Bargain Shopping

Coupons are a bit of a pain, but I think it's worth the effort most of the time. I spent my lunch break today at Harris Teeter grabbing all the good Triple-Coupon deals I could. I'm not nearly as strategic as some coupon-ers I know, but I have learned that the best deals are usually gone by 5:00 the first day the sale starts. So I sped over there at lunchtime and managed to find the shelves still (fairly) well-stocked.

I spent $13.80, saving $36.18 with my 20 coupon limit for the day! Not too shabby. A few of my good deals were:

Nestle Chocolate Chips: $ .54
Kotex: FREE
3 Spaghetti Sauces: $1.10 each
All Small & Mighty: $2.64
French's Yellow Mustard: FREE
French's Spicy Mustard: FREE
McCormick Spices: $ .74
Viva Paper Towel Roll: $ .04
Duke's Mayonnaise: $ .09
French Fried Onions: $ .24
Eggo Waffles $ .54
4 Knorr Pasta Sides: $ .28 each
2 Lipton Hollandaise Mix: $ .59 each
2 Lipton Onion Soup Mix Boxes: $ .67 each
2 McCormick Grill Mates Seasoning Packs: FREE
Breakstone Sour Cream: $ .34

So that should totally make up for the fact that I also bought some new summer maternity clothes on OldNavy.com today. Besides... I got 20% off my whole order, free shipping AND I had a $10 off reward coupon that expires tomorrow. :) And how could I resist this cute little hat for BabyW:

2 Years...and 2 days

With all of the other family celebrations on Sunday, it didn't even hit us that it also marked 2 days since we had gotten engaged! Mike flew here from Michigan to surprise me on April 26th, 2007... and now, 2 years later, we're only 11 weeks away from welcoming our baby boy to the world! It's been a wonderful 2 years and I'm excited about all the years still yet to come.

I am blessed to have a husband like Mike. When I called him Saturday morning from my Women's Retreat and heard that he was holding my cousin's little boy, walking our dog and garage-sale shopping with my dad... I was reminded just how lucky I am to have married a man who not only loves me, but fits in so well with my family. Not many men would spend their one free day with their in-laws! It definitely made me smile.

So here's a shot of us the night we got engaged! I love you baby and I'm so glad you asked!

Good times with the Girls

I had the opportunity to go to my church's Ladies' Retreat this weekend and it was great! These are a few of us "young wives" that have gotten to be good friends. It's been such a blessing to connect with not only women who are at a similar place in life to me, but also those who are a few or several steps ahead. There were 44 of us who headed out to Eastover Retreat Center for the night. We are really fortunate to have a very open and genuine group of women who all love the Lord and love & serve one another well. For the retreat, we studied Proverbs 3, and were challenged on having a "well-kept heart." I know that I learned a lot and will be processing it all for quite a while! I'm still tired from a busy weekend, but it was really refreshing!

Well that's pretty.

What do you get when you cross a 7-months pregnant woman with 90 degree weather and a super-busy weekend? CANKLES!!! (you know, when your ankles are so fat that it looks like your feet are just connected directly to your calves)

So this is what being in my 3rd trimester during the summer will feel like... oh boy! When I saw Justine on Saturday afternoon, she just burst out laughing and pointing at my newly swollen ankles. I hadn't even noticed yet, but sure enough... they're fat as can be! Gotta love the honesty of sisters! I'm just hoping the SPRING weather will return and give me some relief! But I guess I should just expect everything to get huge from this point on...

One more for the Girls!

Another baby is here and the girls' team has increased by one! Dana (Stephens) Wakefield & her husband Dylan welcomed their little girl, Lenox Elizabeth, into the world yesterday afternoon at 8 lbs. 8 oz! Congratulations!!

Will we ever meet again?

My old friend, sleep, seems to have disappeared... and I have a feeling it will be a long time before we meet again. My first trimester seems so long ago when all it seemed I could do was sleep. I'd go home everyday and take a nap at lunchtime. Then, when I got off work, I'd catch another nap before dinner and would usually call it a night by 9:30-10:00.

But now... now I guess the "nesting" stage has set in and I'm constantly thinking of things I need to do. Lunchtime naps are a thing of the past... and getting to bed by midnight is quite an accomplishment. Not like it matters anyway... because once I'm in bed, the real battle begins. Flipping from one side to the other, wrestling with the pillows that are supposed to support my back & belly, but become quite a nuisance when I try to switch sides, and waking up every hour because my hips, back, arms, belly...everything aches. Every once in a while I find myself on my back, which is still comfortable, but the peace doesn't last long because I quickly remember that while I may be comfortable, I'm likely decreasing circulation for both me and baby and making myself prone to end up with worse back pain & fun things like hemorrhoids. So it's back to my side. And just as I drift off to sleep... I realize I need to pee. Up again.

