Travel Often

“I see my path, but I don’t know where it leads. Not knowing where I’m going is what inspires me to travel it.” — Rosalia de Castro

Love Deeply, but Laugh Along the Way

"Happiness is only real when shared." - Jon Krakauer, Into the Wild

View Marriage as an Adventure

"Love is a flower which turns into fruit at marriage." ~Finnish Proverb

Fuel your body with GOOD (It's the only one you get)

He who has health has hope; and he who has hope has everything. - Arabian Proverb

Open your Soul to Motherhood

A Grand Adventure is About to Begin - Winnie the Pooh

A New Kind of Love is Born

Mothers hold their children's hands for a short while, but their hearts forever.

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Hello Second Trimester - 14 Weeks

14 Weeks

Welcome to the second trimester! This week's big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb. Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him -- a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb. In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches -- about the size of a lemon -- and weighs 1 1/2 ounces.

WooHoo! We made it to Second Trimester. My energy is definitely back, but that nauseousness still likes to linger from time to time. I could do without that.
Here comes the bump!


So Sunday (Easter) was 78 degrees out or something crazy AMAZING like that. Instead of my normal “nap” I went for a run/walk instead (in a T-shirt!) - 2.7 miles in under 30 minutes. SCORE! I was pumped. Yesterday I went on a 2.5 mile walk during my lunch break. PERFECT. I’m baaaaaack! I have a lot of toning up to do though. Yikes! Things sure do sag a lot quicker the older you get. Woof.

I spent Monday talking to a nurse through our insurance provider. They are offering a Healthy Pregnancy Program. SUPER cool. She asked all the right questions. I realized all this time people mainly ask how I’m feeling. She really asked the in-depth questions: Will I have support when the baby comes? Who? Do I feel safe?  Will I nurse? How was I emotionally after Jackson? How am I feeling about a second child?

It was really GREAT to talk to someone. Life seems so rushed sometimes, doesn’t it? We don’t always get to talk about ourselves.

The best part? I get a free Medela Breast Pump!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am SO excited about this. Yes, I already have one, but what a PAIN to haul it to and from work all the time. This will help so much. It’s just nice to feel like SOMEONE other than family is in my corner about making life easier when it comes to nursing.
I’m back to eating and cooking pretty healthy again. LOTS of veggies! I just know I have to stick to a workout routine AND get some weights involved. The nurse I talked to kept telling me…”Keep moving! Whatever you do, keep moving!” 

She is right. So right. I’m shooting for every other day right now. That seems to be working.

I was pretty sure with Jackson I was having a boy. This time around I keep going back and forth. Boy? Girl? Will we find out? Karl is leaning towards finding out. I’m indifferent. I liked the surprise but even after Jackson was born, neither of us cared. The doctor was like, “OK, dad. Are you going to share if it’s a girl or a boy?”

We were like…”Oh Yeah! Duh!” We were both covered in tears.

I can’t believe we’re going through this again. This whole process is such a miracle. So precious.
Ever feel like God is closer than ever? That’s how I feel right now. I’ve been having a lot of conversations with him. The more I invite him into our life, the more I feel planted. If that makes sense? God provides. He knows us best. I have to trust that. The more I trust, the more GOOD (God) follows. The more I feel rooted  deep within in his love and my own.

My thoughts for the day!

Symptoms & Cravings
·         More energy (FINALLY!)
·         Love to eat – glad it’s not sweets but more like fish and oranges or apples. Chipotle/Qdoba.
·         Peeing a lot during the night
·         Usually cold. Freezing cold.
·         Little nauseous here and there
·         Still big ol’ rash on my face.

·         I think I might be up to 152 lbs. Yikes. 

Month in Review - HAPPY EASTER - 24 Months

Hope you all had a WONDERFUL Easter!

I had one of the BEST Easters in a long time. Why? We stayed HOME and CELEBRATED just our little family. It was just what we needed.

We've been running around like crazy people and spending a TON of time with family. LOTS OF FAMILY. It was so nice to be home. The weather was perfect! We went to church. I was able to do laundry. We grilled lunch outside. I went on a RUN/WALK in under 30 minutes! I sat out on our deck and read TWO magazines and got a tan!!! I whipped up a ham dinner. We hit up a park. It was so perfect. We NEED more weekends like these.

Below is what we've been up to!

A family photo of us at church! Beautiful worship! God is GREAT.

My twins. I tell ya... I'm in trouble!
So Saturday we headed to the farm in Gaylord to spend it with Karl's mom's family. Jackson was able to go on an Easter Egg Hunt. So that was cool. Never mind the door-ding in my brand new car. Grumble. Grumble. 

Uh-oh! Easter basket throw up!

Helping Jackson search for eggs around the farm. Yeah, that's a microwave just hanging out... 

So cute watching Jackson collect eggs

Just a few blades at the farm. No big deal. 

My sweet sweets silly boy

Grandma Judy cutting Jackson's hair for the 15th + time!
Someone got his 2-year-old toddler photos. Adorbs!

Keep on smiling and living it up! Until next time!