The Circle of Life

(I know the pics are blurry-they are pictures of pictures-so not the best quality-the bottom picture the baby's hands are by it's face-he or she was very active!)
Well I just got back from my first doctor's visit and am 11 weeks 6 days along-the baby looks very healthy with a strong heartbeat and we were fortunate to get an ultrasound-I found a plus for going to the doctor's office that I go to now--you get two ultrasounds one at 12 weeks and one at 20. I need to download the picture of the baby and will try to add it to this post today..it's amazing how developed they are even at 12 weeks. Steven and I both think it's a girl (I don't know if it is a real gut feeling I think Steven is preparing himself for a girl and I would like to have another girl--though I know if the baby is boy I will still be just as happy)...and we had been tossing out names--one of our biggest contenders was Delaney because I thought it was a nice update on Steven's mothers middle name who passed away 2.5 years ago (which was Elaine) until I looked up the meaning and it said "dark one's child or child of dark defiance"-it also had a meaning of from the alder grove-which I can deal with but I am sorry I don't want to give myself the omen that my child will be defiant and satan's child! We got a kick out of that-and made our decision on that name easier! We also both really like the name Jillian-(my middle name is Jill too)..so we will see!
Work has been difficult for me lately--there have been so many people pass away recently-I would say at least 10 in the past month-and most of whom I had developed relationships with. I have difficulty separating my emotions from work-which I don't think is a bad thing-one of my favorite parts of my job is getting to meet and hear about different people's lives and hoping that in some small way I can help ease their pain and loneliness while they are in the nursing home. I have only known my grandmother and Steven's mother to have passed (and unfortunately I didn't get to know Steven's mom before she was ill) and have difficulty coping with loss. I know that both my grandmother and Steven's mom are in heaven rejoicing but I don't know about the people that I work with. It makes it much easier when you know if they have a relationship with Jesus and are in a better place. There was one sweet lady that I worked with back in October when I started who became independent with all of her daily activities and I would always walk by her room and greet her..well I guess about two weeks ago I noticed how ill she had been and I felt called to go in her room, hold her hand and pray for her while she slept-I rarely feel promptings that I think are from the Holy Spirit-but I felt like this was for sure-but of course I ignored it because I was busy doing something else and I regret not acting on it-it could have given her peace and comfort just to know someone was there praying for her. Anyways-this has been a big tangent but has been helpful for me to get all of that out...will write later!

Paci progress

I am so happy to say that Natalie is now over her paci!!! I got rid of it on Thursday and today she didn't cry over it once--the only time that she has cried for her paci is at bedtime/naptime with the longest crying spell was about 20 minutes. I am so relieved! I was so worried about how it would go. Now to get her into other big girl routines--such as not playing with her poop! If she poops during naptime she takes it off and then proceeds to play in it--today I heard her playing in her bed but wasn't listening to what she was saying and then she fell asleep..well I went in to peek on her this afternoon--and there was poop everywhere-thankfully it was contained in the crib but her hands were covered in dry poop......oh memories I will have to remind her of when she is older! I know that this is a semi-common problem with other children and I have heard of duct-taping the diaper which I probably need to do-but it is not often that she does it. Anyways, the doctor appointment went fine-I am almost 10 weeks along now-and go for my first ultrasound on July 31. This pregnancy has seemed so much more real to me I think because I know what to expect and it's not quite as surreal. I am so glad that I am 1/4 of the way through the pregnancy--I said that to Steven the other day and he was shocked at how little time he feels we have left--our two biggest things before baby #2 comes is to get a new vehicle for me--I think unfortunately I will be a 25 year old minivan mom-I swore I would never drive one-but Steven is very set on it and there are several advantages and to get Natalie into a big girl bed--we are waiting to find out what we are having to decide whether her new bedroom set should be a full or twin--if I did the twin I think I would want to get a trundle bed. Anyways, that's enough blabbing for now-just thought I would update everyone on the pacifier progress!

Today is D-Day

Well I finally got the courage this morning to get rid of Natalie's favorite object in the whole world--her beloved paci. I am off until next Wednesday and thought there probably won't be much of a better opportunity. It has been a bit of a rough morning--Natalie woke up early this morning (6:45) and I am also watching an 11 month old today so the combination of things hasn't been perfect. So at like 9:30 I packed them all up-I am sure there are still several floating around the house-and I just laid her down for her nap at 12:25--it is now 12:35 and after 10 minutes of screaming and crying she is starting to quiet down a little. She usually goes to her paci for longer car trips and sleep times--sometimes she will manage to sneak it in at other times. Anyways, I think I will have a rough week ahead of me--prayers will be appreciated!

Just a couple sidenotes--

Just wanted to update everyone on my pregnancy--things seem to be going well-I go for my first appointment Friday but it is just for medical history and labwork-nothing too exciting. I am now a little over 8 weeks and from what I remember with Natalie I think I am not getting as sick as often-I don't have much of an appetite for most food-especially meat but only have nausea when I get hungry. Will keep posted on further developments..

Also, this past week we got rid of all the wallpaper in our house-we had painters in our house for 3 days-which wasn't so pleasant but now all the paper's gone and paint has replaced it. I am happy with it but now our house is full of dust! They painted our bathroom, laundry room, repaired our entryway, and painted up the stairs. We really enjoy our house and are happy that it is coming together to match our taste. So we have now completed projects for a while-our next step will be to work on the flooring-both carpet (where our dogs have ruined) and linoleum.

Anyways just wanted to add those tidbits! Will post pics of the house and Lake Cumberland trip later!

Lake Cumberland Trip #1

This past weekend we went away with Steven's family for a long weekend getaway to Lake Cumberland (my first time there but will be returning next month with friends and no kiddos--little nervous about leaving Nat for 3 nights). The house we stayed at was very nice and had a BEAUTIFUL view of the lake right outside our door--our house was elevated above the tree lines so we could see everything. We ventured out to the lake once but it was a very dangerous walk down there-because of the moss covered steep sidewalk that was very slippery, repelling down a hill with a cable wire, etc. s0 we decided to hang out at the house mostly. We did manage to go to the parks a few times--and had a lot of fun playing around on the playground-there was even an intense baseball game that Natalie and I skipped out on secondary to no nap!

Natalie discovered on this trip that she can climb out of the Pack N Play all by herself-and was extremely proud of herself-doing it over and over! Finally after time out's and a spanking I figured out that if I stood in front of a cracked door and every time she attempted to get up I would say firmly "lay down" she fell asleep after three times. I am looking forward to the stage of a big girl bed-but also dreading it a little!

Anyways, we played a lot of games-which I happen to love playing games so I had a great time--we played some games that were new to me-Mexican Train Dominoes and also Bananagrams. It was a nice relaxing getaway and we enjoyed ourselves. Natalie had a great time playing with everyone-especially older cousins Clay, Zack, and Luke-they entertained her and she loved playing Hide and Seek with them. She understands (usually) that you alternate turns--when she goes to counts she will just say "two" several times and halfway cover her eyes, she will generally hide in the same spot, and the cutest thing is when you ask "Is she behind the curtain?" Is she behind the door?--etc..she will say "nooo" in a cute voice until you find her. Just wanted to say thank you again to Dad and Sherry for taking us on a nice weekend getaway--we really enjoyed our time and are so glad that our families get along and mesh so well.