Pregnancy Update: 31 Weeks

As I find myself in my third trimester, I am coming to a very serious conclusion... I am pregnant! Not only am I pregnant, but it seems that I will actually be having a baby sometime in the next 6 to 12 weeks. Staying very healthy througout this pregnancy has been a mission of mine. So far, I seem to be doing quite well. I try to walk a mile every day that it is nice, as well as eating right (Brewer's Diet), and doing some yoga. I have been slowly nesting and getting things ready. I just placed an order for the last few things on my birth supply list. Along with the list of the few medical things, I ordered a small blow-up pool to possibly labor in. It is only $30, so if I don't end up using it, Bunny can still have a back yard kiddie pool for the rest of the summer. I want to have options, so I don't get stuck in a rut. I also have running list of things I might like to have during labor, that I am still gathering together. More on homebirth prep to come.

This weekend, I got to have the amazing expeirience of going to Sacred Mountain Midwifery School.  I was a pregnant model for the students to learn from and practice on. They each had a chance to take my bp, listen to the baby's heart rate, and try to determine what way the baby was lying. The second group of ladies even drew a picture of my baby's position on my belly (that was then confirmed by a quick ultrasound). Bunny, who had spent most of the day hanging out with her papa and Katie, was amazed when she saw the women drawing a baby on my belly. As soon as we got home that night, she got out her midwifery bag that Nana got her for her birthday, and said, "I measure you, Mommy!"

The students at Sacred Mt practicing!

Baby Mapping!

 Bunny and Papa hanging out!

A very tired little midwife's helper!

I am enjoying these last months with only Bunny. She has grown into such an amazing little person. I am truly blessed to have her. She has finally become a great sleeper. She usually sleeps from 7:00pm to 8:30am. The key for her was giving up naps. I always thought I would be reluctant to give up that "free time". It just kinda happened by accident. She missed a nap one day, and slept AMAZINGLY that night. A few days later, it happened again. Now naps are a rare thing. Though I am wondering if she will go back to them as the weather gets nicer and she is able to run off her energy outside. Nighttime nursing is also a thing of the past. She nurses at bedtime, then not again till her papa gets up at 4:30am. After that she nurses about every hour until we get up. She has discovered a passion for running. She took off across the yard one day and hasn't stopped since. She is pretty fast for being only two. She plays very well and has the imagination that I would expect from a three or four year old. She loves music and sings all the time. She has a wide range of songs she likes too. From contemporary christian, to hit songs from the 60's, to the little educational songs we sing at playschool. As far as the terrible two's go, she has not seemed to be fazed by them. Of course she has her little fits about things, but she is very reasonable in them and if I just explain why, she gets over it fairly quickly. She is just a great little person, and is very excited bout the baby in Mama's belly. She likes to talk into my belly button and put her hand on my belly waiting for Squirrely to give her a high five.

I wonder what kind of person Squirrely will be. She is definitely more active inside of me than Bunny ever was, but what will she be like when she is on the outside. I can't wait to meet her, and yet I want to to keep her all to myself for as long as possible. Also, there is the tiniest part of me that is nervous about being a mama of two. But only the kind of nervous a baseball player gets before a big game. Just wanting to play my best and not strikeout too many times. Overall, I am very excited to begin this new adventure. The first of many adventures of Bunny and Squirrel. Though we did have an ultrasound at 17 weeks and found out that she is a girl, I continue to have dreams that when the baby is born, it turns out to be a boy. I am not expecting it to turn out to be a boy, but it really would not shock me at all.

Kyle is very into every aspect of this pregnancy. Much more so than when I was pregnant with Bunny. He loves to rub my lumpy belly and talk to Squirrely. We talk about how the birth might be. He says he wants to catch the baby. Last evening, we were working on building a gate for our back deck, and he disappeared to the shed to get some screws. When he didin't come back for quite a while, I wondered what had happend to him. A few minutes later he showed up with the box of screws under his arm and a pair of pliers and some copper wire in his hands. After wrenching the wire around with the pliers for a minute, he handed me a pendant to wear on a cord as a necklace. It is the silhouette of a pregnant woman. Beautiful. He gets me. I am so blessed to have him going with me on this amazing adventure called life.

I am joining in over at Happy Family Times and My Joy Filled Life