17 Weeks Bumpdate

Yesterday I began my 18th week of carrying this babe.  Yesterday I also began hearing my first (many!) bump comments while out in public--at least ten people noticed my belly at church and it was kind of really exciting! I feel like we're rounding out and finally starting to look like a mommy and baby and not just a mommy and one too many hot fudge sundaes.  :)

Aside from honeymooning with my new bump, the past few days have been full of trying not to feel frustrated about my lack of contribution in all of this moving business.  Being pregnant and loading/unloading a truck with furniture and heavy boxes don't mix, and I kind of felt like a bum.  I did help where I felt comfortable, but overall I'm really thankful Daniel has the friends he does.  Thank you, Mark, David, and Ryan for coming over on such short notice and helping everything go so smoothly! 

17 WEEKS:

Baby Size: Pear! A squirmy little pear--I've felt a lot of movement the past few days!

Gender: I'm dying to know!

Weight Gain: Three pounds.  Still wearing all of my normal clothes, but they're definitely fitting differently around my tummy area!

Symptoms: Acne and the inability to get comfortable when I lie down to go to sleep, but feeling really wonderful overall!  

Exercise: Running every morning plus weights/workout videos, walking and yoga every night. I've gotten a LOT slower, I can tell, and my balance is starting to get a little off when I'm doing yoga.  But I'm trying to stay strong and fit for this babe!

Cravings: Chocolate milk. Cheeseburgers and fries. All the healthy stuff, obviously.

I'm off to the grocery store to fill up our new refrigerator!

-J

16 Weeks Bumpdate

My bump started to round out a little this week.  It's still low, but my growing belly is finally starting to make me believe I'm pregnant.  It's so crazy to watch your body change without having any control over it!  

I've been in Tulsa all weekend for a couple of photoshoots, so I haven't had the chance to drive Daniel crazy with the fact that we've been married for SIX MONTHS as of yesterday! So I suppose I'll annoy him on here by saying what a dream it is to be his wife.  He has worked so hard the past six months to balance his new job, his new marriage, his new house, and the news of his unexpected quick jump into fatherhood.  Daniel really is the best person I know, and I'm so happy to be standing beside him for all the crazy months and years to come.

16 WEEKS:

Baby Size: Beefsteak tomato! Babe can see light now.

Gender: Three weeks until we find out!

Weight Gain: One pound. Movin' on up.

Symptoms: Sweet cravings. Feeling great!

Exercise: I can see my belly when I look down at my feet while running, which is new and weird. But I'm still doing the same stuff!

Cravings: All the sweet things.  Ice cream all day every day.

Have the best week, friends!

-J

Easter & 15 Weeks Bumpdate

Our first married Easter was so lovely.  We spent the morning in the church preschool with a bunch of very well-dressed two year olds, went to the last service of the day, and then ran back to the rent house to grab the crockpot full of roast and veggies and brought it over to the new house for our first meal there.  My dad and brother drove over from Tulsa and ate with us, and I can't think of a better way to spend the holiday afternoon than with my three favorite men.

I love my family.

This Easter included a few more very exciting visitors--my first baby flutters! I thought I felt a little movement Saturday night while I was lying in bed trying to fall asleep--it was different than any other tummy grumblings I've ever felt--and it happened again yesterday! I choose to believe it's our healthy babe making himself or herself known on a day we were already focused on celebrating life, which is a really sweet thought :)

15 WEEKS:

Baby Size: Orange! 

Gender: We don't know but we are so excited to find out!

Weight Gain: Back to my original weight, so I've gained back what I lost in the first tri and am sure I'll be on the uphill climb from here.  My midwife wants me to gain 6 to 7 pounds in the next month.

Symptoms: Cravings, acne. Occasional cramps when my belly is growing.  Feeling pretty great, overall and super thankful for a laid back pregnancy so far!

Exercise: Same routine, but our midwife said I probably don't really need to be doing a lot of running after the next week or two. So we'll see! Also, I've modified my ab workouts to be mostly plank-based, not so much twisting.  

Cravings: Fruit snacks and a hot fudge sundae. Also, Diet Coke? Which I never really liked even when I drank pop years ago. And last night I sat up in bed and said I wanted a toaster strudel. So weird.

I'm overwhelmed by how excited I am to be this little one's mommy!

-J

Woodland Nursery Inspiration

We have a little bit before we start setting up the nursery, but after our very happy appointment today (Baby Rock's heart sounded beautiful!), I've got my little one on my mind.  Here are a few nursery ideas I've pinned lately :)

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I am so in love with this little human, and can't wait to put together a special space for him or her!

