Ronnie's shirt

Here is Ronnie's shirt that Papa and Nana saw when they arrived yesterday.  They sure were surprised!  It was fun and worth the wait!

The news is out!

My parents came down today to spend Thanksgiving with us, and they found out about the new baby! Ronnie had a shirt on that says "only child" and is crossed out and says "big brother" under it. After they read that, I stood up so they could see my belly. They were so surprised! It was so much fun and worth the wait to tell them in person! I got it all on video too, so we can look back at it anytime! Now I am making this blog public to share with everyone my journey through pregnancy, birth, and babies!

One week to go!!!!!

Thanksgiving is next week, so one week from tomorrow, my parents will be arriving here expecting just to celebrate Thanksgiving with us and spend time with their grandson.  But they will be totally surprised with the news that their 2nd grandbaby is being formed in my womb!  I can't wait for next Wednesday to get here!!!  I just have to get through one more week of phone conversations where I watch what I say so I don't let the big surprise slip out.  I will definitely post about it all here, and then this blog will become public and not private since the news will be out to everyone!

Almost 12 weeks!!

Look at that belly!  LOL!  These were taken last night, I was 11 weeks 5 days.  I'll be 12 weeks tomorrow.  Very exciting to be entering the 2nd trimester!  It makes you breathe a little easier to get through the first 3 months.  We have told several people around here, including people at church, some neighbors and a few friends.  Our families won't know for a couple weeks yet.  We are waiting for Thanksgiving since my parents will be down for a visit, and it will be SO fun to tell them in person this time!  I am very excited!  I know it will be a big surprise for them, and it will be an emotional moment, that is for sure.  So now the main thing is for me to not let it slip the next couple of weeks while I am talking to them on the phone.  I've made it this far, hopefully I can make it just a couple more weeks.

Another reason I am happy to be entering the 2nd trimester is I am ready for the queasiness and fatigue to go away. I don't remember feeling this tired and yucky when I was pregnant with Ronnie.  So I am looking forward to my energy returning,  and to be able to just eat anything again.  It's been rough some days.  So hopefully by Thanksgiving I will feel good, because I am ready for that yummy Thanksgiving Day food!! Mmmmm!!

Ultrasounds, hospitals, homebirth

I forgot to mention in my last post that I would normally not have an ultrasound at all. I am not a big fan of them. Truth is, we really do not know if there are any ill-effects to the baby. No studies have been done, yet for the last 30 years, ultrasounds are on the rise and have become common place for all pregnant women. Just because they are considered "standard care" does not mean they are safe. I never even had one in my first pregnancy. I wasn't planning to this time around either. But since I measured big, and my last cycle was light, it was best for us to be 100% sure of my dates. And here is the main reason why. I went early with Ronnie, I was 36 weeks 2 days. TN state law says that a midwife cannot perform a homebirth before 37 weeks. So I was 5 days short of having my homebirth, and I ended up having to give birth in the hospital instead. It was totally unplanned and we were unprepared. But praise the Lord it all went well, I had no drugs or interventions and was able to have my natural, vaginal birth.

But lets just say that with this pregnancy, I was actually 4 weeks further along than we thought. And I went into labor at 36 weeks and had to birth in the hospital again. And after baby is born, we discover that I was actually 40 weeks and could've stayed home! I really wouldn't want that to happen, so that is why I had the ultrasound this time. Now my midwife and I are both at peace knowing my dates, and I can relax and enjoy the rest of my pregnancy. And pray that this baby stays in for at least 37 weeks so I can birth at home!

9 weeks 3 days

Look at that cute little baby peanut!  I had an ultrasound today to confirm my dates.  I was measuring big at my 6 week midwife visit, and my last cycle was very light.  So we thought it would be best to get my dates confirmed so there would be no doubts.  And I was right on exactly where I thought I was!  The photo directly above shows a side view of baby, the dotted line is where the technician measured baby.  At the bottom of the photo is says baby is 2.58cm and 9 weeks 3 days.  Bingo!!

It was so neat to see the baby move around and to see the heart beating!  I could see his/her little arms and legs, and cute little head.  In the photo at the top you can see the yolk sack at the top right, that is what feeds the baby until the placenta takes over in a few weeks.

So awesome!  What an awesome God we serve!

Feeling, and looking, pregnant!

I will be 7 weeks tomorrow. It is funny how my belly popped out earlier this time. The first time I was pregnant I had a little belly at 6 weeks, and my pants were too snug. This time, my belly popped at 5 weeks and my pants were too snug!

