Jochebed, Mother of Moses

I'm writing about my thoughts on different women in the Bible and what their pregnancies may have been like. My subject this time is the mother of Moses. She is living in Egypt, where the Pharaoh has ordered all baby boys to be thrown in the Nile river.

I am not as anxious as many mothers are about discovering the gender of our baby, but this situation would cause anyone to have high blood pressure. To think that if you have a boy, the baby will most likely be murdered immediately would have to bring such a dark cloud over the pregnancy. She must have prayed so very hard for a baby girl. (And we complain today that sonograms are not 100%. How petty!)

The thing that is such a surprise to me is that she didn't have a plan on what to do if it was a boy until she saw that "he was a fine child." That may mean that he was a quiet baby or that he just looked really cute. To me, every mother would think her baby was a "fine child." It was at this point she decided to hide him to save his life.

You know the rest of the story. I can't imagine the stress every pregnant woman must have gone through during this time. Also, what a hard time to bring a child into the world. What pride she must have felt (if she was still living) when her son(s) delivered the Israelites. Way to go Mom!!

Baby Pool

At the top right of this page, you will see a banner for our baby pool. We still have some time before the baby comes, so you might want to wait to put in your guess. I wanted you to know that your guess is welcomed. The gender is worth zero points, as we'll find out soon. It wouldn't be fair to you early guessers if the gender was worth a lot! Have fun!

35 Years and Counting

Happy anniversary to Mom and Dad!

(This is the latest pic I have with them in it. I'll have to fix that!)

My Thoughts on Eve

Since becoming pregnant, I have thought a lot about women in the Bible. I will share with you some of my thoughts, beginning with Eve.

Eve was the first to ever be pregnant. Now, I have my doctor, mom, mother-in-law, sisters-in-law, and friends to talk about my pregnancy with. My questions get answered. Take a moment and think about what Eve had to feel through this pregnancy. Remember she was also pregnant with TWINS!

• If she had morning sickness (she was the one that sinned and brought pain to childbirth, so I bet she also had morning sickness), you know she had to wonder why she can't get over her sickness.
• All of the sudden she is tired. She doesn't know what to tell Adam. She just wants to sleep!
• Suddenly, everything Adam does is annoying. Where is her sweet Adam?
• What is happening to her body??? Everything is growing and is sore! You've got to bet she's wondering why.
• What is all of this movement she feels? What could possibly be inside her?? (You know Cain and Abel had to be moving a lot!)
• Once she figures out that there are humans growing in her...imagine her jaw dropping. How will these humans leave her body?? Now, she remembers God saying that there will be pain in childbirth. She knows it is going to hurt however it happens!

I just can't imagine being alone in all of this. Thanks to everyone that has answered my questions or has given me advice. I appreciate you!!

Lunch with College Roomies!

Lori, Shannon, and I were able to get together for lunch earlier this week. It is so fun to get together with these girls! We were not complete since Meredith wasn't with us. I guess we'll have to wait for homecoming for all four of us to be together. Lori's daughter is Faith and Shannon's daughter is Mallory. Shannon is about a week or two ahead of me in her pregnancy. I am so happy that we got together despite their hectic schedules.

18 Week Belly

I'm finally having a good week health-wise. :) :) :) Here are some shots of my growing belly. The baby is the size of a large sweet potato! I'm feeling movement a lot!

My Wonderful Husband

Michael is such a hard worker. Not only is he taking care of me during this pregnancy, he's working late (until 9 last night), studying for an exam, and he's updating our home. The wood floors only need a couple of finishing details and our tile will be grouted soon. Here are some pictures of his hard work.

The Waiting Game

If your checking this today to find out what we're having...you'll have to wait another month. Sorry! As you may know, my doctor had been on maternity leave and we had a misunderstanding on when this oh-so-special sonogram was going to take place. I'll be 21 weeks when we find out. I know my mom is really disappointed, but we're relieved in a way. I was concerned that it might be too early (even though it has been possible to tell for about 2 weeks now) and we would either not be able to tell or be given incorrect information. I can't imagine having clothes and a nursery all ready for one sex and then bringing home a baby of the other sex! So we'll wait.

Even though I am not gaining any weight, the baby is growing and seems to be doing well. When we listened to the heartbeat today, we were able to hear the thuds of movement. That was cool. I feel flutterings sometimes, but I don't know if these flutterings are stomach grumblings are the actual baby. I'm looking forward to that first strong kick. I'm sure I will want the little guy/gal to take a rest when I try to sleep, but it will be exciting to feel the rascal.

