Twenty!!

Week twenty started off with a jolt.  Literally. I was stopped at a redlight on my way to work and was rear-ended.  The car is fine (because Elly, the Element, is a beast), but I was completely freaked out about baby us.  I was super nauseated (I found out later because of the adrenaline) and after the police came and the insurance info was exchanged I drove home and just sat in our parking lot for a minute.  I put my hand on my belly and baby us started to kick.  I couldn't help but smile and cry and start praying.  I thanked God that we were okay and that He showed me once again that I should be trusting Him, as He is in control :)

The weekend just got awesome after that!  I graduated, or so they tell me, on Saturday.  That was another one of God's gifts.  There's no way I could have gotten a two-year graduate degree in one year while working 2-3 jobs AND pregnant if it wasn't by His grace....and John's patience with me losing my mind at times :)  To celebrate we went to San Francisco with our friends and toured Alcatraz before having a wonderful dinner overlooking the city.  If you go to Grandviews, I highly recommend the crab cakes!

Hubz, me and my big ole belly

A super-cool pic John took in our hotel

For Mother's Day my husband surprised me with some TOMS sunglasses!!!  As you may know, I love, LoVe, LOVE TOMS shoes.  The company gives a pair of shoes to those in need when you purchase a pair, they call it one for one.  Well, their sunglasses work in much the same way.  When you get a pair of shades from TOMS they give sight by means of surgeries, glasses, etc. to someone in need in a poor country.  Sadly, I'm one of those people that break sunglasses on a regular basis, so I couldn't justify spending the money (they're not cheap!) on some TOMS.  But Huberoosky did.  He used the money he's been saving from selling off his sports gear he no longer uses and then sneakily had them sent to a friend's house so he could surprise me.  I was pretty shocked, as we had agreed not to get each other Mom and Dad gifts until after the baby came.  You know, that whole "we have a baby and a house to save for" bit. The best part was the way he wrapped it all up :)

My TOMS shades!!

My card, folded into an origami flower.  Can I say coolest Hubz EVER?!

Monday we had our 20 week appointment.  To be honest, we didn't get any great pics.  There's one of his or her foot that is pretty cute if you can figure out what it is.  I found this pic on the internet that just wowed me so I thought I'd share it instead.  This is a baby that was born at 21 weeks and actually made it!! What a miracle!! And look how tiny it's little feet are!!

 For those of you that were anticipating the ultrasound pics so that you could decipher for yourself what the sex is, it wouldn't have done you any good anyway.  Baby us had its knees pulled up to its chin so even the doc doesn't know if we're having a boy or girl yet.  But the good news is she said our baby is perfect!! :)

In other news, the preparation is coming along swimmingly!  Our living room is currently filling up with awesome gifts from friends and family and we've just got the information packet from our diaper service we're planning to use!!  It turns out that not only is using our diaper service going to be way better for the planet, it's going to be cheaper than using disposables too!!  Yaay for a healthier baby, healthier world, and healthier wallet!!  Here's a pic that was included in the packet.  It really hits home!!

You probably can't read the sign, but it says, "2 years worth of disposable diapers 6-10,000 diapers for 1 baby over a diapering period vs. 2 years worth of cloth diapers for 1 baby.  YOU DECIDE!"  It's crazy if you think about it.  Most people these days don't potty train their kids until closer to age 3, so that right side pile would be even bigger!  Of course, the cloth side would stay the same because you only buy them once :)

I often get a lot of "interesting" :) comments from people when talking about my future parenting choices, such as cloth diapers.  For those questioning whether cloth might be right for them here is an awesome post I found about how unhealthy disposables can be for your kiddo http://allaboutclothdiapers.com/why-choose-cloth-diapers-health-reasons/  

17

There are two reminders we keep on our bathroom mirror. They are basically the sum of the reason our marriage works.

 The first reminder says, "Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful." 1 Corinthians 4:2 I found this verse in college and it has basically been my life mantra. I really try not to take the Lord's gifts for granted. I knew having the opportunity to go to college was a true gift from God. He had entrusted me with an opportunity that very few in my family had ever had, and I was determined to prove faithful and to value that gift with everything. I feel the same way about being eco. That the Lord entrusted us with this planet, so we are to prove faithful to it. That's why being green, to me, means being a good steward and Christian. The same is true of my students in my class, my educational opportunities, and most certainly, my marriage. I know what an incredible blessing it is to have a good marriage. I also know that the Lord has entrusted me with the happiness and love of an extraordinary person. I keep that verse up to remind myself every day that God gave me this man to love and cherish, and that He expects me to prove faithful to such a responsibility. That's how I feel about having a baby too. I know how incredibly difficult it is for some women to have children. I know that some never do. I also know that God would not have entrusted me with this (future President, next Billy Graham, missionary, curer of cancer) if He didn't expect me to prove faithful to the honor of having it.

 The other reminder on our mirror is pretty much the reason I'm not losing my mind being pregnant. It says, "Words are important. Words are important. Words are important." John put those words up for himself. Shortly after our first year of marriage we read the 5 Love Languages. We never could figure out what John's love language is (either I'm doing an awesome job and he's never felt unloved, or he's an incredibly secure and happy person ALL the time. Could be a little of both ;). ) My love language is apparently words of affirmation. As pathetic and shallow as it may sound, it turns out I need to hear that I'm great to believe it. That is especially true now. Mostly these days I'm tired and unproductive, and still freaking out over the rapid growth of my stomach. Luckily, the hubz realizes that I just need someone to tell me it's all okay and I'm still pretty and a good wife, teacher, friend, student, etc. And when he does I feel at peace again. I'm not sure if it's what he says, or more so that someone like him thinks these things about someone like me that really does the trick. Either way, it totally works for us. 

Sometimes when I start getting all freaked out about how having a baby is going to change our lives so drastically, I think about these reminders and how it just seems that they can be true in any situation we encounter. I suppose we'll find a system with "baby us" that works for us too. We'll figure out how to all take care of each other.