Catch up...

I haven't blogged or updated since my doctor apt. last week.  Sorry.  I went to the doctor and everything looked great.  The heartbeat was 157, so a lot slower since the last visit (it was 204 then).  The doctor said that was completely fine and the baby was probably just in a different position.  We are down to 18 days till our big ultrasound!  I can't wait to see our sweet baby again :) 
This week has seemed to be a turnaround week for me.  I am feeling like I have a little more energy and not needing to nap every chance I get.  That means I have been trying to catch up on things that haven't gotten done in the last few months.  I haven't thrown up in a week now.  Woohoo!  Let's hope I am past all of that. 
I am now at 16 and a half weeks!  Crazy!  Maybe with my new energy surge I can actually take some pictures of Sk over the weekend.  I should take a moment to brag on what a big girl she is becoming.   She no longer really needs mommy or daddy to push her on the swing.  She can pump her own legs and get going really high all on her own!  It is really fun to watch :)  She is getting really good at her letters and the sounds each one makes.  She loves to write letters now.
Papa had a birthday this week and SK wanted to send him a letter and picture in the mail.  I should have taken a picture of them.  She did a foot print butterfly picture (she refers to her feet as Papa's piggies and is very protective of them for Papa :)).  Then she wrote a letter to Papa with Daddy's help saying Happy birthday and I love you.  It was really cute and sweet.  She loves her Papa!

On one more random note, a friend and I made a delishious quinoa recipe this week.  I was so good in fact, I want to make more this weekend...and you should make some too.  It was so yummy and incredibly healthy too.  Alright, enough talking about food.  Here is the link if you are interested!

Wanna take a guess as to whether a little baby boy or a baby girl is cooking?
I am curious what everyone thinks...
I told you the heartbeat.  Cravings so far have been:
Strawberries, grapes (frozen to be exact...), veggies (esp. green beans with garlic...), grilled cheese sandwiches, chocolate fudge bars, popcorn, dill pickle chips.  Hmmm...that is the main stuff I can think of so far.  For the most part, I have had much healthier cravings this go around as opposed to when I was preggo with SK and craved all the gross food like nachos and kid's cereal...

What do you think?

Off to find some food...

Doctor day

Today, I go in to the doctor for my check up.  I am now a little over 15 weeks.  Crazy.  I really questioned whether we would make it this far.  I struggled to trust God, and still do to be honest.  I don't want to live in fear, but in hope.  It is hard though.  It is still hard not to get anxious before I go in today.  I am ready to hear our little one's heartbeating again. 

When I start feeling fear creeping in, I long more and more for Heaven.  I don't like my sin.  I don't like the pain I have faced and many others have faced in this fallen world.  Just last week, I saw death with the family I nanny for.  The mom's best friend killed herself and her 3 children.  Death sucks.  We all deal with sin.  Without the hope of Christ, we could all easily find ourself in this same position.  God is sovereign and completely in control I know.  One day, we won't have to face death.  We won't have to be separated from our friends and children and family.  Come, Lord Jesus, come.

Not sure where I am going with this really.  Just dealing with my anxieties this morning, not very well I guess. 

Some days I wish I could go back to my nieveness about death and loss.  I remember being pregnant with Sarah Kate and fear of loosing her never crossed my mind.  After loosing our second child through miscarriage, that all changed.  I felt alone at that time.  I didn't know anyone who had gone through this.  It didn't seem to be a thing people talked about.  I kinda felt like I should brush it off and still be able to praise the Lord and be glad.  After years of struggling to get pregnant, I have learned a lot.  A LOT.  God used this time to teach me so much.  I now know that it was okay for me to be upset and not okay with the loss.  It sucked and was jacked up that we had to go through it.  While I might not like it, God used it and hopefully will continue to use it for His own glory.  I long for our life's story to be a testimony to God's faithfullness.  He didn't just step out of the picture while we faced those trials.  He was there and continues to be. 

I know the truth.  I know that during these times, I need to cling tighter to Christ and His promises.
Psalm 34 says:

I will extol the Lord at all times;

his praise will always be on my lips.

My souls will boast in the Lord;

let the afflicted hear and rejoice.

Glorify the Lord with me;

let us exalt his name together.

I sought the Lord, and he answered me;

He delivered me from all my fears.

Alright....enough rambling this morning.  Gotta find something fun to do this morning with the girls to distract me from my crazy fears.

Maybe a painting project is in order this morning :)

Easter 2012

Sarah Kate got really into the Easter egg hunting this year and got to do it a total of 3 times!  We went to our church last weekend and got to sit and listen to the story of Jesus' death and Resurection then head outside to hunt the eggs.  SK was so funny to make sure to help her friends find the eggs too :)  She also was funny about how sweetly she would ask for "just one more piece" of candy.

