I'm starting a new blog series. Because I can. And because I love my husband.
I love my husband because he knows exactly what I like. When we have fried potatoes and onions for dinner he only puts the small, crispy ones on my plate and eats the big, soggier ones himself. I don't have to remind him that the small, crispy ones are my favorite. He just knows.
I get a hug and a kiss as soon as he walks in the door. No matter what kind of day he's had.
He's really cute when he plays tennis. And he tells me the score in between sets because he knows I lose track.
When he comes home from work he asks how his "babies" are doing. He's already a great dad.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Quick Takes (14)
Yes, yes-I know it's not Friday anymore. I wrote the first four on Friday and the last three on Sunday. Does that count??
-1-
There are times that a blog post is written over and over in my head before I ever get it down on paper (screen??). Other times I sit at the computer with no idea what I'm going to write before I actually start typing. Today is the latter.-1-
-2-
Please pray for my blogger friend's baby. His names is James Fulton and he was born one week ago. He was without a heartbeat for 61 minutes and is now in the NICU. His family could really use your prayers. Read about baby James here.-3-
I'm really, really proud to be Catholic. And really, really sad that so many people misunderstand that.-4-
A lady in the grocery store asked me when I was due today. I'm still not used to the fact that I'm visibly pregnant to strangers. We had a lovely conversation about how we're not finding out the gender (she didn't either) and she wished me well. I left the conversation thinking about that visibility and how different it is from infertility.No one in the grocery store can tell that you're NOT pregnant (and can't get pregnant). No one knows why your eyes are red from crying. No one offers to help carry things for you after you laproscopy. No one strikes up pleasant conversations with you while picking out apples.
But everyone can see pregnancy. Strangers smile and me and look down at my tummy all the time. People ask me when I'm due, offer their congratulations, and even ask if I need help carrying heavy items. It's part of what makes infertility so painful and pregnancy so great. I wish there was a way to even it out a little.... Invisible suffering makes the hurt even worse.
............................................................................................................
-5-
College football is AMAZING when you're at a college in the SEC! It was absolutely not the same in Missouri. If you haven't been here-you can't possibly know what a big, fun, crazy deal it is. Ok, Mississippi-I'll give you that. You're football is fun. But everything else is better in Missouri.
-6-
The temps are going to finally get out of the 90's this week! It's not exactly going to feel like fall (even though it's almost OCTOBER!!!) but I'm grateful. Fall puts me in a good mood. I think God planned the timing of this pregnancy perfectly when he made pumpkins, changing leaves, and cooler weather coincide with the highly emotional and weepy end of the second trimester. Thanks God.
-7-
Are you Catholic? Are you anti-Catholic? Are you curious about Catholics or think we're weird? I really don't even know who is reading this little blog of mine anymore, but if any of those questions apply to you-you need to check out Little Catholic Bubble. Read the archives, subscribe to the new feeds, and learn.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
10 Things
I was tagged by Megan in this little "10 Surprising Things About Me" chain post event quite a while ago. I haven't been in the mood until tonight.
If you know me in real life, I'm sure very few (if any) of these things will be a surprise. I'm pretty much an open book and don't keep things in. Here goes...
1. I hate this kind of stuff. Chain letters, email forwards-I just think it's all stupid. Megan-if you weren't such an awesome blogge,r I wouldn't have felt honored to be "tagged" by you (but you are and I did :)
2. I form very strong opinions about things almost immediately upon hearing about them. I always do my own research and spend some time in prayer evaluating those opinions, but there hasn't yet been a time when my gut reaction has later changed. (I'm not saying it couldn't happen.) My strongest sense is my sixth one.
3. For example, I don't ever remember being told that abortion was wrong (I'm sure I was-but I have no memory). When I was eight or nine years old I just knew it was. I remember standing in front of my bedroom mirror rehearsing what I would say to President Clinton to convince him that abortion was wrong if I was ever given the opportunity. I was sure I could change his heart. I needed to be ready.
4. My second strongest sense is my sense of smell. I have a good nose. Too good. When I was a kid I would wake up from a sound sleep when my dad made popcorn. I would crawl down from my bunk bed and go into the living to share some. I can smell cigarette smoke on the clothes of someone across the room from me-even if they smoked hours earlier. I can recognize certain people coming up behind me just from the way they smell. I was always curious how it could get even more sensitive with pregnancy (people told me this was common.) It hasn't changed. I don't think it had any room for improvement.
