Bump Watch: Week 31

I am craving carbs like you wouldn't believe. Let me tell you what I had for breakfast yesterday!

-Half of a doughnut

-1 Breakfast sandwich at Einsteins

-2 pumpkin muffins with gobs of butter all over them (mouth is watering....)

This was all within a 2 hour period....

I shamefully admitted my inability to say NO when any sort of delicious, sweet, fattening carb is within reach to my midwife yesterday. Her advice, It's OK to have a bad eating day every now and then, but when you crave something sweet, make a fruit smoothie. Easier said than done! If I have the choice between gobbling down the doughnut sitting on my counter or making a smoothie, what do you think I'd decide to have? Dustin made homemade chocolate chip banana bread this weekend and I literally couldn't function or get my mind off of that bread until it was all.completely.gone. I cursed him the entire time I ate it, while making love to it....and drooling all over myself. Melted butter, gooey chocolate....Hmmmmmm. There should be a law preventing him from baking/cooking/making me fat!

The insomnia is making me a little crazy. Although I love my nightly rendezvous with my boyfriend Jimmy Fallon, and my bowl of Cheerios, It's starting to turn me into a zombie during the day.

On the upside of things, our little baby is moving a TON and I'm falling more in love with this tiny person as the days pass. The baby is finally head down! (which I've been praying would happen so we didn't have to discuss delivering the baby breech with the midwife. Thank you Jesus! The pelvic rocks helped too.) I can't wait to hold him/her. I bought a few cute gender neutral things for the baby this week. My mind changes everyday whether it's a boy or a girl. Some days I KNOW it's a boy, some days I KNOW it's a girl. I do day dream about the very moment that Dustin announces what our baby is and it gets me very emotional picturing in my head what that's going to be like.

It makes me smile to think about getting up at night to nurse the baby and spending those precious moments together while everyone else sleeps. I'm actually very excited this time around to serve Dustin by not having him have to get up with me to feed the baby, like with Conrad. I feel like it's going to bring me a lot of joy to be the milk machine instead of the pumped milk machine (while Dustin fed Conrad the bottle!) This time around will be SO different. I feel like I have such a strong support group of ladies who won't let me give up on nursing.

This last week has been a really hard week emotionally & spiritually for me. I've needed a lot of extra love and support. I was crying to Dustin about something and I blurted out, "God, this baby makes me SO emotional!!!" He laughed and said, "AND, this baby has given you a beard!" To which I immediately stopped crying and grabbed a mirror. Apparently, this baby has made me into a major basket case, AND given me extra peach fuzz that my husband can't stop staring at. Awesome!

I've been so impressed and inspired by the way Dustin has been so patient with me through my basket-case moods. If I'm babbling on and on about what I'm fearful about or anxious about, or If I'm just confused or crying because I'm ultra sensitive, he doesn't try to "fix" me or the problem, he just hugs me and starts praying (OR tells me I have a beard....apparently these melt down moments are the best time to point out my double chins and facial hair!) I don't have to tell him to pray, he just prays. How hot is that! His quickness to meet that need of mine to pray and have faith that God heals my brokenness (not him), god gives peace to my anxious, worried heart (not him) and god gives us a spirit of love and of a sound mind, not a mind plagued with fear. It has been neat to see him take care of me like that.

Only a few more weeks!!!

{To see the previous bump photos,click HERE}

Bump Watch: Week 27

 

{See the previous belly growth progression photos HERE}

I am finally in my THIRD trimester! Only 11 weeks left to go!!! I can't believe it's almost over. I've been feeling great, for the most part. Except I'm getting BIG! Yesterday my sweet husband lifted me nearly half a foot off the ground trying to pull last years bathing suit up over my belly. Lets just say it was not a pretty scene with me yelling, "Stop! It hurts!" as he tugged while grunting, "I've allll-most got it! Hold still!" with beads of sweat forming on his forehead. The whole crotch of the bathing suit nearly busted open. It was a pretty sexy moment for me, let me tell you. It didn't even go up over my boobs! SO it's safe to say, It's TIME for a maternity suit! (womp-womp!) 
I just bought THIS one & I love it on.

I've noticed that my appetite has increased quite a bit recently though (I ate TWO whole grilled chicken burgers yesterday as Dustin looked on in horror, warning me to SLOW DOWN as I neared the end of my first sandwich. Maybe he was scared he'd have a wife with two stumps instead of hands. He quickly whipped me up another sandwich in an effort to prevent stumps! What'a guy. I've been eating a ton of eggs. I'm craving them like crazy! I went through 2 dozen eggs last week alone. I feel like that's probably normal?...

