19 - going on 20 - weeks

I figured it's time for another update, although I'm unsure if people read this blog or not. This may be more of my own journal than anything. :)

Some friends of ours have been using the Bradley Method of natural childbirth and rave about it so Tim and I were very interested in finding a class. However, the classes generally cost $300 and I did not know how we were going to afford that when we ran into Molly, a friend from the Littleton Vineyard, who told me she teaches Bradley and desires to use it as a ministry so she teaches at a significantly lower cost. I was so excited so we started classes the next week! The class is really small - so far only us and another couple, a third couple may be joining - and the other man in the class was part of my small group from a class in school! After our first class I felt as though God had given us a Huge gift! A teacher who is wonderful at a low cost and classmates who I know and like!

For those of you who don't know, the Bradley Method is the second most popular birthing method in the country, but Lamaz is so popular hardly anyone knows about it! Bradley considers the birth an athletic event, like a marathon, and so focuses on the diet and exercise of the mother. The method also teaches relaxation techniques in order to cope with pain rather than the distractions that Lamaz uses. So Tim is learning what types of touch relax me and we get to practice as often as we can - it's wonderful! :)

The last few weeks I have begun to feel the baby move more often and yesterday Tim felt him/her move for the first time! It was so exciting! This morning I woke up and I couldn't believe how strong the movements were. I love it!

I plan on putting up some more pictures of my belly. Tim says I look like a little Buddha. :) We have another ultra sound on August 5th and will hopefully find out if we're having a boy or a girl!