Finally!

Ok, so I added the latest profile to the slide show and here are some pictures for your enjoyment :-) This is me at 19.5 weeks.

I really don't like my hair in this one, but it's still cute :-)







(This is Aimee posting, not Chris like it says)

Just to clarify

Tonight I was talking to a very close friend of mine while I was making popcorn for youth group. Of course we started talking about my pregnancy because that is what girls do lol. I started talking about how firm my stomach is. She very politely asked if she could feel my belly, knowing I am not a huge fan of people just touching my stomach. Can I just say how much I appreciated that simple gesture of asking to touch.

I've made it no secret on my little blog that I do NOT like people, specifically people I don't really know, coming up to me and touching my belly. I get why they do it and I appreciate that they are trying to share in my experience but, I do not like **just anyone** touching my belly.
HOWEVER--aside from it being a stranger touching me--it's not necessarily the actual touching part that I don't like, it's the fact that people just do it with zero regard for my personal space. They touch me with no warning, no permission, no idea of my feelings about being touched.

So I would just like to clarify, for those family members who I will be seeing in just over a week (YAY!) and my close friends here in PHX, that if you want to touch my belly I do not mind. Just give me some warning--if nothing else :-)

Some might say I talk about this subject way too much. The argument could be made that once you are pregnant you should just accept that random people are going to come up and touch your belly with no warning. Well, I do not agree. I will probably have 10 more posts about stories of random strangers touching my belly, and how much I hate it. I do not accept that I need to just get over it. It's my body--why should it ever be OK for someone to touch me when I am not comfortable with it?
So, with that being said I am going to bed. Good night :-)

Actually....

I decided to keep blogging. lol. I feel like just posting a general life happening blog so you all know a bit more about what is going on with us in general, not just concerning the pregnancy.

So, I mentioned in passing a few blogs ago that we have some new foster children. Unlike most of our placements over the last month and a half this will be a longer term placement. We had about 3 different placements which we only had for a week each in August and the beginning of September. We will probably have these girls for quite a while, which I am OK with.
Their names are Rosa and Ave (pronounced Ahh--vay). They are 6 and 3 and very very sweet. They've been in school and they are both doing very well. Rosa doesn't like school at all, I think just because she is very shy, but she is very smart and is doing really well. Ave LOVES her preschool though. Every morning she is so excited to go see her friends and bring her own lunch. It's so cute. We do not know how long we will have them, but probably at least several months and we could even still have them when we have our little ones. They are such good girls though--it won't be a problem.

Also, I got a job at a preschool. I am very very excited about it too. This preschool is actually at an elementary school, and it's a special needs class. Most of the kids just have developmental issues, they don't necessarily have down syndrome or anything. I am an aide, and I will work like 30 hours a week. Each day there are two different classes for 2.5 hours each and one of the days there are no kids and I just kind of do things to help the teachers have the crafts and stuff ready. I actually worked in this same class last fall for about 4 or 5 months, but then I quit to go to school full time. I love the women who work there and they are really awesome. They are very well aware that I am pregnant with twins, and they said the hours can be somewhat flexible too. I decided to get a job because I don't really do too much during the day at all. I get pretty bored and I find myself just sitting on the couch a lot of the time. So I thought a part time job, especially one where they are flexible and very understanding of my situation would be a good thing. I won't have to be on my feet all the time and I won't have to do any lifting either. Actually last year when I worked there one of the teachers was pregnant so I know they will work well with my situation. Also, it helps a lot financially considering we have TWO babies on the way. We are going to save ALL the money I make with this job, so that is something we are very excited about.

Chris started school again this semester. He is really enjoying his classes this year too. He only has to go twice a week, every other week. His classes are: Teaching the Bible in Context and World Religions and Dialogue. He is excited about them, but he's actually only been to one class meeting so far. His second is this week.

He's also a part of a city volleyball league here in Phoenix. It's every Wednesday and it's a somewhat competitive league. It's a four person team and he's the only guy on his team, but **I** think he's one of the better players. Definitely one of the more consistent players. He enjoys that league a lot. He is really one of those people who need to always be a part of something active. So it's been good for him. It ends this month though, but I think with school and us having kids now he might take a break.

Also, we are both VERY excited to go to Florida. 10 days and counting!!! Chris is officiating the wedding of one of his VERY close friends. The church is allowing him to conduct the ceremony, but he can't do the legal aspect of it. Karen (Chris' Mom) is a notary and she will take care of the legal paperwork. I think it's really nice that Chris can be a part of his friend's wedding in such a meaningful way. I am excited to see him as an 'officiant' :-)

I suppose that is all we've got going on, besides the twins of course :-) I just thought I would post a bit more about us than just pregnancy info. I hope you enjoyed :-)

Sorry.

