I am Huge! I look in the mirror and am shocked to see strange and unusual body parts attached to me! I cannot imagine getting any bigger! I can hear you, "Just Wait" you say.
Two more weeks to trimester number 3!
Christina is on the move! She still prefers very early mornings and late nights but I feel her quite a bit throughout the day as well. So far, John is the only one besides me who has felt her kicks but he has felt some good ones! It feels like somersaults and cartwheels are her specialty :0) According to the week by week book she is now almost 2 pounds! Her head to bum length is 9 and a half inches. Grow baby grow! The book also says Christina's 5 senses are now fully developed.
Overall, I'm holding up well physically. Even before I was pregnant my feet would swell in the heat so they've kept that trend up. I don't do well standing for long periods of time but walking is still good. Most of the time I sleep well at night, and I still get tired really early. My bladder has not grown with the pregnancy and it seems when I'm well hydrated I can only take 10 steps from the bathroom before I go back in (it's not quite that bad, it just feels like it). I've had some lower back pain at times and sometimes my stomach feels like it is stretching but nothing has been severe. I now weigh 15 pounds more than I did before I was pregnant. I often feel rather klutzy and am horrified to now drop food on my clothes (something I never did before).
I've added some pages to this blog: one has milestones and the other has prego pics. Nothing new but I'm glad to have it all in once place. I hope to also add a list of needed items.
ttfn ~
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Ramblings
We have not left for our trip yet but as I make lists of what to pack, I am already including Christina. In my mind, I guess I think she has already been born! I keep thinking we need to take the port-a-crib so she will have something to sleep in. As I pack our clothes I keep wanting to pack hers. I've wondered if we'll be able to get everything in with her car seat taking up so much room. Reality always kicks in and I remember that she is still kicking around inside of me, not ready to come out for another 3 plus months (and we only plan to be away a bit more than a month) but I am always surprised by my thoughts!
I don't believe mothering is just an instinct. I do believe God gives mothers a beautiful bond with their children, even before they are born. It is so special to feel her in there, bumping about. Her kicks continue to grow stronger, showing her health and strength and reminding me of her precious little self.
I may look back on this time "before we had kids" and think how much simpler/easier life was. I don't doubt that our lives will become more complicated after Christina is born. I've heard the stories from mom's about the lack of sleep, the lack of time for yourself--all the things I take for granted now. But in the midst of that, I hope I never lose my wonder at this precious gift from God--our daughter!
I have so many expectations of what kind of Mom I want to be. I don't want to fall apart physically, I want to always enjoy our children, I want their lives to be full of fun and discovery, I want to train them to be kind and caring for others, I want to protect them from harmful influences (physically, spiritually, emotionally etc.), and I never want our children to feel they need to carry our emotional baggage (to name just a few!) Lots of ideas desperately needing wisdom to carry them out!
I don't believe mothering is just an instinct. I do believe God gives mothers a beautiful bond with their children, even before they are born. It is so special to feel her in there, bumping about. Her kicks continue to grow stronger, showing her health and strength and reminding me of her precious little self.
I may look back on this time "before we had kids" and think how much simpler/easier life was. I don't doubt that our lives will become more complicated after Christina is born. I've heard the stories from mom's about the lack of sleep, the lack of time for yourself--all the things I take for granted now. But in the midst of that, I hope I never lose my wonder at this precious gift from God--our daughter!
I have so many expectations of what kind of Mom I want to be. I don't want to fall apart physically, I want to always enjoy our children, I want their lives to be full of fun and discovery, I want to train them to be kind and caring for others, I want to protect them from harmful influences (physically, spiritually, emotionally etc.), and I never want our children to feel they need to carry our emotional baggage (to name just a few!) Lots of ideas desperately needing wisdom to carry them out!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
25 Weeks
Life is speeding by and our sweet baby is growing! Christina's kicks are certainly stronger than they were! John has been feeling some great ones! So wonderful to share her with him.
I bought fabric today for my sister Sara to make a quilt for Christina's crib. (Someone gave us a beautiful wooden crib, what a blessing!) The colors for the nursery are grass green and light pink. I found the perfect green with white dots, white with green dots, and a pink flannel for the quilt. It will have a green rectangle, a white border, and pink binding around the edges. In the green rectangle will be 3 large peony's! This will all be done without a pattern but Sara is the kind of genius that can just wing it!
We are planning to be away from our little cabin for more than a month. The first part will be taking care of a job/visiting relatives and the second part will be trying out the new job for 30 days. I'm not sure how much access I'll have to the Internet so my posts may be a bit sparse.
It is hard to believe that my first trimester is almost over! Week 28 starts my third trimester! There is a lot that happens at week 28. Because I am Rh negative, I need to get a RhoGAM shot to protect my body from building antibodies towards an Rh positive baby. The shot itself has a lot of controversy and it is something we would rather skip for a variety of reasons, but if I became sensitized, the chances of a second healthy Rh positive baby could be quite slim.
We had a visit with our midwife Monday and everything is looking/sounding fine. Her heartbeat is sounding more girly! She now weighs around 1 and a half pounds and is over 8 inches long!
If Christina were born today, she would have a chance of surviving (though she would have to spend a lot of time in the hospital). We knew a family who had a baby this early and she is fine now.
I have been doing well but it seems I've forgotten how to walk! I trip over sticks and run into walls. Hopefully Christina will get her gracefulness from her dad!
