July

7/07/08

22 Weeks 1 Day...Well, we're home from camp...relatively unscathed! I was glad that I went to camp, but I have to admit that I'm even more glad to be back. I knew being pregnant at camp would be different, but I'm not sure that I realized how much a toll it would take on me physically. Shawn's likewise pretty exhausted, but we're limping through this week of recovery together. :) By the end of the week, the infection I had thankfully cleared up (although Shawn thinks he might've gotten another sinus infection, and I'm battling what might be some kind of stomach virus...ugh!), so I'm really grateful to be done with antibiotics. I know the Dr. says they're safe, but I feel really, really, REALLY unsure about being on medication so often. On a lighter note, I feel the need to share Shawn's first foot in his mouth pregnancy experience. First of all, please know that I have one amazing husband. He's incredibly sweet and has made it absolutely clear that he still loves me and is attracted to me, and that he loves what my body is doing in holding our child. That being said.... :PThe toilet in our master bathroom broke right before we left for camp, so right when we got back, we went on a toilet search. We found a great deal on a toilet at Lowe's. It was originally about $280, on sale for $60 (We ended up not being able to get it, which is a long, frustrating story about the incompetency of Lowe's. Feel free to ask Shawn, I'm sure he'd love to vent about it!). The toilet was wider than the usual toilet with an "ultra comfort" seat. We were talking to the manager, trying to figure out how to get the toilet, and he looked at us a little strangely. "Do you realize that this toilet is extra wide?" Shawn answered, "Yeah, we have room for it in the bathroom, that's not a big problem." The manager said tactfully, "I mean, this is a toilet designed for handicapped or overweight people, and I'm not sure that it'd be the best fit for you guys." To which Shawn replied...."Well, (pointing to me) she IS pregnant." Thankfully, I'm well aware that Shawn doesn't actually think I'm overweight or handicapped, even pregnant, I was just surprised! So here is where our baby is at in Week 22:"The grow must go on! No wonder you’re getting so big, you’re now housing a wonder-baby who weighs nearly a pound and measures nearly a foot in length. Their perfect little pancreas is now further developed and they’ve also started producing their own hormones! Your baby's future in the circus as a world-famous tight-rope-walker is secure: their inner ear is now developed to the point that they have their own sense of balance. Lucky for your little explorer, balance also promotes physical dexterity, which has them actively feeling out their surroundings where skin, body parts, and the resident umbilical cord are the big sensory experiences. Your foot-long baby, is looking a bit like an oversized raisin right now as more and more wrinkles are showing up each week. Not to worry, all that excessive wrinkling is just their skin’s way of planning ahead for the time when they’ll start piling on that irresistible baby chub."

7/08/08

Holy Moly! 6 Months!...I just realized today that I'm actually 6 months along! 6 months just seems so...far! We have our next appointment on Thursday, July 17th, and our tour of the hospital on Thursday, July 31st. I suppose it's official...we're having a baby! ;) The stomach virus...or delayed morning sickness...or food poisoning...or whatever it was...that I referenced yesterday hit me full force by the afternoon. I spent the better part of the day in a lot of pain, laying in the bed. The good news, however, is that once I took some medicine I slowly started to feel better. I'm not sure that I can adequately relate how frustrating it is to me that I keep getting sick (if that WAS even a virus, Shawn seems to think it was hormone stuff making me sick). The past couple of days have really been a bit of a struggle for me...I feel very, very out of control of my body. Women told me, jokingly, that once I got pregnant my body would no longer be my own, but I'm finding it difficult to laugh at that. It hasn't bothered me until this week, really. I think being sick so constantly has really frustrated me, and I think being at camp showed me how much more difficult it is for me to do things I wouldn't have thought twice about before. My body changes everyday, and I really feel like I'm at its whims for when I eat, sleep, and move. By nature, I'm a girl who really enjoys discipline. I love pushing my body further than I knew it could go, and I've gotten really good at ignoring when my body says to stop and working on the whole, "mind over matter" thing. But my body doesn't belong to me, anymore, it's first and foremost our child's until November. Everything that I do has to be filtered through the child's needs. I know, it's great practice for being a Mom when your child's needs always come first...I get that. It's just been an adjustment for me. I'm loving carrying this child, I'm even loving being pregnant...but I am looking forward to the day when my body becomes my own again. Alright, enough of that whining!As each day goes by, I feel our little boy moving more and more, which is just amazing. One morning at camp, I was laying on my back and felt him kicking. I told my small group girls, and two of them were able to feel him kicking, too! I love sharing this with them, it's such a great chance for me to teach them that it's an actual human being in there. They're fascinated by all the things I can/can't do or have and by how the baby is developing. On Sunday night, we took the Pinedale students to a Greensboro Grasshoppers game (minor league baseball), and we found out that Little Maurer seems to be a baseball fan. Well, at least he responded to my cheers! It was fun to cheer for the Grasshoppers and then wait for him to respond with a kick or a punch. At one point, after I'd cheer, he'd kick or punch - right underneath my rib cage - seven or eight times in a row! He's started to respond to noises...loud music at camp or Cole's barking, for instance. Shawn's also been able to feel him moving around a little bit. After looking through some catalogs, we're starting to re-think our nursery decorations/colors. I'll wait to tell you what we're thinking to save myself the embarassment if we decide to change the colors once again. :) I just can't believe how quickly things have gone with this pregnancy, we're going to be holding our little one before we know it!!

