Baby Busby's birth story...

First things first, I've been a slacker on this blog. I realized when I logged in that I haven't posted since the end of February and it's April 3rd. Time flies when you're pregnant. :P

Since week 11 things have gotten much better, but the sickess and nausea didn't stop at week 12. Not that I was counting on it, but I will admit that by week 14 I was pretty over it. It mostly happened when I let myself get too hungry and if I went to sleep a little hungry, then it was all over when I woke up in the morning. It's funny how your body adjusts. I never thought I would get used to puking almost daily, but I did. Although a couple of weeks ago, I got sick 3 times in a day and by the afternoon I was feeling pretty sorry for myself. Tad was working that night so I was home alone with the dogs and down in the dumps, which is a rare for me. I prayed and I was reminded through the prayer that I am creating a life inside of me, and that my body is now being shared. Needless to say, I sucked it up, went to bed and haven't felt sorry for myself since. :)

I always thought to myself that I would keep a baby book up to date, remember the important milestones of a baby but I'm already slacking... and I'm not only talking about the blog. I have yet to take a profile baby bump pic. I remember looking at Jess' and thinking they were so cute, but I also realized my bathroom mirror is too high to get a shot and the full length mirror that I have is narrow. I need Tad's help with it but I never think about it until I'm alone in the house. The bump is there, and I love it. I joked to Tad the other day that I love being pregnant because I don't have to worry about sitting up straight and sucking in. Lol. Not that I sucked in constantly but it's very freeing to have this belly out there and it not be an unhealthy thing. I find myself wearing tight shirts around the midsection just so I can see it when I look down. I'm sure before long that won't be a problem at all! I still think that people at work just think I've packed on some pounds, but I've started to tell some of my hiring managers. Most are men, but they still seem very happy for me and ask a bunch of questions. I just love the people I work with.

Lindsay Merriman Lewis had her baby, Leyton Knox, on the 1st. As Jess said, "two down and one to go". We're already talking about all the fun we're gonna have camping with the little ones next year. I'm so happy that we all took the dive into motherhood around the same time, and that our kids will be friends. They'll have us beat since we didn't meet until the 6th grade!

Also, I'm still so happy that I chose Intown Midwifery. I met a girl, Shaneen (a friend of Mandy's), who was seeing them and I found out through facebook that she had her baby a couple of weeks ago. Come to find out, she has a blog and I just read the birthing story and saw pictures of the baby and family. Anjli (one of the midwives) was in some of them and the joy on her face brought tears to my eyes. You can tell she's doing her life's calling. I have thought since first pregnant that I hope I get Margaret to birth the baby because she's the most experienced, but after seeing those pics, I almost want Anjli. Shaneen's blog gave me an honest look at natural birth. I know it will not be easy, but I've stuck to my guns about it. There are a couple of reasons I don't want an epidural: I've anxious to see what my body was made to do, I think it's safest for the baby and me, and the recovery time will be easier. Now, after reading Shaneen's birthing story, I have another. The doula told her, "You didn’t do this so you could wear a badge on your arm for having an un-medicated birth, you did this so you could give your daughter the best gift of all: to let her write her own birth story. You let the mystery unfold on its own." Wow, well said. Decisions surrounding bringing a baby into the world are very personal, but I love the thought of things happening in the baby's own time. Although this is not something I can plan for because a lot can happen as I get closer to full term, I pray that the baby will be able to choose when it's ready to come into this world. And as a side note, I am so glad to have Tad be my partner in all this and be supportive of my decision of doing it naturally. I know it will be hard for him to see me in that much pain. Hopefully I don't break his hand or throw ice at him. :) [Tad, I love you so much!]

So I was 17 weeks yesterday, or Monday, depending on who's counting. The baby is the size of a turnip this week. Its skeleton is changing form cartilage to bone and sweat glands are starting to develop. Ahh, the miracle of life. It's crazy to think that we could find out the sex now if we wanted to... but I think it will be worth the surprise!