I guess they say it's preparing me for the sleepless nights with a newborn... but really, won't they come soon enough? Can't I just enjoy these last couple of months? Guess not. So if you see me, please forgive the bags under my eyes and my seemingly lack of concentration or enthusiasm. I'm feeling fine... just missing my old friend.

Even better...

A girl's allowed to change her mind, right? Especially a pregnant one... :)

Last weekend we swapped out our two extra bedrooms. The downstairs guest room is now also doubling as an office, and upstairs is officially the nursery. That's not what I changed my mind about though... I changed my mind about painting! What I was surprised to find was that I actually kind of like the color that is already on the nursery walls! It may not be what I would pick if I was starting from scratch... but I really like the addition of teal to the brown, blue & white color scheme I had already started. It's really soothing... reminds me of the Caribbean! I think with some flowing white curtains it will be perfect! & so Mike is spared a weekend of painting! Yay!

Walk for Life

Mike and I are participating this year in the "Walk For Life" which benefits the Crisis Pregnancy Center (CPC) of Tidewater. The CPC is a ministry that serves women who find themselves in seemingly hopeless situations. Many are considering abortions and the center provides counseling and facts as well as ultrasounds so that these women can see their babies and know that there are other options available to them. They also provide general love and support and help meet these women & babies' needs in a way that does not condemn, but offers life.

We will be walking at the Norfolk Zoo on Saturday, May 2nd and are asking you to help support this life-giving ministry with a pledge. The funds will go directly to provide ultrasounds, literature, diapers, clothing and more for women in need. It's amazing what a difference it makes when these women see an ultrasound and know that there is truly a life growing inside them. You don't have to give me money right now... you can just send me an email with your name, address and pledge amount and you will be sent an envelope to mail in your gift. **If anyone would like to join us at the Walk, just let me know!!

Thanks for your support!

Melissa, Mike & BabyW.

Awkwardness...

Apparently along with pregnancy comes finding yourself in many awkward conversations. I find it quite humorous that people really say/do these things. Here are just a few of the strange, inappropriate or just plain stupid comments I've gotten recently:


"So you're feeling better? How much weight have you gained?" (none of your *!@# business)


"You know, you're going to be a mommy now for the rest of your life." (no, really??)


"It's probably only going to get more stressful from this point on." (thanks for the encouragement, I feel much better now)


"Are you wearing maternity pants?" (and then she proceeded to lift up my shirt to check it out herself!) (what the heck, did that really just happen?!!!)


Male co-worker in the hallway: "Were you engaged last fall?" I replied... "I've been married since before I started working here." He replies... "No, I mean... was your pregnancy engaged...like, when did you conceive?" (are you seriously asking me that? and expecting an answer??)


"You've doubled in size since last time I saw you." (well thanks, I love feeling huge)


"It's good you're wearing those (maternity) pants now, they will never fit you in a few months." (yes, I know weight gain is inevitable... but thanks so much for the reminder)


After trying to find the positive in the situation of throwing up constantly for 4 months, I tried to encourage myself by saying, well, maybe I won't gain as much weight in the end...to which I got the reply "oh don't worry, you'll gain plenty, trust me." (so much for light at the end of the tunnel)


Fortunately I've avoided any strangers touching my belly or anything like that... but I've had some close calls in the elevator at work. I find it best to strategically stand with my arms crossed and avoid eye contact... I may look unfriendly, but it helps them keep their hands to themselves. :)

Getting Antsy

I love to decorate. I've been brainstorming nursery ideas since long before we were even pregnant.... it's just my thing - I enjoy it! So here's the dilemma: since we are hoping to sell our condo... it doesn't make much sense to paint and decorate a room in our current home when we're hoping there's still a chance we could move before BabyW. arrives.

But...I still really want to! My logical side has been holding me back... but now that we're only like 10 weeks away from July, I'm really getting restless to setup his room. Our original plan was that if the house hadn't sold by June 1st, we'd decorate then... but that's not leaving much time! And we already have 2 weekends full in June. Hmmm... maybe I'll just get some paint samples this weekend. :) I really LOVE this idea for the walls... but maybe I'll just go simple, and forego the stripes since there's a hopeful possibility we won't be living here too long. But aren't the stripes great?! (sigh...) What do you think? Vote on the right.

