Week 25

How I am feeling:  I am feeling really good overall!  My only minor complaint is still that I don’t sleep as well as I would like.  I am trying to find comfortable ways to sleep, but it’s difficult.  I have an eye twitch now which is very strange and I have read is brought on by lack of sleep/stress.  I am trying to relax a lot so even if I am not sleeping, my body is at least getting time to relax.  Of course, yesterday I spent literally 12 hours on my feet at work, but I am trying to make up for it today by reclining with my laptop ;o) 

Other than this minor complaint, I feel very lucky and I have been feeling great!

Here is what I look like at 25 weeks:

Baby movement:

My little dancing girl likes to make herself known whenever she can!  She is bumping me right now in fact!  I

Shout Outs

This week I want to thank my amazing husband, Darren!  He is doing a great job of putting up with my mood swings and keeping me laughing.  We had an amazing mini “baby moon” to Asheville to visit the Biltmore Estate last weekend for our Valentine’s Day.  

The Biltmore was absolutely beautiful and we were so fortunate that the weather was equally as beautiful.  I loved walking around the house and the grounds hand-in-hand with my amazing husband.  I also love that one of his favorite things is to point out cute babies right now (especially cute babies in cute baby carrier backpacks), and the huge smile he gets on his face when he sees them.  I am getting a little teary eyed just thinking about it.  I can’t wait to get a front row seat to see Darren with our baby girl and showing her the same love he has shown me as long as I have known him. 

Nursery:

Darren plans to paint this weekend!  I am so excited.  Look for pictures on next week’s blog. 

Other than that we haven’t changed anything.  I keep thinking about what still need, but I also know we have time!

Favorite Names:

We have started referring to baby girl as “Lilly” out loud as a test run.  It’s really fun to get to “try out” her name for a little while and make sure we love it as much as we think we do.  Nothing is official yet, but I have a feeling it is going to stick ;o)

Labor and Birth:

I know a lot of people think I’m nuts for wanting to have a completely natural childbirth, but I truly believe it is what is best for me and ultimately, baby girl.  I also truly believe that it is not for everyone and I am glad that women have choices and options that make them most comfortable.  

I am trying to work on relaxation techniques at home to prepare for the birth.  I am not the best at relaxing because it’s very hard for me to turn my mind off and not think of other things I could be doing.  I read about a technique where you picture a movie screen split in two, and on one half is something you are worried about or struggling with, then on the other side, you create a way to overcome this.  I am not very good at it yet, but I think it could really help me get myself to sleep now and then help me cope with the stress/pain of birth later. 

  

What I am reading:

I am going to take a short break from birthing/pregnancy books and just focus on reading some of the books I have wanted to read for a while!  I am still always reading articles and I am keeping up with my pregnancy week-by-week book because I love learning about how baby girl is growing and changing; however, I don’t want to get burnt out.