It is time for another thankful Thursday! I promise to get some other posts up about life in general and baby in particular, but for right now this is all I've got!
Having Options for Prenatal Vitamins
It sounds silly, but I can't usually take those One-A-Day vitamins, even when I'm not pregnant, they just turn my stomach no matter how much I eat. Fortunately I have a liquid multivitamin that meets all the prenatal requirements, this was a life saver during the weeks of severe nausea. I have recently found a gelcap that doesn't upset my stomach which has been great for on the go mornings and I have had fun trying the plethora of vitamins that I received during my first appointment. Ultimately I am thankful there are so many options for prenatals!
Having AD to Squeeze my Hand
This week I had to get my blood drawn for all of the various tests that need run during prenatal doctor's appointments. Honestly I could have done this at any time since my last appointment, but I was dreading it! I don't like needles, pain or getting poked. Since my next appointment is only a week away I really needed to get this over with so they had time to get the results to the midwife. Fortunately I didn't have to go by myself! Adrienne came along and distracted me while the nurse did her business... I'm so happy this doesn't have to happen every visit!!!
Chris Comes Home
Need I say more? He will have been gone two weeks by the time he gets home. I knew we shared a lot with each other throughout the day, but when you try to condense all of that down to a conversation before bed it really dawned on me how much I usually communicate with him... and how much I miss by not getting to keep that up throughout the day. Needless to say I'm super excited that he is coming home soon!
Rain
We are finally starting into Florida's 'rainy season', which might sound awful to some, but I really enjoy it. It is usually sunny in the morning, building up to an afternoon or evening thunderstorm. As long as I can be inside I love these because I enjoy watching storms and listening to the rain. Additionally, everything green was really beginning to suffer from our recent lack of rain and it has been amazing to see how quickly color can come back to the plants here!
Awesome Neighbors
We are slowly beginning to meet more people around us and one couple actually works in the same department as me. They were busting up an aloe plant and brought some to share!
What are you thankful for this week?
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Saturday, June 25, 2011
A Late Thankful Thursday
Sadly I haven't been very consistent with my Thankful Thursday posts. They have frequently been on my mind, but usually after Thursday! This week I decided to post anyway and hope that you would understand!
This week I am thankful that Chris has been safe on his trip. He is doing two sets of classes this summer where he has to be on campus for a week for each class. In an effort to save a lot of money he experimented with couch surfing, where people all over the country allow fols to stay on their couch for free. I was very nervous about this because these people are strangers to us and we don't know many people who have experience with this. I ultimately had to trust his judgement and the fact that he is a third degree black belt and fully capable of fending for himself! He has had a great experience so far. The first place he stayed didn't have central air but his host was congenial while not pressuring Chris to act the guest. The person he is staying with for the second week has central air (yay!) and is giving Chris one of his spare bedrooms to use, oh and did I mention this second person is a Star Trek fan and has a pretty nice DVD collection? Let's just say Chris is glad he doesn't have any homework this weekend!
I am also super thankful that my friend Adrienne came down to stay with me for most of this time! I'm usually okay during the day when Chris is gone, but after dark I get really anxious, especially if I know he won't be coming home... so until Adrienne got here I had been going to bed very early!
Something I'm quickly learning not to take for granted is feeling good and good health during my pregnancy. I am so thankful that the little morning sickness I had continues to let up and that all body signs indicate that our little jelly bean is developing normally!
What were you thankful for this week?
This week I am thankful that Chris has been safe on his trip. He is doing two sets of classes this summer where he has to be on campus for a week for each class. In an effort to save a lot of money he experimented with couch surfing, where people all over the country allow fols to stay on their couch for free. I was very nervous about this because these people are strangers to us and we don't know many people who have experience with this. I ultimately had to trust his judgement and the fact that he is a third degree black belt and fully capable of fending for himself! He has had a great experience so far. The first place he stayed didn't have central air but his host was congenial while not pressuring Chris to act the guest. The person he is staying with for the second week has central air (yay!) and is giving Chris one of his spare bedrooms to use, oh and did I mention this second person is a Star Trek fan and has a pretty nice DVD collection? Let's just say Chris is glad he doesn't have any homework this weekend!
I am also super thankful that my friend Adrienne came down to stay with me for most of this time! I'm usually okay during the day when Chris is gone, but after dark I get really anxious, especially if I know he won't be coming home... so until Adrienne got here I had been going to bed very early!
Something I'm quickly learning not to take for granted is feeling good and good health during my pregnancy. I am so thankful that the little morning sickness I had continues to let up and that all body signs indicate that our little jelly bean is developing normally!
What were you thankful for this week?
Monday, June 20, 2011
There is a Baby in my Belly!!!
