March and April Showers Bring May Babies

 

So here we are: the home stretch. 39 weeks.  However, it all still seems surreal.  When Sam and I are eating dinner, we always have the conversation about how pretty soon we are going to look over and have a third person in our house, assuming we get to eat dinner.  Basic tasks this month have become more difficult.  I had to give up cleaning the shower due to the belly (darn!).  I also had to move a stool into the kitchen for when I am cooking.  The weight really has started to take a toll as evidenced by the fact that when I step on a board or sit in a chair it creaks exponentially louder than it used to.  I have also had a little swelling in my ankles, feet, and a little in my face (my lips sometimes look like I have had botox injections upon waking), which all just started this week.  There was also a period of about a week and a half where I had a pinched nerve in my right shoulder blade.  That was probably the most uncomfortable I have been.  Icing it seemed to do the trick temporarily, though.  It eventually worked its way out, and it now only happens intermittently.  All in all, though, I can say that I don't feel miserable, and that being pregnant isn't as bad as I expected.  I have actually enjoyed it, and I am going to miss it.  Henry is still in the head down position, and his head is very low says the doc.  This past Tuesday, I went to my weekly doctor appointment and was told that I have dilated 1.5 cm and am 70% effaced.  The welcoming may not happen today, but my body is definitely moving in the right direction!  He is now fully cooked and could make his debut any time! 

Belly Check!  It has really popped out there this month!

37 weeks

38 weeks

39 weeks

Shower 1: We have had some busy times March through April.  In early March, with snotty noses and all, we traveled to Raleigh to spend time with friends and have our first official celebration for baby Summers.  We got to check out Yellow Dog Bread Company, a bakery owned by our friends Matt and Tanya, which opened back in the late summer.  Very Impressive!  We stayed with our gracious hosts Chris and Oksana and ate delicious food.

Sam holding Addy- showered with real babies!

Shower 2: In March, we also had a baby shower thrown by my friend Christian with assistance from my mom.  It was really nice.  There was yummy food, good company  (my brother, Mark, and his fiance, Sarah, made a surprise appearance from Washington, DC), fun games (guess how big my belly is...everyone always overshoots), and we were blessed with many gifts.










Shower 3: Some of the gals I go to school with at WCU threw a shower at school, too.  It was very nice as well.

Opening the quilt Sam's Mom made for Henry

Shower 4:  We also had a shower thrown by friends of Sam's parents in Haywood County.  It was lovely, and we again were blessed with so much.

We have been awestruck by the generosity and thoughtfulness of everyone, and we are comforted to know that Henry will not only be loved by his parents and family, but by a community of people as well.

 

And Sam got me a Kindle for being his baby momma!  He is so thoughtful!  I love him!

So what to do with all of this loot? We have been busy putting the last organizational touches on Henry's room.  I can now say that after a final run to Babies R Us yesterday, we are ready.  Through this process, I was shocked to learn that baby clothes have just as many tags and fasteners as the toys do.  If you have ever been a victim of opening even a Barbie doll for a kid, you know what I am talking about.  I think I clipped tags off of clothes for over an hour before finally getting them in the washing machine.  I was, however, really excited to try a new homemade washing powder that I had made. All things now are in there rightful, for-the-time-being-places, as I am sure they won't be for very long once our new roommate arrives.  Below are pictures of the room.  The theme is woodland creatures with a focus on foxes.   Pictured are bookshelves made by Sam and painted by me, a mosaic and and owl pillow made by mwah, an afghan made by Sam's cousin, and a banner made by my mom. 

A banner made by my mom

March also brought March Madness.  Sam and I filled out brackets again this year.  While no one's bracket hit the nail on the head because of the crazy upsets, my bracket won again. However, neither one of us correctly predicted either team that ended up in the championship game.  Our bet this year was no matter who one, we were going to have a France night and make cronuts.  So, neither one of us lost on that one.  We made french onion soup, kale salad, and cronuts!  Cronuts, for those who do not know, are croissant donuts.  They are made out of puff pastries, baked, fried, glazed and sprinkled with cinnamon.  AMAZING!




