Pregnancy Stats: Week 22

Since this is my journal, this post is more for posterity than for anything else.  I haven’t done a great job of cataloging all the “firsts” in this pregnancy, and everyone says I should, so I’ve decided to do intermintent pregnancy status updates so I can remember all these precious little details of my nine months alone with Blake Louis.

Bear with me.

Weeks: Almost 23 weeks

Weight Gain: I’m going to be brave and just put it out there.  I’m up 16 pounds, with exercise five days a week and healthy eating.  I’ve been holding steady at a 16 pound weight gain for two weeks, so hopefully I’m leveling out for a bit.  For a while there, I could just look at a carton of ice cream and gain five pounds.  Really not fair, considering I didn’t even get to eat it.  

Cravings:  I’ve been loving cereal, nonfat cottage cheese (I think I make Adam stop for a new carton at least once or twice a week) and grapes (red or green, as long as they’re plump!)  I’m also really enjoying fruit smoothies (although I’m not convinced that’s pregnancy-related…I always crave those this time of the year!) and milk.

Clothes:  I wear a size XS/S in maternity and have been wearing maternity pants since like week 10.  I popped out early, and the baby bump is definitely there.  I have a few maternity shirts, but mainly just wearing my normal tops. 

Movement: TONS!  I started feeling Blake move at about 16 weeks, and now at 22, it’s pretty much a constant thing.  There are still days where he moves more than others,  but I haven’t had a single day pass where I haven’t felt some serious karate kicks from this little guy.  I’m also feeling him just rolling around in there, rather than just when he kicks.  It’s the coolest feeling to put my hands on my belly and feel him squirm around.  You can also see him moving from the outside!  I've also noticed that Blake seems to be a thinker, like his daddy.  He'll be rolling around and doing somersaults inside my belly, but the moment I call Adam over or he hears one of us talk, he freezes.  It's like he's listening intently to the sound of our voices.  Once we're done talking, he starts moving around again.  I've taken to some nonverbal eyebrow wiggles and facial contortions to let Adam know when to come over and feel him. 

Doctors Appointments:  We have our next ultrasound on Monday the 25th.  In addition to seeing our little guy on the big screen, we’ll also be checking to make sure my placenta has moved away from the cervix opening.  Prayers, please!

Symptoms:  I still haven’t had any nausea or morning sickness, although my doctor tells me I’m at the point in my pregnancy where that returns for some women. I have been having trouble sleeping comfortably.  I toss and turn all night long—I’m constantly moving from one side to the other as my back/hips/boobs (sorry, it’s true) all start to ache.  I’ve also been awaken a few time by Mr. Blake himself, as his kicks get stronger.  I keep telling him that nighttime is for sleeping and I’d like him to work on getting that routine down before he makes his grand appearance in August.  Overall he seems pretty agreeable, so we’ll see how that goes. 

Basically, this pregnancy has been a breeze.  Such a God thing.  It’s hard to believe we’re only a few short weeks away from the THIRD trimester!  Pretty soon we’ll be in single digits as we count down the weeks until Blake makes his grand entrance.  We can’t wait!  I honestly can’t even describe how in love we are.  It’s incredible.  I can’t imagine what it will be like to actually hold him in my arms and kiss his sweet little face.  I’m not a happy crier by nature, but in this case…I’m pretty sure I won’t be able to stop the tears of joy from falling. 

We Love You Because...

A few days ago, I fell in love with something I found on pinterest.  And then I traced it back to this blog, where I fell in love with it even more.

Anddd I had to have it. 

 Image from eighteen25

I considered buying the print, but then I realized it would be super easy to make.  And also super cheap.

So last night, Adam and I headed out to Michaels with a 40% off coupon (well, two actually...I always bring Adam in case I want to be able to use both coupons, therefore needing to make two separate purchases.  I know, sneaky).  I wanted a simple white frame like in the picture, but I also wanted it to be cheap.  I was over the moon excited when we scored a perfect white frame on clearance for $9.99.  And I didn't even need to use my coupon!

Then, this afternoon I stopped by Craft Warehouse and picked up a sheet of black craft paper (.50 cents) and two sheets of clear vellum paper (.50 cents each....I only needed one, but hey, a backup is always good).  I also picked up a black mat on clearance for $2.50.

Armed with my supplies, I sat down and created a very simple template in Word.  I changed the wording of the original print, because I wanted ours to read "we love you because..." rather than "i love you because".  I also changed the color of the font from white to a light green to better match Blake's nursery color scheme.  After printing several test copies and satisfying myself that it was how I wanted it/it would fit in the frame correctly, I printed it on the vellum paper and set to work putting it together.

