Motherhood one month in.

Thankful to have Ariy in our life
This has been quite the month.  I started writing a long blog to document the entire birth extravaganza but I think Rick did a better job documenting it in our very first family documentary (I am sure we will have more to come).  To see the baby documentary head over to rickloveschristine(+1). It was a long a rather stressful few weeks at the end of my pregnancy.  I think we are all happy and fairly relieved that phase is done and that we finally get to hang out and get to know Ariy.

Mother's Day
I am very grateful to have been able to celebrate Mother's day so soon after becoming one.  I was invited to sit on a panel at church in which I was playing the role as "newest mom."  I have to say I was a bit overwhelmed.  Although I was happy to celebrate and try and communicate that I have enjoyed this transition, I also feel as though I am very much in the transition phase.  I think I have much to learn and much more I will grow to love but the past few weeks have brought on all kinds of emotions.  The pendulum has definitely swung the other way in terms of emotions.  It was kind of a joke that when I was pregnant, I lost all sensitivity - very different from the usual me.  Well since baby has come out, I have gained it all back and some.  I cried or weeped most days the first couple weeks after he was born.  There has been various reasons for this.  I have cried because I look at Ariy and can't believe he's mine and how much I love him.  I have cried because I have looked at him and have felt so helpless - so baffled at how unequipped I feel.  I absolutely love being a mom and I am so thankful to celebrate this new adventure.  I think what has come unexpectedly is that fact that not everything falls into place immediately including your emotions.  In one short month I have already felt feelings of fear and confidence, of insecurity and joy, of guilt and excitement, of anger and thankfulness.

Daddys are the best
In this emotion filled month, I have thought a lot about my own Mom.  Thinking about her role as a single parent...I just can't imagine.  Although Rick and I are unsure of what our future will hold, I am so thankful for this unique time that we both get to be home.  We have enjoyed the time together as we have been transitioning to a family of 3.  I love the way we work together and the patience he has with me when I am tired and feeling insecure.  I can't imagine being alone in this situation...I am pretty blessed with an amazing husband who loves me and our little boy so much.

Happy 1 Month Ariy!  
Ariy has been with us for 1 whole month!  I can't believe it.  He has grown a lot already.  We took a really nice long walk around Newberg today.  He is continue to grow more alert every day.  We have had some issues with reflux but we are working it out.  He is a happier more content baby every day.  He also finished out the month by rolling over twice.  I think the only reason was because he tenses so much when he is on his belly.  He also is extremely close to smiling (Rick already thinks he smiles at him).

Happy 1 month!

We love our Ariy!

Baby finally made his appearance!

If you haven't already seen Rick's posts since baby, check them out at rickloveschristine.blogspot.com.  He already made a pretty great movie trailer.

A few photos so far...

39.5 Weeks...the final leg

We have made it to the week of the due date.  I am well aware this week could come and go with no baby making any kind of appearance but my hope is that we will meet him this week or soon after.  My most recent hope was that we wouldn't make it to our next appointment.  The appointment is on Wednesday.  It looks like we will make it.  The fun thing about this is to talk about all the progress I am doing but in the end we still wait on baby. 

We have been actively telling him we are ready yet he just is having a great time gaining weight and playing.  If I were to tell him everything we are thinking I think I would say:

Hey baby, first off...I can't wait to name you.  As soon as you come out I can name you and call you something other then hey baby, although maybe you like that.  I am really excited to see your feet as I often feel them coming out my side.  I am assuming you are enjoying your time in my womb.  Glad to hear it.  I don't know what its like in there but I really think you will enjoy the world out here too.  We have the essentials you will need so don't worry about anything.  We are excited to see what you look like and share you with others.  If you would like to make your appearance before Wednesday at 10:30am, that would be awesome.  If not, we will still love you but just give it some serious thought.  We have enjoyed this time together but we (your dad and I) are now just anxiously awaiting your arrival.  See you soon!  With lots of love and anticipation.

We will see if my little letter does the trick.   

side 1

side 2

Waiting, waiting, waiting...

We are definitely smack in the middle of this huge waiting game.  I didn't realize it would be so hard.  After a week to rest and get things organized, my emotions switched.  I hadn't really given myself much time to get excited with anticipation to have this little guy on the outside.  I think I hit that point last weekend, and since I just have a hard time not hoping each day that things will get started.  In the mean time, I thought it would be good to reflect and document the things I have enjoyed about pregnancy as this period is coming to an end soon.

