Baby B: 18 Weeks

Here it is, my first pregnancy update! I cannot count the number of mom blogs I've read in the last year just hoping that one day I'd be able to write my own . . . experience my own pregnancy and be a mom.

That's really what I wanted to do with my life . . . be a mom.

Anyway, back to the update (with great joy and gladness in my heart). And since this is my first time writing one of these, feel free to let me know if forgot anything!

How far along: 18 weeks (the photo above was taken last week; sorry it's not more up to date)

How big is the baby: about 5 ounces and 5.5 inches (according to those lovely Internet statistics)

Sleep: I've been sleeping alright; not great but not horrible. I am uncomfortable on my sides so I end up on my back most of the time (I checked with my doctor, that's okay for now). I have more energy now than I did a few weeks ago, so I'm very thankful for that! And I haven't had to take naps like I did during the first trimester.

Best moment of the week: Visiting my midwife last week and hearing the baby's heart beat. I could listen to that for hours! Also finding out that the baby can hear me. I haven't started talking to Baby B yet, but once I figure out what to say (and no one else is around) you can bet I'll talk his or her little ears off! This news made my week.

Worst thing: bloating/gas

Symptoms: Last week I felt absolutely great, really nothing to complain about. This week, I've had more disrupted sleep, bathroom breaks, and bloating. Even more nausea. Feeling more like week 11 than week 18. Come back magical Week 17! My lower back and hips have also been very sore for the past few months.

Movement: I may have felt Baby B move once the other night, but I wasn't sure. Looking forward to feeling those little legs move more!

What I miss: Wine and my bike

Food Cravings: Chocolate (but that was even before I was pregnant) and salmon.

Food Aversions: Nuts, avocado sometimes, my gluten-free crackers and orange juice

Maternity Clothes: I've purchased a few things but have only had to wear the belly band twice so far.

Things People Say: "Look at you, you've already lost your waistline" (I think one is enough; I say very stupid things to my pregnant friends, so I can't get too upset that it's my turn to hear it.)

Exercise: I no longer ride my bike but I do walk everywhere that the bus won't take me. I also still go to the gym and aim for 3 days a week. In the first trimester, I attended a few prenatal yoga classes and one prenatal Pilates class, which I loved. I hope to do those more often.
 
Last Appointment: Last Thursday (17.5 weeks)

Next Appointment: 20 week ultrasound on May 23
**We won't be finding out the gender of our little one until he or she enters the world in October**

Here it is, my first pregnancy update! I cannot count the number of mom blogs I've read in the last year just hoping that one day I'd be able to write my own . . . experience my own pregnancy and be a mom.

That's really what I wanted to do with my life . . . be a mom.

Anyway, back to the update (with great joy and gladness in my heart). And since this is my first time writing one of these, feel free to let me know if forgot anything!

How far along: 18 weeks (the photo above was taken last week; sorry it's not more up to date)

How big is the baby: about 5 ounces and 5.5 inches (according to those lovely Internet statistics)

Sleep: I've been sleeping alright; not great but not horrible. I am uncomfortable on my sides so I end up on my back most of the time (I checked with my doctor, that's okay for now). I have more energy now than I did a few weeks ago, so I'm very thankful for that! And I haven't had to take naps like I did during the first trimester.

Best moment of the week: Visiting my midwife last week and hearing the baby's heart beat. I could listen to that for hours! Also finding out that the baby can hear me. I haven't started talking to Baby B yet, but once I figure out what to say (and no one else is around) you can bet I'll talk his or her little ears off! This news made my week.

Worst thing: bloating/gas

Symptoms: Last week I felt absolutely great, really nothing to complain about. This week, I've had more disrupted sleep, bathroom breaks, and bloating. Even more nausea. Feeling more like week 11 than week 18. Come back magical Week 17! My lower back and hips have also been very sore for the past few months.

Movement: I may have felt Baby B move once the other night, but I wasn't sure. Looking forward to feeling those little legs move more!

What I miss: Wine and my bike

Food Cravings: Chocolate (but that was even before I was pregnant) and salmon.

Food Aversions: Nuts, avocado sometimes, my gluten-free crackers and orange juice

Maternity Clothes: I've purchased a few things but have only had to wear the belly band twice so far.

Things People Say: "Look at you, you've already lost your waistline" (I think one is enough; I say very stupid things to my pregnant friends, so I can't get too upset that it's my turn to hear it.)

Exercise: I no longer ride my bike but I do walk everywhere that the bus won't take me. I also still go to the gym and aim for 3 days a week. In the first trimester, I attended a few prenatal yoga classes and one prenatal Pilates class, which I loved. I hope to do those more often.
 
