Pressure, Pain, Pangs

Last week's doctor's appointment went well and there wasn't much to report except that I have gained a total of about 11 lbs so far (from my first weigh-in). Doctor didn't do anything different during the appointment, but checked my uterus measurement and asked if I wanted the Tdap (which I declined, we'll get into that later). I did however, finally get around to filling out the admission form for the hospital I plan to deliver at. The doctor's office had the forms so it was convenient to just fill it out there instead of go down to admissions next door.

Lately this past week, Justice has been sitting low on my pelvic area and causing pressure, pain and pangs! He will kick and move and jab and roll... and they all cause some sort of discomfort in one way or another. Oh the joys. I don't remember the girls doing this to me as much as he is. Everyone says it's because he's the boy and it doesn't stop when he's born. ;0) At least I know that he's growing healthy and roasting in the belly!

Since I'm now 36 weeks and 5 days along... I've already started saying he's only a few weeks away from being born. It is so hard to believe that it's so soon! Since I'm working full time during this pregnancy and haven't done this since I was pregnant with Grace 6 years ago, I really feel like the time has passed quickly. Every day that I come in to work is another day closer to Justice being born. I do have to say that I do not feel prepared as far as setting things up at home, and getting everything I need. We don't even have diapers, wipes or burp cloths! Which reminds me, I didn't update on my baby shower! That will be an entry in itself full of pictures. Back to my rant... I decided that since we have Amazon Prime, I would try out their subscription service for the diapers and wipes. When I price matched between Costco (where we would normally get them from) and online at Amazon, price points were cheaper on Amazon. So we'll see how it works out and if the timing of the deliveries work with our needs. I really wanted to go organic, or use the adorable Honest Company diapers, but shipping to Hawaii is crazy on top of the cost of their products! I'm grateful that Costco at least sells the Honest Company brand shampoo and body wash - it smells like Orange Dream. Delicious.

I have another doctor's appointment today and will be sure to update a little sooner than a week later like last time! Will need to get into the groove of updating the blog regularly so I can keep track of the littlest one's progress.

Shaun and I will be staying the weekend in Waikiki from tonight until Sunday afternoon for the Air National Guard's Strong Bonds Marriage Retreat. Blessed to have a short baby staycation free of charge for us, while concentrating on our marriage - which is the core of our family (aside from our personal relationships with the Lord). The girls are staying with my Mom and family, and they are stoked to say the least. =)

Until my next update.... aloha!

35 week update!

Well, my attempt to update regularly has not been so productive. Things have been happening so quickly, time is passing like a flash and we are only 4.5 weeks out from meeting baby Justice! A couple Sundays ago, I even had people come up to me and say, "I didn't even know you were pregnant!" and were extra shocked to find out how soon I was due... I guess my attempt to wear regular clothes and look normal was working... up until recently. Definitely been feeling the extra weight and heaviness of the baby bump. Nights have been getting harder to get through with a straight shot of sleeping, and the bladder constantly insists I stop at the bathroom. I have however, started to gain some weight which is good since I lost so much in the beginning. A couple appointments ago, I weighed the same as I did in August!

Here are some bump pictures to catch up....

21 - 23 - 25 weeks

26 weeks

29 weeks

35 weeks

I am now 35.5 weeks along, and tomorrow will mark the one-month count down exactly. Here's a picture I took today...

35.5 weeks

People have been passing down so many clothes and other baby items... we are so blessed! We were even over and abovely blessed by a brand new Stokke Scoot stroller. The family that gifted it to us somehow got a replacement for theirs and didn't need it, so they passed the blessing on to us. What an amazing Father we have! With the over abundance of clothes, I've been able to go through them and bless several other families I've found in need through a community page on facebook. 

While the clock ticks down and we get ready for his arrival, I'm nervous, anxious, excited and partially worried that I won't want to come back to work full time. Please pray that we get the child care situation figured out. There's a good chance my loving Mother will not be available to watch him, so that leaves us to find someone who we trust, is reliable, and is in our budget (which isn't much)... we really need the Lord's guidance to find someone suitable who understands our parenting style and especially someone who loves the Lord as we do. 

Will update later this week with more pictures and news... I see my doctor on Friday and will be taking my stress test, and then I'm excited for my baby shower on Saturday! 

Catching Up... Week 22

So my attempt to blog again has gotten off to a rough start, to say the least. I am now 22 weeks! Here's a little update to catch up to this week....

The morning sickness i mentioned in my last blog entry escalated to slight constant nausea. It was horrible, and it was my first indication that I was probably having a boy. The girls gave me an easy time and hardly brought any nausea, so I knew this one was different! I was easily nauseated by smells around me and would get sick at the though of certain foods. Thank goodness that it went away around week 18 and is now hardly there anymore. Because of the nausea and picky tummy, I haven't been eating as much either, as I did with the girls. The excuse of "I'm eating for two!" hasn't been used since there haven't been many opportunities for me to need it. I actually lost several pounds in the beginning because of my limited appetite. Haven't noticed any evident cravings.... not yet, anyway!

