One of my parents favorite words to describe me is ''picky''. As a little girl, I can remember going to buffets and finding the two items I liked and eating just them. I am the only one in my family that does this, so I gained the ''Picky Eater'' title at a young age.Since getting married, I try more things at buffets as I can just scoop them onto Matt's plate if I don't like them!
I feel I am not picky, though. I know what I like, and don't like, and I don't hide it. I know that I am not the worst of the worst. I at least try things, I just don't like them all.
Now that I'm pregnant, let me tell you. It is as though I have become the MOST picky person in the world. Really, though, again, I am just being honest. First off, I am NOT going to eat anything that is old, past it's expiration date or has been sitting out for a long period of time. I am also not going to eat things that my doctor has told me is not good for me.
I did wonder if I would suddenly crave strange things that Matt likes since it is 1/2 his child too. This, so far, is not the case.
Now, in addition to things I already don't like, I have some new things that just seem gross. Most cooked vegetables (except for in chicken pot pie, aparently), especially broccoli and spinach are a big no. Certain cheeses (pretty much anything but cheddar and American) are a no. Brown rice was a go until I smelled it cooking, and now... no. Most sauteed or mushy looking veggies are just... NO. Almond milk tastes sour and I thought mushrooms were going to be out after I had some that tasted fishy! Luckily, I have tried mushrooms again and they are not so bad.
What my point is, I have always tried to be genuine and honest. If I don't like something (like cheese and fish together) I am not going to lie and say I do like it. Don't take it as an insult, and please don't feel obligated to make me something special. I usually have snacks in my purse anyways.
Papel Picado
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Monday, October 28, 2013
Lazy Monday (A Baby Monk Update)
16 weeks!
Hopefully we will find out this week if we have a new place to move! Also- Matt should hear if he got the teaching position at Lockhart Middle School! Which us luck!
Baby Monk and I are being suuuuper lazy today! Nana and Papa (my mama and daddy) came in town this weekend and we shopped til we dropped. We registered at one store and had a lot of fun doing so! Even my daddy enjoyed his time- and wants a baby swing for himself.
Last week I had some bleeding (sorry for the TMI!) So I called my doctors office and his nurse fit me in. Since I am high risk- an ultrasound was in order. We saw that not only is Baby Monk doing great, but is measuring two days ahead of where I am! Already advanced! So proud!
Dr. Bosco said he thought he could see the gender- but said he wasn't confident enough to tell me and didn't want to be wrong! Hopefully on November 8 (my next prenatal appointment) I will have another ultrasound and he will be a little more confident!
I also am going for an appointment with a Perinatologist in a few days and I hear they can better tell you the gender. It doesn't matter to me! I am excited that we are seeing a healthy baby!
As for me- my anemia hasn't changed much and I am still feeling a little bit of discomfort from the fibroid. My belly is already making me look 20+ weeks pregnant :-/ oh well! I also haven't completely gotten over morning sickness- but morning sickness is a good sign!
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
''God, I don't want to learn any more lessons''
Today I have been a little anxious. Well more impatient than anxious, but somewhat anxious. You see, Matt and I applied for an apartment. For where, what and how much we are looking for it's PERFECT. We tried looking for houses, but the upkeep and maintenence just seemed like to much for a rental, so apartment it is.
Well, we applied. When we initially applied I had a great feeling. Its ''Affordable Housing'' so you have to meet specific requirements to be approved. The girl we spoke with was nice and seemed like there would be no problem getting us approved. She even had a backup plan if there were problems.
Since it was raining when we initially went in, we couldn't view the property, so we decided to stop in yesterday. Wow. My confidence in being approved went down! Another girl grabbed our paperwork and started changing things, having us resign things and questioning things. She seemed a LOT less hopeful. I also don't think she was happy with the performace of girl number one.
When we left I was frustrated to say the least. Pretty much my attitude went sour and I may have taken it out on Matt.
Today I was reflecting on it. I started ''praying'' about it. Now, I wasn't making declariations over what could happen, and these prayers definitely didn't have God's plan in mind. I wasn't trusting Him. I was telling Him what was best for ME. What I knew we can handle, not what He has in mind.
