Oh, how my arms long to hold him.
Bennett thinks he is ready too. But honestly, I am the most worried about him and the transition to no longer being the "baby". Over the long weekend while Kyle was home, he did a lot of snuggling and sleeping with me. He would wake up early calling for me. Kyle would go get him and lay him down where he would immediately snuggle his head close to my neck, tuck his toes between my knees, wrap his arms around me and fall back into a deep sleep. I would usually fall back asleep too, but there were several moments I just lay there, listening to his breathing, feeling the warmth of it. And I wondered how this was all going to work. How would our bed and my body be able to accommodate two sweet boys who both need their mama?
I suppose we will figure it out as we go. Just as most mama's do.
And oh, how I better start preparing my mind for the long nights ahead. We don't seem to have the best of luck when it comes to sleepers. We produce only the "party all night" kind of babies.
But sweet one, I wouldn't complain if you chose to prove us wrong.
So here we wait, we wait for the arrival of another precious baby boy. We wait for the day, the time, that God has planned to call his birth day. And this mama is getting so so excited!
How far along: 34 weeks and 4 days.
Weight gain: No clue. I will find out this Friday. As usual, I just try to feed my body and don't bother with the scale until my scheduled OB visits.
Best Moment this week: Being with family for Christmas, feeling this little guy duke it out in my belly, and literally laughing at the waves he was making my belly do.
Sleep: I was just thinking how I have slept the most this pregnancy than I have my entire life! Such a blessing. However, I have had quite a few nights where I wake up with this incredible itching right about my bump (so not related to possible stretching skin) I literally feel like I have bugs crawling all over just that one single strip of skin. When it wakes me up, it is almost impossible to fall back asleep. Also, I seem to hit that point in this pregnancy where even when I get a good nights rest i am WIPED OUT by 11 or 12. My eyes start burning and my lids get extremely heavy. Yesterday, I finally gave in and took a nap while the boy's napped. Haven't done that since the first trimester. I was worried it might mess with the ability to fall asleep last night, but around 6pm the same eye burning and heavy lids hit me.....I think it's just the way it's going to be from here on out.
Food Cravings: Oh my goodness, smoothies, tea and french pressed coffee! My latest smoothie obsession is sooooooo good, and so good for the guy I have a brewin'. In fact, it is so good....I would feel bad not sharing it with you. Please don't be freaked out by the dates, you don't even taste them, and they are crazy good for you.
Coconut, Date Protein Smoothie:
1/3 C. Low fat Coconut milk from the can (I used Trader Joe's because it doesn't have any additives in it) You can also do a full cup, but I found it to be too sweet(and too high in carbs) and I actually preferred the taste of breaking it up with the almond milk
2/3 C. Unsweetened almond milk
2-3 dates (mine are the sweetened medjool dates, because that is all I could find) These help add sweetness and more nutrition to the smoothie.
1/2 frozen banana (you could certainly use a whole one, just depends on how sweet you want you smoothie to be)
1 Tbls salted, unsweetened almond butter
chia seeds or flax meal ( I usually just dump some in)
a couple ice cubes ( I like my smoothies thick and cold)
a couple handfuls of greens (make sure you are rotating what greens you use, with this one I used some baby chard and have had it with spinach....you can't even taste it!)
Instructions:
Add the liquid first and then toss everything else in, blend on high until everything is incorporated and smooth. (if it is too thick, feel free to add more milk or water) Makes one smoothie, but I find that it is so filling that I can only drink half in the morning and the other half for lunch. It keeps me full much longer than any other smoothie I have made. I hope you like it!
*****
Ok, other cravings. Breakfast foods. I have been dying for some french toast, but have resisted the urge to make it. My mom made some amazing cinnamon rolls Christmas morning, I had one (I wanted 20) but ate just the one, and maybe snuck a bite or two out of the middle of the pan (that is always the best part!) If you follow me on Pinterest you have probably seen all of the oatmeal and granola bars that I have been pinning. I love to have on the go snacks, and have been craving all kind of things like that. This is what we just made this morning, and I usually like to make them for new mom's because they are perfect for when you are nursing (or pregnant) and need some nourishment.
Morning Maple Cranberry Bars from Skinny Taste (Link Here) Feel free to sub in what you like, I have used peanut butter for the almond (and you can even add about 1/2 C instead of the full 1 C), I added in dried apricots, subbed almonds or cashews for the pecans, etc. They are sooo good, and I can't wait for them to finish firming up so I can have one.
I also had a strong craving for poppy seed dressing, and found a recipe that is pretty perfect! I have been making salads with it all week. Which have also sounded really good...which has probably helped balance out my cinnamon roll from Christmas! I can't tell you how many time I have told Kyle how good a blizzard sounds, but then i always pep talk myself out of it.
Oh, POMEGRANATES. I have been popping those little seeds and they satisfy so well. Cole actually tried them for the first time and shares my love of them...I was pretty surprised. I even found one lonely seed that had jumped ship into my shirt and was hanging out next to my belly button. You kind of don't notice those things when your belly is like a torpedo.
Aversions: Ham. I have been trying to use up some ham from Christmas, and found myself gagging as I was chopping it up the other day.
Labor signs: Those darn Braxton Hicks, still at large. I actually had some really painful ones that included back labor pain while sitting in church. I'm sure the young college girl sitting next to me thought I was either crazy or she was going to be delivering my baby! I literally had to grab hold of Kyle's arm and lean into him through a couple of them. I think it's just the stage we are at, I have an over active uterus anyways, so just getting closer and closer I think they will just get stronger and more frequent.
Movement: So much movement! He likes to play a lot more than either of his brothers did while in the womb. I can get him riled up pretty easy just by poking and squeezing him. He gets mad when he gets hiccups, which is a lot. And he still likes to kick out on the right side.
How are you feeling: Heartburn, heartburn, heartburn. I've also still been experiencing nausea at random times. Sometimes it comes on strong and sometimes it just kind of lingers there. My left ankle has started swelling just a leeeetle bit, but my wedding rings are still on! I I actually had a crazy dream last night that both my legs swelled up like 20x's their normal size, and 3 of my teeth fell out after brushing them...hmmm?) I don't feel that my bump looks a whole lot bigger, but it just feels heavier and like I'm having to heave and ho it to and fro. Like I said earlier, I am getting exhausted so much quicker now, and bending over to pick things up...yeah, Cole as been my little helper in that department. Still, when all is said and done....I have no complaints.
My thoughts: This.Is. Happening! After a really good morning with both boys, they actually played for several hours together without the typical squealing, yelling, and hitting. Then we played a few games together, and topped it off with a round of "Super Cole and Super Bennett" and I actually started thinking, we can do this. We will be able to raise 3 boys. I think I have had a really hard time with the self doubt lately, especially because my patience has been non existent, and I often fear that my boys will grow up thinking they have a grumpy mom and not a happy one. That makes my heart so sad, and sometimes I just pray that their little minds won't remember some of the moments we have weathered together. But after mornings like today, I get a bit rejuvenated. I see how life can actually look if I just breathe, pray, and calm my self down. I know it's going to be hard, and a transition, and probably no sleep for the next 3+ years. But you know what? It's going to be blissful, tearful, beautiful, and full of so much amazing love. Because truly, love takes on a whole new meaning when God gives you a human life that is formed from your being.
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