i feel large

I know, I know, I'm going to laugh about the title of this post in a few more months but still. It is crazy to watch this belly grow and grow! So much fun to think that in only a few weeks I will be able to feel our sweet baby moving around in there :)

So far second trimester isn't really much different than the first. Since I've really missed out on a lot of the bad pregnancy symptoms, it's not like I was counting down the days to 12 weeks in hopes of some relief or something. Seriously, I am so thankful for how easy pregnancy has been so far. I have a pretty intense gag reflex that gets me going in the evening hours but it's totally manageable...just annoying sometimes. And that heartburn I complained about last week? Not bad at all! I'm still struggling with swallowing pills and keeping them down so the vitamin thing is a little, well, nonexistent at this point but I am able to take a daily folic acid supplement. We bought a new kind of vitamin last week so now I just need to get up the nerve to try it. Always hard to swallow something WITH food, knowing you're likely going to throw up moments later. But we'll get there. I think my most noticeable and consistent symptom is my need to pee all the time. It's nuts! I'm sure this is only going to get more intense as things get more squished in there. Oh well, no big deal.

At our 12 week appointment, we learned that Baby Place is measuring rather large. The ultrasound technician was convinced that I didn't actually know when I had my last period. Which I do. She was sure we were 14.5 weeks along rather than the 11.5 weeks we actually were. We have another appointment one week from today but it's not an ultrasound, so we'll have to wait til 20 weeks to see if he/she continues to be a whopper. I have a feeling that baby is all noggin. I mean have you seen the size of mine or Dameon's heads? Just sayin'. We're looking forward to hearing the heartbeat for the first time next week!

Oh, and all the bloodwork stuff came back great. I am O positive, so I don't have to get the shots I would have to get if I was O negative. Or something.

Dameon is still handling this father-to-be thing like a pro. He never makes me feel badly for taking two hour afternoon naps, going to bed at 9:00, wearing my pajamas all day long, or saying, "Can we just eat out tonight?" Not that I ever do that stuff.

Alright, time for my afternoon nap.

thinking lots about motherhood these days

"Oh that God would give every mother a vision of the glory and splendor of the work that is given to her when a babe is placed in her bosom to be nursed and trained! Could she have but one glimpse into the future of that life as it reaches on into eternity; could she look into its soul to see its possibilities; could she be made to understand her own personal responsibility for the training of this child, for the development of its life, and for its destiny...she would see that in all God's world there is no other work so noble and so worthy of her best powers, and she would commit to no other hands the sacred and holy trust given to her." J.R. Miller

the view from here

FINALLY! Finally I can let the cat out of the bag "officially". We have been so so so excited to shout our baby news from the rooftops and now that we're through the first trimester, we are so happy to share all the details. (Well...almost all the details.)

One of my favorite blogs to follow is MckMama's blog at www.mycharmingkids.net. I like to think that we're actually friends :) Anyway, she has a ton of readers and she recently did a Q & A post called "Ask MckMama Anything." Readers asked questions, she answered. Well...I don't actually have so many readers, but I do know there are some awesome friends and family who want to know all about the pregnancy, so I thought I'd do a Q & A of some questions you might be thinking about.

Q: How did you find out you were pregnant?

A: We have been using the Natural Family Planning Chart for a little over 2 years, now, so we keep a pretty close eye on my cycle. We knew there was a decent chance we would great pregnant this time, but I was a little doubtful because I had gotten sick with laryngitis and had been running a fever. Because of that, I wasn't taking my temperature for a solid week or so. My cycle is usually about 31 days long, so I had already decided that I would take a test on day 32. Normally I drag my feet a little about testing because there I have been many instances where I've tested unnecessarily and have gotten many "negatives". I can honestly say I had a little bit of a good feeling about this time around, and it made sense to test that morning because we were going to go house-hunting later that same day. The alarm went off at 5:30 the morning of May 1, and I stumbled into the bathroom. (First pee of the morning, ya know.) Dameon and I had always said we wanted to find out at the same time. We didn't want it to be one of those things where I take a test when he's not around and then decide on the right time to tell him. My plan was, as usual, to take the test, make sure it was working, and then leave it on the counter for 3 minutes. Well, when I pulled it up in front of my eyes to make sure it was working, the two lines were already there!!! I remember my mouth dropping open and my eyes bugging out. Dameon says that I then fumbled with the bathroom door knob for a solid 60 seconds before stumbling into the pitch black bedroom. "Dameon, there's a line!"

