27 Weeks

There is a little bit of question about my due date so I have decided to put myself at 27 weeks. That is right in between what my midwife thinks and what my last cycle says I am.



I am starting to feel uncomfortable. It is not a bad thing. I am just very aware of how pregnant I am. I will say that during my pregnancy with Jacob I remember being uncomfortable a lot sooner. So I count myself lucky with this one.

I think I finally look pregnant instead of chubby. My belly is definitely getting more round. I had always hoped I would be thin and have a perfect round baby belly the second time around, but that didn't happen. I am just happy that we are getting the baby we wanted and I will work on my body later. Vanity surgery is not out of the question. I will have a flat tummy before I die even if I have to pay for it!

When I was pregnant with Jacob I was working full time and didn't really have much time to think about what was going on. With this pregnancy I have been a stay at home mom and independent business owner which has allowed me time to think. So far my one prominent thought has been "babies take a long time to cook!"

I was doing the math the other day and we only have 13 weeks left before this new little person gets here. AAAAAAGGGGHHHHH!!!! That is a scream of excitement and the realization that I don't have that much time left to get the things done that I want to. That sounds funny for me to say considering my main thought has been how long it is taking. I am trying to have a very laid back attitude. Meaning that whatever I think I need to get done can probably wait. There is no reason to run around like a crazy headless chicken working on random silly projects trying to complete them before the baby is born. This baby doesn't care what is done and what isn't. All the baby cares about is being loved, feed and diapered. There is no reason why the birth should interfere with normal life, okay let me say that at least while the birth is taking place things will be a little more exciting than normal, but then life goes on just with one more person in it. Can you tell that I am trying to convince myself not to stress out. Do you think it is working?

Oh my heavens I have been so emotional with this pregnancy. With Jacob my emotional stability was pretty normal however my libido was through the roof. With this one my libido is normal and I am emotionally unstable. I don't just mean that I am crying at the drop of a hat for no reason. I mean all my emotions are heightened, happiness, love, anger, hate, contentment, frustration, if it is a feeling of any kind it is 10 times stronger right now than normal. Steve jokes that with Jake's pregnancy he got no sleep and was physically drained but with this one he is sleeping but emotionally drained. I bet watching all this from the male perspective is kinda funny. Heck even from my perspective it is funny, but only if I'm in a good mood at the time. HA!

I am putting together a birth plan for the big day. So far it includes cake, ice cream, balloons, finger foods and a guest list. I have decided to have a BIRTH-day party for this new little one. I got the idea from another one of my midwife's clients. I will be at home so I can do whatever I want! I love it!

I have been reading and practicing my Hypnobirthing techniques. I really do feel so much more relaxed and prepared for this birth than I did with Jacob. I wish I could go back in time and do his over I would change everything. But, I can't. So at some time in my future when I am ready I will get over it. It actually bothered Jake one day when I was talking to someone (can't remember who) about my hospital experience and how horrible it was. He said he was sad because he's was done wrong and the new baby's was going to be done right. The only reason he even knew to say that was because of me and the things he had heard me say. So, I have been very careful since then not to talk about his birth in a bad way. Kids are super sensitive to these sorts of things, which is why I generally take the stance that kids don't need to be told everything. They need to think everything is wonderful and rose colored in their world until they are older and can process the information correctly.

Any who, things are going well. This baby is growing and being very cooperative. I have my 28 week checkup with the midwife next week and then things start to get fun. I think we start our every 2 week visits after that.

The holidays are coming up and time is going to fly by. I am very thankful that both of my pregnancies were timed such that I was at my biggest during the winter. I love this time of year!

23 Weeks

Baby Lewis is now 23 weeks gestation. WOO HOO

Things are going great! This pregnancy has been different then Jakes. I wouldn't say better just different. I have been able to eat anything I want, however the nausea in the first trimester was horrible. I never actually vomited but the feeling was there constantly for several weeks. That has passed, thankfully and now everything feels very normal. There are even days when I question if there is anything actually going on in there.

I have been going to the gym with Sephie and walking about 5 miles a week for the past 6 weeks. I feel great. I have lost 10lbs already!! Which is fine even with the baby. I was overweight so it's all good. Starting this week Steve has begun to go to the gym with me on different days then I go with Sephie so now I am getting a full 10 miles a week. I am going to be so HOT when this kid is born! :)

I have another appointment with my midwife tomorrow. Jake and Steve are usually here when she is and that is cool.

We still do not know the gender, but everyone has their own very strong hunches. Even Suzanne(midwife)thinks she knows.

Two of my friends, Stacie and Jennifer have provided me with an abundance of maternity clothes. Which I am so thankful for. It is getting to cold outside to go naked.

