Pregnancy Faves

It seems like y'all appreciate my honesty. So, here's another honest statement for your day:

I'm really whiny and needy and I have a problem with thinking I don't have enough of ALL the things I need. No, really. I constantly have a running list in my head (or written somewhere) of the many, many items that we're out of or that we need to get. You'd be so annoyed if you heard how many times I said/thought, "If I just had __________________ my life would be so.much.better. How do I know you'd all be annoyed? Because I'm annoyed with it...and I'm me.

This about sums up the truth.

 Am I right?

So...why am I saying all this? Because I really have noticed my lack of gratefulness for the thousands upon thousands of things I do have. I've noticed a shift in my thinking that I've had to actually make the effort in changing. When I get all "Woe is me! Everybody has all the things and I have none of the things and my life is so lacking and miserable" I look around and take note of all the things I do have that do make my life better or easier.

Hence, this post of some of my recent favorite things as they relate to making my life better and/or easier in terms of pregnancy. Basically, this is an attempt at me realizing how much I have to be grateful for.

**Note...there is a lot of mention of things. As in, material possessions. Items that can be purchased. With money. Which seems to be leaking out of our back pockets these days. Which is why it feels like we have none. And no money means the buying of no things. My life is actually made richer by the many, many wonderful, beautiful, eternal relationships I have. Not things. BUT...sometimes having things can make a person feel like they're happier...even if only temporary. Which is usually the case. Anyway...not sure where this rabbit-trail is headed, but I felt the need to say that I value human relationships so much further above concrete, inanimate objects. And I'm ever-so aware of all that I have in my (non-material) possession that make my life so beautiful. The end. **

Moving on...

Food:

1. This yogurt. So good. And perfect for those mornings when I need a quick breakfast that has some nutritional value, but don't have time for my beloved scrambled eggs with sauteed mushrooms. And cheese. Just being honest. Cheese is goooood.

2. Paired with the above-mentioned yogurt, these varieties of granola. Both found at Trader Joe's. So much yum.

3. These protein (?) bars. They've been so great to just throw in my purse. I'm at that point in pregnancy where I'm not necessarily ravenous all the time anymore, but I do get some wicked heart burn if I go just a little too long without something in my belly. I can never eat a whole one in one sitting, but I'll take a few bites to fill me up before heading into church or a meeting or something where I know it may be awhile before I can eat. They're also perfect for a pre-workout snack in the early mornings before I've had a chance to make my normal breakfast.

4. Tums. These are not food. And they are not my favorite. But they do fall into the category of making my life better. Can a pregnant woman OD on tums?

Clothing:

1. These t-shirts from Target. I have one in black and one in white and they get worn several times a week. Probably too many times. But they are so versatile. And they're just about all I have that still semi-covers the belly for public outings. And sadly, it seems like they're shrinking up on me. Must be the darn dryer. (cough, cough)

2. These shorts. They have been the single best purchase, most utilized piece of clothing this whole pregnancy. And you know what? I got them at a thrift store. For four bucks. Boom. They totally give me away as a mom, but I don't even care. They're shorts. And they're generally comfortable. And they can be worn in public. So...win.

3. These shorts (in black) are also helpful. My mother in law got them for me from Walmart. They're just a size bigger than normal, but because they have a drawstring, they sit comfortably. I mostly wear them to work out or run quick errands...or when my very favorite pair of shorts are being washed. Which leads me to...

4. These shorts. They have my heart. And my rear. I actually got them last summer (from that same thrift store, believe it or not) and I could've sworn I would have already out-grown them by now. But...nope. They just keep doing their job of keeping me cool and comfortable. I live in these shorts. I sleep in them. They are the last thing I take off when I need to get "dressed" (for public) and the very first thing I put back on as soon as I get home. I love 'em. Can't live without 'em.

These aren't the exact ones, but very similar.

*Side note: Apparently, I wear quite a bit of black. Camouflage of  pregnancy. And other times.

5. These bra-extenders. Getting a little personal up in here. I didn't have need of anything like this during the last pregnancy, but apparently my ribs are expanding. They come in a package of three and have made me so much less grouchy. My sports bra, especially, was really ticking me off. Which was unfortunate, because it wasn't like I needed any more excuses to not workout during this hellish-hot, I'm-a-whale summer. But the extenders to the rescue!

