Since April is almost over, I guess it's time for an update

Today is April 23 and it's currently 97 degrees outside. Most people complain over and over about the heat, but not me. I love it. It makes me happy and I am a better person when it's warm! I swam for the first time this weekend, a little earlier than I usually take the dive, but it felt so good after laying out in the sun for 15 minutes.

April has flown by just as fast as the rest of the year has and I can hardly believe that Travis will be 11 months old this coming Friday. That means, only one month left until his 1st birthday. Wait, what? Did I say 1st birthday? Yes, time is flying.

I've continued with my hot yoga practices this month at least once a week, sometimes twice. I really enjoy it and how it makes me feel both during and after. I've still been running and even completed another 5k. It was called the "Firefly Run" and it was a night time race through the streets of downtown Phoenix. I was joined by a few girlfriends and we had a blast, ,or at least I did anyways. I ran my fastest 3.1 miles I've ever run and was so proud of the accomplishment. Now I'm resting up for the Warrior Dash coming up this Saturday. Myself and four girlfriends will be dressed in our hot pink tutus and pretty in mud tanks as we move through the obstacle course.

My spring classes are coming to a close with my last final due this weekend. I am so ready for the three month break before I start my Anatomy & Physiology class in August. I don't have a whole lot planned for the summer other than swim, swim and swim some more.

Joey is doing great in school, keeping on top of his grades and we aren't having any trouble with him and teachers. It's such a good feeling to know we are raising such a well behaved boy! I just don't know how to swallow the fact that he will be 13 in just a few short months. A teenager? Oh my...

Travis is all over the place. Can't keep that boy still. He loves to explore and show off his early adapted walking skills. It's hard sometimes because I feel like he is much older than he really is. I have to remind myself constantly that he is still a baby. His tummy issues are getting better, he's fully on Similac Alimentum formula and seems to be handling it very well. He's still having some issues with the solid foods, but I think in time he will outgrow the allergies and his pickiness. I think it's kind of going hand in hand.

Homework break is over, time to get back to work before Travis wakes up from his nap. Can't say that I'll write again soon, because I really don't know...

Teething.

It is truly amazing how quickly time flies when you have a baby. I can not believe that it's already February and little Travis is 8 months old. Joey will be 13 in just 6 short months and my life is on a track that I am pleased with.

Little update (since I haven't written in a while). Travis is still sleeping through the night, usually asleep by 7:10PM and sleeps until 5:30 or 6:00 am. It's wonderful to get a full nights sleep and I have already forgotten how sleep deprived I was when he was still getting up 2-3 times a night. He's napping very regularly as well and this whole schedule thing is amazing. We do the same thing at the same time every day and he knows it. If I have an appointment and it takes us off schedule just a small amount, he's quite the bear.

He was an early teether with the two bottom teeth, got them in one day when he was 4 months old. Now that he is 8 months old, he's been working on the top two teeth for quite some time. I'd have to at least for the last month. Some days are worse than others and today is one of those days. The right tooth is through but he's working on the left one and I hate seeing him in so much pain. Why is it that teething doesn't affect some babies at all and some are down right horrid to deal with? I feel so bad for him that he's in pain, but hey, we all went through this in our life right? So, I know he'll be fine, it just sucks in the meantime.

School is going well for me this semester. I am taking a critical thinking class and also an ethics and criminal justice class. They kind of go hand in hand with one another and I am having fun exploring personal values, thoughts and ideas.

Running. I am running and officially training for a half-marathon. The half-marathon is on March 3 and I am seriously excited! I am running anywhere between 3-5 days a week and my overall health is amazing right now. I'm eating well, feeling well, looking well and have found happiness within myself.

I need to start writing more, I miss it and need to get back into a routine of doing so. Maybe this will be the start...

Just go to sleep!!

Another month already half over and I still can't tell you what day it is. I'm lucky if I am getting 6 hours of sleep at night, (that's a lot considering the average is 4-5). I'm exhausted, overwhelmed and just plain going insane.

