Tuesday, December 8, 2009

The pregnancy related evolution of me.

In light of the approaching New Year,I decided to look through my 2009 pictures. Anywho, I was amazed by how much pregnancy has changed my appearance and my overall demeanor. I know it sounds crazy because being preggo is all about the big belly, the double chin, large boobs and round cheeks but I was still shocked. Here are a few pics.







I kinda can't believe how much hair I had before and during the earlier part of my pregnancy. Who has that much time? Obviously not me because I am now rocking my new mommy hair cut. I also have noticed my preoccupation with looking halfway decent is now gone. I have a rotation of workout gear that I wear on a daily basis. I don't wear makeup or keep any kind of true waxing schedule. I use the I am just trying to make it through this pregnancy line as an excuse but I wonder if I am changed forever.

Who knows right now I don't care.
9 days till the due date!!! Not that it means much.

Sunday, November 29, 2009

I'm Still Here

Hello All,

After getting messages through other social networks about my lack of new posts, I am getting it together. I can't believe almost 2 months went by but then again, I should. Life has been super crazy for me. Not crazy in a terrible way but in a I can't tell if I'm coming or going kinda way.

I have been at home full time since my last post because I started to show some stress signals. Elevated blood pressure, extreme amounts of pelvic pressure, nausea, headache and lower back ache, all caused my midwife to ask me to stop working if possible. I planned to work here or there but Steven wanted me to play it safe. I guess between the symptoms I was dealing with and the threat of H1N1 in the schools was enough to creep him out.

You would think staying home would afford me more time to post and get things done. Yeah that's so not true. Something about the lack of structure in my daily routine has made it easier to waste entire days. On top of that those new symptoms did not crop up without causing other problems. The biggest of which is no sleep. I have not slept properly in months and that has caused some serious fatigue. So yeah I have spent tons of time trying to get some sleep.

So yeah that's somewhat of an explanation of what I have been doing I guess. That's not all. Steven has been having fundraiser after fundraiser, many of which I have attended. Our friends here in Nashville threw an awesome Jack and Jill shower for us. We received tons of diapers, children's books and other essentials, all of which we were more than grateful for. Outside of that we have been spending as much time with our beloved crew as well as having lots of date time before TJ makes his grand entrance.




We finally got the nursery to an acceptable point. I'm not going to say it's finished because it's not but it's workable. Steven did the base coat and I sketched then painted the mural. I am happy to report that we are organized and if TJ were to be born today we could bring him home and thrive.

Friday, October 9, 2009

Braxton Hicks Suck!!!!

Excuse my whining but wowsers.

I have been stuck in some sort of braxton hicks holding pattern since yesterday. It's kinda weird. I have heard some women describe labor as some form of hell. If labor is hell like in any sort of way then braxton hicks land is purgatory.

They don't hurt per say but I mean they don't burn or make you feel like your muscles are being torn apart but they do take your bath away. Not in because of the pain but the squeezing. Baby TJ doesn't like it too much either because he immediately tries to find a more comfy spot which is usually closer to my ribs which makes breathing difficult.

Then you have the intense tightening of an already crowded space. Ouch. I really didn't think I could feel more full than I do now and then I had a braxton hick and thought I was going to lose my lunch. When they last for a long time anything more than 2 minutes, I get on my hands and knees and allow gravity to help fight the tightening.

The worse part of braxton hicks is my son's rebuttal. As soon as it begins to give, he insists on reminding both the hicks and myself that he is king of the uterine castle. He begins to kick and push like there is no tomorrow. I guess he does it until he believes he has submitted the hick and is once again comfortable. In the mean time my ribs take a beating. More so than anything, I am left wondering if he could possibly be this stubborn and feisty in real life. Scary.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

10 weeks to go and so much to do.