27 Weeks... 3rd Trimester!

Well, we had our 4D ultrasound today. We had nearly an hour of checking BabyW. out... the u/s techs were amazed at how perfect his spine and heart looked. They said they could have scanned him all day because everything looked textbook-perfect. We saw his chunky little legs and even his hands with all the details. He kept his face hidden though! He buried it in the back of me and wouldn't let us peek! He sure didn't mind flashing his boy parts though... we got some good laughs out of that! So we didn't get any clues as to who this little boy will look like, but we got lots of reassurance that he is healthy and growing strong. He actually measured 3 lbs 2 oz. which is in the 99.7 percentile for 27 weeks... he's a BIG boy!! They still estimated my due date as exactly July 15th... just with an at least 8lb. baby. Both grandmas, Aunt Stiney, Grandpa Wheatley and Daddy were all there, and we had a great time. It's funny because as neat as it would have been to see his face, I think it will be a fun surprise in 3 months... so I wasn't too disappointed. Here are a few pictures if you can decipher them. (The orange one... picture his arms kinda crossed in front of his face and you can see one of his hands/fist.

Reality

As I was reading a very familiar passage in the Bible several weeks ago, something I'd never really focused on stood out to me... "Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me." (Psalm 51:5) As I felt the baby inside of me move around, I was reminded that we all need a Savior. Even this little boy growing inside of me. Right now, he is untainted by the world, but that won't last long. Precious as he may be, he will like all of us, choose sin. In the eyes of his grandparents (and maybe even sometimes, his parents), it may seem he can do no wrong... but undoubtedly, he will. He will break his mommy & daddy's hearts, and he will break the heart of God, but we will never stop loving him.

As I think about the mistakes that I have made and the hard lessons I've learned, I am tempted to want to shelter him from it all... to not let him fall into the same traps. But then how would he ever know his need for grace? He has been known by God long before he was even a thought in our hearts. God knows every step he will take, and yet He loves him beyond measure. He already had this little boy on His mind when He went to the cross. He died for him 2000 years ago. And as we look forward to his arrival into our family, we pray every single day that he will one day give his heart and his life to Jesus ... that he will know that his life is a gift from God and that no matter what mistakes he makes, we pray he will always run back into the arms of grace that will have been there all along. We can't make that choice for him, but we will do all we can to lead him to it.

Two More!

New babies that is!!

Elizabeth & Luke Ehresman's sweet little girl, Audrey Lynn, arrived safe & sound on April 9th.













And Dee & Richard Brubaker are proud first-time grandparents to Nathan Marshall who was born yesterday, April 13th to their son Trent & new mommy, Jessica!













Congratulations everybody!! Can't wait for BabyW. to meet all his new friends!

Easter

As we start thinking of life with a little one, we've been talking about the meaning of holidays and how we want to celebrate them as a family. Sadly, so much of the true meaning gets neglected in favor of commercialism and tradition. Take Easter for starters. Sure it's fun to usher in the Spring season with pretty flowers and egg hunts and Easter baskets and the Easter Bunny and even family dinners... but does any of that lead us to the true celebration?

Without Easter, my life would be hopeless. Yep, hopeless. Not only did Jesus take all of the guilt of MY sin upon Himself, dying MY death on the cross, but He rose from the dead! Death couldn't keep Him down. He overcame it! That means that I don't have to try to be good enough to win His love. I don't have to wallow in the guilt of my sin, but I am forgiven. I have hope! There is meaning to my life and even to the challenges and sufferings I face. No matter what I do, I am always accepted in Him because He made an exchange with me that only He could. He took my sin, and I get His righteousness. A righteousness I could spend my entire life trying to attain, but I'd never reach. And yet, He gives it freely. Well, free for me... it was purchased with the blood of Christ.

So for us, we want that to be our focus... and certainly what we teach our children. It's not that we won't enjoy the fun of family get-togethers, or give our little boy a basket of treats... but we don't want that to be how he describes what Easter is about. It's not just a nice story they share at church... it is absolutely central to who we are. We want him to know how much Jesus loves him and what He has done for him. That joy lasts far beyond the Spring. It is truly what Life is about.

Name hints :)

No, we're not spilling the beans... but I thought I'd tell you a few names that Baby W. definitely WON'T end up with. Not because they aren't great names... but because they are already taken by family or close friends!! With so many little boys we know, it's already kinda narrowed the name-pool for us... but we like our choice anyway. Feel free to guess... but our lips are sealed!

Aaric, Aaron, Aiden, Andrew, Auden, Caden, Carter, Coleman, Hart, Hunter, Isaac, John, Joshua, Luke, Lyric, Micah, Nathan, Robertson, Sean, Simeon

26 Weeks

Fetal development in pregnancy week 26: This is your last week of the 2nd Trimester! Your little one is weighing in at almost 2 pounds and measures about 14 inches long. At long last, your little swimmer can see the womb! Your miracle’s little eyelids have finally separated (they were fused closed previously) and they’re probably having their first moments of sight as you read this (or maybe it already happened while you were brushing your teeth or watching Oprah or something). In addition to seeing their little studio in your belly, they’ve recently acquired the ability to say “yes” and “no” in rudimentary sign language as they can now move their head back and forth. This is also the time where your little super star’s head hair is starting to grow! A cute little cowlick or two may be springing into position right now, getting ready for years of cute-but-stubborn bed-head. Also, their toenails have grown in and you little raisin continues to slowly pile up fat beneath their still-loose skin. Most importantly, brain tissue and neurons are all developing at a rapid pace, increasing their (genius-level?) brain activity and will continue to function at accelerated levels for the first seven to eight years of childhood!