I've started running again to help me clear my mind and get me out of the house. Most of the time it works, but on those days that 1/2 mile into the 3 mile run Travis starts screaming, it's not so therapeutic. I am proud that I have worked up to a 3 mile run as my regular workout, just wish I could go longer. 3 miles takes me about 30 minutes and that's about all Travis is good for.

Travis is two weeks away from being 4 months old and still is a horrible sleeper. I tried to "sleep train" him but it only seemed to make matters worse, so I have gone back to just living by his schedule. Not great, but better than he was when I was trying to force him to sleep when and where he didn't want to.

He is growing like a weed and learning new things each day. He has happily discovered his feet and toes and likes to play with them any chance he gets. He still isn't rolling over but I like to blame that slow development on his horrible first two months. He has rolled over from belly to back a few times, but nothing regular.

Joey has two weeks left of this first quarter in Junior High, hard to believe. He's doing well so far. He has all A's and one B. I am hoping that he can maintain those grades for the next couple of weeks and then continue with that next quarter as well. I'm not sure if he's into girls or not yet, I'd like to say "not" but he's 12. Is he really going to tell his momma everything? I doubt it.

I'm tired, I want a break and I can't wait for my trip to California in a few weeks....

Really? September?

Looking at the calendar today, I can not believe that it's already September. Almost one year ago (this month) we were blessed with that little blue line on the pregnancy test. It started the journey that I never imagined. I have learned more about myself, my husband and my family than I ever thought I would.

I really wanted to blog about this journey a little bit more since Travis was born but his health issues have really tied my hands behind my back. I haven't been able to read, work out or even call to catch up with an old friend. BUT, I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Travis is 3 months old now and doing much better than he was just a month ago. His food allergies are under control with Neocate and even though we are still working on getting his reflux under control, he's doing much better. He is still a horrible sleeper and hasn't developed any type of routine. He is sleeping about 11-13 hours in a 24hr time frame which to me doesn't seem like enough sleep for his age, but I guess it could be his "norm". I'm hoping to transition him into his room in the next week or so with hopes that he might sleep a little better at night.

In other news, I have started a 30 day challenge for myself. A few weeks ago I started running again but had to stop due to our lovely Arizona temperatures. Yesterday I started up again and am hoping to run at least 4-5 days a week and use my elliptical or go for a walk on the other days. I feel so much better when I am working out, I just haven't been able to get into any sort of work out routine with Travis and his temperament. It's only been two days and I can already feel the difference in my mood and my body.

Time for bed, Travis will be waking me in the wee early morning hours and I'm going to try and go to the track with the hoosband....

 

8 Weeks.

Travis is 8 weeks old today.

The last 8 weeks haven't gotten any easier, in fact, they have gotten harder. After cutting everything out of my diet, also called a "Total Elimination Diet" there was still no change in Travis and he actually had blood in his stool. His pediatrician diagnosed him with Allergic Colitis and suggested we switch him to formula. This decision was both very difficult for me and easy at the same time. Easy only because I didn't want to see my child suffer anymore as something I was eating was tearing up his insides. It was difficult because breastfeeding is something that is so important to me and I really wanted to be able to provide for him as I did for Joey.

After 5 days on Similac Alimentum formula he had an amazing day! Two of them in fact and his pediatrician did another stool test and it was already negative for blood. We actually thought things were looking up and the road we were on had come to an end. We were wrong. Late that evening he started with his screaming again.

Let me just explain something. I understand babies cry. I understand there is a thing called "Colic" (ie: we don't know). What Travis has is not normal baby fussiness. It's painful cries for hours and hours all throughout the day and nothing consoles him. He wakes up screaming in pain, falls asleep after tiring himself out from screaming in pain. It's not normal and we have had his pediatrician and a GI specialist both tell us that, "This isn't normal. This is excessive and we need to fix this so that it doesn't cause later problems."

