We woke up this morning to snow and it’s been snowing ever since. I guess we’re supposed to get a couple of inches today.

So, I am going to stay home in my sweatpants, I think. 🙂 My car is not, by any means, a snow car. Which is fine. I have laundry and some cleaning to do today. Fun day ahead! 😛

I’ve been getting asked a lot (and asking Jon a lot!) whether we think it is a boy or a girl. I know all these people who told me they just knew which one it is. At this point, the only thing I know is it’s one or the other. 🙂 I honestly have no idea! I wish I did, because all kinds of adorable winter outfits are on sale right now! 🙂

I got a welcome surprise from my editor the other day and I just had to share it with you!

This is the cover for the third in the Maya Davis series. I’m SO excited for you guys to meet her! April seems like so far away, but I know it will be here before we know it! Here are the other two book covers (Cool Beans is the first in the series):

I’m so excited! As of right now, I believe the release dates are April 1st, July and October (I don’t have definite dates on the second two). And since Cool Beans is coming out in April, I think we might just have to have a little contest soon to win an autographed copy of it. 🙂 Yay!

Well, my laundry and day of cleaning and organizing is waiting for me. 🙂

Stay warm out there!

I had to get blood drawn Friday.

If by any chance there is a nurse reading this blog who had to, along with three of her fellow nurses, hold down a 5-year-old blond girl during a round of shots about 20 years ago, I’m really, really sorry. And Mom, I’m also going to apologize to you – I’m sure that you got many a dirty look thanks to me.

Sorry about that.

I’m still not too fond of needles.

But, I made it through getting my blood drawn with minimal screaming. 🙂 Actually, no screaming and the sting wasn’t too bad either. I want the lady who drew my blood Friday to do it every time I need it done now. She was awesome. Quick, fairly painless and I was on my way with a purple stretchy bandage thing wrapped around my elbow.

We got to hear the baby’s heartbeat again and we’ve got a nice strong one on our hands. And, this baby has officially popped – I’m most definitely showing now! I had big plans to take the 16-week picture about six times this weekend, but every time my makeup was on and hair was decent, I wasn’t around a camera. So, you get this picture:

This is me – sweatpants and all. And this is a pre-pregnancy shirt, as you can tell. It’s getting to be a bit small. And no, I didn’t get my face in there and that’s on purpose. 🙂

When did you moms first feel your baby move?

We get to find out whether we’re having a boy or a girl on February 15th and I’m SO excited I can hardly stand it! Jon and I have been talking about this for weeks and it’s only three weeks away. Yay! 🙂 We already know exactly how we’re going to tell our families, so I’ll have to come up with some cute way of letting all of you know on here as well. 🙂 And we have a few names picked out, but nothing set in stone, so I’m going to keep them quiet until we know for sure! It’s seems like such a huge responsibility to name this baby! But, God already knows exactly how many hairs will be on this baby’s head (I might know the answer to that one too – zero), and He also knows what his/her name will be. 🙂 That’s a comforting thought!

Have you guys seen previews for When In Rome? I think that looks so cute! I really want to go see that (plus, you really can’t beat movie theater popcorn!).

I’m getting my hair cut next week (thank goodness!) and it’s been a long time coming. I’m thinking I might go back to somewhere around shoulder-length. 🙂 It’s just SO much easier than having long, straggly hair like my is right now. We’ll see though! I always get to my hairdresser’s and chicken out right at the last minute.

I hope you all have a fantastic Monday! 🙂

I was going through pictures yesterday and found this one of Kody back in the puppy days. I just love how he had to grow into his ears!

Last weekend, as I’m sure those of you who are in school know, was Martin Luther King Jr. weekend.

And so I give my deepest thanks to MLK for having a weekend that usually falls either on or around my birthday. I loved it when I was in school and I love it even more now because Jon got Monday off. And since my birthday was on Sunday, I ended up getting something like a two-day birthday celebration. 🙂

We spent Sunday with my family which was amazing! I love spending time with them. And Jon and the fam spoiled me rotten with gifts. Don’t you just love the birthdays where every gift you get is something you are excited about?

We went to a Japanese restaurant and did the whole Teppan grill experience. And here’s the thing – I TOTALLY spaced that they cook 1) eggs and 2) chicken right in front of you. Oy! I just focused really hard on the soup and salad and didn’t eat much of the fried rice. But other than that, it was delicious and I’m so glad we went! My mom and Jon made my favorite dessert ever, Oreo Smush (I reference it in one of the Lauren books!), and it was just the most perfect day!

And…drumroll please… I finished my deadline! Yay! Now, I just need to make a few corrections and send it off! I love being ahead of schedule!

