6 weeks left to meet Baby Joshua!

So as I sit here today, I can only think of one thing...HOW CAN I POSSIBLY GET ANY BIGGER AND UNCOMFORTABLE? However, many people have reminded me that I will indeed get larger and more uncomfortable over the next 6 weeks! The most notable change in my physical appearance is a notable weight shift known as "lightening or engagement". The baby is resting deeper in my pelvis making me feel like I am carrying a water melon in between my legs............ and yes, the result is I am officially 'waddling'!!! Not a very pleasant way of moving my weight around :( Besides this being very uncomfortable it makes me feel very impatient too about the next 6 weeks of waiting :( I wonder how many pregnant women start getting impatient around this time too???? Sometimes I wish we had a choice as to when our little ones can come into this world :) Just wishful thinking lol!!

My back has been killing me, I've gained 16 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight, it takes a lot of effort to get up and down, put on socks, roll over in bed........... yes especially roll over in bed :), I have to sit down to put on pants and shoes and I can't stand on my feet for any period of time, but hey, we are surviving every step of this last leg of the journey. The pelvic pain especially is a lot worse this week. Once I get walking around, it's not so bad, but the first time I get up after sitting for a while or sleeping is kind of unbearable.

To help support my back and belly, Jonathan suggested we get a belly support. We picked one up from the mall over the weekend.... thanks honey! It works great............... I absolutely love it!

There have been a series of events in the last couple of weeks that have just reminded me how blessed we are to be pregnant. I know I say that a lot...but it's true. I think sometimes in between the moans and groans and complaints about weight gain, pains, and uncomfortable situations and things we deal with sometimes we forget to focus on the big picture, the miracle baby we have been blessed to carry and raise. How can I really complain when there are still people in the world dealing with infertility, miscarriages and probably harder struggles? While all these things in our pregnancy are real and not always pleasant, we have indeed been abundantly blessed no matter the circumstances to be able to have and care for a child that God created just for us. I am humbled by that fact and everyday I thank the Lord. I am indeed reminded daily that our God is bigger than everything...there is nothing too big for the God we serve.

So Jonathan did get this fancy Sony HD - SR11 camcorder..... it has been exciting playing around with it and one of the fun things that I absolutely love that he has done with it is capture our baby's movements with it. I know I keep saying the way he is such a kickboxing champion so far ..... well, I believe this short video is evidence enough of this claims lol :)

So here is this week's picture. I hope you can be able to see the weight shift. By the way, this weight shift has improved my breathing a little.

Thank you for reading and see you all next week!

33 Weeks, 7 more to go!

We are now 33 weeks, what a journey! It feels good just saying we only have 7 weeks to go to meet our bundle of joy.

Watching TV of late, there are so many commercials, programs, and talk shows talking about thanksgiving. Being Kenyan, we do not celebrate the thanksgiving holiday but I have adopted this holiday because I feel it really does give everyone, especially me, a special chance to kick back, relax with family, and actually think about what to be thankful for. That being said, I have my own list of what to be thankful for and I would like to share it with you in the spirit of this year's Thanksgiving Holiday. I know thanksgiving isn't till a couple of days from today but hey I already know what I am thankful for:)

So here goes, this year I am thankful for...

1. The baby that we have been blessed to have and especially for being able to carry him. He sure does nudges, rolls, and kicks that reassure, make me smile, and keep me company no matter where, when, and what I am going through.
2. Jonathan, for going through this journey with me every step of the way.
3. The struggles and joys that have taught me patience, appreciation, and humility on this journey.
4. The unconditional love and support of family (I really do miss the ones in Kenya so much! I really miss you Mama na Tata)
5. All my friends who have stood by me, you mean a lot to me!
6. The opportunity to say Thank You to family, friends, the strangers that opened doors for me, and most importantly to God for being with me on this incredible journey.
7. And I could go on and on...

I just realized I started doing this post when I was 23 weeks. In celebration of the 10 weeks I will post the belly picture at 23 weeks and the one at 33 weeks.... Interesting seeing how much I have grown in just 10 weeks. I am also 10 pounds heavier between the 10 weeks.

Here I am at 23 weeks

And, here I am at 33 weeks......

What a transformation of the human body in just 10 short weeks! Anyway, thanks for reading and see you all next week!

Only 8 Weeks to go :)

Another week completed :) We are 32 weeks pregnant today! WOW! What an accomplishment!

It is such an amazing feeling to know that I am carrying a miracle, created by God, made with the love Jonathan and I have for each other. The thought still overwhelms me! I am still throwing up, nosebleeding and all..... usually I throw up after I eat...it's like my belly gets too full and invades Little Joshua's space, so I get sick and then all is well! The kicking is getting overwhelmingly bigger and more noticeable every day. Sometimes it even tends to be quite painful. He loves to roll around and stick his arms, legs, butt (or maybe his head, we are not really sure) right next to my naval or as far into my right side as he can, oftentimes causing my belly to become lopsided!! haha! He loves to wake up around midnight, right when I really need to sleep and kick, kick, & kick. Even though I'm so tired, we love feeling him move and could sit for hours with my hands on my belly anticipating his next move! We just love him so much already.

This past week I’ve noticed a remarkable shift in my body. I’ve also noticed a remarkable increase in tiredness, breathing is getting harder, my rib (yes, just one special rib…the lower right one) is getting kicked quite a lot more now, and doing anything is pretty uncomfortable anymore. Walking is terrible… sitting is uncomfortable… and laying down is uncomfortable. Curling up in a ball with a pillow between my legs and another supporting my belly feels the best. Sleeping while in that position feels even better! So just imagine every time I get up to go to the bathroom (Which right now is at least = or > 3 times per night) I have to reposition these pillows...Oh, the Joy! :) But we keep reminding ourselves it's all worth it!

