There's this phenomenon that happens between most women when they first get pregnant. At least the first time around. We want to know EVERYTHING. So, we do what we know how: we talk about pregnancy and childbirth and having babies with anyone who will listen. And we read everything we can get our hands on. And we subscribe to every pregnancy website we can find. We check these sources religiously each week, learning about each week and stage of pregnancy along the way. We know when our babies hearts start beating, when their boy and girl parts form, when their fingernails grow, when they eyes start sensing light, when they can start hearing our voices.
But in subsequent pregnancies, we consider ourselves experienced veterans, so this stuff all falls by the wayside. Until you have older siblings that become curious about this stuff. Once again, I have found myself joining babycenter.com. Sophia and Noah are constantly asking how big the baby is, and this has been such a great resource to show them. Each week, babycenter compares the size of your baby to a common fruit or vegetable. It's been such a great visual to give the kids some kind of idea as to what is happening inside of my ever growing belly. This week, our baby happens to be the size of a bell pepper.
Still haven't decided what we're going to do at our ultrasound in a couple of weeks. At this point, we're thinking we're going to find out, but I hate fully committing yet. We've told a few people that we might do it, but I keep leaving the door open and saying we aren't totally sure yet. True enough; I'm still not all the way convinced.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Week 17: May 30, 2011
What's heaviest on my mind this week is the ultrasound. I am excited for it, of course. But also maybe beginning to wonder if this baby is healthy. I'm trying not to be anxious about it, but I feel like I've spent more time thinking about this in this pregnancy than I ever have in the past. With the others, I don't remember worrying so much about whether our 20 week ultrasound was going to reveal anything other than a beautiful, small, healthy little baby.
And of course, we're still debating about whether or not we want to know if this baby is a boy or girl. I've been around long enough that I think I've heard all the pros and cons each way, but so far, none of them has been enough to solidify a decision. The jury's still out.
Finally, at 17 weeks, I am beginning to feel like I am getting my energy back. At least some of it. I am starting to feel like I can once again become somewhat of a contributing member of this household. Cooking dinner might not be as monumental of a task as it was last week.
But maybe part of my problem has been that I am simply not getting enough water. Each day, I vow I'm going to be better about hydrating myself. But then I think of how much time I'll be spending in the bathroom, and my resolve crumbles like a muffin in a toddler's hands. It's so hard to make myself drink the stuff when I know it might mean that I'm using the bathroom every 20 minutes.
We spent Memorial Day Weekend in the mountains this year. That's pretty insignificant except for the fact that we did go for a hike- and I did manage to carry Sweetest P in the backpack. I wasn't sure how that would work out, but let's be honest. The only reason I'm making note of it is because I'm proud of carrying one baby on the back and one in the belly. (And for those of you questioning why Tim wasn't carrying her, let me defend him by making it known that he was carrying Noah- obviously the heavier of the two.)
And of course, we're still debating about whether or not we want to know if this baby is a boy or girl. I've been around long enough that I think I've heard all the pros and cons each way, but so far, none of them has been enough to solidify a decision. The jury's still out.
Finally, at 17 weeks, I am beginning to feel like I am getting my energy back. At least some of it. I am starting to feel like I can once again become somewhat of a contributing member of this household. Cooking dinner might not be as monumental of a task as it was last week.
But maybe part of my problem has been that I am simply not getting enough water. Each day, I vow I'm going to be better about hydrating myself. But then I think of how much time I'll be spending in the bathroom, and my resolve crumbles like a muffin in a toddler's hands. It's so hard to make myself drink the stuff when I know it might mean that I'm using the bathroom every 20 minutes.
We spent Memorial Day Weekend in the mountains this year. That's pretty insignificant except for the fact that we did go for a hike- and I did manage to carry Sweetest P in the backpack. I wasn't sure how that would work out, but let's be honest. The only reason I'm making note of it is because I'm proud of carrying one baby on the back and one in the belly. (And for those of you questioning why Tim wasn't carrying her, let me defend him by making it known that he was carrying Noah- obviously the heavier of the two.)
