25 Weeks

How far along?  25 Weeks

Total weight gain: 15 lbs

Maternity clothes? Yes, mostly all pants (although some leggings fit), and some of my regular shirts fit too (not many!)) - loving dresses with this dang heat wave! 

Stretch marks? No new ones

Sleep: Ok, waking up 2/3 times a night

Best moment this week: Lunch with an old coworker, ice cream with Nora and Clare, chatting with a friend from CO, making a huge decision!

Miss Anything? Tim. So very much, all the time.

Movement: Yes! This is an active little one!!! Some days are more active than others lately. Last night, the baby kicked while I had a cup on my stomach, and the cup moved! So funny!

Food cravings: Goldfish, ice cream, summer foods like corn on the cob, fruit (loving watermelon)and grilled everything! Still mostly into carbs, but can eat a more balanced diet lately! :)

Food aversions: OJ, tea, not a fan of chicken, will eat it though 

Gender: Don't know, and won't know until the day the bean arrives!

Labor Signs: Nope, thankfully 

Symptoms: very hot! Super tired this week.

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Looking forward to: Buying my car tomorrow! Eek! Very excited/nervous about this big decision. Good news - it's big enough for McKinley, and the BOB stroller!

Feelings: Starting to get a big freaked out about labor. Can't believe I only have 3 1/2 months left. Cranky from the heat. In a bit of a better place emotionally - rereading Have Heart has helped my perspective. 

24 Weeks

How far along?  24 weeks, five and a half months

Total weight gain: 15 lbs, thankfully the gain has slowed :)

Maternity clothes? Yes, mostly all pants (although some leggings fit), and some of my regular shirts fit too, but not all.

Stretch marks? No new ones

Sleep: Ok, waking up 2/3 times a night...lots of dreams

Best moment this week: Going out on the boat with my cousins, volunteering at VBS, coffee with an old friend, getting pedicures and lunch with Nora, and hearing the little ones heart beat! 

Miss Anything? Tim. So very much, all the time.

Movement: Yes! This is an active little one!!! Some days are more active than others lately. I find the more I am active, the less I feel the baby.

Food cravings: Goldfish, ice cream, summer foods like corn on the cob, fruit, and grilled everything! Still mostly into carbs, but can eat a more balanced diet lately! :)

Food aversions: OJ, tea, not a fan of chicken 

Gender: Don't know, and won't know until the day the bean arrives!

Labor Signs: Nope, thankfully 

Symptoms: Very tired, very emotional, occasional heartburn, sometimes trouble breathing, bad back pain

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Looking forward to: Seeing some more friends in the coming week.

Feelings: It has been a bit of an emotional roller coaster week - I had to fill out pre-admission papers for the hospital, which was NOT fun (some fun things included on that were marital status, spouses name, emergency contact, next of kin) 3 months ago, I would have filled that form out without even thinking. Instead, the silly form sent me into a tailspin of sadness and frustration that I have to think about such things now. 

On the other hand, I once again was shown how amazing people can be, when an old friend and I met for coffee and she presented Baby Hine and I with gift cards that she had accepted for us instead of birthday presents for her son. Incredible.

Also, I had a dream about Tim the other night where I finally got to talk to him (I dream about him a lot, but can never talk to him). I asked him if he knew this baby, and he said yes! It was an answer to prayers because it is something that I have been praying a lot about over the last several weeks.

3 Months

It's been 3 months today since Tim went to Heaven. Every single day feels like it is a challenge for me to breathe, but some days are even harder than others. This is one of those days. I came across this song today, and thought I would share the hope we have that we know we will see Tim again!

"With Hope"

This is not at all 

How we thought it was supposed to be

We had so many plans for you

We has so many dreams

But now you've gone away

And left us with the memories of your smile

And nothing we can say

And nothing we can do

Can take away the pain

The pain of losing you

And we can cry with hope

We can say good-bye with hope

'Cause we know our good-bye is not the end

And we can grieve with hope

'Cause we believe with hope

There's a place where we'll see your face again

We'll see your face again

And never have I known

Anything so hard to understand

And never have I questioned more

The wisdom of God's plan

But through the cloud of tears

I see the Father smile and say 'well done.'

And I imagine you

Where you wanted most to be

Seeing all your dreams come true

'Cause now your home

And now your free

[Chorus]

We have this hope as an anchor

'Cause we believe that everything

God promised us is true

[Chorus]

We wait with hope

And we ache with hope

We hold on with hope

We let go with hope

By: Steven Curtis Chapman

23 Weeks

How far along?  23 Weeks

Total weight gain: 14 lbs - although I'm not sure about that, going to Dr. on Tuesday!

Maternity clothes? Still just leggings or  maternity jeans or shorts can wear regular tops for now - most are starting to get tight, I'm most comfortable in maternity clothes or sundresses.

Stretch marks? No new ones

Sleep: Ok, waking up 2/3 times a night...it's just so hot!

Best moment this week: hanging out with the Burkes for 4th of July!

Miss Anything? Tim. So very much. This week was a rough one.

Movement: Yes! This is an active little one!!! Some days are more active than others

Food cravings: Goldfish, ice cream, summer foods like corn on the cob, fruit, and grilled everything! I'm also like veggies again mostly, woo hoo!

