On Birthing a Soul

As I sit here typing this, I have a precious 8-week old sleeping soundly on my chest in her Solly Baby wrap. I am certain this might be the only way I am going to get anything done in the coming months because she loves to be held, and I absolutely love holding her, so there's that.

Nothing about going into labor happened how I thought it would. Labor was also a great lesson in letting go of preconceived notions and plans, and just going with the flow, so to speak. First of all, we still had another week until my due date. Secondly, my water broke, and, while Hollywood would have all of us believe that every woman's water breaks in this incredibly dramatic fashion, my doctor and midwife drilled into me from the get-go that only like 10% of women actually have their water break as their first sign of labor, and that I would head to the hospital once my contractions had been about 3 minutes apart for well over 2 hours. Those were my marching orders, and Harris and I had all kinds of plans of walking it out at the mall, climbing the stairs in our building, so on and so forth.

Friday, January 30th, was a very normal Friday for me. I got up and ran my errands and then came home to do a very slow, very minimal (let's be real) house clean. I even stopped to get gas that day, and texted Harris to say "you should be so proud of me - I got gas and we had more than 1/4 of a tank left!". Perhaps my sub-conscious knew something I didn't. Later in the day, Harris sent me a text that said that we should go play skeeball at Dave & Buster's when I went into labor. We had big labor plans, I tell you, and Harris was completely convinced we were at least making it to our due date, which was February 8th, and I think part of him wasn't really expecting her to show up until closer to Valentine's Day. I didn't really share it with anyone because I didn't want anyone to get their hopes up, but I really thought it would be sometime that next week before our due date, and had placed my own bets on her birthday being February 3rd.

At any rate, the day carried on in normal fashion. Harris came home from work, we had dinner, and then decided to play a game of Monopoly, for no reason that I can really remember now. We got ready for bed, and I proceeded to do my nightly routine of multiple bathroom visits before being able to settle down and go to sleep (usually it was about 6 trips per side, so, let's say I had made it to 5 trips and then decided I needed to lay on the other side to get more comfortable, the routine would start over). At 10:15 I had just gone to the bathroom for the 6th time in the past 20 or so minutes, and was ready to settle in for the night, but when I laid back down, little girl was going crazy in my belly. I even looked down at my belly and nicely asked her to please stop doing splits so I could get some sleep. I tried rolling to my other side because that would often get her to settle down, but no luck, so I opted to lay on my back for just a minute to see if that would settle her. I ended up dozing off while on my back only to feel my eyes pop open a little while later when I felt the smallest trickle between my legs. I immediately thought, Seriously?! Did I just pee myself?!, and got up and went back to the bathroom. I noticed the clock said it was 10:45. I sat down on the toilet and sleepily thought I felt another tiny trickle before I started actively peeing, but didn't really think too much of it. I actually remember thinking, Don't get excited. Your water did not break. You are just losing bladder control! I finished up and stood up to head back to the bathroom, and that is when I knew. It wasn't the dramatic Hollywood gush of fluid, but it was a noticeable trickle of water every time I took a step. I stood in the bathroom for a minute, and turned the light on, which is when I saw water on the floor. It registered that this was happening, but I don't know that it really registered. I took a moment to get myself together, and then headed back into the bedroom to wake Harris up. I gently shook him awake, and when I had his attention, I said, My water just broke. He looked up at me with this big grin and then jumped out of bed! He later told me that he didn't actually believe me at first, and I think thought the same thing I had - that I had just lost bladder control or something, but when he saw water on the floor, it really sunk in for him.

He immediately jumped into action. He had me call our midwife, who told us to labor at home as long as we could (I was Group B Strep negative, so we didn't have to rush in right away even with my water breaking), and then call her when we felt like we were ready. We then texted our Lucy-sitter to let her know that she would need to come pick up Lucy the next morning. He went downstairs to bring our car around so it would be at the ready, and call our Moms. I got up and randomly decided to do a load of laundry and called Erica. It took about an hour or so after my water broke for me to start feeling any kind of real, albeit mild, contractions. During this time, I took a shower, made myself as presentable as I could, tried to sleep (but failed miserably!), watched some late night TV, caught the end of Anchorman, and bounced on my birthing ball. Around 3am, we were all in the living room - Lucy laying on a blanket, wondering what in the world we were all doing up at such an hour, Harris sitting in a chair giving lots of positive reinforcement, and me bouncing on a big blue ball. Harris decided it was time for some music, and decided that kicking things off with Jimmy Buffett's Why Don't We Get Drunk and Screw would be a fitting tribute to our current situation. A sense of humor that hubby of mine has, I tell you.

My water breaking presented a bit of a dilemma that I had not prepared myself for. We were aiming to have a natural labor and delivery experience. In order to do that, though, I knew it was crucial to keep myself moving as much as possible to, hopefully, help labor progress. However, every time I would stand up or take a step, more water would trickle (or gush, depending on how it was feeling at the moment, I suppose). Also, given the fact that my water broke late at night, we didn't really have many options for getting out and about. Around 5am, or just over six hours into labor, we decided to call our midwife again for more direction. She agreed that we should go ahead and come in so we could assess how things were going. With that, we got Lucy set up in the bathroom (her babysitter was going to come pick her up around 7am), grabbed our remaining hospital items, laid a thick towel on my car seat, and made our way to the hospital.


Being a Saturday around 5:30am, there was absolutely no traffic, and it was a breezy drive to the hospital. Because the maternity ward doors don't officially open until 6am, we had to check in through the emergency room. Harris pulled the car right up to the door, and walked in with me, and then went to park the car while the nurses got my vitals. One of the nurses mentioned that I was the fifth laboring mom to show up that night! She said it was because of the change in weather pressure that had occurred the day before. I don't know how true that is, but there you have it. After getting my vitals, and Harris getting back in, I was then wheeled up to the maternity ward. The funniest part of my day: when we got to our room, one of the ER nurses who came up with us offered me a bag for my wet clothes. I looked her dead in the eye and said, "oh I'm fine. My clothes aren't wet". To which she cocked her eyebrow and looked at me like I was crazy as I was basically sitting in a puddle. Guess after that many hours, I was just used to it!

After that, our first nurse came in and got me hooked up to the machines to do a baseline monitoring of little miss and me. Our midwife showed up shortly thereafter, and said that everything was looking good on the monitor. She checked my cervix then, and I was only dilated to a two, but she manually dilated me to a three. I didn't even know that was a thing, but apparently it is! At that point, she told us to get moving! Because my water had broken, and there was trace amounts of meconium in my fluid (meaning the little one had decided to go ahead and have her first bowel movement while still in the womb), I was being given a deadline of noon to have made progress before we started discussing alternative options. Nothing like a deadline or goal to motivate a laboring mom, so we set off. We made many laps around the maternity ward, I got in the shower, and bounced on the ball. Once an hour, we would stop so I could get hooked back up to the monitors for about fifteen minutes and check in on little one's heartbeat and my contractions.

