{15 weeks/6 days}

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 15 weeks 6 days

Size of baby: 2 inches long and about 2.5 ounces. Our bub is the size of an apple!

Maternity Clothes: Not quite yet. We went shopping last weekend (couldn't pass up the good sale), but I'm not quite ready for them yet!

Gender: Don't know yet!!

Movement: Lots of flutters, especially during worship;) However, B can't feel them yet. Can't wait for that day to come!

Sleep: I sleep well most nights. Less trips to the potty for this momma-woohoo!

Symptoms: Not a whole lot right now! I LOVE 2nd Trimester. No more morning sickness or fatigue. However, I get some stretching aches and pains every once in a while.

What I miss: Nothing really-its all worth it!

Cravings: They seem to change quite a bit. Lately I'm loving cantelope and watermelon. But again, it can change daily. But pumpkin spice lattes just made a comeback, so that will be on the list too. Decaf and in moderation, of course!

Best Moment this week: Its been a rough week in the life of our church. We suffered the loss of a friend, which has been extremely rough in our community of loved ones. Just reflecting on the incredible blessing of being able to have bub has been so sweet. I'm treasuring and reflecting on just the blessing of it all.

What I am looking forward to: Our sonogram on Sept 23rd @ 9:30am, which will tell us the sex of bub!

Bub's 1st Family Vacation

Here are some photos of our family vacation to Abilene Texas! Back in August (it was sooo long ago-ha), we visited my sister and bro-in-law. And we had a blast. It was a perfect first vacation for bubsy, who was 13 weeks!

Yee Haw!

My handsome hubs at the Prairie Dog Park

Mr. Prarie Dog was VERY photogenic!

My sis and I should never be left to our own devices in a museum!

My beautiful sis and I posing with the buffalo at Texas Frontier!

Texas BBQ

Our lovely hosts

Dyess Air Force Base where my bro in law serves

i'd like to introduce you to...

OUR BUB!!

{Vitals}

12 weeks

174 bpm

We are completely smitten. Over the moon. In. love. We just continue to feel more and more blessed each day I'm carrying our precious one.

Now this picture is a bit outdated (I'm slow, I know), because I'm currently 15 weeks and 2 days!! At our appointment last Friday little bub's heart is beating at 150bpm. Pretty drastic difference in heartrate, huh?! When I asked why, our dr. said its due to activity. On days they are extremely active its high and vice versa. Apparently bub was having a lazy day on Friday...ha! Both of us are healthy and doing fantastic! Praise the Lord!

In other pregnancy news, we went maternity clothes shopping. I'm not quite ready for them yet, but they were having a great sale this weekend, so we took full advantage! It was a BLAST! I thought it was going to be torture of grand proportions for B, but he LOVED it! What a hubby! What a daddy!

Okay, so I know I said this last week but I promise BUMP pics this week! We're having some progress, folks!

We want to hear from YOU...what team are you on...Team GIRL or Team BOY? Leave us a comment and let us know your vote!

the scare.

WARNING: Graphic preganancy talk will follow. This post may not be appropriate for all males or those with a weak stomach. Or those who hate TMI.

Tuesday August 9th 2011 started out as a normal morning. Ran. Made brekky for Bri and I. Bri left for work. I went pee for the 15th time that morning...not really, but it feels like it. HERE IS THE GRAPHIC PART. When I wiped, I looked down and to my horror I saw bright red blood on the tissue paper. THIS IS NOT GOOD. I wasn't having any sort of cramping, and there wasn't any more blood aside from the one wipe, but I thought I should call the doctor's office to be sure. At this point I was calm....strangely calm. I called my OB's office and talked to a nurse. After I gave my story, still calm, she said, "We need an ultra sound immediately." "We are all booked today, but I'm gonna get you into an Imaging Center IMMEDIATELY." She proceeded to tell me I needed to drink 32 oz of water and be at the Imaging Center in one hour. I was NO LONGER CALM. Reality was sinking in...I may have lost bubs. And I was no longer calm. I was hysterical. In the midst of my tears (sobbing, rather) I called Brian and told him he needed to come home IMMEDIATELY. Side note, I HATE the word immediately now. While I was waiting for him to get home, I opened my Bible to a passage we've been studying on Sunday mornings at church: Daniel 3:17. "I know My God can deliever me, but EVEN IF He DOESN'T, I will still worship Him." Not an easy verse to choke down in a time of crisis. I pleaded with the Lord and told Him I wasn't ready for "even if You don't". More than anything, I just wanted bubs to be healthy and thriving. However, I also believe in the soverignty of God. And in those hysterical moments with my tears hitting the pages of my Bible, the Lord reminded me that bubs doesn't BELONG to me. Bubs belongs to the Lord. And He, if He so chooses, entrusts Brian and I to raise it while on Earth.

