Another Week

We're here doing the same 'ole, same 'ole. Ada is up to no good, my house is a disaster, and I am dying for a really long nap. But things are good:)

Yesterday I had big plans to stay at home all day and clean, clean, clean as much as I could with a two year old constantly at my heels. Well, around 9:15ish, I hear Ada complaining that something is on her hands. I go to survey the situation, and I find every inch of her covered in Desitin, including her hair (again, I don't know where the Desitin came from), and yet, she complained only of her dirty hands. So, I decided then and there that we needed to get out of the house or it was going to be a long day. I grabbed her, gave her a quick bath, which thoroughly confused her, as she began to ask if it was "night-night" time at 9:30 in the morning. I explained that it was not; we just had to get all of that Desitin off. She thought it was a fun change to the schedule to find herself playing in the bath tub on a Tuesday morning.

I decided to take a shower myself, and take us both to story time at the library. Here are a few pictures from the morning, after Ada was cleaned up, that is.

After her bath, I dried Ada's her for maybe the second time in her entire life. She hated it and cried the whole time, but we got it done. And afterwards, I couldn't believe how long her hair looked. Here is the evidence.

As for other happenings, Monday went on as usual. Ada fussing a bit about having to share toys but hating to see Hannah and Grant go when it was time. At the end of the day, a neighbor also stopped by with her two children, so it was a bit of a party at our house. Here are a few pics from that day (minus the neighborhood children).

As for other news--today marks twenty weeks of pregnancy. Half way there!! Give or take a week or two. The baby is moving more and more, and I love it. And next Tuesday we are scheduled to find out if it's a boy or a girl. Ada will tell you it's a brother and a girl, so we are all really confused about the gender;) Along with the baby, I continue to grow, but I am trying not to fret over it. I am doing what I can, not gaining tons and tons of weight (though I feel quite gigantic), and just knowing that one day the baby will be here and I can worry about losing the weight then. It's a bit of a battle I have to fight everyday, not to get so caught up in worrying about how I look and instead knowing that my body is doing what it needs to do to take care of this growing baby.

Now, I really am off to clean the house. We are traveling home this weekend for my ten year high school reunion (wow, can't believe it) and to see both sides of the family. We are leaving tomorrow night when I am done tutoring and crossing our fingers that Ada will sleep in the car. All of that to say that I hate to leave the house in a mess, so today's goal is to get it straight.

As always, thanks for reading!

p.s. Amanda asked if I am growing my hair out on purpose. And Amanda, you are sweet to say my hair looked cute in that picture. I actually thought it looked quite terrible, and the answer is that I am not growing it out on purpose. In fact, I can't believe that I am going to my ten year reunion without a hair cut, but I just haven't gotten around to getting it cut, and now I am growing it out in order to get a longer cut--if that makes sense. Anyway, there is a hair explanation for anyone interested.

Baby Update

I finally made it to the doctor today. I went a new way, recommended by Kelly (the same friend who told me about the kitchen!!), and I had no problems getting there on time.

My doctor's office is right across the street from the hospital, so I felt some comfort seeing how easy it was to get there going the new way that avoids down town. I have felt some anxiety at the thought of getting all the way across town when in labor, especially if things decided to pick up during rush hour. My anxiety was calmed today.

Everything went great. I heard the heartbeat for the first time, which was a relief. Until I can feel the baby move, I like some reassurance that everything is going okay in there. And then today I heard that steady sound, and the midwife said that the size of my uterus tells her that everything is developing just as it should, and I felt calm about the health of the baby.

The most exciting news? We scheduled the ultrasound for September 29th, and then we will know if Ada gets a brother or a sister. Last night I vividly dreamed that it was a girl, but who knows, right?

I told Ada that I was going to the doctor to check on the baby, so the rest of the day she repeatedly asked me about it. I heard concern in her voice. She would say, "baby? doctor? did it hurt?" And she asked me if I would get a band-aid. I told her that unfortunately, this situation would not be solved with a band-aid. She likes to hug and kiss my stomach, and she says good night to the baby, but I have a hard time believing that she understands what is going on. I wonder if she finds it confusing that we keeping referring to a baby in my stomach. I wonder if she thinks we are all crazy;) She will see soon enough, won't she?

So, there's a baby update. Things are moving right along. I can't wait to feel that first movement. That is hands down my favorite part of pregnancy. I love, love, love that feeling.

p.s. Scott is currently putting the kitchen together, so I should have pictures of it tomorrow. I can't wait for Ada to see it. It feels like Christmas Eve:)

The Belly, The Gigantic Belly

There it is, folks. 15 weeks tomorrow, 27 to go. Yikes. (Note: After looking at my little chart to the side, I stand corrected. I will be 16 weeks tomorrow. I repeat, I am the most scatterbrained person in all the land).