So I have been so consumed by everything. I mean, sorting through shower gifts, putting things away deciding what clothes to pack up until later, changing sizes so they correspond with the season...you know that kind of stuff. I also had a million and one thank you notes to write and send off. Oh yeah and of course I have been harassing my husband to put together the baby furniture and make more progress on the many projects we have undertaken to get this room done. It doesn't look like it but we have made a lot of progress.

The room a month or so ago.

We still needed to deconstruct our closet and move our stuff.



We removed our headboard to find damage to the wall from old shelving.




But at least we had the changing table together.


Not so much an after but more so of a what it looks like now.

This was after the storm of shower gifts hit the room.






So we moved some things around and shoved shower gifts onto the changing table. Put the crib and glider together. Then we dealt with the nightmare of a storage scenario we have with our things. Baby TJ can have unlimited belongings but we will be yard selling most of our things by the end of the month. I figure my clothes will be outdated by next winter season and I will be 28 and some one's mom, so most of it can go to someone else. However, I am not letting go of my shoes.

Anywho,in the next month we will be focused on getting the house ready, that means our new room (in the loft), the baby's room (in our old room)and the kitchen which I am sure he will take over with the various bottles, pump accessories and whatever else. We also have to do the whole education deal breastfeeding, childbirth and new parent classes. Then there is the fun but essential stuff such as belly pictures, belly cast and plenty of rest and relaxation. I am not sure how we will fit it all into 10 weeks but as long as we don't skimp on the fun stuff, I am pretty sure we will be fine.

I have been making soups and other hearty dishes to put in the freezer. We have also found some great low sodium, low fat prepared foods from Trader Joe's which will make life easy for us as well. I have written a birth plan, started packing the hospital bag and set up an interview with a pediatrician. Another important task is to find a Christmas outfit for TJ. Random I know.

Forgot to add my most important accomplishment....got a haircut.

Went from this


To this

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Showered with love


OMG!!! The big day finally arrived,not the birth of the baby but the baby shower. I finally found something to wear,though it was not at all spectacular, the waters in Atlanta receded and we were ready to go.

The shower was absolutely amazing. My mother, sister and friend Courtney hosted the amazing event with additional contributions from countless friends and family members. I didn't know much about what would happen at the shower but I knew the food would mostly salads. At the beginning of the pregnancy, I only wanted salad. When we were discussing a shower menu, I randomly said I don't care if it's all salads. So she went with it. It was wonderful.

There was a mixed green salad, Greek cucumber and tomato salad, chicken salad, turkey salad, fruit salad, cheese and deserts. Yummo! That was my kind of menu. Wowsers. I spent most of the shower walking back and forth to the food as people played games and socialized. I never really stopped eating.




The rest of the shower was equally amazing. My mom had a preggo picture of Steven and I for everyone to sign. Then there was the cutest baby shower book with guest signatures, guest advice, pictures and all types of things. The shower games were original and obviously challenging, as I was chased away from table after table because I was talking when people were trying to concentrate. LOL. The favors were all personalized and adorable. The cover of the game books was a reproduction of the canvas that inspired the nursery design. I was so outdone by the attention to detail and seeing so many random conversations held with my mom brought into this shower. I felt so loved.




My Mothers


Anywho, the most amazing part was how generous everyone was. I always appreciate any gift I receive but I was floored by the thought and consideration people placed into the gifts. Though I had a registry, there were many who purchased off registry and they considered the lack of space in our loft, my taste and the theme. We walked away from that shower with virtually everything we needed for TJ. Our parents have been extremely generous purchasing the crib,changing table, travel system, bassinet and more clothes than I can stand to hang (still working on it). Everything else we could imagine was purchased by the shower guests.

Me and the shower spoil


I still get choked up when I think about how much the shower was a blessing to us. We spent a lot of time worrying about how we would be able to afford this surprise baby of ours. This shows me God's timing is always the best timing. Worry or not, He always supplies.

I am on cloud 9.

A few pics more


I said I couldn't wait to see my son in those clothes, so someone put his ultrasound picture in this outfit. I thought it was funny.


4 generations of Smith women. Gotta Love it.



