here comes the bump

I read on my pregnancy calendar last week that I would really start showing in the next two weeks. Well, up to this point, I have been still wearing my normal shirts with materinity shorts and capris. Last night Jon and I were going out to eat (alysha went somewhere with her sunday school class) and I put on my maternity capris and picked a few shirts that are a little bigger but still my normal clothes. Unfortunately, when I went to put them on, my belly stuck out. sniff sniff. I cannot believe how much my tummy changed in one week. Jon thinks it is "cute". I was not so thrilled at the time.

So, I come to the computer to check my email before we leave and I have a new email from baby.com. I open it and the first sentence says, "Think you're big now? You'll start growing even more rapidly in the weeks to come...." That is NOT what I wanted to read. How hilarious that they would even write that. Here I was, unhappy about how big I had already gotten this week, and then I read this stupid email. So you think your big now, you are about to get huge.......

19 weeks

I am truly amazed at how fast this is flying by. December 18 will be here before you know it!! I recently read a book my friend Nicole gave me by Jenny McCarthy called Belly laughs. It was so great! I would recommend it to anyone who was expecting. I laughed out loud when i got to the chapter where she gave birth! So, funny. She described things I am going through that I did not even know were pregnancy related. Being pregnant really does a number on us females, men should be extra nice to us. (but, of course, they are not). I am having the normal symptoms: weepiness (I cry twice a day, seriously), frequent pee breaks (I go to the little girls room EVERY 30 Minutes), swelling feet (I have some tennis shoes I cannot even wear anymore), headaches (I have never experienced headaches like this before), and hormonal rages (I definitely have some new psycho chick living hormones now, but more on that later). I have not had the unpleasant symptom of staying hot, I freeze all the time, so that is one symptom I do have to contend with - yet. All in all I have had a relatively uneventful pregnancy and for that I am proud. Oh, and don't forget the heartburn. I have already went through a whole bottle of tums. I have some serious heart burn, nightly. I read somewhere recently that banana's are a natural heartburn reliever, so I have started this week eating some banana when it gets really bad and it seems to help, for a while. I will try anything! :)

But enough about my trials and tribulations. Don't you just love this time of the year? I do. I am not big on any certain day, like thanksgiving day or Christmas day. I love the season between those two days. I love the feel in the air this time of year. The weather cools off and it is pleasantly cool outside. I love hearing all the Christmas songs on the radio (my favorite is Breathe of Heaven). I love Christmas lights, others and my own. The Christmas tree is so peaceful to have up in the house. Most days I really look forward to it getting dark so I can turn on the lights. There is something special about this time of year that has nothing to do with presents. It has nothing to do with the commercialized holiday that you see in stores. This is the time of year we celebrate our saviors birth and it is the most holiest time of the year. It is a time to thank God for all of our blessings, because we are all blessed. Merry Christmas everyone!

creating cookie masterpieces

Alysha wanted to make and decorate some cookies, so we did!! She had lots of fun.

This is our finished product, one batch anyway. They are in the ILOVEU handshape. The cookies are for my interpreting agencies Christmas party. We only ate the ones that did not turn out.

18 to life

I am now eighteen weeks. Alysha and I were just discussing just how FAST this whole thing is going by. I am heading fast towards month number 5. She said maybe it is because I am really not showing yet. When I do, maybe it will be different. Right now it is just a number. Of course, I can feel that baby do his exercises, normally about 30 minutes after I lay down for bed. Isn't that always how it is?

I do not think this is a prison sentence, as my title indicates, BUT... (there's always a but), I have been thinking. This countdown to may 2 is fun and all, but the baby being born is just the beginning, not the end. I do not cross the finish line come may 2 and I am done. On the contrary, my fun is only beginning. My life is about to change dramatically. It is so funny what people that you hardly know will tell you when they find out your are expecting. I was talking to a lady at church the other day. She has three kids, 13, 9 and 19 months. Now most people, when they find out the age difference between my babies, (yes, alysha is a baby), they have a comment. Usually something like I cannot believe you are having another one, better you than me.... blah blah. Basically, they think I am crazy. (Everyone is entitled to their opinion, although I seem to get theirs whether I ask for it or not.) Anyway, back to the church-lady. She proceeds to tell me that when she had her last one she was frustrated and depressed for a long time at the loss of her freedoms. She tells all about how hard it was, again, blah blah. By the way, this is the second time she has seen me and told me this story. Now, the first thing that pops into my head (both times) is "Did this not happen when you had your first two?"

I guess people are just being nice and trying to prepare me for what they think is to come. I hear all kinds of stuff, many times from strangers. One comment I get alot is how great a help it is going to be having an older child. I always laugh and say that I have a built-in babysitter. Alysha appreciates this. But, 90% of the time, it is some kind of negative comment about how hard life is gonna be. What can you do?

