12 Weeks

I can't believe I only have two more weeks until I am officially in my 2nd Trimester!  I think I am over the hump of feeling bad these days.  At the beginning of my pregnancy I literally felt like a train hit me every single time I woke up in the morning.  I didn't feel good, I didn't want to get out of bed because I knew I would feel even worse and I had absolutely no energy whatsoever.  I went and got all my bloodwork done and it turns out that I was very low on iron.  I've always had this problem but it hasn't been too bad to where my energy or anything else was suffering...that I know of.  Once I started taking my daily dose or iron it was almost immediate that I saw my energy rising.  So whether or not my low energy was actually attributed to my lack or iron, I am feeling much better and am starting to feel like my old self again.  

This past week started out great.  I went early on Monday and got to hear the baby's heart beat.  It is such a refreshing feeling to hear that baby every four weeks and to know that everything is ok.  

Baby has gotten some really great gifts since we found out we were pregnant.  Family and friends have already showered us with more love than we could ever ask for.  

Of course this baby has to have a camo outfit.  He/she will be a hunter just like their mommy  and daddy.  

My mom was so sweet to get me my pregnancy journals and the Duggar's book.  I just love their family so much.  She didn't forget about the daddy though!

Mom also got Baby T a little A&M Baseball uniform to wear for the games!  

One of my best friends, Christina, got baby T that cute bib that folds up into a pouch and the precious "You Are My Sunshine" onsie.  Keri and J picked up the giraffe while they were on a little vacation.  

My sister-in-law got Baby T this hilarious onsie that he/she will definitely be wearing at the river next summer!

I still can't put into words how humbling it is to know how many people have already blessed our little one, not just with gifts but words, notes, phone calls and texts.  We are so lucky to have the friends and family that we do.  

Now to the baby update!  

Teeny tiny baby bump.

How far along: 12 weeks today!

Size and weight of baby: 2 1/2 inches and weighing in at a whopping 1/2 of an ounce.  
Weight gain: No weight gain yet!  I think that's all about to change though.

Cravings: Cheese!  Mostly macaroni and cheese.  My mom said that is no different than from before I was pregnant.  

Sleep: Sleep has not be great.  I usually wake up at least 3 times and once to go to the bathroom.  Sometimes I'll go right back asleep, other times I'll stay awake for long periods of time.  It is a little frustrating at times!

Movement: None!

Maternity Clothes: I bought my first maternity shirt at Target yesterday.  Can't beat a $7 maternity shirt!  I also bought a belly band waiting for the day when those pants just won't quite button up.  I am still wearing all of my regular clothing, it just all fits a little differently these days.  

Best moment this week: Getting to hear Baby T's heart beat. 

Next appointment: September 25th.  

where we spend most of our time

I haven't posted some house pictures in a while so I thought I would let you in on our living room at the stage that it's in.  Our living room is sort of skinny and long so it has been a little hard to figure out what to do with it but I think what we have going works just fine.  There are of course so many things that I would love to do different but it is cozy and makes me happy and I think it just perfect for our first house.  Now when the babe comes, that will be a different story.  We will have to do some serious baby proofing.  (Let me go ahead and apologize, like I do in every post with pictures, of the poor quality of the photos.  My iPhone seems to take better pictures than my actual digital camera and this is about as good as it gets.)  Maybe I'll get a new camera before the baby gets here? ;) 

This is what you see to the left when you walk in the front door.  

This corner was quite the headache for a long time.  It's still not perfect but works just fine.  

I love looking at all the pictures in our home.  It makes it much more warm and inviting, I think. 

This couch was Add and mine's first purchase together towards the end of our engagement.  All of the other furniture (besides the entertainment center) in the living room was given to us by family that wasn't needed anymore.  The curtains, side tables and pillows are from pottery barn.  The lamps and couch and from Market in Dallas.  

Addison built the entertainment center with his uncle and dad and it turned out amazing.  I would like to still put two doors on the front to hide toys, diapers and whatever else.  I am also hoping we'll get a mantle built for the fireplace before Christmas.  We have another fireplace in the second living room/dining room but we don't go in there much so I would love to be able to decorate a mantle and have a place to hang our stockings in the main living room.  

It seems like just when things are really coming together we have to make more changes (like preparing for a baby) but we are overjoyed to do so.  Since our house is only a two bedroom, we are going to clean out the guest bedroom and rip out the bathroom hopefully pretty soon!  I think this will also great value to the house since that bathroom is horrendous and can barely fit one person at the moment.  I'm learning that house decorating/renovating is a big process and cannot all be done at one time which is frustrating sometimes but I am learning to adjust.  I am so thankful for our little house and all that we have been able to do so far.  

12 week baby update up next! 

10 Weeks

I think 10 week is a good time to start documenting this sweet pea!  At 10 weeks, (I still can't believe it has already been 10 weeks) I am feeling pretty good!  I can tell I am a lot more emotional these days but a little time alone to regroup and I am good.  I am still cramping pretty bad which I hope will subside soon.  Also, the bloating still has not let up since I found out I was pregnant.  I am ready for both of those to go away and to actually start showing and not look like I ate too much macaroni.  (This means no tummy pic this week because there is nothing to show!)

I haven't really had any crazy cravings, just usually whatever I pass on the highway or see on TV I have to have.  Now that I am feeling better, I am trying to cook a little bit, staying away from fast food as much as possible and am even going to start working out again on Monday.  (fingers crossed)  Before now, cooking and working out seemed absolutely miserable.  