During our Bradley Method birthing class this week, the instructor said that the penis is like a sword and the vagina is like the sheath of a sword, but most "feminists" would rather refer to the vagina as a "yoni" (she included herself in this feminist opinion of the name). I then politely raised my hand and said, "Actually, I'd rather refer to my vagina as a sheath to my husbands penis, the "sword" because I like the sheath meaning much better. It makes woman's vagina's sound more powerful!" Everyone just looked down at their work books and didn't acknowledge my statement. I guess I thought more woman would chime in and agree?? I don't know what exactly possessed me to object to the "yoni" name for the vagina, but it rubbed me the wrong way and I needed to let the class know. (I make really great first impressions.) The teacher just smiled and nodded and continued on with her point. (My poor husband. I feel sad for him-having to deal with my outbursts. But really, he knew what he signed up for when he married me.) And I felt passionate about expressing my views on the subject. So whatever.

Dustin (and Conrad) are convinced we're having a girl and I'm sort of convinced it's a boy. I still don't want to know though. I feel like the surprise of not knowing will be that extra motivation to get the baby out while I'm in labor. When I was carrying Conrad, I was all out in front and this time, the curve in my back has disappeared and now I'm just round.all.over. Which makes me think it could be a little lady...

I can't get enough of Ina May. Seriously, if you're pregnant, read her books. They WILL rock your world. Her book has been a life saver for me. I feel like every time I seem to hear that little voice that says that I'm broken and won't be able to birth my baby, all I have to do is stuff my nose in one of her books and get my confidence back. I'm learning that a big part of having a successful birth is seeing how the emotional, spiritual and psychological aspects of a woman's heart and mind can hinder her birth and even stop the laboring process all together. The mind and body have to be in agreeance with one another. Through this process, God has been healing and teaching me so much about who He is, and has answered SO many prayers along the way. 

I also feel incredibly blessed to have such a great support system around me. The more I meet other VBAC mom's who have successfully done what I'm attempting to do, the more confirmation I feel about birth being a natural process where when a woman is supported and when unnecessary intervention is not interrupting the act of birth, she is able to trust her body and let it do what it knows how to do.

OH, and I also got to be apart of my friend's home birth this week.
You can check out the photos I took HERE.

Bump Watch: Week 24

I love his little belly kisses & snuggles:

My favorite part: his Oreo goatee

        

{See the previous belly progression photos HERE}

*Photos by Kacie Allyce Photography 

Bump Watch: Week 21

It's been five weeks since our last bump progression photo!

What a difference FIVE weeks can make.

I'm HALF way there! I can't believe time has flown by so fast.

Our little baby is the length of a carrot this week!!!

Conrad came along with me for my baby bump session with Kacie.

I think I might try to include him in the series from time to time!

My belly sure has grown!

I've been feeling great lately. I am SUCH a different pregnant woman with this baby. I've had strangers come up to touch my belly and I'm all over it. I love it actually, whereas before, with Conrad, I was annoyed and felt violated. It blesses me knowing that my growing belly and this precious baby bring a smile to others, even strangers. I welcome the questions, "How far along are you?" and "Is it a boy or a girl!" Lots of folks think I'm crazy for not finding out the sex, but I still feel really excited not to know.

I've been eating a really strict protein diet which has made me feel SO much more energetic and my weight has stayed right where it needs to be. Dustin cooked me 3 different kinds of chicken last night (ten chicken breasts total!) You would think that was a lot, but last week alone I ate 8 chicken breasts and ran out...I haven't gotten sick of chicken yet! He's been SO supportive of me trying to be as healthy as possible. I'm keeping a food journal also which has helped me feel empowered, knowing that I am resisting the junk and being kind to my body.

This baby is SO lazy compared to Conrad though. I don't get much action. Not a lot of kicks. Just here and there.

I'm hoping this might be a sign that our little carrot is mellow and not a spaz like me.

{Bump at 11 weeks & 16 weeks}

Bump Watch: Week 16

Click -------> {Week 11} to see the bump a few weeks ago.

{Photo Credits: Kacie}

Bump Watch: Week 11

I LOVE the idea of having a maternity series to look back on and see

how the baby grew over a period of 40 weeks!

Some of our inspiration as we brainstormed together to figure out what we wanted the series to

look like came from this series, this one, we can't forget this one, Oh, and this one too.

*My dear friend Kacie will be documenting my pregnancy for me as I grow and get HUGE....

I couldn't be happier to have her shooting these photos! What a sweet friend she is!