ender

Today I heard the baby's heartbeat. So, it's really true --- we're having another baby. It's funny how months of nausea, a growing belly, and all the unmentionable symptoms of early pregnancy never truly convince me that there is actually a little person in there. Well, now I know for sure. There is a little heart beating at 152 beats per minute inside a little bitty baby inside my expanding tummy. Weird. In two weeks we will find out if it is a little boy heartbeat or a little girl heartbeat! So exciting!!!

Here's a picture of Chris and I toasting (with sparkling grape juice OF COURSE) the night we found out I was pregnant.
Since we're pretty sure that this is our last baby, I've been trying to enjoy this pregnancy as much as possible. Too bad it's the worse pregnancy I've had . . .

I've come to the conclusion that while it is certainly NICER to be a stay-at-home mom while pregnant, it is actually EASIER to be a working pregnant mom. The distractions of work kept my mind off the nausea, dizziness, aches, and exhaustion while also keeping me active. People think librarians just sit around and read all day, but I did a lot of standing and walking when I worked. I was also on a fairly regular schedule so I ate at normal times --- and I actually remembered to eat!! It's not that I really forget to eat now . . . but sometimes after feeding the kids I'm just not interested in putting any effort into feeding myself. Hello, Pretzels!
Also, though I did do some lifting at the library, it was nothing compared to the hundreds? thousands? bazillions? of times that I pick up a 25+ pounds of squirming toddler during my day as a stay-at-home mom. And I never, ever had to wrestle a 28lb toddler out from under a table at the library.

Of course, there are advantages of being at home. I nap almost every day while the kids are napping (and I enjoy every single one of those naps immensely!), I get to wear comfy sweats and t-shirts ALL the time (this is probably even higher in my book than the naps!), I can take the kids on walks in the middle of the day, and I get to hang out with my two silly chickens all day!

Conclusion: I'm glad to be pregnant at home, but I wish the kids weighed a lot less.