7/09/08

www.makemebabies.com...So I heard about this website where you can upload pictures of both parties involved to see what your future children will look like. If you need a good laugh this morning, I've added the pictures to our "we're pregnant" album, go take a gander!

7/14/08

Week 23...I still can't believe that we're six months along, the summer seems to be going by so quickly! Shawn and I finally registered at Babies R Us and Target, which was honestly something that I was dreading. It ended up being fun, but it was one of those things that kind of loomed over my head as something we had to get done soon. I'm so grateful to have it done and am really, really excited about some of the stuff we registered for! We're making some moves on getting the nursery planned and Shawn's hoping to paint it next week while I'm at a conference. I'm looking forward to that being done, too! I'm feeling the baby kick more and more in the past several days...very often in response to music! I'm finding that I'm waking up in the middle of the night more and more often. I'm not entirely sure why that is -- I don't think it's to use the bathroom or because he's kicking -- but it's sure been tough to feel rested after a couple of rough nights. I'm grateful that swelling hasn't been a huge issue for me, even in the summer heat. My hands swell if I go on a walk, and my feet swell a little bit if I'm on them for long periods of time...but as long as I'm careful, the swelling has been minimal and goes away quickly. Our next appointment is Thursday at 2:10. I believe it's going to be a pretty uneventful visit and will just be a normal check up.Here's where Baby Maurer is this week!"At this point you’ve pretty much adjusted to the fact you’ve got a moving little gymnast inside of you, but now they’re going to kick up the party a notch because they can hear and react to sounds from the outside world. Sounds from your alarm clock, a thunder roll, or that darned car honking at you across the intersection can actually jar their little ears enough to elicit a kick or violent bout of squirming. Of course this also means that their little ears are picking up the sounds of your voice and those near you. So go ahead, sing a lullaby to your little angel—if they start kicking, it’s likely they just want you to stop… or maybe it was a kick of approval? You decide. Your baby's tiny taste buds are still growing and their bones are continuing to ossify (harden), their tiny veins are visible through their translucent yet wrinkly skin. (Think of it this way: they’ve been swimming in the equivalent of a long hot bath for the past 23 weeks, so you can’t blame them for being a little prune-like.) And how's mom doing? If no one warned you about the joys of the pregnancy-sleep-challenge, you’ve probably already started to discover just how difficult it can be to find adequately comfortable sleeping positions. The good news is: some people actually invented pillows specifically designed to give a pregnant woman a better chance of sleeping through the night. There are a variety of different designs, but inevitably you’ll want some sort of belly support as well as a body pillow between your legs and under your belly to relieve a bit of the discomfort you're sure to be experiencing right now. If you choose to buy the (rather spendy) pregnancy pillows they've got on the market, make sure you keep the receipt as some women still have problems sleeping and fare better with their own unique pillow collection and set-upAs if there's not enough to keep track of already, are you remembering to drink lots of fluids? Plenty of good ol’ fashioned H20 (water) can help reduce swelling in your poor ankles and feet-- resulting from the pressure your now over-sized uterus is putting on your pelvic veins, thereby slowing fluid circulation to the lower half of your body. Also, if you want to further reduce the dreaded appearance of pregnancy “cankles” (calf-ankles) try to avoid sitting for long periods of time—and for the hundredth time: don’t forget to stay active! Keeping your fluid intake up is also good for your little resident swimmer as dehydration is frequently connected with premature birthing. Yep, it’s a lot of responsibility, but you can do it! You’re almost two-thirds of the way there already! Keep up the good work mom!"

