home sweet home

We are finally back in Springfield! After being gone since the 15th we got home this afternoon. After hitting some rough roads for the first hour or so of our trip we arrived to green grass and 60 degree weather - which is pretty nice after being in the snow and cold for the last 2 weeks!


This month has been busy with works travels, a trip to Punta Cana, and around IA for several Christmas's. 


I absolutely love this time of year. Time to spend with family and friends and celebrate Jesus' birth. Now onto the unpacking, loads of laundry, putting away Christmas gifts, etc. We don't have plans tonight as we weren't sure where exactly we'd be but that's ok with us. I'm thinking pizza, some sparkling grape juice and the Times Square count down on the couch is sounding pretty good:)


Pictures and recaps to come but I hope you have a wonderful New Year's Eve wherever you are!

20 weeks

Half way there. That truly is unbelievable to think that I am half way to meeting our baby girl. At times when I think about it it seems like yesterday that we found out I was pregnant and sharing the news, but on the other hand it seems like so long ago that I wasn’t thinking about this little one growing inside of me, total conscious of each choice I make on food, drink, exercise, how I lay, if I drank enough water, etc. The past month has just flown by, and I knew it would with Thanksgiving and Christmas. It’s just hard to believe that January is right around the corner and within a few months of that we will be on the no travel alert. How can it be that God blessed us with a healthy and growing baby girl? Our prayer as soon as we were married regarding children was that God would give us one when He thought we were ready and it was in His plan. While His plan may have been a little sooner than we expected I cannot tell you how excited Jimmy and I are about this baby.

As I stated in my last post, one of my closest friends, Bailey, just had a baby and to me that was such a huge reality of the changes that are occurring in our lives. Just a few days ago I had a discussion with a friend that read my post on the book “Bittersweet” and she said she has had so many of the same feelings as she approaches her late 20s. There is just something about being in your late 20’s, being married, and becoming your own that changes your perspective on so many things and in so many ways builds the foundation for the adult you will be for years to come.

I pray 100 times a day for our baby girl – that she continues to be healthy, continues to grow, about the person she will be, that she will love other people like Christ loves us, that she will learn about Jesus and love the Lord with her whole heart, that she will find something and someone that makes her truly happy, so many things. I also think it’s so important that Jimmy and I pray for the parents we will be to her. That the Lord will teach me patience, show us how to love our child(ren) with all our hearts (I don’t think we will need much help with this oneJ), show us how to be examples of Christ like love in our marriage and to others, always do what we love and follow our hearts, and that we will always pray for our children.

Sometimes I feel overwhelmed with the idea of being a mom. Often times I have no idea how my mom and dad did it, and did it so well. I’ve said a few times before about how thankful I am for my parents as they truly are the greatest examples I’ve ever had of unconditional Christ like love for me and my siblings. I made some really stupid mistakes along the way, I've treated my parents disrespectfully, I was an annoying preteen and teenJ, people broke my heart, I moved away for college and for jobs – all these things are things I cannot imagine experiencing with my child. How does a parent keep it together through all of this and still show their child love? The only logical answer can be with God, and so I’m starting to pray alreadyJ Although I know there will be times our child fails as a daughter and there will be times Jimmy and I fail as parents – the Lord will never fail. He will always be there to guide us and her through this journey and luckily I think He helps us figure it out along the way, before they really notice anywaysJ

On another note – and something I won’t elaborate on today but soon is how differently you think of your parents once you are one, or about to become one? And isn’t it amazing how different we see Christmas through the eyes of Mary once you are pregnant? How did she give birth in a barn, how did she have the courage to follow God’s will knowing that the man she loves may leave her for doing so, how could she trust in the fact that she would really becoming pregnant while still being a virgin? These things completely blow my mind, but more on that to comeJ

So those are my thoughts for this week. A little deeper than usual, I know, but things I want to remember feeling as well.

Merry Christmas to you and your family!

