25 Week Update - Perspective

25 weeks down, 15 more to go. The further along I get the faster it seems time goes. I know a lot of women say that once they find out the sex of their baby time slows down, but I would swear to you it has changed to warp speed. I suppose we’ll see if I’m singing a different tune come October, when I’m fully cooked, uncomfortable, and really ready to get this baby out of me. But, for now, I’m enjoying being pregnant.

Not a lot to report change wise on the pregnancy front. I feel wonderful most of the time, and like I said I have really enjoyed being pregnant so far. Sure my back aches some nights when I get home from work, and my sense of smell has recently been heightened so that smells are more offensive, but really, if that’s all I have to complain about I’m a lucky woman!

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how simple and easy my pregnancy has been, and how lucky I am. I’ve come to the conclusion that part of the reason this has been so simple and easy for me has to do with perspective. I really believe in the power of positive thinking, and while I’m not delusional enough to think that the only reason my pregnancy has been easy is due to positive thought, I do believe that it has something to do with it. You see, I could find plenty to complain about if I wanted to. The continued spotting I had in the first trimester (and into the first half of the second trimester) really scared the bejesus out of me (and TJ), but I tried to keep thinking positively every time it happened. I have nights where I can barely move due to back aches, but I know a good night of sleeping in the right position will help and have faith the in the morning I’ll feel better (not usually 100%, but still better). And yes mom, I know, if I stopped wearing heels it might help. Beauty before pain! ;)

As someone who is somewhat of a complainer (shush peanut gallery who think 'somewhat' is an understatement, lol), I feel like I’ve turned over a new leaf with this pregnancy. I know TJ was worried about how I would handle pregnancy, and that I’d be a complete pain in the ass to be around (my words, not his). While I have my moments, and most of them are due to my hormonal temper, I haven’t found much to complain about this pregnancy. I’m just grateful to be here and to have carried my healthy baby girl this far. I will openly admit that if possible I would gladly go back and change time so that it didn’t take us so long and two miscarriages to get pregnant. But I also have to acknowledge that that wait and heartache has made me really appreciate every single second. That’s perspective baby, it makes you appreciate what you have, even through the trials it took you to get there.

I’m grateful every day to be pregnant. To feel her (sometimes constant) movements. To watch as you can now see the hard kicks on the outside of my belly. I’m grateful that even though it took over a year of trying to get here, we are finally here. We are just about 3 short months away from becoming parents and meeting our little girl. I cannot wait to lay eyes on her for the first time and welcome her into the world. I can’t wait to find out who she is, and watch her grow into whatever person she is destined to become. I hope she looks a lot like her daddy, with his pink cheeks, big brown eyes and long dark eyelashes. I hope she has his common sense and my book smarts. I hope that someday she will know how much we love her, and have loved her all along.

It’s all about perspective.

Here is an updated belly shot from this morning, and then a repost of the first picture I took at 4 weeks. It’s hard to believe that was 21 weeks ago. Look at how I’ve grown! (Also, I wore this dress over the weekend also and proclaimed that I didn't look pregnant in it. You know, black being slimming and all??? TJ gave me the side eye and said, "Uhm, yeah, you do." But, I would like to point out that in the first picture from straight on I just look chubby. It isn't until I turn to the side and lay the full force of The Belly on you that you notice I'm pregnant. Or maybe I'm just delusional, lol.)







Today I am 25 weeks and 3 days. 14 weeks and 4 days until we meet Madeline Rey!!

23 Week Update

I figured that I was due for an update, and to deliver some more pictures of my ever growing belly. I have finally entered the "definitely pregnant" stage, and have been starting to get comments from strangers about when I'm due, or what we're having. I even had my first stranger belly rub today, and even though I thought I'd hate it I was so tickled that the lady knew I was pregnant and not just a little chubby.

Things have been going swimmingly on the pregnancy front. I have some back pain from time to time, most of the time it's minor and if it gets really bad it usually goes away when she moves. And boy does she move. I am growing a future soccer star, acrobat or the next karate kid I tell you. She is quite the little wiggle worm. I keep telling TJ she is nocturnal though, as I've been woken up in the middle of the night quite a few times with a good swift kick in the bladder.