Then, on Friday, the family I nanny for had a little hunt set up for SK to do and teach Molly (their little girl) how to properly search for the eggs.  I forgot to get any pictures there, but she had a blast and definitely had a bit of sugar there :)

On Saturday, we had our campus housing egg hunt for all the kiddos that live here on campus.  We attempted to get a picture of all of them on the steps...man, there are a lot of kiddos here!  We had fun hanging out with friends and watching the kids go crazy looking for eggs all around the playground.

Goofy kids...the best picture I could get of Sk and her buddy Hannah Mae

Saturday night we had some friends over to make our annual Resurection Cookies!  It was fun and messy to let all of the kids help out with making them, but so worth the mess.  I love doing these each year and am so glad that it has become our tradition!  It is a great way to point SK (and us too!) to the real reason we celebrate Easter. It isn't for the eggs and candy.  We celebrate a risen Savior that isn't in the tomb!  He is RISEN!

I didn't get any pictures of us making the cookies (too busy having fun I guess :))  And on Easter morning we all slept in a bit and didn't get a chance to take any pictures before heading to church (plus a certain 3 year old decided to pitch quite a fit too...)  SO, this is the only picture taken on Easter. 

We worshipped at church and then made lunch with some friends and hung out for a while!  It was a fun Easter.  We miss being with our family and friends back in Alabama, but are so thankful for the Lord calling us here and blessing us with people here that we can be family with and celebrate together with! 



Spring Break-Seminary Style :)

So last week was Michael's spring break.  While we both still had work and he had to do some school work, we tried to find time to do some fun things too.  We made it out to the zoo for the first time this year with some good friends then headed to a WONDERFUL restaurant that we had heard of recently (more on that later...)

We had fun at the zoo, starting off with the free carousel rides then the children's zoo area.  SK is getting more and more brave with getting close to animals (she used to really not be a fan of touching or getting to close to them).  She brushed the goats hair and pet the rabbits!  She had lots of fun with her friend Hannah.  We definitely plan to spend more time at the zoo as it is starting to really warm up here in St. Louis.

After spending the morning at the zoo, we headed to a place called Sweetie Pie's.  I don't know how this has happened, but we have lived here a year and never heard of this place.  It was the closest thing to a southern, "Meat and 3 sides" kinda place I have had since moving here.  Oprah was actually at this place lately from what I heard and it has it's own TLC show now too!  I devoured my plate of baked chicken, mac-n-cheese, green beans and cornbread (that was so, so, so very good!).  They even had sweet tea! (a rarity here in St. Louis).  I should have taken a before picture, but didn't think about it till after mostly finished with the meal.  It was even more fun that we got to enjoy this southern meal in the company of some friends that are also from the south and have a love for the same kind of food :)

Michael got to take the day off on Friday and go fishing with a friend.  He had fun catching 25 fish!  One of them being a five pounder!  SK and I decided to have a girls day shopping.  We started out our morning at the goodwill outlet.  She took $1 and was able to get 4 books and 2 plastic bucket things for only .62 cents!  I found a new in box (in the plastic even!) Bodom French press!  Final cost for that...$1.60!  I was excited about that find.  We then went to some antique malls and had lunch at CFA :)

So that was our spring break.  Now we are back to the grind.  Michael has plenty on his plate this week, since he has to preach next week in class along with some other big things to get done for school.  Back to laundry and dishes...

She's a Hearbreaker...

Sarah Kate has become quite the heartbreaker, at least for her mommy lately.  She is getting more and more aware of the distance between here and Alabama and it makes her sad.  When we first moved to St. Louis she was young enough to not necessarily understand the distance or the time that would be between seeing the ones we love in Alabama.  Now she does.  The last 2 visits from grandparents have been really hard for her.  She gets so upset when they have to leave and it breaks my heart.  Then, yesterday she started saying how she missed her cousin, Haven.  Like, in tears sobbing missing her. 

I don't like to see my daughter sad.  I know she doesn't understand why we live 8 hours from so many people that she loves, but God is faithful and will continue to be to our family and he will grow her through this time at seminary, just like we are learning and growing through this time too. 

Changing the subject a little, she has become quite the little momma lately.  It is really pretty cute.  She takes care of me so well.  Dinner time has been a challenge for me lately and when I go running from the table to....well, eject the food that baby doesn't like...she comes over to me and pats me on the back and says "Did baby not like that bite, momma?  It's ok, do you want me to get you your water?"  And she will sit there with me holding me making sure I am ok.  It is really quite cute.

