So many things that I had before

Well, it's late. And I'm alone. Again. And what do I do when it's late and I'm alone? Sleep? No. I think, but it's more than that. It's more like my mind goes on complete overdrive. It all starts with the reason that I'm alone. My husband is in training for an elite branch of the military, which, although wonderously noble on the outside, it's tough on the inside. I have always been one-hundred percent on board for this pursuit, I just never knew what sacrifices would have to be made on our part. It's like he works for a company that completely owns him and every second of every day. During training, there are late nights (most of them planned, some unexpected) and there are not sick days. There are no personal days for going with your wife to her first ultrasound and there's the big question of how you will be there for the delivery.

I fight it so hard, but I still cry every night that he's gone. (I'm sure that the being pregnant and setting my itunes to Patty Griffin doesn't help the situation either.) And I know that it will get easier. And I rest (albeit struggling to) in the fact that this is God's will for us right now. But this is not what I pictured. Where is the line between wanting to spend my life with my husband and being okay with him being gone so much? I don't want to do life with other military wives, as wonderful as they are, I want to do life with my husband. That's why I married him. He's my best friend. I look forward to the days when I'm not up at midnight wondering if he will get released to come home that night.

Sisters and Aunts

My little sister Grace is quite possibly the most intelligent 5 year old I've ever met. She is also quite stubborn, so when she makes up her mind about anything, it's pretty much made up for good. One day while Mom was getting ready she was watching one of her "shows" on TV, which is a normal occurrence. The problem was that on this day, Mom was taking a little longer and Grace's show ended and "A Baby Story" came on. Long story short, Grace was scarred, maybe even for life. Since then, she has sworn that she "hates babies" and never wants to get married because she never wants to have a baby. (She thought the baby came out of the lady's leg on TV and assumed that the lady would then have to get stitches.) This was before last Christmas and she has been singing the same tune ever since.

You can imagine how she took the news that I was going to have a baby. The following is an actual conversation between she and Sarah, my other sister. I swear I'm not even embellishing.

Sarah: So, have you heard Brian and Kel's news?
Grace: Yes, and I'm not happy about it. You know how I feel about those...
Sarah: But, Grace, you'll like this one.
Grace: That's what they keep telling me...

Last week she confessed to Mom that she thinks she'll probably become a mom one day. Which was followed by the admission that then she'll probably have to get married one day.

We have a sneaking suspicion that it all has to do with her getting to wear a certain white "bride" dress. But at least we're making progress.

Tiny Dancer

If I didn't already believe that God is sovereign and working all things together, I probably would be starting to about now.

Last Thursday, I was finally able to speak to the nurse who schedules appointments for my OB and she was super nice and understanding about my situation. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised. I still had to go to the little class on Monday to fill out paperwork and have about half of my blood content drawn for various tests, but I was then able to go back on Tuesday (yesterday) for the first appointment.

As it turns out, I am not as far along in this pregnancy as I had previously thought. I am currently at 10 weeks, which makes a lot of sense with the timeline of when I got a positive pregnancy test and when I started to feel sick and tired. The doctor assured me that this is all fine and normal.

The best part is, I got to see the baby! It was so exciting that I laughed and cried at the same time. S/he was moving all around - dancing, if you will. The doctor said that s/he looked perfectly normal and healthy for a 10 week old. That made it feel so real.

Looking forward to March 11, 2009...