This is what I came up with:

 
Different from the original, yes...but we love it.  And it was so simple to create. 

I immediately wrote my first message:

So true.  

The dry erase board marker wipes right off the glass.  It's amazing, and I love how interactive it will be for baby Blake.  I have visions of making these for each of our babies and hanging them in some sort of art display in a hallway, so our loves will know each and every single day a different reason that mommy and daddy are head over heals in love with them.  I just love it.  For Blake, Adam and I want him to know each and every moment of his life how much he is loved and treasured and adored, and I hope that someday this will be a special memory for him.  It already is for us.

We decided to hang the finished piece on the wall right next to Blake's door.  I wanted it to be somewhere we could easily reach it to change the message (...which you can see daddy Adam already did!) and this was the perfect place.  

I'm so happy with how this turned out, and when all was said and done, we spent less than $15.  I'm already planning out all the things I'll someday write on that message board....what sweet anticipation! 

 

You've Asked....

.....and we're delivering a very small sneak peak into Blake's nursery.

We are having so much fun creating this room for our little boy.  We're already more in love than I could ever put into words.

But before I show you that, let me show you the latest picture of our little man:

SO handsome, and quite advanced, as you'll notice he is giving you the #1 sign!

And now, here's our sneak peak:

Hard to tell from the sneak peak picture, but the wall color is Rainwashed by Sherwin Williams.  And no, that swing did not come with the house.

What's in a Name?

As you’ve probably noticed, Adam and I changed up our original choice for a boy name (Elijah James) and replaced it with something new.  I don’t really have a good reason why—Adam had kind of soured on the idea of Elijah and we both knew we wanted a name that we were absolutely sold on.  Duh.  This little guy is going to be stuck with this name his whole life through, and being given the chance to name someone is a pretty huge responsibility—not to mention an honor that we don’t take lightly. 

And so after much discussion we finally settled on the name of Blake.  There was no real rhyme or reason to it.  I was driving to work one day and the name popped into my head.  I instantly loved it, and once I got to my office I texted Adam and told him I was in love with a boy name and he wasn’t allowed to nix it right away without giving it some thought.  This immediate absolutely-not response had become his knee jerk reaction in the past few weeks, and I was pretty much positive that if he hated the name I’d be crushed.

Well, he didn’t hate it.  He actually really liked it. 

So then I did the next big thing when choosing a baby name: I googled it for meaning.  At first, I wasn’t impressed.  Blake is a Scottish name that literally refers to light/blonde hair.  It means “pale”.  Uh, lovely.  But I wasn’t to be dismayed, so I kept digging.  Most names have multiple meanings when you look hard enough, and sure enough, so did this one.  Finally, I stumbled across Blake’s Anglo-Saxon meaning, which (thankfully) is much more appropriate for our baby boy.  Blake means "Attractive, Forgiven: Redeemed: Forgiven through Grace"

What a perfect name for our little miracle baby.  Forgiven.  Redeemed.  A reminder of God’s grace. 

Ah, much better.

Satisfied that we had found the name, we started discussing middle names.  Louis was at the top of our list, because it is the middle name carried by my dad. 

My dad has been my number-one fan my entire life.  He’s been a best friend, a protector, and a role model for me my whole life through.  He’s encouraged me to reach for my dreams, to believe in myself, and—most of all—to never forget how loved I am.  We share such a special bond as father and daughter, and we are incredibly close.  I have precious memories of his whispered I love you little girl and his strong arms that were always there to hold me.  When Adam and I were married, he adopted my husband right into the family—immediately considering him a son and loving him in that same huge way.   His excitement to be a grandpa melts my heart, and I hope that Blake’s middle name will forever remind him of what a special relationship it is that exists between a daddy and his child.  I have been unequivocally blessed by the man I get the honor of calling my daddy, and that’s something that Blake and I will have in common.     

Louis is also the Americanized version of my Great-Grandpa’s name, Luigi.  We love that Blake will carry a little bit of both sides of the family with him as he grows.  His last name is wholly Adam, and his middle name is wholly my (Italian) heritage. 

Interestingly enough, Louis also means “warrior”….so if you put two and two together, we’re basically naming our son Pale Warrior Breitenstein.  Catchy, huh?

In any case, we love our little boy, and we think his name is perfect. 

 We can’t wait to meet you, Blake Louis!!!

Little Sisters and Big Brothers

Some of you may know that I am the youngest in a family of two—my brother being 18 months older than me. 

