16 Weeks Update!

Sorry for the sleepiness, messy hair, and terrible art skills this week! I'm tired tonight! haha

How far along?: 16 Weeks on Monday!

Size of baby?: The size of an avocado!

Maternity Clothes?: Yes. Love them. I need a few more pairs of pants for school! (But we only have a few more weeks left of school!!!)

Stretch Marks?: None yet. But I’ve been smelling like a chocolate bar every time I use my cocoa butter.

Sleep?: I’m still sleeping really good except for the trips to the bathroom. Fun Fun!

New Symptoms?: Dry hands! Hopefully increasing my water intake (bad for my bladder) and cocoa butter will help!

Fun Moments this week:

·          Our doctor's appointment on Friday.... No ultrasound, but glad to hear that sweet little heartbeat!  

·         Dreaming, doodling, and losing time wondering if Baby L is a boy or girl.

o   This week I dreamed that I got to put a precious baby to sleep and as soon as they drifted of to sleep, I had to get up for school. It was sweet while it lasted!

·         Finding amazing fabric and pattern’s online for inspiration or the nursery! (I can’t wait to get started!)

·         Finishing State Testing at school this past week! Such a relief for me and my students!

Food Cravings?: Ever since I found out I was pregnant I had been eating 2 Eggo waffles EVERY morning for breakfast. About 2 weeks ago I started craving my all-time favorite cereal, Special K Red Berries. So now every morning for breakfast I have: a huge bowl of Special K, strawberry-banana yogurt, Simply Orange Orange-Mango juice, and my prenatal vitamin. Yum!

And lots + lots of COLD water!

Movement: I read that some women start feeling their baby move as early as 16 weeks, but EVERY pregnancy is different. Last week on Tuesday, I was 15 weeks and 2 days. I really think I felt the baby for the first time! Everyone has told me at first it feels like a “popcorn” sensation or gas bubbles, and that is exactly how I would describe what I felt! It happened once during the day at school… I completely blew it off the first time, but then when I laid down to go to sleep that night, I felt the same sensation! It was really cool, I just can’t wait to feel it again and know for sure!

Weight Gain: I haven't’ noticed anymore….

Exciting Accomplishments this week: We STILL haven’t hung up the iron/wood work I found for the living room and dining room… maybe this week it will happen. Haha

I DID finish the laundry last weekend! What an accomplishment! 

Worries: With being pregnant there is a lot of STUFF going on inside my head! I’m sure that’s thanks to some hormone my body is pumping out right now. Haha

Besides worrying about the HUGE question’s of : “CAN I DO THIS?,” “Can I really be a mom?”, “Will I be a good mom?”  I do have a few specific concerns:

·         How am I going to be able to keep the house clean, keep up with laundry, cook meals, grocery shop, AND take care of a baby? (I can BARELY handle the first 4 right now without a baby!)

·         Will I have ANY energy to do all of the above? Plus, fun things?

·         Probably my biggest worry : How will I go back to work, with our precious baby at home with someone else?

This is what keeps coming back to my mind EVERY time I start to really WORRY & STRESS over these things:

WORRY implies that we don’t quite trust that God is big enough, powerful enough, or loving enough to take care of what's happening in our lives.

STRESS says that the things we are involved in are important enough to merit our impatience, our lack of grace towards others, or our tight grip of control. 

-       Francis Chan, Crazy Love

I love this quote. I’m so glad it keeps coming back to me. I’m sure it will be needed again and again throughout this journey. It’s easy to worry & stress over things and let Satan win the battle of our minds and tell us that we can’t do it. THANKFULLY God is in control and he gives us only what we can handle… thank goodness for that. I could be having twins! Haha and I could have a husband who wouldn’t help me… But I do have a helping husband and he would do anything for me. Ok, I had just forgotten I’m blessed. Sometimes I have to talk myself out of my craziness. haha

Looking Forward to:   

• Em’s shower this weekend! Seeing Em, Ryan, Em’s family, and AUNT NELWYN!! Major catch up weekend!
• Landscaping our front yard with my Mom!
• Gender Reveal Party! 
• Summer! 21 SCHOOL DAYS OF LEFT!  

Random Update:

This past weekend, Nehemiah & I went to Woodlake, TX to spend some time with our friends Banjo & Lauren and their sweet 11 week old baby, Jake. It was so great to catch up with them and relax! Lauren & I went to Lufkin on Saturday and enjoyed some Mexican food, an AMAZING pedicure (Essie Fifth Avenue is my new favorite nail polish color! For those that know me, know that it's a BIG deal that I didn't get OPI Cajun Shrimp!!! First time in a LONNNNG time... but it's VERY similar...lol), and a Target trip! Can't get much better than that!

We spent the evening watching What to Expect When You're Expecting with our husband's... they weren't quite as enthused as Lauren & I were. I decided that it is now one of my FAVORITE movies!!! So funny and very emotional! I cried about 5 different times!!!

I also really enjoyed holding, feeding, burping, and changing little Jake! He was so sweet & happy!!!! He slept in my arms the ENTIRE movie!! He was so precious! I'm so glad I got some sweet baby time!!! Next up, little Miss Karis in just a few short weeks!!!!!!! Banjo & Lauren were so encouraging! I thanked them for being so positive about parenthood! Sometimes I get overwhelmed with all of the negative things people tell us about being parents!

We came home on Sunday afternoon and planted our vegetable garden!! We have tomatoes, cucumbers, & okra growing!!! Hoping for a successful year!

Thanks so much for reading my blog!! It means so much to me to read your comments and hear the sweet compliments! I enjoy doing this so much! I'm looking forward to being able to look back and remember these fun moments! Thanks for loving us and being so supportive!