I mean, seriously??

One of the hardest things for me this pregnancy has been that I honestly don't believe how big I am until I see these update pics. Like clockwork, Lee takes the picture, shows me in the review window and then I say "I don't look like that, do I??" To which he tries to be sensitive and typically says something like "The baby is growing nicely" or "You look beautifully pregnant".

All day Saturday, the Little One was preparing for prom. It started dancing promptly when I opened my eyes and put on a show for the rest of the day. At the After-Prom, the kids could sit around me and watch the kicks and jabs.

Tomorrow is the "Big" ultrasound. I am so excited for the baby to finally have a pronoun and soon, a name. Our last ultrasound was at 8 weeks, and I think we're in for a shock to see how much it has grown!

"Not enough time..."

One of mine and my brother's favorite lines from the show "Saved by the Bell" is when Jessie is trying to get into college and she's on caffeine pills and says "No time! There's never any time. I don't have time to study, I'll never get into Stanford...". My nesting instinct sings this almost daily about something new. This week it has been the fact that I don't have a diaper bag chosen yet and yesterday was that we don't have a crib picked out yet. It's like in my head, I know that we still have 20 (0r 22 or 23 weeks) left until the baby is here, but my hormones are saying "it all has to be done right now!". I spent over 5 hours the other day looking at diaper bags and trying to decide what style, color, size, etc that I want. Yestereday, I sobbed over not having a crib and then once I found one, they were "currently unavailable". Don't these people know that I have things I need to do for this baby and being "unavailable" just isn't gonna work for me! Come on Babies-R-Us! Get your production lines in gear!

week 18!

I think I'm in shock as to how far along Sven is! We are into our 18th week (for those of you who count by months, we have started our 5th month). My appointment with Dr. Rainey went very well last week; strong heartbeat, good blood pressure, and only 3 pounds total of a weight gain! The day before my appointment, I had a severly dizzy day. I was having problems walking and had to have Lee come pick me up from work. Light and sound made it much worse which prompted us to think that I was possibly experiencing pregnancy migraines. After discussing this with my doctor, we decided that I hadn't been resting enough, and definitely hadn't been drinking enough water (which I find ridiculous when I think about how much water I drink on a daily basis.). So, luckily, taking a few rest periods and refilling my water bottle as often as possible, has proven good for my dizziness. We got our referral for the "BIG" ultrasound and have scheduled it for May 4. The last time we had an ultrasound done, I was barely 8 weeks along and the baby didn't even have fully grown limbs. It should be rather amazing to see how much he/she has grown. (I remember being able to button my pants after my last ultrasound, so I'm sure that he's not the only one that has grown!)

My nesting instincts are becoming rather strong. I am feeling panicked about not knowing everything there is to know about nursing, about the nursery not being complete, and Lee never changing a poopy diaper. Last week, I ordered 5 books on amazon to try to calm this anxiety. I think if time permitted, I would have already had my shower just to ensure time to put everything away and to wash all of the clothes.

My friend Amanda, (see post from week 16) and I have decided to use cloth diapers with our little ones that are coming in July and September. A Beckley owned and run company makes all-in-one diapers that you launder yourself. Total, using cloth diapers, will save us over $800 dollars. (and that's just for the initial purchase) You can also use them for every subsequent child, so the savings continue to add up. If we go for 3 children, our savings would be several thousand dollars. (kind of a big deal to me!) Check our their site at www.drybees.com . I personally was stoked that they had bright orange diapers. So, as Lee and I put on our gameday shirts, the baby can put on his/her gameday booty!

We keep getting excited as my classes only have 3 weeks left and Lee is nearing the end of his paper marathon. We hope to dig up the foundation to our house in the next few weeks and then start the drywall mess in the house. Much still to do in the next 22 weeks!

Sannu Sannu (hello in Hausa)

I started this blog in January when Lee was heading to Africa for a class in Nigeria. As many of you know, the trip was full of turmoil and fighting and scared most of us in the states half-t0-death. When we go through these kind of experiences, we are forever bonded to the people with whom we experience them. This is the bond that Lee experienced with his mission team and his professor.

