September Links

A Mentor Guest Post - The Wiegands

10 Multi Purpose Ingredients for a Handmade Household - Simple Homemade

Observance and Writing -   Enjoying the Simple Things

Bloom Book Club: "7 - Month 3 Possessions" - Vimeo

Parts of Me I Like to Hide - Incourage

In Which I Am Practicing - A Deeper Story

Because He First Rescued Us - Christine Caine

When Motherhood Hurts - Kate Elizabeth Conner

This entire website is hilarious! So glad I stumbled upon The Honest Toddler

September Books

"Mended" by Angie Smith
"Spirit Led Parenting" by Megan Tietz & Laura Oyer
"Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy. A Righteous Gentile vs. The Third Reich" by Eric Metaxas

I am completely taken with Bonhoeffer. I am also completely in love with the way his parents raised him and his siblings, what an incredible family! I cannot wait to get my hands on some of his own writing, and possibly any other books I can find on his life.

34 weeks

Baby size: 45cm long and around 2.1kg!

 

How far along: 34 weeks

 

Sleep: Most nights I'm up one or two times, but every now and then I sleep most of the way through.

 

Maternity clothes: Still not yet, but my jeans are starting to get a little tight, so yoga pants and leggings might become my staple item over the next few weeks.

 

Food cravings: Still no real cravings, but I have eaten a lot of M&M's over the last two weeks.

 

Food aversions: Just my usual.

 

Symptoms: I have had leg cramps a couple of times when I wake in the morning

 

Midwife's appointment: Had one last Thursday, and my Mum got to go along with me this week. Dave couldn't get away from work, and Mum and I were out running around doing things so she got to join me. I really think she loved getting to meet Kerry and hear baby's heartbeat. Again (praise God!) everything is looking, sounding and feeling good.

 

Movement: Baby got really busy in the last couple of weeks.

 

Gender: Not long till we find out!

 

Best moment of the week: Baby was going crazy during church on Sunday. Dave and I may have gotten a little distracted during the sermon, what with baby rolling around, poking limbs out all over the place!

 

What I miss: Tying my shoelaces up easily!

 

What I'm looking forward to: Meeting this little one!! There is nothing like cuddles with a newborn!

Maternity Photos Peek

On Saturday we had our maternity photos done. The weather couldn't have been more perfect. Warm, sunny and almost no breeze.

I'm really looking forward to seeing all of the images, but for now our photographer has given us a little teaser on Facebook of these three images.

Where that last one says "44 days & counting," it's now actually 42 days and counting!!

Cannot wait!

Grateful

 

I am so incredibly grateful that our baby is growing, developing and looking healthy within the womb.

I found out yesterday that one of the couples in our church who are expecting early next year have had some news regarding their baby's development in the womb. Some of their little one's organs are growing outside his or her abdomen. While the prognosis is good for their baby, and they are sitting underneath a specialists care, I can't begin to imagine what kind of emotional journey they are on, and are going to continue to be on over the coming months.

There hasn't been a day during my pregnancy that I haven't been thankful for a healthy pregnancy, healthy husband and healthy baby. I don't take any of this for granted.

Every day is a gift, and every little life is a miracle. The more I journey through pregnancy the more I realise just how true that is. How incredible is the Father's design, that He made our bodies to do what they do, that He perfectly orchestrates hormones to do what they do, that He designs each of us the way we are for a purpose much greater than our own ideas.

That this couples little one can survive.
Miracle.

That our babe is healthy.
Miracle.

Life itself.
Miracle.

Stretch Marks and Scars

I’m going to admit to some vanity right now. I’ve been moisturising my belly twice a day, right from the start. Oh, and praying that I don’t get stretch marks.

Yep, I have actually prayed more than once that I won’t get stretch marks.  

It’s not like I don’t have any. I had a major growth spurt when I was around 12 or 13 and as a result I already have some stretch marks on my hips and upper thighs. They really don’t bother me either, but I just have this idea in my head that getting stretch marks on my belly will be hideous. 

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This photo has been floating around Pinterest for a while now, and while I have always liked the sentiment, in my head I have always hoped “not me.”

The thing that I finally realised yesterday is this: they are the scars I will bear from bringing forth life.

My Jesus bears scars from bringing forth life too – my life. His scars speak of His incredible sacrifice, God's great mercy and unspeakable love for us. I love that when He rose from the grave, He still bore the marks. They were the proof that Thomas needed to believe He had risen. They are the reminder of the Life that was exchanged for mine. They speak of overcoming, of love.

So if I do end up with stretch marks, I want them to not only be a reminder of the tiny life that I carried in me for 9 months, but also be a reminder of the One who carries me, and sacrificed Himself for me to have life.

 

 

32 Weeks

 

Baby size: around 42-43 cm long and should weigh around 1702 grams or 3.75lbs, although according to the ultrasound we had on Monday, baby weighs closer to 4lbs!

 

How far along: 32 weeks and 1 day

 

Sleep: Getting harder to stay comfortable throughout the whole night. I did have one night where I slept the whole way through over the weekend though. That was nice!

 

Maternity clothes: Still no maternity clothing just yet, but being able to be at home and wear yoga pants a lot is nice. I'm sure I would be down to very few options if I was still working!