Miscellaneous:

1. This lady. Or gentleman. Window units typically do not have a gender. But this one...oh, this one is like my bestest friend. We hang out together all day, every day. You could never know (none of you...not even you, Mom) the impact she (I guess it's a she) has had on my life in these few short weeks. My attitude is better. My health is better. Even my energy levels are better because of her. I hurry home to get to her. The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is go to her and turn her on. I just can't say enough about her. She's my second favorite girl in the whole world. And now that I know she's a she, she needs a name. Any suggestions? I'm thinking Elsa. ;)

2. This app. It's so fun! I can track how much water I've consumed in a day (a lot), count those precious little kicks from my first favorite girl in the whole world, look up just about any topic relating to pregnancy, check if a medication is safe, the list goes on! It even has some yoga stretches and acupressure tips.

3.This lady. Okay, really...the lady, herself kind of annoys me. I'm sorry. She does. Maybe it's all the endorphins flowing throughout her veins, but she's a little too perky for me. I mean...look at her face. I usually roll my eyes at her no less than 3 times per workout. BUT...her workouts are so great for low-impact pregnancy exercise. And there are a ton of them on Youtube...for free. (There are some on HULU too, but only portions of a workout, not the whole thing.) I'll try to do a 2 mile walk at least once or twice a week and a one mile a few other days when it's raining or too hot outside to walk the park (read: most days).

That about sums up this edition of My Life Really Isn't So Miserable Because I Have These Things to Help Me.

Yay.

Confessions of a Sunday Morning

Yes, it's Monday. I know. But I didn't get a chance to write this out until now. So deal with it. ;)

Here's some honestly for your day:

Sunday mornings are...well...interesting, to put it nicely, in our home. I'm

fairly certain we're not alone in this. Right? (Lie to me.)

There are very few things that are more frustrating than watching yourself

balloon up on a daily basis with clothes that seem to be shrinking at

lightening speed. And the clothes that do marginally fit still are

either kinda ugly or incredibly uncomfortable...oftentimes both at the

same time. Sure does wonders for a woman's self-esteem.

And what just adds insult to injury, is a horrible haircut. Awful. And no,

I'm not being dramatic. I currently have THE WORST haircut I have ever

had in my life. Every time I look at myself in the mirror, I just ask,

"What the heck what she thinking???" She didn't just give me a kind of

mullet. It's a really bad, uneven mullet. So much win. And there's

really not a whole lot I (or anybody else, really) can do about it. It

just sucks.

So...imagine me on a Sunday morning in front of the mirror. Trying to get ready for church. Attempting to look somewhat nice and appropriate and put together. (**NOTE: the people in

my church probably couldn't care less what I look like. Not because they

don't care about me, they just love me regardless of how I'm dressed or

what my hair looks like. They're pretty wonderful like that.**)

So can you imagine that scene? A large, wild woman, huffing and puffing

around a hot house, on the verge of exploding into tears or expletives

because of her less-than-ideal appearance that she seems to have

absolutely zero control over.

Lovely, yes?

Then add to that the grown man dragging his feet and being essentially

unresponsive because he's still practically asleep, 1) because he's

never a morning person and loathes waking up and 2) didn't get much

sleep the night before.

Also add the high-energy child who wakes up begging to watch shows and eat candy all morning and

throws the mother of all meltdowns because he interprets the word "no"

as a promise that we will cut his fingers off one by one.

Again, just being honest with you. This is our reality. And I'm confident

we're not the only ones who have a similar version of this ugly madness.

(Just lie to me.)

Once we get our act together enough to get our butts in the car, probably a few choice words shared among the three of us, we may or may not be on time.

We start driving and I (aggressively) share with my still sleepy-eyed husband how

incredibly frustrating it is to hate so much the way I look right now

and that I can't do anything about and I don't wanna go anywhere or be

around anyone and I don't wanna smile and pretend to be so happy, happy,

happy with life right now. Don't wanna. Can't make me. Hmph.

And our lovely child is in the backseat already begging us to not take him

to church. We win as the best Christian parents ever.

My husband tells me how tired he is and sore and not feeling well. And

asks if we should just not go to church at all. Maybe we can just go get

breakfast somewhere instead and get in some early naps.

And it's definitely a tempting offer.

But...heck no. I just put my body through a half marathon to try to get dressed

and ready to go to church. And we don't just go to church when we feel like it. Because guaranteed, 9.5 times out of 10...we don't feel like it. There are always a thousand excuses/reasons to not go, but

that's not who we are. And that's not who we're teaching our son to be.

