  Another nice thing is the entire 2nd floor is just for deliveries, so there won't be any unnecessary traffic going through the halls or past our rooms.  It also has a good sized waiting room for any family that might be waiting there.

Some of you may know that I was trying to finish my semester of classes a month early to give me a little cushion to prepare for the baby.  Well my goal was to finish by the April 1st, and I finished March 29th! I was very excited! It's allowed me to get the finishing touches of the house ready for baby.  One of my classes isn't actually an online class, they record the lectures for me and I watch them the next day.  So I'm still having to finish that class, but it was impossible to finish before the end of the semester.  Other than that, I'm done! And it's wonderful! I'm needing to go in this week to figure out my schedule for next semester.  I'm a little bit nervous because I will have a baby to plan around and it'd be awesome to do the same thing I did this semester, but it kind of sounded like it might not work.  I might be going back to campus for classes, spending more money on gas, and trying to work out babysitters... We'll see what life brings.

When I walk into a room I get the same questions every time.  "How are you feeling?"  "Still haven't had that baby?"  "How close are you?"  I certainly don't mind answering these questions, it's just funny. Lately my response is "A little less than 2 weeks to go, but it may be sooner than that. Things have started progressing, so we'll see.  I'm feeling about as good as I can, considering the situation.  I'm retaining a lot of water though, so that's been a little bit uncomfortable.  But I really can't complain."  That is the latest issue.  Swelling.  I look and feel like a big balloon.  I've put on almost 10 lbs of water weight in the last couple weeks.  haha.  I'm not able to fit into actual shoes anymore, so about three weeks ago I went and bought a pair of soft flip flops, and those are the only things that have touched my feet since!  They look like I've had them for a year because I've worn them so much already.  I think I'm ready to be my old self again.  (After a few months of extreme work outs, of course haha)  I've started to take interest in the old wives' tales about things to do or eat to induce labor.  haha I guess I'm feeling desperate!  We know that nothing will fully prepare us physically, emotionally, or mentally, but we feel as ready as we'll ever be to have this baby in our arms!  We're getting very anxious! And I'm hoping that this is the last post without pictures of our dear baby Chick.  He will, by then, have a new name and I can stop calling him that.  Oh what joy! :)





Chicks coming soon, growing on the farm...

Prepared to be unprepared...

How about this weather?!?! High of 80 today and a little breezy, but hey, I'll take it! After doing devotions in a camping chair, I just couldn't make myself go back inside.  So here I am, updating my blog, and we'll see what else I can find to do out here today. :) Chick is just loving being outside, whether he knows it or not.  Something tells me that this is the first of many hours of just the two of us out in the yard.  Makes my heart smile.

Okay, now to baby talk.  We're sailing strong at 34 weeks! Only a precious 6 to go.  I say precious because we're really trying to soak up the last 'days' of being childless. Don't get me wrong, children are great (as far as I know) but our life is about to change drastically.  All the new moms I've talked to say that nothing can truly prepare you to be a parent.  So I'm prepared to be unprepared.  That's just the way it's going to be.  I attended a women's retreat this last weekend in Nebraska City and had such a great time.  The speaker, Jen Hatmaker, was thought-provoking and  inspiring.  I came home with a better sense of what God expects from me and how to do it.  It was held at the Lied Lodge, a gorgeous place.  I bought a couple of Jen's devotional books.  Today's devotion talked about failing as a parent.  (Doesn't sound too encouraging, eh?)  But the point was actually so comforting.  She talked about how we can't be perfect parents to our children, because we're not perfect people.  But it's okay!  God is the perfect Father to our children, we don't have to have the pressure of performing without flaw! Wow, doesn't that lift up a burden from my heart! No matter how many times I'm going to mess up as a parent, my child has to learn that
they must must must rely on God as their perfect parent,
because I won't even measure up.

Anyways, back to soaking up the next 6 weeks.  James and I have talked for a few months about taking a Babymoon.  I've been encouraged to do so by many people, but I felt kind of silly, since we just took a honeymoon 8 months ago. We've finally decided that it is certainly worth at least taking a weekend to get away and enjoy ourselves.  So that's what we're going to do.  Now I told you that the conference I attended was at the Lied Lodge, well as soon as I walked in, I knew that I wanted to come back.  I immediately texted James to see what he thought, and he decided it would be pretty fun.  It will be so easy to spend the weekend relaxing, and really enjoying ourselves without having an agenda.  We're going this weekend for two nights.  Really looking forward to it, I'll be sure to post pictures soon! 

There's four pregnant cousins on James' side, well one just had her baby, but anyways, his aunts threw us all a combined shower.  It was really fun and I was able to cross more things off the "To Buy" list.  My sisters, mom, and grandma were all able to come.  My church is also throwing me a baby shower this coming Sunday.  I'm really excited and looking forward to celebrating this little life inside me!

