28 Weeks Have Flown By!

Things are going well with the pregnancy–thanks to all of those who have asked. People are very kind and well-meaning, but sometimes I get tired of being asked how I’m feeling. I’ve been blessed to not have had much morning sickness (and have left that way behind since mid-year), and other than the persistent cold that no one wants to hear about, I feel great. I finally started to show a little bit around the 6 month mark, and now that I’m at 7 I finally have strangers ask me when my baby is due. (I guess they feel safe in asking now, ha!)

The baby is very active, and I’m sure he’ll be a handful once he enters the world. He occasionally gets the hiccups, which is weird. It’s like having the hiccups yourself, but not. It’s very difficult to describe, and even more frustrating to experience for more than a few moments at a time. Last night he woke me up with those about 3 am, and in addition to that, I think he was flailing all his appendages as well which created a very uncomfortable feeling. I was so wide awake that I feared I might never return to sleep with all his carrying-on. I prayed for deliverance and it worked! I somehow managed to fall asleep, and the baby did too. Sleep is a precious commodity these days.

On a different note, my dear friend Christal, who was two weeks ahead of me in her pregnancy, had her baby September 20. It was very unexpected, as he was only 29 weeks, but the Lord was looking out for little Hayden. He is doing well, though in NICU. I’m so happy that he is ok. Please pray for them as they are adjusting to this event not going quite as expected–and obviously there are a lot of changes that having a baby prematurely can bring to your life.

I will post more pictures soon (as I keep promising). I have taken so many lately that I need to organize them all and upload them to here and there.

A picture taken with my phone while at work. Please ignore goofy expression on my face. :)

Random Recent Thoughts

I can hardly believe I am well past the 6 month mark. The baby tracker on my emails says that today is 99 days till my due date. This is a little freaky to me, mainly because I don’t see things with the house progressing at a rate that will have things done by December 20. They are laying carpet in the office downstairs which will complete the things that the construction company had to do after our little flood back in March. Apparently we weren’t enough of a priority for them to get their acts together and finish the job before now, as it has been quite a protracted affair. Fortunately, we are almost done with them. Yay.

Things are going well with le bebe. I had my Dr. visit last week, and everything went well. I’m not gaining too much weight, and I don’t have gestational diabetes, which is comforting. Fortunately too, my iron levels are fine, which I say, “fortunately” because my grandmother has always questioned whether or not I am borderline anemic. Ha. I guess we can give the good prenatal vitamins the credit for that. That, and I’m trying to be healthier.

Now, on to some pet peeves that have arisen. I must say that as a result I have become a little more outspoken than usual (yipes!) And have had to make very concerted efforts to not say everything that pops into my head (just ask Charles). On the flip side of the same word-coin is the words that people say to me sometimes get under my skin. Why don’t you try hearing, “Wow, you’re finally starting to look pregnant.” Before that everyone would say, “You’re not putting on any weight, are you sure you’re pregnant?” Comments like these are actually just as detrimental as the, “You’re so huge” type comments, as they make mothers worry about whether or not their baby is growing normally. Other comments like, “What a cute baby belly,” as they reach out to touch my stomach without even asking, are quite common. In fact this happens to me daily. I guess this is normal, although I have known lots of pregnant people, and never had the urge to reach out and touch their stomachs. Priscila made me feel her baby when he was moving around a lot in church, but at least I was invited. Oh well.

I need to post more pictures soon. Promise. I want you to be able to see how cute I am now. Ha.

Happy Tea-Day

Today, I needed a serious pick me up. After not having much sleep due to reasons I won’t take the time to explain (unassociated with pregnancy), I arrived at work feeling like road kill. I must say that I usually have a general disdain for Tuesdays anyway, as they are always kind of bland and unflavorful, like rice with no soy sauce. The setting for today was no less inspiring, as Hurricane Faye has come to land over our valley like a tropical depression that won’t leave. Don’t get me wrong, we need the rain, but at the moment, what I need is some sun.

