Leaving for South Asia (By Tara)

We have been trying to leave for South Asia since Sunday evening but the volcanic ash blowing over the UK forced our flight to be canceled. We were "re-booked" on a flight yesterday that went through Frankfurt and I was quite excited about it because it meant only 1 overnight on the plane instead of the 2 overnights that were planned.

However, we weren't able to get on that plane yesterday and today we're back to our original flight pattern that has 2 overnight flights in a row in order to get to South Asia. I'm praying that I'll sleep well on the plane and that I won't get too sick or tried while we're traveling. We brought a lot of snacks since I'm starting to realize that eating every few hours is pretty key to staying well.

Sadly, I won't have much internet access in South Asia but I'll try to update when I can.

Wine & Cheese for Preggies?! (By Tara)

Today our small group from church hosted a wine & cheese party. I wasn't sure how such a party would go over as a preggo chick but it was great! We had eaten dinner about an hour before going so I wasn't too hungry. There were quite a few raw cheeses so I mostly stayed away from the cheese and of course I stayed away from the wine but I did find a few things to snack on that were quite tasty...

There was a triple creme cheese that was paired with fig crackers. Those crackers were delicious! I wasn't sure if the cheese was safe or not so I just had a tiny bit & very much enjoyed the cracker. I had a few wheat crackers, tastes of some of the desserts & sparkling water in a wine glass.

More than anything, it was lots of fun to hang out with our small group. We always have interesting conversations & lots of laughs too. I'm so thankful for our small group and how quickly we're bonded since starting to meet in January!

Ultrasound & Two Due Dates (By Tara)

This afternoon I held my pee for two hours until I felt like my bladder was about to explode so the ultrasound tech would get a good view of Baby Tarren. She explained that the reason you have to have a full bladder for the ultrasound is because the water acts like a window into the uterus where the baby is growing.

It was amazing to watch the tech get pictures at different angles then find the heartbeat of Baby Tarren. She said that the heart rate was 156 bpm, right in the middle of the average range for babies which should fall between 120 bpm & 180 bpm. Baby Tarren was so tiny, about the size of a lima bean!

After she had taken all the pictures she needed she called Darren in to show him the pictures. She also said that the ultrasound showed that I was 7 weeks & 4 days pregnant, making my due date Dec 24th, 2010. Then she said I could go pee, FINALLY! It felt really good.

Directly after the ultrasound I went to see the doctor again and after waiting about 2 hours, I found out that she couldn't give me the note that I was supposed to get for work. It wasn't a waste of time because I needed to have a physical done in order to get a referral for an OBGYN.

I had my first pap test ever (which did not hurt at all!), got weighed (I haven't really gained weight yet, I am still 54.9kgs), had my blood pressure taken (it was on the low end of the normal spectrum), peed in another cup and was given yet another due date (Dec 19th, 2010).

We'll see who gets the due date right! Let's begin the polling on Facebook...

Happy Mother's Day To Me (By Tara)

Today I was caught off guard when people started saying "Happy Mother's Day" to me at church. Friends from our small group were sitting in front of us and when the Pastor told everyone to shake hand and hug their mothers, our friends hugged Darren & I and said "Happy Mother's Day!"

It didn't stop there, after the service at least 4 others said it too. Many others came up to say congrats. Almost makes me wonder if there was an announcement made just before we arrived (about 3 minutes late)?! I think word just gets around fast in our church!

It's kind of exciting to be celebrating Mother's Day for the first time. It makes the day seem so much more significant and at the same time makes me appreciate my mom even more.

It is a bit strange because most of the time it seems that nothing has changed. However, I am especially aware of the change when I have gone more than a few hours since eating and I suddenly become so ravenous that I feel like passing out if I don't eat right away. Tomorrow I have an ultrasound so that will help me grapple with the reality of this when I see a picture of a little baby inside of me. I'm quite excited except for the part about how I have to drink six cups of water two hours before the appointment and then not going to pee until it is all over. Ouch!

Throwing Up Before Dinner (By Tara)

This evening Darren & I went to dinner with some new friends from church. I was standing in the kitchen chatting with one of the girls when I started to feel a bit ill. You know that feeling when you're about to pass out?

I started to feel sweaty and my vision was starting to blur. I decided it would not be a good idea to pass out in this girls kitchen so I quickly grabbed a glass of water and sat down at the table. Unfortunately, drinking the water only made me feel worse...

I went to grab my purse from the other room to try a Preggie Pop. This was also NOT a good idea as I started to feel even worse! I quickly asked to use the washroom and as soon as I locked the door, I took the candy out of my mouth and leaned over the toilet.

You can imagine what happened next....I threw up!

The amazing thing was that I felt much better with an emptied stomach. A few minutes later I was back in the kitchen laughing & joking then they served the pizza and I ate a rather large slice and then went back for seconds and even thirds. I also ate some salad and a very small piece of brownie with ice cream.