"What?"

"There's a line!"

"A pregnancy line?"

"Yes!"

And then he sat straight up and I practically strangled him and I clung around his neck and cried my eyes out. (I think he was in shock...but a good kind of shock.)

Q: How far along are you?

A: We will be at the end of our first 12 weeks tomorrow.

Q: When are you due?

A: January 8

Q: Where will you deliver?

A: Methodist Hospital in Des Moines

Q: Are you going to find out what you're having?

A: No! We want to be surprised! We have our suspicions, but those have changed a few times :)

Q: Have you chosen any names?

A: We have a few that we like, but we are going to keep them a secret. I will say that when you're a teacher, a lot of names get ruled out!

Q: How have you been feeling?

A: I have actually been feeling quite well. I've only had a few days where I've felt crummy and wanted to lay around all day. Other than that, I feel a little strange in the evenings and my appetite gets a little weird, but nothing that's unbearable. I've found that if I don't let my stomach get empty and if I don't get too tired, I can keep it pretty well under control. Some foods taste differently, and that's kinda weird but I can usually think of something that sounds good. No crazy cravings yet but I'm sure that will come. Well...at least I'm HOPING that will come!! :) Ice cream? yes, please! Cheetos? okay!

Q: How has Dameon been feeling??

A: Okay, so things are a little stressful around here these days. Especially for Dameon. He is taking on a lot of the burden of the move and all that because I know he doesn't want me to stress. Besides all that stuff, he is also writing several big-ticket marching band shows this summer, taking classes for his Master's Degree, transitioning into a new job, AND waiting on me hand and foot. He has seriously been incredible! Fixing me whatever I want to eat, keeping up with the house and the yard, doing the grocery shopping, and completely keeping up with all the "honey-do's" I throw his way. But more than ALL that, he is completely thrilled and elated to be a daddy. It is so much fun to experience all these firsts together and I am so thankful for him!

Okay, I that's about all I can think of right now, but if you readers have any other questions, please send them my way and I'll do a Part 2!

weekend in review

Whew! We are back home now after a busy and super fun long weekend.
On Friday evening, Dameon had to conduct the band at the West High graduation ceremony. I prepared for an evening-in by renting a chick flick (Dear John) and making a frozen pizza. We had decided earlier in the week that we would spend Saturday in my grandparents' town, which is about 4 hours away from here. When Dameon arrived home much earlier than expected, we decided to cut our Saturday driving down a bit by traveling to my mom and dad's house to stay Friday night. We arrived in Boone about 11:00 and hit the hay.
On Saturday morning we loaded into the Honda and headed to the Dutch Oven Bakery to get some breakfast for the road. We arrived in Elk Horn in time to head down to Main Street for the Tivoli Parade. I haven't been to Tivoli Fest since I was in junior high, so this was Dameon's first experience :) And if you ask my grandma, she'll tell you that Pella's Tulip Time doesn't hold a CANDLE to Elk Horn's Tivoli Fest. Hmmmm....the jury's still out. We took in the parade, pork burgers, Aebleskiver and Medisterpolse (Danish pancakes and sausage) and a stroll through some of Elk Horn's shops and attractions. It was a good time spent with family and a beautiful day to be outside! Dameon and I decided to head back to Boone that evening to stay.
On Sunday morning, Dameon and Blake decided to do some canoeing on the Des Moines River. I spent the time hanging out with my mom. We picked them up at their ending spot around 3:00 and then headed to Mom and Dad's to shower and get ready for the evening. Brad was playing a show in Ames at Border's, so we went to that at 5. It's always fun to see him perform. (shameless plug: you can buy his newly-released CD for $5! Also available on itunes!!) Then Dameon's dad and step-mom arrived to give us a major stash of boxes for the upcoming move. They took us out to a delicious dinner at Hickory Park. Yum! We had intended to drive back home to Waterloo afterward, but ended up deciding we were tired and would rather stay in Boone another night.
This morning I woke up early and took a bike ride with my parents to get some breakfast at McDonald's. Dameon grilled us a yummy lunch and we ate out on the patio together. We topped it off with ice cream cake for my birthday and then loaded up the Honda for the trip home.
Five more days of school.....the countdown is on!!!

