Rockin' The Bump

I love pregnancy. 
Love it!
I think it is perhaps one of the greatest parts of life that I've experienced.  
The miracle that it is.
A life growing inside of me.
Trying on a decent size rack for a change (but always happy to be done with it when it is over...I like my small boobs).  
Finding out that I'm pregnant,
Feeling my baby move for the first time,
Getting some curves,
Feeling like it is Christmas for 9/10 months and finally opening the main gift!  


I love it!  
Even with the constant urge to pee, the exhaustion, getting fat, my nose growing into the size of a small planet, swollen feet, cankles, mood swings, nauseousness...the list goes on..... Even with these things...
Pregnancy is a beautiful thing!


So when Marjorie from Taking It On shared her pregnancy photos tonight for this Rockin' The Bump link up, I knew how I was going to spend some of my Friday night.  I don't usually do "link ups" but I couldn't resist this one!  


I'm sure there won't be many people who will give a rip about these but this is fun for me...purely self absorbed here.  How many pictures of Amanda's belly can she post in one night?!  Ha!  I've got many.  Can't find any of my second pregnancy on this computer...that was the pregnancy that I got really soft and chubby.  All I wanted to do was sit on my bum and eat cookies.  My third pregnancy was the one that I actually got professional photos taken because I knew it would (should) be my last.  

First pregnancy at 37 weeks

Whose boobs are those??!  

We were just kids here!  

Okay, the following photos are purely to embarrass my husband.  Sorry honey.  This is when the photographer thought we should try one of those sappy poses where the husband looks up adoringly at the wife and we take ourselves too seriously.  My husband just COULDN'T do this!  We were laughing so hard!  Made for a great belly laugh and I love the photos because they capture this fun moment where we both got lost in our laughter.  

Random pregnant thoughts:

• Some of us like to rub our bellies when we are pregnant.  And then there are some that think this is the most annoying thing ever!
• What is up with people that just come up to you and touch your belly when you are prego?  I understand if you know me or ask first but random strangers sometimes think that it is okay.  What?! I don't come up and touch your belly.
• Never ask someone when they are due unless you know FOR SURE that they are prego! 
• Don't offer your advice about how to raise babies and everything they should do with their labor and pregnancy UNLESS YOU ARE ASKED!  Seriously.  This is so personal.  Don't tell a mother how they should put their child to sleep, whether they should or should not use a binky or bottle, etc.  Why do people do this??  
• Don't tell a pregnant mother what they will and will not still do when they have their baby!  Don't place your own life experiences and lesson on others and assume that they will fall into the same life patterns.  I couldn't stand it when people at school would tell me how I wouldn't want to read professional literature or take classes anymore once my child was born.  Or how I wouldn't camp or go back backing.  They just had to tell me that my adventurous and ambitious life would be over.  No thank you.  
• Don't place your own ideas and opinions about labor, breast feeding, etc. on others.  This is a personal thing!  
• DO Tell a pregnant woman how beautiful she is.

• DO ask before you touch a pregnant belly.
• DO offer your advice if they need it (and ask) and let your pregnant friends know that you are there for them.
• DO give the positives about motherhood and childbirth.  
• DO take your close friends a meal after their baby is born.  This helps a ton!
• DO understand that everyone is different with what kind of support they want.  Don't assume that your pregnant friends are like you.  They might NOT want visitors for awhile.  And this is okay!  

1. If you've been prego before, did you like it? Hate it?  Feel indifferent about it?
2. For those 4-5 men that read my blog (Mike, Slomohusky, Chris, Kovas..), what was it like for you to have a pregnant wife (or girlfriend...I don't know your story)?  Did your wife enjoy it?  Was she a happy prego?  
3. Future preggos...do you look forward to being pregnant?  What do you think you'll like/dislike the most.  
Amanda

A Song That Brings Me Peace

This morning is one of those mornings that I feel like I have something I need to get out but I don't have the time or words to express myself.  I'm feeling a mixed bag of emotions.  In fact, I really shouldn't even be typing right now since it is 9:37 a.m, my kids are not dressed yet, I have not eaten breakfast, I have to leave the house in 15 minutes to go buy presents for a twin birthday party, drive my daughter to the party by 11 and then find something to do with my other two kids for two hours.  This is the last place I should be this morning. 


