29 Weeks (17P Injections)*

This week has gone by without any side effects! I'm so happy to have more posts that say no side effects then posts that do! My dad has given me my injection the past 2 weeks because Bobby has been at work. bobby feels relieved! He hates giving them to me. He tells me how sorry he is each time before he sticks me. It really doesn't hurt THAT bad. But he feels like he is hurting me. How sweet is he?? My dad, on the other hand, well. . . . He is a paramedic so he gives shots all the time! Ha!

Our little Butternut Squash (we just planted these in the garden, cool coincidence or weird correlation?) is weighing in at 2.5 pounds and 15 inches! I have started feeling movement in two different place in my tummy at the same time! His/her head is getting bigger to accommodate their growing brain. Every day 200mg of calcium is being deposited in to the baby's skeleton! no wonder I have been craving milk! Thank you Costco for the deals you give on milk in bulk! My stomach has been tightening more and more often. It seems to be brought on by activity. Walking, even to the end of our street, vacuuming and sweeping really get it going. The Doctor says when that happens I need to stop what I am foing and sit down to let it re;ax. So far, it has not stayed tight for longer then 20-30 minutes. Thank you Jesus!! However, I do need some prayer in the patience department. I get so frustrated with myself when I can't get my wife/SAHM tasks done. 

We are trying to prepare Jeremy to be a big brother. We talk about the baby often and tell him what's involved with the Hefty task. We took a friend who just had a baby a meal this week. I was telling him how that was like the baby in Mommy's tummy. He studied her for a while. When we were leaving I told him, "Say Bye-Bye baby." MISTAKE! Now each time we talk about the baby he says, "Bye bye baby!" Oy! Oh well, I guess he will cope, just as all of us first children have to when another child comes along! I am SO treasuring my time left with just Jeremy. I snuggle a little longer, play ball all day long, get extra kisses and hugs when he allows me to! 

I just love this photo of him! 

28 Week Update (17P Injection)*

12 more weeks to go! And 8 more injections. They are going smoothly. I haven't had any side effects this week. Yay!!

Baby Update

The time change was this week, so the sun is right in these shots! We'll have to adjust that! Jeremy is getting so used to holding the sign The reason it's on the ground is because he was insisting it be facing him while he smiled! He is such a character! I will be posting a blog soon about all his cute little quirks! Ok on to the baby. . . I have been having a tightening. What I think is Braxton Hicks but we went to the doctor this week and he doesn't think that's the case. He says it's too soon (especially for me). It seems to be triggered by activity (ie: vacuuming 1 room!, sweeping the porch, walking to the end of our street.) Which is getting me frustrated! I still have responsibilities to do around the house but I also want to be very cautious. But nor too cautious, where it turns into being paranoid. It's such a hard balance. I just keep praying for patience. I need to rest in that God has a plan for this baby. He is in control of the situation, NOT me! 

It's time for the stats:

How far along? 28 Weeks

Total weight gain: A whopping . . . 16 pounds. I had gained 18 with J, at 34 weeks.
Maternity clothes? Mostly in ALL maternity clothes! 
Stretch marks? Nope! Yay!
Miss Anything? I miss eating Brie & Feta cheese! Not worrying about an activity causing my stomach to tighten up. 
Movement: All the time! This baby is pretty much non-stop.
Food cravings: Not so much. I'm still not really interested in meat. I'd rather have a huge crunchy salad. 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope!
Gender: Still not finding out until birthday!
Labor Signs: Only the tightness but that's not considered labor, yet. 

Symptoms: Hips still.
Belly Button in or out? Still in but threatening me each day!
Wedding rings on or off? ON! Woo-Hoo
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!
Looking forward to: Watching Jeremy become a Big brother. I think he is going to have a little trouble adjusting but he will grow into his new role.

Differences from Jeremy's pregnancy: I don't feel as attached to this baby as I did Jeremy when I was pregnant. Maybe it's the "2nd child" thing, not hte first pregnancy. Maybe it's because we don't know if it's a boy or girl. Maybe I'm trying to hang on to the time I have left with only J (<--- not maybe, I am savoring the time!)

