Pregnancy Diaries - Part II

16 Weeks

Before I forget, this was the week I had a water dream. Sound weird? It was the best! I was with all my best girl friends and we were at the beach with clear blue water. I dove right in and just swam and I don't know if I can describe how good it felt. It was just so refreshing and I was loving life. Of course I thought it was real life, I really felt like I was in actual water! We ate at a nearby Mexican place, but I would not stop swimming. My mom had said it was time to go and I wasn't leaving!

I learned why dreams are so distinct and easy to remember when you're pregnant. They seem more freaky than normal too! So if you're having one of those, 'woah that was a crazy dream' dream then this is why.. It's because when pregnant, waking up to go to the bathroom, the need to change to a comfortable postition, or even because you're sweating is all so frequent in the night. It's disrupting your REM sleep (where most dreaming occurs) thus when you wake up in the middle of the night, the dream is still more fresh in your mind than normal. Hormonal changes can also be the cause of troubled sleeping. I don't have trouble sleeping except occassionally when I take a bathroom break and then sometimes can't find a comfortable position to sleep in.

Click here for some tips on sleeping better during pregnancy.

Birthing stories... If I watch a woman give birth to her baby on TV, doesn't matter which show it is, I cry. Every. Single. Time.

17-18 Weeks

I've had some intense cramping. Menstrual cramps are very rare for me so I these hit me pretty hard. I couldn't help to worry because bad cramps can be a sign of miscarrying. It really depends. I asked a fellow pregger friend from church and she told me cramps are totally normal! Her words, "Pretty much everything you're feeling right now, only gets worse ha ha." Ohh great! I had a hard time sitting through church with these. She then at least told me something super cool! She told me to keep a look out for dreams in the water! It's common for expectant mothers to have dreams that involve water. The reason for that is thought to be because your body's water increases when pregnant, hence the swollen legs and feet.

If I ever have any close friends or anyone come to me in the future for pregnancy advice, I will not be negative! I know we go through some hard things, but at this time I really need to focus on the positive. I also need to take it one day at a time. Bringing a baby to this world is such a special and important thing to do in this world in my opinion. I'm sure many would agree. Honestly, I forgot that so often until my amazing husband reminded me by reading from the, "Eternal Marriage - Student Manual" which is published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. These passages are under the "Birth Control" section of the manual:

The Family: A Proclamation to the World - 
"We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children."

President Joseph F. Smith -
'"Motherhood lies at the foundation of happiness in the home, and of prosperity in the nation."'

**(I loved this quote because I often worried that people would judge me for already expecting a child)
President Spencer W. Kimball - 
'". . .You came to get yourself a mortal body that could become perfected, immortalized, and you understood that you were to act in partnership with God in providing bodies for other spirits. . . .And so you will not postpone parenthood. There will be rationalists who will name to you numerous reasons for postponement. Of course, it will be harder to get your college degrees or your financial start with a family, but strength like yours will be undaunted in face of difficult obstacles. Have your family as the Lord intended. Of course it is expensive, but you will find a way, and besides, it is often those children who grow up with responsibility and hardships who carry on the world's work.'"

These words were so comforting to me because I wasn't worried about having a baby at all, but I was really worrying myself about how I was going to get school done. I have my A.S. Degree which is nice so I don't have to worry about doing generals, but I still have a couple more semesters to go before I graduate with my Bachelor's and I know with the baby, it's going to take me longer to finish. After doing some reading and praying though, I've felt so calm about it. I'm really grateful for online classes which is what I'll be doing in January since I plan on only breastfeedig this baby boy. I can't wait to hold him in my arms and kiss his cheeks. Everything is going to work out. 

One hard thing about being pregnant: missing out. It's fun to watch Zach have a good time though and riding in the boat is still amazing. I definitely have to jump in the water frequently to cool off! Swimming has been one of my favorite things for as long as I can remember, but I appreciate it more now.


22 Weeks and it finally popped!

Everyone I see has been telling me, "Ohhh you don't even look pregnant." At first, it worried me. I wondered if something was maybe wrong with me. Is my baby going to come out looking like a dwarf? I honestly didn't worry about it that much, but when people are always telling you the same thing you start to wonder.

One of my baby apps even says to not worry if people tell you if you are too big or too small because EVERYONE grows at a different pace. There's moms who are teeny tiny and are farther along than me. And especially when you're expecting your first child, it's going to take a while longer to show than your future pregnancies, but everyone is still different.

Pretty 4th of July fireworks made a perfect summer night. Baby Harding didn't kick to the loud pops, but he sure kicked to the yummy raspberyy ice cream we had at our aunt's house afterwards.

24-27 Weeks

Kick! Kick! Kick! This baby kicks and does flips in there! He occasioanly shakes my whole stomach. It's amazing to look down and watch him have fun in there. It's my favorite.

My awesome and talented friend, Tori did my baby boy (bowtie) inspired nails! I was able to able to show them off at my baby shower in California with my close friends and family! I'll get to more details about my shower a little later...

My nesting instincts kicked in long ago, sometime before we found out this baby's gender! But now that I finally know he's a boy, I can do more! It's been so much fun making these and getting his nursery together. I've been planning a couple things I'm going to make for his room and I just can't wait!

Newport Beach did me good! There's nothing more relaxing than just laying out on the beach and feeling the sun on your skin and listening to the waves crash. I dipped my legs in the water, but I was just not motivated enough to completely dive in. Maybe I will be when I go back with Zach this weekend. My baby brother took this, he's the only one I trust taking pictures of me ha ha. I missed my family a ton though so it was so fun to be with them.

Not the best picture of us, but I love it because my mom and I are making the same exact face! We always are laughing together. Man, I miss her a lot.

These were all the lovely ladies who were a part of putting my (early) shower together! They were so sweet to plan and decorate everything for when I came down to California because we weren't sure if I'd be back down again before the babe came! They planned some fun games and the shower was beautiful. Yummy food I must add. 

Each table looked like this.

My sweet 92 year old grandma from Mexico, she's the only grandparent I've ever known!

The two main hosts. Thank you Gummy for letting us come to your gorgeous home and Leslie for all the time you put in! They did so much for this perfect day.

Finally! The last trimester! This baby is so close and within my reach!

During week 26 I started feeling really weak and tired again (similar to 1st trimester). I find myself having to lay on my left side in order for me to feel normal again. I'm drinking lots of water throughout the day which is really important when pregnant, my doctor says no less that 65 oz of liquid a day.  I'm hot all the time, but thank goodness for the AC. Seems like this last trimester is really kicking in, but I'm making it! I'm so grateful for my health and that I am still capable of doing much. 

10 Things That Might Surprise About Being Pregnant!

I really like the above link! I've experienced a lot from this list and I'm sure many other of you expecting mothers can relate. There's definitely some perks to pregnancy. I know one perk I've really loved is hair growth. My hair has grown the most it has in years! It's finally to my goal length, but I sure won't mind it if it keeps growing! Being pregnant is hard, but it's so special too. I try my best to look at the fun things of pregnancy, but I'm sure excited for when Baby Harding gets here!

XOXO