Other baby news.  We finished our 4-week childbirth class.  Learned some new things, heard some old things, but we feel a little more ready for the labor and delivery.  One funny thing from our class...The first night we were given name tags, which were simply a large circle of construction paper.  We wrote our names on them and waited for class to start.  The instructor tells us, "Look at your name tags.  They are 10 cm in diameter.  Thats how big you must be before you start pushing."  I think I just about dropped at that second.  I've always known that you have to dilate to 10 cm, but I guess I never took the time to think about how big that really is.  If you haven't really thought about it either, go and get a ruler.  You'll be amazed...and terrified... :) Don't worry, I pulled myself together and was able to digest the rest of the lectures, but that will always stick out in my mind!
I also went to a breastfeeding class last night at the hospital.  I had already decided that I was going to breastfeed, and the class certainly reinforced and encouraged my decision.  She spoke for 2 hours about benefits, and I think she could have gone on for another 2 if we would have let her.  Very interesting statistics and facts.
We are scheduled to tour the hospital in 2 weeks.  It will help us be more comfortable with the surroundings before the big day.  More info to come after the tour...
We're still having appointments every other week.  Last one checked out great, my weight has stabilized and he's growing at the right pace too.  We have our next appointment tomorrow, but no concerns so far.   Very thankful for such an easy pregnancy!

Did my first load of tiny clothes trying to get ready for the big arrival!
I couldn't help but stop to take a picture! 

And I can't write a blog without telling you about the man of the hour! Chick is growing, and it is quite obvious!  He's half-ways attempting to turn and then he'll bounce right back up to where he was.  Let's hope he just stays put before the birth.  We don't want a little breeched guy.  He kicks me really hard and sometimes I feel like I'm already trying to discipline him. haha.  When he's up in my ribs, I try to convince him to move positions.  I tell him, "No, you're hurting Mommy."  But it's almost like he doesn't understand.  Kids these days.... :)  He also gets the hiccups frequently.  Sometimes even 4 or 5 times a day! Poor guy.  Honestly, besides a sore back and feet sometimes, I'm really doing quite well.  He's been good to me.

James and I also tossed around the idea of maternity pictures.  I tossed it to him, and he says, "No we shouldn't."  Then he tosses it back to me and I say, "Yes we should."  And long story short, we're taking maternity pictures! A friend of a friend, Emily (Sullivan) Peterson, is going to be taking our pictures hopefully by the end of the month.  She's also going to be taking our new born photos as well.  I'm very excited!  She has a talent and does it for her own enjoyment, and we just want some casual shots, nothing too fancy.  I'll certainly be posting these as soon as they come!

At this very second, here's a snapshot of our nursery.  There's much to explain here. We've had a tremendous change in plans.  The nursery was recently painted by the couple that lived in the house before us, and it was gray.  Which was fine by me! It's a great neutral color that you can do a lot with.  There's already a few nicks in the wall where paint has been scratched off, and we don't have touch up paint.  Anyways, the trim was all white, but it was painted over an oil-based paint and so it comes right up.  We hadn't really thought about those problems until we decided to get some custom made vinyl decorations for the nursery.  My mom reminded me that as soon as we want to repaint the room, meaning how ever long I can stand to have scratched up paint, the vinyls will have to come down and they'll be ruined.  Bummer.  So we decided to just repaint the walls, I liked gray so we choose to put gray over gray! Well we also decided that the trim should just be taken care of while we're working on the nursery.  But in order to repaint them we needed to sand them down so that the paint would stick.  In order to do that we had to pull up the trim.  That's when we discovered that the carpet was laid after the trim was in place, so we had to pull out the carpet to get to the trim.  OKAY....That's not even the end.  When we pulled the trim and baseboard up, it busted.  So we had to buy new trim. We then decided that since the whole room was being redone, we'll just spend the extra money to replace the carpet, (which was a used remnant from another house originally and it was kinda pink looking.) We bought trim and carpet. I painted all the trim and baseboards, so now it is waiting to be cut and put up.  After that we'll stretch and place the carpet and THEN we can set up our nursery! One side note, our crib arrived the same week that we decided to repaint, (which was a gift from James' grandma! :) So I've been itching to get it set up and now I must wait even longer. You'd think that we could have started this process a little sooner... haha Oh the joys of remodeling! At least the room will be fresh and clean for Chick when he comes home!



He's coming soon, growing on the farm...

Single digit weeks quickly approaching!