A few weekends ago, we finished up our baby basics classes.  We learned about natural methods of pain management for labor and delivery, c-sections, and postpartum care. We also went on a hospital tour of the delivery room and mother-baby units, both of which were very nice.  When we were in the delivery room, we had a scary thing happen, however.  I began to feel weak, then light headed.  I told Sam I needed to sit down, and after that, I don't remember what happened.  He said that I said I was going to lay on the bed, began to shake, and then I fainted.  Luckily, he caught me, and the nurse giving the tour helped him get me into a chair and got me a cold washcloth.  I came to quickly, but it was still really scary. I felt a little funny afterwards, but much better after I had eaten something. At my next doctor's appointment I asked about it, and the doctor told me it was probably due to low blood pressure and standing on my feet in one spot for too long. That has happened two other times, both of which occurred when I was drying  my hair, so that makes since about it being linked to standing for too long. Since then, I have limited my standing and taken a seat when the opportunity presents itself.

Check out Sam practicing his swaddling technique!

On a sadder note, we had to say goodbye to out cat Wheezy this week. She was the sweetest cat  we could ask for and made the cutest bird noises. She has been battling a diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease or lymphoma for a year and a half.  At her healthiest, she weighed 11.5 lbs.  When we took her to the vet this week, she weighed 7 lbs.  Prednisone was no longer abating her symptoms, and she couldn't satiate herself and was always hungry.  The vet said if it was a disease she might have another year, but if it was cancer, she may only have another 1-2 months.  We are sure that we made the right decision, however hard it was.  Her quality of life was suffering.  We bought a peace plant today to memorialize her.  She is at peace now.  Consequently, we are also worried about Delilah.  We are sure that she will grieve the loss of her companion, and we are not sure how she will adjust to a new baby.  We have been trying to shower her with extra love.

In loving memory of Wheezy. 

May you leap through fields of catnip, having unlimited snuggles, and always have a fresh can of tuna to eat!

So, the week has been pretty rough.  Difficult decisions had to be made on top of the last week of classes.  I finished up the week with an exam, a presentation, a take home final, and finishing up my clinic hours at the skilled nursing facility and completing my paperwork.  All of this on top of a few not so great nights of sleep, a sick kitty, and a doctor appointment.  Whew, so glad to have another semester behind me.  Now, to relax and await Henry.  

Thankfully, Sam and I have gotten to enjoy a cleaning-free weekend and relax a little.   Our parents teamed up and cleaned our house from top to bottom for us last week!  That was a big help and allowed us a little time to enjoy ourselves.  I got to read in the hammock today.  The weather has been really nice. We have really been savoring time with each other.  We know that it will be different when little one is here, a good different, and that this is a journey that we are embarking on together, which is exciting for us!  The next blog will be an introduction of Henry to the world!

A note from Baby Daddy:

While my wife's been growing a baby, I've been growing kale, peas, spinach, lettuce, carrots, and onions.  Killing four tomato plants my friend Andrew brought me.  Although I blame the crazy storms we had on those.  Trying to get all my chickens in a row so I don't have many projects going when Henry arrives.  And missing my sweet Wheezy.  I've been reading Romeo and Juliet with the kids at school lately, and I had the thought, that I've had before, that I really wouldn't want to be a teenager again.  But being a grown up can be pretty hard at times, too.  I'd say making the decision to say goodbye to Wheezy was one of the hardest I've ever had to make.  But I am thankful for the time we had with her.

In looking ahead to Henry, well, I'm really looking forward to him getting here.  I don't really think the past nine months have flown by.  I've really been trying to pay attention to each day, and frankly, time is going slow right now waiting on Henry.   

I've also been transferring some old VHS tapes to DVD that have some Summers Home Videos from 1989-1995 and some of my Dad's from 1951-81.  The one's from my Dad are old silent 8mm film that was projected, then recorded onto VHS.  They are pretty neat and have my Dad when he was younger, and my great-grandparents on them.  Seeing them was awesome.  It was like I got to meet them.  The videos of me are not so silent.  My debonair southern accent inundates listeners with my genteel southern charm.  Everybody knows that the word "there" has at least three syllables.  I'm pretty sure my wife is really swooning over not only how cute I was, but also, if these videos are any indication, how cute and awe-uh-some Henry will be.    

See what happens when you swallow a watermelon seed...

 Belly Check! 

