"Here I Am!"

Our little squirt appeared today!! Well, on a screen anyway.

Baby just a-worked on that thumb.

Did a whole bunch of flips (literally, feet on bottom, feet on top, feet on bottom...)...

And "won" the award for the most active child that was ultasound-ed today!

I can't tell you how happy this appointment made me (and Chad I'm sure too). To know there is a shape to go with the heartbeats, flips and jabs is such a wonderful feeling! (and yes, I said jabs, I had multiple today)

I am 20 weeks along, 5 months. I'm guessing I won't have a Bump Report until 21 weeks, so you'll just have to wait for that.

So until next time, this happy momma is expectantly babying Baby.

BT

This is the DAY!!!

This is the day, This is the day, That the Lord has made, That the Lord has made....

This is the day that we get to see our little squirt for the first time!
We will not be finding out the gender of our little one, but we will be receiving our ultrasound pictures to share with you all!!
(To say I'm excited is an understatement. I'm working hard not to type this whole thing in all caps with tons of smiley faces and exclamation points. I figure y'all would appreciate that)

Little known fact for you, the first little while of movement that mothers feel aren't kicks, but the baby flipping and moving big time. The child usually isn't big enough for the mothers to feel the kicks. I have since read about what the difference in feeling is between the two, and I'm sure what I've been feeling is the first movements where our child is flipping and moving big time.

That being said I think Baby Troyer is excited too! As I sat down to write this, I got my first jab. Then another. Then some flips! They are very very very different. My heart is still beating fast as I remember the feeling of that first real KICK!

Sorry for the wordiness. Something about exciting news makes me want to talk a mile a minute even though I only have the same words over and over!

Can't wait to show ya'll!!

BT

Thoughts on grapefruit and herbs

This morning I made eggs with cheese and herbs and ate it with grapefruit and toast. It was amazing!

Two things hit me. This is the second day in a row that I've eaten grapefruit, and I found its never as tart the second day. The other thing is herbs on eggs are amazing! Why I never substitutes them for salt and pepper before, I don't know.

That is all.

BT

Thanksgiving Part II

I didn't do as well as I would have liked at pictures. There was too much laughing and eating and good conversation to remember to pull out my camera.

It was wonderful! I love the comfort and familiarity of our traditions! I'm blessed to still see my great grandmother every year, and our family traditions are to spend the afternoon playing games.

It's fairly normal to stay just with aunts, uncles and cousins. And I love it! It was especially fun with the newlyweds like us.

See y'all in about a month!!

BT

First holiday season

This Thanksgiving season is our first major holiday as Mr. and Mrs. Troyer. We celebrated early with the Troyer family (and I forgot to take any pictures...oops). Now we are headed to celebrate Christmas with my great grandmother and Thanksgiving with my grandparents!

And as I think about the determination it will take to make sure there are pictures of our children in the future, I think I'm going to wish I had more of our life before they came along.

Something to work on!

Oh, and this cup makes me happy!

BT

Christmas Is Coming...

...the goose is getting fat....

As you know, if you follow this blog regularly, I have been listening to Christmas music (when no one is around) since the beginning of October. Beyond that I kept Christmas under my hat until November. That's when I started buggin out a bit trying to figure out how the Christmas season would look at our home. I was blessed with a wonderful husband, though, who is apposed to having the tree up before Thanksgiving. Instead of trying to fight my gracious husband (who was amazing and took me to Bronner's in October because I was in the Christmas mood) I decided to leave our house undecorated at all until right before Thanksgiving.

But that bug had still bit me, and apparently it had bit my mother too. See, it's tradition, my mom and I have put up the decorations and tree in the Comins house every year in November. The year I was gone at college that was my first trip home. This year, I decided, should be no different. We set up a date and were set to go. The morning was cloud covered and cold when they picked me up. By the time we pulled out the tree and lights, it was snowing, how appropriate.

Then started the process. Decide where the tree will be, where the furniture will move to, what needs to be done before the tree can be in it's place (namely hemming the curtains), and attack. We blasted Sandi Patty's O Holy Night! CD and made some headway before lunch.

After lunch I had to take a break for work needed me. But I came right back and discovered we had picked up a little helper.

Lacy and her son and had stopped in to see the tree. Before we knew it, we had enlisted him to help us put the ornaments on the tree.

We were by no means done, but that was all I could help with before husband came to pick me up. My parent's home is all gorgeous and festive now, and I can't wait to attack mine as this week progresses!

BT

Bump Report Week 19

One week until the halfway mark (of the "average") and one week until the ultrasound!

Squirt has left us with all sorts of excitement. Pain in nerves I didn't know I had, flutters after about a week absence (leaving worried momma very relieved), praising our Father (see previous post).

Exceptionally bad picture quality today, and yes, I'm starting the outfit repeating. This growing belly is going to cause some issues in the next 20 1/2 weeks! (I'm STOKED)

BT

Sing the Praises of Our Lord

Last Sunday, we had an evening gathering. I find I enjoy each gathering more than the one before it! The Comins church body has becoming one of the most precious things the Lord has ever given me. Hindsight to see what God used to bring us here has been so humbling and convicting. How much I fought God in the process of life. Let me let you in on a little secret, He knows best, honestly!

