21 Weeks

How far along: 21 Weeks (baby is the size of a pomegranate)

Due date: April 16, 2014 

Gender: Baby Hodill is a little girl!!

Weight gain: 4 lbs. Must have been those extra helpings of stuffing and pie last week.

Movement: All the time. I can feel her bumps on the outside now. Dan still hasn't felt her though. Every time he tries, she stops kicking. 

Maternity clothes: Still the same pants and dresses. I need to get some more soon, because I feel like I wear the same thing every other day.

Stretch marks: None.(fingers crossed)

Sleep: My sleep has been great lately.

Purchased baby items: Nothing new, although I was tempted at the Gap today. There are SO many cute little girl outfits out there.

Best moment this week: The past two weeks have been so great with family, food, laughter and Christmas decorating. This really is the best time of the year.

Worst moment this week: Having to go back to work after 5 days off for Thanksgiving.

Miss anything: My dad's cornbread stuffing from last week. Pretty sure it's the 4 lb. culprit!

Cravings: Baked goods and coffee. It's gotta be the cooler weather.

Queasy or sick: Feeling great!

Looking forward to: Finishing the last of our Christmas decorating.

19 Weeks

How far along: 19 Weeks (baby is the size of a mango)

Due date: April 16, 2014 

Gender: We find out on Tuesday!! Counting down the days.

Guesses: Still gotta say that I'm feeling like it's a girl.

Weight gain: None as of yet, although I really "popped" today. It's like I woke up and my belly won't go back down. Now, don't get me wrong because my stomach was never flat before, but it's so noticeable that even Dan commented on it. Oh man!

Movement: I feel the baby everyday now, multiple times a day. It's the coolest feeling ever!

Maternity clothes: Maternity dresses and pants

Stretch marks: None.

Sleep: The last few nights I haven't been able to get comfortable. Plus, Dan and I have had head colds so that has really disturbed our sleep. Hoping for better sleep soon.

Purchased baby items: Nothing new.

Best moment this week: Getting to eat some Thanksgiving food a week early! Yummy!! I'm so looking forward to Thanksgiving this year. Baby is going to love me. :)

Worst moment this week: Being sick. Yuck!!

Miss anything: Not really anything right now.

Cravings: Baked goods and coffee. It's gotta be the cooler weather.

Queasy or sick: Feeling great!

Looking forward to: Some friends coming into town this weekend!!

17 Weeks

How far along: 17 Weeks (baby is the size of an onion)

 

Due date: April 16, 2014 (my Dad's birthday)

Gender: Not sure yet. Our Dr. tried to find out at our appointment last week, but he couldn't tell. We will hopefully find out at our 20 week appointment on the 26th.

Guesses: I've pretty much felt all along that I am having a girl, so that's going to be my guess until we find out in a few weeks. Dan won't really say either way, but he really wants a boy. (although he probably wouldn't admit to it openly)

Weight gain: Last I checked, which was 2 weeks ago, I hadn't gained anything. We'll see how long that lasts.

Movement: I've felt the baby move since 13 weeks, but lately those kicks have gotten stronger and have turned into little bumps. I don't feel them everyday but when I do it's the greatest feeling. 

Maternity clothes: Wearing some awesome Old Navy Maternity Skinny Jeans. Had to give up on most of my pants as they just weren't fitting and the rubber-band trick wasn't working too well either.

Stretch marks: None. Slathering on Burt's Bees Mama Bee Belly Butter.

Sleep: My sleep hasn't changed much except for getting up at least once a night to go pee.

Purchased baby items: One BumGenius cloth diaper and the cutest pair of baby moccasins. 

Best moment this week: Getting moved into our new house.

Worst moment this week: Living out of boxes and not knowing where anything is.

Miss anything: Oh yes I do. Deli meat all the way. I want a Jimmy John's Turkey Tom SOOOO bad. That will definitely be my "after baby is born meal."

Cravings: Spicy and salty foods. I could eat Mexican and Thai food everyday if Dan would let me.

Queasy or sick: Feeling great now. Once the "all day nausea" went away at 13 weeks, I've felt great.