Over the past couple months, I've had a couple appointments. We are on track and looking good! I have my 1-hour glucose test coming up later this month, not looking forward to it. But at least it'll give me a good reason to sit and not move for a whole hour! Can someone say, "tsum tsum frenzy"? :0) We had a 3D ultrasound where we got to find out the gender of the baby... and we found out that we're having a boy! His name will be "Justice Kazuichi Kawakami". We've had the name "Justice" in the back of our minds for a couple years, just waiting for a son to join our family. "Kazuichi" comes from a couple generations.... it was the name of Shaun's grandpa who was a great man, influential in government while he was alive. It's also a combination of Shaun's Step-Dad, "Kazuto" and my Dad, "Seiichi".. the meaning behind this japanese name is "Harmony One" or "Peace One". One also being symbolic of being the first son and grandson on both sides of the family. We are overly excited for Justice to be born! 

Shaun is so excited to have a son. He's already planning on jiu jitsu training and dreaming of the adventures the two will have. He'll probably start boy scouts, just cause his Daddy is such an Eagle Scout and always prepared and LOVES it. Shaun turned 30 on 11/28 and I'm excited to see what God has in store for this next decade of his life. Here is how we closed out the last day of his 29th year...

He's been an amazing part of the pregnancy, and does little things like being home Starbucks on a cold and rainy night after running some errands because I had a rough day... love him! 

After several weeks of feeling Justice roll around in my tummy and the occasional kick while stretching, Shaun was finally able to feel him move. That never gets old, no matter how many pregnancies you have. It's amazing, that a baby is growing inside my belly! Wow God!

The girls have been blossoming into young ladies and are constantly amazing me. While they do argue and aren't the perfect angels ALL the time, they have moments of pure bliss and I thank God for giving me such great girls. I know they're going to be great older sisters... although they said they don't want to change diapers. shucks! 

(free dinner at Costco!)

(at our church christmas party)

 

(Shaun talking to Justice... 20 weeks)

(Justice at 21 weeks... on my way to work)

Hopefully my next entry will not be as spaced out as the last. Will try my best to keep up!!!

Ultrasound Picture!

Went to see my Doctor this past Tuesday, on my 29th birthday, and the ultrasound was positive for a baby! I was relieved that this time around it was able to pull up an image. Through the Doctor's calculations, he estimated that I was 7 weeks 2 days that day. So every Sunday marks my week-iversary. Estimated due date is April 12, 2015... but with my history of late borns, I'd rather say that I'm due the 2nd week of April!

Cravings have been different day to day... one day I might want thai food, and the next day it turns my stomach. I'm not experiencing really bad morning sickness, but constantly feel a little uncomfortable. If I think of certain smells or foods, it could be enough to make me gag. I've only had one instance of actual throwing up, and I'm relieved that's all it's been so far. Having a few people at work know that I'm pregnant has helped a lot! They don't question my choice of food or drink, or point out the fact that I no longer drink coffee....

COFFEE! So in the beginning I was trying to stop drinking coffee because I didn't want to intake too much caffeine, but eventually the taste of the coffee didn't sit well with me anymore. It was a struggle in the beginning because I was exhausted! I would make a cup and only drink a quarter of it. It's gotten better recently... my body's getting used to the less caffeine intake.

More updates to come.... =)

Blogging again...

It's been a long while since I've last blogged anything... but I felt like it's time to start it up again. Several reasons, but one being that we just found out last week that we're expecting #3 baby around March/April of 2015!

Life has been a whirlwind from the time we got married in 2008... having Grace in 2009, then Faith in 2010... it's been a nice break from diapering and potty training. With both in school now, we've given it a thought to have another but I was always content with our 2 girls. Shaun on the other hand, was dying and begging to try again to have a boy. #3 wasn't planned, but God definitely planned it!

I took a couple tests at home on two separate days, and both times the positive was a little faint. I decided to go in to see my OBGYN and take their test. Went in last Saturday (exactly a week ago) and it was definitely positive. The ultrasound was inconclusive, probably since I'm too early to see, so I have another appointment this coming Tuesday. We aren't set on how far along I am or when my due date is, but that will all come.

Emotions are high... I didn't allow myself to be excited until I knew for sure I was pregnant. But now that we know, I've been doing a lot of remembering and planning in my head. Past experiences and purchases gone wasted are being remembered and we know what not to bother with this time around. Like a big travel system stroller... =) I'm doing research on the best umbrella stroller we can use from birth.

We've told our families, and some close friends. I informed my direct boss at work so they're prepped for me leaving on maternity leave. I'm blessed to work with the company I do, they're so flexible, understanding, and like family. This will be the first time I take maternity leave and will have to return to work after giving birth, and it scared me a lot at first. But after talking it over, they assured me that it will be fine and they know I'll be out more than usual but they understand. So blessed! It's the best company I could have thought of being with, to return to full-time work after giving birth.

Shaun just recently changed positions within the Air National Guard and is now a Chaplain's Assistant. He is supposed to go to tech school for a couple months, but we don't know when yet. Praying that it's soon before I'm really pregnant and before I give birth!

I will update with progress reports as we go along. Thanks for joining our family in this journey of growth!

love,
Izumi