Bri came in the door, and I could tell he was trying to be strong, but I could see the sheer panic in his eyes. We prayed together, I drank the LOADS of water, and we headed for the Ultrasound. After what seemed like years....I just wanted to see bubs AND pee....we arrived. After a short wait, the u/s tech came and got us. She put the jelly on my belly, and then....

THERE WAS OUR BUBS. Alive. Thriving. And KICKING like a maniac! It was the most beautiful and precious sight I've ever seen. I immediately burst into tears of relief, joy, and thanksgiving. And I looked over and Bri was doing the same. Our tears turned to laughter after we watched bubs kick, punch, and flip flop! The tech said the baby looked PERFECT and HEALTHY. However, we did find out that I'm a week behind what we first thought. So my new due date is February 21st 2012, which makes me 14 weeks, currently. And the heartrate was 174 bpm...its increasing, folks! After the tech checked me and gave bubs and I the "all clear" I finally got to PEE! I was begining to fear I was gonna pee all over the tech...ha!

After my OB got the report from the U/S Tech, she called me to let me know that everything was normal. However, the reason for the spotting was due to a copus luteum cyst, which is completely normal in the 1st trimester. There is a very medical reason, but I won't bore you. The cyst will dissolve on its on during the 2nd trimester. But its no threat to bubs or me.

This is the toughest moment in the adventures of parenting for Bri and I, but I know this is just the beginning of many sleepless nights and days due to worrying... But I was thankful for the reminder that this bubs does NOT belong to Bri and I. We are just extremely blessed to raise bubs to love and serve the Lord. A lesson I'm sure I'll be reminded of...A LOT!

Be looking forward to pics of our 1st family vacation to Texas! And later this week, I'll have up my 14 week pic! We're officially in the 2nd trimester...woohoo!

{12 weeks}.

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 12 weeks

Size of baby: 2 inches long and about .5 ounce. Our bub is the size of a lime!

Maternity Clothes: Not yet, but looking forward to it!

Gender: Don't know yet!!

Movement: In the last week , I think I have felt some flutters! It's when I am laying in bed late at night when I have felt this little movement.

Sleep: I'm sleeping great, except for the crazy dreams and trips to the bathroom! I LOVE sleeping on my side.

Symptoms: Fatigue in the afternoon and mild hearburn. ITS ALL WORTH IT!

What I miss: Starbucks. Caffeine in general.

Cravings: Fruit, anything salty, and cheese. I just want to smoother everything in cheese! Don't worry, I refrain!

Best Moment this week: Hearing our precious bub's heartbeat! Words cannot describe it. It was the BEST thing I've ever heard. Funny story, well it doesn't start out funny but ends up that way, so keep reading. Before our dr's appointment, my sweet friend told me not to freak out because it takes a while to locate the heartbeat with the doppler. However I did not listen. While we were waiting for the doctor, I was FREAKING out. I was so afraid we were not going to hear the precious thumping of our little one's heart. Bless Bri's heart, he tried to take my mind off of it, but to no success. As the doctor put the cold jelly on my stomach, Brian took my hand and we waited. Side note, can I just say that process was not comfortable?! So much pressure on my full belly! Anyway, the dr searched for the heartbeat. And searched. And searched. And all we heard was mine. Brian could tell panic had sunk in and he kept squeezing my hand and whispering prayers in faith. Can I just say he is simply amazing? He is going to be such a phenomnal daddy. As my anxiety was mounting I prayed that the Lord would prepare me for whatever was going to happen next. And then it came. That glorious sound. It was the quick thudding of our miracle's little heartbeat. I giggled in delight, and then immediately burst into tears of relief and joy. And I might add, both sound hysterical on the doppler. The dr proceeded to tell us the heart rate was healthy and everything was normal. In my euphoric and relief state, I forgot to ask the BPM. Can you believe it?! My first task as a mom....fail. Bad mom. It wasn't until we were having our celebratory heartbeat lunch that I realized I had no idea what the heart rate was. I went from joy to disappointment in a matter of seconds...thank you hormones. However, I called the dr's office and they were kind enough to tell me. I must say, that wasn't without the nurse laughing at me first. She thought it was humerous. I'm glad someone did. I will be writing EVERYTHING down from now on. The pregnant mind cannot be trusted! Ha! I'm happy to report our bub's heart is beating at 160bpm!