-J

Weekend Getaway & 14 Week Update

Daniel and I just got home from the sweetest little weekend trip to Big Cedar just outside of Branson, thanks to a few of our wonderful friends (they gifted the trip to us for our wedding!).  It was so nice to get away for a couple of days--life has been crazy lately and we've been struggling to find time to connect.  So it kind of felt like perfect timing. :)

We relaxed, ate (Branson has a fantastic gluten free restaurant selection!), shopped (bought a Pendleton blanket for the nursery since we bought one for our bed on our honeymoon), and relaxed more.  Big Cedar is beautiful.

This week we plan to make a lot of progress on our house projects.  We have an appointment with our midwife Tuesday, and I'm so excited to hear the babe's heartbeat again!

14 WEEKS:

Baby Size: Closed fist! Boo is working out his or her facial muscles this week by practicing different expressions!

Gender: Don't know, but old wives' tale signs are starting to point to girl.  We'll see next month!

Weight Gain: Noneeee.

Symptoms: I can see my major veins in my legs, and it's so weird!  My body is pumping way more blood now for the little one, so my veins are extra full and visible. I'm having lots of cravings for things I can't eat, and breaking out like a 14 year old.  :(

Exercise: Running, biking, dancing, weights, yoga.  This weekend on our trip we worked out in the resort fitness center, so I got to use some of my favorite machines I frequented in college. I also swam laps, which felt awesome.

Cravings: Frappucino from Starbucks.  Hot fudge sundae.  Welch's Fruit Snacks. Goldfish. For the first time, this gluten and dairy free thing is tough.

Life is happy, friends.

-J

Thank you all for the incredible outpouring of love and support you gave us upon reading our announcement--we are so stinkin' excited and even more so now that we have you to share in our joy!

Jordan's First Trimester Survival Guide

Shortly after we found out I was pregnant, I was hit with a bunch of crazy new emotions and some pretty intense nausea.  Here are a few things I found helpful in navigating the beginning of this very sweet journey:

1. Lemons

I am a disciplined water drinker.  I feel like I've failed if I haven't consumed four to six full Nalgenes by the end of the day.  So when morning sickness hit and drinking more than a sip of water at a time made me feel like throwing up, I got a little worried about getting dehydrated. Luckily I had gotten in the habit of adding lemon to my water every day or two before I got pregnant, so after I tried squeezing an entire lemon into my water bottle while nauseated, I was back to my normal water drinking habits immediately.  Lemon water is not only easy to drink, but actually helped my nausea.  Lemon scented soy candles are also helpful to keep around the house--I light one beside the bed before I lie down so it smells awesome when I'm trying to fall asleep.

2. Journal

I had a lot of anxiety in my first trimester, especially in the first few weeks.  After a couple of days of driving myself crazy, I decided to let go and trust the Lord that we were actually anticipating a sweet little one.  To help me do that, I bought a journal to dedicate completely to writing letters to my this first babe of ours.  I write after appointments, when I'm feeling anxious, or when I'm feeling really excited and want to share that with them.  I plan to give it to him or her when they're expecting their first child, or sometime around then.

3. Someone One Step Ahead

We waited to openly share the news of our pregnancy until the end of the first trimester, but we did confide in a few trusted friends and family members fairly early on.  My friend Kaitlyn (who just had baby Harlow six weeks ago--see their sweet family here!) has calmed my silly nerves and fears more than she knows in the past couple of months.  I definitely recommend asking someone who has been pregnant somewhat recently all of your "is this normal?" questions before turning to Google, which will nine times out of ten send you into a panic attack, prompting you to call your doctor's office for the third time this week.

4. Someone to Share/Validate Your Excitement

The best things in life are definitely even more exciting when someone else agrees they are.  As I discussed in my last post, I have the most solid best friend who really knows how to celebrate my victories with me.  Nataley's reaction to my news was so fun and it helped me to settle down and enjoy what a blessing this whole thing is instead of worrying so much.  I think I felt like it was okay to be excited for the first time after I told her (since we hadn't shared it yet, it didn't really feel real immediately), and sharing updates with her after each appointment allows me to relive the excitement of happy news all over again. :)

5. A Good Book/Netflix Show (or both!)

Getting in bed at 7 p.m. was a completely new concept for me, but night after night I found myself skipping dinner to lie down.  However, getting comfortable and finding a position that didn't make me feel sick was a little challenging.  Having a book or show to focus on while waiting to fall asleep really helped me stop thinking about how yucky I felt and just relax until my eyelids started to get droopy.


I don't mean to make pregnancy sound totally awful, because it's definitely incredibly exciting and absolutely worth every slightly uncomfortable thing I'm experiencing.  :) I can't wait to meet this little peach!