We don't just do what comes easy all the time.

So we go. And we muddle through worship. I try to get my heart right and put

my mind and thoughts on Jesus, because He is the ONLY reason we are

there, or alive, in the first place. I try to convince myself that He

doesn't care what my hair looks like. It works enough for me to finally

get the scowl off my face and relax my tensed shoulders.

Worship is over and while we are giving tithes and offerings, they worship team sings Holy Spirit

by Bryan and Katie Torwalt. This is the furthest thing from a new song

to me. I'm actually really over it because it's been so over-played in my world.

But as they sing, I think of the words. Not for the first time, but in relation to how my morning has gone.

There's nothing worth more

That could ever come close

No thing can compare

You're our living Hope

Your presence Lord

And I'm flooded with the reality that there really is no other thing or
place that could satisfy like the presence of the Holy God. Nothing else
compares with the sweetness of the presence of the Lord. Instantly, my
soul and my heart has been refreshed. No amount of extra sleep or an
endless wardrobe or hair like a goddess or breakfast with my family
could ever bring fulfillment like what the Holy Spirit brings to my
life.

I want to say this: could we have possibly had an encounter with the
Creator if the Universe if we had stayed at home or gone somewhere else?
Absolutely. The Holy Spirit is not and will not be confined to a
building with a steeple and certain number of worship songs sung with
people perfectly dressed. We could have met with the Father any and
every where...if our hearts had been an atmosphere of welcome to Him.
(Side not: they weren't.) 

But I am so grateful for a church home that is so intentional with being a place that

welcomes the Holy Spirit to come in power and truth to refresh and

uplift and even convict when needed. At the end of the day, there is no

place I'd rather be. 

28 weeks

How far along: 8 weeks...officially third trimester as of last week. We're in the home-stretch now, baby!

Size of baby: an eggplant

Movement: Poor baby girl got squished a ton over the last week. We were in the car for a good amount of time and she's been sitting pretty low, right where my lap meets my tummy...where the seat belt rests. We were in my dad's car and his seat belts do that anaconda-grip thing where is refuses to loosen and just gets tighter and tighter, making me wanna punch somebody. Everybody else in the car loved being with me. She's also playing the same game Josiah played where she'll move around like crazy, all over my belly so you can see her, but then be perfectly still when I'm trying to get someone else to see it. Little toot.

Maternity Clothes: It's sad, because I'm already needing to get a few more shirts that are long enough to cover my large protrusion. Good thing I've got a few good XL tshirts and a couple of long-ish tanks to hopefully last the summer.

Sleep: I only wake up because I'm uncomfortable and need to roll over, or I've ended up on my back and can't breathe anymore. And I'm usually drenched in sweat when I do wake up. So frustrating.

Cravings: SWEETS! Today I'm actually craving some veggies and fruit, but really only because being on the road for several days doesn't typically lend itself to healthy eating. I tried. Okay, not really. I enjoyed that Texas Burger and Arby's and pizza. Just paying for it now. And looking forward to a good, veggie-filled salad tonight.

Symptoms: Indigestion hasn't been too bad (until all the fried, greasy foods happened), but my hips hurt like crazy. Also, my doctor discovered I was anemic, which has been the cause of light-headedness, dizziness, being out of breath too easily, heart palpitations and insane exhaustion. The heat made it so.much.worse and it's been quite a hot couple weeks. So, she put me on that lovely iron supplement and told me I needed to drink more water than is humanly possible. Do they make pull-ups in grown-woman sizes???

Worst Moment This Week: I don't usually include this unless there's something notable that I want to remember. My Granddaddy (my dad's dad) passed away early last Monday night. He had been pretty sick for the last couple years after getting in a fight with a mosquito carrying West Nile. He should have died then, but the man is a fighter, and lived a few more good years. Of course, death is always tough to handle, but it was a little more bitter because my father was having to bury his father (and last living parent) on Father's Day weekend. The only real benefit to times like these is that you get to see and spend a little bit of time with family you don't always get to see. And also, the hope of life after death, free from pain and suffering.

