there's a baby in there

We just made the big announcement! Fourteen weeks along and due in March. Pregnancy has thus far treated me with morning sickness, tiredness, nausea, and a rotten appetite. I feel like a hermit because I go to work and I go home and that's about all I do anymore. At 14 weeks, I'm hoping I come out of it soon and have the "easy" second trimester I've heard so much about.

All of the ickiness aside, we're very excited! It has been interesting to hear all of the repeated questions from friends and family. They seem to come like this:

"How do you feel?"
See above

"Are you going to find out what you're having?"
We don't know yet. Husband wants to know and I don't. Haha.

"Do you have a baby room started?"
Um...hardly. In fact, baby will probably not have a room; rather, he or she will have a space. Our little house isn't big enough to justify an entire room, a fact that will eventually need to remedied by moving to a larger house, which may happen next year.

"Were you planning to get pregnant?"
Oh, yes. :)

"Will you keep your job after the baby is born?"
I have mixed feelings about that, but I currently plan to keep it.

Lots of changes coming our way!

some catch up

Sometimes, I forget I have a blog.

The anniversary was fabulous and nearly gift-free. I got flowers and chocolates and he got...just a card. He knew that there was nothing he wanted within our budgetary means, so it worked out. But we had a fun weekend away at a bed and breakfast in Shipshewana.

The 4-Hour Body diet came to a screeching halt. After about two months, we decided it wasn't working. We probably weren't strict enough, as it followed SUPER strict guidelines. My husband decided to go back to the diet that worked for him last time he lost weight (light portions, and much more variety than the 4-Hour Body allowed) and I decided not to diet. But I do make an effort to eat better than I did before.

On that note, I need to figure out a tasty way to eat vegetables. I have never been a veggie lover. My mother-in-law recently made us some yummy cream of carrot soup, so I've been looking at cream soup recipes. I hear cream soups are not healthy, but homemade isn't looking too bad...they seem to be made primarily of milk and pureed veggies. It may be my next adventure in cooking...

Stay tuned for next time I remember I have a blog!

gifts

Specifically, anniversary gifts. It's really hard to buy an anniversary gift for my husband when:

a) he wants expensive things that necessitate input from him (i.e., the gift couldn't be a surprise)

b) he doesn't want anything other than those things that are expensive

c) I can't come up with any gift ideas for him to get me, expensive or otherwise

I have never been a good giver or buyer of gifts in the form of tangible objects. Sometimes, I'm even a poor receiver of such gifts, although I try really hard not to be that way. That whole "women say they don't want gifts when they really do" thing is not true for me. The only present I really want is the opportunity to spend some time together and maybe a card or note because I do appreciate it when someone takes the time to write me something nice.

My husband, on the other hand, loves to receive gifts in the form of tangible objects on special occasions. He's a pretty understanding guy, but as we near two years (!!!) of marriage, I think I might be in for a bit of trouble!

health(ier)

The cold is over!

The cough is here. Stupid cough. It’s ok if I don’t talk. Work, however = a lot of talking.

Anyway.

The “4-Hour Body-time to eat healthier-or at least try” initiative has been on for about two weeks. Called the Slow Carb Diet, it eliminates anything high in carbs: bread, rice, pasta, junk food, cereal, desserts, etc. It also calls for no dairy (except eggs) and no fruit.

Foods that are allowed consist mainly of meats, veggies, beans, and eggs. Eat a variety of those for meals about four times a day for six days. On day seven, you can eat whatever you want…. The book explains it in great detail, but that’s the very basic gist of it.

Can I do that? Heck, no! I can’t even make time for four meals a day. Instead, I’ve found it to be a good guide to attempt to follow. By that, I mean that I don’t follow it to the letter. I still eat cereal with milk most mornings. I put shredded cheese on my salads. I take granola bars to work for a snack. But overall, I’m eating much better and I’ve found some things that work well.

Hard boiled eggs – good for breakfast and can be prepared ahead of time

Quinoa – didn’t know about this until recently; it’s a grain that cooks and tastes a lot like rice

Black beans – mixed with quinoa cooked in chicken stock, maybe add some cilantro…yum!

Lunch meat – roll it up and eat it without bread, maybe add some chopped veggies for a breadless sandwich

Our first “day seven” consisted of pasta, ice cream, movie theater popcorn, and pizza. Pretty awesome.

darn cold

I was going strong on the exercise. And then I caught a cold.

It's day three of sore throat, stuffy nose, foggy head, no exercise... Ugh. By the time I feel up to working out again, I'll be back to square one.

In other news, Nathan and I are starting a new initiative to eat better. It will be based on The Four Hour Body, a book that describes something called the slow carb diet as a means of eating healthy by eliminating foods high in carbohydrates and consuming lots of meats and veggies.

It involves cooking breakfast. Pretty much the last thing I want to do in the morning is cook. We'll see how it goes...

I may write more about this later, but for now I must go nurse my cold.

disappointment

Today at the library, I learned that my schedule is not as great as I had thought. It does not coincide with Nathan's new summer schedule. I nearly cried. Knowing we were going to have the same days off had been so exciting because it meant three day weekends together every other week. Now, I will never have a three day weekend and he will. I was sad. And mad. And jealous. And I even messed up three check-ins upon discovering my correct schedule (shhh, I fixed them!).

I'm coming to terms with it. It sounds like a silly thing to complain about, but there you go...it was hard to take.

A couple of other updates:
Disney - I survived the walking! I never made it to five miles in my walks of preparation, but the ability to do three or four miles on a weekly basis made a difference. It was a great trip, but we decided our next vacation needs to involve beach towels, swimsuits, and lying around!

Exercise - yeah....so I'll see how my first full week of work goes and then try to make some kind of routine....!

new beginnings

A year ago, after lots of prayer and difficult decision making, I quit my full time job to begin an unpaid internship at the library.

Monday, almost a year to the exact day of quitting my job, I was hired for a part time position at a branch library.

And not just any branch, but the branch I’m most familiar with, that I’ve been patronizing since I was in elementary school, that’s nearest to our home.

God is faithful. The timing allowed me to finish school without working 40 hour weeks at the same time, go to Florida for two weeks to see my grandma before she passed away (and return to attend the funeral), and even take a vacation with Nathan. And my new hours include off days that will coincide with Nathan’s new summer hours. Plus, the rest of the schedule allows me to have a social life. It’s the best work schedule I’ve ever had.

My future has a lot of new unknowns…will I like this job? Will I learn new things quickly? Will it take time? But God will be faithful to see me through, just as He saw me through quitting and interning and job hunting.

Psalm 89:8 “Who is like you, Lord God Almighty? You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.”