Year in Review

Last post I wrote, Peri was 3 months. Now she is 15 months! It has been approximately a year since my last update. That is quite the gap but I'm not even sorry. Life happens and we have been enjoying every single moment with no added pressure to document all the details. There has not been time to sit and write. My free time these days consist of chasing a toddler around. I'm okay with that. Our life is full and busy but full and busy means we have community, friendships, priorities, work, family and so much more.

I went back to work full time (Media Specialist) and Peri began daycare full time. That was a little rough of a transition for me even though daycare is literally just steps away from Todd's desk. For the first time in my life, I felt like my heart was ripped in half. Looking back now, I remember dwelling on how by the time I would pick P up from daycare, we would have 3 maybe 4 hours before she would be in bed and another day just like that would begin so quickly. I would get so focused on how short of a time span that was to the point that when I was finally with her, I felt paralyzed watching the clock knowing her bedtime was coming and I wouldn't see her again until 4:00 the next day. Then I'd cry as I put her to sleep and worry that I wasn't being the best mom or wife or librarian or friend I could be because I felt so stretched.

I knew I had to get past that. I started thinking about how one day P would be in public school anyways, just like all the kids I teach. Their parents have to let go everyday and trust them with people like me. I started seeing my students in an entire new perspective. When kids were sad, I started giving them mom hugs because I hope that one day someone does the same for my girl. I can't always be with her. I stopped watching the clock. I put my phone down when we were together. I soaked in every single second that I was with her. I let go of my expectations. Failure is only what you perceive it to be in your mind. I also spoke up about it. I had to share how I felt with others rather than trying to look so "put together" all the time. By speaking up, I gained some great perspectives. While explaining how hard it was to leave each morning for work without seeing my baby, one fellow mother told me from her own experience that the opposite is just as hard. Her child is awake each day and hearing the words "mommy don't go" will certainly rip your heart to pieces. Another mom told me it never gets easier. And another fellow teacher mom teared up as she told me about how precious summers are together with your babies; how each year they are a little bit bigger and into new things but how wonderful it is that we have that advantage to be a stay at home mom for a few months each year.

These conversations helped me understand all moms are similar. We are all in this together. I'm not alone.

This tension of balancing all my life roles got better with time and was short lived, praise Jesus. I once heard on a podcast that being a parent means you have to adjust your routines every 6 months. This is so true and I hope I never forget that! The seasons of parenting are short lived so I really want to enjoy the journey in the here and now. If something sucks, I have to remind myself, it probably won't always be like this. Embrace the mess. But I did have to find a few shortcuts as working mom and be okay with letting go a little.

Harris Teeter online shopping became my best pal. Eating out is just fine, especially if that means my family is happy and fed. Bath times don't have to happen every night because sometimes extra quality time and snuggles are more important. When your friends have a late dinner party, your husband is working and you desperately need adult time, you just go (and make a pallet on the floor for your child because you forgot the pack n play; true life). Rising crazy early to spend time in God's word because that truth is what will sustain me throughout the day. Learning it is okay to be away from my baby, free of guilt, to take care of myself whether that is exercising or an occasional manicure. Not cleaning the house (gasp) as frequently as I used to. Saying no to things (this was a hard one for me). Ask other moms questions. I could go on and on seriously.

But I'll stop, for now. This year really has been wonderful. I'm thankful for our life of three and everything God is teaching me in the process. Some highlights for us have been:

-extended family vacations
-Per's 1st Christmas & 1st birthday
-starting and leading an eGroup
-Child dedication
-Todd turning 30
-celebrating 6 years of marriage
-a visit to Walt Disney World

For now, we plan to enjoy these slow summer days together as we gear up for another season that I'm sure will include new routines and adjustments. Shout out to my husband, Todd, the calm to my chaos that keeps me steady, loves us deeply and helps me out without ever complaining - I love you.

I hope to blog a little more. I always say that but it really does feel good to put life on paper screen, be vulnerable and reflect on God's goodness. So really, I hope I come back here more often.

Follow my journey on Instagram at sara.c.davis for pictures and other daily shenanigans.

PK is Three...Months!

