Could you all stop whatever you're doing right now, and say a prayer for me? Pray for strength and endurance, healing and comfort, wisdom, wisdom and more wisdom. It seems as though the further we get into this baby journey, the more stuff that keeps piling on. This pregnancy has been full of trials, and this week is no exception!
First, a praise: My mom's lump in her breast is BENIGN and her trip is on schedule!!! She and my Dad will be in SeaTac in less than 24 hours! Thank you God!! Thank you for praying with us! WHEW, huge sigh of relief!
Now the fun stuff....so you know how I've been complaining about hip/groin pain all pregnancy long?? Well, this past weekend I was describing to my husband how it feels: I explained that it's like I was sitting in a really great V-Sit, just at a comfortable stretch, and all of a sudden someone grabbed my ankles and shoved them another 2 feet apart and left them like that for 12 hours. Imagine trying to walk after that....fun, right?!? That was HEAVEN compared to the way I feel right now!
So last night I was cooking dinner, and apparently the condensation from the boiling noodles got on the floor un-noticed. I took a step and all of a sudden my body slammed onto the ground right into the splits. I started screaming, and Jordan ran in and brought me my phone to call Doc and have him come right home. A big dramatic scene later, we were headed to triage for a non-stress test. As far as Lucy goes, everything is perfect!! No bleeding, no fluid leakage, no water breaking, nothing! What a huge blessing!!
I, on the other hand, can't move. Literally. I can't get up without help, I can't rollover, and I can't even get into our car! I can't walk at all without Doc being my human "walker". I hold onto his hands, and inch my way along. I can't even lift my leg to put one foot in front of the other. The Dr.'s weren't able to check my hips and groin, since X-Rays and MRI's were out of the question with me being 38 weeks pregnant. It is more than likely my groin muscles, either severe strains or tears, and there's nothing they can do for that anyway.
I know this is a trial, but God is right here with me. God provided a way for Doc to be home with me today, and he will be tomorrow as well! He's been amazing....cooking meals, never complaining about my dependence on him, a really stellar man! He's just wonderful. I also am thankful just for the way the fall took place. I probably fell into the worst possible position that I could have, however, I did so about 5 inches from the stove where a pot of boiling water sat on the very first burner. Thank God my arms didn't flail as I was going down, this could have been much worse.
We're praising in the storm here, and thanking God for his faithfulness. We're praying for a SUPER fast healing so that this baby can make her appearance!! We're feeling more ready for her every day :) Doc and I sat together and folded hundreds of Dreft-smelling onesies, sleepers, socks, hats, pants, jackets, dresses, etc. We have it all put away, and the nursery set up, less a few decorative items :) Once my parents arrive, we'll have our support system in place and we'll be ready for labor day!
Thank you all for reading and praying with us! We love you, and we'll keep you all posted as updates come along for us, and certainly for Lucy :) Have a great week!
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Pregnant Lady Complaints & Updates
Helloooooo friends and family! Before I say a single word I need to say something important. Thank you all so much for just surrounding me with love this last couple weeks! I mean it. These last few weeks have been trying in SO many ways, from preterm contractions, to Cara passing away, my Mom's ongoing health scare, tax drama, and my own pregnancy woes, and you peeps have remained my peeps through it all. I appreciate it SO much! The prayers, the emails, the hugs, I love you all! Thank you!
Doc and I are officially 9 months pregnant! I say "Doc and I" because truly, we are a team in this pregnancy. He is a rock in my life, and I can't begin to express how he has carried me throughout some of the rough times of this pregnancy. I NEVER imagined needing him so much during this. I know that sounds ridiculous. I sailed through pregnancy with Jordan like a champ, to the point that everyone around me was down right shocked and impressed with my demeanor. At 40 and 1/2 weeks along, I was walking through a Super Wal-Mart in Decatur, IL in 3 inch stillhettos doing my biweekly grocery shopping and browsing the baby clearance section. I never took a single day off of work, until the day I called in because something just didn't feel right. I didn't know it at the time, but I was actually in early labor, and gave birth that night. Never had morning sickness. Never had a single ache or pain or contraction until I went into labor. Never complained.