Friday, August 19, 2011
Week 16: Back to Life, Back to Reality!
Finally. After 16 weeks, I feel like I have finally turned a corner. I am beginning to return to normal levels of functionality. Beginning at least. After 3 consecutive days without a nap (can't tell you the last time that happened), I crashed on the fourth day and ended up napping as long as my kids- which wasn't my intention, but sure felt good none-the-less.
The first 3 days of week 16 were probably more productive than the previous 3 months combined! Sadly, I am not sure that is an exaggeration. And I headed into the middle of the week feeling good, I was hoping this productivity would continue. But then, I found my kids begging me (repeatedly and very insistently) to just "READ" as I found myself dozing (snoring?) off while reading their naptime stories. So I decided that 3 consecutive days of being productive were very successful and should therefore be rewarded with a nap! :)
This week has also caused a lot of contemplation and reflection. Our ultrasound will be here before we know it, amazingly enough. Can I really be just shy of halfway? Really? And for the first time in our parenting journey, this ultrasound has caused debate. To find out or not? With the previous three, it was never really much of a discussion. We both really like not finding out. In fact, we've loved it. And for me, I would almost say it's something I'm passionate about! Laugh if you must; I know that I'm weird and quirky. But at least I'm honest! But we both know that this might just be the last time we have the chance to see the grass on the other side, so we're wondering if we should check it out over there. We haven't come to a conclusion, yet, but we're at least considering it.
We also got to meet another new baby this week. This time, we took the whole family to across town to welcome little Jed Morris into the world. I think Sophia was in heaven. I'm not lying when I say I think she could have held that sweet little boy until he was too big to hold! She was hurrying Tim and I up to have her turn. I never knew until maybe after Noah was born how much I love newborns. There's just something so special about their scrunched up little bodies that you want to hold onto forever because you know it passes too quickly.
And boy, did holding Jed make the beginning of November seem oh...so...far...away...
The first 3 days of week 16 were probably more productive than the previous 3 months combined! Sadly, I am not sure that is an exaggeration. And I headed into the middle of the week feeling good, I was hoping this productivity would continue. But then, I found my kids begging me (repeatedly and very insistently) to just "READ" as I found myself dozing (snoring?) off while reading their naptime stories. So I decided that 3 consecutive days of being productive were very successful and should therefore be rewarded with a nap! :)
This week has also caused a lot of contemplation and reflection. Our ultrasound will be here before we know it, amazingly enough. Can I really be just shy of halfway? Really? And for the first time in our parenting journey, this ultrasound has caused debate. To find out or not? With the previous three, it was never really much of a discussion. We both really like not finding out. In fact, we've loved it. And for me, I would almost say it's something I'm passionate about! Laugh if you must; I know that I'm weird and quirky. But at least I'm honest! But we both know that this might just be the last time we have the chance to see the grass on the other side, so we're wondering if we should check it out over there. We haven't come to a conclusion, yet, but we're at least considering it.
We also got to meet another new baby this week. This time, we took the whole family to across town to welcome little Jed Morris into the world. I think Sophia was in heaven. I'm not lying when I say I think she could have held that sweet little boy until he was too big to hold! She was hurrying Tim and I up to have her turn. I never knew until maybe after Noah was born how much I love newborns. There's just something so special about their scrunched up little bodies that you want to hold onto forever because you know it passes too quickly.
And boy, did holding Jed make the beginning of November seem oh...so...far...away...
Week 15: May 16, 2011
I had my 16 week appointment this week, a few days early. This was my first appointment with my doctor, and it held more "extra" good news than I ever remember hearing from our insurance system. So let me recap this week with a simple summary of the good and the bad for you.
The Good:
*On a minor scale, I actually lost a pound since my last appointment. Hey, in the course of pregnancy, every pound counts, right? But it's all back to those suspect scales. Remember how I said I wasn't sure I trusted them? Well, we'll just say that this week, they worked in my favor.
*Baby's heartbeat sounds good-holding steady at 160.
*This has maybe been my most productive week of pregnancy thus far!