Peri Kathryn at 3 Months - June 6, 2016:

Weight: unsure but she is getting heavier and heavier ;)

Eating: We have dropped back to feeding every 3 hours! We have a hungry growing girl yet she takes smaller quantities each time or else her little tummy will overflow.

Nicknames: Still calling her Per Bear (me), added Peri Kate and PK. Others include Sweet P, Periwinkle (Todd's mom),

Sleeping: The middle of the night feeding is long gone! Insert praise hands!!! We dropped that around 10 weeks. She goes to bed around 7:30 and doesn't wake again until the next morning around 7 am. She doesn't cry when we lay her down nor when she wakes up. Best baby sleeper ever!

Diapers: Size 2

Clothing: Newborn clothes are no longer fitting and we are in all 3 month clothing!

Social: She smiles all the time, jibber jabbers, loves putting her fingers in her mouth and even has started to use her legs to stand with help from us!

Trips/Outings:

Mother's Day Lunch

First day of daycare!

Our 5 YEAR Anniversary trip to Boone; where it all began!

Showing Peri Kate her future college ;)

Quick visit with our mentors, Mason & Eric and their 3 children. Anna Brooks loved baby Peri!

Likes: milk, sleep, rock n play, car rides, paci, smiling, making noises and looking at her jungle gym lights, her hands in mouth and toes, crinkle book.

Dislikes: when milk is gone and she has to burp

Love you PK!!!! You are SUCH a joy to us!

Peri is 2 months Old!

Peri Kathryn at 2 Months:

Weight: 10 lbs 7.5 oz

Eating: We have now progressed to eating only every four hours (except one night feeding in the middle of the night). She is taking anywhere from 4-5 oz. but we working on her taking more with hopes of getting up to 6 oz. soon.

Nicknames: So crazy that nicknames are already changing. These days I call her Per Bear. Although we still call her Sweet P, Periwinkle (Todd's mom), & PK (Todd's stepdad)

Sleeping: She is still a GREAT sleeper. She goes to bed now around 8 or 9 pm and sleeps until about 4 am before waking back up at 7 or 8 am. We are working on developing more of a schedule so that hopefully that middle of the night feeding can be dropped soon since she is doing so well. We are very thankful!

Diapers: Size 1

Clothing: Some newborn clothes STILL fit! She has tiny little thighs so her 3 month clothing is little baggy around the thigh. Recently, I've been making (more like just assembling) bows and having the best time dressing my little girl.

Social: She is smiling, making the sweetest "ooooing" noises and loves laying on her back looking up at her floor jungle gym lights.

Trips/Outings: It's been a fun month! We had a fun family picnic in uptown Charlotte at Romare Bearden park. A few days later, we met up with our friends Sami and her newborn Murrey who born a few weeks before Peri. The two of us took a nice walk on a gorgeous day and talked about baby things the majority of the time. It was fabulous. Peri loves going out and traveling around town with me during the day. One day we went to visit Todd at work and see her future daycare room. Another great highlight was going to her cousin Eva's tutu themed 2nd birthday party in Boiling Springs. Seeing all the cousins together dressed in their tutu's was precious! She also always goes to eGroup with us right now ;)

Likes: milk, sleep, rock n play, car rides, paci, smiling, making noises and looking at her jungle gym lights.

Dislikes: gas, being woken up, dropping her paci

Happy 2 months little one! We ADORE you!

Peri is One Month Old!

You know that saying "time flies?" It is SO true! We can't believe it has already been one month since we welcomed Peri Kathryn into the world. She brings us so much joy and we are so honored to be her parents.

Peri Kathryn at 1 Month:

Weight: {We find out Friday at the doctor so I'll come back and update...stay tuned}

Eating: She loves to eat and has no problem finishing a bottle. Currently she is taking anywhere from 3-4 ounces every 3 hours on average but can go much longer at night (thank you Lord)!

Nicknames: Lovebug (me), Peanut, Sweet P, Periwinkle (Todd), Periwinkle (Todd's mom), PK (Todd's stepdad)

Sleeping: This little gal loves her sleep! She still sleeps a lot during the day but even from day one coming home, she seems to understand what night is (again, thank you Lord). She will take a bottle around midnight and can make it anywhere from 3-5 hours without waking, takes another bottle and goes straight back to sleep with no fuss. However, daylight breaks and she is ready to rock and roll for the day so no sleeping in for us.

