Boarded the Pregnancy Train. . .

I am now almost 26 weeks. I still have less than 15 weeks to go. I feel the baby move everyday and my pregnancy hormones are on overdrive.

Those hormones are pretty amazing. They loosen my joints and ligaments in my back and pelvic area, which those gives more room for the little one, brings me pain. My heart flutters and I am rarely in a good mood.

I read something about using a pregnancy wedge when you sleep, that it relieves pressure. Have any of you used one? Do they really help?

Posted by Duchess of Purple at 4:10 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

"All happy families are alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way" -Leo Tolstoy

I have read many different books on how to have a successful family. The three main things that I see that most of the books have in common are: establish family rules, have family fun, and have family traditions.

Those three things are more difficult and complicated than they seem at first. In addition, it takes time for your family to become a success. My family is still far from being a success for example. Things are still chaotic at times and I feel that we don't have the proper peaceful spirit in our home yet.

Because of the chaos, we are too stressed and tired to have family fun, and because of the lack of fun, it is difficult to make traditions.

I need to add that I am pregnant, and thus the lack of having those three things in my family add stress to my pregnancy. (inflamed ligaments, heart palpitations)

Well, I took a stand and wrote down some rules and routines for our family and posted it on the wall. My husband and I discussed the rules and routines with our children through family councils and family home evening lessons on obedience and service. In our routines we include family meals at the table with no TV, nightly scripture stories for the kids, and family prayer. We still aren't perfect with our rules and the kids still test us, but I noticed that having the rules has made vast improvements on my marriage.

Because the rules and routines are written down, my husband and I can take a united stand. There is order and understanding between us that wasn't there before. Our communication has also improved. My husband is also more involved with the children.

Because of better communication between my husband and I, we are able to have more fun conversations. We also WANT to spend more time with our children. This past weekend, for example, has been the most fun I have had in a very long time. I know it is because of the changes my husband and I have made in the way we structure our family.

One of the biggest reasons why this weekend was very special was because my husband started a very thoughtful family tradition. We planted trees for each of our family members on my parent's property since we have no land of our own. Everytime we visit my parent's for years to come, we can look at our tree and even help take care of it. The children helped to push the dirt over their own special tree. This tradition brought my husband closer to my parents and at the same time provided an opportunity for the whole family to serve each other by helping each other plant the trees, water them, plan where to put them, etc.

I realize now how important traditions are for a family, and I feel overjoyed that my family finally has some order, tradition, and fun. This weekend has given me a feeling of peace and I know I will never forget it.

I know that we will continue to improve on these three things. I hope that when the new baby arrives, he will arrive in an orderly, loving, and fun home!!

Some great books- "3 Steps to a Strong Family" by Richard and Linda Eyre
Any book by Stephen Covey
(guess which religion they belong to!!)

Posted by Duchess of Purple at 10:31 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

I can't get my kids to eat normal food!! Today my daughter asked me if she could have mashed potatoes with rice! (sounds like a meal my dad would make) I need some advice, and no, my daughter doesnt fall for the hiding veggies in the spaghetti sauce trick.

Please help me have a peaceful family dinner again!!!

Posted by Duchess of Purple at 3:04 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

I am now at 24 weeks. Still have a ways to go. To be honest I am not even ready. I haven't even picked out a name. My baby clothes are still at my mom's!

All I know s that this is supposed to be the easy time of pregnancy and it is not! If you can notice through my posting that I have a lot of complaints! Restless legs syndrome, back aches, having to wear a prenatal cradle, baby lying on a nerve, my feet swell, and now let's add heart palpitaions. Those are so much fun. So fun I think I will literally just faint! Because I had dizziness and shortness of breath, I had to go to the hospital. They hooked me up to an EKG monitor and did other tests, all which came back fine. I had heart palpitations caused by stress on top of the pregnancy. I will not go into detail why I have stress.

I learned from my sister in law (thank you!) that I had heart palpitations and those are normal during pregnancy. I need to keep the doctor informed and aware of the problem.

My blood pressure is fine, everything seems to be fine, but I just can't rest my legs at night.

Posted by Duchess of Purple at 9:52 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

This is advice I read in some parenting magazine and use for myself. When going to Walmart or any other grocery store, parking nearest to the store is not necessarily more convenient. It is better to park next to the shopping cart rack so you can easily load and unload children, groceries, etc. Very good advice especially when it rains!

Actually I don't like to shop with my kids. It is difficult to save money, for they are always begging or adding more to my list! (I always forget to put their yogurt on my list though, they always remind me!)

Posted by Duchess of Purple at 1:05 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

"Pregnancy or breast-feeding. Women who are expecting or breast-feeding need additional fluids to stay hydrated. Large amounts of fluid are lost especially when nursing. The Institute of Medicine recommends that pregnant women drink 2.4 liters (about 10 cups) of fluids daily and women who breast-feed consume 3.0 liters (about 12.5 cups) of fluids a day." (from cnn.com/health, mayoclinic)

Whoa, I feel bad. Though milk also has water. 10 cups!! No wonder pregnant women go to the bathroom a lot!

Posted by Duchess of Purple at 7:50 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

Try ice cream!! Another way is to give them cheese, yogurt, or milk in their cereal.

Posted by Duchess of Purple at 7:44 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

I am still having leg problems. Now I have a prickly pain in my legs so bad that even a hot shower does not help. The doctor says it is because the baby is resting on a nerve. Again, it was suggested that I use my prenatal cradle. That thing really comes in handy. I guess it helps leg pain as well. I will go to the doctor next week. I am sure she will complain about my weight! I have been enjoying eating for two a bit too much.

