Pregnancy 1: Week 26

26 Weeks:

Symptoms: So much kicking!! Constant peeing, fell down the stairs (causing all over muscle pain, a few bruises, bump on the head but was okay).

Constant Peeing: I figure I should clarify this. I have talked to many pregnant ladies and my definition of constant peeing is not even close to theirs. I think I am quite lucky that prior to pregnancy I had a really good bladder. I would use the restroom early in the morning maybe once during the day, and before bed...that was it. So when I tell people constant peeing it is just way more than that. I am still fortunate though because I only have to get up to go pee once or twice at night now. It is great in that sense but I still have pains and wake up tossing and turning quite often just not to go pee.

Weight: This week I am still on that 1 lb. a week spiral and I have gained 8 lbs so far in this entire pregnancy. :) I am trying to look at this more optimistically even if I hit 30 lbs gained that is less than most of the people I know around me who have had children and my OB has put me in the clear for that (I tend to freak out about this weight gain). So, we sometimes have to accept that our bodies are just going to do what they do and though I will continue exercise and eating healthy foods to the best of my ability in reality I have to come to terms with: it is what it is.

Meeting: I started this week out going and meeting with our priest, Fr. Paul. He is so wonderful I love having him as our priest. I setup a meeting with him to discuss godparents for our little Patrick. We are still obviously talking about it but I needed to learn more about the requirements in the Catholic church versus what I was raised with. So it was a very helpful conversation and nice to catch up with him some too.

Godparents: First off choosing godparents for your child is so difficult even outside the Catholic church but add in the church and there are even more specific requirements that they have to fit to be allowed. For me choosing godparents is about selecting people that you love in your life, that would if something tragic happened care for your child, people that will influence your child for the better and help guide them through life, will do their best to attend birthdays and special moments of your child, and overall just support your child. In the Catholic faith all that I have said is really more there but not the “requirements” they require things such as: 1) to actually be called a godparent you must be baptized in the Catholic faith and 1 of the 2 selected must be, 2) if you aren’t then you are allowed to be a “Christian Witness” not technically a godparent but you are still required to be baptized in the Christian faith. 3) One godparent is required but 2 are permitted (additional CWs may be selected but won’t be written in). If 2 godparents are selected 1 must be male and the other female. Beyond these initial points they must agree to: 1) Support the parents in providing a Christian/Catholic home and upbringing. 2) reaffirm their own baptismal/confirmation agreements. So noting all of this it does make it a little more stressful selecting people. Though we also struggled with having more than a few guys we could choose and ended up considering not only for Patrick but also for our future child(ren) because we really want to choose important people in our lives that we know will be great with our children.

Godfather: Tomek chose Patrick’s godfather to be a wonderful man in his life. This guy has been close to Tomek since they were in school as kids and stood by his side as his best man in our wedding. He has been such a strong Catholic and is devoted to his family. An important characteristic as well is education and this guy has done well in school all the way through college not just by grades but even his attitude and support of his peers. Overall he will be such a great role model for our little boy. Now many believe we named our son after him, which honestly we are okay with either way, Patrick’s godfather will be one of my husband’s best friends, Pat.

We could not be more thrilled in having him in Patrick’s life. To ask him to be the godfather my nerdy husband bought a “godfather funko pop” and gave it to him when they were out at a bar together having a guy night. He saw it and after realizing what it was was very happy to accept.

Godmother: Brandi is such an indecisive person so this decision was made by like 80% Brandi and 20% affirmations from Tomek. However, the woman selected will also be a great role model for our little man. She too is Catholic, did well in school, and is all about caring for others! She became friends with Brandi later in her life but has been so supportive and a great friend. Her and her family have welcomed Brandi as a part of their family and already been very helpful to Brandi throughout this pregnancy and since meeting of course. Patrick’s godmother will be miss Sarah! To ask Brandi and Tomek found the perfect unique gift. Sarah is absolutely obsessed with cows and so we got her this pillow….

