WE ARE IN THE THIRD TRIMESTER!!!!!!!!
Praise the Lord, if the end of this week isn't a week to celebrate, I don't know what is. We are moving into D-Day, and I told Cody on our lunch date today that I cannot believe how quickly April has gone by. It's been an incredibly busy month for us, mostly for Cody, but it's been a super long, quick paced month. I recognize the contradiction. The best way to describe it is that the day to day grind is tiring and tedious, but to consider that next week we will be in May is an incredible eye opener to the quick pace of our lives. I know that sometimes life gets in the way, but it's my prayer that when Ella is born, the Lord is quick to remind us of our priorities. I pray that we recognize when things need to change, and that we aren't too prideful to say no if it means sacrificing time with our sweet one. These are very real prayers in my life, because I never want to look back and feel like I missed her life trying to balance my own.
That being said, I also pray that the Lord rescues me from battling monotony. I plan to leave a job that allows me to be out and about during the day, and while it exhausts me right now, I enjoyed it pre-pregnancy. I don't want to feel bored and lonely while Ella is still too little to talk back, and while I hear routine is the best way to combat these feelings, I'm not sure how to plot a routine with a newborn. I know I'll cherish my time with her so very much, but I also don't want to feel like a prisoner in my own home. I'm thankful we live across the street from a park, and it'll be great in the summer and fall when we can take walks, but I fear the winter and being trapped inside with a baby that can't converse with me. I don't want to blow Cody's phone up looking for conversation, but I also never want to take for granted that I'm able to stay home with my daughter when there are so many other women that can't afford the same privilege. It's a weird place. I know it's the best thing for all of us, but I guess fear of the unknown is also a little unnerving.
In new symptoms, I've noticed a bit of a waddle to my walk. I notice it the most when I'm trying to keep up with Cody, and he even laughs when he turns around and sees me trying to catch him. We went to the grocery store this week for the first time in about a month (I'm telling you, we've been busy) and it was exhausting. I was trying not to be too dramatic while we walked across the parking lot, but I must have been super obvious, because Cody said "When we get home, I want you to go and sit down on the couch for a little while." I wasn't going to argue, and I ended up on the couch for two hours coming in and out of sleep. Those kind of things hit out of nowhere lately, and fortunately, it's always been at a place or time that I could stop and rest for a while. I can only hope a wave of exhaustion doesn't hit while I'm out and about somewhere that I can't stop. Pregnancy has been so great for helping me learn how to listen to my body. I really do hope it sticks around after the baby is out. Now that I don't panic at every weird thing my body does (that's the wonderful thing about those babies wiggling around inside of us), I'm able to stop and really think to myself "What would that be if it isn't the baby?" and 9 times out of 10, I'm able to self diagnose. It's fabulous. I'm super excited to say that I have been sober from sweet tea for almost two weeks now, and I don't miss it at all. As a matter of fact, based on the way I feel and even subtle changes like my teeth looking way whiter, it's enough to keep me sober. I only had a tea every few days, but I still wanted to stop drinking it, so even though I felt ridiculous, I asked the Lord to help me curb the craving. I had a tea at lunch the next day, and I made it about 2 drinks in before I stopped because it tasted bitter. I tried again at dinner that night, and it was the same taste. Since then, I haven't craved tea at all. You can't tell me that the Lord doesn't hear even the simplest prayers... even if they make us feel silly while we pray. My body craves water exclusively now, although I do grab the occasional lemonade if I feel like I'm dragging. I've absolutely loved it. I can't say my energy has been restored, but my skin looks so much better, I haven't cramped or ached for no good reason, I've been able to combat some digestive issues (it's a pregnancy blog, what do you want from me?), and I'm able to get out of the bed easily in the mornings when I'm super hydrated. It's incredible what water does for your body, so even if you aren't pregnant, join me on the water train. And if you "hate" water the way I did, I feel for you...but if I can change my mindset, you can too. I didn't even need Advocare to make a change in my life. =D That was a little tacky, but Advocare is blowing up my facebook and it's enough to make me want to delete my account. But I can't, because I'm committed to finishing this blog first.
