the mysterious case of the disappearing belly-button...

So more weeks have passed... Baby Boy is growing like... like something that grows really fast... kudzu? He is quite the dancing machine - especially when I try to take a nap (a rare occasion, these days)! I'm telling you - he is going to be completely out-of-control once he's born... *sigh* I suppose I deserve it - I was quite rambunctious myself... I do seem to recall throwing elaborate dance recitals with my big brother *ahem* that lasted for hours and hours... my poor family lovingly watching all the while.

Anyway, here are the latest belly pictures - SERIOUSLY my stomach is getting huge! Every day I look in the mirror and I'm like "WOAH - slow down!" It's kind of freaky, and also exciting! I did read that this month he is going to double in weight (he's about a pound, right now), which is a VERY frightening thought!

Hard to believe that, in just a month, I've gone from this...

19 Weeks
To THIS...

23 Weeks

And the absolute worst part of this whole thing... Okay, well, first off... I'm REALLY weird about belly buttons. They kind of freak me out (especially those "outies" - no offense to those of you that have them... kind of). Okay, they really freak me out... and my worst fear was having my very own, ultra deep belly-button make it's way to the outside world... well, it's so close to happening already that I'm afraid it's too late...

(sorry for the creepy close-up...)

Every day I look down at it slowly dissipating... and it's very disturbing. I don't know what to do, but it seems like it's going to be completely flattened within a matter of days... what about the next 3 1/2 months??? Ugh... I shudder to think!

Anyways, besides being melodramatic about things like belly buttons, I'm feeling pretty good. Living in our new spider-free house is SOOOOO wonderful, I truly can't explain it. We're slowly getting through the "Baby Room" - which has thus far been a catch-all for random junk and boxes that truly belong in the attic (or the trash). I can't wait to clear everything out and start imagining baby land (I got some paint swatches today - wooohoooo!) It's all very exciting - it's silly how "girly" I'm getting about all of this, but I think it's good for me to indulge for once! :)

Things with the business have been pretty tricky lately... it always seems like we have these potentially HUGE jobs looming in the near to distant future, but making it until that time is the difficult part. It's constantly a humbling and emotionally/spiritually challenging thing, and I honestly know it's been so good for both of us. I've learned more about trust and faith in the last year than I think I've learned in my entire life. God truly is good and I KNOW He is going to continue to provide for us - no matter what that may look like. Trust me, we're not above considering shoe-less gyspy life at this point! ;)

Besides that, I'm still eating a lot... and some weird form of heartburn is my constant reminder to KEEP eating a lot! I can't seem to escape food no matter how hard I try (and seriously, how many different meals can their possibly be when you eat 6 times a day??) - although... 6 is WAY less than when I had to eat something every 45 minutes to keep from throwing up! Wow, those were strange times!

Well, I think that's about all the news for now... please keep us in your prayers (in terms of the business/finances/patience and faith)!

Toodly-oo!

My Week as a Mama

So since Sunday morning, I've been watching Ari & Ivy while my dear brother and sister-in-law are reunited after 8 months of Air-Force induced separation. That's right, completely on my own. I watched them both for a week in January (at the very beginning of this journey - how fitting that I'm here at the end) but I had Andy there to help me last time, so it's been quite a different experience. I still have a couple days left, but we're picking up Nana and Papa from the Airport today (after their week-long missions trip to France), so at least I have some very jet-lagged reinforcements coming! :)

It's been interesting to see how different both of them are, in a relatively short time... they really do grow up SOOO fast and now I'm already thinking about what my own son is going to be like in 2-4 years (because I know it will go by so fast). It's also neat to see how they've grown through this whole thing - even though I know it's been trying for Emily and the kids to be separated from Nathanael, and even though I know it's been hard not to have a real home... I can see how God has been so gracious and loving, providing for their emotional and spiritual needs and how He has brought Emily and her kids closer in so many ways. He has taken care of all of them (including my dear brother) and I know that it has taught at least me a lot about His measure of provision and grace for us through ALL circumstances.

It's been an exhausting week (but what isn't exhausting these very-pregnant days?) - but a good one. I'm looking forward to going home to my own dear husband (sigh), sleeping in my own comfy comfy bed and not having my "dear" dog bark at nothing 10 times a night (she's been MAJORLY on edge since we got here - my pregnancy is really tipping her over the emotional and mental edge)... It's been good for me to be here, learning what it REALLY feels like to be a stay at home mom, and learning how to balance taking care of children with having some personal time and space to get some work done... I have to admit that I'm pretty nervous about keeping up with the business after Baby gets here - I know that God will help me and of course my husband will be there to stand in the gap (although he'll probably be just as tired as I am) - but it's still scary. Ahh the modern world, in which women are expected to be mothers, housekeepers and businessmen all at once... well, I guess our modern world doesn't place much emphasis on the mother part, but I certainly do. Just give me a business call while Baby is crying and see where my true priorities are... mhmm.

