31 Weeks, 9 to go!

Okay so it's been a great and challenging week of being 31 weeks! Also, my birthday was wonderful. So wonderful. Ben surprised me with dinner with friends and then when we got home after spending the day looking at whatever I wanted to look at ( and buying me some beautiful porcelain birds to keep in our room) and going to a pet store so Finch could look at animals (he loves animals) I found that our bedroom was decorated with 36 roses in a heart shape with beautiful notes from Ben to read. He had asked a friend to decorate while we were gone and it was so beautiful and so far, being 24 has been wonderful (all 8 days so far).

This was taken on my birthday before we left to go window shopping :)

As for being pregnant, I am doing my best to cope with the raging hormones, the fatigue, and the challenges of having babies so close together. My body is tired, and I get tired much faster than I used to. I think of those moms who have multiple back to back babies or just have lots of kids and I marvel at it because pregnancy is so hard for me, so everyone, you should give those ladies a pat on the back or watch their kids for a bit so they can rest! At 31 weeks, Rosie has been getting bigger and heavier and is apparently as heavy as a coconut or just a little heavier now that we are at the end of the week. She is also able to open her eyes and is practicing breathing amniotic fluid so she can breathe better outside of me.

I have started developing some pubic symphysis pain (the pubis symphysis is the cartilage between the front part of the pelvis that is basically the pubic bone in the front of the pelvis. Rosie is right at the bottom of my pelvis (she's been dropping for a bit now) and the loosening of my ligaments anyway from the relaxin hormone that prepares the pelvis for delivery, has made my pelvis feel very unstable and laying down, walking, stepping, stretching (basically moving or not moving) is getting more and more painful and my pelvis basically feels like it is glued together with elmers glue and has no strong base to keep it together anymore. I hear that there really isn't anything to do about it besides use a pillow and possible bed rest and that just makes me want to cry some days. We see my doctor this Friday and I'm hoping we can talk about what my options are because it is getting hard to do anything and with a while left to go and with a baby boy to chase around, I'm wondering what can be done or what will happen in labor with my pelvis being so unstable. Any prayers are appreciated and I hope this doesn't sound like complaining. I hurt my tailbone in labor with Finch and I wonder if that has possible exacerbated some of the issues I'm having since I didn't get a lot of time in between pregnancies to recover. We'll see. Any suggestions are welcome.

On a much happier note, we are getting so excited for Rosemary to come and be a part of our home. She loves to listen to us and is so responsive. Anytime Ben talks to her or around my tummy she starts to wiggle and to move and does it the entire time he talks to her. She also loves to hear Finch and when he giggles, she moves a lot, and she gets really active if he is sad and is crying or whimpering. She seems quite sensitive to him and I'm interested in seeing how they respond to each other in person. Zola will snuggle all the time with my tummy now and when she purrs, Rosemary starts to move and gets quite active. I guess she is pretty interactive now and will probably be the same way with us outside of the womb. I keep thinking of what happiness she will bring to us and our home and I am excited for her to be a part of our home. On the nights when I hurt the most or I can't watch a commercial on hulu without crying nonstop I focus on her movements, and how much I know she is worth it all.

31 week bumpie :)

I think of how hard it was with Finch when I started getting symptoms for preecclampsia and then I remember when I held him in my arms after he was born and I just threw all of the pain, the stress, anxiety, and the fear out the window. I would have done it over and over again and I still feel that way now when I look at him and I am doing the same thing for Rosie now. I think sometimes looking outside of ourselves is the only way we can get through tough times and I know that I have felt so grateful for the love and support I feel from my husband and son, and from family and friends, and I am also grateful for the closeness I feel with God during these times as well. I know that there are days when I am able to cope and to walk and to (waddle) through what I need to and it's from His love and support that gives me the ability to look outside of myself and to find the peace I need to take care of the things I need.

So, here's to another week on the countdown! As I start week 32 tomorrow, I will try to gather more interesting and exciting stories about the funny things of pregnancy and focus less on the painful and uncomfortable parts of it. We go to do maternity/family photos today and I am so excited! Last year my pictures were so beautiful and I am hoping to add more to my collection to show my children when they are older! Have a great week and a fantastic St. Patricks Day on Tuesday (I'm Irish, and it's a pretty big deal here in my house so I know we will be going crazy!).

This was just too cute not to share: Finch's first trip to the park and first time in a swing was a crazy success and he was so so happy! Look at those little teeth and that smile! I just swoon whenever I get to hold this little guy and play with him. I am definitely a smitten mama!!

This was my favorite shot from last year's photo shoot (courtesy of Amber Cardinet Photography) and I just love it and hope to be able to share pictures like this with my children someday. Even if it doesn't feel like it some days, pregnancy is so beautiful and I am grateful to have these memories to cherish after years of worrying with my health issues that I wouldn't be able to.

Thanks for reading!

Love,

Liz