Week 26 & 27

Well, it's another one of those instances where I combined weeks.. such is life! With a trip to Asheville, Thanksgiving and preparing for my shower, it has been a little hectic! So I will give you a two week re-cap. First.. some pictures!

On the left is Amy, me and Morgan on our Asheville trip. Amy is due Feb 2, Morgan is Jan 30 and I am Feb 20.. pretty cool huh? And the black and white photo is just me enjoying my precious bump. Baby is still as active as ever, if not more! I was laying on the couch the other day, and he moved so "violently" (I hate to use that word, but I honestly don't know any other way to describe it) that my mid section moved back and forth on the couch! It didn't hurt or anything, but it was surprising to say the least. He has these little sessions for about a minute where he is moving pretty hardcore. It makes you wonder what he's thinking.. maybe "get me outta here!"... I have no idea! Jake and I sure do get a kick out of it though, and apparently so does Levi haha. We have finally begun the process of getting his room cleared out. I'm sure we will be painting it and starting the process within the next couple of weeks. I of course will be posting lots of pics! So stay tuned. 

Ok, enough blab... let's get down to the nitty gritty (Nacho Libre style)

Total weight gain: 16 pounds at my last appointment

Symptoms: not really anything different. Sleeping is becoming really uncomfortable. I move positions every 30 minutes it seems like. 

Maternity clothes: nothing new

Stretch marks: no

Sleep: I have good and bad nights

Best moment this week: got to attend a friend's baby shower.. makes me very excited for mine in a few days! Also, Thanksgiving was nice :)

Miss anything?: being able to roll over in bed without engaging in a full work out session haha

Movement: yea, like non stop

Food cravings: nothing in particular

Food aversions: no

Belly button: stretching out and less concave

Wedding ring: fitting normal, sometimes tight

Mood: pretty normal, but I can get irritated quite easily

Looking forward to: my baby shower! Can't wait to see how it all comes together.. my Mom and I have worked very hard!

Baby bump: bumpalicious lol

Thanks for reading!

xo 

Negative Nancys

PS is there supposed to be an apostrophe between the "y" and "s" when the plural of a name is used? I HAVE NO IDEA, not an English major. But excuse me if the grammar in the title of this blog is wrong haha.

Anyways... moving on to the real topic that's on my mind. It's so funny when you're pregnant, because when around other women who have had a baby, birth almost always comes up. And why not? It is now a commonality between us, so of course it's a suitable topic! And usually, I enjoy these conversations.. as long as what I'm hearing is more on the positive side. I know, I know.. birth, a positive thing? Well, yes, I think so.. and it also doesn't have to be tagged with the words "worst pain of your life", "one piece of advice: EPIDURAL", "Haha, you have NO idea what you're in for", "scary, but wonderful" (that's what I call a double whammy.. positive and negative at the same time) and the list goes on and on. It's not that I don't appreciate what people are trying to do to; they're trying to warn, or prepare me for the most grueling thing I'll ever experience. But do you really think sharing your somewhat scary, tragic experiences with me is going to help me in any way? I've never done this before, I have NO idea what to expect, so by hearing all of these negative words.. it just sets me up for disaster. At least this is my opinion (key word). Little "cute" TV shows such as "A Baby Story" or "Baby's First Day" don't help either... which is why I've stopped watching them. Yes, I will agree that the end result, the baby, is just so great to behold.. but honestly, the parts leading up to that were kind of a downer. I used to feel so threatened and scared out of my mind after watching those shows and thought, "certainly, I WILL be getting an epidural.. and even then I'm going to hate every second of that experience until baby is placed in my arms".

Well my friends, I have changed my ways.

When I was about 4 months, Jake convinced me to watch a documentary called "The Business of Being Born" (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, PREGNANT OR NOT) and as much as I didn't want to, I did to appease him. And boy, am I glad I did. I didn't want to watch it because I didn't want ANYONE telling ME how to have MY baby. Modern medicine is there for a reason, and I don't want to be in pain, so who are you to tell me to go natural? Halfway through the movie I decided to stop being so defensive and genuinely listen to the information and try to process it. When it was over I was just speechless, confused, worried about changing my mind, worried if I didn't change my mind and stuck to my guns of a drug-induced birth. After chewing on it a few days, I started getting a little more confident about exploring the other options.. which eventually lead us to choosing a birthing center, which means no drugs for me. But along with this decision came the thoughts, "what if I really can't handle it?", "What if something goes wrong?", "Am I in over my head?", "How can I manage the pain in a healthy and peaceful way without drugs?"

... in came Hypnobabies

That is a method I will discuss after I actually use it in labor. I do not feel that I should write about it or try to convince anyone of it because I have not yet experienced it myself. I have read MANY wonderful, positive, encouraging birth stories and watched videos where this method was used. I actually watch/read them almost on a daily basis for affirmation and encouragement. But until I, myself, put the method into practice, I will not really be speaking about it. However, the main aspect of it is this: that birth can be enjoyable and tolerated in a positive manner without "pain".

