Weekly Pregnancy Post

This week felt different than the others. I can't really put my finger on exactly what makes me say that - I think it's a combination of a few things. My pregnancy symptoms (I hate using the word symptom, it makes me sound sick!) are changing daily now, I'm officially nesting, and I'm already have separation anxiety from our little one (I'll explain more later). Of course, the hormones of pregnancy aren't helping with that last one. Needless to say, I am starting to feel pregnant in that "I'm so excited for the baby to come" kind of way. While I was certainly excited the past 14 weeks, there was still a lot of anxiety and fears mixed in. I know those may resurface but we've been reassured that things are progressing nicely. Now my biggest fear is the actual labor part, but we'll save that for another day :)

How Far Along: 15 Weeks

Pregnancy Symptoms: The nausea is really just about gone now (hallelujah!!)...it comes around when I'm really starving, usually first thing in the morning. The headaches linger but since the weather got cooler for the past week, I've noticed they've decreased in intensity. Perhaps my allergies are resurfacing a little and that could be a cause. I've got that good ole' fashioned pregnancy stuffed nose which can make it hard to breathe, especially when I'm trying to sleep. And speaking of sleep, I'm actually starting to get some (another hallelujah!!). Since the frequent trips to the bathroom have decreased, I get some more snooze time in and it's fabulous! I guess my biggest complaint (and basically only) at this point is fatigue and exhaustion. Oh, and those hormones I mentioned earlier - but I'll get into that later.

Food Cravings: I'm sad to report that the cheese cravings have passed. I think I overstayed my welcome in the cheese department. In fact, I'm developing an aversion to cheese. Thankfully, milk is still high on the list. I'm having more sporadic, one-at-time type cravings. This week it's been McDonald's Chocolate Shakes (no whip please), plain long john donuts with white frosting (did I mentioned I've always hated donuts??), and red grapes (I'm usually a green grape kind of girl). At least one of those three has some nutritional value :)

What I Miss: I can't say I miss much of anything from pre-pregnancy life this week. I've got my energy back and I'm sleeping more...life is good!

Maternity Clothes: I'm down to my last pair of shorts that still button. Still living in athletic clothes whenever possible. Everyone says I should get a Belly Band but I'm just not sure I'd feel comfortable wearing my pants unbuttoned. Why not just wear maternity pants? I've started looking but until I go back to work in two weeks and need to actually care what I look like each day, I'll stick with gym shorts and tanks.

Best Pregnancy Moment of the Week: Continuing to feel the baby move. I haven't felt the baby move as much as I did the first time, or for as long, but there are daily movements now. They feel more like little bubbles, sometimes like tiny butterflies. I notice the baby moving when I'm lying down watching TV or reading and especially when I'm drinking my morning breakfast drink.

Worst Pregnancy Moment of the Week: This week deserves a worst pregnancy moment because let's be honest, pregnancy isn't all glamour. The worst moment of this week, and maybe even the entire pregnancy (past and future) was looking at our first childcare option. I'll write a whole post dedicated to this one when I've really gathered all my thoughts on it - but for now, I'll tell you that I never expected to feel as sad, guilty, and down-right miserable as I did this week. It was a great facility - a small Christian center with amazing caregivers. I know our child would be well cared for and loved there. But the moment I left, I was in tears. The ball like a baby, shake you to your core kind of tears. I cried all morning. Thankfully, I have a mom whose been through this and who assured me this is perfectly normal and a husband who just gets it - understands how deep a mother's love can be. I can't imagine how much I'll love our baby once he/she is born because in that moment, leaving the center, I loved our baby so much I couldn't stand to ever leave it.

Just five weeks left until we find out whether baby is a boy or girl. I mentioned earlier I was nesting... and boy am I nesting! With all this free time on my hands, I've cleaned and organized the entire house. We have room for diapers and baby gear in the closets. I started clearing out the baby's room, picked out the paint color, and pretty much mentally designed the nursery. I look forward to finding out baby's gender so I go move forward with the decorating process. Oh how I'm so happy when I'm nesting :)

Conversations

I had two very interesting conversations this week with two of my favorite kids. They got me thinking about the type of children I hope to raise and the values I hope to teach them, the passions I hope to share with them, and the compassion I hope to instill in their precious hearts.

