Pregnancy - Not My Cup of Tea

I have to be honest and say that no, pregnancy has not been a beautiful thing for me.  No, I do not think that having a human growing inside of you is super magical and all pixie dust and faries.  That is just my truth for this experience.

I felt as though I've been mislead through life thinking that pregnancy was supposed to be this great and wonderful thing.  Nobody ever spoke of being super sick, swelling, limited range of motion, unable to control your gas (yes I said it), hardly able to eat, horrid heart burn, and the dignity that you'll lose through the entire process.  Nobody discusses the potential depression you'll experience or the let down over finding out your child is not the sex you wanted him or her to be.  I feel like once any of these things happen to you you feel ashamed to let anyone know how you are truly feeling.  You feel guilty for feeling some sort of way about the life growing inside of you.  How are you supposed to share these feelings with a world that says this is supposed to be the greatest 40 weeks of your life?  Your husband is able to see a clear change in you and yet explaining it to him is easier said than done.

This all happened to me.  I began speaking with my friends who thankfully had some, not all, of the same feelings that I was having during pregnancy.  This made me feel so much better.  I then hopped on the internet and began to google all the feelings I was having.  THANK GOODNESS I was not alone.  The light bulb came on and I was happy to feel normal. Not like some horrible soon to be mom.  Reading these blogs and forums helped me to deal with my feelings, how to talk through them and what to do to help myself get over it. Mostly some of these things would just take time.  I easily recognized the depression that was setting in day by day and tried to keep a grip on myself since I noticed it.  It was hard becuase for my first about 20 weeks I had no energy, couldn't do anything for myself and didn't even have enough energy to complete simple projects.  I wasn't myself anymore.  My focus was off, I was in a cloud, remembering things like I had before was impossible and remembering I'd created a list was even worse.  My husband looked at me like, how is this possible? I just couln't function like my normal self anymore.  It was depressing because I'm such an independent person and now had to rely on my husband to do everything for me.  I remember breaking down because he had to wash my laundry.  Let me not forget the fact that I was doing great in the gym and I couldn't even go anymore. My energy level was so poor I was scared to do anything alone, not even grocery shop. I remember almost passing out during check out.  After that I didn't go anywhere without my husband.  The everyday burdens of life were soley on his shoulders.  I'm grateful that he was up for the task and has taken great care of me, our home and even the cat all this time. 

At 39.5 weeks my major issue is being super impatient in getting this kid out.  This body snatcher that has taken over my life all this time.  This thing that is in constant motion inside of me, the one that rings the bell when he's hungry or sends it back when it doesn't agree with him. Oh how much fun this has been. My body is growing tired and weak as the days pass.  It's amazing how much energy and strength women muster up in order to push their baby out in to the world.  I will be honest, the ultrasounds have been amazing, being able to see how much he has grown and just what he looks like.  But none of that will compare to meeting this little one in person.  Soon baby Gabriel, soon.

Baby Room

I can't leave out the baby's room!

If I haven't said it yet, my babys' name is Gabriel Ethan.  I don't like lots of blue blue blue stuff at all.  I went with a desert grey (it has a tan undertone) and a teal/aquaish color.  I think the room is pretty neutral.  The furniture is white.  Here are a few pics of the room.  It's almost done, I'm just missing a few shelves with baskets for the wall, the custom made monogram to go on the wall where the crib is, night stand, and the platform for the bed. I swear it costs a small fortune to get ready for such a little person.  

Oh second baby shower.  My second baby shower was with my family in Baltimore, MD and I was so grateful to get so many much needed things for the baby!   I got much needed things at the other shower too, but this shower finished off the list!  I send a HUGE thank you to all of my family and friends that have helped me get ready to welcome this little guy in to the world. 

My wall unit came from IKEA, that includes the two tall cabinets with drawers, a nightstand, and changing table.  We also got the carpet and overhead lighting from IKEA as well.  The mirrored serving tray and lamp came from Target, at different times.  The crib is from Babies R Us and the crib bedding is from Carousel Designs (www.babybedding.com) out of Georgia.  Oh yea the curtains!  The material was on back order and they are finally being made by the company. The bedding and accent pillows came from Target as well. Mirror and owl hooks came from IKEA too.  The remaining shelving and bed platform will come from IKEA. What can I say, I love that place!