As many of you reading know (perhaps there a few that have forgotten, though we doubt our parents would allow that to happen ;)), we are expecting our first bundle of joy on January 29, 2011! We are so thrilled and excited to say the least and feel so blessed that many of you have joined in our excitement as well (thank you!). In the midst of all the excitement, the reality of being far from family and those that we love has set in. We realize that our phone calls and visits and far to infrequent, and although this is in no way is a substitute for either of those things, our hope is that it will serve as a way of keeping you all better informed of what is going on and help you to feel more connected to us, especially as we welcome this new baby into our lives and begin a whole new journey! After all, technology is amazing these days, so why not put it to good use?!?
So, for those of you who want updates on our latest adventures, pictures of the growing belly, and yes, a picture or two of the renowned Sadie, stay tuned! Here is just a little preview to entice you....
Well, as you can tell from the countdown, we are 17 weeks along! This week a belly finally started to pop out! And not just a belly that to the average person looks as though I consumed far too many hamburgers and milkshakes in one sitting, but an actual baby belly! Yes, it is still very tiny, but it is indeed there. In fact, we went grocery shopping just the other day and as I was walking over to Neal with the cart he was just staring at the belly, chuckling. He said "wow, you have a belly; it just popped out!". Now, on the average day this is not necessarily something you want to hear from your husband....in the middle of the grocery store none-the-less....but I was thrilled! And just for your eyes to behold; a picture! Again, it is very small as I'm sure many of you are thinking, but I assure you, it is there!
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| 17 Weeks |
We will wrap this up by answering a few questions that I get asked about 5 times a day.
1. How are you feeling?
The first 12 weeks I had a very poor appetite, and certainly did not have an appetite for anything healthy (which raised many concerns in this Heaton household :)). Although, if I didn't eat the nausea would set in so it was a fine balance, but one that was manageable. I also battled extreme fatigue during that period, but all in all I really can't complain; I was very fortunate! Fast forward to 5 weeks later and the Wood family would be proud of my appetite! I am back to loving food and eating healthy, though I do crave things such as pickles, beef, french fries and pretty much anything salty. This has been a complete switch as I used to be more of a sweet fanatic than a salty one. However these days, the occasional milkshake or scoop of ice cream will satisfy me for awhile!
2. Boy or Girl?
We will find out in about 5 months! Many people have given us the crazy eyebrow raise followed by a "wow" when we tell them we are going to wait, but we want to be surprised! After all, when else can you truly be surprised in life? This is usually followed up by "well, what are you hoping for, a boy or a girl?" The answer to that (to which people are often untrusting that we are telling the truth), is that we don't have a preference! There are wonderful things about having either a boy or a girl, so we are excited about whatever God gives us! We are just praying for a healthy and happy baby!
And the final question and perhaps the most difficult to answer is...
3. Will Neal be home for the birth?
The short answer is...we do not know, and we won't know until I go into labor and this baby decides to make his/her official debut! I realize this is probably hard and sad for many of you to hear, as it is for us, but we are at peace with it and are not worried about it! The reality of Neal's job and the uncertainty of his schedule is something that we had to be ok with before we got married and certainly before we decided to start our family. I know that he will do everything he can to be by my side, but at the same time I know that if he isn't able to be here it is for a good reason. One of the reasons why I love him so is because he is unselfishly dedicated not only to our marriage and family, but also to his country/job/men. After all, we are not simply preparing for a birth, but are more importantly preparing to raise a child and that type of dedication, loyalty and love is something that we are going to work every day to instill in our children. So, for now we are just so thankful for this blessing! The rest is all up to God's timing!
Well, I believe we have rambled on long enough. This should get everyone up to speed! Even if we have just 1 or 2 followers we will keep this thing going. Until the next picture of the belly....