Last Appointment: Last Thursday (17.5 weeks)

Next Appointment: 20 week ultrasound on May 23
**We won't be finding out the gender of our little one until he or she enters the world in October**

Yes, I prayed for furniture

Last month I shared my hopes of changing a few things in our apartment to be better organized and maybe even add some "decor" to our living space. I started praying for these things shortly after that post; praying the Lord would guide our decisions and our budget as we looked at different options, praying that we would find something that would work in our limited space and meet our needs. I hope that doesn't sound silly, but this was a source of anxiety for me and I felt I needed to bring it before the Lord to bring peace to my soul as well as guide me as I was looking to spend our hard earned savings (something I actually hate doing).

Well, last Thursday I came across a listing on Craigslist for a china hutch with the perfect dimensions. It would actually fill the space I needed to fill and it looked very similar to what I had been hoping to find. There were a few things that I didn't necessarily love, but overall, it would work great. And it was less than what I had budgeted for!

The downside was it was an hour's drive outside the city. I was headed that direction on Saturday anyway (more on that later) so I thought I should stop and take a look and see if it really was what I wanted before dragging my husband out there with the truck. Sure enough, it was perfect.

I made arrangements to pick it up on Sunday with Chris and the truck. We had a nice drive and were thankful the rain didn't come as was predicted. Chris was very meticulous in how he secured the hutch in the truck; this took a while but I tried to be patient and know that he was really trying to make it safe and secure as we would be driving on the interstate.

The drive back went perfectly and we arrived home and called friend to help take it up the one flight of stairs. I had left Chris to manage the heavy lifting and went upstairs to get the space ready. A few minutes later, Chris rushed in the apartment and said something about the hutch falling and the glass cracking. I ran out the door behind him to take a look myself.

My spirit was crushed.

The glass on both doors of the hutch had cracked in multiple places and a chip was taken out of the wood. I was stunned and speechless. Chris apologized and told me how it happened and I just stood there thinking What do we do now? I started to think Why even try to find something we can afford if we just break it? or Why be so careful in transporting it just to have it break in our garage? I could have let my mind go to much harsher places, but I tried to nip those thoughts in the bud. I didn't want to be angry about a mistake, something no one wanted to have happen. I forgave him. I was sad . . . but I forgave.

We took the doors off and set the hutch up in our apartment and will use it as it is until we can get the glass replaced. It fit perfectly in our space and I think it will work out great for what we need it to do. And once we get the doors back in place, I know I'll just love it.

We were both reminded not to put our hope in the treasures of this earth, but in the Lord who is the provider for everything. Even though I want our place to look nice and use the space well, I have to remember that possessions really aren't important. My marriage is. How I responded to my husband in forgiveness matters. So, yes I prayed for furniture . . . but more than that I pray for our home and our family and the people who come into our space, that all would be blessed and covered by grace.

I promised a before photo in my early post so here is what we had as our "pantry" for the past three years:

 

It really wasn't bad, but I was a little tired of my collection of canned goods being on display whenever we had someone over.  It was a bookshelf we found at a neighborhood garage sale the first weekend we moved in. Only $30.

And below is what we have now. Doors to be installed at a later time.

 

We moved our dishes to this hutch and are using our cupboards in the kitchen for our pantry goods. I hope we find space for everything but so far, it seems like a good change.

Last month I shared my hopes of changing a few things in our apartment to be better organized and maybe even add some "decor" to our living space. I started praying for these things shortly after that post; praying the Lord would guide our decisions and our budget as we looked at different options, praying that we would find something that would work in our limited space and meet our needs. I hope that doesn't sound silly, but this was a source of anxiety for me and I felt I needed to bring it before the Lord to bring peace to my soul as well as guide me as I was looking to spend our hard earned savings (something I actually hate doing).

Well, last Thursday I came across a listing on Craigslist for a china hutch with the perfect dimensions. It would actually fill the space I needed to fill and it looked very similar to what I had been hoping to find. There were a few things that I didn't necessarily love, but overall, it would work great. And it was less than what I had budgeted for!

The downside was it was an hour's drive outside the city. I was headed that direction on Saturday anyway (more on that later) so I thought I should stop and take a look and see if it really was what I wanted before dragging my husband out there with the truck. Sure enough, it was perfect.

I made arrangements to pick it up on Sunday with Chris and the truck. We had a nice drive and were thankful the rain didn't come as was predicted. Chris was very meticulous in how he secured the hutch in the truck; this took a while but I tried to be patient and know that he was really trying to make it safe and secure as we would be driving on the interstate.

The drive back went perfectly and we arrived home and called friend to help take it up the one flight of stairs. I had left Chris to manage the heavy lifting and went upstairs to get the space ready. A few minutes later, Chris rushed in the apartment and said something about the hutch falling and the glass cracking. I ran out the door behind him to take a look myself.

My spirit was crushed.