I started trying to figure out, why do I pray this way? Why am I trying to tell God what is best for me? I don't know about you, but I think I do this pretty often. I try to change God's mind to fit what I think is best, when He had my best interest in mind all along. I realized, if I wait it out and don't get my way- I will probably learn a lesson! YUCK! Who wants to learn a lesson? I mean really. I already know EVERYTHING, RIGHT?
Ever since I came to this realization, my attitude toward the situation has changed. I am more hopeful. I have started making declariations about what will happen. For example: I DECLARE that God has a place for us and it will be revealed in perfect timing. I took control of what I can, my words. I put my trust BACK in the one who is ultimately in control.
Beni Johnson says in her book The Happy Intercessor that she refuses ''to pray out of fear.'' That we should ask God how to pray, and not focus on the crisis, but on God Himself. That has always stuck with me when I pray, or have been asked to pray (or even send a prayer request, for that matter).
I leave you with this:
Jesus overcame everything long before anything happened. He overcame the WORLD. I think He can handle our apartment situation.
Well, we applied. When we initially applied I had a great feeling. Its ''Affordable Housing'' so you have to meet specific requirements to be approved. The girl we spoke with was nice and seemed like there would be no problem getting us approved. She even had a backup plan if there were problems.
Since it was raining when we initially went in, we couldn't view the property, so we decided to stop in yesterday. Wow. My confidence in being approved went down! Another girl grabbed our paperwork and started changing things, having us resign things and questioning things. She seemed a LOT less hopeful. I also don't think she was happy with the performace of girl number one.
When we left I was frustrated to say the least. Pretty much my attitude went sour and I may have taken it out on Matt.
Today I was reflecting on it. I started ''praying'' about it. Now, I wasn't making declariations over what could happen, and these prayers definitely didn't have God's plan in mind. I wasn't trusting Him. I was telling Him what was best for ME. What I knew we can handle, not what He has in mind.
I started trying to figure out, why do I pray this way? Why am I trying to tell God what is best for me? I don't know about you, but I think I do this pretty often. I try to change God's mind to fit what I think is best, when He had my best interest in mind all along. I realized, if I wait it out and don't get my way- I will probably learn a lesson! YUCK! Who wants to learn a lesson? I mean really. I already know EVERYTHING, RIGHT?
Ever since I came to this realization, my attitude toward the situation has changed. I am more hopeful. I have started making declariations about what will happen. For example: I DECLARE that God has a place for us and it will be revealed in perfect timing. I took control of what I can, my words. I put my trust BACK in the one who is ultimately in control.
Beni Johnson says in her book The Happy Intercessor that she refuses ''to pray out of fear.'' That we should ask God how to pray, and not focus on the crisis, but on God Himself. That has always stuck with me when I pray, or have been asked to pray (or even send a prayer request, for that matter).
I leave you with this:
Jesus overcame everything long before anything happened. He overcame the WORLD. I think He can handle our apartment situation.
Monday, October 21, 2013
Our Baby Story... so far!
I am going to try to write this without giving too much information- but honestly, I can't promise anything. Those of you that have been pregnant will totally understand and those that haven't been (especially those of the male persuasion), well I apologize.
Well, it all started 15 weeks ago. Okay, jump forward a couple of weeks and I had terrible morning sickness! I mean HORRIBLE. I thought I had a stomach bug that wouldn't go away. When my mom asked if I was maybe expecting I said ''no, I don't think so!''
After almost a week of this ''stomach bug'' though, a friend recommended I take a pregnancy test. What a weird experience that is... but sure enough, there were two lines. One dark and one faint line! It was pretty easy for me to figure out our due date. Two days before my sisters birthday and one before our pastors, April 12 it was.
The first few weeks were stressful as we left a job that caused us to also to have to move. The whole situation was a mess, and very emotional for me. Thankfully our friends, The Murray's were once again our heroes and offered us a comfortable place to stay.
I still was having pretty bad ''morning sickness''. (I put it that way because it was not just in the morning- that is definitely a misnomer there.) On Saturday, August 17, I woke up excited that it was the 6 week mark. Just hanging out at home, I went to the restroom to find the one thing that you don't want to see during your pregnancy. I immediately started crying and Matt helped me go lay down. I waited to see if it would stop, but I began to have the pains they talked about, so we decided to head to the hospital.
