3.23.2011

Southern Baby: 18 weeks

Pregnancy Highlights


How Far Along: 18 Weeks

Size of baby: 5 1/2  inches long, crown to rump, and weighs about 6 ounces 
Maternity Clothes:  Still trying to hang on to my regular clothes until we move!!  The shirts are a must... but all others are organized and ready to be unpacked in my new closet.   

Gender: Ultrasound has been set for the first week of April!
Movement: I am feeling the baby move all the time!  Lee thinks he felt it last night...the look on his sweet face when he felt it was priceless.   

Sleep: I am back to waking up for a potty break by 3:30 or 4:00 and unable to go back to sleep.  I think it's just the stress of all that we have going on right now and that it will stop when we move and get settled.

What I miss: ENERGY!  I usually hit a wall about 3:30 or 4 (what is it with that time?)
Cravings: McDonald's Hot Fudge Sunday...I am going to get one tonight!!!


I don't want to forget...the boys went back to the doctor with me yesterday and when we got home, Tradd drew this picture.  Can you tell who's who?  Melted me. 


3.18.2011

Brain Dump

  • I am blogging because I promised myself I would try to blog at least 3 times a week and so far well...so far I've never done it so I thought mid-March sounded like a good time to start
  • Honestly, I am blogging because I can't find the remote.  There.  I said it.  I am literally too lazy to get off my arse to find it.
  • What the heck are we gonna do about these gas prices?  I stopped to fill up yesterday (my car still had a quarter tank) because I thought it would be cheaper.  SEVENTY DOLLARS AND SEVENTY-FIVE CENT LATER I drove away. For 75% of a full tank of gas!  Do you know how many throw pillow that would buy for my busted old couch we are going to have to use at the new house until gas prices come down and we can buy a new one?  ugh. 
  •  I think this baby is a girl today.  Mainly because my face has decided to go through puberty again and as the old wives tale goes "Girls steal their mother's beauty"...not that I considered myself a "beauty" before, but really?  If I would cut bangs and throw on a Guess t-shirt, I'd be straight 8th grade.  I have yet to have anyone tell me I was "glowing"... 
  • I've started taking yoga more regularly at the gym.  I am rarely "all in".  I try my best to "release the outside world and focus on right now" but my mind is still running.  I have the warrior breathing down and surprise myself at my flexibilty.  I did, however, tweak my upper left thigh last week in the "pigeon."  It hurt so good until about two hours after class and then it just hurt.  I am avoiding all poses that are named after birds.  The "bald eagle" would be completely out of the question at this point...and I can only imagine how one would contort to get into it.
  • I would be lying if I said I didn't miss Facebook sometimes.  Am I missing any big announcments?  Is anyone pregnant?  Engaged?  Stuck behind a train in traffic and pissy? (Dan that was for you.) 
  • We just spend a gazillion dollars on electronics for the house today.  We probably should have spent the money on matching mopeds since gas is SO FREAKING HIGH.  Oh, I mentioned that already?
  • I haven't taken recent pictures of the house to post.  I will try to remember tomorrow!
  • Below is a picture of my backsplash taken with my phone (that's why it tooks like it's in 3-D)....it was laid today.  Wait.  It wasn't technically "laid" so would you say "hung"...See?  These are the things I think about while in triangle pose. 


  • This weekend we Lee and some buddies are laying the sod at the house.  This could get interesting so I will have my camera for that!

3.15.2011

Southern Baby: 17 weeks

Pregnancy Highlights:





How Far Along: 17 Weeks

Size of baby: 5 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in about 5 ounces...about the size of a loaded baked potato...according to parentsconnect.com "Your baby's weight will increase approximately six times over the next four weeks."  Isn't that staggering!
Maternity Clothes: Wore my first pair of maternity shorts on a hot day last week...boy is that gonna be a sight this summer!  They were so comfortable!  This is just a strange time for the wardrobe (for everyone) but especially being pregnant.  I have lots of summer maternity clothes given to me by some of my fabulous friends, but it's not quite warm enough for those and I don't need full blown maternity jeans and pants.  AHHHH!  So mainly I just try to stay in workout stuff. 

 

Gender: Ultrasound has been set for the first week of April!  People ask me if I have a feeling and this week I would say maybe I've been thinking girl....

Movement: Felt our sweet baby for the first time late last week.  I can feel fluttters at night when I finally lay down and am still. 

 

Sleep: This time change has killed me!  I can't go to sleep at night and want to sleep late!! 

 

What I miss: Exercising really hard. I am still trying to do something active EVERY day and still taking weight training classes at my awesome gym, but I reach exhaustion much faster now. I figure something is better than nothing!

 
Cravings: Water with fresh lemon!  Only side effect: more trips to the potty :(
I don't want to forget...took the boys out to dinner tonight by myself because Lee was at a meeting...I will miss our time just me and them.  I know that sounds crazy, but they are so precious right now and I am trying to give them every ounce of my attention these next few months. 















3.10.2011

Givin' it up for HIS love

For those of you who ate out for supper tonight and were perplexed by the "dirt" on  the forehead of the guy one booth over,  or if you ran into someone in the grocery store with a black mark on their head this post is for you!  Today is Ash Wednesday and after a few interesting conversations today, I thought it would be nice to share what this particular day means to me. 

Tonight at church, our santuary was filled with middle school students currently in the confirmation class.  In his message tonight, I felt like our pastor did a good job of stepping them (and me) through the details of this particular observance.  So here's my recap... 

What is Ash Wednesday?
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lent, the 40 days before Easter.

