I'm a Fan

As I near the end of my first trimester - only a week and a half to go - I find that I am already getting a little too big for my britches.  Sigh.  It's a funny thing because before we found out that I was pregnant I lost about 25 pounds and my clothes were fitting great.  Now that I have gained about six of those pounds back I am barely able to wear the pants that I was wearing when I was 25 pounds heavier!  It's all about distribution, baby.

What to do, what to do?  I was definitely not ready for maternity pants but I was SO very uncomfortable in my forced buttoned pants.  Oh the misery. I have heard about the rubber band trick and a few other things. But I wasn't satisfied. However, one day I made a trip that would forever change how I was feeling in my clothes!  I had been in a little maternity boutique getting some other item and perusing the goods for upcoming months when the sales woman showed me the Bella Band.  On that particular trip I was feeling pretty good in my clothes but I was right back there two days later making my purchase!  I even wore it out of the store!

It's just amazing, I tell you what.  It looks just like a layered t-shirt under your normal shirt and it keeps your pants up even though they may be unbuttoned and you have the option to wear those too big maternity pants if you so desire.  It's worth the about $20 investment if it means you get more wear out of any of your clothes -- it's much better than having to buy new ones that you may only wear for a short time.  It's so very comfy... I can't even begin to tell you!!

So, my little "pooch" is happy and I am happy because I can still wear all my clothes and feel comfortable during what can be an awkward and uncomfortable transition.

Saturday Sleep

I think Friday really took it out of me.  Not that housing a little human inside doesn't already take it out of me, but I think the marathon of a day yesterday really did me in.

Husband and I had these great plans of getting up a bit earlier to wash the cars while they are still in the shade and then he would mow the grass.  I had a hard time getting out of bed.  By the time I did, my sweet husband was already starting on the yard!  So, I cleaned up the house and bit.  After he got cleaned up we made breakfast.  YUM.... benedict!

Not long after breakfast I was desperate for more sleep.  Off to bed with me!  I slept about an hour and a half.  I woke up hungry so I munched on a couple of bagels.

A couple hours after that... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Around 4:45 PM my loving husband woke me up and reminded me that I may not sleep well tonight if I didn't get up again soon.  I protested slightly but got up just the same.  We had a "date night" at home where Matt brought in food from one of my favorite places here (I had the YUMMY Philly) and we watched a pretty lame movie (RV with Robin Williams.  I am glad we didn't invest anything in seeing this flick.)

Around 9:30 or 10:00 I was back in bed and slept oh so soundly until Sunday morning.

The moral of the story.... no marathon days like that when one is preggo!

3:30 AM to 10:30 PM

Friday was a LOOOOOOOONNNNNNG day.

Here's the run down...

Alarm starts talking at 3:30 AM - we both need to get up and get moving!

Husband cleans up because he's actually going somewhere.  Me, I throw on whatever is available and toss a couple of bagels in the toaster for breakfast.

Drop Husband off at the airport.  He flew to Albuquerque for a car auction.  (We were hoping to purchase a Natural Gas car.  Unfortunately, we were seriously outbid.  Such is life.  What the other guy paid would almost buy a new one!  YIKES!)

From the airport I miss my exit.  Shucks.  Get turned around and head to my in-laws to grab a few more zzzzz's before heading to the church office to work for the day.

Church office craziness until 3:00 PM.

Head to airport to pick up sweet Husband.

Wait in a ridiculous line at Cos.tco for gas.

Head to a fun Italian restaurant to surprise my mother-in-law for her retirement with some other friends.

Partake in some seriously yummy food and then over to their house for MORE yummy food in the dessert-type fashion.

Head home.

Walk through the door wiped out at 10:30 PM!!

To bed, I said, with your head!

A Time to Build?

