Maternity Mondays

How far along? 29 weeks. (That's it? Ugh.)

Total weight gain: 19 Pounds. (Yep. I lost one whole pound.)

Maternity clothes? My goodness, yes. I can't even think about my pre-pregnancy jeans anymore.

Stretch marks? Thankfully, no. 

Sleep: Not a lot. I actually had to suck it up and take a sleeping pill last night. I woke poor Nick up with all the pillows being thrown and my crying fit.

Best moment this week: Honestly? Nick and I went to his parents house and I found the MOTHERLOAD of Starbursts.

Miss anything? I miss being able to pull up my pants without getting winded. Seriously. I also miss being the only one inhabiting my body.

Movement: Oh, yes. All the fracking time. 

Food cravings: Mainly popsicles. But I REALLY wanted a root beer float yesterday.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Yeah, actually. But I'm not sure what. I hope it isn't the case for me, but I read that morning sickness can come back in the third trimester? That bites.

Gender: As far as I know, she's still a girl.

Labor signs: Nope. Too early for that. But I've started those wonderful Braxton Hicks contractions. Boy howdy those really suck.

Symptoms: Oh, I'm just a delight to be around. Insomnia is in full swing and my back is KILLING me.

Belly button in or out? It's actually level with the rest of my belly. It's not poking out. It just doesn't exist anymore.

Wedding rings on or off? Most of the time they're off. Stupid kielbasa fingers...

Happy or moody most of the time: I'm pretty neutral most of the time. I wouldn't say I'm overly happy. But I do certainly have my lows.

Looking forward to: Being able to work out and run the way I used to. Man, I miss that.

Friday's Letters

Dear Husband: You are a hilarious specimen. Thanks for making me laugh even when I don't want to. Although, you've got to quit making me laugh so hard. I'm getting to the point in my pregnancy that I'm going to pee a little every time that happens.


Dear Alexa: I am so grateful that you don't have spina bifida. Really, I am. But, you don't have to prove it to me every five seconds. Don't you sleep? Is this an omen of what's to come? Good heavens... P.S. I'm sorry that we don't have any pants for you yet. I promise we'll get some eventually.


Dear Neighbors: If I wasn't already pregnant, your children would be the ultimate birth control for me. Do they HAVE to stomp up the stairs with as much force as a hundred tiny nuclear bombs? I mean, really. Don't worry, though. Payback will be sweet when I prop my screaming baby up next to the wall at all hours of the night. Hee hee.


Dear Body: Let's get this straightened out asap. You sleep at NIGHT. In the morning, you wake up. It's not okay to reverse these. I have things to do, darn it, and if I sleep all day I won't get any of it done. Oh, and another thing... Stop making my butt tingle for no apparent reason. It's weird.


Dear Dishwasher & Garbage Disposal: I love you.


Dear Washer & Dryer: I'm apathetic towards you. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that I don't have to pay to use you anymore, but... I still don't like you. Please learn to fold the laundry when you're done with it.



Love and Kittens,
Michelle

New Things

I was sitting in my room this morning with a headache I can only imagine as the equivalent of a hangover, and I thought to myself,

"Self, your blog is boring."

Yes, that's really how it went down.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I had no theme to my posts. It was all just a rambling of whatever I felt like writing about. Sometimes they were funny. But, mostly, they were stupid.

So, as you can see, I've changed my blog completely.

New title.
New buttons (which will be coming soon.)
New tone to my posts.


Now, I'm not going to rattle on and on about this because my headache is slowly making its way to my eyes. But I just wanted to give you a heads up that things will be a bit different around here from now on.

(And to those of you who have buttons of mine that say "Sunshine for the Soul", I apologize for the annoyance. I just got sick of that title, really.)

Have a lovely day.

Diary of a Wimpy Chick

Goooooood morning! 

Or something.

Insomnia, it seems, has struck again.

I've been awake since about 4:45

feeling nauseous since 4:46

and worked out anyway at 6:30.

I may or may not regret that decision later.

Now, I've been a complete and total slacker during my pregnancy.

I've hardly worked out at ALL.

Maybe it's just because this is my first time going through this

and I have no idea what I can and cannot do.

[Because, of course, I always forget to ask at my appointments...]

Regardless, I've been a lazy bum.

So, this morning I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror

when I was going to the bathroom for the zillionth time.

Whoa. Baby.

I couldn't even bear to look at myself for very long.

I was instantly depressed.

WHY had I not taken better care of myself?

That's when I decided that I was going to work out this morning

no matter what.

Then I got nauseous.

Have any of you ever done this program?

It's ridiculous.

Seriously.

There are 13 DVDs ranging from 15 minutes to 1 hour.

I decided to do the 30 minute one this morning.

Ho. Lee. Crap.

After about 10 minutes, I thought I was going to explode.

So I stopped.

Wimpy, wimpy, wimpy!

I'll give it my best shot to do it again tomorrow.

It's incredibly difficult considering I haven't worked out for 

seven months.

Good job, Michelle...

Word to the wise: 

Beginning an exercise regimen in the third trimester is

STUPID.

AND.

HARD.

28 Weeks

Alexa is getting so BIG.

And strong.

Which, consequently, is turning me into a blimp.

According to my handy dandy little

What to Expect book,

she is now blinking, coughing, hiccupping, and 

dreaming.

THAT is crazy!

What is she dreaming about, I wonder?

