What I've Been Up To

We are now expecting our 5th child, due early August. I'm very excited that our family is growing once again, but this time I'm definitely noticing the toll it's taking on my body. I know a lot of this is in my head, but I feel like I look more out-of-shape than I ever have before. My weight does not reflect how I feel, in fact I think I'm gaining slower than in my previous pregnancies, but I can tell that my body is not as toned or strong as it used to be. I am showing very early, which (I need to accept) is common for 5th pregnancies. And I have severe round ligament pain from time to time already! On the bright side I have been feeling the baby's movements since 9 weeks along, and am now feeling him/her every day. <3 It never ceases to fill my heart with joy. Here are some belly pics!

8 Weeks



10 Weeks



12 Weeks and I'm getting huge!!!

Oh! And I also got a treadmill from craigslist, but after walking on it for 2 days the motor started to smell funny and, upon closer inspection, Adam found that it is broke and not running well enough to depend on. I only spent $50 dollars on it, and am thanking my lucky stars that I didn't give the guy the full $100 dollars he was originally asking for! At this point I really could use a gym membership, but they are so expensive and I feel selfish taking that time away from my family every day. Adam is fully supporting whatever I want to do, but he does so much for me when I am sick or tired (which is all the time lately), so I don't want to put another burden on him.

Let's see... Other news... Every Wednesday night from 8-10 a small group of young Christian moms get together to do crafts or projects that we don't normally have time to finish. Our goal is to be as productive as we can in 2 hours, and to also fellowship and uplift each other while accomplishing things! It has been SO MUCH FUN! I look forward to it all week long. :) CBC (the kid's "sunday school") is from 5-6:30pm, so we end up getting something to eat and then Adam takes the boys to the airport to watch the plans come in and take off while I spend some much-appreciated time doing crafts. Last week everyone agreed to do a group project for our men for valentines day! I thought it was such a wonderful idea, so I bought all the supplies needed for it right away that night, and then at 3am when I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep I decided to start working on it! Four hours later I had completed the valentine for Adam, and that morning I gave it to him. ;) It was just too much (for me) to make him wait until the 14th! He LOVED it! Here it is:

It's made with a deck of cards!

The "book ends" are the jokers. ;)

Adam really is never stressed. :) Such a great quality, and something I really need in my man!

It reads like a book.

This is my personal favorite. But I won't be adding any more pictures... they get a little mushy. ;)



And now I will have to come up with something else to surprise him with on vday. :o) That's ok, I have some ideas... ;D Another project that I've been working on since being inspired at our craft night is a crocheted pillow top for my mom. She will be turning 50 this Saturday so I wanted to give her something extra special. The crocheted part turned out beautifully! Here it is:

The colors are brighter than they look in this picture, but you get the idea. This square took me about 3 days (working on it 2-3 hours each day) to finish.

Now I just have to sew it onto a couch pillow and then give it to her to add to her "Happy Pillow" collection. :) (Yes, she calls pretty pillows and blankets her "happy" pillows and blankets! It's so cute!) Once I am done with the pillow (hoping to finish it tonight maybe) I will start crocheting a baby blanket for the little one in my belly. It will be the first time that I have ever crocheted anything for any of my babies. I will be using the same pattern for the blanket as I did for mom's pillow top, so I know exactly how it will turn out. I am looking forward to finishing a little more of it each week at the craft night!

One more exciting bit of news - the midwinter retreat at our church is coming up in 2 weeks and I am PUMPED! Soooo excited to see my sister Rochelle who I don't get to see very often, and her baby Phebe! Oh and my bro-in-law Charlie, but he doesn't count. :P Jk! It will be great to see some other moms that I haven't seen in months, too. I have been a bit discouraged recently, so I really need this fellowship with other like-minded mommas. (And the hotel stay won't be too bad either!) ;) Every year it turns out to be a loooong weekend, but it is filled with fun and going out to eat and I might even get a little swimming in too! I ordered a cute bathing suit online and it came in the mail today! But it is too big. I am definitely feeling bigger than I look. :P So I am sending it back for a smaller size, and I am crossing my fingers that a new one will be processed and sent to me in time! :)