Miracle.

Olivia Rae,

(that's her name)

You are a miracle. I'm 22 weeks pregnant and feeling so wonderfully joyful about it all. I felt you move inside me for the first time on Saturday (11/24/12). It was a peaceful morning. Your dad and I slept in and were just enjoying our comfy bed, relaxing, with nothing much on our agenda for the day. All of a sudden, there you were! If I had to describe what it feels like, it really just feels like something is moving around inside you. It wasn't fluttery or popcorn-ish to me. This may be because I'm feeling you so much later in my pregnancy (due to an anterior placenta- look it up if you care). I felt you all morning and later that night and pretty much every day since. The past 2 days at work, you tend to get feisty during my 2nd period conference, around 10:30 am. It may be because I am usually sitting still at my desk at that time, or maybe because you are getting hungry (I assume you are hungry when I'm hungry).

Honestly, it kinda creeped me out at first to feel you move. It is just very bizarre. But it is reassuring to know you are there and doing ok! Your daddy and I are getting SO excited to meet you! Now that you have a name, we've picked out what your room is going to look like, and you have gotten a few gifts, it feels like you are a real person (which you are!).

You are loved by so many people. Your cousin Austin knows you are in my belly and lifts up my shirt to tell my belly "Hi, Baby Olivia!" You guys are going to be fun friends. Your grandparents (both sides) are overjoyed to have you join our family. It's a crazy family, but so full of love, joy, and life. The best part is that you are joining a family full of people who love Jesus. If we only teach you one thing while we have you, I hope you learn to love Jesus with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength.

Stay put for a while, Olivia, but I am so looking forward to meeting you!

    My 22 week belly- you are moving around in there!

 

Judge was bored of picture-taking... 

Lita (my mom) took us shopping!

 
















Our friend Nancy at the gym gave us these cute shoes! You are gonna be GIRLY.

Bliss.

Up until a couple of weeks ago, I would have told you that I was NOT going to be one of those women who just loooooved pregnancy. Honestly, a whole lot of the time, you feel like poo and definitely not like yourself.

These past couple weeks, however, I am LOVING it!. I feel much more like my normal self, plus we have a little gal to be excited about. It is really neat to see my husband get so excited and start "preparing" in his own way. He has really blown me away with how he is preparing to be an excellent father, husband and head of the household. He has initiated some "family rules" so to speak- things he wants us to start NOW, so that they will remain foundations for our family as we grow. He has also been very "into" making sure I am eating well, continuing to exercise, and get my rest. I am proud of him and so confident in his leadership for our family.

Energy: Awesome! Like pre-preggo normal, plus very motivated to "do" things. I guess it's that "nesting" instinct.

Diet: Better than ever. I have a great appetite and am back to eating our "normal" foods. I think that cleaning up my diet has probably played the biggest role in getting some of my energy back. And I'm back on eggs in the morning! I have to eat a huge breakfast in order to stay satiated throughout the day-especially after a morning workout! For dinner and lunch I am loading up on the lean meats and greens and snacks usually consist of fruit, nut butter, or nuts. I usually have to have a snack RIGHT before bed or I wake up STARVING in the middle of the night.

Exercise: Feeling good! Jumping still feels fine-but I'm not getting very high off the ground! Those extra pounds make me a little less springy :) I'm no longer doing any prone (on my back or tummy) exercises- burpees are now "squat thrusts", sit-ups are knees-to-elbows, etc. I'm still doing light bar work although less explosive than normal- from hang position instead of the floor, power clean and doing a front squat rather than doing a full squat clean. I increase weights for comfort. Some days I feel really strong and stable and can handle heavier weights than other days. If I'm feeling good, I increase. If not, I back off. And I can still do pull ups! We will see how long that lasts!

Body: I feel like my tummy is less pudgy looking and more pregnant looking. Strangers can tell that I'm pregnant. I haven't had any random tummy touches yet! I hope I never do...

Here we are at 20 weeks. This is post workout so that's why my hair is a crazy mess.

It's a...

GIRL!!

So we went for our anatomy scan (the long ultrasound) on November 6. I hadn't had any "feelings" about gender one way or another, but the morning of the 6th, I was CONVINCED it was a boy.

Tommy and my mom were able to attend the appointment with me. We got to see everything- fingers, toes, nose, spine, blood flow to the heart and through the umbilical cord, the four chambers of the heart, etc. Everything looked GREAT and she was at a great percentile for height and weight, actually measuring about 3 days bigger. She wasn't moving around very much but the technician was able to give us some pretty good shots of her. Since I was convinced it was a boy, I was shocked when she said "It's a little girl!"

Tommy didn't really say much but he smiled. I think we were both so relieved that everything was healthy that the gender news was really secondary to us at that point. We hadn't seen her since 8 weeks-when she still looked like a blob!

We are SO excited for our sweet daughter. The task of mothering a little woman can be intimidating, but one I feel so privileged and honored that I get to experience. Our prayer is that she will love her Maker and King and delight in being His creation.

Below are some sweet images of our little girl. In the last one, you can see that she was sucking her thumb.

Strong Second

Oh my, the 2nd trimester is a RELIEF. Besides not fitting into my pants, I finally feel somewhat NORMAL.

Energy: As long as I'm getting a good amount of sleep at night, I am good to go during the day! There is the occasional unexpected nap on Sunday afternoon, or occasional morning that I just can't make it out of bed to the gym, but generally, I'm feeling pretty peppy!

Diet: SO MUCH BETTER. Hungry all the time. I can eat veggies again! Steak, eggs, and grilled flavor in general I'm still kinda iffy about. But I'm back to making our yummy paleo dinners and loading up on the fresh fruits and veggies during the daytime. I'm still doing the greek yogurt in the morning and that is still working well for me.

Exercise: Feeling good. Just slower. Jumping movements or "ab" type exercises (like sit-ups or toes-to-bar) haven't bothered me yet. When they do, I will stop. Coaches have been so great and attentive.

Body: Hey belly! I'm up a few pounds and down a few outfit options. It's not looking like a "bump" yet, more like I went to the State Fair and went to town on a few Fletcher's corny dogs. To any outsider, I probably don't look pregnant AT ALL, but to me and people like my husband and my mom, it feels like a huge difference. I'm already uncomfortable at times which makes me a little nervous for what's to come!

This is at 16 weeks- I can't figure out how to turn the image...it isn't saved this way!

                  

17 weeks-pre-Sat morn workout