Countdown Journal - Day 36

New Ailment - Pregnancy Carpal Tunnel
Old Ailment - Pregnancy Congestion

36 Days til Due Date.


Over the weekend I noticed my right hand was falling asleep. Well, just three fingers on my right hand, my thumb...ring finger & index. It was especially bad when I slept on my right side. Then I noticed, it can't just be a matter of "falling asleep" because they are always numb and tingly! Even when I know my hand is in a position where it's getting blood flow.

I went in for my 35 week appointment yesterday and mentioned it to my OB {after my wife told me she experienced it too and she already diagnosed me lol} & she says it's pregnancy carpal tunnel caused by the extra fluid. Ugh! Add yet another chronic "the only cure is delivery" ailment to my list, along with the pregnancy rhinitis (congestion). Just wonderful <sarcasm font>. My wife let me use one of her braces and that did help last night. I washed my hair this morning and my fingers were numb making it difficult.

Baby Boy N is still really active. He's moving around a lot but I can tell he's much bigger and probably running out of space. I feel his hiccups down reallllly low. I'm praying he stays in position and doesn't flip around. My OB scheduled me for my GBS test for 06-10-14. She will also do an internal check and give me an order for an ultrasound to check his weight.

In 15 days he will be full term. I just can't wrap my head around that! FIFTEEN DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm feeling tired and ready to have him. The congestion is really starting to beat me down these days. Sometimes I feel like I'm not getting enough oxygen. It hurts to get up, get in the car, get out the car, sit up.........basically anything that involves movement of any kind. My feet hurt, my ankles hurt from all the extra weight. I can't walk far or do anything too strenuous. I'm just tired. Thank GOD above for my wife...she's been a true blessing during this journey. She rubs my feet and always asks if there's anything she can do to help me. Thank you Lord for her. I've fought a good fight...while I want him to be a healthy baby needing no medical assistance after birth....I've had enough of pregnancy and I'm ready to meet him.

 

Dear Baby Boy:

 

After June 12th , 2014 you will be fully baked. So, feel free to come anytime after that.

 

Thanks,

Mama

When things Change.....Plus Glucose test and Such!

I went for my much dreaded glucose test on April 12th. I had so much anxiety over keeping the liquid down. As I was registered, the lab tech handed me the bottle of liquid. I went straight to panic mode! Me: "Wait. Ummm Miss, can I have the orange flavor?" {EVERYONE told me this was the best flavor to stomach}....

Her: "We don't have that one here."

Me: *Look of Horror*

 

So...I had to suck it up, twist the cap...and down the fruit punch flavored drink. I totally expected the absolute worst! BUT......It was actually good! LOL! I was thirsty so that made it even better!

Me: "Oh okay this is GOOD!"

Lab Tech: "See don't judge a book by its cover!" lol

In the end...I waited the required hour and then got the blood draw. I received my results today and I passed with a wonderful score of 114!!!!! Thank God!

 

  

 

I've reached another milestone, 28 weeks! Well....I'm officially 28 weeks 5 days to be exact. Here is my bare belly. Thank you Lord! It's more rounded, solid and hard now. Still no stretch-marks. Yayyyy! {other than the ones I already had from losing weight}

I can remember posting about how "great" I was feeling and how sometimes I "forgot" that I was pregnant. Well, things have changed. Totally. I have learned to accept each new day for what it brings. I have my good days and then I have my not so good days. And that's okay. I know I've gained a ton of weight and groaning while doing anything that involves me moving has become common place. And that's okay. Things change and as my pregnancy progresses & I just have to accept that and deal. I keep everything in perspective and that helps me to get through. Oh, I can now see the baby moving around in my belly...totally weird and cool! He's so active. My wife said he's way more active in the womb than Baby C was. Keep on movin' son..it's gives your Mama peace & comfort! :-)

 

We have cleaned out the house (nesting times a million)...donated all unused & unwanted items, had our bathroom renovated, rearranged our bedroom, will have brand new windows installed in the next 3 weeks and completed our baby shower registry! Wheeew! These two mommies have been focused! The shower is set for May 4th, 2014.

 

That's all for now. Thanks for all the encouragement, advice, prayers, love & light sent during my journey. You all have NO idea how much it means to me. Congrats on all the BFP's for March and April! I'm so happy for you ladies. It's a blessing.

 

 

Mama C~

 

Whoa. 3rd TRIMESTER!!! Now I know.....

Days LEFT!!!!!!!!!!!