That whole morning was great, fantastic even! I was a little tired just from being up all night, but my contractions weren't too strong, and we were having fun. I have to sidetrack for a moment and just say that Harris was beyond amazing, from start to finish, in the whole experience. I could not have asked for a more supportive and attentive person to have by my side. I told him during and after that I could not have done it without him, and I mean that even more now.

Right before lunchtime, my contractions really started picking up in intensity. It must have been about 11 when they were really getting stronger because my Mom and sisters made it to the hospital around 11:30, and I told Harris that I wasn't ready to see anyone just then (sorry guys!). He went out to see them, and then came back in to help me through the next round of contractions. I am not too sure of the exact timing of things (other than a few key things), but it would have been right about noon when I got out of the shower for the last time, and, at that point, I really just didn't have it in me to stand or walk around at that point, so Harris and our nurses encouraged me to take a rest in bed. Shortly thereafter, maybe around 12:30, my midwife came back to check my progress, and I was at a five.

While everyone else was pleased with this progress (at least pleased enough to not start talking about things like pitocin), I had really hoped I would be further along at that point. The contractions continued to intensify, and I started hitting a mental block. Harris kept coaching me through, reminding me to breathe and relax as much as I could. Our nurse kept trying to get me to focus on something besides the pain (I kept counting to the number 8 over and over again in my mind...and maybe a little out loud...kind of like in a dance class with the same staccato counting that my dance teachers would use). Mentally, though, I kept coming back to "this really hurts!" and "I'm only halfway there!". My midwife came back in around 2:30, and said that she thought it was time for us to start considering an epidural. While part of me was absolutely relieved that someone had finally uttered those words, the part of me that really wanted to do it naturally didn't want to give in. I was convinced, in that moment, at least, that getting the epidural would slow me down and result in a c-section (because of the time limit created by my water breaking). My midwife took my hands and told me that she wasn't going to let me have a c-section, but that I needed to get some rest, and that she truly believed we wouldn't be having this conversation if I hadn't already been in labor for 16 hours already. Now, I can't honestly tell you whether we would have, or not, but it did empower me in some strange way. I finally asked for the epidural, and after I asked for it, it couldn't have been administered fast enough!

Because I had been up and moving around all morning, I had not received any IV fluids, and apparently they like for you to have a couple bags of fluid in your system before you get the epidural, so they hooked me up, and bless their souls, they got that fluid in my system as fast as they possibly could. The anesthesiologist came in (and then left! But came back) and got me set up to get the epidural. I never saw the needle, and completely forgot about how big people always talk about it being (Harris reminded me later!), and I couldn't have cared less about having to sit still during a contraction. I think I would have stood on my head (or at least attempted to) if they had required me to do so, at that point!

Thankfully, blissfully, the epidural took effect almost immediately. My first contraction after getting it was noticeably better, the next five progressively got better, and after that, I didn't feel another contraction, only pressure. Also, thankfully, I could still completely feel the lower half of my body, just in a kind of pins and needles sensation. Apparently I got super happy after getting the epidural - I remember Harris laughing at me a good bit! I also got in a little nap!

A couple hours later, after having been instructed to let my nurse know if I felt like I needed to have a bowel movement (because that's what having a baby apparently feels like), I metaphorically rang the bell, and told her that I was feeling a lot of pressure. I don't think they were expecting much, but I was insistent, and, lo and behold, I was fully dilated! Of course, at that particular moment in time, my midwife was finishing up a delivery next door, so I held tight for a few minutes! My midwife came in and said that she was going to get ready and would be back in just a few minutes, and told my nurse to have me do a practice push before she got back. So, our sweet nurse got us ready for that, we assumed the position, and then she said, "Ummm...no, let's not do a practice push because I see hair!"

Sure enough, little one was right there. Our midwife made it back to the room, and the nurse informed her that we had not done a practice push because of the hair situation. From there on out, it all happened pretty quickly. Our midwife got suited up, and a few extra people appeared in the room from the nursery - they would be checking little miss out shortly after birth due to the meconium in my fluid to make sure that she had not swallowed any of it. Harris was holding one of my legs while our sweet nurse held the other one. I was instructed to push on my next contraction, and even though I couldn't feel my contractions, I knew when it was time to push - so much so that they really doubted me the first couple times! The first push was...weird. I don't think there is really any other way to describe it. Pushing was not something I had received any kind of preparation for, so I really didn't feel like I knew what I was doing. Thankfully, I got the hang of it pretty quickly! Between pushes, my midwife and nurse joked about how she had so much hair they could go ahead and put a ponytail in for us if we liked! I really didn't rest too much between pushes, and, to be honest, I don't know that I was only pushing during contractions, despite their best efforts to get me to do so. I really just knew that I needed to push and no one could convince me otherwise. I felt everything when it came to pushing her out, and it honestly was kind of amazing - it was probably my favorite part of my laboring experience. During one of the pauses, my midwife asked if I would like to feel the baby's head. I made a face and at first said no - not because I didn't want to feel her head, but I really didn't want to feel anything that was going on down there for me! All in all, it was a pretty easygoing period of time for us. I felt her crown and my determination increased tenfold. I kept saying, "I just want to push!", and, after less than 30 minutes of pushing, our little girl made her way into the world!

They immediately placed her skin to skin, and handed Harris scissors to cut the umbilical cord, which he did with gusto! Because she cried immediately, the pediatric team didn't end up having to examine her right away - apparently, and my memory of this is a bit fuzzy, if she'd had meconium in her lungs she wouldn't have cried right away, or something. I was in complete shock and awe of the tiny human laying on my chest. She was just so perfect! I didn't actually do the cursory counting of fingers and toes, but Harris admitted later that he did. I just kept gazing at her, and whispered "Happy Birthday" and "I love you". With her first cry, and for most of them for at least the first several weeks, she had what we affectionately refer to as "quivery lip" where her little lower lip would quiver during her cry. She still does it sometimes, and it is absolutely the cutest little thing!

We were so caught up in our little girl and loving on her that I have absolutely no memory of actually delivering the placenta - I just know our midwife held it up to show it to us after the fact. We immediately tried to breastfeed, and, thankfully, she was a pro (and a voracious sucker) from the get-go. She had a really good nursing session right after birth, and then they finally took her over to clean her up and weigh and measure her. I could see most of that from my bed, but Harris was able to go over and help them get her situated. He was such a hands-on Dad from the get-go! She wasn't a huge fan of some of the routine stuff, like getting her temperature taken - how dare they put a thermometer under her arm! - but she definitely loved any and all snuggles and attention!

After she and I were both cleaned up, we spent a good maybe two hours just the three of us (well the three of us plus the hospital staff that was in and out), and it was such magical time spent bonding and loving on our little girl. After that, our parents and my sisters took turns coming in to visit, and then, a little later that night, Harris got to give her her first bath, which was so special.

