Nelsonblog

Sue and I along with our friends Steve and Nalaina and Steve’s parents went to see the production of The King and I performed by the Main Street Players.  The players are actually part of the First Presbyterian Church of Santa Ana- Their theater is literally right next store to the church.  I’m sure the theater doubles as their youth group room or something.

I was a little leery as to the quality of the performances going in-  But you know what?  They were all really good! 

We had a great time. 

Hey!  Susan lasted through the entire first act without having to go use the bathroom, which at this stage was quite an impressive feat. 

This week is Grandpa Nelson’s birthday – the California Nelson clan want to wish you a happy birthday and a great year full of good health and blessings! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

At church today- we got many a comment on Susans ‘bump’!  So I thought we’d post a picture of her so you all can see as well-  She’s so adorable! 

See? 

PS: Our friends Sean and Melody brought Brooke, their new baby girl, to church for the first time as well!  She’s a very beautiful little thing, she is.

Well, not sure exactly what it was. 

But Saturday morning in bed I felt a strange sensation in my lower abdomen.  Not sure if it was gas, a muscle twitch, or the baby – but it was quite exciting.  I had a hard time getting back to sleep because I didn’t want to miss it again – but nothing else happened. 

The doctor said I will start feeling more defined movement in about 2-3 weeks – but I can start feeling what she referred to as ‘flutters’ when the baby moves – sort of like butterflies.  So, I think the little life is making me aware it is growing and thriving and I have much more feelings of movement to come!

Chris and I were going through our monthly pregnancy reading last night and I made the mistake of having him read one of my books called ‘The Pregnancy Bible.’ The book is not a religious book – but it is a comprehensive resource for pregnancy and after.  I have to admit, my eating habits have not been the greatest for the last few weeks and I’ve had no exercise for two weeks due to my work schedule.

Well, Chris began to read the nutrition section on what I should be eating and how much of it I should be eating on a daily basis. His eyes became bigger and bigger as he realized just how deficient I have been with my eating habits and absorbing the right vitamins. Chris rambled off a list of food he wanted me to eat that night and I thought – there’s no way he can be serious – I’ve already had dinner and he wants me to eat a whole meals worth in protein and vitamins.

But, he was serious. He went to the kitchen and poured me a tall glass of milk (need at least 5 servings a day of calcium), cut up a apple (need 7 servings of veggies and fruit a day), smeared peanut butter on a graham cracker (need so many milligrams of a particular mineral found in peanut butter plus protein) and then poured me a bowl of mixed nuts (also has minerals/vitamins that I am lacking in). My stomach began to ache from all of the food I consumed and I was up several times in the night with visits to the restroom due to all of the liquid I drank.

Don’t get me wrong – by no means am I complaining. I actually felt more energetic this morning – and I wouldn’t be surprised if all the food I ate last night is a factor in my energy. Plus, it was nice to have a coach barking orders at me and helping me with the process of eating better. It is easy to get busy with work and life and forget to eat the right stuff – plus healthy food doesn’t sound as good as fries and cheese quesadillas. But it was scary to realize just how poorly I was eating – Chris read a section on pre-eclampsia and how the mother’s diet can influence it. Pre-eclampsia can affect both the baby (placenta is not able to supply enough blood to the baby) and the mom (potential risk of high blood pressure and even seizures).

I can’t promise that there will never be another french fry in my life – but there will be more of the good stuff (vitamins, vitamins, vitamins). Want to give this little life the best chance from the get go – plus don’t want to put myself at risk.

I watched a neat show that Sue recorded for me: Bringing Home Baby on TLC

It doesn’t actually go over the entire birth process, it focuses on the 1st 36 hours of bringing the baby home.  Here’s an excerpt from their website:

The first few days at home for rookie parents are a jumble of emotions. They experience everything from joy, excitement, love and happiness, to fear, uncertainty and insecurity. No matter how prepared you think you are, you still don’t really know what you’re in for, and you have no idea how tired you can possibly get!

TLC’s new series Bringing Home Baby focuses on those first 36 hours at home with your new baby. Sure, a newborn does only a few things: eat, sleep, cry and go through diapers. But each of those activities presents its own set of challenges for new parents. Plus, there seems to be an endless list of skills to master for a newborn: you’ve got to learn how to hold them, feed them, burp them, diaper them, swaddle them, calm them down, trim their fingernails and get them to sleep. Meanwhile, a new mom has her own health to think about as well. Sometimes friends and family are there to lend a hand and help the newbie parents learn the ropes. But having friends and family involved can complicate even non-stressful situations. What happens when Dad changes his first diaper — with his mother-in-law hovering over his shoulder? What about that entire extended family that wants to show up and celebrate? What if the dogs can’t adapt to the newest addition? That’s right. It’s part bundle of joy/part bundle of nerves when you’re Bringing Home Baby!

Here are some tips I gleaned from the episode I saw:

• Definetly have to practice the event putting the baby into its car seat for the first time.  (Sue brought this up- apparently everyone screws this up)
• A ‘Boppy’ pillow is a good thing.
• I saw the dad still had a hospital bracelet on- I’m looking forward to getting one too.
• Ooh, the first night looked tough. 

Very cool show, overall.  Sue’s recorded like 12 of them- so I’ll be watching alot more-