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.

Sweet 16

Sorry I skipped last week, but between Easter, nothing blog-worthy to talk about and my belly pics (in my Easter dress!) getting deleted, I just decided to wait for this week.

So this week we had another OB appointment. It was kinda lame. We got to hear the heartbeat, but I was really hoping to see our little cutie (who is the size of an avacado) again. Also, the midwife always wants to talk about what's troubling me. It feels much like therapy. This week we discussed the panic I sometimes get into when thinking about being a stay-home mom. Not that I don't want to be there for my child, and I know it's the best thing to have that kind of consistency in such a non-consistent life like the military, but I've been working non-stop since I was 13. Working only one job feels foreign. It's my hobby, and passion, will being a wife and mother be enough for me? Or will I be a grouchy pants everyday? These are my worries.

Hubz doesn't seem to have any worries. He's cool as a cucumber. He says he'll probably start freaking out as we're driving to the hospital :)

Baby wise, everything still looks great. No issues this week, and I'm feeling good! I even gained another pound!



Oh yeah, this is all 123 lbs. of baby incubator right here!!

I know what you are thinking, "Wow! Jess really stepped up the game on the photos this week!", but really it's all the Hubberoosky. He's gotten super into photoshop lately and taking HDR photos (I can't totally explain what this is). He's got some really amazing shots!

After the appointment in Santa Cruz we had a little date night in town and on our way home we stopped in this strawberry patch for some pics. It's pretty handy having an awesome photographer at my disposal ;)

3.5 months!

Yup, that's right, we're at 14 weeks. Geez! The whole first trimester I felt like this pregnancy deal is taking FOREVER! I just want to meet our teeny tiny little baby!! But now I'm thinking, holy cow! 14 weeks already?! I'm sure this is probably one of those things that changes back and forth.

This week I did gain a pound. Yaay! I could tell because this is the week that my pants stopped buttoning. (not a yaay). It makes sense though, because baby us is now the size of a navel orange!! I didn't quite realize how big that was until we got our CSA box this week and had some navel oranges in them.

No wonder my pants won't button!

Let's see...the good and bad of this week. Definitely the worst part of this week was Tuesday. I blacked out at work. Never a good thing. My doctor said I've been doing too much, although I credit the episode more to blood sugar. However, it was a pretty hectic day and I had been pushing myself in workouts the two days before. Anyway, it was quite a wake up call! I quit my behavioral therapist job, so now I'm just working one job (and just a two-hour tutoring deal on the side) and I'm only taking one class for my doctorate this quarter. Hopefully this cut-back and adding some more protein to my diet will prevent that from happening again. YIKES!

The good, or best part of this week was that my hubz came home from his trip to the Grand Canyon! I'm sure most women feel this way, but I I just don't function the same without him here. Life is well...dull without him. I'm sure this is partially because I'm so insanely in love with him, but part of it is well, frankly, I have an awesome husband! I've included a short video of him here to demonstrate just how lovable he is ;)



Hahaha! Isn't he silly?!
We went to play racquetball today, which I'll admit is a bit more challenging for me these days as I really can't jump or reach far for the ball. I'm not supposed to twist my torso and I'm really slow when it comes to running after the ball. This video is Hubber's depiction of my pregnant racquetball skills. *eyeroll* He cracks me right up! :D

13

Welp, we're now 13 weeks into our journey with Baby Us! Our little bit is the size of a lime (about 3 inches) now. We had a busy week this week signing our contract with our doula and meeting our new OB and midwife, whom we absolutely love :) Friday we had just a quick appointment where we were able to hear the heartbeat again, but not able to view the baby this week. Normally we wouldn't have appointments so close together, but since we switched doctors we had a meet and greet appointment with them. I have a short video here where you can hear the heartbeat. It's not as excting as seeing our precious soul, but a wonderful reassurance that he or she is still partying it up in there :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5bkkkX3BB0&feature=youtube_gdata_player


I don't have a pic of my belly, as I didn't gain any weight this week; my belly didn't really change enough to constitute another pic of it. Anyway, my handsome photographer is in the Grand Canyon with his brother :)

The highlight of this week was just getting our ducks in a row for our support team. Our new OB is a HUGE supporter of natural birth, and our doula is just a blessing with all the support she's already provided through education. I've been scared that I'm not tough enough to climb this mountain, so to speak, but with these amazing women and my greatest supporter ever, my husband, behind me I just feel overwhelmed with encouragement and love that I can do this the way that God created me to.

The tough spot this week has been emotions. I feel like a nutcase on a rollercoaster, for real!! So far I haven't had the easiest pregnancy, although it could certainly be worse! I do thank God for the troubles that I've had, knowing that they are really blessings. However, sometimes I feel guilty when women talk about how awesome pregnancy is and I want to punch them in the throat ;)

I've had awesome help from friends and family this week. Hubz, as always, has been so tremendously amazing! He found our doula and new OB, made all the appointments, and has done all the work of scheduling, listing and asking questions, and praying for us to find the right "team". My friends Michi and Caroline helped me work on the (overwhelming!!) registry. And my future sis-in-law sent me some great info on baby dental care! I feel exceptionally blessed to have such amazing, supportive people in my life!

