Week 19: What a Fun Week!

Size of Baby: Mango (6 inches long, 8.5 oz)
What's that Babe up to: working on himher's 5 senses, developing protective skin layer, and growing hair?
Symptoms: random crying (for no reason at all!), heartburn in the evenings
Food Cravings: whatever someone mentions.
Food Aversions: none, i'll take it all- including those leftover fries my co-worker, Ashley, keeps throwing away.
Weight: 161... hit a new milestone this week!
Weight gain so far: 13 lb. give or take a couple pounds depending on the day and time
Maternity Clothes: when I can! They way more comfy and long. Thanks to my awesome sister-in-law for passing the goods to me. (and my sister)
Stretch Marks: not on my belly...
Sleep: good. I don't wake up for the bathroom until 6-6:30 in the morning, and we get up at 6:45. so... Also- I asked my Dr if I could sleep on my back and she said YES! score.
Best moment this week: It was a great week, but the BEST part: my niece Greta hanging out with me all weekend
Miss Anything: knowing why I'm crying.
Movement: just a tiny little bit. I told himher last night that I like when heshe moves and heshe should do it more obviously. (heshe was moving last night while I was bawling my eyes out for no reason)
Belly Button: In, but getting flatter... I can see it all!
Wedding Rings: still fit
Looking Forward To: my massage on Tuesday and being at the halfway point of meeting my baby!

Journal:
       So really, this past week has been a really great week. So many times I thought, "I can't wait to blog this week, I have so many fun things to journal." So let me get started here....

First off, I didn't work last week, except for Monday. So Tuesday through Thursday I enjoyed my time at home getting rooms cleaned out, projects worked on, and feeling like a Stay At Home Mom while the kids are at school all day long. Since I brought that up, let me diverge into that topic.

Andrew and I were at church last Sunday and our pastor had mentioned to a small group of us that our vocations should be our calling in life and that it should be a mission field, etc, etc. I mouthed to Andrew across the room: "MOM" and he mouthed back "FARM." Andrew and I talk often about what our heart's desires are and our dream jobs. All my life there is only one job that I've always wanted and never changed my mind on. It's what I long to do. It's being a mom. More specifically, a stay-at-home mom. God has blessed me as I'm on my way to becoming what I've always wanted to be, and I could not be more grateful and excited!!! I won't get to be a stay-at-home mom for a couple more years, though, since being a dental hygienist is too beneficial to our financial department! I do enjoy what I do now, but I know it's not what I was made to do, even though I try my best at it and think I do a pretty good job, trying to please my Lord. And I plan on continuing my job even as I'm a stay-at-home mom in the future, because again, let's be honest- every mom needs to get out and see some adults every so often!

photo credit: erikamarie photography

photo credit: erikamarie photography

Back to my great week- Friday morning Lowen came over as usual and we hung out until about noon when we scampered to the car to go pick up my niece, Greta, who came to visit us from 5 hours away!!! We were so excited!!! :) We got a Happy Meal for lunch and played together for a couple hours before erikamarie photography came over to shoot some 4 year photos for Greta! Let me just tell you that I'm so amazed by 2 things: my niece's beauty as a 4 year old and my friend's God-gifted ability to take beautiful pictures. Saturday we babysat Erika's adorable little boy and Greta and I had fun tag-teaming that fun! She's such a great helper. I already knew this from when my sister had her second adorable girl and

photo credit: erikamarie photography

 I've since decided that I would like to have Greta around for when my baby is here. Which, reminder: is in 21 weeks.. or so. We enjoyed having a picnic in the living room, making colorful cupcakes, and enjoying fall snacks with friends. Sunday we went to church and Greta went to Sunday School all by herself because she's a big girl. We went to our favorite lunch spot: Casa Vieja. yum. I'll take this moment to point out that no matter how much you love your kid (or your sister's kid) no one is perfect. Our biggest only struggle with Greta this weekend was getting her to eat! Except for our picnic- that was easy, and the Happy Meal was too, oh and the donut for breakfast. :)

enjoying quad rides with Uncle Andrew!

