Hi, Sweet Baby!
Monday, January 17, 2011
Thursday, January 13, 2011
"Trying" no more!
Well, it's official! After "trying" to get pregnant for 6 months, the Lord has decided to bless us with our first child! We are so excited, and a little bit surprised that it happened so fast after I got off of birth control. We hope to welcome our baby into the world somewhere around August 5th, 2011!
Here's the story:
The week we moved into our new house in June was the same week that my birth control ran out, and at first, I thought that I would get pregnant immediately. Yeah, not so much. I read books, got on message boards, tried to learn everything I could so that we could finally get pregnant. After about 2 months I started using ovulation tests (they look like pregnancy tests) that show you when you're ovulating to predict the best day to get pregnant.
After these didn't seem to help for a few months, I checked out a book at the library called "Taking Charge of Your Fertility." I didn't like the title at first because I'd rather let Jesus take charge of my fertility... but I learned SO much about my body and how everything works, how God designed it to work in order for us to reproduce. Now mind you, I'm really nerdy when it comes to just about anything health-related, which is another reason why I enjoyed it so immensely. :) I started taking my temperature every morning and charting it, in addition to using ovulation tests to determine the best day to get pregnant... and after 1 month of charting... BOOM! It worked!
How I found out:
I got my first positive pregnancy test the day before Thanksgiving when my parents were actually in town visiting. Let me just tell you-- I'm so glad that I had a LOT of baking to do that day to keep my mind off of things! I was planning to take a preg test the day after Thanksgiving, but for some reason I couldn't wait. I peed on the stick, then set it on the counter and took my shower. Imagine my surprise when I got out, looked at the test and there was a teeeeny tiny faint line! OMG! Can it be????
How I told Mike:
I was worn out from baking all day and of course trying to hide all my internet searches from everyone else (googling pregnancy test, faint line, etc) that I decided to go to bed early. Mike keeps the expensive pregnancy tests locked up in his closet because I was wasting them earlier in the process. I asked him to lock them up because they are so expensive and I was addicted to testing. He was downstairs watching a movie with my dad. I whispered in his ear, asked him to go upstairs and get me a pregnancy test out of the closet. He handed me a whole box of tests and said, "Pee straight!" as I walked off to the bathroom.
Sure enough, it was also positive. I about hit the ceiling. I wrapped up the test in a card that I bought when we first started trying that had a little bear on the outside blowing a trumpet, that said, "Hooray!" Open up the card and it said, "You did it!" When Mike finally came to bed about 2 hours later (as I tried so hard to stay awake!), I gave him the card and he was pretty shocked. I pee on sticks all the time, how could he know that this was the one?
How we told our family:
We waited until Christmas to tell our families. This. Was. So. Stinking. Hard!!!! We told my mom and dad the day after we arrived in Houston (12/19) because I couldn't imagine being in TX almost a week without being able to talk to my Mom about all this. We gave them little frames that said "I love my Grandma/Grandpa" and a card in the middle that said "Coming Soon in August 2011!" They were so surprised, especially my dad. For the rest of the week, he teased me, every time I said something, he would respond, "That's perfectly normal in pregnancy." Silly goose.
We told my sisters and Jake on Christmas morning. Jake & Melissa were totally on to me, and Holly cried. We gave them mugs that said "Aunt" on them. They were ecstatic. We told my Aunt Pat and Mimi that afternoon... I was paranoid about my Aunt Pat because she's an OB nurse so there's no fooling her! We told my Mom's side of the family the day after Christmas, which was a huge shock to everyone.
We told my in-laws when we got back to Indiana the next week. Ryan & Laurel & Kaylee were staying with us, and until we broke the news, I was dying to talk to Laurel about pregnancy and being a mom!! They were all so excited and shocked when we told them. We also gave them grandma/grandpa frames and we gave Kaylee a onesie that said, "I'm going to be a big cousin!"
Other people we told:
Well I let the news loose on facebook last week. Before we told family I confided in 2 friends who are currently pregnant because I really needed some support and advice. I have the best friends!