Granddaddy with all his great-grandchildren two Christmases ago.                                    (Photo cred: my cousin's wife, Leslie)

Best Moment this Week: Even in the middle of a week of obvious sadness and mourning, there were several highlights and sweet times. But HANDS DOWN the best moment of the week was last night when I came home from doing a bit of we-have-nothing-but-spoiled-milk grocery shopping to find my husband, on HIS day to be celebrated as a wonderful father, going out of his way to make my life that much better. He was finishing up installing a brand new window AC unit in the living room. If you've ever been to my house in the summer months...you know how big a deal this is. If you haven't...you've never really experienced Hell on Earth.
Simply put, we live in an old house that has saran wrap for windows and cracks in the doors and holes in the duct work in the attic. Sounds lovely, eh? It really is a great little house and we (my husband) have put so much work into it to make it more liveable and beautiful, but the cruddy AC problem suddenly got infinitely worse once I became pregnant for the entirety of the summer . My body is a freakin' oven...constantly. And the 7 different fans we have in every room of the house seemed to only be pushing around the massive amounts of hot air. So, after tossing around the few options we had for a quick fix on a nothing budget, we finally decided on the window unit. Best.decision.ever. Does every other room in the house still feel like Hell's Closet of Suffocation? You betcha. But at least I can sit in my chair, in the room where we spend 85% of our 24 hours and find some sweet, blessed, beautiful relief. Seriously. I've already cried three times.

Isn't she lovely?!

Bonus: the box doubles as an entire HOUR, yes hour of entertainment.

Looking Forward to: Baby Showers!!! YAY!! YAY!!! Double YAY!!! There are already 2 scheduled for July and I am beside myself excited. And grateful. I honestly wasn't sure if there would be any, seeing as this is the second kid and we basically have all the "necessities" already. But it's always sweet to know that people already love and want to shower your other kid before they're here, ya know? I'm excited to get to spend time with all those wonderful people too. So fun!

Daddy's Involvement: If you need any more convincing that my baby daddy spoils me besides that lengthy paragraph up there, just know that this is only one example of how he is constantly going out of his way to make sure I'm comfortable and happy and healthy. All the time.

Gosh, I love this man.

Big Brother: I've noticed he's been a little extra affectionate with me the past few days. LOTS of extra kisses and hugs and cuddle and "I love you's." But he makes sure to balance it all with extra sassy-ness too. He's asked a few questions about Lydia recently, but not much interest out of the ordinary. It is getting much harder and riskier to pick him up and carry him and play (rough-house) with him lately and I think he's noticed. I just keep praying that he doesn't project blame on his sister. I would much rather he not make the connection that it's because of her that Mommy can't do what she used to. I would rather him be mad at me than be resentful of her. So I've had to be careful with my wording and reasoning. It's such a big deal to me to get their relationship started off with as little sibling rivalry as possible. There may need to be an entire separate post about my thoughts on all this...I have a lot. But in the meantime, I'll leave you with a shameless Big Brother pic of the week.

26 Weeks

How far along: 26 weeks. And apparently, my due date is actually on the 8th of September, putting me at week-changes on Mondays and not Tuesdays like I thought.

Size of baby: the length of a green onion

Movement: I LOVE being able to feel this girl at opposites corners of my abdomen at the same time! It means she's growing and getting bigger and stronger. Both Josiah and Matt have finally been able to feel her kick. Josiah felt her first, but the jury is still out on if he actually did feel it. I think he did, but you never know with a three year old. Every time he's cuddled up on my lap (or what's left of it, anyway), she goes crazy and kicks and moves all around. Josiah doesn't seem to notice it at all, but I think it's pretty funny. And I'm fairly certain I've felt some hiccups every day (sometimes a couple of times a day) since Friday.

I never get tired of these sweet post-nap cuddles.

Maternity Clothes: I have these one pair of shorts that I really like that I can wear in public and not be tacky. I found them at a thrift store of all places and I have gotten more wear out of them than what I paid for them. Other than that...let's just say...it's a good thing I've pretty much been hanging out at home these days. 

Sleep: Sleep has actually been really great. Major thanks to the guy who sacrificially deals with the insomniac child living in our house in the middle of the night so I don't have to. I often wake up to find them both asleep in Josiah's (horrible) bed. What a man!

Cravings: Only craving healthy things like, chocolate and pizza. I did find myself eating very many Cuties...but probably because we had no chocolate in the house.

Symptoms: Umm...I'm 26 weeks pregnant, but feel like I'm 36 weeks pregnant. There's a lot going on.