29 weeks

32 weeks

33 weeks

 

 

35 weeks

 The third trimester began breezily.  No complaints.  However, now I am definitely feeling pregnant.  I can't bend over very gracefully and my wardrobe is very limited.  Henry has extended up under my ribs and weighs between 5 and 6 pounds about now.  Weighing that much, he can sure pack a punch now! No matter how comfortable, though, I still enjoy feeling him move.  It has been my favorite past time. His favorite spot is under my right rib cage.  I think this may be contributing to a pinched nerve I have had in my shoulder blade for the past week and a half.  The pain hasn't been agonizing, just annoying in that it restricts what I can do with my right arm.  At the last doctors appointment, we found out that Henry knows how to get out.  He is in the head down position.  Next week, I begin going to the doctor weekly until the due date.  Sam and I have been preparing the nursery.  It is looking super cute.  Pictures to come when it is finished. 

 We had a good snow back in February.  We got about 7 inches.  This provided us with a good excuse to stay home for a couple of days and spend time with one another...and to build a cool snowman...with a mustache!  Gus also enjoyed the snow, although it clumped into his fur like nobody's business.

The what-seemed-to-be weekly winter weather visit from  Mother Nature also allowed us to really get our puzzle on.   We worked five 1000 piece puzzles this winter.  However, now that the cold weather is on its way out, and the days are getting longer, we put the puzzles to rest  until next year.  Although, it is highly doubtful that we will have time to work puzzles so voraciously in the future. 

 
To celebrate Valentine's day, we decided to cook a meal together.  With our joint efforts, we made felafel, cauliflower tater tots, and collard greens.  We topped it off with a delicious chilled chocolate shortbread tart with a chocolate ganache glaze.  Yum!  I do have to say that in the last three or so weeks, however, I had to move a bar stool into the kitchen to assist in meal preparation.  My hips don't lie...they begin to hurt, so it helps with tasks like chopping and stirring. 

 I also had a birthday.  And like with any celebration involving us, food is a priority.  Sam made me some delicious banana chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast.  We then set out for a walk around Beaver Lake, and then went to get felafel from Gypsy Queen for lunch.  For dinner, we had a family meal of barbeque, sweet potatoes, corn pudding, and pie of course for dessert.  Rhubarb was nowhere to be found this year, so I settled for a mixed berry pie and a peach blueberry pie, compliments of Sam.  They were very yummy!

 Then, it was present time.  I got a Manduka yoga mat, some bakeware, maternity shirts, decorative coffee cups which will eventually spell "SUMMERS," a Hydroflask water bottle, and Sam got me a yoga core DVD.  I guess he is ready for me to get my belly back after Henry gets here, stat.

 

Other than watching the snow, feeling baby kicks, working puzzles, watching basketball, and eating food, we have just been trying to be present with every moment and not wish our lives away.  We are beyond excited for Henry to get here, but we are also trying to soak up every moment we have together before a big change comes our way, a change that we know will be a good one, but just different.  Time is flying by, and we can count time on my belly.  The next month will bring the final preparations, and hopefully rest which will be much needed to prepare for Henry's big debut.

 
A note from Sam:
As you can see, the chickens made it through the snow.  They have really been enjoying the warm weather and sunshine lately.  I have been fortunate to have two Spring Breaks this year.  One for the county, one for the community college.  My dad and I made a few chicken runs for the girls to get some fresh grass.  I made a picture frame out of old fence boards for a mosaic Kellie made.  Planted peas, onions, beets, kale, spinach, and lettuce.  Helped my dad pick up brush and chop down jack pines.  Assembled baby furniture.  Watched UNC do better than I expected in the tournament.  Made an ipod for Henry.  Enjoyed a few homemade Thin Mint milkshakes.  Taken up a few more chores around the house.  Made wine.  And just goofed around here and there.
 I suppose Henry will be here in about 4.5 weeks.  I'm very excited, of course.  It's been fascinating to see him grow and move and kick and punch.  I'm glad he's not kicking and punching me.  It truly is a fascinating deal that there is another human being inside that belly.  

Seconds, Anyone?