Looking forward to: Finding out if there's a boy or a girl cooking in the oven. :)

Just a Quick Post on Some Big News!

I've gotta start this post by saying: Dan and I lead a pretty normal life. We go to work. We come home and make dinner. We spend time with our family and our pups. We go to church. We try to just spend quality time with each other and friends on the weekends when we get the chance. Nothing too exciting ever truly happens in our lives and we are seriously ok with that. But, when BIG things do happen they always seem to be really big and all at once!

If you've followed along on this blog then you know that Dan and I have struggled with getting pregnant for quite a while, but.....

I am super stoked to announce that after a year and a half, Dan and I are going to be parents.

The day we found out! (Dan's face kills me in this picture)

Our little one at 16 weeks!

And along with that amazing and supremely awesome news, we also bought a house!

I mentioned before that we moved in with Dan's parents back in May. It was a great way for us to save up some money, but towards the end of July we started looking at houses. Around the middle of August we found out we were pregnant so that kind of moved up the whole process.

Well, I can gladly say that we now have the keys and are all moved in (but no where near unpacked.)

Be on the lookout for before and after house pictures as we have some DIY to do on the house!

Also, I'll be back soon to update with belly pictures (although the belly isn't really there yet) and to talk about this pregnancy so far.

Becky

One Month

One month ago today, I quit sugar. You may be asking yourself why someone would want to do a crazy thing like that? Well believe me, I had to have a pretty good reason to just stop cold turkey, because this girl loves sugarrrrrrrr! Seriously, I have never met a candy bar, cookie or cake that I didn't like.

Well, the reason I've quit sugar and cut back on gluten is because I was diagnosed back in March with an infertility disorder called PCOS, or Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. This news came after Dan and I had been trying to get pregnant for close to a year without any luck. You can type PCOS into Google and you will get a whole list of symptoms, some of which are below:

• Trouble losing weight and weight gain around your middle area
• Irregular or missed periods (or in my case, really long cycles)
• Trouble getting pregnant
• Insulin resistance
• Cysts on the ovaries
• Acne
• Unwanted hair on the face, chest, etc. (places where ladies aren't supposed to have hair)

If PCOS is left untreated it can eventually lead to type-2 diabetes, which is why it feels important to me to cut out refined sugars. Luckily, it is a disorder that can be treated by diet and lifestyle change. It's not that you can't get pregnant, it's just that if you do, it's going to take longer and will be harder.

This news was not an entire surprise for me. My mom had a lot of fertility issues when she and my dad were trying to have my sisters and I, so I've always wondered if I might have problems. Even with that knowledge and finding this out from my Dr., I still don't think I was quite prepared for the emotions that came with it.

There have definitely been many nights of weeping and praying. I pray for God to bless us with a child of our own, but at the same time I struggle because He doesn't always give us the desires of our heart. Just because I ask for it doesn't mean that I'm going to get it. That's not how this works.

The thing that hits me the hardest is when I see other couples getting pregnant and having babies. Each time it feels like a giant knife slices through my heart. I'm always super happy for them, but there are days when I ask God, "why?" "Why can't I just get pregnant?"

For me, the not knowing has been the hardest thing. I know that God loves me and wants to bless me, but I also know that He knows what's best for me and a baby might not be what He has in store. Me being selfish, I mostly just want to hear a definite answer from Him; "Yes, you will get pregnant," or "No, that will never happen, you should adopt." I know that it's super selfish of me to want to know, but that is where my head and heart go whenever I think about it. That is where I am right now with God. Constantly asking and trying to figure this out.

In all of this though, I can definitely feel God teaching me patience and trust. Patience to just sit back and let Him lead me. Trust to know that no matter the outcome, pregnancy or adoption, He is still in control and I am to continue to look to Him. I serve an amazing God and no matter if I have zero kids or adopt 20, He will always be there for me and I can trust that one day I will see Him in glory.

I felt like I should share this for those of you who know us (or even for those of you who don't) so that you can be praying alongside Dan and I. We are trusting that it will happen, but it would mean a lot to us to have brothers and sisters praying alongside us. Some of our close church friends and some family know and are praying, but it can't hurt to have more people doing so.

