Week 18

This week we had our ultrasound to find out how the baby was progressing and find out the gender. The doctor said the baby looks perfect, and right on schedule. James and Jewel were unsure of what they were looking at, but it was sweet to stop and listen to the heartbeat.

Weight Gain- I am still -2 pounds. My doctor is not concerned, because the baby is growing nicely and since I started out a little overweight and I have not lost any more weight then he is fine.

Nausea- I still have some, but it is mostly smells that will start me gagging.

Cravings- Chinese!!!!

I am getting some work done around the house, and I am excited to be nesting a little. Ok I won't keep you in suspense any more the baby is a GIRL!!!

I think my husband was a little disappointed, but he is still happy with another girl. In case you had not realized I do not share my children's first names, so her middle name will be Bell. We name our children after family members. My son is named after my husband's grandfather and my cousin. My oldest daughter is after my mom and my husband's nanni. Bell is after my aunt and my husband's nanni. Nanni's name was Jewel Bell and we fell in love with it, so we just had to use the whole thing!

I was very emotional the evening following finding out the baby was a girl. I feel so blessed and honored that God would give me two children to care for, but the thought of another girl. I feel overwhelmed. I feel honored that God would allow me to have another girl to guide through life, and scared at the thought of I hope I can be a good example to both of the girls. I am looking forward to meeting her in November.

Discussion Question- I nursed my son for nine months. When he was nine months old I found out I was pregnant with Jewel and he was beginning to lose interest and I was beginning to dry up, so weaning was no problem. I started weaning Jewel at 11 months and by 13 months she was down to only nursing before nap and bed time. These were the two most difficult times to wean, because she was wearing her brace for her hip clicks and I am a wimp. I had to do it cold turkey when I started some medicine that was not safe for her. It took a couple of months of rocking and cuddling, but she did fine. I am hoping to nurse Bell for at least a year. 

Week 17

This is the last week of my fourth month! I have not done half of the things I wanted to and I wanted to be ready by week 27, so I have 10 weeks to do my projects. My sweet children have started loving on my baby bump. My son likes to lay his head on it, and my daughter likes to hug it and say "Oh baby!" I cannot wait for them to feel the baby moving. The baby is the size of an onion this week. Next Monday is my ultrasound when we will find out the gender, and I am so excited to find out whether there is more pink or blue in our future. The current count (for guesses) falls at girl-3 and boy-1 (my husband). Sadly my daughter is the only one who says she wants girl, I will be thrilled with whatever God gives us, but most of us would love another little boy :)

Cravings- Chips and Salsa (the kind of a Mexican restaurant)!!!!!

Week 17

Nausea- Is mellowing down, but still present

Fatigue- Very very present, with two toddlers, and helping my mother-in-law

Emotions- My emotions are running high while I deal with a lot of things right now, so tears are usually fairly close to falling at any time

Discussion Question- I like to have shower things, but especially a hairbrush and a hair tie. Chapstick is important as well.

My projects

I am not going to post any pictures yet because well, I am a lot little embarrassed. I am currently trying to purge, organize, and deep clean our home. We currently live in a 900 square foot, 3 bedroom, 2 bath apartment. It works great for us! I am trying to figure out the best way to use the space we have.

I am currently doing one room at a time. I will show pictures and explain what I do with each space.

Kitchen- We have a small "galley type" kitchen, our kitchen has some cabinet space, but no pantry. There is space on top of our cabinets for decorations and storage, and I am trying to balance both.

Dining/Entry- Our dining area is right inside the front door, but we do not allow shows inside our home, so there is also a space for shoes, and jackets right next to the door.

Family Room- We have a couch, glider, tv, and quilt rack. I try to keep very little in this room, since this is where we spend most of our time, and the children bring their toys in there to play.

Hallway- Our apartment is actually a made to be a handicap unit, so the hallway is over sized. This allows us to use some of the hallway space to store some things. We have the shelves for the toys in the hallway. We also currently have a bookcase in there as well.

Kid's Bathroom- Typical bathroom, except that we keep our emergency items in here because it is our safe space.

Master Bath/Laundry Room- We use this area for our family closet, storage, and bathroom. We have purchased several shelving units to help with the organization of this space.

Master Bedroom- Has our bed and the crib for baby #3. We also have a dresser, that is used for storage and as a changing table.

Kid's Bedroom- My children currently share a room. It works well since they love being near each other and my daughter has a fear of being alone. There is a dresser, twin bed, toddler bed, and a few toys.

Third bedroom- Well, it has become somewhat of a dumping ground, for boxes (I will explain what happened when I get to this room), our DVDs, and toys in "time out". We hope to make this an office space where we can also do our homeschooling.

