Sleep and Work

First up, sleep. I've always been a very good sleeper. I can sleep anywhere, any position, with any lights/noise going on. When I'm tired I have a very hard time staying awake and can nap and be in bed an hour later. I don't need a lot of sleep, 8-9 hours a night, pretty standard. That was all pre-pregnancy!

I can still sleep anywhere, in basically any position but I don't sleep through noise and lights as well. I am constantly tired and could sleep all day and night. I've been having a lot of pain, especially at night. My lower back kills me, tailbone aches, hips lock up and a certain little boy loves to shove his feet into my ribs. Last night was probably the best night of sleep I've gotten in awhile! I can sleep 12-13 hours a night and still feel tired. Last night I got about 9 hours a sleep from going to bed to waking up for good and I felt more rested then I have after sleeping for 13 hours! The secret?

A husband that makes sure I'm laying on my side instead of flat on my back. If I sleep on my back (not purposefully but I guess I roll over in my sleep) I get  horrible cramps in my lower abdomen and it's hard to breathe. A fleece blanket folded in half and put under my belly when I'm on my side. It makes such a HUGE difference! This little boy is getting heavy and it puts a ton of pressure on my ligaments if I don't have the blanket under my belly. I do have to wake up a little when I change the side I'm sleeping on to take the blanket with me but it's completely worth it. Another thing I did difference last night was only use one pillow for my head. Not sure if that helped or not but I've been using two and decided to try one instead. Besides that, I sleep worse with a body pillow or pillow between my legs. I usually throw my leg over Max if I need the relief off my hips at night but it's usually not needed.

The only problem last night I had was when I got up the couple of times to use the bathroom was my hips would lock up and buckle when I was walking. I don't have this problem when I get up in the morning, just in the middle of the night. I think my hips protest and are screaming at me that they should still be resting.


As far as work, I'm going to be quitting my job. I am having problems with being paid correctly and on time. The job is stressful, not just working with the dogs but the whole store stresses me out. So Max and I weighed our options and priorities and I'm going to start babysitting in a month. It will bring in enough income to help support us and make it so I can stay home with Carter. I already have one baby lined up to watch and only plan on watching two or three kids total, depending on the hours needed. It allows me to get to stay home and raise Carter, allows Max and I to have time together since I'll be home when he's home before work and on his days off and allow us to meet our financial goals.

I've also had people ask if I can groom their animals after I leave my job. No, I haven't told any clients at work but I do know some people who bring their animals in. I just have to tell my boss now that I'm leaving, a mere 4 months after starting. But there really isn't a better reason to stay home, then to raise our little boy. It's taken a lot of stress off me and makes me feel better knowing that I get to spend my days taking care of Carter, a friend's baby and our house. Now just to get the house ready for a 13 month old and a newborn in the next couple of months!

26 weeks

Pregnancy Highlights: As of yesterday I am 6 months pregnant and down to double digits! It feels like forever since those 5 months ago that we found out we were expecting! Feels like this pregnancy is taking forever and I still have at least 3 months left! Oh well, I'm sure that before too long I'll be begging for the time to slow down as I watch my little boy grow up right before me. I already dread him moving out and getting married!
How Far Along: 26 weeks

Size of baby: 1 lb 5 oz at the ultrasound. Some sites say babies gain between 3-6 oz a week now so probably between 1 lb 11 oz and 1 lb 14 oz.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 12 pounds lost

Maternity Clothes: Maternity pants and long shirts

Gender: All Boy!

Movement: My belly has started doing the wave when I'm laying down! I think he is facing my back since I feel him move all the time but not so much the punches and kicks outward like before.
Sleep: Doing a little better since I got myself on a schedule. Still hainvg a hard time getting comfortable and my hips/back kill me when I wake up but I'm getting restful sleep at least.

Symptoms: Nothing new 

What I miss: Waking up feeling refreshed and not in pain.

Cravings: lemonheads

Best Moment this week: Reaching the 7th month and knowing that soon he'll be here!

Looking Forward Too: The third trimester and viability!

I knew I forgot to post it somewhere!

Emotional Struggle

The last couple of days I've been having an internal, emotional struggle. Could I leave my baby? When he gets here, will I be able to leave the house with him in it and go to work? I considered watching kids in the house, just so I could be with him all day. I considered cutting every non-essential out of our lives so I could stay home with him.

Then I had to think about what is best for him and our family. Max and my work schedules work out so that Carter would only be with my Mom 8 hours a week, maximum. The other 12-17 hours a week I would be at work he would be with his Dad. How could I deny my husband time with his son, alone? How could I be selfish and deprive our family of things we need when Carter will benefit from spending time with his Mema and one-on-one time with his Daddy?