Harris remarked a couple days afterwards that when I was asked about birth, I would say something to the effect of "It was great! There was a bad spot, and then I got the epidural, and it was great again!". For him, that "bad spot" was exceptionally hard. He said it is so difficult to see someone you love be in that kind of pain and not be able to do anything about it. While I do acknowledge that there was a rough patch during labor, I really couldn't tell you about the pain now. I know it is an evolutionary defense mechanism that helps us to forget, but I really and truly don't remember the specifics of that part of labor. I remember all the good, all the laughs, and all the magic of holding our daughter in my arms for the very first time. It seems impossible that this all happened two months ago, and, yet, at the same time, it seems improbable that she hasn't been here with us all along.

Letters to Baby: 38 Weeks

Dear Little Girl,

This week, I had my 29th birthday! Not that I wouldn't want to share my birthday with you, but I want you to have your very own special day, so I am glad you are still content to bake a little longer :). Honestly, I have been so focused on getting everything as ready as possible for your arrival, and enjoying as much time with Daddy and Lucy as I can, that my birthday kind of snuck up on me this year. I woke up around 5am the morning of my birthday for a bathroom run, got back in bed, and was almost asleep before I thought, "oh, today's my birthday!". Others, however, did not forget, and I felt very loved on my day. We had our 38-week appointment that morning, and then, after work, Daddy took us out for a yummy dinner at the new Brazilian restaurant, and then surprised me with tickets to a play showing at the Virginia Stage Company. All in all, it was a wonderful day!

In other news, it snowed here the night before my birthday. Nothing major, but it stuck to the ground for a while, and caused Lucy some unhappiness (okay, and me too) when she had to walk on the wet coldness! Snow is pretty, but I would much rather look at it than be in it. Snow is a magical thing, though, for children, it seems, and I am excited to see what you think of it the first time you get to see it

I cannot believe that we have less than 2 weeks until our due date! You have certainly dropped as my bump just looks lower to me, plus my heartburn seems to have disappeared. I don't think that actually says anything about your imminent arrival or anything, but that you are making more and more preparations every day for your debut! I have a full-on waddle whenever I get out of bed, which is fun / funny!

This week, I made a big batch of fruit salad at the beginning of the week, which I have been enjoying every day. When I was making my grocery list on Monday, fruit and yogurt were the two big contenders for things I wanted to each, and, luckily, the desire for both has managed to last the week (not like that time I thought I wanted spaghettio's, bought several cans, and then only ate them once!). I am still trying to walk a good bit, climb some stairs, do some yoga squats, and do my Tracy Anderson video (albeit a bit more infrequently than I was before month 9!).

Keep on baking, little one. I am sure you will let us know when you're ready :)

We love you!

Love,
Mommy

Letters to Baby: 37 Weeks

Dear Little Girl,

This week has been all about the nesting! Because of my need to take more frequent breaks during cleaning sessions and stuff, I knew there was no way I could do one of my 6-hour deep house cleaning blowouts, so I decided to divvy out all of those things across the whole week. You and I have spent at least a couple hours every day this week doing things like washing the baseboards, cleaning out the pantry, and more. You have been a trooper!

Daddy and I continue to try to spend as much time as possible dating each other these days. It has made things a lot of fun, and it makes me so happy to spend this time with him creating memories. Luckily, work has settled down for him, so he has more time to just enjoy these days. 

I have started most of my days this week just going into your nursery and having a little quiet time sitting in the glider in there, thinking about you, our family, and so on. It's been a nice little way to get the day going, and it has been fun because Lucy isn't yet used to us hanging out in there, so several mornings, I could hear her get out of bed, and then look for me all over before finally realizing I was in your room! 

Last weekend, Daddy and I had some maternity photographs taken. Although it was so cold outside, we got some amazing shots over by the water, and I am so happy we took the time to get that done! It is so special to have pictures of our little family as we get ready for you!

My workouts have definitely slowed down this week with only a couple days of doing my Tracy Anderson video, and then daily walks with Lucy, but considering the fact that all the cleaning feels like a workout, I haven't been too hard on myself ;)

I have made some pretty yummy meals (if I do say so myself!), and have really enjoyed pasta this week! We had the yummiest veggie lasagna at the beginning of the week, and I am pretty sure I could have eaten it every single day. Sadly, it only lasted two days. Otherwise in the food department, back on a turkey panini kick, and, still, the sweets. All of them. Any of them. You and I are not discriminatory when it comes to the sweets!

Little one, every single day brings more and more excitement about your impending arrival! We can't wait to meet you, but we still just want you to get as ready as can be. We love you so much, little one!

Love,

Mommy

Letters to Baby: 36 Weeks

Dear Little Girl,

At 36 weeks it is starting to feel like the beginning of the end of pregnancy, which is bittersweet for me, at least. I am so excited about beginning our new adventure as parents, and experiencing life with you, and watching you grow and learn every day. I couldn't be more excited about being your Mommy, and getting to see your Daddy become a Daddy. But I have really enjoyed pregnancy. I love knowing that you are so close to  me (literally!) all the time, feeling all of your little moves, and just enjoying this special, magical time in life. At the end of the day, though, I can only imagine how I will feel the moment I hold you in my arms for the first time! 

We had our 36-week check with our midwife earlier this week, and will now be visiting with her on a weekly basis. The whole routine of the doctor's office has become, well, so routine! So far, everything is still looking good, and you still appear to be pretty happy setting up camp (and are still head down! Thank you! Stay that way please!).

Daddy and I so enjoyed our weekend away last weekend. Although it was entirely too cold for a nice stroll on the beach, we had the most amazing views from our hotel room, got to go swimming in an indoor pool (which is the most amazing thing in the world during pregnancy! Seriously water all day, every day, please!), ate lots of yummy food and good chocolate, played games, watched sports, and just simply enjoyed being together.

Our new library had its grand opening this week, and we went with Courtney, Shaun, and baby Leo. Courtney and I are excited about activities that we will be able to bring you and Leo to in the coming months, including storytime and sing alongs for babies!

I started my month 9 Tracy Anderson video this week - crazytown! I am still loving my yoga squats and exercise ball, and trying to get in as many walks with Lucy as the rainy, cold weather will allow! This week, chips and salsa, miniature reese cups, and smoothies have all been favorites.

I can't believe how close we are getting to meeting you, little one! Keep getting as ready as you can for this big old world, and we will keep on with our preparations. We love you so much!

Love,
Mommy

Letters to Baby: 35 Weeks

Dear Little Girl,

You will soon learn, little one, that Fridays are generally days that make people pretty happy. It's the end of the work week, and the kick off of the weekend, for most. While I typically don't work on Fridays anyway, I have been looking forward to today all week! It has been a busy one in our house. Daddy has been in Roanoke all week for work meetings and presentations, and I have been scrambling around trying to knock off as many things on my to-do list as possible, including finishing up all the freezer meals I planned to have on hand after you get here. It was a little bit of an undertaking, but I don't think I could have picked a better week to do this - I wasn't cooking dinner for Daddy and me all week, for one, and I know I will be so thrilled those first few weeks to know that I can simply pull a homemade meal out of the freezer to pop in the oven for us! In case you were wondering, I made the following: breakfast burritos, chicken spaghetti, white bean chicken chili, pasta e fagioli soup, skinny spinach lasagna rolls, the pioneer woman's sour cream noodle bake, grilled chicken to do with as we please, chicken pot pie, marinara sauce (actually Daddy made this a few weeks ago - this is his specialty, not Mommy's!), shredded beef enchiladas, and chicken cordon bleu. I also have some frozen veggies on hand to use as side dishes.