This gathering was a pancake supper and hymn sing. About twenty church folk came out to sample the pastor, turned cook, turned pastor's pancake making skills (and were not let down) and enjoy sausage, maple syrup and chunky applesauce along side (provide by some of those in attendance). 

Then came the best part. We were all given a hymnal with the instruction to find our favorite songs. The pastor, turned cook, turned pastor took his spot behind the piano and asked for the first song. 327 - Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus. You can't buy the sound that followed. The old piano in the back of the church singing out the old tune, the round tables with people of God joining voices in the praise of His name, the melody and harmonies balanced as an experienced choir would produce. It never ceases to amaze me (though you'd think I'd be used to it by now) how God blesses the gathering of His people to sing His praise.

Then the most amazing part. I'm joined in singing and my tummy starts to flutter. I smile to myself as I feel the signs that the child within me is moving around and I prepare for the long days to come before I feel our squirt again. But a couple minutes later, I feel it again. Our child was the most active he/she has ever been during the hymn sing when our hearts were joined in praise. I shared the news with those there and wondered at what it meant. I believe our little squirt was joining in the praise of our Maker. I know some medical person could give some perfectly logical explanation, but I don't need one. My child most likely can hear noises now, and I believe wholeheartedly that God has put the need to praise Him in His smallest of human creations.

What a great testimony of "faith of a child", when the child isn't even born yet!

BT

Bump Report Week 18

It's that time again. We went to our midwife!
It really was a short appointment. Blood pressure, weight, pee, wait for Bonnie, "How are you feeling?", "Let's hear that heartbeat!", "Make sure you schedule your ultrasound for right after thanksgiving.", "See you in two weeks!"
Yup

Even though it was short, it was the highlight of my week. When Bonnie pulled out her little heartbeat finder thing, and went to find our squirt, he/she was much higher than before! It makes me way more okay with the way my stomach looks right now. Then, it took a little bit to find our squirt. Eventually we heard it, woosh woosh woosh woosh, THUMP THUMP, then the sound of Bonnie trying to find squirt again. For those who don't know, the woosh woosh is the heartbeat, and the unmistakable THUMP THUMP was baby moving. And yes, I have felt baby. Unfortunately I didn't feel our squirt at all during the appointment, but I heard the movement :)

As far as how telling baby bump pictures are right now, it depends on the day and time of day. To me, this picture doesn't look like the bump is as big as other weeks, but I look at my belly now, (3 hours and one meal later) and it looks bigger than other weeks. Whatever.

Right now, I'm just so proud of how much our little squirt has grown! I didn't know I could be this proud of my child before I've even met him/her yet!

As far as Momma is doing, I'm doing alright. I can no longer bend down in the car to pick stuff up off of the floor. I have random butt and leg cramps. Sleeping is getting more uncomfortable, but I'm still sleeping alright. Yup, so Momma is doing alright.

The goal for this week (and for a long time here) is to not forget that there is more to life right now than this. I have a house to keep clean, a husband to love, a church family to be a part of, friends to love on. All are very important!

So, I love you baby, can't wait to meet you.
Until next week
BT

PS Liz, if you read this one, Bonnie says congrats and that you are brave for being pregnant in a foreign country :)

Morning with the Parents

I spent the morning at my parents house. The lack of washer and dryer space in our cabin gives husband and I a great excuse to spend time every week and one or both of our parent's homes, to do laundry! Today was one of those mornings, and I made the trek to spend the morning with my mom.

There are a few things I can count on with a morning with my mother.

1. I will bring something to do and I won't even touch it.
2. Some piano playing will happen (who knew I would miss it this much).
3. I will teach (or reteach, but today was purely teach) my mom how to do something on the computer.
4. My clothes will most likely get folded before I leave (unlike usual when I refuse to fold anything until 3 days later).
5. My throat will hurt after talking as much as I do with her.
6. An outpouring of questions I didn't know I had will happen.
7. We will drink coffee, out of little cups.
8. I leave with more than I arrived with, always.
9. It's never enough time and we always have to cut the conversation off.

And, as my mom pointed out today, I'm pretty good at catching my dad before he escapes out of the house to go to the church office. Today it was to choose a song for a church special. We sang. I smiled. I miss that.

I smile remembering the feeling of home I had when I was driving home with two baskets of folded laundry, half a bag of potatoes, a turkey/rice/salsa/bean/burrito filling that became lunch, two bottles of ranch dressing, a hanging onion/tomato fridge container, four peanut butter kiss cookies, and a coat to borrow while I'm too big to fit into any of mine. There is a habit, a habit my mom has, of taking care of her children well, no matter wear they live. I can only pray that I'll take care of my children as she has taken care of us. I also pray that my children will see it as the love that I see it as coming from my mom.

Thank you Lord for blessing me with a loving home, with loving parents, who love each other, and love you!

BT