Double digits

The double digits have arrived.

There are less than 100 days left before my due date. Tomorrow, we start our childbirth class in Fishers, and will be attending that weekly through the beginning of December. I'm determined to start back at the prenatal yoga classes, too. My sister already has the baby shower invitations set. I ordered my first set of diapers yesterday (free local delivery!). A friend's mom at church noticed I was expecting and asked, unprompted - the first person to notice my growing belly without being told.

The second trimester has flown by. Will these last days drag on, or will they fly by as well, with all the baby preparations coupled with the typical holiday busyness?

Outdoor projects still need to be finished before it gets too cold. Last week, we had a couple days in the 90's, and then Fall arrived in full force with yesterday, today, and tomorrow's temperatures topping out in the 60's. I'm wearing shoes with socks for the first time since Spring. The sudden onset of Fall is making the projects look even more urgent. Josh is amazing, and is working hard to get many things done. I'm not being much help outside, but am doing my best to get things organized and taken care of indoors.

On one hand, I think we have lots of time left before Baby makes his appearance- 12 weeks, at least! On the other hand, I see everything else that needs to be done - celebrating family birthdays, attending holiday parties, painting, decluttering, sorting, organizing, saving, planning - and I wonder when it will all happen. I'm not really stressed about it all- I'm taking everything one week, one day at a time. This just happens to be a particularly busy week.

It's not blasphemous to not put up decorations for Christmas, right? Because I'm seriously considering leaving the tree and garland and LED christmas lights in their boxes this year. One less thing to clean up within a week of my due date. 

Prenatal testing: pokes, prods, and possibilities

Last week, a friend posted an excerpt of an article on his blog pointing to the New York Times' Motherlode blog. Last week, the NYT blog posted the story of a mother who has chosen to not do the screening tests for down syndrome and other chromosomal abnormalities while she was pregnant, despite already having a child with down syndrome. This post apparently sparked a backlash in the comments, and was followed up with a post by the same mother, asking "Is it harder to have a child with Down Syndrome?" and a post by a commenter who did have the testing done, but didn't agree with her husband on what to do with the results.

In my research before my first prenatal appointment, I learned that there are a variety of tests to determine an unborn baby's risk for chromosomal abnormalities. An ultrasound done between 10-13 weeks called the nuchal scan, combined with a blood test, is the earliest. The quad screen is another blood test done in the second trimester. If either of these come back with questionable results, more invasive tests- CVS and amniocentesis- can give more definitive results, but both come with a risk of causing miscarriage of a perfectly healthy pregnancy.

So what did I do? None of it. I mean, I got my typical blood draws at the beginning of pregnancy, checking for iron levels and disease & such- but declined these prenatal diagnostic tests. I am thankful that my midwives didn't bat an eye, and just marked it on my chart without question. Why would I refuse these medical advancements? Perhaps a better question- why would I choose to test?

Apparently the vast majority of those who test and get a positive result choose to terminate the pregnancy- something in the range of 92% of parents, according to the Washington Post. This isn't an option for Josh & I- this child is loved and wanted through and through. The tests wouldn't change our minds. If the simple blood test came back with a risk for one of these conditions, I wouldn't want the elevated risk of miscarriage the subsequent tests cause, so would decline the invasive tests- leaving us just to worry for 6 months. No thank you!

Once upon a time, before this little boy was in my belly, while we were still hoping for him, I read this birth story. I've read lots and lots of birth stories over the last year, trying to prepare myself for what might be coming- and this is the first that made me cry. It's beautiful and heartfelt and emotionally raw. Even just now, scrolling through it, I teared up, at this beautiful mother and beautiful daughter and beautiful family. Also, it reminds me to pack my camera for the birth. The pictures are gorgeous.

Spot the Differences!

One month ago:


This weekend:


It hasn't rained significantly in over a month and a half.

We mowed. Once. Finally.

The fence is painted! (Thanks to my parents and Josh's mom!)

People are actually noticing I have a pregnant belly (and finally stopped thinking I just need fat burners!) I've given in and started wearing maternity shirts.

Three and a half months left!

On Feeding

* I've never made it through the whole Jurassic Park movie. I've probably seen most of it, in bits and pieces, but not all the way through.

Feeding babies is a hot topic. The breastfeed-until-they-start-kindergarten camp and the formula-is-the-best-thing-ever camp have been going at it for a long time, and most people fall somewhere in the middle- and are very adamant about their position. Most (all?) of my friends have had varying degrees of success breastfeeding, so I knew it's something I want to try.

I keep saying "try" because I know fewer moms who have breastfed and pumped after going back to work full time, so have fewer examples to point to. I'm being told by some that it isn't worth the hassle, and by others that I'll make it a year, if I'm determined to. And, I'm pretty determined. Why?