On the road again...

Wow, it's been a loooong time since my last post! Some pretty big changes have happened since then, but most of you probably already know a little bit about that. It seems weird to write this entry just a year after writing our "moving to Waterloo entry", but load up the Uhaul cuz we have decided to make another move.

For a variety of reasons this Waterloo move just hasn't panned out the way we thought it would. Probably the biggest reason is that living here has confirmed what we already kinda new: we love small town Iowa and feel like that's really our niche. Plus, ever since we got married, we've talked about how our ideal location is somewhere in the Des Moines area. We really like Des Moines and will be closer to friends and family!

It's a little crazy to leave Waterloo after such a short time, but in a strange way it almost feels normal to move on. We've been "in transition" this whole year, so we'll just continue that transition for awhile longer. If there's one thing I know for sure, it's that being unsettled for the last several months has certainly grown Dameon and I individually in our relationship with the Lord and in our marriage.

Oh yeah, so I should probably mention where exactly we're going. Sometime this summer, we'll be moving to Winterset.

Claims to fame include (but are not limited to):

1. Many covered bridges

2. Birthplace of Marion Morrison (a.k.a. John Wayne)

3. Future home of a cutting edge, state of the art, INTERACTIVE John Wayne museum

Along with the decision to move, comes the joys and frustrations of selling and buying a home. We love, love, love our house here in Waterloo (funny how we always live in towns that start with "W") and wish we could just pick it up and take it with us. Bummer. But we're hoping there's someone else out there who loves it as much as we do. And soon. :)

That's all for now, but I'll do my best to update as soon as there's more to tell!

yum-o

I surprised Dameon on Sunday night with carry-out dessert from the Olive Garden. We sat in front of the fire and savored the taste of White Chocolate Raspberry cheesecake, Lemon Creamcake, and Italian Donuts dipped in chocolate. It was divine.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day to all my friends, family, and thousands of blog readers across the nation.

Ahem.

Dameon planned a great little night out for us last night, which included several of my favorite things. He told me to be ready at 5:00, and began by surprising me with the beautiful flowers pictured above and a very thoughtful card. I love to be surprised, so I insisted he not let on about where we were headed. We arrived at the movie theater in Cedar Falls just in time for the 5:30 showing of "Valentine's Day." Dameon had purchased our tickets online, so we already had the print-out of them in hand. Therefore, when we saw the ticket line snaking past the door, we just excused ourselves and passed by everyone. Why stand in a ticket line when you already have tickets? Turns out there's not a designated employee who actually takes tickets, so I guess we kinda snuck in??? The movie had some cute parts and a few unexpected twists, but overall I'd give it a C+. Seems like there are so many parts they could just leave out...ya know? Anyway, the best part was during more "serious" part of the movie. The theater was completely silent when all of the sudden somebody in row 8 ripped one. Dameon and I laughed that kind of laugh where you try to stifle it so hard that little squeaky gasps just come out. It was great.

Right after the movie, we headed for a restaurant in downtown Cedar Falls that's a fancy Italian-type place. We learned that it was a bit too fancy for our taste, but still had fun enjoying each other's company. It's so great when you share the same sense of humor. :) We decided to forget about "the diet" for the night and topped of our meals with a yummy piece of Tiramisu (2 forks). We came back home, snuggled up on the couch, and enjoyed a little TV time. I gave Dameon some chocolate and a Starbucks card, so we dug into those a little bit too. I have a little something planned for tonight, too, but I'll have to reveal it in tomorrow's post. Dameon loves to hate surprises, so I enjoy keeping him in suspense.