How I'm feeling:
For the most part, really good. I can hardly complain. The first symptom I had was insane hunger, but absolutely nothing looked good. Food aversions have come and gone, and gotten better over time. I have been nauseous off and on but (Thank you Lord) I haven't thrown up at all, even though I've come close many times. Probably the most difficult one has been the extreme fatige. Wow. Like let me lay down and go to bed at 2pm every day. The funniest symptom has been the voracious appetite. I eat and eat and eat, and before I'm finished eating I'm already thinking about what to eat next. This is totally unlike me, and is really making my Mike laugh a lot. I start week 12 tomorrow and look forward to the journey!
Rachel <><
Here's the story:
The week we moved into our new house in June was the same week that my birth control ran out, and at first, I thought that I would get pregnant immediately. Yeah, not so much. I read books, got on message boards, tried to learn everything I could so that we could finally get pregnant. After about 2 months I started using ovulation tests (they look like pregnancy tests) that show you when you're ovulating to predict the best day to get pregnant.
After these didn't seem to help for a few months, I checked out a book at the library called "Taking Charge of Your Fertility." I didn't like the title at first because I'd rather let Jesus take charge of my fertility... but I learned SO much about my body and how everything works, how God designed it to work in order for us to reproduce. Now mind you, I'm really nerdy when it comes to just about anything health-related, which is another reason why I enjoyed it so immensely. :) I started taking my temperature every morning and charting it, in addition to using ovulation tests to determine the best day to get pregnant... and after 1 month of charting... BOOM! It worked!
How I found out:
I got my first positive pregnancy test the day before Thanksgiving when my parents were actually in town visiting. Let me just tell you-- I'm so glad that I had a LOT of baking to do that day to keep my mind off of things! I was planning to take a preg test the day after Thanksgiving, but for some reason I couldn't wait. I peed on the stick, then set it on the counter and took my shower. Imagine my surprise when I got out, looked at the test and there was a teeeeny tiny faint line! OMG! Can it be????
How I told Mike:
I was worn out from baking all day and of course trying to hide all my internet searches from everyone else (googling pregnancy test, faint line, etc) that I decided to go to bed early. Mike keeps the expensive pregnancy tests locked up in his closet because I was wasting them earlier in the process. I asked him to lock them up because they are so expensive and I was addicted to testing. He was downstairs watching a movie with my dad. I whispered in his ear, asked him to go upstairs and get me a pregnancy test out of the closet. He handed me a whole box of tests and said, "Pee straight!" as I walked off to the bathroom.
Sure enough, it was also positive. I about hit the ceiling. I wrapped up the test in a card that I bought when we first started trying that had a little bear on the outside blowing a trumpet, that said, "Hooray!" Open up the card and it said, "You did it!" When Mike finally came to bed about 2 hours later (as I tried so hard to stay awake!), I gave him the card and he was pretty shocked. I pee on sticks all the time, how could he know that this was the one?
How we told our family:
We waited until Christmas to tell our families. This. Was. So. Stinking. Hard!!!! We told my mom and dad the day after we arrived in Houston (12/19) because I couldn't imagine being in TX almost a week without being able to talk to my Mom about all this. We gave them little frames that said "I love my Grandma/Grandpa" and a card in the middle that said "Coming Soon in August 2011!" They were so surprised, especially my dad. For the rest of the week, he teased me, every time I said something, he would respond, "That's perfectly normal in pregnancy." Silly goose.
We told my sisters and Jake on Christmas morning. Jake & Melissa were totally on to me, and Holly cried. We gave them mugs that said "Aunt" on them. They were ecstatic. We told my Aunt Pat and Mimi that afternoon... I was paranoid about my Aunt Pat because she's an OB nurse so there's no fooling her! We told my Mom's side of the family the day after Christmas, which was a huge shock to everyone.
We told my in-laws when we got back to Indiana the next week. Ryan & Laurel & Kaylee were staying with us, and until we broke the news, I was dying to talk to Laurel about pregnancy and being a mom!! They were all so excited and shocked when we told them. We also gave them grandma/grandpa frames and we gave Kaylee a onesie that said, "I'm going to be a big cousin!"
Other people we told:
Well I let the news loose on facebook last week. Before we told family I confided in 2 friends who are currently pregnant because I really needed some support and advice. I have the best friends!
