Just the Rantings and Ramblings of a Pregnant Woman...

~ Ok, so I think I'm just about done with this whole growing a baby in my belly business. I'm starting to feel pretty dang heavy, I've gained my 25 pounds, I'm having a hard time getting comfortable sleeping and I pee like every 5 minutes. So much so that I kind of feel guilty about the amount of water I'm using/wasting every time I flush the toilet! It's also taking my body almost an entire day to recover after my runs, now, which is really annoying. The good news? I can still wear my rings (I know that's kind of lame, but it's always been my indicator of how well I've kept my weight gain in check), the weather has started to change (Whoohoo!!! It's now in the 80's with a nice breeze), and I've only got about 30 days to go! Which depending on how I'm feeling either sounds super close or really, really far away! :) Either way, 30 days is 30 days...unless he decides he's comfortable in there and takes me past my due date, which, given my luck, I wouldn't be surprised if that happens. So, crossing my fingers that lil' D is an October baby...

~ I've also been slightly annoyed with some decisions I've had to make concerning this lil' guy. C-section or VBAC? Breastfeeding, formula, or both? First, the delivery: Since I had a C-section with Christian, I've got a choice as to what kind of delivery I'd like to have with baby #2. And there's so much that's involved in the two different options and tons of risks either way, but the bottom line is that my doctor said that if I want a large family (3 or more) then it's worth the VBAC attempt. I guess, so that I can guarantee those 4 kids that I want. There's always the possibility, depending on how I heal, that I may not be able to have 4 C-sections, so... in a way, I feel obligated to go the VBAC route, which is really annoying to me for some reason. I guess I just don't like feeling like I have to make a certain choice, because then it's not really a choice, you see... So, anyway, I have made the decision to go for the VBAC and we'll hope that my recovery is just as easy as my C-section one was. I mean, it was seriously awesome. 20 minutes and lil' man C was here, and two hours later I was up and walking around with no pain meds or anything. Seriously easy peasy. Plus, we'll be hoping that my scar/uterus doesn't rip during labor... Now on to the second decision, which has to do with breastfeeding and formula and all that. I know that I want to breastfeed, but I don't want to only breastfeed. And there are a lot of different reasons for that; Christian, work, excruciating problems I've had with blocked ducts, etc, etc. And I've really spent a lot of time thinking about this whole issue and figuring out what's best for our family. Anyway, during the process, I've talked to a lot of different moms about breastfeeding and formula and while most have been awesome about it, there are quite a few out there (and I think this is what really has me annoyed) who really get fired up about the whole thing, putting some moms down for not doing it this way and yada, yada, yada. I realized, as I was doing my research, that this is the hottest, craziest debate out there when it comes to moms and their babies; which I think is just crazy! Seriously people, get over it. If you decide you want to breastfeed your baby until he's 2, great! If you decide you want to formula feed from the very beginning, great! Honestly, I really feel that every mom should do what's best for herself and the baby. And by the way, you're not a better mom simply for choosing to breastfeed, nor are you a worse mom for choosing formula. And that's all I have to say about that.

~ Now on to lil' man C. While he is the most adorable thing I have ever seen in my life and as much as I love him, sometimes he can really drive me insane! :) If I am not giving him 100% of my undivided attention 100% of the time we're together, he throws a fit. And I mean, a serious fit. Screaming, yelling, throwing himself down on the floor...(I thought that wasn't supposed to happen until they were two!?) And these tantrums really make doing other important things pretty difficult, like, say, going to the bathroom, for instance. I mean, it's really pretty crazy. What the heck am I going to do when lil' man D arrives? Oh, and Christian definitely has his daddy's temper; espeicially when he can't figure something out or get something to work the way he wants it to. And I'm curious to know if any of your kids have weird ways of showing that temper. Christian has just recently started hitting his head against things: the couch, the floor, the kitchen cabinet. Is that normal? And when he comes crying to me because his head hurts, I'm kind of like... "It's your own fault, kid." So, anyway, it'll be interesting to see how things go when my attention will have to be divided...