5. I minored in Child and Family Development in undergrad. The classes didn't feel even feel like school. I loved them. The only reason I didn't pursue a degree in that field instead of Speech-Language Pathology was because the money was waaaaay worse, the job outlook was waaaay worse, and the flexibility was waaaaay worse. I'm using a ton of what I learned about child development in my current job. It works :)
6. I didn't know I had curly hair until I was fourteen. My mom doesn't have curly hair and she had no idea how to fix it. We just let it dry frizzy and stuck it in a bun-like ponytail. When I was on vacation once, a girl who had really curly hair fixed mine for me. My parents were amazed.
7. I can't hear rap music without dancing. When we go to baseball or basketball games and rap songs come on, I dance in the bleachers. Ted is only slightly embarrassed.
8. Ted and I get the Reader's Digest every month as a Christmas gift from my mom. I'm always ridiculously excited to read the jokes. We save them for right before we go to sleep and then I read them to him in bed. I laugh out loud at a lot of them-but they're not really that funny. In fact, we just got a new one in the mail..... You all know what we'll be doing in bed tonight now!
9. I RARELY laugh out loud when I'm watching tv or a movie. I find things really funny and laugh in my head-but never out loud. It sometimes looks like I'm not enjoying myself-but I am. (Comedian Brian Reagan is the one exception. I laugh so hard I cry.)
10. I'm horrible at Geography. That is a supreme understatement. I'm REALLY horrible at geography. I thought Oregon was next to Missouri. I didn't know Haiti wasn't in Africa. I can't put any states that begin with the letter "I" where they belong on a map (except Iowa and Illinois-they DO touch Missouri!) And when Ted and I first started dating he was trying to "impress" me with his knowledge of state capitals. I named the state and he gave me the capital. I was trying really hard to stump him and I finally got him. He looked at me with a blank stare. "Ha! I thought of one you didn't know!" I said. Which "state" did I finally stump him on you ask? "What's the capital of.....Chicago."
I understand if you never want to read my blog again.
If you know me in real life, I'm sure very few (if any) of these things will be a surprise. I'm pretty much an open book and don't keep things in. Here goes...
1. I hate this kind of stuff. Chain letters, email forwards-I just think it's all stupid. Megan-if you weren't such an awesome blogge,r I wouldn't have felt honored to be "tagged" by you (but you are and I did :)
2. I form very strong opinions about things almost immediately upon hearing about them. I always do my own research and spend some time in prayer evaluating those opinions, but there hasn't yet been a time when my gut reaction has later changed. (I'm not saying it couldn't happen.) My strongest sense is my sixth one.
3. For example, I don't ever remember being told that abortion was wrong (I'm sure I was-but I have no memory). When I was eight or nine years old I just knew it was. I remember standing in front of my bedroom mirror rehearsing what I would say to President Clinton to convince him that abortion was wrong if I was ever given the opportunity. I was sure I could change his heart. I needed to be ready.
4. My second strongest sense is my sense of smell. I have a good nose. Too good. When I was a kid I would wake up from a sound sleep when my dad made popcorn. I would crawl down from my bunk bed and go into the living to share some. I can smell cigarette smoke on the clothes of someone across the room from me-even if they smoked hours earlier. I can recognize certain people coming up behind me just from the way they smell. I was always curious how it could get even more sensitive with pregnancy (people told me this was common.) It hasn't changed. I don't think it had any room for improvement.
5. I minored in Child and Family Development in undergrad. The classes didn't feel even feel like school. I loved them. The only reason I didn't pursue a degree in that field instead of Speech-Language Pathology was because the money was waaaaay worse, the job outlook was waaaay worse, and the flexibility was waaaaay worse. I'm using a ton of what I learned about child development in my current job. It works :)
6. I didn't know I had curly hair until I was fourteen. My mom doesn't have curly hair and she had no idea how to fix it. We just let it dry frizzy and stuck it in a bun-like ponytail. When I was on vacation once, a girl who had really curly hair fixed mine for me. My parents were amazed.
7. I can't hear rap music without dancing. When we go to baseball or basketball games and rap songs come on, I dance in the bleachers. Ted is only slightly embarrassed.
