You know you are a new mommy when...

So a couple months ago, I wrote a post about being pregnant. Since then I have had my beautiful baby girl and things have changed. A LOT. So here's my list of you know you are a new mommy when:
1. You encourage burping.
2. Snot and Spit up are a new fashion statement on your clothes
3. The only schedules you keep track of is feedings and poops
4. You know the songs and start singing them from the baby toys
5. You are sleep deprived
6. You wake up in the middle of the night and wonder where your child is (afraid that you didn't put them back in their crib).
7. You refer to and call your husband daddy most of the time
8. You actually want a van because of all the things you need to take for your child.
9. You love snotty kisses.
10. Your vocab consists of one or two syllable words.
11. A trip to the grocery store alone is a vacation.
12. People who are supposed to serve you pay more attention to your child.
13. Your child has more clothes than you and your husband do combined.
14. You know all the kid tv shows and what time they air.
15. You sing kid songs in public to keep your baby from crying.
16. Laundry is now a never ending process.
17. It takes 20 minutes longer to get ready to leave since you now have to get diaper bag ready, get food for baby ready, change baby first, put baby in car seat, make sure you have everything, find your keys and load everything into car.
18. You love nap time and get sad if your child misses it.
19. Your house is a constant mess and there's not much hope it will ever be clean.
20. You have never laughed and smiled as much as you do now with your child.

more preparation

Those 9 months leading up to the birth, the classes, all the items we purchased and books we read....none of that REALLY prepares you for the baby that you will have. They don't prepare you for the crying fits. Or for the nasty, smelly diapers. Or how tiny and delicate they will be. Or how cuddly and cute they will be.

It's been 2 weeks since I gave birth to Cora Marie. She was 6lbs 12 oz and 20 inches long born at 2:50 in the afternoon. I went in the evening before with contractions 4-5 minutes apart and they almost sent me home since I wasn't dialating much. I'm so glad they let me stay! It was painful, but I'm so glad for pain meds and epidurals! It was a rough first few days with pain, breastfeeding and exhaustion, but we are slowly getting into a "routine" or about as much of a "routine" that you can get with a newborn.

Cora has so much personality already. If I wake her up, it sometimes takes 20 minutes for her to actually show her eyes. She stretches and makes the cutest facial expressions while waking up. From the moment she was born, she was sticking out her little tongue. It's really a cue that she's hungry, but it's so stinkin' adorable! And I just love putting all her cute outfits on her each day...yes the same way I used to dress up my Barbies.

There have been tears on both of our parts already, but I wouldn't trade a moment with her. I love my little Cora Bug!

You know you are pregnant when...

So there are the OBVIOUS ways you can tell you are pregnant, but I thought it'd be fun to list some of the other ways I have changed and my experiences as this baby is growing in my belly.
You know you are pregnant when:
1. you start laughing and can't stop for over 5 minutes
2. you start to waddle instead of walk
3. you have to wear your husband's t-shirts and they actually fit
4. you eat a meal and are immediately hungry again
5. you actually enjoy the pushes and pains from your child
6. you have Tums near your bed in case of acid reflux or heartburn
7. you cry when anything is even slightly sad
8. your mom starts talking to your belly
9. you take at least one nap a day (sometimes more)
10. you have to buy toilet paper more often due to all the potty trips
11. you can't walk down the street without feeling the need to pee
12. you are getting used to wearing the same outfits over again since you don't have much variety with maternity clothes
13. you would much rather wear something with an elastic band
14. shopping wears you out
15. you have to make a stop at the baby section of the store you are in
16. you have to roll out of bed
17. you have weird dreams including criminal activities
18. certain foods make you gag
19. all you want to eat is cereal
20. a lady at church comes up to you every time you see her to tell you that you look like you are gaining weight

Cravings

Now I wouldn't say that I'm one of those pregnant women with lots of cravings. Pickles and ice cream still sounds DISGUSTING to me! But there are a few things (that I liked before) that I want even more now.

