Monday, July 13, 2009

baby's name...

so we've gotten a lot of questions about the name of this little girl. and we've kept it on the DL (that's "down low" for those of you not in the know...) and plan to keep it that way until she makes her grand entrance. however, i realized recently that she has acquired more nicknames in the 8 months since conception than most people do in their lifetime! it is quite monumental, and something that she should be extremely proud of. just wanted to share...

baby: this "nickname" is the most common. it is how her daddy and i refer to her and most likely will continue to refer to her even after she's born. to us, she really is just "baby".

twinkles: this was probably her first nickname. i was out in michigan right after i went off birth control, and told a dear friend that we had done so. she asked if there was anything that she could pray about, and all i could think of was the little "twinkle" in my eye that i hadn't even met yet. thus, "twinkles" was born!

winkie: less of a serious nickname, this is the spin off of "twinkles" that my sister has come up with. apparently she is not amused by "twinkles".

taniqua: before we knew if we were having a boy or a girl, i joked that if we found out that the baby was a boy, his name would be lebron and if it was a girl, taniqua. i have since had a terribly fun time telling people (with the most serious face i can muster) that her name is taniqua. because, come on...that is quite a name for the daughter of a white girl from the suburbs of shoreline, washington!

sunflower: this sweet name has been given to our little one by one of my best friends, lauren. i love it actually. i hope it sticks after she's born. :)

these are all i can think of right now...there are probably a few other that are floating out there. will post with any new updates! 7 more weeks to go til we get to meet baby-twinkles-winkie-taniqua-sunflower!

Monday, June 22, 2009

30 weeks!



so it's been nearly 2 months since i posted last and so much has changed since then! the most obvious is of course the belly! i will try to post a picture later, but until then...the update!

i spent a glorious 2 1/2 weeks in the great northwest with my husband, my wonderful friends, and my family. we stayed one night in leavenworth, washington at my parents condo. we enjoyed shopping in downtown leavenworth, and some of the gang went river rafting, but alas, the little on prohibits me from anything too "exciting"! we made our way back to the suburbs of seattle and spent the night at my parents house in shoreline. the next day, tim played "tour guide" in downtown seattle while i was able to sing with seattle children's chorus in benaroya hall as a part of the 20th anniversary concert. i was proud to be a blossoming mama and joining with such talented young people to make some incredible music- definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity and a memory to tell the little one about when she gets bigger! the 7 of us then headed north to spend some time relaxing on camano island with tim's family. we took a beautiful ferry ride and visited friday harbor, relaxed at the beach on the island, and had a wonderful end to our vacation.
after saying goodbye to our friends, it was time for me to get into "matron of honor mode". keeping my sister sane and happy in the weeks before her wedding was no small task, but i am proud to say...together, we had success! the wedding was beautiful and went off without a hitch. again, another wonderful memory to tell to the little girlie after she gets here.
since being home, we have realized that we have SO much to do before this little girl gets here. we have the crib set up, but the nursery is no where near ready. i have begun my (overwhelming) search for a pediatrician or family doctor. but that is the tip of the iceberg. i've been feeling more overwhelmed than i have before, feeling unprepared and nervous as for what is to come. i know that every new parent probably feels this way. so i just try to take comfort in the fact that i am not alone, and ultimately...God is still in control....

Friday, April 24, 2009

taken between 7-8 weeks










12-13 weeks










16 weeks











20 weeks

bump-a-licious!

so....i know that i've been really bad about posting pictures of the infamous "bump". well folks, today is your lucky day. i have finally decided to take the time and effort to upload the pictures for all of you lovely followers! this is no simple task mind you. before you start wondering what era i'm living in wlhere i dread uploading pictures from my camera to my computer and my computer to various websites, i do NOT use windows or apple operating systems! no. my husband has installed linux on my lenovo pc. yeah. you figure out how to do it....

now without further ado, the bump!





