I’ve mentioned before how difficult it has been to take actual portraits of Hunter lately. We attempted some one-year photos just prior to his actual birthday, but he was so go-go-go that I didn’t get too much that I was happy with. At the time, I promised Kara that we would try again later in the summer.
While we were in the Poconos earlier this month, I tried to take advantage of some of the beautiful surroundings in the garden there and snap some photos then. Again, didn’t get anything spectacular (i.e. smiling AND looking at the camera), but what we did get was a series of photos that really capture his personality at this stage. And in the end, isn’t that really what it’s all about?
Earlier this week, my mom sent me this photo we took of Hunter on her BlackBerry while we were in the Poconos. I had completely forgotten about it and I almost died from the cuteness, all over again. See what I mean?
Look at him kicking back with his bottle, with his feet crossed, and gripping onto his favorite toy fork. We did not pose him, this is the way he was lying on his own. Apparently he lies with his feet crossed like that all of the time. And I JUST CANNOT HANDLE THE LEVEL OF CUTE.
Please God, let our child be HALF this “chill.” Hunter’s such an easy-going kid, and I’m terrified that statistically, Michael and I will end up with the terror of the family.
And with that, I wish you nice, relaxing weekends of your own. Kick back with your bottles beer/margaritas/wine/drink of choice, put your feet up, and unwind. :)
We had the growth ultrasound this morning, and I’m happy to say that everything looks good!
This is the best “photo” we got. It’s the profile of the head, and you can see the little nose. Underneath the nose, the baby has its hand up by its mouth. Perhaps we have a thumb-sucker on our hands? :)
At the anatomy scan at 19 weeks, I was easily able to decipher the different body parts. The legs, the feet, the arms, the hands, the ribs, the spine… it was all clear as day. Now? Not so much. Everything is so smooshed in there that all of the body parts overlap and I couldn’t tell what the heck we were looking at half the time. The tech was all, “Here I’m measuring the leg bone…” and I was thinking, “What? Really?” because it looked nothing like a leg. At one point, she was up by the face and was pointing out the baby’s features. Here’s the eyelid, here are the nostrils, etc. CRAZY.
All of the baby’s individual measurements were right on track for between 31 and 33 weeks (depending on the body part), so that was perfect. Then they used all of those measurements to come up with an estimated weight, which she said was about 4 lbs. That’s in the 58th percentile for this gestational age, so it was great news. She also took a lot of pics of the heart, listened to the heartbeat, checked the flow of blood through the umbilical cord, and measured the amount of amniotic fluid. She indicated that everything went really well. She also said that my placenta is up high in my uterus, meaning that it will not get in the way of anything. Awesome.
We’ll get the official “all clear” once our doctor has time to study all of the results. We have an appointment on Tuesday so I’m sure we’ll hear about it then.
Needless to say, hearing everything is OK was a big relief!
I’ve been a bit of a nervous wreck today. We have the growth ultrasound tomorrow. While I’ve been really calm about the whole situation since my doctor first mentioned it last week, for some reason, now that it’s upon us, I’m apprehensive. I’m ready to be reassured. I want to know that I’m doing right by my baby and that he/she is growing properly. Tomorrow morning, I guess we’ll know!
31 Weeks Pregnant
Look! I finally got my hair cut/highlighted! IT’S A MIRACLE! Goodbye, roots! Also, isn’t it funny how certain clothes can make you look more pregnant than others? I feel like this one makes me look very pregnant. Anyway…
Peeing. It’s one of those things that everyone knows about a pregnant woman: She always has to pee. What’s funny is that if I’m sitting, I can usually go for several hours without a bathroom break, even if I’m drinking water. But the minute I stand up? Gotta pee. I could almost ALWAYS pee at this point. It’s even worse when I walk. In fact, I can barely make it through our 3-mile walking route now, simply because I can’t go an hour of walking without needing to pee. And sleeping? HA! I’m up probably 3-4 times a night now, just to stumble into the bathroom. ‘Tis fun. And this is supposedly going to continue getting worse until the baby drops down into my pelvis just a few weeks before delivery. Yikes!
