Baby news!

Hmmm.....I don't even know how to start this one. I guess I'll just say it - I'm PREGNANT! This really isn't new news to most people. We have quietly and individually told the closest people to us. I, however, have not been blogging about it and that has been hard! I have been wanting to talk about it but for some reason I feel like if I write it here then the whole world will know! But, since I'm using this as a sort of journal, I have wanted to write about this big event in my life! =) I have been very conflicted, but no more! I am stepping out and bearing my secret to the the blog world!

I am also conflicted about the pregnancy itself....but not in the way you might think. I want to be ecstatic about being pregnant and shout it from the rooftops! But.....you see, about half the time I don't feel well at all and it is hard to be excited when you aren't feeling well! I feel sick to my stomach and completely exhausted! Thankfully, I wake up feeling pretty good and continue to feel pretty good through lunch. THEN, the exhaustion hits me like brick....I need a cot in my office. Then about 4:30pm I start feeling nauseated and that lasts the rest of the night. I can safely say that I am not enjoying the evening hours of my first trimester. Hopefully this will subside in the next few weeks....

I told Ben that I don't remember being this exhausted when I was pregnant with Madelyn and he reminded me of the amount of time that I spent on the couch from the moment I got home from work til the moment I went to bed. I guess getting the same rest time isn't as easy with a 19 month old!

Lord, thank you for this little ife inside of me! Please help me in protecting it and keeping it safe through this pregnancy.

Talking to myself....

I feel like I should write a post, but I don't know what to write about. Maybe the thoughts that run through my mind a lot lately will be entertaining - "I have to get the taxes done." "Hmm, Madelyn needs pants. I really should get to folding her clothes that are sitting in the dryer." "What will we have for dinner?" "Spring is right around the corner!" "I'm tired." Ok, not very entertaining....

I guess I can give an update on what Madelyn is up to these days. She is so active! But the good news is that she is starting to entertain herself too. She doesn't need Ben or I to be at her side all the time anymore. She is saying "Mommy" and "Daddy" as names now; when she and I walk into a room where Daddy is she points and says "Daddy". It is very cute! She also has a baby that we gave her when she turned 18 months. The baby came with a little bottle so she likes to carry the baby around feed it the bottle. But she doesn't keep the bottle in the baby's mouth. She thinks it is like a sippy cup, so she takes the bottle away every couple of seconds and says "ahhh!" like she does with her sippy cup. That is also very cute! Madelyn loves her books too. I can ask to go find a book to read and she will disappear for a few minutes, usually trying to find a specific book. then we will read it. Then the she finds another and we read that one too. She now has motions and sounds that she makes that are specific to each book. I love it!

Ben is doing well. He finished his winter quarter and is now starting his spring quarter on Monday. So he has had a little bit of a breather and will back to the grind soon. He has a wedding that he is going to this weekend - a friend from college. So he is going by himself and leaving Madelyn and I to have fun at home. I hope he is able to catch up with some friends while he is there.

My birthday was last Sunday. Happy Birthday to me! It was a big one - 30. I don't feel 30 but I guess the facts say I am. Ben and I went to eat sushi with a couple of friends (and their very new baby - 1 week) last Friday on Nicolett Mall. That was fun! I also spent time with friends on Thursday with Indian food and games and Saturday at the Mall of America. Very nice to spend the time with friends.

Thank you God for your quiet murmurings in my ear - little bits of encouragement that help me see the blessings and wonderful gifts that you have placed in my life. Amen.

Whew! back to "normal"...

So, it looks like the rough weeks have subsided...at least for now. Life has found its normal routine again (if there ever was one). Ben reminded me last night that my birthday is coming up. Not that I forgot, but I hadn't realized it was coming so quickly. I will be turning the big three-oh on Sunday. I think that I am denial though because it hasn't fazed me. I still feel 25 (and probably still act it too), so why should I get all worked up about it. I think Ben is at a loss of how to celebrate it though. He says he has no idea what to get me and to tell you the truth, I don't know what he should get me either. I've been wanting a nice ladel, a couple of elastic-banded skirts, and some new books to read to Madelyn. But somehow that doesn't seem to properly honor the bigness of turning thirty. Oh well, it will probably turn out to just be another day in the life....and that is fine with me.

Loving God, thank you for your blessings in my life - a great husband, a wonderful little girl, health...just too many to count. As you know, my 30th birthday is approaching. It just can't seem possible! I don't feel thirty! But I am ready to start this year of a new decade of my life looking for you in the places that I haven't seen you before. I am looking forward to finding you in the most obvious of places and in the subtle places too. Please put your hand on me and on my family as I journey into this upcoming year. In your Son's name. Amen.

Even Rough-er Week

Okay, so I didn't know what a rough week was...until this week! I am just getting over being laid up in bed for 5 days, Ben is under a big deadline with school, and Madelyn fell and busted her lip yseterday. I think we are going to be able to look back at this week and say, "if we got through that week, we can get through this one." I know that compared to others this week probably doesn't seem that hard, but to us it has been. It is such a blessing to have a relatively "easy" life. God has blessed us greatly! I know I shouldn't complain too loud.

Awesome Lord, even though I'm still not feeling great, Ben still has work to do toward his deadline, and Madelyn is Miss Fat Lip, I thank You for Your blessings and pray that You will give us the stamina to finish out this week with our heads up and our committments met. Thank you, Father.