Ever since we found out we’re having a boy (nearly 2 weeks ago), time seems to have flown by! Week 21 was a whirlwind of never-ending schoolwork, baby registries, and an expanding belly!
21 weeks, 5 days
Although little Matthew has likely grown to only 11″ long and not quite 1 pound heavy, it seems like he’s getting huge! I can consistently feel his movements during the 2nd half of the day, especially when I’m sitting in bed at night. When I know that he’s moving, I can set my hand on my lower belly and feel an occasional jab, almost like one strong beat of a pulse…but I still haven’t been able to time it right so that Brian can feel it yet. I guess even when you’re the size of a spaghetti squash (there is such a thing?), it’s still tough to make your Taekwondo practice noticeable to others.
In addition to teaching me about a vegetable that I’ve never heard of before, week 21 had some interesting things to show me:
1. Making a baby registry is an unexpected full-time job!: Especially when your internet connection is sssssssslllllllloooooooowwwwwwww. I was talking to a newly married friend about this last week, and we were comparing wedding registry to baby registry. We realized that with a wedding registry you are selecting items that, for the most part, you are familiar with. I mean, you’ve used silverware and cutting boards and toasters and towels before. Sure, maybe you’ll look into a few different brands or compare colors or textures. But it’s not like you know nothing about them. You can easily walk around the store with your fiancé, scanner in hand, and just fire away. But baby registries? Oooooo, they are a whole new ballgame. Not only do I have no idea what half the stuff is or how it works, but I’ve learned that there is way more involved in it than simply asking myself, “Which one is cuter? The green with polka dots? Or the green with leaves?” Nope. The cuteness and appearance of the item is one of the last things to consider. For me, I’m more worried about finding out which item is safer, more durable, more comfortable, and/or more reliable. But the bummer part is that most of these items are only available online. I mean, there are a few items that get displayed in stores, but why would a store display every type of crib and car seat and stroller and pack ‘n play when they can just tell you about it online? So even though I’ve spent hours upon hours researching product safety ratings, consumer satisfaction ratings, and prices, there’s really no way for me to tell if I’ll like a lot of this stuff until I’ve already set it up in my home or my car. And that’s kind of stressful.
Not only that, but then you get conflicting information from all the different people that you trust and reviews that you’ve read. Really, you’d be surprised at how polar opposite people can be in their recommendations when it comes to things like travel systems, car seats, strollers, pumps, bottles, bottle warmers and, yes, even baby clothes. So then I find myself wondering why I even asked around in the first place, because now I’m more confused than I was before.
And throw in the fact that registering for baby stuff is mostly a soon-to-be-mom’s job because, let’s face it, what husband actually wants to be involved in this sort of thing? It becomes a little much. Clearly, creating a baby registry has become more of an ordeal than I anticipated. But the good news is that I’m done. Mostly. There are things I’m tweaking here and there, but the big stuff is all taken care of. And now that I’ve thoroughly bored you with way more information about baby registries than you ever cared to know, I’ll probably have to register for some new readers. Anyway…
2. The impact of pregnancy on our marriage: If I was to use one word to describe the way in which pregnancy has affected my and my husband’s marriage, I would say “gentleness”. I don’t mean “gentle” in the sense like careful. I mean it more like “tenderhearted”. Or like the way the Bible refers to it in Galatians 5:22-23 as one of the fruits of the Spirit. I also like the way Paul references gentleness in Philippians 4:5-7, exhorting Christians to “let your gentleness be evident to all”, and then immediately following it up with the following exhortation: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
If there was ever a time that we needed to not be anxious, to submit to God in prayer, and to have our hearts and minds guarded with peace, I’d say now is it. Through submission in prayer, God has allowed us to increase in our gentleness toward one another and, thus, we have grown closer in our relationship. I am noticing that, in the past several weeks, I have become more encouraging, more supportive, and generally more loving toward Brian. I tend to be more gentle in my words and in my actions toward him (though not all the time, unfortunately). And although he has always done a pretty good job of displaying those things to me, my husband has become increasingly mindful of how he treats me. It’s amazing to be able to actually see our growth right before our very eyes. God is preparing us to be a team, right when we need it most. Oh how God is good.
…
This week will bring us the first of many Bradley classes that we will attend over the next 3 months. Like I said, we’re preparing to be a team…
Jenna
/ April 3, 2011I love reading your posts and what you are dealing with each week of pregnancy. I am super excited for you to start bradley classes. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did… even though they are such a time commitment! And, you look fabulous!
I’m pretty sure this window of time was my favorite for my pregnancy and seeing pictures of you at this stage reminds me of it. 
Love you friend!