twenty-one

wednesday marked twenty-one weeks that this little guy and i have been chillin' together. it's been a heck of a five months. i think "busy" is an understatement. during these first twenty-one weeks hunter and i have barely had the time to breathe, let alone really prepare for baby shay's arrival. we've both been holding down our separate (and very opposed scheduled) jobs, hunter coached middle school track for two and a half months (which also meant i went to a lot of middle school track meets), we started being the full-time youth pastors/directors/leaders (whatever you want to call it) at our church, all the while growing little guy. it's been a whirlwind, which is also pretty typical of us. it doesn't look like this last half of the pregnancy is going to be much different, what with my job picking up full swing (i'll be working 50+ hours for the rest of the month), lots of weddings to attend, mancelona camp starting (where we'll be the assistant youth directors), and who knows what else. 

i want to better document this last half of my pregnancy, if for no other reason than to be able to look back at it when he's a year older and be able to see how far we've come. it's really an cool time in life, and i don't want to forget all the little things going on. so here's week twenty-one. 

+ i'm hungry most of the time, but i'm starting to crave more fruits and veggies than i was in the first half (the first half of the pregnancy was all about that meat). all you've got to do is ask hunter and he'll tell you it's not a fun time if i have to wait for food too long. my entire mood shifts from "i'm going to kill you" to "let me kiss your face" after i've gotten some food in me. 

+ i discovered maternity pants. my regular jeans still "fit" but were just so uncomfortable, leaving marks on my belly and just feeling too constricting. so i bought a pair of maternity jeans and a pair of maternity shorts, and i'm never looking back. seriously, this comfy band is how all jeans should be made all the time. they're the bomb dot com. 

+ when i lay down at night seamus decides it's time to party, so i've gotten to feel lots of kicks. i even got my first kick to the bladder, which was pretty weird. if that kick was any indication of his leg strength, we're going to have a little runner on our hands. 

+ i've been experiencing a lot of heartburn. it's pretty much the only obnoxious pregnancy symptom i've experienced, so i should really count my blessings. but, man. it still ain't fun! 

+ to clarify: he's a boy. we found out a week ago and i could not be more excited about it. since i was a little girl i've always wanted a boy. something in me just knew i wanted to be a boy mom more than anything else, and i'm so so excited that God heard my prayers and gave me a little boy. i think raising a boy is such an awesome opportunity. it's no secret that little boys are inherently born with more privileges than little girls, and being able to raise a boy to stand up for the injustice of those around him is such an honor. getting to raise a boy to go against the "boys will be boys" mentality is going to be one heck of a challenge, but i'm just too pumped for the challenge. 

+ oh, and his name is seamus. seamus david. it's gaelic, it's biblical, and it might be one of my very favorite side characters from harry potter.

baby shay,
we're so excited to have you in our life, and even more excited for the day that you get here.
love,
your mama