Skip to main content

Made in America: The Baby Edition

Secondary title: FAQs about Baby Maurer #2.

Due Date: June 8, 2018. I'm mentally prepping to go late, so probably some time in mid-June. I'm hoping to try for a VBAC, so the timing is a bit tricky. My C section with Lando was great and I'm not opposed to a repeat one, but at the moment, the plan is to wait for labor. 

How's Landon doing?: He is THRILLED. All his friends have little siblings, and he's now convinced that he's a big brother to every baby. He was slightly concerned that I ate the baby in my stomach, but I cleared that up quickly.

Did I know I was pregnant when we moved: Yes! I found out at 3.5 weeks. I had been crying angrily that Stephen was cruel enough to buy me mittens (true story), and wanted to take a pregnancy test before I got my flu shot. And..I threw the test away before the two lines appeared. Pregnant, impatient ENFPs for the win. For whatever unknown reason, I dug that pregnancy test out of the trash and saw two lines. Naturally, I did what every rational woman does after digging a positive pregnancy test out of the trash can: I peed on another stick. Still in disbelief, I texted my line expert friend and she told me it was likely a positive. It's an anti-climatic tale for sure.

How did I tell Stephen: like this!

Pinterest is agog over my creative method of surprising my husband. I'm sure the ol' scientific text and picture via FB messenger will soon be trending.

How far along was I when we moved: We moved out of our home in Yuba City at exactly 4 weeks, and then we landed in London the day before six weeks. On that note - if you ever need to bring about morning sickness, I highly recommend jet lag. Works like a nauseating charm. 

Wasn't I just pregnant: Yep. From June 2017 to June 2018, there will only be a tiny four week window where I wasn't pregnant. God bless Stephen for his patience.

Will the baby be American: Oh yes. Just a sweet little expat baby born to an American serviceman and American citizen on a military base. There's some extra paperwork to complete, but baby will be as American as they come--just with an exciting birth location. 

Boy or girl: We won't know until January. We will be thrilled with either sex, but Maurers tend to run male. I like to pretend my pregnancies are girls until further notice, though.

Am I sure it's not twins: Despite the high HCG numbers and early bloating and belly popping, we have  had two ultrasounds confirm that there's just one Maurer babe swimming in there. Apparently this one is my over-achiever. 

How am I feeling: Pregnancy-wise I feel fine. This  first trimester was technically more symptomatic than Landon's, but it's hard to compare full time school + almost/full time on my feet work to being the laziest W/SAHM--to a preschooler no less--on the planet. I've done exactly two hours of paid work this entire first trimester. Again, God bless my sweet husband. He is the best. 

Was I shocked when I found out: Not really, but I was amused. I knew I didn't want to move in the first trimester and I had planned my earlier pregnancy so carefully...and then God laughed and here we are. But it's a happy shock. As much as I struggled with becoming a mother with Landon's pregnancy and birth, I'm eager to hold my two children in my arms. Being a mother is the hardest path I've ever journeyed, but I adore my children. 

I'm 13w, 1d today, and with every passing day I grow more attached to this baby. Even with two ultrasounds and a beautiful heartbeat, there are so many nerves attached to pregnancy. Normal nerves, post miscarriage nerves, Susie struggling with extreme anxiety nerves--all of that. We appreciate any and all prayers for health and safety, and we are anticipating this June baby with great delight. 


Comments

Post a Comment

Add your thoughts! <3

Use your good manners, grammar, and humor, and we will all be happy!

Popular posts from this blog

Losing Your Religion

  I  used to see religion as a warm, safe place.   It was somewhere that created a routine, a social network, and a place of belonging.   Oh, and we were right. About everything. And that’s a great feeling, being right.  Never having to doubt.  Knowing my neighbor was wrong, but I was right.  It was strange how every other religion was Oh So Wrong.  So clear how they hurt other people. So obvious that the adherents were worshiping themselves, rather than a god.  And then I..changed.  They’d say that I fell away. The people in the pews. Because I was no longer convinced that I was better than others.  That I could be cruel, selfish, vain, and legalistic, and it was okay if I sat in a pew on Sunday. In fact, I could doubt and wonder and process as much as I needed, if I kept mindlessly repeating the same tropes as everyone in the pew. Recite the same Bible verses. Sit in the same seat. Drink the same bad coffee. Go to the sa...
Post a Comment
Read more

Hourglass: Life Overseas

"How is that we've already spent two Christmases here," Stephen asked in a rare moment of verbalized surprise. "That means this year will be our THIRD Christmas," I replied in my standard over-enthused way. It's true. This year will make our third Christmas season in England. We have our social/travel/visiting lives scheduled until September, and while that delights my fun and people loving side, it horrifies the commitment averse side of me. But, what that also means is that we will soon be hitting our third round of all things England. That seems serious. Committed. Almost as if we really do live here. Life here has become routine, even that unpredictable inconveniences that pop up when your tether to your homeland is an APO box and (sometimes questionable) base services. For instance, (US) Amazon sent us size one diapers in a size four box, and Nova's 21 pounds of buttery chub will NOT fit into size one diapers. So now, I have to run o...
Post a Comment
Read more

When Motherhood Breaks You

One of the axioms of good writing is writing what you know. Know thy strengths and write about them. When I was pregnant with Landon, I was excited to write about motherhood. I LOVED writing my bumpdates . Chronicling Landon's gestation and birth remains one of the best decisions of my life, and I hope to do that again if I have another child. I wrote authentically (as best a first time mom can) about pregnancy and birth, and I wanted to write authentically about life as a mother.  But what I didn't know, what I couldn't have known, was that I wouldn't be able to be authentic. Know thyself? I couldn't. I didn't know who I was or what I was feeling. For the first time in my life, I didn't have the words to express what was going on in my head.  What was wrong with my brain? "A depression suffered by a mother following childbirth, typically arising from the combination of hormonal changes, psychological adjustment to motherhood, and fatigue." (...
2 comments
Read more