So I found a tea bag that I had saved in the back of my desk for longer than I’m willing to admit. It was one of those fancy ones you get at hotels, that are made out of some sort of fabric mesh, rather than the usual thin tissue paper. As it absorbed into the steaming hot water, the fresh tea smell (wow, it still smells fresh) helped me to feel more awake. I pulled the silken tea bag from the water, and it did a twirling happy dance, like a little ballerina. The re-hydrated leaves, now resembling tiny tree bark, are a symbol of a far and exotic land–-a place that I’d rather be at the moment. And, as a bonus, as English breakfast tea usually does, it reminds me of being in England, one of my favorite places int he world. Maybe this day will get better after all. We can only hope.

We're having a son!

Well.. this is a little late coming, since we found out we are having a BOY about 3 weeks ago, but nevertheless, I need to put it on my blog! Charles, I and my parents were both really surprised because we thought we were going to have a girl. haha. Most people in our families have girls first, so we're breaking tradition. :) Not much else has been going on, other than the baby becoming stronger (as evidenced by the persistent kicking that has started :) ) We're having a yard sale this weekend to get more money for the nursery, and clean out the stuff we don't need from the house (since it's already getting taken over by baby goods). I'll keep you all posted on the name-game for now. His first name will probably be James, and the middle to be decided. :)



Here's a picture of me test "riding" the gliders at Target. yay. We're not buying a glider, as we have the perfect recliner to use, but it's a good excuse to sit down while shopping. This was two weeks ago, so I still didn't look big or anything, but if I was trying to hide it, I can't anymore. I will post more pictures shortly, of the ultrasound, if I could figure out how to convert a .pdf to a .jpg or other picture file.

Week 18--There IS a bun in the oven

It was the morning of Friday, the 18th of July. 5 AM to be exact. I felt it. Very distinctly, I felt a little tiny someone flutter and then poke me from the inside. I have to say, especially if you haven't yet had a kid, this is a pretty amazing feeling. I said in a voice that was a cross between a yell and a whisper, "Charles.. are you awake??" He grunted, and I told him that I had felt the baby move.

According to the Rawsons, the baby will be born 5 months from the day I first feel it move. Charles hopes this is true, because he wants its bday to be December 18. That marks 5 years to the day that we first met, and also it is his parents anniversary. Very neat.

This Thursday we go to get the big major ultrasound. Yipee! We will finally know the identity of our child! I'm so excited.. it's like, you find out your pregnant, then have to wait 3 months to find out what you're going to have (or longer, if you're in the set that don't believe in finding out early. I'm much to impatient for that.) Oh well. Will post to share the happy news shortly...

4 month baby update

I’m so happy now that Charles is home. It was no fun being alone for so long. I got married for a reason, darn it, and it wasn’t to be alone! :) He had a good trip to Canada though, and got a lot done, so that is good.

Things with the baby are going well so far–had my 3rd appointment last week, and am now over 4 months a long this journey. (Can’t believe it’s going by so fast!) Charles got to hear the heartbeat for the first time, which was really special. As of that visit I have only gained a net of one pound, mostly due to not feeling well for the past few weeks. But since Charles has gotten home, I’ve been eating better (haha) and my clothes are starting to get tight!

We get to go back on the 31st of July to see our baby for the first real time (the first actual time was when it was the size of a lima bean, so small it took the Dr. awhile to find it.. This time we’ll actually be able to tell that it is a growing baby!) We are going to be finding out what we are having, since I like to plan and have a nursery that is not just green or yellow. :) Some people say that they can just tell what they’re having, even before the big ultrasound, but I really have no idea. I could see it going either way, so I’m not going to speculate.

I and my friend and co-worker Christal, who is two weeks farther along than me, decided to conduct a baby poll at work, to see who can correctly guess the gender of both of our babies. We are going to bring strawberry or blueberry ice cream (pink or blue, get it?) for everyone on the 31st, and the person(s) who guess correctly we’re going to give pink or blue cookies from Piece of Cake, the bakery who has the awesomest glazed/decorated sugar cookies on the planet. Yay!