I also wanted to share this for anyone else out there in this giant blog-o-sphere that is possibly struggling with the same diagnosis. Sometimes it's just nice to be able to relate to someone and to be able to talk about it. So, if you're out there and have PCOS, please respond to this post or get a hold of me. I would love to pray alongside you and just be there for you. I would also to love to hear of anything that helped you get pregnant after a PCOS diagnosis

Also, if you're interested, some current reading material that has been useful to me thus far:

"The PCOS Diet Plan: A Natural Approach to Health for Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome"
http://www.amazon.com/The-PCOS-Diet-Plan-Polycystic/dp/158761023X

"The Ultimate PCOS Handbook: Lose Weight, Boost Fertility, Clear Skin and Restore Self-Esteem"
http://www.amazon.com/The-Ultimate-PCOS-Handbook-Self-Esteem/dp/157324371X

And, a giant thank you if you took the time to read this entire post.You Rock!

Becky

Currently listening to: Kings of Leon-"Wait for Me" (their 2nd release off of their new album, "Mechanical Bull, that comes out in September. If you haven't listened to this song you should! Their music is super solid.)

This & That

So, some how I've already let 6 months pass without posting on this blog. Part of me is upset with myself for letting so much time pass, but the other part of me is not surprised.

My name is Becky and I have blog commitment issues.

Whew! I feel so much better now that I've said that out loud. Now I think I can actually write this post without feeling guilty. :)

Well, as a way to get back into the blogging spirit, below are a few things that are going on with us as well as some goals for this summer/fall.

Current happenings in our crazy world:

The big one that is currently taking up all our time is that we are moving. Where you may ask? Well, we are actually moving in with Dan's parents for a temporary time.
              
This all came about 4-5 months ago when our lease was almost up and we were unsure of our next step. We really have been wanting to buy a house, but don't currently have enough saved for a down payment. We started saving money right after we got married, but between Dan's job not providing much income and trying to make ends meet, we ended up using up most of our savings just to survive each month. Ever since Dan got his new job 7 months ago we have been able to save more. But, with the rate that we are saving, we would have to rent for another year or longer to meet the standard 3% down on a house.
              
The big debate for us was whether to rent again while saving at a slower rate or to figure out a way to save up money faster without having to rent. After many conversations among ourselves and a couple of conversations with Dan's parents it was decided. We would move into their basement and store most of our belongings for the next 8-10 months. Without rent each month we'll be able to put that money directly into savings. Dan's parents have been so gracious in providing us with this option. While it may be hard to adjust to a smaller space and not having our own kitchen, etc., we feel really blessed to even have this option.           
             
So, our duplex is currently scattered with boxes as we get ready to move out this Saturday (yikes)! But, we are ready for this next chapter in our lives. This brings us one step closer to home ownership.

Jett and Jilli, however, don't even know what's coming. :)

Sewing, crafting, blogging:

In the next few weeks, after we get moved in and unpacked, I plan on working on getting my rear in gear (see what I just did there?) and actually committing to the following three things.

Etsy: I plan on adding a personalized touch to make it more me. I also plan to get more merchandise listed so that I can actually sell more items.

Crafting/Sewing: I've got 2 orders for some reusable snack bags, so as soon as my fabric and sewing machine are unpacked I plan to get busy on those. Also, there is a craft festival in October that my dad and I are going to set up for, so I have some things in mind to make for that. I've already started on a few items, but there is still so much more to do for that. I'm going to be a little sewing "machine" (pun intended) for the next 5 months. I will be sure to share a lot of those projects on here. :)

This Blog: I want to be more diligent in spending time here. Expect more sewing projects. Also, I'm ready for a face lift (the blog, not me). So, I plan to add a more personalized touch with the help of my sister, Rachel. She's got mad photography skills, and she has offered to help.

I feel so much better now that I've updated after all these months. Now, to continue this on a daily, or every other day basis. I think I just might need a pep talk to accomplish that. :) Have you seen this video? If not, you should check it out. Even if you have seen it, watch it again. We can all use a little more of his outlook in our lives.

Currently listening to: Ryan Adams (It's the perfect rainy day music)