Ok, for some of you, you may not understand this post. I, Amber, am a clothing addict. I love clothes. And it doesn't just stop there. Purses, Jewelry, Shoes...pretty much everything you can wear on your body. (I even went through a phase where I LOVED buying and having TONS of underwear) My closet is typically packed to the gills and even when I buy more hangers, within a week or two they are all filled and I am out again. My poor husband has a tiny corner of our walk-in closet. My heels take up the shelves along one wall, my jeans and sweaters take up the shelf under the top rack of clothes. My jewelry hangs on hooks inside the door of the closet. I have a lot of STUFF! Sometimes when you are feeling down, there is just something about getting something new (or new to you...I LOVE garage sales and consignment shops) that can lift your spirits.
I am in withdrawl!!!
Pregnancy not only changes the way you eat, sleep and use the bathroom, it also effects your fashion capabilities. Yes, there are PLENTY of super cute, trendy clothes out there for maternity wear, but unless you have the money to spend on not one but two additional wardrobes, you are out of luck. I am reduced to wearing the same things week after week. Then to add some more insult to injury, it got warm this week, and my possibilites were reduced even farther. I keep looking at my spring and summer things from last season as they hang, untouched, on the other side of my closet and I weep a little :( I now know how my husband must feel. The clothing that I can wear is now reduced to a tiny little patch in the closet :(.
Then there are the shoes! Heels and I have a love hate relationship, I LOVE the way they look, but I HATE, HATE, HATE my little sausage toes that I have for about 24 hours AFTER wearing heels. Anything that is too confining, by the end of the day, makes my feet feel like I am cramming a size 12 into a size 6 (I wear a 9).
Then we come to jewelry. You can't go wrong there...right? Well my necklaces still fit, and yes my earrings are fine (I don't think your ears can swell), but my poor wedding ring! If I get too hot or stand too much, my fingers are like hotdogs and I have to take my ring off. I know before long I will most likely have to retire it completely or risk getting it stuck.
So...What do I have left. My purses :) You can't go wrong with a purse. No amount of swelling, growing or heat will keep me from using whatever purse I want to.
Oh... I'm sad :(
4.26.2007
4.23.2007
Weekend Report
I am so proud of myself. I believe this is the fifth post for April! Don't let that fool you though, life is still pretty boring here.
Friday was a busy day at work. We threw our annual Volunteer Appreciation for our volunteers of our agency. April is considered Volunteer Appreciation month, so we always try to do something to say "Thanks" to all our dedicated and overused volunteers. Our theme this year was "Volunteers Rock" and we decorated it in a 1950's theme. We had balloons and crepe paper. We played old 45's and LOTs of music from that decade. We served banana splits and even had a costume contest. It was a ton of fun. BUT also a lot of work. I got there at about 8:30 that morning to start setting up and didn't sit down until I left at about 5 pm that evening. Whew...that is a long time to be on your feet and working when you AREN'T pregnant. I can really feel my limitations these days. I just don't have the stamina that I used to.
To top off my Friday, I had a clinical training that evening at 5:30. So instead of getting to drag my tired, swollen self home to bed after my day of festivities, I had to go to campus for a 3 hour training. I wasn't super excited. Fortunately it went fairly quickly, and it was very informative. I will probably be doing additional hours at the MNU clinic, so it was valuable for me to know this. Also, I had a chance to talk to my clinical supervisor and she instructed me that I am to take AT LEAST 3 weeks if not 4 off from internship. Up until then I had only planned on 2 weeks, so this was a huge relief to know that she is willing to work with me and really is looking out for me!
Saturday was a day spent cleaning, grocery shopping and baking. Yes, I said baking. I decided to try a new recipe this week and it was wonderful!!! I made an Applesauce Cake. It was heavenly. I even made my own cream cheese frosting. Yum!
Sunday we had our friends Troy and Becca over for Sunday lunch. We really love entertaining others when we can, but because of our schedules it isn't always possible. I love cooking...and cooking for two is sometimes hard. I made Homemade Manicotti, Garlic Bread, Ceasar Salad and Green Beans. And then for dessert of course I served my Applesauce Cake. It was so good to break bread with friends.
