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.

  

Little Baby: 18 weeks

At 18 weeks, I am feeling great.

Little Baby is the size of a baking potato. Although, my uterus is the size of a cantaloupe. depending on if I am wearing maternity clothes or not, my belly is becoming more obvious. I haven't had any strangers says anything to me yet, which is a good thing, I guess.

Headaches and backaches are increasing. I am trying to sleep on my sides at night, which is better for Little Baby and the circulation to my legs, apparently. Although I think that I have a few more weeks until this becomes essential.

Wonderful Husband makes amazing and nutritious meals for us and keeps the house stocked with plentiful fruits for my incessant snacking. I am so grateful that he is already playing a huge role in taking care of Little Baby in this way.

Last night I felt our little one kicking for the first time. It was even more wonderful than I had anticipated.

This week we discover if we are having a boy or a girl. This will be the most exciting part of our pregnancy since the day our pee-stick had double lines. I'm obnoxiously excited. Hopefully our little Potato won't be crossing its legs or any other shenanigans.

Doons reminds me that not everyone is as excited about our baby as I am. So I'm trying to contain myself, but it is so hard! But this blog's only purpose is to share the happenings of our life, so it is a free place to baby-gush as much as I want. More of that is sure to come...

Little Baby: 17 Weeks

I am currently 17 weeks pregnant (4 mos)

(climbing in the Uintas this weekend)

Nothing new on the pregnancy symptom front. Although, for the first time in my life I have "long" nails. The hormones in my body apparently supply me with stronger nails, which is fun! I'm still craving salami all the time and eating meat most every day. Ever since communion at church, last week, I have been craving wine every evening as well.

I've been concentrating patiently to see if I can feel Little Baby rockin' out in the belly but I still haven't felt anything. But that's okay. I know some day I'll take note of its movings and after that, it'll never sit still again. For the rest. of. my. life.

We still have a few weeks until our ultrasound and it makes me so excited, it's almost distracting.

This week I've had 3 people tell me that i'm "starting to show". Part of me is overjoyed. Yay! I'm not just covered in acne and looking fat these days, but actually looking like a pregnant woman. Of course, these are people that know that i'm pregnant. And part of me is thinking, starting to show!?

I feel like I'm huge. I honestly really do struggle with my changing body. I didn't anticipate this struggle at all. I would always look at pregnant women and think that they are radiant and so lucky! I do feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to be a mom, but the changes in my body make me a little sad. I was in the best shape of my life 4 months ago and now i'm bigger than i've ever been in my life. A quick transition like that, especially after it took me a year and a half to get in the physical shape I was in, makes me feel discouraged. Even though I'M PREGNANT! I feel awful and disgraceful to admit it, but i do feel very unlovely in this new big-booty-big-belly-acne-covered body.

The heat here is starting to wear on me. Not because I'm pregnant, necessarily, but because I'm a weakling when it comes to summer weather. With last week topping at 102 degrees one day and the rest of the days in the upper 90's, I remain sessile. Last summer I ran after work every day in the upper-90 degree weather and I remember almost passing out on several occasions. That is not worth the risk when I'm responsible for this Little Baby now. I just can't get myself out of bed early enough to complete a run before work. Bad excuse, I know, but my body sleeps very hard these days. I've always prided myself at being a morning person and have never had issues waking at the alarm and these last 4 months I've really struggled pulling myself out of bed.

Things I'm Loving Lately

Friends

We've been very blessed by an amazing group of friends out here. EVERYONE is from out of state, so I think we all play the role of surrogate family in each other's lives. They certainly are the closest thing we have to family out here. We are so grateful for them!

Little Baby McBrayer

This season is so precious.

2012 Olympics

Go team U.S.A.!! Landon and I bought an antenna just so we could watch the games on NBC. It's worth it.

Chocolate Shakes

Seriously,  you have no idea how torturous it is to look at this picture and not have one in-hand. I've allowed myself 5 chocolate shakes since I've become pregnant. That might sound like a lot, but what it really is, is a lot of self control being practiced over here! 

Salami

I know this pic looks nasty, but my-oh-my, I find myself thinking of Salami almost as often as I think about skiing, which is multiple times per day.

Farmer's Market Tomatoes

REAL Salt Lake

I love this team. Landon and I have been keeping up with Major League Soccer like crazy this year, and we've been trying to attend the home games to cheer on our team. 

Little Baby

I've been wanting to get back into the 'ol blog for awhile now. I just wanted to make sure that I didn't get started without an intention to continue. So I've waited...

But 3 weeks ago we broke the news to the world that Little Baby is on the way. And around the same time Baby Belly started to pop up underneath my shirts.  I know that I'll regret keeping Little Baby to myself, when our family and so many of our friends are far away. I want you to be able to anticipate this arrival with us, and watch Little Baby grow with us as well.

I'm not getting too ambitious (on the blog-front). There is a lot of planning going on over here (on the baby-front). I'm hoping to do a weekly update on this sweet baby and as I get into the swing of that, I hope to share more than just baby-goo-goo-ga-ga.

Here is my first ever pregnancy photo. I took a profile picture of the belly, but it just freaked me out, so you'll have to live with this one until I get some more courage. 

Today I am 16 weeks pregnant (4 months). Due January 19th.

Which means that I am in my second trimester. I'm feeling pretty wonderful.

