3D ultrasound picture

Levi and I are planning on getting a 3D ultrasound of Baby in about a month.
I love looking at these pictures.
Here is one of a baby at about the same age ours is right now (23 weeks).

I have also found a website that makes my crafting-heart giddy. Here is a link to the post on converting normal jeans to maternity jeans -- in under an hour!
I did it with a jean mini-skirt but have yet to do the jeans.
I can't wait though!
Goodbye ugly maternity pants. : )

touching my belly

I don't know if this is a new offense or what, but over the last few weeks I've been made aware of pregnant women's strong feelings about belly rubbing by their family, friends and strangers. There are whole online bulletins devoted to it. Apparently, some people get pretty upset....
When I first found I was pregnant my husband and about 2 close friends touched my flat belly and talked to the baby.
Now that I'm sticking out a bit more, a lot more people reach out to touch. Some people are a little apologetic, like, "Is it okay?" while their hand is suspended in mid-air, or already resting on my tummy. It just seems to me like they're connecting with the baby as best they can right now, or admiring the blooming shape of my abdomen, or whatever-- I think it's cute.
I guess it's not so different from someone rubbing my newborn baby's head. And of course that's fine.

ode to exercise

I wish I enjoyed exercising. I wish I looked forward to chopping enough time out of my day to get dressed for the gym, drive there, work out (sweat), shower, change, and drive home.
But to me that just seems incredibly tedious and bothersome. And so I can point to one 3 month period of my life (in college) when I did just that, 3x a week, for the recommended period of time! Wowzers.

Alas, pregnancy calls for more than just fond memories of being fit. You're told not to diet under any conditions. You also learn that birthing labor is the most physically strenuous thing a woman can go through.
That was enough to inspire me to at least walk around a bit more than normal.
I highly recommend walking (about a mile a day) for many reasons.
1) You don't have to drive anywhere to do it (but exploring a local park, new neighborhood, etc. is a good idea).
2) You don't even have to sweat, depending on humidity, time of day, etc.
3) You might meet some nice neighbors. : )
4) All you need to start is a pair of sneakers.
5) A mile isn't really that long at all (clock it out with your car first).
6) If you can go in the morning it will help get your metabolism going and set the pace for the rest of the day (i.e. avoid unnecessary weight gain).
7) You'll feel way better. And if you do it long enough you'll start to feel sluggish if you don't get off the couch and trot around as usual. : )
8) I didn't know this at first, but exercise ("combined with rest and a good diet") helps prevent many of those conditions you hear about: swollen lower limbs, veiracos veins, constipation, sleeplessness, backaches and more. yAy!

So there's a plug for exercising from the unenthusiastic worker-outer.
(Is this possible preparation for the lazy-less days of mommyhood?)

a beginning

hello, friend.
This is the beginning of a diary, but around the mid-point of the pregnancy I plan to recount here.
This is where I plan to unload any and all information about my baby, nutrition, pregnancy information, tips, stuff I've found useful, etc.
I want it to be a helpful source for anybody who is pregnant or just finds any of it interesting.
I don't really feel like it would be fair to turn my "normal" blog into an all-out pregnancy blog so I'm just starting a new one. : )

The facts:
I'm about 21 weeks pregnant (almost 5 1/2 months - a little over half-way to birth!).
My baby is about 10 inches long (head to toe) and about 6 inches when he/she is curled up in the common fetal position.
My husband (Levi) and I do not plan to find out the sex of our baby-dear. We want to be surprised. : )
Meanwhile, I'm collecting cream/white/green/yellow clothes and accessories (which I totally prefer over pastel pink/blue anyway!).
Levi & I are still newlyweds! We have been married for about 6 months. He works for our church and I do some regular and some random babysitting. We love our jobs (most of the time)! : )

goodbye!
My regular blog is at www.myspace.com/mrsbethune
Conclusion realization, "Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to You; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare."