Pregnancy Highlights: 18 weeks

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 18 weeks 3 days

Size of Baby Newsham: According to the What to Expect app on my phone, our baby is the size of a mango or 6 in, .5 lbs. However, at our ultrasound on Monday the ultrasound tech told us that Olivia Jane weighs about 9 oz!!

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Maternity Clothes: I am not ashamed to admit that I have been wearing some maternity clothes. My favorite thing so far is the Be Band that my friend Julie gave me. It allows me to continue to wear my regular clothes as my baby belly continues to grow. Thanks Julie!

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Gender: Bring on the pink, because we are having a baby GIRL!!

Names: Now that we know our baby is a girl, we have decided to name her Olivia Jane.

Getting Ready: I spent almost an hour on Wednesday, March 28th, 2012, talking with my youngest sister Vivian about all the baby stuff that I really need to put on my registry. It was so helpful to talk with Vivian about baby stuff! Vivian is already a Mom to my nephew Kenneth, with a baby girl due in less than two weeks, so she had lots of ideas and insight into what we need before Olivia arrives in August.

Movement: I can feel Olivia moving. Earlier this week, I was sitting at work at my desk, when all of a sudden Olivia starts kicking me like crazy. It didn't hurt, to be honest it tickled a little! I tried telling Olivia that she needed to calm down so that I could focus on my work, but she was having too much fun. I love feeling her move!!

Sleep: Recently, I have been sleeping very well! I have even been staying up later than normal! However, that could have something to do with the fact that I started reading The Hunger Games. I'm just excited that I have had more energy these last few weeks.

What I Miss: I miss being able to run/jog. I participated in a 5K last weekend and it was so hard to just walk it! I am looking forward to being able to run again after Olivia is born.

Best Moment of the Week: The BEST moment this week...WOW that's hard because it has been such an incredible week. However, I am going to have to go with our ultrasound on Monday  and finding out that our baby is a little girl was the best moment this week! It was so amazing to watch Olivia move around on the ultrasound. She is so beautiful and I am falling more and more in love with her each day!

Food Cravings: I am still craving protein, which makes me feel a bit like a carnivore. However, I am also craving pancakes, which have been my breakfast of choice since I got pregnant!

Symptoms: Right now, my main symptoms are my expanding waistline. I'm also experiencing some back pain, espcially if I sit too long.

Due Date: August 28, 2012

Next Dr. Appointment: Wednesday, April 25, 2012 at 3:45pm

Daddy: Jon is such an amazing man. Remember how I told you that I've been craving pancakes? Well, this past Sunday, Jon made me a pancake breakfast before we left for church. It was so good! He knows how much I've been craving them and he went out of his way to make sure that Olivia and I got what we were craving. On Monday, Jon came with me to the ultrasound and doctor's appointments. It was so nice to have him with me, so that he could see and hear our daughter!

Wordless Wednesday: It's a Girl

Advice To Wives: Stop Praying

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I just want to start by thanking the ladies over at Proverbs 31 ministries, for being faithful to write daily devotionals for women like me!! God has used your devotionals to speak to me more times than I can count!

On Thursday, March 22nd, 2012 an email devotional was sent out called, Advice To Wives: Stop Praying. The same day that Lysa TerKeurst wrote the devotional below, she also wrote a blog post called, "Jesus Loves Those in Messy Marriages". If you are married, I would highly recommend that you set aside a little bit of time to read Lysa's devotional and blog post.

I told you that God used both of these devotional posts to speak to me about my marriage. Here are just three things that God told me.

1. God Loves Me and Jon
God loves me no matter what! He might not approved my attitude or actions, however those things can never separate me from the love that God has for me.

"And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ"
- Ephesians 3:17b-18

2. Stop Fixing
For years, I have been trying to fix my husband. Recently, God been teaching me that He is the only one who will ever be able to change Jon. Some days I do really well and trust God with my husband, but other days I revert back to my old self and try to fix any "problems" that I see.

If you are not supposed to "fix" your husband, many of you may be wondering what you are supposed to do. I will tell you! 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 outlines God's will for us in Christ. There are three things that Paul wrote about: rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances. Slowly we need to take our eyes off of our husbands and shift them back to Jesus!

"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."
- 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

3. Stick with Jesus
Marriage is hard. I'm sure that there are many of you our there who have reached the point where you just do not know what to do anymore. Before you consider quitting or giving up, try sticking with Jesus. Give Jesus your problems, worries, frustrations, and insecurities. Let Jesus come into your marriage and make it something that brings Him honor and glory. I did not say it would be easy, but life is so much better when Jesus is by your side.

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”
- Jeremiah 17:7-8

What is God speaking to you about your marriage? How can I be praying for you? Leave me a comment below and let me know how I can lift your marriage up in prayer.

