Keeping it Simple.

So after a few weeks of not sleeping due to discomfort, indigestion, weird dreams and anxiety, last night I slept amazing!

The indigestion has been getting worse and worse and was starting to occur after things like a glass of water etc. Like the water was re-upsetting what I had eaten before. So after a few nights of waking to feeling like I had just swallowed acid (the flesh eating kind), I decided I needed to change something. Yesterday instead of eating whatever I wanted, as I had been, I just ordered 8oz brown rice, 4oz steamed veggies and 2 vegan chicken skewers with no dressings or sauces etc and it went down very smoothly. It tried to threaten me with indigestion, but that went away very quickly and I went the whole night without an acid-filled burp.

As for the physical discomfort ... my legs going numb, heavy tummy, dead arms etc ... I didn't have any of that either. I started doing my physical therapy stretches before bed which I think helped a lot because it really loosened my hips and legs. So I think I will try to do that from now on.

As for the weird dreams ... I feel like that was probably related to the food I was eating also. Especially the food I would eat right before going to bed. So the relief from the dreams last night is probably also due to the more bland diet I consumed yesterday. Just so you know, I also ate some special k cereal, a piece of corn bread, some chocolate (dark) in the afternoon and noodles as my last meal of the evening around 9pm. And of course because I didn't sleep the night before I had 1/4 cup of coffee (I am allowed 1/2 cup every day) to help me going in the morning and that energy lasted me all day, so I think all the extra moving around would have helped me digest everything before bed also :)

As for the anxiety, I do believe that it hormone related. We all know how when you wake up at night thinking about something, it all seems somehow worse, but then in the morning it doesn't seem half as bad or as urgent? Well, I didn't have any of that either.

It was wonderful to sleep a whole night without waking up to pee or for any other reason. I hope that I can get a few more nights like that before James arrives  :)

Settling in ... to a new home and the 'baby mode'?

This time last week were just about done moving all of our stuff into the new apartment and we (dad, Josh and I) were exhausted! We haven't unpacked everything yet, but this new apartment felt like home from night one. It's wonderful to have more space :)

We didn't get the Internet re-installed until Thursday and I have been working since then, so that is why I haven't blogged since before the move. But I wouldn't have had much more to talk about than being tired! It took me a good 3 days to recover from the 2 days of moving. I was in bed before 10pm every night.

I feel like my pregnancy has moved into a new 'mode'. I almost feel like I am in 'baby mode' ... meaning that if I am not eating or sleeping I'm crying about something [or nothing]. Seriously, I am constantly hungry! When I am eating, I am barely done with one meal before I start thinking about the next one. I do my best to make the majority of my meals and snacks healthy, though I don't always succeed. My stomach has also started growing pretty fast in the past few weeks, it's crazy!

I am also sleeping a lot more. I haven't really napped since my first trimester, but I am noticing naps sneaking back into my daily routine. I have also noticed that I get physically tired a lot easier than even just a month ago, another sign that I am growing for sure! In exactly one month I will be entering the third trimester, so no doubt the tiredness wont be going anywhere!

As for the crying ... I don't really cry that much. Though I do get frustrated a lot easier which ends in tears and the complaints of being uncomfortable are occurring more and more often.  At night time I find that I am either sleeping like a rock or tossing and turning all night due to numb/tingling legs and arms (from trying to stay on one side) or my abdominal area is uncomfortable because it is getting heavier or I wake up to use the restroom and cant fall back to sleep.
I also get the numb/tingling legs during the day if I have been standing at work for a while and my pelvis and lower abdomen also get tired from standing.

So in those respects I can definitely see my pregnancy progressing. One the more positive end, I am dreaming about James more and more (last night I was breast feeding, burping and bonding with my son). We can also see James moving more often now. Josh saw him move for the first time the other evening which was exciting. And I am just over all excited as the days to meeting our son become less and less :)

I also don't complain about having to eat all the time except when I am working and cannot (am not allowed) to eat! After all, this is the most wonderful time for a woman to eat whatever she wants and craves without the guilt  ;)

Hows it going?

My postings have been few and far between lately. I have just been so busy and cannot believe how fast time is going. I cannot believe that I am 21 weeks now! Little James will be here before we know it!

I have been receiving 'Pregnancy and Newborn' magazine as well as some 'Parenting' magazines, and the more I get into them, the more I cant wait to finally be a mommy.  It's not that I wasn't excited before ... but the magazines are opening up a whole world that I was oblivious to ... there is so much you can do with your kids at home and outside. They give healthy eating tips too. I guess knowledge is power because the more I read and the more I learn, the less nervous I become.

Anyway, so Josh and I are moving apartments the day after tomorrow. Packing has been a stressful pain in the behind, but it's getting done. And as I go, I am organizing and disposing. So I guess it's a little spring cleaning as well :)  It will be awesome to have a bigger apartment. Not to mention, of course, having a room for James! I am very much looking forward to setting that up! I don't really have anything to put in there yet, but that's okay ... I will soon enough!

So for the next few days I shall be moving and unpacking etc ... hopefully my pregnancy brain will let me do so efficiently! If I think of it, I will post some photos of the new place!

It's a Boy!

