Merry Christmas everyone! Tiny is 10 weeks and 3 days today which means he is almost 2 inches long and weighs about .18 ounces. For you fruit lovers, Tiny is about the size of a plum right now. Another milestone: Tiny is officially a fetus this week. He is very excited to accept this honor, and as a reward, has asked me to sleep excessively and eat lots of Kraft mac n’ cheese. Tiny also has fingers, toes and eyelids, and the book says, “your baby is beginning to look more human.” Phew! Good news.
As promised, I will mention a bit about cravings in this post. And, I have discovered it isn’t so much that I am having cravings as I am having aversions to things I would normally eat. I CANNOT stand to eat anything with sugar in it. I baked over 8 dozen cookies for Christmas and could not eat a single one. That is a huge change from before being pregnant when I ate a bowl of ice cream daily. Instead of sweets, Tiny prefers big salads and mac n’ cheese. The occasional ramen noodle bowl is needed as well. Tiny likes salt and veggies – just like his dad. Not to say I don’t either, I just never ate them in such quantities before. I am very thankful that Tiny enjoys eating so healthy, and I am praying this continues.
On another pregnant note, I cannot believe how tired I am these past few days. I have not consistently slept in past noon since I was 15. I thought I was tired at the beginning of this…I was so silly. Mike has been very understanding and helpful around the apartment, and that has made it much easier to deal with.
Changing the pace, I recently read an article in Columbia magazine entitled “Awaiting New Life: Welcoming a new child helped us to see the meaning of Advent” by Sebastien Lacroix. It’s a pretty cool read if you can get your hands on it. The gist of the article was about how waiting for a baby can really solidify what it means to wait for Jesus during Advent. And while we are excited to meet Tiny, he has given us many joys already.
On December 17th, we took Tiny to his first concert. Headlining was Daddy! Mike played a gig at a bar in Chicago called The Underground Lounge with his friends Zac and James. Tiny and I were so proud of him! Here is a sample of how they sounded:
(If the video won’t play, I will tweak it soon!)
Afterward, Tiny requested we celebrate with pizza and lots of water. The next morning, we all (including Uncle Johnny who joined us for the trip) went out on the town and did a little Christmas shopping in the city.
A few days later, Tiny had a second doctor’s appointment. We went over medical histories for both my family and Mike’s. We also talked about registering at the hospital, the doctor who would deliver us and what classes to take as the weeks go on. They also encouraged me to get a flu shot at the next appointment. Do any of you have thoughts about doing this? Mike and I aren’t sold on it yet, and we would love your opinions. We also have the option of genetic testing at our next visit. We are on the fence about this as well. Obviously Tiny is ours to keep, and nothing would ever change that, but do we want to be more prepared? Would testing just worry us more than help us? Another decision to pray about. While this was all good information, Mike and I could only think about the big move we will be making soon.
For those of you who don’t already know, Mike and I will be staying in Michigan for another rotation of his job. Originally, they wanted us to move to Iowa, but after finding out we are pregnant, they told us we could stay in Kalamazoo. Mike and I were all set to look for apartments when, wait! They want us to stay where we are because Mike is doing such a great job there. While we consider this a great compliment from those higher up, we do hope this is their final decision so we can start making some plans here! So, our tentative plan now is to move closer to Mike’s job so his drive isn’t so long. I will be leaving my job at the semester break to pursue a career in staying at home and perhaps tutoring. It is important to both of us that Tiny is not raised by a stranger, so I am hoping God puts us in a position that I can be at home with the baby. We’re not worried about it though, because as my wonderful sister-in-law Liz put it last night, we are giving God a great gift by having a child, and there is no way we can out give God. He will continue to shower us with blessings for bringing Tiny into the world. Thanks, Liz!
We also got some great information from our niece Dr. Lucy last night. Lucy received a diaper bag for her babies for Christmas and gave us a lesson in changing diapers. So far, we have learned that you need to yell, “poop!” many times in a row. Afterward, you need to throw all of the wipes on the floor until you find just the right one. Finally, there is no need to put a new diaper on after you wipe the baby; you just need to find something else that is more interesting to do. Lucy, we will take these bits of information and put them to good use. Lucy also informed us that we are having a boy; I tend to agree with her as I have stated before. That may be the reason I keep using “he” to refer to Tiny, and I would like to take this moment to apologize to you, Tiny, in the off chance that you are a girl. We will be just as happy!
We will leave you with Tiny’s first picture with Santa Clause. Mike and I went to Alibi (my salad of choice lately) with my parents recently and were surprised with a visit by Santa. Tiny was not afraid and smiled big for the camera, just so you know :) For his bravery, Santa brought Tiny some cute clothes, a toy giraffe and a belly band among other cute gifts. Thanks Grandpa and Mima! I’m hoping by the next post I can put up some baby belly pictures, but at this point, no change. As always, we’ll keep you updated!