For months, I have heard stories of the people from his trip and his beloved "Kawu" (Which is a Hausa term of endearment meaning "Uncle"). This past weekend, most of his team made the trip from Philadelphia and Kawu came from Cincinnati to see Lee, to meet me, and to meet our church family. I am not going to lie, I was very nervous about them coming, but wow, what an experience!!

This new family came into our home and surrounded us with love and excitement as they shared stories from their children and grandchildren, did a gender test using string and Lee's wedding band, (which predicted a boy both times we did it) and had many more surprises up their sleeves. After a very cold cookout, these wonderful people gave us our first baby shower. They flooded this child with clothes, diapers, blankets, organizers, soap, lotion, baskets, and so much more.

People that were once faces in pictures and names in stories became family in less than 24 hours. I wish all of us could love as much as they did. Pictures to come when Jennie emails them to us!

Easter and friends

My friends are very fertile. I have often made fun of them for their ability to recreate at a very rapid rate. Now, I have joined forces. So, on Easter, my amazing frined, Amanda came to visit me at my mom's and we took this picture:

I feel so blessed to be able to go through this experience with so many of my awesome friends. (This picture is me at 16 weeks and Amanda at 23 weeks.) My friend, Samantha had her baby last Friday. This is making this baby thing so much more real. More details to come from a very action packed week!

movements!

So, last week, I was taking my normal after-school nap and as I was dozing off, I was awakened by a sudden jolt inside of my abdomen. It scared me to death! I jumped, grabbed my side, and then realized that it must have been a kick! I know it's earlier than most people feel a kick, but I seem to be showing earlier than I should be too. A week later, Lee and I were getting ready for our afternoon nap on Sunday and I felt like a butterfly got turned loose and was fighting to get out of my stomach. I have felt it everyday since Sunday and it's just the best. Yesterday, while teaching my Spanish I class, I found it hard to concentrate enough to teach because I didn't want to miss a single motion. (It seriously felt like a propellar in my stomach)

My appointment last week was great! It was so good to see my OB (who is a great friend of ours) and everything looked great! I have only gained 1 pound (which according to my scales this morning, has since been lost again) and the heartrate was solid between 150-160. I go back the week after Spring Break for my next checkup and then I'll get my orders for my next ultrasound (the gender one!!)

I'm feeling especially ginormous. I have friends that are due before me that can still button their pants and I've been in maternity clothes for 3 weeks now. (Makes me feel especially huge) My acne is still holding on, but I have a good feeling that it's about to turn a corner. My need to nap still hasn't let up, but I had that need before I got pregnant, so maybe it's just me!

Week 12

Finally!! We are in the last week of the first trimester! I was starting to wonder if this day would ever come! (And am secretly hoping that the need to nap will not leave, because it's very reminescent of my college days) However starting at the middle/endish of week 9, I started this dry-heave, horrible stuff that really has made me look forward to being done with this trimester! It hits me usually during first block. There's typically no nausea with it, just running for the bathroom where I hack, gag, and heave, but nothing ever happens. It is starting to drive me plain batty!

On a less gross note, the belly (as you can see above) is starting to grow. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror while getting ready the other morning and honestly didn't recognize that body! There are a few times I look at myself and forget that I'm growing a life and think I need to start dieting like never before. Then, I remember, oh yea! I'm supposed to look that way! The growing belly seems to be accompanied by a lot of bloating and gas which has caused me to move mostly to maternity pants to avoid any extra pressure on my belly; man those things are comfy! Due to the fact that I am definitely vertically challenged, I was really excited to find petite jeans at Motherhood. (Speaking of being short, did I tell you that when I went to my first doctor's appointment, they told me I am actually 5'2"?? I've always thought I was 5'1". I nearly jumped out of my skin with excitement!)

Otherwise, I'm feeling great. Still trying to fit in aerobics 2-3 times a week. (Eventhough I have to stop a few times to go pee) I do feel like my energy is slowly returning. My cravings have been limited to my best friend, Katie's mom's chicken salad recipe (Which has been made and devoured) and milk. I'm not sure if milk is because I can finally have it, or if it's a real craving, but I completely forgot how good it was!!

Next doctor's appointment is Tuesday, stay tuned!