22 weeks and 3 days!

Well, this was a big goal! I started labor with Ethan at about 22 weeks 3 days, so I am happy to be here with no signs of labor. I'm a lot better off this time than I was the last time. I know what is wrong with my body, whereas at that time I thought I was having a normal pregnancy and I was still living a normal life. This time I know what is going on, I have my cerclage in and I have been on bedrest for 8 1/2 weeks! Can you believe it?? It has been just over 2 months.

My little guy has been moving like crazy, which has really helped me to keep going. He makes me so happy everytime he moves. When he is active, he is very active. It reminds me of how Ethan was. Hopefully, Matt and Ethan will be able to feel him soon. Matt was able to see my belly jump a little with some of the kicks a couple of nights ago.

I think I have been doing a lot of stretching this week because my bones have been hurting, my back has been hurting, especially the sciadic nerve and I have had definite stretch feelings. All good signs of the baby's growth. I have been dealing with a lot more bedrest-type pain, which has been really frustrating, but I have been enjoying my belly getting bigger.

I was just thinking about how so many women do nothing but complain during pregnancy and they can't really find much that they enjoyed during pregnancy, but maybe it is because they never experienced a loss of a pregnancy or even a near-loss. I enjoyed every moment of my pregnancy with Ethan, which is why I also mourned the early loss of the pregnancy for so long afterwards (a couple of years). I am again enjoying every moment, because I lost the chance to get big and uncomfortable with Ethan. What I don't enjoy is the pain of bedrest.

I just told Matt that I have no complaints of it being harder for me to get up now, the size of my belly or even the fact that I have the pregnancy walk. I love each of those things and am so happy I am finally experiencing it, I've waited four years for this and I love it. I just wish that I could experience all of it in the normal way. If I didn't have bedrest, I would feel so much better! I don't like crying in pain because I can't walk due to my legs being so sore or because my sciadic is pinched. I know some things would still be there in a normal pregnancy, but at least I could walk off some of the pain and stretch my muscles out. I can't do that right now, all I have are the little tiny walks to the bathroom and kitchen and my little stretching exercises.

My next appointment will be next Thursday, the 26th. We also have an eye appointment for Ethan early that morning. Ethan did not pass the last eye exam because he had not had a nap and was not cooperating, so we hope this time he does a lot better and won't need glasses. Hopefully, he has daddy's vision and not mommy's! We said we'll save a lot of money if he has daddy's vision and mommy's teeth (I never needed braces and have had very few cavities). So far, his teeth are good!

I just had to share this picture of Ethan that Grandma Young took last night when he stayed the night there. It is just too cute!