Facebook Non-Posts

Some of you, at least those who frequent Facebook, may notice that I haven't posted about our pregnancy, other than the "announcement" at the beginning of August. I've been asked to post some more, but I don't feel like Facebook is the correct outlet for our experiences. I have (at least) 3 friends who are currently on their own journey towards parenthood, and even though I know that they are happy for us (especially the friends who walked with us during our infertility struggle), I don't want to hurt their feelings with our excitement. It was not too long ago that I had my own feelings of jealousy and discouragement as I watched others post about their pregnancies and babies, and I don't want inadvertently rub our blessings in the faces of others.

However, WE ARE THRILLED ABOUT THIS BABY!!! So, if I was posting updates on Facebook, here's what I might have said...

Monday, July 11th - heard the baby's heartbeat for the 1st time using our home doppler! (I rented this equipment for peace of mind due to our previous miscarriage, and it's been wonderful to listen to the baby anytime I want.)

Tuesday, July 19th - went for our 13 week ultrasound and were able to watch the baby being very active.

Wednesday, July 27th - my jeans and shirts are starting to get tight, though I'm not in maternity clothes yet. It's strange to have a belly, but it's awesome to have proof of this pregnancy that everyone can see!

Friday, July 29th - started to read a book called "Pushed: The Painful Truth About Childbirth and Modern Maternity Care" by Jennifer Block. Someone told me that this might not be the best book to read during pregnancy, but I want to be prepared for labor, not just the pregnancy. I am disturbed by the interventions that are so common during births in the USA, and I want to be educated enough to make the best decisions for my baby, instead of relying on a doctor or midwife to tell me what I should do. (Also, David and I watched a great documentary on Netflix called "Pregnant in America". I'd recommend it to anyone who is pregnant, thinking of getting pregnant or loves anyone who is pregnant! Definitely an eye-opening film.)

Tuesday, August 2nd - This was my last day of morning sickness! (Though, obviously, I didn't know it at the time.) I didn't think the morning sickness was too bad, though a few have told me that it was much worse than they experienced. The nausea I had usually lasted all day and happened at least 3 days a week for almost 8 weeks. The only way to keep from feeling sick was to continue to eat small meals every 2 hours during the day/evening. There was one day that I ate 9 small meals between 6am and 9pm!

Wednesday, August 17th - Started to take pictures of my pregnancy body! We are 17 weeks today, and here's what I looked like:
Monday, August 22nd - my friend and coworker, Barb, took this picture of me. I'm not wearing maternity clothes, so it shows off my belly a little bit better than the picture on the 17th.

Wednesday, August 24th - According to my scale at home, I've gained 10 pounds over the last 18 weeks.

Well, that gets everyone caught up on the details of this pregnancy! I'll try to keep this more current from now on!

Beach Day!

My brother-in-law was sent to Chicago for business this past week, so Alenna brought the kids and their dog to NJ for a few days. I was able to work some extra time last week to get ahead at the office, and my boss had no problem with me taking some time off this week to enjoy my visitors.

On Wednesday, their first full day in NJ, the weather was beautiful so we headed to the beach. My in-laws usually spend 2 weeks at a condo in Atlantic City each summer, and Wednesday was the last day of their rental. Thankfully my in-laws are some of the most hospitable people you will ever meet, and they graciously allowed us to invite ourselves down to their condo! We arrived in Atlantic City around 11am and, after layering up on sun block, we joined my in-laws at the beach.

Here's Mom Cundey (Maureen), along with Alenna and Cora.

Cora was so happy to be at the beach!

Dad Cundey (or Mr. Bruce as Aiden and Seth were calling him) impressed the boys by making a car out of sand.

My other nephew, Julian, spent part of the day collecting the dead jelly fish that kept washing up on the beach. (No, you can't get stung by the dead ones!) Alenna and I were pretty grossed out by this, but Aiden and Seth thought it looked like fun and soon all the boys were gathering them in buckets. (Someone had teased Julian by telling him that jelly comes from boiling jelly fish, and the boys were diligently trying to accumulate enough to feed us all! Don't worry, we - eventually - told them the truth and I don't think anyone was scarred for life, though they were a bit disappointed.)

Marney, my sister-in-law, and Mom Cundey encouraged the boys to make sand angels, and Aiden really got into it! He was completely unfazed at having a thick layer of sand stuck to him, though Seth didn't want to get that "dirty".

(Based on that, even those who find it difficult to tell Aiden and Seth apart will be able to figure out which is which in this picture!)

Here I am with Marney and Julian.

Dad Cundey helped Aiden and Seth with boogie boarding and they were so thrilled at the experience! (When we got home that evening the boys kept telling Uncle David that they went "surf boarding for the very first time!")

Even Seth, who is a little more cautious than Aiden at trying new things, had a wonderful time on the boogie board!

Julian, who has been boogie boarding like a pro since last summer (when he was 4!) was very kind with sharing his board with the two newbies.

When it was time to head home we walked back to the condo so that the kids could get baths before our 1 1/2 hour drive. Day trips to the beach are very convenient when you don't have to bring tons of sand home with you!

I had a wonderful day with all 8 family members! Thanks Mom and Dad Cundey for a great beach day!

Crosby Family Reunion

Last week we went to Coudersport, PA for the annual Crosby family reunion. Despite some rain, it was a good time of visiting with family. Here's a few memories!

The whole gang, after lunch on Thursday (minus Dan and Cora Loucks).

Seth, enjoying the watermelon that Grandpa Crosby brought from NC.

A toy at the playground provided fun for the little kids and the bigger kids!

Here's David with Cora, Seth and Ellie.

Seth and Aiden convinced Grandpa Crosby to play on the jungle gym with them.

And yes, he really went down the "fireman's pole" after the boys did!

(I guess he forgot that he's 84 years old!!)

Seth enjoyed looking at books and toys with his Great-Aunt Bonnie.

On Friday morning the Howard Crosby family went to the Homer Cemetary.

This is where my mother, my father's parents, my aunt, and many other ancestors are buried.

Ellie and Uncle David, picking Queen Anne's Lace at the cemetary.

The Howard Crosby family on Friday afternoon. Dan, Cora, Alenna, David, J, Lori, me, Seth, Dad, Aiden, Gene, Ellie, Howie and Hannah. (My sister in law, Mary Jane, had left Friday morning.)

Baby Cundey News

We found out at the end of May that we're pregnant, but (due to a previous miscarriage) we waited many weeks to start telling people. We're now 15 weeks along and Baby Cundey looks healthy! He/she is due January 25th.

Here's our ultrasound picture from July 19th (13 weeks).