Food aversions: OJ, tea, chicken

Gender: Don't know, and won't know until the day the bean arrives!

Labor Signs: Nope, thankfully 

Symptoms: Very tired, very emotional, occasional heartburn, soooo hot, sometimes trouble breathing 

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Looking forward to: Going on my cousin's boat tomorrow (trying on bathing suits pregnant is quite an experience, FYI) and my appointment on Tuesday,

Feelings: REALLY struggling with adjusting to this new life I'm having to live. I miss Tim so much, and hate that he isn't here.

23 Weeks! 

And just for fun, a 7 week comparison

St. Louis

On Monday, I flew down to St. Louis to meet my new niece Miriam and to hang out with Sarah and John. It was a much needed trip to get away, and it was wonderful to spend time with family that I don't get to see nearly as often as I'd like!

The highlights:
Miriam Elizabeth - oh, what a beautiful child she is! Miriam has a shock of dark brown hair, big blue eyes, and the sweetest little face. She is a gem of an infant, and is a trooper being carted around everywhere. She makes adorable little cooing noises, and I think she smiles :) I'm so excited Baby Hine and Miriam are cousins, and can't wait for them to meet in December!

St. Louis - Sar was awesome and planned a total foodie time in St. Louis for me! Made this preggo lady very happy! One day, we tried Gus' pretzels (the cinnamon sugar was the best!) and Drewes Frozen Custard (I had the Heath bar, delish!). Another day we went to Pappy's Smokehouse - Tim and I had tried to go there on our way to CO, so it was really nice to go this trip, this place is so yummy! And Pappy comes around the long line and makes sure everyone is happy! When he saw Miriam, he asked if it was her first BBQ, and since it was he brought her a baby shirt! So sweet! That evening we tried a new Tapas restaurant that was in a converted brewery. It was a very cool place and the food was really good. We picked sour cherries from a friend's tree, and made cherry and peach pie for dessert. We went to the Italian part of the city, called The Hill, and tried their toasted ravioli, at a restaurant that had recently been remodeled through the tv show Restaurant Impossible (we didn't know that when we got there). I'm pretty excited to see the episode of that, because I love that show! We also drove around to see the sights, took some walks and hung out in parks, went to the Cathedral Bascilica, and just relaxed around the house. It was lovely.

Sarah and John - they are such wonderful hosts, even though they have a 3 week old! It was so nice to spend time with them, and I am blessed with such wonderful family!

The airplanes - as I'm sure most of you know, I am not a huge fan of flying and often get very nervous on planes especially with turbulence. Both on the way to St. Louis and on the way home, I was sitting next to people that know a lot about planes and talked me through it. God really looks out for us, that's for sure!

All in all, it was a great trip that was much needed! It is good to be home with my puppy though! I sure did miss her!

22 Weeks, 5 months pregnant

How far along?  22

Total weight gain: 14 lbs - although I'm not sure about that

Maternity clothes? Still just leggings or  maternity jeans or shorts can wear regular tops for now - most are starting to get tight

Stretch marks? No new ones

Sleep: Ok, waking up 2/3 times a night 

Best moment this week: Meeting my niece Miriam and hanging out with Sarah and John in St. Louis - we got to try a BBQ place that Tim and I tried to go to on our way to CO ( will post about my trip soon!) And feeling Baby Hine from the outside! Even Auntie Sarah got to feel the little one!

Miss Anything? Tim. So very much. He should be here to meet our niece.

Movement: Yes! This is an active little one!! And we can now feel the bean 

from the outside

Food cravings: Still carbs, cheesy crackers like goldfish, beef, and ice cream.

Food aversions: OJ, tea, veggies are becoming way more tolerable, chicken isn't super appealing

Gender: Don't know, and won't know until the day the bean arrives!

Labor Signs: Nope, thankfully 

Symptoms: Very tired 

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Looking forward to: seeing McKinley tonight, I've missed my pup!

Feelings: Sad and angry that Tim won't be here for all the milestones for our baby, and that he didn't get to meet Miriam with me. I do believe he knows these little ones already though!

21 Weeks

How far along?  21 weeks

Total weight gain: 14 lbs - although I'm not sure about that

Maternity clothes? Still just leggings or  maternity jeans or shorts can wear regular tops for now - most are starting to get tight

Stretch marks? No new ones

Sleep: Ok, waking up 3/4 times a night 

Best moment this week: Tacos and ice cream with Nora and Joe - such a beautiful evening for the first day of summer

Miss Anything? Tim. So very much.

Movement: Yes! This is an active little one!

Food cravings: Still carbs, cheesy crackers like goldfish, and ice cream. Spicy food is still yummy, and the heartburn isn't too bad!

Food aversions: OJ, tea, veggies are becoming more tolerable, chicken isn't super appealing

Gender: Don't know, and won't know until the day the bean arrives!

Labor Signs: Nope, thankfully 

Symptoms: Very tired and very emotional. Heartburn. Some nausea when I don't eat.

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Looking forward to: Going to St. Louis to meet my niece, Miriam, and see Sarah and John!

Feelings: I've been a wreck this week. Everything is very on the surface, and I'm feeling very lonely. I miss Tim so much I can barely take it. Thankfully, God is great and I have wonderful family and friends.