Our family of five on Christmas morning

 

I have to say that the second trimester has been pretty exceptional.  I have felt great, found out the gender of little squirt, felt baby move (A LOT!), and I have had what I like to refer to as "news anchor hair".  It has been full and shiny with little to no styling.  I have, however, begun to experience some pregnancy brain moments.  Exhibits A and B, both of which occurred in November:  got out toaster and plugged it in to blend chocolate milk, and when I finished using the blender, I carried the base to the bedroom instead of returning it to the pantry because I was now distracted by the fact that I needed a pair of socks.  Other moments of absent brain have ensued...but here I am not remembering at the moment (just another side effect of pregnancy brain along with the reduced ability to recall and use words correctly).  "They" say it is temporary.  When really trying, I can focus and get stuff done.  I managed to pull out yet again a 4.0 last semester, and over Christmas break, study for the Praxis examination which I took and passed on February 3rd.  This is a licensing exam which covers all the content of the Communication Sciences and Disorders program  in which I am enrolled.  I don't officially graduate until December, but I wanted to get this exam out of the way before baby comes because I'm sure having an actual baby will take more mental energy than pregnancy brain.

Here is an overview of the belly progression of trimester 2;  I am currently 28 weeks pregnant!

20 Weeks

16 weeks

22 weeks

25 weeks

26 weeks

27 weeks

In other 2nd trimester baby news, we had an ultrasound at week 19 and found out that we are having a little man.  When the ultrasound tech first began the ultrasound, she said "I'm just going to look around a for a second."  My heart started beating rapidly, and I confirmed that she meant the temporal second, not a second baby.  During the ultrasound, he wasn't very cooperative, especially when the tech was trying to get a shot of the face (he covered it with his hands), and of the "down there" area to get a peek at the gender (he crossed his feet and bent his knees).  He was also moving throughout the whole thing, and we discovered he is quiet the little yogi as he was sucking on his foot.  It was really amazing to see.  Lucky for us, the ultrasound tech was training a student, so the student got to look around after the tech got all the shots she needed, and we got to look at him and watch him even longer. 

Introducing Henry Walker Summers:

We unveiled the gender to our families first before sharing the news with the world (i.e. Facebook).  To be ambiguous and clever, we wrapped up an Almond Joy for our parents to open on Christmas Eve/Christmas.  We were banking on the slogan "Almond Joys have nuts and Mounds don't."   Most of our family had a hunch that it was a boy, but it still took them a minute to connect the candy bar to the gender.  We quickly clarified it with a very clear picture illustrating the part that make our little guy,well, a guy.  

This is Sam's mom when she finally put the pieces together:  

That is the major news.  To prepare for the arrival of our little guy, we set up a registry at Babies 'R Us.  Sam came from this experience very pale and in a stupor.  They just have way too much stuff.  I had done some research beforehand and had a pretty good idea of what I needed, so the overall experience wasn't as bad as it could have been.  We decided on a woodland theme for the nursery.  Our colors are going to be a lime/minty green, orange, brown, and aqua/navy blue.  We ordered the crib bedding and some pictures for the nursery off of Etsy.  Our main focus in on foxes.  Super cute!  We also took a partner prenatal yoga class which gave us some pointers on postures we can do to alleviate pain or discomfort before and during labor.  To even further our knowledge, we took the first of a 2 part weekend "Basics" class presented through Mission Hospital that unloaded information on us about such topics as safety, infant CPR, breastfeeding, and caring for baby.  We will be signing up for the second part for a weekend in April.

Christmas came and went quickly after Thanksgiving.  We did our usual.  We celebrated with my family on Christmas Eve.  However, we did make the trek down to Charlotte to celebrate at my brother Scott's house.    We also welcomed a new soon to member to the family, Sarah, who got to join us for a Plemmons style celebration.  Congratulations to them!  They got engaged over Thanksgiving.  On Christmas morning, we awoke and opened presents at our house and enjoyed our traditional breakfast:  homemade cinnamon rolls, strawberries (frozen from the garden), eggs (from our chickadees), and bacon (too bad we don't have a pig, but I guess it is good for the pig). After breakfast we open stockings.   It is always low key and relaxing.  This year our presents were pretty practical. We really soaked it up because we have a feeling that our Christmas mornings are not going to be the same! 

Henry got his dad a present for Christmas:  a onesie that matches a shirt that Sam has for an awesome photo opp. in the future!

Our annual from scratch gingerbread house!

For New Year's Eve, we did manage to stay awake until midnight, but we were in bed staring at the clock.  When the clock struck 12, the lights went out and our head hit the pillow.  We did have an enjoyable evening, though.  We cooked a meal together:  Cornish game hens stuffed with a raisin spiced rice, fried goat cheese over a bed of greens with oranges, and roasted sweet potatoes.  Yum Yum!  

Here is Sam getting his hands dirty stuffing the hens:

Sam also welcomed a birthday:  year 33 is in full swing for him.  He still looks so young and dashing, however.  We celebrated with our family on New Years Day.  He requested homemade hot fudge cake, which he got (and a lot of).  I think we were on a hot fudge cake diet for a week.  It sure was delicious, though!  Henry liked riding the sugar rushes.  

Henry also got his dad a birthday present:  The book - What to Expect the First Year. 

Sam also received his National Boards Certification in November!  He is the bomb dot com!  I am so proud of him and glad that he got to see all of his hard work come to fruition.  To celebrate, we went to Rocky's Chicken Shack with his parents, and I cooked him a celebratory dinner. 

Time has surely flown, as I am sure it will continue to do.  We are trying to be as intentional as possible and soak up any time we have together as well as enjoying the preparation for and movement of Henry, and my changing belly. So far, we have worked four jigsaw puzzles, so the weather has been very conducive to our spending time together!  My spring semester has kicked off.  I am only taking 9 hours as I only had 4 classes left plus clinical hours and a Master's project.  However, only two of the classes I need were offered this semester.  I will take one online this summer and one next fall.  My clinical placement is in a nursing home this semester.  It is going pretty well.  I took over the full caseload this past week.  The main areas I am treating in this setting are swallowing disorders and cognitive language deficits.    I started January 13th and already have over 60 hours!  My goal this semester is to get around 180 hours which will hopefully allow me to have lighter clinical placements in the summer and fall so that I can spend more time with Henry.  I am already a little mournful about having to leave him.  Although, I know this summer he will be in good hands with his daddy around! 

A note from the soon-to-be pops:

Well, I'm sitting here watching the snow fall down.  Knowing I won't have to go to school again tomorrow and can easily stay up to watch the UNC-duke game at 9:00.  Why is any of this remarkable you ask?  Because I'm in my NEW office.  Apparently, when you have a kid, the dad gets to put all of his cool stuff in storage.  I guess in hopes that one day I'll get to share all my cool stuff with my son.  But anyway, I've had to move....I mean gotten to move my desk in with Kellie's.  About five feet away.  More time with my wife!  I hope she doesn't get too tired of me watching "Alaska: The Last Frontier", "Bering Sea Gold", or "Mountain Men" or asking what she's doing every five minutes.  Speaking of which, Kellie likes to call the nursery theme "Woodland theme", but I prefer the theme "Davy Crockett theme."  I was actually trying, for a while, to trap a raccoon to make a coon skip cap for Henry, but no luck yet.  So everything is out of my office, and I feel a little displaced but excited as well.  I can't believe he will be here in 12 weeks.  I've been very aware of how quickly time passes.  The coolest thing about this trimester has been feeling him kick.  I mean he's like a charging bull in there.

The chickens (my other children) have had a hard winter.  They do not like zero degree temperatures and single digits.  I made the unfortunate mistake of letting them out of their coop when in was either single digits or 10 degrees one morning.  Their combs and waddles got a little frost bitten.  Then I made another unfortunate mistake of putting a little Neosporin on the frost bite.  Actually, I just put it on Serena, and just a little dot, because it looked like the Neosporin was wet, and I worried that might make it worse.  So I only put it on Serena, the one who lost a toe.  The next day, the dot where I put the Neosporin was white, which didn't look good to me.  I googled it, and apparently, Neosporin with pain reliever is TOXIC to chickens!  Yeah, the same stuff I put on poor Serena when her toe was cut off!  I felt horrible.  Who knew?!  Anyway, she survived the comb debacle too, with no permanent damage.  Just for future reference, if you are going to put Neosporin on a chicken, get the original kind, not the kind with pain reliever in it.  If this is any sign of things to come, I may be in for it as a dad.  This also begs the question, if Neosporin is toxic for chickens, is it that good for humans?

We are positive this year will be exciting for us and full of new experiences as our family grows!  We wish you and yours a happy 2014!

P.S.  Don't worry about the cats, they are still getting all the attention they demand for n(me)ow!

