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! 🙂

…and all through the house
Christmas presents were opened
And scattered about.

The leftovers from dinner
Were stored carefully in the fridge
And I’m already waiting
To dig into them again.

My Christmas was wonderful!
The family was hilariously funny
We got snow a few days ago
But yesterday was bright and sunny.

I’m so amazingly blessed
With my mom, dad, brothers and sister
And my husband is the best gift
Of this and every Christmas.

So, I in my pajamas
And everyone else in their lounge wear
Wish you a “MERRY CHRISTMAS!”
And a very Happy New Year!

I think we can all see why I did not go into poetry. 🙂 I hope you and your families had a very merry Christmas and I hope you are soaking up the time with loved ones!

Love to you all!

…when you are sleeping most of the day. Between that and the not so pleasant mornings lately (I’ll spare you the details), I have been taking every “feeling good” opportunity this week to get in some writing time on my quickly-creeping-up-on-me deadline. So, I’m very sorry for my dreadfully long absence!

I’ve also been trying to finish up my Christmas shopping – one more gift to go and it should be delivered by UPS sometime today. Yay! All I need to do is get that wrapped and I am done! Which is something of a miracle considering I am that person who suddenly realizes she forgot the most important gift and runs out on December 23rd to get it.

My in-laws, Greg and Connie, are coming in town tomorrow night for a quick visit before Christmas. We’re excited to spend the weekend with them! We haven’t seen them since we told them our big news and they have never been to our house when it’s all decked out for Christmas. So, it will be a fun weekend! We have a few things planned, but I imagine we’ll mostly just relax and catch up.

Jon got the Christmas lights up this past weekend and they look just beautiful! We drove around for a little bit last night and looked at some of the lights in our neighborhood – I just love this time of year!

I will be 11 weeks along on Friday – so January 1st will mark the beginning of my second trimester! I can’t wait because I’ve heard that food starts to sound so much better. I’ve never been a picky eater so it has been a little difficult since very little sounds good, and even then it only sounds good for about twenty minutes. But, honestly, these last few weeks have not been horrific and after all the horror stories I’ve heard, I feel like I’ve been blessed with a fairly tame pregnancy. God is very good!

We’ll be spending Christmas with my family this year and it will be so much fun! I can’t wait to see everyone’s faces when they see what we got them! And it will also be Jon’s first Christmas with my family so I’m excited for him to experience all of our little traditions. 🙂

What are you guys planning for Christmas? 🙂

I finally have ALL of my Christmas decorations up! Yay! The only thing left is Jon needs to put the lights on the outside of the house – but considering we’re having freezing cold wind gusts strong enough to blow someone off the ladder today, I’m perfectly happy with an unlit house. 🙂

Tonight was supposed to be our night to get some Christmas shopping done, but like I said, freezing cold wind gusts. We’ll probably try to go anyway and just bundle up. I’m thinking this is all just a better reason to run by Starbucks during our shopping trip, don’t you? 🙂

I bought some new candles and new Glade air freshener plug-in things last week and let me tell you – not to brag or anything, but my house smells SO good right now! I love when all the holiday scents come out! I really should just stock up so my house smells like Christmas all year long, but as of right now, I haven’t done that. Although, it might take some of the specialness (not sure if that’s really a word) away from the season if I had the smell of it all year.

I got to meet an old friend for lunch today – so fun! Her son is a year old and just adorable! Afterward, I ran by my parent’s house and visited with my mom and sister for a little bit. Now, I’m procrastinating on my deadline and blogging instead. 🙂 I’m sitting here with a GIANT cup of steaming hot spiced tea (my most favorite drink of the season!) and I was just looking around my living room and feeling all Christmasy. So, I thought I’d spread the feeling!

I hope you are all taking time to relax and enjoy this Christmas!

Wednesday was a day that I was SO excited for, SO nervous about and SO a combination of every possible emotion! Wednesday was our first doctor appointment.

Jon got off work that afternoon and came with me to the office. We sat there nervously for at least thirty minutes before we were finally called back and asked every possible question about our medical history that there was! Then, we met our doctor, Dr. Gordon, who is hilarious and immediately put us right to ease.

He told us that if we have a boy, and if he’s still coaching basketball, he would call us in about twelve years and recruit (pictures just don’t give a good idea of height, but Jon is 6’2″ and I’m 5’7″. Our kid is not going to be the short one, I have a feeling!).

Then, we finally got to the main event – the ultrasound!

Oh, you guys, it was the best moment of my life so far! I know I’m incredibly biased, but that little snow-cloud is the cutest one I have ever seen! We got to see his/her little heart beating away and he/she was kicked back on their back, feet up, just enjoying life. We got four pictures to keep (which are now on our fridge!) and those few minutes watching our baby move around were just amazing.

Our “official” estimated due date is July 9, 2010. I guess our little one is measuring a tiny bit long, but Dr. Gordon said that is to be expected with how tall we are. Everything looks perfect and normal! Our next appointment is in four weeks and we’ll get to hear the heartbeat then. So, now I can’t wait!

So exciting! God is so good! 🙂

Thank you all SO much for all the sweet comments you left on my last post! Jon and I are so excited – we both burst into big silly grins anytime we think about it! And an extra special thank you for the prayers – I have to confess that there are times when I get a little nervous about everything.

