Exciting News!

This is a precious picture of what our baby should look like right about now! He or she is just about the size of a peach. Of course all pictures are averages, but isn't it fun to see a glimpse of the uknown:)
Well we have some really exciting news- but I'll get to that in a moment! Yesterday I had my third doctor's appointment, and it went very very well. The sweet nurse, who is pregnant and as far along as me, swept the doppler over my tummy so we could hear the baby's heartbeat. She had trouble at first getting to the heartbeat because she said my little baby kept moving! How precious right?!? I mean I know my baby is movinig, but to have her confirm that melted my heart.  Anyway, his/ her little heartbeat was very healthy-152 beats per minute to be exact. It actually cracked me up that she could even find it. Everytime she said, "Can you hear that!?" I couldn't! haha...but after much trying, I was able to clearly hear that tiny beat of life! My doctor then came in and immediately asked me, "So how does it feel to be in your second trimester?" Which threw me for a loop, considering I've been counting how far along I am according to the last ultrasound, and according to my counting I was a few days shy of my second trimester. He laughed when I asked him what he was talking about. He then proceeded to explain to me that I've been a little too meticulous with my counting! And if you know me, that sounds about right considering I overanalyze everything! He went on to explain that the only ultrasounds that are pretty close to being perfectly accurate are the really really early ones. After that, he said babies grow at slightly different rates. So even if they had 10 ultrasounds done on me, each one would predict a different due date. All of this made sense to me, since some babies are twice the size as others when they are born. Anyway, so I've been assuming I was 12.5 weeks counting from how big the baby measured at the last ultrasound. But my Dr. said that since my last LMP (for the sake of any male readers, I won't explain; you can look that up if you don't know what it is) was only 4 days in variation from the ultrasound, we can assume I'm right on track, which is 13 ish weeks!!! He said that he and I have to be on the same page, so I've gotta quit telling people I'm in the 12th week when I'm halfway into the 13th week. Of course, I was thrilled, and wholeheartedly aggreed to quit counting, and just trust him when he says I'm almost 13 and a half weeks!
Now, on to the very exciting news!! I then asked my doctor when the big ultrasound would be, where we could find out the gender, and to my ultimate suprise, he said he does those ultrasounds between 17-18 weeks!! So...he said I'll be able to find out at my NEXT APPOINTMENT!!!! Which is in about a month! I was so sure I would have to wait until 20 weeks, so my analyzing self asked, "Are you sure you can determine the sex of the baby that early?" And he said that they have never in his history of working with the ultrasound tech women he works with, have ever made a mistake when determining the gender at 17-18 weeks! So that's when he does it. I was so excited that I let out a little scream! I told him he made my day, and he just laughed:) I hope you can sense my excitement as I type this! The second I walked out of the office I called Adam, so he could be just as excited as I was! We are thrilled!!! Only a few more weeks before we can know more about this precious baby I'm carrying!
I plan on taking another belly shot this weekend, but I'm not sure much has changed this week. I'm still doing really well though, enjoying this beautiful fall weather, looking forward to Christmas. Please keep us in your prayers! Be blessed!

Super-Sensitive Tear Ducts:)...12 weeks

I am home!! And so is my husband:) Being gone 7 days felt like a month! But don't get me wrong; I LOVED the entire week! I met some of the most amazing people at the reThink Group, and Adam and I sat in some inspiring sessions at Catalyst. Let me give you a few highlights of the week:

* meeting the 6 other PDD's who do what I do for reThink
* meeting with the geniuses who write the curriculum for reThink
* hearing Rob Bell and learning that I won't covet someone else's life until I am completely satisfied with my own
*hearing Pricilla Shirer and learning that I have treasures given to me at the point of salvation that I've yet to uncover
*watching a Kenyan man reunite with the kind gentleman who had sponsored him for 19 years through compassion, and who ultimately introduced him to Christ (I was a sloppy mess, and everyone else in the arena was crying when we watched these men meet each other for the first time)
*taking communion with 15,000 plus people

An event like the Catalyst Conference that I worked at and Adam attended is hard to fully describe. At times in the arena, I felt like I had stepped into heaven. I cannot express how full I felt hearing thousands of people praising God at the same time, and most of the people were men. There is something about watching grown men humbly worshipping God that brings tears to my eyes. I spent a few  moments just watching my husband worship. I think everytime I watch him praise Jesus, I fall in love with him even more. Adam's heart is absolutely like none-other; I am one blessed girl! Another time I watched this woman, who seemed to be slow, worship Jesus like no one else was in the room. When I saw her, my heart melted and I cried again. (Are you seeing a theme? I cried at least 3 times each day!) Every day this past week I felt so privileged to be apart of the experience. The final night, all 15,000 of us took the Lord's supper together. That moment took my breath away. I kept picturing our Heavenly Father looking down upon all of us who were all looking up at Him. The Lord captured my heart yet again, and I prayed the entire week that one day our sweet child will meet Jesus and know Him the way Adam and I know Him. That will be a GREAT day!:)

Onto the baby updates....other than being tired and still being somewhat hungry, I feel pretty good. I can tell that my tear ducts are super sensitive:) Apparently that's from the hormonal overload I am experiencing. But, I can handle that, and thankfully, so can Adam! And I'm sleeping better through the night, not waking up hungry as often as I use to. I can't yet identify huge cravings, but I'm still opposed to plain chicken and sliced wheat bread, and now some creamy things like Spinach Cheese dip seems a little hard for me to swallow. But we'll see! Adam is with some of our students right now, so I had to try to take a picture of my belly by myself using the self timer. Here is the best shot I could get:

So there you go, that's me at a little over 12 weeks! Our little baby is about the size of a lime right now. Isn't that amazing:) I read that if I prod at my tummy, our little baby will squirm in response, even though I can't feel it yet. Also, this week, our baby's reflexes are developing. One day, his knee will jerk just like the rest of ours!  I have another appointment this week, where I should be able to hear the baby's heartbeat again! I think that's all of our news for now. Oh! This weekend Adam and I are pumpkin shopping! And here's a little secret....Adam has never carved a pumpkin! So we will do that together on Saturday! I hope you are all doing well. Please keep the three of us in your prayers! God bless:)

Busy, busy, busy!....11 weeks

In about 20 minutes I am leaving to go out of town for a week, and I'm pumped, not about being away from Adam for 7 days (which we have NEVER done), but about what I'm going to do. I'm headed out today for the mountains in North Georgia, where me and 7 other ladies who also work for reThink Group are going to have a retreat. I've heard nothing but great things about these women, and I'm excited to learn more about the job that I am doing. If you don't know what  I do, I work part-time from home, meaning I haven't actually met all of the women going this weekend (we are scattered over the US). The company I work for produces church curriculum for pre-school, elementary, and student ministries for churches. Well there is WAY more to it than curriculum; it's more of a mindset and vision for the church and family. Anyway, we will have our retreat for a few days. Then we are headed to work the Catalyst Conference in Atlanta. And Adam and one of his friends will be going to that conference, so I'll get to see my hubby :) I feel so incredibly blessed to do what I do, be able to meet the wonderful people I'm meeting, and partner with churches who are excited about the new way they are doing ministry.

On another topic, I am still feeling pretty good! I'm still hungry quite often, but I feel like I moved into the realm of most foods tasting quite yummy now!  Adam took another belly shot of me last night, exactly 11 weeks.

My next appt. is in about a week and a half! Yay! I know God is just growing and protecting this baby, and I can't wait to meet this little one. I'm not sure if I will be able to post anymore this week, but I will try! I hope you all have a great weekend:) God bless!

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.