4 Months: Our Little Joy

It is really hard to believe that 4 months has gone by already. We have enjoyed being parents to little Eliza Grace so much. I still can't believe that God has given us this precious little blessing. We just love her so much its crazy! EG has really taught me how to find joy in the small things in life. So many times I just pause and am filled with thankfulness when I see her smile or get to hear her giggle. Life really is worth living and God really is good!

She came at a perfect time for our family. Right when Patrick's Dad's parents, Nanny and Pa, were both having some health issues we found out we were pregnant! And a month after Nanny finished chemo and radiation for the cancer in her shoulder, Ellie was born! And in September, when Ellie was a little over 2 months old, we found out Patrick's mom, Wendy, had breast cancer. She had surgery a few weeks ago and just started chemo this week. We have been able to stay here in NC for about 10 days with Patrick's family.  It has been a good time to see them before we head out west. Ellie has been such a blessing and joy in the middle of a hard year for our family.  She has been a great reminder of God and His goodness. Please keep our family in your prayers. Wendy has a long road ahead of her in this process of treating the cancer and she and Bill will need your prayers for strength, endurance, hope, and lots of extra grace for the next 6 months or so.

We have had a great time witnessing a huge burst of development in EG over the last few weeks. It is so amazing to watch her grow and develop and learn new things. Here is a glimpse into what she has been up to lately!

- She has rolled over from tummy to back on a few occaisions

- She LOVES playing! This girl lives to play. Her "happy place" is her bouncer. She could bounce and kick and play all day! She had her first attempt in a jumperoo at Aunt Laura's the other day. She had a great time jumping around and wiggling her little legs (Uncle Jon helped by putting a thick book underneath her feet since she still wasn't quite able to touch the ground).

- She also lives to sleep! She is my awesome napper. She generally stays awake for 1.5-2 hours during the day and then crashes for anywhere between 2-4 hours at a time! Its been a nice break to get stuff done. 

- She loves grabbing her toes.... while in her bouncer, laying down in her play gym, in her car seat, in the bathtub... anywhere and everywhere! She even managed to get a toe in her mouth the other night during bath time!

- She started noticing Watson, following him with her eyes, and will even reach out her hand and pet him! He LOVES it. Just wait until she starts pulling your hair Watty!

- She has laughed some (most of the time when she is overtired and a bit delirious)

- She can hold onto toys and usually puts them straight into her mouth

- She loves chewing on her hands/fingers

-She loves babbling/talking/squealing! We have even woken up a few times in the morning to her squealing in her little bed. Pretty funny!

Overall, she is doing really well. As long as she can nap, she is a super happy baby! We have had her on acid reflux meds for the past month and it really seems to be helping. No more screaming at the bottle and arching her back! She is doing great at night. Lately, she has started a trend of waking up only once at night. Sometimes around 3am, but usually around 5 or 6am. Her final wake up time has been 8am this past week, which is GREAT for me!

Well that's all for now folks! I will post again on our journey out west! 

Ellie in her "happy place" and sticking out her tongue!

Ellie napping with Grammy! (Wendy)

Ellie, Aunt Laura, and Abram hanging out!

Ellie visiting Uncle Jon, Aunt Laura, and Cousin Abram

2 Month Update and Our Top 10

Well our precious Ellie Grace is now 2 months old. I seriously cannot believe it! Man, everyone is right, they really do grow up fast! She is a little ball of fun these days. She loves smiling and cooing at us. She loves toys and anything with contrast (like the ceiling fan). She is pretty regularly following the eat-wake-sleep pattern (on her own, not by my forcing).  She changes it up some each night, but she usually goes at least 1 longer stretch of 5-7 hours.... which is amazing for me!

We are just having the time of our lives with her. She is such a blessing and I have learned so much about the Lord already by being her mom. It just really hits home when you have this immediate and unfathomable love for this little person  and then you realize, it is only a glimpse of the depth of love that the Lord has for His children. My little finite mind can't wrap itself around the thought, but Ellie Grace sure has opened my eyes a little more to our Savior's love. I just am in awe of our Creator when I look at her. How perfectly He knit her together inside of me. It just blows me away that He is doing this all the time with all these little babies all over the world. And it just breaks my heart to think of how many never get to take their first breath because their mothers choose to end their little lives in the womb.... oh. my. Lord help me to speak up for those little ones.