She told me the other day as we were walking back to our apartment that I didn't need to run because, "Baby might fall out!"  hehe.  She has opinions too on the name.  It is different this time around talking names, because she wants in on the decision.  We tell her we will take her opinion into consideration, but mommy and daddy have the final say :)

As far as me. I have been feeling alright.  I am thankful in so many ways for the nausea and tiredness, but it is hard at times.  This week has been Michael's spring break, so I have been able to nap a little more and rest, which has been nice.  He does a great job of taking care of momma and the kiddos :)

Yesterday we went to Target and I had nachos in the snack section.  This will mark the first time I have had nachos during this pregnancy (If you didn't know me during my pregnancy with Sk, you missed the fact that I LOVED them while pregnant with her and would take trips to Target just for the nachos...)  I have been a bit healthier this time around.  Really craving fruit and veggies a lot.  I could eat an apple 3 times a day.  Yum.  I guess one of the unhealthy cravings would have to be Papa John's pizza.  I think part of that craving is a craving for things that remind me of Alabama.  I love me a good ole Pepperoni and Pineapple pizza with their garlic butter sauce.  MMMM...pair that will a good ole sprite and it is incredible :)

Speaking of Alabama, we hope to get to Alabama this summer, and when we do, I totally plan of checking off my list all of my other cravings that can't be fulfilled here in St. Louis.  These would include Joel's, Cafe on Main, Charley's....just to name a few :)

Alright, enough rambling.  We are less than six weeks from finding out if SK is having a baby brother or sister.  Crazy, right?!?  So given my cravings, what do you think...boy or girl???

Recipes

I thought I would now share the recipes that I mentioned in the last post.  I know so many (haha) of my readers are just holding their breath to get these great recipes :) 
Let's do it in list form...shall we?

1. Butter--oh. my. goodness.  I want to know why it took me so long to realize how easy making butter was.  And cheap!  SO here is the Link for butter.  All you need is heavy cream (not ultrapasturized) and a little salt.  Pour in food processor or blender and let it do it's work and voila!  you have butter!  You put it through a cheese cloth and that's it.

2. Coffee Creamer--  I love me some good coffee creamer.  I never have been a coffee, no creamer kind of girl.  I like the fun creamers :)  But have you ever looked at the ingredients in those things?  If not, go and look in your fridge and check out the ingredients list.  Gross...right?  I can't even pronounce some of the things listed.  SO here is the link for the creamer.  So, so very easy.  I keep mine in a mason jar in the fridge and that works great for me.

3. Salad dressing--Now that you have already made one trip to your fridge, go again and look at your salad dressing (store bought).  Can you identify what each ingredient is?  Didn't know you were going to be getting a work out reading my blog post today, did ya? (cause you are getting up right?  You are just reading through this....I am sure of it :))  Alright...here is the link for what I use for our salad dressing.  There are recipes out there for any kind of dressing you might like.  Most of them fairly easy to whip together.  I love this Italian one and I keep the dry ingredients in a little tupperware in my pantry so all I have to do when I need dressing is put 2 Tbsp. in with the oil and vinegar and that's it.

4.  Chocolate Syrup--So, I admit, SK loves, loves, loves her some chocolate milk.  And mama does too :)  So we have it fairly often around here.  In the past, we would get the syrup from the store and not even notice what the ingredients in it were.  Yep, if you have some...go look.  So now, we won't be buying it.  Instead, I found this recipe for making your own Chocolate Syrup.  It was quick and easy and tastes great!


Fun recipes right?  I think so at least.  I need to give yall some more things too that I have been making.  I don't know if it is pregnancy or just me having fun in the kitchen, but I have been all about trying to make all kinds of new things.  I have made my own potato chips, cheezits, apple chips, kale chips, just to name a few.  I find it fun lately.  And it feels good to be getting more healthy with our foods.

It is a drery day outside and I might need to go do something fun in the kitchen today since we won't be playing outside like we have been able to the last couple of weeks.

Happy Thursday, everyone :)

Belly pic :)

So I had requests to see the growing belly.  Not much to see yet, but there is definitely a good bump after a good meal or by the end of the day.  You have to ignore the fact that I look horrible...no makeup, in jammies and I have a goofy look on my face.  If you can get past that, check out the little baby bump :)

In other news, I am gearing up for a cooking day with a friend today.  I am excited to get some meals put away in the freezer, esp. since I am completely unmotivated to cook lately. 
I have recently gotten really into learning things that I can make instead of buy.  For instance:
I now make my own butter, coffee creamer, salad dressing, chocolate syrup, and granola.
It has really been fun to give all of these things a try and I have really been impressed with how easy it all is and how much money it can save us, plus the fact that we don't have crazy additives and weird ingredients that we can't even pronounce.  I am becoming more and more a fan of cutting out as many processed foods as possible.
So anyone want the recipes :)
Maybe I will post links later for all of those things...

In baby news, I went to the doctor on Thursday and got to hear the heartbeat again.   It was a strong 194 beats per minute!  I can't believe I am already 12 weeks!  So far I haven't felt too bad, but this last week the nausea kicked into super drive.  I would think being at the end of the first trimester things would start to get better with that, but the opposite has happened.  I am thankful in many ways, but it does make it a bit hard for cooking for the family.  Last week, I think I was only able to eat one complete dinner.  All of the others I only got a few bites in before either gagging or throwing up.  Gross I know.  I know it is a good sign that baby is growing and that makes it totally worth it.

I have my next two appointments set, so that means I have my big ultrasound on May 8th when we hopefully will find out the gender!  So excited about that!

Off to get ready for some cooking today!  Hope everyone else has a lovely Tuesday!