15-16 Weeks!

A picture as promised.
This is the first sign of the baby pooch... it looks a lot bigger in my eyes than in this picture (which is fine with me)!
Trust me, that was not there before and I didn't just eat a big lunch!
AND, this is one of my maternity shirts!

Still Pregnant

We have reached 15 weeks!
Update: I went to the doctor today and got to hear that glorious heart beat. It actually took a few minutes to find the heart beat and those were some anxious minutes for me. Today is a beautiful day and for the most part a relaxing day... in a busy sort of way. However, this week has been hard...busy...emotional...etc. I haven't had 2 consecutive hours alone with my husband this week that I can think of and he is gone this weekend on a much needed retreat!
Insert side note: my husband is so amazing. He is the most gentle and strong man I know. He is so attractive both physically and spiritually. He is so caring, sensitive and hilarious. He seeks out my heart, provides for me, serves me... I could go on. Not only this but he is a great friend. I love his loyalty to friends and family. The thing that breaks my heart is that this wonderful man has a not-so-wonderful job that keeps him out of the home for 10-12 hours a day. This job can be so discouraging. So I am happy to report Drew is off camping with men this weekend! Please pray for him... and if you know of any jobs for a parks and recreation major who is now the manager/finance/marketing guy for an international company..... please let me know!!
Back to the update: So... it's a beautiful day and I had a relaxing morning, time in the Word, a brisk walk and quick lunch with my hubby and then headed to the doctor... nothing bad about that day. Well, I got to the doctor and went through the usual routine. I never look at the scale because I am SUCH a perfectionist the numbers can drive me mad... so I go by how I feel and look and fit into my clothes. Well, since that test doesn't work so well when pregnant I decided to ask and see if I was on track. The only problem... I don't know what on track is! So the nurse told me I had gained 5lbs (she didn't say total or since last visit but I'm thinking total). So I ask, "is that normal... or okay?". She paused, thought and then said, "well every one is different". I don't know about you but an answer like that usually means, "I don't want to hurt your feelings by saying you are a fatty so I'll tell you that every one is different". Strike one.
Insert side note: I thought I was doing good b/c I can still fit all my pants and even had to return to the use of a belt! My stomach is starting to look different and "fuller" but not really much. It's so funny b/c my friends who have never had kids are always staring at me and saying, "oh I think you are showing... I think I can tell" etc... it's is such a back handed compliment, especially after a meal... which is when the comments always come (cough cough emily and lauren!). I just roll my eyes at them and laugh... they are so anxious and excited about it all. Then my friends who have kids are always telling me, "you are SO not showing... quit lying... I can't see anything...nice try". So it's really hilarious. I think people who want to see the progress think they can and those who are use to the long ordeal aren't in a hurry to see any proof. We'll see what my family thinks in a few weeks... then again a lot can happen in a few weeks.
The story continues: Then she took my blood pressure. This is another area that plagues me.... those numbers again! I worry about having high blood pressure... but for no real reason. Over Christmas we all took our blood pressure and mine was the highest of EVERY SINGLE PERSON in my family! (my family joked that I have always been the high strung one... I think I am tense even when I feel chill... I am just very AWARE and ALERT.... yea...) They were stunned and I was discouraged. So, I asked... how is it. Another too long of a pause, well, it's a little high she says. OH GREAT! I ask her what I should do, she shrugs. So helpful, really. Strike two. So then she takes me to the room.
I sit there looking at the stirrups and feel it coming, those hot tears. I was feeling like a failure or a let down.. to who, I have no clue! So I'm taking deep breaths and then they just start coming anyway. It's so ridiculous I keep thinking, I'm not upset.. my day is fine. STOP IT! Luckily I love love love my doctor, she goes to my church and is the sweetest, kindest most soft spoken wonderful woman ever. So she came in and asked how I was, "emotional" I say but "good". She smiles that sweet smile and says it's okay... so of course I start getting teary again. ugh. So we talk a bit about the weight and she reassures me that I am fine and look great etc. So she tries to cheer me up by suggesting we go ahead and take a listen for the heart beat. So I'm laying there... hearing static... a minute goes by with just static and then the machine dies. So I lay there with goop on me wondering, what if.... then a new machine begins to find the static... a minute or two passes... or an hour.... tears are welling up again and fear. I ask her how long til she gets worried... she says she is not worried and that this is very normal early on... but 4 weeks ago it did not take this long. Then finally, those glorious beats, almost 150. I just burst out crying. Tears were streaming into my ears. It's so funny b/c I haven't cried there before... not during the ultrasound not last time we heart it... so I have seemed pretty stable... until today. She reassured me she would tell me if she ever thought anything was wrong. We talked about the blood pressure and she suggested it might be the week's stress or just a precondition... she said a lot of healthy people still end up with high blood pressure and that after the baby is born if it persists we will talk to an internist if I or she is still worried.
So, all is well. And... next visit we get to see our little Baby Lew and find out if we are having a girl or boy! I can't wait.. I am so happy to have many distractions in the next four weeks!
Tonight is another girl's night for all us ladies who's men are gone campin' and I'm looking forward to some laughs and good guacamole!
Eventually I will start taking real belly pics... I just have to get that hubby of mine to be home at the same time as me first!

