Waiting on a new love

My due date with Lily has come and gone. I'm sitting here 41 weeks + a few days pregnant...into my FOURTH trimester :)

I physically feel great...no aches or pains, minimal swelling in my feet. I'm good...but emotionally, I'm a little tired. I've been pregnant for a while, and have really enjoyed my pregnancy, with all it's roller coaster dips and drops. The spotting in the first trimester and anemia in my second and third seem so far in the past...it's almost surreal.

Daryl has been amazing! So supportive and pretty much perfect. My friends and family have also been so very wonderful. Everyone has given me the space I need without overly making me feel pressured to 'have the baby already'. I was part of the most beautiful Blessingway...just ready to use my birthing bracelet already :) The henna was gorgeous! My comadre, Andrea, took some super fab maternity shots that you can see here, here and here. Daryl and I have even made a belly cast like we did with Mia. I just need to gesso, sand and paint it up....

My Dr. has been warm and helpful, but now that I'm a little past my due date, he's kind of itching for an induction. So, along with waiting for our sweet little Lily to make her debut, we're having to take non-stress tests every 3 - 4 days to make sure Lily isn't in distress. I'm thrilled to do that... I get to hear her heart beat and mark down her little/big kicks and movements. I even got to see her sweet/squished face via ultrasound. We go in for another NStest tomorrow...and I know the Dr will want to schedule an induction for the end of the week...when I hit 42 weeks. From what Daryl and I have read, at that point, the cervix may just need a smidge of a nudge to get going. I hope Lily is born before that.

I'm ready to meet her, hold her...just look at her for hours. I want to rock and pat her...hear her lil newborn cries. I can't wait for her to look at me while she's trying to focus on her mamas face. I know I'll miss her being in my tummy, feeling her kicks, but I'm ready...ready to meet our new love.

Here are some pictures of Mia and I snuggling...resting....waiting :) and then some cute videos of Mia already torturing her lil sis with zerberts.

Flash!

Last summer, Mia and I started weekly mommy & me gymnastics classes at Acrotex. At first, her focus was on running around and not really into what Coach Misty was trying to teach these 2 yr old tots with the help of their moms...but she LOVED Thursday afternoons..'nastics' time :) Over the months, she really got into the warm ups and stuff they did on the balance beams, bars, mats...she can almost do a cartwheel and is a star on the trampoline! She even asked for her 3rd birthday to be at nastics class. In January, she had about 30 of her friends over to Acrotex for a nastics party. She was in heaven!

Since becoming pregnant, our mommy and me class has been a challenge for me at times. Whenever he could, Daryl would meet us there to take over. Watching them from the sidelines always warmed my heart. The point was always to have fun...learning all the other stuff was just gravy. This month, we had to give notice that we'd be taking a little break. I'm soooo not up to picking up a 35 lb girls so she can swing on a bar, and she's not quite up to the level where she could take a class on her own...in a couple of months she may be.

Almost everyday, she'll 'flash' for me or show me her cartwheel, teeter toter, forward roll.... I'm glad she still loves it, but feel so sad that I can't take her for a while.

She will be back, but until then....here's a little FLASH!

Q&A

Q: When will my Christmas cactus ever bloom?

A: May 1st

Q: Mia? What's taking you so long?

A: 'nothing'

Q: How big will my belly be 5 days before due date?

A: Thiiiiiiis Big!

Q: When will Lily be born?

A: Not soon enough for me :)

LOOK what I got!

As part of the AWESOME F-R-E-E with a Catch meme , I received this gorgeous felt art piece made for me by one of my best friends, Stephanie! Isn't it the most beautiful ever?!?! It really warmed my heart...I can't wait to frame and display it :)

I'll tell you, when I first read about the F-R-E-E with a Catch post on her blog, I thought 'Sign me UP!'....what? The catch? I have to pay it forward? I have no problem with paying things forward....but....I can't make anything!....Steph talked me down and explained that it could really be anything. It's really just a token...ohhhh, as long as peeps don't expect some lavish handmade Etsyesque gift :)

Stephanie made this for ME, and it feels just like Me...and where I am, what I'm focusing on...I love how much she knows and loves me....now, what will I make for HER?