Well, those are just a few of my thoughts about life with Ellie Grace after 2 months with her! Now onto something a little more light hearted. Since I know so many pregnant people, I just thought I would write out our top 10 things so far.

My silly little EG after her weekly photo shoot!

Here are a few of the things Ellie and I have come to love so far!

1) Wubbanubs: We LOVE our paci's with the animals attached. It makes it so much easier on us all. It prevents the paci's from flying across the room as she spits them out and keeps them close by!

http://www.amazon.com/WubbaNub-Lamb/dp/B003PCYMP4/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1345642930&sr=8-4&keywords=wubbanub

2) Miracle Blanket: We alternate between this and #3 (the Swaddlepod). Our little one loves her hands, but unfortunately wakes herself up constantly with them (which I hear is quite common). So both of these prevent her from flailing her arms out or poking herself in the face. It has a way to wrap the arms by their side making it a lot harder to get their arms out (but still sometimes she manages).

http://www.amazon.com/Miracle-Blanket--Baby-Swaddling--Pink/dp/B000G0J5FU/ref=sr_1_8?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1345643015&sr=1-8&keywords=miracle+blanket

3) Swaddlepod: This thing is amazing. I hadn't seen one or even heard of this until my friend Jenny introduced me. It is supposed to mimic the womb. It has a little spandex in it and so it gives a little when they want to move, but restricts major movement like the flailing of the arms. Ellie likes this one because she can bring her arms up to her chest.

http://www.amazon.com/Summer-Infant-SwaddlePod-Appliqued-Cotton/dp/B006YNM2IK/ref=sr_1_3?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1345643178&sr=1-3&keywords=swaddle+pod

4) Cloth diapers: We are loving using cloth diapers. We waited a little while to start so that Ellie could be a little bigger and so we were well past our episode of thrush. So last week we finally switched over to cloth. We have a mixture of FuzziBunz and BumGenius diapers. We went with the all-in-ones with snaps and pockets. They are working out great! Thanks to all of you (especially my MIL Wendy) for the diapers- most were gifts!! Even though it means more laundry and takes time to stuff them with the inserts, I am finding it very gratifying! Maybe it is because they are so cute? And also, the saving money aspect? And maybe also because I can use as many as I want and not have to feel bad? I dunno, but regardless, its fun and a way to save some major money!! We quickly realized in those short 6 weeks how expensive diapers are! Holy moly!! Glad we only have to do that when traveling...

5) Mamaroo: Ok, so we are a bit ridiculous, and we are fully aware of it. Around week 5 and 6, Ellie was pretty fussy. She is a really good baby and luckily we worked through it, but during those weeks I was about to go crazy! Our swing broke just a few weeks in, so I was feeling like I had no where to put her that was soothing/relaxing. So we ventured over to Buy Buy Baby and thats when we first learned about the Mamaroo. We went with the intention of getting a normal swing, but this time I was insistent on getting one that plugged in so we didn't have to always be spending money on batteries. But when we got there and saw how HUGE the bases of the swings were we knew it would never work in our small apartment. That's when we laid our eyes on this interesting cross between a swing and bouncer that looks like it belongs in the Jetson's cartoon. So yes, we caved and bought it... we got 20% off so that makes it better, right? ;) And it plugs in, so no more wasting money on batteries! Anyway, it has been a great addition. It was designed to mimic humans and how they sooth babies. So it only goes side to side and has 5 different motions. Ellie loves it and it really does a great job at soothing! It also has a mobile with these intricate black and white patterns that she LOVES to stare at too! And they also flip over to a color side for when she is older! genius.

http://www.amazon.com/4Moms-2012-Classic-MamaRoo-Black/dp/B007UK1CBY/ref=sr_1_1?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1345643708&sr=1-1&keywords=mamaroo

6) Rock 'n Play Sleeper: This is what Ellie is currently sleeping in. Thanks Jenny, again, for the recommendation! Basically, it is a bassinet with an incline. Yeah, I know, we are eventually going to have to get her flat on her back, but for now this is a life saver! She has slept around 7-8 hours at night in this (right now about 5-6)! And I believe this has a lot to do with it. I am thinking when she learns how to roll she will do better flat on her back and be able to get comfortable on her own.

http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Newborn-Rock-Sleeper-Yellow/dp/B002M77N22/ref=sr_1_1?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1345643766&sr=1-1&keywords=fisher+price+rock+and+play+sleeper

7) Noise maker: The one we have is nothing special, but it is wonderful. It definitely helps drown out the noise of Watson barking and Patrick coming in and out from PT in the wee hours of the morning.