Diapers: She is now in size 1 and I almost shed a tear when she moved out of newborn diapers. To me it was one of those first milestones and realizations that my baby girl is growing!

Clothing: She actually still fits in some newborn clothing but we have just started entering into more 3 month clothing. I'm having a blast finding good deals on cute outfits! Dressing a girl is so fun and I'm in the process of learning how to either make bows or find them cheap online. A girl must accessorize right?!

Social: Peri just started trying to smile today. Could be gas but she did it very often today and had the cutest smirks on her face when I did baby talk to her.

Trips/Outings: At just a few days old we took her to the Elevation Staff Easter party called The Hop. The staff are family to us and since it feels like a big family reunion, we just had to take her. No worries, nobody touched her. Around two weeks, she made her first day trip to Asheville because Todd's grandmother died. Peri was a great traveler and slept all day but was awake at the funeral. We have taken her several other places around town as needed for errands and I just started taking her out on my own. There is so much to think about when you take a baby out on your own but it's great and I'm learning the ropes. We also made it to church as a family for Easter. Peri and I sat in a special room with a TV for children under 6 weeks and afterwards we had some pictures made that I'll post below. {Random Memory: the first time we took her out with us both to breakfast Todd dropped me off to get a table. When the hostess asked how many, it hit me that we are no longer a party of two but three and then I wasn't sure how you sit a baby at a restaurant. I mean lets be real, nobody teaches you these things unless I missed that memo somewhere. Anyways, I responded with two PLUS A BABY in a very weird voice. The hostess was so nice and asked if the baby was in a carrier then proceeded to help us out with the proper sitting gear for that place.}

Likes: Food, sleep, rock n play and paci.

Dislikes: She hates the swing and will freak out when we place her in it. I'm hoping she may grow into it but possibly she will not. She isn't a huge fan of the bulb syringe but I think she secretly loves it when we take away all her boogers. Gas...the girl gets some painful gas and that is no fun for anyone!

Peri's First Easter - 2016

My goodness we LOVE this little girl and can't wait to watch her continue to grow even more!

Peri's Birth - 3/6/2016

Last picture taken of me pregnant - 40 weeks, 4 days

I love birth stories! Each one always seems so different and beautiful to me in their own unique way. I don't mind sharing my own and also want it as a keepsake but I'm warning you, it's long.

As I approached my due date and then watched it pass by, I became more and more at peace with the idea of being induced. My induction was scheduled for Monday, March 7th and as the weekend leading up to that day came, Todd and I just knew we had the weekend to slowly relax and prepare for Monday.

Saturday, March 5th, we did just that - relax. We had a slow day at home and later in the evening decided to go out to dinner together. As we had dinner, I wasn't eating much (which is not like me at all) but I didn't think anything of it and still have no clue if that was any sign of the hours to come but in hindsight I see it as odd. When we got back home, we watched two episodes of our favorite Netflix series. While watching the show, I had a few strong cramps but didn't think much of it since I've had those on and off the last few weeks of pregnancy. In fact, I didn't even tell Todd what was happening. Around midnight, I decided to go upstairs first to get ready for bed. At this point, I still just knew in my heart that I had one more full day of pregnancy so as I got ready for bed I thought about how I wanted to spend my last day of pregnancy...

watch church online, clean the house, go to Target, out to eat again (why not?).

All those things would be great and certainly distract me from waiting. Within moments of closing my eyes the strong cramps returned. Intense cramps! I tried to ignore it. Todd was upstairs by this point and I mentioned that I was having some of those annoying cramps again. As fast and strong as they would come on, suddenly they would disappear. Then like clockwork, would reappear. Todd immediately said we should start timing them. I couldn't sit still any longer so I got up and tried to walk but as soon as a cramp came on, I couldn't walk or talk. This is when I began to realize that more may be happening but in the back of my mind I was still in denial. I couldn't believe it could all happen so fast! Timing the cramps, we realized they were 5 minutes apart. Still in denial, I decided to take a bath and see if that helped ease the cramps. When it didn't, I decided to call my mom for a second opinion. Of course she said (okay it was more like a motherly demand) "get yourself to the hospital!"