After our huge, scary, earth-shaking decision in January, we moved on as we said we would and, ahem, used other forms of control, with plans of re-addressing this issue come July. Oh the plans of mice and men...
Before I made my trip in May we were suspicious that something was up, but not ready to think about that or tell many people either. I informed Mom and Dad while I was visiting, but I was still convinced my body was just acting weird, Chris on the other hand was convinced I was the big 'P' word already. I took a test and low and behold, he was RIGHT! I was still convinced it was a fluke (it was a very faint line after all) and thought I would prove him wrong with the second test... which also turned out to be positive!
So when I got back we scheduled an appointment for after our trip to Arizona, and in the mean time I started all of the precautions I've heard given to pregnant women (no raw sushi, continue with vitamins, rest, be careful about the spray schedule around the orchard and most of all OPT FOR THE PAT-DOWN AT THE AIRPORT!). During this time I started experiencing the morning sickness and some body changes associated with pregnancy. It was still hard for me to accept that this was really happening in spite of the physical evidences. Part of thisdenial difficulty was that I hadn't had time to stop and fully process everything (please remember this was all happening smack in the middle of my huge, excessively busy month). Additionally, whenever I did stop to think about it all I got very stressed out about how all of this was going to work with both Chris and I still in school, feeling very convicted that daycare was not an option, and what would happen when I told my adviser (I know, terribly small-minded and non-trusting of me, but hey, you've been reading this blog for over a year now, surely you know I'm not the sharpest tack in the box with this whole trust thing right?).
After our out west adventure we had our first appointment... with really no idea what to expect, but thinking I was far enough along to maybe hear the heartbeat. The first appointment was not exactly what I expected, but it was good to have Chris there for the whole thing. We did not get to hear the heartbeat and I was surprised at how disappointed I was. The doctor said it was probably just because I was earlier than she thought and ordered an ultrasound to double check... but the ultrasound wouldn't happen until two days later! Those were two really long days!
During that time I started considering the possibility that I might have a miscarriage. Talk about a sobering possibility. In spite of how nervous I was about the timing of this pregnancy, the thought of losing this little life God had entrusted us with brought me to my knees. I asked for forgiveness for my selfish, narrow-mindedness and fear and began really praying for this little person for (I'm ashamed to say) the first time. While I'm still worried about what the future will look like, I now have a peace to temper that fear. I don't have answers, just reassurance that the Lord knows what He is doing, that's why we trusted Him with this in the first place.
Ultrasound day finally came and we got our first glimpse of our new baby!
For the first time it became real that there was a tiny person inside of my belly!!!! In these pictures we found out that I was 9 weeks and 4 days along and that the baby will be due January 7th. I was so overwhelmed to watch the fast little heartbeat, kicks and squirms of this one inch long little person!
After the ultrasound we met back with our doctor who confirmed that everything looked completely normal and healthy for a pregnancy that early along! We also found out that our due date will never change because early ultrasounds are really accurate. We are now 11 weeks along and the morning sickness is starting to let up, though I am still way more tired than usual.
Sorry for the book of an update, but I figured such an important little person needed a good introduction! Can't wait to tell you more!
Before I made my trip in May we were suspicious that something was up, but not ready to think about that or tell many people either. I informed Mom and Dad while I was visiting, but I was still convinced my body was just acting weird, Chris on the other hand was convinced I was the big 'P' word already. I took a test and low and behold, he was RIGHT! I was still convinced it was a fluke (it was a very faint line after all) and thought I would prove him wrong with the second test... which also turned out to be positive!
So when I got back we scheduled an appointment for after our trip to Arizona, and in the mean time I started all of the precautions I've heard given to pregnant women (no raw sushi, continue with vitamins, rest, be careful about the spray schedule around the orchard and most of all OPT FOR THE PAT-DOWN AT THE AIRPORT!). During this time I started experiencing the morning sickness and some body changes associated with pregnancy. It was still hard for me to accept that this was really happening in spite of the physical evidences. Part of this
After our out west adventure we had our first appointment... with really no idea what to expect, but thinking I was far enough along to maybe hear the heartbeat. The first appointment was not exactly what I expected, but it was good to have Chris there for the whole thing. We did not get to hear the heartbeat and I was surprised at how disappointed I was. The doctor said it was probably just because I was earlier than she thought and ordered an ultrasound to double check... but the ultrasound wouldn't happen until two days later! Those were two really long days!
During that time I started considering the possibility that I might have a miscarriage. Talk about a sobering possibility. In spite of how nervous I was about the timing of this pregnancy, the thought of losing this little life God had entrusted us with brought me to my knees. I asked for forgiveness for my selfish, narrow-mindedness and fear and began really praying for this little person for (I'm ashamed to say) the first time. While I'm still worried about what the future will look like, I now have a peace to temper that fear. I don't have answers, just reassurance that the Lord knows what He is doing, that's why we trusted Him with this in the first place.
