Me: Fifteen Weeks Pregnant

Ok, so here's the deal. I have a love/hate relationship with posting baby belly pics on facebook. One part of me wants to throw caution to the wind and jump on the bandwagon. Just do it, as Nike would say. Another part of me wants to erase any and all related thoughts about baby belly pics from my mind.

This is where I compromise. I desperately want to document the journey of this pregnancy, but I'm just not quite sure how open I want to be about airing my belly size. Instead of showcasing my new bod to 500 plus facebook friends, I think I'll opt to do it via blogger. That way, I have my documentation and I don't feel like every single person I know is recording my belly shape and size. Of course, those pregnancy hormones I keep hearing about might change my mind and you may see some photos creep up onto my facebook page. We'll see.

Anyway. This is me at 15 weeks pregnant. At first, I was thinking that I was going to show really early and blow up to the size of a hot air balloon. Now I'm not so sure. I guess part of me just always automatically assumed that I'd be one of those pregnant ladies with a big ole belly. Maybe not. It's still up in the air.

Weddings Are Wonderful

**Sigh**

I'm feeling sorry for myself.

When I look on Facebook, all I see are countless posts from FB friends who are planning their upcoming weddings and engagement/wedding photography blog posts from recent weddings. And it's making me sad.

Weddings are happy. Marriage is wonderful. I loved my wedding, my husband is a blessing, and I couldn't be happier where we are today. But I can't help but feel a little sad that I don't have a wedding to plan for this spring and summer.

Don't get me wrong. I'm more than thrilled for anyone tying the knot. It's a big step and a huge committment; one not to be taken lightly. I sincerely hope that all couples take time to really consider what they're getting into--pledging their love and their lives to one another in front of God, their families, and their friends. Promising fidelity, loyalty, and friendship that will last forever.

Ok, getting a little off topic here. As you can tell, I'm really into marriage. But that's a whole other blog post...

Anyway, I'm just a teensy bit sad that I'll never have another wedding to plan. (I don't like to entertain the thought that I could ever remarry. Again, another blog post. To keep it short, King's the only husband for me.) Yes, my niece Sydney may call on me for help one of these days, or I might have a daughter one day who will need me. But the difference is that I won't be the one in the driver's seat. I'll just be a helper. I couldn't have made it through our wedding without all my little helpers--my mom, sister, niece, aunts, cousins, etc. They were all so wonderful! But I'll never be the one to make the decisions again.

**Sigh**

Oh well. I'm happy. I'm happily married to a happily married man, and we're happily expecting our first baby in a few short months. In case you haven't noticed, I'm happy. So in honor of how happy I am, I'll show you a few photos from THE HAPPIEST day of my life--August 7th, 2010--the day I married King.

Enjoy.

Sick and Scared

I haven't been a very dedicated blogger the past few weeks, and for that, I apologize. I've had some other things going on. Mainly, it warmed up there for a little piece and I was able to spend some time outside. Sewing and blogging were far removed from my mind. Secondly, I had been away on a business trip with my husband this week and was stuck in bed, sick as a dog.

Yes. Sick. It started out as simple nausea, which I thought I could handle. I'm 15 weeks pregnant, so of course, I chalked it up to morning sickness. Here I was, already in my second trimester, considering myself lucky that I had made it through the first several months of pregnancy without getting that dreaded morning sickness. And wha-bam! It hits me.

As it turns out, it wasn't just morning sickness and nausea. And this is where I stop with the details and you can fill in with your own imagination. From my short stint as a microbiologist (ok, I took one class for college a year ago), I was sure that I had some type of foodborne illness. I was thinking salmonella, Staphylococcus aureaus, Escherichia coli, etc. I also considered toxoplasmosis, which I would have contracted from my sweet cat, Theo.

I called my ob/gyn's office and spoke to one of his nurses. She suggested an OTC medicine for a simple "stomach bug". Whatever that means. Luckily, I had some of the medicine here at the house, took it, and felt fine. My husband and I were supposed to be leaving for Frankfort that day for a business trip. At the time, I felt well enough to travel the 3 1/2 hour long drive and thought I was better. Made the trip just fine, no problem. Unfortunately, I was not better the next day. In fact, I was worse. There I was, in a strange city, by myself at the hotel while King was at his conference, sick and scared that I was going to need medical attention. Normally, I wouldn't have been so concerned. But when you're pregnant (especially pregnant with your first child), you just worry more than normal. King was worried. I was worried. My folks at home were worried. Dehydration could have set it at any moment, and I was scared that I was going to find myself in a hospital bed, hooked up to an IV. I was scared for our baby. It was late one night, and I finally called my own hospital in Bowling Green and spoke to one of the ob's on call. He didn't sound too concerned, thought it was just a "G.I. bug" and told me to stay hydrated. I felt a little more relieved. But, I was still worried about traveling home the next day....

Thankfully, we made it home it what seemed like an hour. A 3 to 3 1/2 hour long trip took no time. Now I'm home, feeling better, and getting more rest just in case I'm not 100%.

