Please Don't Tell Me

Encouragement and advice can be great things.  I know that people care, but please stop telling me:

1. That most first babies come late.
That’s not what I want to hear right now.  I’m hoping every day that the baby comes.

2. That I need to stock pile my sleep now.
I’m having trouble sleeping, so telling me to sleep more just makes me frustrated.

3. That my life is about to change forever. 
I know and I’m excited about that!

4. All the crazy labor stories that you’ve heard or have had happen to you.
I don’t need to be thinking about everything that can go wrong!  And every pregnancy and labor is different.

5. It’s all worth it.
It’s great to hear this, but I’m excited to figure this out for myself.

6. That I look great.
That’s very nice to hear, but I don’t feel great.  I feel huge and uncomfortable

If you have said any of these things to me, don't worry, I'm not mad at you, but Adam says I'm starting to get snippy, so this is advice for the future ;)


Coming Soon:  Final Pictures of the Completed Nursery!!
 

 

My Tricky Husband



Garza Photography

My husband spent the first 2.5 years of our marriage tricking me.  All along I have never thought that Adam liked babies.  He would never really hold one and didn’t really seem to like them all that much, which is fine.  Some people just aren’t baby people, and I thought that Adam was one of those people.  Come to find out, since being pregnant, that my husband loves babies. 

 

I have found it funny that since being pregnant Adam smiles at all the babies at church and small group and holds them and plays with them.  I thought it was just because I was pregnant and he was getting excited, but no, he actually loves babies!  I mentioned this to him the other day and he said, “I always have loved babies I just couldn’t let you know that because then you would have wanted one even more.”  I was shocked!  He’s pretty tricky. 

 

To be honest, seeing how he loves babies has really shown me a different side of him and it is so sweet.  Adam is an amazing, loving guy, but I have gotten to see a sweet and tender side that I hadn’t seen very much before.  He’s so excited to be a dad and he talks to my belly almost every day.  I am so excited to see what fatherhood will bring out of him.

Big Belly

 My belly is so big.  I've actually been bumping it on things because I forget that I have this big belly sticking out.  My winter coat, which I bought 3 sizes too big, doesn't hardly zip any more.  I think my big belly is beautiful but I'll be happy to give it up at any time.  Check out this photo:

 

Now that's what I call growth.  Now you can see the whole owl.  Lately I have had this feeling that the baby just does not have enough room in my already big belly.  It's like my skin isn't stretchy enough.  And sometimes the baby will stretch and it hurts so bad.  It feels like the baby is going to punch through my skin.  This is what I'm visualizing:

 

Only three weeks to go!  Here's a funny video that's getting me through (caution: one bad word at the very beginning).  Enjoy!

Public Puddle

One of my biggest fear is my water breaking and going into labor in public.  I mean, how embarrassing! 

 

Adam and I had our first scare yesterday at the mall.  We were walking around the mall and suddenly I had this severe pain in my lower back.  It caused me to keel over.  Currently our baby is positioned face up and I was warned that this means I could have a lot of back labor.  So suddenly Adam and I were wondering if I was in labor.  The pain was coming every few minutes, but then would be further apart.  It was very irregular, but we decided to time them anyway.  They were everywhere from 2 minutes apart to 9 minutes apart.  We put in a call to the midwife and waited for her to call back.  The pain started to shoot down my leg.  We decided to go home because we didn’t know what was going on and Adam was afraid that I was going to start scaring people in the mall.  I mean, here is a pregnant woman, walking around the mall, keeling over and gasping in pain every so often.  We got home and eventually got a call back from the midwife, and it was only the baby sitting on my sciatic nerve, not labor.  It was a relief, but still not fun.  I am definitely ready for this baby to come, but I’m really hoping I’m not in public for the next time I think I’m in labor.  It is stressful.  Here is a link from The Bump of some of the craziest places women have gone into labor.  Enjoy the laugh, and please hope with me that I’m not in any of these situations.

Wide Load

Beep..Beep..Beep..wide load coming through.

This is one of the biggest things about being at the end of my pregnancy.  I feel, and I am, huge. 

 

 

The elastic on my maternity pants no longer fits over my belly, so now I rely on leggings, yoga pants, and sweatpants.

Rolling over in bed is not so simple anymore, and neither is getting out of bed.

