Holy Heck - How Did We Get to Here Already?

My friends we are at 29 weeks and 5 days. I am so amazed at how fast these last nine weeks have gone by. The midwives office told me I'm now to the point where I come in every two weeks. Crazy! I supposed being super busy certainly helps with that. I keep kicking myself for lack of writing and comenting - thanks for never making me feel more guilty than I already put on myself.

First, thank you to everyone who was concerned about my headaches. The really bad knock-you-down headaches have pretty much disappeared. I went about nine days straight with headaches that ty.lenol couldn't touch but since then they have been much more manageable and the extra-stregnth pills seemed to have done the trick. Very happy about that.

I decided to keep the baby's real name on the DL in blogland, but I wanted to have some sort of name that I could use here that made me smile. I decided on Max. For one - I think it fits nicely with Marvy. And two - there's a bit of a spanish connection. In spanish, the equivilent of saying something was "awesome" was to say it was "lo maximo". These things never work out in literal translations do they? For us to say something is "the maximum" with enthusiasm and people might think we're crazy. Well imagine if in spanish we were to say something is "grande" when we are trying to describe how amazing something is exclusive of size. Then we're the crazy ones! But, this blessed experience that I have wished for for so long is finally happening and I can't think of a better way to describe it then to say that it is, "Lo Maximo".

So, Max has been kicking up a storm. I remember kind of whining to Marvy when I was at 16 weeks because I couldn't definitively feel the baby move like some of my other friends who were ahead of me and shared their experience. Of course now that is funny because the movement is just all over the place now. Marvy says that they are my "gifts" - something that only I am able to experience first hand. Sure, he has felt his fair share of kicks now but it's not the same.

We are halfway through our Bra.dley Classes for childbirth. I love them. They are the highlight of my week. Our instructor also happens to be expecting and she is due about 10 days after me. We also stumbled into a private class when the other two couples ended up canceling last minute. I have always wanted a natural childbirth experience but as I was first contemplating this in my first trimester I was afraid that maybe I didn't have "the stuff" to really pull it off. Luckily, my first decision I made (even before finding an OBGYN) was on our doula. She helped me find a midwife practice that labored out of a hospital. I was then able to read and research more on the subject and my confidence grew. And the classes have further solidified why not only is this the right choice for me - but that I wasn't increasing risk by giving up the highly medicalized and interventionist approach. I am no longer intimidated about the process.

Part of me wanted to take back some of the "natural" process that I lost through ART. There is something definitively not natural by concieving when your husband is doing nothing but holding your hand and a nurse is inserting a catheter through your cervix. The intimacy aspect of creating a child which so many people are able to do so easily is simply torn out of your grasp. To make up for this loss I think I wanted to try to recapture this intimacy via natural childbirth. I have many a friend who think I have lost my marbles, but I am so happy that this is our approach.

I think the Bra.dley Method is a very good one. I love the fact that it's a 12 week course. Many people scoff at this but I view it as a way to stop for two hours out of the week and prepare yourselves for a major event. Many compare it to preparing for a marathon. It's not something that you can decide at the last minute that you can just put some tennis shoes on and take off. In order for you to be successful, you have to prepare appropriately. I have been very pleased with their diet and nutritional information. And simply their philosophy overall.

I will say however that there are a few drawbacks to the Bra.dley course. First, the majority of the material they have their instructors use is way outdated. Some of the videos are from the 60's and 70's. The outdated material sometimes makes their arguments for their cause invalid. For example, the book I'm reading spends a whole chapter on why their method is better than Lam.aze because of their strict breathing approach. But, Lam.aze abandoned this idea a long time ago.

There are many things with them that are totally non-negotiable and I think it's silly. For example, when you go to the Bra.dley website they have a place that you can click on to find an instructor. And may of them have their own mini profile page for you to learn a little bit more about them and when their class schedules are. My instructor's profile included that she used to be a 7th grade math teacher. They pulled her webpage down and have since refused to put it back. Why? Because they thought her saying that she was a school teacher was irrelevant to her being a Bra.dley instructor. I actually thought this was a great thing. It showed me that she had the patience to teach! They have also threatened to pull her certification because she made mention on her own professional website that she was a DONA certified Doula. They made her pick one. She could either be a Bra.dley instructor or DONA Doula on her own website (not related to Bra.dley). She can't even mention that she's a doula period! Ridiculous.

Anyway, I have learned a ton and I am thankful for the new friendship I have been able to make with the instructor. I know it may sound crazy, but I am actually really looking forward to my labor experience. I welcome the challenge.

We have put in new hardwood floors (well - laminate) and got rid of all carpet in our downstairs. I think it looks great. Oh, that reminds me I need to post on that specifically - Marvy did something pretty special that I think you guys will enjoy.

We have painted the nursery. The paint inspiration comes from my bedding selection. Which ended up being totally different the post from a while back. I'll show you guys what I mean as soon as it's done. I'm just working on the finishing touches on the paint job.

Okay, well I suppose that will just have to do for an update for now. Again so sorry for such absence. Can I make up for it with a photo or two?

This is from Thanksgiving weekend which was about 27 weeks. This was taken in South Texas. For those of you from up North, Yes- those are palm trees. :o)

Here we are at 29 weeks.

I hope everyone is doing very well!

Take care & much love to you all,

Liv