I've kept it no secret that I am struggling with vomiting and nausea. I am sorry if you're tired of reading about it, but the good news is that I'm on different nausea medicine and may not feel bad anymore! I may sleep all day because of the medication, but hey, that's what summer vacation is for!

Tag

Tag

I've been tagged by Shannon. Sorry I haven't blogged in awhile. I just can't be creative in any way but I can answer questions.
FYI: I may be moving back to my house after staying with my parents the last few weeks. Michael did a great job putting in the wood floors and I think the glue smell is finally gone. Thanks to Mom and Dad for putting up with us. Also, we'll find out the gender of Baby Hall Monday!

First Memory: It seems that I remember a lot from a night that my older brother, Brett, spotted a fire in an apartment on the way home from church. Mom informed me this week that I was about three years old. I remember the apartment complex, the street, us turning around to see it, and going to the nearest fire station to report it (pre-cellphone days). If y'all know Brett, this story will not surprise you.


First Real Kiss: I always struggle with this question. I think I kissed a boy in first grade, but I have no clue what his name is! I guess my first "kiss while on a date" came in college. I'm ashamed of it and will only tell my closest friends who this boy is.

First Concert: A true Church of Christ girl. I am pretty sure my first "concert" was Acappella. I just loved Duane Adams!

First Love: Michael was/is my first love!

First crush: Ha! The only reason why I know this is because my family says so. I must have had a crush on Michael Felker in 4 year old kindergarten.

First thing you think in the morning: Lately I've been asking myself, "Am I feeling sick?"

First book you remember loving: I loved the Babysitter's Club books. I later matured into Nancy Drew. I also loved those books that allowed you to choose different endings. Those were cool.

First pet: A white and gray cat named Bell. I loved her. Family hated her. She found a new family soon after we had her.

First question you'll ask in Heaven: I don't think we'll be asking questions.

First thing you think of when you hear the word vacation: Too sick to go. :(

First best friend: Laurie Lee.

Last time you dressed up: I dressed up to go to Senator Bob Hunter's retirement dinner party. I got ready in 20 minutes for that thing! Hair hot-rolled and evening gown to boot!

Last thing you ate: Some chocolate covered graham cracker cookies.

Last CD you bought: Probably a Sister Hazel CD. I want their latest too!

Last book you read: Greg Laurie's Are We Living in the Last Days? Short read and very interesting.

Last time you cried: This morning I was telling my mom how guilty I felt because I know I'm not eating how I should for the baby, but I just can't keep food down.

Last movie you saw: I fell asleep during the documentary called Maxed Out last night. Before, I watched Deja Vu in its entirety and loved it.

Last time you told someone you loved them: I told Michael about 5 minutes ago when he called.

Last really funny thing you did: That's tough. I've done some really funny things with my nieces and 2 year old cousins lately. Mostly just weird noises to make them laugh.

Last thing you watched on TV: Maxed Out before falling asleep.

Last Halloween costume: I guess I'm with Shannon. I think the last time I went trick or treating was sophomore year in college. I was a saloon girl.

Last Concert attended: I saw Casting Crowns not too long ago.

I tag Dad, Meredith, and Becky. Do if you like!

Britain's Got Talent

Quick Update: Michael is laying wood floors in our house and I'm staying with the 'rents. We've been here since Thursday or so and plan to stay through the week. It's nice to have your mommy around when you are sick. I'm desperately hoping to be over my sickness any day now. My mom showed me the next two videos. Be prepared to be blown away and have a tissue ready. The second video is of the man who won Britain's Got Talent Sunday night.


If the videos do not come up for you, you can see them here.

Baby Video

This is funny!

Reader Beware - Belly Shots

This past Thursday, my mom took a couple of belly shots at 12 weeks. I'm a lot smaller than I thought I would be at this point, but I have lost weight this trimester. It's amazing to me that I have to buy new clothes, yet I've lost weight. I guess the baby truly takes over your body. Not only does the baby affect my hormones, smell, appetite, sleep, hair, and everything else, it also takes care of itself and makes sure it gets what it needs and grows. Truly a miracle. Speaking of my appetite, Michael had the brilliant idea to buy me some popsicles. I didn't know I much I would want these! He bought the Breyer's frozen fruit bars. This is the only thing I have truly enjoyed eating in months!! I highly recommend them!

Okay, I got the pictures to work. I'm not sure how I feel about putting these pictures up. I guess it is part of being pregnant. It will be neat to look back and see how I've grown.

