13 Weeks

Today I am:

 And sweet baby is the size of LARGE APPLE

And I am officially in the Second Trimester!!

This is the newest picture of our sweet little one!  We had another u/s yesterday and it was amazing.  We were shocked at how big the baby was and how much he/she has changed since our last u/s.  The baby was moving around and turning and moving its little arms and legs...well, make that big arms and legs.  By the u/s, the baby's legs look very long.  He/She is going to be like its Daddy!!  It was a special time for us.  I could have watched that sweet thing all day long!!  During this u/s, they checked for abnormalities and I am happy to report that everything looked great and perfectly normal!!  Praise be to the Lord!!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along:  13 weeks

Size of Baby:  Large Apple

Most dramatic developments this week:  Fingerprints have formed, veins and organs are clearly visible and the body is starting to catch up with the head, which makes up a third of his/her body size.  Also, the neck is getting longer and the head is becoming more erect and on top of the little head....he/she may be sprouting some hair!!

Total weight gain:  lost one pound

Maternity clothes:  my new love :)  Wearing more of them just because they are comfy!

Gender:  Don't know yet.  Josh is leaning more towards a girl and I'm thinking it's a little boy!  We will soon see who is right.

Movement:  Not yet, but I can't wait!

Sleep:  Still working third...and sleep is still crazy.

Cravings:  It's something different every day!

Anything making you sick or queasy:  Anything and everything

Symptoms:  Still having pretty bad nausea and vomiting.  Also noticing a lot more reflux.  Tums are my friend! :)

Best moment of the week:  The ultrasound and seeing our precious little one getting so big and strong!

Looking forward to: CHRISTMAS!!

Merry Christmas!!

~"Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift."  2nd Corinthians 9:15~

12 Weeks

Well today I am officially:

And the baby is the size of a sweet Georgia peach!

And I'm rounding out the 1st trimester!!  Yay!!

This little one is growing and developing day by day!  I have really enjoyed using the "What to Expect" app.  I have the book too, that my sweet hubby gave me, but the app is great when I just want to look quickly to see what size the baby is and how he/she is developing.  They also have an informative little video on the app that we enjoy watching each week.

And this is what our baby looks like right now.  Precious!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along:  12 weeks

Size of baby:  Baby is the size of a peach

Most dramatic development this week:  Reflexes!  Baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, his/her toes will curl, his/her eye muscles will clench and the mouth will start making sucking movements!  Also, the intestines, which have been growing in the umbilical cord, will now begin moving into the abdominal cavity.

Total weight gain:  lost one pound

Maternity Clothes:  Been buying them and have started wearing some.  And I must say, they are very comfortable.

Gender:  Don't know yet, but it won't be too long and we will find out :)

Movement:  Not yet, but I can't wait for that special moment!!

Sleep:  I work third..my sleep is always crazy.

Cravings:  Vegetables...like meat and three kinda veggies.  Yay for holiday food!

Anything making you sick or queasy:  Pretty much anything can.  And bad smells can catch me off guard real quick!

Symptoms:  Pretty significant nausea and vomiting.  Normally get sick once a day or every other day.  But I'm sure not complaining.  That is usually a good sign and I will take it any day.  I do have Zofran on hand always for that nausea/vomiting that will not go away, but I try not to take it often.  Normally, after I throw up, I'm good to go, after brushing my teeth of course...lol! 

Best moment of the week:  Just being pregnant...and starting to feel more pregnant!!

Looking forward to:  Getting a bigger "bump" and going for our U/S next week!

~"Since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you.  We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all the wisdom and understanding that the spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way:  bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God." Colossians 1:9-10~



Welcome Maddie

My brother and sister in law, Shane and Shelley added a new addition to the family!!  Welcome Maddie!!! 

She is golden retreiver and oh so cute!!  They got her from a recue, which I think is awesome!

 Can't wait to meet you Maddie!!  We are so happy to have you as apart of our family! :)

~"A friend loves at all times"  Proverbs 17:17~

Our 7th Anniversary

Today we celebrated our 7th Anniversary together.  It's so hard to believe we have been married for 7 years and together as a couple for 15 years.  It just seems like yesterday that we were in 10th grade going on our first date!  I'm so blessed that God chose me to be Josh's wife!!  Josh DeYoung, I love you more than you'll ever know!  I'm so excited to start this new journey with you...you're going to be the best Daddy!!  I can't wait!!  And look what my sweet husband surprised me with this afternoon:

I've waited a long time to add this to my collection!!  This journey has seemed long..and it's been hard at times...but He sure has been faithful!!  Thank you Lord..I just can't say it enough!!  And thank you Babe for my sweet surprise!  I love it and YOU!!

~"For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of Him."  1 Samuel 1:27~

Baby's First Toy and Lovie

Our little one has received his/her first toy and lovie!  I bought the toy.  It's Sophie, the well known giraffe.  I've been reading about this little giraffe, and all of the cool things about it.  It's made of natural rubber from the Hevea tree and was created to stimulate each of baby's senses.  I knew our little one had to have this cute little guy!  And the sweet little lamb lovie came from Amy!!  Along with a precious card and movie for Josh and I to watch!  Thank you Amy for this special gift!  We love you!

~"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4~

8 Weeks

Today was another big day!  I'm 8 weeks and 3 days pregnant and we went for our 2nd ultrasound.  This was the appointment where we would really be able to hear the heartbeat and they would check to make sure everything still looked good.  Even though I was a little nervous about this appointment, I had peace.  A peace that I know can only come from Him.  I've just been reminded so much lately that the Lord has this under control.  And I'm so thankful for that!  We got there and had to wait for a while.  The office was very busy.  Once we finally got to the back, I started getting really excited about seeing our precious little baby.  The doctor began the ultrasound, and there it was, as strong as ever, the heartbeat of our baby!!  Beating at 170bpm.  That is a sound that I could listen to every single day!  Truly, it was music to our ears!  Again, I cried tears of joy and thanked the Lord for this strong little heartbeat, and for our tiny baby!!  Josh was able to record a few seconds of that amazing sound!!