And now for the Measurements:

Since being 6 weeks pregnant

Tummy popped out 4.5"

Hips have widened 2.5" <-- No wonder the pain! I worry my pre-prego pants will not fit after this one! 

Chest has grown 3.5" <-- I went up 3 cup sizes and milk hasn't even come in yet! Oy Vey! i'm blaming it on the progesterone with high hopes the will stay after nursing! 

Compare with Jeremy's pregnancy at 28 weeks:
                  Jeremy             Baby Duce               Difference
Tummy:    38"                   37"                           -1"
Hips:         37"                   39.5"                        +2.5"
Chest:       36"                   38.5"                        +2.5"
Weight:                             151lbs

Fun at the Gym*

There is a gymnastics place close by that has a time called "Pop and Play." 

It's $4 for an hour of the kids running and doing whatever they like on all the equipment. 

They have a GIANT slide that lands in a foam pit! Jeremy had SO much fun.

We have thee cutest kid!!

Jesus Loves Him*

This picture series is so precious to me! We have kids come to our small group the last Wednesday of each month. This month one of the guys brought his guitar and the kids loved it. He are Bobby and J singing Jesus loves me, complete with the hand motions! 

"Jesus Loves me"

"They are weak, He is STRONG!"

"JESUS LOVES ME"

"YES..."

Our Little Helper*

Decorating a package for Uncle Dillin

If there is a task to be done, Jeremy is RIGHT there! I mean at your feet with his "tool" for the occassion. And he is a pretty good helper, I must say. He doesn't get in the way, he simply mimics what we are doing! He is learning some great traits that are sure to make him an excellent husband in the future, just like his Daddy! Here's a few snap shots:

He shops

he blow dries my hair!

He dusts

He bakes

He gardens

He's a fixer

He mows the dirt! 

He shovels!

He screws the fence together!

Then there are the Big Brother duties he will have!

Faith Like a Child (Guest Writer)*

We have heard this phrase many times! But how true is it?? Seeing the joy in Jeremy's eyes when we start to sing "Jesus Loves Me." Or when we are at the fire station for dinner and Sierra is appalled that they start eating before saying grace, "Hey guys, we have to pray! Didja forget." It really makes me think about how unashamed they are to share their love for God. I, on the other hand, struggle with this. Even to the point that it's hard to blog about it for fear that someone out there who does not believe in God will be offended! I have to remember this is my time to share what God has put on my heart.

All that being said I heard an amazing story of Child-like faith from a dear friend! I asked her to write it out so I could feature her as a guest writer! My first ever! Isn't she special?? Definitely!  So here is the story of Ethan's plea for God to forgive him, via his mommy's account of the day. Thank you so much Danielle for you willingness to do this!

Tuesday morning usually consist of dropping my son, Ethan, off at preschool, quickly heading over to bible study with my baby girl, Angelina, then backtracking to my original destination, to pick Ethan back up. Little did I know that on this particular Tuesday I would be in the path of the divine and witness something that truly influenced not only my faith but also the very core of the relationship I have with God. 

As I proceeded down the hall to Ethan’s classroom I could already recognize my sons cry. As I walked up to his teacher she began to tell me all about his day and what he learned, but to my surprise didn’t acknowledge the fact that from behind her stood Ethan, hysterically crying. Usually his teacher is on top of relaying any information that I should know about which left me even more perplexed. I asked, “Why is Ethan crying?” She began to shake her head and explain to me that he had been crying for over twenty minutes and no one knew why. Evidently, it all began when he started to crumple his papers and his teacher took them away, to keep him from ruining them. I thought this was all very strange considering that Ethan is not a crier and there is usually a very good reason for his tears.

     As soon as we walked out of the building, I got down to his level and began to ask him why he was so sad. At this point, he began to cry even harder and all I could do was comfort him. We walked to the car and began driving home all the while I continued to investigate his day by asking him anything I could think of that would get him to open up. Suddenly in the midst of his sobbing he softly said, “I’m sad because I yelled at my teachers again”. Ethan has struggled with anger in the past, my husband and I have prayerfully tried our best to guide him in the ways of the Lord by teaching him that we are to consider others more important than ourselves and to show God’s love and grace to all whom the the Lord puts in our path. Ethan has been so diligent in practicing this and we haven’t had to broach this subject for a while. On this particular day, God had other plans!