What I have loved out being pregnant:

• Growing a human - seriously pretty amazing.  It is crazy every night when I lay on my side and can really feel where he is at and which way he is laying.  This little baby is just chillin out and growing inside me.  Crazy.
• The times when Rick was able to feel and bond with him some.  I know it must be different for the dads during this stage but I loved what bonding they did do.  
• Drinking milk.  I never really liked milk but for a good few months I craved and drank a lot of it.  
• The ways Rick has supported me and been "protective" of me and the baby.  He has put so much energy into us being safe during pregnancy and me be emotionally supported.  This has been a huge blessing to me and I have enjoyed the ways we have grown closer.
• The first time (and one of the only times) the baby kicked me in the ribs.  It was shockingly strong.
• Bonding with other moms.  A handful of my friends back east and out here have entered into mommyhood in the past few years.  It has been fun to bond and journey with them during this time.
• Gaining weight and not feeling bad about it; realizing that it is inevitable.
• Limited clothing options.  I actually think I loved this.  I feel like I have put a lot less thought and care into what I am wearing and it has been a nice break.  Not that I am a fashonista or anything but I have collected a lot of clothing over the years and the simplicity during pregnancy has been refreshing.
• Being supported and loved so generously by our friends and family.  It has been pretty amazing for me to realize that we are really cared for out here.  Sometimes I really miss my community and family back east and wish we could experience everything with everyone.  This time has made me so thankful for the unending support by friends and family back east and the constantly growing and generous support of our friends and family out here.  

Ok...tomorrow marks 1 week until our due date.  Soon, baby, soon.

"Hey baby!"

Tomorrow marks 38 weeks and the end of an "exciting"month.  This month has taken a turn for the unexpected and threw me a few curveballs.  I have enjoyed feeling the progression of baby nearing his arrival but it has also brought on some anxiety.  Two weeks ago I had a feeling that I had "progressed" in physical terms.  I hadn't planned on having my midwife check me so early on but I decided I was curious to know if what I was feeling was correct.  It indeed was.  I was moving right along and my body has done almost half the work at this point.  That was exciting and good news.  I still planned on working for another 3.5 weeks and all was good.  I had it worked out though that if he came a couple weeks early that would be ok.  However, he did need to wait until April because I had things to accomplish both at home and at work before that point.  Needless to say, I was making all the plans.

I have had a number of other worries as baby's arrival has drawn closer including things like money, decisions regarding work, things around the house I wanted done, etc. Some of my worries justified, others maybe not so much.  Along with these, I have had some health concerns over the past couple weeks.  Nothing to be too concerned about at this point, my midwife has advised, but I am being monitored much closer than I had been.  As everything peaked this week, Rick and I decided to pull the plug on work a little early.  I am only working a small handful of hours this week to get everything in order and then I am taking off until baby arrives.  I was not sure about this decision at first but ultimately I think it is the best.

As a result, I feel a lot more relaxed already.  I have enjoyed lots more time with my husband before the baby arrives.  I feel a lot more settled around the house.  I have finally arrived to the point that I have many times said "Hey baby...you can come out now."  I don't think I was quite there a couple weeks ago.  I normally feel like I am a pretty relaxed individual but I think this time of easing into a big life change is the right kind of transition for all parties involved.  Mom is calming down and staying healthy, baby is doing well his last few days/weeks in womb, and husband likes a calmer and nicer wife.

I have had a number of people tell me he looks lower.  Although it doesn't feel much different, as I have had a lot of "pressure" for a while now, I do feel like he may be getting ready.  We are ready and are hoping for him to maybe show up a bit early.  Prayers that he comes soon would be awesome!

38 weeks tomorrow!

 

 

A fun and exciting surprise came in the mail this week.  This sweater was made by the one and only Amy Thomas.  She is pretty fantastic.  I literally have been walking around with the past day or so just bringing it wherever I go.  Perfect timing Amy!  Thanks - we love you!

As of right now, we do not have a set plan to share the news.  I do know that Rick has a blog ready to go to make the initial announcement that he has arrived.  He will probably post this shortly after his birth.  His blog gets published to his facebook account however, if you are not friends with him on fb or you do not use fb, keep his blog bookmarked.  His blog is rickloveschristine.blogspot.com.

