Transitions once again..

Life is full of transitions isn't it!??!!  We decided to move again, same apartment complex, larger apartment.  This way, everyone will have their own bedroom...I think when our little guy arrives in January everyone will be much happier!

Moving wasn't easy being 6 months pregnant and I'm still settling in.  Putting things away and organizing.  We had a great crew who helped us out.  However, it still doesn't mean living here is nice and easy.  We miss our lovely college town along with our friends.  My 4 year old especially misses her friends.  She gets plenty of social interaction and is making new friends, but she misses those specific relationships that we left behind.

My mom said something that is so true:  You left part of yourself behind.  Ok, now that statement in itself brought me to tears.  She's so right!  I miss that one friend who I could just call and see what she was up to or if she needed any of her kids to come down to our house while she ran errands.  And, she would do the same with me.  Or that one friend where we just enjoyed the kids playing together in the lazy days of summer.

Don't get me wrong.  There are great things going on.  We live near family and that has been a blessing.  Seriously, our daughter is in what I call "grandparent heaven."  We love our church and are getting established there.  My husband has a good job which supplies the finances we need.  All 3 of us(and baby) are healthy...and with all my friends being diagnosed with cancer I'm not taking that for granted. I have friends who have become my family and that has become more evident in this move. I really have many blessings in my life.

I just have days where I want to click my heels and say, "There's no place like Pullman, there's no place like Pullman, there's no place like Pullman."  And be transplanted back to visiting with friends that know me better than most people do here. Obviously, that can't happen, and life wouldn't be the same...but I do miss the life we had.

I realize it takes time to get settled somewhere, but sometimes the unknown in life is the hardest.  I don't know if my husband will truly love his job.  I don't know how long we will live in this state.  I don't know what the future holds.

I do know that I have to trust God in these unknowns.  I have to trust that He has the plan that is best for us and that He brought us back here for a reason. It doesn't mean it will be easy, but no one ever said it would be. So, with all that said, I choose to keep my focus on God and the blessings He has given me.

Pregnancy-6 months

Ok, so previously I was at the stage in this pregnancy where people were like "Oh, you're pregnant, I had no idea!"  While I've been thinking, "Yes, I've put on 15 pounds, and my belly is protruding..."  But, since we moved to a new place, all the people I meet would have no idea what I looked like before this pregnancy.  Especially, since a dear family member told me it doesn't look like I've gained weight.  She even added, "And, I'm not saying that just because I'm your sister in law, it's the truth."  I'm just finally LOOKING pregnant...

So now I've crossed a threshold.  I've gone from hearing, "I didn't know you were pregnant"  To, "When are you due??"  And, along with that comes strangers touching my belly. I know, I know, pregnant women are cute...I've always thought that, but I've never had the urge to touch a strangers pregnant belly.  Maybe I will when I'm a happy grandmother and miss those parenting days or maybe I'll just remember that there are some boundaries that aren't meant to be crossed?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not against people touching my belly.  In fact, when it comes to family and friends it really doesn't bother me(maybe a little warning would be nice). One day I even forced my baby brother(who's no longer a baby, but I enjoy reminding him he is;), to touch my belly.  I may have freaked him out a little, but honestly, out of all my siblings he knows me the best.  Just wait until he actually feels this little guy move...this kid already has a strong kick!

And, then there's my 4 year old who all the sudden will realize my belly has grown and start giggling.  She has said things like: "Mama, your belly is growing."  She was also the first out of the family to feel baby brother kick.  And, just the other day she told my parents, "My mom is REALLY pregnant." LOL

All this to say, I'm enjoying this pregnancy as much as I can knowing it is most likely my last.  I'm making sure to keep my sense of humor amongst all of our adjustments in this move. I'm enjoying the fact that my daughter is so excited about her baby brother and has now changed his name to:  Lightning Thunder. 

And, at dinner tonight she informed me: "I actually warn people you are pregnant so you don't bump into people with your belly."  She totally cracks me up with her statements!

Quote found at: http://open.adoptionblogs.com/weblogs/my-top-ten-favorite-adoption-quotes

Cancer :(

For those of you who read my blog do you remember these two posts about Julie Longstreet?

Please pray and Please continue to pray. She passed away on September 27th. 

Also, do any of you follow Tricia Minnick.  She just lost her grandmother to cancer.

And, my friend over at http://harmlove.blogspot.com/ found out the other day that her husband's cancer has spread near his pancreas and spleen.  He will have surgery soon.

Please pray for all of these people along with their families!  Along with anyone else you know who's battling cancer or the loss of a loved one.

Life, In Spite of Me: Extraordinary Hope After a Fatal Choice

http://www.reachingyouministries.com/

Pain. Despair. Hopelessness. Emotional wounds. Deep depression with the feeling of no way out other than suicide.  But somehow, God protected Katie Jane Anderson when she decided to put her body on train tracks to commit suicide.  With all the blood she lost she should have died.  Instead, she lost both her legs and survived.  She was 17 and had a hard road to continue on the road of healing, but she persevered and God changed her.