That afternoon I decided to forgo my Sunday nap and joined my mother and grandmother at Joann Fabrics. We found the material for our baby girls nursery!!! It is all sort of pinks. There is a satin-y light pink, a stripe with all different colors of pink, a fuscia solid in flannel and then a chocolate brown. My mom and I will be making the quilt, curtains, bumper, and dust ruffle in the next couple of weeks. We also found wooden letters that spell our baby girls name:
G-R-A-C-E-L-Y-N-N
We are going to paint these and then use them over the crib. I am so excited to get it all going. I am not good at "starting" a project and then just sitting on it. It just really hits home with each passing day that in less than 4 months, we will be bringing home a little baby girl! I absolutely love that thought. It makes all the stresses and anxieties seem like they don't even matter.
I also hit a new milestone last night. Well, it isn't a milestone from a book or the doctor, but for me it was a big deal. I was sitting on the couch and with every little kick and punch that my baby girl made, I could SEE it. She was hanging out right about my belly button and I could see my stomach jump and sway as she moved. It was so strange and amazing at the same time. There had been times I thought I might have seen my belly move before every once in a while, but this time it was constant! She is growing...
Well, that is all I have to share from this weekend. We have out 24 week appointment this Friday, so we will see what happens after that.
Have a great week!
Friday was a busy day at work. We threw our annual Volunteer Appreciation for our volunteers of our agency. April is considered Volunteer Appreciation month, so we always try to do something to say "Thanks" to all our dedicated and overused volunteers. Our theme this year was "Volunteers Rock" and we decorated it in a 1950's theme. We had balloons and crepe paper. We played old 45's and LOTs of music from that decade. We served banana splits and even had a costume contest. It was a ton of fun. BUT also a lot of work. I got there at about 8:30 that morning to start setting up and didn't sit down until I left at about 5 pm that evening. Whew...that is a long time to be on your feet and working when you AREN'T pregnant. I can really feel my limitations these days. I just don't have the stamina that I used to.
To top off my Friday, I had a clinical training that evening at 5:30. So instead of getting to drag my tired, swollen self home to bed after my day of festivities, I had to go to campus for a 3 hour training. I wasn't super excited. Fortunately it went fairly quickly, and it was very informative. I will probably be doing additional hours at the MNU clinic, so it was valuable for me to know this. Also, I had a chance to talk to my clinical supervisor and she instructed me that I am to take AT LEAST 3 weeks if not 4 off from internship. Up until then I had only planned on 2 weeks, so this was a huge relief to know that she is willing to work with me and really is looking out for me!
Saturday was a day spent cleaning, grocery shopping and baking. Yes, I said baking. I decided to try a new recipe this week and it was wonderful!!! I made an Applesauce Cake. It was heavenly. I even made my own cream cheese frosting. Yum!
Sunday we had our friends Troy and Becca over for Sunday lunch. We really love entertaining others when we can, but because of our schedules it isn't always possible. I love cooking...and cooking for two is sometimes hard. I made Homemade Manicotti, Garlic Bread, Ceasar Salad and Green Beans. And then for dessert of course I served my Applesauce Cake. It was so good to break bread with friends.
That afternoon I decided to forgo my Sunday nap and joined my mother and grandmother at Joann Fabrics. We found the material for our baby girls nursery!!! It is all sort of pinks. There is a satin-y light pink, a stripe with all different colors of pink, a fuscia solid in flannel and then a chocolate brown. My mom and I will be making the quilt, curtains, bumper, and dust ruffle in the next couple of weeks. We also found wooden letters that spell our baby girls name:
G-R-A-C-E-L-Y-N-N
We are going to paint these and then use them over the crib. I am so excited to get it all going. I am not good at "starting" a project and then just sitting on it. It just really hits home with each passing day that in less than 4 months, we will be bringing home a little baby girl! I absolutely love that thought. It makes all the stresses and anxieties seem like they don't even matter.
I also hit a new milestone last night. Well, it isn't a milestone from a book or the doctor, but for me it was a big deal. I was sitting on the couch and with every little kick and punch that my baby girl made, I could SEE it. She was hanging out right about my belly button and I could see my stomach jump and sway as she moved. It was so strange and amazing at the same time. There had been times I thought I might have seen my belly move before every once in a while, but this time it was constant! She is growing...
