Here's what today looked like...

TODAY'S STATS

Nutrition:

Breakfast: 1 serving old fashioned oats made with water, 1 cup diced mango, 1/2 cup granola

Lunch: Tofu Spring Rolls from Fire Bowl Cafe w/ peanut sauce (First time there - very cool Asian restaurant in ATX!)

Snack: 1 Granny Smith apple with 2 TBSP natural peanut butter

Dinner: Maple & Brown Sugar Shakeology (1 packet low sugar Maple & Brown sugar oatmeal, 1 scoop Chocolate Shakeology, blended with water & ice - perfection!)

Post-Dinner: 12 oz. Simply Orange with Mango - LOVE this stuff!

Supplements: Folic Acid, Beachbody Core Omega-3/Omega-6 supplement, Beachbody Core Cal-Mag

Workout:

I did TurboFire 45EZ workout tonight....which wasn't easy when I wasn't pregnant! But I follow the low impact options for safety...but that still doesn't mean low intensity! :)

Rest:

I slept until 6:30 this morning, and I was ready for a nap by 1pm. I fought it for a while, but finally laid down about 3pm for about 45 minutes. As I type, I'm counting the minutes until I can go to bed. I'm still amazed by how tired my body is!

Sickness:

Tailbone & body tenderness is about all I can complain about. My body is shifting and stretching...and while it makes for some uncomfortable moments, I'm still SO thankful that I'm not sick and SO grateful for the amazing life forming inside me.

Today, I'm most excited about....

Decorating Noah's nursery! My parents are coming to visit after Christmas, so James & my dad will paint the nursery while my mom and I go out to look for furniture. :) I'll post pics very soon into the new year!

Praising God When My Shirts Don't Fit

This past week, I've probably whined a little more than usual...

After all, at week 19, there are some definite changes going on in my body. Yet, I'm still at that awkward inbetween stage. I definitely don't fit into my normal clothes, but I also can't quite fill out maternity wear yet. And the most frustrating part? The pants aren't even what I'm having trouble with! The shirts are what is giving me such a hard time. (If someone would create a line of clothing for this stage in pregnancy, you'd be a millionaire. So there's the idea - totally free - Someone, please run with it! And the only payment I want is free clothes whenever I'm pregnant!) :)

Each time I have to get dressed in something other than my sweats, it takes me twice as long to get ready. I promise...things that fit me just last week are no longer remotely flattering! Not to mention, being heavier & paler at the same time isn't fun for anyone. Don't get me wrong - I've NEVER stopped being thankful for being pregnant, and I am so excited Noah is on his way, but just being honest about some of my petty...but genuine... struggles.

So in the midst of my whining, I got a phone call from my sister that put an abrupt stop to my pity party.

A dear friend of ours that we grew up with in Germantown, Tennessee, is burying one of her 19 month old twins today. When Alicia went to go wake up Evie and Ramsey last Friday morning, she found that Evie had died in her sleep. Not only is this tragic enough in itself, but this also stirs up her previous pain from already losing a child. A few years ago, she gave birth to a child that only lived a few days.

I just can't imagine...

I was reminded of Job. In Job 1, we learn how Job's life basically falls apart. He loses his family, his livestock, his home... all he is really left with is his faith. In the midst of his tragedy:

At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship ²¹ and said:

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
and naked I will depart.
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
may the name of the LORD be praised.”

²² In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.

Job 1:20-22

Trusting God when it hurts...

Trusting God when you can't see how He could possible be in whatever you're going through...

I once heard a pastor say, "When you can't see God's hand, trust His heart." As true as that teaching is, it still doesn't make it easy to follow.

Needless to say, it's given me a new perspective when I can't find clothes in my closet that fit. In fact, I find myself praising God when I have to find a new outfit to wear...even if it is the 3rd or 4th one I've tried on.

I hope this blog will encourage you to put life in real perspective, especially in the Christmas season. We have so much to be thankful for, and God is so good...even in the moments that we don't understand, like why He needed Evie Grace more than her earthly family.

