Yes I know it doesn't look like much. But I have already gained almost 25 pounds, I swear! The doctor says I'm growing fine. No one else seems to think so though, after I tell people at work how far along I am I hear "wow you are small for being that far along". And when I went to the airport Friday to pick Jeff up, some random man said "oh let me guess, 4 months?" Haha, no more like 6 months! Thankfully even though my belly looks pretty small for now, it seems to be where all the weight has gone, for now. Jeff, being the wonderful husband that he is, always reassures me that I don't look pregnant at all in the face or really anywhere other than my belly. I'm not sure if that is completely true or not, but I go with it :-)When I began, my waist was around 26 inches. Now I am up to 37 inches! My belly button is still an innie, although it has gotten quite a bit shallower. Maybe, just maybe it won't pop out! We shall see. I get kicked from way down low (yep it even kicks my bladder some times, that's fun) all the way up to under my right rib. Not under my left rib though. I think either I'm crooked, or the baby likes to stay in pretty much the same position all the time! Most often I get kicked in the low left, right above my hip bone, and on my upper right by my rib. That seems pretty weird to me, but I guess it likes it there! I *think* the baby is already head-down because the lower left movement feels awfully like a little elbow jabbing me. I lay my hand there when it is active and I can feel this body part moving across my hand. Pretty weird but amazing at the same time!
I always thought it would feel like having an alien living inside my body, but being pregnant isn't nearly as creepy as I thought it would be. That is our little baby in there! It is just too cool. It is most active in the mornings when I am still laying in bed, is fairly active in the mid to late morning, seems to nap a lot in the afternoons, then gets more active at night (I'm getting little kicks right now actually). And today when I was working on my laptop, I actually saw my stomach just jumping around for several seconds! I don't know what it was doing in there, I think maybe gymnastics. It was pretty crazy. I'm going to try to get it on video sometime to post on here.
I haven't had as much ligament pain lately, thank goodness! I just get little pinches if I move the wrong way. I started seeing a chiropractor a few weeks ago as well, because I just couldn't handle the back pain, and it is helping quite a bit already. I have seen a lot of improvement with my neck pain, which used to be so bad that I got bad headaches several times a week and had to use a heating pad to make it go away. I haven't had a single headache since I started going! I haven't had as much success with my low back / sciatic pain though, which I hear is normal because that is more of a soft tissue swelling problem rather than a bone problem. At least I know it will go away soon :-) I haven't developed any stretch marks yet! Although the old ones I have on my hips have gotten worse, but hey, they were there before so no big deal. And I only rub on lotion maybe once every other week, the pregnancy lotions they sell are such a scam. It is all genetics!
So we haven't really done much in the nursery yet, here is a picture of all of our baby goodies hanging out on the nursery floor:
We are going to start cracking down on it more when Jeff gets back from his next round of training, which will be after the shower as well. We have gotten some things accomplished though. Today we picked up the crib that my O'Ma and O'Pa (mom's parents) bought for us as well as the mattress the my mom and dad bought. The crib is going to be so beautiful, I can't wait to set it up! And the mattress looks really nice and comfy for the baby, heck I might want to take a nap on it myself. Also, last week the travel system (stroller, infant car seat and carrier all in one) we ordered from the military store arrived. It is so awesome! I can't wait to use it. It is a Chicco which is a really good and highly rated and SAFE brand, and the green and brown looks much nicer in person than it did online. And of course this is the set that I mentioned in an earlier post that I was able to get at about $80 off! Yesterday I put it together all my myself too :-) it was a little frustrating some times, but I got it. Here are some pictures:The stroller with the carrier attached and both sun shades closed.
The stroller with the carrier in it with the sun shades open.
The stroller without the infant carrier so it can continue to be used once the baby outgrows the carrier.
The infant carrier, which is also the car seat. The carrier snaps into a base that stays buckled into the car, and it releases with just the touch of a button. And the straps can be adjusted with just the push of one button in the front as well!
We have both been really really busy with work lately, so we probably haven't kept in touch with everyone as well as we should have, I'm sorry! But it paid off for me - I found out Friday that I got another raise! I'm going to catch up to Jeff within a few years, can't wait for that day. We are both so thankful to have the wonderful jobs we do and to be in the safe financial position we are in. Although we both work very hard and long hours and we get stressed out, and of course Jeff gets deployed, we both are so thankful for what we have and for the opportunities we will have in the future, and for the stability these jobs brings for us and our little family. I couldn't even imagine leaving my job right now to be a stay at home mom, because I couldn't imagine how hard that would be on our family to lose my income. For me, that would be a selfish decision that would hurt my family more than help it. I'm sure my baby will understand and it will be for the best of our family. I just worry about how to handle family and work, especially when Jeff deploys next. I guess that is just another challenge to cross when we get to it. I have faith that we will be able to make it through that.
Well I think that is enough rambling from me for now :-) It is time for this little family to go to bed, so I can lay in bed watching tv and enjoy being kicked in the bladder and ribs before getting some much needed sleep!
