Preparations

David and I began taking birthing classes with a local, independent teacher at the end of September, and we are both enjoying it. But, much more important than our enjoyable experience, we are learning a lot! Our instructor, Morgan, has been teaching this class for over 10 years, yet it is still obvious to see her passion for a natural birth process. It is encouraging to hear someone talk about childbirth in such a positive way, instead of with the anxiety and trepidation that many in our culture associate it with.

Costume Party

This past Friday David and I were invited to a surprise 50th birthday party, which was also a costume party.  We stayed up way too late on Thursday night getting our costumes completed.  Here's David, making the wall that would become part of my costume.

The party was in honor of a friend of the Cundey family, so David's mother and sister were at the party too.  Here we are with Mom Cundey, Cherish (daughter of the guest-of-honor) and Marney.  And yes, that large, crazy looking "lady" in the purple moo moo is my darling husband!  We found his outfit at a local consignment store and, because of the embroidered cats, David thought it would work perfect as a "crazy cat-lady" costume (over his fat-lady costume from many years ago).  A lot of people commented on the originality of our outfits and said that we had the best costumes of the whole party!

Here is the finished product of the costume that David helped make for me... Humpty-Dumpty!  Unfortunately I cannot claim to have thought of this idea myself because I saw the instructions on a homemade costume website.  Also, except for stuffing Humpty's legs and buying his shoes, David was the one who made the entire costume a reality!  Thankfully it was warm at the party, so my painted, but bare belly didn't get too cold.

This was the first time in years that I've actually enjoyed dressing up for Halloween.  And, even though I have some fond memories of Halloween costumes when I was a child, I know this was my favorite Halloween party ever.  I used to dislike the extra attention that comes with wearing a costume, but this year, the costume wasn't about me, it was about my baby belly!  Also, since I've gotten to the point where my stomach gathers a lot of looks, it was fun to "show off" the area that, at times, has brought me some unwanted attention.  I never thought that I could have such a great time at a costume party!

Linvilla Orchards

After church today David and I went to Linvilla Orchards with some friends.  Neither of us had ever been there even thouh it's only about 20 minutes from our house. 

Fall used to be my least favorite season of the year... the end of summer, going back to school, the cold, rainy days and everything in nature dying.  But, ever since moving to NJ, I enjoy it just as much as the other seasons.  In Upstate NY it seemed as though autumn would sneak up and overwhelm us within a matter of days.  But in southern NJ the transition from summer to fall is a mostly smooth ride, highlighted by crisp mornings and cloudless days.  Now I embrace fall and the beautiful days like this one!



Baby Growth

I love to read, so I've enjoyed reading about the growth that Baby Cundey is making each week.  Here's a few things (from AmericanPregnancy.org) that I found interesting...

Week 22 - his/her eyes have completely formed, but the iris still lacks pigment

Week 23 - he/she weighs approximately 1 pound

Week 24 - Baby Cundey's taste buds are developing

Week 25 - Baby's home (my uterus) is approximately the size of a soccer ball

As you can see, growth seems to be happening at a rapid rate these days!  But, thankfully, except for nightly backaches and being tired, I'm feeling well and enjoying my pregnancy. 

Get Away

David's birthday falls at a perfect time of year. The humidity of the summer is (usually) gone and the stressfulness of David's summer work schedule is behind us. It's a wonderful time to get away for a vacation, or at least a mini-vacation.

Since we had a great time in Sandbridge, VA last year (for the Crosby reunion) we decided to go there again. We rented a pet-friendly house only 1 block from the beach and arrived on Thursday night, September 29th.

Sophie didn't let us waste any of the beautiful weather on Friday... she woke us up at 7am and we took a walk on the beach before breakfast.

The day warmed up to about 80 degrees, so we spent part of the afternoon hanging out on the beach. There were too many people on the beach to allow Sophie off her leash, but she didn't seem to mind the limitations to her movement.

(Thankfully I still can wear my non-maternity swimsuit... but it was a tight fit!)
Like any young child, Sophie played on the beach until she was past the point of exhaustion, then crashed onto her bed at home for a nap before dinner.

We spent Saturday visiting with some of my college friends, Nate and Deb Barnhart and their son, Micah, who drove up from Northern NC to see us. It had been about 5 years since we'd seen them, so we really appreciated them making the drive to hang out!

David's parents also arrived on Saturday, en route to their Myrtle Beach vacation. They stayed with us until Sunday afternoon, and, as always, it was lovely to spend time with them.

Sunday afternoon, David's 33rd birthday, we took some pictures on the beach before Mom and Dad Cundey continued on their trip to SC.

I was so thankful for this vacation! I've been stressed lately (letting my pregnancy hormones get the best of me, I fear), and it was very relaxing to be away from the day-to-day responsibilities at home. This was just what I needed!

Heartbeats and Kicks

I've been wondering if I was feeling the baby move since the end of August, but I wasn't sure about it until Tuesday, September 6th when I was listening on the doppler. The next day, when we were 20 weeks, David felt the baby move too!

Here's a recording from earlier today of our baby's heartbeat. Every time there's a little blip in the recording (which sounds like static interference), that's a movement. As you can tell, he/she was moving a lot today!

The Snuggler

Sophie is almost 16 months old now, yet she still loves to run around the yard and play like a puppy. However, when she's tired from all that playing she turns into a snuggle bug! If either of us sits on the floor when Sophie is in a cuddling mood, then we're apt to get sat on or leaned against. It's not always comfortable to have a 60 pound pup think that she's a lap-dog, but it sure is cute!

20 Week Ultrasound

Here's some pictures of Baby Cundey from our ultrasound on September 6th! The baby was moving so much that it was a little difficult for the technician to get a clear picture.

Half-Way Mark!

20 weeks into pregnancy... 20 weeks to go!

We had another ultrasound yesterday, and the baby is looking good. We had the opportunity to find out the gender but decided to wait until the birth. David said that finding out now would be "like peeking at our Christmas presents", and I agree that it will be more fun to wait.

I tried to scan my ultrasound pictures and also to take pictures of them, but so far I haven't been able to get any shots that are clear. So, for now, here's a picture of how the baby is changing me!

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!