30 Weeks! We have reached the point where we are beginning to have appointments every other week, instead of once a month.  The next 10 weeks are going to fly by, no matter what I tell you.  Once we hit the single digit weeks left, YIKES! It'll be here before we know it.  My last appointment they tested me for gestational diabetes. All results came back great! Very thankful for that! I can't imagine trying to juggle that along with everything else that is happening.  We did have one issue at the last appointment, though. I'm supposed to be gaining about 1 lb a week since Christmas, until the very end.  Well it had been four weeks since our last appointment, so if you do the math, I was supposed to gain about 4 lbs.  Well, I stepped on the scale and just about lost the urine they needed for the diabetes test.  I had gained 10 lbs! I looked at the nurse, in complete shock and said I don't weigh that much! (I've been weighing myself every day at home, and I had never come within 3 lbs of what the scale said.)  She laughed and wrote it down, probably thinking that I was joking.  When we got into the room she looked at my information from last time and then I think she realized what I had meant.  According to the papers, I gained 2 1/2 times what I was supposed to.  I realized my jaw was still in my lap, so I put it back where it belongs.  My doctor came in and asked if I had any questions or concerns...well I jumped at the chance to defend myself. haha I said well I don't know what's going on with my weight.  I then tried to explain to her that I had been weighed with my winter coat on..so that might have added some.  And I also had an extremely full bladder since I had to wait an hour after drinking the solution, and my bladder was pretty full at the beginning of the hour anyways.  So that definitely added some to my weight.  She smiled and said, "Well I'm not going to worry to much about it today, but I'll see you again in 2 weeks, and you're only going to gain 2 lbs between now and then."  I laughed and said, "Yes, mam." I've already gained 35 lbs since the beginning of the pregnancy, which is about what most people gain through the entire pregnancy. Now before you freak out, you have to realize that I moved out of my parents' house, got married, started college, and got pregnant all in the same month.  So, not only did I probably get part of my "freshman 15," I'm also pregnant.  So if you take the 35 lbs I've gained minus my freshman 15 it equals 20 lbs. That's right about where I should be.Yes, I've done the math many times... I know that it's still not good to gain extra weight when pregnant, but in reality I was probably going to gain at least 10 lbs anyways, pregnant or not. 


A few other things going on is I'm getting leg cramps at night now.  I've only gotten two so far, but there have been times where I wake up and it feels like it is right on the verge of going.  I knew that they were coming, my calves were starting to get pretty sore and tight, so around the week of the first one, I kept telling James, "Now if I wake up screaming, just reach for my leg and start rubbing and stretching it. Don't freak out." So, later that week, sure enough I got my first one and he did just as he was told. It passed within 30 seconds.  Well I stopped reminding him about cramps, and then about a week later I got another one and he was all sorts of confused.  "What's going on? What's wrong!?" The poor guy...I just screamed, "LEG!"  For the next couple of days, my calf is really sore, and strangely enough, it's been my right calf both times.


The other night James just started doing the dishes after supper...not usually his job.  Well he looks at me and says, "After the baby comes, I'll take over the kitchen for you." I was shocked and really pretty impressed.  I said honestly, "Well, thanks James. That's really kind of you." And then I heard him say that 3 letter word that would ruin the moment, "BUT" haha "But, I won't do any diapers." I started to laugh, and really had to consider his "deal." I told him that it was honestly a pretty good idea.  Then he made more specifications, "I mean, I'll just do the dishes, I won't really cook because I won't always be home when you're hungry." (Like I'm hungry at different times than he is)  Well that changed the story a little bit, "Okay, that's not fair James, here's my counter-offer. You handle dishes and you only have to do wet diapers." He considered the offer, and we decided that we'd think about it.  Man, he really wants out of those dirty diapers! I told him that it'll be different when it's his own kid, but he didn't really agree with me. So the deal is pending at the moment...
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Tiny clothes hanging in the closet

My cousin's wife is due about 6 weeks before I am and I'm helping to host her baby shower this Sunday.  I went straight to Pinterest to find ideas for gifts, decorating, food, games and other things.  Well I just pinned it all to my Baby board.  And I had a thought the other day, I bet that there are some people who have seen my post things, thinking that I'm wanting it for my shower, or I'm trying to plan my own.  Well for any of you wondering, those ideas are not for me! :) I just happen to be pregnant while hosting a baby shower, ironic.  My church is hosting as shower for me coming up March 18th. It was just set!