Well, that is all I have to share from this weekend. We have out 24 week appointment this Friday, so we will see what happens after that.
Have a great week!
4.17.2007
Busy Busy Busy
Hello guys!
Well I am coming off of an insanely busy weekend. At about 9 pm on Sunday when I sat down I recounted what I did:
Went to a banquet
Sang for 300+ people (in heels)
Visited my grandparents...just back from Florida looking tan and fabulous.
Praise team practice
Grilled with friends
Sang in both church services (in heels again)
Sunday dinner at friends
Study group with classmates
Visted my mom
Grocery shopping
Laundry and other misc. cleaning
Paper due on Monday
And all of this took place from Friday at 5pm to Sunday at 9 pm!!! Crazy!
I also had the pleasure (???) of experiencing my first swelling! I was standing up in church for the gospel reading and suddenly I had a huge heat wave just roll over me. I had to excuse myself because I was so warm. I went to the ladies room and took off my jacket to cool down. I looked down and realized that my ankles were HUGE!!! I pretty much tried to sit for the duration of the day and I think I have to now officially retire my heels for the remainder of my pregnancy :( I am particularly saddened by this considering that it is just now getting nice out and I have some really cute heeled sandals. I know, sounds silly but I guess I will be resigned to flats this summer.
I had a little bit of a freak out moment yesterday. I was reading a thread on Babycenter.com about hospital bags when you go to deliver your baby. It was all so overwhelming, and they say you should have it essentially ready to go by 32 weeks so you have it ready if you go early and you don't have to think about it. Yes, I know I am only 22 weeks, but that still seems not that far away. So then I started thinking about other things I/we need to do such as make a visit to the hospital to tour the LD facilities, speak with the care coordinator at the hospital to pre-register, take a childbirth prep class...etc. All of this stuck in between work, school, internship, housework, etc. Yeah...you could say I was freaking out a little bit about things. However, today I woke up and was calm again. Don't know what made me calm down, but after a night of sleep I seemed to feel better. I still have these things on my to-do list but I am working on it one step at a time.
In light of "thinking" about things, it also made me realize how soon my baby will be here. I am very excited and anxious at the same time. Anxious only because we haven't really started the nursery. Yes, we haven't really had time and No, we haven't cleared the room out of all our garage sale stuff (being that until this weekend it had been in the 30's and below). So, it's not like I have been slacking, but I suddenly have this urge to have everything READY. I believe this is called nesting and I think I have been doing it since about week 16!!! My need for organization has gone THROUGH THE ROOF and I believe I might be driving my dear husband batty! I have lists for everything, I coordinate our calendars, I clean non-stop, and I have started a new banking system for our check register and accounts. While this may sound highly productive, it is serving to stress me out because I have to also keep up with homework, go to class, prepare to start my internship in a couple weeks and go to work every day. Whew...just preparing me for when the baby's here, right?
Well, that is all I have for now. It's a pretty typical week here, so nothing too exciting to report on.
Love, Amber
Well I am coming off of an insanely busy weekend. At about 9 pm on Sunday when I sat down I recounted what I did:
Went to a banquet
Sang for 300+ people (in heels)
Visited my grandparents...just back from Florida looking tan and fabulous.
Praise team practice
Grilled with friends
Sang in both church services (in heels again)
Sunday dinner at friends
Study group with classmates
Visted my mom
Grocery shopping
Laundry and other misc. cleaning
Paper due on Monday
And all of this took place from Friday at 5pm to Sunday at 9 pm!!! Crazy!
I also had the pleasure (???) of experiencing my first swelling! I was standing up in church for the gospel reading and suddenly I had a huge heat wave just roll over me. I had to excuse myself because I was so warm. I went to the ladies room and took off my jacket to cool down. I looked down and realized that my ankles were HUGE!!! I pretty much tried to sit for the duration of the day and I think I have to now officially retire my heels for the remainder of my pregnancy :( I am particularly saddened by this considering that it is just now getting nice out and I have some really cute heeled sandals. I know, sounds silly but I guess I will be resigned to flats this summer.