Another Good Appointment

This morning, Michael and I went in for another prenatal appointment. This time, I had a different doctor since my doctor is on maternity leave. I got a call this morning asking if I could come right then because this doctor will be doing a C-section at the time of my appointment. So Michael and I went looking pretty rough. Michael had not shaven (his beard grows super fast) and my hair was wet, but we made it! I arrived at the office and there was much confusion. Here were the things that caused the confusion: 1. I filled out paper work that should not have been sent to me 2. My 4 different names always bring confusion (I go by my middle name and they still have my maiden name on file) 3. I was not seeing my usual doctor 4. I was early for my appointment. At one point I was asked if I was here for the C-section! They were relieved when I said no, seeing how I don't look 9 months pregnant!

The real exciting part was to hear the baby's heartbeat. I am so thankful we were able to hear it. It is reassuring to know that the baby is continuing to live and grow inside of me. I liked the doctor that I had today as well. She was very sweet and took the time to answer my questions, even though I'm sure she had an eye on the clock! She also made me feel better about my battle with the prenatal pills that I can't swallow anymore. She liked what I was already doing about that. Hopefully, in a couple of weeks, I'll be able to keep my food down without any problems and can swallow pills again.

We may be able to find out the gender at my next appointment. We'll keep you posted!

Chuck E Cheese, Please!

I had the privilege to spend most of the day with my nieces and nephews Friday. It is pretty rare to have them all together, so I wanted to do something with them. I went over to Mimi & Papa's house to visit with everyone. I got to hold soon-to-be 4 month old Macie nearly the whole time. She is a sweet baby that loves to smile.

When Michael got off work, we loaded up the older kiddos (ages 2, 2, and 4) and headed to CHUCK E CHEESE!! I don't think I've ever been as entertained driving somewhere before. They all started singing different church songs and asking each other if the other saw something outside the window. My brothers and I pretty much had each other's vehicles at that time and they had a fun and a confusing time discussing who was driving whose car. It was really hard on me because I couldn't just say Brett or Blake because they are known as daddy to someone.

We meet Michael at Chuck E Cheese and the fun begins! We had pizza and Sprite! I had not had a soda that I can remember since December! It was soooo good! Here are a few shots of us waiting for our pizza.

Let the games begin! Zachary and Ethan took off with Michael and I had Maddie. Maddie fell in love with the skee-ball game. Once she played that game, she stayed there the rest of the night. I saw the boys mainly at the jungle gym area. At the end, they had chosen their prizes and we were ready to head home.

Random Thoughts

I am not ashamed of it - I'm an American Idol watcher. All season long, I thought Blake Lewis was, in a word, COOL. I have been home all week and have seen the Idol finalists on many shows. I just saw Blake Lewis sing the Maroon 5 song, "She Will be Loved" and add a lyric from a U2 song. That was really cool and a huge surprise. I also really liked Melinda Doolittle and Lakesha Jones. Those two ladies are so talented but so humble. I'm anxious to see what kind of album Melinda puts out. She has sang (or should I say sung?) backup for many gospel artists and I would love to see her do a gospel album. This is why I'm glad she didn't have to sign a record deal through American Idol. Michael and I really liked Elliot Yamin from last season. We have bought a couple of his songs off of iTunes and really like his sound. I often wonder if all of these people that try out and are actually good, are prepared for the life that they will have after Idol. I'm glad I don't have to live a life in the spotlight!

It is summer time for me!! I am so glad because I was running out of energy and strength to work each day. I've been sitting and thinking a lot. I am amazed how God has worked in every aspect of my life. I am thankful for my family - husband, immediate, extended, and in-laws. I am thankful for my health, even now. I am thankful for this baby growing inside of me. I am thankful to have a job that gives me 3 months off! I am thankful for the physical things like our house and cars. I am thankful for our church. I am thankful for the rain - remember, we've been praying for rain like this for years!

We bought a new camera! My old camera was still working, but for some reason, was not being recognized by any computers. It is hard to get those digital pictures out w/o a computer! So, seeing how we needed a camera for two reasons Monday, and we're going to have a cute little baby to snap pictures of soon, we bought another one. So now I may even post belly pictures...uh, well, maybe. I'll also be posting more pictures of just life now. Tomorrow, Michael and I are taking my niece and nephews to Chuck E Cheese. This event should produce some good pictures and I'll be sure to post those.

I'm a little worried about something. Ever since I became pregnant, I feel like I'm losing more and more hair. My hair was already thin to begin with, so this is not good. I have heard that your hair can become thicker or change texture while being pregnant. Do you know if your hair can become thinner? If you know anything, please let me know!

Michael is studying for the CPA exam. He has been really good at spending 3-4 hours each night studying. I sit with him sometimes. He started listening to this professor going over each page in this gigantic textbook. It was so boring! I fell asleep in about ten minutes while listening last night. I really don't see how Michael does it. He should be finished by the middle of December. Perfect timing! He'll have diaper duty after that!

