It has been a few weeks since JT and I shared with the world that we were expecting a baby, due sometime in August. It has also been a few weeks since I did a blog post, so I figured that I would post an update on how pregnancy/life is going. For starters, JT and I were lucky enough to attend a marriage retreat last weekend at the Winshape Retreat on the Berry College campus. It was a lovely time. We got to spend time focusing on our marriage and hanging out with other couples. We went for walks, laughed, and played games. A personal highlight for us was being one of the couples who got to compete in the Newlywed Game. JT and I both love game shows and were "competing" against our friends, so that made it extra fun. (Yes, we did win. Pastor Steve actually gave us a standing ovation for getting all of the questions right.)
1) I am officially 15 weeks. We are planning on going to the birth center for an ultrasound and to find out the gender around 18 weeks. The pregnancy has been relatively uneventful and for that I am grateful. This is the time when I will potentially start to develop cravings, back pain, nesting tendencies, frequent bathroom breaks, and food/smell aversions. So far the only thing I am craving is sleep, peaches, and caffeine when I start to get a head ache. I have definitely started the getting up three times a night to visit the porcelain throne. So far, I would say that I have definitely been blessed with a smooth, almost gentle pregnancy. We are definitely praying this continues for the remainder of our pregnancy.
2) Moving. Since we are currently living in a one bedroom basement apartment, JT and I decided pretty early on that we would need (wanted) to move before the baby arrived. We began looking into our options and realized our best option would be to rent a small home as close to where we currently live as possible. I know a baby doesn't take up much space, and that it is very likely it will not need it's own room for months after it comes, but I have wanted more space since we moved into the basement, and this seemed like a good time to add space (before we added another person). We asked for a lease extension from our current landlord, in case we did not find a home before March, and she was incredibly generous to give it. We are looking and praying that God will provide exactly where He wants us to live in His timing. We have looked at a few houses and are following some leads, but there is nothing definite yet and it is definitely harder than it looks. Anyone out there hate the way "credit" works? Anyone else find being an adult difficult?
3) Nursery and Names. I am actually very excited about the possibility of creating a space for the baby and making it unique, simple, and fun. If I am totally honest, I am excited about the possibility of making a house feel a little more like "our" space, not just a bunch of tan walls with minimal furniture it in. When we have a home finalized, I will be able to dive fully into nesting mode and create the kind of spaces I want, and for that, I am very excited. We still have not chosen names yet, but we have plenty of time. We do have a list of names we like on my phone and we add to it and take away from it all the time. We have a few rules when picking out names: 1) Both JT and I have to like it. (This should be obvious, but I know that sometimes it can be hard when one person really loves a name and the other does not like it.) People have asked if JT is really opinionated about the babies name or if I am, and it is pretty simple, we decide whether we like a name, if the other person agrees it goes on the list, if they don't agree it doesn't go on the list. Neither of us is super opinionated, although we both definitely have preferences. 2) It cannot be easily made fun of. Note the easily here. People are likely to make fun of any name, but we don't want to name it "Sitting Bull" (no matter how much we want to) and have it be mocked constantly. 3) It can be a normal name, but not overly common. Let me explain something very simple. Hi, my name is Sarah. You know how many Sarah's I know? About 100. For real. I like my name and I am grateful that I rarely have my name mispronounced. Although, I do have my name spelled Sara all the time, which is not my name (sorry to all the Sara's out there) and is the wrong way to spell it. I'm sorry. It just is. I don't want "weird" names for my kids, but I also don't want them to always have to be called by a nickname on their sports teams because there are 5 other Sarah's. (True Story) This is totally a personal preference and please feel free to name your child Sarah, it really is a great name, especially when you work with other cultures. Fun Fact: Every culture I work with has some variation of the name Sarah.
Those are the main things for now. I am hoping to keep you all updated on my pregnancy, the baby, moving, and just life. If you guys have specific questions or comments, please feel free to post them here or on Facebook, or text me. Thank you guys for all your kind and exciting words about our newest adventure, your prayers mean the world to us.
1) I am officially 15 weeks. We are planning on going to the birth center for an ultrasound and to find out the gender around 18 weeks. The pregnancy has been relatively uneventful and for that I am grateful. This is the time when I will potentially start to develop cravings, back pain, nesting tendencies, frequent bathroom breaks, and food/smell aversions. So far the only thing I am craving is sleep, peaches, and caffeine when I start to get a head ache. I have definitely started the getting up three times a night to visit the porcelain throne. So far, I would say that I have definitely been blessed with a smooth, almost gentle pregnancy. We are definitely praying this continues for the remainder of our pregnancy.
2) Moving. Since we are currently living in a one bedroom basement apartment, JT and I decided pretty early on that we would need (wanted) to move before the baby arrived. We began looking into our options and realized our best option would be to rent a small home as close to where we currently live as possible. I know a baby doesn't take up much space, and that it is very likely it will not need it's own room for months after it comes, but I have wanted more space since we moved into the basement, and this seemed like a good time to add space (before we added another person). We asked for a lease extension from our current landlord, in case we did not find a home before March, and she was incredibly generous to give it. We are looking and praying that God will provide exactly where He wants us to live in His timing. We have looked at a few houses and are following some leads, but there is nothing definite yet and it is definitely harder than it looks. Anyone out there hate the way "credit" works? Anyone else find being an adult difficult?
3) Nursery and Names. I am actually very excited about the possibility of creating a space for the baby and making it unique, simple, and fun. If I am totally honest, I am excited about the possibility of making a house feel a little more like "our" space, not just a bunch of tan walls with minimal furniture it in. When we have a home finalized, I will be able to dive fully into nesting mode and create the kind of spaces I want, and for that, I am very excited. We still have not chosen names yet, but we have plenty of time. We do have a list of names we like on my phone and we add to it and take away from it all the time. We have a few rules when picking out names: 1) Both JT and I have to like it. (This should be obvious, but I know that sometimes it can be hard when one person really loves a name and the other does not like it.) People have asked if JT is really opinionated about the babies name or if I am, and it is pretty simple, we decide whether we like a name, if the other person agrees it goes on the list, if they don't agree it doesn't go on the list. Neither of us is super opinionated, although we both definitely have preferences. 2) It cannot be easily made fun of. Note the easily here. People are likely to make fun of any name, but we don't want to name it "Sitting Bull" (no matter how much we want to) and have it be mocked constantly. 3) It can be a normal name, but not overly common. Let me explain something very simple. Hi, my name is Sarah. You know how many Sarah's I know? About 100. For real. I like my name and I am grateful that I rarely have my name mispronounced. Although, I do have my name spelled Sara all the time, which is not my name (sorry to all the Sara's out there) and is the wrong way to spell it. I'm sorry. It just is. I don't want "weird" names for my kids, but I also don't want them to always have to be called by a nickname on their sports teams because there are 5 other Sarah's. (True Story) This is totally a personal preference and please feel free to name your child Sarah, it really is a great name, especially when you work with other cultures. Fun Fact: Every culture I work with has some variation of the name Sarah.
Those are the main things for now. I am hoping to keep you all updated on my pregnancy, the baby, moving, and just life. If you guys have specific questions or comments, please feel free to post them here or on Facebook, or text me. Thank you guys for all your kind and exciting words about our newest adventure, your prayers mean the world to us.