14 Weeks

Statistics:
14 Weeks 3 Days
Starting Weight: 135
Current Weight: 144

I'm once again apologizing for not being as on top of this blog as I was with Payslie's. I suppose it's hard to find the time to sit down and write when you've got a 2 year old running around the house.

Nothing too new going on around here. It's beginning to get really hot here in Arizona (no duh, right?). I keep checking the weather forecasts to see if our monsoon (aka thunderstorms) is to arrive soon. Hopefully it will make it's debut soon. I am once again thankful for a winter due date as having an August due date with Brooke was pretty tortuous.

I have really enjoyed an increase in energy the past couple of weeks. I also have had a surge in my appetite. I'm trying to balance that with my new found energy, so I have a weekly goal of getting at least an hour of "real" exercise 4 days a week. It's very tempting for me to eat everything I desire, but as I've explained many times before, I am haunted by the 53 pounds I gained during my first pregnancy. Although both times I have lost all of my baby weight in less than a year, it is difficult to take off and so I'm just trying to make things easier on myself in the long run. Although admittedly, it's really difficult to pass up that extra piece of cake or scoop of ice cream when you know you're gaining weight anyways, haha.

My friend Lindsay and I have been working out together the last two Monday mornings. Her son Gavin is the same age as Payslie and for the most part they play very well together. I say most part because they are 2 and we have to occasionally pause the DVD to break up a fight over a toy. She had a baby approximately 2 1/2 months ago, so she's trying to lose baby weight, and I'm just trying to stay in shape. It honestly feels really good and I'm glad I can keep up most of my normal exercises (I have modified a few as I'm not sure how safe they are for my growing tummy).

I have another appointment with my midwife this Friday. I've been trying to get all of my appointments on the Friday that Cody has off of work (he gets every other Friday off) so he can join me. Praying that once again our little baby looks/sounds good. I haven't felt the baby move yet, but I am really looking forward to that sensation. It's one of the things I enjoy most about pregnancy.

12 Weeks

Statistics:
12 Weeks 4 Days
Starting Weight: 135
Current Weight: 140

I don't know how I've managed to gain 5 lbs considering I've been battling nausea for approximately the last 7 weeks. Thankfully, my body seems to agree with the Baby Center bulletin that the nausea should wear off around 12 weeks. It felt so good to look at the grocery ad, match my coupons, make a list, and actually walk around the grocery store without feeling like I was going to...well...you know...in public. Now if only my 2 year old would have been content to stay in the cart instead of finding a Barney DVD (darn you Safeway display people) and repeatedly whining that she wanted to watch it, I would have had a perfect shopping experience. Haha.

I had another appointment with my midwife last Wednesday. Everything looks good and I think her scale is the first "doctors scale" I've ever liked, primarily because that one says I weigh 1.5 lbs less than my at home. That pretty much never happens, but hey, I'll stick with that. Cody had to work, but Payslie and I got to see our baby on ultrasound. It's amazing to me how at such a young developmental age how much he/she resembles a baby. He/she was kicking around and just having a ball in there.

I'm looking forward to hopefully feeling movement within the next month. I'm trying to remember when I felt movement with my first two. For some reason I think I felt Payslie around 13 or 14 weeks, but I'm not sure. Even though I've been battling nausea and I KNOW there's a baby in there, I just don't think it will feel "real" until I start feeling this little one wiggle around. That's one of my favorite parts about pregnancy, although admittedly it gets quite uncomfortable in the latter part of the third trimester, particularly when the baby is transverse and kicking your pubic bone instead of your ribs.

I always joke about some of the discomforts of pregnancy. Many women do. I also say these things though with a cautious heart, because I remember the period in my life when I would have given anything to feel those uncomfortable movements of my baby instead of the empty arms I was left with (after Brooke). I take it all in, knowing that I am not guaranteed anything and there are a lot of women who would do anything to be in my shoes right now.

I realized over the last couple of weeks that I have incredible peace this pregnancy, a peace I didn't experience during the first two. I had a "feeling" with Brooke that I wasn't going to bring her home. With Payslie, I knew I was going to bring her home, but I was so scarred by Brooke's birth that I was afraid to believe it. Maybe I'm at a different place in my life and my walk with Christ. Perhaps I'm experiencing the "peace of God that transcends all understanding and guards your heart and mind in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:7). All I can say is I have peace.

I have posted 3 new pictures this week. One is of the material I have picked out for the baby's nursery/crib. For those who may not know, my mother in law is an extremely talented quilter and absolutely LOVES having a new reason to make another quilt. She has made quilts for our guest bedroom (soon to be Payslie's new room) and our master bedroom,along with matching curtains, so I'm excited to see how the new nursery bedding will look.

I have also posted a picture of my belly, taken at exactly twelve weeks. Please forgive the sweaty look as I had just returned from taking a walk around the block (hills with a 25lb kid in a stroller...you get the picture). The last picture is of our baby in 4D, with outstretched arms.

Anyways, I will try to get better about posting on this blog. I know I have been a serious slacker.