Mama Liam

As some of you may know, William and I are proud owners of a 135-pound Great Dane. One of the attractions to a Dane (besides the immense size) was that they are very docile creatures, making them a perfect choice to spend time around elderly, developmentally disabled, and our growing family. Since we deal with all three in both work-life and home life, a gentle spirit was a non-negotiable in our pet quest.

At 11 months old, so far Liam has exceeded our expectations. He is kind, gentle, calm, and very intuitive. That was until the past few months. It seemed like suddenly, Liam had quickly developed a very protective, boarder-line aggressive streak that we are not fond of. It started with him growling at the chefs of our family's restaurant. This was strange- because he has known these guys since he was a baby! He didn't stop there, though. His over-protective streak continued at the beach, Petco, and even in our home with our little nephew.

Concerned, I talked to my sister Hannah (who has owned several Danes herself) about it. She had an interesting thought- Perhaps Liam has become more protective of his owner because he senses I am pregnant! Seeing as this was the only variable that has changed in the last months, I resorted to the all-knowing Google. Our assumption was definitely reinforced by information on the Internet; dogs can indeed sense a hormonal change when their owners are expecting. 

Come to think about it, he has been pretty clingy to me (and my ever-growing stomach) as of late. I hope his protective streak is limited to my 9-month gestation, and he returns to his gentle self come October. 

Kick, Push

I don't know if you're kicking or pushing in there, baby, but I can feel you!

Last week when William and I were spending 8 glorious days in Mexico, I felt the baby for the first time! I had been feeling some "fluttering" if you will for a week or so before that, but nothing definite enough to accredit the baby. I had been told that the first few movements can feel something similar to gas (which thanks to my good friend Progesterone, I've had no problems discerning the correlation). Up until last week, I could go along with saying the movements feel like bubbles; this past week changed everything!

There was a definite KICK.

And then it happened again. I was so alarmed! I couldn't stop laughing. I was laying on the couch massaging my stomach (darn round ligament pains) when I felt it. Baby must have been telling me that I was squishing it in it's already tight quarters, because it kicked twice more when daddy put his hand on my belly and pushed.

There are not words to explain the awesome- truly awe-inspiring- feeling a child moving around inside of you. I feel like I have a new found love and admiration for God and His plan of creation. I can only feel a glimpse of how much He must love us, because I know I love this little one more and more each day!

The S Word

Stretchmark.

It snuck up on me out of nowhere. I mean, they really do come out of nowhere. One day you're perfectly happy, living a perfectly stretch-free life, and then BAM. There you are. Staring in the mirror at your left hip, while a dark red eye-sore of a stretch mark stares right back.

Or maybe that's just me, last Tuesday.

It's not like I have a fetus developing in my love-handle. And it isn't like they are getting exponentially larger as to need a stretch mark to facilitate my fat. It just, arrived. Uninvited. Unexpected. Tuesday.

I can now imagine my stretchy red tiger-striped stomach 5 months from now. All stretched out and saggy. I can only cross my fingers and hope that it's not as bad as I am imagining it will be.

That, or stop looking in mirrors.

What to (really) Expect When You're Expecting

• A gravitational pull towards all things sweet (and salty. Sometimes even in the same sitting)
• Heartburn, 'round the clock
• Tight clothes, which leads to...
• Stretchy waistbands. And yoga pants.
• A loss of lady-like posture
• An incessant need for perfect strangers to touch your belly (yes, this happened)
• Hair. Everywhere. 
• All day naps. Can I get an amen?

On the contrary, there are so many beautiful things that accompany the bad:

• A new unexplainable closeness with your husband
• Endless support from, well, just about everyone- which usually comes with...
• Endless snacks provided by those who are convinced I must "eat for two"

And best of all,

• The anticipation of meeting the precious being that WE created! God is so good. 

A Pregnant Textersation

Last night I had a textersation (yes, that's lingo for a text conversation) with my sister Cherish. Cherish had a baby 3 years ago now, and I got to be with her for a few months of her pregnancy. I pledged at the beginning of mine that I would send her a belly picture every week, because she is so far away. So last night, this is what happened after I sent her my 14 week picture:

_______

J: ... I bought maternity pants today haha [yes, this really happened. sigh]

C: hahahahahahahah

J: They are great. haha

C: I know right, totally comfy. And granny panties are the best when you're preggo! Hahaha

J: YEP, GP's are where it's at! Poor Will...

....

J: I cry all the time now and I get really mad at Will for no reason. He's like WHAT'S WRONG?! And I'm like... I don't know!! Haha

C:I remember that! It was mostly because my clothes didn't fit or Kevin ate my marshmallows or I felt fat and disgusting. 

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Oh, the little things.