New Girl Update

I'm 38 weeks along now.  It's that light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel portion of pregnancy.  Whew.

Why DOES pregnancy last forever and ever?  I feel like this kid has been baking for years.

But praise Jesus for health for both of us and an uneventful ride.

For the first two months after we moved to London I felt ZAPPED of energy.  So tired.  Just wanted to stay home - and on the couch - most of them time.  But for the past three weeks or so I've felt great.  Mostly normal, in fact.  If normal can include a bump and the feeling that I'm carrying around a bowling ball.

Here's me at 27 weeks and 33 weeks:

I was browsing through pics of my pregnancy with Caroline and have actually come to the conclusion that the 2012 bump has nothing on 2010's.  The scale says the same thing.  I WILL TAKE IT.

Especially since after I gave birth to Caroline I saw my pre-pregnancy weight ONCE.  The day I found out New Girl was on her way.  Ah, irony.


Is New Girl's nursery all done?  Nope.  Have we put her car seat in the car?  Nope.  Will she wear 98% hand-me-downs?  Oh yes.  But we have a crib, a double stroller, a few baby-wearing devices, and a pack of itty bitty diapers.  And like 25 newborn girl outfits (really, how DID they multiply so much since we had Caroline?)

I can hardly wait to meet this little sweetheart. 

Here's 36 weeks and 38 weeks:

Trip to Germany: Mainz and the Rhine

I just don't think I'm up for trips like this anymore, I told Josh in Edinburgh.

It was a hilly city.  Lots of walking everywhere.  Lots of sights to see.  I was exhausted a lot of the time.

Um... what are we going to do about Germany? he asked me.

We'd already booked plane tickets for a trip three weeks away.  Josh had a business trip to take in Mainz (outside of Frankfurt) and Caroline and I were planning to tag along/extend the time there as our last "hoorah" before baby #2.  Plus, Caroline's second birthday is in November, and at that point we will have to pay full price for her airfare.

So we did it all differently in Germany.  Praise Jesus.

First, we chose not to do a city vacation.  Instead of a hotel we chose to stay in a teeny little cottage in a teeny little village located on the Mosel river.  We explored the countryside in a rental car, stopping at will and exploring castles, vineyards, and old little towns as we chose.  We even took a side trip to France.  And each night we headed back to the rental house, put Caroline to bed in her own bedroom, and cozied up on the couch. 

(It was actually from there that we watched the Tigers sweep the Yankees and Michigan beat Michigan State.  A great sports weekend, and quite different from this past one, where both of our teams lost.)

And despite the fact that we were all a bit sick, we had an absolutely fabulous time.  It was the perfect speed for a 7-month-pregnant woman and a toddler because we could both nap in the car as necessary.

Okay.  Germany.  It wasn't high on my list of want-to-go places.  I didn't know very much about it, or what there was to see there.  But I fell in LOVE.  Get ready for way-too-many pictures of the countryside and way-too-much gushing about it from me.

It probably helps that it was around 60 degrees the entire time we were there, and that the fall colors were at their peak of brilliance at exactly the time we visited.  Score.

So Caroline and I boarded a plane for Frankfurt and met Josh in Germany.


Our first day was spent in Mainz, as Josh was working there.  Our hotel was a short walk away from downtown, so Caroline and I enjoyed the opportunity to wander about and buy some necessities.  Germany, like England, seems to be chock full of darling historic towns/cities, and Mainz was no exception.  Cobblestone downtown area.  Stands selling pretzels. Darling German architecture everywhere you look.


There was a large park located next to the hotel, so we enjoyed some time running around in the leaves as well.

By mid-afternoon Josh was done with job responsibilities and we all headed out on a riverside drive up the Rhine.

OH. MY. GOODNESS.


The landscape was simply stunning.  Praise God - He does amazing work in that corner of the world!  And to make it more fun, you drive past all of these castles, just perched up on the hills so quaint.


We stopped to do some exploring at Burg Rheinfels.  It was built back in the 13th century, and was partially destroyed by the French around 1800. 

