The Bump is Growing

I had a doctor appointment a few days ago to just check and see how Tadpole and I are doing before we leave for Cali on Thursday. And to get a copy of my medical file to travel with since it’s strongly suggested that you do so when pregnant in case anything happens while you’re out of town. The chances of that happening are really low, but I’d rather be over prepared than not prepared at all. And for those of you wondering, we’ll be traveling when I’m 28 weeks pregnant, and the cut off for flight travel is week 36.

This was my last appointment with Doc. T for now, and the rest of my appointments will be with Doc. S unless I need to get in to see a doctor asap, and Doc S isn’t available or something. I have a doctor appointment with Doc. S the day after we get back to WA. That’s when I should find out if there are any tests he wants me to do for the third trimester or not.

My highlight of the week was the random adventure Andrew and I went on Saturday. We took a day trip up north to Deception Pass State Park. We basically did a big loop for our trip, starting by getting on the ferry from Mukilteo to Whidbey Island, and then driving north on 20 to Deception Pass, went across the Deception Pass bridge to Fidalgo Island, and then connected to I-5 south and headed home. 

Andrew's first WA ferry ride

Goodbye Mukilteo and hello Whidbey Island!

Showing off the Tadpole bump.

We had a fun time walking around the beach at Deception Pass State Park, and walking through the forest a bit. It was really foggy, but it didn’t rain while we were out of the car, so that was nice. And the tide was only just coming in, so there were lots of little creatures to look at on the rocks and in a few tide pools. I was sad I couldn’t climb on the rocks as much as I normally do, due to my pregger belly. You just can’t bend like you used to when pregnant. Plus, I didn’t want to risk slipping and falling while pregnant. 

Deception Pass State Park, west beach

Being silly for the camera.

On our way home we stopped and had a delicious dinner at Macaroni Grill (one of my favorite places to eat). It was so gosh darn good! And we also stopped by my sister’s house to pick up a blanket my aunt made for Tadpole. Isn’t it adorable? Thank you so much, Aunt Karen for making this blanket for Tadpole! And thank you Uncle David for helping pick out the design. We think she will really enjoy the blanket once she’s born. 

The front of the blanket

The back of the blanket. I was very excited there are tigers on it.

And now for January’s baby bump picture! As you can see, the bump is growing. ^_^ We’re at week 27 now and will be entering week 28 on Wednesday. 

Hoshi always seems to want to be in the monthly picture. She just wants to make sure none of you forget about her  while we all wait for Tadpole to be born.

Randomness

I’m trying to be good at update at least once a week. Since it’s been a week since my last update I figure I am due for a new one. But I can’t think of anything to focus on so I’m just going to list off random happenings and thoughts.

• It’s hard to get to and from your car when both cars next to you park on the line and you’re pregnant and cannot suck in your tummy. So next time you park on the line and decide not to re-park, remember that you could have just blocked a pregnant woman from her car.

• We were blessed with a kind gift from a friend who recently traveled to Thailand. He brought us back a bag that can be used as a baby bag. It’s mostly pink and blue and has elephants on it. Super cute. And super soft since it’s made of Thai silk. Thank BJ!!!

• Whoohoo!! 10 days until we’re in Cali!!! I can’t wait to see my mom and in-laws again. Not to mention my friends and pets. 

• I love when my husband reads the bible to me and we have prayer time. It’s even extra special when lil Tadpole starts being active because she is responding to Andrew’s voice. Last night during our lil prayer time, our whole family was involved! Andrew and I were holding hands, Tadpole was kicking, and Hoshi came and cuddled up with us and rested her front paws on our hands. I couldn’t help but smile. ^_^

• Most of you know I had stomach issues before becoming pregnant. Being pregnant has just made my stomach that much more sensitive. I have dealt with a stomach ache to some degree every day this past week. Thank God I haven’t felt nauseated or anything close to what I felt when I had morning sickness!

• I am always happy and delighted to watch my belly jiggle due to Tadpole’s activity. However, I can only really watch her during the day. This means I am happy for her healthy activity at night, but I’d prefer her to perform during the day so we can both sleep and I can actually see her little motions when I’m not trying to snooze. 