181 down... 99 to go.

99 days and counting... we're in the double-digits now! I never knew I could have so many different thoughts/emotions at the same time. In some ways, 3 months seems like an eternity before we get to meet our little boy...I won't miss being pregnant, I just want to meet him. I can't wait. And in the same moment, I sometimes think how I don't know if I'm ready for how much our life is about to change in just 14 short weeks. I have so much to do between now & then, and the days of independence, newlyweds, freedom are about to be forever gone. The former is definitely the stronger of the two thoughts. While I do get moments of "this is really for real, what were we thinking?! how are we going to do it?" they are far surpassed by the excitement and the anticipation of the changes this new little life will bring. Sure, life will never be the same, and it will surely be full of sacrifices and challenges, but there is a joy awaiting us that is completely worth it.

Welcome Home Aunt Stiney

...or Justine, as most of you would know her :) My sister, Justine, made the cross-country drive from Denver to here last week and got home Saturday night! She'll be here at least through September, which is great since Baby W. will definitely be making his arrival sometime between now and the end of July... hopefully on the later end of that range! We wish Justine could stay longer, but oh what a pity...we'll just have to go to Hawaii to visit her! She will likely be joining a team of staff to start a new YWAM base on the island of Kauai later this year.

We were loving the beautiful weather this weekend ~ we've had the windows open for over a week now! It's been so refreshing! We got up early on Saturday, and Mike's mom joined us to stand in line for a local Baby Consignment Sale... that was lots of fun! I might have to get there even earlier for the next one to really get the good stuff...I'm all about bargain shopping! Mike also painted our thrift-store-find glider on Saturday and now I just have to find fabric to recover it. There are a few things we splurge on, but for the most part, we have no problem with hand-me-downs and bargain finds for this little boy.

Big Relief!

Now that's more like it. I had my appointment today with the new doctor, and it was wonderful! She was so professional and kind and thorough and genuine. I felt completely comfortable with everyone there and was just so thankful that God gave me some extra grace and it was not only just "fine" it was actually a great experience. Funny story: When I went to get blood drawn, I turned to my side and saw a bulletin board of pictures... one of which was of my cousin, Shaun - random! So of course I asked whose pictures these were, and as it turns out, the lady sticking a needle in my arm is his girlfriend's mom. So she gave me updates on my own family (haha) and we talked about Aunt Bea & Nana going to the Homerun Derby and loving baseball. Anyway, what a small world.

Mike went with me today and we both were astonished at what a night & day difference it was from the other practice. Baby W. seems to be doing great. We heard his heart beating strong and she gave us more details from my ultrasound that the other doctor didn't take the time to do. She even said at my next appointment, she'll do another ultrasound just for peace of mind and so they'll have it on record - it's always fun to get a peek at him. So I go again in 3 weeks and then I start going every 2 weeks. Wow...that makes me feel really far along! Anyway, it was a good day.

I even got to work from home the rest of the day and all day tomorrow since there are painters doing work on my hallway at work and I'm not supposed to be around those fumes. Fine by me!

A New Day!

Some of you know the story. I had a terrible experience with my OB practice, but was kinda stuck there until I could switch my insurance and find a new practice. I don't usually resort to negative publicity... but I was so appalled at the lack of care, that I'll warn you all... don't ever go to Beach Midwives - Valentine OB/GYN in Virginia Beach. So far, my experience with baby doctors/midwives has been a huge source of stress and frustration... and I was just counting down the days until I could go somewhere new!

Well, tomorrow is finally that day, and I've never been so excited to go to a doctor's appointment! It does feel a little strange to be meeting the doctor who will hopefully deliver our son when I'm almost in the 3rd trimester, but I can't tell you how relieved I am! Even though I haven't met her yet, I have a good feeling about it, and she came highly recommended (thanks Ashlea, Carletta, and Mike's co-workers) :) God has been gracious, and as much as I was sick and had lots of concerns earlier on, I've managed to make it 5 weeks feeling great and not needing to call the old practice...my ultrasound at 20 weeks was my last contact with them, and as of today, I'm officially on Mike's insurance and can take a big sigh of relief.

So, I'm looking forward to tomorrow. Partially because I'll take any reason to get out my office for a few hours, but mostly because I'm looking forward to this part of my pregnancy being more positive and full of anticipation like it should be.