 

And here is our tiny one!  It's amazing how the baby grows and develops each week.  It has only been 2 weeks since our last u/s and you can now make out the tiny head, legs and arms.  It actually looks more like a baby now!  I love this!  And I love what the doctor wrote at the top of the u/s..."Hi Mom and Dad."

 

 We graduated from PREG, our reproductive specialist today.  Our baby looked great and I will now be in the care of my regular OB-GYN.  They gave us a precious little onesie that said "Another PREG Miracle" and a bag full of goodies, info and coupons.  I am so grateful for Dr. Payne, Dr. Nichols and the whole PREG staff.  Thankful that the Lord worked through them and used them as His tools to help us conceive our little miracle!!

 After we left the office, we headed to our special breakfast place, Stax and had breakfast.  After we ate, we went to downtown Greenville to pick up a few sweet treats.  We bought cupcakes from the Chocolate Moose for both PREG offices and delivered it to them with a Thank You card attached.  The little box of two was for me...and maybe Josh :)  And the sweet little guy riding next to the cupcakes is a very special little lamb.  Because when you press his belly, you can hear the heartbeat of our little lamb!!  I will treasure this forever!

~"For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb.  I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.  Wonderful are your works.." Psalm 139:13-14~



First Ultrasound

As I write this 2nd pregnancy post, I'm still amazed at God's goodness, grace and mercy.  I can't begin to describe the joy that I feel.  My heart is so full, it's overflowing.  I'm so thankful that the Lord has decided to bless us with this sweet baby...and that the time is now!  

 Today, we went for our very first ultrasound.  I am 6 weeks and 3 days along.  I was very nervous for this appointment, even though I know that God is in full control and has shown that to us time and time again, my nerves still got the best of me.  Last week, and the week before I had blood drawn at the office.  Everything looked great except my Progesterone level, so they started me on a Progesterone supplement.  Other than that, everything has been good.  I've had some significant nausea and vomiting, which is a good sign, so I'll take it any day.  But today was the big day, the day we would see and hear our baby's heartbeat for the very first time.  So we got there, was brought to the exam room and waited...and prayed.  As soon as the doctor began the ultrasound, I saw it immediately, the little tiny beating heart.  And I wept...with tears of joy that could never be explained.  To see our long awaited baby on that big screen, with its tiny beating heart was a feeling I will never forget.  And to see Josh's face just light up with pure joy and happiness was priceless.  I just want to bottle that moment and those feelings up and keep them forever!  Our Baby, Our precious little Baby...thank you God for sending us this miracle!!  The doctor continued with the u/s, and confirmed that there was 1 baby, measuring appropriately (about the size of a blueberry) with a strong beating heart at 107 bpm.  Our little one is looking good!!   

 After we left the office, we went to Stax's and had breakfast together.  That evening we planned to tell my Mom and Josh's Mom and Dad.  We wanted to wait till Thanksgiving to tell my Dad and the rest of our families.  This is the card we got for our Mothers and Grandmothers.  "Grandma's Heart:  When I heard you were on the way, I smiled and wiped a tear away.  I cried the tear because I knew, My heart has held a place for you."  We placed the ultrasound picture inside the card and wrote "Surprise...You have a Grandbaby on the way!!  Due June 28th 2014.  We love you, Josh, Brandie, Baby DeYoung and Chloe."

 We went to my Mom's first.  It was such a special time.  She didn't realize what it was at first, and thought the card was from Chloe.  But when she read the message on the inside, her reaction was priceless.  And we both cried tears of joy.

Please excuse Josh's leg in the video at the beginning.  He was trying to be discrete in filming so my Mom wouldn't pick up on anything :)   

After we left my Mom's, we headed to Josh's parents house.  We had already planned a "game night" so everyone was there, including Missy and Gracie.  Josh gave his Mom the card, and as soon as she saw the ultrasound picture, you could see the happiness and joy come across her face.  And we both cried happy tears!  I'm so thankful we were able to capture these special moments on video.

Josh's Dad, Missy and Gracie were all very excited.  I wasn't sure how Gracie would be.  Every time we have mentioned having a baby, she said "you've got me" or some form of that.  But she is sooo excited.  She said "can I help pick out a name?"  And since then has chosen Gilbert Alex as the name if it's a boy :) And she is up for the challenge of keeping the big secret.  She said "this will be the longest secret I've ever kept."  I was so happy that she was excited.  We had her a gift "from her little cousin."  And when she was leaving she said "get my bag from my cousin."  It was sweet!!

Missy is going to be a amazing Aunt!!

I never knew I could love someone this much, especially someone that I've never even met.  As this precious little one continues to grow inside of me, my prayer is that God protects him or her...holds them in His hands and helps them to continue to grow strong and healthy.  I pray for Josh and myself, that He begins to prepare our hearts and our minds, so that we can be the best parents we can be to our sweet one.  And more than anything, to show our little baby, God, through our actions and words.  We pray that our baby grows to be a strong man or woman of God!  Thank you Lord for this amazing opportunity and for this special little miracle.

"Miracle"

We treasure this first glimpse of you, 

The amazing miracle of life is true.

So small, yet awesome in what you'll become, 

Grow strong and healthy our little one.

We are here dreaming and waiting,

Wishing, preparing and anticipating.

Each day is a step closer to life anew,

Each day a touch closer to holding you.....

~"I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him.  So now I give him to the Lord.  For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord." 1 Samuel 1:27-28~