Baby Update!!!

We had our first ultrasound a week and a half ago, and it went great:)! Baby was facing in, so they couldn't get a good shot of the heart, but they could see everything else, and it looked perfect! Baby's measuring a bit big (but still in the 'normal' range), but Lyndon and I expect no less considering we're not the smallest people;) Kallie was a nine pounder...I'm sure her sibling will follow suit:)

Because they didn't get a good shot of the heart, we had a second ultrasound re-scheduled for today, which I was excited about...I love getting to see our baby so much:) Where we got our ultrasound done has a 3D ultrasound machine, so we got some amazing pictures of baby's face! It made me cry...so beautiful to see our little baby in there!:)


I've been feeling a bit better lately, but still not myself. My mom's been in town all week, which has been a HUGE help! She's folded every piece of clothing we own, cleaned and cleaned and cleaned some more, and of course, spent lots of time with Kallie! Thanks so much mom, it means so much to me to have you here, I love you! And my dad arrives today, so I'm looking forward to a great weekend filled with lots of family fun:)

Baby is SUPER active! Kallie wasn't very active at all, but this one is just constantly wiggling around in there. It's really fun:) Lyndon has felt the baby move once, but it's still mostly deeper down so only I can feel it.

I can't wait to meet our little one! Thank goodness we're over half-way there!

Encouraged

I don't like using the blog as a complaining outlet...so I'll be brief with the first part of this post.

I've been having a rough time. Because I am really sick throughout my whole pregnancy, I don't experience that 'great' second trimester (in either pregnancy) where you apparently have more energy and feel better. And I know I'm not the only one this happens to...but that doesn't really make it any better;) So for me, these are nine long months of feeling like garbaggio on a daily basis. I hit a wall a few weeks ago where I fell apart, and after talking to my dietitian last week, realized I've been in a bit of a depression because of it. One of the biggest things I struggle with is forgetting that I'm NOT ACTUALLY LIKE THIS!!! I WILL BE NORMAL AGAIN!!! I'm not lazy and exhausted all the time, and I don't normally want to cry just b/c the dishwasher has to be unloaded:)

SO...last week, I got a huge blessing! I woke up Thursday morning, feeling FANTASTIC! Like, completely normal! No nausea, no fatigue, no sadness or anxiety (something else I sometimes struggle with in pregnancy)! I had a completely productive day, did all my paperwork for daycare that had been weighing me down and overwhelming me, made a delicious dinner (if I do say so myself;), and was just able to enjoy my day. It was exactly what I needed, not only to get stuff done, but as a real reminder of how I will be able to function in 20 weeks from now (minus sleep deprivation;). I was so thankful for that day! (and posted it on my FB status:)

I woke up Friday not feeling as good physically, but still being in better spirits. And then I received this message from one of my best friends:

Subject line: God is GOOD

Hey Lauren,

I just felt really compelled to write you today and let you know how GREAT God is. I was so excited yesterday when I read that you had had such a great day and had felt SO good and I wanted to let you know that yesterday morning I had prayed a really specific prayer for you asking God to give you a great day yesterday, that you would not feel sick or anxious or tired but that you would feel great and really have a chance to enjoy your pregnancy with no worries and I am SO glad that God answered. It just reveals to me once again how much He cares for us and loves us and hears our prayers and answers them. I hope you are continuing to have a great day today and that you are able to enjoy the weekend with your family as well.

Love you and miss you.
Kat

Isn't that AWESOME!?!?! Kat is a total prayer warrior, and I'm very thankful to have such an amazing friend:) And an amazing God who answers those prayers! I am human, and my illness in pregnancy is something I have to deal with, but God won't give me more than I can handle, and gave me that day at exactly the right time!

So, I'm encouraged!:) Each day since is looking better!!!

Hope you have a great weekend!

No Pictures--I'm LAME!

So, I've decided I'm the worst documenter (not a word, I know) when it comes to PICTURES!!! I don't take nearly enough, and I'm not totally sure why. Laziness? Dislike? Not a good photographer? Probably a combination of all these plus some others. So, sigh, no pictures with this post, even though we had a great Canada Day with family and friends, and some great photo ops. Oh well.

So, life has been normal around here. Daycare is slowing down for me now, with the summer holidays. Which is quite nice:) And it was great having a day off in the middle of the week! We had friends over for a yummy potluck lunch (which lasted about 4 hours...GREAT visiting!), and then had a BBQ with Lyndon's family in the evening to celebrate Canada Day and an auntie's birthday. Kallie has SO much fun with her cousins and it's just awesome spending time with so much family. Both of Lyndon's parents come from really big families, and a lot of them live here. We had a blast visiting, eating, jumping on the trampoline (well, Kallie did...she's a little obsessed:), and just spending time with family.

We were supposed to head over to Lyndon's parent's new house to watch the fireworks that night (they have an AMAZING view of Lake Superior and the Marina where the fireworks were), but Kallie ended up crashing before nine, so I stayed home with her. Turned out to be a good thing, b/c I was out by 9:30:) And getting up the next morning was STILL tough...pretty sure I would've just died if I'd been out past midnight;) Having said that though, I am disappointed that I missed more visiting and hanging out, Lyndon said it was a really great time!

We have a super jam-packed weekend planned, which should be lots of fun:)

Tonight we're going over to our friends for dinner and to have a fire in their backyard, visit, and the boys are going to work on their precious kayak:) Then Saturday morning we're meeting friends for breakfast, going to the Farmer's Market, and then Saturday afternoon we're heading down to Grand Marais with lots of family and friends for the 4th of July festivities and fireworks (I think that was the most words starting with 'f' I've ever written in a sentence;).

Sunday morning Lyndon, Kallie and I are heading out to Duluth, where we'll most likely meet up with my friend Laura and her family, and also have a mini-family vacation for the day. We're staying overnight in Duluth, and then Lyndon and Kallie are dropping me off at the airport there at 4 AM!!! to catch a plane to Colorado Springs! I'm going to visit my best friend from middle/high school, who was also one of the maids of honour (along with my sister) at our wedding. We haven't seen each other SINCE THEN (almost 5 years!) so I'm extremely excited to be spending a whole week with her! Oh, and did I mention I'm going BY MYSELF!!?!?!?! I'm very much looking forward to time to myself, but honestly, slightly terrified that I will miss Kallie so much it'll be a little unbearable. Ok, dramatic, yes. But moms, you know what I'm talking about! A full week away from your munchkin...that's a LONG time! I know Kallie will be in great hands between Lyndon and his mom here...she probably won't even notice I'm gone (not true, but I'm telling myself that:) She loves being with her Oma and Daddy so much, and both of them are SO excited about having her all to themselves for the week, that I'm sure everything will go great.

So that's what's happening with us...I get back next Saturday, I'm taking my camera, so I'm going to work on the picture-taking thing!

Have a great weekend!