Pregnancy Update

As of tomorrow (March 29), I'm 18 weeks along--almost halfway!  I heard the heartbeat last week and scheduled our ultrasound appointment, which will be Friday, April 8.  Lord willing, the mystery of whether the next one is a boy or girl will soon be solved!  I'm thankful we were able to get the appointment for a time before Ted leaves for training, so he'll get to be along.  Charis also plans to go.  The boys are more interested in playing with whoever is able to come watch the little ones during that time!

I finally got some maternity clothes--I had loaned mine to a friend from church over a year and a half ago, and she gave them back to me a couple of weeks ago along with a bunch of other clothes she had gotten from friends.  This is a good thing...I have not had a summer baby yet, and most of my clothes were geared for winter-ish weather.  Laura's baby was born last June, so I have a good number of short-sleeved shirts, shorts, and capris.  And they are all way cute. :-)

So one day I put on a maternity shirt instead of a baggy sweatshirt.  When I came out of my room, Charis looked at my belly and exclaimed, "Your baby is growing!"  I absolutely loved her comment!  What a great thing to tell a pregnant woman!  It definitely beats, "Wow, you're getting big!" or "Boy, you've really popped!" or even "You're huge!"  (And yes, I've heard all of those at some point or another during the last decade!)  I'm going to remember Charis's wording next time one of my friends is pregnant...it celebrates the growth of the baby rather than drawing attention to the mom's belly!  I know people don't intend for their comments to make the mom feel like a whale, but let's face it...we usually DO feel large and cumbersome and oversensitive!

And along those lines, let me just say that being pregnant at 36 is WAY harder than being pregnant at 25.  I don't consider myself "old" or "out of shape" by any means, but I definitely feel older and more out of shape!  My body is going awry much more quickly than it did in past pregnancies.  For example, I was dismayed to see my legs and ankles swelling as early as 16 weeks.  Sigh.  This does not bode well for the summer to come.  And what the heck is up with those weird-looking veins on my thighs?!  No one tells you about these things when you get married, LOL.  I'm extra thankful for my chiropractor and our new Tempur-Pedic bed, both of which are a first experience for me during a pregnancy.  I'm sure I will be blessing them both well into this pregnancy and beyond!

Other than that, there is nothing really to report.  I feel baby movements frequently nowadays, particularly in the mornings when I have my hot tea during my quiet time.  We'll be sure to let everyone know when we find out the gender.  In the meantime, thanks for your thoughts and prayers!