8. Ted and I get the Reader's Digest every month as a Christmas gift from my mom. I'm always ridiculously excited to read the jokes. We save them for right before we go to sleep and then I read them to him in bed. I laugh out loud at a lot of them-but they're not really that funny. In fact, we just got a new one in the mail..... You all know what we'll be doing in bed tonight now!
9. I RARELY laugh out loud when I'm watching tv or a movie. I find things really funny and laugh in my head-but never out loud. It sometimes looks like I'm not enjoying myself-but I am. (Comedian Brian Reagan is the one exception. I laugh so hard I cry.)
10. I'm horrible at Geography. That is a supreme understatement. I'm REALLY horrible at geography. I thought Oregon was next to Missouri. I didn't know Haiti wasn't in Africa. I can't put any states that begin with the letter "I" where they belong on a map (except Iowa and Illinois-they DO touch Missouri!) And when Ted and I first started dating he was trying to "impress" me with his knowledge of state capitals. I named the state and he gave me the capital. I was trying really hard to stump him and I finally got him. He looked at me with a blank stare. "Ha! I thought of one you didn't know!" I said. Which "state" did I finally stump him on you ask? "What's the capital of.....Chicago."
I understand if you never want to read my blog again.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
On Money
Today's readings for Mass couldn't have come at a better time. Ted and I have been seriously discussing our budget issues lately and it was so nice to have the Church's perspective on the complex matters of money. The Gospel passage was from Luke 16: 1-13 and the first reading was Amos 8: 4-7. Here's what I got out of the homily:
Money is corrosive.
Greed and dishonesty are far too prevalent when it comes to money.
The Church recognizes the importance of savings and encourages us to be responsible with our saving.
The Church also asks that we be generous. Everyone is capable of giving-no matter how little they may have.
Ted and I had a looong talk about our spending habits the other night. I was in the throughs of despair as I worried I would NEVER be able to stay home with our children. We went through all of our spending for the last several months and tried to pinpoint areas in which we could improve. Some months were better than others, but May was a killer. "Why in the world did we spend so much in May??" I wondered. "Well, this explains a lot (as I looked at the enormous amount of money we spent on medical bills and drugs that month). "Our spending on medicine was much higher than usual," I said. I only had to ponder what the cause of this was for about 0.5 seconds. I looked down at my belly. Oh yeah.
The extra money spent on medicine that month resulted in the greatest miracle we could have ever asked for. I smiled at Ted and said, "I guess that was worth it, huh?" His face said it all.
Money is important. It's important to try to save and be responsible. It's important to give away as much as possible to those who need it a lot more than we do. But it's still just money. It has no inherent value other than to better the lives of human beings and make us more capable to serve God and each other.
May I never forget this again.
Money is corrosive.
Greed and dishonesty are far too prevalent when it comes to money.
The Church recognizes the importance of savings and encourages us to be responsible with our saving.
The Church also asks that we be generous. Everyone is capable of giving-no matter how little they may have.
Ted and I had a looong talk about our spending habits the other night. I was in the throughs of despair as I worried I would NEVER be able to stay home with our children. We went through all of our spending for the last several months and tried to pinpoint areas in which we could improve. Some months were better than others, but May was a killer. "Why in the world did we spend so much in May??" I wondered. "Well, this explains a lot (as I looked at the enormous amount of money we spent on medical bills and drugs that month). "Our spending on medicine was much higher than usual," I said. I only had to ponder what the cause of this was for about 0.5 seconds. I looked down at my belly. Oh yeah.
The extra money spent on medicine that month resulted in the greatest miracle we could have ever asked for. I smiled at Ted and said, "I guess that was worth it, huh?" His face said it all.
Money is important. It's important to try to save and be responsible. It's important to give away as much as possible to those who need it a lot more than we do. But it's still just money. It has no inherent value other than to better the lives of human beings and make us more capable to serve God and each other.
May I never forget this again.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Our Beautiful Baby
We had our fetal assessment ultrasound done on September 8th (19 weeks). Every time I see that precious, tiny human on the screen it takes my breath away. I just have to share.
S/he's smiling!! We watched as she played with her tiny little and sucked on her fingers. We saw her tongue move and then her mouth turn into this amazing little smile. I think it looks like she's laughing. Laughing for joy in her content little home.
