My Personal Photographer

Yea for maternity pictures! My mom came to Jackson yesterday and brought her whole studio packed up in the back of her SUV. She came so we could take the third of four pictures in my dancing-as-i-progress-through-pregnancy set. Only one left! I can't wait to see all four of them side by side.
While she had her whole studio set up in my living room, I figured I should take advantage of it. I hadn't really planned on getting any pictures made of me at this stage, but I realized that this was about the time when I had most of my favorite pictures taken when I was preggo with Eden. I decided I shouldn't miss any opportunity to get a photo I might really love and I certainly didn't want to look back with regret later. This may be the last time I ever have a chance to get my photo taken when I'm 5 months pregnant.
We had a fun session, and, although many of the poses and outfits I had thought up and tried out in my room in my full-length mirror earlier in the day didn't seem to look quite how I envisioned them, we still managed to take some fun shots. (How DO models pull off some of the things they do? What feels cute or sassy to me ends up looking retarded on film...) As I've mentioned before, my photos while pregnant with Eden were more ethereal, serene and monochromatic. This time, I added some color, a prop or two, and plenty of variation in poses (hopefully... I haven't seen them all in a row to know that for sure.)
I still haven't made any type of album from my last pregnancy. I really need too. I can't wait to see the two finished albums side by side showing my awe-struck feelings with my first girl and my ready-or-not-we're-about-to-have- twice-the-fun! feelings with my second girl.
The last set of photos we do will be in early October. I'll have the last one in the set of four as well as some shots on location around Jackson with me and Chuck. So exciting! What a HUGE blessing it is to have the luxury of a personal photographer who is willing to try crazy things with me and keep on taking pictures until I see one I like. We're both pretty picky and our tastes can differ, but she treats me great and we make it happen.

Re-use

I'm finding so many uses for old t-shirts! Not so many uses, I guess... so many different ways to refashion them. That's what I really mean. I've found tutorials online for turning adult t-shirts into: a toddler dress, bloomers, a toddler skirt, toddler lounge pants, a belly band to either wear by itself or to convert regular jeans to maternity, and the list continues. My favorite idea so far has been the lounge pants/gauchos. I made a pair for Eden and they are really cute and they look REALLY comfy, like, where-do-I-find-a-t-shirt-big-enough-to-make-myself-a-pair? comfy.
The only other problem is that I don't really have that many t-shirts. I know lots of people (my husband included) seem to be t-shirt collectors. He has so many, he probably doesn't even remember what they all look like. I never really keep t-shirts from this event or that business. Actually, I usually just avoid getting them in the first place. I figure I can't look as frumpy if I limit my frumpy clothing choices. A fitted t-shirt with a cute design of some sort on it is just as comfy. Now I'm kind-of wishing I was a t-shirt pack rat so I could try out all these neat patterns for Eden and Arielle.
Maybe I can convince Chuck to give up a couple... Maybe?

Belly Shot: 22 weeks

Here you go! Week 22 photos. I'm trying out the belt I made this morning. You like?
Also trying out curls in the new do. ....and attempting a sultry face. I usually just look angry when I try this face, but I think I did better this time. :)

