15 Weeks...

I took this picture with my camera propped up on some books and using the timer. That's why there's a lot of ceiling above my head!

Can you believe I'm only 3 1/2 months? I feel HUGE. I didn't gain any weight during the past week, though, so that's good. I was worrying about gaining almost a pound a week! It was freaking me out a little.

Here's what Baby Bruce is up to this week:

She's about the size of an orange this week, her ears have migrated to the sides of her head, and her eyes are moving to the front of her face. Plus, your little smarty-pants can now wiggle her fingers and toes and make breathing movements in preparation for life outside the womb.

-whattoexpect.com

I've had a few people leave comments and ask if we're finding out the sex and we are not! I wasn't sure that I'd be able to contain myself, but as more time passes by, I am getting more and excited about not knowing. I think when Baby Bruce arrives in November, it will be the most awesome surprise! However, I do have my hunch, but what do I know? I've never done this before!

Also, on Tuesday, I was feeling like I was feeling the baby kick around. It is a little bit early, typically, but not impossible for me to feel it already. Judging by the ultrasound, we have quite an active one! It was a weird feeling that I've never had before...fluttering. And it lasted for about 20 minutes or so, off and on while I was sitting at my desk after lunch, working on things. We'll find out in the next few weeks whether that was it or not when I really do feel the little peanut kick.

This really is such an exciting time. I feel like every day, I watch my body change a little bit. I'm hoping I last another 2 weeks with my non-pregnancy work clothes and my belly band. It was really warm yesterday, into the low 80's and my belly band was H-O-T. When I took it off when I got home, I had a little patch of heat rash on my side. It itches.

Strangely, this week, I have been more tired than ever and I've been reading that my sleepiness should be subsiding. I am really hoping that kicks in soon. Oh, and I just read about weight gain in the second trimester...one pound per week is average! My appetite isn't as huge as it was about 3 weeks ago, but it looks like it will come on strong again soon.

I'm not complaining!

Video of a Video...

It's the best I can do. I recorded the ultrasound on the computer screen with my camera. It actually turned out better than I thought it would!

Look for: Kicking of the legs, the heart beating, mouth opening and the hand going in, both sides of the brain, vertebrate of the spine...and just the fact that this little blessing is only the size of your fist!

The Coolest Thing Ever...

We met our little Baby Bruce on the screen today!

He/she brings greetings from another planet...

Everything looked really good and healthy! The pictures are from the 4-D ultrasound that we had done, but we actually thought the traditional 2-D (black and white) ultrasound showed us more detail. We were able to get an amazing video on our DVD that we brought with us that is the black and white version. We can see the spine, two arms and two legs kicking about, and the heartbeat fluttering away! It is awesome to see something that is the size of your fist with so much detail.

It definitely puts Pro-Life at a whole new level! To think that some people don't believe that at this stage, there is a baby, living and developing in there...is just unbelievable.

I will try to upload the video on Monday at work, where the internet is a little bit faster than it is here at home. No promises, but I'll try.

We went to get pizza after the appointment and Huzz and I kept saying to each other, "There really is a baby in there!" We could not be happier or more excited.

Rude Kids...

I read this BreakPoint from Charles Colson today. As a teacher and witnessing these kinds of kids every work day for the last 6 years, I don't think Mr. Colson could have said it better.


Rude Kids The Fruits of Overdeveloped Self-Esteem
May 21, 2009

A recent report on MSNBC suggested that parents’ pre-occupation with their kids’ self-esteem may have produced “rude” children who lack compassion for others.
According to MSNBC, “many experts say today’s kids are ruder than ever.” The word “rude” encompasses a variety of behaviors, from selfishness to deliberate malice. In one example, a pre-schooler deliberately tripped a woman in a crowded restaurant and then bragged to her mother about it. In another, a child continuously insults his mother in front of his mortified grandmother.
In both cases, the parent neither says nor does anything.
Apparently, these aren’t isolated instances: a 2005 Yale University study found that “preschool students are expelled at a rate more than three times that of children in grades K-12 because of behavioral problems.”
It isn’t only preschoolers. The media has documented the behavior in the workplace of those born between 1980 and 1996. Words used to describe the behavior of the so-called “Generation Y” include “self-centered” and “arrogant.” As one management professor put it, “They don’t know when to shut up.” And having grown up questioning their parents, they now question their bosses.
Whether or not today’s kids are actually “ruder than ever,” the article and others like it reflect the sense that something has gone wrong in the way we raise our children. Specifically, it has to do with “popular parenting movements focusing on self-esteem.”
These movements produce parents who “[respond] with hostility to anyone they perceive as getting in the child’s way.” By “getting in the child’s way,” they mean doing anything that might make the child feel less-than-wonderful about him or herself—in the classroom, among their peers, or on the playing field.
So today we have a generation of children who believe that the world revolves around them and that they are entitled to feel good about themselves.
Expecting children raised this way to be compassionate or even polite betrays a profound ignorance of human nature—the same ignorance that led to the “popular parenting movements” that created the mess in the first place.
These movements were inspired by the ideas of Romantic Enlightenment thinkers like Jean-Jacques Rousseau. According to Rousseau, “There is no original perversity in the human heart.” So, he says, “when children’s wills are not spoiled by our fault, children [desire] nothing uselessly.” So parents and teachers should strive to produce children who are “authentic, self-sufficient, and autonomous.”
According to E.D. Hirsch, this Romantic ideal that “each person has a natural and uniquely divine spark, which, if nurtured, cannot go wrong,” is behind the emphasis on self-esteem. The problem, as Hirsch points out, is that there is no proven connection between high self-esteem and actual achievement.
In other words, feeling good about yourself isn’t enough to make you good. You have to be taught right from wrong and made to feel bad when you deserve it. As the Scripture says, true parental devotion includes the willingness to correct our children.
The alternative isn’t “authenticity”—it’s spoiling their wills in the worst possible way.

14 Weeks...

I am now fourteen weeks!

The past week has been a rough one, but I've survived. I'll only talk about pregnancy challenges in this post and I'll write another post and tell you all about the other things that are making my life a trial right now.

Here's my bump!


I really wasn't wild about posting a photo of myself this week because I think I look absolutely horrible. This is mostly due to the fact that I am too exhausted to shower in the morning and actually do my hair. I barely manage to get out of bed thirty minutes before I have to leave and I get dressed, pull my hair back, and eat some breakfast.

This week, Baby Bruce is a lemon!

Welcome to the second trimester! With any luck, your breasts aren't quite as tender as they were last trimester and your energy level is making a comeback. More good news on the horizon: less morning sickness and fewer trips to the potty to pee. You might find yourself feeling pregnancy aches on the lower sides of your abdomen about now as the muscles and ligaments that support your growing uterus stretch. And though it might be a pain in the — well, lower abdomen, it's pain with a gain — and a sign that it won't be long now until your body finally starts to show that you're expecting. Meanwhile, your baby is about the size of a clenched fist and he's sporting a downy coating of hair (lanugo) that keeps him nice and warm. Not to worry — you won't give birth to a monkey; baby fat will accumulate over the next few months, keeping your baby warm and toasty — and allowing most of that hair to shed.

- whattoexpect.com

Now that all you male family members who read this know that my boobs have been sensitive...

I'm hoping that all of the above becomes true for me during the next couple of weeks. My nausea has been worse than ever this past week, which has been really hard. It's mostly brought on by my major sensitivity to odors. I got sick 3 times this week just because I smelled something and ran to the bathroom. This is very unfortunate for me because we live in an odor-filled place. The hallways and elevator in our apartment building smell like raw sewage. Horrible sewage-type smells come up through the sink drains in our apartment. The kitchen has always had a weird smell to it, which I think is from the pipes in the walls. And because we don't have a garbage disposal, all garbage goes into the trashcan. So, that constantly stinks to high heaven. Please, help me.

Meanwhile, my baby is a furry little monkey right now! Let's just hope it all sheds before the little peanut makes its entrance. Haha!