What is Lent?
The period time (40 days before Easter) during which Christians prepare their hearts for Easter.  It's a time of prayer, a time of rememberance, a time of moderation.  To me, a time to spend time thinking about the sacrifice that Jesus made for each one of us on the cross.

Why all this talk about giving something up? 
It took me a long time to truly grasp this aspect of Lent...until today.  One of my former pastors, who is a friend on Facebook, posted a link from this website with a blog title "40 Ideas for Lent"...two questions on this list had a profound affect on me...

Is there a habit or sin in my life that repeatedly gets in the way of loving God with my whole heart or loving my neighbor as myself? How do I address that habit over the next 40 days?

How does giving it up draw me closer to God and prepare me for Easter?

To me giving something up for lent is a way of freeing yourself from a perceived "need" or "want" that distracts you from giving your time and energy to God.  To me it had to be something I would do everyday that would remind me EVERYTIME of the sacrificce that Jesus made for me.   

The ironic thing about this is that I totally confessed to my small group last Sunday that I see my greatest weakness as a Christian is spending time in prayer.  I fall short EVERY. DAY.  I leave it for the end of the day and often fall asleep praying.  I struggle to find time during the day to spend focused, quiet time in prayer.  Well, that's a cop out.  I do have time.   I just spend it doing other things like keeping up with Facebook, or surfing the internet reading articles and blogs or shopping ...Or I watch televison, or I talk on the phone in the car....the list goes on and on.   

On the way to church tonight, Lee and I were talking about what we were going to give up for Lent.  I jokingly said Lee should give up alcohol...of course, with me begin pregnant I found this particulary funny.  Without skipping a beat, he said, "Ok.  I'll give up alcohol if you give up Facebook.  Take down your page and take it off your phone."  WOW.  Obviously, my best friend in the whole world sees me being distracted.  He helped me find a habit that repeatedly gets in the way of me loving God with my whole heart.  So.  I thought about it during church.  I came back to that list of questions and thought some more. 

So long Facebook. 

Why the mark on the forhead with ashes?      
 The mark shows others that "I belong to Jesus"...it's a symbol of mourning, a sign of our repentance, a humbling of ourselves before the cross.  To me, it reminds me that death is not the end for me. 


Why do all this? 
Psalm 139 says it all for me...He knows everything there is to know about me.  I need to spend sometime getting to know Him better.
Psalm 139
1 You have searched me, LORD,

and you know me.

2 You know when I sit and when I rise;

you perceive my thoughts from afar.

3 You discern my going out and my lying down;

you are familiar with all my ways.

4 Before a word is on my tongue

you, LORD, know it completely.

5 You hem me in behind and before,

and you lay your hand upon me.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,

too lofty for me to attain.

3.09.2011

Southern Baby: 16 weeks

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 16 Weeks


Size of baby: 4 1/2  inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in about 3 1/2 ounces...about the size of an avocado


 
Maternity Clothes: Wearing a few maternity shirts because my regular ones feel too short. I have bought a pair of jeans and black pants a size bigger, but have to wear a Bella Band to keep them up (for now! ha)

 

Gender: Ultrasound has been set for the first week of April!

 

Movement: After a long day, when I lay really still and flat on my back in bed I can feel the baby kind of balling up on my left side. 

Sleep: Have had WEIRD dreams every night this week!  Still no "boy" or "girl" dreams, but my SIL had one!  It was a girl and we named her Sasha Ann...ummmmm, no.

 

What I miss: Exercising really hard. I am still trying to do something active EVERY day and still taking weight training classes at my awesome gym, but I reach exhaustion much faster now. I figure something is better than nothing!

 

Cravings: Nothing now...I ate my way through the first trimester so I am satisfied and trying to slow my roll!


I don't want to forget...Jackson asked me what color our baby was going to be...was it gonna look like us? 


This picture was taken late this afternoon after a loooong day.  Took boys to school, met Heath to drive to Gilbert to pick out stone for our fireplace hearthstone, Home Depot, picked boys up, back to house to deliver stuff I bought at HD, stayed at house to watch my tub being installed and talk to our friend Matt from Avista, and then home for baths, supper and bedtime!  This is one tired MAMA! 



3.01.2011

Southern Baby: 15 weeks


Soooo as it turns out, taking a picture of yourself is not the easiest thing to do.  As you can see I was really focused on the belly and forgot to smile!  Ha!  From here on out, I am asking for help with the photography...this is something that I did not do with the boys and it makes me so sad now.  A blogger that I have read fo-ever Kelly, at  Kelly's Korner, is pregnant with her second child and each week she posts a picture of herself and gives highlights.  I really look forward to seeing her cute picture each week so I'm gonna try it!  Not promising I will make it every week, but I will sure try.

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 15 Weeks

Size of baby: 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in about
2 1/2 ounces...about the size of an apple
 
Maternity Clothes: Wearing a few maternity shirts because my regular ones feel too short.  I have bought a pair of jeans and black pants a size bigger, but have to wear a Bella Band to keep them up (for now! ha) 


Gender: Hoping to find out at our Ultrasound in about 5 weeks!

Movement: I got nothin'....


Sleep: Sleeping MUCH better now...those first few weeks were brutal!  I was not sleeping well at all!  Now, I am much better~

What I miss: Exercising really hard.  I am still trying to do something active EVERY day and still taking weight training classes at my awesome gym, but I reach exhaustion much faster now.  I figure something is better than nothing!   

Cravings: Nothing now...I ate my way through the first trimester so I am satisfied and trying to slow my roll!   
  

I don't want to forget...that Tradd and Jackson have started kissing my stomach to "kiss the baby"!  Really took me by surprise the first time, but I think it's so precious.