• Hoshi was kicked in the face a few days ago. She was taking a nap curled up around my baby bump. After about 20 minutes or so, Tadpole decided to start to move around. I warned Hoshi she might get kicked, since Tadpole always seems to aim for where pressure is coming from the outside, and seems to love to abuse Hoshi… But Hoshi just nuzzled down more. Then she was kicked right in the nose! Hoshi looked up at me glaring as if I was the one who did something. I don’t think she’ll full understand it wasn’t me until Tadpole is outside the womb. I am hoping they will be friends once they meet face-to-face.

• Whenever Andrew and I go to the Goodwill, we always seem to leave with at least one kid’s book. This time we bought I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, and also Richard Scarry’s Best Storybook Ever.

100

Today marks our One Hundred day countdown marker to Tadpole’s due date! We’ve already made it through 180 days so far, and we’re approaching the third trimester!

I’ve decided to make two lists for you: Struggles thus far, and Joys and Blessings thus far. I want to end on a happy note, so I’m going to start with the struggles.

Struggles:

• Morning sickness for just over 3 months
• Two colds
• Overactive thyroid
• Sleepless nights
• Worries about where we’ll be living once Tadpole arrives (our lease is up a month after her due date)
• Worries on how we can afford and fit what Tadpole needs into an apartment home
• Wanting to nest so much more than I have, but not being able to since we’ll probably be moving after Tadpole arrives.
• Constant change in my body shape
• The roller coaster of a pregnant woman’s emotions that aren’t always explainable

Joys and Blessings:

• Knowing that one of God’s unique creations is growing inside me
• All the love and support Andrew has given me, especially on my high emotion days
• Tadpole’s desire to let me know she’s there by dancing every day (though sometimes it makes it so I can’t sleep…)
• Tadpole’s strong kicks that help to prove her healthiness
• All the support we got from people when I had morning sickness and couldn’t prepare food at home
• Being blessed by friends by unexpected gifts of baby gear and maternity clothes
• My baby bump that is now clearly a baby bump and not extra pounds
• The fact that I’m going to be a mom!
• God using the blessing of Tadpole to grow Andrew and me closer together
• All the support, encouragement, prayers, etc. that our family and friends give us
• How Hoshi “watches over me” when Andrew’s not home
• The ways God has already used Tadpole to grow me spiritually
• That our OBGYN delivers at NW Hospital, a mere 5 minute walk away
• For all the ways God is preparing Andrew and me to be parents in a few months
• The fact that our family is growing

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg! I am so excited that we get to meet our little Tadpole in roughly 100 days. I don’t think I could ever express how blessed I feel for her being our precious little gift from God, or for everything God is doing in my life and in Andrew’s.

Though I want to meet her now, to know Tadpole face-to-face, I know the wait will be well worth it. 

A picture of us after our first ultrasound

A picture of little Tadpole after our second ultrasound

Dear little Tadpole, we love you so much already and cannot wait to have you in our arms. We rejoice in the fact that God has blessed us with you, and look forward to snuggling you in person, watching you grow, teaching you about God our creator, and learning everything we can about you. I love you, my daughter!

Birthing Class #2 and a Shout Out!

Our second and final birthing class was yesterday. We yet again covered a LOT in just four hours. Yesterday’s topics were: Precipitous labor (fast labor), premature labor, how to make a birthing plan, how to use BRAIN (thinking of the Benefits, Risks, Alternatives, Intuition, and what doing Nothing would do) to make an informed choice/decision, induction, augmentation (long labor), labor pain (and remembering that labors PAIN is Purposeful, Anticipated, Intermittent, and Normal), different types of pain meds, how an epidural is used and what it does, 2^nd stage interventions (episiotomy, vacuum and forceps), the procedure for a cesarean, what happens in postpartum (after birth), and the basics of feeding your new born.

I think anyone would agree that list is a LOT to cover in 4 hours. What was nice is the class didn’t feel rushed. Our instructor, Joy, made everything flow together really well. Though it was a lot of lecturing. But I’m used to lectures having to do with children. We did watch a video that followed a woman’s labor and her child’s birth via a c-section. And we got to look at a lot of the medical tools that can be used in case you opt to have an epidural or you’re in the second stage of labor (pushing) and need innovations. I think most people were surprised at how big the forceps were. Someone mentioned that they looked like huge salad tongs. I hope Tadpole doesn’t need help coming out when she enters the world! And if she does, and forceps need to be used, I hope they warm them up!