Today I officially entered the 3rd trimester. So thankful beyond words. So far, this has truly been the most humbling, emotional, sacrificial & rewarding journey I've ever experienced. I went from a self-sufficient, physical/strong, energetic woman.....to a woman who can't even put on shoes without groaning. A woman who can't lift more than 30lbs. A woman who is almost always out of breath and tired. I depend on my wife a lot these days and I honestly don't think I could have done this without her by my side.

I've learned so much about myself these past few months. I learned how to totally surrender control over life. While I'm still a work in progress in that area...getting pregnant & staying pregnant has taught me just how not in control we really are.

I have a human being living in my body. One who moves constantly and makes his presence known giving me comfort and peace. At this time, I have him all to myself. We share special moments that I don't have to share with anyone, including my wife. The thought of him being inside me and having him with me at all times during this precious journey brings me to tears every time I think about it.

I mean, I never actually thought I would go through with it. But I did...and there is no greater joy than growing a baby. I'm the only one who knows his every move right now. I'm the only one who knows when he has the hiccups. I'm the only one who knows when he doesn't like me in certain positions. ME! Right now it's just him & I and I will forever cherish these intimate precious moments. I can be selfish with him right now. I can play with him in my belly. I can talk to him. I know when I drink something cold he will respond. I can just love up on him from the inside and he is connected to my body and soul for the next 91 days, give or take. I know I will be glad to meet him & share him with my wife, his sister and the rest of the world....but truth be told, I'm cherishing these last few days & I will be sad when it's all over.

Now I know what my wife was talking about. Now it all makes sense. When she carried our daughter, they too shared these moments, just the two of them. She told me about how precious this time was for her and Baby C but I could never really understand what she meant until I traveled this road for myself. She always wanted me to carry. She would always say, " I just really want you to experience it all." Well, now I know and there are no words to describe just how thankful I am for her encouraging me to carry our 2nd child. Now I know. Now I know..........Thank you Sweetpea.

I'm scheduled to have my glucose test in the next week. Please send me positive energy, prayers & light that I pass with flying colors! Still praying for those BFP's for you ladies still waiting and congrats to all who have received theirs already!!

 

25 Weeks & Feeling Every Second Of It

We've reached viability!!! I'm 25 weeks today & I'm so thankful to be here. I do not take this amazing milestone for granted.

 

{Here's where I get transparent for a second}

 

I must admit, I'm slowing down. A lot. I feel very pregnant and it's really real now. My hips hurt. I now have to wear medical scrubs and a polo shirt to work because none of my clothes fit anymore, well my work clothes don't. I have a waddle. My face is filling out. My stomach is in my throat most days & it causes me extreme discomfort. I sometimes feel like my fatigue is coming back just a little. I can't help out at home or at work like I really want to because I get winded so easy and I don't want to put the baby in harms way by doing too much. It's harder to pick my daughter up now...I hate picking stuff up off the floor that I've dropped {it just takes so much effort}....I just feel BIGGER and SLOWER.

All while, when I tell people how far along I am, I get the...."Oh just WAIT, you ain't seen nothin' yet! You're gonna blow up and it's gonna get worse!"

 

SHUT THE F*^% UP!!!!!!!!!!! {Is what I want to say but instead I just smile and shake my head}

 

As a pregnant not-so-femme woman, being pregnant makes me feel vulnerable. It makes me feel like I'm delicate & fragile. I'm not used to feeling like this. I'm not used to LOOKING like this. I mean, I knew I would change, my body would morph....but I don't think you're ever really prepared for just how much you do change in so many ways. Sometimes I feel like crying when I think about just how different I am right now. Other days I'm not phased at all by it.

 

But............. I have to say, I would do it all over again to be exactly where I am. Pains & all. Fatness & all. I would do it again in a heartbeat for us to complete our family. Even with the discomfort and temporary pains {and it really is temporary}, I have an amazing wife who rubs my tired feet & takes awesome care of me, a baby growing inside of me who is healthy and very active, a great job where I can take it easy & take the day off if need be, a wonderful family support system who are so thrilled & excited about this little boy, friends who are just blessings all around to me and my family, a 1 year old precious daughter who gives me crazy kisses and is the joy of my life!! I can't complain with the many blessings surrounding me right now. I can be honest about how I'm feeling on a daily basis but I really can't complain. I'm blessed.