Anyway, back to looking forward to Friday. I have also been looking forward to today because Daddy is taking the day off, we are dropping Lucy off at her babysitter's house, and we are taking a little "babymoon" in Virginia Beach for the weekend! We had a getaway planned back in October, but things just got really crazy then, so we postponed and changed things up a little bit. We have a few activities planned, but mostly we will just be relaxing and enjoying some time just the two of us. I can't wait!

Other than my cooking adventures, Lucy and I had a fairly normal week. It was extremely cold all week, which was not a lot of fun for any of us, but I am hoping that maybe Old Man Winter gets it all out of his system before you make your arrival so that you will not have to contend with the freezing temperatures!

This past week, I have really been wanting cold drink things, like smoothies and milkshakes, which, of course, makes absolutely no sense given the aforementioned cold, but I don't make the rules (except when it comes to you - then Daddy and I make the rules)! Or decide the weather for that matter. I have been doing a lot of yoga squats still, and my Tracy Anderson workouts. Lucy and I didn't go on nearly as many walks this week because it was just painful (for both of us, because of the cold!). 

Your nursery is just about done, which is so exciting! Your changing table should be here next week, and, then, a couple weekends from now, Mimi, Aunt Kay, and Aunt Moe are coming up and bringing the bookshelves Granddaddy has built for all of your books. 

As always, little one, you just keep growing stronger every day, and we love you!

Love,

Mommy

Letters to Baby: 34 Weeks

Dear Little Girl,

Well, another one bites the dust! Another week, and another year, that is. It's hard to believe that 2014 is now behind us, and we are now in the year in which you will be born! Obviously much of this past year was spent being excited about you, getting ready for your arrival, and enjoying pregnancy, but Daddy and I really had a great year overall, and feel incredibly blessed and thankful for this year.

I am sure 2014 went out with a bang for some folks, but, as you will soon learn, your parents are not the night owls they used to be. Okay, we're not kidding anyone, we have never been night owls. We like to go to bed early and get up early (very early for Daddy and reasonably early for Mommy!). We spent our New Year's Eve un-decorating for Christmas, cooking, and catching a movie at home. We were asleep before 10pm!

Now that the Christmas decorations are down, we are kicking "Operation Get Ready for Baby" into high gear! While our to-do list is significantly smaller than it was several weeks ago, we still have some things to do, and are excited about doing them. I think Daddy's nesting instinct has kicked in because he started pulling furniture out from the walls the other day to vacuum and clean baseboards - something Mommy appreciates greatly as it's not really in my best interest to be moving furniture right now!

My energy level is starting to wane a bit. At least, I am noticing, I need to take more breaks when I am doing stuff. If we are out walking, I usually need to walk a little slower, or slow down for a bit at different intervals. During cleaning sessions, I need to stop for a little bit versus my usual go-go-go mentality to get things done. Still nothing too crazy on the food front, but getting full so fast these days! I have been back on a cereal kick this week, pretty much want sweet tea every single day (but don't give in!), and, of course, have been really wanting things like cantaloupe and watermelon during the single most inopportune time of the year!

I am still doing my Tracy Anderson month 8 video, but less of the legs, and have, instead, been doing a lot of yoga squats, which are fun. I really need to get back in my habit of stair climbing, but I haven't been so good about that lately.

Overall, I am still feeling good, and just enjoying this time! We had our 34-week appointment on New Year's Eve, as well, and the doctor told us that, from here on out, we are just getting ready for your arrival! He felt your head, butt, and legs through Mommy's belly, and it was cool to see how you were positioned. It's amazing that you are pretty much a full-sized newborn at this point (give or take a couple pounds). I am sure space is getting a little cramped, but hang in there and keep growing, okay? We want you to bake as long as you need to!

We love you so much!

Love,

Mommy

Letters to Baby: 33 Weeks

Dear Little Girl,

Yesterday was Christmas, little one, and it was a very good Christmas for your Daddy, Lucy, and me. While you were hanging out in Mommy's belly this year, we couldn't help but be excited about all of our Christmas traditions, and moreso, thinking about sharing them with you beginning next year! Grammy & Duke got us a video camera, and we started using it to document some of this Christmas for you! On Christmas Eve, we went to our annual showing of A Christmas Carol, drank eggnog hot chocolate, and then headed to a candlelight service at church. Although it poured down rain most of the day, it couldn't have been a lovelier or happier day. You seemed to enjoy everything as well, especially all the music, I think, because you were having a wild party most of the day! Christmas morning we got up, opened stockings from Santa and presents, and spent the day enjoying our time together, and our the new goodies we gave each other and received from the rest of the family. 

I knew the holidays would fly by because the inevitably always do, but it feels like the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas was even shorter this year, and I can't believe that your due date is in less than 7 weeks now! You are still moving a ton, and I am starting to be able to pinpoint certain body parts' location, especially your little legs! Heartburn has still been acting up a bit this week, but not as much, thankfully. No crazy cravings or anything to report on, and still trying to stay as active as I can. My belly continues to get bigger and bigger (sometimes, seemingly overnight!), and I just love it knowing that you are continuing to grow and are getting ready for your world debut.

Your nursery is really starting to come together too! After getting your crib last weekend, and getting it set up, we got your mattress, and I put bedding on it, and it is really starting to look like a little girl's space in there! We still need to put together our glider, get our changing table, and put up shelves for your dozens and dozens of books, but it is so exciting to see this vision we had come to life!

Next week will mark the end of 2014, and then it really will be almost time for you to be here! We are so excited, little one, and we love you so much!

Love,

Mommy

Letters to Baby: 32 Weeks

Dear Little Girl,

This week has been an interesting one! Daddy and I both have had a nasty little cold this week, and I would be lying if I said it didn't kick my butt just a little! Daddy also had to take a work trip to Atlanta at the beginning of the week, and I am sure that was markedly less fun for him having a cold!

Overall, though, it was still a good week, and I cannot believe that Christmas is already next week! Fortunately, because of the wonders of online shopping, my biggest task has been tracking packages online, versus contending with the masses at the malls and other stores.

Despite being sick, Mommy has been kicking butt on her "getting ready for baby" to-do list! After being overwhelmed when I first made the list, I can say it is nice to see so many things checked off, and really feel like we are making progress. We are also picking up your crib tomorrow, and I am so excited to have that put together and in your room!