Does she try to picture my face as much as I'm trying to picture hers?

More updates:

LBS Gained: About 20. Great googly-moogly! I even had a Facebook app call me a "Lard Factory." Sweet.

Sleep: Not so much. Now, not only am I an insomniac, I can't get comfortable anyway. So, even if I COULD sleep, I wouldn't be able to. Just chalk it up to one of the many reasons I'm a [huge] grump.

Recent Cravings: I was chastised a bit for drinking so much Coke at my last doctor's appointment. So, I'm limiting myself to one soda a week. It's been MURDER. And, I've recently developed a craving for Starbursts and popsicles. Do they have Starburst flavored popsicles? OMGrapefruit that would be amazing...

Moods: I don't have as many mood swings [I think.] But, I do still cry for no apparent reason. Poor Nick. He does the best he can to try to figure out what my problem is this time. Unfortunately, there isn't always a reason. However, I've noticed that my sarcasm is through the roof. Sometimes I go back and reread something that I've written and I think, "Holy mackerel! I'm hilarious!"

Anyways, that's about it for new things in my preg-a-nent basket. 

But wait!

I want to welcome any new followers I may have gained because of the lovely Aunie's post yesterday.

Hi!

Have a happy Monday!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Guest Post: A Journey to Jesus

Hey everyone!

I have a special treat for you today.

Aunie, the creator of aunieSAUCE is guest blogging for you!

YAY!

I love love LOVE her blog and her sassy personality

and I think you will, too.

I asked her to share her story of being born again with us

because my blog used to have a purely religious tone.

I am so interested in how and why others have decided to "come to Jesus" and her story is no different.

So show her some love, and make sure that you go and visit her at aunieSAUCE!

***

Hello!

My name is Annelise and I blog at Aunie Sauce.
My nickname is Aunie... like ah-nee.

I'm a 20-something brand new Christian,

a mother to a bearded dragon, 

an official NON-DIY'er, 

probably the worst cook I know,

and I blog about life, style, and my saucy self.

When Michelle asked me to guest post on her blog,
she asked me to be very "me" and to tell the story about how I became a Christian.
I apologize to you and her... because this post, while about my journey to Christianity, it not so very "me."
Because the truth is, it's kind of a dark story (though I won't go into the dirty details).
It's definitely not the bubbly, peppy kind of story I usually like to tell.
But you know what?
It's real. It's me. And it shows that we ALL have times when we need help.

I used to think I was a pretty simple girl. 

And then I began blogging...
and realized that my voice is a lot saucier than I could have ever imagined.
One thing, though, was I realized that I was so alone.
No matter how wonderful my family is, how many blog followers I have,
or the girls who make up my closest group of friends,
I still felt alone.

I've had a rough last year.
I went through high highs, and desperately low lows.
Through it all, I only had myself.
I blamed myself.
It was really hard.

In March, I was invited to a local church in my town in Idaho.
I was told for years by someone I respected that people who went to church were
brainwashed.
I was told that evolution was the way it happened.
I was told there was no God.
So, when I was invited to church, I didn't really think anything could come of it.
I really just went to support my boyfriend, Daniel.
The date was March 18th.
I never knew that date would change my life.

I summoned my strength and went to church with Daniel on that brisk morning.
As we entered the sanctuary, people were worshiping.
They were dancing, singing, waving their hands in the air.
I thought they were all insane.
After about 20 minutes of this worshiping, the pastor came forward to speak for a moment.
It was mostly a service of testimonials from others who had just attended the church's annual Encounter.
I was blown away with the effect that their testimonies had on me.
Each person had a story.
Each person had their own struggles.
Each person had been saved.
As I listened to each person speak, I began to sob.
I didn't know why at the time, but now I know it was the Holy Spirit.
After about an hour of testimonies, a group from the Worship Team performed a skit.
The skit? Everything by Lifehouse.

Holy. Moly.

I couldn't believe it.

That skit was the story of my life.

The temptations-- the suave man, money, addiction, the need to fit in to society's "image", and self-destructive behaviors...

I had experienced each and every one of them.

That skit awoke something in me--

The need to open my heart to Jesus.

I was sobbing.

Uncontrollably.

Loudly.

For all to see. 

And I didn't care.

The pastor said at that moment, "If there is anyone here who does not know Jesus, please, please come forward and open your heart to Him."

And that's just what I did. 

I was surrounded by some good friends, new and old.

My boyfriend Daniel was right by my side. 

We all cried together as I accepted Jesus into my life.

And that was the day my life changed forever.

March 18th.

My "birthday."

I haven't looked back since.

I've been on a learning, worshiping, crazy journey ever since. 

What I've learned so far?

Jesus is love.

Love. Love. Love.

I have NEVER felt so much love. 

I know that religion means something different for everyone, 

but one thing is true...

God is real.

Jesus died for YOU. 

There IS salvation in Him.

I really appreciate you taking a moment to learn a little more about me and my new-found faith.

No matter what you believe, we are all brothers and sisters.

Please come say hi to me at my blog if you have a moment.

I'd love to meet you! 

And, on my exit, I thought I'd share this little poem I wrote a couple weeks ago...

xoxo,
Aunie

***

What did I tell you?

She's awesome, right? 

I hope to see you over at her blog giving her love, too. 

OH! And, as you can see, I got bored with my header.

[again]

I never seem to be content with my own designs. 

What do you think of this one?

Happy Sunday!