New Belly Pics!--and a Precious Story...10 weeks

Last night Adam took another belly shot of me, and I'm so excited because I think you can see growth!! The last picture I posted I was 9 weeks 3 days, and in this picture I am 10 weeks 2 days, so about a week's difference. See what you think:

One with my shirt down

One with my shirt up

You can see that everything's looking a little thicker! At first when I saw the pic I thought, well maybe I'm just bloated or I've eaten too much (haha, which is entirely possible) but both the picture from last week and the one from last night were taken at the same time of day. And I even tried to hold my stomach in just a bit! I think our little baby is just a growin!! (If you don't see anything, just humor me:)! )

On a different note, let me share with you the most precious thing I've ever heard. We have some dear friends who go to our church, and have a 4 year old little boy (who is VERY smart!) Anyway, he was sitting with his daddy and asked his dad the other day who his (the dad's) friends were. Our friend shared with his son several of his friends. Then his little boy asked him who his littlest friends were. So then, our friend told his son that his little friends included his son, his nephews, nieces etc. Then, (here comes the precious part), the little boy asked his daddy, "What about Adam and Monica's little baby? Isn't their baby one of your littlest friends?" (note that I'm crying as I type this). Of course his dad melted and said, "Of course that little baby is one of my friends." Then the little boy said, "I can't wait to meet their baby!" Isn't it absolutely astonishing how children think, and what they are aware of. His little heart is so big, and so practical that he already addresses our baby as one of his daddy's friends. AND, I'm blown away that he can't wait to meet our baby. When God initiates life, a soul is created. That soul is a person from day one of conception! Although this little boy can't explain the scientifics of it, he knows an important truth. Our little baby, from the moment of conception, has been and will be a human being, with a soul, loved by God!!

Change is Inevitable!

I knew that pregnancy would bring change, anything that phenomenal is going to change several aspects of your life. However, I didn't know just how prevalent that word would be in my vocabulary! It seems that everything is changing, including but not limited to....my body (wow!), my appetite, my lack of appetite, my sleep patterns, my dreams, how we spend money, how we save money, and how we make long-term decisions. I thought it would be fun to share with you some of what we have been experiencing :)

What I am eating ALOT of now
- Tomato anything (ketchup, spaghetti sauce, marinara sauce, tomato soup (you get the idea)
- Chocolate Milk
- Vanilla yogurt
- Cereal
- Fried eggs (and it is important that the yolk is runny!)

What I am NOT eating:
- plain cooked chicken (chicken slathered in BBQ sauce is ok)
- green beans
- sliced wheat bread
- hot dogs (this changes sometimes)

As you can see, I don't think I'm THAT picky. You know, when I heard of women getting cravings or aversions, I thought it would definitely be something that I would be aware of it that happened. But the truth is, in my mind, I think I am totally justifiable in that I just don't feel like eating certain things, meaning I don't think of it as an aversion. Likewise, I think it is totally normal to have 4 bowls of vanilla yogurt, or 5 glasses of chocolate milk in one day. That can't be a craving right!? Don't non-pregnant people like yogurt and chocolate milk. Anyway, Adam seems to remind me that, "No, most non-pregnant people don't consume that much cereal in one day!" Haha..oh well!

As far as symptoms go, here is a run-down of my current pregnancy symptoms. I'm only including the appropriate ones, seeing as how I might have some male readers on here :)

Symptoms
- crazy dreams (well I usually have crazy dreams, but these recent ones are incredibly ridiculous)
- the feeling of my organs shifting on the inside
- frequent hunger
- fatigue (like I've run a marathon, and I've only folded one load of laundry)
- increased sense of smell
- achy hips
- achy abdomen

At first I was VERY aware of my symptoms, but now, being pregnant has just become a way of life. If I feel tired, I lay down. If my back hurts, I stretch. If I'm hungry, I eat. I'm trying to deal with each symptom as it comes, and so far, things have been great!

One last change Adam and I have instituted  is re-budgeting to find ways to save money! I have called our cable company, and we are currently working on a cheaper plan. Adam has also decided to down grade our cell phone plan, getting rid of the media package, and hopefully changing our minutes since we don't even use all the ones we pay for. In addition, I recently bought a Bella Band  (http://www.ingridandisabel.com/), which I am PUMPED about. I found a site that I could buy the Bella Band from that had free shipping! Hopefully the band will allow us to save money, since it'll allow my regular pants to be wearable a bit longer.

