27 weeks: Little Baby

 Little Baby is 27 weeks old! That means that we are happily in our third trimester. Having had a baby shower last weekend really made things sink in: a baby is coming soon and forever. 

 

Doons and I at our baby shower in the mountains

Our crib that landon refinished and assembled this week. I found this crib at a garage sale in my hometown 5 years ago and just loved it. It has been in my grandmothers attic waiting for a day when we could use it. I know that is weird.i don't have anything else like that. We have purchased several other things for Little Baby second hand, but only recently.

Thus begins the nursery assembly. It's a tad overwhelming. Thankfully, our kid won't care much what her room looks like. This week Doons has been hard at work moving the house around to make room for Baby. We live in a very small little house.

This morning we woke to snow in the Salt Lake valley and the mountains have been receiving the powder for a few days now. When I got off of work we headed straight for the mountains and enjoyed an evening hike into the forest where the snow was dumping like crazy. It was so beautiful and special. Landon and I celebrate the first snow every year with a little skiing. Although this year I snow-shoed for the sake of our baby. I didn't want to chance any falling. Took me awhile to find a jacket that could zip over my bump, but I managed.

"The Mountains"

We were really fortunate to spend last weekend in "the mountains" with Landon's family. Every year his family meets at a cluster of cabins in the Appalachian Mountains in Bryson City, North Carolina. We had only been once in our 8 years of marriage and since we are missing the McBrayer family Christmas this year, it was especially great that we could go. 

Of the 15 nieces and nephew that we love, 11 of them were able to make it, with the oldst at 6 yrs and the youngest at 1 week old. It is wonderful to be surrounded by the kiddos. We also were able to see many aunts, uncles and cousins that we haven't seen in several years. And it's so fun to see Landon's siblings as parents. We had such a great time connecting with the family that we dearly love!

Soon-to-be-Parents and looking forward to it!! this picture still surprises me. I look enormous! I had no idea that i was "showing" so much. 27 weeks! 13 more to go  (more or less).

During our weekend in NC, my sisters-in-law threw me my first ever baby shower. It was such a beautiful and special celebration. Doons, Little Baby and I were "showered" with several lovely gifts, and enjoyed ice cream sundaes and fun games (the men even had a beer "bottle" drinking game, which was hysterical!). It was a very special time to celebrate with family. Landon and I are so grateful for the support and love that surrounds us and our little girl.

26 Weeks: Autumn Camping

Duvick and I at snowbasin enjoying bluegrass music, autumn leaves and friends.

Sunday's Sunrise

We went camping with some dear friends last weekend to City of Rocks. It is such a beautiful climber's paradise in Idaho. Landon did some rock climbing  with a buddy, but I stayed grounded.  I was wondering how sleeping on the ground would be while 6 months pregnant. Landon bought me a blow-up mattress, which was extremely comfortable. I was so grateful. We had such a wonderful time with friends, and 2 days without a mirror made me almost forget that I was pregnant, were it not for this moving baby, my alcohol and climbing restriction, and tight-fitting winter jackets. But i felt so great and was so happy to be in the wilderness. It was wonderful!

Aspen groves look like gold flecks in the sunshine.

During the trip Landon finally felt our little girl move for the first time. I think I may have been more excited than he was that he was finally able to feel her moving. It's too wonderful of a thing to keep to yourself, I'm grateful to finally get to share her movement with him! 

My closet is completely switched out to winter clothes, which I love. My winter maternity clothes that I am borrowing are so beautiful. It's like Christmas every day when I get dressed - so many beautiful things to wear for the first time!

I've been so grateful. This pregnancy has been very easy and such a wonderful experience. I know that I am so fortunate to not suffer the discomforts of pregnancy. I've really been able to savor and enjoy this time.

Tomorrow is our 8 year anniversary. Wow, 8 years! Landon and I have really had an adventure-filled marriage, I feel. And we are soon to embark an adventure that is greater than all adventures past. I'm so grateful to get to experience the joys, triumphs and challenges with him as my partner. I couldn't have chosen a better person in the world to be united with. I'm so grateful.

  

Little Baby: 25 Weeks

At 25 weeks, I’m starting to feel the weight of this baby.

She is still only over a pound, which amazes me. But already my protruding belly surprises me.  I’m starting to have to put my shoes on by elevating my foot – I can’t bend down to the ground while sitting in a chair without feeling winded, dizzy, and really uncomfortable. And I get all sorts of dirt and food on my belly. Of course I never notice until I see myself in the mirror because I can only see the top of the belly. So funny.

No one is confused any more about whether I’m pregnant or just chubby. Everywhere I go please ask me questions and remark about how I’m “looking”: You look so cute!   Look at that belly! Etc…. I don’t mind the attention yet. Still no strangers have come up and grabbed me yet. Ha!

I am starting to feel more fatigued again. I’m not sure if this is because of the stage of the pregnancy or because I have been a little under the weather and I’ve been working long hours.

