On The Bright Side...

We are having SO much fun feeling her move around inside of me! It's such a crazy experience. No words can even really explain it....and I'm sure it's hard to imagine unless you've experienced it yourself! We always try to guess if it was her butt, her head, or maybe a hand that moves across my belly! And with Mark's hand on my belly, you can see it rise and fall as she dances around in there! We sit there for a while with no movement, and then "WHOA!", we feel her move BIG time! I like to think she reacts more when daddy has his hand on my belly! Mark can't get over the fact that we are actually feeling a human baby, growing inside me! Mind boggling! She better move around a lot right now, because it's about to get a lot smaller in there for her! She's about to have a big growth spurt over the next month!

Blastid Relaxin!

So...due to the excessive amount of the hormone relaxin floating around in my pregnant body, my joints and bones tend to be uncooperative! At the moment, (and for the past week and a half) I have had a rib out of place, which is causing excruciating pain! And the only way to get relief is to lay down....which then causes other pain, such as hip pain and this awful tingling pain in my chest! So REALLY, there IS no relief! I've been going to the chiropractor each week (sometimes twice a week), but due to the relaxin (causing my cartilage to turn to jelly) the rib simply won't stay in its place! DARN RIB! Anyway, it's all I can think about. It's like someone is literally stabbing me in the back! OUCH!!
And it keeps me in bed, which is not good. I want to be up and doing stuff, but the pain keeps me from it.
So....Dear Rib, please go back into place and LEAVE ME ALONE! Thanks!
Yours truly,
TICKED OFF, PREGNANT Brianne

Education Station

It's time to read up and GET READY!! The time is coming and I feel too unprepared. I got a few books about natural birthing and so far they are great! Mark is even reading a Daddy book as I type this! He wants to feel prepared too!
The book I am reading right now is called HypnoBirthing, the Mongan Method. (No, it's not about giving birth while you are hypnotized....I'm not THAT hippy!) So far, it has taught me that my body is perfectly made. Made to give birth. And works in harmony with my mind. And that when my mind is free and clear of fear and tension, my body will function as it was created by God to do. When fear is not present, pain is not present. And in the absence of fear, my muscles will relax and become pliable and my cervix will naturally thin and open. The book is teaching me to identify my feelings of fear, meet them head-on, and release them! That way they cannot resurface during the birthing. Fear is the enemy of the birthing room! I truly believe that I can do this! I can remain calm and collected, with Mark by my side coaching me through it. I refuse to believe that my birthing process has to be painful suffering. I don't want to bring our little girl into a world of negative energy. She will be born into a peaceful, loving, caring, and happy environment!
Enough hippy talk, right!

We've decided that we aren't going to take a Birth Preparation class. For one, they are too expensive. And for two, a lot of the information provided, I don't feel we need. They show videos of mothers giving birth, and talk about the medications available to you. I don't want any images of mothers giving birth in my head, when I am trying to be calm and peaceful during my birthing process. And I don't want to hear about any medications available, because I don't need any of those either! I think the books will prepare us just fine. And the advice from all my new mommy friends out there is helping SO much too! Many of my closest friends have been giving me great advice, and they have put my mind at ease in many ways! :)

Love the new rug 

from Mom and Brooke! And the curtains and dust ruffle were made by my oh-so-talented Mom! 

 

I painted the whale myself!! 

Vacation Time!

We just got back from our Goodmanson family reunion at the Tetons National Park! It was a blast! The mountains are so beautiful, they look like a computer screen saver! Mark had a lot of fun hiking up to Amphitheater Lake. I don't think I could have made it! Walking up stairs is tough enough for me these days! Instead, I took all the kids on a short hike to a gorgeous waterfall across Jenny Lake.
My belly  is getting SO big! T-shirts I was able to wear last week, now reveal my belly at the bottom! Uffda! And every maternity shirt I have has a stain on it! Apparently eating is a challenge to me too! I can't eat without spilling on my big protruding belly! Maybe if I slowed down a bit!?
Mom and Dad are in Denver for a few days with us! We have been working hard on the nursery! Mom is a genius and has turned a plain room into a gorgeous nursery fit for a princess! I can't wait to show our little girl! I'm sure she will LOVE it! I've been going in there just to look around and dream! I'll post some pics!