Well we are all registered for our classes, one more detail out of the way.  Our first Childbirth class is supposed to be this Thursday, unfortunately I have a meeting that night that I can’t miss…So we are going to go into labor with NO idea of what’s going on.  Haha No, we’ll catch up next week! There’s just four sessions total, and we’re anxious, nervous and excited to finally get our feet wet in this whole event.  We also have a breastfeeding class, just one session, coming up in a couple of weeks.  Now, they strongly advise that the husband attend so that they can be just as knowledgeable as the wife.  They do this for many reasons, partly because the class isn’t just about techniques, it’s also teaching you everything about the benefits and maybe struggles of breastfeeding.  Well, if you know James at all, you’ve already guessed that he is not wanting anything to do with this class.  We’ll see what happens, I keep telling him that it’s only two hours and then it’s over! But to him, he’d probably rather break his leg again.  We are experiencing the total oppositeness of males and females… :

 When you look at this belly from my perspective, you may realize that certain simple tasks are not as easy as they once were.  Things such as putting on socks and shoes, clipping and painting my toenails, and bending over to grab something off of the floor are becoming difficult.  (And Chick is supposed to grow 1/2 lb. a week until he's born?!)  I was going out to supper with some gals and as we were getting ready to leave I started the process of putting on my socks and shoes.  Now I had tall boots that day, meaning I had to roll and tuck my jeans into them and then try to work my foot into position.  One lady must have been watching me do this, and she busted out laughing.  I looked up at her, kind of confused and she explained to me what I had just done.  Before I bent over each time to put a boot on, I took a deep breath, almost like I was about to jump into a pool of water, and then went down.  I hadn't realized that I was doing this, but ever since then I notice it. Apparently it's a little harder to breath down there. :) I'm getting anxious for spring to come because my winter coat is getting quite snug around my tummy.  I don't know how much longer I'll be able to zip it... This baby bump is turning into a baby mountain. I can tell he's getting more squished in there because his movements are a lot stronger and more frequent.  Hang in there Chick!

We've made our first big purchase! We found a travel system. It's a stroller/car seat combo, which I was thrilled about.  It also came with a base to the car, so that we can just snap in the car seat and not have to re-buckle every time we get in and out of the vehicle.  The car seat snaps right into the stroller as well.  The stroller can also be used for an older child when the car seat isn't in it.  It also has an extra-large basket underneath, which is awesome! It's also a light-weight stroller, meaning once a get a baby in there, a diaper bag in the bottom, and try to climb some hills, it "should" be much easier since there's not much stroller weight.  We tried to go with more neutral colors just in case a girl would come along in the future.  The little newborn brace makes me think about how tiny that baby really will be the first time he's in there.  I might not be saying the same about a "tiny" baby during labor...but in reality Chicken will just be a little man. 

Counting down the days, growing on the farm...

Chicken Michael Huenefeld.

We've hit week 26! That means we're at the end of the second trimester and next week we start the longest 3 months, (not longest by time, but by comfort.) It's amazing that we're already 2/3 of the way there! Our little boy will soon be in our arms! We can't help but wonder what his personality will be like.  Who is he going to become? Well, we are assuming the worst when it comes to the toddler years.  If James get the child he deserves, and if I get the child I deserve....then we're really in for it! James was known for cutting off his sister's pigtails, (before the pony tail) killing a duck by shoving it head-first into a boot, and not liking to be cuddled. I'm having a hard time digesting the fact that this baby might not want Momma to hold him. :(   I was known for getting more spankings than my other three siblings combined, I never made it through a store without being taken to the restrooms, and once, when I was crying, I was told by a mentally handicapped man, "Shut up, you stupid baby." Needless to say, if we get the child we deserve, we're going to need some major child rearing lessons! Although the toddler years may be interesting, we pray that he will grow up to be a patient man of God. 

So what has changed in the last month? Well... I've gained just short of 30 lbs since the beginning of the pregnancy, (and yes, that is more than average!)  All the extra weight is starting to take a toll on my body.  My feet get sore pretty easy, and my back has started the infamous "pregnancy ache."  I also put my back out last week and saw the chiropractor to help get back in line. He told me that he'll be seeing me again, because pregnant women always need readjusted. I have a hard time sitting on the floor, I feel like I've aged 30 years! I'm longing to get my body back to normal after the baby's born.  I've heard that the weight comes off easier for the first one.  Cross your fingers!  Also, for the first time in my life, I'm having trouble sleeping.  A body pillow has helped some, but it's been difficult getting comfortable at night.  This may also be due to him kicking a lot more and harder now.  Sometimes it keeps me up at night if he's doing his daily exercise at 2:00 AM.  It has been fun to watch my stomach move around when he's active. The last couple weeks he has started pushing on my stomach and moving, whereas before it was just a little kick, now he kicks out and moves it so we get to see and feel him actually moving around.  I've enjoyed that so much! It's crazy, that just one change can make him feel so much more real.   

I started online classes last week so now I'm at home full-time! Hopefully that will allow me to get all those baby projects done. I think we'll start making the big purchases this next month, to help spread out the expenses a little bit. Note: Babies are expensive. Be prepared.  We've started talking about baby shower details.  So that will be happening before long.  We also have to call in this week to preregister to the hospital.  That means we'll sign up for classes and a tour.  Each day is that much closer to baby day! 

Daddy was SO happy Chick got some camo!