Jenna, you are amazing! I hope and pray that Tiny grows up to be just like you! Me? I shall be the hippest Mima ever!! Thanks Aunt Ronnie ;)
xoxo
No on the flu shot. Definite no on the genetic testing. Trust in God. He knows the plans he has for you! Jeremiah 29:11
Love your blog, Jenna! So excited for you and Mike. Glad to hear that you will be staying in Michigan. It’s so nice that you will be able to be a stay-at-home mom. That’s what God intended, I believe. Can’t wait to hear more about Tiny’s progression.:-)
So happy you will be staying in mich, it would kill your mom to be in a different state than her grandchild. Ok now for the genetic testing, yes do it, I know you would never change. Your mind or do anything different, but……if, God forbid there is a problem the delivering team will be prepared for it. I have even seen that they recommend a mom deliver at a high risk hospital so the baby is there immediately, not having to be transferred and losing valuable time. I know everyone has their own opinion but I have seen both sides. I did tell my children these same thoughts and they both did have the testing. As for cord blood, that is a different story, with your mom’s history you may want to consider this, but I feel it is not as important as the genetic testing. Just my professional thoughts. Love you, Aunt Linda
Parenthood = Decisions! I will keep you in my prayers as you start making all decisions regarding Tiny! If you would like to borrow a DVD I have on vaccinations, my parents have it currently, but I am sure would be happy to lend it along to you once they are finished. It would be good to watch especially when it comes to getting Tiny vaccinated. From my knowledge of vaccines, I say no to the flu shot.
The genetic counseling – I agree with your Aunt’s professional opinion. She said it better than I could ever. On a different side of it though, I don’t know why they would offer the counseling before finding out everything about Tiny at your 20 week ultrasound. Can you wait till then? I am certain Tiny is as healthy as can be, and if otherwise is revealed at the ultrasound, then genetic counseling would be adviseable, but until then, I think it would only cause worry. We only ever had genetic counseling after our 20 week ultrasounds.
Glad Lucy could help her aunt and uncle out and ultimately her cousin Tiny with the diaper tutorial last night. The main thing to remember I think is to shout ‘poop’ repeatedly and then get distracted by something more interesting half way through. hee hee
hi twin! I know for myself whenever the time comes I plan on getting the genetic testing. I have no history, so it makes sense for James and I to see what might be going on. As for the flu shot I have no clue. I got mine this season and have been fine. But for a pregnant woman and baby I am sure it is different. Vaccinations I tend to be old school and I say have the kids get what it recommended although I know a lot of parents nowadays disagree because of new research and what have you. We are quite similar in the sense that we both prefer staying home with our kids. But for myself who knows…I just know we are waiting lol
Congrats! Cute blog! And since you asked for opinions, mine are no to both. The studies done on vaccines are enormous, and even though a lot of people say ‘Well, I turned out fine’, I would never risk being that small %, you know? They also have linked vaccines to autism and alzheimer’s (sp?), and they claim they took the mercury out (but have actually started calling it ‘thymerisol’, again I can’t spell). The dosage for a newborn is actually far too high compared to what the FDA has approved. If you really want vaccine info, go to the vaccine conference this upcoming May!!! I can give you info, and Mary Tocco has been studying vaccines for over 20+ years & has teamed up with a couple doctors in her research, she is absolutely amazing and has SO much to share. Even the Hyperbaric place Drew got hired at is anti-vaccine, so are our chiropractors. And as far as genetic testing, ultrasounds can tell you so many things these days, I would say no to genetic testing. They tell you it’s a prick of the finger, but my sister’s OB told her it would be an amniocentesis, which have pretty large risks. You are young, and although anything can happen, trust in God, and guaranteed if there’s anything majorly wrong it could more than likely be seen on an ultrasound. I am no expert, and your decisions are your own, but definitely do your research first. Not everything a doctor tells you is absolutely necessary, no matter how nice they are or how trustworthy they may seem. I like my OB, but have told him no many times to things he has recommended. Trust yourself in the end, because although you ask for advice now, remember that it will be handed to you left and right without being asked, nicely or with criticism, and just remember to take it with a grain of salt and make your own decisions based upon your own research. :o)
Oh, that’s me, Kristine Ginther :o) Sorry, I’m new to this whole blog thing, and it asked me for some ‘profile’ and had to choose my AIM screen name.
Such decisions. I’m sure you’ll make the right ones. All I can say is, I have a great feeling about this! xo
I’m just here this time to say.. 1)It’s hard typing through happy tears. 2)I love the thoughtful music you chose.
Mima xoxo MIMA :)))))
It was so cool touching your belly tonight, wish I had my tape measure to see what you are measuring, you are a little big for 11weeks, but as I said it can all change and catch up, seen that happen too. Let me know after your next us. Love u guys