28 Weeks

Here I am 28 weeks pregnant with Ellie Jo!

Please forgive the lack of color in my face - you'll read why below! I forgot to have Robert do this picture earlier, so we just did it tonight. Look, you can actually see a baby bump now! Lol!

This last week has been a little bit rough, as I've had a hard time keeping food down. Today was the worst day, in particular. I'm now completely convinced that my being sick is directly correlated to weird sleeping patterns! Last night, I had a hard time staying asleep. I woke up with a lot of pain in my back and left leg (not unusual for me), so I took 1 Tylenol (since my doctor said it was safe for me and baby). It took me 45 minutes to fall asleep, even after that. I was up on and off throughout the night. After work today, I came home and took a 45 minute nap before I had to go up to H&R Block to work my second job. Clearly, it wasn't long enough, and I woke up feeling really yucky. I haven't been able to keep anything down since then, except my dinner salad (so far).

I was relieved to learn that I do not have gestational diabetes a couple of weeks ago (not that it was a concern). I'll find out about the rest of my lab results at my next doctor's appointment on March 8th.

Robert has decided that there is a "no sugar after 5:00pm" rule in our house, in an effort to help me keep food down. Sugar is, for some reason, the biggest trigger of my getting sick. Processed sugar, to be precise. Natural sugars like fruits are fine. Some juices are fine. Everything else - not so fine. So, I've been abiding by the rule, as difficult as it is sometimes. It's super hard being pregnant and having a sweet tooth that I usually don't and being unable to do anything to satisfy it! But I'm trying to just deal, because it won't be too much longer that I have to deal with it.

In other news, I'm totally excited for this Saturday! Keri is coming over, and maybe Barbara, in the morning for some crafting! We have a wedding to attend in the afternoon/ evening, but it's one of the only 3 1/2 days off I have between January through April 15th. Since Robert has a softball meeting that morning, I decided to see if we could have some girl time over here and maybe I could tackle one or two of the DIY Pinterest projects I've been wanting to get underway or finished.

Robert also deserves major credit for helping keep up around the house, and working on some of the pending items on our seemingly forever-long to-do list before Elizabeth arrives. because most of my time has been spent working (I worked 55 hours last week), or sleeping, he's totally picked up the slack around here and then some. It's been such a relief not to have to worry about everything, even though I feel guilty for not being able to keep everything up like I usually can, even during tax season.

Next week I'll be working 4 less hours every week at my second job, by choice. We close an hour earlier, and I had the option to come in and hour earlier, but I decided against it, because I really need the rest and down time. I'm hoping it will give me the opportunity to take a real nap during the day, and maybe catch up on some of my own to-do list.

I'll try to remember to carve out some more time for blogging in the next couple of weeks. :)

Good Days and Bad Days

Sometimes I have really awesome days! I get a lot done, I have tons of energy, and I feel ahead of the game.

Today was not one of those days.

I did get plenty of sleep and good rest last night, as the last couple nights were really difficult. But today, I had a really hard time getting ready this morning. It was like every muscle in my body hurt, and every little thing I did to get ready for my day was painstaking! I don't have these days often, but this morning was just terrible.

Robert called into work to see if he was getting called in at 9, and he ended up having the day off. I asked him to take me to work, mostly because I didn't want to walk 1/4 to 1/2 mile to and from my car at work. He even got up and made me lunch. :)

Well, I was sick all day once I got to the office. Everything I ate came back up. (Sorry if that's too graphic). I won't go so far as to say it was miserable, but it certainly wasn't fun. Especially since I did a lot of document comparisons today.

Robert came to pick me up, and on my way out, I chatted with a couple co-workers who were giving me super helpful tips on shopping for Elizabeth, so that made me feel a little better.

We got home, and noticed that the furnace wasn't working (after I got sick again, of course, lol). So I called my mom, and we were able to have my stepdad come over and take a look and things. Before he got here, I checked to make sure the fireplace and oven were still working. I even got online to make sure the gas bill was paid and current! Everything was fine.

As I went out to the garage to check out the situation with Robert, he said, "Watch. I'll turn this all off and try to figure it out, and your stepdad will get here, and he'll turn it on, and it'll work fine."

Sure enough, that's pretty much exactly what happened! We were grateful there wasn't really a problem, but it was still a little freaky.