I cannot bend over.  Drop something?  It stays on the ground.  Shoelaces untied? Beg husband to tie them, or switch to slip-ons.

Trying to squeeze through a space that would have been no problem before?  Problem now.

Only getting my winter coat zipped if I don’t have a lot of layers on and can stretch it just far enough.

Wearing husbands t-shirts so that I don’t show my mid-drift in public.

For a few more weeks, until baby Tomlinson arrives, this will be my daily struggle, but at the end there will be a beautiful baby and I’m sure it will all be worth it!

One more month!

My due date is exactly one month from today.  I cannot believe that it is finally here, but at the same time, I am ready for this baby to be here.  Adam and I are so excited we cannot wait for our baby to arrive.  We are pretty well prepared.  We have everything that we need and almost all of it is washed and ready to go.  We just need to get the crib and get it set up and then everything will be ready for the baby.  The hospital bags need to be packed, and the car seat needs to be installed, but I feel pretty good with the fact that those are the only two things that I have to do.  I’m just so excited that I almost don’t know what to do with myself.  Everything is organized.  The nursery is decorated.  There is nothing left to do but sit around and wait.  And I’m not good at waiting or being patient so this could be a long month.  I’m selfishly hoping that the baby doesn’t make it to the due date because I’m impatient and because I’m ready for him or her to stop kicking me in the ribs!

 

 Any suggestions of what I can do to keep myself from going crazy this month?

2 Days Until Christmas!

I had a rough night last night.  It’s actually been a rough couple weeks.  I go to the midwife today for my 34 week appointment.  I cannot believe that my due date is only 6 weeks away!  I have developed carpal tunnel, heartburn, and general soreness.  The baby likes to play in my ribs, and I get up around four times a night.  I am ready for this baby to come!  In terms of discomfort I know that I don’t really have it that bad.  I know it could be worse.  And all together I am really enjoying being pregnant.  I’m just so excited to see our baby!  I am pretty worn out and while I am thankful to not have the stress of traveling for the holidays, I kinda wish we were.  This is going to be our first Christmas without seeing our families.  They have sent gifts for us to put under our little Christmas tree, but it’s not the same.  And knowing they’re all together makes me sad

because I just want to be part of that party.  I’m really going to focus on relaxing and enjoying the holidays with Adam.  We are pretty busy these next couple nights with responsibilities at church, and the house is a wreck and needs to be cleaned but after that, I just want to rest.  I am going to take the rest of the year off from blogging.  Just so I can focus on spending time with my husband and friends in the area.  I will start writing again in January for the home stretch!  I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!

Things I Need to Remember

This is a list of things that I am learning about being pregnant that I need to remember for the remainder of my pregnancy.

1. I'm pregnant.  I can't do things the way that my non-pregnant 24 year old self would do things.

2. I am slower than I want to realize.  Yesterday I decided to run errands in the afternoon before picking up Adam.  I went 6 places and it took me three and a half hours.  Non-pregnant 24 year old me could have done it in 2.  But now I'm slower and have to find the bathrooms more frequently.

3. I need to go to the bathroom when a bathroom is available, not when I have to go.  It can be hard to find a bathroom when you are running errands.

4. I can't sit on the ground crafting all evening.  Well, I can, but the next day I will feel it (like today).

5. I can't trust my brain.  I need to write things down.

6. I can't be the sleeper I once was.  I used to never have any trouble sleeping unless something was wrong.  Now when I lay down, I never know what I am going to get, except for multiple trips to the bathroom.

7. I can't bend and lift as I once did.  I need to ask for help.

8. I can take a deep breath and not get everything done.

9. I can just sit and enjoy the baby moving.

10. I can cherish these days because there aren't many left.

11. I can eat whatever I want.

12. I can wait excitedly for a little baby to arrive.

Sleepless night for new reasons

I've talked about sleepless nights before, but now I have new things plaguing me that are keeping me from sleeping.  Fatigue has come back at me full force, but now I cannot get a good night's sleep.  And this time, it's not because I'm uncomfortable.

I had been sleeping great ever since getting that awesome pillow, but now, even though I am comfortable I cannot sleep! I'm so tired and yet I wake up every few hours in the night to roll over, go to the bathroom, rub my hands (because of carpal tunnel), or just lay there wide awake.  Is my body just preparing me for sleepless nights?