I may take a few before pictures, but only after some work has been done. I hope that as I go through this process I can be a help to someone else who made need some motivation (and since I am actually coming out and saying it on here I am hoping to be held accountable). It will take a while, but I have 4 months right ;)

Teaching my Daughter

Spandex Shorts

Leggings

Pants

God has been laying on my heart more and more a desire about really teaching my daughter about modesty. I know she is only 22 months, but I am saddened so much lately when I go out in public and find little girls with their little bitty shorts or dresses. I know some parents say "but they are still little", but what concerns me is the lesson you are instilling in them (I am not going to get into the pedophiles who are enjoying all of your child you are revealing). When our children are young, we are starting to train them. They will constantly be in training until they leave our nest. At what point do you say well those shorts are too short or those pants are too tight, what magical age does a child hit. I have heard when a child starts to develop. My only problem is what if you have a child that develops early and one that develops late. How is it fair for a child like me who started at 9, to be told now you have to stop dressing this way, and my step-sister who started at 12. Boys are boys, I catch my 3 year old son drawn to commercials (from what very little TV we watch when home) that have women in bathing suits. I know he does not really understand, but he is a boy and that is the way he is "wired." It is my job as the mom to teach my daughter what modesty is. I have to not only show her what clothes are modest according to the Bibles standards, but I also have the responsibility to show her how to carry herself modestly. Modesty is not only dress. I am very disappointed in how many little girls today are wearing dresses and not taught how to sit in them. I am not saying that I expect my soon to be 2 year old to be able to sit modestly all the time, but as the person who dresses her I know there are things I can do to help her stay modest until she has MASTERED the ability to stay modest. I dress her in little spandex shorts, leggings, and sometimes when it is cold she will wear pants. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen little girls sit in a way that is revealing, it has been on a floor while I was teaching, at the library, on a playground, in church, at a restaurant, and I could go on, but the point is we have dropped the ball. Somewhere through the years moms have stopped teaching their daughters about this important virtue. I hope I can teach my daughter about loving by example, and I pray that she will have heart that will desire God's will in every aspect of her life!

Week 16

I am so excited that the kicks are getting strong enough for my husband to feel! This is generally the week when he begins to feel things. I love those moments when he has his hand on my bump and we are both experience the miracle of this sweet baby as he or she begins to learn how to move and tumble.

  Nausea- Is still here and oddly enough seems to be getting worse..... YUCK! There are some days I struggle to keep things down. If it continues until my next appointment (on the 25th, when I have my ultrasound!!!!)  I will talk to my doctor.

Discussion Question- As long as nothing goes wrong I hope to have more. I am praying about leaving our family planning up to God, and patiently (well kind of) waiting for God to guide my husband. Part of the problem is that I know one of the contributing factors of my mother's cancer is that she had me past the age of 35, it was a very very small factor. I also know that many OBs will only preform so many c-sections before they will "wash their hands" of you. We normally use natural family planning around 6-9 months when my cycle returns, but God has always overruled us :) Only He knows what our future holds and that is fine with me!

16 weeks

Doctor's Appointment- I had a good appointment. The baby's heartbeat is 150. I have lost another half a pound, so that makes a total weight loss of 2 1/2 pounds. This is fairly normal with me and with my nausea still present he was not surprised, but if I have lost more weight by next appointment we will discuss an anti-nausea medicine (I hate taking medicine, but I will if baby needs it). I am really looking forward to finding out the baby's gender!!! I even convinced my doctor to let me come back in three weeks rather than four ;)

Dealing with Depression during Pregnancy... Naturally

My depression and anxiety are starting to get to me, but I really do not want to take anything. I have done some research and spoke to the doctor about some things that I can do naturally. If these things do not work I will consider medicine. Here are a few things that I am trying to help.

Coffee- I love coffee, hot or cold, morning or night, winter or summer! I try to drink decaffeinated, even when I am not pregnant/nursing. While you are pregnant a cup or two will not hurt the baby. I have found through some research that it can help.

Folic Acid- I am going to be taking some extra folic acid. This is not a bad idea while you are pregnant anyways, but it can help with depression.

Tea- I am ordering Mama's Red Raspberry Tea from the Bulk Herb Store. I will be drinking a glass at night to hopefully help me calm and unwind from the day.

Omega-3- Another good thing to take while pregnant anyways, but can also aide in natural remedies for depression.

I will let you know if these things help.

Happy Birthday to my Love!

  Happy Birthday to the Love of my life!

 We started dating 7 years ago today! I fall more in love with you every day. You are a wonderful husband and father. You make sacrifices for us daily, and I am the most blessed woman in the world! Happy 30th Birthday Honey!!! I love you!!!

I am rejoicing!!!

I have been trying on and off for over a year to potty train my son. I did not want to push him, but once he turned 3 I found myself losing patience. He knew how to do it, he just did not want to. I tried bribery, scolding, crying, pleading, anything I could think of and any advice I was given, but many said he will do it when he is ready. About a month ago he was eating breakfast, and although I was dreading the fight, I told him he was going to put on is big boy underwear that day, his reply was "ok". I put them on him and about an hour later asked him if he had to go, he said yes, and went pee-pee on the the potty! From that point on he told me when he had to go and has only had 1 "accident" that was not an accident (and we had a little talk about that). I am so excited to only have 1 in diapers (for now). I am hoping to try my daughter when she turns two in August, if she does it I will have 2 maybe 3 months without diapers, what will I do?! I am so proud of my little man (and that we both survived to see it happen)!

