31w3d

Baby Evy!


Mom hasn’t writte in a while; we’ve been so busy getting ready for you that I hardly remember to write anymore! Thank goodness for my best friend Nicole who reminds me! We had your baby shower last Saturday- it was so much fun!! So many of our friends came to celebrate you and brought you all kinds of cute outfits, jammies and toys for you to play with! Your room is almost complete now! Nicole made so much delicious food! We had a hot cocoa bar, pinwheel sandwhiches, Christmas trees decorated with fresh fruits and vegetables, nummy brownies, delicious sherbert punch, tomato basil soup and I know I’m forgetting even more!

Mom and Dad went to the store on Monday and bought your maddress, changing table mattress, bottle warmer, bottles and a diaper genie (so your diapers don’t smell up your room). Your room is almost done- everything looks so beautiful and peaceful for you. All we have to do now is buy a rocking chair, wash your clothes and your bedding, maybe put up a shelf or two for your books and unpack your swing, bathtub and carseat! I love going into your room and turning on your Winnie the Pooh light and daydreaming what it will be like when you’re home with us.

Today I had another check up with the Dr and you are doing wonderfully! You have gained even more weight htan last time (but thankfully mommy hasn’t gained anymore). You were kicking so much when Dr. Levine tried to listen to your heartbeat; it was funny to hear how loud the kicks were on the speaker that monitors your heart rate. He told us that we needed to find you a pediatrician because they will come visit you in the hospital when you are first born. They recommended Ballard Pediatrics to us so Mommy scheduled a meet and greet appointment with Dr. Mallairis for January 6th. She has lots of experience and loves babies so hopefully she will be a good fit. Mom and Dad just need to ask her what her “doctoring” style is and find out her experience with asthma and allergies…just in case you inherit those dreadful things from Mom!

Hopefully this weekend Daddy and I are going to take maternity pictures so you can see what our family looked like before you came and how big you made Mom’s tummy! The lady is going to meet us somewhere up North and I think we’ll take some pictures out and about and maybe some at a nursery where all the beautiful Christmas decorations are set up. Speaking of Christmas decorations- your stocking is hanging over the fireplace, just waiting for you! It looks so much more complete with yours hanging next to ours. We just cannot wait for you to be here- but you stay put baby girl and grow big and strong and healthy so we can cuddle and play when you get here.


Mom and Dad love you so very much!!


Love,


Mom

29w2d

Dear Sweet Evelyn,

I am so anxiously counting down the weeks until you're here. I am getting so tired these days from working and having to run around. During my 2nd trimester with you I had way more energy and wasn't so uncomfortable. These days I can't sleep at night and that makes the days seem so long. There is so much to do around the house but I just can't seem to get the energy to do them after I get home from work. Thankfully your Daddy is pretty understanding and I know he is really trying to help me keep things together at home.

Today you've been all over my tummy. For the first part of the morning you were kicking my lower abdomen  and it tickled and felt so funny. Then all of a sudden you must have turned or something and started kicking me up by my ribs. People must wonder why I'm grinning and holding my tummy when they walk by- but I just can't help it; it is so awesome to feel you move around inside me!

My dear sweet girl, if you could do mommy just one favor though: could you try and flip head down so that you aren't breech? At our last apointment they told me you were breech and I want to be able to deliver you naturally, so turn baby turn!
Love you,

Mom

29w1d

Dear Baby Evelyn,

That’s right; we’ve finally decided on your name!! Evelyn Rose Schwaab. Evelyn was your great grandmother’s name (on my side) and Rosemary was your great grandmother’s name on your dad’s side. We think it’s a beautiful name and cant wait to see how it fits you!

So much has happened since I last wrote you a note. Let’s see, mom and dad finished your room finally! Your aunt Shannon and uncle Luke came over this weekend and we put the Winnie the Pooh border up, as well as an adorable quote over your crib. I know you will love being in your new room. The colors are soothing and the pictures are so friendly! The only thing we need now is a rocking chair since I know you and I will be spending hours in there together!

The baby shower to celebrate you is in two weeks and I’m getting so excited! I registered at Babies R Us for all sorts of fun things for you (and some practical things too). When I look at the little clothes and blankets it seems impossible that your going to be able to fit in these when you’re born in just a few months! My best friend Nicole is throwing the baby shower and the theme is “Baby it’s Cold Outside.” When you’re a little older I will play the song for you- it’s a really fun winter song!