I made my famous apple crisp for the kiddos at Awana tonight. Robert had already peeled and cored the apples for me, so I just had to cut them up, which cut down on the time it took to prepare it. :) And the kiddos loved it, as usual. Two of the boys even said, "Thank you for making your apple crisp, Miss Kimi!" One of those boys told me he waits all year for our Christmas party so he can have some!

Anyway, I'm wrapping up the night by watching some TV with my husband, and I'm going to bed. Here's to hoping tomorrow's a good day. :)

Not For A Moment

First of all, let me just say there is NO Copyright Infringement intended in this video, post, blog or anything else associated with this post. Secondly, this song, "Not For A Moment," is written by Jacob Sooter, Meredith Andrews, and Mia Fieldes.

Last of all, this song really has spoken to me during my pregnancy. Paul & I arranged this and played it this morning. We had one rehearsal together. I think it sounded decently, even though my husband recorded it on my iPhone. :)

A lot of people don't really know how sick I have been with this pregnancy, but I've been so sick that for weeks 7-16, I barely made it out of bed every day. It was a struggle just to work and come home. I was pretty much in bed, and then at work, then in bed again. Robert took over all the household chores, the grocery shopping and the errands. During my second trimester, I got some more energy, and started getting sick less. But it didn't ever stop. I've gotten sick pretty much every day since the first day of my 7th week.

I don't think that people really understand that it's been discouraging that I haven't been able to gain weight, and that I just keep losing. I'm worried that our sweet, precious Elizabeth Johannah won't get everything she needs from me (despite the fact that I know she will take what she needs), and I have a really difficult time articulating myself when people say, "Oh, it's okay," or "That happens." I have felt like a failure, depressed, and so concerned for my baby girl, that sometimes I am inconsolable. At my appointment on Friday, I was completely shocked that I was asked if I'm trying not to gain weight on purpose. I'm sure the ARNP didn't realize that she struck a nerve, but we tried to answer her honestly, and explain how sick I've been. I know she technically has to ask questions like that (in hindsight, now that I've talked it through and sought some wise council). I am definitely not enjoying being sick like I am, and I wish I could just keep all my food down!


Because this is such a difficult subject for me to talk about, I tend not to be as open about it with just anybody. But I heard this song on the radio several weeks ago, and I started working on the piano and vocals. It has helped me realize that God will never leave or forsake me in such a real way. He has been there every step of the way with me through this pregnancy, and He is providing for me and Ellie Jo!

The point of this post is not to complain or whine; quite contrary! I want to encourage anyone and everyone who hears this song - as imperfect as it is - because I want everyone to know that you are not alone. No matter what storm you are walking through, God is constant, faithful, sovereign, and He's got your back. Just trust Him. 

I wish that I'd heard this song months ago, when I was sobbing uncontrollably in bed, wondering if my baby was going to be okay because I was so sick. Now, I'm thankful for this trial that I have been entrusted with! It's a blessing! I have this amazing calling to be a mommy, and the sickness reminds me that Elizabeth is normal and healthy. She's growing, and I feel her moving more and more with each passing day. 

I also need to make sure that I give my wonderful, loving, supportive husband credit. He's had to hold me, take care of me, pick me up off the bathroom floor when he found me passed out from being so sick, and he's never complained once. He's always been willing to help me with anything I need or want, and I'm just so grateful for him! 

So last night, Paul said we needed a song for offeratory. We chose to do this song, even though we'd never played it. I've been playing it and singing it all the time on my own, and we just decided that I would sing and Paul and I would both play. The congregation seemed to respond well, and I hope it's an encouragement to everyone. 

On that note, I leave you with the lyrics to this song:  

"You were reaching through the storm,
Walking on the water 
Even when I could not see
In the middle of it all,
When I thought You were a thousand miles away,
Not for a moment did You forsake me
Not for a moment did You forsake me

After all You are constant,
After all You are only good,
After all You are sovereign,
Not for a moment will You forsake me
Not for a moment will You forsake me

You were singing in the dark,
Whispering Your promise
Even when I could not hear
I was held in Your arms,
Carried for a thousand miles to show
Not for a moment did You forsake me

After all You are constant,
After all You are only good,
After all You are sovereign,
Not for a moment will You forsake me
Not for a moment will You forsake me

And every step every breath You are there
Every tear every cry every prayer
In my hurt, at my worst
When my world falls down,
Not for a moment will You forsake me
Even in the dark,
Even when it's hard
You will never leave me 

After all You are constant,
After all You are only good,
After all You are sovereign,
Not for a moment will You forsake me
Not for a moment will You forsake me

Not for a moment will You forsake me"

Glucose Test/ Update on My Dog

Today I went to my monthly OB/ GYN appointment. Robert had the morning off, and went with me. He has been able to be at all of my appointments so far - I'm so thankful for this!