I'm sure this will come up again but as things stand now, the benefits of having my son at my side 24/7 instead of his Dad's or Mema's don't outweigh the benefits of me working part-time, getting adult interaction, helping provide for our family and getting a baby break.

If Max gets a full-time/better paying job, we will revisit the question then. I LOVE this little baby boy so much and it will rip my heart out to leave him to go to work, but part of being a parent is making tough choices and doing what's best for them. Guess this is just one of the many to come.

25 weeks

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 25 weeks

Size of baby: 1 lb 5 oz at the ultrasound. Some sites say babies gain between 3-6 oz a week now so probably between 1 lb 8 oz and 1 lb 11 oz.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 12 pounds lost

Maternity Clothes: Maternity pants and long shirts

Gender: All Boy!

Movement: My belly has started doing the wave when I'm laying down! I think he is facing my back since I feel him move all the time but not so much the punches and kicks outward like before.  
Sleep: What's that?

Symptoms: emotional and needy, oops! 

What I miss: getting restful sleep

Cravings: chocolate and lemonheads

Best Moment this week: Just seeing him move more and more and knowing that we're almost to the third trimester! Mom touched my belly for the first time today. During a song about children being a precious gift from God, yeah, I cried, for awhile.

Looking Forward Too: Seeing him with our families.

24 weeks!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 24 weeks

Size of baby: 1 lb 5 oz at the ultrasound. Not sure on length.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 12 pounds lost

Maternity Clothes: Maternity pants and long shirts 

Gender: All Boy!

Movement: I don't think this little boy sleeps at all! He's always rocking and rolling in there. I'm gonna try and get him kicking on video so you can see our small but mighty one moving! 
Sleep: Rough, rough, rough! I can't seem to get comfortable at all, if I lay on my side too long without support under my belly it feels like I pulled muscles or ligaments inmy uterus....

Symptoms: Just the pains of pregnancy.Now it's hard to stand up from a squatting position, especially while holding a cat or dog. 

What I miss: Good sleep

Cravings: Nothing, it's hard to eat.

Best Moment this week: Seeing his sweet little face.

Looking Forward Too: Everything! I can't wait for the baby shower, to start really showing, to hold him and kiss him and all the things, good, bad and smelly, that come with a newborn.

 

I'll add a belly picture later, probably tomorrow.

Details

Now that I've not only had time to process it but have time to sit down and write up a post.

I'm not quite sure how to explain it but none of us were convinced that baby was a girl. I was driving Max crazy by looking at ultrasound pictures online for weeks trying to convince myself that he was a she. Not because I wanted a girl but because I wanted to know. I've been having a hard time buying or even looking at baby girl things. It just felt wrong. That being said, seeing his little package was a shock. It took a minute to say, ok, that's our son in there. Not a little girl. Do I miss the idea of having a daughter? I'd be lieing if I said no way. BUT, now I get to look forward to having a Mommy's Boy.

Ok, so details on the ultrasound. He is head down still. Chin still tucked into his chest real tight, the tech kinda laughed at how tight he has his chin tucked in. Saw all four chambers of his heart. Elbow up next to his eye, umbilical cord floating in front of his face. His weight is approxiametly 1 lb 5 oz. 43 percentile so slightly below average. Still had his ankles crossed. On the video it looks like the placenta is lying really low so I'm slightly concerned about it covering my cervix and having to have a c-section but I'll find out at my next doctors appointment in two weeks. Nothing I can do about it if it is there, so why stress about it now?

Now just to get ready for our baby boy, who's name is going to be Carter Michael. I'm in love and can't wait to meet him!

Real Quick Update

Here's some pictures of our baby BOY! We are totally in love, plus he has my nose ;-)

Fear?

With the anatomy scan quickly approaching I'm nervous! Mostly since we've done NO testing at all. It will be our first good look at the little one. I just want to see all body parts and for everything to measure correctly!

Oh, and I'm nervous that we'll hear we're having a boy. Not that it would be bad but I've spent over a month "knowing" this is a little girl and it would stink for it to change.

23 weeks and 2 days

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 23 weeks

Size of baby: Average over 11 inches, head to foot. Weighing in at around one pound!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 12 pounds lost

Maternity Clothes: Still fit into one or two pairs of pre-preg. jeans but have to have them unbuttoned.

Gender: Girl!

Movement: When I sit still I can feel her a lot more and can SEE movement while laying down. It's so neat to see her flip and roll!
Sleep: It's getting harder to breathe so laying in a comfortable position is difficult. I keep waking up on my back, which I know is a no-no and my body obviously agrees.

Symptoms: Harder to breathe, tailbone pain, emotional and feeling like any food I eat is sitting in my throat.

Throw up tally: 0

What I miss: Eating

Cravings: Any and all carbs

Best Moment this week: Feeling her moving all the time.

Looking Forward Too: The anatomy scan in 41 hours!