I’m a nesting fool these days. Not every day, but when I get the itch? Watch out. On Sunday, we were on the hunt for small shelves for the nursery wall. When they were out of stock at the first place we tried, I couldn’t take it. I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s just like I CANNOT BE SATISFIED unless the thing that I just HAVE to do is DONE. In this case, it was shelves. I dragged poor Michael all over town before we found what we were looking for. Thankfully, he was a good sport about it. It made me feel so crazy, though–my rational mind was saying, “just wait until the shelves are back in stock!” but my pregnant, nesting mind was all, “No. MUST. FIND. SHELVES. NOW.”
We had another birth prep class last night. We practiced a few more breathing techniques, talked about the most common reasons for c-sections, learned about some of the medication options that will be available to us during labor, and watched a few videos about labor and delivery. I wouldn’t say I’m really nervous about giving birth–at least not yet. Instead, I’m curious about it. I’m wondering how it’s going to work out for me. I want to go for as long as I can without pain meds, but am not against getting something if I need it. I wonder what I’ll be able to handle, and how things will turn out. I think it’s the unknown that fascinates me, as it seems like it could go so many different ways. And whenever the instructor talks about going to the hospital, being in labor, delivering the baby… all it really does is make me excited, because when we’re at that point, we’ll be so close to meeting our child!
We ordered our stroller last week, and over the weekend, we ordered our first cloth diaper supplies (yes, we’re cloth diapering–more on that as we get closer!). The nursery is coming together, but I think I need to wait until after my second baby shower (August 7) before finishing it off as best we can before the baby gets here. I’ll hopefully be able to share some pictures then, even though it won’t be TOTALLY finished until after the baby is born. We have a few final touches that we plan to add, but how we do it depends on whether the baby is a boy or a girl. So those have to wait.
As of yesterday, we have exactly two months to go…
It’s really hard not to wish a pregnancy away.
During the first trimester, you’re so consumed by the anxiety associated with potential miscarriage, or with the sickness that takes over your body, that you will the days away. You wish you could go to sleep and suddenly wake up at 13 weeks, when your chances of a healthy pregnancy are significantly increased, and your stomach gradually settles again.
In the second trimester, you can’t wait to look pregnant. You can’t wait to feel your child kick, flip, and roll inside of you. You can’t wait for the ultrasound that will reveal (if you choose) whether you’re having a son or a daughter. You look forward to 20 weeks because you’re halfway there; then you long for week 24, which marks viability.
Finally, when you’re in your third trimester, you count down the weeks and days until your due date, unable to contain the excitement you feel about meeting your baby. You can’t wait to see his or her face, to determine whether he has your nose, or if she has your husband’s eyes. You ache to kiss his tiny ear; you long to count her fingers and toes. You spend time standing in the nursery you’ve prepared, running your fingertips over the small diapers and socks, just waiting for the day they’ll belong to a baby. Your baby.
It is only when you step back and take a moment to breathe that you realize just how precious these months are. When it is over, you will never again carry your baby this closely to you. You will no longer feel every kick, every hiccup, every stretch. You won’t have your baby with you every hour, every minute, every second of every day.
And life, it is about to change. We will never again have the level of freedom to do what we want to do–with ourselves, with our time, with our money–as we do right now. (Or, we will… someday. But not for a very long time.) In a handful of weeks, it will no longer be just the two of us and our pup. There will be someone else here, a little someone who will dictate how things run around here.
When I think of meeting this baby, I am overwhelmed with excitement. But when I think of how things will change forever, I’ll admit to being somewhat scared. I feel such conflict over wanting to get to “three” so quickly while also wanting to so deeply cherish every minute that we have left as “two.” And perhaps a baby takes nine months to get here just to teach us that lesson. To learn patience in the face of anticipation, and to treasure the moments that we will never have again.
This pregnancy thing? It is beautiful.
We should not wish it away.
I’m really trying not to.
About
I'm Heather. I'm 33 and have been married to Michael for seven years. Together, we have two beautiful little girls we love more than anything, and a miniature dachshund who drives us crazy. I'm a full-time working mom who has very little time for my own "stuff" these days, like home improvement, cooking/baking, cake decorating, and photography. Despite the team not making the playoffs since 1999, I'm STILL a Buffalo Bills fan, which I think speaks to my loyalty AND sense of humor. I can't wait to pick up the pace with travel again some day... you know, when we're done being ruled by tiny fists. Welcome to my blog.
