Week 25!

Well, I feel as if it is more real and real every day! Amelia loves to be active...which I have known from the beginning. However, I can FEEL her now. She loves to move around and kick her Mommy. Kevin did finally get to feel her kick the other day. We were enjoying laying out on a blanket in our backyard. I love living in Florida. Ahh beautiful 70 degree weather. :) On another note, last week I did find time to register. WOW! There are a lot of items that can be bought for a new born. I am excited for this week as we have Bible Conference at the college so it is a break from school and in God's Word with some amazing preachers. So that should be fun.

Not too much to report this week. I feel a little more back pain. Usually after teaching on my feet all day. Other than that..I find that I am hungry all the time! I don't always go for the most healthy items but I try. As far as cravings...if you want to eat items you have always liked does it count as a craving?? If so..I crave French Fries and Ice Cream. :) 

Hope you are having a good week! Here is a new picture of my growing bump. 

Rachel

Kicking, Cravings, and wait what was I doing again?

It has been WAY too long since my last update. I know. Life has just been a little crazy for me lately. So here is the recap:

Week 21 

Our church had revival services with Evangelist Palmer and his family. What an encouraging and refreshing time to once again be reminded how much I fall short of even being close to Christ's likeness! It really was a great time and I learned so many great lessons. The biggest being that I have to humble myself daily. Growing up in a good Christian home, going to church, AWANA, attending a Christian college, and now teaching there. I realized how clever and crafty Satan really is. It is something I have always known, but yet still find he is so easy to listen too, if I am not constantly guarding myself. Again, God taught me some great things about being humble and making sure I make time to spend time with Him every day!

As far as the pregnancy went, this week, I had a wonderful pregnant moment when I locked myself out of my house with no keys! Ha! It was very funny...and yes humbling. I tried calling people I knew who might know how to break into a house using a credit card, but alas no one was able to help me. I was on my way to go to Publix, so when I called my brother I asked if he would be willing to take me. He said yes, and so I did not have to wait outside (although it wasn't like it wasn't 68 degrees with a nice light breeze, it was a beautiful day) but time was not wasted as I was able to accomplish what I had set out to do. In fact the whole reason I was going to Publix was so that I could take advantage of a BOGO deal and coupons that I had printed for ICE CREAM!! Yes, I have found that I LOVE Ice Cream, I don't know if I would call it a "craving" seeing as how I have always liked Ice Cream, but regardless it still being February at the time, I figured if I was going to buy Ice Cream I would have to find a good deal. I did! I got One Pint of Starbucks Carmel Macchiato for only...drum roll please....  .08 cents each. :)

Week 22 & 23

God showed me once again that He still wants to use someone like me to further His kingdom! This last Sunday, I had the opportunity to show a little girl how she could know she was on her way to heaven! It was so amazing. :) After she went through what the Bible said she had to do to be saved, I told her that we were sister's because we were both a part of God's family. She gave me that look like, I don't know about that... so I told her. O.K. I am an older sister! She responded "yea! Definitely older!" :) Ha! I made it to the OLDER status. :) Oh it was so exciting to have another welcomed into God's family!

Still very busy with school! Hard to believe that we are almost half way there! Mid-Terms start next week. WOW!  Time is definitely passing quickly. What else is moving quickly, my little girl! She has answered her Pa's (my father) prayers and loves!! to move around at night. She makes me laugh, because she likes to hit/kick me in succession. She usually does it in groups of three and then waits for about 5 min or so and then hits/kicks me again. The funny part is that as soon as her Daddy puts his hand on my belly, she will stay still. Ha! Ha! Already paying games with Daddy. :) I am getting a little bit bigger each week. I will try to put some pictures up this weekend so you can see my growing belly. Until I find time to do this again, hope you are doing well. 

Rachel

Half Way There!

Wow! O.K. little behind in keep up with the blog so let me recap:

Week 19 - My Mom and Aunt Darlene had already scheduled a trip to visit us in the warmer Florida area. I am happy to report that while they did experience the fact that Florida can get "cold" we were able to provide them with a Saturday of 68. :) Well it just so happened that while they were here I had my ultrasound scheduled to find out what we were having. It was so great to have them here and Kevin's Mom got to come as well. 

Live Changing Experience:

The tech started and the first thing I was astounded with was the change in size! She (yea, I'm just going to say it here... She is a girl!!) In my mind, she was so big! Kevin later corrected me and said that at 11oz she was not big, but rather "more developed" than the last time we saw her. Whatever the correct term :) it was so incredible to watch her move around as the tech took pictures and described where she was. How is it that your heart can love someone so much without even meeting them?? It was great to watch her kick and punch inside of me. I still don't feel her little punches distinctly, but every once and while I can feel her moving around. More in the evenings than during the day. As I stood focused on the screen in front of me, the tech would make me laugh as she would point out that she kept her mouth open a majority of the time....hmmm?? I think she might be a talker?? Where might she get that from? She also liked to keep her little fits closed. The tech would poke on my belly to get her to do what we wanted. She did open one of her hands for a bit and we were able to get her fingers. When the tech tried to get her heart rate, surprise surprise she would not sit still and it took several tries but eventually she clocked in at 155mph. Again, so awe inspiring to listen to such a sound.

