20 Weeks and Getting Bigger!

Wow! I can't believe we're now half-way through the pregnancy!

Christmas was wonderful! We went to Alabama for a few days and were able to see my niece, Sydney, be dedicated at her church.  It was such a special experience and I definitely had to hold back the tears.  I have to say how blessed we are and how proud I am to have such a great Christian family.  What a wonderful thing to get your baby started out on the right foot when she's just a newborn.  Sydney was beautiful and did great while the Pastor was holding her.  She was fascinated by the spotlights way up above her head.  I was able to hold Sydney and care for her some while we were in Alabama and I couldn't believe that I would have my very own in just half a year.

It was also such a gift to be with the rest of our family in Alabama and in Texas.  Everyone was so excited to see the "baby bump".  We got a few little Christmas gifts from family for the baby and that was unexpected and super exciting.  The baby now has a few books, a couple of rattles, some essentials like pacifiers, spoons, and it's first sippy cup, and a Christmas bib!  Jared's Granny also gave us a Sleep Sheep!  I don't think she realized what a must-have it was, but we were really excited to get one.  I know several babies that have them.  It attaches to the outside of the crib for when the baby is an infant and it makes soothing sounds to help the baby sleep. Then, when the baby is older, it serves as a stuffed animal that the child can snuggle with and it can still help them get to sleep.  It also travels well- another plus!

I also received some extra attention by being pregnant.  This was fun, but a little overwhelming at times.  My sister and sister-in-law answered a lot of my questions: my sister having just had a baby and my sister-in-law having had her fourth three years ago.  My mother-in-law, Jared's aunt, my sister-in-law, Jared, and I even took a trip to Babies-R-Us to look around. This was SO much fun and a little overwhelming!  There is so much out there.  I love to hear my mom and mother-in-law talk about what was available when they had babies and how much things have changed.  It's a great reminder that a lot of what is out there to help you with baby is unnecessary.  However, I do love some of the doodads that will make life much easier!  That's where my sister-in-law came in with her expertise and answered a lot of questions of what we need versus what we don't.  I don't think she realized how valuable her knowledge really is.  My sister has been answering lots of questions in the past couple of weeks as I get ready to start the baby registry.  Also, did you know there are strollers out there that cost close to $1,000?  Crazy!

We also had great fun just talking about the baby, getting advice from family, lots of times laughing about stories they had or jokes they wanted to make.  Our nieces and nephews range in age from 3 months to 10 years, so there are lots of good stories there.  Then there are also great stories from when we were babies and beyond.  It was great to see the excitement in everyones' faces.

Now we start the New Year with much anticipation and we realize this is the year our first baby will be born.  We've started back to work and know that the time is going to pass quickly. We moved around some furniture upstairs to start getting the baby room ready. Our baby room will also serve as a guest room, so things get a little tricky.  I love the plans we have though and I'm so excited to start organizing and decorating.  One of my friends, Carolyn Paradzinski, once told me that when she was pregnant she wanted to go around organizing and labeling everything! I feel that bug.  I want everything to be ready and I know that once I start my full schedule at the end of January, things are going to get crazy.  I'm just try to get a head-start now. Jared has been a huge help and seems equally excited.  He's been looking up rocking chairs, strollers, and swings on the internet, moving the furniture, and helping me plan for all of the upcoming baby activities!  We are so excited, in case you couldn't tell!

We go to the doctor one week from today to find out the sex and have our second ultrasound!  I can't wait to see the baby again.  I just want to see its little body!  To know the gender is going to be awesome!  We will be able to plan more accordingly and register for the typical blue or pink! Of course, we're going to throw lots of other colors in there too.

I'm getting much bigger.  I promise to post pictures soon!  I just put in an order to Old Navy for some more maternity clothes.  I hadn't bought much so far, but I'm realizing how badly I need them, especially now that I'm going back to work.

I've also just started feeling the baby move.  I felt it for the first time our last night in Texas.  It didn't really feel like a kick, I guess because the baby is so small.  It felt more like a knock.  Since then I've felt it a good bit, mostly in the morning and evening.

The posts are going to become more regular.  Things are starting to happen more quickly.
Thank you for your prayers and interest. We are so happy to share with you all!