My college girlfriends representing

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

3 days until the Shower

After all the waiting for the shower day to be here,it's finally upon me and I am not ready. Not only did I not do anything on my list of to-dos to be done before the shower, but I have the list before that to contend with as well. I still don't have anything to wear and at this point, I probably won't have anything. I am practically beyond caring anymore. I am tired of looking for something I like only for it to look gross. If I were bold enough, I would show up in jeans but I don't want my mother to kill me. I'm sure I will figure something out.

In more important news. My beloved city of Atlanta has been hit with the worst flooding seen in my lifetime. Mine is not a terribly long lifetime but still this flooding is worth mentioning. As of yesterday 9 people have died, 11 or so counties are declared disaster zones and millions of dollars in damage was done. I ask anyone reading this to take some time to pray for the residents of metro Atlanta. This is a stressful and I am sure fear ridden situation. Anyone involved needs as much support as possible.

I am happy to report my family and friends are all safe and dry. A few people had minor damage from the storm but no flooding. Whatever was lost could be replaced in these cases, so all is well.

My mother also assured me the city will be all dried up and functioning in time for my shower. I am really excited the shower is still on because this would be my last chance to see my family and friends before the birth. I am most certainly not willing to make the 3.5 hour drive anytime post 30 weeks, so this will be it. I am also excited to be surrounded by women who have preceded me in motherhood. I pray some of that wisdom is passed on to me and I walk away confident in my abilities. I believe one person's strength can easily become another's through the sharing of experiences. Who knows?

I also have the dreaded 28 week check up today. I am praying I will be able to choke down that glucose syrup stuff. I am also praying that I pass it and won't have to go on to take the fasting glucose test. If there is one thing I can't do these days, it's fast. I also have major blood work and all kinds of other things going on. I am pretty sure I have gained more weight than I should and my iron levels are probably pretty low. I have not taken prenatal vitamins in a little over a week. I ran out and did not make the trip across town to get them at Whole Foods. I really don't want to take them anymore.

I will get all of that together as soon as possible. I don't feel as if I am making the best decisions for this baby right now. But I am tired. I have been choking those pills down for over 23 weeks now. I'm tired and I want a Martini. I guess the being pregnant thing is getting old just like the books warned it would.

Friday, September 18, 2009

Week 27 and I'm on the grow.

Every once in a while, Steve attends an event inviting enough (read: the food is guaranteed to be awesome and abundant)for me to put my big belly and swollen ankles into something somewhat swanky. Mind you I wear a dress just about 5 days out of every week because it's easier and less constricting. However that usually entails a jersey knit of some sort and flat strappy sandals. These here and there events usually require a little more glitz and they always seem to start after 7pm. Steve knows 6pm is my cutoff time for leaving the house. If I am not out of the house by 6 chances are, I am not leaving. Well unless I am getting food and often in those cases I just ask Steven to go.

Anywho, I got a little dressed up last night. A jersey knit dress, yes but a little more refined, along with real shoes, jewelry and a little makeup. Well the infamous waist cincher in me decided to put a belt above the basketball writhing around my midsection at the time. The belt goes on and OH MY LORD I screamed. It's huge. I know I live with this belly and I should never be shocked but it seems like it grew in exponentially in the last few days.



I am realizing a theme here. Every other post I talk about unbelievable growth in my belly. Maybe I should drop the un and just call it believable because at this point, this is the pattern. Some people ask me if I am sure there is only one baby in there....I always say yeah there is just one but maybe he is the size of two babies. I am just ready for my gestational diabetes test to be sure he is not indeed going to be the biggest baby on earth. I am doing better with my weight, so I am know that it's not me.

I'm watching this.

8 days till the shower!!

