Mother's Day 2016

Yesterday I celebrated my first Mother's Day as a mom. No, our baby hasn't been born yet. But I consider myself a mom already. :-) Here's me and my baby girl.

And, yes, we have decided on a name - Claire. She is due in one month! Hard to believe it's that close. We have a pack-n-play with a bassinet set up in our room, baby clothes size newborn to 3 months washed and put in her closet, and a few freezer meals ready. At my 35 week check-up, Claire was head down and had a good heartbeat. I hope she stays head down.
I'm feeling pretty good. I added beef to my diet because I found out I'm anemic. And I'm eating something with Vitamin C in it, whenever I eat something with iron in it (vitamin C helps you absorb iron). I was going to get a prescription iron supplement, but found out how much it costs and it is way too expensive. So, I'm trying to increase my iron naturally by eating more iron-rich foods.
Also I am prepping my body for an unmedicated labor. Eating dates and drinking Raspberry Leaf tea every day has been known to help make labor easier, so that's what I'm doing. The plan is to have Claire at a birthing center, which is really nice. I'm both excited and nervous about childbirth. It will be quite an adventure!

Ok, back to Mother's Day.
We went to the Daniel Stowe gardens with Quentin's parents. The flowers were pretty, but there were /so/ many people there. (all moms got free admission) We still had fun though. :-)

 

This is me and Andrea, my beautiful mother-in-law. She truly is my second mom. I enjoy spending time with her, she gives great advice, and she never fails to point me to Jesus and the gospel. I'm so thankful for how easily she has accepted me into her family and treats me as her own daughter. And I'm extremely grateful for the values and wisdom that she instilled in Quentin while she raised him. My husband is amazing because his mom did an amazing job of bringing him up in the Way he should go. I love you, Andrea!


(Yes, the following picture is edited. I thought it was a cool effect.)

Me and my gorgeous mom. Apart from Quentin, Mom is my favorite person to spend time with. She gives the best advice, is extremely generous, and always knows how to put a smile on my face. I could make a 100 page list of all the reasons I love Mom and am thankful for her. Here are just a few:

• she homeschooled me from kindergarten to high school graduation. I loved being able to do school at home, since I could wear mostly whatever I wanted and got to spend more time with her and my siblings.  
• she taught me to cook, bake, clean, sew, and all the other little things involved in taking care of a house and a husband. I really appreciate being able to learn from a stay-at-home mom all my life.
• she was there for me, always willing to talk when I was having panic attacks. That was probably my least favorite phase of my life, but it definitely helped me knowing that I could call her whenever I needed her to talk through my anxiety.
• she was and still is my advocate, always for me. She is genuinely excited for me when I share about something I'm excited about, and encourages me to "go for it" when I tell her about something new I want to try.
• she loves me unconditionally, no matter how much I mess up or forget to show her my appreciation for her. I will only fully understand her love for me when my daughter is born. There is no love like a mother's love.

I love you so much, Mom!

Anniversary Trip and Baby update

Quentin and I celebrated our 1 year wedding anniversary on Monday. Hard to believe it's been a whole year since we said our vows. A lot has happened in this first year of marriage! Quentin went from working a night-shift job and a day job, to working just one day job (a job doing what he likes best - landscape design). We bought an SUV. We paid off all credit card and loan dept, so we're dept free. (Hooray!) We took 3 big road trips to visit family. I got pregnant. We adopted our 2nd kitty, Tucker. And we bought our first house.
What a busy year!

We celebrated by spending a night away in Tryon, NC. The bed and breakfast where we spent the night was the same one we stayed at on our wedding night last year. The breakfast there is really amazing, and the staff are great. We had fun exploring downtown Tryon the day we were there. The town has some pretty cool shops and antique stores. Quentin was sweet and bought me a pair of earrings as an anniversary gift. :)

The log cabin on the right is where we stayed this weekend. The cottage on the left side is where we stayed on our wedding night last year. Pretty cool!

The horse of Tryon, NC. 

Cool stone clock tower downtown.

