Week 15

Fruit/Veggie

Apple (weight)

Size

4 inches long, 2 1/2 ounces

Baby Changes (Source: BabyCenter.com.)

Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light.

Best Moment this Week

Not pregnancy related, we went to the farmer's market last Saturday. I really enjoy going there & checking out all the things people are selling. We bought some yummy produce & pesto that I made some good meals out of this week. We also bought me a mom car! We sold the Corolla a few weeks ago & just bought me a 3-row SUV. I love it!

Gender

3 more weeks!! It's been hard to "connect" with this pregnancy since Elliot keeps me so busy, so I'm ready to know who is in there, & I think it'll help it be a little more real for me!

Movement

I don't THINK I'm feeling anything yet. I've wondered a few times, but nothing certain. I had felt Elliot by now last time, so I'm hoping that means his little sibling is a bit smaller than he was!!

Food Craving

I have had some crazy cravings this pregnancy - more so than last time for sure. This week, hmm... pickles (so cliche), hummus, Mexican food (have yet to fulfill that one) & barbecue (Josh's fault for mentioning it recently). I also just discovered that after a lifetime of never drinking milk because I think it's gross, I do enjoy drinking vanilla coconut milk! Crazy!

Sleep

I'm sleeping pretty well right now. I had some nights of insomnia last week, but they went away & now I'm falling asleep fairly quickly & only waking once for a potty break. I do wake up on my back sometimes which hurts, & I'm really, really tired in the mornings & it's hard for me to get up. I am still napping every day during Elliot's nap.

What I am looking forward to

Knowing who we are baking in there! We also have some fun travels coming up - a weekend with friends, then our 5-year anniversary trip! Those will be so great.

Symptoms

Exhaustion is the most prominent for sure. Nausea that comes & goes, occasional back pain, huge aversion to water (again!) so it's hard to stay hydrated.

B2

How does the mom of a toddler spend the first trimester of a pregnancy?

6:30-12:00: survive

12:00-2:00: nap while toddler naps

2:00-6:00: survive until husband gets home

6:00-9:00: slowly crash (especially after toddler's bedtime)

9:00-6:30: sleep (minus some potty breaks).

Basically, not blog. Or do much of anything else that doesn't have to be done!

Now that I'm starting to feel a little better, & it's not a secret anymore, hopefully I'll be able to post every now & again. I haven't yet decided if I'm going to do the weekly pregnancy reports - if I do, it's not because I actually think anyone's necessarily interested, but just for my records.

This pregnancy has been similar & different than my first. I have the same aversion to water & coffee (though a little stronger this time - it's really hard to stay hydrated) but not peppermint (phew!); nausea during week 6 was way worse than it ever was with Elliot, but I think it has tapered off a little quicker; & instead of having to force food down my throat because everything sounds gross, this time, I get random cravings for not so great things! Chinese food, Chick-Fil-A, root beer, brie - & if I get it right when I want it, it's the most delicious thing! I didn't experience that last time for sure.

The first trimester still went by slowly (I'm not sure it's possible for it to go quickly when you feel bad & just want to know everything is okay) but I have definitely been more distracted & not as focused on being pregnant this time - I can't be! Elliot keeps me very busy. It's also a little easier this time, knowing kind of what to expect. There is also a little more acceptance of all the yucky pregnancy things because I truly know that one day I will be normal again! There is some comfort in that for sure.

We (hopefully) find out the gender in 5 weeks! I think that'll make things a little more real for me, when we are able to put a name to this baby. We think it might be a girl, & we definitely want one (Josh would be the BEST dad to a girl) but who knows! We will be good with either one since this, God willing, is not our last baby.

Elliot has been sick with a fever for the last three days. Some of the day he acts completely normal, & sometimes he gets super grumpy. It's been rough, honestly, staying at home all day for this long. He hasn't been sleeping very well, so neither have I, which is why I'm going to end this thing now & get a little shut eye before Elliot wakes up!

2011 to 2012

2011 is over. With a baby, a year sure does go by fast! I already know my memory is failing regarding what last year held for us since I was sleep deprived for a good part of it, so I'd like to write out some of the highlights of last year, for my own sake.

-Traveled to North Carolina for Zac & Cara's wedding - Elliot did great. Having a baby in a hotel room is much easier when you can put them on another bed & know they won't fall off!

-Got food poisoning on my birthday (not a good memory, but memorable nonetheless).

-Visited our friends in Houston a couple of times - the Yaws, the Smiths, the Lamberts, Kristin, Aaron.

-Paige & Jason came to visit.

-Celebrated our anniversary at a yummy French restaurant then went to see a movie.

-Got away for a weekend to Dripping Springs & stayed at a B&B while Elliot stayed with my mom & sister.

-I quit my job, worked for a few more months, then was able to really quit. :)

-Josh started looking for a new job in a different industry in June, got an offer a couple of weeks later, started with a new company & is thriving (won the first MVP award!).

-Found out we were going to become an aunt & uncle in March 2012!

-I went to a girls' weekend in August with my close friends from high school.

-Started leading a Life Group.

-Elliot turned one year old! We had some close friends & family over for a Pooh themed party.

-Went to our second Family Life Weekend to Remember Marriage Conference at the Hyatt Hill Country (love that place!). It was really good for us to get away & be able to talk about our marriage & see how far we have come in the past 4.5 years.