So my next update will probably be in two weeks when our baby finally has a real gender identity, at least in our eyes. :)

Tiny Wonder and Big Miracle

My nurse midwife (who will from now on be refered to as my "CNM, or Donna my CNM") told me that I could hear the baby's heartbeat later on with my moms stethestcope. Today was a quiet Sabbath afternoon spent at my parents house, so I decided to give it a try. I've only completed 15 weeks so far, so I don't know what I was expecting to hear. But I heard something! It sounded like splashing, moving, and maybe even hiccuping. hahaha. Mom listened and was as interested as me. It was so fascinating. I can't wait till Charles gets home so he can hear this too. It was a very mesmerizing way to spend close to 30 minutes! (Ouch! Those ear-pieces aren't meant to be in your ears for that long!).

I just got back from a wonderful trip to Nova Scotia. Charles has been up there since May 28, so I was very happy to see him. We had a good visit with his folks as well. He'll be home July 9, so after that I will be happy happy happy (right now I'm just one happy).

Here's a picture of what our baby looks like at the moment (well, not specifically, but you get the idea).

Baby Update

Wow, so I decided to write this post in honor of the two people who read it from time to time–Kim and Kieren, maybe Kristen and Katie too. So this post is dedicated to all of the “K” friends in my life. Ha.

I’m sure I will be starting some sort of new blog in the future, possibly dedicated to the new realm of motherhood, into which I will be entering by the end of this year. That’s right–we’re going to be parents. Charles and I have had the great “baby debate” almost as long as we have been married–him, wanting to get on with it, and me being resistant. At last, I came around to it and realized that there is never going to be a “perfect time” to start a family. Nothing else in my life is perfection, so I might as well let go of that notion as well. It’s hard, but freeing at the same time.

The baby is due December 20, but hopefully will come a little before that. We think it would be neat if it came on December 18, because that would be 5 years to the day that we met, and also his parents anniversary. We’ll see. I would never have picked December for a child’s birthday, but you can’t always choose these things (we didn’t think getting pregnant would be that easy for us. I guess you never know till you try).

Yesterday we got to hear the baby’s heartbeat for the first time. Cachoo, cachoo, cachoo, cachoo.. 160 times a minute. Very awesome experience. The doctor says I’m very healthy, and doing great–so far so good. I’ll post more progress as it happens. Thanks for reading. :)

You know it's a cold day when...

10. You can go entire day in TN wearing a wool sweater without getting hot flashes.

9. Someone stands in the doorway of the restaurant too long and receives a hostile chorus of "SHUT THE DOOR--IT'S COLD!!"

8. You break out the long johns and have to wash the two pairs you own over and over because "it usually doesn't get that cold here."

7. The icy patch in the driveway doesn't go away for days.

6. You fear your dogs face might get stuck to the icy patch if he lingers there too long.

5. You give up shaving, since stepping out into the goose-bump inducing sub-freezing temperatures renders the shave-job useless. (this ones for Heather, since I didn't believe her for like 7 years, when she said this actually happens).

4. Flannel sheets, a wool blanket, and a down comforter all layered on the bed don't seem like an overkill.

3. You suddenly can empathize with the poor soul in your office who is always cold, even when its 75 in the office.

2. You start to imagine how cool it would be to have an ice skating rink in your front yard.

And finally... You know it is really cold when...

1. Your Canadian husband finally agrees, "Yes, this is really cold."

Feel free to add any of your own, these are mine!! --Amanda

No two alike..

I really love fall, and we have been truly blessed this year by an extra long fall. For nearly the first time in my memory, all of the beautiful fall colors have remained intact up through Thanksgiving. Everyone predicted that we would have very poor fall colors this year since we are in the extreme drought area. They were wrong though, as it has been one of the more beautiful autumns in my memory.

