And the final Countdown...

Third Trimester has begun.  I am very excited even with all that we have to complete, slowly it will get all done.  But as we head into our final months of waiting for baby D to arrive we have a ton of things coming up, with every Saturday booked for me until baby comes.

This has been quite the journey, lots of different changes and feelings as I have been growing with little one moving quite a bit.  I did make it through our entire co-ed volleyball season through church, but this last Sunday's tournament took a toll on my body.  Still no cravings, but figuring out what sounds good for meals is unbelievably hard that it just comes down to what was purchased at the grocery and is easy to make after being in the office all day.  Too much to get taken care of, room is nearly finished with minor cleaning to be finished.  We will be doing our online class for birth pointers but first getting through the remaining weeks of tax season, which has been very busy.  

First day we knew

                           

October 26th

December 25th

February 27th

March 19th

Looking forward to spring actually meeting us and for the sun to show up for longer periods of warmth.  Would love to get another bike ride in before it really gets unbearable.  Taking it easy as much as possible but naps are hard to come by with our busy weekends.  

My parents, sister and niece were in town a few weeks ago.  Dad helped with Darren's tiling the basement while mom and sis worked on dusting and other cleaning items I have not had a chance to do or even more just too exhausted to take care of.  Tegan helped put babies shelving system then watched as I put clothing away.  Tegan poked at my belly trying to get the baby to move for her but instead she just pushed into my belly button which she enjoyed.  Stated she was "messing with the baby."  Of course after they left and I finally got to lay down and baby D was moving like crazy.  Tegan has also put in her prediction, baby D is a girl according to her.  So we will tally the votes as we get closer, until then baby D will have to deal with being called Junior by us. More cleaning is slowly getting done every weekend since my parents have been here and feeling accomplished in knowing that it will get be completed with time.

               

Realization

Recently I realized just how different life has changed for me.  So many times I think about the upcoming greatness that will be as our family expands and I think about how 3 years ago it was with other people that I was walking through the stages from dating, engaged and then married. As those people faded away I have gained new relationships that will carry me further into our lives as parenthood.  I just allowed the changes keeping faith that it was all for a reason and just letting go, to stop questioning, stop wondering and even more to not have resentment or regret that my life closed a very impactful chapter to allow me to have the best marriage and to open myself to what was laying in front of me that I had hardened my heart from.  As I enter this next great, blessing filled chapter I know now that things will continue to change and my relationships will continue to evolve.

105 Days

105 days to go until we meet our bundle of blessings.  We are at week 25 today, last week hitting the 6 month mark was very exciting.  I am not certain just why as there is still a lot more in front of us but maybe it was knowing that I was into another month of carrying our very active little one.  It has been a bad week for heartburn, after some calmness it has riled up to its usual self and that is quite uncomfortable.  I did get to see externally the movement that is going on inside, just sitting waiting for the bank teller to give me my slips and as I was looking down there it was, the kick or punch that our wee one desired to share with me in the moment of calmness.  We have an appointment in 2 weeks and get closer to seeing her more often as the pregnancy winds down.  I never even thought about all the questions that concern the birthing process and thankfully those have been answered or will be asked, there is a relief when you hear an answer and just know that it is going to all work out somehow with minimal surprises.

Baby's room has not had much progress and still sits at about the 45% completion but other things are getting taken care of and even more I have had some energy after a long day at the office to get around to items that I keep ignoring.  Next step is to build our cube organizer, clean what is left from office use and decide which books stay or need to be donated from my collection and that will get us another 10% closer in the room being finished up.  Vinyl letters, are the most horrific thing to put up.  My arm was getting a real workout that day as we kept seeing letters not stick completely but the good news is that it has stayed up since then, glad I did not buy 2 phrases for the house.

Photo to come soon.