Flashback Friday: My Birthday in Pictures

Last Thursday, March 15th, I celebrated my birthday!! I did my best to take a lot of pictures of this significant event in my life. After all, this was my last birthday before I become a Mommy. I have already told you about my Birthday Haircut, which was very exciting. However, I want to share the rest of my birthday pictures with you. I hope you enjoy them!

{Tuesday, March 13, 2012}

My Weight Watchers co-worker, Sherry, brought me these cupcakes on Tuesday evening for my birthday.

{Wednesday, March 14, 2012}

Wednesday night, I got a birthday package in the mail from my friend Michelle! She sent me all kinds of wonderful goodies!!

{Thursday, March 15, 2012}

My birthday was on Thursday which meant that I had to work that day. However, I did not let that kill my birthday joy!

The ladies that I work with took me out to Pizza King for my birthday lunch! I've been craving this for weeks and could not wait to eat some pizza!!

Me at Pizza King trying to decide on what kind of pizza I wanted to order.

I decided on Canadian Bacon and Pineapple...my favorite!!

My co-workers also bought my a Chocolate Chip Cookie Sandwich for my birthday. Yes, I ate it and it was amazing!!

After I got home from work Jon and I headed over to a friend's house to have birthday dinner and play games.

Our friends, Bryan, Tabitha, and their son Wyatt made me a birthday sign!! It's it awesome!?

Tabitha made me a birthday cake with my favorite color...PINK!!

Wyatt and I decided to practice our cheesy smiles for the camera.

Jon and Bryan enjoying the cake that Tabitha made for me.

Tabitha and I were ready for cake too!

This is my birthday present from Jon! He bought me a new board game: Ticket to Ride Europe!!

After Wyatt went to bed the four of us decided to try out my new game.

Bryan won the very first game we played!

{Saturday, March 17, 2012}

Jon decided to have a small party for me with a few close friends on Saturday. This is the birthday cake that Jon made for me!! It has Twizzlers and Starburst Jelly Beans on top.

It was so good!!

Me, sporting my new haircut, and showing off my birthday cake!

These are my board games! Last year, I got Shadows Over Camelot for my birthday.

For the party we have lots of good things to snack on!

I had to try everything out before the party started, because the baby and I were hungry!

Jon and I had some fun with the camera and took pictures before the party started.

Me on my birthday.

Me and our baby.

My bump is slowly getting bigger and bigger as the weeks go by!

I had such a wonderful time at my birthday! It was so good that I completely forgot to take pictures Saturday afternoon and evening. Oh well! Even though I don't have pictures I still had an awesome weekend.

Thank you everyone for all of the sweet birthday wishes!!

Visit Jen for more flashbacks.

Pregnancy Highlights: 17 weeks

Pregnancy Highlights
How Far Along: 17 weeks and 2 days

Size of Baby Newsham: Our baby is the size of a sweet potato or 5.5 in, 5 oz.

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Maternity Clothes: Even though I have some maternity clothes, I have not made the switch into them yet. I want to continue to wear my regular clothes as long as I can. That is getting more and more difficult as my belly grows, so I am sure that I will be in maternity clothes before you know it!

Gender: We will find out the gender of our baby in just 4 days!! I cannot wait to know whether or not we are having a boy or a girl. I cannot wait to give our baby a name. It is my prayer that as our child continues to grow so will our love for him/her. We want to tell our family first, but after that we will let you know what we found out.

Names: We will let you know our baby's names after we find out the gender on Monday.

Getting Ready: There is always a lot to do in preparation for a baby! We're still reading books and praying for our unborn child on a regular basis. The next thing on our To-Do list is to create a baby registry. After we find out whether or not we are having a boy or a girl, we will start registering for things that we need for our little one.

Movement: I am starting to feel baby flutters more and more frequently! It is amazing and proof that there is actually a baby in my tummy. I cannot wait until Jon can feel the baby move too!

Sleep: This past week, there were a few nights I did not sleep very well. However, I do not think that had anything to do with me and everything to do with the warm/humid weather that we have been experiencing. We even had to take the extra blanket off of our bed, because it's been too hot at night time.

What I Miss: I do not miss anything right now. I LOVE being pregnant. I am sure that I will miss things as my pregnancy progresses and my body continues to change. However, right now that's not the case.

Best Moment of the Week: The highlight of the week for me was my birthday! I feel like we've been celebrating my birthday all week, which has been so much fun! I am so thankful to everyone who sent me birthday cards, texts, messages, and phone calls. It's always nice to hear from people and be reminded about just how much they love me! I also really enjoyed being able to get my haircut!