Somewhere around 30 weeks the belly begins to take on a life of its own, and I begin to wonder if I am going to be smothered by my own body;)

Please note the hair that still hasn't been cut and the eyes that can hardly stay open. And this was before I left to tutor this afternoon. And please note my little sidekick. She is never far from where I am, hence the tiredness, I do believe.

Now, I have Harry Potter number three waiting on me, so I must go now. (thank you tutoring student!!)

p.s. yes my back is always that arched. Apparently it has done that since I was a tiny girl. According to mom, it is characteristically Laura Beth.

Exhausted

Well, we saw him (him representing her and him here, in a pre-feminism way), all curled up and happy as a lark inside my uterus. It sort of made me laugh seeing the little blob of a baby without a care in the world. He is certainly not worried about how sick I am. It also made me get a bit choked up because there was that heart pumping away, evidence of this life inside me. It's nothing short of a miracle.

Scott was with me at this appointment, and he gets so fidgety in situations like that--waiting situations, feminine situations. So, there we sat--me lying on the table, sick as a dog, and him in the chair, waiting on the midwife to make her entrance. Well, as I lay with my eyes shut praying that I wouldn't get sick, I hear Scott get up and begin to fiddle. Next thing I know, he is pulling out plastic gloves--to try on? I'm not sure. I, not so patiently, requested that he sit back down and to please not touch anything. I just knew the midwife was going to walk in to find me asleep on the table and Scott with plastic gloves on both hands. It would be so awkward.

After much pleading, Scott stuck the glove in his pocket.

The midwife did give me a prescription for phenigran (sp?) to get me through until I can refill the zofran. She said that most moms are sicker with the second one, and she thinks it's from lack of rest. Maybe so. The phenigran will guarantee that I rest, I suppose. She was really nice and calmed my fears about my baby's lack of nutrition. When I do choke down a meal it usually involves a McDonald's hamburger or saltines with peanut butter. She also told me to set aside the pre-natal for now and to take two flintstone vitamins and a folic acid every day. She really was the most calming woman. I was thankful.

After that was over, Scott and I headed to Atlantic Station, our old stomping ground, to eat dinner and stroll around a bit. I was so happy and relieved to eat my very favorite salad from CPK, knowing that the baby was getting a bit of nutrition on this night. It was so yummy. The CPK cobb, minus the eggs. Yum. It hit the spot.

Then the night got even better.

With a full tummy, I felt less sick, so we headed into West Elm, and there we found this quilt that I have had my eye on forever.

It was marked down from 150.00 to 27.00!!!!!!!!! Please be shocked with me. And the euro shams were marked down from 30.00 each to 9.99 each!!!! So, what should have been a 210.00 purchase was about 50.00!!!!!!!! I am so excited and motivated to keep my bed made and room clean. I am so thankful. Honestly, it felt like a God thing to stumble upon this deal.

So, it's been a great day. I am absolutely worn out, though. And I am dying to see Ada tomorrow. If I think about it too much, I get emotional, so I just can't think about it. This is the longest I have been away from her, and it has been wonderful to rest, but I need that little girl in my life!!

p.s. thanks for the sweet belly comments. Ya'll may be singing a different tune later in the game;)

The Belly

9 weeks pregnant.

I am thinking things are going to be rather gigantic when we hit 9 months.

Coupons and other ramblings

hey ya'll.

Good news is that I am feeling much better today. The past two days were the worst days of the pregnancy yet, and I prayed for relief. Relief is here. It is an absolute God thing that Ada was with my mom yesterday. Otherwise, we both would have been up a creek. And the report from home is that she hasn't even mentioned me. Who needs mom and dad when you have cousins and aunts and a huge fenced in backyard to play with?

Anyway...as I am feeling more normal today, I am straightening the house a bit, and I ran across some formula coupons that I received in the mail last week. One is for eleven dollars off of Nestle Good Start. Ann would you want this? I probably should have called you first before typing this;) Anyway, if anyone wants this, please e-mail me, laura_rhodes@hotmail.com, and I will send it your way. I would buy it for myself and the munchkin on the way, but I am fully trusting the Lord that this baby is going to be a champion nurser and we won't even need formula. I'm not kidding. I have a peace about it. I may be wrong, and we will cross that bridge when we get there, but for now, I am assuming that we will spend most of that first year nursing away. No five months of struggling for us--I am praying that this baby latches on like a champ right from the start, that my body produces milk like it's my job (because it is!!!), and that there is minimal pain. Sorry if that is too much nursing info. for anyone, but I am praying my little heart out about this on a daily basis. Again, the Lord may say no, and that's okay, but I am moving forward with confidence!!