This morning's appointment was a little different, as I was with an ARNP instead of my regular doctor. It was just fine with us, because I know that she knows her stuff, too!

She was super nice, and was very patient with all of our questions.

Probably the worst part of the appointment was the weight part (like always). I'm losing weight again. Not much; it's hardly noticeable. But I'm certainly not gaining. The nurse asked me if I was purposely trying to not gain any weight. I was a little surprised, and then I realized that it's probably happened before. So, it was explained to her that I just really can't keep a whole lot down - mostly at night. She said she understood, and said to just try really hard to get more calories into me. I feel like I'm already trying really hard, though, so I was really disappointed.

The rest of the time we were there got better, though. We got a bunch of questions answered, and although it was a slightly longer appointment than usual, because the ARNP had to get acquainted with me and my chart and stuff. My blood pressure was great, and we'll find out more about my other blood tests (such as finding out whether I'm anemic or anything) in a week or so.

We went across to the lab at the hospital right after my appointment, as I decided to go ahead and get my glucose test out of the way today.

I just want to go on record and say that the orange drink they make you consume is so nasty. It reminded me of flat orange pop. Since I don't like pop...or orange pop....or flat orange pop....it was so gross!

We waited an hour like you're supposed to, and then I had a blood draw. It was really rough. The lab tech had a problem finding my vein (even though I was well-hydrated), and my arm still hurts after having the blood drawn.

But the good news is that I got my test results and I definitely don't have gestational diabetes! I never thought I did, and my doctor said he'd be shocked if I did. I did fast for 16 hours prior to the test, because I really didn't want to get a false-positive. Thankfully, I am well within the normal range!

I had to work tonight, and then I went to Costco for my mom. I took her up the laundry soap I brought for her, and got to snuggle with my dog. He has some good news himself today - he does not have cancer! The tumor they removed from his left ear was benign. Yay!

Here's Sarge, trying to keep me at my mom's so I wouldn't go home:

He decided that he just couldn't snuggle close enough after awhile, and he preferred to "hold" the baby. He wouldn't let my mom feel my tummy without much sighing and rolling around. I think Sarge thinks Elizabeth is his baby! LOL!

Anyway, Bryce is over now watching comedy with Robert. I'm exhausted so I'm going to bed!

Preventative Care Benefit & Breast Pumps

To all my pregnant and breast-feeding friends out there....

Did you know that a breast pump is now (as of January 1, 2013) considered a part of the Preventative Care Benefit on your insurance policy? Yep! That's right! And preventative care is covered at 100%. 

It's all a part of the Affordable Care Act.  

Now, as we're expecting our first daughter in May, I've started researching this extensively.

This is what I have found out so far:

• No matter what insurance company you have, a breast pump is considered a part of your preventative care benefit. 
• No matter what insurance company you have, they will be confused and frustrating to talk to about this new change, lol! Several friends of mine have also reported this same problem, and since I experienced it as well, consider this a part of the frustration that comes with dealing with insurance claims and benefits.
• You'll need to find a durable medical supply company in your area, call them to see if they have the breast pump you want in stock, and get it from them. 
• You'll need a prescription with "proper pregnancy diagnosis code(s)" from your doctor stating that a breast pump is medically necessary, and you'll have to take that in to the medical supply company you choose to use.
• You'll need to call your insurance to find out if a particular breast pump that you want is covered. (Currently, the only one not covered by our insurance is a hospital-grade breast pump).
  
  
  Be prepared to really dig to find information that you need. It is not as simple as I was under the impression it would be. Make sure you have enough time set aside to deal with it, too. It's also a good idea to keep receipts, write down dates and times that you speak with your insurance company and whom you speak with, and to keep everything together in a file so that you can compare it all when your Explanation of Benefits (EOB) comes in the mail.
  
  
  So, after getting all that information together, I hope it helps someone out there trying to use their benefit to help them and their baby!
  
  

26 Weeks and A Rough Monday

Here I am at 26 weeks pregnant with Elizabeth Johannah!

I'm starting to feel uncomfortable, particularly at night when I sleep. She's moving around a lot more, and her tiny body is pushing me around from the inside.

