Fun at Tyson's

We were able to visit one of our best friends yesterday. I completely forgot to pull the camera out while Jaxson was there playing with the kids, but did get pictures of Tyson and the girls.

Feeding the fishies.

Remember how scared Ella was of this lion?  This time she couldn't wait to see the lion and climb all over it.  Amazing what a change in three months!

The kiddos played a game of soccer.  Arin was the ball hog *ahem*

Arin helped Ty's grandma plant flowers.

Snacktime!

Group photo ~ this is ALWAYS the biggest challenge!

Thanks Lynn & Tyson for a fun playdate!

Tractor Rides at Papa's House

Future Mechanics

Arin and Ella loved helping their daddy change the car battery this afternoon.

Pregnancy Journal: Week 8

It's week eight and I feel great!  Last week, I spent Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday on bedrest.  It was rather boring and even a bit difficult to do, but also very necessary.  The girls LOVED the extra tv time and laying in bed reading books with mama!  Andrew took Thursday off from work to make sure that I stayed off my feet.  He took excellent care of us.  He waited on me hand and foot.  He fed us, cleaned the kitchen, cared for and played with the girls, grocery shopped, etc.  Friday afternoon, I was released from bedrest, but still put on no lifting restrictions.  Andrew has continued to do much of everything around here...at least everything that has anything to do with lifting, including grocery shopping.  This is a big deal because he does not like to grocery shop, but he has been doing it without complaint.  I always feel like I have a mile-long to-do list, but I have had to put much of that on hold this week while I take the extra time to rest and grow this baby. 

Last week, we met with a midwife that is about 45 minutes from us.  We liked her and decided to go with a homebirth.  As this week progressed, I started wondering if I had made the right decision.  I liked her, but I hadn't interviewed anyone else.  On a whim, I contacted my sister's midwives.  They are located about three hours from us, so I knew they would not be able to assist me, but perhaps they could refer me to someone.  They did.  They let me know of a birthing center that is right here in our town, only ten minutes from our house and four minutes from the hospital (should baby or me need to be transferred).  They offer homebirths, birthing center births, water births, etc.  We toured the place yesterday and met with the head midwife.  I liked the first midwife as well as these, but this place seems more practical.  It's closer, it's cheaper, they take my insurance, they have more birthing options, etc.  So I feel comfortable that we'll be going that direction.   While we were there, the midwife attempted to hear our baby's heartbeat, but being just barely eight weeks, it was still too early.  That didn't surprise me.  We never heard our girls' heartbeats until after 10 weeks, but it was nice of her to try.

This week I have started to feel more pregnant.  I haven't actually been sick, but there have been several times that I was sure I was going to be.  It's not a pleasant feeling at the time, but it makes me feel a little more reassured during these first few critical weeks.

Backwards Alphabet

Arin was challenged to learn the alphabet backwards.  She started practicing yesterday and this is what she sounds like today.

It's hard to hear the "z" but she did start out with it.

Grumps

Arin: "Daddy, don't these people look like grumps with that line on their forehead?"
Daddy: "Yes, why are they grumpy?"
Arin: "They're not really grumps, they are just Uncle Todd and Aunt Sarah!"

Pregnancy Journal: Week 7

I am tired!  I have been thankful for every small symptom that I have been feeling this week.  Mainly, I feel exhausted.  I have been taking regular rest/nap periods every afternoon.  This does not make Arin happy because that means that she now has to take regular rest/nap periods as well - something that she had given up several months ago.

The past two days, I have had slight nausea around lunchtime, but once I eat, I have felt perfectly normal again.  My lower back has been hurting, which is something that has happened at the beginning of every pregnancy so far, so I consider that a symptom. 

Photo Source: babycenter.com

According to Baby Center, the baby is now a half inch, or about the size of a blueberry. It is growing arms and feet this week, which look like paddles.

Arin and Ella continue to hug and kiss the baby on a daily, sometimes hourly basis.

I met with a new midwife yesterday.  I really liked her and we are planning to go forward with a homebirth.  To this point, I have only given birth in a hospital, so this will be a big change, but we are looking forward to it.  My midwife is encouraging daily exercise in the form of swimming, brisk walking, and prenatal yoga.  A minimum of 30 minutes a day is what I should aim for.  She also wants me to eat 75-100 grams of protein (meat, eggs, nuts, nut butters, legumes, cheese, yogurt, etc.) each day along with lots and lots of vegetables.  Carbs should be limited to whole grains and small portions.  The main reason for this (other than the obvious nutrient-dense foods) is because I am already overweight and I have a history of big babies, so we don't want to pack on needless pounds due to empty calories.  Yesterday was just a consultation.  My first prenatal appointment is scheduled for April 5th.

Swimming season has officially begun.  The girls went swimming at my brother and sister-in-law's over the weekend, and then after meeting with the midwife, we all went swimming as a family yesterday.  The pool at our apartment complex is heated, but it is still cool enough that you want to keep moving while in it.  Another couple of weeks and it'll be really nice to go swimming. 

On Sunday, my niece threw a baby shower for my little sister, who is due in about two and a half weeks.

Left: Candace (sister) ~ Right: Lauryn (niece)

The baby shower was so nice and I was quite emotional.  Lots of tears flowing from my little sister and myself.  I consider that a symptom as I am not normally a person that cries that easily.  When I first sat down, my niece came over to me and presented me with a gift.  What?  I was not the guest of honor, though for a moment, I sure felt like I was!  This is what she gave me:

Inside, was this cupcake, frosted half with blue frosting and half with pink frosting, which a white question mark.  So sweet of her to think of me too!

So that is all the "good" stuff that has happened this week.  Unfortunately, I bled a little in the night last night.  I called my midwife and she has put me on bedrest for the next three days.  The bleeding, which was bright red, has stopped now and hopefully was only caused by the exercise yesterday.  For the next three days, I am to stay off my feet, drink lots of water, no exercise, no lifting, etc.  Basically just a wait, watch, and see.  Of course this happened after I finally was feeling like everything was going well, which it still might be (trying to stay positive), but this of course makes me nervous all over again.