We had our first ultrasound about 2 weeks ago and it was absolutely wonderful to hear a strong heart beat and to hear that he/she is healthy and growing.  We get to hear the heart beat again in about a week.  This week baby is about 1 1/2 inches long, or the size of a prune.  

I can tell that my waist is getting bigger, but from what I hear, it's not actually baby, rather bloating and water weight.  Maternity clothes still freak me out a little but I have heard they are absolutely wonderful when it comes time.  

I get up one to two times per night to use the restroom but have heard that gets better in the second trimester.  It doesn't really make sense to me since the baby is only getting bigger but I'll take it!  Other than that, sleep is not great and between Add and Millie one of us is usually fighting over a spot to sleep.  

Something funny that happened this week:  Add had a friend come over and told us that he would be getting married next May in College Station.  We always love a good reason to get back to College Station and enjoy being around all of the other crazy Aggies.  I was already getting excited about taking off to CS and having a fun weekend with friends until I realized, "holy moly we'll have a 2 month old at the wedding!"  Now that just made us more excited and we cannot wait to take our "future aggie" to College Station for the first time next May! 

It hits us little by little every week the changes we have ahead but we would not have it any other way.  I just don't know how we are going to be able to wait until March! Little one, we are already so excited to meet you!

More change!

On July 5th, Add and I found out that we are expecting a sweet little miracle, due March.  We were excited, shocked, anxious, overwhelmed but so so happy that the Lord has entrusted us with this precious blessing.  It still does not seem real, even after our sonogram a few weeks ago.  For the first time, I really grasped the fact that there is another human being in the making with a beating heart and moving little webbed arms and legs.  

(sorry for the miniature iPhone picture)

If you remember, back in May I quit my job at First Financial, thus I lost my insurance and had to find a new one.  Well, once I got into one everything was going great until I was about to fill my "monthly prescription" when my insurance said that they did not cover prescriptions.  It was going to end up being over $100/month for birth control on top of what we were paying for my health insurance. 

A little background...if you know me at all you know that all I have ever wanted to be my whole life was a mommy.  From caring my dolls around 24/7, stuffing my gymnastics leotards with blankets to make myself have a belly and always taking care of my grandmother's foster babies, I can truly say I was meant for this job.  As for Addison, the thing that has always attracted me most about him is his love for children.  He has seven nieces/nephews with one on the way and loves them all so much and is good with every single one of them no matter their age.  We knew from the time we got married that we wanted to start a family shortly after but we didn't know exactly what that timeline looked like.  We had been talking about starting a family for at least a few months now but I still felt like the Lord was telling us "wait". 

So, when we found out that it was going to be super expensive for my birth control, Add and I talked and prayed and we decided we would no longer prevent anything from happening.  Well...a little over a month later we were pregnant.  We now know the meaning, "don't try until you're ready!"  Not that we weren't ready at all, we just had heard so many stories of it taking a while for a couple to get pregnant, and I just assumed we would fall into that category.  

’Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just to take Him at His Word;
Just to rest upon His promise,
Just to know, “Thus saith the Lord!”

Our family and friends have been absolutely wonderful.  We have already received miniature sized gifts and lots of prayer and words of encouragement.  We are truly, truly grateful for our sweet baby and could not be more blessed!  I get more and more excited every day of what his or her personality will be like, what he/she will look like and cannot wait to raise this baby dedicated to the Lord.

I always thought that I would wait until I was way far along to tell everyone but it is definitely comforting knowing that we have so many prayer warriors already praying for this tiny creation and trusting in Jesus. So please join us in praying for this baby and for Add and I to know how to be the best parents possible to this sweet boy or girl.

Trip to Mexico

Add and I celebrated our 2nd Anniversary on August 6th and left the next day to spend the rest of the week in Mexico!  It was really good to relax, sit by the pool/beach, swim, read and spend some quality time together.  It has been a crazy couple of years and I felt that we definitely deserved some time alone...out of the country. Plus, quality time is my love language so this was a dream come true. 

Now back to work, laundry and bills! 

Time with the Lord

It seems like our life lately is just getting busier and does not look like it is slowing down anytime soon.  Since we have moved back to Abilene, it has been hard for me to find a good routine in being with the Lord.  I feel like sometimes I take this precious gift for advantage.  I mean the Lord has made a way for us to communicate with Him anytime we want to and to read His Word, yet I feel that I do not take advantage of this gift as often as I should.  The past month I have really been trying to be more proactive about being in the Word and sharing my heart with the Lord (like He doesn't already know).  I have started reading random books of the Bible and really praying that the Lord would show me what He wanted me to learn from Esther, Job, Ruth, Ezra....  I realize that each story has something just for me.  

I have also been really praying for the little things in our life like TV time (or what we are watching in that time), what we spend our money on and what is most important to us right now.  I feel it is so hard to get caught up in the little things when in reality, none of it really matters and trust me, I have to constantly remind myself of this.  I know I can get tangled up in the lies of the enemy..."you need to buy this or you need to look this way," but I pray that my heart will always be in the right place in wanting to please and follow the Lord in whatever I do and in whatever I wear.  

I struggle to try and take over the "leader" role in our house when Add is already such an amazing husband and leader to me.  I have been praying (in bed, in the shower, in the car, just whenever and wherever) that I would truly live out what it means to be a Proverbs 31 wife and woman.  I pray that I will always be respectful, caring, loving, giving, patient and worthy to be loved by my husband, because he deserves this and more.  His love for us is so great.

Lord I'm amazed by you. 
Come thou Fount

"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised."  Proverbs 31:30