Working out definitely took a back seat this week, aside from some yoga and stretching. But food was also really weird this week. My appetite was not the greatest, probably because of the cold, but my throat also appreciated popsicles and ice cream, as appropriate. Can't win 'em all! I am sure I will make up for it next week with your Daddy's Christmas ham and all the yummy trimmings!

We had our midwife appointment on Tuesday, and you still seem to be happy as a clam in there! Our next appointment falls on New Year's Eve, and it was fun trying to schedule an appointment for that week since so many people take the holidays off!

Short and sweet this week, little one, just like you. But, regardless, know that we both love you so very much!

Love,
Mommy

Letters to Baby: 31 Weeks

Dear Little Girl,

Oh my little coconut girl, another week down!

The 3D ultrasound last Friday was pretty cool, I have to say. It was amazing to see more of what you spend your time doing. You seem to love your arms and hands, which might account for a lot of the punches I think I feel! You always had one arm curled back towards your head, kind of like how I do when I sleep! And the other hand you kept on your mouth or face, you even propped your chin on it at one point, and rested it on your forehead in the most dramatic fashion possible! I am not allowing myself to think about your features much, but I will say you have some of the chubbiest cheeks already, and I cannot wait to cover them in kisses! Speaking of chubby cheeks, you were measuring in at about the 65th percentile last week (50th is average, so you are slightly above), and weighing in about an estimated 4+ pounds! Grow baby, grow! 

One thing the ultrasound really seemed to do was kick my nesting instinct into overdrive! I barely slept at all that Friday night. Luckily, Mimi and Aunt Moe were still here on Saturday, so Mimi helped talk me off a cliff about all the things I need to get done, helped me do some, helped me make a to-do list, and by 10am, I felt much more prepared and organized to tackle the things I need to tackle!

You are still moving and dancing a lot in my belly, and I cannot tell you enough or how much I cherish every single wiggle! I also love your little hiccups!

My appetite has been a little less this week, but that is to be expected, apparently, as my stomach (my actual stomach, not my belly!) is shrinking and being pushed upwards to make more room for you! Some favorite foods at the moment are salads (specifically from the salad bar at Harris Teeter), sweet tea (which I only drink maybe once a week or so), chickfila, and still sweets! I am still doing my Tracy Anderson, and have been adding in some stair climbing the past couple weeks. Let me tell you, little one, climbing stairs is hard when you are growing another person! It's almost embarrassing how out of breath I get doing it these days!

One new fun development this week has been heartburn! I have never had it before, but I absolutely understand where it gets its name from now! I have decided I am going to have to give up my love of spicy foods for the time being, but that's okay! I have been sneaking out to the kitchen during my middle of the night bathroom breaks to chug some milk, which definitely seems to help!

We love you so much, little one!

Love,

Mommy

Letters to Baby: 30 Weeks

Dear Little Girl,

30 weeks! 30 weeks you have been setting up camp, and only another 10-ish before you are here with us! It is amazing, and crazy, and I only feel slightly unprepared simply because your nursery still looks like organized chaos on most days! Hopefully your crib will be arriving in the next couple weeks, and your chest of drawers should be here next week, so that should get our balling rolling a little faster, I think!

I like to think that your stuff is a subtle explosion of pink, but I don't know if there is such a thing as a "subtle" explosion. Suffice it to say, there is a lot of pink in there, so I hope you inherit your Mommy's childhood love of the color! 

We had our 30-week check with the midwife on Tuesday, and everything is still looking good! Your head was down, which was great - if we can keep it that way, that would be even greater! She could also feel one of your legs, which was cool and amazing to me. Your heartbeat sounded stronger than ever, and was beating 150bpm. Today we have our 3D ultrasound, which Mimi & Aunt Moe are in town for! Although it feels weird to say, I have such mixed feelings about this. While I cannot wait to get some idea of how big you are getting in there, and I know it will be so special to see your sweet little face on screen again, I really just want to see all of your features in person. So, while I am excited, I think I would have also been perfectly okay just waiting. What a weird thing for such an impatient person to say!

Overall, I just feel incredibly full of joy. I am excited to know that you really are getting bigger and stronger, and more ready every day for us to meet you and see your sweet little face!

I love you so much, little one!

Love,
Mommy

Letters to Baby: 29 Weeks

Dear Little Girl,

Gobble, gobble! Yesterday was Thanksgiving, and, while I am sure you will gobble till you wobble next year, Mommy made sure to do her part for you this year! We hosted our friends Courtney & Shaun, and baby Leo (who I am sure will be a fun playmate for you!), ate a lot of good food, and had a lot of good conversation!

While it is important to be thankful for what we have all the time, Thanksgiving gives us a nice chance to really be intentional about reflecting on all the things in life we have been blessed with. Your Daddy and I feel incredibly blessed and thankful for all that we have been afforded. I am so very thankful for you, little one. I cannot tell you how much I love you already, and how much joy you have already brought into our lives. I am also so thankful for your Daddy, and how much we love each other. That love is the cornerstone of our family, and what had led us to you! Our family wouldn't be complete without our little Lucy Goose, and the happiness she brings into our lives, so I am very thankful for her, and cannot wait to see the two of you interact! Of course, we have so many other family members and friends out there that we love so much, and we continue to be thankful for each and every one of them.

Most of this week feels like it has been a big preparation for yesterday, and the following days will probably be a recovery / getting ready for Christmas! I did some early online shopping this morning, mostly for you! It is already so fun buying things for you - I love picking out things just for you, and thinking about you wearing them or using them.

I have finally started feeling you hiccup! I am pretty sure I have been feeling them for at least a week or so, but it didn't dawn on me what they were beforehand. It is so cute and sweet, and I continue to love having those kinds of interactions with you!

As for pregnancy in general, I am still feeling good, still not having strong cravings or aversions, and still enjoying as much activity as I can! This is truly such a special time in life, and one that I am incredibly thankful for, as well.

I love you so much!

Love,

Mommy

Letters to Baby: 28 Weeks

Dear Little Girl,

You know, I feel like the people who come up with your random fruit/veggie comparative for the  week are getting lazy. Haven't we already called you an eggplant? Maybe not, maybe all those fruits and veggies are just running together, but I swear they don't do much in terms of helping me visualize how big you are right now. I think I typically think of you being bigger than you probably are, but I'm your Mommy so I have that right :)

According to them, you are about 2-2.5 pounds right now and roughly 14-16 inches long. Still not incredibly helpful, I know, but at least it's something to go on!  I am so excited to see you in our 3D ultrasound in a couple weeks, and also get another real idea of how big you have gotten! You still haven't run out of room, and are continuing to keep me guessing as to where you will kick/punch me next! It's a fun game! It's even more fun because, a lot of times, if I give you a little nudge, you will respond with one of your own! I love it! 

We had out 28-week midwife appointment earlier this week, and, according to her, we are still measuring right on schedule. As always, it was so sweet to hear your little heartbeat galloping along. Crazy of craziness - we are now on the 2-week appointment schedule! So, instead of visiting our midwife every 4 weeks, we will now see her every 2 weeks for the next month and a half! Then on to weekly visits before your big debut!