 

With each passing day...with each passing week...I don't for one second take for granted that this little boy is still safe & secure in my womb. I would deal with any amount of discomfort to keep HIM inside and safe. Period. As my wife often says, my only charge right now is to "bake this baby." Weight gain, pains, limited wardrobe etc....it's all for the greater good, our son.

My next goal is 28 weeks. The 3rd trimester.

 

Meditation

 

This journey is not a race.

Surrender the desire to want to control the path & final destination.

Just do what you can...& stay healthy.

 

 

 

 

Gender Reveal *LOTS of pictures* IT'S A ...........!!!!

 

 

 

 

(This will be a picture heavy Post so I hope you enjoy!)........ 

 

 IT'S A BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

I'm so excited and thankful! We are blessed to finally have a SON! As you all know, I've said from the very beginning that I felt this was a little boy. While I was unsure at times based on some of my cravings (oranges) I just kinda internally knew this was a boy. My wife & I are just so thankful and excited about welcoming our little Prince into the family. We know just how blessed we are to have one of each. This is a picture from our elective gender ultrasound.

 

For those of you who have followed my blog...the u/s did in fact MATCH the results of the Maternit21 genetics test done at 11 weeks 1 day. lol So my results were indeed accurate. I'm still happy we decided to have the u/s anyway..........

 

-SideBar- My aunt thought the HUGE looking leg was his "weeter." lol MA'AM!!!!!............Needless to say I told her his "weeter" is actually the little thingy underneath with the word "boy" under it. lol Forgive her ya'll she hasn't seen an ultrasound in moons so she gets a pass. Smh

 

 

 

So, in July we will welcome Baby Boy "N" and our family will be complete. Four will indeed complete our set. We love him so much already and can't wait to meet him. Here are a few other pics from the elective gender scan we had 3 days before the party.....

 

 

Baby Boy "N" (Formerly known as Sprouty) with the cord hanging on the side of his face and his legs up.

 

 

Sprouty with his hand covering his face......Awwwww! lol

Now for our Gender Reveal Party!

 

We cut up two bags of confetti..one pink & one blue. We sent both bags along with a sealed envelop that contained the genetics test results (which indicated the sex of the baby) and the potty shot from the elective ultrasound. We instructed the "balloon lady" (Ms. Liz) at Party City to open the envelope and fill our balloon with the confetti that matched the sex.... and to throw the other bag away. I could tell she was excited. She told me that her sister had recently did a gender reveal via youtub.e for their family.

Confetti & Gender Reveal Balloons! (Sorry this is so grainy) My wife and I each had pins in our hands ready to POP the all black balloon which contained the confetti. My wife is actually holding Baby C in her arms and I'm on the other side in the black sweater and white shirt. Again...sorry this pic is so blurry. It was taken from a screen shot of a video. But at least you get the visual....

 

 

 

"He or She...What Will It BEE!?" We used the chalkboard from our daycare room and put this decorative poster on it. We simply cut out polka-dot paper squares & little bees, attached some ribbon and 'BOOM' Cool Gender Reveal sign.

Then, at our home, in front of about 40+ family members and close friends we shared our very special moment after dinner. We POPPED the ballon & the floor was covered with BLUE confetti!!!!!! Everyone began to scream and cheer SO LOUDLY I could hear my ears ringing! Needless to say, I LOST it! I started jumping up & down and crying with my hands covering my face!!

In that moment, I was positive of one thing, God really does give us the desires of our hearts when it is according to His Will. In that moment, I felt like I had given my wife something that no one else ever could, a son. In that moment, I felt joy, love and full of gratitude. I am making my daughter a big sister! I will be blessed to raise a daughter and a son. I'm just so thankful.............

 

Here are a few other pictures from our reveal.

 

 My wife made these AHMAZING Cupcakes (from scratch) with cream cheese icing. They were EVERYTHING! Damn I married well! ;-)
We cut out little circles from poster board and glued little "bees" on them as our cupcake accents. Thanks to Pinterest, we were able to make all of our decorations! It came together really nicely I think. I know my wife was impressed with my crafting skilllzzz! Ha!

 

<----We made these little bags & filled them with Life Saver mints for our guests. They each read, "What Will It Bee?" & "Thank you?"

 

<--------We also made this little center-piece (which is actually a picture holder)...it listed my symptoms, cravings & a picture of Baby Boy N. It was really kinda cool how it all came together with such little money spent on the decorations. We just used our creative minds & put our crafting to work! It's funny because I hardly had any real symptoms per se. So, I think once we started looking at the stmptoms & "old wives tales" - How I was carying, low....no morning sickness, good mood, dreams and chinese lunar chart...I think we all kinda knew it would be a boy.