My favorite part of being pregnant with you is feeling you move around during the day. You move the most during the morning and right before bed, or anytime I eat. You’re so big now Daddy and I can see your kicks all the way up by my ribs now. It’s fun to stare at my tummy and watch you kick random places on my belly- an arm on one side, a little leg on the other. It’s so fun to feel you being so active and even better when Daddy puts his hand on my tummy and he can feel you, too. He gets so excited!! The only part I’m not 100% loving is that you are so high up in my tummy now that you’re pushing my stomach up to my ribs and now I’m getting bad acid reflux and burping all the time. Just ask Dad- he’s not liking those burps because sometimes Mommy tries to be funny and blows them at him.

Last Thursday was Thanksgiving which is a holiday you will love. Mom will make all kinds of yummy foods for you to enjoy and we get to eat it with lots family around- your aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents- it is so much fun! This Thanksgiving Mommy cooked the turkey bird, stuffing, casseroles and a pie and brought it over to your Grandpa Jeff’s. When Daddy and I were talking to him, he said he thinks he will “melt like a popsicle” when he sees you. That made me so happy! I can’t wait for him to be able to hold you and love you. You are such a loved baby already- your Nana, Grandpa Greg, Grandpa Jeff and Grandma Bonnie are all so excited to meet you and spoil you with hugs and kisses!

Okay my sweet sissy, Mommy has to get back to work! Love you lots and see you soon!

25w5d

Baby Ava!

It's Friday and mom is so thankful it is the end of the week. As you know, I have a cold and can't stop coughing and sneezing! I wonder what you think is going on since you can hear (and feel) all my sneezes and coughs! I was thinking today about when you have your first cold. It's going to be so hard for Daddy and I to watch you be sick knowing there isn't anything we can do but help you get through it.

The doctor called today and said that I'm low on iron so Dad is going to take me to the store tonight to get some iron pills so you and I can stay strong and healthy! We are also going to work on your room this weekend and hopefully get your Winnie the Pooh border up. I can hardly believe you'll be here in 14 weeks or less! Time to start thinking about packing a hospital bag and finishing up your room. Who knows- maybe you'll even be a week or two early! The doctor said that most first time moms go a little past their due date. I will go crazy if you're late because I am already so anxious to see you!

My tummy is getting really big which means so are you! I feel you moving all the time now and even heard your heartbeat on the monitor that I bought at Babies R Us! Speaking of Babies R Us, my baby shower is in just a few weeks, on December 10th! I can't wait to get together with everyone and show them by baby bump and open all kinds of fun presents for you!!!

Love you, Ava! See you in 14 weeks :)

Love,
Mom

25w2d

Dear Sweet Baby Girl,

Yesterday was Halloween! Mommy and Daddy saw cute babies everywhere we looked, all dressed up as cute little pumpkins, ladybugs, bunny rabbits and so many other fun things. We cannot wait for you to be here next Halloween so we can dress you up and take you trick or treating! Your Auntie Shannie and Auntie Brennie were telling me yesterday they can’t wait to see you all dressed up! Your cousins were so cute last night, too. You will have so much fun playing with them! Micah was batman, Christian was a Ballard football player, Gracie was a ballerina and Hannah was her normal cute self!

I’m so happy that you are still moving and kicking me so much. Yesterday mommy had to go to the hospital after eating a Halloween candy that had nuts (I didn’t know that at the time, though). My friend from work drove me to the hospital and the ER doctors and nurses gave me lots of medicine to make sure we were both ok. The labor and delivery nurse came down and monitored your heart beat and contractions and thankfully everything was normal. You’re already a little trooper!!! I hope, baby girl, that you don’t have allergies or asthma. Mommy and Daddy are praying you are as healthy as possible. The good news is that even if you do have those things, Mommy knows exactly how to take care of you and keep you safe; so don’t worry!

Just for fun, here’s a little survey I found:

How far along? 25 w 2d (I round up to 26)

Total weight gain/loss? 11 lbs- yikes!

Maternity clothes? Thank goodness for my black work pants with the big stretchy tummy pocket! I also love living in pj’s with a baggy waistband!

Stretch marks? Not yet; praying those never come!

Sleep? Not so great anymore. Lots of tummy and back pain already and the restless leg syndrome is driving me nuts!

Best moment last week? The usual kicks are so wonderful!

Movement? You are moving like CRAZY! A kick here, an elbow here…each one makes me giggle inside.