     Now I could have begun lecturing him on the importance of respecting authority figures or started to quickly think of a way to effectively discipline him so this didn’t happen again. Instead, I felt the Lord tugging on my heart to redeem this moment for His glory. I obediently pulled the car over to the side of the road, turned around, looked into the eyes of my son and began to speak words of grace. I reminded him of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross for our sins and how the Lord doesn’t desire sacrifice from us, but only a humble heart. I spoke to him about the beautiful humble heart I saw the Lord creating in him and how the Lord loved him no matter what sins he committed. That’s when Ethan began to pray. It started off soft and muffled, but soon grew to loud cries unto the Lord to help him in his struggles. 

"God please help me" 

"Lord Father please help me." 

Listening to the authenticity in his voice and watching the vulnerability that he showed, I was consumed with not only my own need for a savior, but for the world’s. 

How many of us struggle every day with the feelings of never being good enough or the turmoil of facing the fact that, yet again, we have failed? 

We all do, and the devastating reality is that we deny ourselves from ever truly being loved by a God that will NEVER give up on us. We have a Savior who promises to love us in our darkest moments and if that isn’t enough, he also promises to redeem our brokenness and begin a great work in us that will ultimately bring a peace that is beyond all human understanding. How desperately we need him and need to receive his grace, daily. My three year old son understands this, unfortunately, I, myself and many others do not. I have been a follower of Christ almost my whole life and have never truly understood the depth of what Christ has done for me and my desperate need for Him until this day. As I said in the beginning God had other plans this particular Tuesday afternoon.

26 & 27 Week Update (17P Injections)*

I guess I forgot to post last week! Opps. . . I have been having night sweats, not every night and Bobby pinpointed it as the day after the injection. We will have to add that to the list of side-effects. it's getting worse as the weeks go on. Last week I went through 3 PJ changes and 3 towels on the bed in one night. BUT still worth it to have a full-term, happy baby!

Baby Update

The baby's ears are more developed this week! He/she can not only hear my voice clearly but also Bobby's! Baby can is inhaling amniotic fluid to practice to continue develop their lungs. Weighing in at a pound and 2/3 and measuring 14 inches, the baby is growing so well!!

I am feeling ok lately. Uncomfortable at times. Sleep is becoming more difficult. I'm getting tightening in my stomach when I am walking (even to the end of our street). Doctor says I need to be sitting down and resting when it comes up. My hips expanding have been pinching my sciatic nerve and causing me to lose balance every so often. I am getting a pregnancy massage tomorrow! Hallelujah!

My Hats*

     

     As we go along in life we wear different "hats" for the stage we are at. I've been thinking on the hats that I have had (daughter, student, employee, girlfriend, Nanny (2nd mom), fiance, teacher), have (wife, mommy), and will eventually have (not sure of these just yet). Within all these are subtitles. For instance: Wife also comes with helpmate, supporter, keeper of the home, etc. There are so many more and I plan to go into detail in future blogs by referring to Titus 2, Proverbs 31 and Ephesians 5.
      But none of these seems as important as being a Christian woman that stands up for God and raises her family to do what is good, right and true. Which in the end and simply put, all boils down to: LOVING PEOPLE. That's what the Bible teaches again and again. To simply, love people the way Christ loved the church. It seems simple, yet is a complicated task and a daily struggle for all of us. When there are days I am feeling down or overwhelmed by the task of teaching my children how to Love God by Loving people, I get on my knees and seek wisdom from "The Big Black Book." I will list a few places this simple. yet complicated task appears:

Leviticus 19:18

“Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against a fellow Israelite, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD."

^{Matthew 5:43}

“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!"

Matthew 22:38-40

"This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

Mark 12:31

"The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”

Galatians 5:14

"For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

     I have to confess that one of my daily struggles is adoring the title "Wife and Mommy," above being a Daughter of God. I am constantly needing reminder that I am, in this specific order:

1. Daughter of God

2. A wife

3.  Mommy. 

I will be following a study in the next few weeks being given online from Time Warp Wife going through the book of Esther (click there to see the study) to help me achieve the goal of keeping this list true in my life. Join me!