*as for the 5 peeps that responded to my F-R-E-E Gift with a Catch post....I've set a reminder for myself. You'll receive something special that I've made for you...some time this year ;)

What Baby Needs

Storytime with Daddy. The books on welcoming a new baby into the family by Dr. Sears are just awesome. We got both books (Baby on the Way & What Baby Needs) shortly after we found out we were pregnant (along with the potty book), and Mia's loved them. I really dig that it shows a baby nursing and co-sleeping. The daddy gets to feed the baby with a bottle...he even gets to wear the baby in a sling! It's all about letting the older sibling know what to kind of expect when mama's pregnant and when the new baby comes. I think Mia's more prepared than I am :)

Last night, while snuggling with Daryl, I was feeling kind of melancholy, and didn't know why. After talking about stuff for a while, I realized that I was sad. I'm gonna miss my lil family of three. I already feel as though there are many times where we don't make enough time for each other...or we just plain get snappy. Not fun. I know by adding Lily into the mix, there will be more love and precious moments....but I'm still scared about this whole family of four thing. I'm sure we'll make sure all of baby's needs are covered.... oh, I'm so glad I'm going to the mama retreat this Friday by Carrie Contey...all about keeping mama's cup full, so she can love and give without it being too incredibly hard. I need tricks :)

Mother's Blessing Ceremony

Last week, I ...along with four other pregnant O'Mamas, were celebrated with a Blessingway in our honor. We were surrounded by beautiful strong women and made to feel like goddesses. We picked out designs that spoke to us, and the talented Nisha drew the designs on our big pregnant bellies with henna. I chose a lily on the right side of my tummy, b/c, well, my baby's name is Lily, and she's been primarily on my right side...or that's where I can feel her most...and then three hearts symbolizing Mia, myself and Daryl...our family all together on my belly :)

Then our own individual birthing bracelets were created for us. Each O'mama had a bead for every pregnant mama...they told us what it symbolized and their well wishes for our laboring. It's something that touched me deeply and I'm sure will bring me much comfort and strength when it's time for Lily to come.

Here's a little piece of an email I sent to a very dear friend about my experience...

'Sorry so long to get back with you. I've not been feeling quite like myself this past week...not into blogging either. After the Blessingway, I think I fell into something good, but deep and introspective. I wasn't ready to even think about giving birth. I just loved having her in my tummy ...moving, sleeping, kicking stretching. Something about that night changed me into thinking about Lily & my birthing experience. I'm not frightened, but aware and thinking a lot. KWIM? Even Daryl said I've been quiet :) I'm not depressed b/c I'm still doing things that I wouldn't do when depressed. Just introspective :)'

Our blessingway was also blogged about by Andrea and Sara. I love their perspective of it. I blogged a little about the henna last week. I feel like I have something profound to say, but all I have are feelings...not many words. So, all those O'Mamas close to my heart probably know how much I appreciate them, all they are and how much love and support they've given and continue to give me. I can't say enough about Heather, Andrea, Gale and Sharon...my fellow pregnant mamas....I love that we've pretty much been through all of this together...my first time, I was so alone...you give me strength, make me laugh and I love you.

My Birthing Bracelet

Sharon being decorated by Nisha

my finished belly

Andrea's belly
Gale's belly

Heather, Andrea, Nisha (with a scarf tucked under to be her own little pregnant belly!) me, Gale and Sharon

The pregnant goddesses: Heather, Andrea, Me, Gale & Sharon

Birth Art

I'm in the lovely process of preparing myself for childbirth. In doing so, I've taken up reading Birthing From Within...thank you for the recommendation, Sara (our Doodle...that's what Mia calls our Doula). I just read the chapter on Birth Art, and today it felt right to start exploring my thoughts and feelings. Here are some main points of the Birthing From Within philosophy that speak loudly to me:

• Childbirth is a profound rite of passage, not a medical event (even when medical care is part of the birth).
• The essence of childbirth preparation is self-discovery, not assimilating obstetric information
• Active, creative self-expression is critical to childbirth preparation.

Birth Art 1- Comforting Warmth

medium: crayon

I found myself with my pink baby deep inside me...while I rested on a big soft purple pillow...floating on calm water...myself and my baby being warmed & baked by the sun

Birth Art 2 - Transition

medium: washable marker

I felt pain in my back and my belly...it was stronger than I was... there was just a hint of my form...the focus on the pain, and the baby was breach. I stopped as soon as I noticed that and went on to my next drawing

Birth Art 3 - Beauty

medium: washable marker

I'm radiant and powerful...my face, calm and made of love..my baby also calm and made of love...and in a position to be born.

Birth Art 4 - Safety

medium: colored pencil

We are a family united by are love and shielded from the chaos (outsiders, complications....) I hold my eldest in the crook of my arm, my baby safe inside, my husband watching over us all.

