How Far Along: 23 weeks
Fruit Size Comparison: Grape Fruit
Weight/ Clothes: I joined a gym right down the street a couple weeks ago, but things have been so busy I hadn't gone yet. Sad I know...but the good news is I actually went this week, so that felt good! Hopefully it will have good effects as I continue to make it part of my routine. I am feeling a little heavy this week, especially so towards the start of the week.
In terms of clothes...I realized I have a bunch of dressy occasions coming up when I'm in Virginia the next couple weeks (The Teacher of the Year Awards Banquet, my first Baby Shower, Blah's bridal tea and rehearsal dinner and then Blah's wedding), so I'm trying to go through what I already have to wear from regular dresses, inherited dresses and a couple newly purchased/ gifted dresses.
On the Bridesmaid attire front...I followed the stores directives and ordered two sizes up hoping I would then have to have the dress taken in to fit nicely around the baby bump and sadly the dress is fitting small on both me and the other pregnant bridesmaid, so we both get to have the dresses taken out! It just fits me at the moment and the wedding is still two weeks away, so I figure this is the best bet so that it looks nice and I don't feel like I'm suffocating.
Cravings: I feel very boring in this category because I really haven't craved anything in a while. Oh well.
Gender: WE FIND OUT A WEEK FROM TODAY!! AHHHH...SOOO EXCITED!! Lindsey tells me she's tested her idea for the gender reveal and it was successful (She said she had to be vague...I love the vagueness since it's all going to be such a fun surprise, even how we find out!) YAY!
Movement: Adam felt the baby kick for the first time this week. He asked if it was just me flexing my abdominal muscles and I assured him I had nothing to do with the little pops he was feeling.
The baby is moving, moving, moving...in fact today I felt like the baby did a summersault in there. For the most part I'm enjoying the movement as long as it's in the upper areas of my belly...but a few times the baby has kicked downward toward my bladder and that actually hurts a bit. No one has ever mentioned this feeling to me, so it's this week's "Is this normal? Strange occurrences."
Symptoms: HEARTBURN! Yikes! Though Zantac truly does help thank goodness and round ligament pain very occasionally.
Mental State: I read a great book, Unbuttoned, this week that my roomie Thais sent me for my birthday. It was a good read because it's not a how-to on breast feeding but rather a compilation of different women's experiences with breastfeeding both successful and not so much so. I'm not stressed about breastfeeding, but I do hope our baby takes to it and I'm praying I won't experience all the rough symptoms though I will do my best to persevere as long as Baby Herndon is getting the calories he or she needs. Any experiences you'd like to share?
I've been pretty reflective on my/ our future hopeful parenting styles as well this week. It's probably because I nannyed a couple more days with my friend's kids and the two year old was definitely testing limits with me. I would tell her not to do something and she would go right ahead and do it smiling at me all the while. Then a timeout would follow since I didn't feel comfortable spanking someone else's child even though that's the method of discipline the parents have found effective. The kiddos are swearthearts, but I was left thinking, "If I don't absolutely love babysitting all day does this mean I will find being a stay at home mom a challenge too?" I think/ hope it will be very different easing into things with our own child/ children, and I'm extremely excited about the opportunity to stay home and raise our kids, but at the same time I do get a little nervous at times about what the whole experience will be like.
Will I feel lonely? I hope not since I'm already aware of a mom's group I can join on Tuesday mornings and I have Women's Bible Study on Thursday mornings and Adam just works a floor away, so he often comes home for lunch.
I also want our children to learn to play independently as well. I don't want to be our kid's sole playmate and while I will definitely play with him or her at times, I also want our kids to use their imaginations and be able to entertain themselves for periods of time. As a kid, I played independently all the time with my Barbies, books, and all sorts of other toys and of course I loved playing with other kids, so I hope I can encourage this is our kids while also making truly special hands-on memories with them as well.
I've had numerous friends who have opted to take time out of their careers to be stay at home moms and they have all been pretty honest with me over the past couple years about the experience, so I feel pretty realistic heading into the experience. However with that realism comes some questions of how I'll like the experience and will I miss teaching and working full time. I am excited to have my photography as a creative, adult outlet as well as wedding planning and partnering actively in ministry with Adam, so I feel excited about the whole thing for the most part even though questions and fears can sometimes creep in. I just continue to pray about the whole thing and that God would prepare me and our child and continue to give me contentment and confidence in the decision we've made. I truly believe this is ALL part of God's will for our family since Adam's new job and this move to Boston was so clearly orchestrated by the Lord and this too was apart of the appeal for this new ministry opportunity and such an answer to prayer that we would have the option to choose whether I would stay home or not.
Is this normal? Strange occurrences: Twinges of pain when the baby kicks at my bladder. YIKES!
Best Moment of the Week: Adam feeling the baby kick!
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