This is his beautiful face staring at us. It's kind of hard to get past the fact that he looks like an alien, but beautiful nonetheless. And check out that huge belly! It's as big as his momma's!
Looooong legs just like daddy! I love this one because it shows how cramped he already is inside my womb. It's the most amazing thing for me to realize that that precious little foot is the same one that I feel kicking me throughout the day. Ted thinks the foot looks really big compared to his leg and is hoping that's a sign that he's gonna be a basketball player.
Precious little footprint. We know for sure the baby has inherited at least one of my characteristics-the freakishly large gap between my big toe and the rest of my toes. That definitely wasn't the trait I wanted to pass on....
When the doctor walked in and saw us looking at the roll of pictures (that was at LEAST as tall as Ted) he said, "Wow, I don't think I've ever seen someone get that many pictures." I had to laugh because the ultrasound girl is the same one that did all of our infertility follicle study ultrasounds. I guess we're getting star treatment now :) That's a "perk" of infertility I didn't expect!
Monday, September 13, 2010
My Seeking Friend
I have a real-life friend who blogs! And it's incredible. I sometimes wonder if she thinks I'm crazy because I comment on every post, sometimes within moments of her publishing it. (And sometimes I leave the window open and come back to it hours later to comment, just so she doesn't know how much of a stalker I really am.)
She's a Catholic wife and mother of one. An English teacher. The most reflective person I have ever known. And a beautiful writer.
If any of those characteristics are of interest to you, then you should check out her blog.
And it was this post that inspired me to write this plug for her amazingness. Seriously. good. stuff.
She's a Catholic wife and mother of one. An English teacher. The most reflective person I have ever known. And a beautiful writer.
If any of those characteristics are of interest to you, then you should check out her blog.
And it was this post that inspired me to write this plug for her amazingness. Seriously. good. stuff.
Me sitting at her feet, soaking up the wisdom over four years ago.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
More on the New Normal
In my last post I mentioned that this pregnancy was beginning to feel normal. It's still amazing and exciting and mind-blowing, but increasingly normal.
I don't know when this shift occurred but I think I know what caused it. When my bump finally got big enough for strangers to notice, my entire day starting reflecting my pregnancy. As if this miracle could ever be far from my mind, I now have people constantly reminding me (through their questions, comments, and stares) that I'm pregnant.
Every time I eat something I think. "How much protein does this have?" and am making a mental recording in my head.
To get in all the squatting I'm supposed to do for my childbirth exercises, I'm squatting for 10 seconds every time after I go to the bathroom. (Which is FREQUENT!)
I wake up with my hand on my belly and go to sleep with Ted's hand there.
Every part of my day is, in some way, filled with pregnancy.
And it's good. It's not too consuming. It's not taking away from our marriage, only enhancing it. It's not keeping me from getting my job done or fulfilling my obligations at home. It's......normal. (I bet you know I was going to say that didn't you?)
But one thing that I wasn't anticipating was how my "normal" pregnancy could hurt others. I knew that getting pregnant might cost me some blog followers. I'm perfectly fine with that-I didn't read every pregnant gal's blog when I was trying to get pregnant. But I don't feel guilty about blogging my excitement for this miracle of life.
(Because first of all, it IS a miracle and deserves to be celebrated with excitement. Secondly, no one is forced to read my blog and if my gushing causes someone pain they can come and go as they wish. And lastly, my real-life family and friends read this-not just blogger friends-and many have told me that they enjoy my pregnancy updates.)
But it's different when it's a real friend. Blogger friends can just move on to the next blog. Real friends are stuck with me. And I have several beautiful friends struggling with miscarriage and other fertility issues right now.
Call me crazy, but I never thought that would happen. In our little "circle of friends" I just figured that Ted and I pulled the only crappy fertility card in the deck and that no one else would have to deal with it. I thought we did enough suffering and waiting for our baby to cover everyone. It blew my mind when I found out that one of my closest and dearest friends was now dealing with the sadness of a miscarriage and the stress of all the testing that comes with it. (Thank God she has a wonderful NaPro doctor!)
Going home for my baby shower meant seeing this friend, and a few others, who are dealing with things that I wouldn't wish upon anybody. I wasn't prepared for this.
