12 Week Update

I've decided I'm going to try and be better about taking pictures throughout this pregnancy. I tried with Jefferson, but I was so tired after work it was the last thing I wanted to do! So here we go...

I have finally made it to the last week of my first trimester. Most of my favorite foods taste funny. I mean, crackers are not supposed to taste like soap, and cucumbers taste like cardboard? Seriously, I want my taste buds back. Speaking of taste buds... I have finally given in to my cravings. Every single pregnancy I've had I've craved and I mean CRAVED Crunch Ice Cream bars. I'm not sure why. Well, actually I do, they have a great crunch when you bite into them. And they are oh so good. The strange part is, I've never had one before this pregnancy :). Very odd. But hey, I made it to baby #3 before giving in! 

I've been sick almost every night. It's like my HCG levels double every time I try to relax. It was really bad in the afternoons earlier on, so I'm grateful for just evenings and early morning sickness. I'm not having a problem keeping things down though, unless I wake up at 4 or so... I'm very grateful.

We are keeping the gender a surprise for this baby. I really don't want to know what it is until Matt tells me after the baby is born. I think it will be really special that way. I already have everything I basically need. We can always go buy more clothes if need be :). Oh, and baby #3 will NOT have a J name :).

My first appointment went pretty well. But the doctor/office just wasn't what I expected. My doctor in Greenville, SC told me to go the doctor that the labor and delivery nurses go to. So I switched to that doctor. I meet him next Tuesday :). 

That pretty much sums up the first trimester :). I was running, but I had to take a short break because of how sick I'd get in the mornings. Plus, being sick at night wasn't giving me much rest. I plan to start up again soon. 

12 Weeks, 5 Days

Memories

Dear Jewell,

Tonight, I was getting you ready for bed, and we had a very sweet conversation. I was putting on your "When I Grow Up I Want To Be A Nurse, Just Like My Aunt" Shirt. I asked you if you wanted to be a nurse when you grow up, you said, YES! I then asked if you wanted to be a doctor when you grow up. You said, "NO, I want to be a nurse and take care of animals". It was so sweet. So I explained what a vet was to you. You just LOVED the sound of it. By the time our bedtime routine was over, you told me you wanted to take care of animals again :). So Jewell, I had to share this because one day, you may just fulfill that dream. And if you don't become a nurse or vet that takes care of animals, it's perfectly fine. I just always want to remember the first time you talked about it. And don't forget, you can be anything. No matter what struggles come your way, you can be anything. And I'll be one proud Mommy.


Love,
Mommy

How Deep the Father's Love For Us

Our church is going through a bit of a transition at the moment. Our current Worship Leader is moving to Dallas to attend seminary. We now have a new Associate Pastor who is taking over our worship. I must admit, I was a bit nervous about the transition. Mainly because, I was losing one of my closest friends to Dallas Theological Seminary! But that's okay :). Anyways, we headed to practice on Tuesday night and it all began with a great devotional about what worship really is. When I looked at the song selections for this Sunday I was thrilled. I only really knew 1 song. It's one of my favorite songs. It's "How Deep the Father's Love For Us." This song will always play a very special role in my heart. Because it's the song that helped me survive leaving my baby daughter every morning to go teach other peoples kids.

You see, when Jewell was just 13 weeks old, I had to go back to work. And the worst part, was our principal told us we had to be to work much earlier that year. So I had to leave my baby girl before she even woke up in the morning. I only got to see her for 3 hours each day. So every morning I would get up, do a cleaning job such as dusting or folding laundry, get ready for the day, get all the bottles ready (while crying typically), and take out my daughters little outfit that I couldn't even dress her in. I would then blow her a kiss from her crib, and leave to go to work. I hated it. I hated every single second of it. I didn't understand why I had to leave my own baby to go teach other peoples babies. That was my attitude every single morning, until I got in the car. When I got in the car, I would sip my coffee and listen to the song, "How Deep the Father's Love For Us."

How deep the Father's love for us,

How vast beyond all measure

That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice,
Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that left Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

Jewell on one of the mornings she woke up early. I took the picture before I left for work :)

I loved this song. It made me think about what Christ did for me. What my sin did to my Father. And it got my attitude off of myself. That song gave me a purpose for what I was doing. It was a huge comfort to me. How could I complain and become bitter about how MY GOD who died for me chose to help provide for me? I will never forget those sweet moments with Christ on the way to work. I cried pretty much every morning to work. Especially after I went to church the day before and I had tons of women telling me how important it was for me to stay home. I promised myself I would never do that to another Mom. I can honestly look back now and see how Christ comforted me through it all. I know that the best thing I could have done at that time was work outside of our home. And I'm so glad God brought this song to my attention the first day I went back to work. 

The Big News

Yesterday we made our big announcement that our family is continuing to grow. We are expecting baby #3 around 3/3/13. We are extremely excited about this addition to our family. I thought it would be good to clear a few things up for those "concerned" about us having more than 2 kids. By the way, I'm not upset about any of these. I actually sort of laughed when I received some of these questions.

1. Yes, the baby was planned. We have ALWAYS wanted at least 4 kids. So no, we aren't done.
2. Yes, we know how this happened. (I'm still trying to figure out why people emailed me about this)
3. Yes, we know kids are expensive. But think about it, I have both boys and girls clothes already. I have every baby item you could need, and I use cloth diapers. I'm pretty sure the only extra expense will be the birth itself at this point. And no, I don't necessarily plan to pay for our kids tuition for college 100%. I paid for 3 years of my schooling and I turned out just fine.
4. We love big families. We truly believe that children are a blessing from the Lord. It really hurts me when I hear people tell other families that they are an added expense or that they are crazy for wanting a big family (by the way, when did 3 kids become a BIG family?). They are blessings. If you want to have just 1 or 2 kids that's GREAT! I'm so happy for you. But please consider the fact, that some people are called to parent more than 1 or 2. We are called to be parents of more than 1 or 2. God allowed for this to happen. We are thrilled. And no, I'm not worried about this at all. I LOVE being a Mommy.
5. And yes, I do realize that it's harder to lose the baby weight after each pregnancy. Note to self: never tell a pregnant lady she's going to have a hard time losing weight. Bad, bad idea.
6. Yes, we know how close are kids are in age. That was also planned! Because that's what our dream is :).

We are beyond thrilled to be expecting again. Our kids are very excited as well. Now to try and explain to Jewell that I don't have a baby hanging out of my belly button :).

P.s. Thank you all for all the congratulatory comments :). We really appreciate it! And no, I'm not upset, I'm simply expressing my opinion this time!