adventures in birthing class

Adam and I started birthing classes a few weeks ago. Considering the amount of homework, female anatomy charts, videos, etc... that I imagine aren't exactly fun for a newly married man- Adam has taken it like a champ!  His "input" brain is a wealth of knowledge now on all things "natural childbirth."

After our first class Adam and I's homework was to watch a natural childbirth video where they showed a couple different women giving birth. Right when the movie ended I turned to my sweet traumatized husband and asked him how he felt about watching that. He looked at me like a deer in headlights and all he could say was "Can we do something else now?"

Our class is about 30 minutes from our house, which has given us fun chunks of time together in the car each week to connect, debrief and laugh. For some reason we both get really goofy on the way to and from class. A few weeks ago during a huge thunderstorm we convinced ourselves that we had mastered the art of tongue twisters by saying every other word in a really high pitched voice. Next thing we knew we were yelling "sally sells sea shells by the sea shore" in really loud high voices and totally botching every word. I think Adam was so focused on getting it right, he didn't even realize he was going 20 over the speed limit. My stomach hurt so bad from laughing so much.

Last week in class we were practicing relaxation techniques and I totally had the giggles. There is a list of "suggested" phrases Adam could say to help me relax and some of them are really funny to imagine him saying to me when I'm in labor.  "Imagine your cervix softening and opening."....no thanks. We've come up with a few on our own that fit our normal talking habits a little better :)

During one relaxation practice Adam was reading from a script where he was supposed to say "feel all the tension flow out your body" in a low soft voice.  I was sitting on a birthing ball with my eyes shut, body limp, and what I thought I heard him quietly say was "feel all the tension flow out your butt."  I started crying I was laughing so hard. Our teacher had us stop the relaxation practice cause I couldn't compose myself.  I'm not sure if we bugged her or not, but I'm pretty sure she was born with a sense of humor, so I think we are fine :) 

30 weeks....and counting

sneak peak at the Bean's Room

With a a little over 10 weeks until the Bean's potential arrival, my goal was to get "most" of the Bean's room ready before I start back on campus in August and I did it! Well, actually, Adam did all the heavy lifting, crib assembly and painting the dresser. I got to do the fun stuff like pick out drawer pulls and hang pictures on the wall.  It was so fun to get to be creative and have an outlet and space to nest in! I love spending time in here now! 

The finished $75 Crib I got from the couple who thought I had good karma. The $15 re-painted dresser (now dual purpose changing table)  that used to be bright turquoise and in my kitchen when I lived with girls :) 

The puppy Sarah and Isaac bought for the Bean sitting on a little chair I got for $3 at a garage sale.

I loved this little ceramic owl from West Elm. It's hard to tell because it's white but it has the sweetest little expression.

Adam bought me this print on Etsy this past winter before we even knew I was pregnant.  It says " The wind is cold- but my heart isn't"

I re-used the watercolor I had done for our wedding invitation- For now it says "Adam and Amy and the Bean" until we decide on a name.  

Confession: To keep you from believing I just threw this together in a day without a sweat- you should know that there were some tears shed over not knowing how to decorate without knowing whether the Bean is a boy or girl and stress over feeling like I needed to have everything new so it would coordinate and match like it does in all the pottery barn kids and babies'r'us ads or else I wasn't a good mom.  A tad materialistic? Yes.

Now, I am all for cuteness and feeding that "nesting" urge however suits you, but I'm realizing the "baby" industry is a lot  like the wedding industry.  Somehow they have a way of making you feel like you N-E-E-D to do things like everyone else. I need pep talks from Adam to help keep things in perspective. This baby is a gift and what matters is that we love it and care for it as best we can. A cozy room that I actually like for it to sleep in, be changed in, and nurse in is just icing on the cake! 

9 months of marriage & 28 weeks of pregnancy

Adam and I went to Fruition, one of our favorite restaurants in Denver, to celebrate our 9 month anniversary.  It feels like time is flying by! We realized that in 9 more months we will have a 6 month old! Whew! We are so so so excited to meet our Little Bean that we have grown to love so dearly! Baby is starting to become more and more active and we love to watch it move around in my belly when we lay in bed at night. It's so cool! I can't wait to hold this little person who has been my little "side-kick" (literally) for months!
Even with all the excitement, joy and anticipation of the Bean,  I still have moments where I feel sad that I'm missing out on the "normal newlywed" first year of marriage experience- But since when has my life ever been normal? Adam is sweet and tells me I am still his new bride, but some days it feels like I was a new bride for the first 14 weeks we were married, and a hormonal pregnant lady for the last 28 weeks. But in clearer moments where my perspective sticks out more than my belly, I realize that life is way bigger and about way more than the big M-E feeling like a young bride. If that was all I was living for then I am going to miss out on so many things that God is doing all around me that are much more awe inspiring and huge than me, myself and I - even if I am twenty five pounds heavier.

We watched our wedding ceremony video after dinner and something in the message stuck out to me. Steve said we had "talked about marriage, read books on marriage, and dreamed about marriage...but that's not marriage." Now I think I understand more of what he meant.   I remember during our ceremony offering up our marriage to the Lord to do exactly what He wanted with us. But with that came a pretty specific picture of what I thought that might look like- living simply, investing in Denver for at least 5 or 10 more years, loving each other without reservation through disagreements- which would probably lead to some time well spent in a counselors office, maybe being called to move to a 3rd world country or called out of our jobs into something else, adventures in the mountains with Adam, fun trips before kids, eventually raising a family, etc...

Marriage has been so much fuller and richer than I ever could have planned out in my head. Whenever some one asks me how married life is, I always have an overwhelming suspicion that God has been incredibly gracious to us. We have our fair share of adventures and fun memories, down-time cleaning the house, folding laundry, or taking out trash (thank you Adam), doctor's appointments, time with friends, change, more change, weekends spent at home resting, crossing things off to-do lists (which rarely sounds like the most fun option to me), fun dinner dates or mornings making awesome breakfasts that we brag to each other about the rest of the day, disagreements, flowers, dishes, goofy dance moves in the kitchen, walks, i love you's, decisions, bowls of icecream, tears and honest conversations etc...   I am so thankful the Lord has brought Adam and I together to experience life more fully and to know His love, presence and goodness in our lives in a more intimate way. What a gift!