*We can do our ultrasound (which is my next appointment- WOWSERS!) at our own clinic. This is good news because in the past, we've had to go to another office, and the ultrasound tech is notoriously grouchy and mean. No one should leave their ultrasound feeling grumpy, right? So thankful to not have to visit her this time around.
*And the best news of all: it's looking like we don't have to deliver this baby at our insurance's hospital downtown. Both Phoebe and Noah were born at that hospital. We haven't had bad experiences there, but they haven't been super great either. For starters, it's in the heart of downtown and VERY inconvenient to get to. Especially while in labor! Phoebe was born in a matter of mere minutes after arriving, very Hollywood television drama style, so I was not looking forward to a repeat of that experience. And she was born at 12:39 am. That meant we were driving to this hospital after midnight. I can't imagine what it might be like in rush hour. Or potentially in snow, during rush hour! YIKES! Instead, we get to go back to a closer, much newer hospital on this side of town. This happens to be the same one where Sophia was born, and we loved it there. Tim and I couldn't be more thrilled! It's not even an exaggeration to say that now, every time I drive by this hospital, I brief a sigh of relief and can't help saying, "Thank you, Jesus!"
The Bad:
I don't have much to complain about. Tim was out of town for the first part of this week, and it was a tough week with the kids. I should be past the first trimester fog by now, but I'm still so tired. I still have a hard time functioning through the day without a nap, and I would love to be able to use my kids' naptime to be more productive. Instead, I find myself sleeping their naptime away, and using every ounce of strength I have to rouse MYSELF so I can go rouse THEM!! All the while, the laundry, bills, and dust continue to pile up...
The Good:
*On a minor scale, I actually lost a pound since my last appointment. Hey, in the course of pregnancy, every pound counts, right? But it's all back to those suspect scales. Remember how I said I wasn't sure I trusted them? Well, we'll just say that this week, they worked in my favor.
*Baby's heartbeat sounds good-holding steady at 160.
*This has maybe been my most productive week of pregnancy thus far!
*We can do our ultrasound (which is my next appointment- WOWSERS!) at our own clinic. This is good news because in the past, we've had to go to another office, and the ultrasound tech is notoriously grouchy and mean. No one should leave their ultrasound feeling grumpy, right? So thankful to not have to visit her this time around.
*And the best news of all: it's looking like we don't have to deliver this baby at our insurance's hospital downtown. Both Phoebe and Noah were born at that hospital. We haven't had bad experiences there, but they haven't been super great either. For starters, it's in the heart of downtown and VERY inconvenient to get to. Especially while in labor! Phoebe was born in a matter of mere minutes after arriving, very Hollywood television drama style, so I was not looking forward to a repeat of that experience. And she was born at 12:39 am. That meant we were driving to this hospital after midnight. I can't imagine what it might be like in rush hour. Or potentially in snow, during rush hour! YIKES! Instead, we get to go back to a closer, much newer hospital on this side of town. This happens to be the same one where Sophia was born, and we loved it there. Tim and I couldn't be more thrilled! It's not even an exaggeration to say that now, every time I drive by this hospital, I brief a sigh of relief and can't help saying, "Thank you, Jesus!"
The Bad:
I don't have much to complain about. Tim was out of town for the first part of this week, and it was a tough week with the kids. I should be past the first trimester fog by now, but I'm still so tired. I still have a hard time functioning through the day without a nap, and I would love to be able to use my kids' naptime to be more productive. Instead, I find myself sleeping their naptime away, and using every ounce of strength I have to rouse MYSELF so I can go rouse THEM!! All the while, the laundry, bills, and dust continue to pile up...
Friday, August 5, 2011
Week 14: The 3 Month Hangover
My OB loving refers to the first trimester as "The 3 Month Hangover." I am going to unabashedly agree. Which is funny, because truth be told, I have never in my lifetime been hung over. However, from my very limited knowledge, everything I know tells me this is a very good analogy. And it makes me smile every time I think of it. At least in a 3 month hangover, you have something more lasting to show for it than an evening's worth of a good time!
