16w6d

So BJ bought a memory card reader so I have a few weeks of prego pics to post.

13 Weeks

15 Weeks

16 weeks

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 16 Weeks 6 Days

Size of baby: About 5 inches long from head to rump and weighs about 5 ounces.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 3.5 pounds.  I am still under normal weight gain, but I'm sure I'll catch up.  I'm not trying to be skinny, but I do know that I only need 300 extra calories per day for the baby to grow properly, so I'm trying to stay close to that and not use the "I can eat anything because I'm pregnant" excuse.  I have always been worried I wouldn't be able to lose the baby weight when I had kids, so I guess I am being cautious.  My doctor hasn't said anything about me gaining too little weight, yet. I have a doctor's appointment on Tuesday and we will see if he says anything then.

Maternity Clothes: I am wearing whatever is comfortable.  Either maternity tops or loose fitting regular tops and maternity bottoms when I can. (I don't have as many work appropriate maternity pants, so my belly-bands have come in handy).

Gender: Don't know yet, but I think its a girl for now anyways. I would like to find out soon, so we'll see if my doctor plans a gender reveal sono soon.

Movement: None yet that I know of.  Hello, I'm a first time mom so it may take a while before the baby moves and I identify it as such.  Everything I read says about 18 weeks, but it could be later if I don't know what I'm looking for.

Sleep:I am sleeping better now that my breasts aren't so sore all the time.  I am a stomach or side sleeper normally, so I think not being able to sleep on my stomach took a little getting used to.

What I miss: pants that fit without a belly band,

Cravings: None really. Just whatever I want at that moment.

Symptoms:  get lightheaded or dizzy if I stand up too fast

Best moment this week: People actually saying I look pregnant. I'm glad I'm past the chubby stage and actually look pregnant. I am looking forward to finding out what we are having and getting to see my family at our family reunion/Christmas in June in a few weeks and tell my story.  I haven't seen most of them in a while and only my grandparents since we got the kids almost 8 months ago.

So if you've been keeping up on facebook life is just plain crazy right now.  As of yesterday, we are officially homeless, as in we don't own a home.  But since I paid the "lease" for the next few weeks we are at least renters I guess.  We were able to sell our house to one of my best friends from high school. In the fall, I guess, we'd kind of joked around about her wanting our house, but she wasn't ready to buy and we really weren't ready to sell. So here we are, both of our situations have changed a bit (hello! I have 4 kids!) and we were able to make it all work.  It'll be nice to be able to come back to our first house and remember all of the great times here.

On the 22nd we are supposed to close on the new house we are purchasing. God gave us so much more house than we thought we'd get for less money than we thought we'd pay. And our house payment is going up by less than $200 per month.  Our new house is just another way God has been paving the way for our new family. We are so blessed and I am excited to be in the new place and settled.

We have a maybe adoption date for next week.  The paperwork was submitted to the court on May 16th and we are waiting to hear if the judge has read and approved the adoption so we can get our date. It'd be great for all this to happen before we move for more reason than one.  And as soon as the adoption is final, I can post picks of whomever and whatever I want on this blog without breaching privacy policies.  I am really excited to make a header (or have BJ make one) that has a family picture in it.  Just because I can.

We have a family vacation coming up in Kansas and the kids will get to meet a lot of my mom's family.  I have showed them pics of their cousins and aunts and uncles and they are so excited to have such a big family.  Before, I think they only had one aunt and 3 cousins. And I'm excited to introduce them and show them off.  Typical new mom, I guess.

So the theme of my month is change, and a lot of it.  Change is good. I didn't use to think so, but I've learned to trust God and the changes he is bringing to our family.  And its going to be good.  We can never get to God's best for us unless we are willing to leave the place we are, what is comfortable, and walk through the door to something new. Better.

God uses change to change us. He doesn't use it to destroy or to distract us but to coax us to the next level of character, experience, compassion, and destiny. -Beth Moore