Last weekend, we had our second baby shower hosted by Grammy & Duke. This was a couple's baby shower, and filled with family and friends - both boys and girls! I still need to do a couple of posts about the baby showers themselves, but your Grammy went all out for you! Luckily, she chose to do the shower in a pink, white, and blue nautical theme, so I was able to snag quite a few shower decorations to use as nursery decorations for you! 

On our way home on Sunday, we stopped in Charlotte to visit Aunt Erica, Uncle Michael, and your future BFF, Ellie! Oh, little one, I cannot tell you how special it is to hold the baby of your lifelong best friend! I teared up as soon as I got her in my arms, and I cannot wait for y'all to meet next year! 

This weekend will be our last weekend before peak season starts for Daddy. While he is usually pretty busy with work, this is his exceptionally busy time. This weekend we are going to try and get in as many fun things as we can, and then get ready for Thanksgiving!

Keep on doing what your doing, little one, and know that I love you so much!

Love,

Mommy

Letters to Baby: 27 Weeks

Dear Little Girl,

Well, little one, we have officially made it into the third trimester, which is about the craziest thing ever! Only 13 more weeks or so until you grace us with your presence!

Yesterday, Daddy and I made the 7-hour trek down to Greenville, where we are currently visiting with your Grammy & Duke, and getting ready for our couple's baby shower tomorrow! It really is so much fun being able to celebrate with everyone, and we feel incredibly lucky and blessed to have so many people in our lives who love you already and want to celebrate with us!

Because of the trip, this week was a busy one, but still good! I felt a little more tired this week, which Daddy says is because we are now in the third trimester, but I am hoping it is just a fluke and my energy sticks around for just a little longer!

I started my month 7 Tracy Anderson DVD this month, which is actually a lot of fun, and, again, crazy to think we are already in our 7 month together!

Food-wise is much of the same. Tonight we are going to Lieu's for dinner, and I am excited to fill your little belly with some spicy Chinese goodness :)

We also had our hospital tour this week, which was so great. The maternity suite at the hospital is very "homey", and I felt very comfortable there. The staff also seemed really nice, and really open to letting people have the birth experience they want. It also seems like the nurses really love our midwife, so that was nice to hear! The only part of the hospital tour that was a little bit of a letdown was the waiting room. It is a little claustrophobic, but, since we won't be hanging out in the there so much, I guess I will just have to feel bad for your aunts and grandparents! I am sure I will have other things to think about, though, so I probably won't feel too bad for them for too long ;)

You have had some more interesting moves this week, which has been a lot of fun. I have felt you rolling around, and kicking in a lot of random places that you don't normally get to - my side, up by my ribs, behind my belly button. You are really all over the place this week, and I love it!

Overall, I am still feeling really good, and just really excited about everything! I cannot tell you how much we love you already, little girl!

Love,

Mommy

Forgot to snag our photo before we left town, so we improvised at Grammy & Duke's house :)

Letters to Baby: 26 Weeks

Dear Little Girl,

This week has been such a good one! First of all, your baby shower last weekend was absolutely amazing! I am going to write up a separate blog post about it next week, since I now have loads and loads of good pictures, but you should know that your Mimi, Aunt Kay, and Aunt Moe truly outdid themselves! It was more than I could have possibly imagined it being, and, little girl, you are already so very, very loved by so many people! It made this Mommy's heart almost burst with joy to see how many people are already so in love with you.

Since we were down in North Carolina for the shower, your Daddy took a couple days off work, and we spent an extra day or so in Ocean Isle just enjoying the autumn beach. It was so refreshing for both of us, especially Daddy who has been working so hard lately. We had so much fun with family and friends alike, and it was really the perfect start to the week. OIB is a special place for us, little one - it's where Mommy & Daddy fell in love. I am sure you will get to know it pretty well in the coming years.

While you were still a little shy about letting other people feel you kick last weekend (maybe shy is the wrong word - really it was like you just wanted to push people to their breaking point of patience before you would finally give in and give them a good kick!), you have been really responsive to Daddy these days, which makes both of us incredibly happy! You will kick up a storm when he is talking or reading to you, and stop if he pauses or stops, and his face just lights up with wonder and joy. It is the cutest and sweetest thing!

Mommy's sweet tooth is still hanging on, and possibly getting stronger! Maybe that just means you will be even sweeter than we anticipate :) I have also been on a sandwich kick this week, and don't see that tapering off anytime soon. Nothing fancy, just grilled (or toasted) turkey and cheese is really all it takes to make me happy. 

I cannot believe this is our last week in the second trimester! I know I comment on it often, but I really cannot believe how quickly the time is flying by! We had our first childbirth class this week, which was fun, funny, and had some good information. It is crazy to think that we will be putting these newly learned practices to use in just a few short months.

We love you so much, little one! Keep growing stronger and bigger for us, and entertaining us with your dance moves while you still have room to wiggle!

Love,

Mommy

Letters to Baby: Week 25

Dear Little Girl,

Happy Halloween, little pumpkin! I am sorry to tell you that I have no plans to dress up my bump today, as we are leaving for North Carolina soon, but I am donning an orange scarf for the occasion, and already looking forward to potential costumes for your first Halloween next year!

This weekend is our very first baby shower for you! Hence, why we are heading to North Carolina! Mimi, Aunt Kay, and Aunt Moe have been working extremely hard to get everything together, and I can't wait to see how it all turns out, as well as get together with lots of people to celebrate you! All I know right now is that the shower has a storybook theme, and all the guests have been asked to bring a children's book for you! I am so excited about getting your little library going, and I am sure Daddy will enjoy having new books to read to you at night.

The weather has really cooled down a lot in the last week, which has been nice, and Lucy is enjoying playing in the leaves. I am sure the two of you will have loads of fun next fall rolling around in leaf piles :)

Nothing new to report on the food or exercise front, as it is staying much the same. Well, other than one or two days where I felt like I might eat everything in the house, but, otherwise, pretty normal! Your activity level seems to have gone up, and you have started giving me little (and sometimes not so little) nudges at times when you have been quiet in the past. I absolutely love every little kick and punch you throw my way - they always, always bring a smile to my face.

Really, it has been a fairly quiet week, which we will gladly take since it is about to be all out craziness for a little while before your arrival. Between showers, visitors, and the holidays, I can only imagine how quickly January is going to get here!

We love you so much!

Love,

Mommy

Letters to Baby: Week 24

Dear Little Girl,

24 weeks! I know we reached the halfway point about a month ago, but it is really crazy to think about having less time left in this pregnancy than what I have already experienced. Mostly because I feel like everything that has happened thus far has passed extraordinarily fast.

Case in point: I feel like it was just yesterday (okay, well maybe no more than like 3 months ago) that Auntie Erica told me that she was pregnant, and, guess what? Your future BFF Ellie was born this week! I think about the fact that I visited with Erica when she was 24 weeks pregnant, and thinking at the time, that 24 weeks seemed like so far to go (I was 8 weeks at the time), and, yet, here we are!