The exhaustion is coming more and more frequently too - even when I haven’t done anything lol! Once in a while, especially after eating, all of my energy will drain so fast that the only hope I have in recovering is laying down immediately and falling asleep.

Anyway, as the birth of our son gets closer, I tend to get more and more emotional. This past week I realized that there are so many poems and songs right now that are making me tear up. It's probably because they are talking about unborn babies and about the relationships between dads and sons. They are enough to make me cry like a 2 year old!! haha! So I thought I would share my favorite poem and song right now. I am not posting the whole song though ... just a snapshot to show you why I love it.

The poem I want to share with you is by Evangelina Sandoval and it is titled "Child of Mine"

Child Of Mine

Like the warmth of a loving hug, I feel you everyday.
Tossing and turning about you move every which way.

At first you were a tiny seed in my womb that grew more and more each day.
Now your Dad and I are anxious because we know that you are on your way.

We will wait ever so patiently to see your loving face,
For we know that it will be filled with wonderful loving grace.

You are our little miracle sent to us from up above.
God just knew that we would be the ones for you to love.

I thank the Lord for giving you to me,
for choosing us as your Mommy and Daddy to be.

I want you to know now loving child of mine,
That I will love you and hold you from now until the end of time.

The song I want to share with you is "Just the two of us" by Will Smith

From the first time the doctor placed you in my arms
I knew I'd meet death before I'd let you meet harm
Although questions arose in my mind, would I be man enough?
Against wrong, choose right and be standing up
From the hospital that first night
Took a hour just the get the car seat in right
People driving all fast, got me kinda upset
Got you home safe, placed you in your bassinet
That night I don't think one wink I slept
As I slipped out my bed, to your crib I crept
Touched your head gently, felt my heart melt
Cause I know I loved you more than life itself
Then to my knees, and I begged the Lord please
Let me be a good daddy, all he needs
Love, knowledge, discipline too
I pledge my life to you

Chorus:
Just the two of us, we can make it if we try
Just the two of us, (Just the two of us)....

......Wait an see gonna be tall
Makes me laugh cause you got your dads ears an all
Sometimes I wonder, what you gonna be
A General, a Doctor, maybe a MC
Haha, I wanna kiss you all the time
....I try to be a tough dad, but you be making me laugh
Crazy joy, when I see the eyes of my baby boy
I pledge to you, I will always do
Everything I can
Show you how to be a man
Dignity, integrity, honor an.......

So with all that...here is the picture for this week. My baby bump is definitely sticking out gosh, I am really so popped :) As always, I wonder how popped I will be at about 38 to 40 weeks :)

Thank you all for reading and see you next week!

31 Weeks, Yay!

We hit the 31 week mark today! Yay!  We’ve finally made it to the single digit week countdown. 9 weeks to go :) It sounds good to just know in about 9 weeks we get to meet our little boy!

According to the ideal baby development week by week progress, this week baby Joshua is now a little over 3 lbs and is compared to 4 oranges.  Like the teen years down the road, they say he’ll soon experience a big growth spurt (good luck for my ever stretching baby bump and back!).  Imagine a 5 lb bag of flour or sugar, they feel pretty heavy ha?  Baby Joshua only has a little more than a pound to gain before he’ll be as heavy as a 5 lb bag of sugar or flour.  Not to forget the weight of the uterus, placenta, increased body fluids... lol! Yet, strangely, sometimes I don’t feel like I’m carrying a heavy bag of sugar or flour in my belly.  It’s quite weird to think of it that way I suppose but sometimes the realism of something is when you compare it to something that you can easily relate to. Sometimes Jonathan holds my belly in his arms...... lol you can feel the difference as soon as he lets go.... I wish there was a way he can help me carry the belly most of the time :)

Baby Joshua's movements are very frequent and strong now - sometimes I think of him as our little Kickboxing champion fighter.  At times it even feels like he’s invited some of his friends over for a tournament! It is just not possible to imagine one little baby being pretty much everywhere in your belly at the same time :)

He has had the famous braxton hiccups. They are not regular but they can be very uncomfortable :( He had the hiccups today again. This time they were concentrated just above my left hipbone.   It’s very awkward to feel the hiccups because at times I have the inclination to want to hold my own breath or drink water.  Unfortunately that does little to remedy the situation. :(

Just the other day I was laying down to rest after a long day at work. I was thinking how life being pregnant just changes everything about the human body. Certain things about being pregnant just completely boggle my mind.  I currently have 2 of everything…. two heads, two hearts, two livers, two spinal cords.  Then I have 4 arms and 4 legs.  Everything is coexisting right here in my body, and my “bigger heart” and “bigger organs” are sustaining life to the littler ones.  It’s quite mind blowing if you let yourself think upon it too long.

We received our little boy's bassinet and Jonathan got straight to work on it. He put it all together and it looks beautiful! Thanks honey! I am sure baby Joshua will love his new hung out :) I took some pictures to share with our little boy when he grows up.... I am sure he will appreciate his daddy's work :) Here is one of the pictures of Jonathan putting together the bassinet.

From my last doctors visit I have added one more pound :) As you can see from this week's picture, my baby bump is growing bigger every week. I still have to add at least one or half a pound every week!

Thank you for reading and see you all next week!