 Tryon is a cute town. :)

Obligatory selfie. We've been happily married for one year!

It's a bike rack that's shaped like a bike.

Also while we were there, we visited Pearson's Falls. It's only a 0.25 mile walk/hike up to the waterfall, so it was easy enough for me.

And, on our way home, we stopped to play bowling. We've been wanting to do something fun like that together, so our anniversary vacation was the perfect excuse. Quentin won both games we played, but I still had fun. :-)

Overall, it was the best way to spend our anniversary weekend. I loved getting away with just Quentin, able to relax and enjoy time together.


So, now I'm 29 weeks pregnant. Only 11 more to go. Crazy.
I took my glucose tolerance test last week. My results came back normal - no gestational diabetes! But I had a few other things tested, and my iron levels are low. That would explain why my muscles have been more tired than usual the past few weeks. I ordered an iron supplement, and it should come in the mail soon.

Baby girl is moving a lot, and has a strong heartbeat of 150. She moves so much sometimes, that I can actually see my belly moving. It's kinda surreal. But it's one of my favorite things.

I've enjoyed people asking me questions about my baby, now that I clearly have a baby bump. It's fun sharing my excitement with strangers. Quentin and I are going to our first birthing class tonight. Not sure what to expect, but it probably will be helpful.

Here's another belly picture. It's inside the cabin we stayed at this past weekend.

Hope everyone has a blessed Easter weekend!


 

21 weeks!

Hard to believe I'm now 21 weeks along. It's gone by so fast! The biggest change is that I can feel some fluttering in my belly, which is our baby moving. It's pretty amazing. :) Also, my nausea has gone away, which is very nice, and I have a bit more energy.
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At my last ultrasound, the tech lady found that the placenta moved up some. So it's no longer low-lying. I'm extremely thankful for that, 'cause that means I can go back to normal activities and not be super careful. Praise the Lord for a good report!

Also at the last ultrasound, the tech lady determined the gender of our baby. And,

I'm having a mini me! :) We're so excited! I am super excited that I get to raise a daughter! :)

Here's a belly picture. So far, I like being pregnant.

Baby update, and other changes

These past several weeks have flown by! So many fun happenings and changes.

I'm 15 weeks pregnant now, so I'm done with the first trimester. According to the internet, our baby is roughly the size of an apple now. :) And, I have a small baby bump. This makes me super happy!

I actually did a penny gender prediction test the other day, just for fun. (old wives' tale) You lick your thumb, rub it on a penny, and hold it to a wall for 30 seconds. If it falls right away, you're having a boy, if it sticks, you're having a girl. I tried with 3 separate pennies, and they all fell. It would be cool if it actually was correct, but we will find out for sure in about 3 weeks.

I had some bleeding 2 weeks ago, which scared me. I went to the doctor the next day, and the baby is good. The placenta is extremely close to my cervix, though it's not placenta previa. The doctor told me to take it easy, and not do too much until my next ultrasound in January. Hopefully the placenta will move away from my cervix at that time. I am super thankful that baby is ok! God is merciful and good.


Thanksgiving was fun. We got to have 2 separate meals, one with each side of the family. Yes, it was a lot of food, but the meals were 5 hours apart, so it was ok. Loved seeing everyone! :)

On December 1, Quentin and I became homeowners! God provided us with the perfect house. It has a big yard - almost a half acre - is outside city limits, has a big master bedroom, a nice fireplace, and a wrap-around porch. The previous owners even left a good size swing/slide playset out back. It feels like we've lived here longer than 2 weeks, 'cause it's such a good fit for us.

Isn't it cute?

We decorated our Christmas tree, put lights outside, and decorated the mantle. All we need are some stockings, then we'll be finished. I'm excited for our first Christmas in this house and our first Christmas married. 

One more new thing for us. We adopted a kitten! :) 

His name is Tucker. He is 10 weeks old, full of energy when he's awake, and loves to cuddle when he sleeps. He can be feisty and get into things he shouldn't, but overall it's been fun getting to know him. :) We do still have Mabel, we've had her for a year now. Mabel isn't too happy with the new arrival. We're hoping that the two kitties learn to get along soon.