Our Thanksgiving didn’t turn out how we planned – the week before I caught a really awful cold. And considering my talent of turning every cold into tonsillitis or some kind of infection, and that my immune system was already working overtime, AND the warnings about swine flu on planes, we decided that it would probably be better for us to stay home and not fly out to California to visit Jon’s family. I cried about four times that night (and multiple times this week). We were SO excited to see them. But, this way was probably for the best – I’ve been up coughing every night this week and I would have hated for someone else to catch this. The good news though, is that God is WONDERFUL and it doesn’t look like this is turning into an infection! Which is SO much better for the baby (and how WEIRD is that to say?!).

Today is my favorite person on the planet’s birthday!

I love this guy so much. I’m not exactly sure how to put into words how much! Jon is the most amazing husband I could have ever imagined – I’m so awed that God gave me someone like him. I really don’t deserve him. He’s hilariously funny, incredibly generous and so caring. He handles my emotional ups and downs (especially lately) like a pro and he’s very, very good at cheering me up. We have fun together! He’s the person I’d rather spend time with more than anyone in the world.

And tonight, we have a date. 🙂

As I sit down to write this post, I’m just filled with so much gratefulness. This year had its fair share of ups and downs, but more than anything, as I look back at it, I’m amazed at God’s faithfulness.

We started the year with a fairly new house (new to us at least!), a new puppy and less than one year of marriage under our belt.

Now, we can’t believe we’ve already been in our house for more than a year, we have a goofy one-year-old dog who always keeps us entertained and we’re already planning what we want to do for our two-year anniversary in March.

We’ve gotten involved in a new church, we’ve taken trips to visit family out of town, we’ve done the puppy-potty-training thing (with success – thank goodness!), we’ve seen old friends and made new ones.

And in October, we said goodbye to my grandfather. But – weeping does only last for a night, and joy does come in the morning. Or in our case, a few days later.

I noticed that I didn’t feel quite right while we were in Missouri for Tapa’s funeral. But, I attributed it mostly to the roller coaster of emotions I was feeling at the time. We got home late, late Tuesday night and so as I dragged myself through the next few days, I decided the tiredness was because of the lack of sleep.

But then the weekend came and I still felt exhausted – even after sleeping in. And Monday morning came and I just knew. Something wasn’t quite normal.

So… I decided to take a test. And after five months of getting a “not now” from God, we got this:

We are so overwhelmed with how great our God is! I am almost nine weeks along and I’m due July 9th. My first doctor appointment is next week. And while I was hesitant to post anything until after the appointment, I truly believe that God is good – regardless of what happens there.

Please join Jon and me in praying for this little one!

Love to you all!

I love Christmas. I love all the holiday season, really. From October on, I’m pretty much the giddiest person in the room. I love when the weather gets colder, when the nights get darker, when you have to huddle beneath a blanket with a steaming mug between your hands to stay warm.

I love the decorations. I love how easy it is to share the love of Christ during this time of year. Even if you are one of those people where evangelizing is not your spiritual gift, you can still invite a coworker or friend to church just by mentioning the word “Christmas.”

And they come. Because it’s Christmas.

It’s wonderful. It’s special. It’s a blessed time of year.

But maybe you aren’t feeling so blessed this year. Maybe, this has been one of the hardest years of your life. Maybe you’ve been faced with temptations that felt like they had no escape, maybe you’ve had to walk through valleys that seemed to never end, maybe the earlier darkening of the skies only reminds you more of the darkness in your life. Every breath feels forced, every step you take feels like you’re sinking that much more.

Christmas, for you, is not a time for giddiness.

Hold on to this hope, my sweet friend. Every day when you feel alone, every moment you feel your heart breaking, every tear that slips down your cheek is seen and felt and cared about by your heavenly Dad. And He doesn’t just watch helplessly – a long time ago at Christmas He came to put an end to those tears. Maybe not quite yet – but trust that there will be a day when every tear will be gently wiped away by Jesus Christ.

I found this video that someone put together on YouTube and I just wanted to share it today. If you’re having a downer day – whether you’re going through serious heartbreak, a rough patch, or even if it’s just the thought of finals on the horizon – watch and remember.

Christ is holding you. He’s never left you alone and He never will.

It has been SO cold here lately! We woke up to the lightest dusting of snow on Sunday but didn’t get anymore (even though the clouds look all geared up for it). So, it was a lazy, lazy weekend. We watched movies and football with my parents and siblings (have you guys seen Up? SO cute – I loved it!).

I’ve been trying to come up with dinner all day today using only what I’ve got in my pantry and freezer, but everything I think of I’m missing one ingredient. So, I’m thinking maybe some kind of chicken soup – can’t you put almost everything in that? My problem is I love watching the Food Network and I keep seeing all these other dinners that sound so much better than soup! I need to stop watching that channel for the sake of my budget, I think!

What are your plans for Thanksgiving? Do you have any special traditions that you always do? How about foods that you always make?

My favorite part of Thanksgiving?? I’m sure you’ve guessed it by this point (and if you read my blog at all you’ve known this for a while) – My favorite part of Thanksgiving is that Christmas is next! 🙂