Lately...

Chris and I in front of Stone Mountain

I haven’t written anything in a while.  Not that there hasn’t been anything going on, my computer just stinks so sometimes it is more of a hassle to try and write a post.

I am now approaching 30 weeks of pregnancy!  I will hit this mark on Tuesday.  It has gone really fast, but also pretty slow when I think back on how long I have been pregnant.  I have been blessed to have such a good, healthy pregnancy so far.  I really can’t complain about anything through this whole process, especially when I hear of some stories from other pregnant women and mothers.  I have developed carpal tunnel, and that is an annoyance, more so at night time and in the morning, but if that is it, I can take it.  

I STILL do not know why women say they loved being pregnant.  I still get told this.  I always ask them why they loved it, and no one has really given me a reason.  In the beginning they just told me I will find out soon.  I think since I am at 30 weeks, I can safely say that I do not love being pregnant.  I understand that things in life usually seem better when you look back, maybe that’s it?

glasses fogged up walking in snow!

What I do enjoy about pregnancy is feeling my baby boy move in my belly.  Sometimes it’s a little freaky, sometimes is startles me, sometimes it’s even a little annoying, when I’m trying to sleep and he is being very active.  But, overall it is a really cool feeling.  I love guessing what part of the body is poking out at me and if I’m touching his hand or leg, maybe elbow?  Chris is still a bit freaked out by it all.

still able to run!

I guess the maternity clothes are nice because they are so comfortable!  That’s a plus I suppose.  It’s also fun to imagine what this baby will look like, what his personality will be, what he will be when he grows up, and so on.

Stocking up for Jonah!

What I do not enjoy is not being able to meet up with my girl friends for our morning runs, this was our time to chat and catch up while getting a good workout.  I miss running and not feeling like an out of shape smoker.  I actually miss cycling outside, this may surprise some people.  Yes, I miss drinking wine too. Ha-ha.  

shoveling the driveway with the help of a couple neighbors

Chris helping a driver get out of the snow

I don’t love the changes with my body.  I feel fat, not really pregnant; just fat.  It is not just a cute baby bump.  Although, this does not concern me greatly down the road, I don’t really like it right now.  I just wanted a nice bump, not feeling big everywhere!  I know it will come off in time once the baby is here. I knew I would probably put on more weight b/c my body is use to working out more than I would be able to while pregnant.  Granted, I could be doing more, and I am taking a little advantage of the situation, but still.  

Enough about that.  

this is our walk before the snow came-it was cold!

We have ten weeks to go and are getting very excited!  I am so anxious to get Jonah’s room put together and decorated.  All of our baby stuff and nursery furniture is just packed up in our guest bedroom while we wait for our house renovation to finish.  We had a snow storm here in North Carolina, dropping  10” on the ground, sticking around for 3 days with sleet and freezing rain.  We have been holed up in our house for the week.  This is not fun when you are living in a construction site.  We are very ready to have this project complete.  

 

Chris and my dad enjoying margaritas after my parents drove me home from NY after my baby shower

A couple weeks ago my mom threw my first baby shower with family and friends in New York.  It was great; of course it was during a snow storm up in NY as well.  Everyone was able to make it and we had a good time.  We received so many great gifts and supplies for Jonah, I am so excited to put it all together and look at it again!

Chris at top of Stone Mountain

Other than that, the baby is healthy, I am healthy.  Besides the carpal tunnel and heartburn, which both mainly only affect me at night, it has all gone very smooth for us.  I am sure things will get more uncomfortable in the weeks to come, but I’m thankful how well it has gone this far.  Chris and I were able to get away last weekend to celebrate both of our birthdays in Atlanta; we visited the aquarium and did some hiking at Stone Mountain Park.  That will probably be our last trip before the baby as well.

what we are living in for almost 3 weeks!

Our next two months are filled with up, so I’m sure this time will fly by for us! 

A Baby on the Way

I’ve thought about writing again for a long time, but I’ve felt that I have too many things to write/update about that it’s easier not to write anything.  So, now I am just going to pick up from right here and now.

I found out that we were expecting a baby on August 19, 2013.  At this point I was just 3 weeks and 6 days pregnant.  I was alone, in a hotel in Atlanta for a work trip all week.  I found out right before heading back into our Duluth, GA warehouse for a night shadow shift.  I was very surprised, happy, but still skeptical that it was true.  I couldn’t keep it a secret, and since I wasn’t going to see Chris until Thursday evening, I had to call and tell him.  I told him that there was a small possibility that I could be pregnant.  Even though I had taken 2 pregnancy tests, the line was very faint, so I wasn’t sure if that was accurate.  I was very happy, but didn’t want to get too excited, just in case it was not true.

Chris and I had talked about having a baby shortly after getting married, but I just thought it would take a long time.  I’m older;there are many scary stories about getting pregnant at my age, being pregnant, risks, etc.  So, I signed up for a marathon in November and we figured that if it doesn’t happen by early 2014 then we’ll ‘really’ start trying.  To me that meant keeping track of everything, talking to your doctor about options, etc.  Chris just assumed it would happen right away, he must have a sixth sense or something.