I noticed that in all my pieces, I wasn't pushing...I'm not quite there yet. Loving Miss Lily inside of me, thank you very much. I do feel that learned a lot about myself while creating and exploring...looking forward to more! :)

breakfast for dinner

to break up the pre-holiday crazy, a few O'Mamas got together one evening this week at Kerbey Lane for some chat, breakfast and whipped cream topped coffee...and beer. always a wonderful break hanging with my ladies....almost as wonderful as a butter smothered blueberry pancake stabbed with a fork to let all the syrup in...i AM pregnant, remember. actually, that's how i always eat my pancakes, and only the middles. i never eat the edges.

It's a Grrrl

While talking with my pal, Jennifer today, I realized that I posted it on the O'Mama message board and on my Facebook status. Since I hadn't posted it here, Jennifer was unaware that we're having a girl :) We found out on Tuesday.

Mia's excited about becoming a big sister to a little sister, but don't talk to her about it too much. It gets old fast.

i miss

i miss my beer.

holidays are hard.

i just wanna hang with friends and drink beer.

lots and lots of beer.

dos equis in the green bottle. no glass. no lime. thanks.

from a potato

to an orange?

'You are now 19 weeks pregnant -- almost halfway there! Nineteen weeks into your pregnancy,your baby is about 5.2 to 6 inches long and weighs about 7 ounces (about the weight of an average orange).'

these sites aren't reliable. i guess i may need to stick to one that's comparing my unborn child to food...i'm irritable enough without these inconsistencies.

food?

i wonder why all the analogies of the size of my unborn child are of food. first a grain of rice, then a Lima bean, we jumped to a medium shrimp (now nicknamed Trimp by Mia), and now we have a medium baked potato.

they wonder why we eat so much...i'd LOVE a baked potato right now! LOADED!

food?

i wonder why all the analogies of the size of my unborn child are of food. first a grain of rice, then a Lima bean, we jumped to a medium shrimp (now nicknamed Trimp by Mia), and now we have a medium baked potato.

they wonder why we eat so much...i'd LOVE a baked potato right now! LOADED!

Our Lil Trimp

Daryl and I spent a lovely half hour with our unborn child this morning. He (we already have a girl, and until we know...he'll be a 'he') was quite still at first...heart beat going, but still. Then after the ultrasound tech started pushing on my belly, he woke up and was pretty active. He rolled around, gave us a wave (counted 1, 2, 3, 4, fingers and 1 thumb!) and pretty clearly gave a good punch. Feisty. So, at 14 weeks (based on the date of my LMP, he should be 14 weeks tomorrow...at the last two visits/ultrasounds, he's been measure small, so the Doc wanted to have another look to see if the due date needed to be changed...it does matter after all), the lil babe is 3 inches long. I read somewhere they compared this size to a 'medium shrimp'. Along with some amazing quality time, we got a pretty nice shot of his profile.

During the car ride home, after I picked up Mia from Casa T, I told Mia that Daddy and I saw the baby today...we even got a picture. She asked if the baby was 'still in mama's uterus'. I reassured her, that Yes, he's safe in my uterus. I told her he was still very small and had to grow for a long time before he'd be big enough to be born. 'how big is the baby?' I let her know, that the baby was about 3 inches long. Well, that meant nothing to her, so I quoted what I'd read and showed her what 3 inches looked like and said the size of a medium shrimp. 'Oh, a trimp'

Mia was The Bean until we knew she was a girl, then she was Mia. Well, until we shortened whipper snapper to The Snapper.

So, without further ado, here's our Trimp:

why i take prenatal vitamins

1. i'm pregnant

2. i had chili cheese fries for lunch

3. with a side of jalapeño poppers

i relax

now that i haven't spotted in over a week, we saw the baby's heartbeat again, as of last tuesday, the baby had tripled in size, i'm no longer on pelvic rest, and i'm not as nauseous anymore, i can relax a little.

i'm enjoying life a lot more, and Daryl, Mia and i had a wonderful weekend together. i've been napping a lot and in general, relaxing.

what i would love more than a lot of things is if Daryl and i could get a way for even a weekend to Cozumel or Playa del Carmen. that's a spot in the world where we've been kind of a lot, and it always feels so good to be there. it's familiar and relaxing. i've been working hard baking our bun and taking care of the snapper....Daryl has been working hard, period. we need it, and we'll get there, it just may take a little time, but we'll get there :)

in the mean time, we relax any way we can. ahhhhhhh

I wanna see my friends

With this whole pregnancy thang, I haven't been feeling well...especially this week. If it wasn't for Casa T, swimming class and gymnastics, Mia wouldn't see any of her friends. Every morning I ask her what she wants to do, and it's pretty much always 'go to a playdate and see my friends'. We are meeting some friends up at the park this morning, so I hope that gives her a good friends fix that can get her through the weekend. Here are some shots from an impromptu playdate we hosted a couple of weeks ago.