Second Trimester is the Best

I had heard it said that the second trimester was great and now I know what they were talking about. Here are a few reasons why:

1. I have now more than regained my appetite! Eating & cooking is enjoyable again. (I have tried a few new recipes this summer including homemade flat bread). Mmm!


 2. The bump is growing so I am finally starting to look pregnant.


3. I am feeling little kicks from LT more and more every day. It's a cool feeling that also makes me more aware that I am pregnant but it's in a good way, unlike the nausea.

Baby Kicks?

I THINK that I started feeling tiny baby kicks from Little Tarren this week. My Mom said that it feels like someone poking you with their toe but mine feel quite light...a little fluttery feeling, like something lightly brushing against the inside of my belly. I have noticed it while lying in bed at night or sitting on the couch in the evening.

I suppose there is no way to confirm whether these sensations are indeed kicks from Little Tarren or my imagination getting the better of me but I'll stick to my story...they ARE Little Tarren saying hello.

South Asia Adventure - Part 2: What We Learned

As promised, here is some more info about our adventures in South Asia. Darren recently put together our update newsletter and he did a great job of succinctly sharing about what we learned. He wrote,

"We really learned how sovereign God is during our time in South Asia and were reminded that Little Tarren's life in in God's hands, not ours. While this wasn't the plan that we had for ourselves this summer, this was the plan that God had for us. He taught us that all life is His, that He is a God that cares for us, and that Little Tarren is His."

These were really challenging lessons for me to learn. I think I have always enjoyed having control or at least the illusion of control over different situations in my life. This summer, I felt like I had very limited control as I lay in the hospital, praying anxiously that Little Tarren would be alright. Other than pray and trust in Dr. Nita's wisdom, there wasn't anything I could do to ensure that Little Tarren was alright.  I was also forced to grapple with my lack of control as I had to depend on others for almost everything. I wasn't allowed to leave my hospital room for two weeks and during the first week I couldn't even bathe until the nurse arrived to help me!

I struggled to not dwell on the worst case scenario and to trust that God's plan was best no matter what happened. I had horrific visions of miscarriage and wondered how I would get through emotionally if the baby died. I was so thankful to have Darren there to challenge me to pray and read the Bible and to dwell on what the Bible said. It really did help to go to God's word but it wasn't my default at first. However, the more I focused on God, the less sorry I felt for myself and the more I could trust in God's plan.

Since returning home, I have continued to grapple with these lessons. I still forget that God had the best plan for me and Little Tarren, even if that means a different plan than I had envisioned. I still get anxious focusing on potential negative outcomes instead of focusing on God. I am still learning but I am thankful that God has started to teach me these lessons now, before Little Tarren is born.

Classical Music to Make Baby Smarter?

Darren heard that having babies listen to classical music in the womb will make them smarter so two nights ago he began a special bedtime ritual. He chooses two or three songs from his classical playlist and then puts his iPod headphones up to my stomach so that baby can listen to the music.

This morning I decided to do some research and I found out that if a mother listens to soothing music before the baby is born she can play that music to calm the baby after he/she is born. The article said that there isn't much scientific data to suggest that having the baby listen to music would make them smarter, though. Oh well, either way getting LT accustomed to classical music can't be a bad thing.

Darren also reads one story from the Jesus Storybook Bible as part of our bedtime ritual. I figure that it's more important for Darren to read stories to LT since s/he hears me talking all the time as I am carrying him/her around all the time. I am sure that this is an excellent habit to get into before our baby is born.

Prenatal Exercise with Attitude

I was curious about the kinds of exercises that are safe for pregnant women but I was having difficulty finding detailed information online. I found out about some prenatal exercise classes in the city and went to check out a complimentary class.

The exercise portion of the class was great, low impact but intense enough to get your heart pumping and muscles working. However, the class environment was horrendous!  The teacher was totally unprofessional in the way that she conducted the class because she allowed and even initiated such negative topics of conversation. Here are a few examples of the conversation over the course of the evening:

#1 - I arrived first and was chatting with the instructor about my pregnancy. I mentioned that I had some early complications while overseas and had to return home early. The instructor replied, "Well that just gives you reason to resent the baby even more, eh?" I was taken aback and appalled that she would make such a comment. The conversation only got worse as the other people in the class arrived!

# 2 - The first woman to arrive spent 10 minutes before the class complaining about her recent vacation with her boyfriend. She hated the resort they stayed at because she doesn't like golf and the rest of the activities were off-limits for pregnant women (water sports and horseback riding).

# 3 - While we worked our abs, the instructor brought up Stampede and wondered if anyone was going. Almost all of the ladies agreed that the Stampede sucks when you are pregnant because you can't go to bars or get drunk. Too bad for them!

Overall, I was really disappointed in the poison environment of the class, especially because it was a great workout. Too bad because I was really looking forward to the class but exercise classes should promote healthy attitudes and healthy lifestyles at the same time!
 

Experienced Mom's to the Rescue

Last night I was reflecting on just how blessed I am to be connected to so many experienced mom's who are so generous to give advice to a first time preggo like me. The more I talk to other mom's, the more I feel equipped with the skills and information I need to thrive as a mom. It has amazed me and helped me not feel alone as I enter this new stage in life.

- Yesterday in church, a mom came up to me and offered her maternity clothes to me! She said that she has a whole bin sitting there and she would love it if they went to good use. Wow, maternity clothes are not all that cheap and it is hard to find cool ones. This lady has great taste so I'm looking forward to wearing what she is lending to me!

- Last night I had a long chat with a friend and mom of three beautiful kids. I learned a lot but one of the most interesting tidbits I learned is that pregnant women get shortness of breath. She actually said that she could hear my pregnancy shortness of breath over the phone as we talked. I thought that I was short of breath as least several times over the past few days but I dismissed it, thinking that it was probably just in my head because my chest is not congested and I don't have a cold. It is reassuring to know that I'm not inventing new physical ailments!

- When I was in South Asia, I received countless emails and a few phone calls from mom's who had experienced complications during their pregnancies. I was reassured that many people I knew, although they had bleeding during pregnancy, made it through to deliver healthy babies.

- I said something on my Facebook status last week about being overwhelmed by the choices for strollers out there and 5 or 6 moms responded to let me know their favourite strollers and why. Narrowing down the search to strollers that were recommended by friends made things so much less overwhelming and after a half hour trip to a baby store, Darren and I now know exactly which stoller we want to get!


Thank you experienced mom's for all your advice and encouragement, I truly am blessed by it!

Feeling "Normal" Again

I am pleased to report that I am now sleeping through the night!

Over the past few days, I have been able to get back to the gym, cook a few meals, clean our place and even window shopping for baby strollers (so much to learn!). On Canada Day, we drove up to Edmonton to visit some friends and had a great visit! I had been a bit nervous about being too tired when I was there but thankfully they have kids who take naps in the afternoon so I could nap too!

I am looking forward to this coming week because I should enough energy for all the things we have planned. Some of the things I am most looking forward to are checking out a prenatal exercise class,  a prenatal checkup with the doctor and dinner plans with friends from church.