Yes, I Know I Look Pale

I have to tell you, the first 2 weeks or so of knowing I was pregnant was fun! I felt good, I was excited, we were able to share our news with the family. It was really great. I've been sick for over a month now. I basically feel sick the entire day and night. I have no energy. Fortunately, I have only truly been sick one time. There are a few bright spots to this and here they are:
1. A sick mommy usually means a healthy baby.
2. I have a coworker that spent days in the hospital and had an IV in her for weeks. I'm sooo not that bad off.
3. It should be over in a few weeks.
I know when I'm at my worst, yet people like to tell me what kind of coloring I have in my face. I'm either pale, green, or hey-your coloring looks good today! I also just love (please note the sarcasm) when someone says that it may never go away while I'm pregnant. Don't people know that hope is what humans strive on the most?!? A huge component of faith is hope. Teachers would quit if there was not the hope of summer break. Single ladies can face a new day with the hope of finding that special someone. Even chemo patients fight with the hope that their cancer is gone. So, do not destroy my hope!
I have 3 more days of school. I will then be able to stay in bed or on the couch and let the days pass until I feel like I can eat again!

Family of Three

Michael and I are pregnant!!!

We're having Baby Hall a week or so before Christmas this year. Here is a picture of our little one:

I haven't figured out how to rotate the picture w/o compromising the quality. When it comes to sonograms, you need all the quality you can get! I hope he/she is smiling for the picture!

So, I'm in the middle of my "morning" sickness. The doctor has given me some medication for it, so we'll see if that helps. I'm also pretty tired, so I may not blog for another few weeks.

Michael and I feel very blessed to be given the opportunity to raise a child. We're anxious to see what this child will be like! It will be so wonderful to see the little tyke grow, discover it's gender, feel it move, etc.

If you have any cool things you do with your children or know of any special things (daily or for a special event), I'm interested to know what you do.

We thank you for any prayers you send up on our behalf!

Quiet After the Storm

It is 1:16 in the morning and I am unable to sleep. So, I am sitting in the quiet house pondering the crazy night we had.

The storm that blew by produced several tornadoes and it appeared one of them was heading toward us. Michael and I took cover in our closet. I brought my laptop with me so that my dad could keep me updated while we were away from the television. We heard hail, strong wind, and a lot of rain. Finally, the storm passed. Then it was my turn to keep my dad updated as they took cover at their house. They came out unscathed as well. God is good!

Here is a link to some pictures of the storm.

Oh, the STARS and the MAVS won tonight! WooHoo!

Stormy Friday the 13th

Since Wednesday, I have been sick with a sore throat and fever. So yesterday and today, I am home trying to rest up. Today, I get to keep an eye on the weather.

Growing up (and especially during the summer), my dad watched the Weather Channel until sports, usually the Rangers, came on at night. I inherited a love to watch the Weather Channel. So today, as the weather will prove to be the worst of the year, I will be watching TWC. I will not be surprised if Dad and I will be keeping in touch today, keeping the other informed on the situations in our area. Before you call me a nerd, remember - I'm a science teacher. This stuff is supposed to be interesting to me. Now you may call me a nerd.

My Thoughts

Daylight Savings Time: I'd rather have some sunlight when I wake up instead of 7:00 pm. I tend to go to bed later now and it becomes more difficult for me to wake up. I also have to get ready with the light off in the morning because Michael isn't up yet. The morning sunlight really helped me in this situation.

Movies: Either I'm picking out really bad movies or I'm just getting old or something, but every movie I've watched recently has seemed sooooo long. I just want the movie to end. We saw Amazing Grace a couple of weeks ago. We were the only ones there that didn't have grey hair. The movie was good, but it again, seemed way too long.

Missing Girl Hoax: It sounds like these were good kids that made bad decisions that night. I can't imagine being so scared of what my parents would do to me that I would stage an abduction. How insane!

Wallet: I left my wallet at a pharmacy last night. I didn't realize it until this afternoon. The pharmacy (thankfully!) placed my wallet in the lost and found. I was able to get it back with everything in place. It is so nice to see people behave honestly and save the day for me!

24: This week's episode was the best in awhile. I have felt that this season has been too predictable to the avid 24 watchers. Monday's episode had so many surprises that it has me itching to see the next show!

Mavs/Stars: I've got to find some time to catch these guys more often! It will be fun to watch them in the playoffs!

So there are my thoughts! School has me very busy. One month is left before TAKS. I just might enjoy teaching after April 20.