When I asked one friend how her weekend had been, she told me she had to go to baby shower (not mine) in a voice that told me EXACTLY how she felt about it. Oh, I've been there. Oh, how I understand her pain. And at the same time, I was of no help. Because I had my own baby shower on the exact same day that she had to suffer through someone else's. I could relate-but only in the past tense.
I had to consciously think about keeping my hands off my belly when the baby kicked, so I wouldn't draw attention to it and risk making them sad. (and I don't think I did a very good job of this.) I had to portray that I was beyond thrilled for the miracle inside of me, while still being sensitive to the miracles they're still waiting for.
Now don't get me wrong. These friends would NEVER try to make me feel guilty for our blessing or want me to keep my excitement in. When someone excitedly asked me if I was pregnant in front of my closest friend, I responded, "Yes we are! We're very, very grateful and excited." But I left it at that. I smiled, but didn't gush. I thanked them, but didn't offer more information on the due date, chosen names, etc. I knew that my friend wouldn't want me to say any less than I did. And that she actually wouldn't be offended if I said more. But it still hurt to even answer the question.
This same friend was the very one who, in the exact same phone conversation that she told me about her miscarriage, spent at least 15 minutes asking me questions and rejoicing over our pregnancy. [But she is of saintly virtue-canonizeable really. So don't feel bad if you couldn't do the same.] She was also the first person I ever told about our infertility struggle, and she knew months before anyone else did.
I don't really know what my conclusion is to all of this. I don't want to hide my excitement for the miracle God has blessed us with. But I don't want my excitement to be a source of pain for those who are so dear to me. I pray for them, offer them advice when I have it, and will rejoice more than anyone they know (except for maybe their husbands) when they are finally blessed with a healthy pregnancy. I hope that's enough.
I don't know when this shift occurred but I think I know what caused it. When my bump finally got big enough for strangers to notice, my entire day starting reflecting my pregnancy. As if this miracle could ever be far from my mind, I now have people constantly reminding me (through their questions, comments, and stares) that I'm pregnant.
Every time I eat something I think. "How much protein does this have?" and am making a mental recording in my head.
To get in all the squatting I'm supposed to do for my childbirth exercises, I'm squatting for 10 seconds every time after I go to the bathroom. (Which is FREQUENT!)
I wake up with my hand on my belly and go to sleep with Ted's hand there.
Every part of my day is, in some way, filled with pregnancy.
And it's good. It's not too consuming. It's not taking away from our marriage, only enhancing it. It's not keeping me from getting my job done or fulfilling my obligations at home. It's......normal. (I bet you know I was going to say that didn't you?)
But one thing that I wasn't anticipating was how my "normal" pregnancy could hurt others. I knew that getting pregnant might cost me some blog followers. I'm perfectly fine with that-I didn't read every pregnant gal's blog when I was trying to get pregnant. But I don't feel guilty about blogging my excitement for this miracle of life.
(Because first of all, it IS a miracle and deserves to be celebrated with excitement. Secondly, no one is forced to read my blog and if my gushing causes someone pain they can come and go as they wish. And lastly, my real-life family and friends read this-not just blogger friends-and many have told me that they enjoy my pregnancy updates.)
But it's different when it's a real friend. Blogger friends can just move on to the next blog. Real friends are stuck with me. And I have several beautiful friends struggling with miscarriage and other fertility issues right now.
Call me crazy, but I never thought that would happen. In our little "circle of friends" I just figured that Ted and I pulled the only crappy fertility card in the deck and that no one else would have to deal with it. I thought we did enough suffering and waiting for our baby to cover everyone. It blew my mind when I found out that one of my closest and dearest friends was now dealing with the sadness of a miscarriage and the stress of all the testing that comes with it. (Thank God she has a wonderful NaPro doctor!)
Going home for my baby shower meant seeing this friend, and a few others, who are dealing with things that I wouldn't wish upon anybody. I wasn't prepared for this.
When I asked one friend how her weekend had been, she told me she had to go to baby shower (not mine) in a voice that told me EXACTLY how she felt about it. Oh, I've been there. Oh, how I understand her pain. And at the same time, I was of no help. Because I had my own baby shower on the exact same day that she had to suffer through someone else's. I could relate-but only in the past tense.
I had to consciously think about keeping my hands off my belly when the baby kicked, so I wouldn't draw attention to it and risk making them sad. (and I don't think I did a very good job of this.) I had to portray that I was beyond thrilled for the miracle inside of me, while still being sensitive to the miracles they're still waiting for.