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Eat Without Ceasing

Ok so I meant to mention the progress I have made with this commitment to a new way of eating and exercising. Since I gained 10 lbs in 5 weeks, I put the brakes on eating whatever I wanted (even though I never got completely out of control). As of 25 weeks I had gained a total of 17lbs throughout this pregnancy. Since I had hoped to cap my weight gain at 25 lbs, I was terribly disappointed in this news. This only left me 8 lbs to gain over the remaining 15 weeks. My doctor convinced me that it would be perfectly normal for me to gain 40 lbs. We met in the middle and set a 30 lb cap.

Now at 27 weeks, I am still at the 17 lb mark with 13 weeks to go and 13 lbs left to gain. At first I felt kinda bad for even thinking about limiting myself but that is a healthy pace 1 lb a week. So I am going to stick with that.

The newest problem I have is my desire to eat consistently.

Today I started the day with a protein based smoothie.

For a snack I had hummus and pita chips 2 hours later.

Then I had an orange, a serving of walnuts and a few dried cranberries 1 hour later.

I am pretty sure I will be ready for lunch promptly at 12 even though I ate all of that food just a few hours before.

I don't know what to do about this. I will keep trying to choose healthy low calorie foods or at least foods that pack a powerful punch, like walnuts but in small quantities.

I have an apple and bag of carrots lined up for my afternoon snack. We shall see.

Counting Down the Days Till My Baby Shower

I have to admit, I am so excited about this shower I can barely take it. Something about these showers bring out the kid in me. It's like Christmas or a birthday where you eat cake or other sweets and then you get to unwrap all of these presents in pretty packaging.LOL I can't help it, I'm excited.

I am also excited about just going home in general. I know this will be my final visit home of the year and I plan to making the most of it. I am trying to be sure I visit my favorite restaurants (I am sure I will enjoy it even more as a 3 trimester preggo), my favorite shops, my old church, my college (gotta see if I can find some baby gear represented my school) and more importantly loads of family and friends to see.

Fortunately, I will see most of my female family members and friends at my baby shower. I will see everyone else throughout the remaining time.

So in preparation for the shower, I am trying to perfect this mess of a baby registry situation I have. It seems as if every time I turn around, I read there is something I must have that I haven't purchased or registered for and then I find out something is overrated and will only collect dust in my already cramped living space. What help are these baby sites and magazines if they can't ever reach a firm decision about what is essential. So I guess I will be pruning the registries up until Friday and then I will leave it alone.Hopefully I haven't asked people to spend money on useless items especially in these tough economic times. Maybe I will spend today checking my list again.

10 days to go.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Creepy Thoughts

Today I was reading through some posts on a hair forum I frequent. While browsing the Pregnancy and Parenting section I came upon a thread titled Labour and Delivery 4things you never thought you would need. The poster listed some items that seemed to would scare even the bravest souls.

Here is her post

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Okay this is for all you ladies who are facing Labor and Delivery for the first time... or not.

Aside from the regular things you pack for the hospital you may find the following helpful after labor:

1.Depends underwear ... yes the ones older people use for incontinence... after you finish laboring there will be quite a bit of lochia/blood; the Depends works better than sanitary napkins because it catches EVERYTHING and is also disposable.

2. Adult wipes ( found in the same isle as Depends )it may be a while until you can take a shower and these help you to freshen up all over until.

3. A grabber tool to help you reach things without having to get up

4. Colgate Wisp or something similar ( again until you can get to the bathroom)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm thinking OMG. Depends???? I know I will need pads but will it really come down to me wearing an adult diaper. Wipes, I kinda get that but how long will it be before I shower again? A grabber tool? Really??

Am I having a baby or am I having an organ removed? I guess I am completely disconnected from what this experience really is. It only got more strange as the people started responding to what she said. Other items mentioned were

Peri Bottles for rinsing down there in case of tears (ouch)
Donut seat in case of tears or just because (ouch)
A silt seat ( I still have no idea what that is)
Someone mentioned freezing the pads or depends (really????)

