Dr. Positive

I had another doctor's appointment today. Things are finally starting to get exciting. Before, I just went in, heard the heartbeat, and was done.

But today I got "checked for progress." The doctor said Benjamin has dropped, is head down, and moving towards the exit! Things are also starting to progress with me too. All good signs pointing to the end of the pregnancy! I was kinda hoping that the doc. would tell me that things were going so well and fast, that the baby would be born any day. Probably not the case. As I was leaving, I told him, "See you next week," to which he replied, "If not sooner, you never know!" That was good to hear! Thanks Dr. Positive.

Something the doctor wants to do, which I wasn't expecting, is another ultrasound. We still have no reason to believe that Benjamin will be as big as Micah, but we wants to double check, since Curtis and I do tend to have rather large babies. Third trimester ultrasounds are always fun! Hopefully, it will be sometime later this week, and I'll get some good pics!

How would you answer?

"Mommy, how did Baby Benjamin get inside your tummy?"

That's the question Elizabeth posed to me today as we were driving to ballet. She had been talking about her birthday, which won't come until after Benjamin is born. Then, she was telling me about how I had a baby in my tummy, and she didn't because she was too little.

Then silence. The kind of silence that should worry a mother. Then, the question.

I told her that God gave Benjamin to Mommy and Daddy, just like He had given us her and Micah.

"So, God put Benjamin in your tummy, not Daddy?" she assumes.
"Yep," I reply, suddenly thinking of the immaculate conception.
"First, God gave Benjamin to Daddy. Daddy held him. Then Daddy gave Benjamin back to God, and God put him in your tummy."
"Something like that," I agree.

Irony

Yesterday, as I was laying out my clothes for today, I had a very specific goal in mind. What can I wear to be comfortable, that doesn't require panty hose (which kind of goes along the lines of the whole comfort issue!). I decided that wearing pants was a good option for me. So, I break out my nice, yet comfy black pants. Since I was going to church, I felt the need for a nice top, which I managed to find, and not bend my comfort rule.

As I walk into church this morning, my friend Ashlee exclaims, "You look so nice!" Mission accomplished! Then another friend, Janelle, comments, "You look so skinny!" I look at her with a confused look on my face, and ask, "How can I look skinny, I'm almost nine months pregnant!?"

That my friends, is irony. A skinny pregnant person!

Let's me tell you, it make my day!

Common Complaints

For those of you who have been pregnant, you know that there is a point in your pregnancy when you are done. With your first, it seems to happen fairly quickly (at least it did for me) and I decided that ANYTHING was better than being pregnant! By #2, I got to that point, but not nearly as quickly. I know that even as uncomfortable as I might be right now, having a newborn is no walk in the park.

Here's how Curtis and I are looking at it. Tomorrow, I will be 35 weeks. At this point, if I did go into labor (which we don't want!!), they wouldn't try to stop labor. We only have five more weeks till my due date, and two more weeks till full term. Elizabeth was born at 38 weeks, and I can honestly say that I'm hoping/thinking that Benjamin will make his arrival around 38 weeks, too.

For my wonderful readers who aren't female, and have no desire to listen to the complaints of a pregnant lady, you might want to stop reading here. :-)

Here's why half the time, I'm ready to not be pregnant, despite the fact that having a newborn will be tough too.
* My feet hurt at the end of the day. Thankfully, swelling has been minimal, but I know that could change at any given second.
* I'm having round ligament pain, that makes me feel like I can barley walk. And of course with the way that baby is positioned, it's only on one side. So when I walk, it's a cross between a waddle and a limp.
* My hips hurt. I think that has something to do with the round ligament pain. But it really makes getting comfy and sleeping a challenge.
* My lower back hurts. And I know that won't change any time soon.
* I'm tired of going to the doctor all the time! Mostly, I'm just tired of trying to deal with the crazy scheduling lady who says that she has no openings from May 11th till May 23rd! I'm supposed to see a doctor every week.... exactly how is that going to work out, Ms. Eva?
* Although I love feeling Benjamin wiggle and kick, he seems to be a lot more active than the other two. And I think he's more bony. I feel little elbows, knees and feet all the time. So, if we're eating together, and I suddenly jump, it's because there was a foot in my side.
* I got four straight hours of sleep last night... and thought that was GREAT! I can't tell you how many times I have to pee, change positions or rearrange the pillows. Thank goodness for a king sized bed and a patient husband!