Today we went to our ultrasound and it was awesome! The technician, Nicki, took all the measurements and said that everything looks great and also annoucned that we will be having a baby boy  :)  As soon as she said it, I looked at Josh and we both smiled. We cant wait! He will be James Thomas Epps.

We chose the name by putting both of our dad's first names together and I think it forms quite a solid name. It sounds strong :)

Nicki had pointed out James' penis to us but then decided to add some arrows and a title just incase we forgot what we were looking at. Josh gets a laugh everytime he sees this picture.  :)

I cannot wait to welcome baby James into the world in April  :)  He is our little boy and boy are we lucky that he is coming into our lives. Sometimes I still cannot believe that we created something so wonderful. I cannot wait to meet you my little Peanut ... but in the meantime, you stay where you are in the warmth and grow and thrive as you have been already. I love you xoxox



Can't Sleep.

I am 20 weeks today! It is 630am on the morning of the ultrasound where Josh and I will find out if our Peanut is a boy or a girl. My alarm was set to go off at 7am, but I have been up since 6am - awake since 5am.
I am just nervous about the ultrasound ... not a bad nervous, just anxious like I cant wait. I keep dreaming where it is past the ultrasound and I either cant remember the results or I forgot to go.

At work yesterday we took tallies of who thought it would be a girl and who a boy. It was split 50/50 again. Some people just guessed while others took a good look at me making an educated guess ... it still came out 50/50! So I guess there is really no way to tell without that ultrasound! So much for the old wives tales.

I guess I will be back later with the news :)

Busy Times!

There is so much going on right now! Firstly, my tummy has started growing quite a bit (which you will see evidence of on Tuesday). It has only started really growing  in the past few weeks. So I finally look pregnant and less like I ate too many Cheetos.

Can you believe that I will be 20 weeks pregnant on Tuesday! That's 5 months!!! I cannot believe how fast this is all going. I guess time has been flying more now that I have been feeling so much better physically etc. So I have been working more and getting more done as far as chores and errands go. I am also sleeping less during the day and eating more :)  Finally enjoying the perks of pregnancy.

So besides us hitting the 5 month mark on Tuesday, we also have our ultrasound appointment. This is the ultrasound where they tell us if we are carrying little girl Epps or little boy Epps. I cannot wait! As far as people guessing at work etc, it has been split 50/50, so only time will tell! After the appointment Josh and I will be calling the grandparents and aunts ... but after that, keep an eye out for that exciting announcement on facebook  :)

In two weeks, we are moving our little family to a bigger apartment. It's only 15 minutes from where we are now, but it's a nicer area (no college students), has an extra bedroom for our little Peanut, has a washer/dryer IN the apartment (no more lugging laundry around) and a gas stove (the electrical stoves suck!). All those pluses and it isnt that much more expensive. Our apartment is also at the very end of the complex ... so that means less traffic outside our windows aaaaaand a mountain view because it's a newly developing area  :) 
These apartments were only built in 2009, so they have all the latest safety features in the buildings and because they are solid concrete we will hear our neighbors a lot less (thank goodness for that!). Our upstairs neighbors here are nice, but oh my goodness, sometimes it sounds like a family of elephants are living above us ... and they arent even overweight! So I am very excited about the move and so is Josh. I think we will be alot happier there, and I can see our little growing family being a lot happier there. Especially since we wont be surrounded by drunken students, pot smoke and never ending techno music.

So all in all, everything is going great! Besides having to pack of course, but luckily we dont have too much stuff and we're not going very far. So I guess I will talk to you all again (on here) on Tuesday! Feel free to take some last minute guesses  ;)

A little knock from inside.

Today I am 17 weeks and 5 days pregnant. Yesterday I felt my little peanut kick for the first time. It was an amazing moment. I was driving home from work and felt 3 little pops. I was confused at first, wondering what it was. I thought, "Those were weird gas bubbles." Then I realized that they were very different and had to be my peanut. I was so excited and just smiled the rest of the way home. I couldn't wait to get home and tell Josh.

I had always wondered how I would know the difference between gas bubbles moving through my intestines, muscle spasms and baby kicks. But it is true what they say ... you just know. I immediately put my hand on my stomach and started rubbing it, saying out loud, "I feel you baby, I feel you ... you say hello anytime you want, momma feels you." It was pretty amazing.

For me it felt like three little popcorn popping. 'They' say that at first it feels like butterflies in your stomach or like little butterfly kisses ... but here is why I think I may have missed that part. When I don't get enough vitamin b-12, I get heart flutters. And because I have lowered a lot of my vitamins (except the prenatals and folic acid), I get heart flutters on a regular basis. They are not dangerous, they are just a part of my daily life now. But the heart flutters vary from being low by my diaphragm and high by my throat ... so I can see how I could have easily missed the early movements.

I know I say this with everything, but I cant wait until Josh can feel the movement too. I sometimes feel that it is unfair that I get to experience it all first ... I want him to experience just as much as me so that he can feel that 'first time' excitement with me. It will be a happy day when Josh can put his hand on my stomach and feel the little acrobat inside me  :)    Our little peanut, letting us know that he/she is growing and thriving  :)  Happy Days!