A lot of people emailed and have asked if I am "still getting sick." The answer is yes. I get sick pretty much every day, but it's mostly isolated to night time. I really cannot eat anything after 5:00pm, because anything I eat is coming back up. It's a pain, and it's really not fun. But the good news is that I'm so used to it, it doesn't upset me nearly as much as it did previously. :)

I'm trying to get a minimum of 8 hours of sleep every night....but it doesn't always happen. Especially when I'm so uncomfortable that I simply cannot sleep. Also, Robert has taken to patting my tummy in the middle of the night to try to feel the baby moving - that's getting annoying, lol. It's loving, but at the same time, it wakes me up, and sometimes keeps me up for hours. I need my rest!

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to go to a baby shower for my BFF, Jenny. :) She and her little daughter Brooke got so much really neat stuff! I'm so happy that so many people came together to bless them with everything that they did! It was a lot of fun, and it made me realize how quickly this season of life (pregnancy) actually passes. For Jenny, I made a Winnie the Pooh pillow, and had a strip of leftover fabric, so I made her a custom burp cloth, too. :) I also had picked up matching hats for Brooke & Ellie Jo a few months ago, as well as an adorable Winnie the Pooh hoodie. My mom gets another huge shout out here, as those clothing items came from the thrift store, and - as with all of Ellie's clothing and fabric items - she washed and sanitized them in her super awesome washing machine with baby laundry soap, then ironed and folded them :) Robert and I also got Brooke a Winnie the Pooh light-up "dreamy stars soother." Jenny was so grateful for everything, and that made me SO happy! I was nervous about the particular fabric we chose for the pillow/ burp cloth, since I'd texted her a picture of 3 different options, and she was unavailable so Robert chose it - but thankfully, he nailed her taste for fabric right on! That was Jenny's favorite, too! YAY! What a super fun way to spend Saturday afternoon.

I'm finding that I don't have a lot of energy in the evenings, so I tend to try to do activities sitting down a lot - even at H&R Block. Most of the time I read on my Kindle, work on my baby registries or work on Bible Study stuff there. When I'm home, I do sewing projects (yes, more pictures are coming soon!), pay bills/ update our financial spreadsheet, or sit quietly on our bed and fold clothes while I watch my shows on DVD. I'm cherishing these moments that are quiet and sometimes lonely, because the reality is that Elizabeth will be here SO soon (about 3 1/2 months!), and our family of two will soon be three. We won't have much quiet or alone time anymore, at least for a little while. We're totally okay with that - but we're still enjoying the time we have left as a 2-person household. : )

Today was pretty rough for me, as our family dog, Sarge, went into the vet last Friday to have a sore in his ear looked at - and our family received the news that the sore was really a pre-cancerous or cancerous tumor. :( They scheduled the surgery for first thing this morning, and my mom took him up there. I texted her and asked how he did, and he said he was one sad boy, crying and standing up to put his paws on her shoulders (this is how Sarge gives hugs). I think he knew something was up last night, because I was visiting my parents after work and snuggling with the dog on the couch after Bryce & Robert arrived for dessert, and every time I tried to get up, he would just snuggle harder. He even went so far as to put both front paws all the way over my legs and his head on my shoulder, and then whimper! Poor baby! My mom had to finally move him a little bit so I could get up - he was not happy to see sissy go home. Today when he comes home, he will have to have a cone on his head for about a week. We will not have the results of the tumor biopsy for about a week, either.

This is a picture of Sarge and me that my mom took a couple of weeks ago. He's been crying for me to come snuggle him when I go visit so that he can love on Ellie Jo! It's adorable. He loves listening to her little heartbeat. In fact, this picture was taken after he'd been snuggling with his ear pressed firmly to my tummy for about 2 hours!

It's so sad to think that our sweet Sarge might have cancer, and my family and I would welcome your prayers for him!

Anyway, that is my 26-week update. Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for more :)

February Goals/ January Update

I am so proud of everything I got done in January! It feel so good!

I was just texting my BFF this morning, and was telling her that I spent a lazy morning in bed, and and taking my time getting ready for my day today, as I actually have most of the day off. I was recapping my month, and I realized as I typed that I'm closing out a full month of keeping up with all of my Bible reading every day (more on that below!), the first month of tax season - back to work 20-30 hours/ week at H&R Block in addition to my job at EvCC - and I'm almost to the end of my 25th week of pregnancy! WOW!

