Harms Family News

How far along? 19 weeks Maternity clothes? Yep. Sleep: Decent Best moment this week: Christmas! It wasn't "perfect" but it was fun! Movement: Daily. I remarked yesterday to the girls that the baby was kicking me, and Miss M said, "The baby kicking - it want to come out!" Gender: Unknown. Labor Signs: No way! What I miss: Being a regular OB patient. I found out today I'm getting a referral to a high risk specialist. The bp medication was not as effective as she wanted, and I got some scary high readings, so she upped the dose (which so far seems to be working) but because of this I have to go to a specialist. What I am looking forward to: Maybe getting an ultrasound (finding out gender) a little sooner. I think that's one of the tests the high risk specialist does. Weekly Wisdom: Proverbs 3:5-6 Milestones: Not happy ones, but the carpel tunnel and intense (sporadic) hip pain has started. Isn't it early for that? Not fun!

Ah, Christmas. This year I made msyelf all stressed out trying to make it perfect for my kids. It really was a beautiful Christmas. We woke to sweet girls waiting patiently in their beds (I told them to wait until we came to get them). We started the morning reading Luke 2, then we allowed them to open their stockings, and Miss N was thrilled to find Bella Sara (horse game) trading cards in it. She's been wanting these very badly for quite a while. When I was getting Miss M dressed for church, I told her, "It's Christmas!" She got a very worried look on her face. "Aren't you excited?" I asked. "I no want see Santa. I no want sit on his lap." She was very worried she would have to see and sit on Santa since it was finally "Christmas." I assured her we would not make her do that ;) After cinnamon rolls (frozen, not homemade, I can only do so much), it was off to church. All of their friends kept asking them what they got, and they were ...

So, I am a weepy mess with this pregnancy! It's crazy! You can ask my husband, I am not one prone to crying. Sure, I have the emotional outburst occasionally (don't all women?), but it's not a regular thing with me. Not so anymore. I mean, just today at church a friend said Merry Christmas and gave me a hug and I was almost in tears. How embarrassing! The other night something fairly minor happened and I was fighting back tears the whole night in a public situation. Caused a few people to worry that something was wrong with the baby and it really was something minor. This week a sweet friend offered to come and help with some stresses I was having, and I found myself in tears again because of her sweetness and my inability to manage it all. That inability led to a huge meltdown later in the week. And don't even get me started on the Target.com fiasco! What's a girl to do? I do not remember being THIS emotional any of the other times I was expecting. After they were...

At night the girls take turns praying for the meal. We let either one pray if they want, actually. Tonight Miss M prayed, "Dear Jesus, thank you for this food. Help mommy's baby come out so we hold it. Amen. " So sweet! They have been to two appointments without an ultrasound being done (I got spoiled early on) so they are really missing "seeing" their baby sibling. Three weeks until the "big" ultrasound! Actually, as long as my bp meds do their job, three weeks before I go back again (doc wanted to see me in two but she's out of town and apparently does not want me seen by anyone else).

Kids are on break and my kitchen is a disaster (can anyone keep a clean kitchen while baking?) so this will be short. 18 weeks today! How far along? 18 weeks Maternity clothes? Yep. Sleep: Decent Best moment this week: Having a day when I didn't feel the baby kick (which was also the most stressful day of the week so that added stress didn't help) and as I was reading my Bible that night, it gave me some real strong kicks to let me know all was well. Movement: Daily Gender: Unknown. Labor Signs: No way! What I miss: Not thinking about my bp every second of every day, not taking it three times per day. What I am looking forward to: Getting good news on my test results today because it WILL be good, right? Weekly Wisdom: I definitely am not drinking enough water. Let's just leave it at that and not go into why I have come to know this. Thanks. Milestones: None I can think of.

So, Miss N's sixth birthday is coming up in the beginning of March. I know that is two months away, but since we have a tiny house and need to have the party elsewhere, and venues tend to book quickly and are expensive, I have already been thinking about it. And now I am left with a quandary. As a child, especially as a teen, I was always the one not invited. I was the excluded one. The "big" parties either invited everyone, and then I was included, or not, and then I was excluded. It hurt. Now that I am the mom planning the parties, I do not want to inflict that pain on any child. But, this brings up a difficulty. We have a lot of kid friends. We have school, and her class has 17 kids in it this year I believe. We have a handful of same aged friends at church. We have a group we have been friends with since toddlerhood. We have a smattering of friends here and there as well. Last year, I invited everyone. I ended up with over 50 people at her party when you counted the p...

