Friday, December 14, 2012

25 weeks

Here we are at 25 weeks- the wee girl is growing! I have finally figured out how to take my iron without feeling terrible. As long as I take it mid-day, with lunch, and it's the slow release formula, I seem to only get lightly nauseous.



Opie has been attached to my heels. Mike has even mentioned that Opie is more aware of me when I am around-he seems to follow me everywhere. Like right now, he is asleep touching my feet while Mike is relaxing in the other room.

This week has been complicated for a few reasons. On the happy side, we are moving Monday. We are really excited about moving- being outside of the district is going to be hard. However, after the past weekend, when I was out of town, and Mike had to deal with some sort of techno-beat and blowing things up in alternating patterns, I think coming home to a quiet house will be worth it for both of us. We are packing and getting ourselves ready. As my mom said, moving isn't really even stressful for us now because we have done it so many times, but it's just knowing exactly how much time and work it takes to get organized.

On the really sad side, a dear family friend and influential pastor in my life unexpectedly passed away this week from complications with care for lymphoma. Dr Chip Gunsten has been a friend of my dad's since the 70's. Growing up, we would often go over to the Gunsten's house for dinner on the weekend and we played with Sarah and Anna, who are the same age as Matt and me. Sarah and her husband Rob and Anna were all in youth group with us. Pastor Chip married Mike and I.

He was a vibrant man and truly an exemplar of faith, hope and love. He was GOOD. He made and continues to make the world a better place through his influence. Pastor Chip was really a "pastor"- he led through actions and words and was deeply faithful. I am thankful he was part of our lives. The loss of such a kind, strong and admirable man is deeply sad. The reverberations will be felt for many years to come throughout the Lutheran Church in Virginia.

Pastor Jim, me, Mike, and Pastor Chip
Please keep Chip's wife Kris, Sarah, Rob, Anna, and Sarah and Rob's baby daughter, Meredith, in your prayers.

Faith, hope, love.

Thursday, December 6, 2012

24 weeks

Here we are at 24 weeks! The baby girl is growing, I think... I am hungry all the time. I am almost excited to go to the doctor next time, just to see what my new measurements are! I definitely don't fit into non-preggers clothes any more. I thought I was going to be able to keep wearing t-shirts for the duration. Yeah, that's not going to work.  Unless they become belly shirts, which we all know is class with a capital gross. Maybe Mike's t-shirts.  

I just ate a bowl of ice cream and the baby is now dancing in my tummy. She is truly my daughter. 

My mom and Mike's mom, Karen, have been so great about supplementing my borrowed pregnancy wardrobe with their own really kind gifts. This is a new dress that Karen got me, just for the holidays!


 In other news, we will be moving come mid-December. We are very excited to leave our thin-walled apartment for a larger baby/dog/family friendly townhouse in Alexandria. I will post pictures soon of the new place. It's going to be really hard to leave the city center, and specifically leave the 10 minute walk between our house and our dear friends Chad and Jen's place. Sigh. A very bittersweet move.

Mike said "look normal". This is what I came up with.
This weekend the Blueberry and I will be spending a few days with Mom and Ray and Ray's daughter Suzanne and my brother Pudface McWeinerson Matt in Atlanta. We are celebrating Christmas a little bit early so that will be really nice. Mom and I will get to do some baby stuff, and we'll get to have a Christmas celebration.

Happy Wednesday (ohmygoshitsnottuesday).