We had to take turns because we had a sleeping toddler in the car.  Josh went in first and walked around for a bit, climbing higher and higher.


Then it was my turn.  Unbeknownst to me, they were closing the castle at that very time.  I somehow got in without anyone knowing, and heard a SLAM as the door shut behind me.

I totally panicked.  I had visions of me trying to find a warm spot in a corner while I camped there all night.

But someone heard my shouts for help and let me out.  Gratefully.


More gushing to come.  Stay tuned.

Thrilled.

Sugar and spice and all that's nice.

Times two.

That's because we're having another...

We couldn't be more thrilled.

And she looks great. All parts in working order. Praise the Lord for this tremendous, if unexpected, gift.

Surprise, surprise.

I sat there, and couldn't believe my eyes.

Um, excuse me?  

Two pink lines?  

Again?

Ahem.  Yes.  Two lines again.

Which means that we are, in fact, having another baby!  Josh was immediately thrilled.  Love him.  After the initial shock and deer-in-the-headlights feeling wore off, I got there, too.  It's amazing.  A true blessing.  A lot of excitement.  Some jitters and a daily intake of a large vitamin.

Oh, and an expanding waistline.

Majorly expanding.  As in, I'm 12 weeks along and yesterday a neighbor driving by stopped her car, turned it around, drove back to us, and rolled down her window to ask if I was pregnant.

You know you're showing when...

That Happens.

But six+ more months of elastic waist pants?  What's not to like?

We're due in mid-December.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Baby Bump Progression

We've seen - and passed - the 40 week mark 'round here. And we're so, so thankful for a healthy and safe and uneventful pregnancy! Lately I've had my share of grouchy "will my baby EVER come?!?" moments, but over the last few days I've absolutely felt a heaping dose of God's goodness to me in the form of trust, patience, and an overall joyous attitude.

Praise Him for that. I know it doesn't come from inside me.

As I was working through our Europe pics I came across a number of belly bump shots, some of which I've already shared. But to celebrate a full 40 weeks, I thought it'd be fun to see them all together.

Clearly, I put zero thought into taking these in any regular intervals or in any consistent location.

10 weeks. My first belly shot. I could tell there was a little more... something... 'round the middle. But clearly no one else could. I was proudly wearing brand new maternity pants here. I made that switch early on! I couldn't make my normal pants button after about 7-8 weeks.

14 weeks. A leeettle more to show off here. We went to visit Josh's parents in Phoenix, and he snapped this shot while we were out there. I was in all maternity, all the time by this point.

And yet, looking back, I'm oh so small!

17 weeks. Next to the harbor in Oslo, Norway.

18 weeks. Just a week later. It was somewhere between these two weeks that a stranger first asked me about my pregnancy. Meaning that it was obvious to more folks than just me.

25 weeks. Me in my messy bathroom with my iPhone. Really out there by this point.

29 weeks. In a hotel in the Chicago area. Bowling ball time. This black shirt from Gap Maternity remains my single favorite item of clothing.

34 weeks. In a hotel in Tennessee. My last business trip. And clearly, my rain coat wasn't working so well.

35 weeks. On my own doorstep. Looking and feeling absolutely enormous. Hardly anything fit anymore (even my maternity clothes) by this point.

This was the effort it took to look at my own feet.

Yesterday. 40 Weeks. What you can't tell is:
A) I have a sty in one eye. Yuck.
B) My sweater is technically too short, and I have to bridge the gap with a tank top. See comments on the 35 week shots. But at this point, I'm not purchasing any more maternity clothes.
C) I'm wearing black work out pants. I rarely wear anything else.
D) I'm not wearing make-up AND having a bad hair day. Thus the reason I blurred out my own face :).

Halloween with the Browns

So our trick-or-treaters came Thursday night. I know -- weird.

I wrangled Riley into his pumpkin get-up, a hand-me-down from neighbors a few years back. He totally rocks the look.

And then I put on my own costume. We matched!

Oh, pregnant face, I'm looking forward to seeing the end of you.