New symptoms I'm realizing recently:

• vivid dreams, mostly nightmares
• acid reflux every once in a while
• headaches
• can no longer button my pants - some maternity clothes are being put to use
• feeling belly muscles/ligaments stretching - ouch!

Old symptoms I'm still enjoying:

• being bloated - by the end of the day my belly is 3x bigger than it was in the morning!
• cravings (mostly chocolate ice cream and salami)
• hunger
• very sensitive to smells
• have to pee every 45 minutes

Symptoms that are history:

• nausea (never had it that bad to begin with)
• feeling exhausted all the time
• boobs hurting like crazy
• aversions
• crying over nothing at all

I can't feel Little Baby moving yet, although I know it is a mover. In our 10 week ultrasound, although the baby wasn't much bigger than a bean, it was a squirmy-wormy! That was when we first saw the heart beat. We first heard the heart beat at our last OB appointment last week. I initially thought that I was the one running this pregnancy marathon, but at 140bpm, I'm starting to wonder if it is really Little Bean that is the one doing all the work.

Right now Little Baby is the size of an avocado and can hear the world. So I try to sing to it every day. I know it doesn't know English, so it doesn't much matter what it is that I sing. I just want it to know that there is a wonderful world waiting, and it's good mommy-baby bonding time for me.

We will eventually convert Landon's office into a nursery. I'm hoping to put this off as long as possible (thinking December). Landon has received a fellowship for this next semester (which is only awarded one student in his entire department each year - he's awesome). So that means he is not teaching at all, but will be working from home on his dissertation 10+ hours/day. It needs to remain an office space for as long as possible for his sake. So all nesting instincts are going into sewing: swaddling blankets, burp clothes, etc... and reading, reading, reading about babies and baby stuff.

I've stopped running recently. I'm no longer feeling exhausted all of the time, but with each day above 90 degrees, I worry about pushing myself too hard. I did go rock climbing last weekend which was very fun. I took it pretty easy there too, but I was just glad to be in the mountains having fun.

Our next OB appointment is at the end of this month. Prior to which we will have an ultrasound to determine Little Baby's gender. We can't wait!

My next weekly updates should be shorter, hopefully, since I think I have brought you up to speed on this one.  I'm hoping that by next week I'll have felt this sweet baby moving. I'll keep you posted...

Colors of the Season

I find that I wear mostly grey, brown, white, blue and green. Not too adventurous. I wear a lot of colors that reflect my surroundings, I guess, and Utah isn't really THAT colorful of a place. Until now. Autumn in Utah is beautiful. The scrub oak and Aspens on the mountain sides are full of color. It really makes me want to look more like them:

Climbing Indian Creek

Landon had his fall break after Woody's wedding. So I took a few days off of work and we headed into the desert.

Indian Creek is just outside of Moab, UT, and is a world-class climbing destination. We are fortunate to have the Creek just a few hours from Salt Lake City. The thought of spending 4 days in the desert was never very appealing to me. Landon went climbing at the Creek during his fall break last year and his stories and pictures convinced me that I would probably survive.

The thing that is so amazing about climbing Indian Creek is that the park is miles and miles of sandstone cliffs with huge cracks reaching up into the sky. "Crack Climbing" is a specialized type of climbing that I am very NOT accustomed to. It involves "jamming", which pretty much just means cramming your hands into the cracks until they get jammed and pulling yourself up on that jam while you cram your next hand into a jam. Because of his, every morning we taped the backs of our hands so that we wouldn't rip our skin off. Watch a bit of the video below to get an idea of what I mean.

Here's a video of Alex Honnold climbing in Indian Creek

We both left with rock-burns on our fingers and landon's entire fore-arm was raw and is still healing (although he's climbing the Wasatch as we speak). It is a more painful kind of climbing but also very fun and challenging. 4 days of climbing was too much for me - i couldn't even do easier climbs come Sunday morning - my body was absolutely fried. A lot of people spend several weeks  at a time climbing at the Creek. There are hundreds and hundreds of cracks. It never ends.

We camped next to a wonderful Swiss-German man that was traveling around the U.S. for 4 weeks looking to go climbing. So we climbed with him for a few days. Here's a glimpse of some more crack.

We tried to keep Duvick in the shade as much as possible. Even though it was Autumn, it was still in the 80's during the days, which was only magnified as the heat was radiated off of the rocks. Hot.

Dooney sorting our the gear. Notice the dirt - we were in the desert after all.

Sunset from our camp site.

Dooney and Adrian. There is a river that runs through the middle of the park that is a wellspring for Cottonwoods. Kind of beautiful.

Sorry no pics of Doons climbing - he is the real rock star. But when he climbs, he is not hooked into the anchors as I am, so I don't take a chance to take a shot of him. He took one whipper on his very first climb which made both of us a little more careful for the rest of the trip.

Thumbs up on my way down. Had just sent my first 5.11, which in climbing world, is nothing. But in Hannah world, it's epic.

We found a crack in a cave. It was awesome.

Eating lunch beside the stream.

 We arrived home Sunday with our beautiful car, all of our possessions, and our own bodies covered in a crust of red desert dust. Dirty and exhausted, we were happy to be home. Although, Landon was itchin to get back out there.  We both a a great time and Duvick slept for 2 days straight.