Not the best quality, but you get the idea. = )So, I am now 3/4 of the way through this pregnancy!! Can you believe it? I cannot. It has gone by sooo fast, and sooooooo much faster than the first one. When life gets busier, time flies by faster I guess, and Ari definitely keeps me busy. = )
Things are going very well in general. I am gaining weight at a good rate; not too much, not too little. I also passed my glucose test a few weeks back, so I'm processing sugars correctly which is a big hurrah! Baby Boy #2 is measuring right on target for how far along I am as well and has a very strong heartbeat. All seems to be well with him!
I have been having some not so fun symptoms though lately; some pregnancy related and some not. My Braxton Hicks contractions have been a lot stronger with this pregnancy. I actually went in for an unscheduled visit a couple weeks ago, because they got so bad while on a walk with Drew and Ari that I had to sit down on the curb a couple times to rest, hoping that they would stop... which they didn't. I ended up being prescribed to take a chill pill and relax for 24 hrs, and that ended up helping them to return to their "normal" strong state. It was a little bit scary though; I feared that I was going into labor for a day or so! This baby is definitely not ready for that, so praise God that I didn't. = )
In addition to the intense false contractions, I am going into my 3rd week of some sort of virus working its way through my system. It started with a few days of migraine headaches, continued on to clogging my sinuses, progressed into my lungs and is now *hopefully* working its way out of both of those. In the meantime, I have been still having migraines and have finally been prescribed something for them. They are very intense, including a general loss of appetite (but thankfully not nausea) as well as light and pressure sensitivity. It is a big bummer to be sick on top of being pregnant. I got to experience it with my first pregnancy as well, and was hoping to escape it this time around.
Finally, I have not been sleeping well. I'm getting increasingly uncomfortable with my third trimester (which is to be expected) but this sickness has been making it even worse. In addition, Baby Boy #2 is an INTENSE mover. And when does he like moving the most?... for several hours after I lie down to sleep at night. I am sooo glad he's alive and well in there, but I sure wish he would reserve all his motion for the daytime. But alas...
Alright, enough of the physiological updates. = ) Life has really been fun lately aside from all the previously mentioned drama.
Ari is a BLAST. He is SUCH a fun little boy. He really has a hoot of a personality. He continues to be interested in learning the name of every object around and is getting better and better at mimicking the sound of them as we say them. His current favorite words are "off", Boo-Boos (Abita, our dog) Arch (Archie, our dog) Chester (my parents' dog) and "dump truck"... or really "truck" of any kind. He LOVES trucks, especially his riding dump truck toy and a hand-me-down blanket with a dump truck on it; it's pretty cute how much he loves them. In addition, he has learned another sign: "music". Ari LOVES music, and requests it ALL the time. He loves dancing to it, he loves hearing people sing and even comes up with little melodies himself as he's sitting in his car seat sometimes. He is a very musical little boy. = )
Listening to music with Daddy. = )
Ari and I have been getting out to TONS of play dates, especially since I joined some of Meetup.com's St. Paul moms groups. We have really been enjoying getting out to so many new parks, beaches and splash pads, and meeting lots of new people. I like that Ari is getting more of an opportunity to interact with kids his age and having to learn to share some before Baby #2 comes. Ari especially loves the water play dates. I mean, he LOVES water. Baths, pools, beaches... any way he can get it, he will take it! I'm super thankful for that because I also love water. = )
I have been intentionally keeping my schedule pretty full to keep time flying by, and my mind off of how uncomfortable pregnancy is. I like the experience of conquering labor and delivery, and having a new baby.. but I do NOT enjoy BEING pregnant. In addition to play dates with Meetup groups and family/friends, I have been attending a weekly Beth Moore bible study at church and continuing to sing at church, though only once-a-month or so. Drew and I have also started attending a small group again after a nice long break. Due to all the busyness, time really has been flying by at an amazing rate. I am hoping that I will enjoy the transition to a slower lifestyle once the baby arrives after having my fill this summer. = )
Oh! Did I mention in my last post that we have settled on a name?!! Yes, with much deliberation, we believe we have a name. We will not be revealing it until we see the boy face-to-face, but what a RELIEF to not have that stress. = )
Let's see... what else?...
Oh! Drew and I are planning on going on an overnight away from Ari for the first time EVER, coming up next month! I think the plan is to do a day spa thing on a Sat, spend the night at a hotel that night, and just overall enjoy a relaxing time eating fun food and each others company. We really wanted to fit one in before Baby Boy #2 arrives and we are cutting it CLOSE! I have actually been having a feeling lately that I will have this baby early as well (Ari was 10 days early). Who knows if that will actually happen, but hopefully and God willing, I won't have this baby before we get our night away- you can say a prayer for me about that. = )
Well, I think that's all I can come up with at this moment. In the bible study I'm attending, we're learning a lot of cool stuff, but particularly to "step up" in our dependence on God. I will leave you with a couple cool quotes that have resonated with me in the midst of my discomfort and illness, and I promise to try and update this blog again before I have the baby. = D
"If our trust is in manifestations of God's favor rather than God Himself, we will crumble like dry clay when He calls us to walk a distance of our journeys entirely by faith and not by sight."
"God never promised to remove us from human experience, but for those of us who call Jesus Savior, the only difficulty we'll ever experience will be right here [on earth]."
-Beth Moore: "Stepping Up: a Journey through the Psalms of Ascent"
Till next time, may God bless you all! = D