-Went to Disney World. Elliot did great with traveling & having a crazy sleep schedule, though he ended up in our bed instead of the pack n play - he would have none of it! Got food poisoning the last day & missed out on Epcot :(. I don't think I've ever had food poisoning, then twice in one year!

-Had our second Roberts family Christmas at home, & rang in the new year at home by ourselves - I think it's the first year that I've never had any plans. But it was nice!

Now on to 2012! As a friend wrote on her blog, I know two things: 1) I will experience trouble, & 2) Jesus will be with me!

It's Christmastime

I refuse to do anything Christmas-y until the day after Thanksgiving, but once it's Christmastime, I'm all in! I love the trees & the lights on the mantle & the smells & the songs. (Have you ever really listened to the words of Christmas songs? The ones we've always known & have sung since we were little kids? They're about Jesus! [Okay, maybe not Jingle Bells.] Amazing really, that those words are played over secular radio every year. I pray that they bring people to a saving knowledge of Jesus!)

If you know me well, you know my middle name might as well be "tradition." My family jokes that if we do something twice, that means we'll do it forever. I do get stuck in my ways. They are familiar & bring back memories while making new ones all at the same time. But every Christmas, God causes us to think about the ways we celebrate. We want Christmas to be about Jesus. So how do we do that? How do we keep our hearts focused on Him during this time of busyness, traffic, & materialism?

I read this blog yesterday & I love the heart that it comes from. I'm so thankful other families can help lead the way in this desire to do Christmas a little differently. Here is a resource regarding the season of Advent. If you have any great websites, please let me know!

It's all a process, & we just want to make sure our hearts are in the right place. What is eternal & what is pleasing to Jesus? We want to do those things! So every year we consider, & every year something changes. Who knows what Christmas will look like for us in the years to come! But it's a wonderful time of realizing that one night, so many years ago, a baby was born who would become the Savior of the world, & one day that Savior will come back again, riding on a white horse, in victory, to take those of us who love Him to be with Him forever. Amazing!!

Survival Mode

Last week, Elliot got a cold. This really isn't a huge deal, he was just really snotty & kind of grumpy since he didn't feel well. But that meant no Bible study & no gym all week, since that is how long his symptoms persisted. We got out one day & I meandered around Target for as long as I could because we had been stuck at home so long. Elliot also gave his cold to Josh, but I was able to fight it off.

He got better for the weekend, so I was able to go to MOPS & to church on Sunday. Then Monday he got the snots again, so no gym. Then Monday afternoon my throat started hurting. I woke up Tuesday feeling horrible, & went to the doctor to rule out strep since I felt a lot like I did when I had strep a few months ago. Fortunately, it's not strep, but unfortunately it's a viral infection that feels a lot like strep, but since it's viral I can't take any meds to fight it, I just have to let it run its course. Blahh. My throat hurts really bad & I have a lot of fluid on the right side of my face (& ear & throat, etc.) My ears are pressurized. My body hurts. & I have a baby to take care of! Lucky for me, he recently has been much better about playing by himself. So the past couple of days have been me sitting or laying on the floor while he plays. Insert feeding or changing him as needed. & that is the extent of my physical exertion.

I know he won't remember me being a completely lame mom for a few days here & there when I am sick, so I don't have any guilt about it. It is what it is, right? It's not fun, but it'll pass.

So pray for healing for our household! Elliot still has the snots a small bit, but overall seems better. I'm hoping after this week we can get back to normal!

The Early Bird

I have learned, more so now that I am a mom, that if I had to pick one, I'm probably a morning person rather than a night person. I went to bed last night (on a Friday night) at 9:15 because I wanted to. & though I don't necessarily enjoy getting up early, I do enjoy my time in the morning, when it's still dark outside & the world seems quiet... I can make some coffee (pumpkin spice these days, yum) & spend time with Jesus before Elliot wakes up & before I start going on my to-do list for the day. It's quite nice. I woke up at 5:45 this morning (Saturday, you know!) just so I can have that time... me + Jesus + coffee + quiet = a really good combo. :)

Toddlerhood

Something happened when Elliot turned one - it's like his brain switched into toddler-mode. He started the obvious toddler thing to do, which is walk full-time. He decided to get a little louder (which, since he's been a pretty quiet baby so far, still isn't too terribly loud all the time). He decided to exert a little more of his opinion. He lets me know when he wants something, usually by making noise & pointing to it, & also lets me know how upset he is when I don't let him have it. He's letting more of his personality show. Toys are littered across every floor in the house - things that are meant to be toys, as well as empty water jugs, hand towels, & rulers. It just all happened so abruptly! It's all of a sudden a whole new world. Toddlers are very different than babies! But it's been fun. & every time he acts out is just an opportunity for us to show him we don't approve of that kind of behavior, & to show him the right thing to do, which is building the foundation for being a completely obedient child. (Okay, I'm kidding about the "completely" part - but training up a child in the way they should go does start now!)

This past weekend we went to a wedding of a good friend from high school. We got to spend the whole weekend with several of our closest friends, who do not live in San Antonio. Times like those are so sweet & such a blessing. We are totally blessed to have such great friends who have the same values & priorities that we do, & we're so thankful that we are able to maintain those relationships even at a distance. It was a fun & refreshing time. I pray that one day God allows us to live in the same city as some (or all!) of those friends.

Guess I better go clean the bathrooms while Elliot sleeps... sigh. Not my favorite chore... hence the blogging!