The first conversation really caught me off guard. I was driving E out to the barn the other day when she said, "Natasha, will you take me to Africa someday?" I've shared my experiences and love for Africa with the kids before - my volunteer work, what it's like to be an orphan, what Africa is like as a continent and culture - I've shared pictures, too. But it's been a while since that first trip and those conversations. I told E I'd love to take her to Africa someday... then asked if she'd talked about this with her parents. No, she hadn't. I explained to her that going to Africa is a big deal - it's a beautiful place but life circumstances of the people there are hard, the things you witness can be difficult to understand, and the logistics of traveling to a place like Africa can be complex. I told her that perhaps in a few years, when she's a little older, we could explore the idea of visiting Africa together (and after discussing it with her parents, too!). Then I asked why she wanted to visit Africa. She told me she wanted to volunteer there, maybe with kids, maybe with animals. She wanted to go on a safari, too. She told me she just really wanted to visit Africa. She reminded me of how eager I was to see the continent at her age. I pray that her heart continues to yearn for Africa and that someday I can be with her as she experiences Africa for the very first time.

The second conversation happened yesterday while we were all having lunch. I was wearing my "I need Africa more than Africa needs me" shirt. One of the girls asked what my shirt said and I read it to them. Little D was sitting next to me. He looked up at me and said, "Wait a minute. That doesn't make sense. Africa needs us more because it is very poor. Your shirt is backwards missy." Bless his seven-year old heart of gold. He's completely right - the continent of Africa is poor. And they probably do really need us more than we need them...logistically, financially, and spiritually that is. I tried to explain what the shirt meant. How Africa changed me and my life so much - how I needed to experience Africa, and be reminded of it and it's poverty, disease, and orphan crisis continually. I think that was more than a seven year old can comprehend. His response: "Well, guess we all need some Africa then, huh?" Yes, D, we all do.

Two simple conversations. They reminded me of the influence I have in the lives of these children - children who aren't even my own but who I care for deeply and who I consider my family. I pray that someday, I'll be having these types of conversations with my own children. From an early age I want to instill Christian values in them - teach them about love, compassion, and forgiveness. I want to help their little hearts understand the greater world in which they live = to love their Christian brothers and sisters in Africa. To pray for kids who have less than we do. To pray for their little brother or sister that someday will join our family from across the world. It amazes me what children can remember and what they can understand. And the overwhelming amount of compassion they can demonstrate when we least expect it.

As a side note, please read a truly inspiring and thought-provoking post about our prayer that God continues to break our heart for what breaks his. Andrea shared some great thoughts on this today and I encourage you to read what she wrote - I'm not sure I could say it any better myself.

Weekly Pregnancy Post

The weeks are just flying by! I'm amazed at how much my body changes with each new week. I'm starting to gain some of my energy back, the pregnancy symptoms I'm experiencing change on a daily basis, and I'm officially getting the urge to start nesting. Dave's certainly ready to nest too... he's so excited and ready to be a dad, I fall in love with him more each day :)

How Far Along: 14 Weeks

Pregnancy Symptoms: The headaches are intensifying, especially in the late afternoons and evenings. The nausea comes and goes, mostly when baby wants to be fed. I'm so forgetful these days (please tell me that's a pregnancy symptom)... I put the milk in the pantry the other day and forgot that I started a load of laundry until about 5 hours after it had to be switched over. I'm starting to sleep a little more as I get a break from the constant trips to the bathroom throughout the night but the constant feeling of tiredness lingers throughout the day. Overall, I feel so much better than the first trimester - I have more energy, I feel less sick, and my appetite is coming back.

Food Cravings: I'm still craving cheese and milk mostly. Meat still doesn't appeal to me much but fruit is climbing the ranks - unfortunately, I haven't had any veggie cravings yet. I'm definitely craving more sweets than before. Give me a handful of cold chocolate chips and I'm a happy girl :)

What I Miss: Being able to exercise at the same intensity as pre-pregnancy. My doctor warned me I might feel more tired quicker when exercising and she was right. But she also encouraged me to keep with it because exercising will have a positive effect on the pregnancy and labor.