In the mean time, an 11.00 coupon is too good to go to waste, so please, e-mail me, and I will send it to you. For now, I am getting off the couch, getting in the shower, and I am getting out of the house. I joked with Scott that I was going to have bed sores after staying all. day. long on the couch yesterday, so I am out of here. And tomorrow is the big ultrasound day, followed by a dinner date with Scott. That is, if I am not too sick to eat;)

Manageable

I know that some of you (my mother mainly) are wondering how the day is going sans Zofran. And surprisingly, it's going fairly well. Do I wish I could stay under the covers all day sleeping away the nausea? Sure, but I felt that way yesterday when Zofran was in my system.

In fact, Monday was a much more difficult day than this one has been. I am so thankful. The Lord continues to take care of me. He knows what I can handle, and this day, I can handle.

The main thing I dread? Tutoring. It is so hard for me to muster up the enthusiasm needed to walk students through the hard task of learning to read, when I don't have a lot of care in me right now. But, it's just an hour at a time, and I will get through that as well.

Even my high school English student is not something I am looking forward to today. It makes me thankful that I am facing two hours of tutoring, rather than six hours of teaching rather unruly students. The Lord knew that I couldn't have been this sick while pregnant with Ada, and I wasn't!! I can't even remember how I managed to teach during first trimester. I think I have blocked it out.

All of that to say, we are alive and well, and I appreciate all of the advice, in case things do take a turn for the worse. I predict that we are on the downhill side of this thing. I am making my way through week eight, and I can even imagine what it will be like to make it to week twelve and beyond.

And next week we are headed to the doctor for an ultrasound, and I can't wait for that. I am ready to see this little person who is causing such a ruckus in my life. I told Scott this baby is already causing more trouble than Ada did--that can't be a good sign;)

To Clarify

This morning I was awake at 4 am, something that is happening a lot these days, so I decided to use the time to pray.

I put my hand over my womb, and I began to pray for this life inside of me. I prayed for healthy development of the lungs and brain and all the other parts that are developing right now as we speak. I prayed for this life that is being knit together, this soul. And as I prayed I was overwhelmed with all of the possibilities of what can happen between now and forever. Making it to birth day is just the first obstacle. There is so much more after that. I was also overwhelmed by the fact that God and the gospel is the only sure thing, and for whatever reason, on this day he has chosen to make me a mom to this baby inside of me. He has not guaranteed tomorrow. And this sickness is a privilege, really, because it means that for this day I am a mom. I just want to clarify that in the midst of all the complaining that I am doing (trust me, I am so aware of my shortcoming. My glass half empty tendencies), I do understand that this pregnancy is a precious gift, and I am so thankful. I don't mean that I won't complain. I complain a lot about the challenges of raising Ada who is no longer in my womb. But overall, I am overwhelmed by what a joy she is to me. And that is true for this baby too.

And of course, I will continue to pray that the Lord would work in me to make his joy such a reality in my life. That is what I want to overflow out of me, not the complaints. Thanks for being patient with me, readers, as I tend to blog the lows rather than the highs.

Still Alive

I haven't blogged in a few days because there hasn't been much to report other than I feel sick and exhausted and all of that fun stuff that goes along with first trimester. Though my pregnancy with Ada wasn't quite the doozy that this one has been.

However, the zofran is in my system and it is helping a ton!! And my mom and Ann have been here for the past few days, and that alone has served as a distraction and an encouragement, so I have felt better. I even went with Ann and her kids to Perimeter Mall, and I snagged an amazing deal at Gymboree--several Christmas shirts for Ada for 1.99 each!! I was psyched. So, there is a hint of normalcy hovering at the surface of my life.

And being around precious 4 1/2 month old Andrew has been just the thing to remind me that there is an end result to all of this and it is oh so worth it.

What have I found to eat? Lots and lots and lots of saltines, and I occasionally add some peanut butter for protein. I am sucking on sour jolly ranchers, and I am drinking my mom's mixture of ginger ale and grapefruit flavored crystal light. That really hits the spot most of the time. The crazy thing? Diet coke sounds incredibly unappealing to me right now. Yuck. And yesterday, my most normal day since the sickness hit, I ate three normal meals. That was a record. Bottom line...we are going to make it to second trimester, and before I know it, I will feel this little person kicking around inside of me, and all of this will seem more like a baby and less like a really bad virus.

Sweet Scott

I must take a minute to brag on my husband. He is currently going above and beyond the call of duty as husband and dad.

