Ayla's excited for a baby cousin!!

Ayla (Jamie and Darren) sent me a video that I thought would be fun to share. She is making her guess as to if the baby is a boy or a girl. However today at church she changed her mind. So we will have to see if her first guess or second guess was right.

12 weeks

WOW!! 12 weeks!! Sometimes it still feels so surreal that we are having a baby. This past week has been a week of many emotions. I have to say that a wave of relief hit this week but along with that feeling of relief came feelings of concern. Kind of a back log - I had been experiencing a lot of morning sickness in weeks 10 and 11 to the point that I had expressed concern with my doc. I wasn't really able to work as productively as I wanted or even needed to so they prescribed some medication to help control the nausea. Then (knock on wood) Tuesday morning I woke up feeling much better than I had in weeks. I haven't had to take any medication since Monday. Hopefully, I have seen the end of the bad stuff. So this week I have been relieved that we made it to 12 weeks and the morning sickness has seem to minimize but I all the sudden became acutely aware of things that come with having a child that didn't seem as real until now. I sat down to do our yearly budget and when I started to think about child care, diapers, formula, and any other baby necessity I had to take a deep breath and thank God that we have 6 more months to prepare. I had to remember that we didn't have to have all of answers this minute or even this month but that as long as we could plan things out we would provide just fine. Not to mention when I voiced these concerns to friends they assured me that many parents go through those thoughts and feelings and it always seems to work out. I am definitely feeling much better about everything now. This week also brought much awareness to many of my co-workers that we are pregnant. Up until about 10-11 weeks I was very conscious of how I dressed trying not to call too much attention to the the bump that was starting to form. Now that we are at the end of the first trimester I am more comfortable with it being know outside my family and friends so I am less conscious of my baby bump being visible. Needless to say this week it is most definitely more visible so I thought I would share...........On Wednesday, we had our 12 week appointment that I must say was the quickest I have ever been in and out of Dr. K's office. I wasn't sure really what to expect because we were so closely monitored with Dr. Doherty. We had a nice conversation with Jimmy. He and his staff are pretty excited that we only had to work with the specialist for a short time. We listened to the heartbeat, he explained what we could expect for the next couple of appointments and then we were out of there. I was really glad that Tom was able to come with me to the appointment but I felt a little bit bad that he made the trip for such a short appointment. I know he enjoys hearing the heartbeat as well so I am sure that made it worth it.

So again I leave you with a few notes for the week............

Cravings.........Steak Rice Bowls, carrots and ranch dip, fruit, Chili (weird since it was an aversion at one time)

Aversions...........Still Chicken

Interesting fact.............I recently found out that a good friend is due a few days before us. I am very excited that we will have kids the same age.

How I feel...........so much better than 10 and 11 weeks.

Last Appointment..........January 15, 2009 - First appointment with Dr. K.

Next Appointment.........February 12, 2009

Comments

I thought I would put a quick post about comments for those of you that are not too familiar with blogs. I attempted to find a "guest book" to put on the side column but was unable to find one so at the end of each post there is the word "comments". If you click on the word you will be redirected to a comments page where you can leave us a note!! We would love to hear from you and know who is visiting our site.

11 Weeks

A few notes from 11 weeks........

Cravings.........Popsicles, Orange Juice, Cabbage Rolls, Sam and Louis's Taco Salad, Pepperoni Pizza (which has always given me heartburn so I don't typically eat it)

Aversions............Chicken, Pheasant (even though Tom has a great recipe), Stir fry (which was always a weekly staple at our house)

Interesting fact.............We were able to hear the heartbeat at home with a doppler that some friends gave us. Such a comforting sound!!

How I feel...........the last couple weeks have been a little rough but I have been doing better the last few days!!

Last Appointment..........January 7, 2009 - Just met with Sally (Dr. K's nurse) to set me up as a new OB patient. Blood work, history, weight, etc.

Next Appointment.........January 15, 2009 - First appointment with Dr. K. at 12 weeks.

Child of God.......

I had an amazing prayer experience at church on Sunday. On communion days that I am not a worship leader, I kneel and pray at the cross in the front of our church after I take communion. My prayers vary depending on where we are in life at that given time but typically they are prayers of thanks, affirmation, help, forgiveness, family, hope, trust, faith etc. Earlier in the week Tom read in his current book of choice that you should pray in an affimative manner so that you are looking toward a solution rather than wallowing in the problem. So as I knelt at the cross on Sunday and thought about Tom's reading and where we are today, I started to form my prayer. I then remembered something that a friend once said......."My daughter is God's child that he chose me to parent. My body was simply her vessel to this earth".

The words of my prayer started to flow..........

"Thank You Lord for always providing for us no matter the situation. Thank You for reminding me to stay centered to You. Thank You for blessing us with this child that we so longed for." Thank You for choosing me to carry this child. Please continue to guide us as we raise and nurture this baby so that we raise him/her to live life according to Your Will. I know that there will be good times and bad times, hard times and easy times, but I know that keeping my Faith, Trust and Hope in You will take us through anything that we encounter. Thank you for always taking our problems and letting put our heads on Your shoulder. You are our Almighty Father and Your Grace continues to bless and amaze us. In Your Holy Name. Amen "

I sat there with tears starting to form resonating in the idea that we were chosen for this child of God. I remembered Jamie telling me that God chooses particular children to bless each of our lives. Each month that would pass she would remind me that our child, the one God chose for us, just hadn't come yet and it wasn't the right time. I believe that everything happens on God's time but sometimes it was hard to agree with His timing. Sometimes it seems like it would be better if things could happen on our time. As I continued to kneel, I flashed back over the past few years and remembered the series of events. I couldn't imagine things happening any different. I still don't understand everything but I can see the relevance of many of the events. It is amazing how God's timing is perfect and how new blessings overflow our lives as we live according to His will.

"Don't you see that children are God's best gift? The fruit of the womb his generous legacy? Like a warrior's fistful of arrows are the children of a vigorous youth. Oh, how blessed are you parents, with your quivers full of children! Your enemies don't stand a chance against you; you'll sweep them right off your doorstep." Psalm 127:3-5 (The Message)