Our colorful cupcakes!

Sunday is also the day that I fell down the stairs. We have really steep, carpeted stairs, and I can't believe I haven't fallen down them more since we moved here. And I'm really not looking forward to those stairs when I am 30-40 weeks pregnant!!! Anyway, Andrew was outside relaxing in the hammock and Greta was finishing up in the bathroom and I was coming down the stairs in my WAY slippery moccasins while trying to adjust the strap on a sandal.  Second step from the top I started sliding- I threw my hands up in the air trying to catch the ledge and instead caught the jumbo frame sitting there and all three of us (sandal, frame, me) went sliding the WHOLE WAY DOWN. Actually I think I stopped at about the 2nd to last step. It happened so fast, but felt like a really long fall. I got to the floor and laid there moaning and groaning and Greta came running out to me and so sweetly asked what I did. I told her and she started talking to me for like 5 minutes about how to not fall down the stairs. "you should be more careful on the stairs" "why didn't you put your hands out to catch yourself" "you should have a railing on your stairs" was some of the advice I remember. I like the railing idea for that dreaded 30-40 week preggo part I mentioned earlier... we might have to talk to the landlord about that!

After taking Greta back to her ride home's house I thought about how much I hope for a girl like her so we can have fun like I do with her. But then I realized it won't be the same. For so many reasons, of course. So then I decided: If I have all boys (my nightmare, Andrew's dream) I will be consoled by weekends like this past one when Greta and I can hang out together and do girly things like play with dolls and barbies and picnics and toe-painting and someday spa days, shopping, chick flicks. .... off to dreamland....

I had another Dr appointment on Tuesday and got to hear the darling little rapid heartbeat. It was wonderful. I also think my Dr measured by belly. She did not mention a word about it, but I'm pretty sure that's what she was doing. Anyway- I know my BP was really high again but they didn't talk to me about that either. I also only ate a cupcake and hot chocolate before the appointment so hopefully my sugar levels were ok! haha! Anyway- I thought we were going to be able to schedule my ultrasound for the next week- Oct 1st, but she said a week and a half- but with my schedule that means 2 weeks. SO I will talk more about our decision on finding out the sex of the baby next week!

I know this is getting long, bear with me, funny stories ahead:

Yesterday at work was exhausting and generally unfun. I got home from work and Andrew was already gone for the evening, helping his dad on his truck. I knew he would be gone when I got home and I figured he'd be gone most of the night. I was ok with it, of course, I didn't have to make supper. But after the long unfun day I grabbed some cheese and crackers, my ipad, and the tv remote. I fell asleep a couple times, moped around the house a couple times, loaded and unloaded the dishwasher twice, and moped on the couch some more. Andrew got home around 10ish and we chitchatted for just a few minutes and then he asked how my day was. I instantly started bawling and... never.... stopped. Finally I sat up and said I was going to bed. Went to bed, laid there for an hour, all the while still crying until I eventually fell asleep. The whole time there was NOTHING I was crying about. My day wasn't so bad to warrant tears, and sometimes when I'm already crying I'll just think of something sad, like my family being so far away, and that will give me a reason for the tears. Last night, I thought of that and it didn't really make me sadder. I was just so upset that I was crying that it made me cry more. Dumb Progesterone.

Finally- my last snippet: I will give a warning: Remember at the beginning of this pregnancy blog when I said things that made people say "she kinda says it all!" This will be one of those times when half of you will think I've said too much. You've been warned. But I'm so excited...

This week. I had diarrhea.
I wish that's all I could say because that would be funny, but I have to tell you more. I have been basically constipated with impassable stool for like 4 months - and suffered all the horrible things that go with being constipated. And this week that has all changed with not external help. As in, I didn't start taking stool softener, my diet didn't change, nothing. And I love it. I dreamed of a loose stool and it came true.

That's all, my friends! Hope you have a great week with normal bowel movements!

-brittany.