I had a little bit of a freak out moment yesterday. I was reading a thread on Babycenter.com about hospital bags when you go to deliver your baby. It was all so overwhelming, and they say you should have it essentially ready to go by 32 weeks so you have it ready if you go early and you don't have to think about it. Yes, I know I am only 22 weeks, but that still seems not that far away. So then I started thinking about other things I/we need to do such as make a visit to the hospital to tour the LD facilities, speak with the care coordinator at the hospital to pre-register, take a childbirth prep class...etc. All of this stuck in between work, school, internship, housework, etc. Yeah...you could say I was freaking out a little bit about things. However, today I woke up and was calm again. Don't know what made me calm down, but after a night of sleep I seemed to feel better. I still have these things on my to-do list but I am working on it one step at a time.
In light of "thinking" about things, it also made me realize how soon my baby will be here. I am very excited and anxious at the same time. Anxious only because we haven't really started the nursery. Yes, we haven't really had time and No, we haven't cleared the room out of all our garage sale stuff (being that until this weekend it had been in the 30's and below). So, it's not like I have been slacking, but I suddenly have this urge to have everything READY. I believe this is called nesting and I think I have been doing it since about week 16!!! My need for organization has gone THROUGH THE ROOF and I believe I might be driving my dear husband batty! I have lists for everything, I coordinate our calendars, I clean non-stop, and I have started a new banking system for our check register and accounts. While this may sound highly productive, it is serving to stress me out because I have to also keep up with homework, go to class, prepare to start my internship in a couple weeks and go to work every day. Whew...just preparing me for when the baby's here, right?
Well, that is all I have for now. It's a pretty typical week here, so nothing too exciting to report on.
Love, Amber
4.13.2007
Pregnancy Survey
I just couldn't resist :)
About Mommy!
Name: Amber
Age (when we found out):: 24 (The day before my 25th Birthday!)
Age (when the baby is born):: 25
Is this your first child? Yes
About Daddy!
Name: Ben
Age (when we found out): 26
Age (when the baby is born): 27
Is this his first child? yes
Finding Out!
When we found out: Sunday, December 10th
Mommy's feelings upon finding out: I was stunned...it was an absolute surprise! I cried for about 5 seconds and then went into shock :)
How did Daddy react? Ben is very "even-keyed" he just said ok, and then hugged me.
Who was there when you found out? Just Ben and I.
Who was the first person you told? Mindy Scott :) I HAD to tell someone other than Ben...someone that would understand from my point of view.
How did she/he/they react? SO excited!
Telling the Grandparents!
How did Mommy's parents react? My mom screamed a little and cried. My step-dad just beamed from ear to ear! We told them at Christmas so we gave them a little card that invited them to be grandparents!
How did Daddy's parents react? They were really surprised AND excited.
Are they helping choose names? No, we did that on our own.
Have they bought anything for the baby yet? No, not really. We were waiting to find out what we are having.
How often do you talk to them? I talk to my mom just about every day and Ben talks to his parents several times a week.
About the Pregnancy!
When was your first appointment? December 29th
When are you due? EDD August 17th
How far along are you? 22 weeks today!
How much weight have you gained so far? As of 2 weeks ago at my last appointment 10 pounds.
Have you had an ultrasound yet? Yes...3 of them
Have you heard the heartbeat yet? Yes, every time we are in we get to hear our little one's heart beat.
About the Baby!
Were you hoping for a boy or a girl? I didn't really care...just healthy!
What about Daddy? I think he really wanted a boy.
What did your intuition tell you you were having? I had really begun to think girl...
Have you had your "BIG" ultrasound yet? If you have, is it a boy or a girl? Yes! On the 30th of March we found out we are having a little girl!
Are you happy with what you're having? Of course...we are so excited!
About the Birth!
What are you bringing to the hospital with you? Other than the basics, we were told to bring a DVD player and DVD's...just in case.
Who are you bringing to the hospital with you? Hopefully Ben can make it ;) And then my mom.
Will you videotape the birth? Um...well we don't have a video camera and that isn't exactly "home movie" material :)
Will the birth be natural or medicated? Meds all the way!
Do you think you'll need a c-section? I'm thinking no...but you never know.
Will you cry the first time you hold your baby? You can count on it.
