Hey, friends! Since My due date was moved ahead, I am officially 21 weeks today! It still doesn't feel real, but I wonder if it ever will?
How Far Along: 21 Weeks!
Size of Baby: A Carrot (According to babycenter, Baby J is 10 1/2 inches and 12 ounces, but at our 20 week appointment, Baby J was 11 inches long and 12 ounces)
Sleep: This has been so challenging this week. I don't mind getting up 2-3 times a night to go to the bathroom, but I can not get comfortable for the life of me. Lately I've been waking up with a sore neck and lower back. Any suggestions on how to improve my sleep? I did get my brother's used body pillow, but I think it is too flat to make any difference. I'm thankful for this opportunity, but it is getting a little challenging at night.
Best Moment of the Week: I finally figured out how I want to do our nursery! I'm not going to share the picture, but I will give a little background as to how I came up with it. While growing up, my grandpa always use to tickle us
with his pointer finger and he called it the bumblebee. Throughout my pregnancy, my grandpa has referred to
our baby as the little bumblebee and he always wants to know how the
bumblebee is doing. Well, on Saturday night, we got a call that my
grandpa is slowly losing his fight to cancer. As my mom and I were shopping for fabric on
Sunday to get ideas for the nursery, all of a sudden, I felt God talking to me and I knew I wanted to
do a bee theme.I still have to figure some things out, but overall, I am SO excited, especially because it is unique and extremely meaningful to me.
Miss Anything: Sleep, but I won't complain :)
Movement: I found out that I have an anterior placenta, so it is going to take me a lot longer to feel Baby J... bummer!
Food Cravings/Aversions: Cravings- I cannot get enough of mashed potatoes, specifically, Applebee's mashed potatoes. I always liked potatoes, but this is to a whole new level! Aversions- I'm not a big fan of meat, so that is somewhat problematic right now.
Unusual Symptoms: Nothing that I can really think of as far as symptoms go, but I did have something unusual happen. When we were at a wedding, many of my friends kept rubbing my stomach and talking to the baby. It was really sweet, but it caught me off guard because I'm not showing that much. However, they said they wanted the baby to know they were there, since he/she can hear now.
Anything Making you Queasy or Sick: Besides the usual (garbage and brushing my teeth), I had a run-in with my cat's treats. I was giving her the treats yesterday, and when I went to open up the container, the smell made me gag, which made me throw up on the kitchen floor and in the sink. Thankfully it was just my morning pills and water, but still, it was disgusting!
Gender: We will find out on April 1st :) However, I think it is a boy!
Labor Signs: I sure hope not!
Looking Forward To: I am going to visit my grandpa this weekend so we can take a certain picture I want for the nursery because I don't think he will make it to meet our baby :( I am excited to see my other grandparents as well since they all live in the same town!
Countdown: 133 Days!
Have a great week, friends!
Until next time, God bless!
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
20 Weeks and Ultrasound
The entire time the US tech was doing her thing, I guess I kept saying, "is this real life?" I still find it really hard to believe God has given us this gift and I have had 20 precious weeks with our baby. I still feel like something bad is going to happen, due to our past, but I am trying to embrace each day because I know God already has the plan mapped out for us and I just need to trust Him. Honestly, I never thought I would get to this point in any pregnancy, so the fact that we are here just blows my mind. I know my fertile friends have a hard time understanding this, but it is true. One of my good friends is also pregnant, after trying for 3 years and eventually doing IVF, which worked, thankfully, and both of us always say how fortunate we feel to be in this place. However, it doesn't take the heartache I feel for so many of my friends who are experiencing loss in their own way. I just wish we could see in the crystal ball so I could see the plan God has for them and I wish I could take away some of the hurt. I know there is a reason we can't see the future, but please know that I am always here for you!
I thing what has been really interesting for me is the reaction from my students and all of their inquisitions. I find it really sweet to see how they are so curious about my pregnancy and they always want to know how big the baby is and what is happening with him/her. I guess I figured they would be excited, but I had no idea how excited they would be. When they heard my due date got pushed up and the baby was now a banana, they started going crazy!
Well, I need to get focused on correcting papers, but thank you for your continued prayers and for always listening. I am blessed to call you, friends!
