Live every day as if it were your last

4 months! We are now 4 months into our pregnancy and many of you may think oh only 5 more months left but pregnancies are closer to 10 months then 9 so we have a little over 5 months left! :-D Over the past two weeks we have had a good amount of rest and relaxation and got a lot of things done.
Today marks 15 weeks and 5 days and I will be 16 weeks along on wednesday! Since we will be busy I wednesday I decided to update the blog now or else it wont get done for another week.   Our leaves are finally changing colors here and it is such a blessing to see God's hand at work! Our road is covered with leaves and at times it is hard to see where the road goes!

As for baby updates there are a few.  I have been feeling ten times better then I was during the first trimester, I think in the past 2 weeks I've only thrown up maybe 2 times which is amazing compared to doing it every day! We had a doctors appointment on our 14 week mark and it was wonderful to hear our baby's heart beat for the first time loud and clear.   Its heart was pumping fast at 163 bpm.  Our doctor told us we have one happy baby in there! During this appointment we were given the go ahead to make our appointment for our next ultrasound somewhere between 19-21 weeks.  We have a check up appointment at 18 weeks and then exactly at 19 weeks (the day before thanksgiving) we will have an ultrasound!!  I am so anxious for this day to come!!! They will check on the baby's heart to make sure it is all healthy but what were really looking forward to is finding out the sex of this little one!!! We have been brainstorming more names and have our list but will keep them a secret until the little one arrives.  It is so much fun preparing for this new addition and it will get even crazier once we know the sex of the baby.

Andrew is still enjoying work and putting extra hard work in by doing some overtime to save some extra money for the baby! :-) What a good daddy!! I am still loving nannying and am becoming closer to the family every day! :-)

These past two weeks haven't been super busy for us but just enjoying every day life.  Natalie Myers came to visit us for a day while visiting her grandparents but other then that not much has been going on.  We have been trying out new churches which has been challenging.  We still haven't found a church we feel God is leading us too but have learned so much about our beliefs, other church's beliefs, and what kind of teaching we are seeking.  Please keep us in prayer as we continue to seek God's will in this area (and every area of our lives) as we search for a home church.  Andrew and I have really enjoyed listening to sermons from Mars Hill Church in Seattle Washington and have even joked about moving there to go to the church.

Since the past two weeks haven't been super busy I guess its time for us to be busy! Tomorrow night Andrew's sister and two kids are coming to visit us! They haven't seen our apartment yet and it will be fun to just hang out with them! They are here until thursday night and then on Friday morning my mom and three of her friends are coming to stay with us for a shopping trip! Lets just say Andrew is very glad he was put on to work that weekend! Since he is working this coming weekend it means that we get a long weekend over Veterans Day weekend! We are so excited about that long weekend because we have no plans!!! We are trying to get a couple friends together over the weekend and it will be really fun if it happens because all of us were stationed in Hawaii together and all happen to live in this area now!

This past Friday we got a phone call from some friends in Hawaii who delivered some very heart breaking news about another close friends of ours.  Our friends had lost their unborn baby girl.  They were so close to the pregnancy being done and they don't know what went wrong but if you all could keep them in their prayers as they go through this tough time.  It is so hard to not be in Hawaii especially at times like this when we need to be there for friends.  It really hits home not only because they are close friends and we were anxiously awaiting the arrival of this little one but it hits home because of our pregnancy too.  It makes me commit more to allowing God to have total control over this pregnancy and the growing life inside of me.  Please keep them in your prayers over the next weeks, months, and years.


Today also marks one year since Andrew has been home from Afghanistan! I can't believe its ONLY been one year because it seems like so much has happened since then.  I remember the day vividly though, how anxious all of us wives were, the sounds of the marine corps band playing as the stairs came out of the plane, and then the moment I saw my husband walk off that plane and the feeling of running into his arms once again! I am so thankful and blessed that we haven't had to deal with saying goodbye again.  In fact I think since then we haven't spent a night away from each other and I would love to keep it that way! I love having my best friend, baby daddy, and husband around all the time. :-)

"God, husband, and an unbelievably wonderful miracle inside of me"

Yes first off I know its been a while since I updated and I am sincerely sorry for that.  Now onto the important stuff, the updates.  

This past weekend a friend gave me some books on pregnancy and one book called "When the Belly Button Pops the baby's done" is my favorite right now.  The author shares humorous stories about each month of pregnancy and what to expect in the real world.  Right now I am in month four and the changes that are going to happen in this next month are plenty.  As I took my week 13 belly picture tonight and compared it to the 10 week belly picture I took I was taken back on much bigger I looked! Then I was reminded of what I had read in the book this afternoon.  I will just quote a section of the book here so you get the same information that I did. 

"Your most treasured relationships-with God, with your husband, and with this unbelievably wonderful miracle growing inside of you-should be your focus.  Honestly, living as we do in our looks-obsessed world, this nine-month opportunity to take a breather from playing "mirror, mirror on the wall" can be down right refreshing.  In this season of weight gain, blotches and bleeding gums, you can grow by leaps and bounds as a person! Your character can become more solid! Your wisdom can deepen! Your appreciation for the infinite and profound can expand!  And besides, when you cradle that amazing baby in your arms for the first time, all the varicose veins in the world won't matte one bit."  Lorilee Craker

It doesn't matter how I look when I gain this baby weight, when my face breaks out, when my gums bleed, or when I feel blah, it is all about loving the little one inside of me, loving God, and my husband! 

