It's a Golden Life

At 14 weeks today, I officially enter the second trimester. This pregnancy is going by quickly! I had my ob check up today and everything was good! 7 vials of blood and I was good to go!  Our little baby is the size of a lemon. (About 3 inches and 1.5 oz.) I've gained 3 pounds, making it a total of 5 so far.  No more nausea! With the exception of some foods-like pizza (just can't even). I have had a nice appetite back. Really enjoying pickles (I may have eaten 6 yesterday...), yogurt, lots of oranges and other fruits, Mexican anything is real good! I haven't been sugar crazed like I usually am, so that's a good change!  June 19th is the day we will find out if we are having a little Huxley, or a little Maeve!  Can't wait.  Here's looking at you sweet little lemon. Even though you were a complete surprise to us, you weren't to your creator! 

I suppose it's time to start documenting this pregnancy to remember all the little in's and out's.  12 weeks along today 5/7/15 Weight gain: about 4 pounds Baby size: large plum, 2.5 inches, .5 oz.  How I'm feeling: much better. Morning/all day queasiness has subsided. Still don't really have an appetite. Pretty tired. Ligament pain already.  Next dr. appt: May 21.  We will find out next month if we have our Maeve Karis or Huxley Thane! 

Chi had a great first season of soccer! He loved the competition and working with his team! He was pretty sad when he realized as we were pulling out of the parking lot that was his last game on his team.  Chi on defense! He roamed all over the field. His favorite position was forward. He loved shooting for the goal.  Going in for a shot!  Goal! He was pretty pumped to have scored in the last game!  Chi with one of his best buddies, Grant.  Receiving his beloved trophy from Coach.  His adorable team this year! So proud of him. 

As of May 1, we officially put our house on the market. I have so many mixed emotions! Maybe the pregnancy hormones are a little over the top, but I have had a few ugly cries over the past few weeks leading up to getting the house ready to sell. When we bought his house, we got a once in a lifetime deal in so many ways. The price was unheard of for so much square footage and a little bit of property. There are more rooms than our family even needs, and we are working on our 4th kid and the adoption.  I imagined our kids as teenagers, fighting over the bathrooms and sulking around their rooms. Family dinners around our table. Family get togethers for holidays, birthdays, and celebrations. But that got me thinking. I am sad about the memories we didn't get to have in this home, but I can cherish the numerous memories we have had here!  Home is where your family is. No matter where our next home will be, what the next chapter of our lives will look like-we will make new memories ...

Recently, I have contemplated why I keep a blog. While anger, hurt, sadness, and pain have been the prominent state of mind since mid February, I had to take a step back and examine my motives of this place, as I often express my deepest feelings and hurt through writing up drafts.  It makes me feel a little bit better when I am able to articulate what is going on in my heart and mind.  With much introspection, I realized that the main reason I keep a blog is to remember snippets of time in our journey as a family. I love the fact that I can look back 8 years and see pictures of our little family starting out with my pregnancy with Malachi-and through two more pregnancies, and all the ups and downs in between those babies. With this 4th baby, I don't want it to be any different. I want to remember how crazy it was that we were in the adoption process to bring our daughter home (and still are), and somehow God, in his goodness, has blessed us with another child to raise in him....

I  may never arrive at having it all figured out, but I don't want to-I want to grow through it all. Just when I feel I have a handle on life, a curve ball is thrown and I am pushed off the mound.  Some days, it is difficult to sit back and try to understand the plans God has for your life. It's a guessing game of am I ever just going to "get" what is going on today or tomorrow or ten years from now. Oh, how certain events lead up to an uncertain future.  Sometimes I literally look up to the sky as if He were to be physically staring back at me- deep into my eyes- and I question, "Why?" It's as if I lose sight of God in these situations, when in reality-He is all over them.  Isaiah 40:28   Have you not known? Have you not heard?  The  Lord  is  the everlasting God,   the Creator of the ends of the earth.  He does not faint or grow weary;   his understanding is unsearchable. He does not grow faint or weary as I do. I pray that I...

Malachi had his very first practice of any sport yesterday! We have wanted to enroll him in soccer, football, or basketball for years now, but our extremely busy work schedules and irradic times we got off, made it very difficult to commit to a sport for any of the kiddos. Chi has been pleading and campaigning for sports for years, so we finally made it a priority and signed him up for soccer through the community center. He is on a team with two of his little buddies, and they are so cute together.  At his first practice, Chi was timid at first. He is a perfectionist, so he went super slow trying to control the ball. By the end of practice, he had a little more control and confidence. He will be scoring goals in no time!  It will be so fun practicing with him. I loved soccer (and still do!) and know he will enjoy being a part of a team so much! We are so proud of our little buddy.  I didn't bring our real camera, and tried not to creep or embarrass him too much...  ...