Which means that this week has been chill week. I’m just letting my brain take a vacation this week, so I’ve been hanging out at the house, today I’m meeting a friend for coffee and just relaxing. I’ve got a stack of books I can’t wait to dive into!

In other news, I’ll be 16 weeks along on Friday and I’ll be sure to take a decent picture then. I’ve also got a doctor’s appointment that morning and I have to get blood drawn. 🙁 I’m not a fan of needles. Never have been, probably never will be. I’m really not excited about it.

BUT…I’m not going to think about that today! I did want to mention, though, if you’ve sent me an email in the last, oh, four months or so, I promise I WILL respond to you! Hopefully between this week and next week I can write all of you back. I’m so sorry for the delay – morning sickness combined with a deadline didn’t make it easy to get very much done. But now that those are both over, I should have more time to write you back!

Hope you are having a great week so far!

Today, I’ve been struck by this:

* Clean laundry that has been shaken out but not put away and is laying on my couch.
* Dishes in the sink because the dishwasher is full and needs to be run.
* A fridge overflowing with leftovers I need to throw out because they went bad.
* A bed that needs to be made. Bathrooms that need to be cleaned. Carpets that need to be vacuumed.

How much I take for granted. I tend to look at the above list and think, “Oh gosh, I have a lot to do today and I need to get writing done!” Or, “Our house is a disaster.”

But our house is not a disaster. Our house is as far from being a disaster as it can get. We have clean clothes. We have dishes. We have food, electricity, a bed, running water and clean floors.

We have all probably seen the pictures of Haiti where people are in a genuine disaster. In a country that started off very poor, this earthquake is only worsening conditions that were already deteriorating. It makes my heart hurt to think of how many, many times I have wished for more – a bigger house, a bigger eating out budget – when there are people who are suffering so deeply right now.

I know that a lot of you are in the same boat as Jon and me – we don’t have thousands to give, but we do want to help. Compassion International is a wonderful organization that is built on Christ and is already working hard to help the people in Haiti. By texting “disaster” to 90999, you can donate $10 to Compassion for the Haiti relief. The donation will be added to your next wireless bill.

Above all else, let’s commit to praying that this earthquake will give workers in Haiti an opportunity to share the love of Christ. I don’t know why disasters like this happen, but I do know that our God is the same yesterday, today and forever and He is completely in control.

So, has anyone else seen the previews for the Style Network show that’s called something like, “Things I Hate About Myself” or “What I Hate About Myself”?

And I thought we had already scraped the bottom of the TV show barrel with “Man vs. Food” (which, by the way, happens to be one of Jon’s favorite shows. Ugh. Warning to all women in their first trimester, do not watch that show).

But, it appears I am wrong. And not only can I not think of a worse way to damage women’s fragile self-esteems than with a show pointing out everyone’s flaws, but seriously how much lower can we go? Next thing you know, there’s going to be shows about people who are proud of their Christmas sweaters and like showing them off. It could be called “Sweater Swagger”. 🙂

Anyway. Enough of that soapbox.

I’ve been battling a small cold the last few days, so I’ve been spending the downtime writing like crazy and last night I watched Penelope while Jon worked out. I love that movie! Such a sweet, happy feeling movie. If you haven’t seen it, you should. It’s adorable.

I’m set to finish my February 1st deadline next week and I am SO excited for the week after that! Because, not only does my birthday start that week off right (wow, that’s such a sad excuse for a few birthday wishes! 😉 ), but I’ve also got plans for a completely relaxing week. I’m going to read all the books I haven’t had time to read, I’m going to paint my toenails (sorely needed) and Jon even gets Monday off for MLK Jr. Day, so I get to hang out with him too! (Maybe I can convince him to paint my toenails?) 🙂

And, since it’s Friday and I’m officially 14 weeks, here’s my first pregnancy picture (like I said, I’m fighting a cold, so ignore the glassy eyes, pale complexion, crazy hair and sweatpants):

Not much to show for the pregnancy yet. According to one of the baby websites, the little one is the size of a lemon now. So small! 🙂 And Kody must know something is up, because he has become the most depressed, needy dog! He just follows me from room to room – he’s never more than a few feet away from me. Anytime I sit on the couch now, he thinks he gets to put his head in my lap. Someone is going to have a rough summer.

Have a wonderful weekend!

For the past three months, I have done nearly nothing physical. Right around the time we found out we were pregnant, I did really good at walking twice a day (I was doing the 30 Day Shred prior to that and ooo… could not keep that up!). Then the morning sickness hit hard, the temperature dropped very low outside and I just sat on the couch all day long.