This weekend we are camping, which will be a lot of fun. I certainly haven’t gotten out as much as I usually do or would like to. I haven’t been able to fit in my climbing harness for awhile now, and I doubt carrying a backpacking pack would fit any better. But I’ve been able to get out and see the beautiful fall foliage upon the mountains a few times. I’m just not playing in the mountains like I usually do. All of my friends have purchased their ski passes, and I find myself just as excited for the ski season as always, although I know I won’t be enjoying the slopes until the spring. I’m sure it’ll be a bummer to have friends (and husband) enjoying powder days while I waddle around the house. The reality of that hasn’t  hit me yet.

Yesterday I did some baby laundry with baby laundry detergent. It was so sweet to wash those little clothes and fold them into their designated piles while inhaling the sweet baby scent (baby laundry detergent is a great idea!).

Landon finished repainting the crib and it looks so beautiful! Preparations are underway. She is coming in 3 months. We are so excited!

Getting the Craft on, Baby

Now that the Baby-moon is over and we are more than half-way through this pregnancy, it's time to start really getting ready for baby. No names picked out yet. The "nursery" is still Dooney's office, although we hope to move him into his new office in the next month. That will be a difficult move, as we will have to totally move around and re-coordinate 3 of the 5 rooms in our house (our bedroom and kitchen will remain the same). 

So far have a crib AND a mattress, and a glider. The only other thing we're looking for is a dresser, so I'm thinking it won't take too much more to get the nursery together. But what do I know? I've never done this before...

I found this glider at a children's consignment shop for only $30.

Upon closer look, this thing is covered in all sorts of stains - they look mostly of the milky sort. The cushions don't fit in the washing machine, so I decided that I would cover them. 

My sister donated a cute Ikea fabric to me that she couldn't find a use for. It just happened to be the perfect amount to cover the chair! Amazing. I thought that covering the cushions would be difficult, but I'm pretty good at simplifying projects as long as I don't desire perfection. I basically just traced the cushions onto the fabric  and put then together with a straight stitch. I used velcro so that whenever we get spit-up or milk or whatever else on this chair, we will be able to take the covers off and wash them.

I am really happy with the result. 

These little sewing projects make me feel like I'm better preparing for our baby. Although I know that putting together a nursery doesn't prepare you for parenting any more than planning a wedding prepares you for marriage. But, similar to marriage,  I guess, the only thing I can really do to prepare is read and pray. It will  probably be similar in that you figure it out as you go... and mistakes are learning opportunities. And I have a wonderful partner in this.

God so loved the WHOLE WORLD...

Awhile ago, the intern at our church preached about salvation for the whole world. And as I was sitting there, I started thinking about the world and the state that it is in. I started thinking about my role in the world as one who already knows the truth and lives in the freedom that Christ's grace provides. And then I started thinking about our baby.

The realization that God sent his only son to save my daughter still brings me to tears. Her salvation is more important to me than anything else that I could hope for her life. And I am overwhelmed in humility that not only is God creating her and caring for her in her developing state, not only does he love her more than I am ever capable, but he already has a plan for her life where he could be center if she chooses him to be.

I am so amazed. I am humbled that God came for ALL, not just for me or for America or for this world, but even for our baby. 

Little Baby: 24 weeks

At our last OB appointment, our doctor asked us to start making all of our appointments occur ever two weeks after our October monthly check-up. In a month we will be in the third trimester of this pregnancy! Landon and I are still a little bit confused about why our check-ups are necessary at all. They usually last about 2 minutes, with her asking how I feel (i always feel great), measuring the size of my uterus and listening for Little Baby's heart beat. They're pretty uneventful. I'm not even sure which questions to ask. 

 Dooney still can't feel when the Bambina is frolicking. But I'm sure he will eventually. 

This last week we got to see our little girl in an ultrasound again. I was relieved to hear that her brain is normal. They tell me she is perfect. I will still be counting her fingers and toes when she comes out.

She is 1lb 6 oz and is still scheduled to be born on January 19th.

She is growing fast. I'm starting to feel her moving a lot. She loves to party before and after my meals and when I lay down to sleep. By the end of the day I am usually a LOT larger looking and feeling. I'm not sure if it's gravity or a day's worth of food in my slower digestion tract, but I am certainly more uncomfortable by the end of the day than at the beginning. After dinner, I usually am uncomfortable sitting - there is no room for my food!

My uterus is the size of a soccer ball. A soccer ball! No wonder....

The fall weather feels amazing. I am so grateful that the days are cooler. And the trees in the mountains are so beautiful. Last week we got 4" of snow in the mountains which was enough to make people giddy. Of course, it's all melted by now, but it was a huge encouragement of what we hope will be a snow-filled winter.

I ushered in autumn this weekend with pumpkin bread and a little autumn decor in the house. It's been a very relaxing weekend, which is a relief because i had a rather busy work week, which brought back my cold that I thought I had kicked last weekend. Apparently my immune system is weaker than normal. 

