Things {People} that Go BUMP [not necessarily in the night...]!!!

Werehavinababy Itzasurprise!!!

My best friend, Casey taught me how to do "Natural Family Planning." Xave and I wanted to start our family right away once we were married, so I started charting my cycles, temperatures, and mucus a few months before hand.

I ovulated around the 7th of January and wasn't supposed to start another cycle until the 21st or so. On the 19th I was shopping at Fred's with my Mom and Edith and excitedly told them that I thought I was pregnant (Xave already knew that I thought I was pregnant and we were both hoping!) but that I still had a few more days to find out. Mom, however, was so excited that she insisted on buying a pregnancy test to see. I was willing to just wait because I didn't want to spend the money.

Mom rushed me home and demanded that I complete the test right away. I took the test and Mom said it read "positive!" I was skeptical though (I didn't want to get my hopes up just in case it wasn't true) because the line was very faint. Luckily, Mom had bought the two pack and insisted that I wait the few days to take the test when I was supposed to start my next cycle.

After a few days I took the second test which had similar results (only the line was slightly darker)...so now I was a little more convinced. I was told that the only thing that can make the line appear is the "pregnancy hormone"...so if you aren't pregnant then there is no way a line will show up at all. This contributed to my conviction. Xave, however, was still very skeptical. Mom was ecstatic, but she said she knew from the first test that I was pregnant.

I got online to calculate my due date which was estimated at October 1st. (I'm hoping for September though because we have so many birthdays/anniversaries in October in my family as it is).

I wasn't in a big hurry to see a doctor right away. Partly because I had no idea who to see. Originally I wanted a midwife, but did not want a home birth for my first child just because I didn't know what to expect out of my own body, etc. But there weren't really any midwives in the region. There is a birthing center in Lafayette, but they did not accept my insurance. :( So I was looking for a doctor that would be very supportive of natural birth. Several people recommended Dr. David Darbonne at Lake Charles Memorial Hospital--Gauthier campus. So I called and scheduled an appointment with him.

When I was 10-weeks along, we went to our first appointment. We got to ask the doctor lots of questions and he seemed really nice. We got to see the baby during the ultrasound which just confirmed for me that I was pregnant (I hadn't started being nauseous yet or anything). Xave was more of a 'I'll believe it when I see it' type and he wasn't telling his family until he knew for absolutely sure that we were having a baby.

We affectionately named our baby, "Big-head." That that's what we've called him (the gender is actually a SURPRISE, I just always refer to Big-head with masculine pronouns) since we first saw him fluttering around in there.

I think the pregnancy was hard for Xave at the beginning (and probably still is, but he's so wonderful) because I was always nauseous and exhausted. I slept for most of the first trimester of my pregnancy. And my nausea was very mild but constant and annoying. I had no appetite at all, and when I did eat I just wanted very plain foods--rice, potatoes, etc. Why I think it was so hard for Xave (which it may not have been) was because I didn't "look" pregnant (no big belly)...I still looked like normal, ol' Sondra--so what really could have been 'wrong' with me?!?! But for me--NOT as an outside observer--I could get out of bed in the morning and walk to the bathroom and be completely exhausted and winded. So my routine generally consisted of going to work, getting home by 6pm every day and crawling into bed. 

I always thought that when one gets pregnant, her belly grows and then she has a baby...the end. I was really naive about all of the changes, effort, and energy that a body undergoes to grow and develop a child. All in all my pregnancy has been very easy and mostly pleasant. I just hated the first trimester and thought it was completely terrible and wasn't sure if I'd like to have a second pregnancy. But once I hit the second trimester everything was wonderful! My energy and appetite came back and the nausea went away! HOORAY!!! Even the third trimester is pretty nice. I'm starting to get a little more tired again--and am sometimes uncomfortable being so big--which is really just the bigness in and of itself--I've never been this big before.