I'm ashamed of myself for this, but I was truly convinced that pregnancy was just what you make of it, and that all whiny, complaining pregnant women were just weak. Sometimes I even said that TO the whiny pregnant women, because I was 22 and knew everything and felt that they needed to know that I was on to their schemes. *WOW*
Ya know, when you pray diligently and ask the Lord for compassion, patience, understanding, wisdom, etc....a funny thing happens.....none of these things just miraculously appear. Trials appear, though. Trials that develop you in ways you could have never expected. I was thinking about this truth earlier this week during a new bible study that I joined. We have been looking at why we are to rejoice in our trials, and the amazing work that takes place in the midst. This pregnancy has been an unbelievably trying time for me. It has changed me in so many ways, and as I sit here and reflect on it, I'm just in awe.
I had a Dr.'s Appt. on Thursday, and it went wonderfully! My Dr. is so awesome, and I'm super thankful for that! My belly is measuring between 36 and 37 weeks (exactly where I am) and after a brief (30 seconds or less) ultrasound we have confirmation that Lucy is head down and ready to go! She's not into the pelvis yet, which is great :) We're hoping she waits until Nanny and Poppy get here on Feb. 9th to make her grand appearance!
Yesterday, we went to a new mall to explore a little bit. One of the most fun things about moving and new places is the exploration of it all, and unfortunately with my hips and groin hurting ALL the time, we haven't had much of a chance to do any of that :( My family understands completely, but the pregnant lady guilt of it all has really been getting to me lately. We went to the mall and walked around very minimally, probably a half a mile at the most. I rested while Jordan played at the playspace, and she had a blast interacting with other kids. By the time we stopped at the grocery store and made it home, I could barely move. Coming up the stairs was a 10 minute adventure, and every single time I found a sleeping position that wasn't terribly unbearable, I started contracting. I'd rollover to try to make that stop (which takes another 5 minutes) and I'd have to pee. Getting out of bed; you guessed it, 5 minute adventure. Go to the bathroom, wash my hands, and start all over. I slept about 20 minutes last night. It feels like I've pulled both sides of my groin and bruised my hips or something, it's awful!
Today I'm typing this blog from my bed, where I'll probably remain for the rest of the day. Doc and Jordan are at church, and I'm excited to hear how it goes! It's only the 2nd Sunday at a new church, so it's all still very new! Can I leave you all with a couple prayer requests?
**My mom. The additional testing that she had done on the the lump in her breast has revealed that it may be a little more serious that they thought. They did a biopsy on Friday, and they told her to go ahead and contact the airline company and find out the procedures to cancel their flights for the 9th, just in case they need to do further treatment. WE ARE PRAYING AGAINST THIS!!! She finds out the results on Tuesday or Wednesday of this week, and we're confident in our Healer that this situation has already been resolved. One way or the other, God's there. He knows. He's got this.
**Myself. I very rarely ask for prayers for myself, and I think it's time to suck up my pride and just admit that I'm needing some help right now. Pray that God would bless my husband for all that he's doing to take care of this family, and pray that He would ease the pregnancy woes, give me rest and rejuvenation, and restore my spirit. Pray that He would be with Jordan throughout all this as well. The Mommy-Jordan playdates are dwindling, and I pray that she would still know how important and loved she is.
Thank you, peeps. I love you all! :)
Doc and I are officially 9 months pregnant! I say "Doc and I" because truly, we are a team in this pregnancy. He is a rock in my life, and I can't begin to express how he has carried me throughout some of the rough times of this pregnancy. I NEVER imagined needing him so much during this. I know that sounds ridiculous. I sailed through pregnancy with Jordan like a champ, to the point that everyone around me was down right shocked and impressed with my demeanor. At 40 and 1/2 weeks along, I was walking through a Super Wal-Mart in Decatur, IL in 3 inch stillhettos doing my biweekly grocery shopping and browsing the baby clearance section. I never took a single day off of work, until the day I called in because something just didn't feel right. I didn't know it at the time, but I was actually in early labor, and gave birth that night. Never had morning sickness. Never had a single ache or pain or contraction until I went into labor. Never complained.