Nakedness

Modesty. Somewhere we lost it. Somewhere someone forgot to teach. I know that half the problem today is fashion. It is more fashionable to wear those shorts that are so tight and so short that they leave nothing to the imagination. I understand about giving into fashion, I used to be the teenage girl at the mall in "those" shorts and a spaghetti strapped shirt. I am not writing this to condemn anyone who does dress like that, but I want to draw your attention to a particular part of scripture where God has convicted me.

Isaiah 47:2-3a
Take the millstones, and grind meal: uncover thy locks, make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers. Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen:

These verses are describing God's vengeance on Babylon. He was depicting Babylon as a woman, being degraded. God is humiliating this woman by making her reveal herself. To cross a river she would either have to raise her robes high enough to reveal herself, or remove them completely to swim across.

I have done some research only to find that God finds revealing your thigh nakedness. That was hard for me to swallow knowing that for years, and years, and years I fought my step-mom about wearing modest shorts. Now I am so grateful for her guidance in preparing my heart. It hurts me when I see good Christian girls fall into the lies that fashion tells us are look good. You can look fashionable without being immodest! I know when most of us picture a modest Christian woman our pictures probably looks well somewhat frumpy or Amish, but that does not have to be the case. Fashion offers a variety of options besides things that reveal our nakedness. I know you may think what will others think of me. Well I am going to quote Dr. Seuss "Those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." I love that quote! I used to care about what every person who walked past me on the street thought, now I realize that there are only three opinions that matter (in this order) God, my husband, and mine. God is who I will have to answer to someday about how well I pointed to Him, about how well I was "set apart". My husband, he is my head, and He will also have to answer to God for our family, so he will have to answer for some things that I have done (yikes!). My opinion matters because I want to feel good about myself. I am not trying to be "preachy" or to convict, that is for God. I am simply trying to share what God has revealed to me. I hope I have encouraged you to search the scriptures for yourself :)

15 weeks

I kind of missed last week thanks to some sickness around our house, but this week has been a little crazy too. I am 15 weeks along, and according to many websites the baby is the size of an orange. Last week I felt the first few flutters and a small kick. I have felt all of my children move at 14 weeks. It is exciting when you feel those first little movements, and if I could sit still for two minutes together then I could probably feel the baby move again. I have another doctor's appointment tomorrow, so excited to hear the little heartbeat and set up the appointment for my ultrasound. We have decided we will find out the gender, but we have not decided if we will share the news.

Cravings- Homemade Ranch dressing, I dream about it (I know I am weird)

Morning Sickness- My nausea subsided for about a week and a half and now it is back, but eat snacks helps. Although I have lost my lunch a couple times over smells, my stomach is still very sensitive. I will talk to my doctor about it.

Maternity Clothes- They are definitely out, I am getting a nice round bump these days. Not sure if people can tell yet, but they will soon, because I carry my babies out front so by the end of this month there will be no hiding it!

Week 15

My son recalls there is a baby in a tummy every now and then, and when he does he will pray and ask God for a "boy to play trucks with". That is his answer if you ask him what he wants, but every time without fail if you ask him what I am having he will say it is a girl. We will see......

Cushing Syndrome

I had never heard of such a thing as Cushing Syndrome until this February. My mother-in-law was having some problems and after her cancer last year the doctors do not take any chances. They originally diagnosed her with dangerously low potassium and sudden onset diabetes. After treating her for those two things for about two weeks in the hospital, they sent her home with insulin and a strict diabetic diet. She was not getting better. They readmitted her into the hospital and ran a few tests to find that her Cortisol level was 10,000 (the average persons is 100). This lead them to the diagnosis of Cushing Syndrome. The doctors ended up transferring her to another hospital about an hour and a half away, fortunately my sister-in-law was attending the school associated with the hospital, so my father-in-law was able to stay in her apartment. They were able to remove her adrenal glands, and that was able to take away most of her problems. She is still on several medicines as her body gets back to normal. She is also doing physical therapy because she was in a hospital bed for so long making her weak. She can now stand all by her self and walk for small periods of time. She is getting better slowly, but we keep reminding her it took you months to get like this it will take you at least that long to get back. The children and I are currently living at their house for four days a week, while my father-in-law goes to work. My husband goes back and forth between their home and ours. While it is a difficult time, we know this is only for a season. I had a very difficult time dealing with some of my responsibilites a couple of weeks ago, but God laid the story of Naomi and Ruth on my heart. While that story deals with a slightly different situation it reminded me of my responsibility to my husband's family (leave and cleave). I will obviously not be blogging as much, because I will not have access to a computer on a regular basis. I ask for your prayers as she is continuing heal. I also need prayer for me, I have low energy simply from being pregnant, but also from chasing 2 toddlers, keeping 2 homes cleaning, cooking, laundry, and caring for her is exhausting me. I do not sleep well at their home (plus those wonderful trips to the bathroom at least once a night) and my children are still adjusting their sleep patterns as well. It is an adjustment for everyone involved, but with a lot of prayer and God's grace, mercy, and help we will all get through this valley.