27wks

It's amazing how much your body can change in just one week. Last week I was able to move around comfortably and bend down to get things, while this week I feel like I have a torpedo strapped to my stomach. It is constantly in the way and when I bend over to get something I feel like I am going to pop. Jayden's activity hasn't slowed down at all and with him getting bigger every week it feels different every week. This week he has had the hiccups every morning when I wake up. It makes me smile because now I can see my belly move with each hiccup. This precious baby is so much fun already.

Last night I was laying on the couch watching him hiccup and I called Carlos over to come feel him. As soon as Carlos put his hand on my stomach he stopped. When he took his hand off he started again. We have a little stinker on our hands : ) Tucker seems to know when Jayden has hiccups because every time he comes over and wants to kiss my belly. Tucker is also enjoying me laying down a little more because it means more snuggles for him, too. He is going to be one jealous little dog when Jayden is here.

I now have a wonderful crib, thanks to my great friend, Katie. Moving the crib into the apt. was so much fun. Every time I get something for Jayden my nesting instinct goes crazy and I can't stop smiling. Washing his baby clothes, crocheting some hats, a snugly blanket, etc. It all makes it harder to be patient.

Jayden has got me into a pretty predictable nighttime routine already. We go to bed around 10-11pm and every two to three hours he wakes me up for about an hour or longer. As tired as I am some mornings I'm kind of glad to ease into waking up so much during the night. Since I was about 16wks I haven't been sleeping through the night. I'm functioning just fine during the day with the exception of spraying my toothbrush with hairspray yesterday morning...but overall I'm not a zombie and I'm still feeling great. The heat is yet to be unbearable and I'm thankful for that. We're already into mid June and I was expecting to be a raging mad woman-but the pool has been my best friend and I am coping just fine. Some days the three flights of stairs are more daunting than others and if it's hot and I'm carrying anything up the stairs I feel like I might be dying-but getting to the top proves otherwise. Carlos has been my grocery boy and carries all the heavy stuff for me. He's a real keeper : ) I am not looking forward to carrying the baby/car seat up and down the stairs and not being able to get our stroller up and down easily, but we'll only have three months to deal with that before our lease is up.

Overall, I love being pregnant. When I was 5wks along and found out I was pregnant I thought 40 weeks seemed like an eternity. Now I'm just around the corner from 30wks and I feel like it's flown by. I think I'm going to miss it, but we are planning to have our kids somewhat close together so I shouldn't have to miss it for too long : )

The next two weekends Carlos and I are attending a natural childbirth class and I can't wait! Carlos has been great throughout this pregnancy and I look forward to watching him as a father. Jayden is a blessed little boy to have him for a dad.

Carlos picked out this little outfit for Jayden to wear when we visit Nana for Christmas in Texas. I love watching him pick things out for Jayden!



Love,

Lyd and Jayden

8lbs? Are you sure that wasn't 80?

Today was my 26wk OB appointment. I was excited to hear Jayden's heartbeat and report that everything was going smoothly. Aside from the normal aches and sleeping disturbances, I have been feeling wonderful! I really do love being pregnant. I can't believe how fast the last 6 months have gone. I expected almost 10 months of pregnancy to feel like an eternity. Granted, I still have the summer to endure the size of a whale, I am enjoying each day as it comes.

Today was encouraging on a different level, too. When my doctor told me that I had only gained 8lbs throughout the entire pregnancy I thought she was looking at the wrong chart. How can this belly my computer is currently resting on(haha) have only caused 8lbs of change?! I feel gigantic! She laughed and said she hears that all the time. She explained that I am one of the lucky body types that carry their babies all in front and not in back-lol. After we shared a few more laughs and stories she started to ask me about my concerns of body changes after pregnancy. Knowing that I had a severe hormonal reaction to my hormonal birth control and having had the chemical pregnancy so recently, she knows I felt out of place in my pre-pregnancy body. The way it was right before I got pregnant was not "normal" for me. Being almost 30lbs heavier than I was used to being and discovering I was pregnant was a lot to process. It's not about being 30lbs heavier, it's about feeling like I wasn't in my own body anymore. I understand changes come with babies-and babies will always be much more precious to me than my ideal body. I just want to have the energy and endurance to keep up with the precious babies in our future, and I want my future pregnancies to start in a happier, healthier body(me). She understands that I want to get back to my athletic/dancer body(or some form of it) and enjoy being much more active like I used to. I know hormones will be a tough opponent in the battle to regain "me" again after baby. For me there is not a goal number-there is a goal feeling. I don't care what a scale says-I never have. I care about how healthy I feel and how my body responds to the activities I love doing. I miss hour long intensive kickboxing classes that left me feeling like jelly and invincible at the same time, spin classes that make you sweat like you didn't know was possible for a human being, and the lengthening muscle burn from an amazing dance class. For now, I have been limited to walking, swimming and body resistance exercises. Knowing little Jayden can't handle anything else-these things are just fine with me. When he is safely here I will get back into the swing of more challenging and less boring activities :)

I look forward to the challenge when my body is ready, and am thankful for a supportive doctor and wonderful husband in the process.

Thanks for the prayers,

Lyd and Jayden

Something I really miss-hiking in Colorado. The altitude added to the challenge of taking on a big mountain; but I loved being surrounded by lush greenery, water and crisp, clean air. The view from the top always made me forget how hard the climb was.




Hidden Lake-such a peaceful place



Enjoying the cool spray of a beautiful waterfall







Nice to have someone climb with you-so you can share the view : )



A little sexy motivation to keep going-hahaha



It's straight uphill for miles



Almost to the top!



Feeling great after a challenging hike.