Baby us!!!

I guess if you're reading this you probably already know that we are going to have a mini-us or baby-us at the end of Sept.!!

I wanted to start using my blog as a place for updates so I'm not bombarding people on facebook with info, and so I don't leave anyone that wants to know about us out of the loop.

So here goes!



This is the latest pic of baby us :) It was taken last Thursday (March 8). It was so cool because little bit just starting dancing and kicking its little feet while we were watching!! It was amazing!! The doc said everything looks PERFECT with me and the baby! That was a HUGE load off! He actually said that I was made to have this baby. I thought that was pretty funny, since I feel the same way :) And ironically, that's what the doctor told my mom when she was pregnant with me!!

Today I'm am 12 weeks preggo. So the baby is the size of a peach!! Isn't that a peach? (hehe). This week my biggest challenge has been weight. I'm very thankful that I'm no longer sick all day everyday or sleeping my life away, but I am having a big issue with my belly. I never thought I'd be that way. I mean, I think pregnant women look adorable!! But so far I've gained 4 lbs. (This is a feat that previously took me about 10 years to do). All four of those pounds are in my belly, I swear, It's SO big! I knew it was coming, but I guess I didn't expect it so soon! Starting this week I'm supposed to gain a pound a week! EEk!



In other news, we met with a prospective doula this week and have an appointment with our new hippie-and-more-natural-birth-friendly OB and midwife next week :)

...Oh, and here are some tidbits to answer some of the most common questions we've been getting:
1. No, we don't plan to find out what we're having. We'd like to be surprised :)
2. The only names we are sure of are the boy's first name, after his daddy :), and if it's a girl, the middle name will be Marie, after both our grandmothers.
3. We have started registering, but since I'm a researching eco-nut it's taking me a while to research each product so if you want to check it out it's at myregistry.com. And we're hoping for most things to be used (bought off ebay or whatever) or organic to allow our baby to have the smallest eco-footprint possible.
4. And we did get our extension to stay in California until December so we won't be moving and having a baby in the same week (yaay!)

If you have any more questions, please feel free to email me. I feel like it's pretty hard to keep people in the loop when you live on the other side of the country :/

Last Minute Tax Deductions!!

…or an even better title would be “Your last chances to save the world in 2011” ☺

This week I began printing out all the receipts from charities we’ve given to this year and ya know, it really starts to add up! All those donations can also equal a lot of deductions, and tax time is just around the corner! Here are some really great charities you may not have heard of that you can give to online. I found them on the Daily Grommet website. As with any online giving site, they will email you a receipt, which you can save to hand over to your accountant for some deductions, and more importantly, to make a difference!!

Containers to clinics: I recently heard of this project that repurposes large shipping containers into small clinics for those in areas without medical services!! Watch the video and then try to tell me you don’t want to give to this!! It will definitely pull at your heart-strings (and hopefully your purse strings ☺)
http://bcove.me/wszryt5d

Wine into water: This guy, Doc Hendley, just heard about how unclean “water kills more children than HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined. Every 15 seconds a child dies because of unclean drinking water.” And he decided to do something about it. Talk about inspiration!! I love it!!! Check him out, and check out this awesome cause! !http://bcove.me/jo6lsgbl


Need an added bonus? How about airline miles?! When you give to these organizations through the American Airlines shopping portal you are rewarded with points for each dollar you donate!

Use this site: http://www.aa.com/i18n/AAdvantage/earnMiles/beyondTravel/charities/main.jsp to get miles for donating to:
• The National Foundation for Cancer Research,
• Susan G. Komen for the cure to breast cancer
• USO
• Unicef

If you don’t care at all about a tax deduction, but want to help others, please check out http://www.kiva.org/ This site allows you to give a small ($25) loan to someone around the world just trying to make it. The loan gets repaid to you over time and you can then cash out or donate your $25 to someone else in need!

40 days and 40 Ways ...(to help) #40..finally

PRAYER.

There is no other single greater way to help someone than prayer. We can help, but God works miracles. I know. It is an absolute miracle that I:.....

have eternal life
am alive today
had the opportunity to go to college
am a teacher
have an amazing group of friends
am married to, no contest, the greatest man on Earth...and that he chose me
have the most loyal and supportive baby sister in the world


and there is so, so very much more, but I wanted to point out these things specifically because they are the things that I prayed fervently for in my life. And that after I realized what I had in these gifts, I have thanked God for them profusely. These are opportunities that so many people don't get in this lifetime. A second chance at life, a relationship with our Savior, a beautiful marriage and life-long friendships, a profession that I love. These are gifts that I have prayed and wept and begged and prayed and wept for. And they are gifts that I received. Simply because I love an awesome God and He says that what we ask for we receive and what we seek we will find. I did. And He hath provided.

For when you follow Him, He will give you the desires of your heart~ Psalm 37:4.

So pray without ceasing. For change in yourself, and change in the world.