How I'm feeling:
For the most part, really good. I can hardly complain. The first symptom I had was insane hunger, but absolutely nothing looked good. Food aversions have come and gone, and gotten better over time. I have been nauseous off and on but (Thank you Lord) I haven't thrown up at all, even though I've come close many times. Probably the most difficult one has been the extreme fatige. Wow. Like let me lay down and go to bed at 2pm every day. The funniest symptom has been the voracious appetite. I eat and eat and eat, and before I'm finished eating I'm already thinking about what to eat next. This is totally unlike me, and is really making my Mike laugh a lot. I start week 12 tomorrow and look forward to the journey!
Rachel <><
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Thankful
Oh, how I LOVE Thanksgiving! This year was my first time hosting, and it went just beautifully! My parents are here right now, they drove here from Houston and arrived on Monday night right after work. Yay! This was their first trip here since we got our new house and it's so much fun to have overnight company. I did my first turkey and several other sides, but that's not what I wanted to blog about... some other day I'll relay the events of Thanksgiving day.
I wanted to express how thankful I am for so many blessings in my life. God has truly blessed me with so many wonderful things and people, it's hard to write it all down! But I'll try:
-a sweet husband who I had to travel 1000 miles from home to meet
-amazing in-laws who treat me like their own, especially since my own family is so far away
-this incredible house
-my job (even though this is one of the most difficult and frustrating parts of my life)
-my family spread all over the country in Texas, Georgia, Colorado, and Indiana
-my health
-2 paid-off vehicles
-The Pampered Chef (the best job in the world that lets me forget about all my normal-job woes)
-God, for saving me and never giving up on me even when I whine like a child
-sewing machine
-Curel hand lotion for saving my hands in this dry Indiana winter.
Oh I could go on for days, God has been so faithful!
I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Give GOD the Glory!!!!
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Trying
About 5 months ago, Mike and I started "trying" to get pregnant. Ever since then, babies are everywhere, and I mean everywhere. Every single day I get on facebook and find out that someone else is expecting! It's on TV all the time. Last night I was volunteering at Riley and watching the TV in the patient's room. King of Queens was on, and the couple had decided to start "trying." Then How I Met your Mother came on (really really funny episode), and one of the couples on there decided that they would start "trying." I'm like, "Stop! Enough already! We're 'trying'!" Everywhere we go, there are pregnant ladies (are they MOCKING me??) and so many of my friends are pregnant. I'm truly, genuinely happy for them, as I hope friends would be happy for me if the situation was reversed but....
...honestly I've struggled a lot with jealousy. Mike and I are in seemingly the most perfect time in our lives to start a family. We are debt-free. We have great jobs. We have a house. We are not getting any younger... sounds perfect ,right? This is something that I've desired since I was a little girl. Ah, how little I understand about the will of God. I know that God has this all in His hands and it will happen in His perfect time. I just keep having to tell myself that, month after month of disappointment. On the upside, this has taught me a lot about how my body works, which is so amazing! God thought of everything! I guess it just boils down to being content where I am? Yes, I think so.
Our pastor spoke a few weeks about how we often think we deserve something b/c of our accomplishments.... not always true in God's eyes.
So hopefully soon I will be able to announce a new blessing in our lives right here on this blog! Until then I'll keep praying and "trying."
...honestly I've struggled a lot with jealousy. Mike and I are in seemingly the most perfect time in our lives to start a family. We are debt-free. We have great jobs. We have a house. We are not getting any younger... sounds perfect ,right? This is something that I've desired since I was a little girl. Ah, how little I understand about the will of God. I know that God has this all in His hands and it will happen in His perfect time. I just keep having to tell myself that, month after month of disappointment. On the upside, this has taught me a lot about how my body works, which is so amazing! God thought of everything! I guess it just boils down to being content where I am? Yes, I think so.
Our pastor spoke a few weeks about how we often think we deserve something b/c of our accomplishments.... not always true in God's eyes.
So hopefully soon I will be able to announce a new blessing in our lives right here on this blog! Until then I'll keep praying and "trying."