To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven
A time to be born, And a time to die;
A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted;
A time to kill, And a time to heal;
A time to break down, And a time to build up;
A time to weep, And a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, And a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to gain, And a time to lose;
A time to keep, And a time to throw away;
A time to tear, And a time to sew;
A time to keep silence, And a time to speak;
A time to love, And a time to hate;
A time of war, And a time of peace.
              Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (NKJV)

Just over two years ago, I was sitting in a recently gutted warehouse/church called "Light City" in the 9th Ward of New Orleans, LA.  As we arrived, make-shift lighting and electricity were being installed by friends that I had worked with on other missions projects.  It was good to see them in contrast to the stark reality of what surrounded us.  We helped lay cots down for the 1,200 + college students and staff that would be staying at this particular site.  40 or so port-a-potties, push-pump sinks, tent showers, and bottled water would be our facilities for the week.  The scenes of driving into the 9th ward flashed through my head as I tried to settle in for the night as every move on a cot echoed through my ears.  Had we really just driven through an actual part of the United States?  It looked as though we had driven through a war-ravaged country.  Something close to what I have seen third-world countries looking like on TV.  But I couldn't turn it off.  It would be there when I woke up, it would be there when I went to sleep, and it just wasn't going to go away.  That week was hard emotionally and physically.  The stories of families that we met haunt me and yet their continued correspondence encourages me.  Our students were great and many have gone back since that time.  The time spent there has left an impression on me that will last a lifetime... but it also brings about questions that I struggle with often.

When I think of that time my mind always flashes to the above verses in Ecclesiastes.  Is this the time to build there?  I think about this often.  Even more so since we recently watched a renovation in that area on "This Old House."  Not only rebuilds of people's homes but also a community for jazz muscians, something for which New Orleans is quite famous.  There are great things happening there, I admit.  But people are not returning in droves as they thought.  It seems like those who can really renovate are people that have money -- that is my perception, I confess.  I know this is a generalization and that it is not true of all, so that's my disclaimer to that.  Those that are not as well off are usually benefiting from some well-intentioned organization and I laud their efforts.  People will then talk about the revitalization of the French Quarter to justify this or that.  The reality is that the 9th Ward was the most devastated area in Louisiana.  When I was there two years ago the French Quarter which houses Bourbon Street and the site of Mardi Gras didn't seem any worse for the ware with some visible water damage but stores open for business just the same.  It looked like "life as normal" compared to where we had just been about 30-minutes before in the 9th Ward.  What was missing, however, was the droves of people that usually vacation there.  The 9th ward was not a place that tourists put on their "places to see" list.  It was probably a place that many told visitors to avoid altogether.  The other reality is that this place is six feet below sea level.  There is a reason that New Orleans "buries" their dead six feet above ground.  Flooding seems inevitable.  This kind of devastation could happen again but I can't imagine that anyone would just leave that land undeveloped.  I continue to teeter on what is really the right thing to do.

I guess the same argument could be made for places in Florida that have been ravaged by frequent hurricanes.  Or even for Tornado Alley.  Earthquakes in California.  I think that the aftermath of this storm has been so great and so devastating that it has caused a greater need for pause and reflection.

With all that to say, I still don't know.  One day I think it's great that people are there rebuilding.  Other days I am vehemently against it and figure we will be back to square one in 10-15 years. Sigh.

In it all I am reminded that the things of this world are fleeting and life is but a vapor...

As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. - Psalm 103:15-16

So there I was...

...just laying on the fairly comfortable acupuncture table enjoying yet another blissful nap-time.  Actually, I was pretty thankful that I was falling asleep as that had not happened there in awhile.  My doctor had already come in to "stimulate" the needles at the half way mark - about 30 minutes into the treatment.  As a side note the treatments have been quite beneficial to me in helping my body heal and now in helping to sustain the pregnancy.  I think it works but one has to look away from much of the hooey-philosophy that can go with it which my doctor does.  She just pokes ya.  :)

Anyway... I digress....

My internal clock usually knows when my doctor will return to take the needles out.  I woke up and waited patiently for her to return.  It was taking a little longer than usual and it seemed a little quieter than usual.  Although, it can be hard to tell because I usually have the appointment that backs right up to their lunch hour.  I lifted my head to look at the clock, although in the past I have noticed that the clocks are not always correct, and it said 12:13 PM.  I am usually out of there by noon.  So, I concluded that the clock was wrong and I waited a little more.  I think I waited until the "wrong" clock said 12:36 PM and I thought to myself, "I'm done!"  Plus, I reallyneeded to make a trip to the little girls room.  I sat up and took out all of my needles - not as dramatic as it sounds.  And walked out of the room.  I looked at my cell phone and it WAS indeed 12:39 PM.  WHOA!  I got to the counter and said with a kind of a funny grin, "I think I was forgotten."  The looks on the techs faces was priceless!!  They mentioned that they just said that they were bummed that they didn't see me leave and how I usually stop and talk to them on the way out.  They were getting ready to check to see if I had rescheduled but got distracted by ringing phones.  Apparently, this has NEVER happened before!  I had to kind of laugh about it, really.  I wasn't late to anything and no one was worse for the ware - except maybe my doctor when she found out what happened.  I made my next appointment for next week and walked out the door.