The verdict:

After the ultrasound, I met with the doctor who said everything looks great! However, due to my daughter's movement, the tech was not able to get a good picture of the heart and the eyes...so I get to have another one! It will be late March...oh bummer right?? I get to see that precious life once again. Yea! Sooo I know some of you are wondering.. what was Kevin's reaction?? He is so excited to be a Dad, but let's be honest he is a boy so naturally all guys want to have a boy...really though I think he is just worried that she will have him wrapped around his little finger. God knows exactly what He is doing and I have no doubt that a little girl is exactly what we both need. :)

Girl Clothes: 

Remember how I mentioned that my Mom & Aunt were down, well let's face it girl clothes are more fun to shop for...so we did. :) Meme (that is what my Mom will be called..pronounced meh-may not Me Me.) was so kind and gracious and bought some adorable outfits. One of my favorites is listed below. O.K. two of my favorites! It is not pink, but don't worry, there were plenty of pink clothes bought!! What a blessing to have people who care so much. 

Week 20:

So where am I know? Well, things are going good. I have the energy I need during the day to teach and come home and get ready for the next day. That is always a plus! I feel like I look pregnant. I can still fit into some of my old clothes, but they are snug. I am extremely thankful for belly bands as it is next to impossible to find nice, modest, and long maternity skirts. So I can continue to wear my current ones and the belly band let me grow in them. Other than my daughter loving to stomp on my bladder everything else seems to be just fine. Even the heartburn has made an exit. I still find it a little odd that I am not "craving" anything. Yes, I like to snack in the afternoon before dinner, but I never "crave" anything. So I guess that is a good thing. Speaking of odd, I have had some pretty odd dreams. None lately, but a couple of weeks ago...hmmm? Not sure what to make of those. If I have any more good ones, I will be sure to share. 

Thanks again for taking time to read what is happening in my life. Feel free to leave comments and I hope you have a great week. Until next time!

Week 18

 My little one oh how I love you already! :)

 Little bit bigger than last week.

 Kevin got jealous and wanted his belly to be pictured!

 Hmm? Which one are you?

Well...here are more photos! Only 2 weeks left until I am half way done. :) Let's see what has been different this week? Well...school has begun so I guess my biggest complaint is that my feet hurt! I stand a majority of the day as I stand while teaching. Hopefully that will help strengthen  my muscles. God has been good in providing the energy I need so far. I think my body was trying to fight something the other night though, because I got home around 3pm and my husband woke me up around 7pm. He had already made dinner for us! I am so blessed. Then I studied for a little while after dinner and was asleep by 9. So I am guessing my body was trying to get rid of a sickness before I got it. I am doing better today so here's hoping! The biggest change my body has gone through would be my gums! I didn't think that they would be sore, but lately they have bothered me slightly....which is kind of weird. I can't say that I have felt any kicking yet...I don't really know what it would feel like, so I suppose it is possible. I know from previous ultrasounds that we have an active little one! I am sure it will come soon and soon enough I will be poking my belly telling it to stop that! . We get to find out what we are having in just one week...well provided it shows us the goods!  Hope you are having a great week. :)

Well Here It Goes!! :)

The Beginning

My first attempt at blogging. Ha! This is going to be funny. It is so weird to think that I can write whatever I want and thousands, o.k. maybe 50 fifty different people will read what you have to say. I am starting this blog, because I believe that it is not only helpful to sometimes write your thoughts out, but this way other people can leave their comments as well. Hopefully, what I have to say will not only be entertaining for those following, but maybe even helpful! Plus, when you tend to forget things often, you do not have to tell someone, oh hey did I tell you about...it is on the blog for them to read! 

Just how is this whole pregnancy thing going? Well, I have to say that overall it hasn't been to bad! I would have started this earlier, but I wanted to make sure everything was going to be o.k. before I started this whole ordeal. So let's give a review and then I will pick you up to how things are going now!

How it all began

Well I found out in October that I was expecting and I waited just as long as I possibly could to tell my parents. Then we told his parents. Then we told my brother and his wife and then his brother and his wife... Then slowly different people started finding out. We didn't tell friends until after Christmas when we surprised my extended family up in New England (that was wicked fun!!) Now most people know, although there are still a few finding out. 

My first appointment went well and the doctor told me that everything looked good. I have to admit I really didn't start to get excited until after the 3rd appointment. I think my heart was excited, my mind just needed more assurance. Needless to say when I got to hear the baby's heartbeat and see it kicking and moving up a storm, that is when it started to become more real and exciting!

The picture currently on the page is the most recent ultrasound. It is so cool how you can see the little head, nose, eyes, spine, etc. just absolutely amazing! 

How have I felt? 

Well in the first trimester there was a little nausea but nothing crazy! I found that if I kept something in my stomach and had enough to drink I was o.k. I was definitely tired! My husband would joke if I was on the couch and still awake at 8:00pm. 

On of the biggest shocks to me was the acne. What! I have always had pretty amazing skin and this this child decides it wants me to break out all the time! I thought when you were pregnant you were supposed to have a glow?? Hmmm maybe they were referring to the shine you have on your face from all of the oil!

How about now?

I am currently in week 17 and I am feeling good except for the heartburn that plagues me in the evenings. I am starting to get more and more of a belly each week. At first I was bummed that I didn't "look" pregnant but more and more, I realize that moment will come and I will wish I didn't look that way anymore! I will do my best to keep up with different thoughts and feelings I have each week, but I make no guarantee. I am sure those who follow will be sure to leave their comments on the matter! In the meantime, I hope that you feel caught up... if you have any questions or comments leave them, I will do my best to answer! Enjoy your day!