Not a Good Reason??

Belly Shot

I don't know why this picture turned out so tiny, but here's my first belly shot. It's not exactly a "before" picture, because I think I am already seeing a bit of a difference. By the same token, I certainly didn't have a flat stomach 6 weeks ago.
I'll try to make it bigger next time...

Prayer and Planning

There he is, my little lentil bean with a heart the size of a poppy seed. According to my weekly emails, these next couple of weeks are crucial to the major organ development in my little june bug. If you think of saying a prayer for him, I'm sure he would appreciate it. Eden and I are still praying for him every morning. I kinda want her first word to be "amen." Wouldn't that be cool?! I keep trying to get her to say it, but no success yet.

I'm already planning for cloth diapering the new addition. I've been busy on Diaper Swappers trading diapers I don't use for gender neutral useful ones and selling some to buy newborn sizes. We borrowed all our newborn diapers for Eden, but that turns out to be really great, because, not only did we not have to spend the money the first time around, but now I know exactly what brand I like. There are dozens out there and everyone has their favorite so I would have been aimlessly buying a few here and a few there. It's definitely hit or miss with cloth diapering, but once you've hit upon what you like to use... man, it saves a truckload of money! This time it's not nearly as painful to think about spending $25 on 7 used, re-usable cloth diapers (which is a DEAL, by the way... got that adrenaline rush again) because I know I'd be spending that much at Target on sposies in a few weeks time.

One diaper I traded, I thought I was trading for a gender neutral diaper. It was baby blue with large polkadots and pictures of various dog breeds. I got it in the mail yesterday and I love it. It fits Eden perfectly with room to grow, but those large polkadots... they're pink. Great for Eden. Not so great for the baby boy. He'll be man enough for pink polkadots, right? Even though I'm trading for all these neutral prints and colors, I'm sure if it is a boy, that I will want to get some unmistakeably boyish patterns too. That's the whole reason for me to find out the sex (and to have a name), so that I can plan NON-gender neutral clothing an accessories. This is probably the last one, folks. If it's a boy, I'm doin' it ALL boy.

Except that he's gonna have to stay in his sister's room. Oh well.

Pesky Keys

Baby brain alert! This is a really bad one folks. And I'm expecting more of the same as things progress. I remember this from the last go round.
I decided to have an outing to Target. Sometimes it's just too much to carry Eden and her diaper bag to the car at once (that sounds pretty lame) so I carry her out and strap her in first. I got my keys, remotely unlocked the doors, grabbed Eden and carried her out. I got her all strapped in and walked back to the house, only to find the door locked. I had apparently turned the knob-lock on the way out without even realizing it out of habit. My first thought is, I can drive to get Chuck's keys from him at work. Then I realize I don't have a cell phone to locate him in the hospital because I didn't carry my diaper bag out with us. Then I realize, more importantly, I have no keys. Hello!? My car keys and house keys are on the same keychain. This is just showing you how well my brain is working...
After thinking through what windows might be unlocked and checking the sliding glass door with no luck, imagining Eden crying with a poopy diaper and needing to eat, and generally thinking the worst, I decide to take Eden and walk to a neighbor's house, ask to use their phone to call Chuck and hope that he can bring the keys home for a second. As Eden and I are walking around the edge of our huge yard to get to the neighbor that I know, I think to myself, "maybe the reason you locked the door was because you had the keys in your hand.. that's why it was habit." I turn around and run through the wet lawn, Eden bouncing in my arms (thinking I'm crazy, I'm sure) back to the car. I open the back door and sure enough, there are my keys in the back seat. *roll eyes*
My heart definitely got a workout with that one. It could have been worse and more embarassing, had I gotten the neighbor and Chuck involved, but thanks to the Holy Spirit, I was saved that amount of embarassment.

A Smidge of Everything

I'm one day shy of five weeks along. I don't think it's appropriate to put a belly pic up yet. I think 6 weeks is a good marker, so I'll have one up here next week. My weekly markers fall on the same day (Monday) as they did with Eden. Kind-of interesting in a ho-hum way. :)
Thus far, I'm feeling just a few minor effects of pregnancy. I found out last night that I CAN overdo it with the physical activity. I went to a ballroom dance and danced from 8-11pm with few breaks. It was certainly nice to be popular, but I just didn't realize until I got home... and then even more when I woke up this morning that I had probably done a smidge too much activity. I'm feeling just a bit weak and sickish today and will probalby slurp soup and lay on the couch all day. My only other symptoms are hunger in between meals, very frequent urination and feeling bloated. I feel like my jeans are already tighter, but that could just be from eating out three nights in a row.
Since I'm still about 15 pounds above my pre-pregnancy weight from having Eden, I would really like to limit my weight gain this time around. I gained over 50 lbs. with Eden and I really don't think that's necessary again. Don't worry, I'm going to eat healthy and enough. I don't think there's any stopping me from eating enough and I'm in the process of stocking our cabinets with healthy snacks. I've already bought some maternity clothes and most of the pants and jeans are pretty loose, so my goal is to not have to size up this time. I'll just fill those out and we'll be good.
I'm already talking and praying with Eden about her new brother. (Sometimes I just say, "the baby" and sometimes I say, "baby brother.") I'm still pretty convinced that it's a boy this time. Just a wierd gut feeling. Maybe that's also from eating out the last three nights in a row. One thing that doesn't sound right when I say it is the only "C" name that we both kind-of like. When I call this baby by that name, it just doesn't flow.
Anyway, I'm trying to talk about the new baby often and trying to think, for my own sake, of areas where I need to begin preparations now, mental and otherwise, for the reality of two. The only thing I'm really realizing is that with no personal life experience with siblings, I'm feeling pretty lost. It's not the relational things that I'm concerned with. I feel like my comunication skills and people skills will serve me well. And I've been reading "Don't Make Me Count to Three" which has plenty of scenarios that have helped me imagine mediations with two. It's the every day tasks: getting two dressed, getting two bathed, getting two to the supermarket, getting around the supermarket with two, etc. that I can't wrap my brain around. I suppose once I work out my system for each task, I'll be able to repeat it and then I'll be fine. I'm pretty sure the word "floundering" will be appropriate, though, for a few months after the baby is born. I'm not looking forward to that time. I'm looking forward to getting beyond that time.
My cup will be running over with things to do, things to learn, feats to accomplish... but I am praying that God will still cause my cup to run over with His love, His peace, His wisdom and His joy.

The baby's crying

My first post on this blog about my second pregnancy is:
The baby's crying and I can't write any more right now.