Try Me One

The first trimester...let's just say, was trying.  It started off, however, quiet well.  The week I found out I was pregnant, I weaned myself off of coffee with no headache.  I can't say the same for Sam.  He went through withdrawals.  I also ate very healthy (not that I don't normally, but I even more intentional and vigilant about it):  blueberries, avocados, salads, peanut butter. I was feeling good, but the following week, around week 6, the aversions set in shortly followed by all day nausea.  I didn't want anything to do with any of the healthy food that I had gorged on the previous week.  It was like my body associated my newly nauseous feeling with all the healthy stuff.  I ate bland: chicken, potatoes, broccoli.  It wasn't well balanced, but it was all I could stomach.  I also couldn't let my stomach get empty or there was this nagging feeling of sickness.  I lived on crackers, cheese, and yogurt for snacks.  I guess that is part of the reason prenatal vitamins are so important :)
Around week 11, I started to perk up and expand my food pallet again, reincorporating more color and flavor into my diet.  Like clockwork at week 12, the sickness resolved.  It definitely wasn't as bad as it could have been; I was able to keep stuff down, and only dry heaved twice:  once while brushing  my teeth and once while emptying the dishwasher (nobody likes emptying the dishwasher!).  I came through healthy and having only gained 4 pounds.

Baby Bump Tracker:

Week 5: 

Week 12:

I experienced other pregnancy symptoms like clockwork.  However, I wonder if it had anything to do with a placebo effect because we were religiously reading pregnancy week-by-week guides that tell you how big your baby is, what is developing, and what is happening to your body.  The most amazing thing that I learned and experienced is that your body begins producing 50% more blood; therefore, your heart begins to pump blood to the baby faster than blood is returned to you, which causes such awesome side effects as tiredness and shortness of breath.  I continued to run through my first trimester, and continue to do so, but I definitely felt the effects of this symptom on my jogging pace and stamina!  Sam had to start leaving me in the dust because my motto was slow and steady.  I  also continued going to my regular yoga classes, all part of my normal routine.  I think exercising really helped get me through some energy dips. Additionally, I experienced such pleasant symptoms as constipation and insomnia.  The sleepless nights were the worst!  Pregnancy hormones cause you to have to get up and go to the bathroom more, as well as stay awake more- at night.  Several nights a week, I would be up between the hours of 1 and 4 am tossing and turning, and sometimes studying or reading for school.  It was frustrating, but I tried to make it productive time. This, by far, took the biggest toll on me with class and clinic hours to complete.  Naps were my friend.

 

At week 7 we had our first ultrasound and were able to hear the baby's heartbeat.  Sam joined me for this appointment.  He was so excited when he arrived that he got out of his car and left it running.  He quickly realized, though, and turned it off.  This was also confirmation that I was really pregnant.  Up until this point, Sam thought I might have been faking it because I didn't throw up.  He thought I hadn't been sick enough.  But sure enough, there was a little peanut shaped thing with a heartbeat in my tummy!  For some reason, though, it still didn't feel real. 

At the end of the first trimester, we took a babymoon to Chattanooga!  We stayed in a cabin and indulged ourselves on s'mores each night.

 


When we first arrived in town, we were hungry and lookin'
for a raved about fried chicken place, Champy's.  The kind people at the visitor's center advised us to drive, but since we had just driven in a car for three hours, we were ready to stretch our legs and did not heed their advice.  Let's just say, that this restaurant was in the ethnic part of town on Martin Luther King Boulevard.  We walked by a liquor store and got harassed by a gentleman lingering outside with a forty in his jacket pocket.  When we didn't stop, he began to follow us.  With our hearts beating quickly, mine extra quickly due to the adrenaline and extra blood circulation, we put our heads down and continued to walk.  Luckily, our fried chicken destination was less than a block a way...and boy was if filled with cars...and surprisingly Caucasians.  That chicken sure was good.  We took the other side of the street back and experienced no problems.

While in Chattanooga, we did some store and art browsing downtown,






 saw the Chattanooga Choo Choo,

and Ruby Falls:

We went to the art museum, as well as went to the Haunted Market and indulged in an AMAZING piece of maple cake which we ate at the middle of our pedestrian bridge walk:


We brought 2 movies along:  The acclaimed Nine Months with Hugh Grant, and The Muppets movie. 

 It was a great get away and just what we needed to celebrate the end of the first trimester and the beginning of number two for the three of us!

