Ashworth Alcove

Week 34 has treated me alright. I made a full comeback from the stomach virus and celebrated with a trip to IHOP. I've been wanting those cinnamon pancakes. As far as food cravings go, lately I eat about three bowls of cereal a day. I could probably live off of cereal alone. Ben goes on milk runs every few days it seems. I've also been craving more sweet foods than I was earlier in the pregnancy. Our freezer is full of frozen yogurt and sugar free popsicles. The pelvic pressure definitely hasn't eased up at all. It's actually grown more persistent. Usually when I feel Violet hiccuping it's strongest up high around my ribs, so I've suspected that's she's been head up still. Then she woke me up at 4 AM one morning doing some unusual gymnastics. Her movement actually took my breath away and I wasn't sure what was going on. I happened to have a doctor's appointment that day where it was confirmed that she is now head down. I suspect the be...

Well, it's a good thing week 32 was so good because week 33 definitely didn't go so great. Just as I feared, I got the stomach virus that Ben had. I can honestly say that I think it was physically the most miserable 48 hours ever. I ended up with a pile of blankets and pillows in the bathroom floor where I stayed at all night last Wednesday. Even with the pillows and blankets, there was definitely no sleeping. My doctor called in a prescription to treat my symptoms just enough for me to be able to get a little bit of sleep and get some water down. Then Pedialyte. Then soup. I've finally made a full recovery. Even after most of my symptoms had ceased, the nausea persisted for a few days (not to mention the incredibly sore belly muscles from heaving, eh gross... I know). I was really dehydrated, but thankfully it didn't take me too long to get back to normal. In the end, I was out of commission for about three days. So I'm a little behind on my thank you cards fo...

I'm a little late getting this one up. We spent the weekend in Tennessee and after an exhausting few days we're back in Alabama. But as soon as I started working on this post Ben came down with a terrible stomach virus. So we spent our night at the ER last night (yea, it was that bad). I'm crossing my fingers that I don't get it too. Firstly, this sweet girl's name is official and we've been sharing it with everyone this past week. We've had it selected for a while now, but wanted to share it with everyone a little later. Violet Eliza Everyone has been asking if it's a family name. Turns out Ben and I both have a Violet on each side of our families, but she's not named after anyone. I was only six weeks pregnant when I heard a song that planted the Violet seed in my head and I was never able to let it go. Luckily, Ben really loved the name and before we knew it we were calling her by it. After that there was really no going back. As for Eli...

These blog posts are kind of funny because I usually don't write them until the week I'm writing about is over. Or almost over. I actually begin every new week on Sundays, so that means as of today I have eight more weeks of growing a baby. And that's if she doesn't come early! I have moments where it hits me that we're in the 30's! It's always seemed so far away. This week went by quickly, but all in all it was a good set of days. I had another doctor's visit earlier in the week. As usual, it involved a lot of waiting and about five minutes of actually seeing the doctor. She measured my belly and I'm now measuring right on track. Up until this week baby girl was measuring a little on the small side. We obviously had a growth spurt this week and it was quite obvious to me and my aching body. Earlier on in the pregnancy I was experiencing ligament pains down low from everything kind of stretching and expanding. The ligament pains have been on a hi...

The past week has been good. I've been a little more tired than usual, which means more naps. Other than the muscle separation pain I mentioned last week, I'm feeling pretty okay. However, it is growing increasingly difficult to shave my legs and clip my toenails. And dropping something is like a game. Ben and I started attending a birthing class last week. Topics include: the process of labor and birth, relaxation and breathing techniques, different birth options, drugs, anesthesia, postpartum care, and family adjustment. We've talked a lot about pain and the fact that fear and anxiety only intensify pain. In order to stay more calm and focused we've practiced several breathing methods, as well as massage and other techniques. The massage practice was nice because Ben had to slather my arms and hands with lotion and massage them. He hates lotion, so I'm sure it was a bit more enjoyable for me. However, he's a really good sport. He even wore "the empathy ...

I didn't officially announce that we were expecting until I was about 14 weeks along. So, I thought it would be nice to share how this journey began and share some moments from the earlier weeks. Ben moved to Alabama in May, while I stayed behind in Texas to finish my last quarter of school. I traveled to Alabama to visit and attend his graduation from the Warrant Officer training program at the very beginning of August. Ben had a few weeks of leave, so we spent a few days together in the Fort Rucker area then began the journey back to Texas. I had to get back to school, so Ben accompanied me. We stopped in New Orleans on the way to Texas and spent the night in a chic vintage villa, then finally headed home. During the drive we continued a conversation about having children that had been ongoing for a few months. We both thought it would be wonderful to have our first child while we were in Alabama. I would be done with school, he would be an officer, and most importantly... We...

The past two weeks have flown by. I've been busy working on shower invitations, which involved sitting at the computer for extended periods of time. Unfortunately, sitting at the computer really does a number on my back these days so I've not made much time for blogging lately. Shame on me, I know. I've had pretty high spirits over the past couple of weeks. Unfortunately, my body has not. I won't go into great whiny detail, but I am experiencing abdominal muscle separation. It occurs when the main abdominal muscles begin to pull apart. And it hurts. A lot. Other than that, I've been feeling pretty okay. Our tiny girl is growing, no doubt. I already feel as if I'm running out of room for her. You can actually feel her little body now. Just poke around until you find the hard spot! Sometimes, if you're patient, you can even see her moving. You can see her kick or even see a body part go gliding across my belly. I really enjoy it and know I will miss it when...