Despite all that, I am thankful to still be pregnant. I have no desire for this little guy to come any sooner than 37 weeks. I just wish 37 weeks would hurry up and get here!

33 weeks

Here we are at 33 weeks!

As of April 4th, I only have one month till I will be full term! Any time after May 4th, Benjamin could arrive and be healthy. Crazy!

Everyone has been sweetly asking me how I feel. In general, I feel really good. I'm almost at the point of being done with the whole pregnancy thing. But then, I think about what awaits me at the end of the pregnancy.... three kids under the age of three! And as much as I'm looking forward to meeting Baby Benjamin, I'm not sure that there is really anything I can do to prepare myself for three kids under the age of three.

Did I mention that I will have three kids under the age of three?

Overall, I would have to say that this is by far, the easiest pregnancy I have had. I'm thinking that Benjamin will be the easiest of all my babies as well.

Or maybe I should say, I HOPE Benjamin is the easiest of all my babies!

My veiw

Here's what I see when I look to where my feet should be.

And to think that I still have eight more weeks!

Preperations

Only 56 more days!

Hurray!

Yikes!

Preparations are underway for the arrival of Benjamin. Just yesterday, I started our To Do list of things which need to be accomplished in the next eight weeks. The good thing is that since we just had Micah a year ago, clothes are ready!

Our main goal for the next month is to finish the nursery. Several people have asked me where we will be putting Benjamin. For a while, my response was, "Good question! Got any ideas?" We finally formed a plan of our own, with the help of my Mom, of course. We have another crib, which we will put in the nursery. Since Micah is still so "little" we are leaving him in the nursery as well. Two cribs, one nursery, no twins. Amusing! Benjamin will be in with us for the first several weeks, then he will move into his nursery with his brother. Elizabeth will proudly tell you that she is the only one in the family who has her very own room! Since her room is the bigger room, we have turned it into the play room, which doesn't bother her in the least!

Every day brings us closer to meeting our new son! I'm starting to get even more excited! This pregnancy has flown by, and I can't believe in less than two months, our family will be growing again!

Normal!

I had another doctor's appointment today, and it looks like Benjamin is "normal" sized! Yippee! That means, as of right now, I won't have to have a c-section. Yippee!!

The best thing is that everything is looking good. Benjamin is very healthy, and my doctor say I'm having a text book pregnancy. Couldn't ask for anything more!

Babies EVERYWHERE Part II

I have greatly enjoyed sharing with people the fact that there will be seven little boys and zero little girls in Benjamin's age group at church. In fact, I think it's so cute, that we should name this group of soon to be godly men. Here are my thoughts (as well as some stolen from others!).

The Reformed Rascals
The Presbyterian Posse
The Covenant Chaos Markers

Any other suggestions?

Oh, and to get a sneak peak at a few of these little guys, check out Benjamin's friends list. Already, we have blogging babies!

Still growing

Wow! I didn't realize how big I was getting. Or, I guess I should say, how big Baby Benjamin is getting. But that's a good thing... I think! :-)

Here's me at 28 weeks.

Babies, Babies, EVERYWHERE!

Benjamin is going to be blessed with many friends! In our church, there are already four baby boys here, and three (including Benjamin) on the way. My friend Jamison was just able to join the ranks of “Mommies of Boys” today, when she found out she's also having a boy! So, if in 25 years you have a daughter in need of a godly young man, come to WPC!

But most exciting of all, is that our best friends the Findleys are expecting baby #2 in September!!! (See their blog for more details!) They went to the doctor today, and everything looks great, so I don't have to keep the secret any more. :-) Michael and Christi are such wonderful parents, and we are so happy that they will be blessed with another baby soon! Now, will Baby Findley be a girl, and break this boy streak? Or, will mother's intuition be right, and we can add another baby boy to our church family? Stay posted....

Congratulations to all our friends who are having, or have had a baby! How blessed we all are!!

Third trimester and a middle name!

Friday marked the beginning of my third trimester, which means that I am 2/3 of the way through the pregnancy! Part of me is saying, "It's about time! This has been the longest pregnancy know to man kind!" The other part of me says, "I only have three months left?!?! So much to do, so little time."

I called Curtis on Friday, and mentioned that we should probably pick a middle name for this little guy. His response was a typical guy response, "We still have LOTS of time!" When I told him that in actuality, we were quickly running out of time, we decided on a middle name in a matter of about a minute.

Benjamin DAVID!