Another 6 days of crying and I called his doctor, again. I think I've talked to her at least once a week for the last 8 weeks, I'm sure she's tired of hearing from us. She advised that at this point, we need to seek help with a Pediatric GI Specialist. On Tuesday, July 19 I took him to see this specialist and she had yet more "trial and error" ideas she wanted to practice on our son. She said that she *thinks* he has several severe food allergies and can't even be on the Alimentum formula. She switched him to a prescription formula that has completely broken down food proteins and should solve the problem. It's called Elecare and it's not exactly cheap. BUT we will pay whatever price we have to to fix our baby boy.

After just 2 bottles of Elecare Travis was worse. He was acting the same way he used to act when he was on breastmilk and it only got worse throughout the night. The next morning I called the Dr. again to see if this was normal... he was horrible. Screaming, tears and exhausting himself so much he wouldn't eat. When she called back, she said it was rare to have a reaction to that formula but to stop giving him that one and we'd switch to Neocate. Ugh. Switch again....

Right now we are going on day 4 of the amino-acid based prescription formula. There is a difference from when he was nursing, but there is no difference from when he was on the Alimentum formula. For both his pediatrician and the GI specialist, they said if there is no change with the formula then we are going to start running tests on him to see what it is. They've already ordered an ultrasound of his brain, (yes, this freaks me out) and they are going to do blood work and test his urine.

This hasn't been a fun journey by any means. I can't remember the last time I actually felt, happy or relaxed for that matter. It's been one thing after another and I just wish we could reach a solution. I am so tired of trial and error and I'm breaking down. I'm exhausted, only getting about 3-4 hours of sleep a night and barely any naps during the day since Travis will only sleep 20-30 minutes at a time. Of course, during that time I have to eat, shower or wash bottles <---not my favorite chore.

I'm not giving up, but I sure do feel like it times. I cry daily and my body is starting to physically hurt. I am so thankful that I have such a loving supportive husband who will listen to me when I'm a blubbering mess and an 11 year old son who is so understanding to the situation. He's even worried about Travis. We all are.

He finally just fell asleep so I am off to join him...

Where do I begin?

Today, Travis is 4 weeks old. Hard to believe that 4 weeks have already gone by since I gave birth to him. Everything went smoothly and Paul even got to catch him! He weighed 7lbs 7oz and was 21 inches long. At 2 weeks he was already up to 9lbs 3oz so I'm excited to see what he weighs at his Dr appt this coming Tuesday. It was an amazing and beautiful experience and hypnobirthing worked great :) I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is planning on a natural childbirth.

The last four weeks haven't been easy. We have had company most of the time and Travis has a very sensitive little tummy. I am breastfeeding and having to cut dairy, eggs and soy out of my diet. I can pretty much eat the same thing everyday: plain oatmeal for breakfast with some fruit, plain chicken or turkey with fruit and/or veggies for lunch and then the same thing for dinner. I never realized how many food items have dairy in them and how much dairy I actually eat! Same goes for soy... pretty much all processed foods/snacks have it in them and it's really made me even more aware and health conscience of what I put into my body. I think the biggest thing I miss is ice cream. Thankfully though, this new diet is working.

It's been pretty hot here this past week, up around 110 each day and still 90 degrees at 10 o'clock at night. We've still be trying to get out and go for walks, even though it's close to 100 it doesn't feel too bad because the sun is setting. Travis really likes the walks and loves to look around and take everything in. Now, if only we could get Joey to enjoy walks or even running for that matter...

Joey has had a good summer so far, he's had lots of sleepovers with friends, fun with family that was visiting and just plain ol down time. On Monday he will be flying to his dad's house for 3 weeks where I'm sure he'll stay busy and have a good time too. When he gets back, he and Paul are going on a father/son camping trip with a friend of Joey's to go play with airsoft guns in the woods and just sit around and be boys. That is still a month away and hopefully I've really got the hang of Travis by then and actually won't mind the weekend alone.

My time is up... Travis is hungry.