I have my glucose test tomorrow. I've never been LESS excited about any of the "milestones" in pregnancy so far. I hear it's "Not that bad," and it's "Just like Flat Orange Soda!" Um, "not that bad" doesn't translate to good, and I don't like orange soda when it's not flat, so I'm definitely looking forward to it being over. I pray to the sweet Lord that I don't have to do the 3 hour test, but every other woman in my family has been border-line positive. So I'm prepared for either result. I'm proud of myself though, because I haven't tried eating any differently to "tip" the results. I've actually heard that it's not even possible, but it sure doesn't stop people from trying. If I have gestational diabetes, what better way to kick start a healthy lifestyle than to do it while she's still in utero? If I don't have gestational diabetes, it will be wonderful. I will be thrilled. But I feel like it's going to be okay regardless, if you know what I mean. Optimism is the key to surviving pregnancy.
*UPDATE* The Glucose test was not bad at all. The drink was in a water bottle, which was wonderful, because I don't like drinking out of cups without straws. The drink was also FRIGID, which I loved, because the heater was on in the clinic. You know, because of this wonderful Spring Winter we're having at the end of April. Ugh. Anyway, I had 10 minutes to get the drink down, but I was done in about 3. The drink did not taste like flat Orange Soda, but like an orange slurpee. NAY! It tastes like a melted popsicle. You know, the ones that come in the little plastic tube? Identical. That's where I recognize the flavor from! That was sincerely driving me crazy. The frigid of the drink probably helped significantly. So looking back, I obviously wouldn't choose to drink it over something else, but if I have to go back for the 3 hour test, I'm not worried about "keeping it down." I didn't gag, I didn't cringe, and I was actually pleasantly surprised by the smooth of the flavor. I love it when that happens, it's like finding a good wine.
I also get my Rhogam shot this week. It's a great indicator of how long we have until this pregnancy ends. You see, you have to get the rhogam shot exactly 12 weeks before delivery. Most doctors (including mine) won't let an RH Negative mother go past 40 weeks after getting the shot, so I'm super excited to know that this baby will be in my arms in 12 weeks (at the VERY latest.) If her blood type is positive, I get the RH shot again after delivery. If it's negative, this will be my only Rhogam shot. I know you're probably thinking "Why doesn't Cody just get his blood type checked so that you avoid a shot?" Well, that's a great question. And we pondered the same thought. But it turns out that you can't show up at a lab and say "Hello, I need my blood type." And we aren't totally thrilled about donating a bag of blood just to know his type. And even if my doctor were to write an order for Cody's blood type, somebody still has to get poked and prodded. It may as well be me. And let's be honest, shots aren't even bad. I always appreciate the nurses that pinch your arm fat and poke, but even when they don't, shots don't bother me. I've been shot multiple times so far this pregnancy, so what's one more? I really hate Hand IV drips more than anything. Not because it hurts, but because it's awkward. I don't like it. Anyway, we're 12 weeks away from this baby!!!
I'm almost afraid to say it out loud, but pregnancy has really kind of taken a turn for me this week. I hate that it took 28 weeks, but I am glad to say that for the first time, I've really enjoyed life this week. The first half of pregnancy is full of so many bodily changes. So many changes, all of the time. Weeks 20-28 were just kind of awkward for me, because the weird symptoms stopped being new, but the baby was so tiny that feeling it was almost always a "Was that the baby?" And then when the kicks got a little stronger, they were so short lived that you only got a temporary giddy feeling. But this week, when I've consistently felt Ella move all day, every day... something changes in a woman. It's been so wonderful for me as her mother, because the bonding is beginning now. My tiny baby loves rocking chairs already. I love to sit on the front porch and rock while cradling my belly, and if I stop for half of a second, that baby goes on a kicking rampage. A few nights ago, my back was aching pretty severely, so I sat in the rocker for awhile... like, 2 hours. It was a peaceful evening, and Cody sat beside me and held my hand. I really almost cried because of how precious it was. I was holding the hand of the man that is 1/2 of this tiny tick in my womb, and she moved and kicked in response to what I can only assume was my heart beating a little faster. The only thing I can say about it all is that even if this week is the only week that I look back and smile about, then at least I finally have a week that I really loved being pregnant. I'm just being honest about it. Then again, I could love next week, and the week after. Really, I could love it until I start getting super uncomfortable... but I might love it then, because I know it's almost over. So hold on, Pregger friends that are behind me. Sometimes those babies will steal your heart and you won't even know how to cope with it... but you'll love it.