Now don't get me wrong. These friends would NEVER try to make me feel guilty for our blessing or want me to keep my excitement in. When someone excitedly asked me if I was pregnant in front of my closest friend, I responded, "Yes we are! We're very, very grateful and excited." But I left it at that. I smiled, but didn't gush. I thanked them, but didn't offer more information on the due date, chosen names, etc. I knew that my friend wouldn't want me to say any less than I did. And that she actually wouldn't be offended if I said more. But it still hurt to even answer the question.
This same friend was the very one who, in the exact same phone conversation that she told me about her miscarriage, spent at least 15 minutes asking me questions and rejoicing over our pregnancy. [But she is of saintly virtue-canonizeable really. So don't feel bad if you couldn't do the same.] She was also the first person I ever told about our infertility struggle, and she knew months before anyone else did.
I don't really know what my conclusion is to all of this. I don't want to hide my excitement for the miracle God has blessed us with. But I don't want my excitement to be a source of pain for those who are so dear to me. I pray for them, offer them advice when I have it, and will rejoice more than anyone they know (except for maybe their husbands) when they are finally blessed with a healthy pregnancy. I hope that's enough.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Overdue Update
I can't sit down and write a blog post until the house is clean and most of the chores are done for the evening. That explains the lack of posting lately....
But right now everything is in its place except for all the new gifts we got from the shower. Those don't really have a place yet-so I guess I'm forced to blog despite the messy pile of gifts sitting next to me. What a great problem to have :)
The shower was wonderful! It was thrown by Ted's mom and sisters and included the aunts and cousins on his side of the family. My side of the family and most friends will be later.
I thought I would be overcome with emotions. I was sure I would cry. I wasn't sure it would really feel like MY shower. But when the time came, I didn't really experience any of those. It just felt....natural. Surreal, but natural. That is how this pregnancy is beginning to feel. Like it's normal to be pregnant. Like I'M normal to be pregnant. Weird, but.....normal.
I'm catching strangers glancing at my belly and smiling. Co-workers I don't really know are noticing and boldly asking when I'm due. I find myself touching my stomach all day long and savoring every sweet little movement. Ted and I are getting into a routine with our pregnancy exercises (he's a wonderful coach-I need to write a whole post dedicated to his amazingness.) And life is rolling right along. I'm just in shock that it feels so....normal!
Here are some pictures from the shower. My sister-in-law really went crazy with the decorations. She's so talented.
But right now everything is in its place except for all the new gifts we got from the shower. Those don't really have a place yet-so I guess I'm forced to blog despite the messy pile of gifts sitting next to me. What a great problem to have :)
The shower was wonderful! It was thrown by Ted's mom and sisters and included the aunts and cousins on his side of the family. My side of the family and most friends will be later.
I thought I would be overcome with emotions. I was sure I would cry. I wasn't sure it would really feel like MY shower. But when the time came, I didn't really experience any of those. It just felt....natural. Surreal, but natural. That is how this pregnancy is beginning to feel. Like it's normal to be pregnant. Like I'M normal to be pregnant. Weird, but.....normal.
I'm catching strangers glancing at my belly and smiling. Co-workers I don't really know are noticing and boldly asking when I'm due. I find myself touching my stomach all day long and savoring every sweet little movement. Ted and I are getting into a routine with our pregnancy exercises (he's a wonderful coach-I need to write a whole post dedicated to his amazingness.) And life is rolling right along. I'm just in shock that it feels so....normal!
Here are some pictures from the shower. My sister-in-law really went crazy with the decorations. She's so talented.
K8 Made little birdies. (Handmade by Kate)
Me and the babe.
The baby's cousins "helped" me open gifts :)
Ted arrived from fishing just in time to load the gifts into the car.
And was very excited to see our new fish onesie (also K8 Made)
I have one more pic to post but blogger keeps turning it sideways. And Ted is on his way home from (what else?) fishing. I'll have to finish this update (which will include new ultrasound pics!) another time.
Suffice it to say that the shower was amazing. It felt so great to drive home with a car seat and stroller in the back of the car. It's finally staring to feel like the "three of us".
Friday, September 3, 2010
Hello Misouri!
