17 Weeks & My Jeans Are Pretty Tight!

I don't think I'll be able to wear non-maternity jeans much longer! The couple pairs I wore the last few days were pretty snug, and downright uncomfortable when I sat down! It seems my little baby bump has popped out overnight! Oh well. I'm now 17 weeks along in my third pregnancy and everything is going great. I feel wonderful! I do love being pregnant after the first trimester. I've heard the baby's heartbeat twice now and it's beautiful. My 20 week ultrasound is scheduled. I'm not even tempted to find out the gender!

Interestingly, I am experiencing symptoms with this pregnancy that I never have before. The first is faintness in the mornings. It's happened at least three times now where I've felt light-headed, gotten tunnel-vision, and could hear my own heartbeat. I haven't passed out, I always catch it in time to sit down with a glass of ice tea or something. It's just weird. I've never been that kind of person who gets even a little bit faint. The second is headaches! They're very manageable though, and probably have more to do with my back and neck than with pregnancy. If I just exercise at least every other day, I don't get them! I also don't get back or neck pain when I exercise. The last is called chloasma, which are brown spots across your face. They're supposed to go away after birth, and I hope that they do. They're pretty subtle, but I notice them.

Keith is doing wonderfully. He leaves for Japan soon for almost a whole week, so I will miss him a great deal. I'm not stressing out about it, though, because he told me he has to go to China for like a month at the end of the year. That will suck. So I'm using the Japan trip to try and prepare myself.

Isaac continues to be a very skillful singer of songs. He also loves to pray before naptime and bedtime, as well as before, during, and after meals. He's got the Lord's prayer memorized, but he'll never recite it on command. You just have to be lucky and catch him saying it while he's playing. He is beginning to recognize some letters, I think, and he definitely knows the difference between letters and numbers. Colors and shapes continue to be hit or miss. I think he just doesn't care about them.

Josiah is going to walk any day now. He is 11 months old now and we've caught him on several occassions taking a step or two from one piece of furniture to another. The trick is to put things in his hands so that he can't hold on. Yesterday he had a Nilla wafer in each hand when he did it. He also waves "hi" and "bye," which is adorable! He eats mostly regular food now and very little baby food. Still hates bottles. I'm still trying to get him used to sippy cups. I'm also weaning him off of the pacifier for sleep. For right now I've just stopped giving it to him at night. I still let him have it for naps.

Up until a few days ago it's been unseasonably warm here in the 'Burgh. We (the boys and I) have spent a lot of time outside playing in the yard and going for walks. Keith has done a bit of yard work. I did pull weeds once. The last few days have been very rainy though. The next time we get one of those beautiful days again I am taking the boys to the zoo.

Right now I'm reading a book called What's a Smart Woman Like You Doing at Home? It's been encouraging for me as a stay-at-home mom. It's pretty old though, copyright 1986. It was loaned to me by the wife of someone Keith works with who has 8 kids, and she homeschools them all. Well, the oldest two are in college, so I guess she's homeschooling the remaining 6 now. After I finish the books she loaned me I hope to read some books on childrearing like Shepherding a Child's Heart and maybe a Dobson book like Bringing Up Boys.