Food Cravings: This past week I have been craving protein, specifically hamburgers!! Last Saturday, Jon and I went on a walk and while we were outside we walked past this home that smelled just like summer! The man was outside barbecuing on his charcoal grill! My pregnant nose was quick to point out such a wonderful smell. I asked Jon if he thought the man would share his burgers with us. Probably not...bummer!

Even though I didn't get those burgers, Jon was kind even to take me out the next day to The Butcher Shop so that I could get a burger of my own!! I order the turkey burger and ate the entire thing! It was so good!

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Symptoms: I am thankful to report that I have not been experiencing any major pregnancy symptoms. I'm still having weird dreams, craving foods, and expanding. However, other than that I feel wonderful! Praise the Lord!

Due Date: August 28, 2012

Next Dr. Appointment: Monday, March 26th, 2012 at 8:45am

Daddy: Jon is amazing as he continues to help me around the house with chores, cooking, laundry, and more!! Even though housework is important, Jon also helps me to relax and have fun!

This past Sunday, Jon made plans for us to play disc golf with another couple he knows from work. I have only played disc golf once, so I knew that I would be horrible. However, I thought it would be a fun way for Jon and I to spend time together. We went and bought two discs, one for each of us. As it turned out we had a lot of fun playing disc golf! I told Jon that it is a sport that I could really get into. We only had one casualty, when we lost Jon's brand-new disc on the fourth hole!

After playing disc golf, the four of us went and got snow cones!! Snow cones are one of my favorite things about Texas and with the warm Spring weather all the snow cone stands have already opened for business. For my first snow cone of the year, I ordered Wedding Cake, which was so good!!

I am so thankful that Jon pushes me to try new things, just don't push too hard honey. I am also thankful that he is willing to spoil me with things that he knows I enjoy!!

Jon waiting for my birthday party to begin.

Gaining Pregnancy Weight

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As it turns out, I’ve got too much on my mind for this to be a wordless Wednesday. Sorry for the double blog post today, but I don’t know God’s timing and when He is going to speak to me.

I have a hard time verbalizing my feelings, which is why I prefer to write them down. Being pregnant has been hard, because my hormones seem to intensify my emotions. I feel my emotions much more strongly than ever before, which makes it challenging to control them and properly evaluate them. I have had a lot on my mind recently, but I have not felt comfortable talking about this with anyone, because I didn’t think that people would understand. As a result of bottling up my emotions, I’ve hurt those around me, because I have been unhappy and angry with myself. I'm sorry for my actions and am thankful that God's working on me!

Each woman faces her own unique challenges and struggles during pregnancy. The hardest part about pregnancy for me is gaining weight. I have worked so hard to get rid of the extra weight on my body. Not only have I made it to my goal weight, but I was able to maintain it for over 2 years.

Last week was my birthday week and it was so hard! I ate too many sweets and goodies, which caused me to gain over 5 pounds, which is more than what my baby needed in one week. As a result of my big gain, I have felt guilty and ashamed of the weight that I put on. If I had been able to gain a healthy amount of weight that would have been one thing, but in my mind gaining over 5 pounds in one week is not okay even if I am pregnant!

This week, my goal has been to reign myself in again. I want to choose healthy and nutritious foods that are good for both my baby and me. I want to say no to sweets and junk food, which is hard. Just because I am pregnant people think I should be able to eat whatever I want. I believed in this at first, especially for the two months that I was queasy and experiencing morning sickness. What baby wanted, baby got, mostly because nothing else sounded good to eat. However, now that I am feeling so great, I don’t think that means I should eat whatever I want just because I am pregnant.

As you can see, I’ve been so discouraged and frustrated with my weight and the choices this past week.

I receive a weekly email from Jennifer Polimino where she shares with me what I can pray for each week for my baby. This morning, I read her week 17 email which God used to speak to my discouraged heart! Here is the prayer I read:

Dear Lord, as my baby continues to grow, I pray that she will gain the right amount of weight, including the healthy amount of body fat. Help me to eat in a healthy way and exercise on a regular basis so I don't put my baby in jeopardy of having diabetes or other obesity-related health issues. Give me the strength to avoid junk foods and excessive sugar and fat.

Lord, help me to concentrate on good health and not become obsessed with body weight and body image. I know my self-worth comes from You, and not from the way I look. Please help me with that, and help me pass on to my child only good attitudes about her appearance and her weight. Protect my child from eating disorders and a poor self-image.

Empower us, as a family, to live a healthy lifestyle. Empower us to be good testimonies of Your love, forgiveness and life-changing power. I pray that we would shine from an inner glow of Your Holy Spirit, and that it would attract people to You.

Dear God, please continue to bless and guide my baby's development. I thank You for Your love and protection.

In Jesus' name. Amen.