Maternity Clothes: Not yet. Baggy shirts and athletic clothes are the preference. You can't see the bump unless I'm in my gym gear - Dave loves to see the little bump come out. Speaking of Dave, his athletic clothes are slowly ending up in my dresser drawers. Nothing is more comfortable at this stage of pregnancy than his gym shorts :)

Best Pregnancy Moment of the Week: Feeling the baby's first movements! The other day I was sitting reading a magazine, finishing up my breakfast shake, when I felt some movement. I called Dave to tell him I felt like there was a butterfly trapped in my stomach and it was trying to escape. The movement lasted about 6-8 seconds. Dave, being my pregnancy expert (he researches everything!) informed me that what I felt was a flutter and that the experts describe it just like I did - a butterfly. I've felt it a few times since but not for as long as that first time. I can't wait to see how it'll feel when baby starts kicking.

Summer Vacation

I'd like to think of this little break from work as my very own mini summer vacation. I've had a few weeks off since leaving my job and I don't start my new job for three more weeks so essentially, this really has been a summer vacation. And I'm loving it. I've had time to spend with my mom, visit with my sister-in-law home from Peru, catch up with old friends, finish up some projects around the house, and relax. Had I not been pregnant during this time, I probably would have found myself a little bored but it's been nice to nap during the day (since sleeping at night is a rarity these days) and to not have to worry about getting sick in the middle of a meeting or even worse, with a patient. Perhaps the best part of this mini summer vacation is spending time with my three favorite kids.

I started watching D, K, and E the summer after my freshman year of college. They were only two, five, and eight at the time. Six years later and they feel like family to me. D was the adorable ring bearer in our wedding and K and E are like the little sisters I never had. I enjoy spending time with them and I am always amazed at what well-behaved, well-mannered, easy-going kids they are. It never feels like work watching them... in fact, I feel like I get to be a kid all over again when I'm with them. I'm spending this week and next with the kids before they head back to school. We've been busy creating villages to scooter through out of sidewalk chalk on the driveway, baking cookies and muffins, spending time at E's horse barn, having wii marathons, swimming, and playing with the neighbor kids. We're hoping to make it to the zoo next week to celebrate E's 14th birthday! When I spend time with these three, it makes me even more excited to be a mom. It also reminds me how challenging and exhausting parenthood will be - between keeping track of busy schedules, driving around town, and trying to fill 8 hours of the day with activities - not to mention the complete selflessness you must have. I'm not only up for the challenge but I am excited. I look forward to the day when my house is full of kids, my clothes are covered in sidewalk chalk, my hair's a sweaty mess, and my heart it full of love. I'm so thankful for this mini summer vacation and time with my three favorite kids!

Weekly Pregnancy Post

My goal is to post each week of the pregnancy so that we can keep track of our progress, countdown to baby's due date, and keep our family and friends up-to-date on baby's progress. As the belly begins to grow a little more, I'll post pictures with these posts but right now, I'm in the awkward "nothing fits just right" and "I feel and look fat" stage so I'll spare you pictures of that for now :)So here you have it, the first post.

How Far Along: 13 Weeks

Pregnancy Symptoms: Nausea, headaches, heartburn, and pure exhaustion.

Food Cravings: Cheese, cheese, and more cheese... and milk. We have a good ole' fashioned dairy-loving Wisconsin baby cookin' in there :) I'm having more food aversions than cravings at this point. Meat is the enemy (even my beloved chicken) and spaghetti sauce - forget about it! We'll see if this changes throughout the pregnancy.

What I Miss: Sleep. I miss having a regular sleep schedule. Although I am enjoying having a good excuse for a nap!

Maternity Clothes: Not yet. Although I prefer to be in athletic clothes whenever possible. It's all about comfort at this point.

Best Pregnancy Moment of the Week: Sharing the news with all of our family and friends!

The First Twelve Weeks

I figured before I start my first weekly pregnancy post I should summarize the first twelve weeks. I can't believe I'm already in the second trimester - I hope this pregnancy slows down a bit! I need some time to prepare for this baby!

The first twelve weeks were a whirlwind. Between the emotions of finding out I was pregnant, the stress of worrying something would go wrong, and the ever-so-lovely side effects that come along with pregnancy, the first trimester went fast! If you've ever been pregnant, I'm sure you can relate to the ups and downs that come along with pregnancy, especially in the beginning. The greatest joy during the first trimester was seeing a heartbeat - something that was missing with our last pregnancy. The greatest shock of pregnancy were the physical and emotional side effects, or "pregnancy symptoms" as many call them.

Name a pregnancy symptom and I had it during the first trimester: nausea, vomiting, insomnia, headaches, heartburn, exhaustion, and crying. I do realize that none of those words are all that positive but I won't sugarcoat things - the first trimester flat out sucked. On a good day, I could eat a few crackers, take a few sips of gingerale, and sleep for a few hours - but only during the day. On a bad day, I laid on the bathroom floor, hugged the toilet, and laid on the bathroom floor some more. Thankfully, my mom would come over in the middle of the day with more gingerale, crackers, and some good old fashioned TLC. Dave would hold my hair and clean up after me like it was his job. If that's not love, I don't know what is. But during all this, I kept reminding myself that being sick was a good sign - it meant the baby was growing and that was reassurance that I needed. Luckily, around the 10th week, I started to keep food down again and the vomiting was replaced by constant nausea, a welcomed sign of relief.

Now that the twelfth week is coming to a close, I am happy to report I am feeling much better! The nausea persists but mostly only bothers me when I'm feeling hungry. I'm starting to sleep more at night although baby still prefers a long afternoon nap. The headaches are increasing in prevalence but they're manageable at this point. I hear a lot of these side effects will start to subside as I get further into the second trimester... thankfully!

Pregnancy is certainly a beautiful thing and everyone assures me all the sickness is worth it in the end. I'm thinking those people might just be right :)

As if a Baby Isn't Enough Excitement...

If you know me, you know that I like to make drastic life changes. And I usually like to make more than one at a time. So, as if having a baby wasn't enough excitement and change for one year, I have also decided to take a new job! When I took my little blogging break last month and said it was because I had so much going on in my life, I literally meant I had so much going on. It was overwhelming. The job change actually began before we found out we were expecting. The day be before, to be exact.

I had been looking for a new job for several months. While I certainly enjoyed working with cancer patients, Oncology wasn't my passion and I was having a very difficult time working for the American Cancer Society. While I fully support the organization's mission, I disagree with their politics, management staff, and use of fundraising dollars. It became incredibly difficult to go to work each day because of these things. I also knew that oncology wasn't the area I wanted to work in forever and neither was working with adults. I've always had a passion for working with children and knew that was the direction I needed to head in. After turning down several not-perfect-for-me offers, I finally accepted a position with a local child welfare agency doing family preservation work (counseling families at risk of losing children to out-of-home foster care). As I waited to start this position, I received a call from someone at another agency I previously turned down a position at about an Adoption Social Worker position that had opened up (these positions opening up is rare, let me tell ya!). She knew my passion for adoption and felt it would be a good fit. I interviewed and waited several weeks (delaying the start of my new job) waiting for an offer. Well, the offer finally came! I'll be starting my new position as an Adoption Social Worker in a few weeks with Children's Hospital & Health System in Milwaukee and I am thrilled! I feel like only God could have orchestrated this for me.

Now don't get me wrong, I am a little terrified of starting a new job with a baby on the way. In fact, the day after I left my job with ACS, I found out I was pregnant. That may have been part of the reason I cried and cried. I was terrified I had made the wrong decision. I was terrified that nobody would want to actually hire a pregnant woman. Well, thankfully I learned there are laws to help protect women in this type of situation and that in fact, it's a normal part of life. And I'd like to think that God has some crazy plan for me, some crazy logic in all of this happening at once, that is bigger than anything I could ever imagine.

I am most excited about this position because it will challenge me to step outside of my comfort zone. I've never been shy about my passion for adoption but for me, personally, I've always leaned towards international adoption. I still firmly believe that is the direction Dave and I will head someday. But this position will open up the world of domestic adoption for me. Not only that, but I'll be working with waiting children (those already in foster care) and older children (especially Milwaukee's teenagers in foster care/homeless shelters). God is really challenging me to look beyond what I am comfortable with to help the "least of these", those kids who are and have been waiting for families for years, maybe even their whole lives. It'll be an amazing opportunity to unite these children with forever families and to help those families interested in adoption prepare for the the placement of an older or waiting child. I am beyond excited for the things I will learn personally from this position and for the opportunity to turn my personal passion into my career. What a blessing!

