Third Trimester

I have finally reached the 3rd trimester!  For some reason the second trimester of this pregnancy seemed to drag.  I always felt like I should be farther along than I was.  Now, with the realization that this little guy will be here in approximately 11 1/2 weeks, I am hoping that time slows down a little bit!  We are doing pretty good as far as getting things ready.  We have the nursery close to being done.  Just need to get a chair and a few finishing touches.  I am really happy with how it's coming together.  Little buddy has lots of clothes thanks to his cousin Teddy and a lady at my work who was selling a ton of baby boy clothes for really cheap.  I just need to get them all washed and put away.

I'm feeling pretty good most days although this pregnancy continues to be harder than my first.  I chalk it up to chasing a toddler around all day.  My lower back aches from picking Peyton up and playing on the floor but Jason has become a pretty good masseuse :)  Heart burn is still killer if I don't keep ahead of it with medication.  I'm feeling bigger than ever and swear I was not this big till much later last time.  I have been taking a prenatal yoga class at the hospital and really enjoy it.  It helps me relax and stretch and I always leave feeling really good.  I'm also trying to get out and walk several times a week but it's getting harder to push Peyton in the stroller up the hills in our neighborhood.  I may have to alter my route a bit but I'm hoping to stay active for the next couple of months.  I'm trying my best to eat healthy but my sweet tooth gets the best of me sometimes!

Jason is looking good at 28 weeks ;)

The baby is doing good.  He is super active and I feel sharp jabs and rolling movement all day long.  The movement I feel is so different than what I felt with Peyton.  I'm hoping this means that he is head down.  I have an ultrasound next week to check position.  Fingers crossed!

As of today, I am officially a full time stay at home mom!  I put in my notice at Maritz about 6 weeks ago and last Thursday was my last day. Jason and I will be forever grateful to my parents for taking care of Peyton for the past year.  She has built a strong bond with them that I know will last forever.  But I am so happy to have this time home with Peyton before the baby comes and thrilled to be able to stay home with the new baby. I hope to take advantage of the next couple of months with my sweet girl and do a lot of fun things and just soak up this time with her before things change.

Why do people do bad things?

This is the question I asked Jason last night as we were laying in bed trying to comprehend the explosions at the Boston Marathon.  As with all the tragedies in recent years, there is no answer to this question which makes it so difficult to wrap my head around these events and only leaves me with more questions. 

I was reading a book yesterday afternoon while Peyton napped and the tv was on in the background.  My ears perked up when the newscaster mentioned the Boston Marathon and that there were two explosions near the finish line.  There weren't many details at the time, but it was clear that it was bad and many people were injured.  I can't shake the image of the mass amount of blood on the sidewalk that was shown over and over on the tv.  I immediately texted Jason.  His company, New Balance, is headquartered in Boston.  Being an althletic shoe/apparel company they have a big presence at the Boston Marathon in both athletes and workers.  Luckily all of them were accounted for and safe.  Today Jason and his co-workers face the difficult task of dealing with this tragedy.  Jason manages the New Balance website which yesterday showed images of the special shoe designed just for the event and now they have to figure out an approrpriate message to reflect their sympathies for everyone affected by this awful tragedy.   He was not looking forward to the day.  Not to mention that Jason is scheduled to travel to Boston next week for meetings.  I'm sure the trip will not be the same and will be largely clouded by this event.

My good friend Michaela lives in Boston and I went to visit her a few years ago.  When I texted her yesterday to make sure she was ok, she told me that we had waited for the bus right where the explosions took place. Which makes all the images on tv so much more real for me.  Boston is a wonderful city and yesterday was meant to be a day of joy and pride for those who accomplished a great feat but instead it was turned into a day of terror, one that forever changed the lives of those involved.

In all of this I can't help but wonder what's next?  How many more of these tragedies are we going to see in our lifetime?  If these horrible things are happening now, what are my kids going to see in 30 years?  How can we feel safe anywhere anymore?   When is it going to strike close to home and affect my family or someone I know?  Jason and I were talking this morning and he said to me, "You would think one would only live to see one maybe two significant events like this in a lifetime. We are still young and have lived through so many of these tragedies already."  I had been thinking the same thing.  We've seen the Oklahoma bombing, 9/11, multiple mass shootings at schools, malls, and movie theaters, and now this.  And who knows how many other terrible acts have been prevented.  It all makes me so sad.  It makes me sad for my kids and I question the world I am bringing them into.  The day their innocence is shattered by one of these events my heart will be broken.

Among all the saddness, anger and questions, it is important to see the good shine through and I try to remember that.  Many people posted a quote by Mr. Rogers on Facebook yesterday "When I was a boy and would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers.  You will always find people who are helping.'"  Watching the footage from Boston this proved to be very true.  So many people ran towards the explosion endangering their own lives to help others.  That is what humanity is all about and the good will always outshine and outnumber the bad.  So today asI continue to try and process the events in Boston that is what I am trying to focus on.  The good.  The brave.  The strength of our country and the amazing love and support that we provide one another in times of need.

My thoughts and prayers to all those in Boston and to anyone struggling to comprehend this tragedy as I am.