34 weeks, 1 day

At 34 weeks pregnant I am feeling amazing. I don't have any swelling, my back is feeling fine and little Honda has moved out of my ribs and settled in nice and low.

I had an appointment with one of my midwives this morning and it went well. My blood pressure was normal (118/70) and my weight was, well, that I'm not going to say. Baby boy didn't want his heart rate taken, as he kept kicking the little Doppler thingee, but finally the nurse was able to catch that it was at a healthy 154. Belinda (midwife) had me lay down and she felt around to see about how big he is and she said he's just right for my physique. He's settled in nice and low, which is great news. Means he is getting ready for birth day! I've been having several Braxton Hicks daily among other "symptoms" that my body is showing, letting me know that my body is getting prepped and knows exactly what it's supposed to do.

Joey had a great football game on Saturday, they won 18-0. It was amazing to watch the boys play so well, especially since it was 95 degrees outside! Yesterday, we took the bikes to the track again (2nd weekend in a row) and it was so relaxing for me. I sat under the Easy-Up while Paul rode the big track and Joey rode the kids track. Days like that make me so happy and remind me of how blessed I am to live in such a great climate and have two wonderful boys who  love me!

Today, my sister-in-law is in labor. She was due a week ago on April 11 and finally little Ty has decided to make his way into the world. Her water broke early this morning so I am hoping that I will have a beautiful little nephew at some point today! He better not wait until tomorrow!! I'm ready to see his little face NOW!

Acid Reflux & Leg Cramps

In a little over a month it will be a baby boy keeping me up at night, whereas now it's acid reflux and leg cramps. There isn't really a sure answer on why pregnant women get leg cramps during pregnancy but it's definitely one of the more uncomfortable side affects. Some nights are worse than others and I have yet to find out why I have the good nights. I am eating 2 bananas a day (on most days) and drinking at least 1 gallon of water. I'm still walking too, but for some reason I am haunted each night.

I had a bit of heartburn when I was pregnant with Joey, and a little bit of acid reflux but NEVER like I've experienced with this pregnancy. It haunts me any time of day, but the worst is at night, when I'm sleeping. It's not very pleasant to wake up choking because you have vomited in your mouth. As I'm running to the bathroom trying to spit it out everywhere, I wonder, what the heck brought it on this time?

Luckily I have learned that certain foods bring it on or if I eat too late before laying down to sleep. Most of the time I can control it but it's those off nights that it's just horrible.

Honda moves around a lot. And when I say a lot, I mean all of the time. He's a very active baby and I like to think it's because I have maintained such great health through this pregnancy and I eat pretty healthy with my share of veggies and fruits each day. We've also noticed that he moves a lot when there is music on with a good beat. He doesn't move so much when country music is on, but put a little bit of Pop on and he's jammin in there.

Joey has been doing well so far in the 4th quarter of school. He's had 1 football game for this spring season and Paul even took him riding this past weekend on his new dirt bike. He looks so great on it, it's the perfect size for him. We just need to get him more used to the clutch and the fact that it's a 2-stroke. He'll get the hang of it I'm sure.

The past few weeks have been busy, I had two baby showers and they were both a lot of fun. We have really gotten to know a lot of great people here and my family back home had a wonderful gathering for us via Skype.

Our hypnobirthing class is over now and I am really excited to use what I've learned. I already do in my day to day living and it's really helped in many ways. Tonight we are going to the hospital for our tour of "Labor & Delivery". I'm excited to see the rooms and see what kind of layout they have.

Time to go, someone is pushing on my bladder...

Normally...

I tend to be on the cooler side which means I don't turn my AC on until the inside temperature of our house reaches close to 90. I like warm days, it means less clothes and the sun is shining. Kind of reminds me of Hawaii. This year will be different. Extremely different.