After hours of testing, multiple ultrasounds and even an MRI, the ER doctor came in to give me the news. First, I found out (after years of thinking I was a different blood type) I am O negative blood type. Having O negative (or any negative anti-gens) is known to cause issues during pregnancy. So I was to get a shot to make sure I didn't get blood poisoning. Second on the list- I had a mass located on my uterus. Something called a Fibroid tumor. A noncancerous mass that is made up of muscle tissue and is fairly common in women.
The last bit of news was that, the diagnosis they were giving me was a miscarriage. They reassured me that I didn't do anything wrong and it was probably either the tumor or the blood antibodies that had caused the miscarriage. I also met with an OBGYN, Dr. Bosco, who came to do a final exam to figure out the next step for me. He told me he felt it was too early to make any moves (i.e. do a D and C). He said he wanted to schedule me to do blood work and come to his office for a follow up.
Matt and I went home devastated.
I told my mom, he told his mom. I told those that knew about the pregnancy.It was incredibly hard to process.
Around Tuesday after this happened, I started having morning sickness. I looked online to see if maybe there was a chance that I had been misdiagnosed. I found that no only could I have been misdiagnosed, but it actually happens fairly often. I told a sweet friend of mine what I thought. I told her I really didn't feel like I had lost the baby. She told me a she had had something similar happen, and her daughter was now 13 years old. She said to put my hands on my belly and start praying. And so we did. I tried to not focus on the diagnosis, and even contacted my friend Nadine who is a champion of believing God's promise over doctors diagnosis. She began to pray with us!
I went and had the blood work done on Wednesday, but was unable to see the doctor until Monday.
When Monday came around, Matt and I went to the doctors office. The nurse brought me back but on the way she said ''now did they tell you you had a miscarriage at the hospital?'' I said they had. She seemed confused.
The nurse did my vitals and left me to wait for the doctor. After waiting for a while, I found out my doctor had been called in for an emergency operation. I was sort of disappointed. A labor and delivery nurse came and talked with me about my test results. When I told her I was still getting sick, she got very excited and said, ''well, usually when you miscarry, your HGC levels go down, but yours have done the opposite!'' She went on to tell me that they would want to do an ultrasound when the doctor was available, but we would have to reschedule. She also said she would like for me to do more blood work. So Matt and I left to do the blood work, not sure when we would see the doctor. As we pulled out, the nurse called and asked if we could come back after the blood work was done. The doctor really wanted to check into my case. So we did.
I was brought back to a room. The doctor came in and told me once again my HGC levels had gone up, so he wanted to do an ultrasound. He started the ultrasound and showed me the Fibroid, and then.... he saw a tiny baby with a tiny heartbeat. I don't think there has been a moment in my life that has given me more relief. They brought Matt back into the room so he could see the baby also.
I did have one other hospital visit, another scare, but while I was in a lot of pain, the baby was fine. My doctor told me that Baby Monk seems to be unaware that anything has been threatening her/him. I say this baby is going to be super adventurous and a serious risk taker!
Baby Monk is considered a High Risk pregnancy, so resting is at the top of my list. Unfortunately I am not able to work, so Matt is our sole bread winner right now, but Baby Monk and I are so excited to have him as our hero.
I try not to worry, but sometimes I can't help it. I guess that's just part of being a mom, right?
I do think it's important to tell others of what I am going through. First, so that those of you that I have missed in the past couple of months know that I am just not able to do as much as I was before. Also I want to encourage those of you who have had difficulties in your pregnancy to bring light to your situation. I have received so much prayer that I think Baby Monk will come out praying :)
Well, it all started 15 weeks ago. Okay, jump forward a couple of weeks and I had terrible morning sickness! I mean HORRIBLE. I thought I had a stomach bug that wouldn't go away. When my mom asked if I was maybe expecting I said ''no, I don't think so!''
After almost a week of this ''stomach bug'' though, a friend recommended I take a pregnancy test. What a weird experience that is... but sure enough, there were two lines. One dark and one faint line! It was pretty easy for me to figure out our due date. Two days before my sisters birthday and one before our pastors, April 12 it was.