Food cravings? I love McDonalds (yes, I loved it before but now I crave it), and anything with marinara sauce! Oh and Mexican food- yummy!

Gender? You’re a beautiful little girl!

Labor signs? Thankfully none yet, just the occasional Braxton Hick contraction!

Belly button in/out? Still an innie!

What I miss: Not feeling so big and being able to fit in my clothes and hang out with daddy without whining about not feeling good.

What I am looking forward to: meeting you!!

Milestones: just a 104 more days until your due date!



Love you, baby girl!

24w2d

23w2d

My sweet little baby girl,

Mommy is teary eyed as I write to you. I saw a video today of a little baby girl named Olivia who was born at where you are today, just 23 weeks and 2 days. It made me cry because she was so beautiful and I can just imagine how beautiful you already are! I am praying with my whole heart that you keep growing strong and healthy and reminding myself that you have the best protector- God.

Mommy and Daddy are still arguing about your name and I think we may be getting closer to deciding on Evelyn. You'll be named after my grandma who was a really amazing lady- I know she would be proud to know you will be named after her. Hopefully we decide, soon, though. I hate not knowing what to call you when I talk to you or write you letters.

Your Auntie Shannon and I went to Babies R Us this weekend and created a registry full of wonderful things for you. I especially love the little bath tub that we found! I cannot wait to give you baths and then wrap you up in a warm towel and cuddle you for hours! I am already so in love with you and I have never met you. My heart just feels so happy when I feel you move inside my tummy or when I get the opportunity to talk to someone about you.

Grow strong, my little sissy girl! Mommy and Daddy can't wait until February to meet you!!

Love,
Mom

22w2d

October 11, 2011

Dear Ava/Addison,

Yesterday I went to my 22 week check up to make sure you are still growing quickly and appear as healthy as possible. Dr Levine let me listen to your heartbeat which almost brings me to tears. Your little heart was beating at 155 beats per minute which is excellent! He said you are now two inches above my bellybutton, which means you are a little over a 1lb and about 11 inches long! He said that all of your features are developed and that now you just need to gain weight in anticipation for your entrance into the world in a few short months. Mommy and Daddy are getting so excited!


Next time I go to the doctor, on November 3rd, they’ll do a glucose test to make sure Mommy doesn’t have diabetes and then I’m on my way into the 3rd trimester! I filled out paperwork last night detailing what I want for your birth, who I want to be able to visit, and all kinds of detailed questions about your big arrival!! It hardly seems possible that just a few months ago you were a little bean and now you’re a person who can hear, move around and even do summersaults in my tummy!


Yesterday I was at work and a coworker came in and asked me if I had heard about Washington’s GET program- Guaranteed Eucation Tuition. Basically, it allows parents to set up a fund for their child where they can purchase credits towards college at the rate that is available today. That means mommy and daddy can start saving for you to go to college now and pay at a lower rate then will be available when you turn 18. Mommy and Daddy both went to college and feel it is very important for you to have the opportunity to go, as well. We want to be able to pay for it for you so that you can enjoy learning and planning your future without worrying about money. Both Mommy and Daddy were fortunate that our parents had sent aside money for us to go to school, and we also got scholarships. Daddy got a scholarship for playing football at the College of the Redwoods in Eureka, CA. Mommy got a partial scholarship to study psychology at Central Washington University and then paid for her Master’s at Walden. They say that when you’re a grown up, everyone will have to have a bachelor’s degree and that it will be the new “highschool diploma”. If that’s the case, we are going to start saving now so you have lots of opportunities! Another neat thing about the GET program is that your family can buy you credits towards college starting this year, on November 1st. Mommy is going to put this on her baby shower registry so we can start saving now. This will hopefully be a great idea for your grandmas, grandpas, uncles and aunts as they try to figure out what to buy you when you’re still little babe!



Mommy and Daddy love you!!



Love,

Mom

21W1D

Since we’re more than half way through, I decided it would be fun to write letters to our daughter and give them to her later on.


Dear Ava, or Addison (depending on whether Mommy or Daddy wins the name game),

You’re 21 weeks today which means in 19 weeks or less we get to meet you face to face!! I’m really starting to enjoy having you in my tummy because even when I’m in the worst of moods, feeling you kick or move around makes me instantly joyful! On Saturday night I was feeling you move around and grabbed Daddy’s hand and put it on my tummy so he could feel. No sooner did I put his hand to my stomach than you did some major dance moves in there! You moved so much, in fact, that it startled me and I jumped so unfortunately Daddy didn’t get to feel you that time. When we were at church on Sunday, though, you were bopping around during the worship music and Daddy felt you move at one point. It is so exciting!!!