So life in the Irish house really is a little crazy right now. But I certainly wouldn't have it any other way!

Expecting

Dave and I are so excited to finally share that we are expecting a baby in February! If we're friends, family, or connected on facebook this doesn't come as a surprise to you but we figured it was time to make the announcement official on the blog as well. I know I've shared openly the struggles we had earlier in the year with our first pregnancy and miscarriage so to say that we are thrilled at how this pregnancy is progressing is an understatement.

Let's rewind a few weeks. We found out were were expecting in mid-June. I had a feeling I was pregnant but the first few tests were negative. Turns out my body just needed some extra time for the levels to become elevated. Once I had that positive test in hand, I was a complete mess. I was so happy I cried. I was so nervous something would go wrong that I cried some more. I called Dave at work and cried even more, called my mom at work and cried to her some more, too. Everyone who had experienced a miscarriage told me that the second time I found out that I was pregnant would be like this - a little bit of joy and a little bit of terror. Clearly we were excited but for me, the fear that this pregnancy would end without a baby was an all-too-real worry for me. So off to the doctor we went for a little reassurance.

After a miscarriage, even just one, the doctor labels your pregnancy "high risk" and you follow a more intense schedule of appointments for the first trimester. For the typical pregnancy, you wait until your 8 week mark to see a doctor. I was in my doctor's office the day after that positive test, at just 4 weeks. We started our first round of blood work. I went every two days for blood work that first week and a half to check my levels - all looked fabulous! I had my first ultrasound at six weeks where the fetal pole was developing nicely. Then again at eight weeks we went for more blood work and another ultrasound. This was the most nerve-wrecking appointment because last time, this is when we found out the baby wasn't developing. Thankfully, this time the baby looked like a perfectly formed little baby (picture a gummy bear people) with a strong-beating heart. Praise God! Yesterday we had our 12 week appointment where another ultrasound showed the baby had nearly tripled in size and the heartbeat was still strong. Baby was moving around too much to hear the heartbeat... looks like we've got an active one in there! My doctor officially removed the "high-risk" label, told me to stop worrying (does she really think I'm capable of not worrying??), and to start telling the world because we really are going to have a baby! So here we are, telling the world. And let me tell you, it's a complete relief to let the cat out of the bag - I never have been good at keeping my own secrets.

I promise this blog won't become all about the pregnancy but I certainly do plan to share about the pregnancy, preparing for baby, and eventually, about our life as a family of three. I plan to do a weekly pregnancy post and share our preparations for baby including nursery progress. I'll also be looking to all my already-parents friends and family for advice on baby gear and hot topics. But you'll certainly still hear about the other aspects of our life (that is if pregnancy doesn't completely consume us for the next six months).

So here begins the journey to parenthood and the Irish family of three! We hope you'll join us as we celebrate this exciting news :)

Wedding Weekend

As I mentioned in my last post, one of my very best friends from college got married this past weekend and Dave and I were so lucky to have been there to help them celebrate! I was fortunate to stand beside Katie as she said "I Do" to her high school sweetheart, a man who got my seal of approval from day one. The whole weekend was absolutely beautiful. Rather than me trying to put it all into words, let me share a few highlights from Katie and Lee's special day.

Every bride needs a little pampering...




...and a little coffee pick-me-up!




Then it was off to the church to get ready






The flowers were absolutely beautiful






Time to say "I Do!"






The party begins on the limo






A pit stop for some ice cream




Formal pictures at a beautiful barn






Then off to The Legend at Brandybrook to celebrate










Dancing the night away as Mr. and Mrs.


Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Suwalski!! We wish you a lifetime of love, happiness, and lots of laughter :)

One Last Fling Before the Ring

As if celebrating our first wedding anniversary wasn't enough excitement for one weekend, I also had the privilege of helping one of my very best friends from college celebrate her last weekend as a single lady! That's right, Miss. Katie Nelson and Lee are FINALLY tying the knot this upcoming weekend! Not only do I get to witness these two people who love each other so incredibly much commit to spending the rest of their lives together, I get to stand next to them as they do so and for that, I am so grateful.