Bigger and bigger everyday

This picture was taken at the end of 34 weeks.  Friday I hit 36 weeks and I am pretty sure I have grown some in the last week and half.  I am feeling bigger and bigger everyday.  It's hard to imagine this baby is going to stay in for another month.  I know people say you are often late with your first but all signs are pointing to baby making an appearance a little bit earlier.  If "my plans" go forward I would like to make it through another 2 weeks of work and once we hit early April, I will feel a little bit more in the clear. 

Highlights recently:

• Knowing where the baby is inside me.  Being able to hold his little bum and push back on a little foot.
• Feel him getting stronger and stronger (I am downing the milk - making those bones strong!)
• Attending Rick and my self-made birth class (literally).  We have created our own and I love it.
• Rick being a very attentive and caring husband.  
• Going on a March date night to Portland for dinner and to see the show STOMP
• Two great baby showers (one more to go!!).  I have been extremely blessed.
• Our surprise delivery from super G...Rick got a "dad" gift and baby got an almost lifesize giraffe (maybe baby sized lifesize)

Interesting feelings and experiences (I don't want to call them lowlights):

• My swollen feet.  They don't hurt but they look like they have put a few pounds on themselves
• Lots and lots of pressure.  Sometimes I think the baby might just fall out of me.
• A growing number of braxton hicks.  I find these very interesting.  
• Feeling tired and like I had a hard work out at the end of every day.
• Putting on socks is getting much more difficult.
• Wishing I had the energy to do everything everyday that I would like to do.
• It is getting difficult to plan out everything for my job - it's hard to do when you don't know an exact date.  I wish the baby would send me a memo.

Quick shout out/thank you - today I received two books from Amazon with no note or indication as to who sent them.  I am very excited to read them both and appreciate the thoughtful gift so thank you to whoever is the secret sender!  

Sleeping arrangements and Tea parties.

I took a brief hiatus away from the blog.  It was totally unintentional but I missed a few key weeks.  The exhaustion that comes with working full-time and being in my third trimester has definitely set in. To say the least, blogging took a back seat.  However, I have a lot I want to document and remember during this time so I am going to try to be more intentional as we are making are way down the home stretch.


The few weeks I have felt my baby inside grow from feeling like extra gas and a moving blob in my belly to a full on baby with bones and strong limbs.  He definitely can move and push in ways that make it very apparent that he is a full on baby hanging out in there.  I can often feel a foot or elbow push out the side of me.  Sometimes I try and grab it but he often retreats when I do that.  The last month has also marked the most creative pursuit Rick and I have ever undertaken together: project how-to-get-christine-to-sleep.....well.  If you haven't already read his blog post, "If the Wife is in the doghouse, where does that leave the Husband?", I highly recommend doing so. It is probably one of his best. You may want to check our our latest videos that visually explain the many sleeping arrangements. To view all the Pregnancy related videos, just click on "pregnancy" over on the right hand side of Rick's blog: rickloveschristine.blogspot.com.


The other fun thing that recently has begun is the many shower festivities.  I had my first shower, an amazing tea Party thrown by my friends and family at our home church Dundee Covenant.  I felt extremely blessed and absolutely loved attending my first tea party which included chocolate covered strawberries, scones, mini sandwiches and so much more!  I think one of the best parts of the shower was just realizing what a home church can be like.  I really haven't been lived in one place long enough and really intentionally invested (or allowed myself to be invested in) in a home church.  This is something RIck has taught me a lot about as he serves faithfully to our church.  I am thankful for all the amazing support we get from everyone at DCC.  A special thank you to everyone who helped throw the tea party bash - especially Jan, Sonya and Jenny!  

One of two tables of tea party goers.  The kids thought tea parties mean serious faces. 

Jan opened up her home and provided all the tea party necessities.

My chosen cup - I love green.

We played the "guess how big Christine is by cutting a piece of string" game.  Melissa won and Annette was right behind her.  

Jenny shared a great testimony about becoming a Mom.  She actually brought me to tears, something that doesn't show up very often since I have been pregnant (I've become less emotional).

Sonya decorated the nametags with fun green birdy stamps.  I loved it. 

The spread.

My plate - don't worry I replenished a couple times. 

Everyone was extremely generous with the great gifts.  I decided to give this hat a try...just a little bit too small.