Doctor's Visit

I went to the doc yesterday for my 22 week appt. I've been forgetting a lot of things lately. I almost forgot I had an appointment. I wish I hadn't forgotten to call my friend to watch Eden. Wow. It takes a LOT of energy and brain cells to entertain a toddler in a packed waiting room for over an hour... and then keep her entertained in a tiny hallway... and continue the merry making in a tiny office. We got there at 9:15 and left around 11:15. Fifteen minutes of that was spent with my doctor. Ugh. It's really not as bad when I'm there by myself. I expect the wait and so it's no surprise and no stress, but with Eden... that's another story. Every minute equals 5 and the stress levels rise. She really was about as good as she could be. She allowed herself to be entertained, charmed everyone in our quadrant of the waiting room. and only screamed bloody murder twice. The first scream was in the bathroom when I was giving a sample.
Oh
My
Goodness.
I don't know if I've EVER seen her do that and in a tiny bathroom at a doctor's office with patients sitting right outside at the nurses' station wasn't my ideal location for a first experience. She didn't want me to take the tissue from her that she was stuffing into her mouth, so she reared back, took a big intake of breath and screamed a solid 7-8 seconds. It seemed like an eternity and I just froze. I could only imagine what kinds of options the people sitting one foot outside the door must have come up with for the cause of that horrible noise.
Did I mention that, overall, she was really good? She was. I had several people comment to me in the waiting room that they couldn't believe how well-behaved she was. And when the OB finally saw us, she immediately said that several previous patients had told her about "the pregnant lady in the waiting room running after her toddler" and how impressed they were with both of us. :)
By the by... the appointment went fine. Arielle's heartbeat was in the 140s and I had no pregnancy related concerns or issues, so that was pretty much it.
I know it won't be easy with two, but as long as Chuck and I do our best, with God's help and good discipline, to make our lives easier than the "norm" I'll take it.

My Monkey

The room on my lap for Eden is shrinking daily. If only she could understand when I warn her that it's going to continue to lessen in the coming months. She's already taken to trying to sit ON my stomach instead of in front of it on the bit of lap I have left. Needless to say, neither I nor Arielle appreciate 23 pounds plopped on us. I wish she understood why she can't just climb anywhere on me she likes. Oh well, I guess that's just one of those hard facts of life. Not everything will be something she can understand. I just feel like she would fuss less if she knew...

Time Flies

Two things today reminded me how much time will fly between now and November. 

One was seeing that our hospital tour is scheduled for the end of this month.  (Already?)  I'm nervous and curious to see what this hospital is like.  I so wish I could go back and have Arielle at University Hospital in Augusta with Dr. Bartley.  I love you Dr. Bartley!!  I'm sure God will provide a good experience here for me.  I know some ladies who have had babies there and enjoyed their stay... but none of those were natural births.  We'll see what the atmosphere is like at the end of the month.

The other thing that made me realize how fast November is approaching is that another girl at church who is having her first baby in September is having her shower in just a couple of weeks.  (wonder if I'll have any showers this time...) 

July feels pretty far from November, especially in this heat, but it'll be here before I know it.

Arielle Genevieve

There you go. I've tortured you long enough.
heh heh

Doesn't it look especially pretty in that font? :)

Times Two

Am I going to be able to handle this face times two?

Summer Thirst Quencher

Virgin Sangria - this is what I'm bringing to a dinner party tonight where there will be wine for all the guests and nothing for the preggo guests... we can't let that happen.

What you need:

a large pitcher

a peach or two

an orange

a lemon

lemon juice

lime juice

a can of pineapple rings

a container of white grape juice

apple juice, or apple juice concentrate

a bottle of club soda

My cooking method (which carries over to my drink making... I should never be a bartender) is - throw some things together in proportions similar to the recipes you've been researching and hope it tastes ok.

With that in mind.  I poured the whole container of white grape juice in the pitcher, about 2 cups of apple juice, a half can of pineapples with the juice, one sliced peach, about 3 tablespoons both lemon and lime juice, one lemon (seeded and sliced), one orange (seeded, peeled, and sliced) and let it all marinate for several hours.

Serve over ice with about 1/3 to 1 ratio club soda to juice.

Enjoy and smile smugly while watching the wine-drinking non-pregnant go green with envy.

Yea!!

Creative title huh?

That pretty much sums up my excitement over having 

                          CHOSEN A NAME!!  YEA!!

I didn't want to pressure Chuck, but, well, I wanted to name our new girl NOW.  So I gently pressured him.  Gentle pressure isn't as bad as deep-tissue-massage pressure, or when the doctor says, "Your going to feel some pressure now" pressure.  Right?  I knew we were really close to deciding, so last night I just gave him the gentle-pressure puppy dog eyes to ask if he'd decided anything yet.  