Little Baby: 23 Weeks

Yikes! Sorry for the lag.

By the Jordan River on the edge of the Sea of Galilee.

As some of you know, Landon and I were on our BabyMoon. Which was a wonderful 2 week trip to the Mediterranean. It was great to spend some relaxing time alone together - "one last hurrah!" - i suppose. We went somewhere that we thought would be difficult to visit with kids. So we enjoyed a cruise to places like Jerusalem, Ephesus, Naples, and Athens. A lot of history and a lot of walking, which isn't very kid-conducive. It was perfect for us, though. And it's the first time we've traveled together since our trip to Thailand in 2006. It was wonderful and rejuvenating!

When I returned, my boss said, "Oh look, you came back with a belly!" Which is quite true. While we were traveling, people from every country and culture remarked that I was pregnant, which was fun to enjoy. For some reason, a lot of people like to see pregnant women. 

Now that the BabyMoon is over, next comes the baby, i suppose.

At 23 weeks, I am LOVING the newly-found Fall weather that we are enjoying here in Utah. Feeling fat is more comfortable when you can be fully clothed, that's for sure. And I have several beautiful clothes to wear in these cooler temps thanks to generous friends and sister-in-law.

Little Baby weighs just over a pound now and is growing fast. Sometimes I can feel her using my bladder like a pillow and i have to literally hold my belly up a little bit to ease the discomfort that is making my bladder feel like it will explode.

I am feeling her move a lot more now. One of my goals during our baby moon was to have landon feel her for the first time. That still didn't work out, which i couldn't believe because I feel like she can get pretty crazy in there. She does a celebratory dance every time I eat dessert: proof that some of here genes have been passed down from generations of Sheelys.

I haven't sewed anything for this baby in a long time. A few months ago I sewed some burp clothes, crib sheet, and swaddling blanket. There are a lot of other things that I hope to sew that are also very practical like nursing pads and baby diapers. We are brainstorming on names for this Little One but have not decided on anything yet. Once we do decide, we are not planning on sharing it with anyone until her birth day.

Mom came to visit over Labor Day weekend, which was wonderful. She helped me stock up on a few baby things. And in my own process of becoming a mother, I have had a huge longing for my own mom. So it was nice to have her here for a few days.

Next week we get to see our daughter again on another ultra-sound. The doctor wasn't able to get her head circumference last month. And i'm not complaining about a return visit. I'm excited to see her again!

Little Baby GIRL: 19 weeks

A few weeks ago my computer went caput. I replaced it with an iPad, as I am no longer working from home and thought apple-simple-system would be great.

But blogger is very unfriendly with mobile devices (please tell me if you know of an app or an answer for this). I still cannot figure out how to put one of my own pictures onto a blog post using an iPad.  But I am hoping and planning on figuring it out, otherwise there isn't much of a point to this dear blog, without the images.

I am currently 19 weeks pregnant.

This was a huge week for us regarding our pregnancy:

• I am feeling Little Baby kicking regularly now. By that, I  mean 5 or 6 times a day.
• Our ultrasound experience was amazing. I loooooved to see our baby moving around and  looking like a baby! The big news is that Little Baby is a baby GIRL! Which we are both excited about.
• SHE weighs 9oz and is 6 inches long
• I still try to nap most evenings when I get home from work.
• I gained 4 lbs in the past month which FREAKS ME OUT! But my doctor said that my weight gain is right on track (really!?)
• I'm eating salami as I write this

Regarding the rest of our lives:

Doons started school.

That means he has been busy with meetings, gearing up for this big year of dissertation writing. We are both very grateful that he is not teaching on top of everything. We are hoping that this will be a very productive year for him, even though we are expecting our Little Baby during spring semester.

Otherwise, Landon is rock climbing at every chance he can get.

I'm singing at church which I love. Singing has always been a very meaningful ministry in my life. I'm so grateful.

Knowing in Mystery

 

The day is fast approaching. In 48 hours I will know more about our Little Baby. Learning the sex of our baby is so much more than knowing which colors to choose for a nursery or which clothes to buy. It’s choosing a name and imagining a future for our child, and beginning the process of knowing this little person that we already so dearly love.

I have been excited this whole month knowing that this day would arrive.

This morning I awoke with a realization that the mysterious formation of our growing baby is gradually being discovered. Now that I am feeling it moving (very seldom, but still), and we will know more of who this little person is and will be, the mysterious life of our child is being brought into the light, and the unknown graduatlly being known.

And this is great. This is what I have been hoping for – to know something about this little one.

But there is something sacred and precoius in knowing that the ONLY knowledge that I really have is that God knows this child fully and is creatively and mightily constructing our baby in every second of every day - even though it is all a mystery to me. And trusting in that has brought me much peace in the mystery. I still know that no matter how much I discover about our child as it grows and developes, that truth remains the same: that this child is God's child more than it will ever be mine.