 

Food cravings: Again, still nothing really here, although I have been loving M&M's this week. I usually wouldn't buy them because they are the one chocolate I cannot have in the house or I devour it, but I have giving in. They were on special!

 

Food aversions: Still off that beef and cooked vegetables, although last night I was dreaming of roast veggies. Looking forward to having some of those again.

 

Symptoms: I really cannot believe that I haven't experienced many of the symptoms that are listed in books on the the internet

 

Midwifes appointment: My belly was measuring at the correct week (go figure that one out?!! Belly measures correct, but baby's weight is a week ahead. I hope I don't have to birth a whopper!) He or she also has her head down nice and low, which we have been told is great, and when that happens at around the 30 week mark the head usually stays there.

 

Movement: Baby got wriggly over the last couple of weeks! Either that, or I am just able to feel it more now that baby is bigger. Our next appointment is next Thursday afternoon.

 

Gender: Dave is still convinced it's a boy. I kind of hope so too because we cannot come up with a girls name that we love.

 

Best moment of the week: Dave being able to have some really good feels of the baby moving, and being able to have the extra ultrasound appointment to see the little munchkin once more before birth.

 

What I miss: Sleeping well (better get used to that hey), and more dinner options. I'm a little sick of our menu. I can only imagine Dave is too, but he would never say so.

 

What I'm looking forward to: Meeting our baby! We are so ready to see this little one face to face.

Last Ultrasound

We had our final ultrasound yesterday and got our last look at the baby before he or she makes an appearance.


Hi there little one!

Everything is looking great, except for one measurement, the estimated weight. The ultrasound technician said she thinks the baby's weight is about a week bigger than our estimated due date! I'm hoping this just means we are a week out with dating and we will get to meet this little dude or dudette sooner. This is the much preferred option as my other explaination involves me having to give birth to a boofer!!

I am definitly hoping it means we meet our little one sooner. We are so ready to cuddle and kiss and meet our baby!

Thoughts On...Being Inspired

I like to be inspired.

You know, deeply moved to do things, like write a blog post, decide what I’m going have for dinner and when I’m going to clean.

I’ve always been like this, where I have moments of whirlwind like activity and I am super productive followed closely by aimless wanderings around the house and staring blankly out the window.

I call them my restless moments, where I am waiting for inspiration to hit and something to stir my soul.

The thing that I am starting, ever so slowly, to realise is that I can’t live my life always like that. I can’t always go at break-neck speed, and I can’t only do things that I am greatly motivated to do.

There are simply some things that I have to do, because I have to do them (like cleaning).

It is in the moments of restlessness that I am motivated to reflect and also to seek out inspiration. The restlessness causes me to pause, to slow down and to take in, to create room for more inspiration to move into.

And how I do love it when that inspiration does hit!

 

On My Soapbox: Natural Birth

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I'm going to get on my soapbox a little today.

I have decided that I am going to have a natural, physiological birth.

What that means for me is that I will not take any medicinal pain relief, and that there will be no medical intervention unless there are complications and either the baby or I are in danger.

Over the last few weeks I have encountered several people who when they hear what my birth choice is their responses include something along the lines of "sure, let me know how that goes for you," or "just wait until you get in there, you'll change your mind," or my personal favourite "just take the drugs!"

The funny thing about this debate, natural or with medical intervention, is that I get the sense that those who choose to birth with the use of medicine deeply want their choices to be respected and often feel like they are looked down on by those who choose the "natural" route.

I simply wish that my choice to birth naturally, with absolutely no medical pain relief, was treated with the same respect that the choice to have an epidural is treated with.

Our choice is not every one's choice. I know it will be painful, I know it will be hard. We have a wonderful midwife who is backing our decisions all the way. We also have a couple of friends who are pregnant and have made similar birth choices to us. The support amongst the three couples is quite strong and I am so grateful for that, as some of the negativity around our choice has even been from some of our church friends.

All parents need to make informed decisions, and like most parents we have made the one that we feel is in the best interests of our family. My husband and I have made a very well informed, well researched decision about this and we are extremely comfortable with our choice.

I'll respect your choice. I'd love it if people would respect ours too.

(climbing down from my soapbox now :))

Spring Has Sprung

Spring has finally sprung here and we have been enjoying the most beautiful weather for the last four days.

Of course with it being Victoria, that will be all out the window tomorrow and we will no doubt experience hail and possibly snow.

Spring cleaning/ nesting has officially kicked in and I have been doing as many loads of laundry as is humanly possible each day we have nice weather. The baby's room has also been cleared of anything not baby related, the chest of drawers is in (found it for a steal on the weekend!) and now full of blankets, sheets, spew rags and all sorts of other baby paraphernalia. Now comes the fun part - decorating!

I spent a little time outside clearing out all the weeds from the vegetable patch today, basking in the sunshine.

I love the warm weather. I love the way it makes me feel, and how when we finally start to get consistently sunny days after so many months of cold, rainy days, I can almost see summer.

Long days, ice-cream, the beach (although I imagine this year with a new born we won't be spending as much time at the beach as we normally would) barbeque's with friends and our first Christmas with a baby!

I can't wait for summer this year!