It's Been a while...

Sorry for not posting in a while. I've been a bit....well lazy to be honest. I get home from work and just wanna eat and go to bed. But I know everyone wants to see the growing baby bump. So I had to post some pics tonight.

Ok, so what else has been going on? I am 19 weeks, which means I am just about half way. The baby is about the size of an Apple or Mango and weighs about 5-7 ounces. Next week we go in for our 2nd trimester untrasound so check out the detailed anatomy and find out the sex of the baby. BUT....we are not going to find out, we'll wait to be surprised. We are pretty sure that we are naming the baby Jordan/Jordynn either way! So exciting. Jerome and I have also been busy thinking about plans for the baby room and making a list of things we need to do around the house before the baby gets here. Gotta get everything done before football is in full swing.

My best friend Mis also took me to start my registry. Thank goodness I have her because it can be very overwhelming looking at the list of stuff they say you need. It was a fun day and really emotional. We were looking at car seats and it just totally hit me that I would be carrying around a baby soon. Crazy! Jerome stayed away form the baby store on this day, but we did go just to look for fun and of course he had to play around with gadgets.

And yes, I do have a baby bump that is taking a lot to get used to, but thankfully Jerome thinks its cute. I am still managing to teach my pilates classes and I even managed to run a 5k a few weeks ago.

13 Weeks!!!

Baby Manos is 13 Weeks old! I can't believe I am already getting into the second trimester. Everyone says this is the honeymoon phase of pregency.Here is whats going on with the baby this week.

Baby's now the size of a peach!Your fetus is forming teeth and vocal cords...savor this, their nonfunctional phase. Baby is approaching normal proportions, with his head now only one third the size of his body. And intestines are in the process of moving from the umbilical cord to baby's tummy -- much more convenient

Crazy Stuff! If you can read this or anything having to do with the development of a fetus, how can you not believe in God? It so amazing what God does with a child in the womb. The bible says "before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart". God not only knows our children before they are formed in the womb, but he is selecting every little detail that will make our babies individuals, inlcuding the number of hairs on their heads.

Body Image

So on a funny note, this past week at work these maternity mannequins popped up all over the building. I work at the Old Navy corporate office for those who don't know. So its not totally strange have naked mannequins sitting around the office, but since I don't work near the maternity group, we usually don't see them. Every time I walked by, I just felt like they were staring at me, probably because I was staring at them. Seriously, I wanted to go touch them and try to imagine if my belly will look like that. These darn things are so tiny, just another reason why body image can be difficult during pregnancy. They just look so unrealistic. So i decided this is the last time I will feel bad about my body during pregnancy. I will continue to maintain a healthy lifestyle, exercising, eating my fruits, veggies and frozen yogurt, but I will also embrace the other changes!! Enjoy the pics of these silly naked mannequins, they even have them in different colors.

Your body changes A LOT when you become pregnant. I guess I was under the assumption that the changes did not start to take place until the 3rd or 4th month when you have a noticeable bump. I will add that to the list of pregnancy misconceptions I was living under. Needless to say, about right after I took the test, things started happening. Weird things!! Some I don't like, some my hubby likes, but they all come with the territory. One of my Good friends Tiama, who is currently in Med school, was kind enough to give me info on a few other changes that will happen also. " I know that at 22 weeks the uterus size usually reaches from the pelvic bone to your belly button and after that the number of weeks old the baby is equals the number of centimeters big your uterus is. For example at 30 weeks your uterus will be 30cm large. So that's some info that you can expect to happen. They will also test you for all kinds of stuff like STD's, Diabetes, and GBS (group B strep) but that is all normal to test for. Hmmm what else can I tell you, drink plenty of water even though you may not want to because you have to pee constantly. Water helps with the constipation, and overall health too."Thanks Tiama Mama, you are such a good friend!

I am starting to feel much better and the nauseous feeling that had become my friend night and day is beginning to pass. I am still feeling extremely tired and spent this past weekend taking very long naps. Not feeling guilty about napping is defiantly a perk of being pregnant. So anyway, I finally had this amazing realization sitting in Church on Sunday. Bare with me, it may be a bit mushy... We were singing this song about giving yourself up to be completely used by God, and I realized how much i feel like that applies to being pregnant. Romans 12:1 says"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship." I just felt like God was reminding me that there are numerous ways to worship him. Right now, my body kind of feels like it being sacrificed for the health and well being of this child. This is not just our baby, but its God's Child and Jerome and I get the privilege and task of raising him or her in the image of Christ. This is just the beginning of a life long sacrifice that we will make for our child and God. What a gift to be able to worship and give thanks to God in this way. He is allowing us to be parents and I get the privilege of carrying this child and feeling the presence of another human being so close to my heart. I will really have to continue to pray that I enjoy this time and this special act of worship and obedience.