I bought fabric today for my sister Sara to make a quilt for Christina's crib. (Someone gave us a beautiful wooden crib, what a blessing!) The colors for the nursery are grass green and light pink. I found the perfect green with white dots, white with green dots, and a pink flannel for the quilt. It will have a green rectangle, a white border, and pink binding around the edges. In the green rectangle will be 3 large peony's! This will all be done without a pattern but Sara is the kind of genius that can just wing it!
We are planning to be away from our little cabin for more than a month. The first part will be taking care of a job/visiting relatives and the second part will be trying out the new job for 30 days. I'm not sure how much access I'll have to the Internet so my posts may be a bit sparse.
It is hard to believe that my first trimester is almost over! Week 28 starts my third trimester! There is a lot that happens at week 28. Because I am Rh negative, I need to get a RhoGAM shot to protect my body from building antibodies towards an Rh positive baby. The shot itself has a lot of controversy and it is something we would rather skip for a variety of reasons, but if I became sensitized, the chances of a second healthy Rh positive baby could be quite slim.
We had a visit with our midwife Monday and everything is looking/sounding fine. Her heartbeat is sounding more girly! She now weighs around 1 and a half pounds and is over 8 inches long!
If Christina were born today, she would have a chance of surviving (though she would have to spend a lot of time in the hospital). We knew a family who had a baby this early and she is fine now.
I have been doing well but it seems I've forgotten how to walk! I trip over sticks and run into walls. Hopefully Christina will get her gracefulness from her dad!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
24 Weeks
Whew, life is not dull. The job opportunity I mentioned before is once again an option for us. John had his first phone interview today, and already they have the second one planned for tomorrow! We are again very excited but also somewhat tentative considering all the changes this would entail.
Our baby girl seems to be doing quite well through it all. :0) Already she's a trooper! She prefers to be quite active early in the morning (John's favorite time of the day) and late at night (this used to be my favorite time of the day but pregnancy has changed that a bit!) According to the Week by Week book, she now weighs about 1 and a half pounds and is about 8 and a half inches long from her head to her bum. From the sketch of a 24 week baby in the book, it looks like she doesn't have much room in there!! Even with her small size, her face and body already look like a newborn. Ahh, what bliss to finally *see* her!!
And... unless something changes... we are planning to name our daughter...
Christina Joy! My mom's name is Christine so we wanted to honor her with our daughter's name but still use something a little different. And the Joy part fits nicely with what we have felt and will continue to feel as our daughter grows and grows!
Our baby girl seems to be doing quite well through it all. :0) Already she's a trooper! She prefers to be quite active early in the morning (John's favorite time of the day) and late at night (this used to be my favorite time of the day but pregnancy has changed that a bit!) According to the Week by Week book, she now weighs about 1 and a half pounds and is about 8 and a half inches long from her head to her bum. From the sketch of a 24 week baby in the book, it looks like she doesn't have much room in there!! Even with her small size, her face and body already look like a newborn. Ahh, what bliss to finally *see* her!!
And... unless something changes... we are planning to name our daughter...
Christina Joy! My mom's name is Christine so we wanted to honor her with our daughter's name but still use something a little different. And the Joy part fits nicely with what we have felt and will continue to feel as our daughter grows and grows!
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Very Happy to be Alive
Early this morning, John and I could have been:
- Burnt to a crisp in our bed
- Crushed by a falling tree
- Electrocuted
Thankfully, God in His graciousness, spared our lives, our cabin, and our things.
Read all about it at: http://godsgraciousgifts.blogspot.com/2010/06/gift-of-protection.html
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
23 Weeks!
It is sooo nice to feel our little girl bumping around in my belly. Her kicks are still quite gentle, but it is incredible to feel her movements.
We are delighted to have a little girl! In all the searching I've done for baby clothes, I only found 2 boy items. It has been very fun to shop intentionally for darling girl outfits!
According to the Week by Week book, our baby weighs almost 1 pound! Her head to bum length is around 8 inches.
I have been gaining weight and width as well. From my pre-pregnancy weight, I have gained 10 pounds and my belly, looks quite pregnant! I'll post pics when I have them.
Here is an excerpt from the Week by Week book:
"Your baby's pancreas is developing. This organ is important in hormone production, particularly insulin productions; insulin is necessary for the body to break down and to use sugar. When the fetus is exposed to high blood-sugar levels, the fetal pancreas responds by increasing the blood-insulin level. Insulin has been identified in a fetal pancreas as early as 9 weeks of pregnancy. Insulin in fetal blood has been detected as early as 12 weeks of pregnancy. Insulin levels are generally high in the blood of babies born to diabetic mothers. That is one reason your doctor may monitor you for diabetes."
We are delighted to have a little girl! In all the searching I've done for baby clothes, I only found 2 boy items. It has been very fun to shop intentionally for darling girl outfits!
According to the Week by Week book, our baby weighs almost 1 pound! Her head to bum length is around 8 inches.
I have been gaining weight and width as well. From my pre-pregnancy weight, I have gained 10 pounds and my belly, looks quite pregnant! I'll post pics when I have them.
Here is an excerpt from the Week by Week book:
"Your baby's pancreas is developing. This organ is important in hormone production, particularly insulin productions; insulin is necessary for the body to break down and to use sugar. When the fetus is exposed to high blood-sugar levels, the fetal pancreas responds by increasing the blood-insulin level. Insulin has been identified in a fetal pancreas as early as 9 weeks of pregnancy. Insulin in fetal blood has been detected as early as 12 weeks of pregnancy. Insulin levels are generally high in the blood of babies born to diabetic mothers. That is one reason your doctor may monitor you for diabetes."
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