This site has MOVED!

I've merged all of my blogs together! Please visit the new & improved www.michellemyersonline.com and click subscribe to receive my updates! Looking forward to staying connected with you there.

You'll find all of my pregnancy related posts under the "FAMILY" tab.

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.

Pretty & Pregnant

Now 16 weeks pregnant, I'm to the point where you can tell I've gained weight. After 4 months, I should have gained some! I still don't feel like I look pregnant, but my stomach is definitely not as flat as it normally is. Since the day I found out I was pregnant, I've been faithfully praying that I would handle the weight gain gracefully - not stressing out over it, but just enjoying this time, knowing that thanks to my awesome job, I know how to get the weight off when that time comes.

However, I've been amazed by the words certain people have used to describe me...to my face...especially those who know that I struggled with an eating disorder during college. I thought it might be helpful to take this time to post some suggestions when speaking to pregnant women in your life. :)

It's really very simple.

Take every opportunity you can to remind her how pretty she is. During pregnancy, a woman's body goes through so many changes, she can't even keep up! It's like those insecure adolescent years...as far as bodily changes go, pregnancy is a similar time. She needs encouragement during this time that she is beautiful -- After all, there's nothing in this world more beautiful than the gift of a child.

Feel free to be creative and use your own favorite word, but here some suggestions to get you started: beautiful, charming, cute, darling, delightful, elegant, glowing, lovely, gorgeous...

Avoid any negative comment about her changing appearance. She knows she's gained weight. Even if you don't mean it in a negative way, she doesn't need you to point that out. It's as much of an adjustment for her when she puts her clothes on in the morning or looks in the mirror. Unless you are using obvious words like "pregnant," "expecting" or "with child," it's probably a good idea to stick with the words from the first list if you'd like to make a comment.

In addition to the weight gain, many women struggle with the fact that they may have paler skin, increased fatigue, acne, or dark circles under their eyes. Again, it seems like it would be common sense not to bring these things up in conversation...but again...you'd be surprised what I've either had said to me or heard said to a pregnant friend.

Words to Avoid: big, bulging, chunky, full, large, plump, fat, pudgy, round, sickly, swollen, tired, pale, exhausted, worn out...Just remember: while some of those words may be true, it's probably not the most uplifting thing that could come out of your mouth! :)

That's it! See? Told you - it's simple!

We find out if Baby Myers is a boy or girl in 9 days! We are so excited to see our little prince/princess again. He/she's gone through quite a growth spurt since our last sonogram at 10 weeks. Stay tuned!

Pamper Yourself A Little!

I've mentioned before that I've had a little bit of trouble sleeping because I can't get comfortable sleeping on my side. So today, I decided that it was time for a little bit of muscle relief. Thanks to my generous husband, I went to get my first pregnancy massage.

As great as massage is anytime, today felt extra incredible! There are just so many changes going on in your body, you can't always be precise with the source of the pain. In addition to tension relief in the muscles, prenatal massage has a lot of perks. Check out this article to read more about the benefits of prenatal massage.

In a lot of ways, pregnancy massage is very similar to a normal relaxation massage. However, just as you have certain positions you can't lay in while sleeping, you can't lay flat on your back while getting a pregnancy massage. You also reach a point where it's uncomfortable to lay on your stomach, so most of the massage will be given while you are laying on one of your sides or propped up at an angle on your back. Second, there are certain trigger spots that educated massage therapists know to avoid since stimulating those areas could cause early contractions when you are far enough along in your pregnancy. Last, make sure that your massage therapist uses only organic essential oils, such as lavender, and avoids using strong-smelling oils like peppermint. (P.S. I didn't know this before today. I'm very comfortable with my therapist, and she is used to me asking a lot of questions. Lucky for me, she's very smart and always has an answer!)

Even if you're on a tight budget, I highly encourage you to save up and splurge on a few massages during pregnancy. After all, the more comfortable and relaxed you are, the better it is for you and the baby. That's worth it, right?

One final note: Always check with your doctor on her thoughts about when you can begin pregnancy massage. Some doctors are fine with it anytime, but my doctor wanted me to wait until my 2nd trimester. But once you get the go ahead from your doctor, go for it!

Thanks to Cynthia Garcia for an amazing massage. If you are in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, check out her website to schedule an appointment for you or to buy a gift certificate for someone else. (Husbands, it would make a GREAT Christmas gift!)