It's The Most Natural...

...way to ruin your breasts!

I'm talking about breastfeeding.

I definitely want to breastfeed Mason because:

• it's the best nutrition for him
• it is a bonding time between mother and child
• it will help my body become more healthy post-partum
• it's economical

But I'd never really read what goes into breastfeeding. I'd only heard general statements that people had told me {i.e. your boobs are guaranteed to be saggy afterwards, tales of mastitis, and that cognitive, emotional, and social skills are significantly stronger in breastfed babies}

BUT no one told me about these things:

1. your baby may not "naturally" take breastmilk...it's a laborious process for both parties
2. if you breastfeed, you're supposed to keep up with which breast you fed from last because you're supposed to empty one before you change to the other (sheesh, I can't even remember if I took my prenatal pills some days)
3. speaking of which, I'm supposed to continue with my prenatal vitamins while breastfeeding
4. nursing babies aren't supposed to be given bottles or pacifiers because their sucking reflex can become a lazy learned response (i.e. they don't suck as hard)
5. a single feeding can last up to 45 minutes and while I thought, "oh I can watch TV or do small handheld chores, or read a book" No No No, you're supposed to sit still, hold your baby and bond 12 different times a day...at least at the beginning. Sheesh, that's almost half of an entire day
6. breastfeeding burns about 500 extra calories a day
7. if your baby has finished feeding but still has suction on your breast, you can't just pull the baby's mouth away because this can cause injury to your nipple (OUCH!)
8. leakage is almost guaranteed, and it can happen at anytime: sleeping, taking warm showers, when you hear a baby crying, when you think/talk about your baby
9. wet tea bags and cooled cabbage leaves are home remedies for sore boobies
10. and lastly these 3 scary new terms that seem to be inevitable: engorgement, clogged milk ducts, sore and cracked nipples

So now I understand why that bottle is so tempting for some mommies...

Cravings

I crave cupcakes...all the time. Baby Mason's going to come out a little sugar ball if I don't watch it!

And if I have to designate what kind of cupcake he's going to be (none of this pink frilly stuff...he'll definitely be all BOY), I've decided he's a monkey cupcake.

Just because.

Here's Baby Monkey's Mason's newborn homecoming outfit too:

It's Not Mischief, It's An Adventure

I have strong suspicions that Mason will be a little daredevil.

It runs through his blood already.

As a baby, before most children my age were walking, I was a climber...Mom once found me in the kitchen traversing my way to the top of the refrigerator. In 2nd Grade, although not purposefully orchestrated, I was hit by a car, flying over the hood and landing on the asphalt without breaking a bone (God sent extra angels to keep watch over me that day). I thought I was invincible for at least a decade after this. Even as a grown-up, I enjoy things like whitewater rafting, rock climbing, and rappelling. I'd love to try skydiving and hang gliding one day; I used to want to bungee jump, but the thought of a taut rope jerking me at the end doesn't seem pleasant, I'd stick with skydiving.

I can already imagine Mason rolling down our treacherously steep driveway on some Geronimo mission to see how fast he can fly on his bike/scooter/skateboard. It excites me and frightens me all at once!

But for the meantime, since the little guy will be wiggling in the womb for now, I found a pocket version of "The Dangerous Book for Boys" yesterday. I might start reading it in advance to prepare for my little adventurer's entrance into the wide-world of dangerous possibilities!

But Today I Cried...

I found out I was pregnant June 18, 2008.

According to the gestational chart, this was around 4.5 weeks, in the early stages of when take-home pregnancy tests can just begin to detect the hCG hormone.

The following two weeks were tough as I came to grips with the reality that I'm becoming a Mommy, I'd be a single-mom at that, along with the hormonal emotional waves from the pregnancy. But after those two weeks, by some sort of strength that could only come from God, I was lifted from my pit and an overwhelming joy has enveloped me since.

This little Baby has been deeply loved from the very beginning.

And I cannot explain the extravagant joy and ridiculous happiness I have every day thinking about Baby Mason. I tell just about everyone that I can't stop smiling. I will be working throughout the day and just start laughing thinking about how much I love this little guy. And he's not even here yet!