Wednesday, April 8, 2009

THINKING PINK!

that's right, folks: it's a girl! our ultrasound was one of the most magical days of my life. daddy just sat there in awe of this little life growing inside of me. i am amazed every time i feel her move. we are just so happy. the past 3 weeks have flown by. in fact, the past 20 weeks have flown by! halfway through the pregnancy and i couldn't feel better and more proud of everything that my body and my baby have accomplished.

there's so much to think about when faced with the fact that in just 5 short months we will have a little girl gracing us with her presence. i feel that my parents did a great job raising me and my sister. but the questions have already started popping into my head. when can she wear a 2-piece? when can she get her ears pierced? when can she start wearing make-up? dating? i know that we still have a *little* bit of time til we really have to make some serious decions about this stuff, but it's difficult not to think about the questions. i've also begun to think about the world that this little girl is entering. and while i must admit, its not the same world that i grew up in or that my mom grew up in- there are so many more opportunites for girls and young women these days- this world is not always the friendliest to or the easiest on girls. i just pray that she will grow up feeling confident and strong and beautiful just because she IS. not because of anything she does.

its a lot to think about. but i sure do love this kid. i love her a lot...

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

pink or blue

this thursday, the great mysteries of the world will be revealed! okay, so maybe not mysteries, just one mystery. and its not so much the great mystery of the world, but it is the great mystery of my world. thursday, we find out if we're having a boy or a girl! ultrasound! "excited" doesn't even begin to describe how i'm feeling these days (and nights!).

17 weeks today and feeling perfectly pregnant. been feeling little flutters now and then which is so exciting. we heard baby's heartbeat last week and our midwife had to keep adjusting the doppler to find it- apparently we have a squirmy little baby on our hands!

i feel so blessed. this little baby is already a part of a huge family that loves him or her SO much!

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

show and tell

saturday: i wake up and before i even eat something, i think to myself, "hmm i feel like i might actually look like i'm pregnant today...maybe i'm just bloated..." a novel idea for a woman who actually is pregnant and nearly 14 weeks along. turns out- not just bloated! so i am finally starting to show. *pregnant glow* coincidentally, "feeling pregnant" isn't always as fun as it sounds. turns out, nothing fits! this is no more distracting than when i am at work. not only am i lifting, bending, and reaching most of the time, but when i do i feel like i could be flashing the whole cafe! i think it just might be time to invest in some maternity clothes...

anyone know a 5'10" formerly pregnant woman who has maternity clothes she doesn't need anymore???

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

sweet dreams...

so i'm not sure how much weight i give to the whole "dream" thing when it comes to predicting the sex of a baby, however, i am fascinated by it! to date, i've had 4 dreams about my baby. all of them have involved another person telling me that i'm having a girl. quite interesting to say the least.

number of baby boy dreams: 0
number of baby girl dreams: 4

number of baby boy dreams tim has had: 1
number of baby girl dreams tim has had: 0

number of times tim has woken me up in the middle of the night sleep-talking/walking in the past 3 weeks: at least 12

i'd rather be having crazy dreams than quieting my crazy husband....

Friday, February 13, 2009

cravings and aversions

one of the most common questions i am getting asked being pregnant (of course after...when are you due?! are you having a boy or a girl?! how are you feeling?!) is are you having any weird cravings? well, weird is a hard word to define. though i am craving things that i wouldn't normally if i wasn't pregnant, but i have not experienced any cravings for strange combinations (pickles and peanut-butter ice cream, anyone?). so, here is a list of the "heavy hitters" for the past 12 weeks.

cravings:
- V8 vegetable juice (spicy and regular mixed)- this is the latest!
- minestrone soup
- red vines! (this has always been a favorite, but now i need them in the house)
- toaster waffles
- pickles (i know, i know...typical...it really did happen about 5 weeks ago!)
- bananas

aversions: (this is actually a short list)
- MEXICAN FOOD!
typically i really like mexican food, but from about a week after i found out i was pregnant (until now) i have not been able to even think about eating mexican food. the one exception to this was the night i made chicken fajitas at home. those were delicious! in my first 10 weeks there was plenty that didn't sound appealing, but nothing that has lasted quite like the mexican food. hmmm...apparently just typing about it sorta makes me want to gag....

Thursday, February 12, 2009

12 weeks

there has been much on my mind lately, and trust has been the prevailing theme. i took my first trip to visit my midwife last week, expecting to be able to hear baby's heartbeat for the first time. imagine my disappointment when she couldn't find it. quickly my disappointment dissolved into worry. is everything alright? hadn't my friends heard their baby's heartbeat at 11 weeks? i was heartbroken. my midwife quickly attributed her inability to find that little beat to the fact that i was only 11 weeks. and blessed with a long torso! after doing some of my own research, and with the reassuring words of friends, i learned that i have nothing to worry about. most women are able to hear the baby's heartbeat between 13 and 15 weeks. but i learned an important lesson in all of this: God is in control. this is God's baby that has been in trusted to my care for these 40 weeks. my job is do to the best i can- exercising, eating right, getting enough sleep- and trust that God is doing the rest. this baby is in God's hands for the rest of his or her life. and trusting only becomes a bigger job once this baby is born...

on a separate, but still related note, i found out recently that one of the women i love most in my life, my pastor's wife, has been diagnosed with breast cancer. this has come as an enormous shock to her family and those who love her. again, we are all trusting God to care for lisa in the coming weeks and months.

trust. its a big thing for little ol' me....

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

02.02.02

february 2nd, 2002. seven years ago yesterday (last night, technically) i was on a first date with the man that would one day become my husband. and i cannot help but smile when i think about that night, the many dates to follow the first, the fact that i am now married to this wonderful man, and having a baby with him.

that night consisted of a movie ("a walk to remember") where i cried (showing my true colors from the very beginning!) and dinner (tgi fridays). he was a true gentleman the entire night, and, needless to say, i was completely swept off my feet at 18 years old. the rest of my friends from high school were suffering through another sweetheart banquet with dates that were either less charming than they expected or more interested in someone else! i was glad to have opted out...and fell in love instead!

fast forward seven years, and here i sit nearly 11 weeks pregnant, just trying to dream and imagine what life will be like in another 7 years. a six year old running around the house? quite possibly another little one chasing after? in tucson? working or staying home? i'm not sure what the next 7 years will bring, but i am confident that if they are anything like the last 7, i have a wonderful, wild adventure ahead of me...

Saturday, January 24, 2009

12 hours & how time flies...

breakthrough: i got 12 hours of sleep last night! okay...12 minus the hour between 1 and 2 am that i was awake because the bedroom was too hot. but really, other than that one little break, 12 hours. i feel delicously rested this morning. we'll see how long that lasts....

i have been overwhelmed lately as to how fast pregnancy goes. 40 weeks seems like an eternity, until you're fully engulfed. i'll be 10 weeks on wednesday. 10 weeks! only 2 weeks away from being finished with the first trimester. trying to savor and soak up every little moment, every feeling, whether sick, or tired, or elated, or overwhelmed. i just know that d-day will come quicker than any of us realizes. in the mean time, i'm happy just feeling every little feeling, and loving baby just a little more every day...

Thursday, January 22, 2009

9 weeks....



baby is the size of a grape this week and only a fraction of an ounce. i realize that this may seem like boring news to someone who has never experienced the growth of a new life, but to momma and daddy, every day is a miracle. and momma has a great appreciation for this growth, being exhausted on a daily basis, often feeling like she needs a nap before noon!

other than that...not much else to report. no sickness today (yet). only got up once to pee last night (yay!) and got about 11 hours of sleep. momma and baby are happy today...

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

change is coming....

"change is coming..." poweful words spoken by president elect barak obama. life right now can hardly be summed up more perfectly. 9 weeks pregnant and experiencing the inaguration of the first black president in our country's history, i find myself emotional for so many reasons.

growing a new life creates a profound sense of responsibility, care, and concern for the world in which this new life will be brought into. without a doubt, the past year has been tumultuous, to say the least. though in a world filled with uncertainty, i have never felt more certain about this baby, about the life that this child will have, the opportunities that this child will have; i have immense hope in the sovereignty of God. nothing that has happened in the past year has been a surprise to God, and nothing that happens over the next 8 and a half months and beyond into baby's life will be a surprise to God. for those reasons, i can be confident in my hope...