I'm ashamed of myself for this, but I was truly convinced that pregnancy was just what you make of it, and that all whiny, complaining pregnant women were just weak. Sometimes I even said that TO the whiny pregnant women, because I was 22 and knew everything and felt that they needed to know that I was on to their schemes. *WOW*
Ya know, when you pray diligently and ask the Lord for compassion, patience, understanding, wisdom, etc....a funny thing happens.....none of these things just miraculously appear. Trials appear, though. Trials that develop you in ways you could have never expected. I was thinking about this truth earlier this week during a new bible study that I joined. We have been looking at why we are to rejoice in our trials, and the amazing work that takes place in the midst. This pregnancy has been an unbelievably trying time for me. It has changed me in so many ways, and as I sit here and reflect on it, I'm just in awe.
I had a Dr.'s Appt. on Thursday, and it went wonderfully! My Dr. is so awesome, and I'm super thankful for that! My belly is measuring between 36 and 37 weeks (exactly where I am) and after a brief (30 seconds or less) ultrasound we have confirmation that Lucy is head down and ready to go! She's not into the pelvis yet, which is great :) We're hoping she waits until Nanny and Poppy get here on Feb. 9th to make her grand appearance!
Yesterday, we went to a new mall to explore a little bit. One of the most fun things about moving and new places is the exploration of it all, and unfortunately with my hips and groin hurting ALL the time, we haven't had much of a chance to do any of that :( My family understands completely, but the pregnant lady guilt of it all has really been getting to me lately. We went to the mall and walked around very minimally, probably a half a mile at the most. I rested while Jordan played at the playspace, and she had a blast interacting with other kids. By the time we stopped at the grocery store and made it home, I could barely move. Coming up the stairs was a 10 minute adventure, and every single time I found a sleeping position that wasn't terribly unbearable, I started contracting. I'd rollover to try to make that stop (which takes another 5 minutes) and I'd have to pee. Getting out of bed; you guessed it, 5 minute adventure. Go to the bathroom, wash my hands, and start all over. I slept about 20 minutes last night. It feels like I've pulled both sides of my groin and bruised my hips or something, it's awful!
Today I'm typing this blog from my bed, where I'll probably remain for the rest of the day. Doc and Jordan are at church, and I'm excited to hear how it goes! It's only the 2nd Sunday at a new church, so it's all still very new! Can I leave you all with a couple prayer requests?
**My mom. The additional testing that she had done on the the lump in her breast has revealed that it may be a little more serious that they thought. They did a biopsy on Friday, and they told her to go ahead and contact the airline company and find out the procedures to cancel their flights for the 9th, just in case they need to do further treatment. WE ARE PRAYING AGAINST THIS!!! She finds out the results on Tuesday or Wednesday of this week, and we're confident in our Healer that this situation has already been resolved. One way or the other, God's there. He knows. He's got this.
**Myself. I very rarely ask for prayers for myself, and I think it's time to suck up my pride and just admit that I'm needing some help right now. Pray that God would bless my husband for all that he's doing to take care of this family, and pray that He would ease the pregnancy woes, give me rest and rejuvenation, and restore my spirit. Pray that He would be with Jordan throughout all this as well. The Mommy-Jordan playdates are dwindling, and I pray that she would still know how important and loved she is.
Thank you, peeps. I love you all! :)
Monday, January 24, 2011
Change
Nothing in the world excites me more than change! It can be scary, don't get me wrong. But it is SO thrilling for me and that I'm able to embrace it and enjoy the ride! Our recent move has sparked changes in our family, and currently, here's how we're "enjoying the ride"....
