A side note before I start: I'm going to chalk my last post up to a few days of built up hormones and poor prayer. The next day I spent the morning praying and asking God to take all of burdens from me and he has TOTALLY answered my prayers. I am feeling much better now :-)
I feel like we are at the beginning of the end, and I couldn't be happier. It seems so surreal to be saying goodbye to pregnancy soon. Since November 23, it has been my whole life. It's weird to think about wearing normal clothes again, it's weird to think about being able bodied and having my strength back, it's going to be weird not having everything I do or eat affect my growing baby. You seriously go through a complete mind and body adjustment when you are pregnant, nothing is the same. And now, it's all going to be done with.
On another side note, I would personally like to thank the five hundred people who have told me that I don't look like I'm ready to have a baby and who have commented on how tiny I am. It has made me realize how much we need to compliment each other more, it is such an easy blessing to give to someone!
Right now we are on "vacation" since Charlie just finished his spring quarter at the Art Institute and has two weeks before summer quarter starts. We have been planning out for a while how we would spend this break, and it has already been a very productive week. We have a ton of things on our "to-do" list that includes so many things, from selling a car to creating a paper filing system.
We decided to spend last weekend down at my parents house to take advantage of their patio space to sand and paint a bunch of wooden picture frames that we have been collecting at garage sales and thrift stores. We are also going to sand and stain some crates from Michael's (yes, hopping on this Pinterest train!) that we will be using as storage in our bathroom. On Sunday we also had a joint family baby shower with my sister since she is also expecting in September! It was a huge celebration and we were so blessed by the dozens of family members that came and the gifts they bestowed onto us. Now that our showers are out of the way, we have a pretty clear view of what is left that we need to get for baby over the next month. Yesterday we went to an amazing consignment store up the road and got most of the things left on our list. It seems so weird that we have pretty much everything we need. Carseat, stroller, swing, baby carrier... Are we really all prepared?
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Monday, June 10, 2013
Why I'm not looking forward to the next six weeks.
I have heard every pregnant woman I have ever talked to give the "I'm ready" speech, so I knew this time would come, but oh I wish I could find a way to get over these feelings. (Ya know, other than the fact that... I HAVE TO.) Here are my reasons for hoping that the next month and a half will FLY by!
1. I miss my husband.
This one almost doesn't make sense because I'm sure having a newborn and being sleep deprived isn't really going to spark up our romance, but I am just so darn tired of how irritable my hormones are making me. Again, I know it will most likely still be this way after delivery, I'm just looking five months down the road here...
2. I've got the pre-baby blues.
I'm terrified, anxious, excited, impatient, bored, unmotivated... the list goes on. Part of me just wants this baby here NOW, but the other part of me is SO SCARED for postpartum life. I am confident that once I hold my son in my arms, most of these emotions will seem so trivial and the joy will overwhelm me.
3. I am tired of being tired.
I have no energy or motivation. Charlie has been amazing and taking over a lot of the cooking and cleaning, which makes me feel awful! I have so much free time but no desire to do anything productive with it.
4. I don't want to gain anymore weight.
I know, I know, I'm such a hypocrite after writing this post a few weeks ago. But I have officially let myself go and am just riding it out until the end. I have gained as much weight as is "recommended" for pregnancy, and anymore will be excess that I don't need.
5. IM TIRED OF PEOPLE STARING AT ME!
Okay, this is the hormones talking (and that I have ALWAYS hated being the center of attention), but seriously, we all got to this earth somehow and for most of us it was by a pregnant woman, so what's the big news? I got a big belly, go away.
6. I'm ready to start the next chapter of our lives.
To end this transition, to become a family, to have a routine.
1. I miss my husband.
This one almost doesn't make sense because I'm sure having a newborn and being sleep deprived isn't really going to spark up our romance, but I am just so darn tired of how irritable my hormones are making me. Again, I know it will most likely still be this way after delivery, I'm just looking five months down the road here...