-J

Baby Rock: 13 Weeks

I can't believe it's only been five days since we announced the existence of this little babe! I feel like so much has happened since then.  We visited a local birth center on Tuesday and decided to transfer everything over from the hospital--if everything goes well, I'll be delivering this sweet thing naturally with a midwife! We felt so at home there--I'll be allowed to let my body labor the way it needs to and move around to deal with the pain. 

Also, this little bump started making itself at home, and it's so exciting/super weird! It was bound to happen since we're in the second trimester and I'm not exactly on the tall side, but it's still such a surprise!

13 WEEKS:

Baby Size: Peach! The babe has fingerprints!

Weight Gain: Nada.  Still fitting into all of my clothes.

Symptoms: Sore back. Woke up this morning and noticed my tummy felt painful to the touch, like it was bruised.  Looked it up--apparently it's a normal sign of uterus/belly growth and stretching, which makes sense since all of a sudden I have this hard bump poking out! 

Exercise: Same, morning and evening!

Cravings: Skittles. 

Get that away from me: My nose is still sensitive, but smells aren't bothering me as much.  The morning sickness is gone, and I don't miss it!

Thank you all for the incredible outpouring of love and support you gave us upon reading our announcement--we are so stinkin' excited and even more so now that we have you to share in our joy!

-J

NewlyWednesday: Kaitlyn & Jacob

          I'm so excited to introduce you to another sweet friend of mine--Kaitlyn! Kaitlyn and her husband Jacob host the young couples small group Daniel and I are in, and we just LOVE them.  Kaitlyn tells it like it is but does so with grace and love, and Jacob doesn't hide how much he adores her and values what she has to say.  I admire their relationship a lot.  AND they're expecting their first little one in a couple of months--eeek! 

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10 Things I've Learned in Our First Year + of Marriage

1.Let your husband be the man. 

              I know we have all heard it many times that men require respect to feel loved. Feeling respected and like he is the head of the household will be a great motivator for him to show you the love you need in return. For some of us strong-willed independent ladies (myself included) this can be a learning experience. In the end we should trust and submit to our husband knowing that he is seeking God’s wisdom for your family.

           2.  Eat together. 

                 After the dating is over and the “real world” of marriage arrives you will have to start fixing meals at home. Preparing dinners together is our catching up time. This is usually when we share about our day and do a little venting, too. This is precious alone time before you have kids.

               3. Let him know you are praying for him. 

                 I pray for my husband several times a day. It is your duty as a Godly wife to consistently pray for your partner. I don’t do it often enough, but send him a text to let him know that you are approaching the throne on his behalf. If you aren’t praying for him, then who is?

               4. Love each other’s families. 

              When you join lives with another person, you also join their family. Accepting and understanding another family’s dynamic can be one of the most difficult parts of marriage. It is important to always have a loving and honoring heart toward your spouse’s family no matter how difficult it may be. They aren’t going anywhere ;)

                5. Have sex. 

                 I know this is not one that most of us need much convincing on! Marriage is possibly the most intimate decision you will ever make. Not just sexually. You are committing to live in the same place with the same person for the rest of your life on earth.  They will know things and see things, the deepest inside-your-soul type of things. A great way to share this intimacy is by having sex with your spouse.

               6. Be best friends. 

               Your spouse should be your favorite person to spend time with. I’m not saying that having friends is not important, it is. It is ok to have your girl friends, and he to have his guy time. But the time you spend together should be most valued. Pray for the Lord to give you couple friends. This way you can spend time together while cultivating relationships with others. It is helpful to have like-minded couples to do life with.

               7. Fight fair. 

         You will fight. We are humans, and as humans our occasional selfish responses cause us to conflict with our spouse. As a wife it is important to know that your words can make your husband feel disrespected, and in return his words can make you feel unloved. This is the vicious cycle of an argument. Again, for those of us that have stubborn personalities, being the first one to apologize can feel like drinking poison. But spending time praying for a spirit of gentleness is important, and being the first to concede is to be more like Christ.

             8. Pray for others. 

                Spend time praying for other married couples. This marriage thing is hard, and praying for God to bless other marriages is important. Marriages are dying all the time, so lets do what we can to help them thrive.

             9. Understand his love language. 

                 Find out what makes your spouse feel the most loved. Is he “words of affirmation” or maybe “physical touch?” Learn how to make his day--whether it’s a gift or just spending time talking. You are the person he comes home to everyday--let him know you missed him and are excited to see him.

        10. Exercise together. 

                    Find something active that you both like doing, and do it together. It’s fun and it makes you feel good to exercise. 

-Kaitlyn

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Thank you all for the sweet responses to yesterday's post--I appreciate your encouragement and excitement for us very much!

-J