• The American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization recommend it. The AAP, in their statement on breastfeeding, say "Breastfeeding should be continued for at least the first year of life and beyond for as long as mutually desired by mother and child." The WHO states, "Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended up to 6 months of age, with continued breastfeeding along with appropriate complementary foods up to two years of age or beyond." It's not so common to see a nursing 1 or 2 year old, but I'm thankful my friends have made it that far with their babies, so I have good examples to follow.
• It's best for my baby's immediate needs and long-term health. Breastfeeding will lower his chances (PDF) of being overweight. He'll have fewer ear and respiratory infections, and a lower risk of allergies, diabetes, cancer, and SIDS. I'll miss less work, because my baby will be healthier.
• It will make me healthier, too. Breastfeeding will lower my risk of diabetes, breast & ovarian cancer, osteoporosis, and postpartum depression. After birth, immediate nursing will lower my risk of excessive bleeding, and I'll lose baby weight faster. [LLLI article]
• It's less expensive. Even with the cost of bottles, a high-quality breast pump, and milk storage, breastfeeding comes out ahead of formula. There's a good reason those cans of formula are kept behind the counter at some mega-stores- they're pricey! Infant formula is a big business, costing US parents $13 billion a year. As a bonus, the medical costs of a breastfed infant are about $200 less than a formula-fed infant for the first year. So, by breastfeeding, I'll save my own pocketbook, even if I'm not creating jobs for health care.

So, will I make it? I hope so. We're going to do what's best for our family, and I'm going to strive to breastfeed as long as we can. From what I've heard, getting started isn't easy, but once my boy & I get the hang of it, it will be so rewarding- and the bonding time will be extra-important, since we won't be together all day, every day. I'm thankful for all the support I'll have, and for the mom-friends I have that have gone before me. You ladies are awesome!

On the Radio

I heard this on the way to work yesterday, on the radio.

It's not an anniversary

or a birthday

or any sort of special occasion.

We've been married 4 years, 3 months, 12 days.

We'll meet our first son in about three and a half months.

No milestones to celebrate-

just the realization that I couldn't make it without Josh.

That the Stuff of Life like grocery shopping and refinancing and choosing car insurance and mowing the lawn would be so much harder without him by my side.
That I wouldn't trade our big adventures and small adventures and boring weekends for the world.

(Read the lyrics)

Labor Day 2010

Between dealing with a not-working car and dealing with a not-working boat, we did manage to have some fun with friends over the long weekend. Our friends are in the National Guard, and they were able to rent a bunkhouse right next to a lake on a naval base a couple hours away. Josh and I caravaned down with the three other couples and 3 kids Friday night, and spent the evening hanging out around the bonfire. Saturday we ate a fabulous breakfast, canoed, played games, and visited some more. Sunday morning was more of the same, and we took a pontoon out on the lake on the misty morning. We couldn't have asked for better weather. Except for the car trouble and complications getting us civilians on base, it was a beautiful, wonderful, relaxing couple of days.










We really need to make time to hang out with friends more often... these guys have been friends since high school, and have stuck together for a long time. I'm thankful they invited us along!

Cars are Silly, part 2

See Cars are Silly, Part 1

Oh my, it's been a week since I posted. Whoops!

We had a great Labor Day weekend (mostly- I'll get to that...) with friends, boating on a lake & catching up. I have pictures, but haven't been sitting down at home long enough to get pictures uploaded. I'll work on that.

What have I been up to? Car shopping, unfortunately.

Once upon a time, at the beginning of last summer, we replaced our hail-damaged Civic with a Volvo station wagon. The size of the car met our needs perfectly, and we were sure it would for the foreseeable future. In September last year, we had repairs that totaled $700, which we weren't thrilled about, but chalked it up to maintenance.

We took the Volvo on a few different adventures, up mountains, across many states, and it has done great and been very comfortable. Except.

What I haven't mentioned is, since that first repair, we've put another few thousand dollars into it. Just this summer, it's been in the shop four times- including last weekend, where it stranded us 2 hours from home. The second and third repair this summer, we said "We'll give it one more chance since we like it so much." The fourth? It was (seriously!) a $2 part that broke, but "It's a nothing part until you don't got one" (Name that quote!). It was the last straw. We're car shopping while the car's still working and we can trade it in.

So, I'll probably be MIA until we get this issue well-researched and figured out. I'm thankful we have a working car now, and I'm thankful we had the foresight to save a car fund on top of that, so we'll hopefully, this time, be getting something that really will last us for a while.

In the meantime, if anyone wants to leave a comment with input on a Subaru Forester, Subaru Outback, Mazda5, or Ford Freestyle (Taurus X), feel free. We're looking for something that will hold carseats, people, & stuff for trips but isn't a minivan (Josh) or an SUV (me). Being wagon-like is a plus. Also, as we learned, reliability is high on the list. Ready? Go!

A Whole New World

The makers of this video asked moms- what would you want to tell yourself on the cusp of becoming a mother, before you had your first child? These are their answers.

Since I'm just months away from being a first-time mom, I'll pretend these are messages sent to the past from the future me.

Thanks to fellow Indy blogger Emily for the video.



What advice would you add?

My other baby...

Casey's been awesome lately. He loves running around in the new fenced area in our yard, and we love that we can let him run without worrying about it. Here, we're on a walk, watching hot air balloons deflate.

Also, I totally forgot- he turned FOUR YEARS OLD on Sunday. This fifth year will be a big one for him, but so far, he's taken the changes- all the odd smells and stuff entering the house- in stride. We'll see how he deals with his new little brother!

Happy birthday Casey!