2. I've got the pre-baby blues.
I'm terrified, anxious, excited, impatient, bored, unmotivated... the list goes on. Part of me just wants this baby here NOW, but the other part of me is SO SCARED for postpartum life. I am confident that once I hold my son in my arms, most of these emotions will seem so trivial and the joy will overwhelm me.
3. I am tired of being tired.
I have no energy or motivation. Charlie has been amazing and taking over a lot of the cooking and cleaning, which makes me feel awful! I have so much free time but no desire to do anything productive with it.
4. I don't want to gain anymore weight.
I know, I know, I'm such a hypocrite after writing this post a few weeks ago. But I have officially let myself go and am just riding it out until the end. I have gained as much weight as is "recommended" for pregnancy, and anymore will be excess that I don't need.
5. IM TIRED OF PEOPLE STARING AT ME!
Okay, this is the hormones talking (and that I have ALWAYS hated being the center of attention), but seriously, we all got to this earth somehow and for most of us it was by a pregnant woman, so what's the big news? I got a big belly, go away.
6. I'm ready to start the next chapter of our lives.
To end this transition, to become a family, to have a routine.
Where have I been? Part Two.
(Make sure to read part one first!)
After finding out we were pregnant at the end of November, we started planning a quickie wedding for January. After taking up counsel with our pastors, we realized that we were just jumping into it because we felt like it was our only option, so we decided to postpone it until we felt like it was God's time, not ours.
Back to March...
At this point Charlie and I had been going through counseling for nearly a year through our church. In January we started official "premarital" counseling and met weekly. That week after my moms accident, we tossed around ideas of eloping, and when we met with our counselor, we brought it up to him. He was supportive and encouraging, and gave us a step by step list of things to do and think about, including finding a place to live, where we would elope, and other wedding details. The next week was hard as we tried to find an apartment in the Seattle area. I replied to probably 30 ads on craigslist, and had maybe 5 return my calls. The places we looked at were not promising, and I was starting to lose hope again. At this point I was frustrated and discouraged. Everyone kept telling me that living at home was not a good situation for me while pregnant. I was trying to do everything in my power to change that, but I felt like God wasn't hearing my prayers.
As usual, I was wrong.
The next weekend we found our perfect apartment. I already had a great feeling about seeing it, but when the landlord called me and said we could look at it a day early and before anyone else, I knew this was God opening a door. We applied that night and were approved the next week. We started moving in and set a wedding date for April 6, about two weeks later.
The way that God opened doors for us from there on out was astounding and I had never experienced anything like it. It made it so clear to us that we were doing things in His timing. He had heard our prayers, and the wait was finally over!
We were married on a rainy Saturday afternoon on the shore of Lake Quinault. Only a few of our family and friends attended, about 15 I think, and it was all perfect. I will never forget the love that was bursting out of my heart for Charlie when we took our vows. I get butterflies just thinking about it.
After finding out we were pregnant at the end of November, we started planning a quickie wedding for January. After taking up counsel with our pastors, we realized that we were just jumping into it because we felt like it was our only option, so we decided to postpone it until we felt like it was God's time, not ours.
Back to March...
At this point Charlie and I had been going through counseling for nearly a year through our church. In January we started official "premarital" counseling and met weekly. That week after my moms accident, we tossed around ideas of eloping, and when we met with our counselor, we brought it up to him. He was supportive and encouraging, and gave us a step by step list of things to do and think about, including finding a place to live, where we would elope, and other wedding details. The next week was hard as we tried to find an apartment in the Seattle area. I replied to probably 30 ads on craigslist, and had maybe 5 return my calls. The places we looked at were not promising, and I was starting to lose hope again. At this point I was frustrated and discouraged. Everyone kept telling me that living at home was not a good situation for me while pregnant. I was trying to do everything in my power to change that, but I felt like God wasn't hearing my prayers.
As usual, I was wrong.