But today I cried...

I booked my maternity photographer yesterday and was telling Mom about this and recapping why I feel it's especially important for Mason to have a connection and understanding of who he is. Of how very loved he was even in the womb, of where he was formed and prayed for even before birth, of how beautiful his life will be even before he enters this world.

I have no doubt in my mind that Mason will have a family, a church community, and my closest friends who will surround him with so much love that he won't ever have reason to question if anyone loves and care for him.

But then the reality that he will grow up in a single-parent home brings up questions like:

Will he feel completely loved without a father?

Will he be able to find his masculinity without a father?

Will he blame his Mommy for bringing him into the world this way?

Oh sweet Baby Mason! It does me no good, nor little Mason, for me to worry about these things. God has always provided and He will take care of us regardless of my insecurities and doubts. Thanks Momma for helping remind me of that.

{BTW, this will not be published in his Baby Journal!}

____________________

"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21

Isabelle Oliver is a premier maternity store...with premier prices!

But I love these pregger looks and am hoping to somewhat replicate them with my Target sweater dress purchases. I also found some colorful opaque tights (one in fuchsia & one in brown) and have maternity leggings as well. Only 2 of the below dresses are maternity...can you guess which ones?

Also, I've discovered my nearest mall has Gap Maternity-woohoo! When I went, they had a clearance sale with an additional 25% off. Thank goodness for sales =)

22 1/2 Weeks

Design Progress

While I didn't get much accomplished for the Nursery this past weekend, I did find a great resource for Nursery Design: http://babysdream.icovia.com/

Here's Mason's Room Layout

The door on the bottom right enters into the hallway and the door on the top right is to the closet. This layout is drawn to scale architecturally, including the (potential) furniture and accents.

SLEEPYHEAD

Also, last week my dream bassinet arrived for pickup (I just have to pick it up!) and last night I ordered Mason's crib. Mom graciously offered to sew the custom bedding and I'm definitely taking her up on that offer...THANKS AGAIN MOMMA! I had a jumpstart on ordering the crib so she'll have exact measurements for the bedding (I want a tailored straight skirt not a ruffled one, which would be much more forgiving). The actual crib will be a bit of a surprise-I definitely am veering from my original plan for dark rich wood furniture (like a mahoghany) and Mom has also promised to add her artiste touch to the new idea!

Tomorrow my Amy Butler "Little Stitches for Little Ones" arrives and I'll review patterns for bedding in this book too. I hope they're helpful!

DIRTY DIAPERS
I hate the idea of changing diapers so please do not judge me as I've dreaded looking for a changing dresser and decided to go cheap...very cheap. This will likely be the very last piece I purchase as I'd rather invest in a great glider chair and ottoman first.

Babies R Us Graco Christon Dresser/Changer regularly $260, but now @ $100 (although I have some reservations as all of the reviews have been very poor)

Albee Baby DaVinci Kalani 3-Drawer Changer @ $290 & free shipping
Babies R Us South Shore Changing Table @ $160
OR

Target Pure White Country Style Changer @ $170

(these are the same exact furniture pieces, but I haven't figured out which will be more expensive when taxes / shipping is factored in)

Target Pure White Open Baby Changing Table @ $100 (although this is only a bookshelf and I'm really looking for a dresser combo)

Target DaVinci Roxanne 3-Drawer Changing Table @ $294 & free shipping

Mr. Preppy

Last night I had dinner with Jamie Michele and she surprised me with a gift...Mason's first outfit! A Polo Ralph Lauren coverall...and then of course as if I didn't have baby fever before, I ran over to Baby Gap and found matching socks on sale to coordinate with Mr. Preppy's outfit.

Thanks so much Jamie Michele!

What Will He Look Like

While there's no way to predict what Mason will look like before he's born, other than the 4-D Ultrasound later on, I sure hope he's as cute as these little boogers!

Oh I know I'm biased, but I love little Asian babies {some of these little guys are "mixed"} =)

P.S. I know I'm a freak. Almost as soon as I found out I was pregnant, I Googled 'cute, Asian, babies'. As a side note, if you do this, make sure you have your SafeSearch ON!

