It's Wrong To Judge A Pregnant Woman

24 weeks yesterday.... been a rough week.

i tend to stress about stupid things that i have no control over. it's been something i've done most of my life. well when you are pregnant everything seems to be magnified to an even larger extreme. things that i would only worry about, now i'm dreaming about them i'm so stressed! tis quite ridiculous, no?

my department is merging with another department, roles are changing, and we don't really know what my role will be when i come back after having lil peanut. all this stresses me. and all because it's something i am completely not able to control.

i've got a major problem here folks. seriously think it's a disorder of some kind. perhaps we dub it: "lacking-faith-itous" i've got the cure, i just have to take the pill.

jarred is moving quite consistently now. i think i have mastered the "okay someone is telling me something important, but i can't pay attention because there is something kicking my bladder!" in fact i find myself ignoring him while i'm at work trying to focus on my projects and such. i always found it weird when mom's would ignore their children. "mom-mom-mom-mom!" but now i understand (to a point). 

my pets are even acting differently since i've been pregnant. zoey, my turtle-shell feline, as always been "i'll love you when i want to", but since i've been treating her more like a child she has been adoring the attention and seriously been searching me out to get it. she actually says 'mom-ma" now. pretty amusing. and jackson, our almost 2 year old boxer, is becoming more of a dad's boy since 'momma' got pregnant. at times, like when he stinks, that's fine with me. but it's weird that i get jealous over the fact that this once momma's boy pup is now running to daddy for the lovin.  

daniel and i went to two river park on friday and walked for a while. i'm not sure if it was more amusement or fear that came to mind when i looked down and saw just how swollen and purple/blue my feet were. my veins were very enlarged. daniel was really cute, "um, yeah. lets get you off your feet!" we are both worried that i'm going to have varicose veins in my feet and legs. my mother had it and i saw how miserable she was, and no offense mom, but i'd love to avoid it if i can. 

now, i'm not a huge drinker. i like a beer now and then, a margarita too. but now that i can't it makes me crave it even more! daniel and i had some friends over the other night and got beer. i have asked him that if we are going somewhere where people will be having a beer, could he get  me a root beer or a cream soda or something so that i feel like i can drink more than just water. well this time he brought me o'douls. i must admit i turned up my nose to a non alcoholic beer. just sounds so gross to me. but he put a lime wedge in it and my goodness, it certainly wasn't gross. i really liked it. 

so don't judge a pregnant woman when she's carrying a sixpack out of walmart, it's probably been a rough week and darn it she's gonna have an o'douls!

Prunes, Prunes, Their Good For Your...Legs?

had the monthy OB appointment yesterday. everything is growing great!

i have been under my pre-pregnancy weight the whole time i've been pregnant. so the last two times i've been, my doctor has told me that i need start gaining. welp, now that i've gained they say "stop." i've got an appetite now, which has been the problem in the past, NOTHING sounded good except watermelon. i've got to start thinking healthy. i'm slightly embarrassed that i haven't been eating well for the majority of my pregnancy. i need to make some changes, it's just hard now that most foods sound so good! i've gained 8lbs past my pre-pregnancy weight, i'm going to try my hardest to keep it no more than 35lbs by the 40th week. i think i can do it... i just need to gain some will power and say no to the ice cream and yes to the broccoli.

i'ved had some major swelling in my lower legs and feet, as well as my hands and, weirdly enough, my eyes. most people i talked to thought that it was high blood pressure or pre-eclampsia or something. i was prepared for the worst and to be told to only eat bread and water for the remainder of my pregnancy. but everything was fine. they just said that some women have to deal with different things. mine just happens to be swollen eyeballs... joy.

he told me that i should eat bananas or prunes to help with the bedtime leg cramps, which i thought was weird, but hey if it helps, bring on the prunes baby!

jarred and i measured perfectly for going on 23 weeks. he even gave a nice healthy kick to the heartbeat monitor, giving us a laugh. he's about 1lb2oz (ish).

we also talked to my doc about waterbirth, and if that was an option. he's very on board, just told me he wasn't getting in the tub with me :). also recommended a doula for me. i'm getting very excited that my birth plan is going to work out! i'm not doing the waterbirth to be a naturalist or anything, i just feel like i will feel more at ease doing it this way. i'm so for induction if i'm 40 weeks and still no baby. i'll go natural to a point.

so all is well in the uterus of mommy burrell.

It's Called a Braxton What?

twenty-two weeks yesterday, and understanding more and more what being pregnant is truly all about.

it's been a few weeks off of the blog, more due to the fact that i believe God deserved my time more than a blog. i have spent much more time focusing on Him, as i have come to the conclusion that i rely on people more than i rely on Him. which is something i mean to change.

during the past two weeks i have discovered a few fascinating things about pregnancy.

hiccups.

mister Jarred Christopher has the hiccups... a lot. i'm sure he started this habit long before i could feel him jump inside me, but now it's pretty constant. at least once a day, but most days its about three times i feel the fluttery jump about every 5 seconds which lasts for about 5 to 10 minutes. i myself dislike having the hiccups, so i feel for peanut as he has them so frequently, must get quite irritating. but being the one who doesn't own an ultrasound machine to check on her little one constantly, it's a comfort to feel the jumping inside. it's like he's telling me that he's growing healthy and doing his best to make sure his body is prepared to face a world with air.