I first started feeling movement at about 18 weeks. It was pretty infrequent, and it sort of felt like I was driving down a steep hill very, very fast. Now I feel it every day, all the time, and it feels like someone is kicking me from the inside. TJ and I were sitting on the couch Thursday night and I saw a kick from the outside for the first time. I felt a pretty hard kick so I looked down and a few second later my belly moved just a little bit when she kicked again. So stinking cool. Of course, when I told TJ to look she stopped moving. Which is pretty much what happens every time. I'm certain I can feel the kicks on the outside now, but by the time I put his hand on my belly she stops moving. I have a feeling she is going to be stuborn, lol.

I really can't believe I'm already 5 months along, the time has flown by and I feel like it's never going to slow down. We went out to dinner with TJ's brother last weekend and he asked how much longer I had to go. When I told him 18 weeks (and it's 17 weeks now, eekk!!) TJ looked at me with deer in the headlight eyes and said, "Thats it???? We have so much to do!" Haha, yes dear. Yes we do.

We go on our hospital tour on Tuesday and I'm pretty excited about that. They wanted us to take the tour before we go through all of the birthing/newborn classes at the hospital so we know where the classrooms are, so it's a little earlier than I assumed we'd take the tour. We start classes at the end of July, but their July tour fell on our anniversary and that isn't exactly how I imagined spending our anniversary. I'm having a hard time believing that the first week of June has already come and gone. Where has this year gone?

So, all in all things are great. Here are a few pictures I just snapped of myself.

Today, at 23 weeks. Getting bigger. :)

Front shot.

Momma View. . . well, sorta, I held the camera out a bit - it doesn't look that huge from where I see, lol.

A Letter To My Daughter

Dear Maddy,

You'll find out some day that I'm a fairly sappy person. I cry at movies that make me sad, or happy. I find myself so wrapped up in the love stories I read that I believe they have to be real. It is because of this trait that I decided to make a play list on my iPod of songs just for you. I hope it is just the start of the soundtrack to your life. Most of them so far are songs about daughters, or children, but the rest are about living life to it's fullest, and love. I was listening to your soundtrack on the way home from work and was inspired to write this by "I Hope You Dance". So I bring to you a little wisdom to live your life by.

*Never pass up the opportunity to help someone less fortunate than yourself out. Do not do it to make yourself look better though, no, do it out of the kindness in your heart. Volunteer. Donate money to a worthy charity. Do something to give back for all that you have been given in life.

*Someday you will have your heart broken, it is an inevitable fact of life. Someday you may also break hearts too. I cannot tell you which hurts more, watching someone who you love deeply leave you, or leaving someone who loves you more than life itself. Just know that life always goes on, eventually your heart will heal, and you will find an even deeper love out there waiting for you.

*Don't take for granted the beauty of the place where we live. On a sunny day admire the mountains, their grand majesty and snow covered peaks, the fact that no matter where you turn there they are. Notice how the sun breaks through the clouds on a rainy day and the whole world glitters in its light. Take it all in, and enjoy its peacefulness.

*Every day is a new day. You can accomplish anything you set your mind to, and just because you didn't do it the day before doesn't mean you have to give up. Try again. The only thing that can hold you back is you.

*Never regret anything. Everything you have done in life has made you who you are. You may do things that you are ashamed of, but learn from it. Grow from it. Remember, never forget it, and move on.

*What you do defines who you are. Your actions will speak louder than the words that come from your lips.

*Don't say anything about someone when they are not around that you wouldn't say to their face.

*Beauty is only skin deep. You may be beautiful on the outside, but what really matters is the beauty hidden in your heart.

*Do not stay with a person who doesn't treat you right. You deserve respect. You deserve to be loved. You deserve to be happy. But remember little one, whoever you love deserves those things just as much. A relationship is a partnership, each of you should be just as important to one another.

*Love openly and freely, but do not fall in love too fast. Know the difference between love and lust.

*I'm going to tell you something a wise woman once told me; you are my daughter and I have to love you, but I don't always have to like you. You are going to do things someday that I probably won't like that much, but just because I don't like what you've done doesn't mean I don't love you. I will always love you.

*Treat every animal on this earth with the love and kindness you would a fellow human. Love your pets like they are a part of your family, because they are.

*Don't underestimate the power of the following words: Please, Thank You, Excuse Me Please. It is important to be polite and remember your manners.

*Another important word: No. I've learned the hard way that you can't let people take advantage of you. If you never say no they are going to walk all over you. Learn what your limits are, and when to politely decline.

*Shoes can make or break an outfit. No matter what your dad says, a girl can't have too many shoes.

So my little one, I hope that you'll use this advice in your life. I hope that as the years go by I'll be able to help you turn into the best person you can be.

When you get the choice to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance.

