Tuesday...14 days left

I'm having such a hard time concentrating on anything else right now. There are so many things I've got on my to do list that I want to share about healthy eating, healthy movement, & things like that.  I'll get to it...I promise but right now I've got to share about Sadie because I'm praying that we'll be meeting her sometime this week.  Wednesday evening would be really good!

This is the last week of school before my 3 children go on Spring Break & I'd love it if Sadie was born this week (no, I'm not worried about them missing a day or 2 of school).  I'd really love to have all of next week for their Spring Break with them home & getting used to having a new baby sister.  Some people say that I'm crazy & might be better off with them in school but ya know what?  I think I know my kids well enough to say they will be a big help as well as enjoy the time spent with her before they have to go back to school.  Will it be crazy, probably, but with a little time we'll all adjust to our new normal.  And we will hardly remember what it was like before Sadie came along.

I'm having a hard time concentrating on anything probably due to my excitement & lack of quality sleep.  I go to bed tired & wake up tired because I wake up hurting & uncomfortable in the middle of the night & can't fall back to sleep.  It's wearing on me but I don't have too much time left.  Just trying to stay strong & positive.

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I had a whole long entry typed up yesterday. I had saved it a few times (or so I thought) but then my internet went crazy when I was trying to add another picture with a quote for encouragement & I lost 3/4 of my entry.  I dislike when that happens & with my fantastic (not really) memory lately, I was unable to remember what I had actually shared.  So I'm just going to wrap this up so you can all see how the baby has started dropping into position & how I've grown.

Today I plan to wrap up loose ends prepping for Sadie's arrival.  I have to double check my list to be sure it includes everything I need to do & who I need to call when labor starts.  If I don't go into labor today sometime, I will be heading to see my doctor tomorrow morning.  One of the hardest things I am having to deal with this time is that I have 3 children who are so excited to meet their sister & keep asking when she'll be born.  It is unlike their excitement for a trip or for family to visit because we usually have a set date for those kinds of things.  This is us flying by the seat of our pants so to speak & I am finding that they don't like that part of it.  I know where it comes from because I don't like not knowing either but at least I 'understand' how it works.

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26 days & counting

Holy Wah!  Yes, I just had to put that popular Yooper phrase in there because I am in disbelief a little.  I can't even believe that I've only got about 26 days left to grow this baby.  I look forward to holding her in my arms & kissing her.  And I know the kids are excited & will be very helpful.  Yesterday I had an ultrasound to find out the baby's position. She's not breech, her head is down so we're just in the waiting game.  On the u/s we could see that she has some fuzzy hair.  Morgan thinks that she'll have red hair & eventually hazel eyes.  We could see that she'll have a cute button nose like the other 3.  I just <3 that button nose!  She's quite strong with her movement & has the hiccups often.  She's growing like crazy & I am looking forward to her arrival.  Adam & I are praying for her arrival to happen before March is over.  It would be perfect to have her back home with us & have a leisure week with the kids on Spring Break the first week of April & then enjoy her first Easter together.

Reflections: I wanted to actually make a few observations about things that I've noticed & why I never want to experience them again.  I'm not trying to complain but rather make a list, you all know how I love lists, to help me remember when I get discouraged about working to get fit, strong & in shape of all the things I'm leaving behind.  Perhaps you experience some of these same things & maybe you'll look at the things you can leave behind as incentives to eat clean & exercise.  My list is somewhat related to my pregnancy but honestly, I don't want to overeat & not exercise & have to deal with these things ever again.  I know that what I am doing right now by watching what I eat & resting as much as I can as I grow this baby is the best right now.  I know that gaining weight during pregnancy is inevitable no matter what I do & that I'm doing what is best for baby right now.  However, I'm preparing my mind for when I get the go ahead to exercise & give it my all.  I've tried putting myself in overweight & obese people's shoes to see what it feels like.  I know its not quite the same & I may never know exactly how they feel but I'm trying to be more understanding.  I've watched people at the store ride the scooters or have a really hard time walking & now that I'm slightly in that same boat, I have empathy for them.  And each person's situation is different but ya know what?  I'd love to help.  I'd love to see their mind set change & watch as their body changed too.

List of things to leave behind!
My feet hurt with the extra weight
My ankles, feet, & hands are swelling & I don't like the tight feeling
My legs feel tight from the extra weight on them.
It's hard to walk because of the extra weight
I find myself having to rest more often because my heart isn't as healthy as when it was conditioned by movement/exercise.
Hard to catch my breath from just walking up the stairs
Pain in my knees & legs from walking up stairs with added weight
My face looks & feels puffy
Exercise helps my skin stay clearer
I have to loosen my watch to continue to wear it comfortably
My clothes make me feel itchy where they are tight & feel constricting
I feel overly tired no matter how much sleep I get in a night or nap to get
I don't like feeling lazy & having to 'let go' of things that need to be done around the house
I want to gain some more of my independence back, such as being able to carry laundry baskets up from the basement so laundry doesn't sit for days on end, being able to climb a ladder, shovel, mow the yard, rake, etc without having to wait for someone else to do it
Having my hips out of place & my back hurting from the time I wake in the morning till I fall asleep at night
Needing to visit the chiropractor more frequently because the extra weight causes my hips, back & neck to go out
Headaches (I had pretty much gotten rid of them by drinking my Shakeology every day & exercising 5-6 days a week.)
Having the energy, time, desire to cook healthy meals for my family & keep the grocery/eating out bill down
Energy to play with my kids
Sitting on the floor without my legs falling asleep (within just a few minutes) due to poor circulation
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I could probably go on and on but I'll stop here.  Like I said, these are some things I've had to deal with while being pregnant & I plan to work on changing them all back into more positive things. I wanted to list as much as I could think of so that when I start being able to exercise, I won't want to take long breaks & ever turn back to the things I'm planning to leave behind.  I want to be healthy, strong, fit, & with plenty of energy. I want to be a good example to my family as well as others & I'd love to help people turn their lives around & get healthy & fit.

Now it's time for me to play Chutes & Ladders at the table with my 5 year old. And then I've got to finish up some things on the baby list.  Sew some more blankets & burp cloths for our little one.  Vacuum the van now that the outside is clean & add the infant carrier to it.  Wash the pack n play to see if we can still use it, get the laundry going, & make lunch soon.