7/21/08

Week 24...Fetal development in pregnancy week 24: "This is another big week for your magical growing baby! Just take a look at the checklist for this week: 1) ears: done; 2) fingernails: done; 3) (if you have a boy) testicles: taking their 3-4 day trip from the abdominal wall to the scrotum; and 4) lungs walls: secreting “surfactant”. What’s that? Well, surfactant is sort of what it sounds like: a surface-activated fat whose main purpose is to assist the your baby's little lungs during inflation (as in, filling with air, not getting more expensive). Just in case you’re curious, your submerged baby is still breathing in amniotic fluid, preparing and rehearsing the lungs an oxygen-filled life outside the womb. By the end of this week, your child will be weighing around 2 lbs and 14 inches long. Your cutie-patootie may even be a little more plump, but isn't anywhere near their full baby-fatted cute-self. Most of the “filling out” is coming up in that long awaited (and slightly dreaded?) third trimester. Woo-hoo! Get ready!And how's mom doing? Your little one is moving (spinning, kicking, pirouetting, shimmying, and maybe even doing a bit of the Can-Can) so much these days that if you invite your friends and/or family to touch your belly there’s a good chance they’ll get a milder sample of what you’ve been experiencing . You’ve may have experienced the oddity that is strangers who feel a protruding pregnant belly is public property and a silent invitation for belly touching. We recommend taking the belly-touching calmly and if it really offends you, just say something like: “I just fell in a large vat of anthrax.” Or perhaps something a little less aggressive, like, “Please, at the very least, ask me before touching my body.” Still, there are many women who enjoy sharing this touching ritual with others. Find your comfort zone and good luck with the rest.Scary stuff you should be aware of: The danger of getting preeclampsia (a.k.a. Toxemia) during pregnancy is significantly higher and is characterized by significant swelling of the hands and face, excessive weight gain, blurry vision with severe headaches or abdominal pain. Obviously, swelling is common during pregnancy, but should be monitored closely, and sudden ongoing swelling to the hands and face could be a concern. Talk with your physician for more information. Preeclampsia can also be diagnosed by high blood pressure and the presence of certain proteins in your urine. Again, high blood pressure alone does not mean you are affected, but it might be something you and your physician will want to/need to monitor throughout your pregnancy. Preeclampsia can prevent the placenta from receiving enough blood, thus depriving your baby of essential nutrients and lower oxygen levels, possibly resulting in low birth weights and other problems. There are several websites dedicated to preeclampsia education such as: http://www.preeclampsia.org/."

