Relief!

My hips don't hurt so bad now. Rest did me well. I slept a lot this past weekend. More than I probably wanted to. Baby was REALLY active today. His kicks are getting stronger if that's possible. Is it July yet?

Let's talk about pregnancy related hip pain.

So the other day I went and worked out on the eliptical machine at the gym at work for about 25 minutes. I thought I would be fine considering I can do two laps at the park and it's close to 45 minutes worth of work. Wrong! The eliptical is much harder and since I'm so far along now and my body is adjusting big time getting ready for labor my hips are so sore. Makes me walk a little funny because I'm trying to walk gentle. I plan on resting as much as possible this weekend and it should get better. I've never felt discomfort like this before. It's not really a profound pain that's going on and everything I can read about it claims this is normal and was caused by the different workout motion I was doing on the machine. Apparently my body is creating some kind of chemical that is softening and shifting the shape of my pelvic bone in antisipation of the big day which is still about 85 days or so away. It's amazing what our bodies are capable of. Other than the baby being here I'm looking forward to being able to get rid of all these crazy discomforts that come with expecting. Mostly excited for the baby though. I want to buy him cute outfits and dress him up in them and take lots of pictures. I would think every mom does.

On a plus side I bought some new shoes today and they are super comfy. I got them so I could have something easy to slip on, comfortable to walk in, and will allow me to not have to bend over and tie my shoes so much. Loafers XL. I love them. I'd been looking for about a month for a pair like these under $40 and I finally found ones I like in dark brown at Payless of all places. They are men's shoes because they cut women's shoes too narrow for my feet. I may have wide flat feet but at least I'm comfortable in what I have. I'm not too interested in fashion to begin with so I suppose that makes it that much better.

Guitars, Needles, and Countdowns

I want to learn some more songs on the guitar. I miss my guitar. It's collecting dust in my little brother's room in Ohio. I wish there was room in my car when I moved down here in June last year to have packed it. It seems like I have a list a mile long I want to learn. I especially want to learn the chords for the song Cold Cold Heart by Hank Williams. I find it so odd that I really don't care for country music but when I pick up that guitar it seems like that's what comes out. Maybe I just dislike country music that is created today. Who knows?

Today was another visit to the Birth Center. I had to have blood taken which I hate. They stuck me six times last time and then the ultrasound made it so they had to re-do the blood tests. This time they stuck me twice in the hand because they couldn't find the arm veins. Some people say there is no such thing as rolling veins except in old people. That is wrong. Me and my mom have always had issues with small and rolling veins. Just how it's always been. Even the people that stick you for a living have a hard time sticking us successfully. My blood sugar tested find this morning so I doubt that gestational diabetis will be an issue for me. I wouldn't be too excited to have to test my blood sugar and take insulin pills. I'll avoid that at all costs thanks.

The baby has been REALLY active lately. At first it was like my tummy was full of butterflies. Then it was cute little kicks. Then it was more like a bouncy ball was trying to get out. And now it's amost like a violent bouncy ball that just won't stop bouncing. On top of that I've been feeling those Braxton Hicks contractions. It feels almost like my tummy is doing a situp when I'm not doing anything. My midwives said it's my uterine muscles getting ready for the big day when they get to push that cute kid of mine into the world. Also makes me feel like I have to go to the bathroom a lot. They don't hurt but they can be uncomfortable and all activity is unexpected throughout the day but always most noticable when I'm trying to go to sleep. It's going to be weird when he's here because I'll be able to lay down and he'll be kicking me on the outside for a change. I'm so excited that he's so close. My countdown shows 88 days till the due date. I need to seriously get that nursery sorted out better... it's still too much office and not enough nursery.

Also my husband is going to the doc tomorrow, pray it goes well and they can help him feel better. It's nothing too serious but still enough to warrant a doctor visit.

Learning through videos.

