Week 29

I'm officially in the 3rd trimester and I'm so glad that Savannah is getting close to being here!  The past few weeks have been a roller coaster for me.  I was sick for about a week and a half with bronchitis (again) and am just now starting to feel better.  I slept horribly that week (week 28), and slept on the couch for probably 7-8 days straight just trying to sit up enough so that I didn't cough so much.  Thankfully this past week I've started feeling much better and I'm back to sleeping in the bed (with my beloved new body pillow) and have much more energy.

I was disappointed to find that at my last dr's visit I had gained a considerable amount of weight.  Although this week I didn't gain any.  So hopefully it will even out.  So far I've gained 21 pounds.  More than I would have hoped at this point, but I know it has a lot to do with how much we've eaten out recently.  I really don't want to go over 30 pounds of weight gain for my pregnancy, but we'll see how things go.

We went for our 3D ultrasound this week and we loved seeing snippets of Savannah.  She is still breached (she has been for the past three ultrasounds- praying that she moves to the right position soon) and we were unable to get many clear pictures of her, but we are going back in two weeks for a complementary session since she was so uncooperative.  Her little hands and feet were all in her face for the ultrasound!  I have made arrangements for a maternity session soon (a friend from church will be doing them) and I have found a photographer to do newborn photos of Savannah within the first two weeks of her arrival!

Love this sweet side profile- I think she is going to have my nose :)  And that is her big toe propped up on her forehead.  How that is comfortable, I have no idea.

I have been extremely emotional the past couple of weeks.  My patience has been running thin (which is not a good thing with my job in special education) and I'm very sensitive right now.  For example, a couple of days ago Jeremy was trying to get me to drink a cup of milk because my acid reflux was so bad and he thought it would help soothe my throat.  I don't like milk and started to cry because I didn't want to drink it :)  Oh the joys of pregnancy :)

Glad to start 30 weeks...only 10 more to go!

The Season of Lent

*This is a combination of several past posts...see originals here and here. 

image source

Today is Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of the Lenten season.  Do you celebrate the season of Lent?  Do you know what Lent is? 

Growing up in a Baptist church, I never celebrated or even knew what Lent was until high school.  A mentor of mine then explained what Lent was and the meaning and traditions of Lent.  Since I’ve been introduced to it, I love this season and when taken seriously, believe that it is a wonderful time of spiritual renewal.  Jeremy and I celebrate each year together, as Lent was an important part of his church in high school.  

The season of Lent is a forty day period between Ash Wednesday and Easter.  It is a season that is reminiscent of Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness and a time for Christians to fast and prepare their hearts for Easter.  When calculating the forty days of Lent, Sundays are not included because each Sunday is considered a “little Easter”, a celebration of the resurrection. It is intended to be a time for Christians to prepare themselves for the coming celebration the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.  It is a time to follow Jesus to the cross, and remember the sacrifice that He made for us.  During the passion week, the week before Easter, I love to read through all Christ did the week prior to His crucifixion.  It helps to make Easter more meaningful and focused. 

Lent is a special, intentional time for Christians to become engaged in the process of spiritual renewal.  “Lent is a time to increase the things of the spirit, and decrease the things of the flesh”.  Traditionally, Lent is observed by fasting, often from meat.  However, you can fast from anything that is distracting your attention from your spiritual needs.  It could be food, coffee, a certain activity, a certain tv show, tv altogether, facebook, or something else that you feel the Lord guiding you to sacrifice during this season.  Remember that in comparison to the sacrifice that Jesus made for us on the cross, even the hardest thing for us to sacrifice is really insignificant.

So, as we begin this journey towards the passion and Easter, how can you be intentional in your walk with the Lord?  I was listening to the radio and one of my favorite professors, Ben Gutierrez was preaching.  He said something that made me stop and really think and repent.  He said, “You can’t count on past mountaintop experiences to carry you through in your relationship with the Lord.”  Do you ever do that?  Do you ever count on those times with Jesus when He feels so close, so personal, so alive IN you, to carry you over to the next week or the next month, or the next retreat when you experience that mountaintop again?  I don’t want to live mountaintop to mountaintop, but instead everyday experiencing the power of the Glory.  I’m being intentional about the daily walk.  I must be, for He is the reason that I live and the Savior of my soul. May this Lenten season be one where I refocus on being wholly devoted, drawing closer to Him. 

Will you join me in preparing your heart for the intentional celebration of the resurrection?  Lent begins today, and I hope you will prayfully consider how you can celebrate this season in your own life.

Kitchen Dreaming

With the baby on the way, Jeremy and I are beginning to get house fever...not that we are going to buy any time soon, but we've started looking around just for the fun of it.  I'm quickly realizing that whenever we do decide to buy, no house is going to be a perfect fit (unless you build).  Perhaps I'll never have that dream "Pinterest" house, but the kitchen is one area that I would someday like to invest money.  I love pretty kitchens!  Here's one that is in Martha Stewart's guest house in Maine built using the Martha Stewart cabinets at Home Depot.

Check out more beautiful pictures of this kitchen here

26 Weeks

How Far Along?  I'm 26 weeks and 6 days in this picture

Feeling/Symptoms?  This week I've been feeling so big.  I feel like I can't get around anymore and it isn't any fun.  I'll be honest, the reality of gaining weight and being uncomfortable all of the time is catching up with me.  I LOVE feeling Savannah move and kick, but I can't really say at this point that I'm loving being pregnant. 

Doctor's Appointment:  My last Dr.'s appointment was a big one in my eyes.  I have been researching and reading about birth and labor and wanted to talk to my doctor about all of my options.  After talking with her, I have decided that I want to have as natural of a childbirth as possible.  If you are pregnant or are just curious, I suggest you check out the documentary "The Business of Being Born" (it's on Netfix).  It totally changed my thoughts and feeling son childbirth.  I have always been TERRIBLE at dealing with pain (seriously, I'm the baby when it comes to pain), and just always assumed that I would have an epidural because I couldn't handle labor and delivery   This documentary plus all the additional reading I've done has reminded me that my body was designed to do this very thing, and that I have to prepare myself both physically and mentally for labor.  I'm "training" so to speak right now, and I pray that I am able to have a safe and intervention free natural child birth. 

Food Cravings/Aversions: I have had some weird cravings this week.  I've not craved much of anything in the past month or so, but this week I was really wanting Chicken Fried Rice Chicken Helper (you know, the Hamburger Helper boxes but you use chicken instead), and Pop Tarts.  I brought home Pop Tarts today and Jeremy thought it was Christmas :)  I've never bought Pop Tarts for us before, so this was a real treat for him too :).