7/24/08

An Unintended Retreat...
As I'm typing this, I'm the hotel room of a resort in Orlando, Florida. I'm actually here for work (attending the National Abstinence Clearinghouse Conference), but have to admit that it's been a nice break from life to be here. I've been able to spread out across the bed, take daily naps, and spend lots of time by myself...I've loved it! I've also loved the conference and have already gotten so much useful information and have been challenged - it's not just all about the the relaxation! I had hoped to swim everyday I was here, but unfortunately the afternoon thundershowers that are typical of Florida hindered that until today. I was able to alternate between taking some laps in the lap pool and sitting in the sun to rest. I was surprised by how much of a work out my arms got, but oh man...I loved it! It was a blast to swim, to feel weightless, and to know that I was getting exercise. Perhaps more importantly, it's been great to get a break from day to day things, baby worries, work pressures, etc. Meanwhile, back at the ranch...Shawn's been incredibly busy! He decided to undertake a couple of painting projects around the house that we've been wanting to do for awhile. Ever since Shawn read at some point that the fumes in paint can be toxic in pregnancy, he's been planning on doing as much painting as he could while I was gone. SO...he's been busy painting the baby's room (brownish tan), and painting our old, dark cabinets white. He'll be adding new hardware to the cabinets as well. A crazy amount to try and get done in four days! I'm excited to get started on getting our nursery done, though. It'll be nice to be able to have a room to start to sort and place our baby stuff!I can't believe that it's only about a week until we be going to Indiana for our baby shower. We're both really excited to see friends and family again! My family hasn't seen me since my sister's wedding, when I was four months pregnant, so I'm sure they're in for a bit of a shock in how much I've grown in three months! Shawn and I have finally caved and decided to get a gym membership for me for the next two months. I've not been able to do any working out worth mentioning because of the North Carolina heat, which has not only been difficult for me, but has effected my weight gain. I'll try to make it through the next couple of months by working out in the air conditioned gym, and then will hopefully be able to take my running/walking outside again after that.For what seems like the first time in awhile, I'm actually feeling pretty good. I've not had any major aches or pains and haven't been dealing with the ugly side of pregnancy lately. Don't get me wrong, I still pee every five minutes (sometimes literally...every five minutes) and have a hard time sleeping through the night consistently, but I count myself blessed that those are about the extent of my complaints right now. He's moving more and more! I know I say that with every update, but it's just the coolest feeling in the world. He absolutely has days where he's quiet and pretty still (and I start to get a little concerned, of course), and then days where he's kicking nonstop and I feel like he must be dancing away in there. :) Our next appointment is in the middle of August (I believe, anyway, I'm not near my appointment calendar), which will be when they test me for gestational diabetes. That issue is a little bit disconcerting for me, but I'm trying to not worry or freak out about something that's still so far away. Thanks for checking up on our Baby Maurer!!

7/27/08

25 Weeks...Moved up one more week today! Here's where Baby Maurer is at this week:"Your little grower’s physical proportions are evening out at this point and most of their remaining development will largely be weight gain and lots and lots of nervous system development. The good news is: if your child is born premature now they’ll be more likely to survive without too much trauma as their lungs began to produce “surfactant” last week, which means their tiny respiratory system is getting stronger with each passing day. Yes, now’s a good time for a minor sigh of relief and a quick pat on the back. All that hard work and conscientious living is really getting your child prepared for a healthy delivery. Keep up the fabulous work mama! This week they’ll be scootching slowly out of the old breech position and start rotating (already!) into a better position for exit during their birth. Their head and feet are slowly rotating so that the head is pointed down towards the birth canal. Time is short (or really long, depending on who you ask)—just (still!) 14 weeks left before you can go back to being a single-resident human. And how's mom doing? Trimester two is finally almost over, which means you have that one final trimester of pregnancy to enjoy (and suffer through). You could celebrate this landmark passage by purchasing some piece of clothing designed to make your curvy body look as gorgeous and classy as possible... and don’t let the price tag stop you, this is an act of self-love not book-keeping. But before you max out your credit card, remember: you’re only going to get larger, so buy smart. Speaking of larger, you’re obviously carrying more weight now and your back is going to let you know. Don’t let this get you down or make you feel like a weakling—it all comes with the territory of being preggers. Try to practice good posture—it will alleviate some of the back fatigue as slouching is actually harder on your back. It’s also common for women to experience leg cramps during this period. Go ahead, strong arm someone who loves you into giving you a massage. Or if you're lucky enough to have the extra bucks, head to a spa that specializes in pregnancy massages and get the full-treatment.You may have already noticed that your hair seems fuller, thicker, more plentiful and darker-- especially your body hair. There are two basic reasons for this: 1) you're shedding much less (head) hair than you usually do and 2) your body's hormones contribute to the way your body hair is growing right now. Not to worry, all the hairiness will return to normal after you've delivered your baby."