Tiny tidbits involving my tiny tidbit :)

1. 13 weeks now and still goin' strong :)
2. Weight gain: 2 lbs.
3. Regular pants have not fit me for some time now, but there's a wonderful wardrobe accessory called a BellaBand, which I use with pants. Highly recommended! It helps convert your non-maternity pants into maternity...pure magic. You can get one at Target for $16.99.
4. Bump rubs from someone other than Brent: 2, a coworker and a friend from church. Not as awkward as I thought it'd be, lol. Is this what my dog feels like at times?
5. What upsets my stomach? Plain ol' orange juice....I'm now avoiding it like the plague.
6. Hormonal? Earlier on, I could cry extremely easily. When I watched "It's a Wonderful Life" back in December, I had never bawled at a movie before until then. I was hysterical, and Brent actually thought I was laughing and/or faking. Go figure. :)
7. Doctor visits: 2
8. My sweet tooth has gone on hiatus. If you know me, somewhere a pig must be flying overhead. Now, if only this would resume after the birth!
9. My favorite food (group) thus far has been carbs. Bring on the fettucine alfredo with garlic bread, and I'm a happy girl.
10. We will definitely be finding out the sex of the baby, sometime in March.
11. Some call it "peanut" or "bean," we just call it "plum." :) Actually, there's more to it than that...every week we've had the pleasure of calling our baby a different food (ha!) based on its relative size. At one point, it was a mere poppy seed! We've noted its progress as it grew from sesame seed to blueberry to raspberry to prune. :) I think "peach" is up next! Although one of these days, "watermelon" will be more like it.
12. Several friends have noted that they questioned if I was pregnant (before I'd announced) based on my face. The radiant glow of a mama?....no, mine was a pale, ashen face. :-p
13. Piggybacking on #11, others noticed I was ahem more bosomy.
14. I am excited that several of my friends are having babies all within months of each other. Insta-friends for our kids :) Plus, I get to learn from them along the way.
15. Our baby will be the first grandchild for Brent's parents and the third grandchild for my parents.
16. Lastly, August 5th can't come sooner!

Please pray for Michelle & Jeff...

For anyone that may read this, I ask as a sister in Christ that you please lift up two of my friends, Michelle & Jeff, who learned only this morning that they lost their 11 week old baby.

This especially hits close to home for me, because Michelle's due date was only a few days after mine.

Please pray for God's grace, comfort, and peace to be around them during this time.

Food for Thought

"A bowl of vegetables with someone you love is better than steak with someone you hate."

Proverbs 15:17

Insert dreamy sigh...

I came home yesterday from work and found these....

Along with this note....

I love my husband!!!

Goodbye 2008, Hello 2009

Sorry that I inadvertently took a random hiatus the past couple of weeks. It's been busy, whose life hasn't?

After dealing with a fun stomach virus for several days, then getting a blessed head cold the day after I could finally eat again, the middle of December wasn't the best.

However, the husband and I traveled to Gatlinburg, TN and met up with his mom and stepdad whom I hadn't seen since our wedding(!). Needless to say, it was great catching up with his parents that I've only met 3 other times. We hunkered down in a gorgeous log cabin that overlooked the Smokies. The first couple of days were frigid. Silly me forgot to pack real outdoor winter gear, aka hat, scarves, heavy coat, etc. The Lord kept me well thankfully :) We had a blast at the Ripley's Aquarium, Dixie Stampede, and DollyWood. A note about DollyWood, don't go during the winter. Why? Because all the rides shut down if it's below 36 degrees, which it was when we went. A full-priced ticket with no ride access does not a happy customer make. Despite the chilly weather, I had fun preparing homemade meals at the cabin and impressing the inlaws :)

It was a low-key Christmas for sure since this year we bypassed physical gifts and instead gave a donation to a project that I truly care about, Adopt-a-village Bihar, India. India is very near to my heart for reasons not entirely known, and Bihar is one of the poorest places with limited access to drinking water. Our gift will build a well for Bihar and allow numerous people to have better health. Not only that, but our well will enable missionaries to give a tangible example to the people that Jesus is our source of Living Water. We are looking forward to receiving a photo of the finished well along with some of the villagers. It's amazing what a little money can do...

As for what 2009 will bring, Lord-willing, Brent and I will become parents to a precious little babe in August :)

Last week we saw our little baby for the first time...lifting its head, wiggling a bit, and hearing that amazing heartbeat. Honestly, pregnancy hasn't felt all that real until seeing a tiny being in the dark of my womb. I'm already filling out a bit despite not having gained any weight. Yesterday, by a stroke of Providence, I randomly went on Craigslist and found just what I'd been looking for, an Arm's Reach CoSleeper for a steal. We were able to bring it home yesterday, so I happily went to work washing the sheets and cleaning it a bit. Needless to say, more and more it's getting real.

Since we've been traveling a lot the past few months, we're about to slow down considerably to save as much money as possible for the months/years ahead. Our "babymoon" will be a bit early than most couples', but we couldn't pass it up. My parents graciously paid for us as well as my sister and her husband to go on a Bahamas cruise in less than 2 weeks! This will be my first cruise and first trip to the Bahamas :) So those are the two major events predicted for 2009.

What have you been up to?

Let the Christmas Parties Begin!

I received this via email and thought it was too funny :)

HOLIDAY EATING TIPS

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet
table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see
carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum
balls.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. It's rare.. You cannot
find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it
has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn
into an eggnog-alcoholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one
for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!

3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of
gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of
your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.

4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or
whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports
car with an automatic transmission.

5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control
your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat
other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello?

6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New
Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do.
This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the
buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of
eggnog.

7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like
frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position
yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before
becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of
shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.

8. Same for pies. Apple, Pumpkin, Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or if
you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have
three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?

9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the
mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have
some standards.

10. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party
or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Re-read
these tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner.
Remember this motto to live by:

"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of
arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to
skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, body thoroughly used up,
totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"

Have a wonderful Christmas season!!

An Advent Conspiracy

I love this video...