Baby's now the size of a cantaloupe!
Baby gulps down several ounces of amniotic fluid every day, both for nutrition and to practice swallowing and digesting. And, these days, those taste buds actually work! Studies show that after birth, babies respond best to tastes they've already had via amniotic fluid. Meaning, think about what you'd like your future child to eat as you prepare your own lunch.

punta cana

In just a few short days we will be on a plane heading to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic and I absolutely cannot wait! In my thankful for post one of the things I said I’m thankful for is the beach and that’s no joke. I adore the ocean, crashing waves, endless sights of turquoise blue water, having a tropical drink (don’t worry they will be virgin pina coladas this timeJ) while getting a tan – I love it all. So, off we’ll go to spend 5 days or so on the beaches relaxing and enjoying some much warmer weather before celebrating Christmas with family. We have a busy Christmas weekend planned, as usual, but look forward to spending time with both of our families and enjoying some extra time off the week following Christmas too.

One thing in particular that I’m looking forward to while I’m back in IA is meeting one of my closest friends new baby girl, Kinley! Kinley was born on the 7^th which was just before I had to head to Texas for work otherwise I would have had my booty in a car that weekend to meet her. But, of course I had that trip and then the Punta Cana trip planned so I will have to settle with meeting her after Christmas. I made a few things for Miss Kinley and I can’t wait to give them to her mama, Bailey, and see them on her – she’s so adorable. It’s also a reality check for me to realize that my high school friends are now having babies and that I will have my own little one in just 5 short months – where does the time go and when did we get to be old enough to have these responsibilities?!

Anyways, here’s a few pictures to tease your senses of where I will be in just a few days!

One most post to come on Thursday – my 20 weeks recap and then I will be on a blog break until after Christmas with plenty of updates by then I'm sure.

I hope you, your family, your friends, have a wonderful Christmas celebrating the miracle of God sending his son to this Earth for one purpose – to forgive our sins! May you feel Christ’s love for you this season and consider all the blessings you have, no matter where your circumstances may find you.

bittersweet

My mom recently let me borrow a book called “Bittersweet” by Shauna Niequist and let me just tell you, it was amazing. I had never read anything by Shauna and it definitely made me want to read more of her stuff. It claims to be a book about “thoughts on change, grace, and learning the hard way” – it was that and so much more. My mom already had half the book highlighted and I think I could have easily highlighted the rest of it. So many chapters of this book spoke to me directly. I feel like I have shared so many of the same experiences as this author and the way in which she was able to tie those experiences and in many cases mistakes, to a lesson, a “tip” from God, or a growing experience was so refreshing.

Here’s just a few paragraphs from the book that spoke to me so clearly.

“This is the thing: when you start to hit 28 or 30, everything starts to divide, and you can see very clearly two kinds of people: on one side, people who have used their twenties to learn and grown, to find God and themselves and their deep dreams, people who know what works and what doesn’t, who have pushed through to become real live adults.

And then there’s the other kind, who are hanging on to college, or high school even, with all their might. They’ve stayed in jobs they hate because they’re too scared to get another one. They’ve stayed with men or women who are good but not great because they won’t want to be lonely. They mean to find a church, they mean to develop honest, intimate friendships, they mean to stop drinking like life is one big frat party. But they don’t do those things, so they live in kind of an extended adolescence, no closer to adulthood than they were when they graduated college.”

I’ve had a little anxiety about getting older. Now don’t roll your eyes thinking about how young I am, let me explain. Just a few weeks ago I realized I would be 27 by the time baby girl joins us and something about that just makes me seem old. There’s just something about realizing your reality of bill paying, corporate jobs, business travels, marriage, and having babies that makes you feel old. But then when I sit back and think about all the things I’ve done in my life, the people I’ve met, the places I’ve been, the jobs I’ve had, the places I’ve lived it’s really incredible. So when I read the line about using your twenties “to learn and grow, find God and yourself and your deep dreams” – I think I’ve done. But then when I read from the second paragraph “they mean to find a church, they mean to develop honest, intimate friendships, but don’t – I think I have to admit I’ve done that too. When I first got out of college and moved from place to place working for John Deere I never really found a great church or got too involved because I knew I’d be leaving, and I struggled to establish deep relationships for the same reason. And now that I’m married establishing new and maintaining old friendships just seems harder for some reason. I think part of that is because again, I know we won’t be in Springfield long so I don’t want to get too attached. Yet, at the same time, I know how important friendships are and the great things that can come from a genuine friendship with another. So while I feel I’ve done so many things well in my 20’s, I feel I’ve failed at times too. And yet I have a feeling this won’t be just in my 20’s but throughout all of life. You’re always going to do some things well, and some things not so well. I’ve learned that life is not about the mistakes you made, the past you can’t forget, the things you should have done or said but life is about making those mistakes and learning from them, taking risks, loving people genuinely, and surrounding yourself with those you love and that love you.