Later in the afternoon, I got a phone call.  Actually, when the phone rang I was pretty sure it was my doctor (who is also now our chiropractor.)  Sure enough!  She apologized profusely and said that this had never happened in her 12 years of practice.  She said it was always a fear of hers and that she has doctor friends in which it HAS happened.  I told her all was forgiven, that I was glad that it wasn't an evening appointment (so I wasn't locked in the building), and that I had even rescheduled to come back and see her.  I would still highly recommend her to anyone. :)

So, I guess there is always a first time for anything.

Photos at 8 Weeks

We had our 8-week ultrasound... a little over a week ago.  And I am JUST now getting the photos up.  It was a funny time as I had to go to the bathroom and my sweet, curious, and high-tech husband started chatting up the tech to see what kind of photos we could bring home.  He inquired about video and other such fun stuff.  In the meantime he even managed to HELP the tech with her computer.  What a guy.  In the end we were able to take a CD home with several pictures on it and they will be able to add more to it as the months pass.  As of right now our next ultrasound is going to be around the 18-20 week mark and that is when we are going to find out if we are having a boy or a girl.  We are excited!!  We forgot to take a video camera with us this time so we could record the heart beating.  Hopefully, we will remember to slip that in my purse for the next appointment.

The photo above is of our wee one's profile.  The empty looking circle at the top is the yolk sac that is sustaining the baby until the placenta is fully developed.  Below the sac is the head taking shape, then it's tummy, and then legs that seem more like fins at this point.  However, at the writing of this post the baby has grown and developed quite a bit over the last week.  The arms and legs are more distinct as is his/her head.  The "tail" is gone and all looks more human rather than like a little seahorse or manatee. (We only know this because we saw an ultrasound photo of a baby at 9 1/2 weeks while we were there :) )  The heart beat was a strong 169 BPM and it was fun to be able to hear it better this time around.

 We were surprised to see that we would also see our baby in 3D this time around.  In this photo we are seeing the baby from the top.  You can see his/her little head and it's arms and still somewhat webbed hands in from of him/her.  What was also really neat about this appointment was that we also got to see Baby move around a bit although he/she is still much to small for me to feel.  Baby measured about an inch big at this appointment.  We also got to see Baby's little eye which we won't get to see again until after the 27-week mark because the eye lids are now fused shut.  It's quite wondrous all the things that are going on and how much the development can really take out of the mother!  HA HA!!  It's getting better day by day, for sure.  I am thankful that I am not as sick as some but I am thankful that I am experiencing some symptoms as it comforts me to know that Baby is still doing well and developing. 

I am sleeping pretty well for the most part - minus the fairly frequent trips to the bathroom.  My dreams are a bit more strange and vivid, although they seem to be calming down these days.  The biggest problem is trying to get and stay comfortable.  That will not be getting better any time soon!  HA HA!

A Long Pause...

It's amazing how fast time goes by these days.  I think to myself, "I have several things to post about and I should be able to get them done soon... maybe even today."  And then about 12 days roll by and you are pretty sure you just had that "self conversation" just yesterday.

I have been behind in some other areas these last few days as the schedule as been a bit fumbled here and there for a variety of reasons.  Then I can have the best intentions to get certain things done and the pregnancy sleepies take over.  It's amazing how tired one can be these first few weeks.  However, when I see how much the little one grows each week I am then not so surprised that I am just wiped out at times.

I have been feeling pretty well for the most part.  No, I don't hang out with the toilet at all.  But when I feel nauseated it's because I am tired or I need to eat.  And what I really like to eat these days are chicken nuggets and chicken strips.  It's odd to me.  Oh well.  My dessert at night are usually berry flavored Tums.  All this could be worse, I have been told.  So, I am thankful that have what I have and that the baby seems to be doing well so far.

With all that to say, I think we can say that there will be more posts in the near future.  Goodness, we even have a new ultrasound to share with you all.  I just wanted to let you know that I am still here and it's still worth checking in from time to time.