Spring is here!

About this time last year we were here (New Zealand) with some wonderful friends. We actually just found out that these wonderful friends are pregnant too and just a week or two behind us! It's so funny how things work out because many of my gal friends here are pregnant for the first time and we are all due about the same time. Our first year here we joked about all getting pregnant together... and now we are (except a few special ladies who got a head start... which is good b/c when I visit them in the hospital and see their bundles of joy I am given fresh perspective about what is really going on... it is truly amazing). Well, before we ever moved here to go to Seminary we had some wonderful friends back in Texas... a little group of us all got married in the same year and I became good friends with those ladies and WE joked about getting preggers together and now two of us are as well! I couldn't be more thrilled... we will have lots of options when betrothing our child! =)
Speaking of babies, two very special ladies in my blog roll just delivered... "my mentor" Courtney pushed out her fourth (third daughter and fourth under 4) in the hospital bathroom in 2 pushes on Sunday (Happy Easter) and then my dear friend Maggie had her first born Sheph. just yesterday morning. Both are extremely cute and you can probably get a peek of them on their respective blogs. It seriously makes me giddy to see these new children come into the world. Especially holding Maggie's baby yesterday it was amazing to me to think that just that morning her life was completely different. It's amazing how in the womb mothers (via God's amazing hand) are able to make organs and fat rolls and tongues and all that... it is simply amazing to be there the day of the birth... it's so real that all that was in her tummy... AMAZING. I can't get over it. I probably over stayed my welcome b/c I just wanted to hold that baby forever and take in all the wonder. Plus, both of these ladies looked beautiful and NOT like they had just had a baby!
On to the update. The past two weeks have been sort of a blur of stress and activity. I continued my affair with the coffee shop and passion fruit tea to finish up my research project and I am happy to say I finished it on time and still got to bed by 11pm the night before. It wasn't my best piece of work but I was glad to just have it over with.
I actually got right down to the wire because my dear friend and mentor Courtney started having contractions on Friday, so I stuck around her house to see if anything would happen (negative), then I threw her a shower on Saturday and then she was kind enough to give me her stomach bug and so then I spent all day Sunday throwing my guts up (Happy Easter again!).
If you know me very well you will know that I am passionate about NOT throwing up. I would rather have the runs for weeks on end than throw up one time. I am not one of those people who thinks you will feel better after throwing up... it is just not ever worth it to me. So at 4am Sunday when I felt the urge I just laid very still in bed hoping it would go away. Then at 6 I got up to see if a bathroom break would help and before I could take a step it was over. Our room was pitch black and luckily I had the trash can close by. Upon further inspection it was simply my dinner back for a visit... it didn't look at all like throw up... just tomatoes, spinach and black beans from my taco salad the night before. lovely.
I thought that would be the end of it, but oh no. For the next 8ish hours I threw up every hour plus a few other pleasant things that happened. I got to experience what a variety of things taste like coming back up and by far the winner is blue gatorade. In fact, it tasted just like gatorade even the second time around and still had a nice blue color. lovely.
We finally broke down and called my ob, who is a friend from church, and she let me take some phennergen (no clue how to spell this!). For all of you who hate throwing up as much as me... this stuff is AMAZING. I kept it down for 20 minutes and then threw it right back up and yet it still worked. It knocked me out within 30 minutes and I didn't throw up the rest of the day. I slept from about 1pm until 7 or so the next morning with only a few wake up calls. The next day I was still a little woozy but was able to go see baby Bell and eat some McAlisters... did you know they serve Mac and Cheese now.. umm... that is fantastic! I had a greek salad pita with mac and cheese... great combo.
Then next 24 hours after that are a blur of paper mania but I got it all done. Wednesday we had church, Thursday we had friends for dinner (taco salad stayed down this time...whew) and needless to say, I am so thankful for this Friday where I can catch up on my "to do" list, eat lunch with the hubby, go for a walk and visit all the beautiful babies! Then tonight is our CG girl's night! woo hoo.
So, that's the update. I go to the doctor again a week from today for a routine check and then the next visit in May we get to find out the gender! Between here and there are wedding, a beloved sister's graduation, another wedding and many house repairs! Stay tuned!