Posted by Duchess of Purple at 1:55 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

I got my toddler son to drink milk. I am having a difficult time getting him to drink milk and was worried because his BMI is currently under 3%. I found something that really works! I gave him plain white milk in a bowl with a spoon. He drank it right up with no fights. I didn't even have to add anything to it! Yeah! Success!

Posted by Duchess of Purple at 3:23 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

Today the children went to the doctor for their annual checkup. I was primarily concerned with my son's eating habits. His BMI is under 3% and he is extra picky about his food. The doctor asked me how much juice I give my son. Oops! I give him four or five cups a day. She told me that was why my son is not having a good appetite. So now I have to give him 4oz of juice a day and give him pediasure. To be honest, I don't think that boy will ever fatten up! He has always been skinny. He is a skinny but tall boy and otherwise healthy. He spends his day pretending to be in a light saber battle. I am sure he gets a good workout.

It will be difficult, but I will try to cut down on his precious juices!!

Posted by Duchess of Purple at 12:32 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

I took my two young children to Coolidge Park in Chattanooga, TN. The weather was nice and sunny, and the river was beautiful. In one part of the park there is a fountain where children can play. Many children were wearing bathing suits. I forgot about the fountain, so my kids and my niece got their clothes real wet. We noticed a man sitting on a concrete turtle watching all of the children running around in bathing suits and wet clothes. He did not have children with him, he just sat there, sitting on the turtle for an hour. My husband finally found a policeman, and the policeman scared the man away. The policeman told me that several people had complained about the man and that there were a couple of other men there watching the children. This sickened me and scared me. Can our kids go anywhere and be safe from sick eyes?

Posted by Duchess of Purple at 2:56 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

My prenatal cradle is the best! I pulled a ligament in my side last night doing laundry. I had trouble walking and limped most of the night. I humbled myself today and put on my prenatal cradle. I was able to enjoy the day at the park with my two young children, even walking to a nearby ice cream store. (though an award should go to my sister-in-law, due in 15 days!! She did great!!)

The prenatal cradle holds your tummy from your shoulders rather than from your back, so it doesn't hurt my lower back at all.

I feel free again!! I can walk without pain!

For more info or just to see a picture- www.prenatalcradle.com

Posted by Duchess of Purple at 2:51 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

Lately I have been craving chocolate. Candy bars hurt my teeth because of my fillings. I can't drink chocolate milk beacause I am lactose intolerant. So, I found alternative ways to feed my chocolate cravings.

I mix lactose free milk, Swiss Miss hot chocolate mix, and ice together. Mmmmm, that was good. I also drink chocolate Boost. That way I get my chocolate and vitamins at the same time.

I still use the bathroom all night, and my legs and back are in pain. Can't find a solution to that. I do try to walk more during the day.

Posted by Duchess of Purple at 2:21 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

I finally got to sleep at 2AM last night. The strange thing is that I forgot to take my prenatal vitamin. My legs did not hurt at all and I had a peaceful night. I wonder if prenatal vitamins can cause restless legs. I usually have high iron in my blood.

I also have been drinking Boost. Boost is great and helped me through my last two pregnancies.

Last night the kids had a movie night with their Papa. I went to Walmart and bought my Boost and ate a delicious doughnut. Yes, I had a major chocolate craving.

The kids are doing great and are now excited about the new baby. My two year old son pats my stomacha and says "baby". My 4 year old daughter wraps a blanket around my belly because she says the baby loves blankets. We are still debating a name. We need a good Turkish or Arabic name. That is difficult being in America.

Posted by Duchess of Purple at 8:12 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

I am writing this post at 2AM. Yes, I have insomnia caused by restless legs syndrome. I feel like I have bugs crawling in my legs and that my bladder will explode any second. I use the bathroom every ten minutes and usually nothing happens. I just FEEL like I need to go.

I did some research online and discovered that pregnancy can cause secondary restless legs syndrome. It is caused by hormone changes and an iron defenciency. It can also get worse after drinking caffeine.

I have been faithfully taking my prenatal vitamins, eating healthy, and refusing caffeine. However, it doesn't seem to get any better. I hope the doctor can recommend some exercises, though because I have an inflamation of the tailbone, yoga is out of the question.

They need to teach teenage girls all these things a pregnant woman has to go through. I never knew you could have so many problems being pregnant. If girls knew the truth, the teenage pregnancy rate will surely drop. I have pulled ligaments, an inflamed tailbone, restless legs syndrome, extremely sore breasts, insomnia, and backaches. Not to mention the stuffy sinuses. Every pregnancy gets worse. I don't see how some women can have 16 children. My body is already giving up.

Well, as you can tell, I am grumpy and tired and wish these legs would let me sleep!!!

Good night!!

Posted by Duchess of Purple at 11:04 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

You might see that I posted that I have had three ultrasounds. That is because during the first one the doctors found a choroid plexis cyst in the brain. This of course frightened my husband and I. We were depressed for two days. I did a bit of research and found out that it will fade away by the 24th week. I was still required to do a level 2 ultrasound. The specialist assured me that it will go away and that otherwise the baby is developing well.

It still will be a scary few weeks until I go for another ultrasound in June. For the first time, I see the negative side of ultrasounds.

Instead of the excitement, you worry about your baby's health. I have heard worse things than this. I would hate to be the nurse to have to tell a mother her baby has a serious defect or other disease.

http://choroidplexuscyst.org/ is a website designed to support parents who have been told their child has choroid plexus cysts. The owners of the site point out their daaughter who had the cysts while in the womb was born perfectly healthy.

Posted by Duchess of Purple at 10:52 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

After three ultrasounds, I finally found out that I am having a boy on September 5.

Posted by Duchess of Purple at 10:51 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post