I seriously think I’ve worked out maybe twice in the last six weeks.

UNTIL yesterday! I got a prenatal workout DVD a couple of weeks back and yesterday, I started the 2nd trimester workout. It’s really low-key – I never broke a sweat. But I did get out of breath and I downed three glasses of water during that hour. So, apparently it’s doing something! Either that or I am in WAY worse shape than I thought I was! (I really liked the workout, so I’m posting a picture of it – if you are or are going to be pregnant, try this workout!)

And just to add to my motivation to work out, I made a big batch of marble squares (for those of you unfamiliar with this heavenly dessert, it’s like a chocolate swirled cookie but in brownie form….YUM!). I had to work out before I could eat one. I think that’s pretty good motivation, don’t you? 🙂

This Friday I’m going to post one of those infamous pregnant stomach pictures – though I’ll warn you guys – at this point, I just look chubby! I keep waiting for someone to make some remark about laying off the Krispy Kremes. 😛

A couple of people have asked me if we are going to find out what we’re having and the answer is YES. We cannot wait!!! Our doctor’s office is making us wait until the 20th week to find out (and they are also doing a 3D ultrasound then). I’m hoping we can convince them to let us find out a little earlier. We have a favorite name already for both a boy and a girl – we’ll see if they keep being the favorites!

And to answer other questions about any food aversions or cravings, I haven’t had a cup of caffeinated coffee since last June. Shock and awe, I know! I did try decaf for a little while, but I gave that up after a couple of weeks. There’s just no bright side to getting up in the mornings now. I think my taste buds have changed a little bit because it just doesn’t taste the same.

I now hate cooked eggs. The smell, the texture, the taste. I have to leave the room when someone is eating them. And after two unfortunate endings to pizza nights, I’ve given that up until the queasiness stops all together. Though that still looks really good and I’ve been missing my pizza nights! I’m not too fond of chicken, but I’ll eat it.

I’ve mourned the coffee one for a while. And for the past eight or so weeks when the morning sickness has been really bad, I lost all my taste for sweet things. So, those marble squares are pretty much the first dessert I’ve made for me and Jon since I got pregnant. And let me tell you – they tasted SO good! I think my sweet tooth is back which is wonderful! 🙂 I was having to eat popcorn for dessert and as much as I love popcorn, it is just not the same thing as chocolate.

I got quite a bit of writing done yesterday and the goal is to get the same amount or more done today. Maybe I can use the whole marble square as motivation for that too? 🙂

Have a great Wednesday!

First off, I want to apologize for how infrequently I’ve been blogging lately. It’s been due to two things mostly – 1) My February 1st Deadline and, 2) I’ve been pretty sick with this little one so I haven’t really done all that much that is interesting to blog about! I figure most of you don’t want to hear about me throwing up, napping and sitting with my laptop while sipping ginger ale. 🙂

Then add in Christmas and TONS of family being in town and it just makes it that much harder! 🙂 So, I do apologize and I really hope that in the next few weeks I’ll be feeling better and have tons more energy.

Last Friday marked my 13th week and so I’m now in my 2nd trimester. I had a long chat with the baby on Friday and let him/her know that they were no longer allowed to make me sick since morning sickness is only supposed to last through the 1st trimester.

Well, we are going to have a stubborn child because he/she did not listen. 🙂

And, in other news, we got to hear the heartbeat last Thursday! It’s perfect and SO fast – it was around 160 beats per minute, so I couldn’t help myself… You know how they have those gender predictions based on the heartbeat? I heard they are complete old wives’ tales, but it’s still fun! Those of you who have had babies, did you see any correlation between the heartbeat and the gender?

I only have a few more words in my deadline! SO CLOSE! I have been itching to get back to writing after the Christmas break so I can be done! I have big plans for after the deadline is met – which lately those plans have consisted of daily naps and reading a few books. I know, I know – I lead the MOST interesting life ever. 🙂

Did any of you make New Years Resolutions? I don’t usually because I never remember what I resolved to do, but this year I want to be good about working out (especially now – I’ve heard it’s so beneficial for the baby. I’m hoping the sickness stops so I can feel good enough too!). I know that’s everyone’s New Year’s Resolution, so it’s not too original. I’m also going to try and focus on being a better Christian and a better wife – I’ve been SO selfish these last few weeks and focusing only on me and how I feel when I need to remember that it is GOD who gave us this miracle! And keeping my priorities straight needs to start now – even before this little one is interfering with my marriage and my relationship with God. 🙂

I hope you are having a wonderful Sunday! And for those of you who go back to work or school tomorrow, keep your chins up! Summer is just around the corner! 🙂