Until next time... God bless!
Monday, November 11, 2013
What they don't understand...
This post is probably going to be all over the place, but it is something that has been on my mind, so I just need to get it down in writing, regardless if it makes sense.
When we started trying to conceive, I knew a little bit about infertility, but I wouldn't call myself an expert by any means. I knew there were other ways to conceive a child, or become a parent, but I had no idea about all of the different ways. Since I didn't know much about it, it is safe to assume that others didn't know about it, either; however, I guess I still assumed people knew there were others ways to have a child.
After our first miscarriage, I began looking at options for us and the first thing I looked at was surrogacy. I just assumed I was the problem and my body wasn't meant to carry a child, so surrogacy seemed like a good option. After looking at surrogacy, I was stunned... it was SO expensive! My husband's cousin confronted me and told me she would be willing to be our surrogate because she, too, struggled with infertility. She had already done IVF and had her two precious babies, so she felt called to help. I will admit that at first, I was shocked... why would anyone want to help us like this. Second, would it be weird to have someone I know carry our child?
Those thoughts continued to cross my mind, and after our second miscarriage, I felt like it would be our only option. Nevertheless, I went to a different clinic, found out I needed to be put on progesterone and a few other things, and the rest is history.
This leads me to a thought that has been bugging me... why don't more people know about other ways to conceive a child (donor eggs, donor sperm, IVF, IUI, surrogacy, etc)? I was talking to my brother about all of these things and he made the comment "Maybe God doesn't want us to intervene and this is a sign..." I was shocked. I know my brother didn't mean anything in a mean way because he has been my number one supporter from the beginning, but I think he is just uneducated as to the possibilities which lie ahead of a person trying to conceive. How many others are clueless? How many others believe we are intervening with God and don't quite understand what we are doing?
These questions made me want to shout to the world that although people don't conceive a child the "typical" way, it doesn't mean they aren't deserving of a child or are intervening with God. I'm sure this post is all over the place, but I think it is important we educate others on infertility, the struggle, and the pain that comes with it. If they have a little more knowledge about infertility and the different wants to become a parent, maybe they, too, will educate others and we will have a much more educated world. I know I don't even know a tenth of the different ways, but that's why I think educating people on this topic is important.
If you are still with me, thanks! I know most of the blogging world "gets it," since we are all in the same boat, but I think we need to start talking to others. I'm not saying you have to or this is the only way we will get the word out, but I do think it is important for others to hear our voices!
On another note, we have our BIG ultrasound tomorrow, so please pray that everything turns out okay and our baby is healthy and right on track.
Until next time, God bless!
When we started trying to conceive, I knew a little bit about infertility, but I wouldn't call myself an expert by any means. I knew there were other ways to conceive a child, or become a parent, but I had no idea about all of the different ways. Since I didn't know much about it, it is safe to assume that others didn't know about it, either; however, I guess I still assumed people knew there were others ways to have a child.
After our first miscarriage, I began looking at options for us and the first thing I looked at was surrogacy. I just assumed I was the problem and my body wasn't meant to carry a child, so surrogacy seemed like a good option. After looking at surrogacy, I was stunned... it was SO expensive! My husband's cousin confronted me and told me she would be willing to be our surrogate because she, too, struggled with infertility. She had already done IVF and had her two precious babies, so she felt called to help. I will admit that at first, I was shocked... why would anyone want to help us like this. Second, would it be weird to have someone I know carry our child?
Those thoughts continued to cross my mind, and after our second miscarriage, I felt like it would be our only option. Nevertheless, I went to a different clinic, found out I needed to be put on progesterone and a few other things, and the rest is history.
This leads me to a thought that has been bugging me... why don't more people know about other ways to conceive a child (donor eggs, donor sperm, IVF, IUI, surrogacy, etc)? I was talking to my brother about all of these things and he made the comment "Maybe God doesn't want us to intervene and this is a sign..." I was shocked. I know my brother didn't mean anything in a mean way because he has been my number one supporter from the beginning, but I think he is just uneducated as to the possibilities which lie ahead of a person trying to conceive. How many others are clueless? How many others believe we are intervening with God and don't quite understand what we are doing?