Ultrasound day finally came and we got our first glimpse of our new baby!
After the ultrasound we met back with our doctor who confirmed that everything looked completely normal and healthy for a pregnancy that early along! We also found out that our due date will never change because early ultrasounds are really accurate. We are now 11 weeks along and the morning sickness is starting to let up, though I am still way more tired than usual.
Sorry for the book of an update, but I figured such an important little person needed a good introduction! Can't wait to tell you more!
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Peaches, millions of peaches...
So, I harvested 30 trees, three times, weighing total fruit weight per tree, and taking a sub-sample of five fruit per quadrant - or twenty fruit per tree. After each harvest, each fruit needed to be photographed, exterior color measured, interior color measured, firmness tested, and then more sub-samples taken for even more tests in the future. All of this included many hours on my feet, several very late nights and dealing with multiple mushy, yucky, stinky peaches.
Needless to say, I'm really over peaches right now and may continue to be for quite some time, as such that's all I want to tell you about the event and am now going to try to forget it...
Needless to say, I'm really over peaches right now and may continue to be for quite some time, as such that's all I want to tell you about the event and am now going to try to forget it...
Sunday, June 12, 2011
We interrrupt your regularly scheduled program...
Chris and I just celebrating our Fifth wedding anniversary this weekend! While we were busy celebrating, planning and pursuing other projects it was rather amazing to reflect on all that has happened in such a short time.
Disclaimer: This post is about to get very retrospective and possibly mushy. If this bothers your stomach, feel free to skip to another post!
Looking back on the last five years and how happy I am in our marriage now, I like to think its something I did to make our marriage wonderful. Some extra planning, listening or compromise on my part must be why we feel so successful and content, right? After seeing Chris' parents go through such a drawn out divorce I will say we devoted a lot of time and thought to how we could avoid finding ourselves in the same situation twenty five years from now, but in all honesty neither of us can take the credit for making it this far. It is purely the grace of God showered on our lives.
His grace opened our eyes to the mistakes we wanted to avoid in the relationships we could see around us, His grace guided us through what sinful tendencies in our own lives needed addressed before they could becoming areas of dissension, His grace gave us the grace to love each other when we were less than loveable and return gentle words for the harsh ones given. Don't get me wrong, we didn't start out jiving all the time and calmly explaining how the other might have hurt us, but God kept our hearts tender towards each other and reminded us why we were committed to making this work - and it has so been worth every minute! Every tongue bitten, every annoyance endured, every apology offered, every forgiveness granted - they have all brought us closer, made us stronger and made our marriage oh so much sweeter.
When we first got married I didn't understand how it could get any better, we were in love, how does it get better than that? Our love now is deeper, more secure, for the storms it has weathered (however serious or silly those storms were), it is , dare I say, comfortable. I used to dread that word in a relationship. I thought it meant the couple had quit trying, or was truly bored with their relationship, but that's not what I mean. I feel safe with Chris, and because I feel safe with him I am comfortable. I'm not concerned what he will think if I act silly, or share my craziest thoughts. I know he has seen me at my worst and still loved me, so I no longer fear his reaction or rejection. It reminds me of the love Christ has for us (which is what marriage was partially created for, right?), while Chris is obviously not perfect he does try to show me a Christ-like love, an accepting and sacrificial love - a love that casts out fear.
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth our fear. 1 John 4:18
That verse used to confuse me, but through God's grace and the example of my husband's love, it now brings me great joy and a deeper understanding of the love of Christ for His children. I thank God often for the time he has given me with my husband and the blessing of growing with him over the last five years! I can't wait to see what the future will bring!
Disclaimer: This post is about to get very retrospective and possibly mushy. If this bothers your stomach, feel free to skip to another post!
Looking back on the last five years and how happy I am in our marriage now, I like to think its something I did to make our marriage wonderful. Some extra planning, listening or compromise on my part must be why we feel so successful and content, right? After seeing Chris' parents go through such a drawn out divorce I will say we devoted a lot of time and thought to how we could avoid finding ourselves in the same situation twenty five years from now, but in all honesty neither of us can take the credit for making it this far. It is purely the grace of God showered on our lives.
His grace opened our eyes to the mistakes we wanted to avoid in the relationships we could see around us, His grace guided us through what sinful tendencies in our own lives needed addressed before they could becoming areas of dissension, His grace gave us the grace to love each other when we were less than loveable and return gentle words for the harsh ones given. Don't get me wrong, we didn't start out jiving all the time and calmly explaining how the other might have hurt us, but God kept our hearts tender towards each other and reminded us why we were committed to making this work - and it has so been worth every minute! Every tongue bitten, every annoyance endured, every apology offered, every forgiveness granted - they have all brought us closer, made us stronger and made our marriage oh so much sweeter.