The next weekend we found our perfect apartment. I already had a great feeling about seeing it, but when the landlord called me and said we could look at it a day early and before anyone else, I knew this was God opening a door. We applied that night and were approved the next week. We started moving in and set a wedding date for April 6, about two weeks later.
The way that God opened doors for us from there on out was astounding and I had never experienced anything like it. It made it so clear to us that we were doing things in His timing. He had heard our prayers, and the wait was finally over!
We were married on a rainy Saturday afternoon on the shore of Lake Quinault. Only a few of our family and friends attended, about 15 I think, and it was all perfect. I will never forget the love that was bursting out of my heart for Charlie when we took our vows. I get butterflies just thinking about it.
Our photo's were taken by Ariana Lynee Photography, they were an amazing part of our day!
After the wedding and our relaxing night at the Rain Forest Resort (ahhhhmazing!), we came home and settled back into our new apartment. Charlie started school again on Monday, and before long we were in a full-blown-married-couple-routine. And we couldn't be happier :-)
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Pregnancy Lessons
This is a candid list of some things I have learned throughout my first pregnancy so far, as I write this I am nearly 34 weeks. Please take whatever you find helpful and leave the rest. I am by no means an expert, but I love reading real women's perspectives on pregnancy, which is why I write this.
#1. Get a head start.
Pregnancy is this terrible game of "hurry up and wait." When you find out you're pregnant your mind naturally goes crazy with everything that will be changing and happening over the next year. You start to research what you need, what you need to do, what to expect.... For me this whirlwind climaxed then ended with my first trimester. After spending what felt like weeks reading and researching, I was ready for a break, it all just seemed SOOO far in the future, what was the point in trying to do it all now?
While that break was nice (and totally acceptable), all of a sudden I was 28 weeks pregnant (hello, LAST trimester) and I freaked the crap out. Here I was, feeling like the baby was going to come any day now, and we had not read a single baby book or taken any classes. Heck, we hadn't even chosen a midwife or a place to deliver yet, much less a pediatrician!
This sent me into a frenzy. It took me a few weeks to finally
If I could go back I would have crossed the following things off in my second trimester:
-Picked a midwife and place to deliver
-Created a birthing plan
-Started reading baby books
-Taken at least a few basic classes about labor, breastfeeding, and newborn care (we are skipping this altogether now)
If you're like me, then you have had what kind of stroller, baby carrier, nursing bra, bottle, etc, that you want picked out by your 10th week. But if not, then I would add "product research" to this list as well.
Me and Charlie at the start of my third trimester, aka "the great freakout".
#2. Talk to other moms.
Since I am on the younger side and the first of my best friends to have a baby, I don't spend too much time interacting with moms of young children. But really, moms are the experts (who knew).
You can get a lot of opinions on the internet, my personal favorite, but when you're just not sure if your baby needs a swing and a vibrating chair, ask some moms. Is it insane to try and cloth diaper using shared laundry? Ask some moms. Staying up all night with your crazy fears about labor and all it's possibilities? Talk to some moms. (I have tried talking to Charlie about this a hundred times and bless him for listening, but men just can't understand the fear).
My mom, grandma, and sister, three women who I love talking parenthood with!
#3. Be firm in your beliefs but flexible with your judgments.
You will surely become closer with other friends who are pregnant at the same time as you. My sister and a few close friends happened to get pregnant within a few weeks of me, which makes it more exciting! But boy is everybody different when it comes to pregnancy, babies, and parenting.
I'm a classic glass bottles, cloth diaper, breastfed is best, sulfate free, roll in the grass, hippie parent. (For the record, Charlie is too). But just like in every other area of our lives, my sister and I are opposites. Since I wanted this pregnancy to help us bond instead of alienating one another, I took a road that I don't normally take when I believe strongly in something, the road called "shutup, it doesn't matter." Normally I love making my family watch documentaries and read articles about the growth hormones in our food, but I knew that this just wasn't one of those opportunities. I want to keep my mommy friends close, not push them away. If I do stumble across a great video or book, I recommend it to my other pregnant friends, but I don't push it. I have strong beliefs, but I also know that I don't know it all yet, nor will I ever, and I sure hope nobody gives me a dirty look as I try to figure this "parenting" thing out.