All That and a Bag of Chips

Hahahahaha, do you like the picture? Well, people, you wanted a belly shot... it just so happens it's a belly shot that shows NOTHING! hahahahaha, I crack myself up sometimes. That is actually me, right now, in my husband's t-shirt at my favorite coffee shop sippin' on passion fruit tea.
Sorry for the lack in updates, I am working on two huge projects that are intense but are actually turning out to bless me at the same time. I'm really learning so much about Jesus and myself as I write and research for these projects... praise the Lord that he teaches us in every situation!
Today, I decided to embrace my pregnant-ness. Now, mind you, I wasn't un-embracing it before. I gave up sucking in a long time ago and have decided this is the one time I can look overly full all the time and not care! Today, however, I took it to the next level.
I got off work and it was... is... a beautiful day outside and met all my requirements for a walk (close to 60 or above and sunny). So I got home and got ready for my walk. Where are all my t-shirts? No clue. They are gone or no longer decent for public view. Well, I was determined to go on this walk in comfort and then I remembered... just a day or two ago my husband was pretend harassing me about stealing his clothes. It's true, we semi shrunk one of his long sleeve quarter zip light weight shirts that is super outdoorsy... so I stole it. But he likes it on me... he just likes to give me a hard time. Then there are the shorts. We both worked at the same summer camp in college and one summer they had these awesome jersey shorts... I wanted them but got a tshirt instead (which is STILL my favorite tshirt 5+ years later). However, one day when putting away said husband's clothes or something I spotted these shorts and I had NEVER seen him wear them... so I commandeered them. (Let's face it... they were destined for me all along) Who could blame me? I wore them almost every day to work out until they HAD to be washed. He tried to steal them back a few times but he forgets that I do the laundry and put the clothes away and know better where his things are than he does! HAHAHA... plus I am a determined finder (ask my mom and sister... I was always the finder in the group when sunday shoes and hair bows went missing). Then toward the end of last summer I was desperate for more running shorts and BORROWED another pair and sometimes I give them back after a while... =)
ANYWAY, back to the story... this conversation came to me like a revelation and without hesitation I opened husband's drawer and pulled out a tshirt... I thought, "I would never do this unless I was pregnant... and oh, I AM pregnant...". Every one knows pregnant ladies look good in their husbands stuff! Cheap maternity clothes!
So between my hubby's shirt and my used-to-be-too-big jeans that I wore with out a belt (and rolled up) and the other parts of my body that are getting significantly larger... I felt quite the role of pregnant woman!
I had a lovely walk.
To top off the pregnant picture I drove to the park eating DORITOS of all things. We had community group Tuesday and a guy brought snacks this week (can be great.. can be a disaster). It was AWESOME... he brought all the foods that I would NEVER buy or keep on hand... Doritos, chips ahoy cookies, nutty bars, oatmeal sandwiches... yum! So, I let myself have a splurge and finished off the bag =). These were no ordinary doritos either... they were dream doritos. Half the bag was nacho cheese and the other ranch... ummm... YUM. I can never decide and I got both and they rub off on each other to create this wonderful goodness! (note to self, need to keep some baked cheetos on hand to avoid dorito pitfalls.)
Don't worry, I also had an apple and lots of water!
So, as you can see, I am definitely still pregnant!

In other news... my sister is ENGAGED! Congrats to her and her lucky beau! I could not be more thrilled for her! AND, I get to see her and the rest of my fabulous family in May for her graduation! (and get to visit my alma mater for the first time as an alum!)
Also, my brother-in-law is getting married at the end of may and we are thrilled about that as well and another excuse to go visit the family! (ummm... I need to get my shoes... reminder.)
So 2009 is turning out to be quite a wonderful and eventful year!

Real belly pics coming soon.... I just have to remember them when Husband is home to take them!

Swagbucks...

Just kidding go here

I am not kidding, I have friends who have the prizes in hand.. it's for real.
Check it out