We had a fabulous Saturday celebrating Katie's "last fling before the ring"! We started our day with a trip to Lake Geneva. I had never visited Lake Geneva before but you can be sure that I will be going back and taking Dave with me - it's a beautiful, quaint city with a gorgeous lake, breathtaking views of the multi-million dollar mansions, cute shops, great food, and fun boat rides. The bridal party (plus Katie's wonderful mom) took an hour-long boat ride around the lake, learning about the gorgeous mansions. More like, planning how we would make enough money to someday buy one of those beautiful mansions (yeah.right.). We shared a delicious lunch and enjoyed some fabulous shopping! It was a perfect start the Bachelorette party. Later in the evening, after we got all gussied up, we joined our fellow Pi Phi sisters for a night of celebrating! We had a wonderful Italian dinner at Buca di Beppo's - we even had our own little table in the kitchen. Yes, the kitchen. While it was loud at times, it was a fun atmosphere and it was actually kinda nice to be removed from the rest of the restaurant. We then headed to a fabulous wine and chocolate bar on Milwaukee street called Indulge. From there, we set Katie free with the Pi Phis for the wild and fun part of the night and judging from how Katie was feeling the next day, it was certainly wild and fun :)











Katie and Lee - we are soooooo excited for your wedding this weekend! We can't believe the countdown is at just three days now! We look forward to sharing your special day with you both.

A Year of Wedded Bliss

On Sunday, Dave and I celebrated one year of wedded bliss. One year as husband and wife. One year of the rest of our life together. To say the past year has gone by fast is an understatement. On Sunday we spent some time reflecting on the past year - all the highs and lows, the joys that marriage has brought us, and where we hope the next year of marriage takes us. We are amazed at the strength and character that marriage has given each of us. We expressed our thankfulness to God for allowing us to wake up each morning and fall asleep each night next to each other, knowing that this will be our routine for the rest of our lives. I am amazed each day how much he loves me and that I continue to fall in love with him more each day. Marriage is an amazing gift.

We decided to celebrate our anniversary by visiting the very place we got married. We are thankful that we can visit our wedding and reception location anytime we'd like... most people get married in banquet halls or venues that aren't commonly open to the public. The Milwaukee Art Museum is a beautiful place, for a wedding or just a visit, and that's exactly where we headed on Sunday. But first, we stopped for some morning coffee and delicious bakery at Red Arrow Park's Starbucks downtown Milwaukee. During the winter months, Red Arrow Park is a popular outdoor ice skating rink - it also happens to be the place Dave took me on our first date. From there, we headed over to the lakefront for a visit to the Art Museum and a walk around the lake. We found some lovely tourists to take our picture in the very same spot we said "I Do" just one year earlier. I'll be completely honest, standing in big Windhover Hall filled with tourists made me wish I could bring in my flowers, set up the white chairs, throw on my dress and do it all over again. It was a nostalgic experience to say the least. After a delicious lunch and a little walk, we were ready to head home and bust out our wedding cake that had been safely tucked away in the freezer for the past year. I was a little skeptical of thole top-layer cake freezing thing, but it turned out wonderfully and was absolutely delicious! The beautiful design was all mushed and smeared and it didn't look nearly as grand as our wedding day but it tasted oh-so-wonderful! I had a nice big piece to make up for the fact that I didn't sit long enough to enjoy a piece on our wedding day. It was the perfect end to a perfect first anniversary.













We know we have an exciting second year of marriage ahead of us and we look forward to all the new joys that this year will bring!

Back in Business

After a short blogging break, I'm back and ready to pick up where I left off! Life continues to be a little crazy at the Irish house and we're excited about all the great things happening. I can't wait to start sharing more soon! I'm still trying to decide the direction I want this blog to go from here. I feel like it's been a compilation of my thoughts, interests, life happenings, favorite foods, and a whole lot of other randomness. In the coming weeks I'll start to format my posts with a little more thought and logic but for now, just wanted to warn everyone the Irish blog is back in business and there's lots of exciting stuff to come :)