I am going to be a Mom!

I am going to be a Mom!

It is a humbling experience to know God has entrusted one of his most precious gems to my husband and I.  We have an incredible journey ahead of us, and it is very scary and exciting.  

Here is Matt and I at Christmas

I have decided to make a blog about this fun journey we are embarking on.  I will tell stories, rant, and even share my opinion once in a while.  


A little background:  My husband and I have been married for two years before we decided to try to have a baby.  We were shocked to get pregnant immediately.  Of course we couldn't contain ourselves so we shared the news as soon as we knew.  This is the first ultrasound to confirm the pregnancy.  It was so neat because you could literally see the heart beating.  It was right at six weeks.  Matt says it looks like a veloceraptor, so that is what we called it for a while.  

  


I am blessed with an easy pregnancy so far *knocks on wood* with little nausea and pain.  I am quite emotional.  I cried during a movie preview!  Not a movie, the PREVIEW.   And not just cry, bawl!  Here's the trailer.  I am also noticing back pain because of my changing sense of balance.  I have gained 20+ pounds all in one area, so I tend to waddle, which puts strain on my back and feet.  


Matt (my husband) is such a blessing!  He massages my back, puts up with my tears (sometimes just laughs at them because I get embarrassed when I cry for no reason, so then I laugh... so it turns into this laugh-cry, which is even MORE embarrassing!), and is very protective.  He escorts me through the snow, and is willing to be at my beck-and-call.  I will have to make sure he gets his "guys night" soon.  


I am now 24 weeks.  We know it's a BOY! We have decided to name him Micah Alexander.  I had to get over the fact that I will not be buying pink ruffly things or bows.  I was a wee bit sad, but now I have the big brother.  His middle name means "Protector and defender of mankind", which goes with being a good big brother!  Here I am at 22 weeks:

Finally you can see I am pregnant!  I am an attention whore, so I LOVE when people touch my belly or compliment me!  I do indeed glow!  


Micah is due on May 12th, which is cool because that's my Mom's Birthday.  So maybe they will share a birthday!  AND it's just a few days before Mother's Day... so maybe I'll get to celebrate it this year!  :)  


Our Most Daunting Tasks so Far:


-Hospital Tours.  We had to ask dumb questions like "What is a Triage Room?"  
- Realizing I'm not just pregnant, but I am going to have a baby!  What do I do with a baby?  I literally looked up how to "swaddle" a baby.  It is scary to be on the precipice of all the knowledge you have to know to take care of a baby.   The more you learn the more you know you don't know.  Ahh!
-Did you know you had to push for hours at labor?  It's not just one push and you're done!  It's literally HOURS of pushing.  Ouch!  
-Registering-  "What is THIS?", what do I really need vs. want? 


Our To Do List:
-Pre-register for our hospital.  We decided to go to General.  Mostly because they do this thing called "Skin-to-Skin Time".  I loved the idea.  It's literally an allotted time right after birth that the Mom or Dad sets the baby on their chest.  It helps the baby transition , and it is bonding time for the parents.  They said the mom literally has hormones in their chest that regulate the babies body temperature, heartbeat, and hormones.  And this way I get some time alone with my Micah!  
-Register for classes at the hospital:  Birth Class, Breast-Feeding Class, and Daddy Daycare.  The more you know the better... right?  
-Read lots and lots of books so I can pretend like I know what I am doing.  
-Start to get ready for my long-term substitute.  That's a scary process because I am more of a take it week-by-week teacher.  Preparing for 5+ weeks of teaching at the end of the school year more than 4 months away is a very scary task.  


 Below are more Ultrasounds of Micah:  These were taken at 22 weeks.