I do want to stop and take a moment to brag about my sweet husband. I'm not going to lie, I was a little nervous about his lack of sensitivity when I found out we were pregnant. I don't want that to be misinterpreted, because he's never been anything but wonderful to me... but I saw him burrow his brows a little when I told him about some of the things my dad used to do for me. Cody always tells me I'm too spoiled and it's my dad's fault for making me that way... but the way I see it, knowing how crazy my dad was about me saved me from a lot of heartache. I knew that if I didn't feel loved the way my dad made feel loved, I was in the wrong relationship. Cody was the first one to really open my eyes to just how deeply he loved me, through subtle and obvious ways. Even when we were still engaged, Cody informed me that our kids wouldn't be spoiled the way I was, but they would know they were taken care of. I've been nervous about it since. I didn't know how to fathom life without doing special things for my kids on Valentines Day or Easter, or even just because I felt like loving on my babies. Well, I'm here to tell you that I won't have to worry about any of it. I've watch my husband's heart begin to soften toward me and my pregnancy woes, because though he never said it out loud, I could tell that sometimes he thought I was exaggerating. He's been like a different man the last few weeks, encouraging me to rest frequently, encouraging me with affection when I catch a bad glimpse in the mirror, and showing up with random surprises to carry me through tedious weeks. He talks to the baby, tells her how pretty she is, and how much he loves her without prodding from me, and that's sincerely something I never thought I'd witness. I've always loved him, but seeing him transition to a Daddy has been a different kind of love. I see him differently now, and I don't know how I could possibly be anything but crazy about him from now until... forever. Even when he laughs at me when I try to bend over or get out of the bathtub. *sidenote, Bless the Lord for giving me monkey toes. They've been a lifesaver this pregnancy.*
The garden is growing faster than either of us could have imagined. Our tomato plants don't even reach my knee and they already have huge tomatoes on them. Part of me is pretty excited, because I crave tomatoes all of the time, but the other part of me is kind of like "Well, so much for 60 days." Our squash and zucchini plants are growing just marvelously this year, and I'm SO excited about it. I made a Chicken Fajita Salad for dinner one night this week, and in lieu of Bell Peppers (the quickest possible routes to heartburn,) it called for squash and zucchini. I was hesitant, because you don't see a whole lot of squash in mexican dishes, but it was amazing. So good. I'll never eat fajitas the same way again. But besides all of that, I've been countless recipes for various breads and muffins, and I don't know that I'll feel nice enough to share my squash again this year. I only have seven plants, after all. Ha. I'm sure I'll change my tune mid-summer. Anyway, It's exciting to watch the garden really begin to look like a garden and not dirt, because it was super boring there for a couple of weeks. We also made a fun investment for our front yard: GRASS! I know what you're thinking "With the Water restrictions?!" Yeah, Yeah. We chose a hybrid grass specifically for this region, it only requires an inch of water a week, and the restrictions have been moved to 2 days a week. We're feeling really good about our decision so far, and it was SO great not to choke on the dirt when the cold front blew in a few days ago. We've already noticed a significantly smaller amount of dirt on the porch, and it really gave our yard the most adorable curb appeal. I'm really excited to see it this summer when all of the squares are green and vibrant. I'll also have a baby by then. In about 84 days, really.