What I am looking forward to: Our first family vacation to Texas! Next week Bri, bub, and I all travel to Texas to spend time with my sis and bro-in-law. Yippee for family vacations!

Advice Needed...

Okay, so this post is especially for all those mommies or mommies to be in blog-land. I'm in need of some baby book/scrapbooking advice. I love being creative and I didn't want to do a normal baby book/scrapbook, so when I heard about this particular creative idea I was stoked! I want to start an online baby scrapbook that also has a blog/journal feature. Yesterday I set out to research companies/designers that did this, and I was overwhelmed with all the options. So this is where you come in...those of who have an online baby scrapbook...do you like it? Who would you recommend? Your advice and wisdom is appreciated!

On another note, we have another doctor's appointment tomorrow, and we get to hear bub's heartbeat...cannot begin to express our excitement! I absolutely LOVE my OB, however, at the first appointment you get a pregnancy orientation of sorts, give blood and urine to confirm pregnancy, and thats it! So this is the first time we'll get to hear our precious bub's hearbeat. I'm packing the kleenex. Tear will be a flowin!

Important Announcement...

Yep, that's right, we're PREGNANT! We're both SOOOO excited. I'm 11 weeks, so our due date is Valentine's Day 2012! How appropriate. We've had a blast spilling the beans to family and friends. Its been such a blessing to be surrounded by so many that are absolutely elated for us! But my favorite moment, so far, was telling my precious hubby.

Here's the scoop...So let me back up about a week and a half prior to the glorious day. My monthly visitor was late and I'm NEVER late. I'm like clockwork. So I got a bit suspicious. And not gonna lie, giddy with the possibility we could be pregnant. Woke up the next morning, took the test, negative. I was crushed. And a lot more upset than I thought I'd be. Fast forward a week and a half. Saturday night. Still no monthly visitor. Along with some other 1st trimester symptoms, but I'll spare you the icky details. But I pushed the fleeting pregancy thought out of my head. I didn't want the disappointment, yet again. However, I woke up EARLY, EARLY Sunday morning with unexplainable joy and peace. I can't put into words what I was feeling. I went straight for the bathroom and took a pregnancy test. My hubby was still snoozing in bed. Sure enough I was pregnant. However, due to my negative test just a little over a week ago, I took about 5 others...OCD, much?! And they all came to the same conclusion: I was carrying a precious bubs. As much as I wanted to wake Bri up, I wanted to tell him in a creative way. So I contained my excitement, which if you know me, you know how difficult this was.

I knew Bri was due to be up in just a few short minutes, so I got back in bed, to not seem suspicious. However, I think the smile from ear to ear at 5:30am, might have been a bit of a giveaway. But Bri didn't let on that he knew. He did keep commenting what a great mood I was in so early! I sucessfully kept my mouth shut as Bri headed to prayer meeting before morning service. I made it all the way through student small groups and service. Since it takes Bri awhile to leave on Sundays, I left church a tad early and picked up a picnic lunch, a card, and 2 onesies. I picked him up from church and told him I had a surprise since he's been so busy with work (true, story).

I took him to our 1st date location: Lake Jacomo. We had a picnic lunch. Before we ate, I gave Brian the card and told him to open his present. As soon as he opened that onesie, his eyes welled up with tears and exclaimed, "Are you serious?!" We celebrated over our picnic lunch with many, many tears and laughter of thanksgiving. My hubby's tender spirit never ceases to touch my heart. I can't wait to see him as a "daddy."

Our concieving is so special. We were told getting pregnant would be extremely difficult, and possibly a hard road for us. But our God is ABLE! And we're spending this precious days so thankful for our bubs. Its inconceivable how much I love this baby that I've never met. So thankful. I will leave you with a couple more pics of our special day...