Love,

Your Mom

An (Almost) 20 Week Update

I wanted to post a quick update. I feel like my belly just “popped” the other day and I’m looking more pregnant now. I came home from work last night and TJ told me the shirt I was wearing made me look really pregnant. I had been thinking the same thing all day. After we went shopping for dinner I came home and put on a tank top, at which point TJ said, “It wasn’t the shirt, you just look pregnant!!”. And I had to agree with him. It was as if overnight my little baby pooch became a not-so-little baby pooch.

Please see exhibit A, taken this morning before work. A self portrait of me and the girl:

TJ and I are going to a nice dinner tonight that benefits Housing Hope, so I wore one of my maternity dresses today. The way it’s cut makes me look more pregnant than I am, but then I held my belly in the picture and realized, holy crap, I really look that pregnant!!

I spent Mother’s Day with my awesome momma and sister, and we went a little wild. This little girl? She is going to have a kick ass wardrobe thanks to a few people who have shopping problems. We went to the mall and each spent a decent amount time and cash at The Pumpkin Patch (I love, love, love that place!!). When I got home I started to pull each item out of the bag to show TJ. I noticed he was losing interested so I pulled the remaining clothes out of the bag and his eyes went wide and he asked, “Have I already seen these?!?!?!” Hahaha, uhm, no! A girl needs cute clothes!

Before I go I have to brag on my husband really quick. Those of you who know him probably know he’s a pretty quiet, unemotional, even keeled kind of guy. He loves me a whole hell of a lot, but he isn’t the “romantic” type. It always throws me for a loop when he does something sentimental. I woke up on Mother’s Day morning and he bought me the BEST card. But it wasn’t the card that made me cry, it was what he wrote in the card, “I can’t wait to meet our beautiful daughter.” As I read it I lost it. He is going to be the best dad, and I can’t wait for both of us to meet her!

We're Having. . .

Edit: Now with pictures below!



A baby. Ha. Gotcha.

Our appointment this morning went very, very well. And yes, we found out what we are having (more on that later. . .). I couldn't remember if I had scheduled our appointment for 7:00 or 7:15, so we decided to show up at 7:00 just in case. Plus, I was more than a little anxious. As we were walking into the hospital we ran into TJ's mom, since she works there. We told her we'd let her know as soon as we knew, and then we head up the escalators to check in at radiology.

I checked in and found out my appointment was really 7:30. . .so we were reaaaaally early. Luckily I brought my Ipod touch for TJ and I had games on my phone to play with as well. So we waited until 7:30 and an ultrasound tech name Lisa brought us back to the first room. Lisa was very friendly, she explained everything we were seeing on the screen and that it all looked great. The baby was not being cooperative though, Lisa needed a profile shot of the baby's head and couldn't get the right angle. She tired for a while to get it, and then asked me to get up, walk around and empty my bladder to see if that helped.

Like I said last week I'm starting to feel movements. Most of the time it feels like I'm going down a roller coaster and I've lost my stomach. I think I feel that way when the baby is rolling around. Just as I was about to lay back down I had the roller coaster feeling and so I was pretty sure we'd get a good shot. I was right, baby was laying the right way and Lisa was able to get all of the measurements she needed to get.

After Lisa had checked all that needed to be check she said, "Well, wasn't there something else that you guys wanted to see??" And we laughed. She started to move the wand around so we could get a good shot of everything. Right when she zoomed in I had a feeling of what she was going to say, but I just waited. She got a good angle and took a still frame shot for us and then typed on the screen. . .







THINK PINK!

So, TJ and I are elated to announce that come this fall we are expecting a baby GIRL!!! And I am happy to announce that I was right, since I like to be right. ;) The best part about it though is that from what Lisa could tell she seems very, very healthy! TJ was pretty shocked since he was certain the baby was going to be a boy. He said he knew as soon as she was looking around though that there weren't any boy parts, and so did I.

We sent a text or called our family as soon as we left the room, and then went upstairs to his mom's office to show her the pictures. Lisa was wonderful and printed out 3 3D pictures, 4 regular ultrasound pictures, and a "money shot" picture (that says THINK PINK!) for us. I think that it is actually a lot more photos than most people get, so thank you Lisa!!!! I handed Ann the pictures and told her the last picture told her what we were having, she asked if she'd be able to tell and I said yes. When she got to it she started to cry, then I started to cry and I'm pretty sure TJ did too. I called my mom and I'm pretty certain she cried too and I can't wait to show her the pictures on Mother's Day!