The moral of the story is this: it's scary to be sick in a strange city when you're alone in a hotel room for most of the day--especially when you're pregnant.

Another added moral of the story: never travel when you think you could be sick. Even if you think you could be feeling better. Just stay at home. Or if you're like me and scared to stay by yourself, stay with someone else. Stay with your mom; she'll take care of you. This is what I should have done!

No Slacking For Me Today

I'm now a couple steps closer to crossing some things off on my "Top To-Do's" list.

First off, I decided to try and spice up my look a little bit this morning. I slept with my hair wet last night (something that I have always loathed doing) and decided to add a little lipstick. Nothing too fancy. One day, I'd love to try some reds and pinks for dressier occasions, but today I thought I'd start off with a coral color. Anways, this is how it looks.




Secondly, I took off on a whim to Bowling Green today in search of a sewing machine. I've had several offers from friends and family that they would let me borrow one of their extra machines, but since I'm a beginner, I decided that I better go ahead and get my own in case something ever went terribly wrong and I blew one up. I'd feel much better about blowing my own machine up, rather than explaining it to someone else. Plus, a new sewing machine comes with a user's manual (as a novice, this is something that I definitely definitely need), whereas it would have been likely that the used machines I could have borrowed might not have had their directions any longer. So, I bit the bullet and bought my own. Here's my new friend.



A Brother LS-590. So far, I'm fairly pleased with it and was able to thread the needle and the bobbin myself (this is a tremendous feat for me). Unfortunately, I was not able to figure out the automatic needle threader, but my mom is coming over tomorrow to help work out the kinks. She's much more used to older model sewing machines, but surely to goodness she can figure it out! I trust her abilities. Anyway, it's nothing too terribly fancy. Not computerized. But still nice. It features 25 different stitches among other neat things that I've yet to fully understand. Thank goodness for that manual, right?

My good friend from So, I Sew (http://soisew.blogspot.com/) sent me some tutorials on how to "make" your own maternity skirts by taking a regular skirt, cutting off the top, and sewing on a portion of a t-shirt to create a "belly band." This a project that I will start working on as soon as I feel a little more comfortable with my machine. It doesn't seem difficult, but I'd hate to ruin all those pieces of clothing if I happened to mess up. I bought 4 skirts from Goodwill today at $3 a piece (a little more than I wanted to pay), but still a decent bargain. It's better than paying $20-&30 a skirt at a department store or a maternity store. So, we'll see how this project goes once I actually get started...

I Didn't Make Good On A Promise

If memory serves me correctly, I said in a former blog that I would make a list of some of the things I'd like to start doing this year. Call it a New Year's Resolution blog, or whatever you'd like. However, I'm not so sure that it's still acceptable to call it a New Year's Resolution blog simply because it's March. Am I a slacker, or what? So instead, we'll call it "Taylor's Top To-Do's."

I tend to be more of a dreamer than an actual doer. I sit around and imagine all the things that I'd love to be involved with or able to do. I think, "Maybe one of these days I'll ________________" (and this is where you could enter in any number of phrases). For instance.........

"Maybe one of these days I'll learn how to love my hair and find a cute,
vintage way of styling it."

"Maybe one of these days I'll be daring enough to wear lipstick without
worrying if I look like a circus clown."

"Maybe one of these days I'll find the plug to my keyboard, set it up
somewhere in the house, and start over with my lessons."

Or better yet...

"Maybe one of these days I'll find a really nice piano and use it
instead."

"Maybe one of these days I'll quit worrying about being skinny."

"Maybe one of these days I'll be able to sew and lose myself in yards of
pretty floral fabrics."

"Maybe one of these days I'll get my house to look exactly the way I want
with all the country fixins to boot."

"Maybe one of these days I'll find a really nice camera and become an
amateur photographer just for my own sake."

"Maybe one of these days I'll quit being so neurotic about double-checking
myself over every single, tiny, little thing."

"Maybe one of these days I'll start to write kids' books like I've been
saying for years."

"Maybe one of these days I'll start writing my life's story, like my
grandmother."

"Maybe one of these days I'll start sending out cards for any and all
occasions."

"Maybe one of these days I'll get my hands on a lovely set of blue and
white china, and actually use it!"

"Maybe one of these days I'll become awesome at using coupons and save
my family tons and tons of money."

"Maybe one of these days I'll learn to like more vegetables."

"Maybe one of these days I'll be able to cook effortlessly."

"Maybe one of these days I'll miraculously become crafty and try my hand
at decoupage and woodworking."

"Maybe one of these days I'll become a master gardener and will be able
to plan all my beds by memory, without having to consult any books on
which plants need sun versus shade, and what time of year."

"Maybe one of these days I'll own some chickens so Baby and I can go out
every day and collect fresh eggs."

"Maybe one of these days I'll make my own candles."

"Maybe one of these days I'll learn how to can and put stuff up for King."

"Maybe one of these days I'll try to play the fiddle, or the mandolin,
just because."