 

                                            

 

 

 

This picture is the recap. As you can see we had a blast! I'm so thankful we didn't find out sprouty's se.x until the party. There were a couple of "close calls" where the beans were almost spilled before our party but I'm so glad everything turned out perfect!

 

In the end #TEAMBOY came out victorious. I think only 3-4 people pegged me to be carrying a girl. EVERYONE at the party was #TEAMBOY except 2 oddballs. Teeeheee.

 

About Me Update:

 

 I started feeling Sprouty move around at 17 weeks 3 days and I'm feeling him more now. No real kicks, just rolling & flutters. That was exactly THREE days after my post about "movement." lol....I also started to suffer from extreme nasal congestion at 18 weeks 3 days and it lasted for about 3 days. Come to find out I had rhinitis of pregnancy, which is common, and I was miserable! One of my wonderful FCL group members told me about a product that was literally a miracle! I was so thankful to be able to breathe thru my nose again, I actually told her, " I LOVE YOU!" Hahahaha! I was SUFFERING ya'll! I'm so appreciative when folks share valuable information so I feel I MUST do the same for someone else.....So if you're reading this and you're also suffering from unbearable congestion due to pregnancy hormones...go get some Vicks 'Sinex' 12 hour decongestant ultra fine mist! You will be so glad you did!!!  It saved me and I could finally breathe thru my nose and SLEEP again!

 

We go in for my anatomy scan tomorrow...I will be 19 weeks 1 day. I cannot wait!! My wife & I are just so excited to see him again! So, I would really appreciate LOTS of prayers, love, light & positive energy for our little guy that he passes with flying colors.

 

Thanks so much for following my journey thus far. It does mean a lot.

 

Be Peace.



17 weeks 0 days! Bump Shot. Baby PLEASE Move!

 

17 weeks today! Yiippeeeee! While some days time seems to be speeding by...other days, not so much. I'm doing well and just taking it one day at a time. My new craving is A-1 steak sauce! I wanna smother everything in it! Yummaaay!

I went in for my 16 week check-up last week. It went well but hearing Sprouty's heartbeat is all I really care about during those quick monthly appointments. It seems SO long between appointments and I just need to know that he/she is alright in there! Which leads me to movement.

 

I WANNA feel the baby move!!!! It's driving me crazy. My wife felt Baby C around the 14-15 week mark. I read of others feeling movement that soon as well...but here I am SEVENTEEN weeks and nadda! Zilch. Well, at 13 weeks 4 days I thought I might have felt the baby but I'm not sure. I guess it's like the old sayings go, "A watched pot never boils" & "A watched phone never rings." lol

 

Oh, funny story: So, I go in for my appointment last week and my OB walks in the room all chipper and happy. She asks me if I have any questions but before I can answer she says, "Oh and you need to schedule your anatomy scan within the next two weeks." My reply to her was: "yeah I'm going to BUT I don't want to know the sex of the baby yet!" With a shocked look on her face she shouts, "OH NO, WELL WHY DO I KNOW??! I don't want to know if you don't! Let me scratch this off of your chart! I'm so glad I didn't come in here blabbing the results!!"

I then {{{GASP}}} lol

 

So apparently the genetics center sent her the results of my Maternit21 test and that included the gender portion. She documented the sex of the baby in the sleeve of my chart. lol I'm SOOO thankful she didn't tell me. While I'm dying to know...I would have been devastated and crushed to find out like that, before our big reveal party.

 

We have an appointment for the anatomy scan on 02-07 and we also have an appointment for a quick gender ultrasound on the 29th of this month. However, I'm not sure if I'm gonna keep this appointment. The only reason I even scheduled it was to "verify" the Maternit21 gender results and to make sure they match. It's probably a waste of money {$75 bucks for 10-15mins) since the MT21 is genetic but you know how it is when you just have to be sure............Did any of you do both genetics and u/s? I still have some time to cancel. But I havent.....yet. *sighs*

 

Anywhoo.....here is the 17 weeks bump shot! Almost to 20 weeks. Whoohoooooo!

 

 

 

 

Meditations:

 

Stop saying if and start saying when....

Although you don't know what's going on on your womb...GOD does!

Embrace & enjoy the journey. All of it! Not just the "good" parts.

Every woman's journey is different. Trust that this is the one specifically crafted for YOU.