Family Weekend 20 Weeks

I am 20 weeks along in the pregnancy which means I am at the halfway mark. I am feeling occasional movements, but not very consistent or frequent yet. I have not felt a definitely strong kick yet. I've been feeling great, still tired but sleeping okay for the most part. Not as well as I slept before being pregnant, but still sleeping good. I am tired more, but eating regularly and Steve makes sure I take care of myself.


This weekend Steve and I were able to go to Hampton and see many family members we haven't seen in many years. It was a short trip, but well worth it and a great time.





Tonight we also had a little bit of time and we were able to do go to Babies R' Us and start our first registery. It was me, Steve, and my sister in law Jennifer, and my mother. It was great having the input and advice of good family. Its a great store, but no location in Lynchburg. This registery is not complete, but its nice to have a start to this. Funny thing happened when we were filling out the paperwork - I put down a combination of my Lynchburg address and the city of Hampton and the Hampton zip code.. don't know what I was thinking but everyone had a good laugh about it!

On July 6th we find out the gender. We are very excited and continue praying that this pregnancy will be healthy, but most importantly we pray that this pregnancy and new life brings glory to God whatever His plan maybe. We hope and pray that this child will love the Lord and honor Him.

Quick Update

Okay, this one is going to be very quick, because I'm at the LU C-Lab and I need to go eat lunch (this baby is hungry).. Steve has our laptop today while covering a basketball tournament in Charlottesville which is about an hour away.. he'll be home later tonight.

Anyways, two new things have happened in the last week. One, I've had an on and off pain in my left hip. Based on my online research (no surprise that I went online and googled it.. haha).. and some advice/comments from friends who've been there.. we've determined its sciatic nerve. This is very common, nothing to worry about, just an issue that happens in a lot of pregnancies. It comes and goes (today is a good day with zero pain) and most often happens at night, after I've sitting for a long time, and hurts when I get up and walk. It is better today, but we never know what tomorrow will bring.

The belly is getting better and I'm slowing acquiring more maternity clothes. I hope to have a new picture up in the next week.

This week I also think (not sure) that I felt the first baby movements. It hasn't happened everyday, some days its more than others, but sometimes it just feels like gas and other times its like a fluttering, and other times its indescribable. Steve still thinks that I maybe imagining it or that I just REALLY want to feel the baby move. Either way, I've definitely been feeling more pregnant and more connected to this baby.

One last thought. I've been working at a preschool for the summer working with two years old and they can be a challenge. Some days I think, wow, I can't believe I will have one of these of my own to care for all the time. Then moments come (usually during their nap time) when I think.. wow.. I really love these kids and I've known them for 2 weeks.. how much more will I love my own child?? Its an overwhelming thought.. but it makes me even more excited for the months and years ahead.

A Brave New World

My new everyday world is with two year olds. I recently started working at a preschool that is associated with our church in the twos. Which means my day now consists of potty breaks, snack times, tantrums, messy diapers/pull ups, and nap times. My days are measured not in hours or minutes but in how many poopy diapers I changed, and how many time outs I had to give. I imagine two year olds measure their day in how much they missed mommy/daddy, how many times their teacher got mad at them, how many times another kid took their toy, and how many times another kid hit/kicked/ran into. For those that are interested in details I have five assigned to my classroom but the most I've had show up on one day is four. There have been 2 out of 4 days where I had 3. I have 3 boys and one girl, but the girl can be a bigger handful than the boys. I have one that has never been in a preschool or daycare type setting. They are mostly partly potty trained, meaning they mostly wear pullups and about 50% of the time go in the potty. Which brings up an interesting thing.. I've noticed my vocabulary has shifted and I use different words to describe things associated with the bathroom :). I have to work hard not to talk to Steve in that new found language. How was my first week? There were hard parts, easy parts, and mostly just parts that I loved. I really do love children. Even the ones that can be difficult and talk back. I love being in their world. I love working with them. And I love how simple their life is. They tell you how they feel and what they want. Is it demanding sometimes? Of course. But the Lord is good and I feel like everyday it gets easier and everyday I learn something knew as far as how to handle different situations.

On a side note I had a short doctor's visit this week. I heard the heartbeat again! And my blood pressure and weight look great! Everything looks very healthy. Our next visit is in four weeks on July 6th. This will be an ultrasound and we should find out if this baby will be a Mr. Clark and a Miss. Clark. We are SO excited and thankful to the Lord for all the blessings He has given us. Every blessing we receive is a gift that we know we don't deserve.

If you are a reader (regular or not) please feel free to post a comment. Tell us what you most enjoy about the blog, what your most excited about with the pregnancy, or any other random thoughts.

Thanks for reading.

5 Years - 17 weeks

The last week has been crazy for us. My dad's stepmother died and the viewing was Tuesday night and the Funeral was Wednesday. Around Thursday I found out that I am going to be a Preschool teacher for the summer at Timberlake Christian Schools with 2 year olds. I am nervous at this point, but mostly because I'm not really sure exactly what to expect and I start with children on Tuesday. Then this weekend Steve and I celebrated 5 years of marriage. First of all, it still seems like yesterday when we got married and 5 year mark has come way to fast. We truly love each other more everyday.

We were able to go out of town for a few days to Carolina Beach. We spent 2 full days and 3 nights in a condo/villa about a block from the ocean. It was beautiful and the weather was great. I am getting over a cold and Steve is in the middle of his, so we some meds from the doctor we went to the beach anyways. We were still able to do lots of fun stuff, it just meant we had to be flexible with out time. But the Lord blessed us, because it was the perfect vacation setting for just taking it easy and relaxing. Most afternoons Steve napped/relaxed while I worked on a puzzle that the condo had. We were able to spend at least an hour a day on the beach (we got very little sunburn, but we did end up with a little) we tried to read while on the beach but Steve was so relaxed he kept falling asleep. When I asked him what his favorite part of the trip was, he said just hanging out on the beach relaxing with me. We also went to a local aquarium and a local farmer's market that happened to be across the street from where we were staying. I got some local homemade zucchini bread and Steve got some meat marinade. We were able to eat out at some great local seafood restaurants in the evenings, and one morning we got homemade fresh donuts and ate them feet from beach!

It was a great weekend. Here are some pictures.