1/4 of the way through…

Well, we’ve made it 1/4 of the way through! Ten weeks along as of today… thirty weeks to go! In spite of my sickness and being in bed most of the time, the weeks really have been going by pretty fast. Two more weeks in the first trimester and I am hoping that once we get over that threshold, the morning sickness will have dissipated and I’ll have my energy back and my appetite as well… It’s so weird not being able to eat food.

{photo source: babycenter.com}

 

Right now the baby is roughly the size of a kumquat {which brings back memories about when we were in New Orleans campaigning and the kumquat trees there…}. I am pretty sure from here on out, the baby is going to be focusing on growing in size and weight so hopefully here in the next few weeks I’ll actually start to look a little pregnant. It’s a little weird being closest to before-Benjamin-weight than ever now that I’m pregnant again, and if I hadn’t gotten pregnant again, I wouldn’t have lost all this weight. It’s weird feeling so frail and empty. All I want is to eat a giant meal… let’s just hope my appetite is back before Thanksgiving!

On the baby name front, I pretty much dislike every baby name ever invented. Awesome.

Yay for 1/4 baked! I have another doctor’s appointment next Thursday and then you’ll get another update and hopefully new pictures of the baby! 

Share the Love

Sometimes I wonder how in the world I will have enough room in my heart for another baby. Has any other mommy ever felt that way? Not to say that I plan on not loving this baby like I love Benjamin, but I just can’t imagine how it will be to have two little precious faces to love!

Sweet Benjamin… who today gave me ten kisses just because, who loves to cuddle and prays nearly every night that I will feel better. I am so thankful for a little boy like him and it makes me wonder how I’ll be able to share this love.

But I;m sure that’s just something you find out when you have the second baby.

Pregnancy Update

I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted anything! I was just looking and the last time I posted was our anniversary, wow! So sorry, friends! Can I just pull the pregnancy card? {Yeah, I’m gonna… I have seven more months to do so!}

While I am very, very thankful to God for the new life growing inside me, which we’ve been praying for for what felt like forever {in retrospect it really wasn’t as long as it felt – but anyone who has been ttc probably knows how long it can feel even after a couple of months!}, this morning sickness – nay, all day every day sickness – has been out of control. I hate to complain about it because a few months ago I’d have given anything just for some sort of symptom of pregnancy, and I know there are women who can’t have babies who would give anything to feel this way if it meant that they could have a child… But seriously you guys. Nobody likes to stay up till midnight puking their guts out… or going and spending money on food you can only keep down for thirty seconds.

I had been on Zofran and still had the nausea and vomiting, so I was thinking “meh, it’s not doing me any good, and the side effects aren’t worth it”… so I stopped taking it for two days and yesterday was one of the worst days… so I’m back on it, and another medication occasionally to keep the side effect in check. If you’re really that morbidly curious, you can google I am sure.

I have been really blessed the past few weeks, not only with how helpful and sympathetic my sweet husband is, and how wonderful he has been about cooking {you wanna see a pregnant Kristen run for the bathroom? make me cook}, and taking care of Benjamin… but my mother-in-law stayed here for a week to help out around the house and with Benjamin, and now my mom is here – has been here since last Tuesday – for twelve days to do the same. It’s been such a help for me and I’ve been able to focus on resting and trying {and mostly failing} to keep food down.

And playing SongPop.

Ahem.

So, anyway, as of yesterday, I am 9 weeks pregnant! Right now, the baby is about the size of a grape, and his/her essential body parts are all accounted for – so now can begin the rapid growth/weight gain! Aw yeah! As of right now, I have lost like 7lbs, thanks to morning sickness, so besides a lovely amount of bloating on occasion, I don’t have much to show for this pregnancy as of yet. I won’t be taking or posting any progression pictures until there is something to show… mainly because I feel so gross that I don’t want to get dressed for them HA. But still, this is what I looked like 9wks along with Benjamin. I thought I was HUGE – but, now that I know more about pregnancy, I know that this little bump was just bloat, ha ha ha. The more you know…

Funny little fact? The wristbands I’m wearing in that picture are the same ones I wear round the clock now. Another fun little fact is that the above picture was taken in the hotel room we stayed in before a tryout we had in Louisiana. Just so you know.

And since I’ve neglected you all for so long, I forgot that I didn’t even give you guys the ultrasound pictures from the ultrasound we had two weeks ago! How rude!

The number at the side is the heartbeat! I was so relieved to see the baby growing right on time and to hear and see the little heart beating. Really, when you’re in your first trimester, and sometimes even afterward, the thought of miscarrying can be terrifying. I wasn’t expecting to get an ultrasound at our first visit but we were pleasantly surprised and as I said just so relieved to know the baby is doing well!

Please keep me and the little gummybear in your prayers as we continue on. I really, really covet your prayers especially concerning my sickness. I have three more weeks in this trimester and I hope that by the end of it, the sickness will have diminished! Otherwise, I’ll be living off of gatorade, vitamin water, and popcorn!

