We are pregnant. I am 18 weeks now and need to record the last couple months before we find out the gender:
After two years of praying and wondering if it should/would happen now that it has Dan and I feel like it's a first child again. (Totally out of practice and feeling overwhelmed like the first.) Jacob will be about 12 years older than this child. Clara will be 4 years older. I began with the awful all day sickness right at 5 weeks. I quickly made an appointment to get on some anti-nausea medicine. It helped to be able to keep food down better but made me to drowsy to use during the day. I was driving back from Jake's piano lesson and struggling to keep focus on the road which totally freaked me out so I only take it at night. I have felt so horrible but still had to manage to care for the family, keep grocery shopping, and be Relief Society President.
Dan and I decided to tell Jake and Tess pretty early so they'd understand why I felt yucky all the time. I really needed their cooperation and help. They both were so ecstatic. It's unbelievable to all of us I think! Most mornings Dan has helped to get the kids to the bus and then left for work. By the time the kids came off the bus I was stuck on the couch from which I'd help with home work and the nightly routine. After dinner was done I've often had to head right to bed leaving Dan with bedtime. Or I'd lay in Jake's bed while doing Clara's bedtime routine. Jacob, Tess and Dan have done so much to help. Tess learned to make pancakes and a rice casserole with my instructions from the couch. Jake made a lot of the school lunches. Clara and I became very speedy at the grocery store most of the time with our noses covered. I had to stop being helpful with watching other peoples kids, making RS visits (other than food orders), or volunteering at the school temporarily. Smells, oh the smells! My house has stunk for 11 weeks! I could hardly stand to brush my teeth and the feeling of the shower and smell of the bathroom was nauseating. Dan and I really didn't want the word to get out until I was past the latest I've miscarried, 13 weeks. We discussed flying my mom out several times and talked to her about it several times...but we powered through it wanting to enjoy her visits healthy!
Tender Mercies:
Shortly after the sickness started a friend showed up at the front door one morning with two freezer dinners. She had noticed I didn't seem to be feeling well. It brought me to tears and I told her. She checked up on me and brought several meals for us. It was so sweet and helped me to remember the Lord was aware of me.
Sunday's were my best days. Coincidence, I think not. I managed to get through ward council and often told Dan at sacrament meeting that I just didn't think I'd make it through the rest of the meetings but somehow I did. If I had to leave RS twice I didn't return. After that happened a couple times I told Jennifer, my first counselor. Then Jennifer got called as the new Primary President. Oh how I miss her but am excited for my kids to have her as their leader. (Dan and I have joked that he is one of my RS counselors, though at this time it really felt like it more than ever.) One Sunday two good friends were nursing their babies and heard me vomiting. I spent the rest of the 3rd hour in a recliner with them and they put two and two together. At my first presidency meeting with my new counselor and secretary I shared the news so they'd understand if I bolted for the bathroom.
Thanksgiving:
We had made plans to go south for Thanksgiving. When I got so sick Dan and I discussed the option of me staying here while he took the kids down. I had a hard enough time driving the 15 minutes to Jake's piano lessons so I just didn't see how I could make a long drive down. I really didn't want to be away from my family during a holiday but didn't want to be more miserable than I already was. A couple days before Thanksgiving Abby overheard me talking about staying here. She quickly went to tears, "mom, you have to be with us for Thanksgiving!" Dan and I decided we had to explain to her why I'd probably be staying. When I told her I was sick because of a baby her response was "nuh-uh". She didn't believe me. As we talked the disbelief turned to total excitement. She still cried waning me to go to Raleigh and South Carolina which broke my heart. I stayed here while Dan and the kids went to Raleigh. Dan decided not to make the quick trip to South Carolina without me. It was so strange to be here on my own. We only told a few close friends, who already knew I was pregnant, that I would be here. It was a nice break from being RS president. I only had to handle one thing that week. It had been a very busy couple weeks getting the Giving Tree ready for our ward, and Thanksgiving baskets set so a break was nice. I put up all the Christmas decorations and watched several Christmas shows. My sweet friends that got together for Thanksgiving brought me a plate of food. Mash potatoes were about all I could stomach but man were they divine! I took medication and slept a lot!