That said, I would now be hoping to emerge from said "hangover." Unfortunately, that's just not seeming to happen at this point. There might be faint glimpses of light at the end of the tunnel, but I am certainly not there yet. After all, I am still finding myself dysfunctional without my daily nap.
At this point in time, Tim and I have done our best to let our so called "cat" fully out of the bag and are not attempting to be secretive in anyway about the newest Nielson. BUT, he has still not made any announcements to our youth group, so I am not entirely sure who at church knows our news and who hasn't heard yet at this point. Which makes it completely awkward when I am trying to decide what to wear to church on Sunday morning. He doesn't understand what it's like to have people looking at your midsection, wondering things they are too afraid to ask. Let's just say I've worn a lot of loose fitting shirts in the last couple of weeks. And pleaded with Tim to make a formal announcement in spite of how uncomfortable he is about it.
After my last appointment, and the relief of hearing the heartbeat finally, I need to tell my principal at work my news. We had just recently discussed a position for me next year, that I had verbally committed to, but I didn't know how this latest development was going to impact his vision of my precious one day a week "teaching" job. Of anyone I could think of, he was the one I was most nervous to tell. I walked into work on Monday morning, and decided that the sooner I got it out of the way, the better I would feel. So I hunted him down first thing on Monday, and wonder of all wonders, he was one of those few people who actually said, "Congratulations, that's great news!" It appears that my ideal will work out just fine. I'll go ahead and start next school year working one day a week, take off the months of November and December, and come back to work for just one day a week after the first of the year.
I am not sure if I have mentioned this prior to this point, but at the beginning of this pregnancy, almost literally every woman my age that I knew was pregnant. This week brought the birth of the first of those babies. On my way home from work at the end of the week, I stopped by the hospital to congratulate my friend and meet little Kate. What a sweetheart!!! And oh, did it make it seem like the next 26 weeks would NEVER end!! I can't wait for it to be our turn again, in the hospital, holding, bonding with and loving on this newest addition to the fam. It feels like that time might never come at this point...
That said, I would now be hoping to emerge from said "hangover." Unfortunately, that's just not seeming to happen at this point. There might be faint glimpses of light at the end of the tunnel, but I am certainly not there yet. After all, I am still finding myself dysfunctional without my daily nap.
At this point in time, Tim and I have done our best to let our so called "cat" fully out of the bag and are not attempting to be secretive in anyway about the newest Nielson. BUT, he has still not made any announcements to our youth group, so I am not entirely sure who at church knows our news and who hasn't heard yet at this point. Which makes it completely awkward when I am trying to decide what to wear to church on Sunday morning. He doesn't understand what it's like to have people looking at your midsection, wondering things they are too afraid to ask. Let's just say I've worn a lot of loose fitting shirts in the last couple of weeks. And pleaded with Tim to make a formal announcement in spite of how uncomfortable he is about it.
After my last appointment, and the relief of hearing the heartbeat finally, I need to tell my principal at work my news. We had just recently discussed a position for me next year, that I had verbally committed to, but I didn't know how this latest development was going to impact his vision of my precious one day a week "teaching" job. Of anyone I could think of, he was the one I was most nervous to tell. I walked into work on Monday morning, and decided that the sooner I got it out of the way, the better I would feel. So I hunted him down first thing on Monday, and wonder of all wonders, he was one of those few people who actually said, "Congratulations, that's great news!" It appears that my ideal will work out just fine. I'll go ahead and start next school year working one day a week, take off the months of November and December, and come back to work for just one day a week after the first of the year.
I am not sure if I have mentioned this prior to this point, but at the beginning of this pregnancy, almost literally every woman my age that I knew was pregnant. This week brought the birth of the first of those babies. On my way home from work at the end of the week, I stopped by the hospital to congratulate my friend and meet little Kate. What a sweetheart!!! And oh, did it make it seem like the next 26 weeks would NEVER end!! I can't wait for it to be our turn again, in the hospital, holding, bonding with and loving on this newest addition to the fam. It feels like that time might never come at this point...
