Before the Beginning

I mentioned in my first post that we'd felt God leading us to stop taking birth control. I thought I'd share (and document) how it all went down.
In mid-late October, we started getting that feeling. We both thought it was crazy. Our plan was to wait until we got all of our student loans paid off, and Dean went back to finish his degree. Besides, we're in the process of building a 600 square foot apartment (and future shop building). It hardly seemed like the ideal place for a baby. We both kept feeling that pull, though.

It was time for me to take a week off of the pill anyway, so we decided to use that time to really dive into the Word and spend time in prayer to seek the answer. At the end of that week, we still didn't have a clear answer...and then it rained. Dean was working outside so rain meant he was off for the day. In my last quiet time, I had decided Dean was the head of our household, and it was now between him and God. I prayed that God would give him clear direction, and told them both I trusted them. My sweet hubby spent his rainy day reading and praying, praying and reading, and waiting. Finally, he looked at his watch, and it was almost time to pick me up from lunch, just enough time for a couple more chapters. He prayed again for an answer, and got back to reading where he saw the following words: "Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from Him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate." (Psalm 127:3-5) Wow. That seemed pretty straightforward, so he continued to read, "Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your sons will be like olive shoots around your table." (Psalm 128:3) And then he was convinced.

It was then that we were certain it was time to stop taking the pill, and leave it in God’s hands. We knew it didn't necessarily mean we were having kids anytime soon. We were just putting our trust in Him, and letting Him do His thing. We were further convinced, when only 2 months went by before our big discovery (and by that, of course, I mean a positive pregnancy test).

Doctors, Friends, and Challenges

Well, I had my first prenatal appointment yesterday. No big deal. Dean and I met with the nurse and gave our family medical history, got lots of information and picked up some freebies and samples. I go back in 3 weeks, at which time; I won’t get off so easy. I have to have blood work done before my visit, and the actual appointment will include lots of tests, and checking the baby’s heartbeat.


I’ve been pretty proud of myself lately. The nurse had told me when I called about scheduling an appointment that I needed to limit my caffeine intake to one caffeinated beverage per day. I’ve limited it to two per week, if that. I’m so disciplined. At our meeting yesterday, she reiterated the limit of caffeinated and carbonated beverages. Wait, what? No carbonation either?! Crap. I’ve done great with limiting caffeine, but I don’t like the water at work so I’ve been drinking Sprite about half the time. Looks like I’m going to have to start bringing my own water (or maybe juice or milk), or figure out some way to coax myself into drinking the water at work.

Now that the secret’s out, we’ve been getting some great reactions. Some people swear they knew weeks ago, or that they saw it coming. Others are surprised. Aside from our family’s reactions, Chris and Laurie (our college minister & his wife)  and Alex M. (a friend from college)  had the best. Laurie exclaimed “Yaaayyy!!” and told Chris who quickly joined in the celebratory exclamations of “Yaaayy!! Yaayy!” Alex responded with, “Yay!!!! What a lucky baby!!!”

As usual, Laurie was very encouraging. She told us not to be too nervous, because babies have never had parents before so they don’t know when you’re messing up. They also don’t have solid memories for a few years, so we have time to figure things out. Haha! This is why I love to talk to Laurie G.

Valentine's Day surprise!

The secret is officially out! Have I mentioned that it was a hard secret to keep? Whew!
We sat down to breakfast yesterday morning for Valentine’s Day with Dean’s parents, siblings, their spouses and our niece. We gave his mom and dad their valentine’s box, identical to the one we gave my mom. His Mom’s reaction was very similar to my mom’s reaction. She gasped, asked if we were serious (why do people keep asking that? Are we that cruel?) and jumped up to hug us. His dad teared up, and never stopped smiling the rest of our visit.
Once we released our mothers from their vow of secrecy (we made them wait until we had time to call grandparents and a couple close friends), it took about 20 seconds for my MIL to put it on facebook. In a matter of a couple hours, the whole family knew… and about a thousand other people.