"Maybe one of these days I'll start going to auction sales and buy
furniture to fix up."

"Maybe one of these days I'll enjoy the thrill of running, although I
doubt it."

"Maybe one of these days I'll read some of the books that have been on my
list for years."

"Maybe one of these days I'll fall into a routine of getting up at 5:00
a.m. every morning so I can get crazy amounts of work done."

"Maybe one of these days I'll make it to Spain for Holy Week."

"Maybe one of these days I'll become fluent in a foreign language."

"Maybe one of these days I'll learn to drive a stick-shift."

"Maybe one of these days I'll quit putting off doing the dishes, but
highly doubt it."

"Maybe one of these days I'll go bird-watching."

"Maybe one of these days I'll do all these things....."


So there you have it. A list of things I'd like to accomplish at some point in my life. Some sooner than others. But oh well, at least I have a few of them written down and documented so that now I have no excuse to toss them aside as silly ideas. I keep thinking about that book/movie "Julie and Julia," (although ironically I've never read or seen either) and how she devotes herself to an entire year of Childs' recipes. Maybe I should set some kind of timeline for myself. Although I hate to break it to all you reading this, but there's absolutely no way I could accomplish all those things in one year. Not happening. No way. I'll have to sit, dream some more, and come up with a do-able time table for myself.

So, let's get started....

Now You Can Call Me "Momma"

So I've tried to keep you current on all the new things going on in my life. College graduate, check. New wife, check. Grad school drop-out, check.

Now you can call me "Momma." That's right! King and I are having a baby! I always figured that motherhood would find me one day, I just never thought I'd be so young. Twenty-three may not seem exactly "young" to you, but to someone like me who thought she'd wait until near thirty, then yeah, twenty-three is a little young! I'll have a seven-year-old by the time I originally thought I would start having kids.

We're beyond excited! A little taken aback, but still excited! We had our first prenatal appointment yesterday, and everything seems to be coming along beautifully! Praise God! As it turned out, I'm a little further along than we originally thought. We calculated that our due date would be Sept. 29th, but based on the size of our baby, our doctor moved the date up a week.

It was so neat to see our baby for the first time on the ultrasound. There's really no other way to express what you feel when you see that little baby on the screen before you, other than to say there are tons of emotions running through you. Joy, excitement, relief, nervousness. It's so hard to explain just how you feel when you realize that there's another living, thriving, growing person inside you. Wow, what a remarkable responsibility!

I'll try to keep you all posted on how everything's going to play out the next several months. At times, it will probably seem like a never-ending journey, that my pregnancy will never be over. And at other times, it will probably seem like it all flew by too quickly. Either way, I'm sure it will be an interesting ride, and King and I can't wait to experience it.

Missing In Action

So I've gone a little M.I.A. the past few months. When I last left you, I believe I had just graduated and was preparing for my internship in May and, most importantly, my wedding in August. Well, it is now January and I've completely left you hanging on what's been going on in my life.

As you may have guessed, I completed my internship to fulfill my degree (Yes! I'm a college graduate now!) and tied the knot. Whew! The past five months have flown by, and I can hardly believe that King and I have been married that long already. The original plan for our family was that I was going to go back to school at the end of August and start working toward my Master's degree. To keep things short, let's just say that going down that particular path wasn't right for me, or for our family for that matter. Going back to school and working as a graduate assistant was going to leave hardly any time for anything or anyone else, and that just didn't coincide with my new priority shift. All my life I have focused on my education and put everything else aside so I could get ahead in school and be the absolute best, while my friendships and relationships got pushed to the back-burner. Well, now I have a totally different outlook on life. I find myself longing to live a more simplistic lifestyle, although I have yet to accomplish many of the things that I said I wanted to do.

Yes, I tried out the housewife thing for a few months but decided I couldn't stay home by myself day in and day out. So instead, I got a part-time job working at the library in my neighboring county. I only work a few days a week, which gives me a lot more time to spend with the hubby on his days off during the week. I guess you could say I'm a part-time housewife. I have yet to regret my decision to put school aside and put my family first. I think we're definitely heading in the right direction for making a long, happy, and lasting marriage.

Unfortunately, my decision to forego school has not led (as of yet) to all the other things I wanted to accomplish. I still want to learn to cook better, I still want to try my hand at sewing, and I still want to get my house painted and looking like the sweet, little country farmhouse that I know it has the potential to be. I still want to get fit and have a work-out routine down pat, and I still want to be a good housekeeper. As someone who never had to lift a finger helping my mother out at home, I sometimes find marriage to be a little overwhelming, simply because I worry that my wifely duties are not up to par. I know that these changes don't happen overnight, but I sure wish they would. I look around and see a lot of my friends who are able to do so much more than me, and then I'm just reminded again that I haven't lived up to all the things I said that I wanted to change about myself. So instead of feeling sorry for myself, I've decided to take a little action and set down some goals. Stay tuned for my next blog. I hope to have some realistic goals set in place for the coming year!