December:
Being so busy with my church calling and trying to still maintain some of our holiday traditions was so exhausting. But we did it. I even made gingerbread houses. I finished delivering the last "giving tree" gift for our ward on Tuesday, December 22nd. I made it to Christmas which put me at about 14 weeks. I struggled through week15 but by week 16 I started to feel so much better. Dan had surgery scheduled January 4th. Once again we discussed flying my Mom out to help during that week but Dan thought we could muscle through it. I prayed I'd feel well enough to take care of him and the kids. Amazingly enough, the week my sister Aimee came out I started to feel better. She left on a Saturday and Dan's surgery was that Monday. Other than being really tired and constant head aches I am good. I can function again and not a moment too soon! Tender mercy...yes! I lost 13lbs before starting to gain. Last pregnancy I lost 18lbs and didn't feel better until about week 20! Glory Hallelujah! I can enjoy a shower again.
One week from today we find out if we are having a boy or a girl!
Monday, January 25, 2016
Snowzilla 2016
"Snowzilla", as it was affectionately named, dumped just over 3 feet of snow on us. The state declared a state of emergency before the storm even started with predictions of 50 mile an hour winds and massive power outage throughout the area. Dan called it "SnowBama" because it came in, snowed the people and wrecked the place. Anyway...
We learned our lesson when it happened two years ago and were so much more prepared. Since Dan was recovering from surgery and couldn't lift more than 15 lbs we had to ask for some help from others. Rob Bastian came and taught me how to use an axe but really he did all the chopping for kindling. The kids and I with Dans help (he shouldn't have) brought in a lot of fire wood to the storage room. Dan made sure we had plenty gasoline. I moved the tractor up and into the garage where the missionaries helped Dan put the snow blade on. Dan and Ryan Kigin moved the generator in place as the snow began. I made sure we had plenty of food and water. We were prepared.
The power did flicker once, which made my heart stop beating while Abby cheered, "YAY!" (Dan had them excited to use our generator and campout by our fireplace.) Gratefully we didn't lose power.
The snow began on Friday, with no school, but didn't become a storm until the night. Dan set his alarm to wake up at 3 a.m. to put more wood in the fire place and plow. We decided not to plow, we should have. By 6 a.m. the snow was too heavy and too high for our tractor and blade to move it very far. I shoveled throughout the day keeping a path out the back for the dog and kids to play. We just had to let it fall and accumulate. On Sunday our neighbors, Mark and Mike, came with their snow-blowers and cleared our drive way for us. So kind! We watched as Montgomery County trucks turned around at the road to head back to their county. Susie Collins, our neighbor, had to work on Monday and so our amazing neighbors all pitched in and snow-blowed a path for one vehicle to get out to the road out of our cul de sac. No Frederick County trucks made it here until WEDNESDAY! For some idiotic reason our county executive called off the trucks Saturday night and didn't have them back on the roads until Monday.
The kids spent everyday out in the snow. Dan baked and I ate, a lot! We slept in, played games and watched shows. It was great. The kids ended up with 6 days off of school. Dan's trip to Florida got pushed a couple days thankfully.
We learned our lesson when it happened two years ago and were so much more prepared. Since Dan was recovering from surgery and couldn't lift more than 15 lbs we had to ask for some help from others. Rob Bastian came and taught me how to use an axe but really he did all the chopping for kindling. The kids and I with Dans help (he shouldn't have) brought in a lot of fire wood to the storage room. Dan made sure we had plenty gasoline. I moved the tractor up and into the garage where the missionaries helped Dan put the snow blade on. Dan and Ryan Kigin moved the generator in place as the snow began. I made sure we had plenty of food and water. We were prepared.
The power did flicker once, which made my heart stop beating while Abby cheered, "YAY!" (Dan had them excited to use our generator and campout by our fireplace.) Gratefully we didn't lose power.
The snow began on Friday, with no school, but didn't become a storm until the night. Dan set his alarm to wake up at 3 a.m. to put more wood in the fire place and plow. We decided not to plow, we should have. By 6 a.m. the snow was too heavy and too high for our tractor and blade to move it very far. I shoveled throughout the day keeping a path out the back for the dog and kids to play. We just had to let it fall and accumulate. On Sunday our neighbors, Mark and Mike, came with their snow-blowers and cleared our drive way for us. So kind! We watched as Montgomery County trucks turned around at the road to head back to their county. Susie Collins, our neighbor, had to work on Monday and so our amazing neighbors all pitched in and snow-blowed a path for one vehicle to get out to the road out of our cul de sac. No Frederick County trucks made it here until WEDNESDAY! For some idiotic reason our county executive called off the trucks Saturday night and didn't have them back on the roads until Monday.
The kids spent everyday out in the snow. Dan baked and I ate, a lot! We slept in, played games and watched shows. It was great. The kids ended up with 6 days off of school. Dan's trip to Florida got pushed a couple days thankfully.
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