With the personalization it just felt perfect “Patrick’s Godmother.” When she saw it she was so surprised...don’t believe me...check out this picture…..

Heehee we had fun and she happily accepted while we were out to eat at Mcalister's.

Genetic Reports: I also started this week off getting my genetic testing back. Not the one testing for health stuff (I did that early in the pregnancy, all normal). This was a genetic report that Tomek and I decided to do to learn more about our heritage. We knew he was Polish and German and I had always been told I was Irish but we really didn’t know how much, or if I truly was. Tomek actually got his back last week and this was his….

So we weren’t really surprised by his but it was really fascinating to see the breakdown of how Polish he is (knowing his maternal grandparents are both Polish & his mother received 75% Polish) as well as how German (we knew his father’s side is German, and he definitely looks exactly like his father over his mother). I will say his mom was surprised to see the 13% Irish in his blood. She always said that he wasn’t Irish but since he was born on March 17th (St. Patrick’s Day) he was honorary Irish that day. But actually he has over the 6% requirement to claim it as part of his heritage so that was pretty cool.

When we decided to do this I was a bit unsure as to whether or not I wanted to because I have been told so many things about my past and the life that I had which was pretty crazy that I couldn’t guarantee that being told I was Irish wasn’t a lie. But it was the one sense of pride I had in myself. I was Irish and quite proud to share that with people. But what if it was all a lie...then what do I have left. So I went ahead and did the report, as Tomek (my MIL and SIL) did and hoped for the best. Well I got my report back….

I am actually nearly 60% Irish! That is a HUGE portion really. I didn’t even expect that much. So now I am sitting here reveling in the fact that I knew I was Irish and am actually even a little more proud (if that is even possible). I also have a percentage of French & German (it doesn’t separate the two on mine for some reason) but that is also pretty cool to know. So now we will take both of these report pictures and put them in Patrick’s baby book so he can see the percentages of his parents when he is older and wants to learn more about his genealogy.

Friend Baby Shower/Sprinkle: This week our friends Gabe and Mere had their baby “sprinkle” basically a baby shower for their future little boy. We had so much fun with their little girl at the shower, giving them gifts, and celebrating their second child on the way. :)

Ikea: Tomek and I both went to IKEA for the first time and we weren’t as thrilled as we thought we would be. It was a nice walk for me though, been trying to get those in via different ways. We were a little frustrated by the showrooms that we had to walk through to get to the actual area where we can shop. We talked about the fact that maybe we would have liked it all more if we needed to get big furniture and furnish our house but since we didn’t not so much. Their candles were a steal and that was a great find for us, also got a new watering can, and some other odds and ends but nothing crazy.

Fencing: Update on the fencing front! Our new fencing has been delivered...and is taking up most of our driveway. We are so excited to have the fence pieces and be one step closer to having that privacy fence up and our own space!

We put up a piece just temporary leaning but to see what we thought and man did I fall even more in love with this fence! It is gorgeous!

Couple Bliss: This is it for this week but I just had to throw in how important it is to be sweet to your spouse! Sometimes pregnancy hormones can throw you and your loved one for a loop. I had one day this week where I was so upset about a situation, though I really compounded it with like 4 others, that had nothing to do with my dear hubby but I ended up taking it out on him. We both got upset, as our reactions were 100% out of character for the two of us together, when we calmed down we both knew it was crazy hormones and just spent some time cuddling together. So when you aren't feeling those crazy hormones it is nice to do something sweet for each other just to say, thanks for always being there. It can be as simple as when my hubby went to the store and bought all fresh fruits, veggies, and snacks for me AND bought me strawberry doughnuts which he dressed up for breakfast the next morning...

Or like the night that I decided to not only make a homemade yummy dinner but also mini desserts for us and a larger version for him to take to work for his coworkers. I love baking for those guys & for my special guy!! :)