Ok so I have 13 weeks to go and at this point a world of growing and maturing to do surrounding this subject. I just thought I would have my baby, if I tore they would stitch it. The worse I was worried about is trying to get him to latch. I know there are epidural headaches but I rather take the edge off the pain with IV drugs and skip the spinal situation. I know things are achey down there but pillows and flowing streams of water never entered the picture. Wowsers. Now the reality starts to hit me. I have to pass this baby through my body and it will probably be a little traumatic.

I will begin the mantra, my body was divinely created to nurture and deliver this baby. Labor is miraculous and natural...whatever happens is part of my journey to motherhood. I can do this.

I will repeat this every time I imagine my husband having to help me in an adult diaper. Also when I imagine how difficult it will be to delete that image from his memory.

Monday, September 14, 2009

More to love.

So I have not been doing well with weight gain. I managed to make it though 20 weeks only gaining 7lbs. But since then all bets have been off. I gained 10 lbs in 5 weeks and who knows what happened in the last 2 weeks. So by 25 weeks I gained 17 lbs. I shudder to think about what will happen over the next 15 weeks.

I have analyzed the possible causes. I taught art at a summer camp which caused me to be on my feet for 4 hours or more everyday. I did that until 20 weeks. Then I spent 2.5 weeks completely out of commission because of terrible sciatic nerve pain, which was corrected by a chiropractor(chiropractors are amazing), so I was in the bed or on the couch not moving. I did not alter my diet, infact this was the time when my appetite finally took a hike and I started battling cravings. In retrospect, I practiced some terrible habits.

I am really trying to cap it off at 35 lbs but I feel like I am out pacing that or in dager of outpacing that. I just keep telling myself just a pound a week and all will be well but something is not connecting. I have made some major changes since week 25 but I am still gaining like crazy.

Here is the evidence



I am all over this now. Trying to eat large volumes of low calorie high nutrient foods and take Zumba 4 times a week. We will see what that does for me.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Nursery In Progress...well kinda.

We are using a jungle theme for the nursery but without all of the jungle animals. Elephants and trees will be the predominant feature in the nursery. When I first made this choice, I figured it should be fairly easy to accomplish. How wrong could one be. Not only did I not like much of what I found but what I did like was on another continent, so I couldn't see it in person and it was super expensive to purchase and ship.

I wanted the mod elephant look, which is much softer than a real elephant. It will be softer but not hokey. I don't want the nursery to look too cartoony because adults will have to spend plenty of time in the nursery as well. So it needs to be comfy for everyone, I am sure my mom will need to say it should be all about TJ. Anyway, I found some really cute things online but the prices were outrageous,so I decided to purchase the materials try my hand at it.

Here are the results





I think it worked out well and I saved about $250 doing this myself. I think I paid $5 for the stool, $8 for the canvas, $3 for the brushes and less than $12 for the paint.

I am now looking for a huge stencil for the wall mural. I want the mod elephant look and one of those safari trees. Like the trees from The Lion King but I don't know what they are called. In the meantime,I will be working on additional items for the nursery as well as getting the walls painted before the baby shower.... 3 weeks from now. Start the countdown!

Other Stuff

It took us little to no time to choose a name for our son because,well I don't know why. It just happened. We are naming him Thomas Joseph. Thomas is my mother's maiden name and my grandfather in-law's first name. Joseph is my father in law's first name. We feel it's only right to give our children complete family names or at the very least have the names inspired by family members.

So Thomas Joseph it is. I love it because it sounds serious and somewhat stately but we can call him TJ which is as sweet as it gets. So from the date of the ultrasound and beyond he has been TJ or baby TJ. I am so in love! LOL.

Once we got through the 20 weeks scan, I started focusing on the birth and beyond. The best way I could do that was by seeking information about the unavoidable....fears about the following;
childbirth
breastfeeding
loss of sleep
marital changes.

For me the only way to combat fear is to trust God and seek information. I am doing both.

I have used the following books as sources of information about all of these topics. While I don't agree with everything in them and one of them I'm not so crazy about at all. Each has provided some useful tips, insights and encouragement.