The temps have been in the 80's and I love it. Spring is probably my favorite time of year here in Arizona. Yesterday the temperature inside the house was 77 and it was just starting to get on the warm side. I'm not sure when I'll turn on the AC, but I was really hoping for two months of a really low electric bill from lack of heating/cooling. We'll see how long this lasts...

We had our 2nd hypnobirthing class last night and it went really well. I was having more trouble relaxing during some of the hypnosis exercises. I would be fine, but then my mind would drift and I'd listen to Paul's voice, but it'd make me giggle. All we have to do is practice.

Today is the fourth day that Joey has been gone. It's quiet around the house without him here and I miss him so much. I know that he's having fun with his dad, and getting his fill of video games (since he doesn't play them here). He'll be home in a week and a half and everything can return to normal. His eating habits, extra curricular habits and even his daily hugs he gives me. It really makes me sad to see all of his friends at the end of the street playing basketball, because I know he enjoys hanging out with them.

I am still feeling great. 29 weeks pregnant and I am still working out and eating healthy. It feels so good to not have any of the problems/complications that others I know have. I feel blessed and am so excited for the coming months! I really can't wait to hold this little guy and watch him sleep.

Our first Hypnobirthing class

Last night we started our Hypnobirthing class. It will last 5 weeks and each class is about 2 1/2 hours long. Luckily for us, the class is being held at our house, so we don't even need to go anywhere! There are four couples total, including us and the new people we met last night seem very nice. Two of us are pregnant with boys and the other two with girls. We are all due between May and July and it's funny to see the different shapes and sizes of all of our bellies!

I'm really excited to learn different relaxation techniques and apply them not only during child-birth but in my day-to-day living. So many people stress about unnecessary topics, things that are out of their control or even things that are in their control. They create the stress they are feeling. Our mind is so powerful and really you can overcome anything if you just relax.

It was interesting to feel baby boy move a lot last night when I had gotten into such a relaxed state. It was almost as if he could sense that relaxation and he more room to move around in the womb. The class is definitely going to bring a stronger bond within myself and Paul as well as with our unborn child who will be here before we know it.

I am such a strong believer of natural childbirth, without the unnecessary interventions and drugs that so many women resort to. It baffles me that some women are so unprepared for such an important day in their lives. I know that everyone is different, but why, after 9 months of eating healthy and not taking medications, does all of that go out the window on birth day? The pain is there, yes, but you can overcome that if you are strong enough to.

One aspect of this class will be learning how to release negative emotions. Unfortunately, for me, this will mean, releasing some people from our lives. I  know people who are constantly negative and bringing stress upon themselves and I just can't have those thoughts and worries with them. I'm going to continue surrounding myself and our family with positivity and release all of the fears.

This post has been kind of all over the place, and I thought about saving it and coming back to it later for editing. I have so many thoughts that I want to get out, but I think if I type them all, this post will break some sort of world record for it's length, so I'm going to leave it as a random babble. Because, well, that is my blog right? My inner babble...

I officially feel, pregnant.

I am now in my 28th week of pregnancy and I am definitely feeling it. The restless nights, ever expanding belly, leg cramps, acid reflux, among other things are keeping me feeling both comfortable and uncomfortable at the same time.

Pregnancy is a beautiful thing, even with all of the aches and pains. I may take longer to get up from the couch or sigh a little while trying to roll over in bed, but feeling those kicks and jabs from the little guy makes me forget all about the pain and reminds me of just how blessed I am to be carrying life inside of me.

For the last week, my in-laws have been visiting and even though we didn't do much, I am exhausted. I took today to collect myself, pick up the house, get the guest room cleaned up and ready for the next guests. I'm feeling as though I did in the first weeks of pregnancy though, tired, tired, tired.

While Paul's parents were here, we reassembled the cradle that my dad had built for Joey 12 years ago. Joey slept in it for the first couple of months, and it's been packed away ever since. This weekend we got it out, waxed it and put it in our room, ready for baby.