First Baby Pics!

Our first doctor appt was Wednesday and we were able to see the baby for the first time. It was an incredible experience to see baby Manos and truly know that I have a life inside of me. I was only expecting to see a blob type shape, but was surprised to find that you could clearly make out the head, body, arms, legs and feet. The baby was moving a lot too while the doc was taking the video so you could see the legs and arms moving like crazy. I think we definitely have an athletic little one, which of course made Jerome very happy. We have taken to calling the baby a boy, so perhaps we have a little quarter back!!! Of course we would be happy just to have a healthy baby. The doctor confirmed that I am about 9 1/2 to 10 weeks. Our due date is 9/5/10. Which means.....yes out baby is due the first week of football season. I will be doing everything I can to make this baby come a few days early. I would hate for Coach Manos to have to leave his first game of the season early because his wife went into labor. I think God must have a sense of humor to plan our babies due date in this week.

Why didn't anyone tell me...

that I was going to feel completely crazy during the first trimester! I mean, you've all had kids. All I hear from you is that it's so amazing bringing a child into the world. Someone forgot to mention the nausea, moodiness, constipation, being so tired I want to sleep with my clothes on and let's not forget the tears that come out of nowhere. So..if you are wondering how I've been feeling, that should sum it up. Poor Jerome, he is not quite sure what to make of all this emotional craziness, but we both hope it ends soon. He's become fabulous at just giving me a big bear hug and letting me cry as long as I want. He is definitely earning himself some points!

While I haven't been feeling so great, the thought if whats going on inside me does make it better. Its amazing to me that God designed our bodies and minds to handle such an incredible task. At the moments when I literally want to lose it, cry and vomit everywhere, I remember this amazing gift God has given me. I may be sarcastic and a bit negative about how I'm feeling, but I do know how blessed I am. Thank you Lord for this opportunity to love another human being the way that you love us. I pray that Jerome and I are able to be a constant example of your grace and compassion in this baby's life.

So this is my 10th week, and were finally going to our first Doctor apt tomorrow. I can't wait!! Jerome is hoping were having twins, but I think one will be enough. Here is a pic of the size of the baby this week. It's about the size of this Kumquat in the picture. It seems so small, which does not make sense because my tummy is already starting to pooch out a little. All I can say is that pregnancy is crazy and amazing, all at the same time!

Celebrating our Baby News

So even though were on our strict Dave Ramsey budget, I decided our baby news was worth doing something fun to celebrate. Good thing I have been setting aside extra $$ for a special occasion. I surprised Jerome with a day at Point Reyes and then a night away in Bodega Bay. In my head it was meant to be just a quick, but relaxing and loving little getaway. I planned a yummy picnic lunch to eat on the beach at Point Reyes then a trip to the lighthouse to go whale watching. After that, I would pretend we were driving home, then......Surprise, Were heading to Bodega Bay for a romantic night away. He would find the suitcase I snuck in the trunk and be so excited! Like I said, in my head it sounded great. But since someone (me) did not pay attention to the weather, our weekend turned out a little different. Jerome loved it anyway.

We had to eat out picnic in the car because it was pouring and very windy. When it died down, we went for a short walk on the beach, but decided it was too cold to go to the lighthouse. Oh well. Maybe we'll see the whales another time. He was so surprised when I did not drive home but instead went in the other direction. We had an amazing room with a fireplace, which was great because it was still raining outside. We ended up staying in the room instead of exploring Bodega Bay. It was still fun and a great way to celebrate our little one. The best part was being able to surprise Jerome. I am so thankful for Jerome. He is such a great man and I am so excited to see how wonderful he will be as a dad.

I will post more soon about how I am feeling, but right now I am extremely nauseous and being on the computer is making it worse. The joys of pregnancy!!!

We're Pregnant!!!

I can't believe its finally happening. I feel like we have waited for so long to feel like the timing was right and were so happy. Its true what everyone has told me: "There will never be a perfect time". I am glad we waited because Jerome and I really enjoyed the last 4 1/2 years of marriage being able to focus on each other. I know that this is in God's perfect timing and I feel so amazingly blessed. What a gift it is that God would allow Jerome and I to raise his child. God is so Good!

We found out that I'm pregnant the night my grandma Penny passed away. I think somehow she knew and I know she is rejoicing in heaven. I think we thought it would be negative, but sure enough 2 bright pink lines popped up!!! We just looked at each other with big eyes for a minute, in shock mostly but then came the joy. We hugged, looked at the test a few more times. Then of course we were off to the bookstore for What to Expect When You're Expecting.

It was so fun getting to tell everyone and your excited responses made both Jerome and I feel so special.

Ok, well that's enough for now, check back in for updates on me, the baby and Jerome of course! Maybe I can even get him to post on the blog too.

For I know the plans I have for you says the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11