21 Weeks

Once again, I'm going to feel like a broken record but I have to start this post by doing my best to express the gratitude we feel for the outpouring of love and support we received this past week.  Every single comment, text message, phone call, etc. was such a lift and brought such comfort to us.  We have undoubtedly felt the power of each prayer offered on our behalf and feel a special peace regarding our situation that we hadn't felt before.  I wish we could do more than say thank you!

I want to quickly share a sweet experience that my mom had on Friday morning last week, just a few days after we discovered the Rh issues.  This is definitely a tender mercy we don't want to forget.  My mom works in the temple on Tuesdays and Thursdays but she got a call late Thursday night asking if she could come in and help for a few hours on Friday because the temple was so busy.  She knew she had a full day herself but felt like she should be there to help as long as she could.  As she was changing in the temple, she started chatting with an elderly woman who was telling my mom that when she was born, all of her internal organs were reversed.  At one point my mom asked her if she was ever able to have children because of it and she said: "Oh yes, and I have Rh negative blood and that was back before the RhoGam shot so each of my kids was at risk because they had positive blood but they are all healthy!"  My mom hadn't mentioned me at all so she couldn't believe the timing of this conversation.  I know that experience wasn't a coincidence at all but a blessing and message for us.  We may have a tougher time getting our babies here but I'm confident we'll be very blessed in that regard when all is said and done.  I've listened to the following song a number of times but up until this past week I've never really paid attention to the lyrics and I love them.  I think they're perfect for what we're going through right now and I like to imagine Eli saying these words to us.

May the good Lord bless and keep you

Whether near or far away

May you find that long awaited

Golden day today.

May your troubles all be small ones

And your fortunes ten times ten

May the good Lord bless and keep you

Till we meet again.

May you walk with sunlight shining

And a bluebird in every tree

May there be a silver lining

Back on every cloud you see.

Fill your dreams with sweet tomorrows

Never mind what might have been

May the good Lord bless and keep you

Till we meet again.

Listening to this song helps remind me to always keep a positive attitude, be grateful for the blessings we're given during trials, and to not look back and wish for things that weren't part of God's plan.

This week was calm and event free and that's just how we like it!  We have another MCA scan on Wednesday so we're looking forward to seeing how little Austin is doing.  I've written down a few questions that I'm excited to get answers to and my OB gets back in town next week after being gone for 2 1/2 weeks so I can't wait to talk to him about everything that has happened since he left.  Next week's update should include a lot of (hopefully) good news/info!  We did receive the results of some more blood work they ran at our first MCA scan last last week and the news was unsurprising.  We learned two things: 1. He's a boy and 2. He has positive blood.  There was a TINY chance he had negative blood and then all that has happened wouldn't matter anymore but the doctors were pretty sure that wasn't the case otherwise I wouldn't have become sensitized and created the antibodies.  We decided to check just to be sure.  Oh, and it's nice to know that he's still a boy :)

The throwing up has slowed down considerably and it's SO nice!  I only threw up two times this week and I don't even feel too sick when I don't.  I think it's safe to say I'm finally moving past that awfulness!  Food is becoming much more bearable and there aren't too many things I won't eat (aside from red sauce!).  Feeling better physically will definitely help me deal with the other concerns we have about this pregnancy now so I'm really happy I'm feeling so much better.

I'm starting to feel more and more movement but because of the placement of the placenta (right on my stomach) I don't feel as much as I did at this point with Eli.  If he's low or more on the side then I can feel little kicks but nothing right in front.  However, one day this week I went to sit down at the table to eat dinner and he kicked me so hard I seriously thought Logan had walked over and pushed on my stomach super hard.  I was like: "Hey!" and I looked around and he was across the room.  It was super weird.  Sometimes I feel like I crush him when I sit down and it freaks me out. 

The nursery continues to come together quickly and I'm so excited about it!  Mud and tape is finished and tomorrow Logan and my brother and sister-in law will paint!  I've been pushing to get the room done before I get too far along (and many people have thought I'm crazy) because I didn't want to be scrambling at the end trying to get it all together.  Now that I will deliver at least a couple weeks early I'm so happy they're making such good time.  And let's be honest, I just can't wait to decorate! :)

Weight: 134.2 (This week: +2.2...¯\_(ツ)_/¯ | Total: + 13.4)

21 weeks down, 19 (hopefully!) to go!