Let me tell you

How happy I am that we are about 45% ready for baby to enjoy its new room.  Things are put together with only one more to purchase and one to put together before I try to call it quits on buying our baby essentials.
I am still in my regular clothes, with only one maternity shirt that my sister in law passed over.  Thank goodness for owning so many dresses and loose blouses, so glad that style suites me.  I even have one pair of jeans that button completely and actually have to wiggle up as they move around as the day goes on.  This makes me so happy because I am dreading having to shop for clothes that I will only wear for a little bit before baby comes.
Like I mentioned above, babies big needs are almost completely rounded out and I got to spend some time today with my wonderful, wise SIL.  Founds some great deals and had some ladies time as we perused the baby store.  I have this thing about being in charge and getting things done in a timely manner and Darren has been a great help in making it all come together.
As of tomorrow I will have made it through 4 weeks of intramural volleyball at 23 weeks pregnant.  Darren seems to be the most paranoid, asking how I am feeling and if I can handle that weeks competition.  We are still lifting and on the bike, although I am now keeping steady at certain weights way below where I was prior to being pregnant but I am happy that I can keep it up.  Last week I had to squat with my barbell and there was no hiding baby, it was so empowering!  I can do this.  And thanks to my SIL, she has given me the encouragement to know that after baby comes I can make it all work to get back in shape.  She is a true testament of someone who works very hard to take care of herself while raising her family.
Baby has been moving around a lot, how amazing it is to feel all these kicks and punches.  What a feeling that I am so blessed and grateful to feel.  Darren finally felt baby kicking around last week but there are definitely times when baby knows what we are up to and stops while Darren is feeling for movement.  I believe we are all very excited for our little one to join us.  I am very much looking forward to seeing Darren be the amazing father I know that he is, he has so many great qualities and I know that our child will pick up on those.  I have many prayers for us in raising a child to walk in faith and even more to raise one that will be guided not only by us but also the great people that have surrounded us and have shown great example of how it is to invest in our child and marriage.  This is the journey I never knew I would love and I am so ready to see how it unfolds with each day that I am given.

Reality

Every time I talk to someone or read about any part of the baby process a very small part of me freaks out, very small.  It is a great way to prepare, I know that I may not have the exact same experience as others but it is very awakening.  I have checked for the obvious signs of change in my skin waiting for the inevitable or maybe what I believe is going to occur, my face is the part of the worry but part of the ah we are okay.  I know that I may never be fully prepared for the entrance of our child's life into this world but sometimes reading the scary things and thinking on them helps me feel a little better, not certain why exactly but after initial shock of "my body is going to do…" I just think about the fact that we will become a family of three and how great of a dad Darren is going to be every day.

I am learning my boundaries, cannot bend over like a normal person and having to make adjustments in order to be comfortable and not feel like I am squishing the baby.  I cannot take too long between my snacks and meals, continuing to keep a well rounded healthy lifestyle from foods to exercise.  I can hide under my layers at the gym but when it comes to most activities I realize that my legs do not come up as high on the bicycle due to being stopped by my belly, not going to do a few things because they felt awkward just 3 months in and being bigger would only make me more uncomfortable.  Most of all the sleep, getting enough sleep makes me a much happier person and even more ready to take on the day but my weekend naps are still getting fit in whenever possible.  Waking up from that sleep to use the restroom, not my favorite part.

We are just over the halfway mark and so much more will come to light as we hit additional milestones.

What a week

Last week has been an amazing time for me and us.  After thinking I had been feeling the baby moving but not too certain as I just did not know exactly what it should feel like or what to expect to feel like.  We had our ultrasound on Monday and got to see the baby kicking and moving arms around, seeing fingers and toes moving around so much.  IT is so amazing that this is happening when I have not realized it all along.  We got to see how the baby is positioned currently, only wondering if we have a runner or a bicyclist in the making.  And it happens to be that I also realized our little blessing is kicking around, feeling little hits on my right side, where the legs were last Monday, these little punches just popping around in me.  I did try to see if I could feel externally, putting my hand on the area but nothing, baby just stopped and then started but nothing for Darren to feel.  I have to remember that the  baby is still quite little, we have time where this will change and Darren will get his chance to feel and see all the babies movements.