The first one is OJ. I always liked a glass every once in a while, but now I want it even more...usually one glass in the morning and one at night. I even like it more than apple juice

right now. And maybe it also has something to do with all my colds that I've been getting!
The next craving is milk. I used to only want it with my cereal or with chocolate powder, but now it just sounds so good to have a tall glass of plain milk.Another craving is cereal. This is a craving that I've always had though. I love cereals and usually have lots in stock at my house. Right now, we may have close to 10 and I'm the main cereal eater. Craig only likes to eat breakfast on a rare occasion. Even my time in Ukraine, I survived a lot on just eating cereals for meals. But things have changed a bit. Before I was pregnant...I would usually eat a sugary, chocolatey cereal. But those usually don't last long with giving me energy and since I already get hungry around 2 hours after I eat, I figured I should try to eat cereals with a little more "good" things in them. So I've stuck to some of the fiber cereals, Frosted Mini Wheats (in many flavors), Honey Nut Cheerios, Yogurt Burst Cheerios and my latest favorite is fruity cheerios. Which by the way, it tastes a lot like Fruit Loops, but it's better for you! I still have those chocolate cereals on hand for some of those chocolate cravings.

I still like and want the typical things that I liked before such as french fries, chocolate and ice cream. Although, I didn't really eat desserts much during my first tri-mester.

So I hope you enjoyed a glimpse into this momma to be's food repertoire!

Ukraine

Today is one of those days where I've been sitting and remembering my time in Ukraine and the people I met. I look back at my time there as a growing experience and one that I will never forget. I hope the relationships I made there will continue throughout my lifetime, with the help of facebook and vkontakte.ru.

There are many days that I wish I could visit again and see all the girls from Hope House again, but I'm really not sure if I will get another chance to or not. My life is changing. And it's been changing ever since I stepped off the plane from Ukraine and back into America. Craig and I became a lot more serious once I got back. Yes, absence did make our hearts grow fonder. We were engaged 5 months after I returned home and married a little over a year after I returned home. And now we are expecting this blessing to come around 3 years after I returned home. It's hard to believe all the changes in my life since stepping off that plane. But I really wouldn't change a thing.

Even after almost 3 years, I still love hearing about Ukraine. I love watching movies where they speak Russian. I still love learning pieces about Ukrainian culture. And I still pray often for the people that I met and the ministries that are continuing there.

All this to say, although my heart is here with my job, my husband, my family and my daughter, there will always be a little piece of my heart in Ukraine.

Reality

Two days ago, I started thinking about what it will really be like when our baby girl is here. Reality struck me. I don't know if it's just starting to become more real to me now that I'm in my last few months or because my friend just had her baby yesterday, but either way...it's real(er) now. The thoughts of sleepless nights, the dirty diapers and trying to figure out what our little girl needs. Not only that, but this will be a little life that Craig and I are responsible for raising and teaching her about Christ, life, love and everything else. It's such a big responsibility. It started freaking me out a bit.

But then I quickly changed my mindset and the positive started outweighing the things that scared me. Instead of being scared of the responsibilities, I started thinking about how exciting it is that we get this chance to help her be who God wants her to be. We get to show her what love is and be examples of Christ's love to her. We get to teach her things and be there for her. We even get to spoil her a little bit.

This got me on a roll and I started going through the baby book and reading about her growth right now. Then I read through the paperwork that we have to fill out before we have her. And last night I really started cleaning her room out and getting things in rubbermaid tubs to put in the garage.

I'm so excited for this little girl who is already very much a part of our family to be here in just a few short months!

Love

Yesterday, I was driving to McDonald's to get us lunch and I was overwhelmed with love for my husband. I love my husband all the time, but this strong feeling just hit me hard.

When I first met Craig in early 2007, I was dating someone else. I had no clue if our paths would ever cross again. Then our paths did cross again a couple months later when my previous relationship was over. I was speaking at his church to raise support for Ukraine. It was nice to see a face I recognized. Our next contact wasn't for a couple months later when we talked online a little, but I was once again in another bad relationship. When I finally realized that the relationship I was in wasn't healthy, I decided to try to contact Craig a little more. I had no idea if our first date was actually a date, but it was just nice to get to know someone new. Since I was traveling a lot for support raising and we were about 4-5 hours away from each other, we took it slow meeting up almost every other weekend. Then 5 short months after our first date, I got on an airplane to Ukraine and left him for 5 long months. The time apart wasn't easy at all. Our relationship had a lot of rocky times during those months, but we made it through it and came out stronger.

