17 Down, 23 To Go

This blog entry is a bit overdue, because today I am 17 weeks pregnant and well into my second trimester! On May 20th, we got the call from the doctor’s office that we have been waiting for for over a year. Our experience with infertility was many things, exciting, frustrating, stressful and sad. But most of all, we know now that God was preparing us to feel complete elation and gratitude when we got to hear the words “Your test result was positive—you’re pregnant!”

Over the previous several months, we had gone in for several IUI treatments, but we felt really good about the one in early May. It just seemed fitting that in the midst of lots of life changes (selling our first house and buying another to name a couple) I would get pregnant. Or maybe it was using injectable fertility drugs for the first time. Either way, Daniel and I both had wide smiles and butterflies at TFC that day.

The first trimester was pretty rocky--it included a trip to the emergency room and several follow-up doctor appointments for some very painful cysts (one positive was that we got to see the baby practically once a week via sonogram). In June, I got to sit (read: sleep) on the sidelines while many of the renovations were happening to our new house. There was nausea, which I learned I could keep at bay by eating protein snacks through the day, and overall lack of energy. Oh yeah, and my cravings included four different kinds of milk in one night (regular, chocolate, strawberry, and banana, which Daniel sought out for me on a whim) and my taste for salad became much like it had been as a child: unappetizing. The end of July and early August have felt better in many ways. My running has suddenly become easier again, even though it is hotter now; I had struggled to get my workouts in during early July. Sleeping has been a little tough--I think my body is just preparing itself for night feedings! In just two weeks we get to find out whether it’s a boy or a girl, which will really make it real, huh? So what are we leaving out? Hmm…oh yeah, the baby is due on January 29! We’ll compose a blog to talk about how we revealed the gender in September. For now, here are some pictures to show my progress, now 2 lbs and 2 inches in.


12 Weeks


15 Weeks


17 Weeks

South Bound

So we've been very busy in the last few months selling our house in North Austin, buying a new house in South Austin, and moving all our stuff into it. We are really settling in, and we love the new house so far. We've made a number of changes, and it's amazing how different the house looks from when we first bought it. Here is a list of the changes we have made:

• Tore out old (and pet stained) carpets; replaced with wood floors (downstairs) and new carpet (upstairs)
• Purchased a refrigerator
• Purchased a table for the breakfast area
• Cut down a dead tree in the back yard (thanks to Brandi's dad)
• Took down curtains
• Repainted the study and dining room (thanks to Brandi's parents)
• Repainted most of the living room (thanks to Brandi's parents)
• Spackled and touched up paint in the rest of the house, after an arduous color matching process
• Got a gently used bed for the guest bedroom upstairs (thanks to Daniel's parents)
• Replaced all downstairs door hardware
• Installed two ceiling fans upstairs
• Purchased a sectional for the living room

Daniel worked hard, can you tell?




Here's a few before and after pictures of the house:

Dining Room
Before:


After:


Kitchen
Before:


After:


Breakfast Area
Before:


After:


Living Room
Before:


After:


Master Bedroom 1
Before:


After:


Master Bedroom 2

Before:


After: