Little Love

Hello, all! Thank you so much for all the congratulatory comments, tweets, emails, texts, phone calls, Facebook comments, and Instagram comments... I haven't been responding to much over the past few days, but I've read every single message. It makes me so happy to have so many people all over the place sharing in our joy. :)

We're still at the hospital recovering from my C-section. Cecily is perfectly healthy, and I'm recovering nicely too. I came down with a REALLY bad cold a week ago though, so that's been tricky. Coughing after a C-section is NOT my favorite.

We are scheduled to go home tomorrow. I can't wait to see Cecily in her going home outfit (one of the things we actually grabbed on our unexpected race to the hospital) and her car seat... she's going to look SO tiny!

So far, she's the sweetest little baby I've ever met. And I'm really not just saying that. Her cry sounds like puppy whimpers, and when she really gets going (which isn't often), she sounds like a little lamb. She has just now discovered how much she likes eating, so that's pretty much all we've been up to since last night. Eating and sleeping! Levi and I have been napping lots too.

We love our little Cecily Jo sooooo much.

(sleepy momma and baby on our first night)

A Baby!

She's here! She's here! Our little biscuit decided to come a few weeks early!

Born on Saturday, 20 October, 2012 at 10:30 a.m.

18.5 inches; 6 pounds 3 ounces

Cecily Jo Myers

Bare Bumping It at 36 Weeks

I am now 36 weeks pregnant.

This week started out kinda scary. At our regular ultrasound, the perinatologist informed me that my placenta "looked old." Apparently, it's prematurely aging. She graded it as a "grade III," which it shouldn't be until the end. All she really said was that it probably wouldn't be a problem, but I need to make sure I do my kick counts. Then she said I needed to go into fetal diagnostics at the hospital twice a week for monitoring until she comes...

At first, I was just kind of irritated that I had to go in for hour-long monitoring twice a week on top of all the other stuff we have going on. But a couple hours later, it sunk in what this whole old placenta thing means. It means that there's the potential for my placenta to essentially die and stop taking care of my baby. Then I freaked out. I've had to hear a lot of things like this throughout my entire pregnancy. It hasn't been easy, and there have been lots of little concerns and minor complications. I haven't freaked out at any of them. I hardly even flinched when I found out I had to have a C-section. But this was too much for me. I couldn't stop crying, and I was so so soooo scared.

Levi and I had church that night. I cried pretty much the entire time. At the end, two women prayed for me, Levi, the baby, and my jerk of a placenta. I began to feel a little bit of peace, but I was still pretty scared. The next day, I kept telling myself, "I won't be afraid. I won't worry." In the afternoon, I got a text from one of the women with this verse:

The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. - Deuteronomy 31:8

That was really comforting, and I started to feel really covered in peace and prayer. Then Levi called and told me he had spoken with the most senior perinatologist at our ultrasound office. The doctor said that they never judge a placenta on how it looks; it's how it functions that counts. And since my baby is right on target, my placenta seems to be functioning just fine. He also said that the twice-weekly monitoring should be able to catch anything before it actually becomes a problem. 

Hearing this made me feel SO much better. I was so relieved, and I've been really relaxed about the whole thing ever since. I had my first monitoring appointment yesterday. Everything looked great, and I haven't noticed any decrease in movement. Baby girl is doing really well! Hopefully, she'll stay put until her scheduled Halloween birthday, but we're almost ready for her now, so she can come any time she wants.

Pregnancy is really hard, you guys! Even though this has been the most difficult period of our lives, I feel incredibly grateful for so many things. God has been taking care of us LIKE CRAZY. Seriously, I could write a book on this. We have seen miraculous provision. I trust God like I never have before, and it feels really really good. I'm excited to see what He has in store for my little family of three.

P.S. This is the most risqué bump shot you guys will see on here... hopefully, my bare bump didn't offend anyone too much. ;)

Mommas: Some Solicited Advice Please

Anyone who's ever been engaged or pregnant knows a thing or two about unsolicited advice. Well, here's your chance to offer me some advice that I'm actually asking for! ;)

Alright, first of all, let's talk breast pumps. I know I want an electric breast pump, but I have no idea what kind. Is Medela really the best? Should I get a double pump (that's what I'm leaning towards)? What else should I be looking for? I've been looking at these two: the Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature double electric pump and the Medela Pump in Style Advanced. Have you used either of these? Or something else? Thoughts? Are there any breast pumps that you would suggest I stay away from?

And besides strollers, car seats, cribs, and swings, what were your number one, can't-live-without-them baby items? And what were the items you thought you needed but hardly used?

Thank you in advance!!

Spooky

Guess who gets to meet her baby at 10:00 a.m. on the 31st of October??

This girl!
(Can you tell my shirt has little black cat heads all over it?!)

Our spooky little babe is all set to make her arrival via C-section on Halloween morning. You better believe we'll be calling her Spooky (I've been humming this song all day).

I'm honestly not even a little upset that I have to have a C-section... I've known it was a possibility for so long, so I've been able to come up with lists of drawbacks and benefits for each form of childbirth. I'm just so relieved to have an answer now! It's gonna be good. Really really good.

So yeah, in seven weeks and one day, I'm gonna be a mom! Oh wow... that's really really soon.

Oh, Pregnancy.

Hello! Remember me? I'm the one who used to update this blog with posts. Hi, how've you been?

I have not disappeared, and nothing's wrong. I just don't have much to say anymore... or I don't know how to say it. I'm not sure. Every time I start to write something or I take a picture, I end up not liking it  and giving up. Let's just blame it on pregnancy brain and the fact that I'm in my third trimester during a heat wave that is slowly sucking the life out of me. I hate heat. HATE IT. Always have, always will.

I am now 30+ weeks pregnant... 

(by the way, these are basically the only three outfits I wear anymore... nothing fits!)

Less than ten weeks 'til my due date!! We're still waiting to find out if I'll have to have a C-section due to a few little things going on, so our daughter could potentially be here in just under nine weeks (that's just insane). I'm really not worried about the prospect of having to have a C-section. I don't care about the method of childbirth as long as it's the safest way to get this baby girl out. I really can't wait to meet her. I wish she could come today... but there's still SO much to do that it's good to have this little bit of remaining time.

I've been pretty stressed and somewhat miserable. These are some other reasons my online presence has dwindled over the last few months. If I were blogging or tweeting more right now, most of the things coming out of my mouth would probably be complaints. I'm just not a big fan of being pregnant! I know some women absolutely love it and feel fantastic... I wish I was one of those women, but I'm just not. This is the hardest thing I've ever done. I am SO much slower now in every way (physically and mentally), and I find this really frustrating. My body hurts all the time. It's amazing to me that I can wake up with feet that feel like they've spent the last 12 hours walking around Disneyland! How is that possible?? And my entire back hurts constantly. On the bright side, my insurance covers visits to the chiropractor (which includes pre-natal massage!!!!). This has been SUCH a huge blessing and has helped me so much. I go every week. And every time I'm in that office, I praise God for the opportunity. Every pregnant woman should get to have weekly adjustments and massage.

As far as stress goes... ugh. I won't get into it too much. Levi and I are just really really struggling financially. We're behind on everything, and there are so many things we still need to feel prepared for the baby. We're really trying to keep baby stuff to the minimum, but we still need things in other parts of our life in order for this transition to go smoothly. I feel like I'm in nesting/preparation mode without the ability or means to nest and prepare, and it's frustrating. My ever-expanding body also stresses me out. I feel so fat, and I keep worrying that I'll never get to wear any of my cute clothes again. This sounds so trivial and ridiculous, but it really does trouble me. "Will I ever be skinny again???" runs through my head several times a day.

Even though I probably sound really negative right now, I'm still very hopeful that everything will work out. God always provides for us. Always always always. And this time won't be any different. Our faith is being tested in major ways, but I know it's not for nothing. I know God is doing something in us right now - training us, preparing us, protecting us, teaching us. I'm not sure what exactly He's got going on, but I know He's up to something. And that's really exciting to think about. And I know that no matter what happens between now and little Miss Myers's birthday, I'm going to have a beautiful, perfect daughter at the end of this. I'm going to be a mother, and Levi will be a father. And we are going to kick ASS at those jobs. I can't wait to see how this changes us. I can't wait to see what we do. I can't wait to see Levi holding his baby for the first time. I already know that my love for him will grow exponentially watching him become a father, and that thrills me beyond words. I'm really excited to fall in love with my daughter, but I might be even more excited to fall in love more deeply with my husband and to see how this strengthens our marriage.

I can't wait to become a little family of three. Three is a great number. I think we're gonna really like it.

Halfway and a Birthday!

I am officially at the halfway point of my pregnancy!! I can't believe this little girl has been with me for 20 whole weeks now. That's nuts! Hopefully, I have only 19 more to go because I'm still hoping for a Halloween baby.

Levi and I went in for our 20-week ultrasound on Monday, and it was awesome to see our little lady up on that screen. I was correct when I said that she's hanging out very very low. In fact, the technician laughed when she saw how low she was. She seriously couldn't get any lower. She's a burrower, I guess! I found out that I have an anterior placenta, which explains why I'm still waiting to feel a good, solid kick... I could be waiting awhile. I still feel her shifting around in there, but I want Levi to get to feel her too! Even though I'm not really feeling her too much, she is definitely very active. She looked like she was bucking and punching me with her little feet.

(another 20-week shot from the same day)

We learned that I have a low-lying placenta, which isn't ideal, but it's not bad, especially at this point. The doctor was very confident that it will move up as my baby grows. I was just really happy to hear that it wasn't praevia, which means the placenta is either partially or fully covering the cervix. This requires a mandatory c-section. We also found out that the umbilical cord didn't attach itself to the ideal location of my placenta. It attached itself to a thinner part. I'm really not worried about any of this though. The doctor didn't seem concerned, so I won't be either! Still, between these two things and my stupid thyroid (I have cyst in my thyroid that takes up the entire left side - it's been there for years, and let me tell you, it is NOT comfortable. It's severely suppressing my TSH levels, but my T4 and T3 are only borderline hyper-thyroid), they're going to keep a bit of a closer eye on me and the baby just to be safe, which means I get to go in for another ultrasound in four weeks! I absolutely love seeing baby girl, so I am just fine with extra ultrasounds. Plus, I really like that my doctors are taking precautions to make sure my baby and I are healthy. I feel like we're in very good hands.

In other news, my birthday was on Sunday. This was, by far, the weirdest birthday I've ever had. I wasn't looking forward to it at all (I just didn't care, which is so unlike me), and it turned out to be a little bit depressing for several reasons. I was kinda happy when the day was over. Regardless, Levi and I had a really nice dinner with our friends, Will and Drew. It's always awesome to see those guys, and I was happy to spend part of my birthday with them. Also, we're having a bonfire at the end of the month to celebrate, so I'm looking forward to that as well!

My mom stopped by our house on my birthday morning to bring me flowers, a beautiful card, and a dozen hardboiled eggs... haha! She knows I like them a lot right now, so she made a batch for me and wrote "Happy Birthday, Jasi" across the shells. So sweet! And even sweeter - she gifted me with some items from my Amazon baby registry!!! Part of her order arrived yesterday! I was so excited to get my first baby gifts that I lined them up and took a picture:

Our bottles are from mimijumi. They are AWESOME. Besides coming in an adorable milk carton and looking really cool, they're 100% BPA-, EA-, and latex-free. They're also designed to simulate a mother's breast, so they'll be a really nice complement to breastfeeding.

The book is illustrated by Julia Dennos, whose art I love, and the drying rack is from Boon. Baby stuff is so much fun. My latest (semi-stalkerish) hobby is perusing the Amazon baby registries of strangers, other bloggers, and pregnant friends... I love to see what everyone else is using for their babies. Try it... if you're weird like me, you'll have fun! ;)

19 Weeks!

Oh yeah! I have a blog! This post is going to be a pregnancy update, so I can remember some of the things going on at the midpoint when I look back on this whole crazy experience!

I am 19 weeks pregnant... almost halfway there. Everyone keeps saying, "I can't believe you're already 19 weeks!" And I want to respond with, "Really?! I feel like I've been pregnant for six years!" It simultaneously goes by quickly and slowly.

The "Bump"

I still don't have much of a bump, but here's the progression of what I do have. 

14 weeks:

16 weeks:

18 weeks:

The 18-week shot might be a little deceptive... I had just eaten a bunch of french toast. ;)

So far, it seems like I'm carrying her really really REALLY low and close to my spine. I still weigh a few pounds less than when I started, so there's definitely some room to grow!

Milestones

I'm going for walks much more regularly again! It's great. I really missed walking. When I got pregnant, Levi and I were taking an hour-long, fast-paced walk every night. I hope to get back up to that (and move beyond it) before I deliver, but I'm not pushing myself too hard. My main priority right now is to feel as good as possible.

I felt her for the first time around 15 weeks. It was really exciting! It felt like lots of tiny champagne bubbles popping, and it was very rhythmic. As soon as I realized it was baby, she, of course, stopped. I still feel the flutters from time to time, but I think I've gotten used to them, so I don't notice them as much anymore. I think she moves the most while I'm sleeping because I frequently have half-asleep dreams where I feel her shifting, then I wake up and feel her on one side of my belly. I also get lots of sharp pains low in my pelvis (where she likes to hang out), and I think that's her kicking and punching. I'm still waiting for a good solid kick!

We rented a fetal heart doppler a couple weeks ago, and that thing has been a lifesaver for me. It's only $20 a month (I got mine here and found a $5 off per month coupon code), and it gives me extreme peace of mind. I love hearing her super-fast little heartbeat. It sounds like a horse galloping.

Things I Really Like to Eat

soft pretzels
bananas
caramel rice cakes
coke slurpees
blue icees
strawberry chocolate chip pancakes
lemon pound cake from Starbucks
marshmallow/strawberry milkshakes
coconut shrimp
hardboiled eggs
french fries
grilled white corn on the cob

My cravings definitely lean toward the sweet side.

Symptoms

lower back pain (I swear she's dancing on my spine)
nose bleeds
crazy, severe itching attacks on my breasts, armpits, and neck
round ligament pains
dizziness
terrible balance

Besides the itching, none of these things bother me too much. I was getting really intense headaches every day for awhile, but those have eased, and my dizziness isn't as bad lately either. This week has actually been really great! I've felt pretty good and had a decent amount of energy every day so far (except for my 40-hour itching episode... that was tough). I spent a lot of time walking outside on Wednesday with Levi and even baked cookies that night! That has been my best day of pregnancy so far, and I loved every second of it.

And that's about it! We have a doctor's appointment and our growth and anatomy scan on Monday morning where they'll measure her and confirm (again) that she is, in fact, a she. I'm really looking forward to seeing her tumbling around on the screen. I already think she's the cutest and have assessed her personality based on how she behaves in ultrasounds (she seems really confident and self-assured to me)... I might be reading into things a bit much. I just really really like that girl.

It's a...

girl!

Finding Out

Hello! Thank you so much for all the sweet and wonderful congratulations on our big announcement yesterday! Levi and I were blown away by all the love we received on my blog and all over the rest of the Internet! It felt SO GOOD to finally share this big news that we've been keeping secret for the last few months.

I am now 14 weeks pregnant! Our due date is 6 November... although, I'm hoping for a Halloween baby. Good luck on that one, right??! First babies aren't exactly known for coming early, especially in my family. But a girl can hope!

We were completely shocked by this pregnancy. After my miscarriage, I had decided that I wanted to wait awhile to try again. Well, God had something else in mind because I got pregnant immediately after the miscarriage. I never even had a period after!

Finding out we were pregnant again was quite an experience. I had feared that I wouldn't feel happy or joyful the next time... and I was right. In fact, I honestly felt upset when I saw the second line forming on the pregnancy test. It wasn't that I didn't want a baby; I was just really scared. I didn't feel like I could handle losing another baby, and I was angry that what should have been a joyful experience was tainted by the knowledge of what could happen.

We had brunch plans with Chris and Stacey the morning we found out. I was three days late and hadn't really thought much of it (I figured I would be irregular after the miscarriage), but I decided to take a test just in case. About fifteen shocked minutes later, I was texting Stacey to let her know we'd be late for brunch. We drove down to Laguna Beach to meet them, and I remember listening to this song in the car and quietly weeping. It was then that I decided I wouldn't be afraid of the horrible possibilities. I decided I would put my faith in God and trust Him with whatever happened, regardless of whether or not I ever got to meet this new little life forming inside of me. I felt peace, and I held onto that peace and faith throughout those first uncertain weeks.

Chris and Stacey were the first people we told. There was absolutely no way we could have made it through brunch without sharing our news. They would have thought we were on drugs if we hadn't told them; that's how shocked we were. They were both really excited for us and had nothing but positive things to say. It was perfect actually. It helped us start to feel some excitement about the future. And really, I would have told Stacey that same day anyway... I texted Camilla later that afternoon to let her know too.

We had already had plans to go to Disneyland the next day (one of Levi's clients signed us in - woo!), and I was not about to let a brand new pregnancy stop me from going. I looked at it as my last chance to go on any roller coasters for the next 9+ months. We went on EVERYTHING, and it was so much fun. It rained a lot that day, so the park was pretty empty. We tried to stick it out so we could see World of Color, but pregnancy fatigue was already setting in, and we only made it 'til about 5:00 in the afternoon.

That whole weekend was exactly what we needed. Everything had been planned at the perfect time, and everything helped ease us into this new phase of life. And now, we're completely thrilled that I'm pregnant (especially since the wretched first trimester is ending). We can't wait to find out if baby is a boy or a girl, and we love talking about what kind of parents we want to be and the things we hope to teach our child. I'll probably blog a lot about being pregnant... hopefully, that doesn't get annoying. It's just on my mind a lot, you know?! I'm so happy and relieved to finally get to talk about it here on my blog. I was really running out of things to say before (I don't enjoy keeping secrets at all), but now I have all sorts of things to go on and on about! :)

A brand new little outfit for...

...a brand new little baby!

Baby is expected to make his or her appearance some time in early November, and we can't wait!!

(P.S. Thank you, Wolfie, for loaning us your cute little baby Toms, and thank you, Pinterest, for this sweet little shoe idea.)