I still was having pretty bad ''morning sickness''. (I put it that way because it was not just in the morning- that is definitely a misnomer there.) On Saturday, August 17, I woke up excited that it was the 6 week mark. Just hanging out at home, I went to the restroom to find the one thing that you don't want to see during your pregnancy. I immediately started crying and Matt helped me go lay down. I waited to see if it would stop, but I began to have the pains they talked about, so we decided to head to the hospital.
After hours of testing, multiple ultrasounds and even an MRI, the ER doctor came in to give me the news. First, I found out (after years of thinking I was a different blood type) I am O negative blood type. Having O negative (or any negative anti-gens) is known to cause issues during pregnancy. So I was to get a shot to make sure I didn't get blood poisoning. Second on the list- I had a mass located on my uterus. Something called a Fibroid tumor. A noncancerous mass that is made up of muscle tissue and is fairly common in women.
The last bit of news was that, the diagnosis they were giving me was a miscarriage. They reassured me that I didn't do anything wrong and it was probably either the tumor or the blood antibodies that had caused the miscarriage. I also met with an OBGYN, Dr. Bosco, who came to do a final exam to figure out the next step for me. He told me he felt it was too early to make any moves (i.e. do a D and C). He said he wanted to schedule me to do blood work and come to his office for a follow up.
Matt and I went home devastated.
I told my mom, he told his mom. I told those that knew about the pregnancy.It was incredibly hard to process.
Around Tuesday after this happened, I started having morning sickness. I looked online to see if maybe there was a chance that I had been misdiagnosed. I found that no only could I have been misdiagnosed, but it actually happens fairly often. I told a sweet friend of mine what I thought. I told her I really didn't feel like I had lost the baby. She told me a she had had something similar happen, and her daughter was now 13 years old. She said to put my hands on my belly and start praying. And so we did. I tried to not focus on the diagnosis, and even contacted my friend Nadine who is a champion of believing God's promise over doctors diagnosis. She began to pray with us!
I went and had the blood work done on Wednesday, but was unable to see the doctor until Monday.
When Monday came around, Matt and I went to the doctors office. The nurse brought me back but on the way she said ''now did they tell you you had a miscarriage at the hospital?'' I said they had. She seemed confused.
The nurse did my vitals and left me to wait for the doctor. After waiting for a while, I found out my doctor had been called in for an emergency operation. I was sort of disappointed. A labor and delivery nurse came and talked with me about my test results. When I told her I was still getting sick, she got very excited and said, ''well, usually when you miscarry, your HGC levels go down, but yours have done the opposite!'' She went on to tell me that they would want to do an ultrasound when the doctor was available, but we would have to reschedule. She also said she would like for me to do more blood work. So Matt and I left to do the blood work, not sure when we would see the doctor. As we pulled out, the nurse called and asked if we could come back after the blood work was done. The doctor really wanted to check into my case. So we did.
I was brought back to a room. The doctor came in and told me once again my HGC levels had gone up, so he wanted to do an ultrasound. He started the ultrasound and showed me the Fibroid, and then.... he saw a tiny baby with a tiny heartbeat. I don't think there has been a moment in my life that has given me more relief. They brought Matt back into the room so he could see the baby also.
 |
| Baby Monk! Look at that big head! |
I did have one other hospital visit, another scare, but while I was in a lot of pain, the baby was fine. My doctor told me that Baby Monk seems to be unaware that anything has been threatening her/him. I say this baby is going to be super adventurous and a serious risk taker!
Baby Monk is considered a High Risk pregnancy, so resting is at the top of my list. Unfortunately I am not able to work, so Matt is our sole bread winner right now, but Baby Monk and I are so excited to have him as our hero.
I try not to worry, but sometimes I can't help it. I guess that's just part of being a mom, right?
I do think it's important to tell others of what I am going through. First, so that those of you that I have missed in the past couple of months know that I am just not able to do as much as I was before. Also I want to encourage those of you who have had difficulties in your pregnancy to bring light to your situation. I have received so much prayer that I think Baby Monk will come out praying :)
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
An Update of Sorts
Well, I have been thinking for about a month now I should find something to do now that I have found hours upon hours of free time.... other than watch Netflix and play on Facebook, of course. I've decided to try and revive my blog I created 2+ years ago in an effort to send updates from Africa.