Riley was a cul-de-sac hit. Every time the doorbell rang, he bounded up and wagged his way to the door to greet the kids. Wag, wag, wag. Pet me, pet me, pet me.

I had originally planned to wear my pumpkin shirt on Friday night, too, to Josh's work Halloween party (at his boss' boss' boss' house). Simple, classy-ish, normal. I didn't really want to go overboard, especially since I haven't met a bunch of these people before.

No one needs to see a very pregnant woman going overboard on Halloween. I had no interest in belly painting.

But Josh took one look at my costume, and informed me that it was lame. I told him I disagreed.

By the time trick-or-treaters stopped coming by, it was 8pm. Josh told me the pumpkin shirt was still lame. I informed him that if he could come up with a better idea - the day before the party - I'd wear it.

So we headed to Goodwill. 30 minutes before it closed Thursday night.

And we found this little beauty. An Ohio State trucker hat.

Josh was already going as a trucker, and thought that a pregnant red neck would be the perfect companion. As a big Michigan fan, I fell in love with the idea of wearing a junky OSU hat as a part of my redneck costume.

We purchased a flannel shirt to go along with the hat, and then on our way home decided that I also needed fish net stockings (to be worn under cut-off jeans), and headed to a Halloween store (5 minutes before it closed) for that particular item.

And here's the final result:

Sadly...
-this was one of those "oh shoot we forgot to take a picture" moment at the end of the night, and all I had was my phone
-we'd blacked out some of our front teeth with paint, but it had worn off by this point
-you can't tell that I drew a Confederate Flag tattoo on one of Josh's arms, and a barbed wire tattoo on the other
-we're missing our props: a oversized can of cheap beer and a pack of cigarettes each

But you get the gist.

And we were a hit. And came in at #2 in the costume contest.

And now hopefully I'll have another chance to make a positive impression on Josh's coworkers.

Fake Cocktail

Obviously, real cocktails are "out" for me this summer. I do miss the occasional G&T or screwdriver, I must admit.

What's a pregnant girl to do? Whip up an alternative.

Half OJ, half Sprite or 7up. Over ice. Add some lime juice.

And now I'm totally addicted. It's light. It's refreshing. I can drink it during my work day. And most importantly, it won't harm the nugget. A perfect summer treat.

I can knock quite a few of these puppies back, let me just tell you.

Now if only I could find a good substitute for red wine...

Our Babies

First, we've got Riley. Our "little brownie." Our sweet, spoiled, snuggly little dog. We got him from a shelter when we first moved to Bloomington, IN back in July 2007. He's been a much-adored member of the family ever since.

Second, there's baby B. The child we'd love to adopt someday. We don't know much about him or her, and pray that the Lord brings this child home in His time.

And then...

We found out a few weeks ago that there is a third baby.

A baby of the "homegrown" variety, who will hopefully make his or her debut in early November.

We're thrilled, and so very thankful for this little one. We feel immeasurably blessed to be expecting a biological child. We're humbled by God's goodness and graciousness to us, and we know that this child is a gift straight from Him.

I know what you're thinking: So what does this mean for the adoption?

It's been put on hold.

Depending on the timing of it all, we'd either need to travel with me very pregnant, or else travel with an infant, or else leave an infant at home for the better part of a month. None of these were appealing options. Furthermore, both infants and newly adopted children need all kinds of special care, especially right at first. We'd like to be able to provide that to the best of our abilities, and feel that it will be in the best interest of both kids to space things out a bit.

In the future, we'd still love to adopt. The idea has always been in our hearts, since the very beginning of our relationship, and we still plan to grow our family through both biological and adoptive means.

I feel strongly that we were meant to start down the "path" toward adopting a child. But now we find ourselves on a different path. In any case I know that our lives, family, and future rest in the palms of His loving, generous hands.

Proverbs 3:5-6 come to mind...

Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.

For me, there's such comfort in those words. For both joyful and uncertain times, peaceful moments and difficult ones. The Lord is deserving of trust, and guides our paths.

And now, we just praise Him for this unexpected and extremely welcome gift.