Along with getting the cradle set up and ready, my mother-in-law also helped me to get the crib set up. She purchased the crib for us a few weeks ago and then when she got here, we went shopping for the bedding that Paul had picked out. It's adorable and I have been spending some time in the nursery, imagining our sweet baby boy in his crib.



There are still a few things that need to be done to the room before it's complete, but his bed is ready for him.

We also got Joey's room all done up and nice while they were here. He now has the biggest of the three spare rooms and he seems to be loving it so far. We hung new pictures on his walls and he has been keeping his room a lot cleaner. Now if I can't just figure out what to do with the cats...

First, and hopefully last

The last five days or so have been pretty busy in our house. We have been rearranging rooms and organizing. Basically a similar game to musical chairs. Our house is a four bedroom house and of course, Paul and I have one room, Joey has another, the other two have been used as a guest room and office for the last two and a half years. Since baby is coming soon, we needed to make some changes.

What used to be the guest room is now Joey's room, and what was Joey's room is now the nursery, or at least on its way to looking like a nursery. The office and guest room are now combined and after trying to fit both my desk and the queen size bed in there we finally found the places for the puzzle. I personally think it looks great! Hopefully our company will be comfortable in their new room. The only concern I have is that my computer is in that room, so does that mean I can't go on my computer while we have company?

Of course I haven't moved any of the heavier furniture myself, but I have done my share of bending, sliding, pushing, trips up and down the hall making sure I am going through Joey's room as I am moving it. Monday night, something happened that I hoped never would and didn't expect it at all. I fell.

Paul was in the nursery with me, there is still a lot of Joey's stuff in there. Basically all of his belongings were in the middle of the room, so Paul could move the furniture and I could just rearrange book shelves. I went to take a step back and there was a large plastic tote on the floor (that Joey keeps his legos in) that I tripped on. I took about three stumbled steps (on the tote) before I fell to my tailbone and hit my head on the wall. Paul tried to catch me, but it was such an awkward fall that there was just no catching me...

It scared the crap out of me. I instantly was crying, from both the pain and being scared and my belly started tightening. Luckily, I fell on my back and not on my abdomen so baby is fine, it's just momma that's hurting pretty bad. I instantly felt like I had whip-lash and my back was instantly starting to hurt.

Two days later and I'm still pretty sore. I feel like I've felt in the past after a really bad snowboarding fall or something. I'm definitely going in to see my chiropractor today because I know I am all out of alignment. Sucks, because I just went last week and was feeling so in line!!

I know baby is fine, I'm not having any cramping, spotting or problems with the little guy and he was kicking up a storm last night and this morning. I'm sure he didn't even know what happened.

Joey's room is almost done and thankfully my in-laws are coming today (to stay for a week) so they can help me with the final touches and maybe even help set up the nursery!

No underwire, thank you.

As I have become more pregnant and my belly has turned into a basketball other things have grown too. Since I've had to stop working out I've noticed an unfortunate (but fixable) difference in my rear and hips. Up until about two months ago I was still wearing my ever so comfy and favorite Victoria's Secret bras but of course, like "regular" clothes, that had to come to an end.

I hadn't given much thought about actually buying a nursing bra until I absolutely needed to, but wearing a sports bra every day has been getting kind of old and I needed something that had more of a "bra" look to it. I didn't want to go to VS and just purchase the next size up because starting in May, I will be wearing nursing bras for at least the next year. What is the point on spending $45 on my favorite bra now, only to wear it three months and then possibly not even be able to wear it after breastfeeding for a year, I'm sure my size will change, again.

I started with Motherhood Maternity, hoping that since in the back of the store they have a huge wall of nothing but bras. I've stayed away from that wall, because well, I just didn't want to be shopping for that yet! When I went in, the annoying girl who always seems to be working when I'm there, was there. She decided she'd help me even though I didn't want any help. Her useless help obviously got me no where and instead of walking out of there with new $19 maternity/nursing bras, I walked out with a new pair of shorts. (in hopes that it will be warming up soon).