Ok it's Wednesday, and that means time for that weekly update post! So, blood pressure update. It's been all over the map, but I'm still not sure I am reading or taking it accurately. Friday I go back in for a bp check, so I plan to take the two machines/cuffs I have with me and compare readings. Yesterday I got 140/100 for my evening measurement, then this morning (laying in bed) it was 120/70. I am very nervous about ending up on bed rest. Sheesh, I have two small kids, a husband who cooks only using the grill (and it's winter), and a thousand responsibilities. How will we eat? How will my kids get bathed, fed healthy food, dressed, lunches packed, out the door on time? How will the laundry get done??? I know others have ended up on bed rest with little kids, but I am praying it does not happen to me. But a b/p reading of 140/100 seems very high. Hopefully I am just not taking it right. Tim is convinced it is stress and worry making my bp high. . . How far along? 17 ...

Well today's appointment has come and gone. My weight gain was less than desirable, but with the goodies of the season I am not surprised. The doctor could not find the heartbeat so off to Ultrasound I went (again). Baby was VERY active and HR was 154. I asked it it was too early to see the gender, and she said she would try. Baby was busy playing with the cord and sucking his/her hands. Sadly, the cord was running right between the legs so she couldn't call it. I personally thought it looked pretty girl-ish, but I guess we will have to wait another four weeks to try again. I opted out of the quad screen. This one tests for genetic abnormalities, but, well, it's not going to change anything for me, and the really bad (aka fatal) abnormalities, like the trisonomies, are detectable, at least in part, on the 20-week ultrasound. It just didn't feel important. Now for the bad part - my bp was high (138/74) - that is not terrible I guess but it is higher than the doctor wants...

I love listening to my kids sing. Here are a few treasures from my oldest for the season. Away in a Manger "Be near me Lord Jesus, I ask thee to stay Close by me forever And love me I pray Bless all thy dear children In Thy Blender care, And fit us for heaven to live with Thee there." Silent Night "Silent night, holy night All is calm, all is bright Round young version Mother and child Holy infant so tender and mild Sleep in Heavenly peace Sleep in Heavenly peace." Angels We Have Heard on High (chorus) "Glooooo-ooooo-ooo-oooo-ria In and out each day-o Glooooo-ooooo-ooo-oooo-ria In and out each day-o." Gotta love the way they hear things!

How far along? 16 weeks Maternity clothes? Yep. Sleep: Rough week with sick kids and hubby. Best moment this week: Feeling those flutters Movement: I think so Gender: Unknown. Labor Signs: No way! What I miss: Pants that don't fall down all the time. I am not a fan of maternity pants. What I am looking forward to : Appointment tomorrow! Weekly Wisdom: You need to stop and do a craft project every once in a while. Milestones: Pretty sure I have felt those early flutters.

I have a very smart little girl. Without getting boastful, let's just say that she does very well in school. From everything I can tell her sister will be doing so as well when she gets to real school age. I did very well in school, so this is not surprising to me. What is surprising is the new questions it has raised in my mind as a parent. As a teacher, I always tried to find ways to praise my students for their accomplishments. I felt it encouraged them to try harder and push themselves next time. What never occurred to me was the issue of pride. Now that I am a parent on the other end of the child's life, I am beginning to wonder what role pride plays in school accomplishments. Here are a few things I know: God hates pride. It is a very despicable sin in His eyes. In Proverbs 6 it is listed with murder as one of the sins considered an abomination. That's serious talk! Pride is easy and natural for sinful humans. Our abilities are gifts from God and are intended to be us...

My oldest has always had a sensitive heart. Sometimes, it is difficult as her parent because it is so easy to hurt her even when it is completely unintentional, but other times it is the sweetest thing to watch. On the way home from our Kansas City trip, I heard her say, "Miss M, will you please forgive me for all of the times I was mean to you?" It touched my heart to realize that she has a sensitive spirit to this, even after the fact. A couple of days ago I raised my voice at nap time. I had to apologize to Miss N because I let stress about my workload impact my attitude toward her. She forgave me, and then the next day when I was laying her down (yes, she's almost six and still naps most days) she prayed, "Please help mommy to get all her work done while we rest." That sure motivated mommy to be diligent that day!

So, blogging about pregnancy was the last thing on my mind while in Kansas City this past week. Really, these two weeks are not much different, so I will just make one update. How far along? 15 weeks Maternity clothes? Yep. And I am sad because it appears I will need to buy some. I was really hoping to avoid that. Sleep: Up once per night usually but not too bad. Best moment this week: Eating dessert like a normal person and not getting sick! Movement: Too early Gender: Unknown. Labor Signs: No way! What I miss: Not being winded all the time. I wish I knew for a fact this was normal. The baby isn't big enough to be causing this yet. My doctor said "You are just out of shape" but I was pretty well out of shape before I got pregnant and didn't have this problem. What I am looking forward to : Feeling movement. Should be happening sometime in the next few weeks. Feeling a baby moving inside of me kind of creeps me out, but it's also very reassuring that all is we...