Wow! This is exactly what I’ve been struggling with all week long! It is important that I make healthy choices for myself and my child, however it is not worth it to beat myself up over gaining more weight than I wanted to. I had forgotten to remember that my identity is not found in my ability to maintain my goal weight. However, it is God alone defines who I am!

Thank you Lord for the truth of your word! Help me to dwell on that and not let myself be dragged down by my insecurities. Help me to be a good example to my son/daughter and teach them how to lead a healthy lifestyle. As I gain weight I pray that you would continue to work on my character and make me into the Godly Mom that you want me to be!

"How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts!" - Psalm 84:1

Wordless Wednesday: Rejoice in Hope

Birthday Haircut

I took a lot of pictures on my birthday and throughout my birthday weekend! I will try to post the pictures that I took throughout the week.

One of the things that I really wanted for my birthday was to go and get my haircut! I always have such a hard time trying to decide what I want to do with my hair. So, I left work a little bit early on Friday afternoon to go to my hair appointment.

Before

When I got there I explained to my stylist that I thought my hair was long and boring and just needed some help! She listened to my concerns and then went to work trying to give me the best haircut possible. As she finished styling my hair I was a little nervous, because I did not want my hair this short. However, now that I've had a few days with my new haircut, I think it is just the change I needed!

After

I think this is the perfect haircut for me as I head into the summer as a pregnant woman!!

Pregnancy Highlights: 16 weeks

Pregnancy Highlights
How Far Along: 16 weeks 3 days

Size of Baby Newsham: This week Jon informed me the our baby is not a fruit. So, let me switch gears for every man out there who is tired of hearing me compare my baby's size to fruit.

Our baby is the size of a small stud finder or 5 in, 5 oz. Is there better guys?

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Maternity Clothes: This past Sunday at church a friend gave me an entire box of maternity clothes! This gift was such an answer to my prayers, because I've been asking God to provide maternity clothes for me. These clothes were all just the right size and fit me perfectly! I still don't need to wear maternity clothes, but when my baby belly finally shows up, I will be ready for it. If you would like to read more about this, click here.

Me with all of my new maternity clothes

Gender: In just 10 days we will have our ultrasound that will reveal to us the gender of our baby!! Please pray that our baby moves around into just the right position so that we can know whether or not we are having a boy or a girl.

Names: Again, I just don't want to announce names until we know whether or not we are having a boy or a girl. I will tell you more about that later.

Getting Ready: This week we haven't really done anything to get ready for the baby. Thursday, March 15th was my birthday and so we've taken a little break from planning, cleaning, and organizing.

Movement: This week, when I'm sitting down watching a movie or TV, I have been trying to study my body to see whether or not I can feel the baby move. Wednesday night, March 14th, I was pretty certain that I could feel our baby move. However, I don't know what it feels like to have the baby move, so there is a chance that it wasn't the baby. I am excited for the coming weeks and to be able to learn what our baby's movements feel like!

Sleep: This week I had some more weird dreams. However, this time it was Michael Phelps who came to hangout with me and Jon (I guess I have a secret thing for sports guys). Maybe Derek Jeter or Tim Tebow will be next?

I was not the only one in our home having weird dreams this week. Somehow I passed this symptom on to Jon too! The same night I was dreaming about Michael Phelps, Jon had a dream that he/himself cut off my legs and ate them for dessert! Jon said that he could not figure out how I would be able to take care of the baby without any legs! Isn't that gross!? I guess, we need to start watching what we eat before we go to bed.

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What I Miss: What I miss is being able to sleep anyway I want. This week, I read about how I should avoid sleeping on my back. At first, I didn't think this would be a problem for me. However, all week the only sleeping position that has been comfortable for me is when I lay on my back. Please pray that I will find a position that is comfortable for me, especially as my body continues to grow and change.

Best Moment of the Week: There are so many amazing things that happened this week that I am not sure I can pick just one! For me, it's a tie between receiving maternity clothes and feeling the baby move. Both of these things were amazing and I am thankful for such amazing experiences!!

Food Cravings: Anything salty (Michelle you would be so proud of me)...chips, popcorn, cheddar cheese, crackers, and more!

Symptoms: Right now, I feel great! I feel so good that I had to ask Jon if he thought I was still pregnant. Praise the Lord for the second trimester!

Due Date: August 28, 2012

Next Dr. Appointment: Monday, March 26th, 2012 at 8:45am

Daddy: Jon is amazing. I realize that I say that every week, but it's true. This week Jon received approval to have March 26th off from work, which means that he will be able to come with me to my ultrasound and other doctor's appointments!! I am so thankful for this, because I was really nervous that he would have a flight at the same time as my ultrasound. I want us to be able to see our baby together!!

I took a few extra pictures of myself this week, so I hope you enjoy them!!