Best Moment this Week: I'd say it's been a pretty rough week for me, physically and emotionally. Not because of any one major thing, just a bunch of little, life-is-normal-and-sometimes-cruddy things. But it has been SO GREAT to see the progress Josiah is making on potty training. I alluded to it before and still have that whole other post with all the details of our experience, but he really has done so much better than I ever thought possible. Even with the horrible weekend we had and the worst case of diarrhea he's ever had...he's still got the concept completely. Can't say how proud I am.

Looking Forward to: Is it bad that I'm already thinking about and planning my weight loss attempts for post-baby? I've already decided that all I really want for my birthday (a few weeks after the baby is born) is new workout clothes and maybe a personal trainer (I'll probably have to hire one because my favorite personal trainer lives about an hour away and is having her own baby right after me). I've even started looking at the calendar and planning when I'll have clearance to get back to it based on when she arrives. It'll be October, y'all. There's no better month of the year to go for a nice, cool run. Can't wait!!!

Daddy's Involvement: This guy goes out of his way to make my life more bearable. Doing what he can to fix the AC in the house so it's less hellacious. Rubbing my shoulders. Giving me some time alone. Having talks with our little wild-man to explain why he can't jump all over me and how he needs to be gentle. And then of course, the usual, normal, wonderful things like cooking and doing dishes, etc.

Big Brother: Asking about her just about every day. The other morning he woke me up with this conversation:
"Mommy, how's the baby doing today?"
"Oh, ummm...she's doing great."
"Well, that great news!"
And he thinks about toys he'll show her and books he'll read to her. It's gonna be great.

Gotta have a pic. of Big Brother.

Friday Five

Alternate Title: Finding the Beauty in a Rough-Patch Week
Subtitle: A Lot of Boring and No Pictures

1. So...my Friday morning began with a tiny face smooshed into mine, whining and begging (with all the passion a three year old can muster...which is a lot) for candy. Candy. I was dead asleep and my son chose to woke me begging for candy. Yes, candy. Is it possible to be completely annoyed by your own child within the first seconds upon waking? And the added insult to injury? Every other morning this week was a battle to get him to wake up at all. He still had school and had to be out the door around 8. Meltdowns ensued because I took his shirt off or put a shoe on or what have you. The one morning we could all sleep in with no alarms set...and he was up before the sun begging for candy. Candy. Can't say I wasn't a little tempted to just throw something candylicious in the child's face and go back to sleep. It's moments like these that I'm reassured that I do, in fact, have traces of unselfish parenting in my veins.

2. Potty training- I have a completely separate post in the works about all things potty and poopy and pee. Get excited. It's gonna be a thriller. But in the meantime, I will just say that it's pretty much consuming my life right now, as I fully expected it would. In fact, this is why I have put it off for so long, despite many "encouragements" from well-meaning others. Like I said, I have much more to say on the topic because I have learned oh, so very much in the whole process so far, but I just want to note that I'm grateful for how well it's been going so far. It really has been such a positive experience for us all and I definitely attribute our success so far to waiting until we were all ready.

And here's a spoiler alert/question: How do you handle potty-training when you're right in the thick of it and it's going SO WELL and then...BAM!...diarrhea? Cuz after the candy-begging incident, this has been what my day looks like. Awesome.

3.I had one of those days on Tuesday where Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day crosses Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. Nothing earth-shattering in the slightest, but annoying nonetheless. First, it was all rainy and stormy and gloomy that morning. My son had a typical morning meltdown because I tried to put clothes on him and I was feeling rather exhausted, both physically and parentally. I was able to have some alone time and get my heart right. Even had a few great conversations where I could tell the Lord was bringing some sweetness into some lives. But when I tried to respond to one of the texts I got in the middle of one of these conversations, my phone froze up and went black. It refused to turn back on. Not the end of the world, for sure but definitely inconvenient and annoying.
Later on, the sun had come back out and I was getting ready to go pick Josiah up from school. Because the AC in the Beast (our beloved, giant Navigator) works a bit better when it's been shaded from the fierce sun, I went out to put the sun shade in it and crack the windows a bit (tip #1 for surviving Texas summer heat in a hot car). I went back in to finish getting dressed and wait for my sister who was coming over to come with me to get Josiah from school. I wasn't even sure if she was still coming because my phone was not working at all. But she eventually arrived and we got in the car to leave and it wouldn't start. I didn't mess with it much because she was willing to drive. THANK THE LORD that she was there. It was actually pretty random and out of the ordinary that she "just happened" to be there. Matt was gone for the day and I had no way to get in touch with him. If she hadn't been there, my darling son would have been left up at his school til who knows when.
While we were out getting him and doing some Target shopping, Matt texted Allison to see when we were coming home. He noticed that the windows on the Beast were cracked and it was starting to rain again. A little rain never hurt anyone, but we never did get the car to start back up and it poured again that night and well into the next morning. Such a nasty mess. I think there were a few other unfortunate occurrences, but I've forgotten about them by now.
Just one of those days.