The aches and pains of last week seem to have eased up a good bit, which is nice. I think you managed to unearth yourself from wherever you were lodged last week, which Mommy greatly appreciates! I have been doing a lot more yoga and stretches the past couple weeks. I had already been doing both of those things, of course, but lots more has been happening. It really feels nice to stretch, and also feels really nice to stretch in ways that let this belly just hang. Ah, gravity - I have found some redemption for you!

I finally had a sweet tea this week! Oh it was glorious! I didn't really notice any uptick in your activity level after having the caffeine, so there's that. I have, however, noticed that you are much more active after I drink something really cold! It is a sure-fire way to get you going. 

Nothing really new in the food department. Other than the fact that I think I could eat chick fil a every day (I'm not, of course, but I think I could!).

This weekend, Daddy and I are moving all of the stuff out of our guest room in order to really start the transition into making it your nursery. Our first baby shower is in 2 weeks, and I would like to have somewhere to put any items we get. I am very excited to start making that space yours, and have so many fun ideas! I am trying to temper my buying, for now, but it is sometimes difficult because I want to get you so many things!

One final note: this week your comparative fruit size is a cantaloupe! How in the world is that even possible? I feel like that escalated very quickly. But, don't worry, I am not complaining! I just want you to keep growing and getting stronger every day.

We love you so much, little one!

Love,

Mommy

Letters to Baby: Week 23

Dear Little Girl,

Well, gravity has officially betrayed me! It has been increasingly more difficult to do things like getting up off the floor, or getting out of bed, but it really took off this week! So much so that I pulled a muscle in my bum on Monday getting off the floor! I also have to do a little roll action to get out of bed now. It's been amusing, and I have definitely been more sore this week from getting used to the changes, but it's all worth it!

I had my monthly midwife appointment this morning, and everything is still plugging along as it should. Your heartbeat was 155 today, which seems pretty normal for you. You tend to be in the mid-150s to upper 160s range. I am still enjoying all of your kicks and movements, and love the look of wonder on Daddy's face whenever he gets to feel you too (thanks for letting him in on the action now :). I am sure I could have done this beforehand, but I have been so mesmerized by feeling you move that I forgot to watch it. This morning, though, I just sat in bed for awhile watching all the crazy jumping motions happening on my belly. It was so fun and crazy to see!

I am pleased to report that I managed to cut the pop tarts addiction! I still want the sweets, but at least I am not starting my day off with pop tarts. I have been a little more hungry this week, which I just attribute to you having a growth spurt!

Other than my learning to adjust to my new relationship with gravity, it has been a pretty ordinary week.  Daddy and I plan to take it easy this weekend and probably next since, after that, it will be a crazy few months for us! Our first baby shower is coming up in just two weeks, and I can't wait to see everyone and celebrate you!

We love you so much!

Love,

Mommy

Letters to Baby: Week 22

Dear Little Girl,

Another week gone by, and another week closer to seeing your sweet face for the first time!

This week has been mostly uneventful. You have still been having quite the dance party in there (which I love!), and you are still being a bit stubborn about showing off for anyone but me (well, not that anyone but Daddy has tried, but still).

This week I worked on painting a nightstand that will be in your nursery. It's a nightstand that we currently use (it has lots of drawers that hold "office supplies"), but it was just stained a dark brown. Slowly, over the course of the week, I painted the whole thing white. Daddy and I were both pleased with the end result! I have known I wanted to do this for awhile, but all of a sudden on Monday I had to get started! I literally dropped everything I was doing, and went in there and started painting the thing. Duke & Grammy also got your crib ordered! They told us that they really wanted to buy that for you, which we appreciated so much. We love the crib, and I know it will look so great in your sweet nursery.

I also ordered a quilt for your room in fun navy, pale pink, and white prints, as well as some cute closet dividers for your ever-expanding clothes collection. The dividers came in very fast, and I have to say, I think they are adorable! They are also navy, pale pink, and white prints with things like little sailboats, anchors, and whales. It's a little more challenging to find nautical nursery stuff for a little lady, but we are doing pretty well. Plus, we never wanted everything to really match anyway. Just go together.

I have still been feeling pretty good this week. A little tired here and there (usually after I have been going a good bit non-stop), and I haven't felt like working out as much this week. I figure, take it as it comes, and do better tomorrow! Food is still much of the same, although Auntie Erica dared me to stop eating pop tarts for at least three days. Sigh. I'll do it, but I don't want to! I have also been really loving pumpkin these days, particularly the pumpkin noosa yoghurt (you have to spell it that way..it's on the container).

Your big sister Lucy got her teeth cleaned this week and was like a space cadet for the next 24 hours. It was pretty fun, and a little pitiful! You still haven't kicked her yet (or not in a way that she has noticed), but I am keeping my fingers crossed.

All in all, it was certainly a good week. I am feeling you all over the place these days, and know that as you continue to grow, your wiggles will probably be a little more confined, so I am enjoying all the pirouettes and cartwheels while you can still perform them in my belly :)

We love you so much, little one!

Love,

Mommy

Letters to Baby: Week 21

Dear Little Girl,

This week was a fun one! Especially Tuesday. On Tuesday, we had a repeat level 2 ultrasound (which is the kind of ultrasound they do for the anatomy scan). This type of ultrasound looks at all of your systems and organs to make sure they are developing appropriately. One the first go round, you were a little bit stubborn, and wouldn't turn in such a way to let the tech get all of your heart measurements. I didn't complain, especially since you cooperated when she wanted to see your lady bits, but also because it meant we would be getting another ultrasound so soon! Ultrasound days are the best. It is really amazing to see your growth and all of your little baby features. We now have ultrasound pictures from weeks 6, 10, 19, and 21, and it is incredible how much you grew just in these last 2 weeks! You were still a bit stubborn for the tech, which just meant we got to watch you a little longer, and she had me rolling all over the table trying to get you to change positions. Once, when I rolled on my side, you stretched your little legs all the way out, and that was so cute to see! I guess you got bored with us at one point because you decided to take a nap, and then tilted your head up towards us like you were telling us to leave you alone and stop poking at you! It was the sweetest thing, and I loved every minute of it. Fortunately, despite your lack of cooperation for a bit, she was finally able to get all of the needed measurements, and we got some really great new pictures of you!  I still think you have long legs, and could even see your little toes this time! Absolutely amazing.

As for everything else, I had maybe 4 nights in a row of restless, bad sleep, but then ended up sleeping almost 10 1/2 hours on the next night. It was glorious and I felt like a new woman. I don't have any new cravings to report this week, and still loving the milk, pop tarts, apples, salads, etc. I don't know when else in my life I have drank so much milk, but I'm not complaining. I am wondering about my ability to go back to skim milk after pregnancy - I have been drinking organic 2% milk with DHA and Omega-3 and it tastes soooo good! - but we will cross that bridge later!