What will you say to the baby the first time you hold him/her? I imagine I will be speechless
Are you nervous/scared about labor and delivery? Yes and no...no matter what I have to go through it will be ok, and every delivery is different. We will see what I get.
Names!
Have you chosen a name yet? Yes...She will be named Gracelynn DeAnne (at least that is what we are planning on for now).
Will the baby be named after someone? My mother's middle name is DeAnne
Random Questions!
Where was your baby conceived? In our old apartment ;)
Have you felt the baby move yet? Yes! All the time. She moves pretty much constantly!
What heritage will your baby have? A little bit of everything
Do you have stretch marks? Not yet...but bring 'em on, I can handle it.
What was your first symptom? Um...we found out early, so just a missed period
What religion will you raise the baby with? From which side? Christian...both sides!
What music or interests will you share with the baby? I can't imagine our child being anything BUT musical! We both love music so much, she will be around it all the time!
Will your baby have godparents? not planning on it
What theme will the baby's nursery have? I am planning on the colors being soft pinks and chocolate brown. Probably using geometric shapes.
What was the first thing you bought for the baby? So far...nothing
Are you ready to be a mommy? I'm not sure...I will learn as I go (hopefully there is a learning curve)
About Mommy!
Name: Amber
Age (when we found out):: 24 (The day before my 25th Birthday!)
Age (when the baby is born):: 25
Is this your first child? Yes
About Daddy!
Name: Ben
Age (when we found out): 26
Age (when the baby is born): 27
Is this his first child? yes
Finding Out!
When we found out: Sunday, December 10th
Mommy's feelings upon finding out: I was stunned...it was an absolute surprise! I cried for about 5 seconds and then went into shock :)
How did Daddy react? Ben is very "even-keyed" he just said ok, and then hugged me.
Who was there when you found out? Just Ben and I.
Who was the first person you told? Mindy Scott :) I HAD to tell someone other than Ben...someone that would understand from my point of view.
How did she/he/they react? SO excited!
Telling the Grandparents!
How did Mommy's parents react? My mom screamed a little and cried. My step-dad just beamed from ear to ear! We told them at Christmas so we gave them a little card that invited them to be grandparents!
How did Daddy's parents react? They were really surprised AND excited.
Are they helping choose names? No, we did that on our own.
Have they bought anything for the baby yet? No, not really. We were waiting to find out what we are having.
How often do you talk to them? I talk to my mom just about every day and Ben talks to his parents several times a week.
About the Pregnancy!
When was your first appointment? December 29th
When are you due? EDD August 17th
How far along are you? 22 weeks today!
How much weight have you gained so far? As of 2 weeks ago at my last appointment 10 pounds.
Have you had an ultrasound yet? Yes...3 of them
Have you heard the heartbeat yet? Yes, every time we are in we get to hear our little one's heart beat.
About the Baby!
Were you hoping for a boy or a girl? I didn't really care...just healthy!
What about Daddy? I think he really wanted a boy.
What did your intuition tell you you were having? I had really begun to think girl...
Have you had your "BIG" ultrasound yet? If you have, is it a boy or a girl? Yes! On the 30th of March we found out we are having a little girl!
Are you happy with what you're having? Of course...we are so excited!
About the Birth!
What are you bringing to the hospital with you? Other than the basics, we were told to bring a DVD player and DVD's...just in case.
Who are you bringing to the hospital with you? Hopefully Ben can make it ;) And then my mom.
Will you videotape the birth? Um...well we don't have a video camera and that isn't exactly "home movie" material :)
Will the birth be natural or medicated? Meds all the way!
Do you think you'll need a c-section? I'm thinking no...but you never know.
Will you cry the first time you hold your baby? You can count on it.
What will you say to the baby the first time you hold him/her? I imagine I will be speechless
Are you nervous/scared about labor and delivery? Yes and no...no matter what I have to go through it will be ok, and every delivery is different. We will see what I get.
Names!
Have you chosen a name yet? Yes...She will be named Gracelynn DeAnne (at least that is what we are planning on for now).
Will the baby be named after someone? My mother's middle name is DeAnne
Random Questions!
Where was your baby conceived? In our old apartment ;)
Have you felt the baby move yet? Yes! All the time. She moves pretty much constantly!
