15 Weeks // Overview of the First Trimester

Wow guys.  Sorry that we've been MIA for the past few months, but this summer has taken an exciting turn that we're elated to share with you.

On the eve of our 2nd anniversary, we were greeted by a cheerful little + sign signifying one of the biggest and most exciting life changes we will ever experience.  

I don't think I've ever prayed so much for someone I've never met.  Especially at the beginning, when I was so aware of how fragile of a stage we were in.  I've never so strongly desired and beseeched the Lord for the health of another.  I've also never prayed so urgently for my own health, since I am the vessel for facilitating this life's development and delivery.

When we first learned of this precious news, I was hesitant to tell people.  Beyond wanting to wait until the riskier part of the pregnancy had passed, I liked having this little (but major) secret between M and I and only a few others.  But it's also been really fun to bring others in on the news. I have certainly been blown away by the excitement and support expressed by everyone.  It has been such a huge encouragement to see people's joy over this news.

The first trimester wasn't too challenging for me, which I am extremely grateful for.  I was always slightly nauseous but it only got really bad a few times, and usually in the evenings.  There are a few things that greatly helped that stage, some of them being:

A body pillow.  While my stomach hadn't grown yet, some nights my stomach would be upset and keep me from sleeping.  Being able to wrap myself around a body pillow though has brought a lot of relief.  And as a stomach sleeper, I'm glad to be changing that habit before it's physically impossible to sleep stomach-down.

The Bella Band. Close to the end of my first trimester my abdomen started getting harder, but wasn't growing enough to justify the maternity clothes just yet.  The Bella Band allows you to wear your normal pants but just not button them, the band holds them up!  It's a miracle that I did not believe until I tried it.  I also think that this is one product worth going name brand on.  I tried on an off-brand band that was much thinner and rolled up along the bottom.

Gatorade.  My experience of thirst has reached new heights since being pregnant, and especially with an often nauseous tummy, Gatorade was the drink to usually hit the spot.

Today began the 15th week of this little one's life (during which it has grown to the size of a naval orange!).  He or she is starting to show him or herself little by little, and while it's awkward to be in the "is that a baby or just your lunch?" stage, I'm trying to enjoy it before I get too huge. I know that sleeping and moving won't always be this easy!

Much love,

-K&M

Sweets and Treats

I (Katelyn) decided to try to go the whole month of May without eating any dessert-type food.  I've really never jumped full fledge onto any dieting bandwagon, but I realized that my relationship with sweet food was more of an addiction than it should've been.  If there was ice cream in the freezer, I would visit multiple times a day until it was gone.  I NEEDED a taste of sweet after every meal, and upon getting home from work every day I would pillage the house for any kind of treat.  I really thought that I could enjoy sweets in moderation, but I realized that there was no moderating going on, so I wanted to get it out of my system and free myself from it's grasp. 

I have seen some people cutting out ALL processed sugars... friends, I will not do that anytime in the near future.  What constituted as a "sweet" in my preverbal book mean anything dessert-related, sweet pastries, soda (especially dark), and lattes.  

The first week was tough, but I honestly don't really remember what that struggle felt like.  I had begun eating a lot more fruit and vanilla soy milk, and while those things didn't fulfill my addictive cravings, I could convince myself that they were just as sweet. :)  The second week it wasn't as hard to say no, but I was craving naturally fatty food like nothing else.  Eggs and avocados are all I wanted.  Guacamole became our Friday treat, and it was heaven.  I'm sure that there's some kind of correlation here of the artificial sweets we eat and our body actually wanting natural fats, but I am not an expert on that and will not explore that here. 

My dear husband (who continued to eat sweets but was kind enough to tell me they were gross while he was eating... seriously, I needed that for a time) brought home maple bacon ice cream last night to celebrate the move and the end of my sweets-free month.  Holy moly, it was better than I had remembered it being.  Because I hadn't eaten ice cream in a month, it tasted SO sweet and rich.  Every bite was an experience, and for the first time in a while I didn't eat the whole bowl in 5 seconds.

