Pregnancy Update: 20 Weeks!

Woot! I'm at the halfway mark! It's starting to go by pretty fast now. I'm really trying to enjoy this time. I'm obviously pregnant, but past the morning sickness, but not so big that it's difficult to get around. So here's a little update (and a pic of the baby bump!)

How does your pregnant body feel? Well...pregnant! Expanding, but good overall. Recently, I've been experiencing some digestive issues, mostly upset tummy, but I've been trying some different foods that I haven't been eating regularly, and now I remember why!

What changes have you noticed? Weight gain...and my complexion looks pretty "glowy". Ha ha!

Are you experiencing any strange cravings? Or are there some foods you can't stand any more? None of my tea tastes good any more! :-( I was having a cup of black tea in the morning. Then I was on a "pregnancy tea" kick for a little while. Then I switched to green tea, and most recently, I had red raspberry leaf tea. None of it appeals. Big bummer for me since I love drinking something hot in the morning.

Are you showing? When did your belly become obvious? Umm...the belly was pretty hard to conceal from the get-go. I started noticing changes almost right away. I'd say by 10 weeks or so, it was getting obvious.

Have you had to buy any maternity clothing? Nope. I already have a lot of stuff from the first two pregnancies. I'm still wearing "transitional pants" as long as I can (stuff I bought after my daughter was born) with a belly band. I will need to buy some new shirts since I didn't have a lot of warmer weather tops to begin with. I'm going to try to stick with larger non-maternity T-shirts so that I can still use them after the baby arrives.

How do you feel about your belly? It's sort of in an "awkward phase" right now. And of course my belly button has already decided there was no more room inside my body. There's no taming that thing. Lol!

Have you felt baby move yet? What does it feel like? I've been feeling movement off and on for a little while. Now it seems more definite. Feels like little kicks and flips.

Have you seen baby on ultrasound? What details were you able to see? How did it feel to see the little being growing in your belly? Yes, I had an ultrasound last week. We saw most everything, I made sure the tech pointed out specific stuff, just because I never have any idea what I'm looking at! It was awesome to see the little person in there. It's always cool to see the growing baby. Kind of just makes everything more real.

Have you found out the gender of you baby? What were your reasons for deciding to find out / not to find out? No. We didn't end up finding out. I was thisclose to saying "just tell me!" but I chickened out. The tech could see my uncertainty with wanting to know and she wouldn't just blurt it out. I just want a little mystery. But I have my hunches. ;-)

Have you done any preparation at home for baby's arrival? Yes. I'm hoarding baby stuff. I have a ton of clothes from my other two "babies", plus I had a neighbor offer me some no longer needed baby items. I started an Amazon registry, we only need a little bit of stuff, like diapers, a baby carrier and maybe a couple other things.

Will baby be in a separate nursery or sharing your room? Sharing our room for now. I have to get the older two out of there first or it's going to be an even tighter squeeze! Ha ha. We co-sleep, but how the older one ended back up in my room is a mystery to me. He has his own bed, and was sleeping in it before we moved (over a year ago!). We'll be getting our daughter her own bed in a few weeks. Mama needs her space! 

Twenty (or so) more weeks to go! What exciting things have been happening in your world?

A Tip for Picky Eaters

It's so amazing to me how different two children can be. On one hand, I have my daughter who will eat nearly everything that's offered to her. I mean, stuff you wouldn't necessarily expect a toddler to even want. She'll eat hard-boiled eggs, green smoothies, beans and more. On the other hand, I have my son, who is 4 ½, who will hardly touch anything that doesn't resemble a french fry or a hamburger. (To his credit, he will eat spinach and broccoli and most fruits, so he's not too terribly difficult to get healthy foods into).

The problem I've had with him lately, however, is that I'll tell him what's for dinner, and he'll say "But I don't liiiiike _________!" I got really tired of hearing that response (or something similar), so I stopped telling him. Now, a typical exchange goes a little like this: "Mom, what's for dinner?"

"You'll see when it's on the table..."

Fast forward to dinner time, and I'll say "dinner's ready, come to the table." and he'll come, willingly. And then miracle of miracles, he will begin to eat! With minimal fuss!