4. That last one was long enough to count for two, right?

5. Hmmm...anything positive to share? Memorial Day was a good one. We'd had zero plans for the day. There's something about those "holidays" that are intended to be more somber and reflective that it just feels irreverent to have a big ol' party and celebrate. This is just a personal opinion, although I'm sure there are plenty others who hold the same opinion. I'm genuinely not trying to be critical or judgmental of those who choose to take the day off they've been given and have a blast with their friends and families. By all means...you know? But I feel odd making a big deal about grilling out and sales and going to the beach, etc. when I know there are some families who really are spending that day, and every other day, honoring the memory of their solider who chose to give his/her life to protect mine and my family's. It's not normally a soapbox I get on, and I'm not even intending to get on one now. I'm just reiterating the point that we had no plans for the day and hadn't really expected anything.
But then, I'd told Matt the day before that I was wanting some barbeque chicken and some mac and cheese and some banana pudding (super healthy, yeah?). So, we planned to cook all that on Monday...which just so happened to be Memorial Day. He came home from the grocery store with a huge package of chicken and the idea was somehow birthed that maybe we should invite a few of the students over who probably aren't at home with their families. A simple, no plans, small meal day ended up with a living room full of some of the best people in Houston and seven different kinds of meats, a bucket of dirty rice, a load of mac and cheese, delicious green beans (the only semi-healthy thing on the menu), cornbread, a chocolate-coconut cream pie, banana pudding and cinnamon rolls. We had a great time cooking together, eating together and playing a few rounds of a game that I've decided I'll never play with them again.
It's moments like those...and all the rest of these...that I'm grateful that the Lord has really done a work in my heart in the area of flexibility. All these different occasions and situations have the theme of "things not going according to 'plan'" running throughout. Maybe that's a whole post in itself. But it seems that the Lord has supernaturally given me the grace to take life as it comes and enjoy it.

Even when I get woken up all too early by a child begging for something he sure-as-heck knows he ain't gonna git.

Summer Bucket List

Our little Lydia is due right at the beginning of the school year, making this our last summer as the three of us. Part of me has all these dreams of grandeur...imagining us making the most of the summer days and doing all these fun things outside. And then I think, "Eight and Nine months pregnant. 100+ temps. Ummm...no thanks."

So, instead I've come up with a few other options (yes, some are still outside) that mostly involve AC and/or cold foods and beverages. Of course, Matt and I both have a LONG list of things we need to accomplish this summer, but this is mainly family fun goodness.

Here are a few of the fun things we have in mind:

1. Go to the beach (scheduled for late July with all the Hoogs).

CanNOT wait to be with these people again and the rest of the family!

2. Play in the pool (already happening and will probably continue happening just about every single day).


3. Hang out in the hammock (once the sun starts to set it's actually really nice).

This picture (and that face) just kills me.

4. Make homemade popsicles (got a board on Pinterest already going).

5. Go to the Zoo and the splash pad section (this will probably be more Matt and Josiah while Mommy stays inside).

6. Children's Museum (Thursday nights are free).

7. Christmas in July (on the 25th...gonna have to figure out how to make it feel cold in our house).

 

8.Get some snocones (the kind with ice cream in the middle).


9. Popsicles and splash pad at Discovery Green (continuing a tradition started last year).

10. Vacation Bible School at our church (he's finally old enough to go!).


11. Stand in the freezer sections of grocery stores (you think I'm kidding).

12. Get the nursery at least cleaned out and started (she won't even sleep in there for the first couple months so I'm not really in a huge hurry to get it done). (Also...is it weird that my inspiration for her room is a bottle of hand soap?)

What are your plans to beat the summer heat and make some fun memories?

24 weeks

So...I'm totally blaming the lack of posting on how insanely busy the last few weeks have been. With birthdays and birthday parties, graduations, missions trips and wrapping up the school year, we have been going pretty much non-stop. I may have even forgotten a few times that I'm even pregnant. Just kidding. There's no way I can forget with this giant belly already bumping into things and knocking things over. And so many other wonderful reasons I wouldn't be able to forget that I'm carrying a tiny human being. See more on that below.