It was then that I had Todd call the after hours nurse line. By this point, I couldn't concentrate on anything. While on the phone with the nurse, Todd was already starting to gather our things and load the car. I had most of my stuff packed but since I thought I'd be induced Monday, I still thought I had Sunday to do the final prep. So this left us both in a little bit of a panic but since I was pretty much immobile from the cramps (obviously contractions) Todd had to get everything. I remember giving him orders telling him where my flip flops were, where my slippers were, asking him to put the wet clothes in the dyer, asking if he got the camera, grab my toiletries bag and a million other last minute things. My brain couldn't seem to process what was happening but every 5 minutes I would just curl over in pain. As we got into the car (1:20 am), I remember telling Todd not to get his hopes up. I had heard that the hospital sends people home all the time for false alarms. Clearly I was still in denial.

When we arrived at the hospital, they had already pulled my folder and took us straight to triage. At this point the contractions felt like they were coming closer and closer together and sure enough as soon as the nurse hooked me up to the machines, she noted they were every 2-3 minutes. I even asked again, "so these really are contractions?" Still in denial.

The midwife came in to check me and noted that I was 3 cm dilated. She ordered me to walk the halls for an hour to see if I progressed. I wasn't thrilled about walking with the pain but before I began, they gave me a ginger ale to drink to stir up the baby. After about 10 minutes, while the nurse was still in my room, baby girl kicked harder than I have ever felt her kick. It was painful! Then it just stopped. The nurse very casually got out her phone and made a call. I remember her saying so calmly, "I have no baby heart rate" and seriously within 10 seconds an entire crew of nurses came in. One placed an oxygen mask on me and another began an IV in my arm. The midwife said, "you are now 4 cm, you are here to stay, we are admitting you and I also need you to be aware that a c-section could be necessary." Despite all the crazy, I had complete peace. In my head I recited Psalm 23 over and over as I held on to Todd's hand tightly.

Within minutes, Todd was throwing all my things in a patient bag and the nurses were pushing my bed into a hospital room. By this point, the heart rate was found again (praise the Lord) but baby girl was still being a bit stubborn so they continued to watch my monitor and adjust as needed continuously. Once in the room, panic slowed down for all and I asked about the epidural. I had a fabulous nurse who was so good to me and assured me she had already requested it but I had to have a bag and half of IV fluids before I could get it. My denial wore off and I mentally settled into the idea that I wasn't leaving the hospital without a baby!

The epidural was in by 3 am and it was glorious! By this time my mom had arrived and although I was tired, I felt completely normal other than not being able to feel my legs. From here on out, my sense of time was all off. I personally felt like time flew by! I was so exhausted so I tried to get some rest. Slowly, more family arrived including my dad, sisters, Todd's mom and stepdad. Sometime that mid morning, I was talking to my sisters and felt a gush of water. Todd laughs at me now because he says I casually mentioned, "my water just broke." From that moment on, things seemed to get real!

The nurses were able to give me a timeframe. As exciting as that was, I hit a wall of exhaustion and that scared me because I couldn't even imagine the workout to come of pushing a baby out! All visitors left my room and I took a great nap. It was so good, that by the time the nurses came in around 1 pm, I didn't want to wake up. But they came in and started prepping me to push. I had to mentally force myself to wake up and focus. By 1:30 pm the pushing began and the midwife would come in and out checking on me. It was not easy but after 2 hours, I knew I must be getting close because more and more nurses were coming in with equipment which was encouraging. Everyone was cheering me on and at 3:39 pm baby girl Peri Kathryn Davis was delivered! Todd and I were both overcome with so many emotions - relief, thankfulness and pure joy! Todd was able to cut the cord although he admits having a hard time seeing it because of his tears. Our baby girl was perfect. That moment they put her on my chest is a moment I will cherish forever!