Is this how your child sees dinner?

I think this has been working for us because he doesn't have a chance ahead of time to be negative about the dinner time experience. He doesn't have any expectations in his mind of something unpleasant, so he's a little more flexible. I also like not having an argument on my hands while I'm trying to get dinner on the table.

Do you have "picky eaters" in your house? How have you gotten around food aversions in the past?

Linking up here:
 

One Thing So Far

Wow! So, the first month of the new year is more than half-way over, and I'm still feeling a tad "directionless". Usually, between my birthday in late November and the end of the year, I sit down and pen some goals. Well, I still haven't gotten around to that. I had been sick, and just now am getting back into the swing of things.

Now that I'm done being all chaotic from just trying to manage stuff as it comes, I'm feeling that pull to be introspective and to really pray and examine myself and set my course for the new year. I have plenty to think and pray about; my home needs some TLC, my children need some structure, and of course, I need to prepare for the new little one making his or her debut in June (not necessarily in that order- ha ha).

One thing in particular, though, is glaringly obvious to me. I had fallen back into an attitude of complaining and criticism. It was just easier to have a "Chicken Little" mentality ("the sky is falling!") whenever my husband would do something minor like getting the wrong kind of cereal from the store, or when people wouldn't ask something of me in just the right way. I had been in the habit of blowing up over silly little things. This isn't really a new thing for me. Earlier this year, I began to learn the lesson of giving my husband liberty to do things even when I didn't think it was such a great idea. No complaining, no criticizing, no trying to change his mind. Just...going with the flow.

Most of the time, I think my biggest issue is just simply a need to shut up! That should be easy enough, and most of the time it goes a long way toward keeping the peace, not only outwardly but in my spirit as well. I started reading a book (pretty much unrelated to this topic- but I will likely share about it once I'm finished reading it), but it reminded me of a basic Christian principle: the principle of putting off and putting on.

But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:20-24, NKJV- emphasis mine)

It's good to put off a complaining, critical spirit (Step 1: Shut up! Lol!). But something really should go in it's place. It's funny how since I've caught myself having a negative attitude, Holy Spirit has also prompted me to look at things differently. Instead of feeling bad because of a messy house, for example, He has shown me to be thankful for the reason the house is messy. Instead of being mad about a husband that picks out the wrong cereal, be thankful he's even willing to run to the store for me.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, NKJV)

Step 2: Give thanks!

This one thing so far is just one area I need to focus on. Now to get around to examining the other areas of my life!

Have you struggled in this area before? How has being thankful changed your perspective?

Linked to Living Well Wednesdays!

Dairy Free for the New Year

It looks like I may need to go "dairy free" again. I was dairy free (among other things) for about a year after my daughter was born due to her reactions to dairy in my diet.

I am now 18 weeks pregnant. This pregnancy, though, has been particularly challenging for me since I have been sick from sinus challenges about four times now. Sick on top of the regular challenges of pregnancy is no fun! Not that sick is ever fun, of course.

My main issue? Phlegm! (You just wanted to know, right?) In fact, since early on in this pregnancy, I have joked to myself that it's my "phlegmesis" (maybe I should've kept that to myself :D). I don't think that morning sickness this time around would have been nearly as bad without that constant, over production of mucus. That combined with an overactive gag reflex made things nearly unbearable.

I know the medical community disagrees about whether dairy can make people produce too much mucus. And I don't necessarily think this is true for everyone. For me, though, I'm fairly convinced that it has an adverse effect on me. My two little ones both have dairy allergies, and I could very well have an allergy to it too. (Not sure, since I've never been tested).

So here I go again. Honestly, since I've done it once, it seems like a piece of cake now. I'm not a newbie in this land of dairy substitutes. I pretty much know what's good (coconut milk frozen dessert), and what I can skip (vegan cheese, anyone?). And I'm not going to really miss anything...except butter! (Sorry, but there just isn't an acceptable substitute!)

Have you ever given up any kind of food for health reasons during pregnancy or breastfeeding (or any other time)? What kind of results did you have?