Mother's Day 2013

 

Nothing like trying to remember a specific day just under a month ago!

Well, most importantly, what I remember from this Mother's Day is that it was quite a nice day!  While it was certainly chilly, it was sunny, and a day that includes sleeping in, special cards from the girls, plus a nap in the afternoon has to be pretty wonderful overall!

Being a mom to two little girls has been a pretty awesome experience, and Mother's Day is a great opportunity to set aside the trivial and reflect on that very fact.  I couldn't be more thankful for our sweet Olivia and Grace, our new little baby on the way, the moms who have helped us become who we are, and all the moms who have served as constant and continuous guides as we embark on the adventure of parenthood.

And...since the very last picture of this post is of me with a little baby bump making it's appearance, I thought I'd give a brief update on how I was feeling at this point.  Mostly, I was feeling very thankful to be feeling better!  Just like with the girls, the first trimester brought some definite nausea.  Weeks 7-12 were a bit of a struggle because I was hungry but didn't feel well, so nothing looked good which made me hungrier which made me feel even worse.  Pretty typical pregnancy stuff overall, I think.  I was lucky not to be too troubled by this during the morning/work-day, but evenings were difficult, and I was glad Brian was able to take over dinner-making duties and get the girls out of the house to give me some quiet time when I was needing it.  First trimester bedtime for me was about 8:30-9, and I could seem to get enough sleep or drink enough water!  We had our first appointment at 10 weeks and heard the baby's heartbeat at 160.  At my next appointment in later May, it was pretty cool to notice how much easier it was to hear the heartbeat because of the growing babe - this time the heartbeat was at 150.   No gut instinct yet on whether it's a boy or a girl...ultrasound date is set for June 24th!

Over the weeks/months, the girls have been pretty fascinated with my growing belly, and Olivia especially likes to know how big the baby is getting - I have a website that I look at that compares the baby's size to food (like a lemon, for example); it provides a nice visual for the girls.  This week, I told Liv that the baby was as long as my hand, and she thought that was really neat.  I had to laugh too when the mom who gave Olivia a ride from school to daycare told me at pre-school graduation that Olivia said to her on the ride one day, "My mom's belly's getting so big she can't even button her pants!"  You just wait, Olivia, for the next four/five months!  :)  I've got to get another picture taken soon, but my bump has become even more obvious as I near the halfway point (18 weeks as of a couple of days ago).  I was pleased to make it through the school year using my bella bands with my work pants and wearing a lot of dresses, but was amazed at how comfortable maternity jeans felt when I finally decided it was time for them!  I'm still wearing a lot of regular shirts, but the time for those will pass by soon enough, I'm sure.  While I've been struggling with headaches quite a bit, overall, I don't have any complaints.  To be honest, I enjoy being pregnant - it's a pretty amazing and special feeling and experience!

Showing a little baby bump = 14.5 weeks