5th month recap {Pregnancy}

(With my sister. Family camping trip... probably 1985)

Has time ever just wandered by you without a care in the world? Here I am, almost 24 weeks pregnant (that's 6.5 months in weird pregnancy math) and I haven't found the time to sit and document month 5.

Documenting this pregnancy is important to me. There are many reasons why, from the fact that we prayed, cried, hoped and dreamed of this for a while before it came true, to the fact that I tend to forget details, and the small things are many times the most important.

As I have written before, my first trimester brought a tiredness and sheer stupidity that I had no way of being prepared for. I simply could.not.work. Try as I might, my eyes closed while in the middle of translating a sentence and there was nothing that could make me stay awake. The consequence was that work piled up and the last 2 months squeezed me dry from work. Most days I would look at my planner and simply give up imagining that I would do it all. I did what I could and surrendered to sleep at the end of the day so I could do it all over again in the morning.

I do not subscribe to the busy frenzy. I am not proud of ever saying I am too busy to see a friend, add a project to my list or going to a birthday. I am not happy to ever know I am too busy to be able to spend a few hours with the hubbie at the end of the day. In fact, that eats me up. To me, not having time to be with the man I love and with the friends I cherish is something to be corrected. I try my hardest to not be so overworked that I need to say "I can't, I'm too busy". A while ago I read an article (The busy trap) and this struck me as a description of how I feel:  "I am not busy. I am the laziest ambitious person I know." I can't say this is true all the time, but I sure wish it was. Anyway, I digress. The point is that unfortunately this blog has been neglected - and the pregnancy documentation also - because I went through a busy trap spell. I am happy to say my schedule has returned to it's normal pace, and I do not see any "I'm too busy" replies in the near future.

(I was a very chubby, pinchable baby... this is 1981)

On to the 5th month... I started feeling baby move right at 18 weeks. It felt like bubbles popping in my belly. The first few times were admittedly weird, but I soon (probably in a matter of hours, a day at most) started hoping for those fleeting moments when I would feel the pops, and know that it was my baby in there doing what babies do at 5 months of pregnancy.

The hubbie felt the baby move for the first time a few weeks later. Do I have to say it brought tears to my eyes? Probably not... I don't blame the hormones. My husband is, in my opinion, the most wonderful man. Period. What made the moment so emotional for me is that while he has had many opportunities to feel babies move in someone else (several pregnant friends, after all), and while many times I would encourage him to feel the baby move (it is really cool, after all) he always said no. And his reason? His baby would be the first he ever felt move in someone's belly. Needless to say, when he felt baby move for the first time I was very, very happy.

On the weight/food, fat in general area we're doing good. Weight gain was perfectly normal for this time. However... I do eat more. Alarming. I also crave sugar. I had a pregnancy diabetes test done and I was very relieved with the negative result. Giving up soda was easy, giving up sugar is an entirely different piece of cake, doughnut, bagel and brownie. Oh, well...

I got the ok to start exercising and was very happy. While I don't love to exercise, ironically when I start I really, really like to push myself and thankfully my body is pretty quick to respond to pain, so I end up having a good time. I was on a good exercise schedule before pregnancy and I had to stop cold turkey. Going back was sore, but made me happy.

On the negative side... well, I only have one bad thing about this month. I'm already a bit sick of hearing unsolicited advice. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy talking about pregnancy and babies, what I do not enjoy is someone simply walking up to me, rubbing my bump (what's up with that, by the way??) and blurting out a million and one things about their pregnancy, their children, their oh-so-superior knowledge and so on. A conversation is not a monologue. The monologues are the low point for me.

(Probably my favorite photo with my sister. My mom made the dress I´m wearing... cute cross stitching, right? 1985)

If that wasn't a long post I don't know what is. If you got this far, my hat is off to you. I truly appreciate being read. It boggles my mind that you take time out of your day to come here. I am humbled.

Have a great weekend and I hope to see you soon on a new post.

The Heiress of Winterwood {Book Review}

Editor's Description:

Amelia Barrett gave her word. Keeping it could cost her everything.

Darbury, England, 1814

Amelia Barrett, heiress to an estate nestled in the English moors, defies family expectations and promises to raise her dying friend’s baby. She'll risk everything to keep her word—even to the point of proposing to the child’s father—a sea captain she’s never met.

My Review:

FINALLY!!! A christian romance novel that had me wishing I had no work, dishes, cleaning or appointments to get to. This is a classic romance novel. As I've said before, it's not the basic plot that makes a good book (boy meets girl, there is a problem, they live happily ever after), the backbone is what it is, and it's the reason I read these books, what makes a good story are the details, the writing, the characters.

This book took me completely by surprise. I am so used to being underwhelmed by christian novels that this one was a delight from beginning to end.

The characters are well written, the emotions are well expressed. The romantic/sexual tension is at your fingertips and, wonderfully, faith, God and scripture are a portion of the story, but not once are these elements used to try to teach the reader a lesson. Sarah tells a story of a woman who will fight all odds to keep a promise to a friend, a man who is afraid to hurt and lose another woman, and a child who gives their paths a reason to cross. All the wonderful items of a 1814 novel are there... the grounds, the clothes, the ton, the nasty aunt, the dangerous fiancee, the greed that glues all the bad people together, the illegitimate child... 

Sarah is telling a story of romance, survival, pain, loss, love, selflessness, pride, desire... and these people happen to have faith in God.

I give this 5 stars. Worth the read.

Disclaimer: I receive books for free from BookSneeze in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own and I am not required to give a positive review.

20 weeks - half way there {Pregnancy}

20 weeks. The official half way mark.

20 weeks of carrying this tiny bundle of blessing, joy, and wonder. 20 weeks of knowing I will actually be a mother, not just hoping that will happen. I know for a fact it's easier to be a mother when you don't have children - all decisions are simple, you're never wrong... you have all the answers.

Why I have a blog (in case you were wondering)

In case you've ever wondered... I have a blog because I like having a space where I can write down what I want to somehow save for the future.

A recipe, thoughts on pictures, thoughts on life. Tidbits of everyday that aren't up for discussion, long conversations or scrutiny. If you like it, you keep coming. If you don't, you're free to go.

It's selfish, I know. Some people write diaries, some write books, some talk into microphones, some make videos. Some people get huge audiences, some get a handful.

I´m the handful audience person. It boggles my mind that any one person reads my musings, tries my recipes, looks at my pictures. My husband often wonders at the logic behind blogging... sharing recipes, tutorials, stories with faceless people out there. I don't know the logic.

I know why I keep coming back to this post editing page -- because here I can just say whatever. I'm not here for the amount of people that come. I'm here because I don't write thoughts on paper, I've never been able to keep a journal, but I write here.

In the end... it's for myself.

I enjoy reading random people's take on life, some more than others, and if someone likes my take... welcome to my selfish little corner.

So in case you've ever wondered,
I blog because this is where I can just say it and be done with it.

Whatever it is.

The Christian Mama's Guide to Having a Baby {Book Review}

Description

Everything you need to know about pregnancy—from weight gain to stretch marks to figuring out how to rely on Christ through the ups and downs of the next nine months.

This comprehensive guide is packed with information that every newly pregnant Christian mama needs.

This detailed guide takes you through each trimester with helpful tips, humorous accounts, and supportive spiritual advice--all with a girlfriend-to-girlfriend approach that will help moms feel comfortable as they navigate this life-changing time.

My review
The Christian Mama's Guide to Having a Baby - what a mouthful! Ok, I don't usually read this kind of book, for the exact reasons why I didn't enjoy this one, but I´m 5 months pregnant and decided to give it a try. I read it in little over an hour and, well...

I have 2 problems with this book:
1. Pregnancy book authors for some reason think they are being original. They think that no one has thought to write about how horrible pregnancy is. They are wrong. The hard part is finding a pregnancy book that doesn't make you feel like a freak if you don't puke around the clock, bark at the world and are constipated for 9 months. This book is no different. It promises to be an honest talk with a girlfriend... to me it was just one more person talking about all the horrible things that can happen during pregnancy.

I didn't have an unbearable 1st trimester, I haven't gained 50 pounds and I'm not painted all over with stretch marks. Which, according to the narrative in this book (and other pregnancy books around), that there is something wrong with me. It also points in the direction that if I don't have a traumatizing 3rd trimester and horrible delivery there is also something wrong with me.

2. I get the "let's slap bible verses everywhere and tell women that the magic pill to get through crap is focus on Jesus", but it doesn't ring true to me. I´m not saying I don't believe faith can help us get through difficult times, I´m saying that giving a list of horrible stories and then putting a bible verse at the end just feels weird to me. Women "deal" with pregnancy every day regardless of their faith, some do it better than others, also, regardless of what they believe. Women have been dealing with pregnancy for thousands of years, regardless of what they believe. Saying a prayer or quoting a verse while you're feeling nauseated does not have super powers. This coming from someone who says her prayers - I just don't use them as an amulet.

In conclusion, this is one more proof that you shouldn't buy pregnancy books. Unless you're in absolute misery, then by all means stock up your shelves and be part of that club.

I give it 2 stars.

Disclaimer: I receive books for free from BookSneeze in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own and I am not required to give a positive review.

PS. If you're wondering how many pregnancy books I've read, this is the second from cover to cover, I've read excerpts from other books and that was enough to make me steer clear of them. The other book I bought was actually a lot of fun, and if you have to choose between the two, I would go with Jenny McCarthy's Belly Laughs. She's hilarious.