Chicken: Before Christmas, my nephew Billy, age 4, told my sister, "Megan said that I get to name the baby!"  (I really don't remember such a conversation, but apparently he does.)  So Brooke asked him if he had any names picked out yet.  He replied, "Well, if it's a boy, he'll be Chicken Michael."  Brooke tried to keep a straight face, and bravely asked what the girl name was.  Thankfully he "hadn't decided a girl name yet."(Billy also said that my cousins baby boy should be named Charlie Underpants...)  Scott, age 6, then suggested that the boy name be Cason, which was funny because we had that on the list at one point.  Anyways, our baby has now adopted the name Chicken Michael.  It was wrote on most of his Christmas presents, and now he has a name until his big arrival...then we'll probably give him a new name. :)  James' nephews have even picked up on it.   He's called Chick for short. Oh, this poor child... haha

This was at Nuss Christmas 2011.  Ashley, far left, just had a
baby girl 2 weeks ago and Tara, middle, is due 6 weeks before me.
Crazy how much I'll grow in the next 3 months! 

The BIGGEST news on this post is that we finally decided on a name!!! I spent a couple hours going through an online baby name directory, I had a list of 10 or so that I showed James.  I started reading the list to James, he just nodded to each one, not really showing much interest, until I read the final name.  His ears kind of perked up and he said that might work.  (That's his way of showing approval haha) We took a few names off the list that we didn't really like and had about 7 left.  We kind of left it at that, I was just excited that we had an official list.  A couple days later (we still hadn't gone back and discussed the list any more)  we had supper with my younger sister, Ashton.  I was telling her that we had an actual list.  I glanced and James and nonchalantly added, I think I know which one we'll chose.  He looked at me and said "the last one?" I smiled and said "Yup."   Ashton looked at us in disgust.  We decided the name right in front of her, without even saying it!   And that was how we decided on a name.  Ironically, it was the last name on the list because I almost didn't add it.  I thought James wouldn't like it, but good thing I took the chance! We're pretty sure on a middle name, but we haven't set it for sure.  One big sigh of relief from this mom!

Ashton and I made these for Christmas gifts.  Fun holiday baking! 

Scary moment: My older sister, Brooke, turned 30 this month. And my mom was saying how scary it was to have a 30 year old daughter.  I thought about the concept and just about wet myself.  I'll have a 30 year old at age 49.  AH! How crazy is that?  I think that I'll be able to accept that fact that I'm almost 50, but having a 30 year old.... That's a lot to take in. 

Changes I've made since becoming pregnant:
-I wear an apron because I'm more klutzy and I have more surface area to spill on now.
-I eat whenever I feel like it, even right before dinner...because I'll be hungry by then anyways!
-I sleep when I'm tired. I require more sleep than ever before, and I realize that in 3 months I'll be kissing away my sleep for life. :)
-"Can you massage my calf? It feels like tonight's the night that the epic cramp will arrive." (I'm yet to have one, but the time is coming...I can feel it.)
-I only try on stretchy clothes, they're the most comfortable!
-My hair grows faster than the baby. Meaning...I quit shaving. Okay, I didn't quit, but let's just say that I'm glad it's winter time.
-"Hi, I'd like to schedule another chiropractor appointment..."
-Body oil is my new best friend, gotta keep those stretch marks away!
-"Seconds anyone? Thirds?"
-Instead of bending over, I squat down.  My weight is re-distributed, meaning I fall down when I bend over.
-Can we move a desk closer to the bathroom?  I know I'll be making 3 trips there in the next 2 hours.
-"Maybe if I go walk around, he'll fall asleep."
-I have to be more aware of where my stomach is.  I hit it on things too much.
-Never again will I take for granted getting my pants buttoned...

Chalk one more up to these families! Actually, James' sister and brother-in-law, Heidi and Jan Michael, revealed to us at Christmas that they are also going to be having a new addition!  She's due the end of July, three months after me.  Looks like Chick will have a play-mate! 

We were both blessed with such amazing families! Christmas only reminded us of how special they all are.  Thankfully, we have them to help us through this exciting and new time in our lives! 

Getting close, growing on the farm...

Change of perspective...

