27 Weeks

Good evening to you all!  We are coming off of a few weeks of colds, long work days, and snuggling every chance we got to keep warm.  I'm hoping that tomorrow is the beginning of one of the more "normal" weeks we've had in a while.  But for this lazy Sunday evening, M is sleeping next to me while dinner finishes up in the crock pot.  

Today marks week 27 of the pregnancy.... um, when did it start going so fast?  The holidays will be here and then our BABY will be here.  He's been moving so much lately, and on days that he doesn't, I miss him!  I think the third trimester exhaustion is starting to set in (although I can't find a consensus of when the third trimester actually starts) in that I may or may not have dozed off for about 45 seconds in church this morning.  I forgot what that all-consuming exhaustion felt like at the beginning of the pregnancy.  I remember when Michael and I were in Seattle when I was about 7 weeks along and sometimes I'd sleep in the car while he got coffee or did other things because I just couldn't. stay. awake.  I'd usually then wake up in a panic and want lemonade. 

Anyways, here is an overload of bump pictures from today.  

-K&M

Cultural Parenting

Before I was pregnant, I read and LOVED the book "Bringing Up Bebe".  It provided such keen observations about American and French cultural values, both in parenting and beyond.

I recently found an American blogger who hosted a series called Motherhood Around the World. It consisted of American mothers living in other countries sharing their observations about what is different in parenting in their current cultures opposed to the states.  Since graduating from college, I've begun to process what my place is in our family and in this world, and I've done a lot of thinking on cultural norms of wives and mothers as it pertains to career and education.  I found it especially interesting to see how other cultures value the woman's role in and/or out of the home.  It did seem though that from conservative to liberal cultures (as far as women's roles go), live in nannies are common in much of the world.  As I think about being home alone with our bebe while Michael works 11 hour days, I think I could really get used to the idea of another woman to be around to share the load, and even to have the company.  I love this section from the post on parenting in China (the link to the full article is listed below).

"Here, a nanny is called an “ayi,” which means “auntie” in Chinese, which I think is really sweet, because everyone feels like they're part of the family. She tells my girls that she loves them. I was coming from somewhere where I didn't have any help at all, so I thought, oh my gosh, I have some free time! It is a very normal thing here, and I can see why. My eyes have been opened, so to say! Moms just aren't meant to go at it alone. For some reason in the U.S., we have this huge expectation to be perfect and to accomplish that perfection all by ourselves. All those silly e-cards about stressed out moms who are drinking wine appear extra silly to me since moving to China, those moms just don't exist here. There's much more of a sense of a team effort around raising children."

A few of the other articles talked about strangers stepping in to help calm a child when he or she is throwing a tantrum in public.  I would probably find this invasive at first, but how great would it be to have this "team" mentality in a stressful situation, instead of receiving judgmental looks from others passing by?

Below are my favorite posts from the series:

Mexico

Abu Dhabi

India

China

Germany
Norway

Much love,

-K&M

23 Weeks // Portland

Today closes out week 23 of the pregnancy.  Holy cow, it is starting to fly!  I'm getting more and more excited each day.  He's been dancing around quite a lot in there, and I'm glad that he's enjoying the space while he still has it.

On the way to Portland last weekend we pulled over to take a few pictures - parts of the drive down to Portland are absolutely stunning.  

The main reason we went to Portland was for Michael to attend a coffee conference (because those exist) and a concert.  I spent most of the time exploring the city with our friends and dear hosts.  We also managed to visit one of the best baby stores and did some drooling over strollers.

Kiley and Justin, everybody.  Aren't the the cutest?

And thanks, Kiley, for the pictures. :)

-K&M

22 Weeks // Gender Reveal

So, we found out the gender of our bebe.  We didn't know that we were going to have the ultrasound until the day of, so it happened fast and nobody really knew when we found out.  It was kind of nice to have time to process learning this new fact about our little one.  Not only are we having a baby, but we are having a son.

Growing up I always wanted to have a boy first.  But then during this pregnancy, it just felt like it was a girl.  And everyone else felt like it was a girl!  Obviously none of us can know this but everyone seemed to agree.  :)  I envisioned a little girl full of giggles wearing bright colors.  As she grew I would encourage and challenge her to be a thinker, a learner, and be a voice in the culture around her. 

When we found out we were having a boy, we were a bit shocked.  Since then, in thinking about having and raising a son, I feel extremely honored. And humbled. This tiny body inside of me will grow up to be a man.  What?  And that's where my thoughts have been lately... moving from the excitement over general baby cuteness to realizing the sobering responsibility of raising a human being - a son, a boy, a man.  I feel so small. 

To close out, here's a picture of baby (boy!) papaya. :)

-K&M

20 & 21 Weeks // CdA Babymoon & Blueberry Picking

Yeah, things have been a little behind lately.  But Bebe is faithfully growing whether we are documenting or not!

Here we were at 20 weeks.

Last weekend we stayed the night in CdA, ID. While it's only a 30 minute drive away, the time to mentally unplug and not be working through a list of to-dos was really great. We found some new thrift stores and visited a new coffee shop, so the weekend had a different feel than our typical day trips.

Probably my favorite part of the trip was Sunday morning. We got up for kind of an early breakfast (more like I dragged Michael out of bed because momma was hungry) then we went back to bed for a few hours. When we woke up again late morning we drove to the beach to spend some time reading. There's just something about being by the water that is so therapeutic.

It was kind of hard to be excited about Monday after that weekend, but I think that even now we're both still enjoying the lingering effects of intentional time together.