I absolutely love the childbirth books,though I don't think they are for the faint of heart. There are a lot of hair raising statistics about the child birthing industry. So I would warn anyone to proceed with caution if you are planning on having a C-section or a medically induced birth. Well I think it's good info but it will scare you. I personally like to know what I am dealing with and I don't like anything to be sugar coated. I am never afraid of the truth but I am spooked by the unknown.

Anywho, I have head my head in a book for the last 5 weeks and I am feeling better about this entire process. While I know there are some problems that can not be avoided, I am sure my faith and God's plan for my life will ultimately yield the best results.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Still catching up

After passing 20 weeks, it seemed like my stomach got bigger every 2 days. I went from not needing maternity clothes to needing them like plant needs sun.

Here are a few pictures.

19 weeks 5 days



22 weeks



23 weeks


24 weeks



I am rapidly expanding. At my last doctor's appointment the midwife predicted the baby to be about 3 lbs. The ultrasound said 2 lbs 6 ounces. We are well on our way.

Busy Busy Busy

It has been forever since I have posted a message because life really got crazy.
Here is the rundown of what's been happening.

I met and surpassed 20 weeks with little to no drama. We had a 20 week anatomy scan and found out we are having a huge baby boy. He was over a pound (in ultrasound estimate land) at 20 weeks. I must say he is the cutest little boy I have ever seen.

Even though I am stoked about our baby boy, I was shocked that I was right about the sex. I wanted a girl so badly but I kept telling my husband it will be a boy just because I want the opposite. So when the tech told us to guess, my jaw dropped. At first sight we knew it was a boy and I was speechless. It took me 10 minutes to actually say something and all I could do is mumble as I cried. I was just amazed by the little person hanging out in my belly.

I waited as we looked for 4 heart chambers, 10 fingers and toes, a well formed brain, eye sockets, ears, lips and a nose. He had a huge belly complete with all of the organs that should have been there. They only spotted one problem which was a slight dilation in the kidney area. We were told he probably needed to urine and we would have to come back for another look in 5 weeks.

As far as I was concerned he was perfect and whatever the dilation meant could be remedied. There was not an ounce of worry or sadness in my heart.

As soon as we left the doctors office, we went to eat because I was too nervous to eat the entire day. I had a celebratory 4 ounces of wine and lots of french fries as we discussed the possibilities. Once we were done with that we hit the stores. The buying frenzy officially started.

Oh yeah by 20 weeks, I finally started to look preggo.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

If you think your big now, you just wait until....

I know a lot of women feel this way but in my case, it is really true. I did really well in terms of growth, the first 19 weeks of my pregnancy. That was the first 19 weeks.

At 19 weeks and 2 days I was noticeably bigger. Today makes 19 weeks, 5 days pregnant, I am officially in arguably pregnant. That means if someone looks at me, they can easily tell I am preggers. That means, I can no longer keep it a secret and when I pick up a cup of coffee or a pack of skittles, I get that you shouldn't eat that look from a perfect stranger. I am getting big.

In light of my recent and continuous expansion, I have been commenting to others on just how big I am. Without fail, I always get, If you think your big now you just wait until.....(fill in whatever month). I don't want to think about that now. I have to focus on just how huge I feel now. Or that I can now see my belly button through my shirt. All of this is weird.

What I am most nervous about, is getting so big that people feel the need to touch me. I don't want to think about that right now either. I will just focus on figuring out what to do with my bellybutton for now.

Monday, July 27, 2009

What next?

I must preface this by saying I am in no way an expert.....but I have the being pregnant thing down now. I know what I need to eat, I have the sleeping on my left side deal down. I no longer get anxious when my feet feel like they are going to explode. I have excepted this strange acne situation I have going on. We are all over the nursery and other things.

So I am ready to occupy my mind with other things, like childbirth and beyond. I have 3 specific areas in which I am currently starved for information about.
I don't have a birth plan and I am barely ready to begin building a plan.
I have no idea what type of sleep plan I will try to work in for Baby Turner upon arrival.
I need to figure out how I will conduct myself as a mother and a wife at the same time.

