Captain Sweatpants

So I dedicated yesterday to baby extraction...trying everything from walking my extremely under-exercised dog to castor oil to eating an entire can of jalapeno peppers. The end result certainly conquered Pregnancy Ailment #3! Once I was able to peel myself off the toilet, I donned my favorite pair of unwashed tattered sweatpants and gave up. In fact, once I sat down on the couch, there was no moving me for the rest of the day.

Really what is the point of trying to rush this experience? I know part of it stems from the fact that I just don't want to worry about her anymore. I want to see her eyes open and feel her breathing and know that she has all 10 fingers and all 10 toes. But how much safer can she be than she is now. I have virtually no responsibility to her other than to stay alive and to, of course, make healthy choices. Once she is on the outside, I am ultimately responsible to meet her every need. I realize I am arguing with myself here, but sometimes its best to talk things out:) Part of me is so impatient to meet her, while the other part of me is so terrified of the task of keeping her alive once she's here!

The truth is this...Once on the path to parenthood, the worrying never ceases. You worry the entire 9 months she spends in your womb, and you worry even more the next 18 years and beyond. I simply like to take it all on at once and torture myself in the process. I am already worried about explaining her first period to her and I'm worried about getting her through her first heartbreak. And she's still in utero!!

My husband has challenged me to live day to day and to focus on everything we are blessed with. I am taking him up on that challenge starting now. Today, I actually took the time to enjoy feeling her kick and roll inside of me. And, probably for the first time this entire pregnancy, I felt "the glow". I've wasted so much time worrying and being negative that I have missed the beauty of this entire experience. Needless to say, I won't be upset if she decides to wait a few more days. I have a lot to catch up on:)

Decaffeinated

I'm sitting in front of the fireplace drinking my daily cup of apple cider trying to remember what its like to not be pregnant...not too successfully.

I have actually been pregnant for over a year. My husband and I decided to start trying in September of 2011 and we never had a problem getting pregnant. Unfortunately, we did have problems carrying to term. We lost our first one at about 6 weeks in late October '11. The second one, we lost at 14 weeks in February '12. Then I got pregnant again in April and thankfully this pregnancy has been textbook and healthy. So, as a result, I have literally been pregnant for almost 17 months straight!

Because of my history, I have taken all of the "pregnancy don'ts" to the utmost extreme. I have deprived myself of caffeine, deli meat, tuna (my favorite), bagged lettuce, soft cheeses, and so on. My mother mocks me as this list has grown substantially since her childbearing years. And perhaps I am a bit paranoid...but I figure why not go through these nine months playing by these somewhat harsh rules with a clear conscience. Little did I know how hard this would be! As a former "3 cups of coffee a day" girl, caffeine was perhaps the hardest addiction to give up. I tried decaf for a while, but it was like cheating on my husband with the class loser. I have since resorted to hot apple cider. It satisfies my need for something warm in the morning and is different enough to keep me from missing my dark roast:)

I miss my body too. 17 months of pregnancy has not been good to me. I cant remember what it's like to wear pants that do not have an elastic waste. And it's been months since I have actually had defined ankles! And despite what ANYONE says about oils and creams and other such remedies, there is absolutely no way to prevent stretch marks. I have them in places that didn't even stretch!

All in all, it's been a long haul for our little family. This is something we have wanted for so long. And I really have enjoyed feeling this life growing inside of me. I am, however, very ready for it to be over. And among all the things I look forward to...I really can't wait to enjoy my first postpartum steaming cup of real "hi-test" coffee:)

Hello World!

As a very soon-to-be first time mom, I thought I would record our journey from a hip little family of 2 to a scary and unprepared family of 3! My name is Lindsey. My husband Chad and myself are expecting a baby girl any day now. Nursery is done, name is picked, carseats are installed...yet somehow, we still feel so far from ready. I'm sure there will be many emotional as well as comical moments throughout this chronicle. And hopefully we can learn, laugh and cry together as I attempt to embrace the prospect of motherhood. Goodness knows I need all the help I can get!

The Final Countdown!

One week! I can't believe we only have one week til my due date! I thought for sure she would be here by now. She tried to come early at 34 weeks...but since then must have gotten so comfortable, she doesn't want to leave! It's amazing how my comfort level has changed in just the last few weeks. Sleeping at night is no longer an option unless I am willing to take a pillow to the toilet. Walks are now waddles, rises are now rolls, and I can't remember what it's like to sneeze without peeing my pants.

My pregnancy experience has been far from the beautiful, glowing, joyous journey I was hoping for and had been misinformed about. Being pregnant sucks. Plain and simple. For the first 6 months, I couldn't keep ANYTHING down...not even water. I pretty much expected to expel at least three times a day. Once I came to terms with that, it wasn't so bad. I even got cute little paisley vomit bags so I could wrap up my regurgitation in style. There were a couple days, however, where those bags simply could not be utilized. Like the time I was driving to work and the urge to throw up hit me so hard that I didn't even have time to pull over. I proceeded to projectile vomit all over my self and my steering wheel while attempting to keep the car on the road. That was a great day. I have many similar stories, but talking about throwing up is usually only funny for a couple of sentences. And I have certainly already crossed that line.

Another ailment I have been blessed with is Restless Leg Syndrome. Ask my poor husband, who still has bruises up and down the backs of his legs from my incessant kicking. For those wondering though, I did find relief through 3am warm baths and extra iron supplements. If you opt for the iron, just make sure you are prepared to deal with Pregnancy Ailment #3: Constipation. I think it's best to leave this subject alone as it really needs no embellishment. Stretch marks, Rhinitis, swollen ankles, Carpal Tunnel...the list goes on and on and on. My mother was one of those people who LOVED being pregnant and had not one negative thing to say about it. So I was obviously expecting the same experience. But mine has been so far from it, it's almost comical.

I keep telling myself it will be worth it! Of course, I still have the ultimate finale to look forward to! Labor and Delivery. Surprisingly, I am not as nervous for it as I expected to be. That could have something to do with my just wanting this nightmare to be over!! But overall, I am just so ready to meet our daughter ( Who shall remain nameless so as to provide some suspense). As scary as it is and as miserable as the process has been, I am so excited to be a mother! I can't imagine the emotions I will feel seeing her for the first time. I have imagined what she will look like and what her personality will be and have several images in my head, probably none of which will turn out to be accurate. But I know I will find her beautiful...I know I will love her with all of my heart...and I know the moment  our eyes meet for the first time will be the best moment of my entire life and everything I have gone through up to that point will seem so small and miniscule :)

~Pictures are a compliment of:

www.studio4sixteen.com