Observations of a Soon-to-be-Dad:
The first trimester was really rough.  I didn't get much sleep.  I had to eat bland food, and for the first time, I was subjected to pre-made freezer meals from the grocery store.  "What is my life coming to?" I wondered.  I couldn't run as fast as I used to.  Oh, then there were the hormones.  Sometimes, I felt like crying.  Sometimes, I felt like yelling.  Sometimes, I felt like staying at work until 5:00 or later.  Of course, sometimes, I was joyous (usually when petting a chicken).  But for the most part I was skeptical.  I wasn't really sure there was an actual baby in the belly.  Huzzah!  There really is a baby in there!  Oh the overwhelming responsibility.  But honestly, it's a truly amazing process that is going on right now.  I'm really transforming.  Into what?  We shall see.  It really hasn't been as awful as I thought it would be.  And my wife?  Well, what a wonderful, beautiful, strong woman to go through all of this and put up with me! 

It's beginning to look a lot like....

...a belly...a baby....a baby belly.  No, I didn't swallow a whole turkey.  I'm also not prepping for a part-time job I took as Santa Claus.  My belly is growing, and inside, is a baby or what is has slowly begun to resemble a baby (I think its ears have moved up to the right places now, it has no tail, and its head is not the same size as/bigger than its body!).  This week, I am informed, it is the size of a navel orange- not a genetically modified huge one like I ate earlier this week, but a normal one.  After/If you become pregnant, you will never look at fruits and vegetables the same again!

Where to begin...let's document this journey!

Earlier this year, Sam and I decided it was getting about that time for us to expand the family.  We love cuddling with our cats and all, but they just don't look that cute in booties (they also don't enjoy wearing them).  One more trip across the ocean was in store before we embarked on our new adventure.  So, we scheduled a trip to Ireland for August, and I began charting my cycle in July.  For those of you familiar with it, I won't bore you with the details, and for those of you who don't know about it, I won't embarrass you with too much detail.  To say it simply, I started tracking my ovulation.  Coincidentally, my ovulation for August was delayed a week... until the day we returned from Ireland.  I guess the body really does have a difficult time adjusting to different time zones...  To skip ahead, and let you put two and two together, we found out we were pregnant on August 19th, the Monday before my fall classes started.  We were a little  awestruck as we had not anticipated it all to progress so quickly.  As I rushed to Sam in disbelief with the first test, I stubbed my toe on his shoe and bent my pinky toenail backwards.   It is to this day still bruised, but almost grown out.  I guess it was my way of pinching myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming.  I took two pregnancy tests, one right after another, because we were so dumbfounded and wanted confirmation.  They are a little faded, but both gave us the same results:  positively preggers!



There it was.  Sam went off to work, and I spent the day before classes started with my three nieces who were visiting.  Going to see The Smurfs 2 was just the reality escape I needed.  As my classes are only on Tuesday and Thursday, and my Wednesday/Friday clinic placement wasn't to begin yet, I had agreed to go to Dollywood with my brother and three nieces that Wednesday.  Dollywood + Pregnant seemed like a very bad idea.  I couldn't ride the rides, and I had never been one to be afraid of roller coasters, so what was my excuse going to be?  I texted my brother, who was conveniently staying with my parents/neighbors, to come over that morning.  I had no choice but to unload the news on him, and he looked like he wanted to go back to bed and pretend he hadn't heard what I had just said.  It is hard to accept your little sister growing up!  Once the news sunk in, it was decided I would still go to Dollywood, but I would just hang back with the youngest girl who couldn't ride the bigger rides.  So, our baby has already been to Dollywood, rode a merry-go-round, and a Ferris wheel. Hmmm...Dolly...that's a good name if it is a girl.

With that week being such a busy week, we decided to wait to tell our family.  Labor day, we decided would be the perfect/ironic/Summers' style day to depart with the news.  Even more than the day, we needed a clever delivery.  It was all perfect.  My parents were going to join Sam and I at his parents for dinner. However, my dad got sick, so my parents couldn't make it.  Needless to say, the show must go on!  At the end of the blessing that Sam's dad always says before each meal, Sam chimed in:  "and thank you for the new addition to the family."  It took a minute for the additional thanks to sink in, and  I have never seen two people turn white in disbelief so quickly. Surprise!

Later that evening, we went to my parents, and I told them that I hadn't wanted to go on my brother's 40th birthday class V rafting trip so badly (not true) that I got pregnant.  They were also surprised, but I don't think nearly as surprised as Sam's parents.  We then called my other two brothers and dispersed the news.


And so began the first trimester, and here I am at five weeks...the starting point of the belly photodocumentary.  I will speak to the rest of the first trimester when enough time has passed to reflect on it fondly :)