Gentle Reminders...

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.
17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.
18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. Have it as an adult.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets ... Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple. .
25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.
38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
42. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
45. The best is yet to come.
46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
48. If you don't ask, you don't get.
49. Yield.
50. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift

20 weeks!

I officially crossed the half way mark on Monday and time seems to be going faster and faster. With the exception of the bibs and stuffed puppy dog that Bella picked out for the baby after my ultrasound, I still don't have a single thing for this baby! We have quite a project in turning Bella's play room into a baby's room and I really want to get all of that taken care of before I start accumulating baby stuff. Andy is in the middle of building drawers to store our DVD's and CD's in and as soon as he is done with that we are going to take on the task of creating space for this little one. Of course not having a definite boy or girl answer is also holding me back a bit.

I'm currently fighting off a cold, but other than that I'm feeling pretty good these days. The Chiropractor has been a miracle worker with my lower back pain. It went from constant pain to virtually non-existent and I can't tell you what a relief it has been! The baby is also moving around ALL THE TIME now which is not only reassuring, but also a lot of fun! Last night he/she must have been doing flips or something because the movement was so big that it was actually starting to make me feel a little nauseous. It felt like my entire insides were being flipped upside down...over and over and over again! ;) When I first got pregnant I thought that maybe I would have a low energy, calm child this time, but I have a feeling that we are in for another kiddo with the energy of 5 "normal" kids! ;)

We still haven't taken my 20 week belly pic, but as soon as we do I will post it. Everyone keeps telling me how small I am and I keep reminding them that this is about the point where I start growing exponentially. At my u/s the baby weighed about 1/2 lb. so if this one is a little under Bella's birth weight I have a full 8 lbs of baby to put somewhere in the next 20 weeks! Yikes!!

Ultrasound Pictures!

As many of you know we had our routine 20 week u/s yesterday (although I'm actually only 19 weeks). We went in to our appointment with the assumption that we would leave knowing if the newest member of our family was a boy or a girl. We were wrong! ;) Despite our Doctors many attempts our baby refused to give us so much as a glimpse between his/her legs. Finally the Doctor stopped trying and told us that he would check at our next appointment in a month.

I have to say that there is a twinge of disappointment, but not nearly as much as I expected. Hearing that our baby was healthy was all we really needed yesterday. There wasn't a single concern that the Doctor had. He did all the measurements, pointed out the things they look for that could indicate a possible problem and assured us that from what we could tell we had a very healthy little one in there.

Here are a couple pictures. I haven't had time to get to the store and scan them onto a disk, so these are pictures I took with my camera. Not the best, but they will do for now.

Our alien baby...



Notice the arrow pointing to the ear. We were so amazed at this one...not only the little ear, but also the detail of his/her spine.




And my favorite one...

Kaitlyn Elaine

Two of our dearest friends Kyle and Terri said goodbye to their beautiful baby girl on Saturday when she was born silently. Terri was 25 weeks pregnant and discovered on Friday that Kaitlyn's heart had stopped beating.

We were blessed to be there with them for the birth and to share some time with Kaitlyn before the said goodbye.

I will never profess to understand why things like this happen, but I do know that they are wrapped in the arms of Jesus during this incredibly difficult time and that they are looking forward to the day when they meet their angel baby in heaven.

If you could say a prayer for them I know they would appreciate it. They are such special people and it breaks our heart to see them have to travel down the road in life.

Kaitlyn Elaine, a little girl that will forever be in the presence of our Lord. A precious angel who will never be forgotten...

Something to remember...

I came across this quote today and for thought a few parents out there might be able to relate...

"Children seldom misquote you. They more often repeat, word for word, what you shouldn't have said."

- Mae Maloo

Andy and I *think* we watch what we say in front of Bella, but all too often she reminds of that her ears are farther reaching that we think! ;)

Happy Birthday!

To the most wonderful friend a girl could ask for! :)

Wish we were there to crash your birthday dinner! Seriously though, I hope this year brings with it much happiness and many new blessings!

:)

Off she goes!

Bella is now the official owner of her first pair of snowboarding boots. We looked all over trying to find boots in her size and I finally came to the conclusion that most 4 year olds probably aren't hopping on a snowboard...skis, maybe, but the snowboard doesn't seem to be as popular amongst the preschoolers! ;) Of course she is adamant about wanting to board and Andy wants to teach her just as bad, so we perservered. Yesterday we hit the jackpot and these are what she will take her first ride down the slopes in (okay, she won't really be going down any "slopes" at first)...



Andy has plans to take her up on Thursday and start getting her used to being on a board. I will be saying many prayers that day, but know that this is just the beginning of my very daring and adventurous little girl doing things that will make my heart skip a few beats.

Unfortunately I won't be there to take pictures, but I will be sure to give a full, second hand report once they get back!

In baby news, I was 17 weeks yesterday and think I'm finally starting to feel better. I have been to the gym a few times in the last week, am sleeping decent at night, and have more energy than I've had in months. Along with that has come the much anticipated days of feeling this little one jump around in my belly on a regular basis. Of course for the last couple days he/she has decided that 5:30 am would be a good time to wake up and jump around for an hour or so. I love it, but at the same time am wondering why it couldn't just be an hour or so later?? ;)

Here is a belly pic from yesterday. Sorry about the lack of a head in all my pictures, but by the time Andy gets around to taking my pic at night I look like hell, so he just gets the important part! ;)





Compared to last week, I've really "popped"! ;)

16 weeks!

Today I am enter my 16th week of pregnancy. Up until a couple weeks ago the time was slowly creeping by, but all of a sudden things seem to be speeding up.

I receive a weekly email that tells me about how the baby is developing for the particular week I am in. According to today's email our little one is almost 5 inches long and his/her finger and toe nails are fully formed. It's amazing for me to think that I have a perfectly formed little person growing inside of me! I love it! :)

Andy clicked a couple pictures of Bella and I yesterday. Here is a cute one that shows a little of my growing belly...



And just for good measure...an adorable picture of Bella I took yesterday...