I'm always so tired when I wake up.  The only time I can get some good sleep is with the return of my afternoon nap.  I think I'm going to have to start scheduling 2 naps a day into my routine just to try and get me back to a good amount of sleep.

Do you have any tricks for sleeping at night during these last few weeks?

The Quest for Comfortable

Daily I am on a mission to achieve "comfortable".  When I am sitting, standing, sleeping, really doing anything it is so much better for me if I am comfortable, but I am finding that right now that is easier said than done.  There are several things that hinder my ability to become comfortable.

1-Back pain
2-I don't bend as well as I used to
3-I'm hot...no cold...no hot
4-Leg cramps
5-Carpal tunnel in my hands
6-Not enough pillows
7-Too many pillows
8-The baby is laying funny

Now you can see my problem.  On top of that, once I achieve a few seconds of a comfortable position I undoubtedly need to:


1-Go to the bathroom
2-Get something to eat
3-Get something to drink
4-The baby moves and pinches something

And then I start the whole shifting and situating fun all over again. 

If I find a few minutes of total comfort every day than I am a happy camper, however long it takes me to get there.

A Different Kind of Pregnancy Brain

It's kind of amazing how an impending baby can make you think about everything.  It makes me look at my days and think about how they will change.  It makes me think about money in a different way.  It makes you think about holidays and traditions (or lack of).  Having a baby is going to change our lives. Radically. And not even in a bad way, but in very good, exciting ways, but it is exciting and even scary to think about.  It makes you question everything, at all hours. 

The last post I wrote was all about how I've been questioning my time.  The next few posts I write will focus on a few other things in my life that having a baby is causing me to reflect on.

What were the biggest things that changed when you had your first child?

An honest look

I've heard a lot of critiques of blogs and social media for the reason that people can show their best, most put together self, on their posts.  Pictures are usually the best, edited photos when you're having a good hair day and look your best.  If you show your house, it's usually right after you clean it.  The articles I've read say that this just leads to a skewed view of yourself and other people.  Well, I want you to know that you don't get that here.  I am a flawed person, and today I'm going to give you an honest glimpse into my unclean house. 

 

One thing that I am very sensitive about is how my house looks.  Except you would not know that because I hate housework.  The only time I seriously clean the house and get it to look "perfect" is when people are coming over.  I have always hated housework.  And now, being pregnant and losing my energy, I am extra not motivated to keep the house clean, and Adam hates it.  I don't usually care to be in a messy house.  It doesn't bother me.  I can still think and function fine, as long as I'm not expecting anyone to see it this way.  So today I'm going to clue you in and let you see the status of my home.  We haven't had people over for weeks and I have had no energy, so this is usually as bad as it gets. 

 

 

 

So there you have it, an honest look at my un-perfect home.

 

But what about my honest self?
I recently had someone at church tell me that I look like I'm having the best time with pregnancy.  I'm always smiling, I'm always happy.  And to tell you the truth it really has been great and I have been really enjoying it, until this trimester.  I am now plagued with aches and pains and uncomfortable sleeping and getting colds that I can't take medicine for.  So when he told me that last night I said, well to be honest, this is actually how I feel.  I am a grin and bear it person, generally, but I will be honest about what is bothering me.  Here is an honest look at me today:

 

Yeah, some days it's just not pretty, and I am very ready to admit that.  But it is still an adventure that I am happy and grateful to be on.  I'm not perfect, and I hope you know that reading this blog.  If you didn't before then hopefully you know now.

Energy? What energy?

I had heard that once you're in the third trimester your energy goes back down, but I never expected it to go so fast.  Maybe it's combined with the fact that I have been fighting off a cold, but my energy has been zapped.

I had no energy in the first trimester.  All I did was sleep, eat, and get sick. Then in the second trimester I had a huge surge of energy.  It was great.  Now, in the third trimester I am just plain worn out.  My body hurts, I'm tired, I don't sleep well, but all I want to do is sleep.

So far this trimester I lay around trying to sleep but I'm so uncomfortable that I can't and so I just get more and more tired and nothing gets done.  And I've heard that this won't go away until the baby's born, so it will be a long 11 weeks.

I’m Officially Ready to Give Birth (yeah right)!

On Saturday Adam and I attended a Childbirth class at the hospital that we are going through.  It was a pretty long day, but it was very informative and we learned a lot.