All of this to say, I am trying very hard to keep a "Bubble of Peace" around me until delivery day. I do not wish to hear a birth story that involves someone speaking about how painful it is, or the things that can go wrong. All I want is positive thoughts and encouraging affirmations that I was made to do this and with the help of my Heavenly Father, I will have a comfortable, relaxing, amazing birth experience.

Please do your best to respect my wishes

Peace and blessings,

Jessica

25 Weeks

Hello world! Time for a weekly update :)

Nothing too different to note this week.. baby still moves a lot! They say you should start doing "kick counts" later in pregnancy to detect fetal distress.. and they say if you get 10 movements in an hour that is usually normal. I seriously LOL'd because when he gets going, it's more like 10 movements in 10 seconds. I put a video on my Facebook wall that shows just a glimpse of what he does. I also put about 3 pics of my belly bump up from some impromptu shots we took on a gorgeous fall day. We will be doing an "actual" maternity session in early December, but these were just for fun and because I didn't really have any of me like it. Here are two :)

I still feel "small" for 6 months, but it's ok because I think my body is just too cute right now. I love it! I have 2 friends that are a few weeks before me and they are a lot bigger than I am.. but it's all good because I honestly don't know how they'll be able to grow much more but I feel that I still have room haha. Jake is absolutely enamored with me in this pregnancy (not that he isn't all the time) but he just can't seem to "get over me being pregnant" as he says. My tummy may be lacking size, but my husband certainly isn't lacking adoration and compliments... he reassures me DAILY how beautiful he thinks I am... what a keeper ;)

Also, did you notice that board says "99 days to go"?!?!?! HELLO! We are double digits people.

Ok onto the next thing...

Total weight gain: *runs and checks* 13 pounds.. it is later in the day though, that wasn't 1st morning weight. 

Symptoms: not sure if this is a pregnancy symptom, but yesterday I woke up with an extreme pain in my right side, especially when standing. Almost like a trapped gas.. but it's been about 36 hours and is still lingering.. not as painful though. It's so annoying, I have to like rub my side, but that doesn't really bring much relief. 

Maternity clothes: nothing new

Stretch marks: no

Sleep: been better the past week

Best moment this week: finally got little buddy to move on camera! I've been trying to catch him, but of course the minute I hit "record" he stops... GOT 'EM!

Miss anything?: what does a normal body feel like? Ha! Don't get me wrong, I love being pregnant and all the sensations it brings.. but it's kind of uncomfortbale. And let's not forget how PISSED I get when I drop something, because I just stare at it for a moment and think.. "is it really that important that I actually need to bend over and get it? Or can it wait until someone else finds it..." hahaha

Movement: We all know this kid is on crack.. it's like BOOM! POW! PAP! ROLL, SWISH, KACHOW!

Food cravings: bojangles always sounds good haha.. my midwife would kill me

Food aversions: no

Belly button: stretching out and less concave

Wedding ring: fitting normal, sometimes tight at night. 

Mood: pretty normal recently

Looking forward to: still Thanksgiving, OMG I can't wait to throw down

Baby bump: cute and moderate ;)

Thanks for reading lovelies! 

xox The Kings

24 Weeks

Week 24! Getting closer to that third trimester.. weird to know it's on the horizon!

Not much to discuss this week.. I'll just keep it short and sweet and do the questionnaire and some pics.

Total weight gain: between the 8-10 pound rage (in the mornings, before a hefty meal lol)

Symptoms: Well, I don't have sciatic issues, it's actually my SI joint (Sacroiliac). Let me tell you, it's not fun, nor comfortable. That mother HURTS.. even more so when I've been moving around a lot. I've still got a little heartburn, it's subsided a bit, thank thaaaa laawwt. 

Maternity clothes: Still nothing new to add... I went to Old Navy and I wanted EVERYTHING in there.. in the maternity section and in the "normal" section. But we'z broke. 

Stretch marks: not yet

Sleep: Meh, it picks and chooses when it wants to be good.

Best moment this week: Hmmmmm.. got to spend some time with some lovely ladies.. some of them pregnant, some not. We had a fun time of fellowship and a sleepover.

Miss anything?: wine, champagne, a festive cocktail.. even beer (yuck). But I WANT it. Mainly cuz I can't have it. But man with the holidays coming up, a little festive drink would be awesome!

Movement: Are you kidding?? This kid moves more than he's still. 

Food cravings: I finally gave in to the jalepeno poppers.. and I paid for it with some heart burnnnnnn

Food aversions: no

Belly button: stretching out and less concave

Wedding ring: fitting normal, sometimes tight at night. 

Mood: you best redneckanize!!! Lol, no but seriously, don't cross me.. I have a lot less patience. 

Looking forward to: Thanksgiving... OOOOO BABY. I love food. 

Baby bump: Def there! I'm not as big as my friends who are about the same duration in pregnancy, but that's ok. I love my little, well medium, bump :)

That's all folks!!

-The 3 Kings