Last weekend, your Daddy surprised me with a trip to Colonial Wiliamsburg for the weekend. He told me on Friday afternoon to pack a bag for us and Lucy, and we hit the road for the 45 minute drive after he got off work. We have been to Williamsburg before, and he spent a lot of time there for his first job out of college, but we had never been together for an extended weekend trip. We had so much fun! We went to a local Greek restaurant for dinner Friday night, walked 10 miles around Colonial Williamsburg and the William & Mary campus on Saturday, had lunch at our favorite spot in Williamsburg - The Cheese Shop, did some shopping at the outlets, and stayed at a great pet-friendly resort within walking distance of everything. It was perfect, and I am so thankful that your Daddy is so great about doing things like that - it's definitely one of his love languages :)

You have been moving all around this week! I have been feeling you more and more, and then this morning, I was laying in bed while Daddy was getting ready and felt you from the outside! It really took me by surprise! I called Daddy in, and, of course you got a little stubborn when I wanted you to show off your party trick, but eventually he got to feel you too! It was such an amazing and crazy feeling! You ended up moving a lot this morning and then I think probably settled in for a good nap once I got busy. You were having a dance party during the ultrasound on Tuesday for sure, and have even tried to make your presence known to Lucy on times when she has been laying on my belly! I can't wait to see if she can feel you one day while she is laying on the belly, and see how she reacts! We are both still loving reading to you, and even got you some new books last weekend in Williamsburg! Daddy picked out 2 Curious George books and one Little Critter book. I am sure you will love them just as much as we love reading them to you.

Oh! And you also weigh one whole pound now, which was so exciting to me! Although still little, I love that you are growing and getting stronger every single day, and I love that I can kind of conceptualize your weight now versus trying to think in terms of ounces. As always, just keep growing and growing for us!

We love you so much little one

Love,

Mommy

Letters to Baby: Week 20

Dear Little Girl,

Wow! It's so crazy to know now that you are a little girl, and to be able to stop calling you "it" or "the baby", or something along those lines! It is also crazy to know that we are already at the halfway point in this pregnancy. It was so amazing to see you kicking around at our appointment last week. While I still can't feel any definitive kicks from the outside yet, I feel you fluttering and moving around in there a lot more these days, which is so nice. Just keep doing what you're doing!

I thought this week, since it is the halfway point and all, I would do a little reflection on pregnancy thus far.

Symptoms

In the beginning, I was nauseous pretty much all day! Oh, and tired, so very, very tired all the time! Luckily, the nausea seemed to die down right before the second trimester began, and the fatigue hit the curb shortly thereafter. Other than a few other normal things (sore ta-tas for a while, growing belly, you know), my biggest pregnancy symptom has been about one of the weirdest things that I have never heard anyone talk about before: a persistently runny nose! I usually have the sneezes really bad first thing in the morning (I think I am up to like 10 in a row nowadays or something), and lots of tissue-use. It is the darndest! I get winded more quickly these days - yay for breathing for two! And, so far, I have only had indigestion once (which was also the first time I had ever had it in my life!).

Cravings

Other than the few really strong, really random cravings I have had, I have fortunately not been sending Harris on any midnight pickle and ice cream runs, or anything as fun as that! There are definitely things I want more than others (milk, apples, salad, pop tarts (yeah, you knew it wasn't all going to be healthy and pretty!), reese cups, chips & dip), but it seems like, as far as the real cravings have gone thus far, if I let myself have it, I get over it as soon as I am done eating it. Case in point: I dreamt about Taco Bell for four days. I ate it for lunch once, and haven't thought about it since.

Aversions

Man, oh man were the aversions strong in the beginning of this pregnancy. I was basically a fruit and carb-itarian for those first 13-ish weeks! Luckily, those have all seemed to calm down, and there really isn't much I have turned my nose up to lately (even the smelly veggies like broccoli, which took me the longest to get over).

Sleep

In the first trimester, I just wanted to sleep all the day long. That leveled out, as I mentioned, and I have had a mostly good run with sleeping in the second trimester. I have definitely been getting up to go to the bathroom a lot more in recent weeks, and, I have had a few backaches here and there, but nothing to really complain about. I have noticed that I have been having a harder time falling asleep recently (I think because I reeeeally just want to sleep on my back all the time, and fight with myself since I am not supposed to), and I have definitely been having a lot of vivid and bizarre dreams!

Miss Anything

Not really!  There have been a couple of times that I have thought about how nicely a glass of red wine would go with something I am eating, but not really in a way that I have thought about wanting it or missing it. I guess the one thing that I really do want, and will probably give in to at some point in the coming weeks is a nice glass of iced sweet tea! I have really tried to limit my caffeine (aside from what is in chocolate because, let's be real), and I do have to say that every once and awhile I really just want a big ole sweet tea!

Maternity Clothes

Seriously, I don't know why anyone hates on maternity clothes. Maternity jeans are officially the most comfortable thing ever! I am all for displaying the bump, rather than hiding it in baggy clothes, so at least the maternity clothes let me do that comfortably.

Exercise

I ordered the Tracy Anderson Pregnancy Project off Amazon pretty much right after we got the confirmation from our doctor. My BFF had been doing all things Tracy Anderson forever, and I had borrowed one of her DVD sets in the months leading up to pregnancy, so I felt comfortable with her, and liked her approach. For the Pregnancy Project, I like how Tracy keeps things pretty easy-flowing, but you still feel like you get a good workout in. I have also been doing yoga (both by video and a prenatal class), walking, and have recently added in some more leg workouts like squats and lunges. I try to get in 4-5 workouts per week, and I always, always feel better after one. Stretching is the best, and the movement helps me feel less stiff, which is always nice.

Nesting

I haven't gone full on nesting crazy (I'm looking at you, Babs!), but I have had little spouts so far. However, I feel like most of my "nesting" so far has been the result of preparing for houseguests, versus actually going crazy about actual nesting, but I have still had a few random moments of "obviously I need to clean out this cabinet right now and throw everything away!". It's fun. While we are still behind in the nursery coming together department (can you say backordered crib?), the nursery closet is in full regalia after the grandmas and aunts went on a shopping spree last weekend! Little girl is set! Well, so her Daddy thinks. I just shake my head, and try to prepare him for the onslaught of clothes he is sure to see in the coming months / years. Bless him.

The Bump

Well, as you can probably see through the weekly pictures, the bump is definitely growing! I can still see my feet, for now, though, so that's a good thing. My belly button is also definitely still an innie. I have a notoriously introverted innie of a belly button, so I think I will be very surprised if that thing does eventually pop out. According to What to Expect When You're Expecting, even the most stubborn innies eventually do become outies in pregnancy. We'll see...

Overall, I am loving pregnancy. I feel suited to it, if that makes any sense. I am happy and mostly feel pretty good about myself, and am so thankful to be able to have this little life growing inside me. It's amazing every week to see / read about what she is up to, and how much she is growing so quickly. It is heady to think about this little girl being in the world, and the mark she will inevitably make upon it.

We love you sweet pea. 

Love,

Mommy