That's just the beginning of our story, but it's so neat to see how God had a plan in our relationship, even when we weren't in a relationship. I didn't have to meet Craig that very first time. He didn't have to be at the church service that I spoke at. He didn't have to agree to meet up with me that very first time in Louisville and stick with me during the long distance. He didn't have to stay with me knowing I was going to Ukraine. We could have easily given up during our rocky times when I was in Ukraine. But we made those choices and God has continued to bless us and our relationship.

And here we are 4 years after the first time we met...so in love and with a child on the way. I can't imagine how life would be without him. He's been my provider, protector, best friend, supporter, encourager and so much more. And I thank God for how He has directed our lives and our paths to become one.

28 things...

Back when I was in high school, Baz Lurhmann came up with a song/speech called Everybody's Free (to wear sunscreen). I recently re-read the lyrics and still love the advice he gave back then. There were many things that were beneficial for people to hear. So as I was thinking about getting older, I thought about some of the things I've learned through the years. There's probably many more things I could say, but here's my list of 28 things that could be beneficial in your life if you put them into practice. They have helped me in my life.

1. Be a consistent Christian…whether at church, work, online, in car…or wherever…let others know who you serve
2. Make time to spend with family
3. Laugh
4. Read
5. Though life is entertaining at times with drama, it is much more peaceful to have none.
6. Pray
7. Forgive
8. Smile
9. Appreciate the small things-sunshine, minor accomplishments, etc
10. Life is too short to waste it away by worrying. It won’t solve a thing
11. Take time to read the Bible-you can learn something each time you pick it up!
12. Tolerate those who drive you nuts!
13. Love
14. Don’t live your life with regrets. You can’t change things. Let it go.
15. Learn from your mistakes and try harder next time to not mess up
16. Always do your best and let God do the rest!
17. Be content with what you have. God has blessed you, even if you have little money
18. Live within your means-there is no reason to live in so much debt!
19. Be proud of your heritage. It has helped shape you into who you are
20. Trust God’s way….He will never let you stray
21. Compliment others
22. Sing loud and proud
23. Be open to the things that God wants you to do
24. Travel and be open to other cultures
25. Spend time with people who are different from you (in age, culture, etc). You may learn things from them
26. Learn who your friends are and cherish them
27. Enjoy sleep-don’t fight it! Take naps when there is time!
28. The things of this world will all fade away, but my Savior remains!

patiently waiting

While I know I better get used to waiting since we still have approximately 20 more weeks until we meet our little bundle of joy, it's still not easy to be patient! We are trying to be patient until our next ultrasound next Tuesday! This is THE BIG ONE where we hopefully find out if our baby is going to get lots of dolls and dresses or lots of cars and blue outfits. It's been a mixed review of what we are having-my dad and even the doctor say it's a girl (the doctor is just going by heartbeat), but my dad really believes it! But some of the online gender tests and lots of my friends say it's a boy. So we will find out in less than a week! I am so ready to buy baby furniture and register at Babies R Us. Craig thinks I'm a bit crazy for constantly looking online at baby things, but I just can't help it! While 20 weeks seems like such a long time to get everything in order, I feel like there's so much to do and it will likely go quickly.

changes

It's still hard for it to sink in that in 6 months, our lives will be completely changed! The holiday season was wonderful celebrating with family, but there was something else that struck me a little different than normal. I found myself thinking a lot more about Mary being pregnant with baby Jesus and just how honored she must havefelt. I can't believe God has blessed Craig and I with this opportunity to be parents to this little baby. This baby that is being formed inside me. It's such an incredible feeling.

On top of our lives changing, there are already some other changes! My belly is starting to get bigger. My normal clothes are starting to get tighter and more uncomfortable! But at this point, I can honestly say I am so excited to be getting bigger! The bigger belly reminds me of the little blessing inside of me that is growing and changing each day! He or she is being formed by our Creator!

Our house is also starting to change a bit! Although, I think we're kinda putting the nursery off until we find out if it's a boy or girl. I bought rubbermaid tubs after Christmas and starting packing away some of the junk in the baby's room. We also moved the full size bed into our other bedroom to make room for the baby furniture that we will need to be purchasing soon. I am so excited to start getting things ready in the room!

We hopefully find out the gender of the baby on Feb 8! I can't wait. We really have no preferences, but are so excited to find out!