Apple

Helloooooo 15 weeks! Wow, time has gone really quickly! I'm finally starting to really show - I still feel like I'm in the awkward stage of showing, but I can definitely tell that my belly is baby!! :)

We've been researching cribs and car seats and carriers, blankies and binkies and bumpers. Oh my, it's a full time job all in itself. You are loved, little one, know that much. Each and every item we pick out to register for or buy is carefully selected. What a beautiful reminder of the love our Father has for us - each and every detail of our lives is already known...He's got us taken care of :)

Back to this little one, though. Symptoms haven't been too bad this week. Just growing a belly now!

It's so odd to see my body changing!

The most exciting part about this week is that we've leaked the news to everyone. No more keeping it hush hush or making our family and closest friends hold it in! This is good news and we are happy to share it :) Plus my belly was going to oust me sooner or later...

The most difficult part right now is adjusting to sleep. Sleeping is...odd. I tend to end up on my stomach and usually wake up uncomfortable. My new favorite is lying on my back, which I know won't last much longer. I know it will all be worth it in the end, though!

Love, the George family



Change

When I was getting ready to graduate from college in December of 2008, I felt rather crazy for being so nervous about all of the upcoming change in my life. It was good change: I was moving to live near the love of my life, get married, and start out our life together. It was long awaited - we had been living hours apart for eight months and were more than ready to be reunited.

Grant and his family came to visit Tulsa in December and we took a carriage around Rhema lights.

 

After work one day, I spent some extra time talking to the professor whose research assistant I was at the time. She told me something that I will never forget: All change is anxiety provoking, even good change. Especially when we make major life changes, like life cycle transitions, we have a lot of fears about what those changes may bring. At the time, I was facing a move from Tulsa to Iowa to Kansas. I was going to be leaving my family of origin and joining with Grant in our new family. I was graduating from college and didn't know what was next - I had applied to grad school, but would not know if I was accepted for several months. Everything was changing.

 

Looking back on that time, I worried about the unknown, which turned out to be better than I could have imagined. I was accepted and went to grad school, I feel right at home living here and have developed some wonderful relationships with friends, and I still have a great relationship with my family, even though I miss them.

Grant came to visit me in Iowa and we went snow tubing with my brother. Our hair is messed up because this was at the end when we took our hats off!

Facing change is something that comes in stages in my life, and I often become overwhelmed by what those changes will mean. Thanks to my wise professor, I now often remind myself that I can think of those changes as scary or exciting. With a slight mental shift, I can turn change into something that invigorates rather than discourages.

Love, the George family

Lemon

I wrote this post ahead of time to chronicle our pregnancy journey before we made the big announcement for all the world to see! 9.17.12

I can almost imagine the movements that our little kiwi is making right now. By this point, the baby is moving around, sucking it's thumb, and making facial expressions. It baffles me that our little one formed from something too tiny to even see to a human big enough to do all of that in just three months.

My sypmtoms this week have been good ones. I've been excited and sensing myself shift into what I call mommy mode. I've been eagerly researching cribs and non-toxic crib mattresses, the safest car seats and best strollers for getting around, sweet baby carriers so that we can hold out little one close... I haven't been sick this week, although I have sensed that things are changing in my abdomen. It's been a little uncomfortable and I'm starting to pop out enough that Grant can easily tell.

 The ruffly shirt kind of masks the bump, but it's there!

(I was also really tired by the time we took this picture.)

The most exciting part right  now is THE BUMP! I think it's starting to look less like I ate too much and more like a legitimate baby bump. Since we haven't leaked the news to everyone, I'm doing my best to hide it. Maternity clothes don't quite fit yet and finding normal clothes that fit is becoming quite the challenge. Wardrobe creativity is the spice of my life right now.

The most difficult part right now is wanting to get everything ready for baby and knowing that I need to take my time. I like to tackle projects right away - it's just part of my personality. Here comes the "p" word again: patience. I'm still learning :)

Right now is a good time to be pregnant. I'm not sick anymore and the weather is beautiful. It's the perfect time to research baby products with the windows open and peaceful music playing. Life is good!

Love, the George family

Peach

I wrote this post ahead of time to chronicle our pregnancy journey before we made the big announcement for all the world to see! 9.10.12

13 weeks - second trimester! Feels good to say that :) This past week has gone by...quickly. It's all a bit of a blur, really. Maybe that's just pregnancy brain??