Life in Spite of Me, Extraordinary Hope After a Fatal Choice is about Katie's journey through her attempted suicide and how she found joy in her relationship with God. It is truly amazing that Katie survived this suicide attempt, but her survival is touching lives by giving hope to those feeling a deep sense of hopelessness.  Through her journey she has started an online ministry to provide support to others who are feeling many of the same things she felt.

I thought this book was well written and easy to read.  It truly shows how God can transform anyone going through a tough time.  She does a great job sharing how depressed and hopeless she was before she decided to lie down on the train tracks.  And,  her lack of legs are a constant reminder of the fatal choice she made.  From what I can tell, she is now living life to the fullest, reaching out to others through Reaching You Ministries and enjoying her new baby boy!

Feel free to check out her facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kristen-Jane-Anderson-Reaching-You-Ministries/410445290572?ref=ts&fref=ts

**I got this book free to provide a review.  My opinions are my own.

Lack of time?

I've been quiet on here a bit and it's not that I don't want to write.  It's lack of time.  Somehow, since our move I haven't gotten into a rhythm of doing some of the things I love.  This may have to do with being pregnant, some may have to do with my husband's weird work schedule, or just maybe the fact that my daughter no longer naps(she does have quiet time, but that's about 1 hour).

So, the news I do have for those that don't know me personally is I'm 20 weeks along in this pregnancy and we are having a boy.  And, is this boy moving already!  Our daughter is the first person that got to feel him kick and now she touches my belly and says, "Baby brother, please kick!"  Today it worked and she got a little kick from him.

And, at night, she kisses my belly then says, "Good night brother, " then gives my belly a hug.  I'm hoping this deep love she has for him already will continue once he's born, but I do realize this is going to be a huge adjustment for all of us!

13 week ultrasound picture

Fitness plan during this pregnancy...

Ok, so during my first pregnancy my hubby and I went to the gym 3 times per week and I used the elliptical. Although it was better than nothing, I wanted to focus on strength training this time around so I don't lose the muscle I've worked so hard for.  I barely worked out during the first trimester due to "all day sickness", so I feel like I've lost a some of the muscle I had.  Basically, I want to maintain my fitness so my labor/delivery and recovery goes as well as possible.

That's where this new workout DVD comes in!!  Let me introduce you to: Erica Ziel from Knocked Up Fitness. Erica Ziel is a mom of 3 and a Pilate's instructor, certified personal trainer and nutritionist.  She is from southern California where she's sought out for her experience in pre and post natal fitness.  Please check out her website for more information.

http://knocked-upfitness.com/

I have been doing these workouts for 2 weeks now.  And, in a lot of ways it feels like I'm starting over.  But these DVDs are for anyone at any fitness level.  Erica truly focuses on reminding you to listen to your body and taking breaks if needed. The workouts are broken up into segments that make it doable for any one's schedule.  The workouts range from 8-20 minutes and can be paired with one another or repeated depending on your fitness level.  On days when I'm extremely exhausted, I start out with the core warm up and if that's all I'm up to doing I'm ok with that.

Her workouts include: 

DVD 1

Core Warm Up (12 minutes)

Prenatal Fitcamp (8 minutes)

Pilates arms (8 minutes)

Pilates Legs (10 minutes)

 Total Body Pilate's (8 minutes) 

DVD 2 

Core Cardio (12 minutes)

  Pilates Yoga (20 minutes).

I haven't done all the workouts yet, but what I have done so far is a good workout.  I feel like I'm working all the muscles that had such a hard time going back to "normal" after the delivery of my daughter.  I now have hope that maybe, just maybe, my muscle recovery after the delivery of this baby may not be as hard as it was the first time around.

If you are interested in purchasing these dvds, please look here: Amazon

More news for those that don't already know...

Lots of adjustments going on in my life.  I'm almost 4 months along in this pregnancy...nope, you didn't miss the news, I just haven't said a word about it on here yet.  I haven't said anything about it yet mostly due to feeling quite sick!  It's hard to believe I'm finally starting to feel better.  I'm still tired, but that comes with the territory.

Along with that means I've been taking time off of my workout routine.  I tried real hard to stick to something, or just do something simple like walking.  That didn't work at all, it actually made me feel quite a bit more sick.  I had read some blogs that said working out made their all day sickness go away, but it turned mine into a monster.  Now, that I'm feeling better, this is week 1 of getting back into some form of routine.  I still haven't set my bike trainer up on our apartment patio, but I plan to do that this weekend.  In the meantime, I'm doing some strength training.  I'm trying a pregnancy workout routine and so far it feels like a good workout(I'll post more about that later).

My little monkey is excited about a sibling.  At first she only wanted a sister, but now she switches back and forth between wanting a brother or a sister.  She pretends to be a doctor and with aid of kitchen utensils makes sure that I'm doing well.

We are still adjusting to our move.  Going from small college town, to metropolitan area is quite the change.  And, quite frankly, one we actually haven't liked very much.  On the brighter side, we have found a church we like and are starting to meet people there.

One of the many cards a friend has sent me through this process of moving.  Thanks Catrina for understanding when I need one of these!