29 Weeks

Oh the fun we have begun!  Our precious pup is home safe and sound with us, finally!  Our ride home was a great indication of her first weekend with us.  Started out a jittery and uncomfortable being in the car... little moans and grunts and some loud cries, but soon enough passed out like a little baby in my arms.  (I think Sal felt his territory being invaded... or he was very eager to pet Baya because he was non-stop moving while Baya slept MOST of the ride home cuddled on my belly!)

 

It was a great weekend full of kisses, playing, naps, and cuddling.  Oh ya, and lots and lots and lots of grunting and crying!  Tyler and I are having a very hard time filling the big shoes of her mommy, five brothers, and her little BFF sister, but we think we are starting to get the hang of it.  Her grunts are like a little piggy and they are so cute and harmless!  Her cries on the other hand, are so very sad to hear, some being little whimpers and others are full out wails.  We are trying to ignore these so that she doesn't think we will be catering to that!! She has a great set of lungs and a pretty high pitch cry that might catch the attention of the neighbors pretty soon!  She slept better the first night than the second night and I can only assume it will take time for her to acclimate to the kennel and bathroom breaks at night.  We (mostly Ty) are up about every 2 hours - Oh, what great practice for when Sal arrives!!  Tyler has done an awesome job with most of that considering he is not working much this week, lucky me.  But he also deals with her moods all day while I am at work!  We will continue to put night time at the top of our list for absolute persistent and patient training.  It is the hardest because that is when she cries the most!  We are trying to get her to "like" and feel "safe" in her kennel, alone.  Ultimately we would love to put a dog bed on the side our our bed and let her sleep kennel-free in the same room as us.   Other than that she can get pretty sassy and feisty so we are looking forward to kidderpuppy!

I am excited to say she is like a magnet to me.  Well, really, she is not a magnet to me, but she is to my belly!  She must love the warmth, Sal's movement, and hearing both of our heartbeats.  Must be like cuddling with her family considering every time we saw them sleeping they were all on top of each other.   By Monday morning after very little sleep for all of us and lots of crying by Baya, we let her cuddle in bed with us for an hour before I had to get in the shower... here is a pic of her nestled into my tummy.  She looks big because of the way Ty took the pic, but you can see her little face resting up on my tummy and her body is up against it.  I am loving her kisses and cuddling - I can't get enough of her really!  I hope she stays a cuddler.  Leaving Monday morning for work was the hardest.  Once I was out the door, Tyler said she sat at the gates, crying for my return for a while... awwww.. that's enough to break your heart!  She did the same for Tyler when he took out the garbage.  And that is exactly why she is hard to crate train!  

Exercising?  Oh ya... loving this new routine we have going on here: back to walking pretty much everyday AND lifting small weights with home exercises!  Feeling great.  It is crazy how yoga, walking, and weight lifting do not hurt my ribs as much as just sitting and standing does.... I know, I just can't figure that one out yet.  So, I guess just being active is a great way to relieve some of the pain for the time being!!  I am sure chasing after a little Baya and teaching her how to walk on her leash will be a little bit of hard work coming up!  

Maternity clothes?  making due with what I have.... nothing new to add here...  

Sleeping?   Although in the pic I am laying on my right side, I really cannot lay on that side without a lot of pain in the ribs... I sacrificed for a little while to cuddle Baya, but that will not happen often!!!!   I will admit... I have been doing an awful job sleeping exclusively on my left side.  Sleeping (almost) on my back has been mighty comfortable lately.  It's not like I am TOTALLY on my back, all the pressure is still on my left hip, but then I just lean towards my back and rest on Tyler.... haha...  Sometimes when I am sleeping on my left side and I feel Sal moving I wonder if I am squishing him!  Haha... I d k... just me thinking crazy as usual.  Also, maybe it is due to more sleep on my "back" but my ribs have not been a problem during the night this past week... so let me add sleeping/rest to the being active and stretching for some relief for these angry ribs.   

Missing Anything?  I could use an adult beverage.  That would be great... Wow, really great, actually...YA, I could really go for that MARTINI right now!  Haha.  Oh and I don't know if you are familiar with the David Guetta song, Titanium ... but I love it to pieces and it makes me want to drink and dance; I mean really drink and really dance... ALL NIGHT LONG.  This might be my theme song for my first night out and drinking debut.

Food cravings?  nooooooo..... but I have come to love my nightly treat of a couple scoops of icecream.  I have never been a HUGE icecream fan, but I look forward to a couple bites at night time right now. 

Heartburn?  Not really...  but I am not going to be surprised if this changes... I mean it has to be soon.... Considering my tummy issues, how do I get a heartburn- free/acid reflux-free pregnancy!?   But enjoying it while I can! 

Anything making you queasy or sick?  Nothing in particular.  Had a rough weekend with an upset tummy... not sure what to really blame it on, BUT I think the lack of a good breakfast on Saturday was a bad start to the weekend.  I do hear morning sickness can come back towards the end, so I am watching for this closely....  