It has been quite the experience, a lot of physical changes that I thought were going to bother me have actually been surprisingly welcomed in every way possible.  Growing and gaining weight has been going as it should, too many worries get a person nowhere, letting it all go has helped me embrace this journey.  It definitely helps to be in a great place as a person, in my marriage and career.  Baby is really showing through in my clothing and can no longer be hidden as in the first 3 months.  We are nearly half way there, tomorrow will mark 20 weeks of baby growing, and before I know it tax season will be over and we will be only 2 months away from baby arriving.  (Women are really pregnant for 10 months not nine, that is almost an entire year- that is another thing that became clear real fast. 38-40 weeks is thought of as full term pregnancy and most people deliver their first child later than the expected due date. i.e. Women are superheroes.)

An appointment next month will put us at at almost 6 months, it is going fast.

Learning

Now that we are getting close to the middle of our pregnancy I am realizing that no one can really tell you all the different things that your body is capable of doing and what you are in for, each site I have visited says something more or less than the previous.  While no one could have told me what I was going to be up against, with each person and pregnancy varying, I only ever recall hearing of morning sickness.

So as we approached the first days of knowing that we were pregnant I thought it was time to prepare myself for every possible sign of morning sickness.  I already did a lot of reading from blogs to medical websites on what other things can occur within ones body during pregnancy but none of it really stuck until it hit me.  Going to rewind a little, we found out we were pregnant a couple days after I had a major tension headache unlike any other.  While at a football game I had to research what I was okay to take to relieve this unbelievable pain and needless to say migraines and tension headaches are very likely when you are pregnant, number 1.  We picked up some meds on our way to dinner and just moved along, we had already been acting as if I were pregnant by watching what I was consuming and continuing my active lifestyle helped stay the course.  So there were no mixed beverages while Darren enjoyed his few faves, there was a lot more mixing in vegetables to lunches taken at my desk but even more it was about consuming correctly, as I always try, with a few more greens injected into my meal routine.

The second thing I have learned is that your uterus is going to stretch and it can make one feel very uneasy, I had very many concerns of making it past 3 months to the "safe zone."  Thankfully a friend had previously offered to see me through any questions I had and directed me to some websites to help with getting the basic tests at a better price, the previous month we had not become pregnant and it came up on our way to women's group that we were in fact trying to start a family.  When I asked her about this feeling, she knew exactly what I was feeling and how to explain it to me.  I knew that my body was going to change but actually feeling different symptoms and things unknown can be scary and uncomfortable at times but it has to occur to give the baby space to grow.

I felt a lot better about finishing up pre-boarding information for our fall cruise and of course I stated that I was pregnant as it asked and then they required me to have our doctor fill in a form that stated that I was not x weeks far along.  We got it taken care of with a nurse visit to confirm my pregnancy and Doc signed off.  Darren said I should not have done so as to avoid the paperwork but I kept thinking symptoms, what will my body decide to do while we are on vacation on a giant ship that it has not done before.

I did not get sick while on the boat, the only thing that I needed which I did not pack was allergy medicine but we were okay by day 2.  I had purchased a few items before we left based on the list of okay medicines that the doctors office gave me at my visit. I had some anti-gas medicine, nausea, pain reliever, and nasal decongestant- as I had been getting sick just before I went to the doctor.  Well, I was getting sick because my immune system was being lowered based due to being with baby, but the sun and stress free days helped to get rid of it while we were gone.  Lowered Immune system never occurred to me as I take a multi vitamin and vitamin c daily, but it happens.  Third thing I learned.

While I have not had morning sickness I did experience and still do, heartburn/indigestion.  What?! I did not think as to what exactly all my hormones were up to, they are relaxing my valve that separates my stomach from my esophagus causing the discomfort. I had this feeling going into my 8 week appointment and doc thought it would go away, as did I read this usually occurs in the second and third trimesters, but at week 10 appointment to find a heartbeat she said it was not going anywhere and gave additional over the counter med recommendations.  Darren picked one up and I tried prior to going home for Thanksgiving but it made my stomach feel uneasy so I decided to suck it up.  There were a couple times the acid made me get sick as it rose into my throat, some days are better than others but I count on it showing up at some point in the day.  This is the 4th thing that I have learned, in addition I learned through some research that heartburn is caused by some of my favorite foods; tomato, spicy foods, chocolate and citrus fruits- all things I love to have.  I started to eliminate some of these but does not work out all the time and once the heartburn kicks in I say forget it and enjoy what I can while I have the desire for it.