If a friends asks for your opinion, by all means, share! People are more likely to be swayed by facts and information than they are by your personal bias or judgements though, so keep that in mind.
The only person you need to be on the same page with is your partner, everyone else is optional.
Photo by: Peter Larson Photography
#4. Pregnancy really isn't that bad.
I have come to the conclusion that pregnancy is given a bad rap by a small minority of two kinds of people. People who: actually have really bad pregnancies (I'm sorry if this is you) or don't get any sympathy from their partner and need to look for it elsewhere by complaining to anyone who will listen (I'm also really sorry if this is you :( I will listen).
But I believe that for the most part (again, if you are the exception please don't take offense) pregnancy is like every other time in your life; how you feel results from how you take care of yourself. If you are unhealthy or overweight to begin with, it's probably only going to get worse. If you don't drink enough water, walk enough, sleep enough, or eat healthy, you probably will be miserable. Such are the rules for any other time in life, but pregnancy tends to MAGNIFY whatever is going on in your body.
(These rules don't apply to the first trimester. I was healthy as a horse before getting pregnant but I had such bad morning sickness I landed in the ER.)
For example, most people don't drink very much water. Certainly not the 897,298 ounces a day or whatever it is that we're supposed to drink. Normal people? Get thirsty, maybe a headache, drink some water, whatever. Pregnant women? Nausea, headache, dizziness, fainting, stomach cramps, general feeling of death. If you are out of tune with your body before you get pregnant, get it together. If you generally do okay, your pregnancy probably wont be the horror story you've heard so much about.
I really was expecting pregnancy to be some sort of nightmare. And while the heartburn, hemorrhoids, swelling, and rib cage matches aren't a picnic, it's really not that bad. So relax. Obviously I have yet to deliver, so I can't speak at all on that part, and it remains a nightmare in my imagination :) I hope I'm wrong on that one too.
My best friend and I getting ready on my wedding day, 6 months pregnant.
#5. Thrift. It. Up.
My absolute favorite thing about living in the city is Value Village (we literally live right across the street), Goodwill, garage sales, and Craigslist. I have never been a big thrift store person, but because we live in such a big city, the selection is amazing, and I'm addicted.
As far as baby stuff goes, we pretty much just stick to clothes, blankets, and books (What to Expect for $1.99!!) at VV and Goodwill. There are about 1 billion onesies in perfect condition for $0.99, and jackets and pants for $1.99. Once you pay $1 for a onesie, you'll never be able to pay full price for one. Garage sales and Craiglist are also great for clothes, but also other items like nursing pillows, baby carriers, strollers, pack n' plays, etc. You can find everything for sale for such a better price than brand new. If you don't live in a city, then plan a weekend to visit one and hit up as many garage sales and thrift stores as you can in one day.
The following is an example of how much money you could save on clothes buying used vs. new.
Used: Old Navy:
15 plain white onesies $15 $50
5 pants (lowest price) $10 $30
Total $25 $80
Take all that money saved and go buy some diapers, which you can't get used ;-)
Chances are someone will throw you at least one baby shower, use this as an opportunity to register for the bigger stuff that you can't find used, and buy all the cheap baby clothes/blankets yourself. I've had several people ask me what I would "like" them to get me, and I knew my top priorities off the top of my head: Baby carrier, breast pump, stroller, nursing pillow.
My first ever goodwill shopping trip, all for under $10.
I hope that this advice is helpful to you throughout your pregnancy. Pregnancy really is a wonderful and exciting experience, I have loved mine and wouldn't take it back for anything. Feel free to comment if you have any specific questions!
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