So those are my thoughts from this book. If you’re looking for a good easy read that will change the way you look at so many things, I’d highly recommend this one. Thanks for passing it my way momJ

19 weeks in austin

yesterday marked 19 weeks. jimmy and i are in austin working for a few days and definitely enjoying the nicer weather.

i still can't believe that i'm actually pregnant. and more so that i'm almost half way there. i continue to feel really good. i am starting to get some pains in my lower stomach and things i've read just say that it's things stretching and/or baby girl kicking. the headaches have subsided and i haven't experienced anything like those at thanksgiving - thank goodness!

i cannot even begin to explain in words what our ultrasound was like last week. it was so amazing to see our baby girl inside of me. i couldn't believe how much she had grown since week 6 when we saw her last and the most amazing thing to me was that everything is developed already. we could so clearly see the 4 chambers of her heart, her kidneys, bladder, arms, legs, fingers, toes, face, belly, and of course the parts that make her a girl!:) funny story - when our ultrasound first popped up baby girl was sideways and her little hand was down by her "parts" so i thought i saw a weiner. of course i didn't say anything because i knew our tech would get there but i for sure thought it was a boy. well, turns out she moved her little hand and as our tech got between her legs she said she was definitely a girl! as soon as she told us she was a girl my eyes teared up. not just because she's a girl but because we know knew the gender of our child. something about that made me feel more connected to this child inside of me. my mind wanders endlessly of all the things our baby girl will be - the personality she will have, how she will treat people, what her interest and strengths will be, what she will look like, who she will marry, where she will go to college, etc etc.

anyways - on to our mango.

Baby's now the size of a mango!
Vernix caseosa, a greasy white substance made of lanugo, oil, and dead skin cells (yum) now coats baby's skin, shielding it from the amniotic fluid. (Picture yourself after a nine-month bath, and the need for protection makes sense.) You might get to see the vernix at birth, especially if baby is premature.

18 and a half week picture

here it is, 18 and 1/2 weeks in all its glory:)

it's a....

Well we had our ultrasound today and everything looked great. Totally healthy, all the parts, and we were able to see that it's a girl! She didn't want to show us at first but the tech was able to get her moving and she showed! We are so excited and can't wait to prepare for our little princess!:) If I can figure out how to scan in our pictures I'll put them up later!

18 weeks

Not much new to report this week in terms of how I’m feeling. I haven’t had any of the migraines since last week so I’m hoping that will continue. While doing a little research I learned that staying hydrated is the key to helping/preventing headaches so I’m working on drinking more water while at work, we will see if that helps!

Other than that tomorrow is the big day - our ultrasound! I absolutely cannot wait to see our babe – we’ve prayed every day since we knew I was pregnant that this baby would be healthy so I’m anxious to see how he/she is progressing and of course to find out if I need to stock up on girl or boy supplies! I’m just hoping our babe will cooperate tomorrow and we get to see the goods!:)

I’ve gone back and forth on my feeling regarding the gender. At first I was for sure it was a boy based on a few distinct dreams I had, then for a while I had the feeling it was a girl for no definite reason, and now I’m back to being unsure. Sigh. Majority of the people we’ve asked think it’s a girl but I’ve heard a few boys in the mix this week as it gets closer too. I’ll be sure to post tomorrow the exciting news. In the meantime, here’s what various internet sites have to say…..My friend Bailey did this the week of their ultrasound and I thought it was really cute so I thought I’d steal her idea!

Chinese Birth Chart says…..it’s a girl (Aug and age 26)

Chinese Lunear Calendar (don’t know the difference) says…..it’s a girl

Old Wives Tales Gender Predictor says……it’s a boy

Parents.com gender test says…..it’s a girl

Childbirth.org gender test says……it’s a girl

So, looks like according to the internet this babe is a girl. What’s your predicton?

PS - I didn’t forget my 4 month picture, still to come – maybe by this weekendJ

Can't wait to see our sweet potato tomorrow!

Baby's now the size of a sweet potato!
Baby's become amazingly mobile (compared to you, at least), passing the hours yawning, hiccupping, rolling, twisting, kicking, punching, sucking, and swallowing. And baby is finally big enough that you'll soon be able to feel her movements.