No time for a Quick Takes today. We're off to Missouri for the weekend! The weekend will be spent with lots of family and friends, enjoying a reunion in the beautiful hills of Missouri wineries, and at a BABY SHOWER!!
I'm still in disbelieve that I'm on my way to my own baby shower......
Have a great Labor Day weekend everyone!
I'm still in disbelieve that I'm on my way to my own baby shower......
Have a great Labor Day weekend everyone!
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Dad's First High Five
I'm 18 weeks today. Last night our baby book said that I "may feel the first movements of the baby sometime this week". I had to laugh. Our little all-star has been squirming around for over three weeks now!
It still just feels like bubbles and tickles-no major jabs yet. This afternoon it tickled so much that I actually laughed out loud. But then tonight it started to feel different. It felt more like pounding from the inside. More like an actual kick.
Ted's been asked by several friends and family members if he's felt a kick yet. He's been saying, "No, it'll probably be a month or more before I get to feel it." Or so we thought...
Tonight I was sitting in the recliner relaxing while Ted was on the computer looking up ways to fix something on my car (something I probably don't even know needs fixing). I felt a few strange movements and asked him if he wanted to try to feel the baby. I still hadn't even felt it from the outside at this point. He said he did and started walking towards me. Before he even got to me, I noticed a bulge in my belly on the lower left side. Definitely something new! He saw the bulge too and put his hand on it.
And just like that: Wham!
Dad's first high five.
He didn't say anything or move his hand so I thought he hadn't felt it. I said, "Did you feel that?" and he didn't respond right away. I assumed he was being quiet so he could try again. But after a pause he said, very matter-of-factly, "I just felt my baby move for the first time. I have chills." As if he had to convince himself of what just happened.
And then the little bulge disappeared and the kicks returned to light tickles. Just like that.
I'm elated! Head over heels excited and in awe of the miracle that is squirming inside me!
I know most dads have to try many times before they finally feel a good kick. I've heard so many stories of babies moving like crazy and then being completely still as soon as dad lays his hands on the tummy. I was fully prepared for this frustration. But it was as if our baby heard Ted coming and decided to put on a show.
Little bean has been doing everything ahead of schedule and I'm so grateful. We heard the heartbeat earlier than expected. I felt her sweet movements in my fourteenth week. And now this! At this rate our kid will ride a bike when she's two, graduate high school when she's twelve, and cure cancer by the time she moves out of the house! I just hope she isn't born early!
It still just feels like bubbles and tickles-no major jabs yet. This afternoon it tickled so much that I actually laughed out loud. But then tonight it started to feel different. It felt more like pounding from the inside. More like an actual kick.
Ted's been asked by several friends and family members if he's felt a kick yet. He's been saying, "No, it'll probably be a month or more before I get to feel it." Or so we thought...
Tonight I was sitting in the recliner relaxing while Ted was on the computer looking up ways to fix something on my car (something I probably don't even know needs fixing). I felt a few strange movements and asked him if he wanted to try to feel the baby. I still hadn't even felt it from the outside at this point. He said he did and started walking towards me. Before he even got to me, I noticed a bulge in my belly on the lower left side. Definitely something new! He saw the bulge too and put his hand on it.
And just like that: Wham!
Dad's first high five.
He didn't say anything or move his hand so I thought he hadn't felt it. I said, "Did you feel that?" and he didn't respond right away. I assumed he was being quiet so he could try again. But after a pause he said, very matter-of-factly, "I just felt my baby move for the first time. I have chills." As if he had to convince himself of what just happened.
And then the little bulge disappeared and the kicks returned to light tickles. Just like that.
I'm elated! Head over heels excited and in awe of the miracle that is squirming inside me!
I know most dads have to try many times before they finally feel a good kick. I've heard so many stories of babies moving like crazy and then being completely still as soon as dad lays his hands on the tummy. I was fully prepared for this frustration. But it was as if our baby heard Ted coming and decided to put on a show.
Little bean has been doing everything ahead of schedule and I'm so grateful. We heard the heartbeat earlier than expected. I felt her sweet movements in my fourteenth week. And now this! At this rate our kid will ride a bike when she's two, graduate high school when she's twelve, and cure cancer by the time she moves out of the house! I just hope she isn't born early!
Spiritual Boquet
For all our Sisters in Christ who are in the midst of their journey with infertility, loss, and adoption...please know you have our continued support, love, and prayers!
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