So, over all today has been a GREAT day! We're having a GIRL! Woo-hoo!! Once I get home I'll load the pictures on the computer and post them here for the world to see.

Dear October: can't you come any faster?????

18 Week Update

Hello blog friends! I am a blogger fail, and apologize to the people who have complained ::cough::Mom and TJ::cough:: about my lack of posting. It's fair to say that all is great in the McG household though. You know, no news is good news??? Yep, that's us.

So this week I believe I've started to feel Herme moving around. From the way s/he kicked around like a frog during the ultrasound Aunt Donna did I have a feeling that I'm going to be kept awake at night with movement. I'm feeling things every once in a while just below my belly button, barely to the right of the center of my tummy. It's pretty cool, and I can't wait until TJ can feel it from the outside too.

Since I last posted I had my regular 16 week check up and everything is good with baby. I did the quad screen (a blood test which tests for the heightened possibility of Down syndrome, Spina Bifida, etc.), and the results came back negative. So by blood tests, which obviously aren't 100%, I'm at a very low risk. Woo-hoo!! Annnnd, I scheduled the anatomy scan! At 7:00 next Friday the 7th (a week from today, EEEKKK!!) we will know if Herme is a He or a She!!!

You may have noticed a new poll to the right (-----> up top!), you have until mid-day next Friday to cast your votes and decide if you think Herme is a boy or a girl! A little background to help with your decision; I am positive it is a girl and TJ is positive it is a boy with mixed results from people we know. The heartbeat has been steadily around 160 beats a minute. I didn't have any morning sickness. All of the Chinese gender charts say it's a girl. The only thing I've really been craving consistently is cucumbers (yum!!). Good luck! :)

On the naming of the human front we have pretty much settled the score. If you remember we decided on our boy name pretty early on, but were struggling with what to name Herme if it turns out Herme is a girl. So, drum roll please, if we are having a girl her name will be (and we are 98% sure on this): Madeline Rey! We'll pronounce it Mad-a-lynn, and I'm still toying with the idea of an alternate spelling of the name so she isn't called Mad-a-line (but it's not a big deal). And again, if Herme is a boy his name will be Porter James. The middle names are my middle name (Rey) and TJ's middle name (James). Madeline isn't a name with family meaning, but Porter is TJ's dad's last name.

So, there you have it! An update! I hope you (momandtj) are happy now. ;) Don't forget to vote if you believe we're having a boy or a girl! And now, I leave you with some recent photos. The first two I took this morning before heading out to work, and the last was a few weeks ago at the Tulip Festival (with Aunt Alicia). As you might see by the last photo Herme is starting to get in the way when I bend over.

Introducing. . .Herme!

It is amazing how a baby can grow so quickly. Just a few short weeks ago Herme was just a blob on the screen. It's hard to believe that was only 6 weeks ago! Today though, Herme is looking like a real little person (hold your horses, picture to follow my ramblings).

Today was my day off of work, so I decided to drive over to Bremerton and see my Grandma and one of my aunts for a little while. My Aunt Donna is an ultrasound technician, she did the ultrasounds on my mom when my mom was pregnant with me (and Alicia). A while ago she told me that any time I wanted to come over during the week she would do an ultrasound for me and we'd video tape it. Who says no to an offer like that? Not this girl!

So, like I was saying, today I spent the morning and afternoon in Bremerton. My mom, Grandma and I all went to Aunt Donna's work, she whipped out her wand and did her magic. I was amazed at two things, one: Herme looks like a baby and not a blob anymore! Two: S/he is a mover and a shaker! S/he looked like a little frog kicking his/her legs around and rolling around. It was amazing. No, amazing doesn't even begin to describe how it felt.

While my mom and I were sitting in the car waiting to get on the ferry home she and I were talking about how I feel so relieved. Not that I'm complaining, but I've had almost no symptoms. I felt like I was going to go into the hospital in October and they'd tell me I wasn't really pregnant. I also worried that maybe there was something wrong. Today all of those fears have been lifted. Herme is measuring ahead at about 14 weeks 2 days, which would put my due date September 29th. I'm still sticking with October 3rd for consistency, lol, and because I'm stubborn. Herme's heartbeat was still a steady 162bpm. We saw the heart and the bladder (full, Aunt Donna said that means the kidneys are working, which is very good).

So now, we get to the good stuff. Aunt Donna printed out four different pictures for us. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do! I can't wait to go over and see her again for more! :)