This part of the country is totally new for us, and one of the first things we noticed about it is that the people here are all about comfort! There's a strong sense of homey-ness as I like to call it :) It's freezing here, but they definitely are ahead of the game on how to handle it!!
****They layer their clothing. They want to be able to be active, so a bulky coat is out of the question. They make sure they're warm and comfy, but embrace the outdoors regardless of the temperature outside.
****They drink coffee! LOTS of coffee! It's not about the caffeine here, it's about the warmth. It's actually not just coffee. It's hot tea, hot cocoa, etc. Everywhere you go, you see them. These Pacific Northwesterners with their vests and their coffee. They look so comfy!
****EVERYONE has a fireplace. They're standard in most homes here. This is totally new to us. In Illinois, it seemed like a fireplace was a vanity thing, something used for decoration. (Obviously there were none in Hawaii!) Here, it's a warmth generator. It's a means to keep your house warm without making your gas bill hit the roof, and a wonderful cozy spot to snuggle with your family.
So far, we're adjusting well to the Northwest living! It's very different, but we like it! We love to embrace a new culture and see how it is, and so far, this one is pretty good! This weather has inspired us to really focus on our family time at home. In Hawaii, we were busy bodies. Always on the go, always somewhere to be, etc. Here, we're so new that we really don't have alot to do. This can be quite a drag sometimes, but we've embraced it with things like "Saturday Night Family Night!" We all choose a delicious meal to prepare together (always including dessert) and we play games at the table afterwards. Here's some pics from this weekend's family night....featuring homeade meatball subs (made with Mommy's delicious homeade meatballs), Ghiradelli Fudge Brownies with Ice Cream, and Princess Dominoes :)
DEEELISH!!! 
He typically does so well embracing the whole "Princess" thing.... 
We are incredibly thankful for all the prayers surrounding our move!! God has directed this entire process so wonderfully, and we feel so blessed to have had such a smooth time thus far! Thank you peeps for all your love and support! We appreciate it so much! I hope you all are doing well, and please email me if there's anything we can pray about for you!!
This part of the country is totally new for us, and one of the first things we noticed about it is that the people here are all about comfort! There's a strong sense of homey-ness as I like to call it :) It's freezing here, but they definitely are ahead of the game on how to handle it!!
****They layer their clothing. They want to be able to be active, so a bulky coat is out of the question. They make sure they're warm and comfy, but embrace the outdoors regardless of the temperature outside.
****They drink coffee! LOTS of coffee! It's not about the caffeine here, it's about the warmth. It's actually not just coffee. It's hot tea, hot cocoa, etc. Everywhere you go, you see them. These Pacific Northwesterners with their vests and their coffee. They look so comfy!
****EVERYONE has a fireplace. They're standard in most homes here. This is totally new to us. In Illinois, it seemed like a fireplace was a vanity thing, something used for decoration. (Obviously there were none in Hawaii!) Here, it's a warmth generator. It's a means to keep your house warm without making your gas bill hit the roof, and a wonderful cozy spot to snuggle with your family.
So far, we're adjusting well to the Northwest living! It's very different, but we like it! We love to embrace a new culture and see how it is, and so far, this one is pretty good! This weather has inspired us to really focus on our family time at home. In Hawaii, we were busy bodies. Always on the go, always somewhere to be, etc. Here, we're so new that we really don't have alot to do. This can be quite a drag sometimes, but we've embraced it with things like "Saturday Night Family Night!" We all choose a delicious meal to prepare together (always including dessert) and we play games at the table afterwards. Here's some pics from this weekend's family night....featuring homeade meatball subs (made with Mommy's delicious homeade meatballs), Ghiradelli Fudge Brownies with Ice Cream, and Princess Dominoes :)
DEEELISH!!! He typically does so well embracing the whole "Princess" thing....We are incredibly thankful for all the prayers surrounding our move!! God has directed this entire process so wonderfully, and we feel so blessed to have had such a smooth time thus far! Thank you peeps for all your love and support! We appreciate it so much! I hope you all are doing well, and please email me if there's anything we can pray about for you!!Wednesday, January 19, 2011
3 Months of Bullet-style Updates :)
WOW! A much needed 3-Month Blog Sabatacle! I apologize for the delaly in posting, but these last 3 months have been FILLED to the brim with stuff to do, and unfortunately, it took every second of my time. We're getting pretty settled now, so here's a quick update of what's new, what changed, how that went, what's been accomplished, what's done, what's not, etc.