Barely Running, But I Could Bowl My Belly

I realized last night that I'm struggling to run at a 10'30" pace- that's 5.7 mph on the treadmill...uggggghhhh so slow for even me! I even missed the Komen Race for the Cure last Saturday, which I really wanted to run so I could at least say I ran a race while pregnant...

And well, the next race, the 10K Vulcan Run is definitely out of the question. I was just happy to run 5 miles on the indoor track last night (with a break inbetween), much less 6.2 miles on a course that kicked my butt when I was in top shape 4 years ago.

But of course, to put things in perspective, I've gained a great deal of weight (again, hopefully all in my belly) and it's been like running with a bowling ball strapped to my abdomen. Literally.

Sneak Peek

The madness has begun!

Well the decorating madness that is...

These are fabrics samples from my first visit. I've decided on chocolate brown walls and then fabrics in browns, creams, and robin's egg blue (when I try to describe this color, it's definitely not a sky blue but more of a light dirty blue with a little bit of a green hue).

It's gonna be so pretty handsome!

Here's some of the sketches too...

Boy Oh Boy!

I think I've got a little athlete growing inside of me. Although he managed to sleep during the entire ultrasound, of course I now feel him doing acrobatics in my tummy all the time. I've figured out which positions to move where I can feel him the most and I'm blessed now as his kicks aren't quite strong enough to hurt...they just tickle!

Aren't these New Balance crib shoes adorable?

The Baby Bump's a BOY!

And he's measuring healthy for all organs and body parts...praise God!

Please allow me to introduce you to Mason Tinsley....

He was asleep the whole time...just chillin' like this with his arms up to his head.

Definitely a boy!

Here's another profile shot.

This is a 4-D picture, but I don't really know what this is. Mason doesn't have enough fat to flesh out a non-alien looking photograph.
He'd move just a little when the ultrasound technician tried to budge him but he refused to wake up. (Please sleep lots Baby Mason!)
We could easily count all 5 fingers on both hands. (10 fingers, 2 hands, 2 arms, 2 eyes, 2 feet, 2 legs, and 1 big abdomen)
This is a bottom view and you can see his right leg towards the top of the screen...oh and his little boy-parts too.
See the alien view? The belly's in the top left and the head and 2 black eye sockets are bottom right.
Yeah, he kept showing his stuff.

Bellyfit

While I won't be able to wear this Kay Unger dress for several months (gulp)...

I found this maternity dress that's similar-enough in overall style.

Yea for the Belly =)

Halfway There!

20 weeks out of 40!
Seriously, this bump's gonna get bigger? That's craziness!

Warning: Your Body Is Not Your Own

It's just a weird thing to have such an onset of physical changes all at once. Guess that's what happens when you're a vessel for growing another life.

Since I've been pregnant, here are some of the "fun" changes my body has developed...

• weight gain...duh! and hopefully it all stays in my belly =)
• enlarged breasts with larger and slightly darker areolas
• tiny patch of hair fuzz around the bellybutton (although if most were to look, it wouldn't be noticeable)
• facial acne (I had this pre-pregnancy and actually this is relatively under control sparing occasional weird areas like my eyebrows, upper lip, and chin)
• and while my back acne has cleared up considerably (thank goodness), I have chest and neck breakouts now that are horrible!
• dry skin on my upper arms
• a fattening of my face...please don't form the "mask of pregnancy" or the wider-spread nose (YUCK!)
• sweating, as before I didn't have a need to wear deodorant, now I sometimes sweat profusely even when I've applied anti-perspirant

Stanford Study on Asian-White Pregnancies

Today, Stanford released their findings of Pregnancy Risks with Asian-White couples where the mother is Asian and the biological father is Caucasian. Their findings will be published in the October issue of American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

My poor Obstetrician...he's going to have a laundry list of questions from me next Wednesday!

From their findings:

An increased risk of gestational diabetes. ~4% (compared to white couples at 1.61%)

An increased likelihood of having to deliver via caesarean. 33.2%...that's 1/3 of the deliveries!(compared to white mothers-Asian fathers at 23%)