8) Kid-to-Kid Consignment: This is an amazing consignment store here in GA. I have heard they are a chain so check and see if there is one near you! They only take nice (and mostly name brand) clothing. Nothing that is stained or faded. The prices are reasonable AND they give us a 10% off military discount! woo-hoo! I would say about half of Ellie's wardrobe has been bought here!

9) Baby Einstein Adventure Gym: this is Ellie's FAVORITE thing to do during the day! She loves laying down and looking up at herself in the mirror. And she loves the songs that have coordinated flashing lights... I highly recommend this one!

http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Einstein-Neptune-Ocean-Adventure/dp/B000TFGUC8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346724660&sr=8-1&keywords=baby+einstein+play+mat

10) Gerber Goodstart Gentle Formula: Ok, so we ended up having to quit breastfeeding. Ellie was not improving with her ability to suck (she was never getting to the hind milk and never eating much, so that was why she kept losing weight)... then we ended up with thrush (oh let me tell you, I do not wish that pain on any woman! It was so intense!).... and the final straw was when she went on a nursing strike (she already was not a strong/efficient nurser and we were already having to supplement... ugh!). I am not sure if it was pain from the thrush, or a nasty taste from all the meds, or what... but unfortunately, it just wasn't happening for us. We had tried a few formulas (since we were already supplementing), but none of them seemed to be working well for her. She either had a hard time going to the bathroom and was straining or was in pain from gas. That's when my friend Brooke (who was a nutritionist at a children's hospital before moving here) recommended we try Gerber GS. Ellie has now been on it for 3 weeks and she is doing really well! It makes such a difference to find one that works well with your baby. She no longer seems to be in pain! That makes for a happy baby and happy mama!

Eliza Grace's Birth Story

I feel like this is long overdue, so here it goes! Hoping I can remember enough of the details after 7 weeks of interrupted sleep ;)

Friday, June 29, 2012: When it all began...

Ironically enough, the day started out around 9am when I rolled out of bed. I remember being surprised I slept in, since by this time pregnancy insomnia had been lingering around for quite a few weeks. I distinctly remember how my day started- with a lovely skype call from my friend Chelsea in Asia. She is currently serving at an orphanage taking care of some precious little ones on the other side of the world. We had a lovely talk, catching up and chatting. The rest of the morning I spent getting a few things done around the house, a little laundry and some cleaning. Patrick got off work early and came home around lunch time. He was craving PF Chang's and so we decided to go out for a late lunch date and then hit up the mall. We had a great time at lunch and I ordered my all time favorite, Kung Pao Chicken. It is considered a "spicy" dish, but that day it was pretty mild. I do remember feeling a little weird at lunch, but no distinguishable contractions at this point. After we were done, we ventured over to the mall and did some shopping, visited Starbuck's, and just enjoyed wandering around. We came home a few hours later and I dropped Patrick off and continued on to run some errands. I don't remember at all where I ran errands that day. All I remember was that I was super hot and worn out by the time I got home. The rest of the evening we spent at home. I had my PF Chang's leftovers for dinner (which were a lot spicier at this point) and we just relaxed. Around 8:30pm, we went on an evening walk with Watson around our apartment complex. We only walked for 15-20 minutes or so, not even very long, but on the final stretch of our walk I remember feeling what felt like a contraction. I had experienced some Braxton Hicks contractions before, but this one was different because it was accompanied by some pressure in my lower back.  So while it was still early, I had a feeling this was the real deal. I told Patrick and he immediately looked at his watch so he would know and be able to time them if there was another. And sure enough, around 20 minutes later I had another. By this time we were finished with our walk and inside. I remember doing a few things around the kitchen and feeling a few more around 15- 20 minutes apart. Around 10pm, Patrick went on to bed to get a little sleep. He had an early morning that day and decided to try and get a couple hours in him just in case. I got comfy on the couch and watched Date Line and texted with my mom and sisters. By this point, I think the contractions were coming every 8-10 minutes. From around 10pm-12am, the contractions continued to get closer together. By around 12am, I woke up Patrick because I was having a much harder time focusing and timing the contractions. I knew they were getting closer to every 5 minutes and the intensity was picking up. With much persuading and insistence, he finally got out of bed. The poor guy was exhausted, but I convinced him that I thought it was really happening. Sometime around midnight we also called LaReese, our labor doula. I let her know what was going on and told her we would call back in a little while. This is when the contractions started becoming a lot more painful and intense, and it starts to get a little foggy for me as far as details. I remember Patrick called LaReese back sometime within an hour of our first call and told her they were 3-5 minutes apart. She headed our way and got to our house sometime around 1:00am-1:30am. We continued laboring at home in the living room. I laid down on my side some in the beginning. Then I remember sitting in a chair for some of the contractions. A few more I endured by standing up and leaning on Patrick. The pain was really starting to come and I was less and less talkative by this point. Sometime around 4am, I remember asking LaReese when we should go to the hospital. I then went to the restroom and while I was in there, she told Patrick to get a little trashcan with a bag in it to take with us in the car in case I got sick. Immediately after I came out of the restroom, it hit me, and I ran to the trashcan that was over by the door and well, you know what happened next... at this point we knew it was time to go to the hospital! The car ride wasn't bad. I think I got sick another time or two, but the pain wasn't unbearable at this point. And luckily, the hospital is just down the road from us about 10 minutes.

We arrived at the hospital and made our way to Labor and Delivery and got admitted sometime around 5am. They took me into a delivery room. I remember that they had to hook me up to the monitors initially to make sure Ellie and I were doing ok (ugh, I hated being connected to the monitors). They checked me and at this point I had dilated to 4-5 cm. My memory during the rest of the contractions is pretty hazy. I do remember not liking the first L&D nurse we had. I also remember the MILLIONS of papers that we had to fill out... poor Patrick! The nurses kept coming in and asking if he had finished them. LOL. But a lot of the questions he had to ask me in order to answer and let me tell you- that was the LAST THING I cared about while I was in labor!! I was not a happy camper about this. Like I said, poor Patrick... The nurses were bugging him to finish, but every time he would try to ask me a question I would snap at him.  Eventually he was able to get those finished... thank the Lord! That was terrible. Anyway, at 7am a new nurse came in named Andrea and she was amazing! Since Ellie and I were both doing good, they allowed us to only have intermittent monitoring. Thank the Lord for that too! By this point, I was in a ton of pain and didn't want to get up much or walk around. I ended up sitting at the end of the bed with Patrick in a chair facing me. For the most intense contractions, I would hold onto this forearms and lean back and this would help relieve some of the pressure that was low in my abdomen. For some reason, this was the only way I could get through contractions. This was nothing we practiced and honestly, a strange position, but I just listened to my body and did the only thing that seemed to ease some of the pain.

Like I said, a lot of the details are very hazy. The pain was very intense, and just like they say, I would almost fall asleep in between the contractions. I never understood how women could fall asleep since the contractions are close together at this point. But my body was so tired at this point that I did manage to get into quite a deep sleep almost immediately when the contractions would die down. Some of the contractions would come on top of each other (with no break in-between) and those were terrible. So all in all, the contractions were the hardest and most painful part for me. But thank goodness Ellie was wonderful during all of this! She continued to progress perfectly. By the time I was 7cm dilated, I wanted to start pushing. I just remember hating that feeling of wanting to push but having to hold back. Finally, they checked me again and I was at 9cm dilated. I remember at this point Andrea told me that she would be back to check again in 30 minutes. When she came back to check, she said it was time and she went to get the doctor.

The doctor came in and they wheeled in all the stuff to get ready to deliver. It was all so surreal at this point. I could not believe we were really about to have a baby! Next came the pushing part at about 10:30am... HA. I was so tired by this point and being that this was my first baby,,, I had NO IDEA what I was doing! I am pretty sure for the first hour of pushing I was doing it wrong. I remember thinking I was never going to figure it out! I kept pushing forward with my legs instead of relaxing them. For some reason, this was the hardest concept for me. After pushing for the first hour, the nurses had me try another position to push from. They raised the back of the bed and had me turn around to face it. I leaned on the back of the bed and did a semi-squat. I pushed like this for about 20 minutes. At that point, I told them I was so tired I wanted to go back to the other way of pushing (on my back). After I turned around and they checked on Ellie, they were all shocked with the progress! They said she would be here soon! After that, she was ready to come and with just a few more pushes my sweet baby girl made her grand appearance! The cord was loosely around here neck and they had seen some meconium, so they had to take her immediately and suction out her airway. Everything turned out to be fine and she started crying just like normal!

I really cannot even explain the amazing feeling that completely overtook me at this point. The sudden rush of endorphins after birthing a child is amazing and unexplainable. And it really does help the memory of the pain you just endured fade away! Even though I wasn't able to hold my little girl for quite awhile, I was sobbing tears of joy and thanking everyone who had helped us bring her into the world! Patrick was amazing, our doctor and nurse, Andrea, were phenomenal, and my doula was wonderful as well! We couldn't have asked for a better team of people! Ellie was born at 12:16pm on Saturday, June 30, 2012. She weighed 7 lbs and 3 oz. and was 20 inches long. Our first experience with a natural delivery was more perfect than we could've ever imagined. The Lord definitely was with us every step of the way!

And PS,... If I can make it through a natural/med-free labor, anyone can :)

Our Precious Eliza Grace

Proud Dad

Ellie and our Doula, LaReese

Leaving the hospital as a family of 3!

Finally Home :)

Our little blessing

33 weeks and 5 days!

Only about 6 weeks (plus or minus a few) left of this pregnancy adventure! Then the real adventure can begin! ;) It is starting to hit me that we are close to Ellie's big arrival! Excited does not even begin to express how I am feeling. Really it is a mix of emotions. Excitement, anticipation, wonder, and many more that I cannot even pinpoint. I just have this overwhelming feeling of anticipation (in a good way). I cannot wait to be on the flip side and come out of this with our precious prize and a wonderful birth story to share with all of you :) This week we finished up our Bradley Birth classes. The next few weeks our focus will be on practicing the relaxation techniques we learned together in order to be prepared for labor. Patrick is a wonderful coach. It is so comforting to me that he has learned so much and has all the tools he will need to help me when I will need him most.


New Developments
Ellie: She has now grown to be the size of a pineapple- right under 5 lbs and anywhere from 18-22 inches (approximately). I had my 32 week checkup last week. As of that appointment, they were pretty sure she was still head down. She was very active for the doctor and had a strong heartbeat in the 150s. She is generally pretty active during the day and I am still feeling the hiccups a few times a week at least.

Me: I am still trying hard to focus on my protein each day. Some staples for me have been Greek yogurt, milk, and beef (this week its been taco meat- salads and tostadas have been the craving). Also, I have been loving avocado! A funny craving that has developed- Sonic ice! A Rt 44 Sonic water with lemon and extra ice makes for a great day! As far as physically, the 3rd trimester aches and pains have set in.  I have had quite a bit of lower abdominal pain and pressure this week. I think she has found her way down real low- probably the reason for that. Watson has been a great cuddle buddy and very affectionate lately... especially during the times I have had to lay down and rest from the abdominal pain... its so nice to have a buddy!

Ellie's room is coming right along. Last weekend, Patrick assembled her new dresser and this week we got the crib mattress in. So I got right to work sorting and organizing her clothes and putting on her bedding! We both feel a lot better having most of the major stuff done in her room. It was so chaotic before (stuff was everywhere!), so it is nice now to see it all organized and put away.

As far as other developments with us, we are just a few weeks away from officially becoming members of Berea Baptist Church in Evans, GA! We are so glad to have found a church home finally. And some might think it is strange to join in June when we will be moving at the end of October, but we know that it is important to be joined to a local body of Believers. Plus, who knows, we could end up staying here in Augusta! At this point, the only One who knows is the Lord. We also just signed up to join a community group as well which is going to go through Tim Keller's book "The Meaning of Marriage". On another note, Patrick has been doing great in his classes so far at work. He did well in his first class which was Cisco. He now is in the middle of the math class and doing good so far. AND this week he studied away and took the Cisco CCNA certification test and passed! I am so proud of him (especially the fact that he got it done before Ellie arrives). He has been very busy doing math everyday and studying for the Cisco test in the evenings, but he seems to be enjoying it.


As the days pass our excitement just grows and grows! We don't have much on the calendar for the next 6 weeks and I am very excited about that. Just preparing, resting, and waiting for the time to come to welcome Ellie! We covet your prayers... for a great and natural birth experience, for our next post assignment, and for the 3 of us in general. We know this will be a big transition and will need a lot of grace and wisdom as we transition into parenthood!

Ellie's diaper bag- already packed with a few things (just in case!)

The Crib with her Pottery Barn Penelope Crib Bedding! (thanks Mom)

The Dresser! We love it (thanks Mom)

Hello Third Timester! 28.5 weeks!

It is so exciting to be approaching the last 10 weeks. I cannot wait for our sweet little baby to be here. So a lot has happened in the last 8 weeks and I will try to catch you up...

First of all, we found out we are having a baby GIRL!! We are so excited. I almost fell off little ultrasound bed when the technician told us! We have also decided on a name, but are waiting until she is here to announce it. BUT we are sharing her nickname.... Ellie! It is so fun to have something to refer to her as! We also started our Bradley natural birthing classes about 5 weeks ago. We are so blessed to have this time together to learn all about pregnancy, labor, delivery, and the postpartum phase. I really really REALLY love the environment and the curriculum. It is just such an encouraging time to be reminded that God has designed my body to do this and given us so much information to be able to go into this experience informed and prepared. I know I will need His strength to get through a natural/non-medicated delivery, but I know that He has equipped me and made my body to be able to do this. I can't tell you exactly why I first decided to go natural. Really, it is just what made sense to me. And the more and more I have learned, the more confirmation I have that this is the best option for me and for Baby Ellie.  We also have put down a deposit for our Bradley teacher to be our Doula for the birth. I am SO excited! She is nothing short of a God-send. Not having family here in GA, it has been the biggest blessing to have an older/wiser woman connection that has lots of experience with natural births. As a Doula, she will basically be an assistant coach to help Patrick (the coach) and I through the labor and delivery.  She will be there to remind us of all the things we have learned in class and also offer her tips/ suggestions as different situations may arise. I am just so excited to have her- words cannot explain the peace and comfort it has already brought knowing we won't be going through this alone!

BABY: She is now approximately 17 inches long and 2.9 lbs. Her kicks have become stronger and stronger. I notice the most movement at night time (like for instance last night, when she was having a dance party at 3am for almost one whole hour! HA!).

ME: The last week or two has been interesting. I have had lots of headaches (not migraines) and the  nausea has come back. Nothing like the first trimester, but just an overall queasy feeling all day. This has totally killed the little motivation to cook that was coming back. LOL. Oh well, we are on the final stretch now so I am not going to stress out about it. Another funny thing, my puppy Watson has also been acting more clingy lately. He is always right by my side or trying to lay right on my tummy. He also has been constantly licking me (not sure what this is about). I have also been prepping him for Ellie's arrival. I now refer to the guest room as "Ellie's room" to him. The other day we were in her room and I was on the floor organizing some stuff. I pointed to the crib and said "This is Ellie's bed" and he did the cutest thing ever... he went over to the side of the crib and stood up on his back 2 legs and looked inside like "Where is she Mom?" I cannot wait to see how he does with her. He loves kids and especially babies! I know she will get lots of love and attention from him and I just can't wait to see how they bond!

So prayer requests for the next 10+ weeks...

1) Pray that Ellie flips into the proper head down position. They say its not a big deal that she hasn't yet and she has plenty of time, but after watching my sis go through the whole breach baby ordeal, I would really love it if she cooperated on her own. And I know that with the military, if she remains breech I will have a Cesarian delivery.

2) That I would daily trust the Lord... I am so thankful Patrick is here (and not deployed), but having him in school right now has been interesting. I already know that he will not be able to take the 10 day paternity leave the military usually gives. And lately, I have been tempted (and given in at times) to imagine worst case scenarios. So please just pray that I would trust the Lord with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding. As my old pastor once said, The future is not my domain, it is God's. So I will leave that up to Him.

3) that God would continue to prepare us to be the best parents for Ellie that we can be in His strength

4) that Ellie would continue to grow healthy and strong

5) that through this remaining time and the arrival/birth He would be glorified and honored.

HE is the One who creates Life and deserves ALL the glory, honor, and praise!!

Ellie's crib with her bedding

Patrick picked out her first bathing suit!

Getting bigger... 28.5 weeks!

Ohhh, we're half way there. Ohhh, livin' on a prayer.... 20 weeks!

Well as I sing some good ole Bon Jovi, I can hardly believe we really are half way there! What a big milestone for Baby Bryan! And for me ;)

Baby: Now measuring about the size of a large banana, Baby Bryan is about 3/4 lb. He/she is now swallowing amniotic fluid to practice swallowing and digesting. He/she is very active and loves to kick and do somersaults, especially after I eat ;) Last week's OB appointment went very well. Baby was moving and heart rate was 150 bpm. No good angle to tell the gender though- so we will have to wait until our next ultrasound at the end of the month! (the Lord is already giving me a lesson in patience and he/she is not even here yet ;) )

Me: Well, I am finally feeling TONS better. My allergies are crazy so I am having to take my allergy meds. But besides that, headaches and nausea are at an all time low. My appetite is pretty crazy these days, although I can't eat much in one sitting. So that means its more like all day snacking! I have learned the hard way though...  if I don't snack often, the headaches/nausea get bad! Emotionally speaking I am a sensitive one these days... just ask the hubby! Lately it doesn't take much to get me to cry ;) Just one weird phrase or look from the hubs and you would think the world was crashing down around me! Luckily, these little episodes of sadness are pretty short lived. Guess this is just a part of the  Lord preparing me to be sensitive to my little one and all of his/her needs!


Things I am loving: BEEF in almost any form, which lately has been Arby's, pot roast, meatballs. MILK- I could drink it all day long! Peanut butter and honey sandwiches. Caramel- candy, frappuccino's, really anything caramel is sure to hit the spot these days. Strawberries.

Baby Bryan and I at 20 weeks!

Besides that, nothing new to update on here. We are just moving right along and thanking the Lord for each day with our blessing! We don't know how many days we will be given, but each one is a gift for sure!

17 weeks!

Wow, I feel like we are finally getting somewhere now! I can't believe it has been 13 weeks now since we found out about this little blessing. The first weeks were the slowest ever (thanks to the morning sickness), but now that I am doing better time is starting to fly by!

Some new developments:

Baby: Now measuring in at 5.5 inches and 5 oz! The baby's nervous system is maturing rapidly, baby can now yawn, as well as move all around. I can't wait to feel this little one move! And baby's sense of hearing is more acute... guess I should watch how much I yell at Watson!?! LOL. Or hopefully the baby is just getting used to it now in utero so that it will be a normal part of life by the time he/she is here!

Things I am loving: Moe's burritos (best pregnancy food ever), bottled water, peppermints, eggs for breakfast, cottage cheese, baked potatoes, Greek gyros.

Strange aversion: pizza! not sure why but I can't really eat much of it and can't stand the smell of it either! and I still can't stomach cooking with raw meat. Hopefully this week the hubby can attempt a few meals so we can eat some home-cooked food.

Physical changes: My headaches have subsided!! praise the LORD! Hope they continue to stay away! Nausea is only bad in the evenings. Lots of lower abdominal pain (those ligaments must be stretching like crazy!) and some weird upper back/ rib pain. Obviously, my body is gearing up for some major changes soon! I can't wait to actually have a cute little bump instead of this pudge that looks like I just ate to much over the holidays ;)

In other news, we visited a great church this week. We are excited to go back and are hopeful that maybe we have found one to call home!

And this is our newest addition to the baby room: a beautiful changing table that Patrick's Grandpa and Grandma found! We love it. Thanks so much!

And another few non-baby pics. We were given this BEAUTIFUL chest of drawers by Patrick's parents. It was just taking up space in their garage. It needed a lot of  TLC though before its real beauty could shine through! So Patrick has been working on this since October. We had to strip the stain and polyurethane off (lots of stripper and sanding). Then we brought it back to GA and Patrick  applied the new stain and finish. We found some great new hardware for the drawers too. I am SO proud of him! I think it is gorgeous and I don't think I will ever want to part with it. Here are the pics.

Before

After

15 weeks and Counting it all Joy

The inspiration for this post comes from James Chapter 1. I am sure a lot of you have at most of the first chapter memorized. I have meditated and clung to this verse in times past, times of trials and temptations. And to be honest, it is not the subject I would've ever thought I'd need to be meditating on during pregnancy.