Okay, I think that's all! Next week will include updated photos of my sweet Ella, and we're both so antsy with excitement that I don't know how I'm going to make it to the appointment. Our families are growing equally enthralled by the baby growing so close to making her appearance, so really it's been a great environment around us lately. Here's our bump! See ya Next Week.
That being said, I also pray that the Lord rescues me from battling monotony. I plan to leave a job that allows me to be out and about during the day, and while it exhausts me right now, I enjoyed it pre-pregnancy. I don't want to feel bored and lonely while Ella is still too little to talk back, and while I hear routine is the best way to combat these feelings, I'm not sure how to plot a routine with a newborn. I know I'll cherish my time with her so very much, but I also don't want to feel like a prisoner in my own home. I'm thankful we live across the street from a park, and it'll be great in the summer and fall when we can take walks, but I fear the winter and being trapped inside with a baby that can't converse with me. I don't want to blow Cody's phone up looking for conversation, but I also never want to take for granted that I'm able to stay home with my daughter when there are so many other women that can't afford the same privilege. It's a weird place. I know it's the best thing for all of us, but I guess fear of the unknown is also a little unnerving.
In new symptoms, I've noticed a bit of a waddle to my walk. I notice it the most when I'm trying to keep up with Cody, and he even laughs when he turns around and sees me trying to catch him. We went to the grocery store this week for the first time in about a month (I'm telling you, we've been busy) and it was exhausting. I was trying not to be too dramatic while we walked across the parking lot, but I must have been super obvious, because Cody said "When we get home, I want you to go and sit down on the couch for a little while." I wasn't going to argue, and I ended up on the couch for two hours coming in and out of sleep. Those kind of things hit out of nowhere lately, and fortunately, it's always been at a place or time that I could stop and rest for a while. I can only hope a wave of exhaustion doesn't hit while I'm out and about somewhere that I can't stop. Pregnancy has been so great for helping me learn how to listen to my body. I really do hope it sticks around after the baby is out. Now that I don't panic at every weird thing my body does (that's the wonderful thing about those babies wiggling around inside of us), I'm able to stop and really think to myself "What would that be if it isn't the baby?" and 9 times out of 10, I'm able to self diagnose. It's fabulous. I'm super excited to say that I have been sober from sweet tea for almost two weeks now, and I don't miss it at all. As a matter of fact, based on the way I feel and even subtle changes like my teeth looking way whiter, it's enough to keep me sober. I only had a tea every few days, but I still wanted to stop drinking it, so even though I felt ridiculous, I asked the Lord to help me curb the craving. I had a tea at lunch the next day, and I made it about 2 drinks in before I stopped because it tasted bitter. I tried again at dinner that night, and it was the same taste. Since then, I haven't craved tea at all. You can't tell me that the Lord doesn't hear even the simplest prayers... even if they make us feel silly while we pray. My body craves water exclusively now, although I do grab the occasional lemonade if I feel like I'm dragging. I've absolutely loved it. I can't say my energy has been restored, but my skin looks so much better, I haven't cramped or ached for no good reason, I've been able to combat some digestive issues (it's a pregnancy blog, what do you want from me?), and I'm able to get out of the bed easily in the mornings when I'm super hydrated. It's incredible what water does for your body, so even if you aren't pregnant, join me on the water train. And if you "hate" water the way I did, I feel for you...but if I can change my mindset, you can too. I didn't even need Advocare to make a change in my life. =D That was a little tacky, but Advocare is blowing up my facebook and it's enough to make me want to delete my account. But I can't, because I'm committed to finishing this blog first.