When we first got married I didn't understand how it could get any better, we were in love, how does it get better than that? Our love now is deeper, more secure, for the storms it has weathered (however serious or silly those storms were), it is , dare I say, comfortable. I used to dread that word in a relationship. I thought it meant the couple had quit trying, or was truly bored with their relationship, but that's not what I mean. I feel safe with Chris, and because I feel safe with him I am comfortable. I'm not concerned what he will think if I act silly, or share my craziest thoughts. I know he has seen me at my worst and still loved me, so I no longer fear his reaction or rejection. It reminds me of the love Christ has for us (which is what marriage was partially created for, right?), while Chris is obviously not perfect he does try to show me a Christ-like love, an accepting and sacrificial love - a love that casts out fear.
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth our fear. 1 John 4:18
That verse used to confuse me, but through God's grace and the example of my husband's love, it now brings me great joy and a deeper understanding of the love of Christ for His children. I thank God often for the time he has given me with my husband and the blessing of growing with him over the last five years! I can't wait to see what the future will bring!
Friday, June 10, 2011
Thursday, June 9, 2011
World Traveler... Sort Of
I feel like I've been all over the nation recently... and in some ways I have! My first trip was North.
I was invited by my old professor to share what I was working on in my PhD program with my old department. It was a really fun idea to me because I really enjoyed my professors at WKU and I planned on getting some much needed visits in while I was at it! Also, I have a new appreciation for my old university after being at one which is so much bigger and seems to come with so much more pressure. Needless to say it was fun and refreshing to return for a little while!
During this trip I also was able to visit with my family! It was a precious time and we even got a few things accomplished!
This was also a time of graduations! Two of my good friends were graduating as well as one of my cousins. I was able to celebrate with everyone and also spend some extra time with friends and family simultaneously!
I think I could have spent a month before I felt saturated with friend and family time, but my husband was waiting at home, so back to Florida I went!
I was invited by my old professor to share what I was working on in my PhD program with my old department. It was a really fun idea to me because I really enjoyed my professors at WKU and I planned on getting some much needed visits in while I was at it! Also, I have a new appreciation for my old university after being at one which is so much bigger and seems to come with so much more pressure. Needless to say it was fun and refreshing to return for a little while!
During this trip I also was able to visit with my family! It was a precious time and we even got a few things accomplished!
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| Planting Asparagus! |
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| They really looked like spiders or octopus! |
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| My amazing sister and her hubby! |
This was also a time of graduations! Two of my good friends were graduating as well as one of my cousins. I was able to celebrate with everyone and also spend some extra time with friends and family simultaneously!
Why so quiet?
No, I didn't get raptured, but I have enjoyed the jokes I've seen since then.
Can't think of a rapture joke? Don't worry - its not the end of the world.
Rapture jokes are flying like there's no tomorrow.
Yes, yes very groan worthy, but I still enjoyed them. Seriously though, since I updated you last we have been exceptionally busy, not to mention well traveled. I have finished classes, Chris finished the round of classes he was on and started into the work for his upcoming intensives, I went to Bowling Green and presented my proposal to my Alma Mater, while there I got to visit many friends, then drove to my family's and spent several days with them, went back to BG for friends graduation, came home to Florida right as peach harvest began, harvested twice and processed all the fruit before flying to Arizona for a weekend and celebrating Chris' mom's wedding with her and her new husband, flying back, harvesting and processing fruit again... and oh yeah, finding out we are pregnant!
As you can see there is LOTS to catch you up on, but right now some rice crispys are calling my name. I promise to be back shortly with lots of updates, starting with the ones from furthest back to most recent. I might not talk about them peaches much... its still to fresh and I'm still rather disgusted by them.
I will leave you with this picture though!
Can't think of a rapture joke? Don't worry - its not the end of the world.
Rapture jokes are flying like there's no tomorrow.
Yes, yes very groan worthy, but I still enjoyed them. Seriously though, since I updated you last we have been exceptionally busy, not to mention well traveled. I have finished classes, Chris finished the round of classes he was on and started into the work for his upcoming intensives, I went to Bowling Green and presented my proposal to my Alma Mater, while there I got to visit many friends, then drove to my family's and spent several days with them, went back to BG for friends graduation, came home to Florida right as peach harvest began, harvested twice and processed all the fruit before flying to Arizona for a weekend and celebrating Chris' mom's wedding with her and her new husband, flying back, harvesting and processing fruit again... and oh yeah, finding out we are pregnant!
As you can see there is LOTS to catch you up on, but right now some rice crispys are calling my name. I promise to be back shortly with lots of updates, starting with the ones from furthest back to most recent. I might not talk about them peaches much... its still to fresh and I'm still rather disgusted by them.
I will leave you with this picture though!
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