What heritage will your baby have? A little bit of everything
Do you have stretch marks? Not yet...but bring 'em on, I can handle it.
What was your first symptom? Um...we found out early, so just a missed period
What religion will you raise the baby with? From which side? Christian...both sides!
What music or interests will you share with the baby? I can't imagine our child being anything BUT musical! We both love music so much, she will be around it all the time!
Will your baby have godparents? not planning on it
What theme will the baby's nursery have? I am planning on the colors being soft pinks and chocolate brown. Probably using geometric shapes.
What was the first thing you bought for the baby? So far...nothing
Are you ready to be a mommy? I'm not sure...I will learn as I go (hopefully there is a learning curve)
4.12.2007
Faith Lesson
Hey guys! If you haven't noticed...we changed our site layout. I figured that I (Amber) was the one getting on here the most AND in honor of our little girl, I changed it to pink. I also changed our title. As of late Ben and I have had several lessons of faith that have really challenged us. First off, there is the obvious. It is growing in my tummy. It is the most bizarre feeling in the world to be SO incredibly excited and elated about something while at the same time being so incredibly terrified. Not terrified of the baby itself (I mean hello...she is tiny!), but more of what it means. Our lives will be changed forever. As trivial as it sounds, little things will change. We can't just drop everything and go to a movie for the night or even leave town for the weekend NEARLY as easy as we do now. As we begin to prepare for the nursery and daycare arrangements, we also realize the huge financial change we will have to make. The "extra" that we have (never really EXTRA) will soon be dedicated to diapers, daycare and other miscellaneous baby things. Our home will change. Our little three bedroom ranch (that is already pretty little for 2 adults, 2 dogs and a cat) will now have baby things jammed and stuffed into every corner. And then...don't even get me started on school and work!
But then I think...how amazing it is that this little life has been given to us. I already sit and feel her moving about inside of me (and trust me she is going to be quite the little acrobat!) and I seriously could make a full time job of feeling her movements...and waiting for the next movement! I think of all the things I want to tell her already, about love and life and God! I get so excited to see Ben be a father toward her and the other children we may have, and I know that he will do a phenomenal job! I know that I already would do ANYTHING for her. My life and needs is now second place...she already is that important. And THAT is what my HUGE faith lesson is. Every day when I start to get anxious or worked up about ALL that stuff up above, I realize how Jesus' mother, Mary must have felt. Her life was completely turned UPSIDE DOWN from the get-go. She was talked about, turned out by everyone but Joseph, she gave birth in a BARN, and then had to flee her home all because of this one little baby. I can't find a single time in the Bible where is talks about her doing this begrudgingly. Up until now, I NEVER could have understood that kind of love. I know that because God had already given us a love for our new daughter, everything else can fall away and we will be OK. Don't get me wrong, this is a DAILY choice that I have to make to give this up...but it is teaching me to really put my faith in God.
As for other faith lessons, lately we have had a huge financial upheaval. In previous posts I have talked about my accident, my ticket, Moose's trips to the vet AND our sink. (BTW, our sink was finally revived...for a pretty penny, but you gotta have a kitchen sink!) We have just been really relying on God and our communication with each other...and it looks like we might just pull through! It's amazing how through times of adversity and trials you can really learn things and even like it! Because of this we have been really careful to cut back on eating out and spending unnecessary money. One, this is really preparing us for when the baby comes and (as mentioned above) we have less "extra". Two, it has really brought us together in the evenings as we plan meals at home and cook together (well I cook...Ben grills when the weather is nice). And finally, it is healthier. We are taking our lunches to work and eating at home more so the type of food we are eating is better and more rounded AND it is smaller portions! I think that this time could really be a new habit forming that will help us financially and physically.
Well, I know that this post was the conventional "what's new in our lives", but this is what has really been weighing on my mind. Thanks for letting me tell you about it!