With Christmas right around the corner, we are getting even more excited for the arrival of our little man.  The past couple weeks have been rather eye-opening for us.  When we first found out we were expecting, we were certainly excited, but there was still that hesitation and uneasiness about it all.  We had no idea how our lives would change so much.  With each week of the pregnancy we became more sure of the situation and looked forward to the next week with much anticipation.  Our fears turned into joy and our bitterness into thankfulness.  God has used this baby to completely change our attitude towards life and help us step back to "attempt" to see the bigger picture.  Last week I woke up with some strange stomach pains that I hadn't ever felt before.  I thought maybe it was some bug going around and I attempted to ignore it and get ready for the day.  There were multiple times where it almost took my breath away and I had to sit down immediately.  It happened to also be the last day of my classes, meaning I still had one presentation to give that morning, and there was no way of making it up.  For some reason, unknown to me, the pain seemed to get better through the morning and I was able to do the presentation without much distraction.  They had pretty much disappeared by the time I got home that afternoon and I finished my day without giving it much thought.  Right before supper they started up again, worse than they were in the morning.  The pain seemed to come and go.  I'd have a couple really bad minutes and then a few to recover. I could hardly describe the feeling.  It was a combination of the soreness you get when you do a bunch of sit ups and pressure you feel when you get cramps.  I had no idea what was going on.  Suddenly it hit me, you get cramps when you're having a miscarriage. Although it's uncommon to miscarry after 20 weeks, it's not impossible.  I then talked to the baby's grandmas, (my mom and James' mom) and told them what was happening.  They gave me a little assurance.  I hadn't been bleeding, so that was definitely a positive, but that didn't guarantee that everything was okay.  James came home quickly after and we debated whether or not to call our doctor.  In simple terms, we were scared.  But at the same time, we didn't want to overreact and make something of nothing.  But we didn't want to wait until it was too late.  The pain seemed to ease the longer I laid down, so we decided to wait until morning to call to doctor, just to let them know what's going on and see if they had any answers for us.  It was so hard to fall asleep that night.  We prayed that we would be able to feel the baby move, so we could be comforted.  At this point, I was only feeling the baby move every 3-4 days...so it wasn't unusual that I hadn't been feeling him.  I remember crying and hoping that this wasn't really happening.  The next morning we called the doctor and described the pain.  The nurse said that it sounds like the stretching of my ligaments.  Since my stomach is obviously growing quickly, my ligaments were very tight and sore.  This made complete sense because I'd never felt it in those muscles before and therefore wasn't able to identify the pain.  James and I were so grateful.  In those few hours that night I got a taste of how a miscarriage can effect a family.  Never again can I hear about a miscarriage and brush it off.  I don't claim to know what it feels like, but now I can sincerely have empathy for those who have experienced it.  I was able to look at our situation with entirely new eyes after that night.  This young boy will never be a regret and never be a mistake. He is already a huge part of our lives and we thank God for allowing us to care for him. 

The "kicks" that I had felt a few weeks ago were pretty weak.  James was never able to feel them from the outside.  Three days after the stomach pains, (Sunday night) James and I were watching some tv.  I felt a kick, a real kick! It happened again so I grabbed James' hand and placed it on my stomach.   Thirty seconds later James was able to feel his son for the first time.  He only kicked for about 10 minutes but we were so excited!  Not only was this the first movement we'd felt since the pains, but it was the first time that James could feel them.  The next night, about the same time, he started kicking again.  He kicked for about an hour! Words cannot express the joy that we felt.  I'm sure these kicks are still pretty dull compared to what they'll feel like in few months.  Even as I'm writing this, he's starting to kick.  :)  I guess I need to be prepared for all sorts of hands to be laid on my belly. 

Our next doctor's appointment is January 4th.  I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas! 

Very thankful, growing on the farm...

Bring on the tonka trucks!

Things have been happening fast! First, we have a boy! Second, we're half way there! Third, I'm losing my mind! And fourth, I can feel him!  I'll break it down now.

I've actually grown quite a bit since this picture 2 weeks ago.  More photos to come!

We have a boy!  Sorry for all of you who were positive it was a girl. As long as you didn't place any bets on it, than it shouldn't bother you too bad. :) We had the appointment Monday.  As we sat in the ultrasound room waiting for the doctor, we started to get nervous.  James got the butterflies pretty much right away. The doctor came in and got to business.  Not long after, we saw a precious baby come up on the screen.  She was able to identify what she referred to as "boy parts" almost instantly.  James let out a laugh and squeezed my hand.  He had a grin from ear to ear.  The doctor then took some measurements of the baby and when she got to the head I thought that I was going to cry.  She zoomed in on the face and were able to see our baby! My first thought was, "That's James. He looks just like James."  I didn't know if at 20 weeks it was too early to be saying who he resembled so I kept my mouth shut. The doctor noted, "He looks like Dad."  I smiled, glad that I wasn't just making it up. haha Come to find out later, that James saw the resemblance right away, too.  I realize that this means that I will be out-numbered in our house, but I think I'll be able to hold my own. ;) We couldn't be more excited!  This will be the first grandbaby to carry on the "Paul" Huenefeld name.  A huge sigh of relief from James. haha  Now we can narrow down first names....not that we really have a list to narrow down.  James has a name picked out that I can tolerate and I have a name picked out that he can tolerate.  So, we're in better shape than we were a month ago!  We'll be keeping the name a secret until he's born, so don't bother asking. :)  In the meanwhile we'll be busy getting the "boy" nursery ready and trying to grasp the reality of the situation.  This lucky boy will most likely be getting some Christmas presents this year, I haven't figured out who's going to open them yet though...

