Wednesday, July 31, 2013

New Chapter in the Lilja Home

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
    before you were born I set you apart;
    I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
Jeremiah 1:5

Chad and I are very excited to announce that our family will be expanding in February!! We are expecting our first baby and are absolutely thrilled with this new adventure we are about to embark on.  I have decided to continue with this blog instead of making a new one so as to keep my small fan base, and because I have really enjoyed writing about my faith and the journey the Lord has sent me on. 
After months of debate and discussion, Chad and I decided in early May that now was the right time to start trying to have a baby.  With lots of prayers and some good ol' fashion luck we found ourselves embarking on this amazing journey of becoming parents! At our first appointment we were able to hear the baby's heartbeat, and let me tell you it was one of the most amazing days of my life! After weeks of worrying about whether there really was a baby growing inside of me and whether that baby was going to be ok, we had our nerves eased and our hearts melted.  Baby's heartbeat was a strong 160 bpm and we were even able to record it to send to our family and friends. (Or listen to on a daily basis....)

Pregnancy has been a wild ride, Chad has endured his fair share of Dominoes Pizza and a nauseous wife but has taken it in stride with minimal complaints. Zofran has become my best friend along with as much sleep as I can fit into a day/night/afternoon!!  I have transitioned to working straight 12hr nights which has left me with a very nice schedule and more time with my hubby and puppy! While nights have not been the easiest of schedules on the stomach, I continue to give thanks to God every time I feel sick and remember there are those who desperately want children but are unable to have them.

Today was our first ultrasound (we convinced my OB that we needed one because we were nervous about the possibility of twins which just so happen to run in Chad's family) and we are thankful to report we have ONE BABY currently growing like a weed!!! It was so much fun to watch our baby dance all over the ultrasound screen.  The baby was going crazy kicking and waving at us, it was so amazing to see this little human we created giving us a show.  The baby was facing my back so we didn't get a great face shot, but from what I hear at 13 weeks the faces look a little like aliens! our little LEMON has all of the appropriate extremities and gave us a proper demonstration of it's dance moves. We wont know for another 5-7 weeks whether our little lemon is a boy or a girl but we all have our guesses! 
I hope to keep this blog updated as we prepare for this sweet babe of ours, including some bump pictures (you have been warned!!!) some nursery pictures and any other things we wish to write about! Hope you enjoy following our journey in becoming parents!


Day I found out (4weeks-ish) and today 13 weeks

 Weekly/Monthly/Whenever I get around to it UPDATE!
How far along? 13 weeks
Total weight gain: 5 lbs total
Maternity clothes? Not yet... Jeans have stopped buttoning comfortably, wearing a bela band over them when not in a dress or scrubs!
Stretch marks? Nope
Sleep: Fabulous! Sleeping all of the time whenever I can
Best moment of the week: Ultrasound for sure!! Seeing baby dance up a storm!!
Miss anything? Excedrin Migraine medicine.... headaches are giving me a run for my money!
Movement: Not yet, anxiously awaiting feeling Babes move!!
Food cravings: Dominoes Cheese Pizza, cottage cheese and Milk!
 Anything making you queasy or sick: Lots but nothing specific... different every day, mainly feeling sick in the mornings and while at work!
Gender prediction: Thinking its a Girl but expecting a Boy! Chad is indifferent
Symptoms: Nausea, bloating, very emotional!
Belly button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or moody most of the time? Happy, excited, thrilled!
Looking forward to: Looking pregnant instead of just like I ate too much Pizza (even though its a weekly occurrence!!)