Has a nice ring to it doesn't it?

Mother of THREE?!?!?!

Last night, I was chatting with my brother-in-law, Chris, on the phone. He and his wife are expecting my new niece, Charleigh, in mid April. It looks like Charleigh might be ready to break the family record for biggest baby (the title which was held by Micah). Poor Terra!

During the conversation, Chris referred to me as "a mother of three." I nearly dropped the phone! In my head, I know that in about three months, I will have three children. But for some reason, hearing someone say it out loud threw me for a loop!

I'm going to have THREE children?!?!

I'm only 26! How did that happen (no tacky comments... :-))????

MY Mom is a mother of three. Not ME!!!

So, reality hit me last night. And even though I'm very excited about Benjamin's arrival, I suddenly have a new emotion as well..... shock and fear!

Double Digits

If you notice the ticker at the top of the page, we are now in the double digits! Only 99 more days till Benjamin is due!

I know a lot of you have read the post on our family page about the exciting day we had at the park. Well, poor Benjamin was in on the action too!

I think Benjamin's a lot more active than the other too. And that would make sense since his heart rate is higher than the other two. On Tuesday, in the midst of all the drama that was unfolding (mostly due to the screaming, I think) Benjamin was kicking up a storm. It was non stop movement! Then, when I was holding Elizabeth, trying to calm her down, he was kicking right where she was laying. It was so funny!

Poor baby, he doesn't have any idea how exciting his life is going to be!

Third Pregnancy

I'm sure many of you have seen the e-mail about first child parenting verses third child parenting, and how much changes. Well, I have found the same thing to be true of my third pregnancy.

*In your first pregnancy, you carefully watch the amount of caffeine you have. By the third pregnancy, you realize that there is a NEED for caffeine, who cares how much.

*"Enjoy being pregnant! It's the only time in your life it's okay to gain weight," is what everyone tells you during your first pregnancy. By the third you realize that all that weight you gain isn't just baby weight, and maybe you shouldn't have another cookie (or pizza roll!)

*During your first pregnancy, you know that it is best to sleep on your left side so the baby gets the best amount of oxygenated blood possible. During your third, you're just thankful you get to sleep, who cares what position it's in!

*When someone asks you, "How far along are you?" during your first pregnancy, you can tell them exactly how many weeks, days and hours along you are. By the third, you're lucky to remember your due date.

*During your first pregnancy, you lay in bed carefully waiting for those first few flutters of baby movement. By pregnancy #3 you realize that your baby has been moving for quite a while, but it's taken you till 20 weeks to figure that out!

*You avoid deli meat and hot dogs like the plague, just in case they're contaminated with listeria. By the third pregnancy, you know hot dogs are an unavoidable park of your life, you may as well enjoy it! Plus, isn't Subway better than Mc Donald's?

*Picking up a toddler is a danger to you and your unborn baby, during round one, and should be avoided just like deli meat. But your third round, you can carry two toddlers and three bags of grocceries, and not break a sweat.

*While preparing for your first, you carefully research everything from diaper wipes to teethers, then make your purchases carefully and after much consideration. In preperation for your third, you knock the dust off all your old baby equipment (unless of course it's only been a year since you last used it).

*In preperation for your first shower, you register for all those carefully researched items. For your third child's shower all you want is tons of diapers.

Being pregnant is always an adventure, no matter if it's number one or three. What I've learned this time, it that what I thought would be a predictable pregnancy really has held quite a few surprises!

Sweet Benjamin

We got to see Baby Benjamin via ultrasound again today. This was our 5th ultrasound of the pregnancy! It's been so amazing to see how God is growing him, and making him into a perfectly formed little baby!

This ultrasound was lots of fun! Benjamin was wiggling every where, making it somewhat difficult for the tech to get everything she needed, but not impossible this time. He gave us several sweet little profile shots. At one point, we even got to see him yawn, and try to suck his thumb!!

It looks like he's keeping up his trend of measuring big. According to his measurements, he is at 24 weeks, when he should only be at 22 weeks. We meet with the doctor next week to decide if we are moving my due date, or starting to plan on a big baby. He weighed in at 1 lb 9 oz, a whole pound bigger than the last time we saw him, only a month ago! At 22 weeks, the average baby weighs just under a pound.

Enjoy the sweet picture of Benjamin!

Why I'm a good Mom

For those of you who know me, you know that this could be a very long post. But, in the interest of time, I will focus on one area.