After my night shift, I got out of the warehouse around 11:30pm.  I drove about 7 miles to the only open grocery store I could find and bought a set of pregnancy tests, this time the + or – tests.  I took both of these, and yep, I got a +.  I was pretty convinced I was pregnant at this point, but at some point that week, I also bought a digital test, and this time it spelled out ‘pregnant.’ Wow!

I think that Chris really needed the doctor’s appointment to confirm it for him.  We both went in at 7 weeks and we saw our little baby on an ultrasound and heard its heartbeat.  So very little at that point!  Now we are almost to 15 weeks, and oddly enough, I still do not really feel pregnant.

I’ve known, MANY friends and family members who have been pregnant.  I guess I have never paid too much attention to their symptoms or belly through the process.  For some reason, I just assumed that you don’t show for the first 3 months, and then all of the sudden you get this nice, hard, pregnant belly that grows through the next 6 months.  I was so wrong.

I have been VERY lucky.  I have never had any sickness; I’ve had very minimal symptoms at all.  Many times I have questioned if I am even pregnant.  I had some back pain in my 8thweek which made me nervous.  I did too much reading on the internet in the beginning and was so scared of a miscarriage.  Given that I will have my baby at age 35, I am put in the advance maternal age category.  Which, I always knew I would be, but it became much scarier when I started reading the pregnancy books and reading on the internet.  Among the risks that come with this, is a high risk of miscarriage.  I found a home Doppler monitor on amazon.com for just $32.  This has to be the best invention ever!  This has put my nerves to rest on so many occasions.  I can listen to my baby’s heartbeat any time I want.  Like I said, many times, I just do not feel pregnant, so this way I can make sure the baby is still alive and well.  

The big sign for me that still lets me know I am pregnant, is the effect it has had on my running.  Right away, before I even knew I was pregnant, my running changed.  I felt different.  I felt like running was just harder, everyday was a bad running day.  I always felt winded, even at a slow pace; it was just a different feeling.  Before I knew I was pregnant, I also had light cramps every day.  I thought that, if I am not pregnant, which I thought was a very slim chance, then something is wrong with me, and I will have to see a doctor.  

I was more tired in my first trimester.  It was great actually; I was falling asleep by 9:30-10:00 and sleeping through the night.  I slept so well.  Now that I am in my second trimester I ampretty much back to normal.  Any small symptoms I was feeling are pretty much gone now.  Although, my running is still harder than it was before becoming pregnant.  I am not running as much.  I am still running in the Philly Marathon, but I have switched to the half marathon.  I still wonder if I will get through the half!  It will most definitely be slow!

As far as that cute pregnant belly I always thought I would have.  I have just felt fat and bloated since week 5.  My clothes started feeling tighter at that point.  I still do not look pregnant; I just look fuller, bloated, and fat.  I hear that the hard, pregnant belly takes a while to show itself.  I was not aware of this.

I have not had any strange cravings; I have not had any cravings at all.  I do not have to go to the bathroom an excessive amount like some women I hear about. I don’t think I have had mood swings.  I just don’t ‘feel’ pregnant.  I don’t know what that issupposed to feel like, but I’m still waiting for that to happen.  Ialso don’t feel a connection to my baby, I wish I did, and I keep waiting for this to happen.  I feel guilty even thinking and saying this out loud.  Maybe when we find out what we are having I will feel a bond.  Right now, I can only refer to the baby as ‘it’.  

Chris and I made the decision not to do any genetic testing.  This was also something I did not know much about before becoming pregnant.  When you go to your first doctor’s appointment, they will give you all this information about all the different tests you can have done.  Most of it, to me, seemed like more stress than anything.  There are carrier tests, so I do blood work, if I test positive to be a carrier then Chris has to be tested, if he tests positive, then we have a 25% chance of having a baby with this abnormality.  That still leaves a 75% chance the baby is healthy though, so really, is this test even worth the hassle?

Then there is the big one, the down syndrome testing.  This is a time sensitive test; the first is blood work and an ultrasound to tell you your odds.  If you have an increased rate of your child having downs, then you can go on to have a more invasive test done.  This test will give you a statistical result.  You could be told you have a 1/5 chance, or a 50% chance of your child having downs.  The older you are the greater your chances are of having a downs baby.  

I hated thinking about all of this stuff.  The point of the testing is to decide if you want to continue with your pregnancy, if you have an increased rate of any of these abnormalities, or so you can be prepared.  I know people who have done the testing and not done the testing.  For Chris and me, we decided not to.  We were going to have the baby either way.  I didn’t want the added stress of the testing.  We will have the anatomy scan done at 18 weeks, which can also tell us if there are any abnormalities.  We are going to love our baby no matter what, and honestly, I just figured that you can never be prepared for anything that may go wrong with your baby at birth, or after.  We will love our baby regardless, and we will figure things out as we go along.  I don’t judge anyone for whatever decision they make.  I have learned already that everyone has their opinions on your pregnancy and choices you make, so we just have to be comfortable and sure of our choices.  

You know what I have learned, even at giving birth at 35 years old, you still have a 95% chance of having a healthy pregnancy and baby.  I wish this statistic would be advertised more and not all the negative stuff!

That is pretty much our life in a nutshell right now.  Just taking it day by day.  Excited for when we get to meet our little baby, and thankful everyday that we received this gift.  In just 3 weeks we will get to find out if we are having a boy or girl!  

Baby Lamperski at 7 weeks :)