Pregnancy is definitely one of the biggest blessings I have ever experienced. So don't get me wrong, I am blessed beyond belief and thankful for each day with our little Baby B. But, who ever said that blessings couldn't be hard, or difficult, or require great endurance, faith and trust in the  Lord? At least to me, at first glance, that seems kind of like a paradox. In my head, times of blessing are mostly associated with the "sun shining down on me" seasons of life (like the verse in Blessed be the Name of the Lord). But I am learning that is not always the case...

I am a few weeks into my 2nd trimester now. I am glad to report that morning sickness has gotten a lot better. I've had a few bouts of intense nausea lately, but nothing like I experienced in my 1st trimester. The recent struggle has been the onset of lingering headaches/migraines. And just to explain, I use those words almost interchangeably. So not to confuse, if I refer to a headache it is a migraine. Normal "headaches" hardly even put a dent in my day or hit my radar.

Anyway, so as most of you probably know, I have suffered from migraines since the later part of college. I've had an MRI, allergy tests, multiple doctor consults, and right before I got pregnant was on a new dietary plan to help. For the most part, the migraines died down a lot in my 1st trimester. But now for the past week I have had a very unwelcome, almost constant companion. And if you are a fellow migraine sufferer, you probably have experienced the dark cloud that a lingering one can bring... the feeling of being trapped, having no way out, no relief,  insomnia at times, the feeling of wanting to bang your head on the wall, or actually banging your head of the wall just desperate for the pain to ease, even if it is only for a few seconds. That is the place I have been for over a week now...

So here I am,... Waiting. Praying. Hoping. Enduring. and as I found out today this is not something I can do. I am only going to be able to endure with the Lord's strength.

I am learning that trials and blessings can accompany each other. And I am determined not to let this temporary trial completely steal my joy of this wonderful blessing. As James wrote :

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds"


This is what I want, but it will only be by the Grace of God...

14 Weeks and Counting...

I can't believe I am already out of my first trimester! As many of you know, I had an interesting time navigating through the first trimester and have gladly welcomed this second trimester's arrival! I began having morning sickness around 5 weeks (just one week after we found out we were expecting). Surprisingly, my normal migraines have eased up. I only had a few in the first trimester and one major one so far in the second.

In general, I am feeling much better. I am starting to get anxious to feel this little baby kick and move. My pants have definitely gotten tighter. I wouldn't say I am "showing" yet, but I definitely feel bloated and just bigger in general.

As far as food goes, I have been eating much better and the aversions have subsided for the most part. Right now I am really enjoying oranges, broccoli, hummus, and cereal. I really need to work on the proteins, specifically eating more meat. I still don't have a desire to cook much. The food I like is usually fresh and easy to prepare (either just cutting it up or steaming some veggies). But the poor hubby loves his meat and potatoes and is usually needing a good meal after work... so hopefully I can get back in the kitchen!

I had an OB appointment this week with a new doctor. I really liked him! Very calm, nice, answered my questions with lots of details. As long as I can, I am going to stick with him (its hard with Tricare and the Army hospitals, you are constantly getting a new doc). I have been very pleased so far. We also signed up for  Bradley natural birthing classes yesterday. I personally am SO excited! The teacher has been incredibly sweet every time I have chatted with her. I am also really excited for Patrick to be a major part of this. I have to publicly thank the Lord for this opportunity,... I know many friends and fellow military wives who have faced their pregnancies while separated due to deployments. I know the Lord would help me through it if that was His plan. And as far as the future goes, it is a very real possibility that someday we will have to go through that. But I am thankful for this season and being able to have my husband home while experiencing our first pregnancy. I don't know how I would've made it out alive of the first trimester without my servant-hearted love! He catered to my every need and helped me more than I can put into words. I am so grateful he is home and is not deployable while he is in school this year. It is a blessing and I do not want to take a single day for granted.

We were so blessed this Christmas by our families with baby gifts galore! We were surprised and overwhelmed with their generosity! My favorite: a 12 pack of BumGenius cloth diapers from Bill&Wendy! I LOVE them and am so excited to be doing cloth with this baby. That is a gift that will keep on giving,... every day!! I just love looking at them and all the bright colors.

Aren't they so cute?!



We also took family pictures with my hubby's family during the holidays. Below are a few. Hope you enjoy! I am going to start taking some "belly pics" here in the next few weeks and I will be sure to post when I do. Until then, God Bless and Happy New Year, 2012!!