Well, not only did I not send updates from Africa, but I have only made a few posts after Africa. So for anyone who stumbled onto my blog after 2 years since the first post ''A Dream Come True'', I am back from Africa! I had an amazing, God filled time and my love for missions grew even bigger.Here is the most condensed version of what has happened in the last 2 years.
I found that I have a heart for the inner cities of America, and I was able to connect with an amazing ministry in Jackson, MS called We Will Go Ministries (www.wewillgo.org) and have been very excited about many different cities God has placed on my heart! Upon my return, during prayer time, I decided not to date for 3 months. Now, this was very difficult as I was to turn 30 in the timeframe of these 3 months, but I survived only to find my price weeks after the 3 months ended.
Matthew Monk is a silly, fun, wild man that stole my heart with his tenderness and ablitly to connect with people. He truly loves people unconditionally and I love him for it. The most exciting part is, he loves me back! In May of 2012, on a mission trip to Jackson, MS, Matt and I were just friends, but after really connecting- we had the ''Talk''. You know- the one where you sit down and talk about where your relationship is headed. Well, Matt very confidentily told me that we were headed towards marriage, and I agreed. I will try to get a video of the entire engagement story posted soon.
September 22, 2012 we got married in Zilker Park in one of the most fun and untraditional weddings. I broke almost every bride rule there was. For a couple of months we just hung around, I taught preschool and Matt did some landscaping jobs here and there. We tried our hand on a ranch as house parents, but after a month of experience, we decided that it was not a good fit for us.
In August while trying to decide if we should stay at the ranch, I told Matt I just knew I didn't want to raise children there, and that if we were to get pregnant I knew we should leave. Within a few days, we found out I was, in fact, pregnant.
That brings us to now. Living in Kyle, TX with some friends, searching for where to go next and otherwise excited about life. Matt is again in Landscaping, looking for a teaching job and I am just growing a baby and learning how to sew and crochet.
In the past 2 years I went from being an ''I'' to a ''we'' and I wouldn't change a bit of it.
I hope you found that fun and exciting and I look forward to sharing more with you all in the very near future!
Well, not only did I not send updates from Africa, but I have only made a few posts after Africa. So for anyone who stumbled onto my blog after 2 years since the first post ''A Dream Come True'', I am back from Africa! I had an amazing, God filled time and my love for missions grew even bigger.Here is the most condensed version of what has happened in the last 2 years.
I found that I have a heart for the inner cities of America, and I was able to connect with an amazing ministry in Jackson, MS called We Will Go Ministries (www.wewillgo.org) and have been very excited about many different cities God has placed on my heart! Upon my return, during prayer time, I decided not to date for 3 months. Now, this was very difficult as I was to turn 30 in the timeframe of these 3 months, but I survived only to find my price weeks after the 3 months ended.
Matthew Monk is a silly, fun, wild man that stole my heart with his tenderness and ablitly to connect with people. He truly loves people unconditionally and I love him for it. The most exciting part is, he loves me back! In May of 2012, on a mission trip to Jackson, MS, Matt and I were just friends, but after really connecting- we had the ''Talk''. You know- the one where you sit down and talk about where your relationship is headed. Well, Matt very confidentily told me that we were headed towards marriage, and I agreed. I will try to get a video of the entire engagement story posted soon.
September 22, 2012 we got married in Zilker Park in one of the most fun and untraditional weddings. I broke almost every bride rule there was. For a couple of months we just hung around, I taught preschool and Matt did some landscaping jobs here and there. We tried our hand on a ranch as house parents, but after a month of experience, we decided that it was not a good fit for us.
In August while trying to decide if we should stay at the ranch, I told Matt I just knew I didn't want to raise children there, and that if we were to get pregnant I knew we should leave. Within a few days, we found out I was, in fact, pregnant.
That brings us to now. Living in Kyle, TX with some friends, searching for where to go next and otherwise excited about life. Matt is again in Landscaping, looking for a teaching job and I am just growing a baby and learning how to sew and crochet.
In the past 2 years I went from being an ''I'' to a ''we'' and I wouldn't change a bit of it.
I hope you found that fun and exciting and I look forward to sharing more with you all in the very near future!
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