Week 34

Woohoo! Time is flying with this pregnancy. If I leave out the morning sickness, I would say that this pregnancy has been a breeze. Sarah and Ashton have kept me so busy that I didn't have much time to think about being pregnant. On top of that, as of my last appointment, I've only gained 12 pounds. I'm so excited. Lord willing, it will make dropping the weight easier after I have the little one.

Apparently, I'm looking huge though. A certain layman at church asked a friend if I was having twins. With Sarah and Ashton, I may have cried over this statement. But I just laughed. He's right. I seem to be gaining only in the abdomen area and that suits me just fine. Plus I have a short torso and the baby has to go out because there is not enough space to go up!

Since I'm all belly, I'm starting to feel the pressure from these horrible "updated" versions of maternity pants. Who in there right mind thought it was a good idea to put a 1 inch band of strong elastic across a woman's ever expanding abdomen? It's the stupidest thing that I've ever encountered. Not only does it pull in on an area that is sensitive to pressure, it causes the back of the waste to lay along the lower spine. This in turn puts pressure on the sciatic nerve. Idiots!!

The other design is to have a 6-8" band of stretchy spandex around the top of the pants/shorts. Sounds comfy, right? Well it would be if it actually held the pants up. I walk around the entire time that I'm wearing them either looking saggy or pulling them up. And if I'm carrying Ashton, it gets tricky to make sure I don't walk out of my pants! The woman at the maternity clothes store had the audacity to tell me that the pants I purchased were too large. Hmm, I know for a fact that my rear and thighs would not fit in the smaller size. I'm so glad she reminded me. Needless to say, I did not purchase any clothes from the store that day!

When I was pregnant with Sarah, they made the maternity pants that had full backs and stretchy material that put the elastic above your stomach. If you saw the top of the pants, they were ugly but comfortable. Thankfully the shirt would cover all that and the mom could breath in comfort. Now I have to keep readjusting the pants and trying to unbend the elastic strap. I'm pregnant. I do not need clothing issues! I want stylish, comfy, stretchy, preferably no ironing needed clothing. I do not desire tent shirts (which for some reason are back in maternity style) or tight clothes. I want to move freely and breath as best I can. Seriously, the baby pushes on my lungs enough. I should not have to worry about my clothes doing the same! All right, I'll let this go for now.

On a more exciting front, we purchased a really nice bedding set for the baby. We are looking for a twin bed for Ashton. We are not in a rush since the baby will be bunking in our room for a few months after she comes home. On the name front, Daniel wants to keep it secret for while. I'm fully ready to divulge it though. I'm tired of calling her "The baby". She now has a beautiful name! I think his resolve is cracking though! We are still looking for an armoire for the kids room. It would be really helpful since there is not a closet in that room.

The girls at church are throwing a baby shower on August 2nd. It should be a lot of fun. Sarah will be back and may come in and join us. I'm hoping we get a lot of baby clothes. We have tons of boys stuff, but no girls. Plus, we are going to use cloth diapers this go round. Thankfully we still have a car seat, stroller, pack and play, etc. Goodness, babies need so much!

And, last but not least Daniel leaves in two weeks for Romania. He'll be gone a week. It's funny, everyone keeps freaking out about him being gone so close to the baby coming. I wasn't worried at first, but when his back gave out, I started thinking that God wanted him to stay home. He was seriously considering it. But, a month after all the stuff started he felt God saying that he had to have a change of heart about the treatments recommended by the doctor. Daniel also felt God saying he had to go to Romania. Me, I wasn't totally on the same page but decided it was one of those time to support him without putting in my doubt. And so far, things have worked out really well. So pray for us as he prepares to go and for me as well. I'm not too worried about delivering early. My body likes to hold on to babies. I am a bit concerned about watching the kids alone this late in the game (I'm now babysitting two kids). But, God will take care of that.