Here's a recap of my goals for the past month:

• Start back up with FlyLady - I actually decided against this on January 7th. I had too much going on, and I didn't want it to just be one more thing to do. 
• Get the office straightened up and back in order
• Re-do my weekly cleaning schedule - It's done! Just got to implement it this month!
• Stick to my deadline for the Newsletter at church, and get it out next week (this week is New Year's, so we have to push it back one week) - Both January and February's church newsletters were published right on time!
•  Read Psalms & Proverbs (going to give this another shot: 1 Proverb + 5 Psalms daily) - YES! I FINALLY DID IT! I'm so happy with everything God showed me through this daily reading.
• Try to do a meal plan two days/ week - Sadly, this became too much for me to handle, as I'm still very sick at night during this 2nd trimester stuff. I didn't think it was fair to push it off onto Robert's plate, either, so this went by the wayside.
• Make more soups to freeze (Robert's request) - I think he actually did a double-batch of something and froze twice as much. So I consider that a success!
• Get the pantry stocked back up (Kind of a joint project between Robert & me) - Yep! We did a really good job!
• Keep selling on eBay - Yep! I've had small successes, but definitely measured successes!
• Make a list or do some kind of inventory on the baby stuff we have (see my posts here and here for all the blessings we've received/ found!) - Yep! We now know what we're still needing for baby Elizabeth, and it's making it easier to deal with adding/ updating registries! :) 

So, as I said, I'm very happy with the way January went, especially considering everything I had to do in a day/ week. In addition to everything else, Robert got Christmas all packed up and put away for the year, and he's been helping me out a lot around the house. It is so hard for me to end up in bed at 8:00pm because I'm so sick and so exhausted with this pregnancy....but I know better than to push through it. I've tried it, and all that ends up happening is that I wind up sicker than ever before, getting less done than if I'd just let things sit a day or two, and discouraged and crying in bed. Sometimes, I'm getting round ligament pain, too. That is so painful. I don't even have words to describe how scary it was the first time I was woken up in the middle of the night with it earlier last week. I decided against waking up Robert until I knew whether it was serious or not. Thankfully, it went away as quickly as it came on, but since I am such a sound sleeper and rarely wake up, it was a really scary experience for me to be woken up in that much pain. 

I'm feeling very "on-top" of things at work and at home, although there is always room for improvement! And I want to strive to be the best manager of our home that I can be above all else. That does include balancing work and home, keeping the house looking nice, and being a good steward of all that we have - financial and otherwise. Oh! Which brings me to an important point! I recently re-did our budget spreadsheets (in December), and we've been doing a great job at keeping everything in order and spending less. Even with a new baby on the way, we (I mean, me, lol) have been refraining from extraneous spending. I think we really have only eaten out about once/ month or so, and I've kept a very close eye on all our other spending. 

Anyway, January went really well for us! And, I totally have to give a shameless plug for my parents here, too. My mom and stepdad have decided to jump on the budgeting bandwagon, and called me to go up to their house and set up/ program some new spreadsheets for them so that they can know where all their money is going. YAY MOM & PERRY! I just called my mom, and she said, "Yep, it's February 1st, so we're starting today!" I think my stepdad is looking forward to not having to deal with it as much (since my mom will be doing all of the entering/ data), and my mom is looking forward to knowing where every penny is going. She also told me that she went down to the Goodwill in Seattle on her lunch break and scored the crib bumper and crib skirt for the nursery at their house for a total of $9 today - brand new! 

So that was the end to a great month. :) 

Here are my goals for the month of February: 

• Get the office in order (starting with one small task every day) 
• Keep up with picking up/ vacuuming/ dusting
• Finish 2 more DIY Projects for Ellie Jo from Pinterest
• Keep up with my Bible Reading in 1 Year
• Try to find a new home for the piano in the den
• Keep up with attendance sheets for Awana Games
• Return library books and start over with a new goal of 1 book per week
• Take a bubble bath to relax
• Find a new set of 5 tall votive holders for on top of the mantle (me and my gracefulness totally kersmashed one of them over Christmas, sigh. And since one is already broken at the top, it's time for a new set). 
• Help Robert as much as I can with the furniture projects (as much as I can)
• One is moving the piano out of the office
• Two is moving the two bookcases from the guest room/ nursery into the office
• Three is moving my daybed, entertainment center, and TV to my dad's house 
• Four is getting the crib, dresser and changing table all ready to go