(the every annoying) braxton hicks contractions

when i experienced my first, i was frustrated at the idea of having a contraction so far from labor. i still had 19 weeks of pre-labor, why in the world would i be practicing NOW?! so me being me, i did some research and discovered something truly amazing! 

okay during labor, a woman gets to a point where she gets the urge to "push." (except for those who have the needle in their back, which i will go more into later) now, this "pushing" does not refer to the ever daily bowel movements one might have to work out. no, this "pushing" is using a muscle known only to a pregnant woman. in fact until pregnancy this muscle doesn't truly exist. the uterus, starting in about the sixth week of pregnancy, starts to contract and work out the thick balloon-like material. in the process of this work out (braxton hicks) the labor muscle is formed. as the pregnancy matures the contractions move closer to the top of the uterus, focusing the muscle there in preparation of the "pushing" i refered to. 

isn't that awesome! God created a woman's body, my body, to know exactly what to do, regardless of me being aware that it's doing so! and when we (women in labor) feel that urge to "push" we will innately know how to use this newly formed muscle to the best of it's abilities! i'm so baffled at the work of our Creator! 

waterbirth.

another discovery, though i've known about it since about the 12th week of pregnancy, i have done my research throughly in the past two weeks. this concept of birthing a child in a tub of water, is said to be one of the most relaxing and comforting birthing choices. i must admit i had my doubts, so i looked for the risk factors of waterbirths. there are only a few: mother getting water into her blood stream (very rare), baby's first breath being under the water (again, very rare due to the fact that the baby doesn't get the urge to take a breath until the umbilical cord touches air and at that point the babe is either in the arms of the doctor or the mother). those were the two of most concern. the pros to this process are very extensive and continue to grow the more popular it becomes. the idea of being in a warm bath (which relaxes me) having music and candles (more that relaxes me) and feeling more in control of my body (if i need to move to find comfort during labor, i can adjust my self and not rely on another person to help me move). 

 also, because i am baring a burrell son, we all know he will be a bath boy, so might as well bring him into this world in the place where his father, uncle, papa, and who knows how far back the "bath-boy-burrells" go. it only seems fit. (those who know my husband understand this. those who don't, well to enlighten you, my husband would take 3 baths a day, yes in the bath tub.)

at this point in time i have also done my research on pain meds one can take during labor to ease the discomfort of the process. but when i realized that some of these medications take away the actual process of birthing a child, the more i realize that i don't want them. now i do believe that i have mentioned this in previous blogs, the fact that i dislike pain and can be often refered to as "whimpy" (much to my dismay). but having a baby isn't like falling down, or braking a bone. it's the most amazing gift God has given to woman. the pregnancy as a whole, i want to experience it. yes even the pain of birth. i want to experience it. there will be no needle in my back to dull the pain. at the most i will have demerol drug to take the edge off. i want to experience the God given process of bringing my son into the world. 

i am discussing this with my doctor this coming tuesday. we will find out if this is in fact something that will be possible to do. at this point it is my first choice.

Oh, We're Half Way There, Oh Oh Livin On A Prayer!

tomorrow is 20 weeks. i can't believe the half way point is here. it's all down hill from here... and there is so much to do.

daniel and i are still living at my in-laws. we moved in last august only to stay for 3 or 4 months before moving into our first house. we had put in 3 offers on 3 different houses during november and december, and then we found out we were expecting. the wise thing would be to wait to move into a home and continue to save for a few months more. well here we are at my half way point in my pregnancy and we will begin to actively start looking for our first home come late next month. we hope to be in a home late may to late june. i will be 30 weeks pregnant on may 30th so the clock will be ticking... fast.

with buying a house and having a baby in only months, financially this will be very challenging for us as a young family. we have faith that God will provide, but it still leaves the feeling of concern and wonderment of how. 

at this point i would be happy in a one bedroom apartment, just to know where i will be bring my new son home to. it's an ache that i have right now. all of his new toys, clothes, and stuff is starting to form a pile in our little in-house apartment. i would love to have a nursery to start organizing them in and decorating in my nursery theme of choice.

this week has been the first that i have actually thought "okay, when do i get my body back??" I have been having the hardest time sleeping. not the action of falling asleep, no i can do that perfectly fine. it's the constant waking up because i'm sleeping wrong (or having to pee)

i woke up monday morning and was in so much pain because i slept on my shoulder wrong. well actually, my boppy body pillow had moved from under my head to under my shoulder causing me to lay in an odd way. i have tried so hard not to lay on that side, forming pillow walls to block me from rolling on my left side, but about once an hour i would wake up on that side in pain. i've got to find a way to avoid this and let my shoulder heal. i may opt to sleeping on the couch  for a few nights so to not roll over. 

