John 9:1-3

One thing I have noticed, ever since we found out I was pregnant, is no matter how far along I am, I would always have some kinds of worries. First, once I made it to past the 1st trimester and heard the heartbeat I was excited and grateful. But the worries don't stop there. In the 2nd trimester I was always wondering if our baby is okay since the baby's kicks weren't consistent. I would look forward to every appointment to just hear the quick little heartbeat. All screenings came back negative, and our baby is growing the way it should.

Now today, I am officially 3 months away from our due date and in the 3rd trimester. Right now our baby has an 85% chance of survival if it were to be born today. You would think I wouldn't worry? Wrong. I find that as the baby gets closer the more anxious I get, and excited I feel. I will be starting my 2 week appointments now, so I get to hear the little one's heartbeat more often!

I think it is only the motherly instinct to worry, considering I hear/read horror stories of children who didn't make it or a baby that quit developing, etc. I don't always feel the consistent kicks which makes me worry. This past week I failed a screening and have to take a new test on Thursday. My blood pressure went up a little so we have to keep an eye on that. It has been a little bit of a rough week. I try not to worry, and I don't worry 24/7 ...But honestly, I find alot of peace knowing that God has a plan, and its in his hands. Josh and I both pray for our child every night.

...so where does John 9 come in?

The past couple of weeks at church, our preacher had begun talking about John 9, and the blind man who was healed. (If you want to hear the sermons go to First Reformed Church Sioux Center . The sermons are called "I was blind but now I see" and "Look before you label")

The first 3 verses of that chapter have really made sense in my life right now. It states:

"As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"
"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life."

It makes me realize that God has a purpose for me, our child, and whatever happens. Why should I worry when I know its up to God? It is reasurring that, if anything were to go wrong, it wasn't because I sinned, or deserved it. ...God is just working in our life and our baby's life.

So really, I ask myself, why worry? God has a plan for us. God has a plan for our child. It is in his hands, and I 100% believe that.

....and a little kick just now lets me know everything is okay :)

Twenty-Four

Twenty-Four Years Old

That's right...as of July 1 I am the big 2-4...which is actually pretty old considering its almost 25 which is almost 30 which is half way to 60....time sure does fly! I recieved some gifts for my birthday. I got the typical $20 from my grandparents, a maternity shirt and hooded towel from my mom & dad, some flower's from Josh's parents, and an UGLY DOLL from Brooke. What exactly is an Ugly Doll? Well, its pretty much explanitory...and ugly doll that is so ugly its cute...you be the judge. They are pretty entertaining with unique names like Big Toe, Wedge-head, Ice Bat, etc. Brooke got me Ox. Hes pretty cute for being an Ugly Doll!...and I love him, and im sure bun will too!

Twenty-Four Weeks
Yup...24 weeks preggo. I found my week 12 picture and took my week 24 one on Monday...and needless to say, I think my abdomen has gotten just a smidge bigger! All I know is I liked my hair 100 times more than I do now, and my face was a little thinner :) ...and pardon me for looking like a mess!Twenty-Four Trips to the Bathroom
Just kidding...but it sure feels like that! Usually atleast 3 times per night, if not more!

48 divided by 2 = 24
We decided to paint the nursery this weekend since I had 4 days off and it needed to be done....so my dad, older sister, Josh, and myself went at painting the nursery...with 48 "dots" It actually went by pretty quickly and it was fun to hang out with my sister as I don't see her that often. We still need to finish putting up molding and the artwork (which my sister and I painted)...but its a great start and nice to have that scratched off the list of things "to-do" ....my dad thought he would be clever and write "Bun's Room" in the process...so here are the pictures!

24 hours until the weekend
...thank goodness!

Lost: My Mind

If anyone finds it, let me know. Either that or I will have to wait until after October, and who knows when it will come back. It all started a while ago, while at work. I would casually jot down some grocery store items, only to get to the grocery after work and frantically look for my list in all my pockets, purse, and checking the car.....only to find it the next morning on my desk.

This has happened more than once....my mind seems to be getting more lost as time progresses.

On Tuesday I decided to go put some gas in the car, since it was getting pretty low. I got myself organized before I went so I wouldn't have to search for my debit card at the pay at the pump. So before I took off for lunch, I got my card out and keys ready to go so I can quick pull up to get gas and go back to lunch. So I get to pump #1 at Caseys, and lo and behold, the debit card is nowhere to be found. I had to resort to the "pay inside" feature and write a check. Once again, only to go back up to my desk and find it laying right there.

Wednesday was a pretty good day....besides the fact I was searching the house high and low for our umbrella. I quit looking after searching high and low in a number of places. I gave up and left without it. I got home and found it back. Only to find it where? On my dresser in my bedroom where I had grabbed the pants I wore to my sister's game. I just tell myself "It must have been underneath something, right?!"

So today was a great day! I didnt forget anything...until I got home from work. My DH decided he was going to grill brats for supper - YUM! So we made a cute little family trip to the grocery store to pick up some items. We were almost ready to check out and I then decided "Hey, I should get some dip for my chips" so I quick run and go grab 3 different kinds because I just couldn't decide which ones to get - and they were on sale! So we get home and pull into the garage and it dawns on me - we didn't get brat buns for our brats! So I decided I hate eating brats on bread, so I head down to the store to pick some up. I quick run in, get the buns, and come home. Only to realize I got hogie buns instead of brat buns....SERIOUSLY?! I mean it wasn't the end of the world, but it was just one of those moments. I quickly forgot about the bun fiasco, and thought, "Hey, I will try out those dips with my chips." So I grab the dips and look for my chips.....oh wait, I didn't buy chips. I bought cheeseballs!!! I still don't understand what or what I wasn't thinking. I didn't even buy chips..but cheeseballs! As you can tell I am still in disbelief. What kind of craving ends in forgetting the other 1/2 of your craving? Mine does! We were lucky enough to have some leftover tortilla chips in the cupboard that I could try my dips out. So at least I got to try those.

Sigh. What a forgetful week...and its not even over yet! I will spare you the story when I was in Walmart and was carrying around paint rollers and was convinced I had laid them down and walked away...only for my DH to point out they were still in my hand. ...I guess I didn't spare you that story since I just just told you.... *big sigh*

So mind, if you are reading this, please come back!

Half Way There!

As most of you may know, we are currently expecting our first child with an approximate due date of October 25, 2009. Today we are officially 20 weeks aka - half way done! We are excited about the new baby. We had an ultrasound at 15 weeks to make sure our dates were correct, and we get another (and final) one in about 2 weeks. I will be 21w4d with that one. In this picture, baby is waving to Mom & Dad!

I am finally starting to show. I have worn a few maternity shirts and pants even though I can still fit into some pre-pregnancy clothes. I have noticed I have developed a rather large appetite and seem to be hungry most of the time. Other milestones? I started feeling baby around 16-17 weeks, and the pair of pants that fit me last weekend no longer fit this weekend. I have also decided that this baby is going to be either a kick-boxer or a can can dancer, or something to that extent....

We have started to get prepared for baby by garage-sale-ing and picking things up here and there. We got the big items at garage sales for a steal! Crib, changing table, and swing for $65 total. The changing table does need some work, but you cant go wrong for only $10. We did end up buying a dresser from Ikea and crib bedding new. We also got some onesizes and a couple of sleepers. We hope to hit up some more garage sales this fall.

We also need to start making a "to-do" list and a "to-buy" list before baby comes. My co-worker provided me with a great starting list that her sister used. It has been helpful many times already! What's on our to-do list? Mostly just cleaning, getting organized, and painting the nursery. Any ideas would help!