We're half way there! Monday was our 20 week appointment. Everything checked out well.  Looks like Baby and Momma are growing well.  We just about melted when we caught this "half" smile above.  Can you imagine that this baby only weighs about a pound??? He looks so big! It's amazing how developed he is already, and we still have 20 weeks to go! It's hard to believe that we're already half way.  It seems like we found out yesterday that I was pregnant! The days have flown by, but we are so very eager to meet this little buddy.

I'm losing my mind! The growth of the baby and the shrinkage of my brain work hand in hand.  For example, we completed the majority of the office a couple weeks ago and were able to move everything back in.  We set up our new computer in the corner of the desk and I rolled up to it in the office chair.  Now, remember, we laid down some hardwood floor, so the ground is now an inch above where it was previously.  As I rolled the chair up to the desk, the arms of the chair hit the bottom of the counter.  "Man, just when I thought we were done in here." I thought.  I turned to James, who was working on something and most likely not paying attention, and said, "Since we put the new floor in, it raised the ground too much.  Now our office chair won't fit underneath the desk!  We're either going to have to get a new chair or I guess we could raise the counter..." James nodded and went on doing whatever he was doing.  The next day I came into the office and wheeled the chair up to the computer and it fit underneath the counter!  I was beside myself! My first thought was, "Did he already raise the counter up?"  I looked and there was definitely no sign of that construction.  As I started to start my project on the computer, it hit me.  Office chairs have levers that can easily adjust the height of the chair itself.  I laughed out loud at myself and was thankful that James didn't do the same when I was hysterical.  Lately I've also been leaving the lid of the washer open when I start a load.  So when I come back to transfer it to the dryer I find the washer filled, but definitely not washed.  I think I've done that 3 times now....I can't even learn. haha

I can feel him movin! I felt him during supper on Dec. 5th , it was a constant jab in the same spot, (above my right hip bone.)  Needless to say, I didn't mind.  I enjoyed it, it finally felt real.  Every time I tell James that I feel it, he hurries over and wants to feel. Unfortunately, you can't feel it from the outside yet.  But James is certainly ready to take part in feeling the baby as well.

Here you can see he has his hand up in front of his face/eyes. This is the left side of his face, you can see his ear towards the right side of the photo.

Never a dull moment, growing on the farm...

"I don't know why I'm crying!"

 

We hit 16 weeks this week! Only about 24 until our little one will make its big arrival.   Our next appointment is November 21st to make sure baby is growing properly.  And December 5th we have our next ultrasound where we will (hopefully) determine if we're having a wee lad or lassie! Right in time for Christmas! I've heard the majority of people think it's a girl, (I think that's only because I have 2 nephews, no nieces, and James has 5 nephews, and 1 niece.  Girls are certainly outnumbered in the next generation, so far.) James is convinced it's a boy, (probably because that's what he's desperately hoping for, growing up with 4 sisters, he already thinks that there's too many girls in the world.) :)  I, on the other hand, have no idea or hunch of whether it's a boy or girl.  And really don't have a preference, because honestly it wouldn't matter what I wanted, it's not my decision to make. haha   I think that James and I are both ready to find out, though.  It will just be one more thing to help us wrap our minds around the fact that we are parents.   We're going to keep the name a secret until the baby arrives, but we've been attempting to brainstorm possibilities.  So far we only have one girl name picked out and are struggling to agree on even a letter for a boy name. haha I'm not too worried.  We still have 5 months until it really matters.  And even then my nephew didn't have a name until his second full day of life. So, apparently, there's no rush! :)

Lately, we've been pretty focused on getting the house ready for baby. There was some painting that we were needing to do, and those projects have been rushed now because we're hoping to have them done before we add a new member to our family. Our first project was painting and reflooring the office, (which is almost done!) Next we have a few accent walls to paint and a hallway, before we start the major renovation of our basement. I've come to realize that the chance of it being completed before the baby comes, is very slim. While freshening up the house, I've also been trying to get in touch with my creative side, which is rather difficult at times. Thanks to Pinterest, I've been able to do some pretty easy projects that are well worth the time and effort. Of course, there's the hoop art, which has boosted my confidence in diy projects. And there's also fall decorations. A friend, Nicole, and I had a good time decorating pumpkins, since neither of us can carve them. :S We sprayed them with gold glitter spray and glued on sequins and jewels. They turned out really fun! Soon we'll have to start worrying about baby-proofing the house and setting up the nursery. Pictures to come!

