Gotta, Wanna, Needa, Getta, Hava Chocolate Pop!

We spent this past weekend at Emerald Isle with my parents and had a great time. The ocean breeze really helped me stay cool. I tried to behave myself with desserts even though my mom is an excellent cook and baker. I gained 7 pounds in 3 weeks recently, and Jamie put it most tactfully when he said, "I think you have a hard time controlling yourself around sweets." So true...I seem to have this gotta have it complex lately when it comes to anything chocolate. In any case, I waved sadly as we passed by three Dairy Queens on our trip, longing for a truffle blizzard. On a positive note, I discovered low fat "chocolate pops" as my step-dad calls them (they are really fudge popsicles). They make a great afternoon snack and still give me my chocolate fix.

I have sewn lots of things for friends who've had babies over the last year - booties, burp cloths and blankets mostly - but I've hardly made a thing for my own child. I made him an ECU tag blanket several months ago when I was really into tag blankets, but then I gave it away :-( He does have one Mommy-made blanket, but this week I'm going to start making my nursing cover. I ordered some cute Michael Miller fabric (see below) and look forward to dusting off my sewing machine again.


I go this Friday for my glucose test. I'm really hoping that I pass! I know I don't have the self control to avoid almost all sugar if I don't. I'll also sign-up for several childbirth classes at this appointment, so I'm excited about that. I can't believe I'm only 14 weeks away from meeting my little boy!

Memorial Weekend Recap

We had a great time in Ocracoke, although the ocean was calmer and warmer this time last year. Here's what we did: hung out on the beach, kayaked, rode our bikes, slept late, ate dessert every night with no guilt, read a book each, and just enjoyed each other's company. Next year we'll probably break our Memorial Weekend tradition and go to Emerald Isle with my parents. I know they will be a great help to us with baby Micah, plus we love their company :-)


We took a total of three pictures the entire time. As I mentioned in a previous post, we aren't big picture people but hope to become better once Micah is here. We have good intentions. We always have our camera nearby! For me, the problem is multi-tasking. When I'm scrambling to capture the moment in pictures, I feel like I'm missing out on the actual moment. However, there is an exception...whenever this happens, a certain somebody takes loads of pictures. Hmmmm.


Speaking of Jon and Kate plus 8 (so we weren't, but I didn't have a good transition to that topic). I think it's time for them to turn off the cameras and deal with each other. I sometimes think about how much more aware of myself I would be if cameras were following me around all the time. For instance, if I berated Jamie all the time (I don't, by the way), I think it would become painfully obvious to me, most of all, if it was captured on tape. Then I'd want to change. Not so much with Mrs. Kate. After watching the season premiere of their show Monday night, I just felt compelled to pray for their family. I also felt compelled to stop watching. Don't feel like all the attention/press they're getting is really healthy right now.

Truth

I say lots of prayers for my unborn baby. I pray for his health, that he's a good sleeper when he's born (wink), but the most important thing I pray is that Jesus will know him by name, that Micah will have a personal relationship with his Heavenly Father. Our pastor is doing a sermon series on religious relativism - the prevailing idea in our culture that no absolute truth exists when it comes to religion - and I've felt the burden even more to make sure that Micah knows and understands Truth. (Click here to listen to the sermons from the Whatever series. I especially recommend Whatever...all paths lead to God.)

It seems like teaching him God's Truth should be an easy job for us. Jamie and I both have a personal relationship with Jesus, we love our church and attend regularly, and we have lots of Christian friends who share our values. But I don't want Micah to have his Christian beliefs challenged one day and then realize he only believes the way he does because his parents told him to, or because he never knew anything different. Simply put, I want him to have a very firm faith foundation and to be ready with answers when his faith is challenged.

Our pastor recommended a book this past weekend called More Than A Carpenter by Josh McDowell. Jamie has read the book (I haven't), but I think the author (who wasn't a Christian at the time) basically did an in-depth investigation to determine, "Who is this Jesus?" He ultimately determined that Jesus is the Real Deal!

We're excited to introduce Micah to Jesus, but we're also painfully aware of the other messages that will be competing with our own. If you are praying for Micah, please pray for his relationship with Jesus. Yes, we want him to be healthy, smart, happy, etc., but we're much more interested in his eternity.

Micah and Parents...On the Move!

Thank goodness we stayed home this weekend! The weather was awful, and we got so much done around the house! We assembled all of Micah's nursery furniture, so his room is starting to come together. We still don't have his bed made yet - we're waiting to sell our sailboat before we buy him a mattress - but I won two auctions on ebay so that he could have curtains that match his bedding. My very crafty neighbor and friend, Karen, also finished making some letters for his wall. They are soooooo cute! I'll put the curtains and letters up in June, after my other super crafty friend, Stephanie, paints his walls. I'm so excited to see how it all comes together!

People keep telling me I'm small for 24 weeks. While I appreciate the compliment, I want to make sure he's growing like he's supposed to. I don't go back to the doctor for two more weeks, but he's very active, which is encouraging.