These questions made me want to shout to the world that although people don't conceive a child the "typical" way, it doesn't mean they aren't deserving of a child or are intervening with God. I'm sure this post is all over the place, but I think it is important we educate others on infertility, the struggle, and the pain that comes with it. If they have a little more knowledge about infertility and the different wants to become a parent, maybe they, too, will educate others and we will have a much more educated world. I know I don't even know a tenth of the different ways, but that's why I think educating people on this topic is important.
If you are still with me, thanks! I know most of the blogging world "gets it," since we are all in the same boat, but I think we need to start talking to others. I'm not saying you have to or this is the only way we will get the word out, but I do think it is important for others to hear our voices!
On another note, we have our BIG ultrasound tomorrow, so please pray that everything turns out okay and our baby is healthy and right on track.
Until next time, God bless!
Friday, November 8, 2013
18 Weeks
I feel silly posting about 18 weeks right now, since technically I will be 19 weeks on Sunday, but better late than never, right? I want to do this surveu every two weeks, so hopefully I can actually stick with it! I have been extremely busy with work these last couple of weeks, but thankfully, Thanksgiving is right around the corner, so I will have time to get caught up on my sleep. Thanks again for your prayers and for being such great friends!
How Far Along: 18 Weeks
Total Weight Gain: I think I am still down 6 pounds, but I'll find out next Tuesday.
Maternity Clothes: Just maternity jeans, but I am almost to the point where I need longer shirts... guess I better go shopping :)
Sleep: I love my afternoon naps!
Best Moment of the Week: The last two weeks have gone really well and I heard Baby J's heartbeat on the doppler I have at home! Also, my friend Brittany is having a girl, and my friend Jena is having a boy, so it was fun to hear about their surprises!
Miss Anything: Nope!
Movement: No, but I am so ready for it! Maybe it will happen on Thanksgiving?
Food Cravings: I can't get enough of apples, popcorn, and rice! I have been wanting Diet Coke, too, so that has been tough!
Unusual Symptoms: Constipation... oh how I could live without this!
Anything Making you Queasy or Sick: Brushing my teeth makes me gag and dry heave.
Gender: Only God knows, but I feel like it is a boy!
Labor Signs: I sure hope not!
Happy or Moody Most of the Time: I was pretty moody this week with my college students, but I don't think it had to do with the pregnancy, but rather with their whiny behavior and poor attitudes!
Looking Forward To: We have our anatomy scan on Tuesday and I am SO excited! I am really nervous, but I am always nervous, so that doesn't surprise me. I just pray everything goes well and we don't have any complications. We aren't finding out the gender, so it is going to be hard to look away at the screen when the tech does his/her thing!
Countdown: 149 days to go!
Have a great weekend, friends!
Until next time, God bless!
How Far Along: 18 Weeks
Maternity Clothes: Just maternity jeans, but I am almost to the point where I need longer shirts... guess I better go shopping :)
Sleep: I love my afternoon naps!
Best Moment of the Week: The last two weeks have gone really well and I heard Baby J's heartbeat on the doppler I have at home! Also, my friend Brittany is having a girl, and my friend Jena is having a boy, so it was fun to hear about their surprises!
Miss Anything: Nope!
Movement: No, but I am so ready for it! Maybe it will happen on Thanksgiving?
Food Cravings: I can't get enough of apples, popcorn, and rice! I have been wanting Diet Coke, too, so that has been tough!
Unusual Symptoms: Constipation... oh how I could live without this!
Anything Making you Queasy or Sick: Brushing my teeth makes me gag and dry heave.
Gender: Only God knows, but I feel like it is a boy!
Labor Signs: I sure hope not!
Happy or Moody Most of the Time: I was pretty moody this week with my college students, but I don't think it had to do with the pregnancy, but rather with their whiny behavior and poor attitudes!
Looking Forward To: We have our anatomy scan on Tuesday and I am SO excited! I am really nervous, but I am always nervous, so that doesn't surprise me. I just pray everything goes well and we don't have any complications. We aren't finding out the gender, so it is going to be hard to look away at the screen when the tech does his/her thing!
Countdown: 149 days to go!
Have a great weekend, friends!
Until next time, God bless!
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