Please join our family in prayers for Alicia, her husband, Jonathan, and Evie's twin sister, Ramsey.

It's a BOY!

Never doubt mother's intuition - it's a boy! Yesterday, we got our first sneak peak at a detailed ultrasound. We may not have been able to get him to sit still enough to take a profile picture, but he had no problem spreading his legs on the first try. James and I are so excited, and we can't wait to welcome Noah Jackson into the world this May. (Little explanation on the name - we both love Noah's faithfulness in the Bible, and Jackson is the town in Tennessee where my dad grew up and the town James claims as home - so his name is dear to our heart!)

We had to go back to Arlington for our final appointment there, so yay for another 3 hour drive. (I had to drive back and forth between Arlington and Austin twice last week - once to sign the contract on our house and another time to actually move!) But this one was well worth it - I was bouncing with excitement the entire ride.

At first, she began measuring Noah's head, brain, arms, legs, arms, etc., just to make sure that he was developmentally on track. Her measurements came back completely normal. Noah weighs about 8 oz. and is about 7.5 inches long now. He was moving around a lot, so he wasn't making it easy on our sweet ultrasound tech.

However, she had no problem getting him to spread his legs. Very quickly, she asked, "Do you want to know?" After my quick "YES!," she said. "It's a boy. No doubt about it."

I squealed. I've said this from the beginning - I would have been happy either way - I really would have been - but I am so excited to be able to give my parents their first grandson. (It's the first grandchild on James' side, so either one would have been just as exciting for them!) I watched in amazement and she went through in detail to show us as much as she could about our little boy. James, of course, is ecstatic too.

She never could get him to sit still long enough to get a profile shot. (As my loving father quickly says..."Payback!") However, we were able to get a shot of his face, which I can't scan yet since we are still unpacking...but I will tell you - this is the scariest ultrasound! Right now, Noah looks like cross between and alien and a skeleton...so I look forward to him filling out just a little bit! :) The only other thing she got a picture of was his foot...which was no surprise to me! I've been getting kicked for about a week and a half now!

His heartbeat was 158 bpm, and everything else looked good. We had an opportunity to pay for an additional test to check for Down's Syndrome, but we opted not to. After all, it doesn't matter. Noah is our son, and while we pray faithfully for a healthy baby boy, we will love him and raise him the same, no matter what.

Thank you for sharing in our excitement! I'll post the new pictures as soon as I can.

How I Survived the 10 Hour Drive to Thanksgiving

My husband is from a small town in West Tennessee, which meant that we spent 10 hours in a car to stay at his parent's house. My parents were also coming down from Knoxville to another town about 30 minutes away from his family. We love Thanksgiving because it allows us to see both of our families without as much back and forth driving.

However, that still meant we had a 10-hour drive ahead of us. I was worried for multiple reasons: 1) My tailbone still hurts. 2) James doesn't like to stop, and as much as I've had a small bladder before pregnancy, I'm at a whole new level now. 3) Long periods of sitting or standing don't agree with me. I have to change it up frequently to stay comfortable.

But I made it! How?

1. A surprisingly patient husband.

I love my husband dearly, and he has many strengths. However, patience is not typically one of them. But anytime I spoke up to say that I needed to go to the bathroom, he didn't complain. He just looked for the next exit, let me out quickly to go, and we were back on the road. No judgement. No arguing. It was quick and overall didn't add that much time to our trip. Plus, the frequent stops allowed me to stretch my legs for a few minutes and prevented me from getting too uncomfortable.

2. Running laps when we stopped to fill up the tank.

Okay, so they weren't long laps, (In fact, because of the busyness of the travel weekend, I was confined to running laps around my car!) but it got the job done!

3. Choosing places to eat with space to walk around.

Instead of eating in the car like we have been known to do, James stopped for us to eat at outdoor shopping malls or food courts with Chick-Fil-A. (Subway & Chick-Fil-A are my only approved fast-food restaurants.)

Even with making these choices, it probably only added 45 minutes to our overall trip. Plus, we were more rested when we arrived in Tennessee. I highly recommend following this pattern if you have to make a significant road trip when pregnant.