We went to a clinic yesterday to get my first ultrasound done, which my friend Katy, had scheduled for me. I was sooooo excited to get it done for obvious reasons, but also because I had probably the worst day, professionally, I've ever had yesterday. Unfortunately, whoever scheduled it with Katy wrote me down on the wrong day and they had me down for Tuesday instead of Wednesday. I am rescheduled to go tomorrow after work, so I'm really praying that it all happens.

We had no choice to shake our heads and say, "This is Kazakhstan..."

Trust me, I am extremely tired of having to say this to comfort myself. All it does is remind me of how much I am ready to leave here.

Anyway, I am trying to stay positive and I'm counting down the days! I am so thankful that I am pregnant with (as far as I know) a healthy baby. I know that My Father is going ahead of me in everything and He is in control.

13 Weeks...

Time is ticking along! However, it is especially slow-going throughout the night, as I am finding myself emerging from bed, like a zombie, to go to the bathroom...every TWO hours.

I'm not even that pregnant yet! What is it going to be like when the baby is using my bladder as a punching bag?

Wait, don't answer that.

Okay, so at 13 weeks, here is what is happening!

As your first trimester comes to a close, your fetus (who seems to be working its way through the produce section) has reached the size of a peach, about 3 inches long. Your baby's head is now about half the size of his or her crown to rump length, but that cute little body is picking up steam and will continue growing overtime (at birth, your baby will be one-quarter head, three-quarters body). Meanwhile, your baby's intestines, which have been growing inside the umbilical cord, are now starting their trek to their permanent position in your baby's abdomen. Also developing this week: your baby's vocal cords (the better to cry with...soon!).

You can kind of see how my belly is starting to stick out. Believe me, it is a lot bigger than it was pre-pregnancy ~ about nine inches! But, I have only gained 4 pounds so far, so I am right on target for my weight gain. Let's hope it stays that way! I am always hungry, so I feel like I am eating like a horse. I can tell the baby is using a lot of the calories I'm taking in. Thank goodness for that!

We are baby-sitting baby Billie tonight and I'm teaching Stephen how to change his first diaper! Keep him in your big P's. Just kidding!

I love this...

Read this post from BigMama about her Mother's Day. Cracks me up!

My Mama...

Good Morning, Mom! (Or Good Evening, since you may not see this until you get back to Maryland tonight.)

Happy Mother's Day! It seems like such an inadequate phrase to say to you how much you mean to me.
Can I tell you that the thing I'm looking forward to most when we get back home is to get to spend time with YOU? I can't wait to prepare to be a mom, myself, with you. I can't wait to go shopping for maternity clothes, baby clothes, and for all the little things we'll need to keep our baby comfortable and happy. This is my last Mother's Day of my life of not having my own child to hold in my arms! It is a thought that is astounding to me every time I have it.

I know this has been a difficult year for you, mother-wise, but I imagine it has also been a very rewarding year. You have had a very active role in watching your first grandchild grow up for the first year of her life. You have spent more time around your son than you have in several years. You have comforted your youngest through a very painful year and helped motivate her to accomplish graduating from college. You have sacrificed living in your home for your kids. You have been away from your husband for your kids. And, you have managed to comfort and reassure me from halfway around the world!

You have given more and sacrificed more for us than ever was expected of you. I am just starting to get an understanding of the strength of love a mother has for her children and it's because I have watched you demonstrate it to us. You are the epitome of a great mom. And I love you so much!

~Bethy

12 Weeks...

I'm Plum Pregnant!

Haha, I crack myself up.

Hmmmmm.....

Well, here is what's going on with the little plum this week:

Your baby has more than doubled in size during the past three weeks,weighing in now at 1/2 ounce and measuring (crown to rump) about 2 1/2inches. About the size of a large fresh plum, your baby's body is hard at work in the development department. Though most of his or her systems are fully formed, there's still plenty of maturing to do. The digestive system is beginning to practice contraction movements (so your baby will be able to eat), the bone marrow is making white bloodcells (so your baby will be able to fight off all those germs passed around the playgroup), and the pituitary gland at the base of thebrain has started producing hormones (so your baby will one day be able to make babies of his or her own).