I found this website...

www.babycenter.com

and it has more pregnancy videos than you could imagine with digital videos breaking it down depending on what you want to learn about. It's truely amazing what our bodies are capable of. I am so ready for baby to be here. Sometimes its so hard to believe he's so close to us. That he's even in there at all. But then he give my bladder a big old kick and I get heartburn from even looking at a pizza and it feels more real. He has been so active lately! This is comforting for me. The first time I went for an appointment I wasn't very far along and we had trouble finding the heartbeat. I like being able to feel their activity. Kinda makes me wonder if I'll be the same way when they are playing in another room and have been too quiet for too long. I'm very excited to get some good use out of the camera I got for Christmas. It's a pink Cybershot Sony something or other. All I know is it holds more pictures than I can take. I hope to get some good use out of it when we go to St. Augustine for our 1 year wedding anniversary as well as when Jonas is born. That kid is going to have more pictures taken of him than is probably healthy. I've also been looking at taking him for a studio shoot at Penny's or Sears. So many places give cupons. I decided the grandma's get lockets with pics, grandpa's get wallets, and everyone else gets some 3x5 action if they so desire. We might even have a Christmas card made this year. I'd like to be able to start doing that every year as our family grows. It's something new for me... we never did it growing up but I always thought it would be nice. And I'd get to dress up the kid (like a mom needs an excuse).

Revelations via Ezekiel via Genesis

I've been reading Ezekiel as a sprout of my curiosity of the tree of life via Genesis which ultimately lead me to Revelations. Cherabim vs. Seraphim. I feel so ignorant sometimes. This will be the subject matter of my next painting. Tree of life in the middle with an organic obscurity of some accurate Cherabim action. It's hard to say how well it will turn out because the workings are so sketchy. I need to do a lot more reading on the both and sketch up a storm before much more can be said about the direction of this thought. I pray the finished painting will do all the speaking for me.

Many people lose interests in the lists that the Bible holds. For me it excites my imagination. Me and my husband have been trying to read through the Bible cover to cover style and I can't help but sit there and page hop when he's at work. I get so wrapped up in words I don't understand and I start following references and before I know it I'm reading about these things that I never imagined. I pray for the dicipline to not forget to go back to what I miss in between.

In reference to all this... I'm really bad with words and talking to people and am hoping and praying that God will use my artistic gifts to let me show what I learn to the world. Maybe my art can find a way to do God's will. Maybe a painting can help lead someone to get saved.

It's like pulling teeth.

I had a tooth pulled on Saturday. Keeping a long story short I was there for three hours, cried once, and the actually extraction took a total of 20 seconds of pulling and one minute of me going... ewww... that is rotten! Brush your teeth kids! Once mine get back to 100% there is no way I will ever let them get as bad as they have been. No one is perfect keep in mind.

It's just a little stressful to have dental issues when your 26 weeks pregnant. If one flares up with an infection that could mean serious trouble for mommy and baby. But here again God is taking care of me in so many ways. He provided some killer insurance for me and the extraction went great. No bruising or swelling or excessive bleeding. That's what I'm talking about! Now I'm trying to be patient and not smile too much while my mouth is healing.

Baby Blog

Blog Number 1!

I know it is late in the game but I wanted to start a blog in reguards to an little person that is growing somewhere between my tummy and my bladder (he likes to effect both constantly).

So here are the facts to start...

I am currently 24 years old.
I was married June 2nd 2008.
I am 26 weeks pregnant as of today.
I am seeing midwives for my prenatal care and hopefully the delivery.
I am a born again Christian and so is my husband.
We are having a baby boy - confirmed by three "experts" in the field.
(Two ultrasounds at different places with different people.)
This is our first baby.

In relation to the above I suppose the biggest thing today is the due date has officially changed. Despite my belly measuring externally to be about 30 weeks according to the ultrasound I am actually 26 weeks pregnant. I knew this deep down from the beginning but in the field of medicine the patient knows nothing and everything has to be confirmed via expensive tests, poking and prodding. This is for the better of course. I don't mean to sound grouchy... I'm just hormonal. We had ultrasound issues in the past few months where we had no health insurance and could not afford the scan. But now that I have been blessed with a wonderful new job and full benefits to boot there's no more cause for worry. It was very important to get the ultrasound done because without it my due date would be a whopping 4 weeks inaccurate! If you don't deliver in a five week window of your due date care is automatically transfered to a hospital and a doctor. That could mean labor induction or a C-section. I do not want drugs if possible and I do not want a C-section if at all possible. God made our bodies for childbirth and I'm not to exciting about doctors or hospitals trying to get in the way of that.

Due date is now officially June 20th (origionally May 28th). First time moms deliver an average of 8 days late. Expected date of delivery is June 28th. I don't think they'll show up until July. We'll see what happens. They're coming one way or another.

Next visit expectations include more bloodwork and spontaneous dances while listening the Jackson 5 hits of the past. You remember... that's when Michael Jackson was still cute.