The Prayer that Two Shall Become One

To give you a little background on the title - I have noticed that over the past two months as I am getting bigger and the baby is growing, I actually have two bumps in my belly area.  The lower one is where the baby is growing and getting bigger day by day, the other bump is all the stuff that used to be in my lower belly, but had to move to make room for the baby.....  I don't think this phenomenon is an issue for thin people because when you look at their baby belly they are perfectly shaped.  However, I have never been one of those people, so therefore my current baby belly is anything but perfect.  In fact is is double!  I keep waking up and looking in the mirror hoping for a single belly....

The thing that makes it even more entertaining is that many people see my top belly and want to rub it thinking it is the baby - hahaha - it is just my stomach!  I was explaining this to all the youth group girls the other night, and now every time I see them they ask me - are your bellies one yet? 

Well my husband being the spiritual leader that he is  - has decided to put that into his prayer for the baby each night, so after we pray for the health of our baby - he prays and may her two bellies become one!  Gotta love my husband.  I know God has to be laughing as he listens to me..... I also know that several months from now when I start to get hugely uncomfortable - I will wish I could go back to my two bellies - but for now I will celebrate that I have a growing baby - that I felt flutter for the first time yesterday in church!

Some things I have learned

Here are some things I have learned over the past few weeks.  Just a fair warning - I do talk about gross things so be prepared!

1. Being sick while pregnant is ten times worse than when you are not - it compares to being sick while having MS - so maybe it is just the combination of all my ailments put together (not that being pregnant is an ailment - you know what I mean)

2.  When you have a sore throat - don't gargle with salt water!  Bad idea!!!  I was trying so hard to try all the non medicine options since the list of approved meds is small so I thought I will give it a try - the result - vomitting!  Yuck!

3.  Brushing your teeth is a chore - yet it is of utmost importance while pregnant to keep your gums healthy (or at least so I have read)  Gagging is now part of my daily brushing routine.  Actually it did get so bad one morning that I did vomit - several times!  Yuck Again!!!  I did change flavors - from mint to orange since I have been craving oranges a lot - it reduced the gagging emensly!

4.  Sinus Head colds are not fun!!  Coughing is not fun!  I have tried the teas and the honey and the lemon juice.... no relief - so I tried benedryl which is on the approved list - well I did sleep a bit more but I had some weird dreams!!!  Really weird and I remember every detail of them!  Since it has been four days and I still can't breath out of my nose I tried saline spray - bad idea!!  Vomitting!!!!  Yuck again.

5.  Some women vomit alot during the first trimester - I was just nausaus - but second trimester I am making my vomitting come back - it is so weird too - because I don't feel sick I just start gagging and the rest is history!

Well that is all I have learned this week.  I am sure I will have more lessons learned by next week.  As for now I am signing off to get ready for my four month appointment - can't wait to hear the heartbeat!!!
Trusting God that everything is going smoothly inside my belly!!!

The Bittersweet of April 1st

Last year on this day - April first was also Maundy Thursday, last year April 1st was a beautiful sunny day.... it was a day that started out like any other, but by noon time it quickly turned into one of the hardest days of my life, as I spent the day at the hospital, soon to realize that we had just lost the baby that we had prayed so hard for.  We were only 6 weeks along in our pregnancy, but it seemed as though we had known that child.  It is a weird feeling that I can't explain, but that day we lost our child and it seemed as though we lost our dream of being parents.  We didn't know what the future held for us, we just knew that day that we felt lost and empty.  As I walked outside this morning I could see the tulips that we planted in memory of our little one were peaking through the ground - I long to see their beautiful bloom as a reminder of God shining his love on our lives.

You should also know that four years ago on April 1st I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.  Let's just say April fools day is not a day that brings about a lot of joy in my heart - as I look at my past.  I thought that was one of the hardest days of my life, but little did I know at that point - how much harder it would be to deal with a miscarriage - three years later on that same day.

Though my heart is sad and heavy over the loss of our child, I am comforted in knowing that God's plan is always perfect even though I don't fully understand that many times.  I will always have a special place in my heart for that little one.

This year - April 1st was a full day - but a day filled with joy and knowing God has something great in store for us as parents to be, because this year - we are close to our 17 week mark in our pregnancy - the stress and complications of the first trimester are over, and we are well into our 2nd trimester.  God is good, and we are trusting each day that he will continue help this baby grow and develop.  But we also much trust that God plan is perfect - regardless!

We are so thankful for all those that have prayed for us - in our losses and more recently in our joys!  We know that God has big plans for our little one (5inches long, 4-5 ounces this week)!