One thing I love about fall are the leaves (duh). Throughout my life I have been on the quest for the perfect leaf. Yellow, red, orange--it didn't matter to me, as long as it was the perfect specimin. Recently, however, I realized that even though I was constantly searching for the perfect leaf, I could never find one that was exactly "right". There was always some mis-coloring, some hole burned into it, or some other sort of blight. This was a discoraging endeavor, until I learned to look beyond the blemishes on the leaves, and see them for their indivudal beauty. Now, rather than looking for the most perfect leaf, I admire each one for their uniqueness and personal beauty.

I'm trying to apply this principle to my interactions with other people, and I have found that, when I do, I feel less stress and resentment toward those that have caused me anguish or irritation in the past. It's just one more thing to let go of, which makes me an overall happier person. I know that *no one* else has this problem. :)

May Our Efforts Be Worthwhile

So far my classes have been really interesting and fun, and I have been learning a lot. I am extremely overwhelmed on a day to day basis, so I would appreciate your prayers. I've been trying to get enough hours in at work so that my co-workers know that I still work there, and so that I can get enough money to pay the bills. I find that I look forward to Sabbath more and more because the true meaning of a day of rest has really come to hit home with me recently. I get discouraged with my life at the moment because sometimes it's hard to remember why I'm doing this in the first place. Even though I may say that it is so that I can get out of my current job situation, it has to be more than that. It is because I am trying to do what I feel God has called me to do for my life. It is becuase I want to do something that actually matters.

I have had a lot of doubts about this whole going back to school process. For example, my first two assignments didn't go that great, and it is discouraging to me. A lot of you who know me know that I am a perfectionist, if not an over-achiever, so not doing my perceived best is damaging to my fragile ego. :) This is also a lot of work, probably more than I envisioned it would be, and I hope that it is worth it in the end. In a prayer at the beginning of class this week my teacher prayed for "our efforts be worthwhile." I couldn't have said it better myself.

Another update...

I guess that's what this blog is turning into--an update on my life. Things tend to go at warp speed sometimes, so it's hard to remember what I should blog about, but here goes...

I'm back to school! And unfortunately, I don't mean as a teacher (yet). Through the help and coaxing of one of my favorite SAU teachers, I am now enrolled again and working toward elementary certification. I have tried for over 4 years to get a high school history job (as most of you know, it hasn't been an earnest search for 4 straight years, as hiring is done only at certain times of the year). Someone once said that a good definition of insanity is doing the same things over and over and expecting different results. I've decided to stop that pattern, and that's why I'm back to school. The job openings will be greatly increased, and I think it will be a fun and exiciting venture.. so think of me... please. :)

Greencard is still not on the way yet.. and we are becoming more and more frustrated. (another prayer request, please!) It's not that it's taking so long, but that they are supposedly processing applications from March of this year, and ours was December of last year. Also, that they keep transfering our applications back and forth between Missouri and California for "speedier processing"--what the notification letter says (HAHAHAHAHAHAHA that's so hilarious.. arent they funny?!?). Another frustrating thing is that each time we receive one of those notices A) I get excited because I think that it's our summons to interview for the greencard, and B) it says we can not contact them regarding our application status until 60 days after the notice is sent. Is that not crazy? It seems that they make it hard for the people who want to be here legally!! Anyway.. just pray for us, please.

We're still working on the house (and the slow progress is a test of my patience.. but it's still coming along). I'm tired of summer. This has been the most frying hot and draught-filled summer I can remember, and I'm ready for it to be over. I'm tired of fleas, flies, spiders, ticks, mosquitos, and yes, even the simple cricket I am finished with. All of the abovementioned creatures have made me their food, save for the crickets and flies, though they no less as pesky. They found some West Nile mosquitos not too far from our house, so I am extra-through with mosquitos. I wish them all a long and happy dormant winter.

Here's some pics for your viewing pleasure...