Your aunts, mommy’s sisters, are getting so excited to meet you. They both came over this weekend to feel my tummy and talk to you. I showed them around your room and all of the cute toys and darling clothes we’ve bought for you so far. They both agreed you are going to be one spoiled little girl- as you should be!!! I bought you the cutest little booties and sandals for next year- and I even got you a bathing suit- it’s yellow polka dots with a ladybug on it. I can’t wait until you are a few months old and we can take Mommy and Baby swim lessons together!!! I have so many plans for us, Baby Ava (or Addison); we are going to have a blast, the 3 of us! Back to your aunties- Shannon and Brenna are so excited to meet you that they both keep threatening to come over and steal you on a regular basis once you’re born…they’ll have to fight me for you, though! You will love them; they are such fun young women and they will love you unconditionally and always be there for you! Pretty soon they will get married and have babies, too, and then you’ll have lots of cousins to play with! Actually, you already have 7 cousins from your Daddy’s side. Your Uncle Ruben has three kiddos: Jenny, Ruben and Eric, and your Aunt Crystal and Uncle Sam have 4: Christian, Micah, Grace and Baby Hannah. Baby Hannah was born in June and so you two will be about 7 or 8 months apart!

Mommy can’t wait to read to you and sing you songs! Your Grandpa bought you a Winnie the Pooh story book that we can read together and Mommy and Daddy are going to pick out a Children’s Bible for the 3 of us to read together in the evenings. My mom, your Grandma Bonnie, sang lots of songs to me when I was a baby and I am so excited to sing them to you. It will be so fun when you can sing with mommy!!!

Speaking of Grandma Bonnie, she is getting so excited to meet you, too. She took me maternity clothes shopping on Saturday to find something to cover my growing belly. Grandma and I didn’t agree on many clothes options, but we still had fun! I think your Grandma forgets that she is 30 years older than mommy so her preferences are a little different. We did find a beautiful striped sweater and a comfy pair of yoga pants which make mommy feel much more comfortable than wearing my old tight-fitting clothes!! Grandma Bonnie is looking for a house right now because she wants to live closer to you so she can visit you a lot. You will love Grandma Bonnie, she is going to be one fun Grandma!! She loves to paint and do art projects so I bet you and her will get to do lots of arts and crafts together!


Ok, baby girl, Mommy has to get back to working so she can buy more fun stuff for your room! I love you, Ava/Addison! Daddy loves you, too!

Love, Mommy

20w1d

Nicole is making me update this so I better think of something to write about...and fast! I'm 20w1d today and officially half way there! The most exciting part is yet to come and February really can't be here soon enough. I know there is so much to do before she arrives but I just can't wait to hold and cuddle her with Miles.

I'm enjoying that random people can tell I'm pregnant now, and it's even better when a family member pats my tummy because then I can position their hand so they can feel her, too! I wonder what or who she is going to look most like. I'm so eager to see her! Here's a belly picture of where I am now. Such a transformation from a few months ago!!

We picked up the nursery furniture this weekend so all of the staples are now there. We just need to find a rocking chair and to assemble the changing table and dresser. After that it is time to decorate with fun accents and colors and then it will really be a beautiful little nursery for her!!

A fun one to close with; here's a pict of the pregnancy test when we discovered we were expecting!

'Round and 'Round We Go! 19w2d

There isn’t a whole lot to update on…we’re just duking it out over names at the moment. My two favorites are Evelyn and Ava. Evelyn is the name of my grandmother, on my dad’s side, who was an absolutely wonderful woman and someone I hope my daughter grows up to be like- in personality and integrity. Ava is just a name that I absolutely love, as well. My idea was to combine the two and do Ava and Lynn as the middle now, which when combined sounds like Evelyn. Miles isn’t so hot on that name, although I thought he initially was. It turns out he is rallying for Evelyn while I battle him for Ava Lynn. I’m not sure, though; I like them both so much and naming my daughter after her grandmother would be a very special thing. I guess we’ll have to hash it out some more and then maybe see what she looks like when she’s born!