This past weekend was spent at the apartment doing lots of reorganizing and cleaning.  The nesting bug has bitten me hard, I've been feeling the urge to clean and prepare almost since the beginning.  I'm just trying to act on those impulses now before I'm the size of a whale! :)

Anyways, we did take Sunday afternoon to journey up to Greenbluff,  this wonderful community of farms just north of Spokane.  You pick your own produce - it's fresh, delicious, and CHEAP!  I'm ready to move north just so that I can do my shopping there every week.

Bebe at 21 weeks.

  

Michael's lucky day - we found a grilled cheese food truck that served gluten free options!  I can't remember what all was on this sandwich but it included bacon, pulled pork, apples, and of course lots of cheese... 

-K&M

19 Weeks

Hey there bebe mango!  

This week has been a mentally and emotionally exhausting one.  I’ve been constantly on the phone with various insurance people and care providers trying to make it all align.  While the 30 minute holds are inconvenient, I think that this insurance battle is wearing on me at a deeper level, because insurance lives in the world of worse case scenarios.  That’s why you get insurance for anything, right?  I want to be aware of possible worse case scenarios, and I’m so glad that insurance and other entities exist to aid in worst case scenarios.  But while I always want to be aware of what could happen, weighing all of the various insurance options in light of the worst possible outcomes of the birth has made my brain camp out there. 

In the midst of these calls this past week, we also had the opportunity to interview 3 doulas.  It ended up being a really encouraging experience – doulas are not worst case scenario people.  They will journey with you there if it happens, but they don’t assume the worst until it happens.  The 3 women were great, they all boasted different strengths so I feel that we have a very well rounded pool to choose from.  I just couldn’t believe how much I needed someone to look me in the eye and say “I love the birth process, it’s beautiful, let me journey with you.” When did I become so emotionally needy?!? Thanks for that one, hormones.

In the midst of everything, I am truly grateful for that husband of mine.  Not only has he planned a little weekend getaway for us, but he texted me at work so that I would be able to "mentally prepare" for the change of plans. :) He knows and loves me so well!

-K&M

18 Weeks // Learning to Trust

That Michael Glaze, he is just the best.  I snagged this picture of him taking a well deserved nap on Wednesday after spending the wee hours of the morning with me in the ER.  Around midnight I woke up with a really intense pain in my shoulder, and in my foggy mid-sleep mind I thought that I had pulled a muscle while swimming that morning.  Within the next 3 hours the pain moved to my chest and all the way down to my elbow.  I had to sit up in the living room because it was so painful while laying down, and hard to breathe.  Around 3am I called the nurse hotline on our insurance and answered their list of questions.  I was strongly advised by the nurse to seek emergency care (she was so calm while asking me the questions then went into sergeant mode with her directions - I was impressed).  I woke Michael up at 3am and off we went to the Emergency Room.  After running an EKG and monitoring me it was confirmed that my heart was healthy, and we got to hear the baby's heart rate too.  It was Michael's first time hearing it.  I can't stop grinning like a fool while they chase the little one's heart beat around and then let us listen.  So, so amazing.  Anyways, they diagnosed it as costochondritis, which apparently you can just get while you're pregnant, and sent us on our way at 6am.  Michael then ran us to the store for some Tylenol, dropped me off at home, and made it to work by 6:30.  See what I mean by amazing!  He was then able to get off at noon to come be with me and catch up on some sleep.  While I'm still slightly in pain throughout the day, it has GREATLY improved since Wednesday.  

In light of this little scare which could have been much more serious than it turned out to be, I have been reflecting on the pregnancy as a whole and the journey it's been so far.  A lot of things have changed regarding our "plan" from the very beginning.  It's all things that are very much out of our hands and cause us to have to lean into the Lord in recognition that he is the one who ultimately controls everything - our health care, our insurance, our income, my health, the baby's health, etc.  Seeing him provide and even bring peace while we wait almost makes me feel like I'm getting to know Him more through this all.  I've always known that he is both all powerful and loving, but for the first time I'm really experiencing it and depending on it.  So far in the pregnancy I've admittedly been terrified of giving birth, AND I'm terrified of the fact that I'm terrified, because I know that fear can hinder the birthing process.  Ahh!  But it's almost like God has been showing me through smaller circumstances and trials that He is present, involved, and able to provide a way.  This doesn't guarantee that the birth will go exactly how I would like it to go, but I can feel my nerves easing just remembering that I won't be going through it alone, and that not only has God equipped my body to do this, but He is bigger than my body's abilities and I can depend on Him in those moments when I'm weakest.

Michael and I started attending Sunday school for the first time in years today, and the teacher went over the book of Habakkuk, who desperately had to rely on the Lord.  There were two quotes that really stood out to me, especially in light of our current journey. 

• "Our circumstances change, but God's care for us does not."  This was a really good reminder that even when things are going really well or according to our plan, that cannot be the source of our happiness.  But knowing that God is consistent when nothing else is guaranteed is all that we can trust in the good and the bad. 
• "Nothing changed in Habakkuk's circumstances, but he changed."  God is about changing us, and He will not fail to do so.  Even when circumstances are uncomfortable, we can know that it's for a purpose.  

Thank you to those who have been praying for us, especially since Wednesday.  God has been faithful in healing me and in changing me, which is the real miracle. 

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Aaaaaaand here we are at week 18.  I can't believe we're already almost halfway through!  This link will tell you more of what he or she is up to this week.  I can't believe it's moving around so much.  When the technician at the hospital went to find it's heartbeat, she did for a split second and then it moved!  It made me kind of proud, just knowing that he or she could do that. :)

Love, K&M