Warning: this is a long, all-over-the-place post! Read at your own risk!
We are over halfway there, folks! A couple of days ago I was telling my mom that I think once this baby is born, I will miss being pregnant. I enjoy feeling him kicking and moving about inside!
However, this morning, as I write this with bags under my eyes while I battle nausea, I'm thinking I might not miss it too terribly much. I will definitely miss feeling baby move around inside of me, and I'll miss knowing he's safe and happy, and taken care of. But.....no one told me it would be this difficult to sleep while I was pregnant. (And I'm a girl who needs her sleep!)
The following section that takes place
between the asterisks is going to sound like a rant, so feel free to
skip ahead to past the asterisks. I'm trying to document as much as I
can about this pregnancy, so that's what this is about.
*****
I have heard in the past that getting up with a newborn is difficult, but pregnancy prepares you for the lack of sleep. I had always assumed that had something to do with how many times you had to run to the bathroom during the night. But that's not the entirety of it. No one told me that my belly would hurt laying down, and that makes for a miserable night's sleep. If I didn't have neck problems that resulted in terrible migraines, I'd resolve to sleep sitting up because as uncomfortable as that sounds, it sounds like heaven compared to the tossing and turning that I do all night long. I get the best sleep on my back, but my pregnancy books say back-sleeping is a no-no because the weight of the uterus can inhibit nutrients from being properly delivered to the placenta. And we don't want that! Sleeping on my left side is encouraged by all of the books, but do you know how long you can lay on one side without getting achey? Turns out, not that long! And, all of this tiredness leads to unfortunate nausea. Not enough sleep = nauseous momma. However, I am extremely blessed to be carrying this healthy baby boy so I am not trying to complain. I do want to document this stage in life, so that's what I'm trying to do. I'd take the lack of sleep and constant discomfort over not having this baby in the first place, so I will just keep my eye on the prize.
*****
Earlier this week, Carl finally felt baby kicking! It's about time, little guy! Up until this point, baby would kick, kick, kick. I'd see my skin move regularly, with his little kicks and jumps. So, I'd grab Carl's hand and put it on my belly. The very second he touched me, baby stopped kicking. You don't know how many times Carl heard "I promise he was JUST kicking!" But finally, baby kicked and Carl felt him. Carl looked surprised and doubtful, thinking maybe he just imagined it. I assured him it was no mistake, baby kicked me and Carl definitely felt it. More often than not, when I'm sitting still, I feel baby kicking and I can see my stomach jump here and there. One evening this week, I pulled my shirt up and filmed the area he was kicking. Now I have a cute little video of his kicks from the outside! All of my pregnancy material says that "in the coming weeks" I will start to see my skin move a little bit. I've been seeing it move for three weeks so that makes me wonder if this baby is a little big for his age? I can't help but wonder....
(Hey little guy, it's cool you're big and all, but don't get TOO big in there, okay? K thanks! Love, Mommy)
On Sunday, the boys removed the treadmill from our guest room (which is in the process of becoming the nursery) and then moved the baby's dresser (which will also serve as his changing table) upstairs.
The room is tiny (and awkward shaped, with the door frame being on an angle, closets taking up a whole wall, and a cut-out in front of the window (where the air-vent also is...can't block that!)...so we had to do some measuring to make sure the bed and dresser will both fit, (and so the door can still open and close) but it is all in there and it's looking good!
We will be getting baby a crib for that room, but we won't set it up until my mom leaves in August because there just simply won't be room. Actually, after my dad leaves (unfortunately, a couple weeks before my mom does) we might push the bed against the wall and then go ahead and set the crib up. We will purchase it ahead of time because I think I would like to sew the crib skirt...and possibly curtains or a lamp shade to match.
I am still trying to decide on the color and type of crib I want, and the colors of the nursery. I have my eye set on a white crib with a brown rail and brown legs, but I want to be practical and plan on re-using it in the future if (Lord willing) we have another baby. This particular crib will be great for a little boy, but I wonder (if we have a girl in the future), will it be feminine enough? Feminine enough for my tastes, that is? ;) And, because I am such an overthinker, I've already started trying to figure out what I would like to do with the crib once we are done having babies! Will I want to sell the crib? What if I'm too sentimentally attached to it? I could make it into a bench, like these:
(Photo credits and tutorial link: crib bench)
(And I couldn't find the photo credits to this one, so please forgive me for not giving proper credit! Message me if this is your photo and I will gladly link to you!)
And if I did decide to make it into a bench, then I would reconsider the look of the crib so that I would have a pretty crib, AND a pretty bench!
Goodness, y'all, I need to slow my brain down! Good thing I have you fine people to unload all of this to!
One last thing: Yesterday after getting dressed for church, I asked Carl if my shoes matched the colors in my dress. He asked if I could see my feet. I looked down and realized: nope. I sure can't. I told a friend about it and before I told her that I could not see them, she said "Oh honey, you have a while to go before you don't see your feet!" I'm hoping it's just because I'm carrying him out front (and differently than my friend carried her babies)...and I'm not just abnormally large. If I lean forward, I can see my feet just fine. But just looking down, well, I just have to trust that they are still there. ;)
Anyway, I will leave you with a photo of the belly at 23 weeks....
Thanks for listening! I hope you have a wonderful week!