When I got home, I started texting all of my friends who have been recently pregnant and used nursing bras. Most of my friends don't/didn't nurse their babies so it was a tough one. One friend in particular, who thinks a lot like me and has a larger bust like me, was the one who hit the jackpot. She sent me the link of a bra on Nordstrom.com that she used during her whole year of nursing and said it was amazingly comfortable.

These bras come in so many different types, just as regular bras do. Underwire, no underwire, flap, no flap. While I have always worn bras with underwire for own personal preferences, going to a nursing bra, I find that I should NOT be wearing underwire. It's great now, but honestly it's the most uncomfortable thing imaginable. With a basketball under my shirt, having that underwire dig in is not something I want to experience day after day, not to mention it's not good for you to wear while nursing because it can cause your milk ducts to clog.

No underwire it is. Since I really didn't know how these bras felt I had to make a trip to Nordstrom. Of course, their website has several different bras and they only carry one in the store. Of course. I ask to try it on and they don't even have the accurate size that I need, but I was able to gauge which one to get based on the comfort of the two I tried on. This bra was like heaven. I could wear it 24 hours a day and be comfortable, so I ordered it and I can't wait for it to be here!

It's amazing though, how much we pay for comfort. Maternity bras that I tried on at Target and Motherhood were around $15-30 and so horribly uncomfortable. This one that I ended up purchasing from Nordstorm was a whopping $55!!! But... that's comfort. Not much more than I pay for a bra a VS and I'll be wearing it for at least a year so really it's not that bad!

Shopping for all things baby is fun, exciting, confusing,  and most of all expensive but it is so worth it!

HypnoBirthing

I knew from the beginning that I was going to sign up for some sort of birth class with my husband, just wasn't sure what it was going to be. When I was pregnant with my son Joey, I went through a Lamaze class at the military hospital on Oahu and it was great. Most of the sessions my friend Lisa accompanied me (since my ex-husband was gone a lot) and they were very informative. I pretty much remember all of the Lamaze techniques and how to breathe, so I wanted something different this time around.

I had read a little bit about Hypnobirthing in one of the many pregnancy handouts I got from my Dr.'s office and it sparked a little interest. It takes a whole different approach to natural birthing, using a relaxation technique and adopting the philosophy that pain doesn't have to accompany labor. You can read more about it here.

 Hypnobirthing

Once I found out that I may have to have a cesarean section in order to "deliver" my baby instead of giving birth to him, a lot of my excitement for classes such as these went out the window. I stopped looking in to them in fear of getting my hopes up for a natural vaginal delivery.

Today, my friend Kori called me and asked me if I'd be interested in taking a hypnobirthing class with her, and her husband. I was instantly excited and felt that with my positive thinking, maybe, just maybe I could still have the natural birth that I want. When I went on to the hypnobirthing website, I found several bits of information that it can also be beneficial to mothers who have to have a necessary cesarean section! Where do I sign up?

I'm excited to start this class, it's going to be once a week for 9 weeks. Crazy, thinking that I am due in just 17 short weeks, the timing will be perfect. It will also be a great experience to go through this class with another couple that we are friends with! (She is due just 4 weeks after me).

"When you change the way you view birth,

the way you birth will change."

-Marie F. Mongan

Registry.

It's starting to feel more real now. This whole baby thing. I registered yesterday at Babies R Us and figured out pretty much everything I need and want for this little guy. It's more or less a list of things I'll need to buy before he arrives.

Little Honda has been kicking so much over the past day or so. I think it's just that he's getting bigger so I am feeling it more often, and it's the best feeling in the world! I love the little taps and jabs. I slept a little better last night, which was needed after the lack of sleep I got Monday night. My nausea was back and I actually got sick, which hasn't happened in a few months. It seemed more like it was brought on by my acid reflux, and it's wasn't pleasant.