 

We learned all about the stages of labor, we got to watch several videos of births (much to Adam’s enjoyment), learned breathing techniques, and comfort measures.  We even got a certification for going.  So that means that we’re all set for the labor pains, right?

Probably not.  Everything we heard this weekend was all about how we cannot really be prepared for labor and we shouldn’t have a plan.  Well if you know me, you know I’m a planner, so not planning how my labor will go is hard, but really I’ll know nothing until it happens, so we’ll just have to see.

Let me just say that I’ve decided that I don’t want to use any pain medications, the goal will be to go totally natural.  And while I was watching the video of the births I just kept thinking that I hope I’m not as wimpy and whiny as the women in the video.  I know that sounds awful, but it is true!

We’ll just see how it goes.  It should be interesting.  Good thing I have a couple months before I have to experience that!

Aches and Pains and Cramps, Oh my!

This trio has been the story so far this trimester.  My days, and nights, are now filled with back pain, shoulder pain, leg aches, and calf cramps.  At the end of every day I feel like I have run a marathon, my legs are so sore!  I guess it’s because I weigh more than I ever had in my entire life, my center of gravity is different, and it is very hard to get comfortable.

I have a daily challenge of trying to make myself comfortable so that I don’t feel the aches and pains.  I get relief by using a combination of ice, heat, pillows, and a tennis ball.  Adam and I learned that one of the best things to use to massage back pain is a tennis ball, and it really works.

I’m guessing that there will be many more aches, pains, and cramps in my future.  I just have to grin and bear it.  Do you have any tips for leg cramps, because those are the worst!

10 Things I Learned During the 2nd Trimester

Today I enter the third, and final, trimester of my pregnancy.  Woah.  Here are ten things that I learned during my second trimester.  (And if you need a refresher, here is the link to the 10 things I learned in the first trimester).

1. Stock up on Snacks

During the second trimester I was hungry all the time.  My appetite was and still is huge.  What do I do about this?  Eat every time I’m hungry of course.  So, I kept snacks around like apples, pretzels, brownies, and I also didn’t plan the weekly menu to contain a lot of leftovers because I also started eating at least two servings at dinner.

2. Buy an Awesome Pregnancy Pillow

I wasn’t able to sleep this trimester.  I was looking for anything that I could get to sleep better, which for me was this awesome pillow.  To read more about my favorite one, click here.

3. Use energy when you have it

I had a lot more energy this trimester, so I made use of it when I could.  I tried to keep the house clean, Adam and I worked on the nursery, and I got several projects done.  Use the energy now because I have heard that it won’t last very long into the third trimester.

4. Use your free time to read

I found it very valuable to read during this trimester.  I read a few books about babies and I found this was a good trimester to do that because I can start learning now when it won’t be too overwhelming.

5. Drink more water

This is something that I always have to remind myself about.  Much like the first trimester, if you think you are drinking enough, you’re probably not.

6. Always know where the bathroom is

Unlike the first trimester when I needed to know where the bathroom was for a fit of nausea that could strike at any time, during the second trimester I needed to know where the bathroom was at all times because my bladder is smaller and keeps getting kicked.

7. Strangers will start to notice and ask questions, so try to be patient

People started to notice my belly this trimester, and they ask a lot of questions.  Whenever I go into the grocery store I have to stock up on patience to answer the same question the whole time I’m walking around the store.  Just take a deep breath and try to enjoy it.

8. Get some clothes that fit

None of my pre-pregnancy clothes fit anymore.  Which is exciting, and yet stressful.  I bought things that were on sale and never spent very much on any individual item.

9. Cherish the days and the time

I learned to spend all my extra time with Adam if he was home.  I decided to stock up on quality time now when I have it, because who knows how much time we will have in a couple months.  Another thing I learned is how valuable time by myself was.  Just to sit and feel the baby moving is an amazing feeling.

10. Don’t worry about the scale

I put on quite a bit of weight during the second trimester.  I just had to remind myself that it’s good weight, for the baby, and it won’t be around forever.  I did not stress about how much or how little my weight was changing.  I just trusted the doctor to tell me if something changed.

I learned a lot during the second trimester and I’m glad it’s now the third.  I am on the last leg of this pregnancy.  We’ll see what I learn in these months before my child arrives!

Waiting

In the words of Inigo Montoya: "I hate waiting."
Waiting has never been a strength of mine, let's go even further to say that I'm not patient--at all-- I never have been.

