My due date is officially three months from today. Now it is likely I will go over due like I have with every other kid, but still, I am at the 6 month mark. I thought I ought to take a photo of the belly at 6 months and record how the pregnancy has been treating me.
The Belly with Peanut inside at 6 months
Physically - Most of the time I feel really good. I have kept up my pilates though not as often as I should. Still I am maintaining the strength I have gained there and I think that it is helping me feel good. The belly, as you can see in the photo, is definitely there. Bending over is no longer so easy but I still can do it when necessary.
I have a good amount of energy most mornings and can get lots done then. By about 7 p.m. my belly starts getting tight and feeling heavy. I still sleep well. I am able to eat without heartburn discomfort. That is always a plus.
Basically, I do not have all the discomforts of the third trimester yet. I am very grateful for that. I am hoping to keep them at bay for as long as possible. Three months still seems like a long time.
The baby is healthy. He is quite a mover and a kicker. He seems rather strong for 6 months gestation. The kids like how they can sit and watch him move around and kick my belly now.
Mentally - I feel good. I enjoy working in Annie's class. I am preparing to give a presentation at a conference for single adults next weekend on blogging. I just finished a great book about the life of Vincent Van Gogh by Irving Stone. And most importantly, I have been doing pretty well at keeping my mind from living in June 2008. This seems to get easier with time.
Spiritually - I have been feeling connected. Sleeping a good amount helps me be a nice mom and that helps keep the Spirit in my heart. I don't feel perfect, but I like feeling that I am a work in progress. (Key words being "in progress.")
Emotionally - I do not feel overly emotional due to the pregnancy. That is nice. I still have the current of grief running just beneath the surface, but most of the time I feel it is kept at a manageable force that my mind helps me navigate.
One interesting note about the pregnancy or this baby for me is how much more connected I feel to this child than I ever have to any baby before. Usually, I feel little if any connection to my babies until they are born. I don't know why this is. They just don't seem real till I see them face to face I guess.
Somehow, even though this child will be a whole new world for me, I feel very connected to this nameless little guy beating up my insides. I am trying to pace my anticipation and excitement for his arrival. I feel the time goes faster when I am not counting the days. Still there are moments when I can almost feel him in my arms. May the days fly till that dream can be a reality.
9 comments:
Your belly is the cutest! Hope the next 3 months go nice and smoothly for you!
You have a nice "neat & neat" (both definations) baby bump.
I loved being pregant and looking pregnant. I have a very small frame and am short-waisted. Since I never gained a lot of weight, I carried them like an ever expanding basketball. On my first pre-natal visit for our fourth child, I weighed 108 lbs -- despite having given birth to a 9 1/2 poinder the year before.
Pregnany is an exciting time but, like you, even after four of them, I was always shocked to see a "reaL" baby emerge from my body. The very first eye contact sealed the maternal-child bond. The magical enchantment was ever present.
Are you having difficulty coming up with a name or just not focused on that part yet? Have you traditionally used family names? All of ours are named for a family member - usualy by way of their middle name. Additionally, each of our sons carries my maiden name as a tribute to my dear Daddy who passed away when I was only 15.
I can't wait to see Peanut's pic and know his eye-color and complextion so I can choose the yarn for his sweater set. At some point, I will need to know the colors ( preferably 3 for each) of the girls' ski-suits - I bought a pattern for some awesome girlie hats. I've always made it a practice to have a present for the older kids so that they don't feel left out of the excitement of gift-giving.
I always appreciated when people did that especially in cases when the "older" baby was merely a toddler. Very easy for them to get their button nose out-of-joint.
Interestingly, they would never refer to it as "my gift" but rather the gift they received to help welcome their new sibling.
Glad you're feeling well & thriving, Stephanie.
How's Jon holding out? :-)
love 'n hugs,
kathryn_m
PS: I wish you would have included your face in the pic - you have no fear of it taking away from your sweet belly bulge:-)
A pregnant mom's countenance glows with a special beauty all its own.
hugs
You have a great pregnant belly. So cute! I hope that things continue to progress well for you. What a sweet, tender mercy to be able to feel so close to this little boy.I wonder if Camille's closeness to him is aiding in that? It's so beautiful to think of her with him, and teaching him all about your family. Best wishes for the next 3 months!
What a cute belly. I'm glad your pregnancy and self are doing so well.
Kathryn M,
The name -- hmmmm. I am thinking about it. Jon, not so much. He wants to have the final say on this one being a boy and all. We both want a name we both really love. We do name after family members. We are still throwing around ideas. We are not concrete on anything yet.
Jon says he is waiting for inspiration in the matter. So, it might be a while.
As for girls ski outfits - Sabrina's is navy and lime green. Annies is light and dark pink and yellow. And Laurens is pink, purple and white.
I also am excited to see little peanut's eye color. We have hazel, brown, and blue already so anything seems fair game. Thanks so much.
We will let you all know when we finally come up with a name.
love stephanie
You look great! It's so wonderful that' you're already feeling such a strong connection to him. I was the same way with not really feeling anything until I actually saw them.
Finding a name is always the hardest thing for me. My husband dosn't really care so mo much about all of it but is happy to shoot down any name that I do come up with. But of course the only suggestions that he does ever come up with are ones that he knows are going to make me give him "the look". He likes to mess with me.
I usually search and search for months and make a list of the favorite names that I come across and then once I see the baby see which name they look like most. I just need to see what they look like.
It's great you're feeling so good, I always have such difficult pregnancies with pre term labors and anti contraction medications that make me so jittery that I feel like I'm going to jump out of my skin. I always envy you women who feel great during pregnancy!
I really do think you look amazing though but I agree with Kathryn_m and think you should have included your face! :)
Very excited for your new arrival...and a BOY! Your belly is absolutely adorable. It is so good to hear how you are doing.
Congratulations on your pregnancy! I know I am very late, but for some reason I lost you among my blogs and am so glad I have found you again. Thank you for sharing your true emotions. You look great! I too have felt very connected to my babies in belly so I can relate to your experience. I love sweet little ones and am so excited for you to have a little boy!!! When I first found out about my boy I couldn't even imagine what it would be like. I hope your last trimester flies by so you can hold that little kicker in your arms and smell his sweet neck and kiss his soft skin. I think I want another baby. I'm crazy.
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