6/18/08
I know I have been very bad and not posted anything lately, but it was kind of the same story, different day. I was really, really exhausted and still very nauseous. I am happy to say those days are now over!!!! Now, I have moved on to the great stage of heartburn. Before, I was constantly eating to avoid being nauseous, now I am constantly eating to avoid being too full or too empty and thus creating horrible heartburn. I have not gained any weight so I must be eating the appropriate things. I have pulled out my Bradley Method eating journal to make sure I am eating everything I should, and I am following it pretty well. I am over the salad kick, but am still eating lots of citrus fruit.
George, Owen, and I went to my midwife appointment on June 4th, and everything went well. I love getting to hear the heartbeat, but I always dread the event of finding the heartbeat with the doppler. I get so nervous, and literally start sweating if they don't find it right away. Like magic, she put the doppler on my abdomen, and immediately we were able to hear the swoosh, swoosh, swoosh of the tiny heart. It truly is the best sound to hear, except for maybe that crying scream the baby makes right after delivery. I go back for another appointment on July 2nd.
We have been given 3 different due dates since finding out I was pregnant. We were told December 10, December 12, and December 16. The midwife said, "this is crazy, we need to come up with one due date, and stick with it." I am not one of those pregnant mothers that is glued onto their due date, so I really didn't care. As I learned from my experience with Owen, babies truly come when THEY decide it is time. I think some of our family also realized this during their long stay in the Baptist Hospital Labor and Delivery waiting room. Wasn't that fun?!?! Well, the midwife decided based upon the ultrasound measurements that we were going to go with Decemeber 10th. I had been telling everyone Decemeber 16th, so that moved me up almost a whole week. I hope this whole moving the date thing doesn't come back to bite me in the butt later when I am overdue and they want to induce. I will say, "let's go back to the due date of December 16th, that I way I will have a little more time." I really don't want to be induced this time, and will do everything I can to make sure it doesn't happen. I have adjusted the baby picture at the top of the page to correlate with my "new" due date.
The baby now measures about 4 inches long from crown to rump, and weighs about 2.5 ounces. To put that in perspective, it is about the size of an apple. The baby is busy moving amniotic fluid through its nose and upper respiratory tract. This will help the primitive air sacs in the lungs begin to develop. It can also move all of its joints and limbs. Although the eyelids are still fused shut, the baby can now sense light. If I shine a flashlight at my abdomen, for instance, the baby is likely to move away from the beam. At this point we would also be able to tell if we are having a boy or a girl, but remember it is a surprise!!! Yes, a ture surprise, even for George and I.
The most exciting event happened on Monday (14w5d)...................I felt the baby move for the first time!! This is such an exciting time during pregnancy. Their is nothing I can say to describe the feeling of having another life moving around inside of me. It is really amazing. About this time with Owen, is when I started to become less worried about the pregnancy. I am pretty sure I started feeling movement with Owen right around 16 weeks. They always say the second time around you feel it sooner because you know what to expect, and not just pass it off as gas. The doctors say that I feel it sooner than some because I am thin. I am not feeling movement all the time, and George is unable to feel the baby at this point, but it won't be long.
I am trying to cherish each and every day since I don't know if this will be the last time I am able to experience being pregnant. I have always said I would like to have 3 children, but George has been set on 2. As Owen grows, and becomes more and more interactive and playful, maybe George will change him mind. George says all the time that Owen is becoming more fun. They now chase one another around the house. They are so cute playing together.
On another note, I finally weaned Owen from breastfeeding. The last time I fed him was June 9th. I was going to be leaving out of town for the lia sophia conference on June 11th, and I really didn't want to have to pump while I was gone. George and I thought it was going to be the best time to completely wean since I was going to be away for 4 days, and maybe that would help Owen with the transition. I think in the end, Owen did better than I did. I was really sad about that part of his life being over. He really is not a baby anymore. I feel blessed that I was able to provide him with the best nutrition possible for 1 year and 2 weeks. I am going to miss that one on one bonding time I got to have with him. I can't believe the year flew by so fast. I guess I only have 6 more months, and I will be starting the journey all over again with baby #2. Selfishly, I do enjoy the freedom of not having to be around every time he needs to eat. I would say, it is nice to have my body back, but somebody else already moved in and took over. : )
Owen is really making the transition from baby to little boy. I miss my little baby, but I also love the boy he is becoming. He now knows when he is doing something wrong, and when George or I say, "Owen," he takes off laughing and running. He usually will run into the kitchen or laundry room. He loves being chased around the house, and thinks it is so funny. Every time he hears music he starts dancing, by bending his knees and bouncing up and down. He is now waving at strangers, and will continue to wave until the wave back. It is so cute. Sometimes he is will wave with both hands, just in case they didn't notice him waving with one hand. : ) 