Besides my clothes starting to not fit and more pressure to my bladder, it's really pretty easy to forget that I'm pregnant.  My belly is a helpful reminder, now that it sticks out farther than it ever has in my life.  But my latest pregnancy symptom is my emotions.  They are out of control at times.  There are days that I wake up and I already feel like I'm fighting tears back.  And I have no idea why I'm upset! Thankfully I do alright making it through the day, especially when there are people around.  I can usually hold myself together pretty well.  But as the day ends, at some point they just come.  Poor James, he tries so hard to help. Now that I think about it, I'm laughing, but I do feel bad for him sometimes.  He tries to comfort me and asks me what's wrong. And usually I reply with something like, "I have no idea, I just can't stop crying." At this point I even try to think of something I can be sad about, and I can't come up with anything. And when I feel like the episode is over, I try to breathe and sometimes another run of chaotic tears come. Even I'm confused by this point and when he asks me this time why I'm crying, I've been known to say, "I'm just so tired of crying." And that is why I'm crying.  haha We can usually laugh about it the next day when I'm feeling much more stable.  He's learned that some pregnancy days, I'm just going to be sad. And I may not have any rational idea of why, but I'll just be sad.  He's a good sport. It would be pretty easy for him to just ignore me on days like that, but instead he pretends that he cares about my unstable emotions.  What a good guy! Now this also means that I have days where I'm extremely happy.  It's these days that I usually keep James on his toes because he thinks I'm up to something.  When he walks in the door and I am just so happy that he's there, I can't even stop smiling, he almost sneaks in the house as to watch for a trap somewhere.  It's also days like this where he doesn't think anything is as funny as I think it is. So I laugh with myself a lot, and he just shakes his head. Now that you think I've completely lost it, I'll let you know that I do have normal days.  Most days are normal and I'm just very content. It's these days that I can laugh at the situation and be grateful for the person God has helping me.  I couldn't have asked for a better husband, partner, and friend.  

I saw our boots sitting at the back door the other day and it made me stop and think.  I could almost picture another pair of tiny boots next to mine.  It's crazy.  Sometimes James and I feel like we've been robbed of our time together, just the two of us.  But God knows what he's doing and we know that we're in His hands, no matter if there's two of us, or three or four or five... We were blessed with four great dating years and now 9 months of marriage to ourselves. He's been preparing us all of these years, knowing that with His help, we will be able to handle it.

When you can't feel God moving in your life, it's scarier than when He's moving your life too fast. Being led to a knew place is far more comforting than being lost in a familiar place.



tears and smiles, growing on the farm...

Goodbye first trimester! Hello maternity clothes!

 James and I went to our 10 week ultrasound three weeks ago...I'm a little late updating. :S Anyways, as you can see, baby's growing!!! Fast! It was amazing that in three weeks time it went from being a blob on the screen to a moving child.  We could make out the hands and feet and got to see it squirm.  We watched it for a few minutes and it did not stay still for a single second.  If this continues, James and I will certainly have our hands full!  The bottom picture is in 3-D.  You can see the head towards the top.  At our first ultrasound we were able to hear the heartbeat, but being able to make out the baby and hear the heart beat at the same time was just incredible.

Next appointment is Monday! 

 Here's week 10 photo! It's actually 3 weeks old now as well, and I'm wondering how I'm ever going to keep up with baby pictures once the baby is here if I can't even keep up with them now! :)    I'm growing fast and putting clothes to the back of the closet.  I can't fit into a pair of jeans already, and all of my shirts share my growing tummy with the world! I've gained about 10 lbs already but expecting 25-30.  I'm loving every second of it though and wouldn't trade it for anything.  I've been trying to do a lot of reading and I've learned so much, still sometimes crazy to believe that it's really happening.   As many people say, the baby sucks your brain cells.  I believe this to be true with all of my heart, because I have done some pretty ridiculous things lately.  Like washing a load of laundry and realizing when I throw it in the dryer, that I never put in the soap.  I also feel a step behind in every conversation I have.  I'm like the person that hears a joke and laughs 5 minutes later because I finally get it. Everything just functions a little bit slower these days... except for the baby that is.  We're in the last week of the first trimester!  It seems unreal that we are already 1/3 of the way there. We'll be able to find out if it's a girl or a boy in a couple of weeks, by week 20 for sure. Apparently our baby is almost 4 inches long this week! It also has fingerprints now and the bones have begun to harden.  It is constantly in motion and for the sake of my sleep I'm okay with the fact that I can't feel it yet.  I'll appreciate that when the time comes. I'm up at least once a night to use the bathroom and I always look down the hall to the nursery and try to fathom that in a few months I'll be up for a needy baby.  God is whipping me into shape already! It should be such an easy transition, right? :) 

I thought that I would share some baby pictures of James and I.  We are a little bit older in these pictures but it was still fun to look at nonetheless. We're getting so excited to meet our little one! 

Getting closer, growing on the farm...