I can't really give a good reason over why I've been so anxious to name her.  The process hasn't really been as fun this time.  I just want to be able to have a name to call her while I talk to her in my belly, a name to begin explaining to Eden who is in my belly and a name to announce to family and friends.  Like I said, I don't really have a good reason.

Remember how we had two first name choices and two middle name choices?  Remember how there was the possibility to use the first name choices as middle name choices also?  Well, that's exactly what happened and, although I really had tried to hold on tightly to my middle name choice, I couldn't be happier with our collaborative name.  We chose to use one of my favorite names as the first name and his favorite name as the middle name.

I'm so glad it worked out that way.  It just felt right when he offered the suggestion last night.  I had thought of that combination before, but didn't want to clutter things by saying it out loud.  I think we both just KNEW, which is what I had prayed for.  It was like the name came out of his mouth and fluttered right down to my belly, lit and settled perfectly right there, like it was hers, like it belonged.

YEA!!

What's In A Name?

Well, I personally think there's a whole lot.  

Unfortunately, that means it takes longer to be sure we make a good decision.  I think we're almost there.  We've narrowed it down to two first name options and two middle name options.  That's only four possible combinations... unless we open up the first names to be options as middle names too... which we haven't talked about, but maybe we should.

*sigh*

It's a good thing we've got a few more months to figure this out.

20 Weeks: Thoughts and Concerns

Just about halfway! ...depending on how many weeks she decides she needs to be in there. :)

Chuck found out how scheduling days off works for his Radiology residency, which he began yesterday. He should hopefully be able to work it out to have a couple of days off for the birth of our daughter. I'm sure they run into that request all the time. This seems to be baby-making age for sure.
I'm looking forward to Radiology residency. Four years of weekends off (except when he's on call), vacation days pretty much whenever you like as long as you apply the month before, holidays off and "regular" length work days. *BIG sigh* We made it through his internship year with nary a scratch. It wasn't a piece of cake, but it wasn't a piece crud either. He got a certificate on his last day. Where's mine?

We have yet to figure out who our go-to person or family will be to keep Eden the day (or night) we have to go to the hospital. We opened the subject for brainstorming between the two of us, but didn't come up with much. My closest friends from the UMC Spousal Alliance will be about to pop themselves and already have a kid each. Ideally, I would love for someone to come camp out at our house so that, if the hospital trip does happen in the wee hours of the morning, we wouldn't have to get Eden up and drive her somewhere unfamiliar. She could just keep sleeping and our "sitter" could camp out in the guest room.

My mom has offered to come help with the aftermath of bringing the second one home and Chuck's mom has also offered her assistance. I should be getting some meals from the Alliance and possibly from MOPS and/or bible study ladies. I'm sure we'll be well taken care of in the weeks following the birth, which is a very comforting thought.

We also talked the other day about trying to hold off longer this time before we go to the hospital. My biggest fear last time was that scary thing called transition. I didn't want to be in transition in the car. Chuck asked me if I was as concerned about that this time. My answer was no, but, really, I don't feel like I can recognize the stages of labor that much better even after going through it. I felt pretty much the same intensity for hours on end. We arrived at the hospital about 12 hours in, around the time that I wasn't comfortable standing on my own through contractions. 12 hours later, my labor was petering out to one contraction every 15 minutes and we were considering Pitocin. I got Pitocin about 3-4 hours after that, causing my contractions to start up again with a vengeance and even double peak for a while. I remember saying "I sure hope this is transition, because if it's not, I'm in trouble!" My OB said in a very non-reassuring way "It might be." I still don't know if it was because, later on, my Mom told me that at one point, when I was really having a tough time getting through the contractions, she noticed they had upped the Pitocin to a pretty high level.
So, yes, I had a pain-medication free birth, but not really natural. Not enough for me to be able to recognize this time when I'm getting close to transition. Oh well. I'm still not that concerned. I think we would be just fine having the baby at home. :) by accident...