Nine months is a long time to wait for something.  Besides a baby, is there anything else you've ever successfully waited nine months for.  The only example that I can think of is this:  you're a child and your birthday is in March.  You've just had your birthday and you love all your new toys, but then you see this one toy that you forgot about but you have to have it, and you're out of birthday money.  Your parents says this to you: "put it on your Christmas list."  Ugh! But that's nine months away!  And most likely you will forget about the toy because who wants to wait nine months for something?

The only other thing I had to wait a long time for was for my wedding day.  I had to wait a year from engaged to married.  I can't tell you how many times I said, "I just wish we could be married already!"

So, "I wish this baby were here already!"  I've made it through six months.  Only three months left.  My patience will be tested.  I wish I could speed up the process, but it is probably not the same.

I know that I'll need lots of patience when I have a child, so I should look at this as practice, right?

Phew, I'm sure that these nine months will be more than worth it, but I just hate waiting!!

Maternity Clothes

 This morning I put on something that I have worn many times.  A simple tank top and pullover.  And this is what I noticed:

It's a little drafty (haha).  This is becoming the reality for all of my pre-pregnancy clothes.  All of my t-shirts have become belly shirts.  Wearing my previous pants?  You've got to be kidding.  I wore a pair last week to work in and I can't even get by with the hair-tie trick anymore.  It's official.  I'm all maternity all the time. 

I found this awesome website for maternity clothes.  It is called Pink Blush Maternity.  Check it out here.  Their stuff is super cute and very reasonably priced, especially the stuff on sale.  You also get free exchanges and returns, which makes online shopping so much easier.  I recently bought a couple shirts from them that I just love.

 I love the color of this shirt.  Also, on the sleeves and the back there are these cute little polka dots.

 This purple shirt is so cozy, warm and comfortable, and not to mention cute!

 

I really like this long tunic.  It is so cute with jeans and boots!  I got all of these shirts on sale and I am totally happy with my purchase.

After purchasing these three shirts, I now have 10 maternity shirts and 2 pairs of pants.  I'm not sure that's going to cut it now that I can't wear any of my pre-pregnancy clothes anymore (at least not in public).  So I'm going to be checking out consignment shops, Burlington, and other cheap places to stock up for the winter.

Here is a dress I ordered from Pink Blush.  I really love it, but I haven't worn it yet because Adam doesn't think it looks good because it's so close to my skin color.  So, fashionista friends, what accessories can I add to this dress to make it look better and separate it more from my skin?

 

I'd appreciate any advice you can give me because I really want to wear this dress!!

Peaceful Saturday Mornings

I love Saturday mornings.  Everything seems so peaceful and calm.  There's no screeching alarm clock, no pressing things on my mind.  Saturday mornings are my time to read blogs, books, my Bible and feel every precious movement that the baby makes.  That's probably my favorite.  I just lay in bed with my hands on my belly and enjoy.  This morning as I was enjoying what seemed to be tap dancing in my belly, I realized what a change our Saturday mornings will soon experience.  And while I could lament the loss of my lazy, peaceful Saturdays, I am looking forward to hearing those early morning cries, seeing those feet kick, and spending time with the baby in my arms.  I will cherish these peaceful Saturdays and look forward with excitement to the unpeaceful Saturdays in my future.
Happy Saturday!

Time Flies

I am now double digits away from my due date!  I remember when I was waiting for my wedding day, when it finally got down below 100 the days just flew off the calendar.  Adam and I are so excited and can’t wait for the baby to arrive.  As it gets closer and closer it starts to feel more and more real.  Sometimes it still catches us off guard and we’ll say to each other, “Can you believe there’s a baby in there?” or “Can you believe that we’ll have a baby?”  It still seems surreal, but the days are passing by quickly and we are so excited!  We are so lucky to be so busy and that the holidays are coming up so that we have many benchmarks to make the days pass by even quicker.  Here’s a glimpse at what’s to come.

We have 97 days until my due date.

In 1 day it will be November.

In 28 days it will be Thanksgiving.

In 55 days it will be Christmas!

In 62 days it will be 2015!

And in 93 days it will be February!

I know that these next few months are going to fly by and that’s great because I cannot wait to meet this little baby, but there is still plenty to do.  I’m going to do my best to cherish these last months of pregnancy and prepare for our first child.  There’s so much to do! And plenty of days left to do it in.