Anyway… back to looking at baby names! So far we’re only set on middle names, both being family names. Based on{ Ramzi’s Method  } of gender prediction based on the side of implantation {left, according to the ultrasound at 6wks – which you can see above – and remember, it’s mirror image as this was an abdominal ultrasound}, I am predicting that this baby will be a girl. {I personally have been hoping for another boy but I don’t have any say in the matter, ha!} We will know in ten weeks, hopefully.

I hope you all have  been having a good week… or weeks since I’ve been laid up in bed not thinking about blogging, ha!

In Five Years’ Time

It has been five years since I have married my best friend. Five years doesn’t seem like a really long time, especially when you plan to be married for the rest of your life, but a lot has happened in five years and I was thinking about it this morning, thinking about where we were and where we are now… and really it’s pretty incredible this journey we’ve taken together.

In five years, we have moved five times. Well, four if you don’t count moving me up to Memphis.

In five years, we have had two jobs.

In five years, we have had two cars… only one of which we paid more than $1 for.

In five years, we have lived in four houses/apartments.

In five years we have had one child, and have one more on the way.

And, you know, a million laughs.

To my best friend, who makes me crazy sometimes, and cares so much for me, and for Benjamin, and our unborn baby… thank you. For everything. For being a Christian husband and father, for caring for us and loving us. We’ve ‘gone through’ a lot in five years, but I wouldn’t change any of it for the world.

Except maybe what we had for lunch yesterday but that’s not your fault… entirely, ha!

I love you!

dealing with the fear

This is something I always knew I would deal with if/when I ever got pregnant again: fear. I’m only 4-6 weeks pregnant {according to the blood work – I guess we will know more when I finally get to the OB}, and already I am starting to think 8 months in the future {Lord willing!} and what that might mean for me – for us.

Last time was awful. I really can’t describe my first experience with childbirth any less than ‘awful’. It was traumatizing – mind, body, and soul. It was so difficult to recover from. I have gone into details before on here, so I won’t go through it again. But let’s just say, when you’re supposed to look back on the birth experience of your first born and think it a joyous occasion, and you really can’t because the next moments after the birth they were fighting to keep you alive… well, it sticks with you.

I am so thankful for this pregnancy. Please don’t get me wrong. I am so in love with the new baby forming inside me, even if it is only the size of a mustard seed now. I feel like it brings me closer to God – maybe because I feel like I haven’t stopped praying to Him to thank Him for this new life. After ten months of trying and failing and feeling like I’d never get to hold another newborn that was ours, we finally have this hope, this joy… we are over the moon!

But I am so scared that history will repeat itself.

This time, I am going to do what I can to keep myself and our baby healthy the entire pregnancy, and Lord willing through childbirth as well. Even if that means I have to drink drinks that aren’t particularly tasty to me, but are really good for me and the baby.

I am asking you, my dear friends, to pray for me as I embark on this journey again. Please, please keep me and the baby in your prayers. I would really appreciate it, friends. I really would. <3

Photo Challenge: Story

So, getting back into the groove of blogging again, I decided I’d join in on the Paper Mama’s photo challenge this week {I haven’t joined in the challenge in a while!}. The challenge is to post a picture with the theme ‘story’. I immediately thought about this picture which I took when we were in Georgia visiting my parents…

The story? Benjamin’s first fishing trip with his papaw. {As I’m writing this, Benjamin is behind me going, “That’s me and Papaw! We were going fishing in the pond!” – so there’s your story!} I used to go fishing with my dad a lot and it was really special for Benjamin to go fishing with his papaw!

I hope you all join up as well, over at the Paper Mama!

A New Chapter

So, it appears that we are entering a new chapter in our lives! I know that it has  been a long while since I have blogged, but you’ll have to excuse me! I’ve been so tired! For good reason!

Yep! That’s right! We’re expecting Baby #2! I have yet to see a doctor but hopefully very soon we’ll be getting in. From what I’ve figured up (thanks to the lovely internet and the tools it provides!), our due date is March 29th! Which is pretty cool, because it is my cousin’s birthday and two days before my brother’s birthday as well!

I know some of you may remember when I posted about my {struggles trying to conceive}, how discouraged I had gotten, etc. Anyway, it has been ten long months but we are finally being blessed and we couldn’t be happier! Seriously, we are over the moon with joy! I have been feeling nauseous and tired the past few days to a week, but I just can’t help but to be too happy to really care much {uh, unless I’m in the car and feeling carsick, bleh!}.

If you would, please pray for me and often! It is still very early. Please pray that Baby will be healthy and will grow like its supposed to, and that I will as well, ha! And add in some praise for God blessing us, too!

Oh, you may be wondering about Benjamin! Well, bless his heart, we didn’t tell him until we were ready to tell everyone else because Benjamin is notorious for spilling secrets immediately. But, we made him a t-shirt Sunday afternoon to help us announce to our families and our church family.

He is so proud and so happy to be a big brother. I am very confident that Benjamin is going to be an awesome big brother because he is a big helper already and loves to be helpful! He also loves his baby friends already.

We are so excited to begin this new chapter in our life as a family! To God be the glory!

{hmmm… I suppose I’ll have to think of a new blog name, too… taking ideas, lol!}