As I held her, I focused solely on her. This helped distract me from what I knew was next - removal of the placenta. I assumed it wouldn't take too long but after 30 minutes of what felt like more active labor, I knew something wasn't right. At this point, I had a nurse take Peri, Todd focused on keeping me calm and I began asking questions. The midwife explained that my placenta wasn't coming out naturally so she called in the doctor to assist. He tried and tried (so painful) but still nothing was happening. An ultrasound machine was brought in for all to see what was going on. That sucker wasn't budging. At this point, I was in tears and really thirsty. I wanted it all to end and I just wanted to be with my baby girl. Unfortunately, surgery was going to have to happen. Paperwork was quickly filled out, more medicine was given to numb me, a teeth check (who knows?!) and I had to remove all jewelry. I was so sad to leave Todd and Peri but I knew this had to be done.

I was awake but totally loopy during surgery. On happy drugs for sure. When the procedure was over (they didn't have to cut me, yet treated it like a D&C), the doctor leaned down to me and told me that I had the most stubborn placenta he has ever had to work with! I remember telling him, story of my life, this would happen to me!

In the grand scheme of things, this was nothing and I'm thankful it was easy to take care of it but just very unexpected for my ideal birth plan. I was going to be fine and I had a beautiful baby girl and loving husband waiting on me back in my room. When I arrived back, Todd was skin to skin with Peri, had already fed her a bottle and was grinning from ear to ear. He looked like super dad so content and calm. I'm incredibly thankful for him! The nurses had already began teaching him all kinds of newborn things. I hate I missed out on the post delivery activities like her first bath, footprints, etc. but Todd was able to tell me all about it.

I remember being so thirsty, had a metallic taste in my mouth from the medicine and the only thing that sounded good to me was a Coke. Unfortunately, since I had so much medicine in my system and being post-surgery, I had to wait to eat or drink. I was also super nauseous which was a total bummer because I couldn't wait for family to meet Peri (plus they had been waiting for hours). Once the nurses reclined my bed, I felt a little better and told Todd family could come in but not for long. By this point it was evening and everyone was just as tired as we were from waiting all day so they met Peri and went home to let us get some rest. I finally was able to get that Coke and my parents grabbed us some takeout so we would have some food when we were ready to eat.

That evening was so special with just the three of us. I'm pretty sure we just stared at Peri all night long and got zero sleep. Plus the nurses came in continuously to check on me and it wasn't until 5 am that they finally allowed me to try to walk on my own.

What an emotional yet incredible day it was! My body has never been so sore but it was all worth it. Lord willing, I'll totally do it again one day. These sweet baby snuggles are the best! Adjusting to life at home has been just as expected. Our world is forever changed but it is a great change. I'm so in love with Todd and the way he cares for us. He is being an awesome dad (as I knew he would) and together we are being a team as we figure out how to be parents. We are so thankful for this miracle of life from God and honored we get to be her parents.

I'm also incredibly thankful for all the friends and family that are bringing us food, helped take care of Maggie and even bought our groceries and cleaned our kitchen while we were away at the hospital (thanks Whitney!).

Todd made the sweetest video documenting our pregnancy and birth. I look forward to showing it to Peri one day! You can view the video here:

             
                                      Peri Kathryn Arrives from Todd and Sara Davis on Vimeo.

Now, one last picture because she is still just as cute when she cries! ;)

-Sara

Due Date & Update!

Well today (due date) has pretty much come and gone without any signs of baby. I'll recap the past few weeks...

So that horrible back pain that caused me to barely walk lasted 3 weeks but faded over a weekend of rest. I also contribute much of the healing to seeing the Chiropriactor often during that 3 week period and many prayers! Once that was gone, I felt like a new woman!

Then in the last few weeks, cramps have intensified and the swollen feet have not been so fun but after 3 weeks of back pain, I felt like I could handle anything.

Clothes barely fit these days and last week at work was difficult. I haven't been sleeping well. I'm in a weird cycle of sleep from 10-midnight, up from midnight-3AM, and then getting up again to get ready for work by 5:30 AM. So after a long week of work and as my due date approached, I decided to not work past today. I know that once baby comes "you won't get any sleep anyways" (that is all I've heard) BUT taking care of baby will be my full time job for several weeks and at least I won't be on a work time schedule. I love my job and always want to be my best but I realized last week it was just getting too hard. I truly always thought I'd keep pressing on with work until THE big day but the hormones, exhaustion, anxiousness and feeling like a hippo got me. At least I made it 40 weeks! For that, I'm thankful and feel accomplished. Now we just (try to) rest and wait.

