week 18!

I think I'm in shock as to how far along Sven is! We are into our 18th week (for those of you who count by months, we have started our 5th month). My appointment with Dr. Rainey went very well last week; strong heartbeat, good blood pressure, and only 3 pounds total of a weight gain! The day before my appointment, I had a severly dizzy day. I was having problems walking and had to have Lee come pick me up from work. Light and sound made it much worse which prompted us to think that I was possibly experiencing pregnancy migraines. After discussing this with my doctor, we decided that I hadn't been resting enough, and definitely hadn't been drinking enough water (which I find ridiculous when I think about how much water I drink on a daily basis.). So, luckily, taking a few rest periods and refilling my water bottle as often as possible, has proven good for my dizziness. We got our referral for the "BIG" ultrasound and have scheduled it for May 4. The last time we had an ultrasound done, I was barely 8 weeks along and the baby didn't even have fully grown limbs. It should be rather amazing to see how much he/she has grown. (I remember being able to button my pants after my last ultrasound, so I'm sure that he's not the only one that has grown!)

My nesting instincts are becoming rather strong. I am feeling panicked about not knowing everything there is to know about nursing, about the nursery not being complete, and Lee never changing a poopy diaper. Last week, I ordered 5 books on amazon to try to calm this anxiety. I think if time permitted, I would have already had my shower just to ensure time to put everything away and to wash all of the clothes.

My friend Amanda, (see post from week 16) and I have decided to use cloth diapers with our little ones that are coming in July and September. A Beckley owned and run company makes all-in-one diapers that you launder yourself. Total, using cloth diapers, will save us over $800 dollars. (and that's just for the initial purchase) You can also use them for every subsequent child, so the savings continue to add up. If we go for 3 children, our savings would be several thousand dollars. (kind of a big deal to me!) Check our their site at www.drybees.com . I personally was stoked that they had bright orange diapers. So, as Lee and I put on our gameday shirts, the baby can put on his/her gameday booty!

We keep getting excited as my classes only have 3 weeks left and Lee is nearing the end of his paper marathon. We hope to dig up the foundation to our house in the next few weeks and then start the drywall mess in the house. Much still to do in the next 22 weeks!

Sannu Sannu (hello in Hausa)

I started this blog in January when Lee was heading to Africa for a class in Nigeria. As many of you know, the trip was full of turmoil and fighting and scared most of us in the states half-t0-death. When we go through these kind of experiences, we are forever bonded to the people with whom we experience them. This is the bond that Lee experienced with his mission team and his professor.

For months, I have heard stories of the people from his trip and his beloved "Kawu" (Which is a Hausa term of endearment meaning "Uncle"). This past weekend, most of his team made the trip from Philadelphia and Kawu came from Cincinnati to see Lee, to meet me, and to meet our church family. I am not going to lie, I was very nervous about them coming, but wow, what an experience!!

This new family came into our home and surrounded us with love and excitement as they shared stories from their children and grandchildren, did a gender test using string and Lee's wedding band, (which predicted a boy both times we did it) and had many more surprises up their sleeves. After a very cold cookout, these wonderful people gave us our first baby shower. They flooded this child with clothes, diapers, blankets, organizers, soap, lotion, baskets, and so much more.

People that were once faces in pictures and names in stories became family in less than 24 hours. I wish all of us could love as much as they did. Pictures to come when Jennie emails them to us!

Easter and friends

My friends are very fertile. I have often made fun of them for their ability to recreate at a very rapid rate. Now, I have joined forces. So, on Easter, my amazing frined, Amanda came to visit me at my mom's and we took this picture:

I feel so blessed to be able to go through this experience with so many of my awesome friends. (This picture is me at 16 weeks and Amanda at 23 weeks.) My friend, Samantha had her baby last Friday. This is making this baby thing so much more real. More details to come from a very action packed week!