So Chris' camera was dead so I couldn't take any pics. I will get some up tomorrow.

Just a small little tidbit. Earlier today we were watching football, and I had my hand on my tummy while one of the little ones was kicking. I always try and see if I can feel them with my hand but usually I can't. Today though it was like...WAMMO a huge, HARD kick. I totally felt it on my hand. I was like OMG! Chris put his hand on my belly but no more kicks. They do kick a lot, but at the same time it's still sort of sporadic.

So that is all. I will be sure to get some more pics up tomorrow for sure.

Yaaaaaaaaay :-)

I just received our first baby gift!!! Woot woot :-)

It's a car seat. The cutest little car seat ever. It's for Jacob :-) He will be mucho cute in it too--awe. I tried to imagine him in his little car seat all snug. It's very comfortable looking--very soft and cushy. Ooh. I am so excited.
Thank you Donna Witek :-)

I can't wait to meet my little babies :-)



While I am blogging, I will write about my lunch portion today. So I told you I was much more hungry lately right. Well this is what I had for lunch:

Olive Garden--
3 or 4 bread sticks
Artichoke Spinach dip (halved it with Chris)
A bowl of salad
2 bowls of soup
and 2 glasses of water
--oh and one of those delicious little chocolates they give you :-)

Yeah--I am a little piggy haha.
To give something to compare to, I usually have like half a glass of water, barely 1 bowl of soup, half a bowl of salad. 2 bread sticks (ish) and some of the spinich dip. I ate at least double what I usually eat today.

Later on today I will post another pic and add to the slide show--stay tuned.

I am huge.

I feel huge today. I am getting to the point where my belly is actually in my way a little bit. I was sitting on the couch, and I tried to reach over my belly with my right arm and I couldn't do it. Well I could, but I had to like move my whole body over a little bit so my arm could reach over. haha. I laughed at myself. The other day I actually ran into a piece of furniture with my belly. haha. I was like, oh--I am bigger than I used to be.

I am 19 weeks, and it's unbelievable to me. I am halfway through, and in the next month I am going to get REALLY huge. I am excited about it though :-) Chris looked at me today and he was like, OMG you are really getting big. I am getting lots of comments lately from all kinds of people so I suppose it's fairly obvious now. Not even a week a half ago that was not the case.
I like it :-) A few of my shirts are almost too small now, they are on the verge of not being long enough. Probably in a week I won't be able to wear them. I wore this dress yesterday and it's almost too small too. We will be in Florida in two weeks for a wedding, and I was planning on wearing that dress. I know I won't be able to though, it will be too small by then.

Otherwise there isn't too much to report. I am getting lots of kicking, and now I feel it more on both sides of my belly. Not so much just on the right. Especially at night haha.

That is all.


p.s. I really like comments--you should leave me some more often :-)

3rd post of the day...

I guess I am posting a lot of updates today! That's ok. More for you to read. lol.

So, after many many recommendations I went ahead and watched the movie "The Business of Being Born". It was basically a movie that was very pro natural birth/home birth. I guess you could call it a documentary, and it was a project Ricki Lake put together after the birth of her two children. Her point was to educate women on the different options there are in terms of birth. Meaning, you don't have to go to a hospital, have and epidural, and give birth laying on your back with a bunch of doctors all around you. And that C sections are not as necessary as many women think they are.

First of all let me say, that I am VERY much in agreement that women need to educate themselves about the birthing process before choosing their own particular way to give birth. I personally go to a midwife, and plan on a natural birth--in a hospital.
For me a natural child birth is very important.

Having said all of that, this movie was hard to watch. It was very one sided, it really demonized (to steal a word Chris used) doctors/OBGYNs in general. It made it seem like every doctor in America only cares about their liability and getting to dinner on time. It also did not really talk enough about why having your baby in a hospital can be a good thing. It focused almost exclusively on natural home childbirth, and didn't show the other side of birth what so ever (which I think a documentary should do). So, I was disappointed. I appreciate the desire to show another side of birth, than what most women are taught growing up but I still feel like I kind of had to dissect it a little bit and figure out what was legitimate and what was just propaganda.

I think it's a good movie for a woman to watch, but I wouldn't base any opinion on what that movie had to say. I think it's just a good tool to open your eyes and realize there are other ways to give birth than what you see on TV.

So, there that is.
Tomorrow we are 19 weeks. 19 WEEKS!! That is unbelievable to me. Well, it's late and I am tired. Goodnight.