This is a whiney pregnancy post. And wheeler farm with cute Cam

Bed Rest. I can't even begin to tell you exactly how frustrating it is. I have things that have to be done- and I don't really have anyone around that I am comfortable enough with to ask- I mean- Dan is helpful- but a lot of times he just adds to my stress level. Not always on purpose either, so I try really hard to handle- but the only word is: frustrating. I am a freak, and I know it- so I try SO HARD to just bite my tongue or be grateful when I have help. It's harder when Dan is helping, because I seriously expect him to do things to my standard, how I want it done. He doesn't care... hahaha... and he gets overwhelmed with my list of things to tackle on top of his own work and lists of things to do. So, you see, we all get frustrated. 

This baby is stealing all my vitamins and nutrients, so I have to take extra and it makes me feel yucky. I have my thyroid to deal with, and sometimes that has to be changed also. Then there is the past blood clots- pregnancy puts you at an even higher risk of those recurring, so my stomach is black and blue from blood thinner shots, and I have to wear the sexy compression socks. And the issue that seems to be rocking the boat the most is my blood pressure. It doesn't matter if I am a normal weight, or overweight, or pregnant or not, I have high blood pressure. Thanks genetics! So, pregnancy makes that worse. I have had a heck of a time with this pregnancy keeping it under control- I mean- it isn't something you can just mentally force to be normal and check it off the list. I am just grateful that so far, William- aka Will- is healthy and growing!  I am so lucky and blessed that I have had 2 boys- 2 pregnancies- 2 opportunities to be a Mother- but I also don't physically do pregnancy very well. It is a trial. One with the sweetest reward.

So bed rest. I can't do anything. I can barely do the minimum to keep Cameron alive and happy. When I have good days, I try to take him or do something fun that isn't super taxing- This past week we went and walked around Wheeler Farm and saw all the farm animals for an hour or so. Then I sat down on a park bench and Cameron played on the playground for a while. We picked up some lunch and came home. He absolutely loved the farm. He is my little animal lover, farm boy. 

CHEESE!!!!!!!

I think kids and animals can sense when you aren't well- mine seem to anyway. My cats especially won't leave me alone- they pretty much guard me! It's kind of funny. I was bed resting while Cameron was at school this week and my giant Iliad has to lay with me- and he has to be touching me.

Trials of Motherhood- Pregnancy edition

It may or may not come as a surprise to you- Mommin' ain't easy!!!

Trying to balance all my roles- woman, wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend- daughter of God- has been hard, and I am sure it will continue to be as life continues on and we grow and change.
The thing I have figured out- though it is sometimes still super hard to embrace- is that if I will be patient, humble, seek out my Father in Heaven each day- each moment- that I can do hard things- that all my capacities fall into place- and balance comes. None of my roles take away from me as a person- but rather enhance who I am if I let them, and let my Father in Heaven guide me.

This truth is never more apparent in my life than it is when I am pregnant. Cameron was my conversion to the concept that my Father in Heaven knows what I need and when, and that things happen in His time- and His time is best because he knows me so completely. This realization has enabled me to calm down, and accept things as they come- still grinding my teeth sometimes, still struggling many times, but knowing that all I go through is for my benefit and growth.

This pregnancy is SO different- I have been SO sick- and not in the typical pregnancy ways. Yes I had morning sickness, that went away gratefully- but I have struggled with vitamin and mineral deficiencies, blood pressure issues, bedrest, sleep deprivation- (being pregnant after you already have kids is a whole different ball game. You can't just rest, even when you need to.)

So far, I have learned to rely on prayer- and faith- and know that my Heavenly Father is watching over me and our baby. I have had so many blessings and prayers, and confirmations that everything is going to be okay- but that it doesn't necessarily mean it will be easy getting to the end when things are okay.

There is a very real possibility of me ending on bedrest, possibly even hospital bedrest- and having to be humble enough to accept help and let others clean and cook and do things for my family is hard.

That being said- we are past our first scary hurdle- and after a short time on bedrest, I am doing okay! Our baby is healthy, and continues to grow! Cam and I made the best of those days by having movie days, and Grandma playing at our house!

I will have to see the high risk specialist- perinatologist- throughout my pregnancy and have ultrasounds with them every 2-4 weeks- and visits with my regular OB every 2 weeks to keep on top of my health and baby's growth.
Here is our munchkin and his baby skeleton face, weighing in at 7 ounces, measuring at 17.5 weeks!

I am so grateful to all of my friends and family that love me so completely- that love my family, and take care of us. Thank you so much for your love and prayers! I truly have everything to be grateful for!

First trimester down!

This pregnancy has been SO different than my pregnancy with Cam.  I have been extremely exhausted. I had severe leg cramps, and the tell tale nausea and vomiting. My legs were swelling!! And I have just been sick! At my first appointment, my doctor ordered the normal pregnancy blood tests, along with a ton of others- my vitamins and minerals, iron, calcium, etc. Anyway, it ended up being like 13 tubes of blood.
Results come back- well! My iron was critically low, my calcium and vitamin D were very low, my sodium and potassium low but normal still- then another test that showed I was having muscle damage- because of the low iron!
This baby is stealing every thing I have and more!! The solution has been to double my prenatal vitamin, take vitamin c with liquid iron, take vitamin D and calcium, on top of my blood thinner injections, blood pressure, and thyroid medicine! I am running on quite the pharmacy!  The good news is that I feel SO much better- my leg cramps went away after I was on the iron for only a few days.
Thankfully, my doctor is great, and the baby is good!! I am now just about 15 weeks, and my nausea is also gone! I hope for good! I was sick the whole time with Cameron, so the fact that I am feeling so much better this time is a welcome change!!
Cameron has been so silly- every time I got sick, he did too. He would say, "Oh mom! So sick!!" and proceed to spit into the toilet!!! I finally caught him doing it one day when I wasn't sick so I had to get a pic and document it!
         Don't worry- our toilet had just been cleaned. I can't believe he sticks his head so far in.

 I think I could even suggest that I would feel like a million dollars if Cameron slept! 3 years- longer for me- of no sleep. I don't remember the last time I got 6 or more hours in at one time. I average 3-5 hours of sleep a night- and usually not all at the same time. That being said, sleep is my biggest fear about having a toddler and a newborn!
We are working on a sticker chart with Cameron- I took him to Toys R Us and let him pick 2 big ticket items. He chose a talking Daniel Tiger, and a large Baymax. He has to fill his sticker chart of good nights- no waking up and waking mom or dad- and staying in his room until his alarm clock turns green. It will be progressive- he has two charts, this first one is 9 days, the second is 16. Well, we started February 16- he still has 4 more stickers to earn. It is going slow- but the fact that he has slept 5 nights since February 16 is awesome.

Here is to more sleep, warmer days, and feeling good for the rest of my pregnancy! We find out what we are having in just 18 days! Any guesses????