I saw my midwife, Mary Anne last week. It was SO great to see her again! The wonderful thing about seeing a midwife is your prenatal visits are so much longer than at a doctor's office. And I am able to take Ronnie with me! I was with her for 1 1/2 hours! She checked my blood pressure and urine, and drew some blood for my CBC. I declined the HIV and Hep B test, and another one that I can't remember. I am so glad to have the option of declining certain things. Another plus to having a midwife, and homebirth.

I measured a bit larger at this visit, 10cm instead of 6cm. And since my last period was very light, she wondered if I could be further along than I am. She told me to think about having an ultrasound to verify my dates. So I discussed it with Ron and I am going to get one next week when I am 8 weeks along. The biggest fear is that if we go on thinking I am 7 weeks along, when I am really 11 weeks, then if I go into labor at what we think is 36 weeks, I will end up giving birth in the hospital again. When I could've stayed home since I was really 40 weeks along but did not know it. So it just makes sense to find out.

The other possibility "could" be that I am carrying twins! How exciting is that?? I won't get my hopes up though, even though that would be so awesome! I may just be bigger with this baby for whatever reason. So I guess we will find out next week!

6 weeks

This is a lentil bean on my finger, that is about the size of baby this week. Quite a growth change from last week huh? And, baby has a heartbeat now! How amazing! Here is more of what is happening this week from my BabyCenter e-mail:

How your baby's growing: This week's major developments: The nose, mouth, and ears that you'll spend so much time kissing in eight months are beginning to take shape. If you could see into your uterus, you'd find an oversize head and dark spots where your baby's eyes and nostrils are starting to form. His emerging ears are marked by small depressions on the sides of the head, and his arms and legs by protruding buds. His heart is beating about 100 to 160 times a minute — almost twice as fast as yours — and blood is beginning to course through his body. His intestines are developing, and the bud of tissue that will give rise to his lungs has appeared. His pituitary gland is forming, as are the rest of his brain, muscles, and bones. Right now, your baby is a quarter of an inch long, about the size of a lentil bean.

I am just in awe at our Creator! Whenever I read these e-mails, and learn about the fast and incredible development of a baby, I am so humbled by God's workmanship. What an awesome God we serve!

Supplements, teas, and pickles? Oh my!

These are the prenatal vitamins I am taking. The New Chapter brand is the most recommended whole food vitamin out there. I have been taking them for a week now and I have felt really good.

I am also taking Carlson's cod liver oil. A great source for Omega 3's, vitamin's A, D, and E. The lemon flavor is great! There is no fishy taste at all.

I love the Traditional Medicinals teas!! The Pregnancy tea is so yummy! And the others are great too. The Raspberry Leaf is great for the female reproductive system, and the Ginger Aid helps with digestion. I may need that if/when I start to feel nauseous during this first trimester. I also have chamomile tea for that as well.

Ah yes! What pregnant woman is without pickles in the fridge? I craved them last time I was pregnant, and I am craving them now. Weird!!!!! Walmart used to carry some organic ones by Delmonte, but they stopped carrying them about halfway through my last pregnancy. I was so bummed! Most stores do not carry organic, or natural, pickles. Except Whole Foods, and I just don't get over there very often. But I found these natural pickles at Publix. So that made me happy!

5 weeks

This is a sesame seed on my finger. According to the e-mail I got from Babycenter about my pregnancy this week, this is the size of the baby. Wow!! So tiny! And so amazing how fast they grow in such a short amount of time. Our Creator is just so awesome!

My shorts and capri's are already too snug for me! So I pulled out some of my maternity clothes last night. I had forgotten what some of my clothes look like, so it felt like I was pulling out a whole new wardrobe! Maternity clothes are just so cute and fun! Not the big potato sack type clothes they used to wear in the 80's and 90's! LOL!

Since it seemed near impossible last time to find any maternity jeans long enough to fit me, I am going to have a lady sew a panel on a pair of my 37" inseam jeans from the Buckle. I love my Buckles jeans, they are the best fitting jeans I have ever had. So rather than frustrate myself trying to find maternity jeans again, I will just take my favorites and have them converted. I'll have her do one pair first to see how I like it. And if it works well, I'll have her do the other two as well. It will be worth it to have jeans to fit me throughout the fall and winter during this pregnancy. I'll post about it after I get them done.

The test results are in!!

Here was the first test I took on Sept 16th, a faint positive! Look closely the 2nd line is there!

One week later......oh yea! Definitely pregnant!! Baby #2 due in May 2009!!