So there you go. Those are some of the changes we are currently experiencing! Please keep our little baby in your prayers. God is constantly blowing our minds with what He is doing in our lives. One last note, today I came across the verse that says God knows the number of hairs on our head (Matthew 10:30). The awesome thing is that that verse applies to our baby as well! God is knitting this child together, and He is into every detail and change that takes place in this precious life. In a world where everything changes, it is comforting to know that God is in complete control. In a world where change is inevitable, it is comforting to know that we serve a God who is constant and unchanging! Be blessed!

9 1/2Weeks!

Whoo hoo! I am 1 1/2 days away from being 10 weeks:) I cannot believe I have been pregnant for over two months! Only about 7 more to go.  We have now officially told everyone, and by everyone, I mean any one who knows a friend who knows a friend who knows us, must know we are pregnant! Thanks to facebook and twitter, the whole world can find out in about 3 minutes.  Our little baby is now about an inch and a half long! And according to what I read, he/she is moving and kicking, and swallowing, and yawning!! Amazing uh?!

About a week ago we went in for our second ultrasound. It was such a wonderful experience! The minute the ultrsound tech pulled up our little baby on the screen, she said she could tell his/her little heartbeat was beating so fast! As we were watching our little baby, we saw our him/her start to wiggle around on the screen. Of course I started to laugh, so the baby kept moving! It was awesome! It was absolutely precious:) Both the ultrasound tech and the doctor said our baby looked perfectly healthy- as did I. Here is a picture of our little bean at 8 1/2 weeks. The baby's head in on the right, arm buds in the middle, and little feet buds on the left end.

As for me, I feel great! I am hungry though  EVERY TWO HOURS! I have never been this hungry in my life! But oddly enough,  I can't eat alot even when I try. If I don't eat when I'm hungry, or if I overeat, I tend to get a little queasy. Needless to say, I'm still trying to figure out a new routine that works for me. Adam, however, is such a servant to me. Several mornings he gets up anywhere between 4 and 6 am to get me a bowl of cereal, and he is helping me around the house when I just feel too tired to do anything. I married a wonderful man:)

Every morning I wake up hoping my stomach has grown enough for other people to tell, haha. But it hasn't yet. I think I can definitely tell a difference though. My pants are just starting to get a little snug. I can't wait until I have a little bump:) Adam did take a picture last night of me. See if you can see the tiniest baby bump:

 When I was giving blood the other day, I had a very emotional "defining" moment, if you will. I can take a lot of pain, and drawing blood is usually ok for me, but for some reason when the nurse stuck my arm  to draw blood that day, it was quite painful. In that moment, I thought to myself, "I would do ANYTHING for this baby. I would endure any pain and harship if it meant keeping my baby safe." Immediately after thinking that, God spoke to my heart. It was like He was saying, "Monica, that is how I feel about you. I did endure the most painful experience because I love you, and I would do it all over again." It is amazing to see how much God is teaching both Adam and me about who we are, and His love for us, through our ever-growing love for our baby. We serve a God who loves us beyond measure, who endured the unthinkable on our behalf. Praise God!

New Beginnings

It never ceases to amaze me how perfect God's timing is. This fall has been full of several new beginnings. I recently started a part-time job that I am able to do from home, just a few hours a day. I work with churches all over the country helping them implement their pre-school curriculum. Our church uses this curriculum, and I so believe in it that talking about it with other churches who are just starting to use it excites me!

Also, I joined the Community Bible Study (CBS) in our area. I take care of the older home-school students as their moms meet and study the bible. Another day of the week I meet with about 20 very Godly women who are also on the leadership team of CBS and we go through our bible study. And of course, as the Lord would have it, the theme of this year's CBS bible study is "New Beginnings"!

But perhaps the most amazing new beginning God has started in Adam and my life is our new little blessing! About three weeks ago I found out I was pregnant. I woke up that Sunday morning just feeling different. I can't explain the feeling. I've heard other women say, "you just know." And they are right. I "just knew". That night I took a pregnancy test, and it very quickly turned positive! Here is a picture Adam took of me that night, not necessarily the best belly shot, but we have 9 months to get that shot just perfect:)

About a week ago we went to the Dr. for our first appointment! Everything was so exciting! Even giving the bazillion viles of blood was exciting because it was apart of being pregnant! We did get to see our little bundle of joy on the ultrasound, and we heard his/her heartbeat, which the Dr. said was very healthy! Here is pic of our little baby:Please keep us in your prayers as we go through this incredible journey! "For You created my inmost being. You knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise You for I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Psalm 139: 13- 14.