But then I think...how amazing it is that this little life has been given to us. I already sit and feel her moving about inside of me (and trust me she is going to be quite the little acrobat!) and I seriously could make a full time job of feeling her movements...and waiting for the next movement! I think of all the things I want to tell her already, about love and life and God! I get so excited to see Ben be a father toward her and the other children we may have, and I know that he will do a phenomenal job! I know that I already would do ANYTHING for her. My life and needs is now second place...she already is that important. And THAT is what my HUGE faith lesson is. Every day when I start to get anxious or worked up about ALL that stuff up above, I realize how Jesus' mother, Mary must have felt. Her life was completely turned UPSIDE DOWN from the get-go. She was talked about, turned out by everyone but Joseph, she gave birth in a BARN, and then had to flee her home all because of this one little baby. I can't find a single time in the Bible where is talks about her doing this begrudgingly. Up until now, I NEVER could have understood that kind of love. I know that because God had already given us a love for our new daughter, everything else can fall away and we will be OK. Don't get me wrong, this is a DAILY choice that I have to make to give this up...but it is teaching me to really put my faith in God.
As for other faith lessons, lately we have had a huge financial upheaval. In previous posts I have talked about my accident, my ticket, Moose's trips to the vet AND our sink. (BTW, our sink was finally revived...for a pretty penny, but you gotta have a kitchen sink!) We have just been really relying on God and our communication with each other...and it looks like we might just pull through! It's amazing how through times of adversity and trials you can really learn things and even like it! Because of this we have been really careful to cut back on eating out and spending unnecessary money. One, this is really preparing us for when the baby comes and (as mentioned above) we have less "extra". Two, it has really brought us together in the evenings as we plan meals at home and cook together (well I cook...Ben grills when the weather is nice). And finally, it is healthier. We are taking our lunches to work and eating at home more so the type of food we are eating is better and more rounded AND it is smaller portions! I think that this time could really be a new habit forming that will help us financially and physically.
Well, I know that this post was the conventional "what's new in our lives", but this is what has really been weighing on my mind. Thanks for letting me tell you about it!
4.05.2007
Playing Catch Up
Wow...have I ever let this thing go. I have to first apologize for the lack of posting. I have been playing a bit of catch-up since I got back from Georgia. So let me catch you up.
1. We got our car back! It is nice to have our Honda back and running. It seems to have a little shudder every once in a while, so we are going to take it back in next week to just have them tweak a few things. Fortunately, we have a lifetime warranty on the work they did, so we don't run the risk of a warranty "running out".
2. School is going well. These classes are ALL ABOUT putting into practice what we will be doing in our internships. It is actually really neat to learn all about the different techniques and such. We are also learning about ALL the paperwork we will be required to do. Just to fill you in. I have to have 500 client hours before I am eligible for licensure. That means 500 hours of meeting face to face with clients either in individual sessions or group sessions. I then have to ALSO have 500 professional hours. Which means paperwork, research, planning, etc. So it is a 1:1 ratio of the amount of time spent in the therapy room to the time spent out. AHHH! Another really daunting thing about that is that as therapists we will be required to assign a diagnosis after the first session. HOLY COW...the first session (50 min-1 hour) isn't nearly enough time to know what this persons lifetime of issues means. Hopefully they will begin giving us the techniques to do that too :).
3. For some that may not already know...we are having a little GIRL! We just found out last Friday, and I completely meant to post right after and then of course life happened. We are excited, mostly just to know (and to get to start decorating!). Plus...someone had to supply the female population in 2007. We know eight couples that have either recently had a baby or are having one that have boys! It was time for a little girl power. Ben is adjusting to the idea of what it means to raise a girl ;) I told him it would come to him. Most important, she is very healthy and we are excited to be more than half way through! August will be here before you know it.
4. Moose had his first big adventure to the vet. While I was in Georgia, Ben took him to the vet because of a troubling little bald spot on his side. It wasn't red or an open sore, but it was just completely bald (about the size of a nickle). Well, he was diagnosed with Demodex Mange. UGH..it just sounds so dirty, but really it is something he probably got from his mommy and it just now had started to show itself. Fortunately, our other animals haven't had any problems with it since they are older and their immune systems can fight it off. So, this past Tuesday, Moose went to stay at the vet for his first of two Mytoban Dips. He wasn't super happy and came back completely exhausted! Poor guy, but hopefully this will take care of the problem and his coat will continue to be a beautiful chocolate brown with NO bald spots :) p.s. He is getting huge. 6 months old and 42 lbs already!