This leads me to the 5th item I have learned, sometimes I just do not have an appetite.  It disappears and my desire to figure out what sounds like a great meal is left blank.  Because I know I have to eat so I do not get hangry, and I also have to give my body nutrients for myself and the baby.  Sometimes we just make a decision that sounds good and once eaten makes it all better.  I thought I would be hungry more often, and while I usually snack through the day anyway I thought I was in good shape but not when the desire to make a choice is nonexistent.  My biggest issue is keeping hydrated, being constantly thirsty and water not always filling the void I have leaned on popsicles and some flavored caffeine free drinks that I normally would consider a treat.

Number 6, my body is going to produce more mucus.  And also have some nosebleeds to help it along the way.  Seriously, for someone who is already an allergy prone person and has to deal with a stuffy nose and congestion this makes it worse.  I go to bed cleared out but soon after am breathing out of my mouth which grosses me out as it causes issues in dental hygiene.  Sleeping on my left side as recommended has already been an adjustment as I have to work a lot harder to breathe with all the mucus building up.  I never have been a back sleeper, I prefer my right side,  it is how I can breathe best even though I will not be able to do this for too long as the weight of the baby will press on my spine and cause pain.

What else has this pregnancy got in store?! I will find out in due time as I get larger, tax season and race season sees us on some adventures.  We are still trying to figure out how to transport myself at 8 months to the races here in town, it is going to be interesting.

Us

This year I declared on New Years that this would be the year of US.  A year about our marriage and working at being a better us.  Working on the many aspects that would make us what God intended for marriage to be.  I wanted to open the doors of communication even wider and make Darren my sound board even though I still have to pull information from him.  I wanted to be the best wife and know that our lives were always going to centered around God and his guidance as we seek him in our lives/marriage and growing closer together through him.

We were going to lessen my volunteer load in order for me to be at home to do other things and spend more time together even if it was about our trips.  We were going to stress less and not have to lose that extra time we could spend together.  And then as I was ending my term with my volunteer position that took most of my time we realized that a second job would help us out on our journey and with tax season done there was quite a bit of slow/beautiful time for me that it would work out well.  With added time at another job plus travel it hurt and helped all at the same time, it was even trying at times.  But we made it through the rough and exhausted days.

We did find ourselves not only joining small groups but also additional ways to volunteer at our church as we also joined separate men's and women's groups.  This, to me, has been very fulfilling and great for our marriage and for both of us to grow individually and together.  We continue to find more ways to be grateful because of the learning tools that are in front of us as well as how to overcome the tough times.

As the year winds down I realize more and more that we did it, we made the year about us.  We slowly turned corners, we made mistakes and continued to learn about each other.  We had some great adventures this year from each of our trips to our neighborhood adventures- yes we always look for the elephant ear stand in our neighborhood and the fair.  Year 2 of marriage came and is almost half way to year 3, I can only imagine what God has in front of us and what he will see us through.  It will be great to know that we had our year and we will continue look forward to making our marriage first before all else while putting God in the center.

For the biggest blessing is to come.  As we see our little one grow in my belly and all the little changes that show us just how great God is, I am certain there will be so much more.

16 weeks December 25th 2013

Things my Mom taught me

Randomly I started thinking about all the different things that my mom has instilled in me, there are moments when I think that my mom does it just that same way and now I am doing it as well.  It is a great feeling, just knowing that some great habits and some funny ones are the things that make me the person I am because my mother was always herself in front of me and her love shines just as much as her personality.

In no particular order:

·         How to make food, my dad also helped in this journey but it is so much better to make it with her now in our home.  I like being the sous chef.

·         How to speak loudly/yell when you need someone and what it is that you need.  Darren does not like this and so I try to only call out for him then wait for his arrival to give directions/update or whatever it might be.

·         How to pray, while I learned this from my Apa (grandfather) she is the one I noticed the most and can recollect her cries as I stood outside her door and kneeling by my parents bed to pray as a family.  I will so do this and not just for awhile for as long as I am gifted with a family of my own.