I've officially dropped my spring semester classes. I just couldn't get the right mindset and I don't want to be stressing about that. I'd like to focus on family and the baby and getting ready for his arrival. The heaviest workload was going to be April-May and with my due date being May 29, with the possibility of a C-Section in the first week of May, I didn't want to chance it. I'll pick up a class in the Summer II session and if not there, definitely in the fall.

I shouldn't be doing this, but I'm going to finish watching this week's Bachelor episode, I know... I know...

Little Honda

What a fantastic weekend! Our friends from Yuma were in town visiting along with their parents from Kansas City. We had a houseful on Friday night, but it was so enjoyable!! I got to spend so much time holding our friend's 3 week old baby girl Makenna. She is a doll... I can't wait until our little guy is born. Taylor, our friend's 3-year-old, said that we should name our baby "Kawasaki" (like the motorcycle) then switched it up to "Honda" because we ride Honda's. So... little guy has adopted the nickname of Honda until we decide which name best suits him.

Joey had another football game on Saturday. The weather was great, and showed me that I need to invest in a pair of maternity shorts. I was wearing blue jeans and a tank top but was a little warm in the 78 degree sun. Paul's cousin Stacie was able to come to the game too, that really made Joey happy! They ended up winning the game 18-12 so it puts their team 2-0 so far for this season. Go Hawks!

Supercross was on Saturday night and of course we went to that. We never miss it. We had pretty good seats and it's always awesome to watch the races live (since we watch all of the other ones from our couch). I was a little disappointed with the outcome of the main event but that's only because my boy Ryan Dungey didn't win. There wasn't a lot of competition and they all just kind of kept to themselves out there. Don't get me wrong, the race was still great!

We made our first "baby" purchase yesterday afternoon. We started out at BabiesRus to look at cribs and rocking chairs. We have a better idea of what we want to get as far as a crib now, and the rocking chairs they had were terrible. We went to LazyBoy to see what kind of recliner/rockers they had and BAM! We found the perfect chair. I can't wait to pick it up on Wednesday and starting rocking this little guy... I want him to be used to the rocking when he's born.

Joey doesn't have school today so it's kind of a lazy housecleaning type of day. I don't think we'll be going anywhere, except for maybe a walk to the park. We might even get a head start on packing up some of his room getting ready to move rooms around in preparation for the baby.

I've been feeling pretty good the past few days, in the evening my back and belly start to ache. It's almost as if I can feel my stomach stretching. I guess that's a good thing, means little Honda is growing!!! Today I am 21 weeks 1 day, only 18 weeks to go!

Curve ball

It is so hard to believe that I am already half way there. It seems like yesterday I was laying in bed praying for the nausea to go away. Now it only visits me in spurts. The heart burn is what has started lately....

We took Joe to the ultrasound appt again with us on Monday, he thinks it's pretty cool to see his baby brother on the monitor. We feel it's very important to keep him involved in our growing family since he's so used to be an only child.  He's so excited to have a little brother and knows how important his role is in the family. Baby boy will definitely be looking up to Joe as his idol!

At my appointment on Monday my midwife told us that I have Partial Placenta Previa. I was quite upset about it when she told us that most likely the only form of delivery I could endure would be via C-Section. I am a completely natural, Bradley Method sort of person and this news was very hard for me to hear. However, I do know that what's most important is that baby gets here safely and healthy.

She advised me to take it easy for the next 4 weeks and I am to have another ultrasound on Feb 7 to see if my previa has improved or if it has gotten worse. I am praying that it gets better and I will still be able to have a natural vaginal birth. I am still walking every day, but she told me to not do any strenuous activites and to avoid intercourse (poor Paul).

It's definitely a curve ball I wasn't ready to be up at bat for. Paul keeps reminding me that, "Everything happens for a reason" and I'm still trying to figure out the reasoning behind all of this. I've had a natural birth in the past, I've read the books again and have prepared myself but now I may have to have a "Delivery Day" instead of birth day? I'm hoping that I can get more used to that.

As I type, baby boy is kicking me and causing me some serious acid reflux. Only a preview of what's to come in the next 20 weeks...