21 Weeks!

How far along? 21 weeks!!!

Size of baby: Three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot.

Maternity clothes?: Yes!

Gender?: Boy!!! Samuel Lucas

Movement: Yes! He is especially active in the morning and at night.

Sleep?: Sleep is still going pretty good. I am getting used to sleeping on my side now.

Cravings?: Still nothing specific. But, I definitely prefer salty and sour foods over sweets.

Symptoms: Heartburn, but Tums help relieve some of it right now.

What I miss?: coffee and a cold ham sandwich.

Milestones: Finding out that we are having sweet baby boy!!!

What I am most excited about?: Buying clothes and decorating the nursery for my sweet baby boy.

Gender Revealing Party!

Gender Revealing Party!!

                                He or She?

                                                   A baby made out of diapers-made by my mom.

       An ultrasound pic and a willow tree statue given by my future sister-in-law.
                                     

           I had everyone guess if it was a boy or girl by picking blue bow ties for a boy and a pink bow for a girl.
  

   There were more girl than boy guesses!
      

We used balloons to show reveal that it is a boy!!

                      We also had a cake!
                                          

       Of course it was blue on the inside!           
  

                                       

 To reveal the name, Lee read out of the bible in 1 Samuel. His name is Samuel Lucas because the Lord definitely answered our prayers and we want to dedicate our son to the Lord and pray that he will follow God's will for his life.

        We gave the grandmother's something special too.

19 Weeks!

Although I meant to at least post a blog after every doctor's visit, it is amazing how fast time goes by! Our last appointment was at 16 weeks, and thank the Lord everything is going great! I saw this pregnancy blog template and thought that it would be great to go by for the rest of the pregnancy so that I can remember as much as I can about this amazing experience!

How far along? 19 weeks!!!

Size of baby: Approximately six inches long and weighs almost eight and a half ounces now! Wow!
                      It's amazing to think he/she is as long as a sub! Baby Franklin's heartbeat was 152
                      at 16 weeks.

Maternity clothes?: I have had to buy some maternity tops. I can still wear some regular tops, but
                                some of them just look weird.

Gender?: We have our anatomy ultrasound on May 16th!

Movement: I have started feeling some flutters. The kicks are beginning to feel a little stronger this
                   week. It is so amazing to feel my baby move.

Sleep?: Thankfully right now I sleep wonderfully. Sometimes, a little too good : ) I actually fell
            asleep at 8:00 Friday night. The only thing is, I wake up at least 5-6 times a night to pee.

Cravings?: I have been craving salty/sour things. So salt and vinegar rice cakes, green apples. I also
                  want a lot more protein and less foods that you just snack on. And the unhealthy food that
                  has felt good on my stomach for some reason is french fries. I also have some really
                  weird food aversions like peanut butter and ranch dressing (two things I loved before I got
                  pregnant)! I cannot stand to smell or taste either of these right now!

Symptoms: Thankfully less nausea! However, a lot more heartburn now! Of course fatigue. I have
                   finally been able to at least start walking during the second trimester though. During the
                   first trimester, all I wanted to do was get home and go to bed : ).

What I miss?: Nothing right now. I am still so overwhelmed and happy about the pregnancy that it
                        is hard to focus on what I miss. I do miss my coffee though!!

Milestones: My husband and I have decided on names but we are keeping them a secret until our
                   gender reveal party next week! I cannot wait!

What I am most nervous about?: I think there is always a fear for your baby and wanting everything
           to be okay. It is definitely an experience that you learn to trust the Lord and I know that I have
           to leave everything in His hands and pray. Worrying will not change a thing!

What I am most excited about?: The gender reveal party next week!! I cannot wait to tell our family
           what it is going to be and to start buying non gender neutral baby items!!

Hopefully, I will now make this at least a weekly or bi-monthly post! God is good!

What a Great God We Serve!

God has truly blessed us with the wonderful gift of a child! We are PREGNANT! It is still hard to believe that we will be parents around Oct 1^st of this year. Although, it has been a long journey, God has certainly been good to us and I am thankful for this child.

On May 2^nd of last year, we found out that we miscarried our twins. It was one of the hardest things that I have ever been through. I was never angry or mad, it just plain hurt. However, through the miscarriage the Lord taught me more things than I could ever imagine and for that, although I still fail Him everyday, I am a better Christian, wife, and preacher’s wife. I always knew the right verses for comfort and that the Lord is greater than any circumstance, but it wasn’t until I actually went through the toughest time in my life that I actually clung to those verses and experienced what a great God we serve. Once we were given the green light to start trying again, I thought that we would get pregnant immediately. I heard so many women tell me that you are more fertile after a D & C and I just expected it to happen quickly. However, God had other plans and it took a little longer than I planned (but God’s timing is always perfect). I begin to take Clomid, which helps you ovulate, and again, I expected to get pregnant the first month but I thank God that it only took three months and that He allowed the medicine to work! Below is the picture of the positive ovulation stick (for any woman who has taken Clomid, you know that this is a pretty exciting and much awaited moment) and pregnancy test.

Although I was supposed to wait until Jan 19^th to take a pregnancy test, I had to take one on the 18^th because I couldn’t wait any longer and it was positive! I just sat and cried for a while in the bathroom and thanked God for this amazing miracle before going back to bed. When I came back to bed crying, my husband knew what I was up to and started trying to console me but it was soo good to tell him that these were happy tears and that he was going to be a Dad!

I cannot thank God enough for all that He has done for us. Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we go through this amazing experience. Through this, I have learned that God has a reason for ALL trials.  The bible tells us about many women who were barren, but when they conceived and had a child, it was for God’s glory and He had great plans for them. My prayer is that we raise this child for God’s glory and that we see him/her get saved and follow God’s will for their life. I want to keep this blog throughout this pregnancy so that I can share with friends/family about the journey of this wonderful blessing that God has given us. Praise the Lord!

"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience experience, and experience hope." Romans 5:1-4