So here I am...40 weeks today :) I might regret showing this picture one day.

I did have a doctors appointment today and I had not dilated any more since last week. The midwife did a membrane sweep to see if that helps but if baby girl doesn't come this week then an induction has been scheduled for March 7th. Either way, I'm at peace and baby Peri will be here before we know it. Babies, especially first time babies for mothers, are late all the time so she will be here when the time is right.

Join me in praying for continued good health and a smooth delivery. At least she won't be a leap year baby and will get a real birthday each year! Plus we have lots of March birthdays in our family (including her daddy) so one more will just make that month even sweeter!

Stay tuned! 

-Sara

Baby Update

Well it's about time I blog again. Where has the time gone?! 

I'll try to recap the past several months. For Halloween at school we were to dress up as a book character. I decided to share the day with my growing baby girl and incorporate her into my costume. The students loved it!

October 2015

Here is a picture sometime close to Thanksgiving...

Late November, 2015

Here we are all dressed up for The Ellys - Elevation Staff Christmas Party. It is one of my favorite nights of the year! We are so blessed to be on staff at a church with such amazing culture that truly knows how to have fun, care for one another like family and most importantly serve Christ.

Mid December - The Ellys, Elevation Staff Christmas Party

The week of Christmas we were able to spend some time with Heather and Josiah Prince who now reside in Nashville (Josiah went and got all famous on us). Todd and Josiah were in the band Philmont together many years ago and the four of us always have the best time. It was a such a fun date night and great to catch up since we haven't seen them in about a year!

Later that same night we stopped in at the Ballantyne Hotel to see the gingerbread houses on display. The restroom was super fancy so I felt it was a perfect time for a baby bump picture of course.

A few days later it was Christmas Eve. We take a photo like this each year and while technically baby Peri girl is in the photo...this truly is our last one of just the two of us plus Mags. Next year we will have a 9 month old!!! That blows my mind y'all!

January 11th marks 33 weeks pregnant!!!! I had a student ask this past week "did you have your baby?" HAHA I said..."ummm, sure hope I don't look like this after baby and back at work!"

Over the past few months we have been busy with the holidays and such but decorating her nursery has been a fun project together. We have built the crib, painted walls and furniture and added sweet accessories. More pics and details on the room soon!

During Christmas break as I was off work, I was hit with the worst pain. I could barely walk somedays. My sciatic nerve was hurting my lower back on my right side and shooting down to my right knee. I prayed and prayed for it to go away before work began again. Thankfully by the time I started work again, the pain let up. Then this past Monday night the pain returned on the opposite side it was before. It can really bring me to tears so prayers for that currently!

These days I'm crazy exhausted by about 2:00 each day. I'm truly giving it all I have for the students and I don't think they would ever know but behind the scenes I'm much different. I will say having students around all day is a huge help. Whenever my shoes come untied, I always have someone willing to help. Same when I drop something (which is the worst these days) but little fingers are always eager to help me. Love those kids! It is very difficult to shelve books (haven't done much of that - huge thank you to my parent volunteers) and most of the time I feel a little out of breath especially after lunch. My afternoon rest nap times are very precious to me right now. Heartburn is still happening mostly at night when I'm in bed.

I went from hating Mexican in the first trimester to loving it again. I've had it three times just this past week! However, unfortunately, Chipotle (a pre-pregnancy favorite) still doesn't appeal to me. I got sick in Chipotle very early on in my pregnancy and ever since then, I can't even look at the food.

Todd is being the best and sweetest dad to be! He has helped so much in the nursery and we even took our first baby class together. We have more classes to take but we like feeling prepared for what is to come. 

My first baby shower is this weekend and I absolutely cannot wait to celebrate this little girl with family and college friends. While her room feels pretty much done we are still empty handed when it comes to diapers, wipes, crib sheets, changing pad....and so on. Each day it all seems more and more real. The house also is starting to feel real quiet as if someone is missing and we are excited for this next adventure to begin!

Keep praying for good health for me and baby! 7 or so more weeks to go which doesn't feel long but at the same time it kind of does with this crippling back pain. I know it is all worth it!

Love to all!