I have my glucose test tomorrow. I've never been LESS excited about any of the "milestones" in pregnancy so far. I hear it's "Not that bad," and it's "Just like Flat Orange Soda!" Um, "not that bad" doesn't translate to good, and I don't like orange soda when it's not flat, so I'm definitely looking forward to it being over. I pray to the sweet Lord that I don't have to do the 3 hour test, but every other woman in my family has been border-line positive. So I'm prepared for either result. I'm proud of myself though, because I haven't tried eating any differently to "tip" the results. I've actually heard that it's not even possible, but it sure doesn't stop people from trying. If I have gestational diabetes, what better way to kick start a healthy lifestyle than to do it while she's still in utero? If I don't have gestational diabetes, it will be wonderful. I will be thrilled. But I feel like it's going to be okay regardless, if you know what I mean. Optimism is the key to surviving pregnancy.
*UPDATE* The Glucose test was not bad at all. The drink was in a water bottle, which was wonderful, because I don't like drinking out of cups without straws. The drink was also FRIGID, which I loved, because the heater was on in the clinic. You know, because of this wonderful Spring Winter we're having at the end of April. Ugh. Anyway, I had 10 minutes to get the drink down, but I was done in about 3. The drink did not taste like flat Orange Soda, but like an orange slurpee. NAY! It tastes like a melted popsicle. You know, the ones that come in the little plastic tube? Identical. That's where I recognize the flavor from! That was sincerely driving me crazy. The frigid of the drink probably helped significantly. So looking back, I obviously wouldn't choose to drink it over something else, but if I have to go back for the 3 hour test, I'm not worried about "keeping it down." I didn't gag, I didn't cringe, and I was actually pleasantly surprised by the smooth of the flavor. I love it when that happens, it's like finding a good wine.
I also get my Rhogam shot this week. It's a great indicator of how long we have until this pregnancy ends. You see, you have to get the rhogam shot exactly 12 weeks before delivery. Most doctors (including mine) won't let an RH Negative mother go past 40 weeks after getting the shot, so I'm super excited to know that this baby will be in my arms in 12 weeks (at the VERY latest.) If her blood type is positive, I get the RH shot again after delivery. If it's negative, this will be my only Rhogam shot. I know you're probably thinking "Why doesn't Cody just get his blood type checked so that you avoid a shot?" Well, that's a great question. And we pondered the same thought. But it turns out that you can't show up at a lab and say "Hello, I need my blood type." And we aren't totally thrilled about donating a bag of blood just to know his type. And even if my doctor were to write an order for Cody's blood type, somebody still has to get poked and prodded. It may as well be me. And let's be honest, shots aren't even bad. I always appreciate the nurses that pinch your arm fat and poke, but even when they don't, shots don't bother me. I've been shot multiple times so far this pregnancy, so what's one more? I really hate Hand IV drips more than anything. Not because it hurts, but because it's awkward. I don't like it. Anyway, we're 12 weeks away from this baby!!!
I'm almost afraid to say it out loud, but pregnancy has really kind of taken a turn for me this week. I hate that it took 28 weeks, but I am glad to say that for the first time, I've really enjoyed life this week. The first half of pregnancy is full of so many bodily changes. So many changes, all of the time. Weeks 20-28 were just kind of awkward for me, because the weird symptoms stopped being new, but the baby was so tiny that feeling it was almost always a "Was that the baby?" And then when the kicks got a little stronger, they were so short lived that you only got a temporary giddy feeling. But this week, when I've consistently felt Ella move all day, every day... something changes in a woman. It's been so wonderful for me as her mother, because the bonding is beginning now. My tiny baby loves rocking chairs already. I love to sit on the front porch and rock while cradling my belly, and if I stop for half of a second, that baby goes on a kicking rampage. A few nights ago, my back was aching pretty severely, so I sat in the rocker for awhile... like, 2 hours. It was a peaceful evening, and Cody sat beside me and held my hand. I really almost cried because of how precious it was. I was holding the hand of the man that is 1/2 of this tiny tick in my womb, and she moved and kicked in response to what I can only assume was my heart beating a little faster. The only thing I can say about it all is that even if this week is the only week that I look back and smile about, then at least I finally have a week that I really loved being pregnant. I'm just being honest about it. Then again, I could love next week, and the week after. Really, I could love it until I start getting super uncomfortable... but I might love it then, because I know it's almost over. So hold on, Pregger friends that are behind me. Sometimes those babies will steal your heart and you won't even know how to cope with it... but you'll love it.
