24 and a half weeks

Polo Beach May 24th

Crazy - it is May 25th!!! These past few weeks have flown by! We have 6 days left in our apartment and fly to Kona in 12. We've been doing a good combination of enjoying our last days by kayaking and taking long walks on the beach and trying to pack and sell all our stuff. It is going pretty well - really the only things left to sell are our table, the surfboard and our car. The last being the most stressful - we hope the right buyer is on the island and wants it before the 6th of June. If only it had air conditioning - it is a bit hotter here than Kealakekua! What will be - will be!

Everything with the baby is going well. I feel him/her move around and kick several times each day now. The past 4 nights the baby is most active when I lay down to sleep between 9-10pm. Aaron got to feel a couple of nice strong movements the other night. I now look unmistakenly pregnant - which is nice. No more surprised looks when I say we're moving home to Colorado have our baby.

24 and 1/2 weeks

Becoming Mom!

This last week has been filled with more and more thoughts of becoming a mother. In a short 17 weeks I will have a child, a little person that is completely dependent upon Aaron, myself and family and friends that help out. I have to admit that it is a bit hard to wrap my head around. I still have so much to learn. I think all these thoughts are certainly part of the process, but I also think that the have been stirred up by the huge transition ahead of us. In 2 weeks we move out of our apartment, in 3 weeks I'm completely done working for who knows how long and in 4 weeks we will rejoin our life in Loveland. I think the being done with work thing is the biggest. I will then be able to spend most of my time preparing to be a mom - that will become my focus. Getting the house ready, the baby room ready, taking a Bradely class, preparing for the birth and reading about caring for an infant... I can't wait! I've been so blessed!

"Her children arise and call her blessed." Proverbs 31:28

"You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb."Psalm 139:13

22 1/2 Weeks

Another week has slipped away. It has been a nice week - our friends Todd and Alissa Murphy are here and it has been fun enjoying Maui with them. Mother's Day was good, but being pregnant with your first on Mother's Day is kind of funny. I went ahead and gladly took the rose at church and let the Indian Restaurant treat us with goodies - wine (which I let Alissa have (-: ), appetizers and free dessert that tasted like Fruity Pebbles. Pregnancy continues to be quite easy - still sleeping pretty well and no outstanding complaints - I count myself blessed. The baby is kicking more and I'm feeling something everyday now. Today he/she was kicking away on my way down Haleakala. Aaron, Todd and Alissa conquered Haleakala, riding their bikes from the beach all the way to the top at 10,023 feet. A meeting of mine got cancelled and so I was able to meet them at the top and take pictures along the way! I was a bit worried that I'd be bummed out about not getting to go surfing and biking with them - but fortunately I've really enjoyed being the photographer and have been okay with my reduced adventurous self.

Mothers Day

Haleakala Summit

Offended

Why is it so easy to be offended? I even had the thought earlier today that I need to be offended less often - as choosing a reaction is more important than what happens. Maybe it was God speaking a great idea into my head. Unfortunately, upon being tested this evening, I failed again. Words like daggers hit my heart in a sensitive spot and I react immediately with defensiveness and hurt. Uggghhh.... Not the result I desire. The type of reaction that then sets up another 3 poor communications and then lack of sleep. Praise the Lord for grace and forgiveness and more chances to let God transform the flesh.

Half way there!

Crazy - I'm 1/2 way there! 18 1/2 weeks left to go and I'm looking the part! It has been a fun week hanging out with my parents and spending the weekend with them in Waikiki. We're enjoying our lasts on the islands and trying to soak up as much sun as possible (I may have soaked up a little too much this weekend, opps). I'm still counting down - 24 days of school left. I'm still blown away that it is May!

Last week I was sitting in my office and felt 5 mini punches in there. While I've felt things I'm pretty sure were the baby, this couldn't be mistaken for anything else! Last Monday I had another doctor's visit and everything is good - the heart rate was still in the 140's. Aaron was out of town, so Mom got to go with me!

Here are the side shots from the last 2 weeks - what a difference a week makes!
The baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long.