This is my friend Priscilia from church. We went on a picnic Sabbath with her and her husband Bob. They're having a baby in January and just found out it's a boy! :) Yay! Priscilia for Brasil tomorrow to see her family, so I wish her happy travels!


We had a birthday party for Heather last night. Much fun was had by all. :)


Kristen came up for the holiday weekend, so here's a picture of the three of us.


And finally, another picture of Halie, since she is the cutest dog in the world. Hahahahahaha

At last, the House...

Ok, so I haven't updated my blog in two months. That is pretty sad, even for me. At Kieren's request, I am attaching some pictures I just took of the house. It's sometimes depressing to me the amount of time it is taking for us to get settled in and to get things how we want them to be. Even more depressing is how much money is required for this endeavor. Still, we feel that we are tremendously blessed to have this house, and we are enjoying living here. So here we go.. this is our life on Sunday...

Halie enjoys living in her new home, but agrees that moving is exhausting!

Charles puts together our new table saw.. for flooring, trim, etc. Fun!

Halie sits in the stair landing of the new house. She likes the light from the window...

Our room.. notice matching doggie bed..lol

At last--we have a walk in closet, complete with sunny window. :)

Pumpkins in our window.. I just thought this was a pretty picture. Enjoy! Comment! Return here again soon!

Much needed update

I'm so surprised Kristen hasn't prodded me to update my blog yet. Maybe she's just given up on me, since I haven't posted in like 7 weeks. Maybe she's too busy on myspace to notice (j/k). At any rate.. here I am, with an exciting update:

We bought a house!!

You know how sometimes things you don't plan on happening are the best things that happen to you? We weren't looking for a house AT ALL, but this one seemed to just fall in our laps, pretty much. Charles & I both felt like God wanted us to get this house, so we did. Right now we're busy fixing it up and having a great time planning what we can do to it to make it look better. It's not an old house by any stretch, it just has some quirky things that we would like to change: flooring, wall-colors, lighting challenges, and curb-appeal. It's a lot of work, but has been fun so far. We have just a few more things to do before we move in--replace kitchen cabinets (arghhhhhh! They look like they're from a beach condo in the early 80s), lay down wood-flooring, and maayyybeeee fix lighting. I really like recessed lighting, and so we may do that before we move in. There will be less things to get dirty that way.

Other things have been happening too, like our immigration status. We are getting really really really close to getting the green card. Unfortunately, we have booked a flight to Canada on the 22nd of June. That's 10 days from now. If we do not have the green card by then we will have to re-schedule our trip. Sad. Charles is really looking forward to going home. He hasn't been there in nearly 2 years, thanks to the pending immigration status. The price for tickets sharply escalates later in the summer, so I am praying that we will have the green card in 10 days (the age of miracles is not passed, is it not??) Please pray for this...

Other than that, we are looking for teaching jobs, and just having a nice summer. We'd love to hear from you, so leave a message, email us or call. I will be posting pics of the house shortly. Bye!

from last Thursday

Life has been going 90 to nothing lately, but I had to pause and post two adorable pictures of Samantha, and a couple from when we went to visit Charles' cousins up at Laurelbrook. My grandfather (aka "Po) keeps her two days a week, and so thus, I get to see her when I come home from lunch. Tell me--isn't she precious?? Also, the last few pictures are of Charles' cousins and second-cousins who we went to see up at Laurelbrook. They're pretty cute too. :)

My life has changed...

I find myself doing odd things lately, thanks to having Halie around. For instance, I put bows in her hair. Before I got her I always said that I would never do that to a dog. Poor thing. Thanks to my dog, I now know that 5am exists. I now know how difficult it is to go back to sleep after taking a dog out to pee at 5am exists. Thanks to Halie, I now do what I used to make fun of Becki Mcrae for--brushing a dog's teeth. Actually, she was right. If you're going to have a dog living in your house with you, they need to have good breath, right? Same goes for other humans you live with. But really, this whole puppy experience has made me realize how much work it's going to be to have children. Cleaning up after them, feeling guilty for leaving them in the care of others, waking up with them in the night.. And the best part is--it will be as much fun as having a puppy, and more! :)

Halie-Belle is here!