·         Patience, most of the time she is not in a rush (does not like to be rushed) and likes to peruse through stores or visiting with family or friends and wherever she might be.

·         Hosting, there are still times when my mom throws an impromptu gathering at her house, while I plan events she always has an open door to feed and socialize with loved ones.  The summers I was home from college I was never discouraged from hosting bonfires with friends.  Although my favorite part might be the house being filled as growing up with 4 siblings there were rarely quite times.

·         The ability to speak to anyone, and I mean anyone.  I have not always been this way and slowly other people and life experiences have also helped me in this journey but it is nice to have a conversation without fear.

·         Caring for others, my mother with her siblings helped with my grandparents and with their church family.  I never really thought of it as serving one another, as God intended for us to but it sure is nice to give without receiving.

·         My love language, I had to read a book to figure this one out.  My mom shows love by giving, finding item(s) you may like or she may even have a stash just in case, but this too is how I show my love by gifting.  Although we might receive love differently, still trying to figure out how she receives.

·         The importance of birthdays, we are always celebrated, there was usually a party.  Although now we are much older and things have changed slightly.  I can say that I know each of my immediate family members birthdays and anniversaries by heart- still working on learning Darren’s side.

·         How to read, in Spanish nonetheless.  I cannot recall just sitting and reading but my love of it has not died.  She still answers my questions when I have them regarding the meaning of some words that I cross or at my last job, the best translation.

·         How to greet, our family has its own way but it is always full of love and acceptance.

·         Keeping a secret, honestly I did not know that we had this in common until Darren and I got engaged and I called to her know and that I wanted to tell some of my close family before the rest found out.  She stayed close mouthed until I gave her the go ahead on spreading the news.

·         Desire for fashion at a great price, my parents gave us many opportunities and shopping was one thing I was able to do frequently.  And we still do, its just out of my own pocket except for my birthday or special items she finds.

·         With fashion my mom also taught me the importance of modesty.  Of course she never encouraged swimsuits or shorts/pants but she did teach me not to wear clothing that is too tight, low cut/revealing or too short.  She also drew on my legs with black marker on my swimming photos that were taken each year I swam, if that tells you anything, she covered me up.

·         Great memory, sometimes I think my mom is remembering something/someone else but in fact it is something I cannot recall for whatever reason.  But I am great at remembering the things in my youth and adult life.

·         The importance of hard work.  I have always known that my mother worked hard at what she has been doing for over 30 years now.  Although not in the same career line she did teach me how to give all I have in what I do and not cut corners.  Giving me the opportunity to further my education as much as she and my dad could help me along my way.  

·       Keeping extra napkins from meals out, it has been a life saver as I can be prone to making a mess without warning.

As different as we both are she is my mother and she is pretty amazing.

Yes!!!

This is my last week of clothing documentary, I think it went very well and just showed me how much I could make my existing wardrobe work for me.  Still in need of mending a couple of different items, my favorite red pair of slacks and something else buried underneath it that never saw this challenge.  

Day 50

A lavender blouse that I bought awhile back and had to mend after washing.

Black straight leg pants helped with my purple peep toes make their own statement.

Day 51

I absolutely LOVE this sweater, so comfy and such a great statement piece that I never feel can be worn incorrectly.  With a long sleeve tee, leggings, tall boots and a belt to cinch it all together.

This belt actually came with a blouse but thought it was very fitting with this outfit, not too large but just right when trying to create a figure with larger sweaters.

Day 52

This is one of my favorite skirts, just want to say I bought a couple years ago before ombre hair and clothing came into the mix.  Simple black tee, patterned tights and purple flats make for a fun outfit.

Day 53

This purple and white blouse is a great combination of ruffles a cinched waist.  The sleeves are so nice, too bad it is too cold at the office to walk around in this great everyday item.

That made my challenge up.  I believe it went really well, I put different things together and recreated old outfits but mostly I had more fun within my closet and figuring out what would make for not only a comfortable option but a photographable one and also digging for items that often get lost in the closet.

The next challenge, to start maybe at the beginning of the year, cleaning out my closet and donating that which is no longer being worn or just outdated for my grown up stage.