During week 19 I felt the baby move for the first time. A few weeks before hand I thought that I might have felt the baby, but I wasn't sure. But during week 19 I was absolutely positive!!! Xave said he couldn't feel it for a very long time. He said it felt just like my stomach gurgling or something. He said he was at a disadvantage because I could feel it internally as well as externally with my hand. Now the baby stretches, squirms, and kicks all of the time. Big-head is quite the show-off! At our appointment this week, he was moving all around for the nurse and the midwife and the night before he kicked Xave all night long! hahaha. Our baby is very active. I know that I'll have my hands full once Big-head arrives!

When we were in our old, one-bedroom apartment I didn't even want to think about baby stuff because we were so cramped. We had our own stuff boxed up and piled up everywhere. I didn't want to add any baby stuff to the mix--and I didn't want to move any extra stuff that we didn't have to once Xave graduated and we figured out where he would be working--and where we'd be moving to (if it'd be a different state, etc.) But Xave has since graduated and gotten a job with IBM and we are moved into a lovely two-bedroom apartment. So Big-head has his very own room (almost...it is also my junk/storage and craft room...right now...until Big-head arrives).

Ever since I wanted children I've wanted to do the nursery in a Noah's Ark theme--which is actually very difficult these days since it isn't a very popular nursery theme. So finding bedding is a little difficult. But I've been working on stuff a little bit here and there. My Mom gave us Peyton's old crib, and she bought the bumper pads and animal sheet. I made the quilt from some fabric I found at JoAnn's and the curtain. Now I am working on the crib skirt. My step-mom, Carol, gave me several Noah's Ark knick-knacks and pictures from her dining room (they are redecorating and want a new theme). I found a shelf this week at Goodwill that I can put some of the stuff up on. I just need to get it hung. There are a few more projects on Pinterest that I want to complete, like the felt animal pillows and the animal tails hook rack thingy. So pictures are to come once I get things a little more organized and finished. But for now...

 

 (Quilt Fabrics)

  

(Curtain and bedskirt fabric)

 

(Quilt...I may go back and hand stitch around the boats)

 

 (Crib set up)

I have made my "thank you" candy/gift bags for my support team and the hospital staff. Oh yes! One of the other awesome things that we got in our move (in addition to more space at home) is a midwife! Ochsner Medical Center here has a birth center (in hospital) [with birthing tubs!] and midwives! They have doctor's on staff...but doctor's only intervene if there is an emergency (and I'm a low risk pregnancy). So we are pretty excited about that and I have already submitted my birth plan and it was approved! Hooray! Another thing we gotta do is pack our hospital bags--so if you have any tips or suggestions on what to pack just let me know! I don't want to pack our whole house and bring it along, but I don't want to forget something 'necessary' either.

Ok...now I'm gonna try this thing that my friend, Emilie put on her blog:

How far along? 33 weeks, 4 days

Stretch marks? Not that I've found...

Sleep: Pretty decent.

Best moments this week: Big-head showing off for the nurse and midwife with all of his kicking and squirming about.

Movement: Almost constantly! Big-head is in "transverse" position which means horizontal in my stomach. His head is on my left side and his feet are on my right side.

Nursery: In progress.

Food cravings: Been wanting to go to a Mexican restaurant and Xave took me to this wonderful Mexican buffet last night called "El Magey!" It was SOOOOOOO delicious!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope.

Symptoms: I'm giant and I waddle!!!

Wedding rings on or off? On. My fingers have been swelling slightly, so a few nights have have slept without it.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy! Have only been 'crappy' once my entire pregnancy. This week though I've been very 'emotional' and have wanted to mostly stay at home and snuggle with my Honey-Bunny!

Looking forward to: My parents were supposed to come to town this weekend to go to Blue Bayou...but they aren't gonna make it now. :( Mom and I were gonna do maternity pictures finally--but that has been postponed again.

Recent thoughts: I've been able to really bond with Big-head through daily story time, music, conversation, and touch. I love how he is becoming more aware of us and responding to our proddings. I've been praying to be more appreciative of the changes and capacity of my body to develop life (instead of complaining and being depressed at how fat I am) and I am being blessed with feelings that Big-head is truly miraculous. I am excited to finally meet our little 'surprise', however, part of me knows that I will miss this time pre-children when I am free and my husband and I are alone together.