How far along: 24 weeks (inching ever-closer to that third trimester...wow. just wow.)

Size of baby: the length of an ear of corn

Gender: It's getting so much more comfortable to say things like she, her, daughter, girl, etc. I'm not sure I'll ever fully come out of the shock of having a daughter, but she's really starting to take her place in this family. The girl is also already getting a head-start on a great wardrobe. And that doesn't even include the hand-me-downs coming her way!

This is not even all of it!

Movement:I mentioned to Matt the other day that it's so different than I remember with Josiah. Granted, that was 3+ years ago, but I remember feeling him moving around a lot, but not so much "kicking" me. This girl though, this sassy, feisty little lady...she's a kicker. And I don't mean the country-music-listening, boots-wearing, hat-tipping kind. She straight up kicks me. Or punches. I don't know. Either way, she's getting stronger and bigger. Another difference is that I really only noticed Josiah when I was still and easier to notice him, but I could be full-on working out or doing something and I can feel her going to town in there. Looks like I have myself a little work-out buddy.

*And I just wanna make a note of something. When I mentioned the differences to Matt, he apologized (because that's how compassionate he is), thinking that maybe I was complaining about how uncomfortable it is. And I explained that I will NEVER, EVER, EVER complain about being able to feel my child inside of me. Do I complain about other pregnancy-related discomforts? Sure do. But what a incredible privilege it is to be able to experience another human...my human...wiggling around! Not only does it mean that I've been miraculously and graciously given this gift of being pregnant, but it also means that she's alive and healthy and growing and developing. What a big deal!

Maternity Clothes: Shirts are getting too small, but found some decent shorts that just might get me through this already blazing heat. Now on the look-out for a swimsuit that isn't over-priced or ugly.

Sleep: Not too bad. I'm so exhausted by the end of the day that it doesn't take long for me to get comfortable. Just being horizontal is comfort enough. And I only wake up when a certain little somebody is climbing over me, thinking he's gonna get to sleep in Mommy and Daddy's bed. And then, there was that one time about a week ago when Homegirl kicked me so hard it woke me up. I laughed.

Cravings: Peach-flavored things are hitting the spot these days. It might have something to do with Chick-fil-a's seasonal peach shake being back and the weather warming up. SO yummy!!!!

Symptoms: Got that wildly persistent indigestion going on after every.single.bite I eat. I get it when I haven't eaten and I get it when I have eaten. Can't tell you how many times I've said, "This girl better have a full head of hair for the amount of heart burn I constantly have." (Side note: What's the difference between heart burn and indigestion? Are they synonyms?) Other than that...not being able to breathe, stretch mark city, a bad case of the "can't go's" (sorry...too much?) and restless leg syndrome. Wouldn't trade a bit of it.

Best Moment this Week: So many wonderful moments these last few weeks. I mentioned most of them in this post. What I didn't mention, was that we took a team of students on a missions trip to serve at The Rock Outreach Center in Port Arthur, TX. WE LOVE THEM!!! We've gotten to serve with them for the last couple of years and it's always such a wonderful, powerful time...for everyone.

Looking Forward to: This summer. No, not the heat. It's not even in the 90's yet and I already get punched in the face with a headache and bad nausea when I get into the car. But I am very much looking forward to having the extra time to be relaxed and lazy while also being productive and getting some stuff done at my own pace. I have a few projects in the works, but no major commitments.

Daddy's Involvement: Besides being compassionate about all my various pregnancy symptoms, he's been a huge help with Josiah. He's taken over bath-time since it's gotten increasingly difficult and is just over-all being really great about being attentive and selfless. And he takes me out on yummy dates.

Big Brother: I love how inquisitive he's getting about the baby. Just this morning we were having a conversation about her being hungry and how does the food Mommy eats get to her tummy? And when is she gonna start walking? I'm hoping and praying that his capacity for understanding how a baby develops will increase as time goes on and when she gets here. I'm sure there will be some frustration with her not doing much of anything for awhile but crying and sleeping.
He's also had a hard time with not being able to jump on me and ride me like I'm an animal. Daddy's not the only one who's a rough-houser (is that a word???) with him. I usually am too, but have had to cut it out, for obvious reasons. He seems to understand once we get on to him and remind him that he can't do that...after he's already gotten a running start to fly into me. This wild boy. My heart can barely contain my love for him.