This weekend we are going to Ocracoke for several days. We are taking our kayak this time and look forward to hanging out on the beach, riding our bikes, reading, sleeping late and eating yummy food. I guess this is our last "big" trip before Micah is born, but I don't expect that we'll slow down much once he's here - we'll just start taking him with us (or letting Mimi babysit ;-).

Squirmy Baby

Last week I remarked in a post that I couldn't wait for Micah to start moving so that Jamie could feel him. Well, that same afternoon, he was doing acrobatics in my tummy! I called Jamie over to feel, hoping that Micah would cooperate, and he did! Since then we've both felt him quite a lot. He always gives good kicks when I lay flat on my back. Sometimes I tickle my stomach to try to "wake him up," but Jamie says that's mean and I should let him sleep. Haha.

I had my 22 week doctor's appointment last week, and everything was great. I'm 2 pounds over my weight goal. No biggie, I'm actually pleased to only be 2 pounds over.

We have three weeks off from races now, so we will be spending time at the river and beach, including our annual Memorial Day weekend trip to Ocracoke. My plan for the summer is to stay cool and wet ;-)

Mother's Day "Dress Rehearsal"

I had a wonderful (quasi) first Mother's Day! When I arrived at work on Friday, there was a Mother's Day card on my desk signed by all the ladies I work with at Covenant. Each of them had written a personal message - it was so sweet! Friday afternoon we went to Chapel Hill to score a "tree hugger" race on Saturday morning :-) Seriously, I have nothing against environmentalists - in fact, we practice a lot of what they preach in our own home - but it's the anything goes/free spirit that gets to me. Jamie and I run a very organized production when we do races, and some of these people didn't seem too concerned when they forgot to tell the runners to pick up their timing chips (hello!!). They were like, "Oh...yeah...sorry about that." I think one of them was high.

We got back Saturday afternoon and had dinner with my dad and stepmom. We really enjoyed spending time with them, and Micah got a cute fabric barnyard with stuffed animals that "talk" for Mother's Day (yes, Micah got all the Mother's Day presents, but I didn't mind ;-) It's really cute, and I hope it still works when he arrives because Jamie and my stepmom enjoy playing with it as much as any baby would.

Sunday night we had my mom, stepdad and Jamie's mom over for dinner. I have to admit that my mom spoils me (and "her baby" Micah) rotten. Last week Jamie and I had dinner with William and Amy Bell and their newborn daughter, Cora, and I fell in love with Amy's diaper bag. I told my mom about it, and last night, she presented me with one of my own! It's very girly (see below), but I figured the diaper bag should fit me more than the baby since I'm the one carrying it, and it will also double as my purse when we go out. We also got a picture frame with Micah's name spelled out in magnets, and Jamie's mom brought him a blanket, a stuffed animal and a couple of books. We are so blessed to have such awesome moms! I only hope I can be as good of a mom as mine has been to me.

22 Weeks

I'm a week late posting my bump picture. We had a few camera malfunctions :-) My nausea has more or less passed now. I feel lots of flutters and "popcorn" in my belly. The movements have become more pronounced this week - they feel more like jabs. I'm really looking forward to when Jamie can feel the baby move. Sleeping is a challenge, as I'm a belly sleeper, but I'm slowly adjusting to snoozing on my side. I have my next doctor's appointment on Thursday. I have a specific weight goal set by my midwife, so I'm hoping I didn't go over that too much. I feel I'm finally starting to "look" pregnant and not just like someone who ate too many donuts.

Shopped Til We Dropped

Jamie and I might as well have gone to Disney World this past weekend. We wouldn't have had any more fun! Our trip started Friday with a stop at Southpoint mall. I rarely buy myself clothes anymore - friends have loaned me so much, and I'd honestly rather spend the money on the baby. But I needed new undies (can't exactly borrow those) and a new top, so we picked up those things, had a nice dinner, then continued on to Burlington for a Saturday morning race (it was necessary to work hard before we played hard).

After the race, it was on. I was so excited about going to Ikea that I could hardly eat my lunch. Once there, it was everything I hoped it would be and more. If you've never experienced Ikea, it's a large home store/warehouse that features high quality at very low prices. We got Micah's crib, dresser, bookcase and a few other odds and ends for under $500. After our Ikea experience, it was time to reward Jamie with a trip to Concord Mills and Bass Pro Shop. He spent almost three hours there while I shopped the children's outlets. I really wanted to get Micah a Gymboree blanket, and I found one on the clearance rack at the outlet (that's what I call bargain shopping, folks) for $9! He also got a few other fall clothes.

We had to drag ourselves out of Concord Mills because we were so hungry. Otherwise we could have shopped on into the night. We went to Carrabas and ate at the pasta bar so we wouldn't have to wait. What an experience! We were so well entertained watching the chefs work, and we even got free samples!

What a fun day! I woke up Sunday and wanted to do it all again, but Jamie said we were broke :-(