Being a big brother is a big job, and when we were younger, we definitely had our moments.  I played the role of little sister really well, i.e. I loved to get him in trouble.  Just turning on the waterworks and running for mom did wonders when he wouldn’t give me the toy I wanted.  I also loved to drive him up the wall in argument when I would scream at him: talking to a wall, talking to a wall, talking to a wall!  I still haven’t lived that one down.  In the car, he would get his revenge by slugging me in the left arm (he sat on the left side of the van and me on the right) and I had what I fondly refer to now as a perma-bruise.  Probably well-deserved. 

But the truth is I drove him nuts because little sister loved to be around big brother.  I wanted to do everything he was doing.  I remember wanting to play Star Trek with him and his best friend, and while they reluctantly agreed, they gave me the role of Doctor Crusher because she always stayed on the ship—never going on “away missions” with the crew.  Basically, this meant sitting on the bunk bed while the two boys were off on their imaginary missions.  Pretty clever, really. 

I also remember going on bike rides near our house.  My mom always told my brother that he had to stay with me, because I was his little sister and needed to be looked after.  I loved to gloat about that one, and while he’d always agree at mom’s insistence, once we were around the corner he’d speed off and only come back for me when he was ready to head home.  I’m pretty sure I told on him. 

Sounds like a pretty normal sibling relationship, yeah? 

Just wait.

My favorite memories are of playing on the backyard swings with my brother, taking the dog for a walk, laughing as we wrestled with dad on the floor in front of the TV, and making memories as only a brother and sister can.

And the older we got, the better it got. I started to appreciate my big brother even more.  I looked up to him more than anyone else, and the example he set for me was always good.  Whether it was in school, or at home, or with friends, there was never a time when I couldn’t look to my big brother for an example of the person I wanted to be.  He was my hero. 

I remember how Tony always knew what he believed in, and he was always willing to stand by it.  I saw that in him and it made me want to know what I believed in too.  I remember going to my brother and asking him questions about God, about politics, and about how to integrate our faith in the society we lived in.  His answers always impressed me and made me think. He knew the Bible and would point to passages that related to what we were talking about.  He inspired me to know more, to be more, and to grow in my faith. 

I remember one time in high school—I was a freshman and he was a junior---and it was one the first days of school. We were standing in a group of his friends and some other upperclassman.  Someone asked Tony who his best friend was, and without hesitating, he put an arm around my neck and said my sister is.  I’ll never forget that moment.  My heart soared with pride. 

I think it was high school that was the turning point for Tony and I.  Our relationship morphed into a deep friendship and appreciation for one another.  He became my best friend.  We’d have brother-sister nights at the movies, we’d talking about everything (even things we didn’t want mom and dad to know….solidarity!), he rescued me (and laughed at me) when I got my car stuck in the snow on more than one occasion, we were roommates in college one year, and when I interned at the US Embassy in London my junior year of college, he visited me and we went to Italy together.  Those were some precious memories 

We’ve seen each other through all the curve balls life has thrown our way, and he’s been a sounding board and listening ear every single time I’ve needed one.  I love him more than I could ever say.  I look up to him for the person he’s always been, for the person he is now, and for the person I see him becoming.  I am so proud to call him my brother, and feel incredibly blessed that God saw fit to give me the precious gift of a big brother. 

So why am I telling you all of this? 

Because, as Adam and I began to talk about starting a family, we talked a lot about how we wanted our little girl to have the special gift of a big brother.   Adam is a big brother, too, and he understands the importance of that role.  I know what an incredible gift I was given in mine, and I’ve always wanted my little girl to have that built-in protector, that partner in crime, and that best friend she’ll know her whole life through.  I’ve always wanted her to have a big-brother hero, just like I do. 

While Adam and I would have been overjoyed with whatever God had planned for our family, we always hoped that we’d welcome a little boy first, because we both know how important big brothers are, what an important job they play, and what a precious, precious gift they represent.

And so, it is with incredible joy that we share with you the results from Friday’s ultrasound:

It’s a boy.

It's a......

......BABY!

We're stoked.  The ultrasound went so well, and I was in awe of the tiny human doing somersaults on screen.  This little one was kicking and rolling and even flashed us the number 1 sign in one of the pictures!  That's our kid.  We're pretty smitten.

I'm sorry I can't reveal the gender just yet.  Rest assured that we know and that we are SO excited to share.  However, I have to ask you to wait just one more day.  Adam and I are planning a small "gender reveal" party tomorrow for our two families, and it just wouldn't be fair to tell anyone else until we've told all the aunts, uncles, grandparents and great-grandparents!