-Sara

Her Name

Peri Kathryn Davis

For as long as we have been married, we have tossed future children names around here and there. When we found out we were pregnant this became a topic of discussion daily. Todd would toss and turn over it while I was dealing with morning sickness so I could barely concentrate. 

We took a beach trip during the summer with my family and on the way we made a list of names we liked for boys and for girls. During that trip we even said a few to our family to get reactions and welcomed their input of suggestions. 

Peri was never one of them until the very last day of our trip.

I also want to say at this point in my blog post that I always knew I would be one of those people that just shares the name. I totally get the whole not telling until they are born but we personally together have always known we just wanted to share early. 

Back to the name. On the last day of the trip Todd and I went out to eat lunch before we headed home. While at lunch we decided that by the time we got home from the beach we would have agreed on a name for a boy and a girl. During our lunch date as we were googling names and such, the name Peri was said. Let me rewind for a quick second and let you know that I actually had a new 5th grade student last year named Peri. I do remember mentioning to Todd a year ago about this new girl and how I liked the name. It really helped that she was such a sweet enjoyable student. As a school teacher of almost 800 students, it can be really hard to choose a name. 

So when the name Peri was brought back to our minds we both loved it and the unique spelling. Once Todd looked up the meaning we both just knew it was the one. So what does Peri mean? 

Mountain dweller. 

For two people who met in the mountains, it just fit our story perfectly. 

As far as the middle name goes, we just liked it paired with Peri. We are debating calling her Peri Kate or maybe Peri Kathryn. But who knows, she may just end up as Peri. We like all our options and have decided we will let it flow naturally once she is born.

After we chose the name we went back to the beach house and told my family. They loved it and were so supportive. It has been so fun already to begin calling her by name and even hearing family/friends ask "how is Peri?!"

Also, in case your are curious, we did have a boy name completely chosen too. But that name will remain in our hearts for now and who knows, we may be using it in the future depending on God's plan for our family. 

So there you have it…the reason for the name.

 Peri girl, we can't wait to meet you and LOVE you to pieces!

-Sara

HALFWAY!!!

Today marks 20 weeks pregnant! It is hard to believe that we are already halfway and that our babe will be here before we know it.

Last Monday we had our ultrasound revealing the gender. I want to recap that first for memories sake before I move on to anything else…

My appointment was right after work at 3 and Todd met me at the doctors office. We were very anxious to see if everything was looking healthy and find out the gender. I was real quiet in the waiting room and couldn't concentrate on anything (I tried playing on my phone). Todd actually paced back and forth a few times. The same carried over into the actual ultrasound room which by the way was nothing as to what I expected.

We were in this big room, the lights really dim and a TV on the wall so I could easily see the ultrasound. I guess they know people are anxious because the most beautiful calming music was playing in the background. The ultrasound began right away and immediately we saw our baby on the screen. What an amazing sight!

Our babe was flipping around like crazy which was fun to see. The nurse checked everything…the heart/legs/arms/spine/brain/etc. Again, I was super quiet and Todd was freaking out in excitment. She asked if we wanted to know the gender immediately and we both agreed that we did. Within moments she said, "here we go…

it's a girl!" 

I cried slow tears of happiness and rejoiced internally while holding Todd's hand. Todd was way more vocal with his excitement. We were both thrilled for a healthy baby girl but reacted so differently. He was surprised with my reaction since I'm normally a loud person but it was such a special moment. My heart overflowed with thankfulness. It was so great and by this way this makes the ninth girl between both sets of families (no boys)! Right then and there we knew her name since we had previously carefully chosen and prayed over a name. More to come on the name in another post.

I think that she has Todd's head :)

We couldn't wait to share our news with our friends and family so we called our parents and family first. Then we went to buy our very first piece of baby clothing to mark this milestone in building our family and blasted it all over social media as proud soon to be parents.

Now here we are…halfway at 20 weeks (photo on the right)! Sorry for the blurry photos.

I've had some not so fun things occurring but nothing life threatening to me or the baby so I'm very thankful and feel like I have no room to complain at all. The heartburn did start today for the first time. I've heard people talk about this before while being pregnant and there was no mistaking what it was. Sleeping is a little rough sometimes especially right now as I have a head cold and can barely breath out of my nose. I have yet to feel her move yet so I'm eagerly awaiting that moment. In all, it's all good! Thanks for reading and following along! Keep praying for good health!

