"She's Having a Baby"

This post has nothing to with the movie. I have been planning this post for quite a while. I have some very exciting news to share.

Matthew and I are expecting our first baby! I am a little over 12 weeks right now and our baby is due at the end of May. Even though we have known for almost 2 months now, it is still hard to believe. After waiting for what seems like a long time, it was shocking to find out. I think we had almost given up hope this would happen to us (at least I think I had). This week we heard the baby’s heart beat at our appointment. It was amazing. There is a miracle growing inside me. All I’ve felt so far is nauseous, picky/specific about what I want to eat RIGHT NOW, headache pain, and EXTREMELY tired. And Matthew has felt really tired of hearing me complain about everything listed in the previous sentence.

We have made our announcement to most of our family, close friends, and co-workers, however we haven’t told our Sunday school class yet. We have several couples in our class that have really painful pregnancy experiences. It has been hard to know how to share our exciting news in a respectful and gentle way. I know our friends will be excited for us, but I also know it will be painful for them due to their own circumstances.

When I can stand to be awake after the work day, I have been reading What to Expect When You’re Expecting and Eating Well When You’re Expecting. I have already learned so much about the baby’s development and the changes my body is going through (and the explanation for why I am so incredibly tired). At my appointment this week, my doctor gave me this plastic replica of what size our baby is this week. Isn’t that fun? It is seriously miraculous to see that even at this size and only 12 weeks the baby already looks like a baby. How amazing is our God and His creation!

I cannot say that I have been eating particularly well. I have not been eating a bunch of junk food, but I’m having a hard time getting many of the foods that I should be eating. I have had a strong aversion to onion which I previously really enjoyed. I cannot even stand the smell of them. And they give me indigestion which is quite uncomfortable. Cooking has been challenging. When I’m hungry, I am hungry for something very specific (generally from a specific restaurant – and I’ve found that substitutions for what I’m craving don’t work out so well) and I want it RIGHT NOW! I have not gained much weight yet…by my calculations less than 5 pounds, although my body is definitely going through some changes. I am currently still able to wear most of my pants except the ones that were tight on me to begin with.

Stitches Out

Matthew visited the surgeon again today. He got the rest of his stitches out. The toe is not completely healed, but he can also stop wearing the air cast/boot if it is comfortable for him to wear his normal shoes. He is going to try that for the rest of the day so we'll see how that goes. He will go back to visit the surgeon in two weeks to see how everything looks.

After seeing his injury just over 2 weeks ago, it is surprising to me that he has healed so quickly. I have warned him that if I sustain such an injury, I will be milking it so he should be prepared for that. He was a very good patient. He only let me do things for him the first day or two. I tried to wait on him hand and foot, but he didn't allow much of that.

Big Toe Update

Matthew had an appointment with the surgeon today concerning his big toe. The doctor was surprised at how quickly Matthew's toe is healing. In the beginning, we were told he would be on crutches for 4 to 6 weeks. Matthew decided last Thursday (after 4 days on the crutches) that was enough for him. I just knew he would "get in trouble" from the doctor, but today the doctor told Matthew he totally understood why he was not using them. So much for following the rules. He took a couple of the stitches out and thinks he will be able to take the rest out next week. He also thinks Matthew will then be able to get out of the air boot and start wearing regular shoes. Matthew just knew this was going to ruin his summer, but so far it looks like his healing is ahead of "schedule."

Thank you for praying for him. It looks like he is out of woods concerning the infection. He will finish his antibiotics in the next couple of days, and the doctor did not prescribe any additional pills.

The surgeon also told Matthew that over the weekend he was cutting wood on his property. He said he could not get Matthew out of his mind so he was being extremely careful. Matthew thought that was funny.

Incredible News

Yesterday I heard the incredibly sad story about Steven Curtis Chapman's 5 year old daughter passing away. I was having trouble thinking about rejoicing in my own life knowing that someone else was going through such a hard time.

Then today we found out that M's mom had an appointment yesterday where she received incredible news. Her doctor told her that her body is responding really well to the treatment she has been receiving since January. The doctor gave her the following prognosis. Two years is almost a given. Five years is possible. And ten years is not out of the question.

In January, she was told by a previous doctor that she had only weeks to live. This same doctor thought the treatment she is now undergoing would kill her.

And now, we are celebrating the possibility of years left to spend time together and to make new memories.

Praise the Lord! From what I hear, everyone is celebrating with brownies and ice cream.