I did start a new project this week. Andy and I have picked out Baby's bed-set and room "theme"... I know, I know... I wasn't planning on going all out and registering for a full bedset and all the extras... but then we went to the Baby store and saw the most ADORABLE set ever, and we just couldn't help ourselves. *sigh* What do you think....?
Yeah, exactly... foxes, bears, turtles frogs, BIRDS, there's an owl you can't see in this pictures... SOOO cute! Anyway, Andy used some of the animals from the wall decals:
as well as the tree from our wedding invitations to make me a piece of artwork that I turned into a cross-stitch pattern! I just started it yesterday and I'm so excited! I think it's going to be really cute, and I really enjoy cross-stitching, so it's all quite wonderful! I can't WAIT to get home, finish unpacking all the last annoying bits of our move, and then start nesting!! Boy am I ready!

Sigh. I'll be 22 weeks tomorrow... 5 1/2 months... that means I only have 4 more to go! Ahhh! It's equally exciting and terrifying!

Alright, time to get the troops into the bath - oh how domestic I feel!

Carrots!

Well hopefully he'll have red hair and freckles too (just to spite Nathanael)! ;)

Baby boy is growing growing growing - and I'm seriously thinking that he's going to be a gymnast or something because he is CONSTANTLY dancing around my insides! I keep talking to other mama's who say they barely felt fluttering at 2o weeks... I've been SEEING my stomach getting kicked for weeks already! It used to be every once in awhile, and now it's all day long! He's such an active little guy, I'm a little frightened to see how energetic he is when he comes out!

Anyway, it's really fun to experience all of this, but still sooo strange and surreal.

Here are the latest baby pics - I'm officially getting HUGE and I think people can tell that I'm pregnant now (instead of looking like a bit of a beer-belly fatty)!!

21 weeks

Along with the hugeness comes the intense feeling that a bowling ball is resting in my pelvis (not a pleasant thing) - I guess I'm carrying really low... It's also getting more and more uncomfortable to do "normal" things - moving from the spider mansion to the new house (more to come later) was really exhausting and I kept forgetting that I couldn't do all the normal things! It's still a constant adjustment, even just in what positions I can sit or lay down in... *sigh* but it's still exciting!


So I'm in South Carolina dog/niece/nephew-sitting for the week... poor Andy is left to finish moving the last bits from the spider mansion, and cleaning it out... but as of Monday night we will officially be FREE from the wretched house and will never think about it ever again! It's been SOOO wonderful to be living in a house where I don't have to shake the sheets and blankets out every time I get in bed, or kick my shoes around before putting them on my feet, or feel freaked-out every time I sit on the couch and think about all the spiders that MIGHT be crawling towards me, or jump every time I see any sort of bug at all! Honestly, I forgot what it was like to feel COMFORTABLE in my home! *sigh* Ahhhh, it's a wonderful feeling!

I'll take some pictures of our new place when I get back next week - it's cute and the perfect size for us (other than the shop being a bit small for Andy)... I think it will work well for us hopefully until we're ready to buy something in a year or so!

I can't wait to start getting Baby's room ready too! Mmm, nesting!

That's it for now!

MISTER Banana Bird!

Well, it's a bit late - but it's time for the formal announcement!
To the immediate left and a tiny bit below "boy" is the little manhood! Our baby is officially known to be a beautiful, strong and healthy boy! I have been SURE that he was a boy the whole time, but it was still sooo exciting to find out for sure! Andy was definitely secretly yearning for a first-born son, so I know he is ecstatic! Here are some more pictures!!

Isn't he handsome????








10 fingers!! And in the second picture, he stopped squirming and hiding long enough to give a quick wave!!



























This is where I get to brag about him being just like mama! In the left picture, he is most definitely giving the peace sign - "peace. love. save the baby whales!" And in the picture on the right, he has his 2 little feet crossed (1o toes), which is exactly what I do when I'm laying down!!!




















We'll end baby pictures with a grand ol' from the bottom of his adorable bum, thighs and little manhood! He was squirming and kicking ALL over the place during the ultrasound, and made things a bit difficult for the dear nurse - she was a trooper though and got all the shots she needed. She said he is right on track and kept my due date exactly as it was before: Jan 23rd! He is in the 50th percentile in terms of size, so apparently he's not the big fat baby I was expecting (since he eats all of my food and leaves me starving all day long)! :) It was so incredible to see him and to find out for sure that he's a HE!

I think everyone on Andy's side of the family was expecting that first-born Bird son, but everyone in MY family was completely shocked (based on the shocking amount of girls born to my sister, and the fact that girls always seem to come first with the whole family)! I, for one, would have been shocked and delighted either way (because it's shocking and delightful enough just knowing there's a HUMAN growing inside of me)! I am sooo excited to meet our son - and I'm officially half-way through my pregnancy, so it won't be long now!

Other things have happened lately that I could write about... but, honestly, who cares??? :)

(Nathanael, I promise to put up the Weiss Family pics/videos soon!)

HURRAY for Baby!