-Sara 

First Trimester

Well…I started this blog post at least a month ago but I'm just now getting around to publishing. Oops.

 I'll be 18 weeks tomorrow, Monday, Sept. 28th :)

12 Weeks

As my first trimester comes to a close, there are certainly things I want to forget (speaking to you all day sickness) but there are also many things I want to remember. Here are common questions people ask.

Did you know you were pregnant?
Not really. The day I found out  (June 25) I had been a volunteer on a staff kids outing with our church to the zoo. I remember being REALLY tired in the late afternoon and having frequent bathroom trips along with a few other signs but blamed it on the heat and my monthly was to start. When I got home, I was alone and had a test already stored away in the medicine cabinet. I was shocked at the result. The shock was just because I was surprised it happened but we were trying so it's exciting. I remember not even knowing how to calculate a due date and frantically trying to figure that out. Thanks, Google. Then I fell on my hands and knees and cried out to the Lord in joy and thankfulness. It was a really special moment I'll never forget. Todd found out the big news when he came home from work later that evening. I left the test next to his sink but it took him awhile to see it which drove me crazy. Immediately after a quick celebration we left for eGroup and had to act normal so that was hard. One friend quickly got in the loop along with my sister.

Have you been sick?
Yes. Yes. Yes. All day type of sickness. Thankfully with it being summer time and off work I have just rested each day. More nausea than actually sickness but there has been several times out of the blue that something doesn't settle well. As the first trimester ends, I feel each day is getting better.

Food cravings?
More so food aversions. I can barely open the fridge because I seem to smell everything and it makes me feel sick. I used to love mexican but don't care for it now. The first thing I "lost" was popcorn and that was terrible so I have stayed away from that (which used to be my favorite food). Basically things either sound good or bad. If it sounds good, I go for it (so much for a diet these days other than gluten free). My favorites have been fries, pickles, milk and orange juice. My go to meal on the run would be a bacon, egg and cheese (I'd remove the biscuit) and large seasoned fry from Bojangles. Most days I just do whatever it takes to survive. I used to LOVE cooking but that has not appealed to me during these sick times. The hunger hits fast and it can be equally frustrating when not everything sounds good.

Body Changes? Mood Swings?
Within a few weeks my pants started feeling real tight. Instead of growing outward at first, I felt my hips got wider causing my pants to be way too snug. My sisters and best friend Keara loaned me some maternity wear and I just went ahead and started wearing that stuff pretty early on since it was comfortable. My body has grown in other regions too if you catch my drift and that has been super uncomfortable and has caused many shirts not to fit anymore either. I do feel my stomach stretching as if I've done a million crunches but that is certainly not the case. I had occasional cramps here and there but read that was normal. For weeks I didn't feel "pretty" but that feeling seems to be fading too. As far as mood swings go, I think I've stayed fairly the same with occasional tears. Maybe we should be asking Todd that question but I will say that preggo brain is a real thing. My memory is the worst these days!

Sleeping?
I get up all the time to go to the bathroom. That can be interrupting and I'm trying to train myself to become a side sleeper.

By the way…it is all worth it. We are so grateful!

BIG News

Today is the day. The day we open our hearts and share this exciting news with the world.

It's a little big secret that we have known about since June 25th, my dad's birthday. Along the way we have told a few here and there. We have always known that we would prefer support no matter what happens and will choose to celebrate this miracle. I have leaned on the knowledge of those who have gone before me in this motherhood journey and I'm so thankful for all the support.

We have the best family and friends in the world. Not that I ever wanted to think I have doubted myself as a parent but to hear others say we will be great is so sweet. People believe in us, love us and support us. Thank you all for the kind words and sharing the excitement!

I'll be back soon to share more details of the first trimester but to answer the top two questions:

have you been sick? 
Yes, I've been sick. Spent the majority of the summer nauseous all day long and sick occasionally. The moment we saw the baby in an ultrasound made all the sickness completely worth it. :)

when are you due?
As of now the due date is February 29th….Leap year! ;)

Please keep us in your prayers during this exciting time! Thanks friends!

-Sara