I am aware of what it means to have a baby. I know it has been a long time and this time I do not live anywhere near my mother. That will be the hardest, simply because I will not have any family to help me out. I remember when Alysha was small, even going to the store was a major ordeal. I do know that I will be severely limited and life will revolve around the baby. So, that being said, I am not naive enough to think everyday is going to be roses. Babies are alot of work, but this is what we wanted all along. I mean, we have been trying for a long time, we did this ON PURPOSE. I think it is a happy occasion, something to look forward to, not dread. I am aware life is going to change and it is a change I wanted. This is why we made the decision for me not to work, so I could be with this baby at least the first year. This has always been our dream to have a baby and for me to be able to stay home and take care of it. I was not able to do that with Alysha, I had to work.

I do have one good stranger story. I took alysha bowling with the homeschooling group the other day. This one mom, whom I have never met before, starts asking me questions about the baby and stuff and then she said the most uplifting thing. She was in the same situation as me, she has a daughter in college right now and she also has a ten year old. She said it is like having two only children. That is so cool! I love that. It is like having two only children. That is a really interesting way to look at it. There are definite benefits to having only one at a time. She even said her kids are really close, even though they are so far apart in age. That has been one of my biggest worries. (really my only worry).

husband-isms

My hubby is the best, but he can be really clueless sometimes. About twelve weeks or so into the pregnancy Jon and I were at home and I went into the kitchen to get something and as I am walking away my wonderfully ignorant husband tells me I have "PREGNANCY BUTT". Thats right, I have not yet gained a pound, but according to my loving better half I am expanding in all the wrong places. He found it funny and AFTER I got upset told me that he was not SERIOUS. Yeah, right.... whatever.

So now, I am showing what I consider to be a cute little pouch, but I can still fit into most of my old clothes. I mean, I am doing good at 17 weeks, right? My honey looked at my tummy the other day and brilliantly proclaims, "well, you aren't skinny anymore." I could just kill him.

feeling it at seventeen weeks

I am now well into my seventeen weeks. I can now feel the baby move!!! It is so cool. I completely remember this part from the first time around. This is the first time I can say it is just like last time. :) It is not big movements, so Jon cannot feel anything yet, though that has not stopped him from keeping his hand on my belly to try. I really like this part, feeling the baby move. I cannot wait for Jon to be able to feel it. He will love that. Even better, when you get really big, you can see your stomach contort. Jon should get a kick out of that. I don't remember enjoying myself, it does not feel so good to the mommy. The baby squishes all your insides to make room. That will come later though, not my biggest concern.

I was reading on the internet about the changes that are to come. I had stopped doing that because these sites tell you week by week all the the things you can expect. Most of the time it is not uplifting, so I stopped reading about all the possible negative side effects I could possibly experience that week. But, since it has been a while, or maybe I was just bored cause jon left, I started reading them again. Apparently I am really supposed to start showing alot in the next three weeks. I should develop a melon ball for a tummy, one site told me. I don't like the analogy there, but whatever. I will start appearing to be pregnant soon, maybe. I do not know if that makes me happy or not. On one hand, I wanna wear my maternity clothes, but, on the other I do not want to be uncomfortably miserable too soon. Either way, I really dont get a choice, do I?

I still am not exercising at all. One site said that women can now expect to experience a truckers appetite at this stage in the pregnancy. I would amen that little statement. I am not sitting around eating bon bons. I do eat alot of fruit and fiber, as much as I can anyway. I do not eat as healthy as I should though. I guess I am just hoping and crossing my fingers that I do not gain a lot of weight. :)

Thanksgiving Day

We had a great thanksgiving. My mom was here and me, mom, and Alysha cooked the meal. It all turned out really great! Mom made a pecan pie that was to die for. We cooked a turkey, green bean casserole, sweet potato souffle, cream corn and dressing. We tried a new dressing recipe that you cook it in the crock pot. That was the only thing that was not great. Everything else was awesome. We also bought a key lime pie, just in case the pecan pie did not turn out.








Here are some thanks giving day pictures. My mom brought down her new dog, Molly, for the week. He got along good with my kitty, thanks goodness.









It was a really great day. It was really special for us because we know this is our last year as the Sund family of three. Next year little baby Sund will be here and it will be different. It has been just the three of us for a long time. :) Jon lay on the couch most of the day, just trying to stay out of our way in the kitchen. I am wearing some of my small maternity clothes now, they fit just right.


That night we decided to let Alysha open up a present. I know it is soooo early, but I knew we would enjoy this gift together, and she begged and begged, so we did it. It is a bad idea to put the presents under the tree too early because it just makes Alysha want to open them so bad. I only lasted two days and she opened one already!! lol. It was a game that was on the top of her wish list. It is called catch phrase. If you have never played it, it is soooo fun. There is this little machine that gives you catch phrases and you have to get your team to guess them by giving clues. Now there is a time limit and which ever team has the machine thing in their hand when the time runs out does not get any points. It is so stressful, but so exciting!! Jon, Alysha, mom and I all sat around that night playing catch Phrase until midnight. We laughed so hard. Mom finally had to quit cause she was leaving the next day and had to get some sleep. My mother plays cut throat, she is a tough opponent. She plays to win, no matter what the cost. But, in the end, whoever was on Jon's team won, cause he is the best player ever. It really was a special day all around.