Don't Make Me Lose It

How far along? 28 Weeks HELLOOOOOO THIRD TRIMESTER
Baby is the size of a:  Coconut, Small Roller-skate

Total weight gain:  staying steady at 5lbs only even with allllll the Peanut M&Ms

Stretch marks? Just a few more, I’ve surrendered them at this point.

Baby Development: Daphne Grace weighs about 2.5 lbs and will continue to gain weight quickly during the last trimester! Her adrenal glands are now producing their own hormones to signal mama to start producing milk! She is becoming less wrinkly as she packs on the fat. As she sleeps she dreams and even has REM cycles! I’m continually amazed at how God is weaving her together.

Movement:  I’m pretty sure I’m giving birth to the hulk. Daphne Grace is STRONG and is moving most of the day, especially after sunset. She is rolling around in there and seems to still be in the breech position if I’m feeling right. I’m anxious for my next sonogram to see if she is. Currently researching ways to rotate her.

Food cravings: It’s still chocolate haha.

Miss Anything?  I miss our families. We definitely got spoiled this past week, being surrounded by all our loved ones.

Symptoms:  Sciatic pain, peeing every 10 minutes, hard to breathe, swelling if I sit for too long, etc. I call it the third trimester PARTY.

Wedding rings on or off? Still on!

Mood?  Productive! I’m back on my cleaning schedule and scheduling play dates for Winnie J. Planning lots of blogs, too!

Positive Moments This Week: Will and I went through our finances to prepare for the arrival of Daphne Grace and the exiting of my paycheck. It’s an uncomfortable topic sometimes but it is necessary to discuss in a marriage. It makes us both feel better to have the exact idea of where we’re at and decide things together. It’s good for our relationship to be a team and I love being on his team.

Winifred Update: Oh, the cuddles I got this week. I’m soaking in my time with WJ before there is another little one to snuggle with. She plays by herself for a little, then comes back for a quick cuddle. Also, SHE IS CRAWLING ON HANDS AND KNEES AND TAKING SOLID FOODS! The week at the beach was so good for her. Her big cousins worked with her to crawl on her hands and knees! She cannot get enough books and fluffy things. We read the same 5 books allll day long and she loves it. She has recently attached herself to this tiny little lamb and its the most adorable thing.

 

 

How far along? 27 Weeks
Baby is the size of a:  Head of Lettuce, Cauliflower

Total weight gain:  staying steady at 5lbs only.

Stretch marks? OH YES. They alllllll came out to play. It’s a really good thing that one pieces are back in style. I hope it stays that way.

Baby Development: Daphne Grace’s eyebrows and eyelashes are in full swing this week! Her brain is now beginning to show electrical activity and she’s on a sleeping schedule. She is a night owl and sleeps in. She reaches the second viability milestone this week, as her lungs are developed enough to survive in the outside world. Cochleae have developed in her ears, aiding in her hearing development.

Movement:  Daphne Grace’s movements became much more pronounced this week. Will got to finally feel her kick. I could make out an elbow every now and then. My belly looks like its doing the wave, especially at night!

Food cravings: CHOCOLATE. I’m pretty sure I ate an entire Costco sized bucket of Peanut M&Ms by myself at the beach.

Miss Anything?  Being able to stand up without making grunting noises like Serena Williams.

Symptoms:  Lots of sciatic pain this week. I think it was from all the siting on the floor and in the sand. Lots of stretching in my future.

Wedding rings on or off? Still on. Although, the heat and salt water definitely had me swelling.

Mood?  insanely grateful

Positive Moments This Week: I love that we got to see both sides of the family this week and Winnie J got to meet all her cousins! My parents put on a get together and the whole family came out! It was a blessing to be surrounded by so much love.

Winifred Update: Winnie J lived her best life here at the beach! She LOVES the water so much. If she had it her way, she’d swim off into the waves. The sand is her happy place and she loves when the water splashes her face. This is the first time she’s met her two cousins and she is in love! They are teaching her how to be a big kid. She’s learning how to share, play nice, and crawl on her hands a knees. I’m so grateful for this family time we’re getting! She is getting lots of sugar from Granny and Pop too!

How far along? 26 Weeks
Baby is the size of a:  VHS tape, acorn squash, zucchini

Total weight gain:  still only 5 lbs!

Stretch marks? Starting to develop more across the top of my belly. Winifred gave me some right at my belly button but Daphne Grace has gifted me with another layer right on top. Tiger stripes, right?

Baby Development: Daphne Grace has gained enough fat to be able to regulate her own body temperature! She is soaking in all of mama’s protein to keep growing that big ole brain. She is a busy bee in there. She is coughing, breathing, and even dreaming!

Movement:  Movement is getting stronger but I still can’t see it on the outside yet! She moves the most when I’m holding Winifred, which I’m just obsessed with.

Food cravings: Chocolate. I legit cannot go to bed without having SOMETHING chocolate. I’m not proud.

Miss Anything?  Being able to breath without a tiny human on my lungs.

Symptoms: It’s weird dream time, y’all! I actually enjoy this pregnancy symptom because the dreams are just so outrageous.  

Wedding rings on or off? Still on

Mood?  Anxious. I’m so ready to get out of Midland for a while!

Winifred Update: I’m now calling her Winifred the Giggler. She finds joy in the littlest thing and it makes my heart swell. She is pulling up on everything and scooting around all the furniture. It’s time to hide all the hazardous knick knacks. Her current favorite activity is pulling off all the DVDs and sliding them under the entertainment center. She is a book worm and will sit in my lap and read 5 or 6 books at a time. I love watching her brain grow with her personality.

Looking forward to:  THE BEACH! We are off to Houston/Galveston to spend some much-needed time away from Midland and with our families.

My dad has always worked so hard to make sure that we got the most out of life, but he made darn sure that nothing was handed to us on a silver platter. He taught us to work  for things that we wanted and that the “easy way out” would get us no where. My parents gave us a place where we were free to make mistakes. When things went wrong, we knew we had a place to go, even if it mean facing very harsh realities. We knew we would be held accountable for our actions, but loved and supported while doing so.

I’ve leaned on both my parents my whole life. They’ve been there for every soccer game, award ceremony, breakup, graduation, my wedding, miscarriages, and everything in between. So, when it came time for me to give birth to my first baby, having my parents in the room wasn’t even a question. It’s common for mothers to have their moms in the delivery room, but I wanted my dad to be there too (if he wanted to be). He was there for everything else, why would I make him wait in the waiting room alone??

If you know anything about my dad, you know he has a heart of gold. He will go a hundred miles out of his way to help a complete stranger. He has such a servant’s heart and he is tremedously reliable under pressure. He is the life of any party and can make anyone feel at ease in any situation. Why wouldn’t I want that energy in the room when I bring my child into the world?

The second I went into labor the first words out of my mouth were “I need pineapple and watermelon, RIGHT NOW”! “Got it”, my dad said. He grabbed his keys and headed straight to the store, no questions asked. As I labored at home, my dad was there, ready to help. He stayed quiet and in the background, but ready for anything we would need.

As we left for the hospital with my parents right behind us. My poor dad, like a pack mule, bringing the snacks and my yoga ball! They stayed outside the room as we got settled and I had my first pelvic exam. A huge part of me is so sorry they had to hear me scream like that, oops. Anyway, as the labor continued, my parents were there with Will. Words cannot describe how thankful I was the they were there.

My labor intensified and Will needed a break from my crippling contractions and holding me up. My mom and dad took turns holding my hand and telling me to breathe. My dad got Will some food and brought some more snacks for the nurses, in true hero fashion. I watched his face twist in pain as I lie in labor, unable to handle the pain of my contractions any more. I could tell he wanted me to get the epidural. I could tell he wanted to take away the pain for me, but he kept his mouth closed and let me fight my fight.  I finally had to get the epidural and the room relaxed, especially Will and my dad.

When It came time to push my dad stood back, sealing himself behind the my bed against a window in the back of the room. He stayed quiet while my mom took pictures and Will coached me through the pushing. Full disclosure, I forgot he was there. For hours, it was just Will and I bringing our child into the world.

The end of the story comes from my mom because I was too focused on Winnie. My mom says, when they placed Winnie on my chest she looked up at my dad. He was standing behind the chair with tears rolling down his face. For some reason, that surprised me. I knew it would be emotional for me, Will, and probably my mom, but I never thought my dad would cry! Then again, he has the biggest heart in the world.

Winnie’s birth story would have been incomplete without my dad in the delivery room. Her paw-paw got to see her enter this world and that is not a moment that could be replicated. I’m so thankful for everything my dad has done for me, and I’m even more thankful for the grandfather that he is to my daughter.

Happy Father’s Day, Dad! You are truly one of a kind.