1. On November 10th, my birthday, we officially checked out of military housing in Honolulu, and into a hotel on Marine Corps Base Hawaii to finish out our Hawaii journey and prepare for our new Washington one!
No More Forest City = BEST BIRTHDAY GIFT EVER!!!
2. On November 15th, we checked out of said hotel and flew into Seattle. 3.5 People, 2 Kittens, 12 Suitcases, and a level of excitement that was through the roof!! We spent a few days with my Father-In-Law and Step-Mother-In-Law as well as Doc's brother and his wife and kids, all in Ellensburg, WA.
3. We flew to Illinois on November 18th, and had an AWESOME 2 week visit back at home for the first time in 3 years! It was wonderful to see our family and friends there, but we were anxious to get back to Washington and start planting some roots!
4. December 2nd: Back to Ellensburg for a few more days with our family there!
5. December 9th: Picked up my Jeep that had been shipped in from Hawaii, and set off on our official "Naval Station Everett" journey!
6. Doc checked in to his new command and began work on December 10th! Things are relaxed here, as I figured they would be, with it being Shore Duty, and all. Not alot of Spouse stuff, which is kind of a bummer because I really enjoyed my volunteer time in K-Bay. It's great to have to time we need to focus on just getting our stuff taken care of for now though! Lucy's coming quickly afterall! Within absolutely no time at this command, Doc has already been put into an Assistant leadership role (A-LPO), then moved up again to LPO. He's anxious, but focused and determined to be a good leader and do right by his Sailors, and I know he will! He would love your prayers for this!
7. After house hunting and praying for God to lead us to the perfect home for almost a week, He did JUST that, and we signed a lease on our new off-base rental in Lake Stevens, WA! We're 30 minutes outside of Seattle, only 15 minutes from Doc's work, and we absolutely love it here so far!
8. Found an OB/GYN that is PRO-VBAC and is seriously the next best thing to a midwife! Thank you Lord!! This was a process!
9. We had an awesome Christmas back in Ellensburg, with the family there as well as John, Doc's brother in Portland who drove up for the holidays!
10. Returned to our home for unpacking frenzy, and am pleased to say we were DONE with it completely (less the boxes in the garage that we're pretending don't exist) by mid-January! That was a huge accomplishment for this pregnant lady! Nesting made it mandatory, God made it possible! We give Him all the glory on that one, for sure! Decor is still not hung, as we're still tossing around the idea of painting, but.....for the most part, we're good!
11. Met with my OB/GYN twice, and both times received an excellent report! I've gained 10 pounds, total thus far. My gestational diabetes test was negative, and I've started taking iron supplements to combat Pregnancy Anemia. They've been incredible in helping pregnant-Tammy get her groove back, let me tell ya!
NOW you're current on everything going on in our lives! Regular blogging shall commence again, and we'll have updates for you all often about Lucy, our quest for a church home here, Doc's work, etc. Can I leave you all with a few prayer requests? I would appreciate you lifting up these things for us:
***My mom, having some tests run on a lump found in her breast.
***The family and friends of my dear best friend, Cara. She passed away a week ago now after a 4 and 1/2 year battle with cancer.
***Our family. Adjusting to a new place, new roles, and preparing for Natural Childbirth. I'm dealing with a lot of fear regarding that right now, and the Lord is restoring me more and more every single day. Please pray that continues!!
Thank you peeps!! Love you all, and talk to you soon!!
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