After spending the whole day watching Ada while I slept away the nausea, he is now downstairs cleaning the kitchen and the living room. And I do mean cleaning. When I said good-night, he had moved all of the chairs out of the kitchen so that he could sweep and mop the floor.

And, because I am so proud of him being Mr. Fix-It, I also must tell you that he fixed our breaks today. I must confess that I was very skeptical, but I have apologized over and over again for doubting his ability because lo and behold, he did it, and it saved us quite a bit of money.

I think (because he mentioned this) he is feeling the urge to learn how to "take care of things" around the house just in case he needs to teach his son one day. I keep warning him that we have no way of knowing whether this baby is a boy or a girl, and he says he will be excited either way, but I sense that his heart is set on boy. I honestly think it would be fun for Ada to have a little sister, but of course, either gender holds much excitement as we imagine what this little person will add to our family.

Though I love Ada and all of her sass and spunk, I do hope that God might send me a little quiet, go with the flow, servant type, Scott. Ada has all of my emotions plus some, I do believe, so I think a mini-Scott would be just the thing to add to the family. We'll see, though. God is already knitting this little one together, and I have no doubt that he knows exactly what will work best for us.

By the way, as I was saying good-night, we both admitted to each other that we hate this part of pregnancy. I know that I am no fun to be around right now. We then had fun imagining what pregnancy would have been like without the fall of man. Hmmm...I am guessing no sickness and the most minimal of weight gain. Or maybe the weight gain would be considered beautiful...hmmm? We also talked about how simple labor and delivery would be. Oh well, it is part of the curse, right? And Scott is feeling it with me, bless his heart. I am so thankful that he loves me unconditionally;)

Sick, so sick

I am a bit miserable, ya'll.

I keep repeating to myself, as I struggle with the constant nausea, "this is a good sign. It means that things are going the way that they are supposed to be going." Right?

But, please, you moms who have been right where I am. Any advice? I can't remember feeling this sick with Ada. I think I was on Christmas break from teaching (a whole two weeks!!) during the worst of it, and I must have slept right through it. Or God, in his wisdom, caused me to forget, so that I would decide that I wanted to have another child.

But seriously, I will try anything for a little relief. Help me.

New Baby Moore

Thanks for all the congrats, friends.

I thought I would share a few more details about this new addition to our family.

I am very newly pregnant--five weeks, I think. I am a pregnancy-sharer. I cannot hold in the news for more than a day or two. I understand the reasoning behind waiting to share, but it's just not in me to keep it a secret. I am so newly pregnant, that the full-fledged nausea and exhaustion hasn't fully set in yet. The blogging may dwindle when that day arrives;)

We are so excited about this pregnancy. It was a different experience finding out than when I found out with Ada. We have been hoping for a baby for several months now, so I had taken several negative pregnancy tests. It was a bit unbelievable to see the two lines indicating that a life is, indeed, growing inside of me. This time my tears were just out of excitement, not a mixture of excitement and panic as they were with Ada.

I still was unable to wait on Scott to take the pregnancy test, so I had to call him at work with the news. He was just as excited and shocked as I was. I stared at the test forever, not believing it was true. As I then called my mom and sister, I continued to hold the test in my hand and look around at my messy house, and I felt very thankful that we have 10 months to prepare for this baby's arrival. Though I was a bit panicked over the birth of Ada, I was also dying for her to arrive, and I wished away the months. This time, I think I will be thankful for all the time I can get in order to adjust our lives (as much as possible) to make room for another little personality.

When Ada woke up from her nap that day, I asked her if she wanted mom to have a baby, and she said, "nooooo," in a sing-song voice. Since then, however, she always says yes. Obviously, she has no clue how this will rock her world.

We have already looked at pictures to see what this tiny baby looks like at this point, and he or she is a little tadpole. But a baby, nonetheless, tucked safely inside my womb. I love it. His (or her) little nervous system and brain and even skeleton are starting to develop; can you believe it? It truly is such a miracle, and as my mom said, no matter what happens with this pregnancy, this baby has already made its mark on our family. He or she will always be my second; just as Ada will always be my first born--the one who made me a mom.

Checking In

I don't like to be away from my blog for long, but a weekend away with old friends will do that to me.

Where have I been the past few days? Sprawled out on the beach in Seaside, FL reminiscing with old friends. I have much more to say about that, but for now I must pack up again because Ada and I are headed to Alabama tomorrow so that I can finish up my dental work.

I am not sure how much they are going to be able to do, though. What do you think? Can they numb my mouth even in first trimester pregnancy? You tell me.

UPDATE: To clarify - We are expecting Baby Moore #2, due sometime around February 10, and we are thrilled.