It was a strange but important lesson, throwing up can make a pregnant lady feel much better. Although I really hope this will not become a regular occurrence!

Still So Sleepy (By Tara)

I have found that one of the biggest changes in my life since finding out I was pregnant is the amount of sleep that I now need.

 I go to bed earlier in the evening and take a nap every day after lunch. I find I feel most "pregnancy sickness" in the afternoons so taking a nap seems to help a lot.

Perhaps the reason I am so tired is because Baby Lung is growing at a rate of 100 cells per hour! I can hardly fathom the baby is growing so fast. Our friend, Karen drew us a second picture for Baby Lung. This week the baby with grow to the size of a raspberry.

I was looking at pictures of a friend on Facebook and already at 9 weeks she was starting to show. So many thoughts come to mind...

I wonder when my belly will start growing outwards?

I wonder when my "innie" will turn in to an "outie"?

I wonder when total strangers will ask me when I'm due?

Stretch Marks (By Tara)

I learned some interesting tidbits about stretch marks this morning! We went to get our oil changed and had almost 2 hours to kill at the mall so we dropped by a store that sells maternity clothes.

I really wondered if there is a rule that you have to be pregnant to work at those type of stores. Both women who were working there today were visibly pregnant.

The first saleswoman I saw offered her help and she looked really friendly so I decided to ask her a little bit about their selection of stretch mark creams. She testified that she is pregnant with her third child and doesn't have any stretch marks! She explained that in order to avoid stretch marks I should start using stretch mark cream in the mornings & oil in the evenings.

I had no idea! I'm glad that I found that out so I can bring that cream & oil with me and hopefully avoid those awful stretch marks altogether.

Pregnancy Sickness (By Tara)

I'm not sure why they call that awful feeling during pregnancy "morning sickness" because it comes and go throughout the day. My experience over the past week since it came about it has not revolved around mornings. That weird feeling in my stomach lasts pretty much all the time. I don't really feel like eating although I get really hungry every two hours. I think a more appropriate name for this phenomenon would be "pregnancy sickness."

Today Darren & I were volunteering in the nursery at church and we got to talk to a few moms who were hanging out in there. They were explaining that their "pregnancy sickness" progressively got worse until sometime in the 2nd or 3rd trimester,  at which point it began to subside. NOT encouraging news!!! I was secretly hoping that the opposite would happen.

This weekend I did learn some helpful advice for pregnant women from women with experience:

# 1 - Pregnancy clothes are really expensive and you don't need to buy very many since many girls clothes these days are quite loose. (Another reason I won't have to buy many pregnancy clothes is that my friend Karissa lent me some jeans and a"bella band." Thanks Karissa!)

# 2 - ERGO is the best & most versatile baby carrier from what I've hear. Several women at church agree! Sandi says she can carry 9 month Levi around all day in her Ergo and not feel sore.

# 3 - A swaddling blanket works wonders to help a newborn sleep well. I read this on Facebook (I believe it was Jen who wrote this) and then Karissa mentioned this too.

I write these down because someone also warned me about "preggo brain", this terrible phenomenon that apparently never goes away, even after you have your baby.

I'm pretty blessed to have so many women who are currently pregnant or have been pregnant in the recent past to be around me. Just found out about another one today...welcome to the club, Sarah!

Lives Already Changing ... (By Darren)

It's amazing how much life has already changed for us. It hasn't been dramatic or anything but just little things can alter how you live your day to day lives.

Being in the first tri, Tara seems to get pretty tired easily, and hungry more readily. A growing baby can take a lot out of you I guess!! So Tara naps more, is ready to go to bed earlier, and snacks more often.

Now I know what it's like LIVING WITH ME. hahaha. (Minus the long naps).

It'll be interesting to see how our trip to South Asia goes. We'll be kind of backpacking around for the first 2 weeks to places that are more "remote". We were encouraged though, by reading What to Expect When you're Expecting, which recommended South Asian cuisine as a healthy option since it's often made with yogurt, and is full of nutrient rich protein (chicken, fish, lentils, beans, etc).

If anything, Tara being pregnant will slow us down a bit, to savour our time before the project begins and not go around like mad people trying to do everything possible like we probably normally would do!!


In other news, we were helping out in the nursery today at church, and I think it was good "practice" for me.

Um, not doing any practicing on the diapers until I have to though.

But just holding the babies, and wiping their noses, and trying to comfort them when they cry was good for me. I think I've always preferred kids who could walk and play already -- not such much baby-babies. But I'm looking forward to raising our child together: teaching them how to walk, throw a ball, how to read, appreciate music, appreciate life, appreciate other cultures, etc.

Above all, we pray Little Tarren will love the Lord and play a big part in redeeming culture and leading others to do the same.