Today marks 13 weeks into the pregnancy and I can't wait till I start feeling relief on the sickness.  I have been having more then just morning sickness (wont share details) but the doctor says all is normal and will check back with me next week. We have an appointment next week on our 14 week mark and can't wait to hear the heart beat and possibly see our baby again. We have been tossing around name ideas back and forth but only have lists of names right now. I am really hoping that we can fit in another appointment before thanksgiving so that we can find out the gender of the baby then. :-) As far as how I have been feeling it has been more and more throwing up during the day and mornings now and its not to much fun especially when it happens at restaurants or when your out and about.  I have not been throwing to much of a pitty party when sick (might get a different answer if you ask Andrew) but I try to remember that it is good that I'm sick it means the hormones are working and this baby is growing! I can't wait to be able to feel this baby moving and growing! :-)

10 weeks

13 weeks

In the past few weeks we have had Andrew's family come visit us, my family come visit, and we have gone home for a visit! Whew I get tired just telling you all that.  It has been a busy past few weeks but also a relaxing past few weeks if that makes sense at all haha. 

Andrew has been busy working some over time, and this week doing some training for a new certification.  He has been working so hard and I am so proud of him for all that he does for this little family :-)  We have been doing great in Virginia and have finally been seeing a little bit of cooler weather.  We are so excited for the leaves to start changing down here like they have in NY.  

My parents came down a few weekends ago to visit and brought a mini visitor with them! :-)

While we were home this past weekend we were able to cheer Bethany on at a swim meet! 

Celebrate our niece Dakota's 4th Birthday at a horse farm! 

Pick apples and pumpkins with my family! 

Enjoying the fall colors

Carved pumpkins with my family! 

football, fall, and fun

A week ago today the official NFL season started and in the Francis house this means that Sunday afternoons are spent relaxing and watching football.  For the past few years it has also meant watching Andrew's fantasy football points hopefully go up and up and up. This week also marks the 9 week mark of our baby's life.  Week 9 means that our baby's heart will be fully developed this week and all the muscles in the baby's body are forming this week too.  Through out this past week my sickness and not feeling well has been a little bit worse at times.  I haven't had morning sickness but instead 'evening sickness.'  There are also times when food just doesn't not smell or look good and I make a run for the bathroom.  I keep reminding myself how precious of a gift is inside of me and it makes it all worth it.  Have I mentioned how excited we are to have a baby!  This past weekend Andrew and I took our first trip to Baby's R Us as future parents.  Our mission was to test out some infant car seats in order to see if we would need to get a bigger vehicle or if we could manage with our cars.  We were thankful to find out that with a car seat behind the passenger seat I am more than comfortable in the passenger seat, Andrew is a different story.  We haven't picked out a car seat yet but once we do we know which ones fit and which ones don't.   In thinking about football season it makes me think about next year at this time.  In the past few weeks I have found myself saying to Andrew "at this time next year..."  At this time next year we will have a 5-6 month old baby and I am so excited that we are already prepared for football season for our little one.  This past Christmas a friend of ours sent a little Buffalo Bills onesie our way and now I am so thankful we have it.  It is the perfect size to be able to fit our little one next football season! 

Two weekends ago Tucker and his friend Laura came down to Virginia for an end of the summer road trip.  They had a lot of fun and so did we.  We were able to tour D.C, go to the water park, shop, eat out, and most importantly get Senior Pictures accomplished for Tucker and some for Laura.  Below are just a few of my favorites of Tucker's shots! 

I have started a new job two weeks ago and absolutely love it! I am nannying for a family that has 2 kids (8 and 9) and they are so well behaved and are fun to hang out with.  They are involved in a lot of activities so my job is to get them off the bus, do homework, hang out, and then get them to their activities on time.  It is just enough hours each day to give me something to do, and a little extra money, but is also little enough to have time to relax each day.  This weekend we have another set of guests coming to visit and are so excited for these ones! My parents and niece Lily are heading down tomorrow afternoon to spend the weekend with us.  I have missed my parents so much and can't wait to hang out with them this weekend.  We will be taking a trip to Ikea with them and hopefully touring the Marine Corps Museum one of the days.  Have a great weekend everyone and keep a look out for a new update next week! 

Loving a life so Little

1/2 of an inch.  How can I be so in love with something so small?  Tomorrow marks the 8 week or 2 month mark of our babies growing life.  I am starting this blog as a place to record all of the memories of pregnancy, things we do in life, how to love better, things I'm learning, and everything else.  Hopefully I'll be consistent with posts but my goal to start is to have a post once a week and if I get more in then great! Every day, over and over, I have to wrap my mind around the fact that I have a life inside of me.  It truly is a miracle and a gift from God to be given the opportunity to bring a new life into the world.  When we first found out we were going to be parents it was hard to believe but at the same time the most exciting thing we have experienced in our marriage so far.  This past friday we had our first doctors appointment and were able to see what looked like our little jelly bean.  The most amazing thing about the ultrasound was seeing the heart beating.  We weren't able to hear it yet but just seeing that tiny heart beat made my own heart skip a beat.  Something so small has a heart that is beating faster then mine at times.  Here is our first picture of our little one.  He/she measured at 5.8 cm on 7 weeks 2 days and is right on track looking perfect.  

    
     Life in general has been a blessing, we have been blessed with a wonderful job for Andrew in the D.C area and recently I started a nannying job for a few hours after school every day.  God is providing and it is obvious.  For example on our last leg across the country from Hawaii the air conditioning broke in our car. We thought it might be an easy fix but it ended up costing us a bundle of money.  God came through and money that we weren't expecting at the time came in the mail and covered all of the cost.  We have had a few visitors since being moved into the Northern Virginia area and can't wait to host more in a couple weekends.  Living life together is wonderful and spending time together is what we love the most.  There will be another post toward the end of the week and I really hope you all enjoy reading along as we grow from a 2 person 1 dog family to a 3 person 1 dog family!