We got the crib set up in the nursery this weekend with the help of “Grandpa” Greg. It looks beautiful and I’m so excited for the rest of the furniture to go in. the room already has a soft, quiet feel to it- definitely want I want for my baby’s first bedroom. I just can’t wait for her to be here! I can’t wait to go in and check on her sleeping in her crib and pick her up for a cuddle! Maddie was so cute, she decided to take a nap right next to the crib, which I wish I had gotten a picture of. I wonder if she’ll be protective and want to sleep next to the baby? Can’t wait to find out!!

18w3d

Now that I know the gender I'm even more excited to start on the nursery! We've got the bare bones now: crib, dresser and changing table.  I'll save the intense decorating for a few more weeks so I have something to do before she's born.

Here's what we (ok, I), settled on Miles, however, said he really liked it as well! (We haven't gotten a rocking chair yet, though). We are going to decorate the nursery with Winnie the Pooh themed decorations. I think we'll really focus on Piglet so we can throw in lots of pink!!

It's a GIRL!!!

18w1d

Today is just dragging on and on! We find out in about 4 hours whether or not our baby Schwaab is a he or a she!! Miles is rooting for a baby boy and I’m hoping for a baby girl. All preferences aside, we’re just so excited to see pictures of our little baby that the gender really doesn’t matter that much! Here’s the tally of what people are speculating:

Me- girl

Miles- boy

Shannon- girl

Brenna-girl (I’m going to say girl because I cant really remember)

Dad- refuses to comment

Mom- girl

Patti (Mama-in-Law)- girl

Crystal (Sis-in-Law)- girl

Nicole (bff)- boy


Hopefully the majority wins!

I also found out that one of my good friends, Heather, is getting married in Kauai on September 30th! So exciting!! Just the two of them are going so the suspense is going to kill almost everyone as we wait for pictures of the big day! Can’t wait to celebrate with them when they get back!


I’ll update tomorrow with the big announcement!

17w4d

Nothing to report today except feeling like a gigantic whale! I know this is highly inaccurate, but regardless, it's how I'm feeling. I was looking at skinny women in line today at lunch thinking, "my stomach use to look like that." I have to keep reminding myself "it's a baby, a baby!"

Still waiting to find out the big news on whether my best friend is pregnant or not...the suspense is killing me! 4 days until we find out the gender!!! The lady at the Mexican restaurant we ate at last night said it was most certainly a girl because my skin was "glowing"...hope she is right!!

17w3d

What a week it’s been! Lot’s of big news! First, my belly finally “popped” and now you can visibly tell I’m pregnant (either that or I have a huge beer belly). Miles and I flew to Phoenix for the Labor Day weekend and two stewardesses congratulated me on being pregnant. It felt so good to know that I looked something other than pudgy!

Miles and I were on the shuttle from the airport to the rental car station and we both felt Baby Schwaab move! I’ve felt it a few more times since then but more than anything I can tell which side she/he is pushing up on because my stomach will get really hard on that side until the baby moves.

Phoenix was a great trip but hot tamales, it was 110+ there! I don’t think I could ever live somewhere that hot. It’s not even enjoyable since you spend most of the time in the AC or running towards the closest AC unit! It was pretty funny, though- the only rental car left when we arrived late Friday night was a white Crown Victoria. Miles and I were riding in style (haha)! We spent the majority of the trip visiting family and playing around in the pool. It was a much needed getaway, as the quality time we spent together had been fairly dismal since finding out I was pregnant and dealing with the morning/all-day sickness.

Speaking of morning sickness, it seems to be on the up and up! I still throw up about once or twice a day but that’s leaps and bounds from where I was a few weeks ago. I can eat fairly normally now and my food cravings (or should I say aversions) aren’t nearly as intense as they were. Now I just find myself hungry all the time but unable to eat a large portion. Hunger is just fine but it bugs me when it wakes me up at 2AM to eat, especially when the only easy snack around is saltines (blech!).

We find out on Monday if it’s a boy or girl!!! 5 days and counting!!!!!

16w3d

I just called the doctor to see if we could change our appointment time so Miles could make it. The gal at the front desk told me the actual detailed ultrasound was done by another doctor's office and I needed to make an appointment through them separately. So, now our appointment is September 12th at 4:30PM to find out if it's a boy or girl. They also spend a full hour doing a detailed scan of the baby's limbs, features, etc. I pray everything looks ok!! We are opting for no prenatal testing though; if the baby has some sort of defect such as down syndrome, we'd prefer not to find out until he/she is born. We're happy with whatever God blesses us with!! Hurry up September 12th!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

16w1d

Today baby Schwaab is about 5 inches long!! 4 months, 5 inches long and 168 more days to ago (according to my baby app).