Overall though I think the class was well worth is. I would have liked having more practice time for coping methods having to do with breathing, but Andrew and I can talk about it and practice those at home. Now I just need to finish reading the text we got from the class. I’ve already read a fair amount of it, but I’ve also started reading other child development books to brush up on my knowledge. Makes me miss being in school…

Dear Humboldtian friends, I miss you all!!!

My Child Development grad class. Funny thing is three of us in this picture are pregnant right now.

Graduating friends (We knew each other from Campus Crusade for Christ)

On the Trinidad Head Trail loop

Hanging out at Trinidad Beach

Halloween 2008 Ladies Costume Party!!!

Hanging out and being us

The "after party" from my goodbye party. Don't worry, the bottles are Martinelli's cider

Some of my Humboldt friends at our wedding

Short and Quick

I had a doctor appointment yesterday. It was short and quick because everything is going well. ^_^ I feel good, look good, and my weight is still right where it should be. Since Doc T is a family practitioner, and hasn’t had a pregnant patient in a while, he doesn’t have a Doppler, but he does have a special stethoscope that picks up more than the normal ones do. That’s how he checked Tadpole’s lil heart rate, which was 158bpm yesterday. Doc T got an ear full when Tadpole kicked where the stethoscope was. It made him have to pull back fast since it echoed so loud in his ears. Same thing happened to the nurse (she had never hear a baby’s heartbeat in the womb before, so he asked if she could listen and I said sure) when she had a listen too.

I did have to have a bit of blood drawn again, but not for anything abnormal. I also scheduled an appointment for two weeks from now so Doc T can see me before Andrew and I travel to Cali. We want to make sure everything is still going well, and get a copy of my medical file to take with us in case anything happens during our trip.

After all the doctor fun I went to my childhood friend’s house. I’ve known Sarah since I was a little tyke; we grew up going to the same church, and then both ended up in the Seattle area. She’s moving down to sunny California (I’m jealous she’ll be getting more sun…) soon and I went over to help her pack as much as a pregnant woman can. She graciously blessed our little family with not only the crib I mentioned a while back, but also gave me some maternity clothes, some baby clothes, a changing pad, and two puzzles. Thank you so, so, so, so much, Sarah! I don’t think I’ll have to go maternity shirt shopping again!

Here's a quote from Andrew when looking at one of the puzzles. He was explaining what each animal was in a rather, umm…. interesting way. This was my favorite:

“Lambs are tasty too, and like Jesus!”

Hehehe that can be taken in so many different ways! I couldn’t stop laughing after he said that.^_^

We're partly through week 25 now!

Birthing Class # 1 and Tadpole's New Move

Last Saturday was our first birthing class. We signed up for a two 4 hour Saturday class through NW Hospital with Parent Trust of Washington Children. The official class title is “Great Starts Labor & Birth Course.” Andrew and I both agree that it was an information-packed four hour class! Nice thing is there was a short break ever hour since half the class is pregnant women, and well we seem to always want to munch on something and take pee breaks.

We covered a lot of topics in the 4 hour period. We discussed the stages of labor (early labor, active labor, transition, pushing and placenta), the three Rs of coping (relaxation, rhythm and ritual), coping strategies, ways your husband (or support person) can help and support you, and even practiced breathing for coping through contractions and pushing.

We watched a birthing video too. Though I have to say I personal think the choice of the video downplayed what labor and delivery can be like. I’ve seen a lot of birthing videos in my Child Development classes in college (vaginal births, c-sections, water births, cord complications, and more), not to mention I have read many anecdotes and heard friends and family’s stories, and the video we watched on Saturday made everything look so easy and short. Now, sure, there are lots of different variations for labor and birth. Some are easy and short. Others take a lot more energy and time. Who knows how Tadpole is going to enter the world, except for God.

The class had a lot of nice visuals, and we even got a book that Andrew and I think is pretty gosh darn good. It’s Pregnancy Childbirth and the Newborn: The Complete Guide (4^th edition) by Penny Simkin, Janet Whalley, Ann Keppler, Janelle Durham and April Bolding. It seems to cover a lot of information in an easy comprehensive way. I’ve actually already read about a fourth of it and it’s about 450 pages long. It has some nice illustrations to help explain a few things too. Andrew found it very informative as well.

 Our second and last class is this Saturday. We’ll see how that one goes!

