Today marks 20/40 weeks! They (the baby) are approximately the size of a
banana from head to toe. I wanted to take a picture with an actual banana, but
my personal photog has been otherwise occupied with football. :) We are
crossing our fingers that our precious little one will cooperate and "show
the goods," just long enough to tell if it's a boy or girl! I don't really
"need" to know, but Josh does. He's dying to find out. I'm just excited!
So far so good with the pregnancy. Nothing new to report, all of our stats are
still perfect and praying to stay that way.
Speaking of football, Joshua Caver, still #92, is excellent! He is referred to
as, "The Iceberg" and "A Man Among Boys," by the coaching
staff. I'd say those are good nicknames. At the beginning of Fall Camp, he came
home and said, "Well, I wasn't as out of shape as I thought." Josh is
a natural. Pretty much just walked right back into his old football self. He is
very intelligent/learns new plays quickly, adaptable, dependable, and loves the
game. He really is a gem, and I hope his coaches appreciate and utilize him
properly. I am so glad he's here. I'm so glad I'm here to witness this part in
his life and be supportive. After the last year we've had, mostly Josh, he
deserves to be right here, living his childhood dream. I knew we would come
back because as a wife, how can you watch your husband throw away his talent
and something that brings him such joy just to work in a plant? I couldn't. The
ship channel will still be there when we come home. But as a daughter of a
plant workin' man, I hope he never has to work there again! I love my Daddy and
our family would not have been so financially blessed without his hard work and
sacrifice, but it's a really scary job regardless. Thank you, Dad, you're the
very best.
Ok, can you tell I adore my husband and Dad? Because I sure the heck do! I
am very proud of my guys!
I thought I would share a few things I've learned along my pregnancy
journey, in honor of our halfway checkpoint. So, for those of your soon to be/
someday will be, and current mommies, enjoy my ensuing ridiculousness.
1. Talk to your baby. It may seem weird at first, but the baby knows you.
They know your heartbeat, when you're sad, happy or scared. Sing to them! By
now, my child probably knows "Love is Spoken Here," and "Defying
Gravity," by heart. I can't really explain it, but build a relationship
with your little one. It's amazing when the sound of your voice gets them
excited and their heart rate spends up for the doctor.
2. Some women/established mothers believe their way is the best and that you
should know it and apply it. My child isn't even here yet, and I've heard
numerous firm "suggestions" on how we should raise them. Obviously,
these people don't know me because I've researched and researched until the
point where I just need to be alone, in the dark, with no technology because
I've learned too much. (And listen to me when I say this, you CAN learn too
much... be careful. Some things would truly be best left unknown.)
*****Side note: Some ladies/friends/family/whomever will be SO SWEET and offer
kind encouragement and advice as well! Not everyone is so abrasive, I promise.
:)
3. Get picture of your pregnant self. Just do it. You will want to
have pictures of your tummy as its growing. I was at almost 20 weeks and my
sister asked me for a bump picture. That's terrible. I'm 700 miles away and I
should have done better. Family, I'm sorry. I literally have one picture of
myself from week 1-19... I took it last night.
4. The whole, "I'm pregnant, so I can stuff my face as much as I
want," mindset is so bad. Do not buy into this! You are not a turkey. I am
not the person to ask about being thin and super-duper healthy, but I do know
that I'm growing a human. I want to welcome the baby into this world as
naturally and as healthily as possible. Do I tell myself that I can't eat
something? (Other than sushi, deli meats, DP, etc.) No, but I do not sit there
and eat a whole box of pop tarts followed up by a large fry and soda. I do treat
myself, because no one wants to encounter a raging pregnant lady denying her
cravings. I also drink water, eat well, rest and exercise as much as I can.
Pregnancy has not been overly easy on me, but I've tried to do my personal best
and my weight and at 20 weeks pregnant is 4 lbs. less than before I was
pregnant. (If you're already thin, you will gain weight by this time, which is perfectly
normal.)
5. Just accept the help and compliments. If your husband is a good man, he
will only be helping you do things because he loves you. Not to make you feel
inferior, or incapable. He will want to spend time with you, even if it's just
at home. He will try to carry as many groceries as possible so you don't have
to. Your husband will see you violently throw up, and much, much worse once
labor gets heated up. And yes, he will love you the same, if not even more,
because you're "fat." :) After thanking Josh for my new yoga ball, he
responded with, "Thank you for carrying my baby." That has made the
last 20 weeks so worth it.
So, here I was last night. My first and only preggo selfie from the first 20
weeks. Shout out to my awesome sister for one of my favorite maternity shirts,
pictured below! Have a great weekend, y'all. Sending all my love!
P.S. I started school, all online. It's awesome. I love not being talked at,
and enjoy the freedom to wear whatever I want to school. Josh's classes start
Monday and we are ready to get the ball rolling. The dogs are doing well, and
learning boundaries. They are becoming well-mannered family members. :)
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