This weekend I enjoyed the first real “perk” of pregnancy. My best friend Nicole and her husband, Jeremy, moved from their old apartment to a beautiful and bright new apartment in the Edmonds area. My day of “moving” involved sitting around, directing traffic, making fun of Miles, chatting with Nicole and eating Pita crackers. After all, pregnant women can’t lift heavy things…doctors orders! I felt bad watching Miles, Jeremy and the guys do all of the lifting but not bad enough to talk myself into getting up off of my comfortable chair! This is the first time I think I’ve been truly happy I was pregnant. There is nothing worse than moving in 80 degree heat, so I was happy to be a good patient and rest. Maddie rested quite a bit, as well. As you can see, the heat really wore her out, too!

The rest of the weekend was fairly uneventful. Miles and I, inspired by Nicole’s move, did some “summer” cleaning and gave away several boxes of shoes and clothes to Goodwill. The house, however, really doesn’t look a lot different than before because we have yet to truly “organize” everything. We’re working on clearing out the spare room so I can start decorating the nursery area. We just need one large dresser for our room and then we’ll be able to move most of the stuff out of that room. I can’t wait to put up my Pooh decorations!!!

I still think the morning sickness is getting better, but I did start throwing up again- several times Saturday and again this morning. However, I think I can handle that sort of schedule better than four or five times a day! My pants are getting tighter and tighter, too. Last week I could button up my pants but just felt very uncomfortable. Today it was nearly impossible to button them so I opted for a baby band to go over them so I didn’t have to attempt to zip or button. Other than my lower belly, everything else seems to be staying about the same size and I’m still not gaining any sizeable amount of wait- I think about 2-2.5lbs total. I definitely want to gain a healthy amount but I’m a-ok with not gaining any extra than the baby needs!

I’m feeling more and more anxious to meet the baby. I can’t wait to see what a combination of Miles and I looks like and how much fun it will be! I know a baby is going to be more work than I’ve ever had before, but Miles and I can’t wait to welcome him/her into the world and teach him/her about the world and how much he/she is loved. Won’t it be nice when I don’t have to say he/she?! What’s your prediction…boy or girl? And you can’t say a healthy baby because obviously we want that first and foremost!

15w5d

It’s Friday, hoorah!! Miles has the day off from work so I’m heading out early too and we’re going up to the cabin for some boating and relaxing (and I was promised a milkshake, as well). I keep waiting to feel the baby kick as I was reading that it happens between week 16-18. Every time I think I might feel something it ends up being a tummy rumble, darn it…I’ll have to keep waiting! At the last ultrasound the baby was moving and shaking like crazy; even sucking it’s thumb! It’s amazing to think that something he or she can be moving around so much and I can’t feel it at all. Miles is hopefully going to be able to go with me to the next ultrasound so he can too can experience how awesome it is to see it moving (and find out the gender!).

Everyone keeps asking if I’ve had any food cravings yet. It seems like I crave one thing and then have an aversion to everything else. For example, lately anything with marinara sauce is a must. The very thought of thai food (my once favorite thing) is enough to make my stomach churn. I also seem to be craving lots of salty foods, McDonalds being my favorite. I keep climbing on the scale, making sure the McD’s isn’t catching up with me. Miles claims I was obsessed with McDonalds before I was pregnant but I’m chalking this unhealthy urge up to pregnancy!

The morning sickness is seeming to subside (I think). It’s been two days, going on three, since I’ve thrown up or felt overly queasy. Hopefully this is the beginning of the end! I even notice my energy starting to come back. On Wednesday I cleaned the toilet and the kitchen and yesterday I threw the ball and ran around outside for Maddie. That might not sound like much but it was leaps and bounds from where I was last week, wanting nothing more than my pillow and a dark room!

Off to play in the sun with Miles & then helping my bestie Nicole move tomorrow! Praying she’s going to be having a baby soon, too. Send those prayers up, too, everyone!! How amazing would it be to have a baby at the same time as my best friend….walks around Greenlake with our babies, complaining about how “fat” we still are, letting our babies sit together while we go for coffee…sounds so wonderful!!

OK, done rambling now :)

Girls vs. Boys & Maternity Pants...random ranting!

