Photos at 34 Weeks

30 Weeks

I am now 30 weeks along and feeling like it.

So far so good. Everything is going perfectly and I have no complaints.

We are getting down to crunch time though. We have a lot of things to get in place before this little one gets here. I have an entire list of things to find and or purchase that the midwife will need us to have in the house on the day of the birth. Suzanne (midwife) will provide all the medical supplies and tools that she might need so that is no issue. I'm referring to things like plastic to cover furniture, extra sets of sheets for the bed in the event of a mess, comfortable changes of clothes set out for me, towels, warm blankets and hats for the new baby, diapers ... etc. All pretty normal stuff that we will need just to make the day go more smoothly.

I think by the end of this month I will post my birth plan for everyone to see. It is my vision in writing of how I would like the day of birth to play out. Reading the rough draft I have already started it sounds very much like an agenda for a big party event. I find it amusing!

Jacob is still super thrilled. Steve treats me like a queen and just grins at me all the time.

Up to this point I have physically been able to perform everyday tasks with no issue at all. Now that we are in the final 10 or so weeks I am starting to act pregnant. Not on purpose. I just can't help it. My body is changing and not telling me ahead of time. Some days I will feel perfectly normal, even a little better than I did before I was pregnant. Then the next day I will feel like a beached whale who needs assistance to be rolled off the couch. My pelvic bones have begun the softening process and I can feel it. I wake up with sore hips and it takes me a while to waddle around to start my day. None of this is bad. It is just all part of the process.

I am pretty sure that this kid has super human hearing. Every time the midwife says what it should be doing at this point it reacts and starts doing it immediately and with much enthusiasm. For example, Suzanne mentioned at our last visit that I needed to start keeping track during the day of how often the baby moved around and how strong the kicks were. The more movement and the stronger the kicks was a good thing and I needed to feel a minimum of about 10 movements during the hours of 8am to 4pm. The time reference was just a way for me to remember to count. Well the baby heard this and has not stopped moving since. Seriously, like clock work the next day at 8am I got the crap kicked out of me. And anytime Jake or Steve talk directly to the baby through my belly it starts dancing around in response. It is really cool!

Steve, Jake and I all have made guesses about what we think the baby's weight will be at birth. Steve said 6lbs 10oz. Jake said 6lbs 5 oz. I think it is going to be 7lbs even. Jake was 6lbs 14oz when he was born and I just have a feeling that this little on will be a little bigger. We'll find out.

That's it for the moment. I'm going to waddle on to something else now! :)

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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.