I did want to post this little update because the ultrasound revealed a possible complication for mommy.  Right now, my placenta is sitting less than a centimeter away from my cervix, meaning that I am at risk for a condition known as placenta previa.  Nothing is for sure yet, but the risk is there and so we are asking you to pray.  Most cases detected this early correct themselves as the uterus grows and contracts and the placenta moves away from the cervix opening.  We're not worried, but we are taking it before the Almighty Lord and asking that he intervene to protect this baby and pregnancy right up until the end.  We are confident that His plan is perfect!

Thank you for praying, and we can't wait to share the news of Baby B!

Fastforward

Well, I guess it's official.  I've been one bad blogger.  Has a whole month really gone by??

Let me give a brief recap of life since I last wrote:

• In early February, we celebrated a very special Valentine's Day.  We had been planning to spend the weekend prior at the coast, but at the last minute our plans changed and we ended up sticking around town.  We had a romantic dinner a local Italian restaurant and just keep it really low key, enjoying this season of just the two of us time.  It was pretty special, since that season is rapidly coming to a close. 

• About two weeks ago, we had our fifteen week checkup with our doctor, who reported that we have a healthy, happy, mobile baby who was doing back flips and somersaults as she tried to get the heart rate reading on the doppler. 

• Just about a week and a half ago, that mobile baby made its presence known to mom and dad, with what I can best describe as little bubbles popping inside my tummy.  It's an amazing feeling to know that those little bubbles mean a human baby is dancing and kicking inside my belly.  As time goes on, I'm also finding that I can interact more and more with this little human inside of me; today, I played it music and enjoyed the little bubble-responses I was getting.   I can also get a reaction when I gently rub my hands over my growing belly.  Adam especially loves this--even though he can't feel the baby kick yet, he loves to rub my belly and watch my face to see if his voice and/or touch elicited any sort of reaction.  I love this too because it does.   

• After our last OB appointment, we scheduled our 20 week ultrasound for March 30th.  Yes, this is the day that we will find out if we're having a baby girl or a baby boy...and we're less than two weeks away!!  It's also the day that we'll be learning a whole lot about this baby's development so far--the doctors will be taking all sorts of measurements and looking for all the progress benchmarks that indicate a healthy baby and a healthy pregnancy.  Please join us in praying God's continued protection over our precious little one.  We are already so very much in love with this life God has blessed us with. 

• The last month has also brought some anxiety over jobs for next year.  I'm a teacher in a school district that is basically bankrupt.  Right now, the district is projecting layoffs of anywhere from 250-400 teachers for next year, and depending on where the line is drawn, I may or may not have a job in the upcoming year.  In the beginning we were very fearful, especially with the added responsibility of a baby, but quickly came to the conclusion that, again, this road is ours to walk in faith.  God's timing in this journey has been impeccable--He has orchestrated all the details of our lives to perfectly align to His perfect plan, and we are confidant that He will do it again. We expect to know more about the job situation in April, and are resting in the absolute assurance we have in the Father and praising God for His continued faithfulness in our lives.  

• Toby and Emma "graduated" from obedience classes in mid-March, and I put that in quotations because we didn't actually attend the graduation ceremony.  I had a school event that I was running that night, and Adam chose not to take Emma and Toby as a single dad.  Had we attended graduation, I feel confidant that (my trainee) Toby would have passed with flying colors!  Emma (Adam's trainee)....well, not so much.  Poor girl is just too much of a social butterfly!  During off leash healing practice, she was much more interested in greeting the other dogs and owners than sticking anywhere near Adam's side.   It was quite the comedic relief for the rest of us, if I do say so myself.  Our trainer told my parents at graduation (their dog was in the class, too) that she'd "love to get her hands on Emma for some private lessons".  Oh boy.  I bet she would.

My last piece of big news (well, at least for me) is that spring break has officially arrived!!  I feel like singing the Hallelujah Chorus and doing a little booty shake to celebrate that it's finally here.  My big plans for the break include some serious relaxation, the purchase of a baby crib, and helping Adam paint the nursery (okay, who am I kidding...no way he'll actually let me paint). In fact, today we went shopping for cribs and found one we really like!  We're letting it marinate before we go back and pull the trigger, so to speak. 

To polish this post off, here's a sneak peak of some of the things we'll be working on in the baby room over the break:

Our wall color: "Rainwashed" by Sherwin Williams.  I am in love with it.

The nursery will change very subtly depending on what we find out on the 30th.  This is my basic color palette. 

And this is the crib we like.   

Love, actually.