When I first found out I was pregnant (and honestly even before), I had decided I wanted a boy. One boy…one and done!! Somehow God has softened my heart over the past few months and I find myself more and more wanting a little girl. Our appointment is only 2 weeks away during which we will find out the gender. It’s sort of funny to think that with all the anticipation and excitement surrounding that appointment, the baby’s gender was determined months ago!

My co-worker brought in her 3 month old daughter today and she is just gorgeous. She babbles, smiles and responds when you talk to her. It made me want a little girl that much more! The only hesitation I have in regards to having a girl is adolescence. I can reflect back to how terrible I was during my “teenage” years and what I put my parents through on a daily basis. The mood swings, the “running away from home”, the parties, bad boyfriends, lying…the list goes on and on. Given my “terrible teens” of course it seems semi-logical how I could conclude that I’m not terrible excited about being the parent of a girl. However, there is a saving grace that was missing from my teenage years- Jesus. I had heard of Him, but didn’t understand, nor did I care to understand, who He was or what He had done. As we move closer and closer to finding out the gender, I need to keep reminding myself that God redeems lives! He’s redeemed mine and so many of those around me, including my bestest friend, Nicole (who also is going to hopefully be a mommy soon). If God can reach the wayward soul I once was, how could I possibly think that he wouldn’t be able to protect my sweet daughter (or son). Could someone remind me of this if, in fact, it is a baby girl? I’m sure I’ll have mini melt-downs from time to time and need some reminding that Christian parenting is a whole different ballgame!

What else is on my mind today…maternity pants! What a funny and strange creation. I am almost wondering why they don’t make these for non-pregnant people. My friend told me that they do, but I have yet to see regular 7 or Citizen jeans with stretchy waistbands (believe me, when they have them, I’m buying ‘em). The odd thing about maternity pants is that the normal pant material only goes up to your pubic bone, or so, and then from there up to your ribcage is a soft stretchy material that ever so gently hugs your belly and hips. Not use to these pants, I constantly find myself pulling them up, as if I’m wearing super low-rise pants since you can hardly feel the stretchy material that begins at the pubic bone. Back to my point- very strange article of clothing but very wonderful. If only cute ones didn’t cost so much!

That’s all for now…time to get ready to head home and paint our downstairs tenants bedroom door! So thankful my wonderful husband likes having this rental so much because I can’t imagine doing this kind of stuff on my own!

Baby Pictures!

4w1d

8w1d

13w1d

15w1d

I wish I would have started this earlier, as soon as I found out I was pregnant, but I suppose my posts would look something like this: "sick, blah blah, tired, blah blah, irritiable, blah blah, cramping, blah blah, barfing, blah blah, tired!"

So, I'll begin here, week 15, day 1!

I'm still fighting with morning sickness...a fight that is sort of beginning to seem like a losing battle. I keep hearing "it gets better" but I'm beginning to wonder when exactly that will be! I'm not doing a very good job of keeping the end result in mind. I need to remember how beautiful this baby will be when it is in our arms and how I'm sure that the nightmare of morning sickness will be but a faint memory after he/she makes its debut into the world.

I'm finally gaining some weight and showing just a little. I suppose if you didn't know me or know I was pregnant you'd probably thing I just have a pudgy tummy, but thankfully it's still manageable under a baggy shirt. I did, however, splurge and buy my first pair of maternity pants! Miles (hubby) and I went to Village Maternity in University Village and found a perfect pair that make my tummy comfortable and doesnt require me to unbutton a top button when I sit down!!

I also started ordering things for the nursery- our theme is Winnie the Pooh, very gender neutral since we don't know for another 2 weeks or so. Today the Winnie the Pooh rug arrived; it is so cute!  So far we have a Pooh rug, Pooh light, Pooh night light and Eyeore and Tigger stuffed animals (in addition to a ton of cute blankets, onsies and toys). I am still waiting for the crib sheet, fluffy blanket, hamper and mobile that I ordered last week. Can't wait to post picts!!

I almost forgot to update on daddy Miles! I think it was hard for him, at first, to know how to help when I was throwing up or feeling uneasy about the pregnancy. It's been amazing to watch God and Christian community speak into him and help him grow in his understanding of pregnancy and how to support me (and vice versa!) I am so blessed to have a husband who is trying so hard to take as much of the burden off of me as possible. This morning I received a text from him, thanking me for carrying our baby. Is that love or what?!