So I am currently looking for books and advice from multiple sources to help me figure out a birth plan, sleep plan and a life plan. LOL

Oh yes. I forgot breastfeeding. Another major thing I want to do for the baby. I want to be careful not to let it take over my life completely. I also want to provide the best nutrition for Baby Turner, so a good breastfeeding diet is key to accomplishing that goal.


With that said, I will have my head burried in the books over the next couple of months. Well actually the next few days. I am heading out to purchase, the following;

The No Cry Sleep Solution
Your Best Birth
Baby Proofing Your Marriage
Eat Well, Lose Weight While Breastfeeding.

Hopefully these books will be enough to keep me occupied until the big day!!!! 4 days more!!!!

Thursday, July 23, 2009

19 weeks!!!

Finally. I have finally made it to the week before my 20 week anatomy scan. I know this seems crazy to anyone who is reading this but I can't help it. I have waited for the 20 week scan since I found out I was pregnant over 14 weeks ago. Since waiting has never been easy for me, I have learned to adapt a method which helps me stay sane during a long wait. The method is as follows;

Break the time into equal parts.
Dedicate each part to something, a home improvemnt project, a book, creating a new habit.
Try not to think about the final date, just focus on getting through each part.
Find as many distractions as possible.

Sad right?? I have always had this anxiety surrounding upcoming events in my life. I think seeing my baby on ultrasound for the first time (the first time doesn't count she or he was just a spot it was at 6 weeks 1 day)you know, seeing a little head, maybe thumb sucking and movement, has prompted more excitement and anxiety than any other event in my life. Of course what I really want to know is if the baby is healthy and hopefully a girl. Yes I want to know the sex, I wish I could have found out weeks ago. Now that I am here at the 19th week, I know I can make it one more week. Until then, I will be waiting for the next kick and the kick afetr that and well the, the kick after that.

Side Note: for 19 weeks I don't think I am showing very much but what do I know.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Campaigns and Kicks (Finally)

So I am officially living the life of a political wife. LOL Steve is busily working his way through the many twists and turns that are involved with establishing himself as a candidate. I could not be more proud. Though his decision was met with a bit of uncertainty on my part, I am sure of one thing. This is what God has in His plan for our family. Somehow the concerns that accompany our attempts at such an endeavor are completely calmed because of God's presence at the center of it all.

So I'm excited. We all are. We are blessed with a large group of friends, advisors and supporters who believe Steven is what the 58th house district needs. These people have been with us from the beginning and ironically pratically wished this pregnancy on us. So they will have a special place in the story of our baby's little life. Anywho, I love them all and I feel they have been purposely placed in our lives. Together we can accomplish anything.

Here is a picture of Steven getting a first peak at his campaign materials.




On to baby news. I finally have kicks!!!! I actually felt them before I wrote the previous post about kicks but like most first time preggos, I couldn't tell what those sensations were. I never felt the flutters or popcorn popping across my stomach. No butterflies or anything like that. Instead, I felt a small thump. Maybe 3 or 4 thumps at a time in lower region of my abdomen but the thumps would move around in someway or another. I initially thought it was some digestive system quirk but once I reached the 18 week mark, I realized I was well within the range of feeling a real kick. So I started calling them kicks. Besides I have never felt a digestive flinch quite that strong.

So yes world, Baby Turner is in there making all kinds of movements and stealing a little more of my heart with every flinch.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Wishing for Kicks

So a lot has happen since I last posted. We had one of those wonderful doctors visits. The ones I hold my breath for from about 5 minutes after I leave the last one. Crazy right? Well not so much. I had been extremely worried by the natural ups and downs that come with pregnancy. Who knew there would be so many symptoms? I know I didn't.