Today, for the first time in my life, I went to a yoga class. Not just any yoga class, mind you, a prenatal yoga class! My friend Jamison, who has done this before, somehow convinced me that it would be fun, relaxing, and really not that hard. She keeps telling me that as we're driving over there, me still unsure as to if I will be keeping my newly purchased yoga mat or not. As we pull into the parking lot, she reminds me of two things. 1) There is no talking in yoga. 2) No matter what, don't laugh.

We walk into this tiny little room, and "register." There are about eight other preggos, and only two of us (me and Kendra, who is 29 weeks) actually look pregnant. “Great,” I think to myself. “Not only am I the only person who has more than one child, I'm also one of the fattest!” Thus far, none of this seemed like a laughing matter to me, so I was sure I could follow that rule.

As we take off our shoes and enter The Room, I quickly find a place next to Jamison, that way I can have moral support, and someone to call Curtis if I fall. The instructor comes in, and goes through all the basics of a yoga class. At this point, I'm starting to think that maybe this won't be so hard after all. The session begins with relaxation and deep breathing. "Put one hand on baby to connect," the instructor encourages us. “Right, like the fact that this little guy is kicking me doesn't help me connect to him,” I think. I'm tempted to look around to see if anyone else is connecting with their baby, but I don't in case there is Rule 3: Always keep your eyes closed during baby connecting.

Okay, so far so good. I really am relaxed, connected to Benjamin, and loving the fact that I'm not with Elizabeth and Micah, both of whom are sick!

Then, we begin several more challenging positions. I followed the instructions, as best I could, yet still found my rather round belly bumping into my legs, or the floor. Thankfully, the instructor seemed to be aware of my predicament, and offered alternative to the position to accommodate Baby. At one point, during the Warrior Stance, I had my foot facing the wrong way. The instructor gently points this out, and I am relieve that I wasn’t supposed to be in that much pain, or about to fall over!

About this time, I also figured out why I was told to not laugh. Here are a few of the things our instructor told us. "Raise your arms, releasing all judgment about self, and others." "As we hang upside down (insert technical term I don't know) feel the baby hang in air, and play in his space." "Become a tree, and if you wish, grow branches." Through it all, I didn't laugh!

By far the best part of the experience was the end. We were able to go to our Baby Position, which meant we all lay on the floor. Before getting up, I had to be sure there wasn’t drool running down my chin.

So, Jamison, you were right! I like yoga!! There, I've said it out loud for everyone to hear... I may be becoming a yogi!

We have a name!

After much consideration, we have decided on the name Benjamin!

Still no decision on a middle name, but we have several names we like, so that shouldn't be too much of a problem.

New Favorite Quotes About Pregnancy and Babies

Life is tough enough without having someone kick you from the inside -Rita Rudner

Have children while your parents are still young enough to take care of them. -Rita Rudner

Babies leak. From both ends. -Bruce Lansky

Before I was married I had six theories about raising children. Now I have six children and no theories. -John Wilmot, earl of Rochester


If nature had arranged that husbands and wives should have children alternately, there would never be more than three in a family. -Lawrence Housman

By far the most common craving of pregnant women is not to be pregnant. -Phyllis Diller

Baby Boy Update

Since it's been almost a month since you've heard about Baby Boy Krajca, here's a little update.

For those of you who know pregnacy lingo, I am now 21 weeks. For those of you who don't know pregnancy lingo, the means I've over half way through the pregnancy.

We went to the doctor last week. The first thing we always get to do at the doctors is hear Baby's heartbeat, which has been consistently fast. This time it was in the 160's, which is the same as when we had our ultrasound. The oldwife’s tale says that a fast heart beat means you're having a girl. Elizabeth's was around 145, and Micah was around 120. Interesting.

Something fun that we are going to get to do is have another ultrasound in just over a week! Since Baby Boy was very uncooperative, the doc didn't get all the info he wanted. So, we get to go see the baby again.

In my previous post, I mentioned that Baby Boy weighed 10 oz, at 17 weeks. The average baby weighs 10 oz at 20 weeks, and at 17 weeks, weighs 5 oz. It's still to early to say that this is another Micah baby, which is another reason for the ultrasound. The doc. is trying to decide if we should move my due date, or start thinking that this is going to be a big boy. Here we go again!

Still no news on the name front. We think we are coming closer, and will let everyone know once we decide. Anyone out there have a suggestion? We're pretty open at this point.