We caught up around the house after our extended weekend in Tulsa, celebrated my birthday, and started our birthing class. One full Saturday down, one to go. It was pretty exhausting. Symptoms haven't been bad. I've been fighting a cold/allergies for the past week and a half. I was a little naseous last week, which was probably partially due to my exhaustion. It is now uncomfortable to lay on my stomach. :( I don't fall asleep on my stomach, but I do wake up on my stomach in discomfort. Between that and waking up to use the restroom, my nights can be quite long!

Is there a bump...maybe? Yes? No?

The most exciting part right now is that I'm starting to develop a bump. Grant can't see it yet, and I can only barely see it, but my clothes are fitting tighter and tighter each day, and I can just tell that things are changing. I'm just going to enjoy this stage of being excited about the bump :)

The most difficult part right now is that my health concerns are more concerning right now. Hormones cause things to be more off balance in my body, and I have just a little bit of extra hormones coursing through my system :) It's caused things to get a little out of control in my body, which means that I will have to be very careful about what I eat and keep close tabs on it. It will definitely be a challenge to overcome during this time, and it's not part of the ideal picture of pregnancy that I had created in my mind. But it's part of this fallen life and I believe that the Lord can make good out of all things. I'm already dealing with maternal instincts to protect this little one. And part of that is protecting it from my health problems. I can't entirely control the situation, so we will need to trust in God to care for the baby in ways that we can't.

So, here's to believing in God's provision and trusting that He will protect the sweet little kiwi that He has entrusted into our care.

Love, the George family

Memories

We took a rather impromptu trip to Tulsa this weekend, and it was a breath of fresh air. We have many special memories in Tulsa, as we began our relationship there and spent many nights out at coffee shops, malls, parks...the list goes on. Almost everywhere we drive in Tulsa, we have at least one memory of a special date, a meaningful conversation, laughter, and falling in love.

One of our favorite memories from that time is going to parks, especially Woodward Park. We went there on one of our very first outings together, and a woman was there feeding the squirrels. We watched her for a while, and then frequented the park with a bag of peanuts. Naturally, we had to go back and relive our memory. It was a bit warm this weekend, so the squirrels weren't quite as active as we remember, but we got several to come up close.

The most amazing thing is that they will take the peanuts from your hand!

Grant feeding a cute little squirrel.

 

Another reason for our visit was to meet our friend's newest addition, their son. We hadn't seen them since their wedding three years ago, so a visit was long overdue! It was wonderful to see them. Lots of laughter and catching up! They graciously hosted us all weekend, too!

 

We even had a chance to go to the lake. Kelli and I stayed at the beach with the baby, and Grant and Jon tried out his jet ski. They enjoyed themselves and were able to cool off in the water. It was toasty on the beach, even in the shade, so we didn't end up staying for too long.

 

Grant getting ready to head out on the water!

Jet ski in action!

 

I wish I would have taken more pictures, but I forgot my camera, as well as few other important items, like our phone chargers. Whoops! These are the only pictures I got the entire time... We were just having too much fun :)

 

Thanks Jon and Kelli for hosting a fabulous weekend!

 

Love, the George family





Plum

I wrote this post ahead of time to chronicle our pregnancy journey before we made the big announcement for all the world to see! 9.3.12

Milestone week 12 - even though we still have a bit to go until we hit the second trimester, I feel like this is an accomplishment. We had our first appointment last week. Grant was solid as stone, and I was a nervous wreck. Through prayer, a fabulous hubby, and a couple of solid friends, I made it through to the appointment and we got to hear the heartbeat! I may not have recognized what it was but the midwife picked up on it right away. It was beating strong at 162, which she reassured me is just where it should be. :) I was measuring right on track with what I thought and all is well!

My symptoms have returned a bit over the past few days - naseau, exhaustion, the works. Hopefully it's just one last reminder of what the first trimester is like. I've also been a bit sick with a cold.

I'm starting to develop the tiniest baby bump!

Right now, things are good. Our next appointment is in October and we feel good about it. I don't feel any pressure to get back right away, because I feel like things are just progressing naturally and I'm trusting in what I can't see. What a great metaphor for my relationship with God - trusting in what I cannot see. Even though I know the baby is really in there and developing, I can't feel it, I can't see it, I can't hear it. Trusting God can feel much the same way, but He is always working in our lives. I'm  learning a lot about my relationship with Him during this season.

The most exciting part about hearing the heartbeat is that it's starting to feel a lot more real. I looked up a bunch of consignment events that are coming up over the next few weeks, and we're going to start shopping around a bit. I feel like a sardine in a vast sea of baby items, so I'm looking forward to hearing everyone's experiences and learning from all you mamas who've done it before!

Love, the George family