~ Now on to the cute stuff: Because as much as he does drive me crazy, I also can't get enough of him. And because I don't think I ever recorded his first words. :) So, his vocabulary right now consists of the following: "mama" (with an accent on the second ma; it's what we call the bottle), "hi, jay" for Hi, Jake, "gigger" for Tigger, "ma" for mas, "no", "ook" for book, "a-cee-a" for gracias, and a couple of others I can't remember right now. Safe to say that he doesn't ever finish his words. :) And he still doesn't say mommy or daddy; which kind of makes me sad. Anyway, he also "moos" when he sees a picture of a cow, roars when he sees a lion and "ooh, ooh, ah, ahs" when he sees a monkey. It's the cutest freakin' thing I've ever heard, especially the monkey. He knows where his ears, his nose, his mouth, eyes, and belly are and points to objects of interest with his middle finger. He enjoys watching Oprah with me so that he can clap along with the audience and tries to fake burp after he's heard daddy do it (and mommy too *sheepish grin*). It's all just so awesome to see him learning and trying new things...
You know, it's kind of crazy how such a little person can make my heart feel like it's bursting with love and affection one minute and then make me want to bang my head against the wall the next! :) I guess that's just what motherhood is...

~ Teaching is now so much more enjoyable. We've moved away from most of the mechanics and into the actual writing and I've developed a really good relationship with lots of the students, which I'm grateful for. I mean, that's what I love the most - working with the students and I wasn't sure I would have that since this is college. And I do find myself smiling in the middle of my lessons now; I really, really love teaching. A few expressed worry about my absence for a week or two when I have the baby and when I inquired why, they said it was because they were worried that the sub wouldn't be nearly as good as I was....That really touched me.

~ Speaking of school, and this is totally random, I'm anxiously awaiting the documentary "Waiting for Superman", due out in October. It's basically about the broken education system we have in our country and what needs to be done to fix it. Just a couple of facts: over 1 million students each year drop out of high school and the number is growing. And even scarier, this next generation will be less literate than we are. And beyond school, as stated on "Biggest Loser" last night, this next generation will also have a shorter life expectancy than we do. Is that not crazy? Basically our kids will die younger and be less literate. It seems so wrong that that would be the case here in America...

~ Finances have been tough. I mean, we knew when Wally decided to go to dental school, we'd struggle, but man, it's been tough. We couldn't even pay our GRU bill last month because of other unexpected expenses, so we have to pay double this month. Yikes! Oh, please, please, please, let me find a full-time job soon!!! Maybe I can just bump up my 8 year timeline and be a professional photographer right now! Oh, wait, that only happens when I'm sleeping...in my dreams... :)
On the other hand, I have to say that I'm so proud of Wally. He has been such a trooper working and going to school. He's studying hard and is doing so, so well. I mean, I knew he would, but it's still a blessing to see a man so dedicated to his work and his family. And we still have total trust that Heavenly Father will get us through this. But I do think we need to buckle down on prayers and scripture study. It just gets hard when Wally doesn't get home until 10 and then studies until 2 or 3. Not to mention, my exhaustion being at the end of this pregnancy and playing with Christian all day. Still, it's no excuse... :)

~ I've given up a few of my shows: Gossip Girl, America's Next Top Model, and even Dancing With The Stars. For some reason, I'm not feeling any of the contestants this season. But I have started watching season 1 of Bones since it's on Netflix and I must say that I'm really enjoying it.

~ Lacy and Natasha are throwing me a baby shower this Friday and I'm so, so, excited!!!

~ Oh, and I'm currently obsessed with the song "Magic" by Bob, specifically the second verse where he runs his words together and I have no clue what he's saying. :)

Ok, that's all. If you read all this, I'm shocked!

The end.