Hitting the halfway mark

The finish line is still no where in sight, but I've made it to the halfway point of this marathon called pregnancy. This week I have made it to week 20 of an average 40 weeks!

A friend recently asked me if pregnancy was what I expected. I must be honest that the first trimester was not. It was much more hard and difficult than I could have ever imagined. The symptoms were staggering (nausea, dizziness, bleeding gums, bleeding nose, extreme exhaustion, excessive gas, cramps, dry eyes, loss of appetite, constipation, excessive peeing, excessive drooling, back aches, increased allergies, sore "chest", indigestion, incontinence, memory loss, mood swings, shortness of breath, and weight gain). All of those problems and your not supposed to take medicine (or a good stiff drink) for any of it.

I literally almost got into a crying fit with Kevin in Wal-mart one day when he wanted to buy generic shampoo instead of the Dove I normally get him. Why did this upset me so much? I have no idea now, but I assure you those hormones had something to do with it. As I laid on the couch that night wondering if I would be allowed into an insane asylum, I tried to figure out how women all over the world had multiple children and endure these symptoms all over again.

Then God "threw me a bone", and I entered into my second trimester. Slowly and surely, all my symptoms have either disappeared or become part of my life and routine. I've finally started feeling like a normal human being again and can be taken out in public. The idea of being a Mom is starting to make me glow and get excited. Just about 3 weeks ago my belly finally started to show my baby bump. So instead of just feeling like a ill psychotic woman, I can now look down on my little bump and feel small kicking inside.

So for right now as I sit at the halfway mark of my pregnancy, I can say that pregnancy was nothing like I expected. While it has been hard, it has also been more wonderful than I could have ever imagined. I pray that God keep me and my little girl safe and healthy, so that we can finally meet face to face in December. Wish us luck on the second half of the run!

Divisable by 12

Happy Birthday to Me! What a wonderful day. To say that I was apprehensive about this birthday would be an understatement. Somehow the thought of being an adult in the real world made me sure that the day would be a huge unnoticed flop. I am happy to report that I was completely wrong.

With Kevin's immense love, cards from family, and numerous phone calls and messages throughout the day, I was swarmed with love and happiness. It was almost a birthday straight out of my childhood. The highlights being a picnic lunch of Arby's, getting my favorite baskin robbin's ice cream cake (mint choc chip), presents (of course), Japanese hibachi dinner (yay, MSG), and two rounds of mini golf to end the evening (a putt-putt b-day tradition).

Kevin really went out of his way to make sure everything went right. He even got the perfect birthday present to commemorate my birthday month; ruby earrings! I am so lucky to have him for a husband. He has had to put up with a lot lately with my ever irrational pregnancy hormones. He loves me so unconditionally that I wonder if I won some sort of marriage lottery. There is no question in my mind that God set me up for a lifetime of happiness when he showed me to Kevin.

I want to thank all of you for the birthday wishes, prayers, and gifts. I really do appreciate it. It is really nice to know that even when you're an adult, your birthday can still be just as magical as when you were 12!

As I laid awake last night unable to sleep (perhaps due to the large amount of sugar in my cake), I thanked God for a wonderful year with the amazing people in my life. I am truly blessed!