I do want to stop and take a moment to brag about my sweet husband. I'm not going to lie, I was a little nervous about his lack of sensitivity when I found out we were pregnant. I don't want that to be misinterpreted, because he's never been anything but wonderful to me... but I saw him burrow his brows a little when I told him about some of the things my dad used to do for me. Cody always tells me I'm too spoiled and it's my dad's fault for making me that way... but the way I see it, knowing how crazy my dad was about me saved me from a lot of heartache. I knew that if I didn't feel loved the way my dad made feel loved, I was in the wrong relationship. Cody was the first one to really open my eyes to just how deeply he loved me, through subtle and obvious ways. Even when we were still engaged, Cody informed me that our kids wouldn't be spoiled the way I was, but they would know they were taken care of. I've been nervous about it since. I didn't know how to fathom life without doing special things for my kids on Valentines Day or Easter, or even just because I felt like loving on my babies. Well, I'm here to tell you that I won't have to worry about any of it. I've watch my husband's heart begin to soften toward me and my pregnancy woes, because though he never said it out loud, I could tell that sometimes he thought I was exaggerating. He's been like a different man the last few weeks, encouraging me to rest frequently, encouraging me with affection when I catch a bad glimpse in the mirror, and showing up with random surprises to carry me through tedious weeks. He talks to the baby, tells her how pretty she is, and how much he loves her without prodding from me, and that's sincerely something I never thought I'd witness. I've always loved him, but seeing him transition to a Daddy has been a different kind of love. I see him differently now, and I don't know how I could possibly be anything but crazy about him from now until... forever. Even when he laughs at me when I try to bend over or get out of the bathtub. *sidenote, Bless the Lord for giving me monkey toes. They've been a lifesaver this pregnancy.*
The garden is growing faster than either of us could have imagined. Our tomato plants don't even reach my knee and they already have huge tomatoes on them. Part of me is pretty excited, because I crave tomatoes all of the time, but the other part of me is kind of like "Well, so much for 60 days." Our squash and zucchini plants are growing just marvelously this year, and I'm SO excited about it. I made a Chicken Fajita Salad for dinner one night this week, and in lieu of Bell Peppers (the quickest possible routes to heartburn,) it called for squash and zucchini. I was hesitant, because you don't see a whole lot of squash in mexican dishes, but it was amazing. So good. I'll never eat fajitas the same way again. But besides all of that, I've been countless recipes for various breads and muffins, and I don't know that I'll feel nice enough to share my squash again this year. I only have seven plants, after all. Ha. I'm sure I'll change my tune mid-summer. Anyway, It's exciting to watch the garden really begin to look like a garden and not dirt, because it was super boring there for a couple of weeks. We also made a fun investment for our front yard: GRASS! I know what you're thinking "With the Water restrictions?!" Yeah, Yeah. We chose a hybrid grass specifically for this region, it only requires an inch of water a week, and the restrictions have been moved to 2 days a week. We're feeling really good about our decision so far, and it was SO great not to choke on the dirt when the cold front blew in a few days ago. We've already noticed a significantly smaller amount of dirt on the porch, and it really gave our yard the most adorable curb appeal. I'm really excited to see it this summer when all of the squares are green and vibrant. I'll also have a baby by then. In about 84 days, really.
Okay, I think that's all! Next week will include updated photos of my sweet Ella, and we're both so antsy with excitement that I don't know how I'm going to make it to the appointment. Our families are growing equally enthralled by the baby growing so close to making her appearance, so really it's been a great environment around us lately. Here's our bump! See ya Next Week.
Love your realness. :)
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