Thankful

So today I'm having a rough day. I'm fully into my second trimester and have spent the past two days at home, incredibly sick again. I'm 17 weeks and feel like the last two days I've regressed back to 10 weeks with how I've been feeling. So this morning, instead of my typical marathon of  "Friends"  episodes, I felt prompted by the Lord to declare the truth of how thankful I am to be pregnant and a soon-to-be-parent regardless of what the day brings.

10 Reasons why I'm so thankful to be pregnant:

1. It's an answer to my prayers! It truly has been a desire of my heart to be a mom.
Psalms 21:2 - For you have given him his heart's desire; you have withheld nothing he requested. 

2.  If I want to eat a piece of chocolate and a slice of cheese while drinking a vitamin water, that's ok. (Which is what I'm doing as I post this)

3. I've been learning what it means to rest - both physically and in the Lord. Plus, who knew I'd ever love naps and going to bed before 8!
Psalms 91:1 - Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 

4. I've seen my husband come alive at being my protector and caring for me while I've been sick. It's so fun to see my man become a Dad even now.


5. I've seen just how much of a miracle it is as these little ones are formed! God really has made this process incredible and straight from His hand. For example: At 17 weeks, my baby already has it's own unique finger prints, knows how to stuck it's thumb, and can hear me!

6. I have a reason to buy some new clothes :)

7. I am learning more about grace. I'm so thankful that I do not have to rely on my own strength and am grateful to start to understand a bit more of this now as I'm sure to need it in a few short months!
Lamentations 3:22-23 - The faithful love of the Lord never ends! his mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. 


8. I can end my day knowing it's all going to be worth it and that every day I'm really working hard at something. "I grew my baby today, what did you do?" Haha.

9. I'm going to experience one of the greatest gifts from God!
Psalms 127:3 - Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him. 

10. I get to experience what it's like to truly walk into what you've been made to do! Graham and I have always known we've had a direct call to raise up and train this next generation so that they can truly change the world with the love of Christ. It's incredible to know that I am getting ready to raise up my very own little disciple and world changer. By far my favorite thing that I love about being pregnant and that I'm thankful for are the little opportunities to speak life and destiny over my child even now!

Cravings vs. Aversions

One of the most common things people ask me right now is, "have you had any interesting cravings?" Unfortunately, since I was rather sick for the first trimester, I didn't have cravings as much as I've had aversions.
Anyone who knows me, knows that I LOVE coffee. I have now moved across the continent twice, and in our first set of boxes to ship, has always been my Starbucks espresso machine. Shortly after I found out I was pregnant, the first thing I noticed was that I could not stand (or stomach!) the smell of coffee. So the brewing stopped at home, and I no longer would dare step into a 'Buckys either....so sad! Great for our budget and the baby though! I didn't know that even my simplest loves would be sacrifices for my unborn child. Along with coffee, that aversion list included: anything sweet, any plate with too many different spices or flavors, any strange textures....and on it goes. Which leads me to what I have been eating :) For the first 3 months I lived on eggs, grilled cheese sandwiches, and salt & vinegar chips. That's pretty impressive.
Let's just say I'm so thankful that the second trimester is here fully! Last week all I wanted was a piece of chocolate. 17 weeks and feeling good! God is good!

The start of something new....

So...I am becoming a Mom :) I am beyond thrilled!! And let's face it, most Mom's I know have a blog. So I figured I simply would join the club! Now, while many of my friends post stories of their kids, and new recipes, this probably won't be the case for me. See, I can give you my pregnant stories, which at 4 months along simply have more to do with the many ways to calm my nausea than much else. But I love the thought of being real with my thoughts and what's going on because the truth is I really don't live a conventional life! Don't get me wrong, I LOVE being a missionary and doing what I do, but some days are hard and I'm about to find out (in under 6 months) what it's like to be a family in missions too. So this blog is a place for me to share with any of you who care to read, what life is really like, the joys and hardship and all the in betweens...and of course add random thoughts and revelations along the journey. Here goes the start of something new....