5. I felt the baby move! I had different times of thinking I MIGHT have felt her, but while we were sitting in the waiting room for our sonogram last Friday, she just went to town. It was as if she knew we were there to take pictures of her and she wanted to make herself known! It is the most amazing feeling, and even though people tried to describe it to me (popcorn popping, butterflies), there is truly no description that does it justice. I will tell you one thing, when it happens you KNOW! Now I feel her all the time, and it is so awesome how connected I feel to her already. She really starts going to town when I get hungry...she likes her food :)
6. Our sink died again. This just happened last night, and this time the problem seems to run a little deeper. Fortunately, my cousin who lives in the area and is a plumber came over to check it out. Hopefully it is something he can help us with and it will save us a little money. In general...Ben and I are not so plumbing savvy. So pray for our sink...that it will be ressurrected!
Ok, I believe that is all for now. I feel that I have suffeciently caught you up on the going ons of the Weyrauch household. Have a wonderful Easter!
Amber
1. We got our car back! It is nice to have our Honda back and running. It seems to have a little shudder every once in a while, so we are going to take it back in next week to just have them tweak a few things. Fortunately, we have a lifetime warranty on the work they did, so we don't run the risk of a warranty "running out".
2. School is going well. These classes are ALL ABOUT putting into practice what we will be doing in our internships. It is actually really neat to learn all about the different techniques and such. We are also learning about ALL the paperwork we will be required to do. Just to fill you in. I have to have 500 client hours before I am eligible for licensure. That means 500 hours of meeting face to face with clients either in individual sessions or group sessions. I then have to ALSO have 500 professional hours. Which means paperwork, research, planning, etc. So it is a 1:1 ratio of the amount of time spent in the therapy room to the time spent out. AHHH! Another really daunting thing about that is that as therapists we will be required to assign a diagnosis after the first session. HOLY COW...the first session (50 min-1 hour) isn't nearly enough time to know what this persons lifetime of issues means. Hopefully they will begin giving us the techniques to do that too :).
3. For some that may not already know...we are having a little GIRL! We just found out last Friday, and I completely meant to post right after and then of course life happened. We are excited, mostly just to know (and to get to start decorating!). Plus...someone had to supply the female population in 2007. We know eight couples that have either recently had a baby or are having one that have boys! It was time for a little girl power. Ben is adjusting to the idea of what it means to raise a girl ;) I told him it would come to him. Most important, she is very healthy and we are excited to be more than half way through! August will be here before you know it.
4. Moose had his first big adventure to the vet. While I was in Georgia, Ben took him to the vet because of a troubling little bald spot on his side. It wasn't red or an open sore, but it was just completely bald (about the size of a nickle). Well, he was diagnosed with Demodex Mange. UGH..it just sounds so dirty, but really it is something he probably got from his mommy and it just now had started to show itself. Fortunately, our other animals haven't had any problems with it since they are older and their immune systems can fight it off. So, this past Tuesday, Moose went to stay at the vet for his first of two Mytoban Dips. He wasn't super happy and came back completely exhausted! Poor guy, but hopefully this will take care of the problem and his coat will continue to be a beautiful chocolate brown with NO bald spots :) p.s. He is getting huge. 6 months old and 42 lbs already!
5. I felt the baby move! I had different times of thinking I MIGHT have felt her, but while we were sitting in the waiting room for our sonogram last Friday, she just went to town. It was as if she knew we were there to take pictures of her and she wanted to make herself known! It is the most amazing feeling, and even though people tried to describe it to me (popcorn popping, butterflies), there is truly no description that does it justice. I will tell you one thing, when it happens you KNOW! Now I feel her all the time, and it is so awesome how connected I feel to her already. She really starts going to town when I get hungry...she likes her food :)
6. Our sink died again. This just happened last night, and this time the problem seems to run a little deeper. Fortunately, my cousin who lives in the area and is a plumber came over to check it out. Hopefully it is something he can help us with and it will save us a little money. In general...Ben and I are not so plumbing savvy. So pray for our sink...that it will be ressurrected!
Ok, I believe that is all for now. I feel that I have suffeciently caught you up on the going ons of the Weyrauch household. Have a wonderful Easter!
Amber
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