Friday, October 29, 2010
What's up with us
Um, excuse me? Where did the summer go? That's right, we're in full FALL mode right now! This house has been so much fun to decorate, even if I'm going for the minimalist-we-just-bought-a-house-so-here's-a-cute-pumpkin-for-decoration-deal-with-it kind of style.
Mike has been working a lot of overtime at work which is nice for our wallets, but I really do miss him not being here immediately after I get off work. Then again he could be working a lot later, so I count my blessings with that.
I have been busy with Pampered Chef, and had a great month in September. I do about 3-4 shows each month which is perfect for my busy life... about $300-$500 extra a month is nice to have! Work has been absolutely crazy for me, pretty much the worst it's ever been. Pretty much when I can't think it can get any worse, oh it does. Makes me so thankful that I have my PC business to give me something positive to think about.
I've also been sewing a lot more recently... here are some of my recent creations:
I sit down to write a blog post and nothing comes to mind though... we have been so busy with a lot of nothing... I clean a lot and like to sew, and Mike likes to watch TV. TV!! That's it!! We have some shows that we enjoy together like NCIS (that's not new but we both like it) and our Thursday night shows The Office and Outsourced, and of course Project Runway (Mike watches it with me sometimes!) On Monday nights we like The Event and Chase. I like Chase the most b/c it takes place in my hometown of Houston, TX.
Gosh we're boring.
OH! We have been going to a "Young Married Couples" class at our church (finally after 3 years of marriage we have a class like this!) and we have made so many wonderful new friends there. It's great! We have new friends to go out with and learn about, and it's so refreshing to have other friends in our same stage of life... especially now that Ryan & Laurel are gone.
And of course we're still loving our small group. We meet about every other Friday night and pray for each other and sometimes discuss the previous week's sermon. There are about 11 children between all the couples, and we have a blast. The kids really enjoy playing with "Mr. Couts" and he enjoys throwing them up in the air and hanging them upside down.
OK so that's all that's going on now.
Why do I have a blog again? :)
Monday, September 13, 2010
Arizona or BUST!
So last Sunday, September 5th, we said goodbye to my sister-in-law and brother-in-law and niece (Mike's brother Ryan, his wife Laurel and their 7 week-old baby Kaylee) as they drove off to begin their new life in Tuba City, Arizona.
Laurel just finished her pediatric residency here in Indy. In med school she got a government grant that requires her to work in an "under-served" population to "pay back" the government after completing residency. She'll be working in a clinic on a Navajo reservation. It's pretty remote... the closest Wal-Mart is over an hour away! But she called the other day and said that they have a Sonic Drive-In! Ha!
And my favorite picture of the day: Mike holding Kaylee in church. He carried her from the parking lot and sat down in church, and she laid on his chest for almost the whole service! She loves her Uncle Mike!
Laurel just finished her pediatric residency here in Indy. In med school she got a government grant that requires her to work in an "under-served" population to "pay back" the government after completing residency. She'll be working in a clinic on a Navajo reservation. It's pretty remote... the closest Wal-Mart is over an hour away! But she called the other day and said that they have a Sonic Drive-In! Ha!Anyway, they left last Sunday, and the Sunday before that we hosted a going away party for them. It was the first party we've hosted in the new house and it was a success. We packed probably close to 40 people in our house! Wow! It was so much fun, and Mike's mom did an amazing job planning it and getting all the food together. Here are a few pictures from that day:
Look at all that food!
good friends, good fun
Laurel, Kaylee, and Aunt Dean (Mike's dad's aunt)
Kaylee and Aunt Rachel
And my favorite picture of the day: Mike holding Kaylee in church. He carried her from the parking lot and sat down in church, and she laid on his chest for almost the whole service! She loves her Uncle Mike!
So they packed up their Honda Civic and took a few days to drive out to AZ, stopping every 3 hours to feed the baby. Whew! We will truly miss Ryan & Laurel, for so many years they've been our go-to couple. If we were going somewhere and wanted to invite people, they were usually the first ones we would call. They are such precious people, and I'm jealous of the people in Tuba City! Even though we'll miss them terribly, we are so excited for this journey they've begun and look forward to visiting them!
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