Smiling at the future

This weekend we said farewell to our car, Killer. It was a little bittersweet as I thought of all the memories wrapped up in that car. It was more sweet than bitter though, as Killer was entering that stage of life in a car known as the Black Hole of Death. It was definitely time to go!!



M had fun playing in it one last time.





So what did we get to replace that gem?

Nothing.

...for now.

God is just so nice to us. Literally the morning before we discovered Killer was a goner, G & I were marveling with one another at how blessed we are & how faithful God is in big & small. We truly have a wonderful life. We had just said that if our only problem in life was not knowing where we would be moving in a few months, that we had no problems at all! The same is true when we're down a car.

I love the verse in Proverbs 31 where it says, She is clothed in strength & dignity & smiles at the future (or laughs without fear of the future). I so want to be that woman!

My problem is, I look way too far into the future! After going around and around, we decided that we have other priorities than to get a new car RIGHT NOW. We realized that for the immediate future, things are covered. And that's all we need to worry about, isn't it?

My mom has been so generous to share her car with us & it is a great solution for the next few months. We swing by her house & take her to work in the morning, then go about our day & pick her up at 4:30. Having a late afternoon errand has actually been really nice to help fill those final hours before daddy comes home. :) And did I mention Makafui is obsessed with Gigi's car?

For the moment, we are smiling at the future, coping with the change & trusting that when the time is right, God will provide what is perfect for us. Because He always does.

Half Way There!!

20 WEEKS!!

Woohoo! Today was our anatomy scan, the baby checks out great, completely average, aaaaaaaaand.....

IT'S A GIRL!!!

I just KNEW this baby was a girl! I loved seeing her for the scan and it was fun to compare how different she and Makafui were. She had her body folded in half with feet up at her face and kept sucking on her toes (so. flippin. adorable.) whereas M was super stretched out and never seemed to curl up like that until he just had no room left. Even then, he tried to constantly kick his legs out. We did not get a good profile pic, as they all have a foot sticking out of her mouth. We got a glimpse of her face briefly and the child has the sweetest pucker, just like M!!

This pregnancy has been night and day different from Makafui's. The first 17 weeks were very hard, but things have gotten better lately. I have more energy and feel tired like the mom of a toddler, not tired like I could die.

Thanks to this energy, I have been able to step up my activity and workouts, which is helping in the weight gain department. Woohoo again!

I'm feeling regular kicks/movement now and am so relieved and thankful every time I do. I can't wait until Makafui and George can feel them too!

I am definitely showing earlier than I was with M, but it's just different. I feel thick rather than baby belly fabulous. :) Oh well. It is what it is.

This weekend, my mom and I are going maternity clothes shopping for my Birthday. So much of what I have from the last go around is the wrong season or stretched out from my big ol' 9 month belly, so I just look fat and sloppy, not pregnant. I'm excited to get some cute, warm weather things. I will also be buying some ridiculously frilly baby girl stuff!

I have to say, this 20 weeks has seemed to creeeeep by. When I reached this point with M, I felt like it happened so quickly and I was sad that we were already half way done. Now, I am thankful we've made it this far and am just trying to enjoy the rest of the time, regardless of how long or short it "feels".

I would rather eat sweets than other things, but I'm choosing healthier options. I have always been a salad lover, but not this pregnancy, salad just sounds so unpleasant and it tastes weird to me.

I am not enjoying much in the way of meat, and in general, I do most of my daily eating before 2ish. I'm just not hungry in the evening.

My skin is way more sensitive this time around-I get sunburned in no time!

Makafui has been talking about the baby quite a bit. He pats my belly, says "Don't quish da baby." and talks about her anytime he hears the word baby. Of course, at 2, he only understands so much, but I'm glad he's talking about it in a positive and loving way.

We have done very little in the way of preparing for this kiddo. Since we have big things like the car seat, crib, etc. we haven't "needed" to start so early, but it's been weird not prepping in the same way and buying baby things here and there. I just started looking at nursery options this past weekend! Now that we know WHO this baby is, I feel like I can start preparing better.

We 100% have her first name decided upon, but I started thinking about other middle name options today...we'll see what G thinks.

I have been more anxious lately and I don't know if it's hormones, the losses I have been so close to or if it's just me! I worry about the baby and her health more than I should. I worry about how Makafui will adjust to having a sibling more than I should. I worry about being a good mom to two kids, but probably an appropriate amount. ;) Mostly, I am anxious about where we are going to live and how high rent prices are. That one, I definitely worry about TOO much! I know in my heart that God has it worked out, but it still occupies a big part of my mind!

Happy half-way, Baby!