Week 22 and counting

This is day number 155 and you're 22 weeks pregnant!
You have 125 days or 18 weeks left, and are 55.4% of the way there.

Time does fly when you're having fun!!! I try to look at it as fun anyways. I can honestly say that I enjoy being pregnant. I know that there are a lot of symptoms that come with being pregnant, and I say bring them on. I think that any person who struggles with getting pregnant, has had a miscarriage, or has had multiple miscarriages will say the same thing.

I remember asking my mom, when I was younger, if she thought I would have any problem getting pregnant. She didn't think I would and I was definitely living on her optimism whenever we decided to try having a baby. I remember the very first time I saw that positive pregnancy test back in October 2004. Brendan and I were so excited. I remember going in for my first appointment and seeing that little heartbeat on the screen. It was still hard to believe that that little baby was inside me. I remember going to our next appointment (I was almost 14 weeks). I remember them putting the doppler on my stomach and not being able to pick up anything. They pulled in the u/s machine and there was no hb. Brendan and I were devestated. I just couldn't imagine why this had happened. Of course I automatically thought that it was something I had done. I remember the Saturday before I found out we were pregnant, I had fallen and taken advil to help with my swollen ankle. I was just sure that was why I had lost the baby. It wasn't until later that I found out that 60% of first time pregnancies end in a miscarriage. This was on December 24, 2004.

I found out in April 2005 that I was pregnant again!! I'm so thankful that my mom was right. I was afraid that it was going to take a while to get pregnant after having my miscarriage. I remember going in for my first appointment and just praying that everything would be good. We got to see our little baby on the screen and see that beautiful little heart beating. I remember having a lot of anxiety right before the second appointment. I can honestly say one of the most beautiful sounds is hearing that heartbeat for the first time!! Such a wonderful sound!!! I remember being anxious before every appointment because I was so afraid that something was going to be wrong. Looking back now, if I had just put all my faith in God, my anxiety level would not have been as high. In December 2005, Ashlynn Lauren graced us with her presence and life has never been the same since.

I said all that to say this, when I got pregnant with Ashlynn I welcomed every symptom that came with the pregnancy. I was just so thankful to be having a baby and so thankful that the baby was healthy. Here I am, pregnant with baby 3, and am still welcoming every symptom and trying to not complain. I think back to the verse we tell Ashlynn to recite whenever she starts to complain (Phil 2:14-Do everything without complaining or arguing). I know that it will do me no good to complain about it. In fact, if all I do is complain then who would want to listen to me anymore. I'm not saying that being pregnant isn't hard. I know it is. This is my 4th time and with each one the symptoms are progressively worse. However, I'm just thankful for the fact that I am able to have children and look at each pregnancy as a blessing.

Do I get sick? I do, and this time it lasted into my 16th week. I remember getting excited whenever I went the whole week w/o throwing up!! It's the little things that make me happy. Do I sleep well? Some days yes, some days no. Is it hard to do everyday tasks the bigger my belly gets? Of course it is, but I don't let it stop me or get me down. Do I have swelling? Right now I don't, but with Ashlynn and Peyton I had ridiculous swelling. My ankles were so big and tight it would hurt to walk. The swelling is one of the main reasons I had to be induced with Peyton. Do I have mood swings? Like you wouldn't believe. My poor husband is usually at the brunt of my mood swings too. He takes it all in stride. He's a wonderful support system and I know that there is no way I could get through a day w/o him here.

I know that this is kind of lengthy, but it is something that has been on my chest and I needed to get it off. I'm so very thankful that I am able to have children. I know that it is hard for some and even impossible to conceive and that is why I choose not to complain. I have 18 weeks to go and I keep praying that my blood pressure and swelling do not get out of control like they have with the other two pregnancies. Here's to the next 18 weeks!!!