It was a fun weekend. Lots of laughing, smiling, crying, hugging…and lots of pictures for a precious little niece’s first birthday. She is one cute kid. I hope she and our little raspberry will be great friends.

First Reactions

The beans have been spilled. Well, partially spilled anyway. We told my Mom & Dad last night. We’ll be telling Dean’s parents on Sunday. Ideally, we would have told them closer together, but this was the best we could work out.
My mother’s reactions included: squealing and jumping up and down…and moping about being sworn to secrecy (She’s not allowed to tell anyone until all the future-grandparents know). It will be interesting to see how everyone else reacts.

This weekend holds a 1st birthday party for our only niece, food, family, and a big announcement. It should be fun. I’m going to need to rest up. I’d crawl under my desk right now and nap if I could get by with it. Maybe Dean will feel sorry for me and drive the whole way to Kansas tonight while I sleep.

Technology-- God is AWESOME

Last Friday, I had an ultrasound. Normally, I wouldn’t have had one for several more weeks, but the PA at my doctor’s office decided to order one. She wanted to make sure my bladder infection was just that, and not a problem with the raspberry.


Lo and behold, there really IS a baby growing inside my body. We could see its tiny heart beating, and even got to hear it. What an amazing thing! It is only about the size of a blueberry, but there it was, loud and clear and beating at a strong 141 bpm. Dean says its athletic. If it is, it takes after Grandpa Brent and Uncle Jay—definitely not from Mommy’s side of the family.

Dean and I decided to tell our bosses last week, so they would understand why we keep taking off. (I went to the doctor once last week, to the hospital for an ultrasound once, and my first prenatal appt is next week) We’ve also decided to keep a tally when people guess the gender. So far its one and one. Aunt Misti told me a couple months ago she was praying we’d have kids soon, and that she was also praying we have a boy (She already has 2 nieces). Dean’s boss is betting it’s a girl. Time will tell.

Weather permitting, we will announce to our families later this week/this weekend. I’m anxious to see their reactions.

Willy Wonka

I hate being bloated! I’m just going to throw that out there. I put on a pair of pants this morning that I had worn just last week. Only, this time, I couldn’t fasten them. That’s a pleasant feeling…ugh. Luckily, I was prepared. Yesterday, I bought this handy dandy little stretchy band, the Bella Band (or Be Band in my case- the Target version). It fits over the top of your jeans to hold them up, so you can keep them unzipped and unbuttoned. Voila!


I never expected this to be an issue early on, but it is. I don’t eat any more than I used to, and I’ve been eating better. I’ve been exercising more consistently. I have a feeling this will not be the only rude awakening that pregnancy gives me. I feel like the girl on Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory that ballooned up and had to be rolled out of the room.  It has also recently come to my attention that pregnancy can cause bladder infections. And, the fun begins!

Speaking of fun, we are planning to share the news with our family next week. That actually should be fun!

Dear Morning Sickness, Please Bypass Me...

My body is starting to toy with the idea of morning sickness. Once in awhile, I feel nauseous, but so far no vomiting and it doesn’t last very long. Let’s hope it stays that way. I’m still tired a lot. We were snowed in last Friday and through the weekend. That gave me 3 days to sleep in and relax. I felt so much better for those few days.


I’m experiencing another symptom quite a bit, as well: I’m bloated. Yuck! All but one pair of my pants are feeling tight. I’ve been reading some pregnancy message boards on Baby Center and parents connect and have learned that I’m not alone in that.

Dean and I have been throwing around names. Too early, maybe, but we’ve been talking about names since we got married. I love naming things- always have. It’s harder now, though. Naming a baby is way harder than naming a dog…or a car. Yes, I occasionally name cars. Weird? Possibly, but not as much so as naming bugs, which I also do. I’ve always done that too. When I was in kindergarten, our playground had lots of caterpillars. I would spend my recess naming them. When I was growing up, in the summer time at our house, you could always find garden spiders. I don’t normally like spiders, but these are big and pretty and fascinating…from a distance anyway. I would also name any of these that I could find. Naming is fun. Baby naming is a bit more complicated…but still fun.