This Weeks Symptoms?  I was truthfully ready for being uncomfortable at some point in this journey... maybe not this early - I was thinking more like in the last month... but I like I said I was thinking "UNCOMFORTABLE" would be the description I would use ... NOT "PAINFUL"!  I am FOR SURE more than uncomfortable at times and I just did not expect it to be like this.  I almost "officially" threw in the towel this past week and said I need to be done with the pregnancy NOW... I say "officially" with quotes because I took those words back when I realized I still have 2.5 months to go and I don't want to be a cry baby, yet.  BUT I was laying on the ground in the nursery almost crying because my ribs hurt so bad and I could not paint the mural while I was yelling at Tyler to stay away from the lines (acting like the guy can't paint in between a couple of lines- shame on me)... So yes it sucked big time.... Probably sucked for Tyler, as well... haha.

BUT I also wanted to touch on some great symptoms that I have had and are still having that I hope will last even after the pregnancy.  #1- my skin has been almost immaculate.  Never have I been so proud of this face!  Haha.  This is the best skin I have had since I was maybe twelve years old!  #2- Emotionally, I feel like I have things together really well.  No crazy break outs or crying sessions... in fact I feel like I have not really cried at all since I was pregnant... I do not feel overly emotional or mushy.  Nothing really seems to get under my skin.   #3- Mentally, I feel completely on top of my game.  I feel like I think more logically now than I did before I was pregnant.  I do not feel like I have the "pregnant brain" people talk about.  Maybe Sal is lucky to have his daddy's brain and he is sharing a little with me!  Haha.  #4- This is THE MOST CALM AND PEACEFUL I have felt in my whole life.  I have never felt so BALANCED and at peace with myself  than during this pregnancy.  My inner self is seriously loving the absence of high-strung, spazy Jackie.  Here, I thought getting pregnant amplifies all those crazy thoughts and worries, but this pregnancy has just wiped all of that out of me!  NOTHING bothers me enough to make me worry excessively or have bad anxiety... It is amazing...  I just feel like "eh- whatever happens, happens" (that was NEVER a thought that crossed my brain 29 weeks ago!) . . . Please cross your fingers that all these wonderful symptoms stick with me after Sal is born!!  That will be the time I need them the MOST!  Haha.  Last but not least.... #5- Body image has always been in the forefront of my brain.  Since after high-school, NOT having daily practices for sports and coaches making me workout has pushed me to really make sure to stay in shape and keep my body healthy over the last several years.  I thought getting pregnant would be really hard because you get "fat".  BUT IT IS NOT FAT!! I get it now... Pregnancy does not feel like "fat" and I might joke about it, but I know it goes much deeper than gaining some weight.  Working out during this pregnancy has really made me respect my body more than ever before.  As much as it sucks sometimes to be a woman and have to take on the toll (in MANY ways) of having a baby, it is seriously AMAZING that our bodies are built to take this venture on and this might be a huge turning point for a new found respect for what God has blessed me with when it comes to my own self image.  What a pleasant surprise, who knew pregnancy could be so empowering!?  

Any Movement?   I can tell he is getting bigger and stronger week by week.  It is quite interesting how feeling his movements has evolved over these weeks as well.  From little flutters like butterflies, to feeling like a bouncy ball is in there, to pokes at my organs, and now to making my whole belly move in funny directions sometimes, and the newer one that has been much more frequent --  uncomfortable jabs to my lower organs.  Excellent... what's next?  Because if that kid goes near my inflamed rib... he is gonna get it. (joking) but really, how do I make the ribs off limits!? Eeeeek!  

Labor Signs?  Nope! Thank God- not ready yet for sure.... more so, we have to get Baya trained first!!  

Belly Button: in or out?  no longer really "out" more like stretching and I think in the next couple weeks I might be belly-button-less.  Haha... omg. I hate this topic.  It is so weird.

Wedding rings on or off?   On... but they come off pretty quick once I get home from work.

Overall Mood this week?  EXCITEMENT... Although I was jam packed busy, this was the slowest week of my life waiting for Saturday to come so we could go pick up Baya....Actually, working on Saturday morning from 9 to noon might have been the longest 3 hours of my life!  For someone like myself, who has NO patience, waiting for a big event is pure torture.  If I am this crazy over a dog (not being the biggest dog lover previously) I cannot imagine the torture September will be waiting for Salvatore's arrival.  Oh man.. that will be interesting...  

Looking forward to?  Well, I assume time will fly now because we will be focusing totally on Baya.  We have orientation for her puppy classes already on the 9th and then she starts her weekly classes which go into August, I believe... By the time her classes are done and we have the hang of having the puppy around, Sal will be arriving and that will be a whole new adjustment (probably for Baya, too)!  I am really looking forward to the energy and entertainment Baya will bring as we "patiently" wait till September.  She will be a delight to have around during those first couple months, too, when babies are quite boring - considering all they do is eat, sleep, and poop.... haha.  Plus, who can turn down a great cuddle buddy like a cute little puppy?!?!  And then I just picture Baya helping Sal with his first steps and them being the best of buds growing up together.  Aww... okay, that is a little mushy... but really it is so exciting to look forward to the next few years with Sal and Baya... and maybe baby #2!!  HAHA. I CRACK MYSELF UP.  (Reminder: I still ride the crazy train.)  

Pit of the week?   My ribs.  They will make me go insane by September I assume.  

Peak of the week?  Although I had to wait ALL week for her, BAYA was the peak for sure!  Like I said before, I cannot get enough of her.

Make it a great HOLIDAY week!
Happy 4th everyone!
Much Love,
Jax