I'd love the time to write.  If anything, just to process some things.  But now is the time to get out there and enjoy my kiddos, this summer day, and focus on healing from my kidney infection.  And Being Still in mind,body and spirit.  Instead of writing anything, I thought I'd share this song that my friend Jenn shared with me a few weeks ago.  I've found myself listening to it again and again.  It is a song that really brings me peace.  Not just when I'm feeling crazed or emotional but even when I'm perfectly balanced and happy.  I listened to it a few times this morning to help me find some peace with some things.  Thought I'd share since I love it so much. 


Happy Friday!  Hope to respond to so many of you and read some of your posts.  I've had a hard time fitting that in recently.  Again, good luck to you that are competing this weekend.  Jenn, Ana Maria, Julie, Ashley, Samantha....many of you...I'll hopefully get a chance to get around to all of you personally.  

Does Music bring you peace?  Do you have a song that seems to really "speak to you"?  
Amanda

Emergency Room Farts, Kidney Infections, and SHOUT OUTS!

....But never trust a fart!

Gas.  We've all had it.  And sometimes it really hurts.  So bad that some people might think something is seriously wrong with them.  I've heard the stories.  You know, the ones where people end up calling a  doctor or better yet, driving themselves to the Emergency Room.  They tell the doctors and nurses about how they think they might have some kind of rupture, maybe a cyst, perhaps an infection.   And then it happens.  They are sent home and told they just had gas.  Told that they just need to let one rip.  They just needed to fart!  And for some, this trip to the doctor or ER isn't cheap.  An expensive fart!

Knowing about these "just needed to pass gas" in the ER stories has always had me think twice before freaking out about any unusual stomach pain.  This week I've been experiencing some really crazy cramps along with feeling unusually sore, tired, and grumpy.  On Monday I had cramping so bad that I was in tears.  Nothing helped and the pain felt similar to labor.  By Tuesday I was feeling a little bit better but then by Wednesday my lower back ached like crazy.  Wednesday night came and halfway into book club I could tell that the pain in my back was getting worse.  I was just chalking it all up to a really bad case of PMS.  Although I've never been one to have cramps, I just figured that this must be a sign of getting older.  By 2 a.m I knew that the pain was not normal but I still didn't want to drive myself to the ER just to be told that I needed to rip a big one or go home and take a midol.

So glad I went in!  Turns out to be a kidney infection.  I had some gas too and I did let a few rip while I was waiting for the doctor.  But in all seriousness, I was really glad to get some pain relief!  Looks like God was  serious about making sure I listened to the "Be Still" message from my last post.  My husband had joked that he wasn't so sure that I would be able to actually listen to myself and take it easy for a few days.  A kidney infection is definitely a good way to slow me down.  A forced break.  And a much needed one.  Although my body is hurting a little and working extra hard fighting off this thing, it is probably glad that I'm not out there trying to climb any mountains, swim across a lake, ride my bike to the next town, or do a speed workout on the track just to keep up with my fitness.  Nope.  Instead I sat outside in the backyard, enjoyed a summer evening dinner with my family, and talked with my husband about life!  It was wonderful!  It was the "Being Still" that I needed.

Shout OUTs
On a non-farting note, I wanted to say a few words or post a few pictures for those of you who are competing this weekend!  There are several of you.  Some of you have running events or relays.  Some have cycling races and triathlons.  I'm not even going to try to write down everyone specifically right now but you know who you are! The positive messages below are for you too!

I did want to take a moment to give a special Shout Out to Jenn and Ana Maria!  Jenn and Ana Maria are two people that have come into my life through this blog world and even though I have not met them, I consider them a friend.  I've learned so much from them and am inspired by them daily! I hope to meet them both in Boston in 2012!

Good luck to Jenn as she runs her third marathon this Saturday!  Good Luck to Ana Maria in her first Half Ironman!  I expect both of them to finish strong and surprise us all!  Amazing and gifted women here!  In so many many ways that go beyond their identity as an athlete!  I'll be cheering for you from Oregon!  And just because I didn't included enough exclamation marks: !!!!!!

My daughter helped me with the heart here.  And the coloring. 

Amanda