With every little cramp, pain, or dizzy spell, I worried something was wrong with the baby. I guess I no longer care so much about myself because I care less about anything that won't bother the baby. Anyway, these little worries would eventually compound into a full frenzy. Without an ultrasound or hearing the heartbeat or hearing my doctor say all was well, I was a wreck.

After the last visit with my midwife, I was assured my concerns would be put to rest as soon as I started to feel some kicks. So I have spent the last few weeks praying for kicks. I am not so sure if my prayers have been answered yet, but I thought I felt something. Even the thought of feeling kicks is amazing, I am not sure what I will do, when I experience the real thing. So I will keep praying for kicks and continue to brace myself for that moment. I am pretty sure it will be an experience I will never forget.



Side Note: I am finally growing a little bit. This tiny little bump has also helped put some of my worries to rest.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Fast foward almost a year!!!!

So I must admit, I have not been faithful to this blogging idea. Well actually I don't have to admit anything, the blog tells the story. I am recommitting to the idea and with great reason. July 4, 2008 until today June 18, 2009 has been filled with amazing unforgettable experiences. The only bad thing about having so many wonderful experiences is being too busy to document and share. So let me try to do a quick recap.

July 4th, 2008

Just after my last post, Steven and I joined our friends for a night we would talk about for the next year. Awesome barbecue, smoky burgers, great drinks and crazy conversation. Oh yeah and we sang 90's R&B until the sun came up. We cemented a budding friendship with another married couple, who rounded out our core group of family friends. It was a wonderful time.


July 4th and beyond was dedicated to turning the state of Tennessee blue for Barack Obama. We spent days and nights, canvasing, calling and registering voters. After that we met at local watering holes to listen to the pundits, watch results and provide emotional support.





Steven's non-profit Voting Is Priceless, was recognized as a major player in Nashville's youth vote turnout. A fundraiser concert was held on behalf of his organization in October. Steve was also recognized by the NAACP as one of Nashville's top 45 under 45 for his work with V.I.P.



In November, the country elected Barack Obama as the 44th president and our lives were instantly changed. We gathered with our closest friends in our home to watch the results and cry for the rest of the night. Shortly after Thanksgiving, Steven and I began discussing his political ambitions. I was pretty much notified he had the bug and would run if I allowed it.

This is the picture from the MSNBC article about Steven's election day voter turnout operations.



Thi is later that night as we await the results.



In January, we picked up our tickets to the swearing in and made our way through the record size crowds to witness history. I will never be able to describe how I felt that day or what it meant to me. I did know this was a new beginning for the country and for me personally. I suddenly understood the power of hope and was therefore open to taking some chances. I gave Steven the green light to scratch his political itch.

This is the picture from the Tennessean article about our trip to the inauguration.







By March, we were in full campaign swing. We formed an advisory committee, began talking to spiritual advisers and soliciting familial support. We were poised to just give it all we had and throw ourselves into this run. We celebrated by having a great time at our friend Matia's 30th birthday.



April, we learn we will have to modify our "all or nothing" approach to campaigning because we have bigger fish to fry. As of late April, I was 6 weeks pregnant, moving full steam ahead toward 2 months and we had no idea. Everything after that is a blur.

In May we take a much needed Babymoon/anniversary trip (3 years!!!!), celebrate Steve's 26th with his first fundraiser and attended our first official prenatal visit. We heard the heartbeat for the first time on May 27th. It was breathtaking and surreal.

June finally arrived and we were officially out of the first trimester (thank You Lord). I can rest easy that morning sickness will never show up, since I did not have it and was holding my breath until I cleared trimester 1, and my chance of loss has decreased about 85%. Steven has received quite a few excellent press stories, which has increased the buzz about his run and thrown constituent support in his direction.
Here is the link to the City Paper Article about Steven.







http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/content/city-news/turner-sets-sights-state-house

Those are the highlights.

Now we are awaiting my birthday, the 20 week anatomy scan (which is 6 weeks away) and the Young Democrats of America conference in Chicago. Can you say summertime Chi!!