Week 13: Second OB Appointment
When I went in for my first appointment at 8 weeks, they told me I didn't need to come back until 16 weeks. That seemed crazy to me. What about the all important 12 week appointment when you get to hear the heartbeat for the first time? When I asked about it, they told me that I could come back then, if I wanted to. Um, yes, please. (Hubs thinks I'm crazy at this point.) So I scheduled my appointment for 12 weeks, and spent the four weeks in between waiting very impatiently to hear a heartbeat. My fears of miscarriage were beginning to subside, but I knew I would feel so much better once we heard that precious, completely miraculous "whoomp, whoomp."
Sure enough, within minutes of being in the exam room, I was amazed, thrilled, relieved, moved to tears once again to hear that sweet little heart beating at 160 beats/minute. (For any of you interested in foreshadowing, I'll let you guess what that number might mean in terms of gender. And for the record, I made my first guess based on that very fact and was absolutely right.)
That was absolutely the best news of the day. But there was a bonus surprise that thrilled me beyond it's worth. I went into the appointment thinking I was at just barely 13 weeks, as of that day. Turns out, I had never actually thought it through or done the math, but I was actually 13 weeks and 4 days. Really, what difference does 4 days make? Well, anyone who asks that question has maybe never been pregnant! How great was it to go in thinking I was just barely 13 weeks and to walk out knowing that I was actually, almost, maybe on the verge of 14 weeks. Whoo-hoo, as long as it means healthy baby, we'll speed up the countdown anyway we can!
The bad news? According to the scales that day, I had already gained 7 pounds. In the first trimester? Really? How discouraging is that? Are you sure? Maybe I need to take off some more clothes- I don't think my shoes were enough this time. That is just not a good sign. And if that's true, how come all my clothes are still fitting? Again, I say- YIKES! Although I have since learned to be suspect of those scales- not sure if that's a good thing or a not? Today, we'll opt for not.
Sure enough, within minutes of being in the exam room, I was amazed, thrilled, relieved, moved to tears once again to hear that sweet little heart beating at 160 beats/minute. (For any of you interested in foreshadowing, I'll let you guess what that number might mean in terms of gender. And for the record, I made my first guess based on that very fact and was absolutely right.)
That was absolutely the best news of the day. But there was a bonus surprise that thrilled me beyond it's worth. I went into the appointment thinking I was at just barely 13 weeks, as of that day. Turns out, I had never actually thought it through or done the math, but I was actually 13 weeks and 4 days. Really, what difference does 4 days make? Well, anyone who asks that question has maybe never been pregnant! How great was it to go in thinking I was just barely 13 weeks and to walk out knowing that I was actually, almost, maybe on the verge of 14 weeks. Whoo-hoo, as long as it means healthy baby, we'll speed up the countdown anyway we can!
The bad news? According to the scales that day, I had already gained 7 pounds. In the first trimester? Really? How discouraging is that? Are you sure? Maybe I need to take off some more clothes- I don't think my shoes were enough this time. That is just not a good sign. And if that's true, how come all my clothes are still fitting? Again, I say- YIKES! Although I have since learned to be suspect of those scales- not sure if that's a good thing or a not? Today, we'll opt for not.
Week 12: Not much to report
To be honest, there was nothing super note worthy happening this week. A whole lot of tiredness, napping, and wondering when I could nap again. That's about it. For real.
I did finally tell a couple of my co-workers, though. The second one maybe not as much because I was ready to tell her, but more because as I walked into her classroom for the first time this week, I saw her less than subtle belly check, and I knew she was thinking it. Kinda a reality check for me: what does the rest of the pregnancy look like when people can already see my body changing at 12 weeks? Yikes!
And really, that's all for this week.
I did finally tell a couple of my co-workers, though. The second one maybe not as much because I was ready to tell her, but more because as I walked into her classroom for the first time this week, I saw her less than subtle belly check, and I knew she was thinking it. Kinda a reality check for me: what does the rest of the pregnancy look like when people can already see my body changing at 12 weeks? Yikes!
And really, that's all for this week.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)