and the constant hip pains are also very rude awaking that i'm very pregnant. 

my dear husband is doing so well handling a pregnant wife. he is taking the time to rub my hips and shoulders and back and feet. i can't complain about an un-empathetic husband, he's trying so hard to understand my highs and lows of pregnancy. he told me last night that he's having odd cravings too; was it spicy fries and cherry poptarts that he ate on the way home from walmart? not sure if that was the correct items, but it was out there. i laughed and told him that i think it was all him and not me rubbing off on him. either way, he's been amazing.

jarred and i are continuing to bond in a mommy and son way. i turned on my favorite amy grant hits cd and we danced and sang to it this morning. i always knew i would sing, "baby, baby" to my child, and i do! 

i need to be completely honest, when i found out that my little peanut was going to be a boy and not a girl, i was slightly disappointed. i think i had convinced myself that i would be able to mother a baby girl much better as i am one and would be able to understand her better. but a BOY? how can i relate to him as well? how can i be sure that i am doing all a mother can in raising a son? and then the "awwww, i can't decorate him with bows and dresses?!!" yeah, i was a little blue. which makes no since i know, i am so happy to be a mother and am so excited for either a boy or a girl. but it took a few days of the reality to set in and for me to start to get absolutely thrilled that i'm going to have a mommy's boy and that i know jarred christopher and i are going to have a bond like no other. i am so in love with my little son it's crazy. i love going into babysrus and target and looking at the little boy clothes and toys! it makes me so giddy and i wish i could get them all!

tomorrow will be a fun day of excitement, not only because it's my 20 weeks mark, but it's fun to think that i'll be celebrating it on the day that two of my best friends are getting married!! 

congrats josh and erin! may God bless your marriage! and make a honeymoon baby so my son can have a friend his age! ;)

You Are My Sunshine

i have been singing out loud to lil peanut whatever song comes to my head. this week has been extremely gloomy and rainy outside, but with him with me all the time and giving me a little kick to let me know he's there, well he is my sunshine on a cloudy day.

almost half way! i'm 19 weeks today!

seeing him this week in the ultrasound made me realize that 21 weeks is way too far away! i can't wait to see him, to hold him, to nurse him. it makes me so giddy just thinking about it! i seriously can't believe how much i love him. it's amazing to me, like this must be how God feels about us. it's something i could never have tried to understand before experiencing it. 

i love that i know he can hear me talk to him, and sing to him, and read to him. i'm reading some of my favorite children books to him. like "chicka chicka boom boom" and "is your mama a llama?" 

daniel is also reading to the bump too. he pulled out some of his old children books and really loves to read to us before bed. i love daniel so much for doing this, it's so great that he wants to be so involved in this early stage of parenthood. i can't wait to see him holding his son and watch him learn to be a daddy. he's already doing a great job, i know he is going to be such an amazing father!

oh and he's an amazing husband too, he bought me a whole watermelon today!! i think i'm in heaven!

Jarred Christopher

the official name

jarred christopher has two name-sakes: jerrod rumley and chris spalding, two men (of many) who poured into daniel's life the meaning of being a God centered man/husband/father. jerrod is also the minister who married us over two years ago. 

we chose to change the spelling of the first name, but kept the double "r's"

We pray that as jarred christopher grows and matures that he shows the same God fearing desire that these men he is named after show and that he will also be an amazing example of Christ!

though this is my little unborn's birth name, we will continue to call him 'peanut' since we have dubbed him this since we found out i was pregnant with him. he may not like the nick name when he starts his tweens, until then he will continue to be my lil peanut! :)

Maternity Showered

never have i felt so blessed to be welcomed into the 'mommy clan'

my mom, mother-in-law, and two other friends threw me a maternity shower this last weekend and all these mothers were there to usher me into motherhood. 

my mom had a wonderful lady come who has just had her 6th boy (!!) and she told me what a joy pregnancy was and everything she loved about motherhood. she brought her beautiful new born with her for me to hold. it was such a mommy moment for me as i thought the whole time that i will have one of these beautiful miracles in just a few short months!

then the ladies prayed over me and the baby. wow, that was unexpected and felt so cool to have all these women who i looked up to focused on me and my child, lifting us up to the Creator. 

then i got to open presents! icing on the cake right! it was so much fun and i was blessed with so many gifts. i felt so unworthy, but oh so grateful!

the brunch food was also just amazing! fruit, veggies and dip, cheese cubes and crackers, french toast squares, so very yummy cinnamon rolls (which i ate too much of). and my mom got me watermelon and honeydew just for me!! ooooo yum!

i was so exhausted by the end of the shower. but wow it was so much more than i could have ever expected. 

thank you again for all the mothers who hosted and who came. you blessed me so very much!