The glass on both doors of the hutch had cracked in multiple places and a chip was taken out of the wood. I was stunned and speechless. Chris apologized and told me how it happened and I just stood there thinking What do we do now? I started to think Why even try to find something we can afford if we just break it? or Why be so careful in transporting it just to have it break in our garage? I could have let my mind go to much harsher places, but I tried to nip those thoughts in the bud. I didn't want to be angry about a mistake, something no one wanted to have happen. I forgave him. I was sad . . . but I forgave.

We took the doors off and set the hutch up in our apartment and will use it as it is until we can get the glass replaced. It fit perfectly in our space and I think it will work out great for what we need it to do. And once we get the doors back in place, I know I'll just love it.

We were both reminded not to put our hope in the treasures of this earth, but in the Lord who is the provider for everything. Even though I want our place to look nice and use the space well, I have to remember that possessions really aren't important. My marriage is. How I responded to my husband in forgiveness matters. So, yes I prayed for furniture . . . but more than that I pray for our home and our family and the people who come into our space, that all would be blessed and covered by grace.

I promised a before photo in my early post so here is what we had as our "pantry" for the past three years:

 

It really wasn't bad, but I was a little tired of my collection of canned goods being on display whenever we had someone over.  It was a bookshelf we found at a neighborhood garage sale the first weekend we moved in. Only $30.

And below is what we have now. Doors to be installed at a later time.

 

We moved our dishes to this hutch and are using our cupboards in the kitchen for our pantry goods. I hope we find space for everything but so far, it seems like a good change.

Another Step in the Right Direction

Most of you probably know that my husband and I are budget people. We've been following Dave Ramsey's baby steps to financial freedom  in order to get out of debt, start saving and now start investing. We're moving up to Baby Step #4!

If you aren't familiar with these baby steps, you can check out Dave's website or read the brief summary I've included below:

The first step was to have an emergency fund of $1000

we were able to do this sometime shortly after we moved to SF (to our amazement)

The second step was to pay off all your debt (other than a mortgage)  

 we were able to do this in 2011 (much quicker than we ever dreamed)

The third step is to set up a savings of three to six months of your expenses

so far we have three months set aside which we will reevaluate as necessary; we managed to do this right before my husband lost his job in 2011

The fourth step is to start investing 15% of your income for your retirement

this is where we are now 

The fifth step is to set up a college fund for you or your children

The sixth step is to pay off your mortgage early

And the last step is to build wealth and give like never before

The end goal is really what keeps us motivated. To give like never before. So many of our friends are in the mission field or working for organizations that need support and we want to help them all so badly. We do what we can now, but thinking about being able to do more one day is really exciting and inspiring!

Anyway, back to Baby Step #4. We started a retirement fund a few months ago, but haven't been investing as much as Dave recommends. Honestly, we'll have to see what that looks like in our budget. Fifteen percent seems like a lot. But it is so important to start investing now when we have years ahead to accrue compound interest.

I don't share this to brag about our financial situation (The Lord knows we have no right to boast!) I write this to share our goals, our plan, and our hopes for our financial freedom. And maybe to motivate you to take a look at your own situation. These baby steps take time, but it's worth the effort! I promise.

Most of you probably know that my husband and I are budget people. We've been following Dave Ramsey's baby steps to financial freedom  in order to get out of debt, start saving and now start investing. We're moving up to Baby Step #4!

If you aren't familiar with these baby steps, you can check out Dave's website or read the brief summary I've included below:

The first step was to have an emergency fund of $1000

we were able to do this sometime shortly after we moved to SF (to our amazement)

The second step was to pay off all your debt (other than a mortgage)  

 we were able to do this in 2011 (much quicker than we ever dreamed)

The third step is to set up a savings of three to six months of your expenses

so far we have three months set aside which we will reevaluate as necessary; we managed to do this right before my husband lost his job in 2011

The fourth step is to start investing 15% of your income for your retirement

this is where we are now 

The fifth step is to set up a college fund for you or your children

The sixth step is to pay off your mortgage early

And the last step is to build wealth and give like never before

The end goal is really what keeps us motivated. To give like never before. So many of our friends are in the mission field or working for organizations that need support and we want to help them all so badly. We do what we can now, but thinking about being able to do more one day is really exciting and inspiring!

Anyway, back to Baby Step #4. We started a retirement fund a few months ago, but haven't been investing as much as Dave recommends. Honestly, we'll have to see what that looks like in our budget. Fifteen percent seems like a lot. But it is so important to start investing now when we have years ahead to accrue compound interest.

I don't share this to brag about our financial situation (The Lord knows we have no right to boast!) I write this to share our goals, our plan, and our hopes for our financial freedom. And maybe to motivate you to take a look at your own situation. These baby steps take time, but it's worth the effort! I promise.