So we have had Halie (Halifax) for a week now, and I thought you might like to see some pics of what my friend calls "the cutest dog she's ever seen" (Halie's trying to not get a big head..lol).
This is her curled up in my lap Friday night. We're buddies already...

Visiting my mom and dad's Sabbath.

Playing in the yard this afternoon


We're so glad that spring is here...

We're going to be dog owners!!

Can words express the joy in my heart? Scarcely... I had given up the thought of getting a dog, since my grandparents/landlords are so against it. But when a friend of theirs decided to get a puppy she found in Texas, Po was the first one to say "do you think Manda would like one, too?" This was the shocking thing, because he's always been the one who is so anti-pets. (mainly for allergy reasons I think). So, you can imagine how quickly I said, "of course I want one!" Woohoo!

I'm so excited. One reason I think that this was meant to be by the Lord is that, a) I've been wanting a dog for over 3 years. b) It's the only one that Po has said I can get. c) I have read a lot about both of the breeds who parented my new puppy: The King Charles Cavalier Spaniel, and the Coton. Both are exceptional breeds, and ones I would have loved to have, but they cost way more than I could ethically and in good conscience ever pay for a dog. :) The mix of both of these has provided a beautiful and healthier dog than the Cavalier on it's own (that's the story at least). They're called Cavatons. Doesn't that sound snooty? Oh well.

So my next problem is finding a name. I will open it up to anyone who reads this: What should I name my adorable new pet? If you're nominated name is chosen, I will send you something cool in the mail (because most people who read this do not live in TN). I'll have to think about what that may be, but please send me your name ideas. I have less than 2 weeks to decide (that's when the plane comes). Thanks!

I put the FUN in Financial Education

Financial education is fun, I must admit. I had the privilege of visiting a group of K-4 kids at a school 45 minutes away from here on Monday to talk to them about saving money and the like. Kids are so interesting to me, because they’re so spontaneous in the things that they say. I asked them what types of things they were saving for, and I was very surprised when a few kids said they were saving for college, and another girl said she was saving for her first car. The most realistic, or I should say, short-term goal-setter, was a girl who said she was saving for a pony. Impressive! I mean, besides my car, the most expensive thing I have ever purchased was my wedding dress. I was never a good saver. All of my money went to Southern anyway, so why save for other stuff?

Later I asked them if they had any questions, and boy did they. They wanted to know all about robbery, and if we had had one before, and what we would do if someone took all of our money and then customers came the next day and they wanted to withdraw money from their account. One kid asked me: “You know that thing where you put in your card, and type something with the numbers, and you get money out?” “Yes,” I answered, wondered what was coming next. “Is there someone standing behind there putting the money through, or what?” I smiled and told him it was run by computers, but people have to fill it up with money from time to time. I think they enjoyed meeting me, and visiting them was way better than what I do on a daily basis.

Making Winter Worth-While

Last night we made the most wonderful hot chocolate ever. You must try Abuelita's hot chocolate mix sometime--it's in the Mexican food section of many grocery stores. I have had it several times before, but have never made it the way it's suppose to be made. Instead of being a powder, there are little chocolate triangles that you melt in hot milk. You're suppose to blend it all together in a blender, adding some sugar, but I always figured it wasn't worth the hassle to drag the blender out (I was sorely mistaken). When you try to make it without the blender, what results is small clumps of chocolate floating in warm milk--not so tasty. I usually make it with soy-milk too, much to Charles' disappointment, but last night we decided to use the real stuff. We took to blending up the hot milk with the chocolate and brown sugar until it had a layer of frothy foam on the top. Needless to say it was so tasty it made me sing (Charles too). Unfortunately, I drank so much of it that I almost lost it all while watching Grays Anatomy (this time it wasn't the blood and stuff that made me queasy). Needless to say, it was a nice evening, and fun was had by all.