Steve and I are also going to get our room ready for the birth and life after this little one gets here. We already have a changing table/6 drawer dresser that we are going to refurbish. It will go in our room for the first year at least. We are going to try to keep things simple. We hardly ever used Jake's crib so we are not even going to bother getting one this time. Unless this baby asked for one. You never know, each kid is different. We are just going to be super flexible and go with the flow.

In November I am going to write up my birth plan and start getting things finalized for the big day. I have a clear vision of how I want things to happen and I need to get in down on paper ... or computer. I am super excited both for the arrival of this little person and the actual event of the birth! I really think this experience is going to be awesome! I won't go into it but the only thing good about Jake's birth was Jake. This birth however will be much different and amazing!

Jake is excited about the new baby and still tells everyone we come in contact with that I am pregnant. He has even felt the baby move! He thinks it is very cool. He is still not sure if he wants to see the actual birth, but I have a feeling he will. He is super curious just like I am so I don't think he will be able to resist.

Well that's it for now. Things are great and going smoothly!

We are so excited and couldn't be happier!!

Toothless

Early last week Jacob made a personal discovery.
He had a loose tooth.
He wiggled that tooth all week.
He wiggled it for everyone he came in contact with.
Soon the tooth had been wiggled so much that it was barely hanging on.
During primary class at church last Sunday it finally had been wiggled enough.
Jacob had lost his first tooth and was very surprised and excited!

Even though I have been trying to explain the true meaning behind all the childhood beliefs such as The Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus, The Easter Bunny and so on ... children want so much to believe in magic. Jake has informed me with each historic story I tell him that I am wrong and that the magical legendary characters do indeed exist. I have not given up in my explanations of the history behind the characters, however I still play along to a certain degree.

The night after he lost his tooth he carefully placed it under his pillow waiting excitedly for the Tooth Fairy to leave him something. I could not disappoint him. So, when he woke up the next morning he rushed into my room to wake me to show me what he had found under his pillow. Instead of his tooth he found two brand new quarters! He is not even the slightest bit worried about where his tooth went. To him that is just how this all works.

Jake is very proud to announce that he already has an adult tooth growing in the empty space left behind by his missing baby tooth. Below is a picture of his new smile! :)

Our little man is not so little anymore!

Today Was Not So Bad.

Even though my hands and forearms still look like something you would see on an acid burn victim in a budget horror film, I have managed to get the pain and itching under control. Which is a good thing.

I am no longer as cranky and I have lost the desire to throw myself from the roof. Not that I ever would have, but when you are this allergic to ivy, you have those kinds of thoughts.

So today was not so bad and I am sure that tomorrow will be even better.

Poison Ivy Sucks

I am 14 weeks pregnant and I have a raging case of poison ivy.

Life is no good right now.

The last time I got poison ivy this bad it just kept getting worse to the point that I had to go to the ER and get steroid shots.

I am not in a happy place right now.

If I was not pregnant I would have gotten a shot already. But I can't because of the baby. I'm not upset about the baby i am just freakin miserable and want to jump off the roof.

Lets hope this ends in the 7-10 days that it is supposed to or their will be hell to pay.

It's in there!

I had my first appointment with my midwife last week.

She used a doppler to listen to the heartbeat and we confirmed that there is a baby in here! She comes to the house for all my visits and I don't have every single nurse or doctor that seems me trying to stick their hand up my stuff. Having a midwife is awesome!

I am trying to be patient, but I can hardly wait to meet this little person!

This is all very exciting!

We Are Pregnant!

Steve and I have been trying to naturally conceive baby #2 for the past five years. We finally did it! (ha)

I had completely given up hope that it was ever going to happen and in November of last year I had finally given away all the baby stuff that I had saved of Jacob's.

We are so excited!!

We have chosen a midwife team and are going to have a wonderful home birth!

Jacob already knows and he is excited to tell everybody that he is going to be a big brother. He is also excited to be here during the birth. One of his first questions was "Do I get to be here when the baby is born?".

The new baby is due February 1st of 2011. I am 11 weeks along as of today.

The sex of the baby will most likely be a complete surprise because I will not have any medical intervention including an ultra sound. My midwife does offer the option to get an ultrasound, I just haven't decided on that yet.

I think this will all finally seem real in about 6 more weeks when I can actually feel the baby moving and I start to get the big belly! I am looking forward to that part! So far the first trimester has been a little rough. I'm fine I just feel very "ugh". Which is what Steve now so loving refers to the new baby as ... Ugh. He said to Jake today "Don't jump on mommy, Ugh doesn't like it".

I am trying to embrace every part of this pregnancy even the "ugh" so I can fully enjoy the experience. This will be our last and we are so thankful for this amazing opportunity to have one more child!