On a different note! Tadpole sure has been active this week! I knew babies could kick/punch/elbow/knee/etc. hard, but dang does our little girl pack-a-punch! Sometimes I feel like I’m a punching bag and she’s in the middle of some sort of aerobics class. Andrew had his hand on our baby bump this morning, having some “baby time” as we call it, and Tadpole started going at it. She usually does when I first get up in the morning. Anyway! She kicked pretty hard and at first Andrew thought it was me breathing or changing positions or something, and asked to make sure. I told him “Nope that was her. That was a medium strength kick.” He then understood why I’d been saying that I feel like a punching bag, and told our little girl not to hurt me.

We’re very happy she’s strong and kicking. It’s a good sign that she’s healthy. A funny new move she does every once in a while is what I have deemed “superhero flight.” You know how superheroes are depicted as flying with one arm stretched out, the other close to their body? And one leg stretched out, and the other knee bent?

Like this

Well, that’s what her new move feels like. I have been getting hit at the top and lower part of my uterus simultaneously. She’s either practicing some sort of karate move, or is working on her superhero stance. Maybe we should buy her an infant superhero outfit... ^_~

Baby Registry

Some people have been asking, and now it’s complete! Our baby registry lists! Yesterday Andrew and I went to Babies R Us with my sister, Heidi. We had a lot of fun going around the store looking at all the different baby things and deciding what to register for. They give you a registry check list when you get there and sign-up at the store, but we didn’t even bother looking at it. We figured with my background and my sister’s background in child development, plus the fact that my sister has 3 children who are past their elementary years, we could handle it.

I’ve looked at the check list since, and I have to say I laughed at it. You totally don’t NEED most of the stuff on the list. Well, to tell the truth I’m sure we don’t NEED everything we registered for, but it would be nice to have…

ANYWAY!!! If you’d like to check out our two registries here’s a couple links. Or, for some of my friends who are also preggers right now and are looking for ideas to add to their registry (I totally looked at my sister-in-laws, and a few of my good friends), feel free. 

Our Babies R Us registry list 

Our Amazon registry list 

 There you have it for all you curious people. ^_~

Score!!!

This weekend we went shopping for maternity shirts, since my baby bump is getting bigger and well, clothes don’t grow. We shopped for half the day on Saturday and only found one shirt that fits me that I like. Turns out there aren’t a lot of small sized maternity shirts in our area… On Sunday we randomly stopped by a Goodwill store, since they were having a big sale, to see if they had anything that might work. To our surprise we discovered that the Goodwill in Fremont actually has a maternity section. We hadn’t seen a maternity section in the Goodwills and Value Villages we’ve been in before. Sure the section was small, but we did find another shirt that fits me that I like. We only had to pay $4.00 for it too. 

We also couldn’t resist buying three baby girl outfits as well, especially since they were only .99¢ each. And we found the children’s book Dean’s A Book of Fairy Tales (illustrated by Janet and Anne Grahame Johnstone, and published in 1977) with no marks inside, and only a small light crayon mark on the front. We only had to pay .80¢ for it! You can get it on eBay for about $50, and on Amazon.com for about $70. I think we found ourselves a great deal! And I love the art in the book.

To add a strawberry on top of all this (I don’t like cherries), yesterday we received a package in the mail from a seller on Etsy, the online shopping site where you can sell your handmade crafts. I was surfing the site looking at baby things and found the cutest hat, headband, and hair clip set that matches one of the outfits my cousin gave us for Tadpole. I showed the picture to Andrew and brought out the outfit it would go with and he agreed to buy it for Tadpole. ^_^ Isn’t it cute? The hair clip is like the blue flower on the headband, but it’s pink. 

Made and sold by Crochethatsbyjoyce

If you’re curious about Esty, you can check out their main site, or check out some of the seller’s shops of people I know:

My sister-in-law, Beth, sells jewelry she’s made. She’s taking a break right now from her shop since she just had a baby girl this last November.

My friend, Cindy, sells her original art.

Cindy’s sister-in-law sells baby quilts and bedding for cribs that she has created.

My friend, Stacey, sells baby quilts she’s fashioned.

And if there is anyone I forgot who has an Etsy store, or I didn’t know you have an Etsy store, let me know!

Also!!! Today is Andrew and my 6 month anniversary! Yay! <3 It's so exciting that we've been married for a 6 months. A year ago yesterday is when he asked for my hand in marriage. And in about four more months, we'll meet our little Tadpole!!! God is so good. ^_^

Photo by Cindy (same friend with the Etsy site)

Photo by ChristanP Photography

Photo by DinCoo Photos