God has blessed us so much!

It's a Bird, It's a Plane, No Wait It's a.....

Baby!

It's still hard to believe that this picture is real. I am pregnant. What???? Crazy!

Quentin and I went for our first ultrasound yesterday. It was so amazing! We could actually see the baby's brain, and it's tiny heart. We also got to hear the heartbeat, which helped to confirm to me that there is actually another living person inside me. The nurse said the heartbeat is good and strong. :) Also, the baby measured at the right length for how far along I am (10 weeks). God is so kind.

So, down to the fun details.

Estimated Due Date: June 7, 2016

Weight Gain: Haven't gained any weight so far. But I think that's usual when your only 10 weeks pregnant. I'm looking forward to seeing my belly grow, and be able to take pictures for you all. Mom thinks I'll look cute with a baby bump.

Morning Sickness/Nausea: By God's amazing grace and blessing, I've had very mild nausea most days, and no vomiting at all. There were a few times where it got worse for like an hour or two, but over all I'm feeling pretty decent. :)

Food Cravings: Oh my goodness, I cannot get enough savory food right now! I crave hamburgers, peanut butter, cheddar cheese, fried eggs, Chick-fil-A waffle fries, and guacamole. Mmm. But of course, I make myself eat salad and other veggies and fruits, to keep myself healthy. I still like fruits and veggies, but they're not as satisfying as savory food.

Gender Prediction: I think it's a boy. I looked at the Chinese Lunar Calendar, and it said it was a boy. (not saying it's 100% accurate) And supposedly when you have a boy, you have less nausea and crave more salty foods. But whichever gender our baby is, I will be thrilled. Every baby is a good gift from God!


I'm so excited to be on this next chapter of life! I'll try to keep you updated as much as possible.
God is awesome!  

Moving on

We helped Mom and Dad move yesterday, into a nice rental house. It was sad moving them out of the old house. They've lived there since I was about 7. Pretty much all of my childhood memories are from stuff we did at that house. We set up a few haunted houses in the basement, pretended we were Indians after swimming in our pool, played with Legos and Playmobiles for hours at a time, and had many super fun birthday, Christmas, and Thanksgiving celebrations there.

 

It really was a great house to grow up in. :)
And yesterday was the last time we got to be there.

But we will move on. We (particularly me) must not dwell on the past, holding on to it and wishing things would stay as they were before. Instead, we should accept the fact that change is inevitable, look back on our childhood memories with fondness, and move on.
The future is bright.    

Day 30

I read Psalm 18 the other day, and thought it was really good. The first 3 verses are probably my favorite of the chapter. It goes like this.
"I love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies."
It's hard to explain, but these verses are very comforting to me. I guess it's because it's saying how strong God is, and that I will be safe if I lean in to Him and rely on Him.

Today is the 30th day in a row that I've posted on here. Yay! :) I gave myself a challenge and I rose to it. Now if I could just do the same thing for exercising....

Day 29

Today is this handsome man's 30th birthday!

There is so much I could say about Quentin. He's my best friend, my lover, my encourager, my confidant, my leader, my darling. He is kind, patient, gentle, loving, honest, gracious, hard-working, others-focused. He's always there for me when I need him. He takes the time to get to know me well. He challenges me to live for Jesus and do things that would please God, and he is never harsh when he does this.

Quentin favorite things include coffee, plants, hugs, church, spending time with family, reading Scripture, cuddling with me on the couch, teasing our cat about being chubby, and doing special things for me. He has a wonderful sense of humor and is not afraid to laugh at himself. He is extremely loyal and faithful, and has never made me doubt this for a second.

Quentin, my sweetheart, I am beyond grateful for you. I'm thankful that God created you, brought you into this world 30 years ago, and shaped you into the man you are today. I'm humbled that God chose you specifically to be the one who is my husband. You are far beyond what I deserve or could have imagined. You are one of the very best things that happened to me. I love you more than I can say.

Happy birthday!