And then, about an hour later, a gnarly headache set in... and I still have the remnants of it this morning.  Hello sugar hangover. 

In looking back over this month, instances of saying yes to food when I should have said no immediately come to mind.  But then I realized how many things I did say no to, and it's all worth it. 

I don't know where mine and sugar's relationship will go from this point.  I know that I never want it to return to what it was.  Grapefruit has officially become my go-to sweet and it doesn't kick me in the head or the stomach - it makes me want to get outside and move!

-K

19/52 // The Move

Today Michael and I locked up our second place of dwelling since getting married. That apartment was good to us.  It was a part of our first real taste of adult married life not as students.  It was comfortable, welcoming, and gave us space to grow as individuals and as a couple.  I look back on our year on Grand and realize that this year was really pivotal for Michael and I in figuring out what we want our lives to be, and how to encourage each other in those visions.  We got married understanding that we wanted our lives to be about glorifying God and loving others, and this past year we began to hopefully put together some of the pieces of what that may look like.  

The photo below was taken in the same spot the day we moved into the apartment. 

Tomorrow we hope to give a glimpse into our new place.  We love it.  It's got everything we need and not much more, and so far I love not paying for space that just holds junk!

-K&M

18/52 // Spring Formal

Yesterday we went to Moody's Spring Formal for the fifth time.  FIVE FORMALS we have attended.  I don't usually feel like we've been in Spokane that long, but then I count up annual events like this and think of all that has changed between each one. Whew. 

But one thing has not changed: formal means neckties and lipstick.

The photo booth took care of the rest of the pictures for the evening.

-K&M

17/52

This week kicked off my (Michael) new schedule at The Scoop! This ramped up my hours and synced up our schedules. What a blessing. After a full yet relaxing week, we went out with a couple of friends for a photo shoot. They were kind enough to let us take a little break from their shoot to let us snap a few of our own. We have passed up this location many times on our previous outings, but were glad to finally stop into this new spot.

In other news, we were approved for a new apartment so I'm sure our postings for the next few weeks will be related to the move!

-M&K

16/52 // Bloomsday

Bloomsday comes every spring in Spokane.  Honestly, this is the first one I've embraced as an opportunity to get involved in the community - in years prior I've just tried my best to avoid the crowds, traffic, and closed roads. But watching the event today, and cheering a bunch of strangers on as they entered the last mile of the race, was a really neat experience. Michael was always seeing regulars at the Scoop run by - those were some speedy little kids!  It's also more fun for me to watch running events now that my mom and sister run and do triathlons. Maybe one day I'll be as cool as them. :)

A lot of people were willing to throw up a fist pump when they saw the camera. :)

Seriously, these people are inspiring!

We were stationed at the beginning of mile 7 - it was fun to see people regain their motivation when they realized they were in the home stretch!  It also meant that we took a lot of pictures of people with the "Mile 7" sign on their phones as they passed - I'm sure it felt good to put that sign behind them!

This guy was one of my favorites.

Throw in some hot tea & coffee to keep us warm, and it was a great morning.

Well done, runners!  Thanks for bringing the city together.

-K&M

15/52

Here we are, a week late (again). And this week's aren't very exciting... we've both been working outside of and in the home a lot.  It's been amazing.  How does organizing closets really feel SO cleansing?  Michael and I have both been finding that the less stuff we have, the more freedom we feel.  I think it's a combination of a lot of things but I love not having a basement full of things that I consider to be valuable but am not using.  Having extra stuff requires time for upkeep, organizing, and cleaning, and I think each thing also holds a little piece of my heart that just loves having stuff.  But that's all that it is - stuff!  It makes moving that much more of a pain and finding anything even a bigger pain.  We do treasure things that hold special memories for each of us, but we're getting to the place of letting go of our entire high school wardrobes (I know, it's embarrassing...), trinkets, and many "just in case" items. 

Michael won't be driving the truck quite as much this summer but he did want to show off the beginnings of the new paint job!

So happy spring cleaning and organizing to all of you, if that's your thing.

Much love, 

-K&M