~ What to Expect When You're Expecting (4th Edition)

No wonder I'm still so tired! I ordered a Belly Band from the UK and had it sent to Katy's mom and she arrived a couple of days ago to visit little Billie (and Katy and Rick), so she brought it for me. I am loving the band. It works great with holding up my maternity pants that are a little too big for me still, and holds up my unbuttoned pants for work great. It will at least do the trick until I get back to the States and can buy some clothes that actually fit. Buying clothes here just isn't the greatest of ideas because 1) They're ugly. 2) They're expensive and ugly. 3) They're low quality. I think I'll pass.

TGIF, people. I have 26 days of work left, after today. Although it never feels like I'll actually make it when I wake up in the morning, I think that I will. I have to be like the little engine that could.

What a great book...

Good-bye, Grandma Bruce...

When I first met Grandpa and Grandma Bruce, Huzz and I were a month and a half away from tying the knot. Riley and I drove from Colorado and met Fiancee in Omaha and then the three of us drove the three hours to Okoboji, Iowa. It was a quick visit, but I was so happy to get to meet Grandpa and Grandma and they were clearly grateful we had made the trip.


Before we had left for Iowa, Fiancee's dad (FIL) had told Stephen that we should go to Perkins and pick up a French Silk Pie because Grandpa really liked them. So when we arrived, we were really hungry and said we were going to go to KFC and pick up some lunch and would either of them like us to bring something back for them?


Grandma spoke right up and said, "I'd really like one of those little Snacker chicken sandwiches and a side of coleslaw. It's just the right size for me!" Grandpa responded with a gruff, "No."


So Stephen suggested to Grandpa that we pick up a French Silk pie for later on after dinner. He again responded gruffly, "No, I don't like that!"


We still laugh when we tell that story. Our suspicion is that FIL is the one who really likes the French Silk pies! Haha.


Also, when we arrived at Grandpa and Grandma's house, Riley was all-a-flutter, as she was very excited to be out of the car. I was nervous about her jumping up on Grandpa or Grandma and I gave her a stern talking-to before we went inside. Although Riley speedily went through the house, sniffing all the corners and furniture, she walked calmly up to Grandma and sniffed her, licked her hand, and laid calmly at her feet. She had found her place for the weekend! The only time Riley left Grandma's side is when we took her outside to throw the ball for her and let her to her business. She was happiest inside, next to Grandma, where it was nice and air-conditioned.


During that weekend, I was struck by Grandma's gentleness and Grandpa's gruffness. The two were complete opposites of each other and such an amazing balance. I could tell right away that Grandpa could be a big teddy-bear and liked to look tougher than he was. And Grandma had the sweetest, most humble heart. We all knew they wouldn't be able to make it out to Colorado for our wedding because of their health issues, so it was a special weekend for me to get their blessing.

Grandma had MS for many years. However, she was such a fighter and did everything she was "supposed" to do to cope with the disease. When Grandma passed away on Wednesday, she did not go because of the MS. She has been battling other health issues since last October or so. Last October! That was why we were so surprised when Grandpa died in his sleep in December. When we got the call from Stephen's brother, we were ready to hear that Grandma had died, but she was still fighting.

When we went home at Christmas, we made the trip to Iowa for Grandpa's memorial service and to see Grandma.

When we told Stephen's parents that I was pregnant, they were leaving later that day to go see Grandma. FIL said, "Well, I'm going to have to tell Grandma!" This caused laughter about a week later because Stephen's cousin, Jeremia, sent him an email that said, "Congratulations! I know I'm not supposed to know yet, but Grandma talks in her sleep!"

She was excited for a great-grandbaby!

We will miss you so much, Grandma. I know I didn't know you for very long, but I have some memories of you that I will share with our children. I know Stephen will miss you a lot and wishes he could be there tomorrow for your memorial service.

The family will have the burial services for both Grandpa and Grandma this summer, when all family members are back in the country.

We are so thankful Grandma isn't in pain anymore and she is another one who is dancing with Her Father!