Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 26 weeks. We have finally made it into the double digit countdown... 95 more days until Micah's estimated arrival! So awesome. :)

Size of baby: 14 inches & just under 2 lbs... about the size of a hothouse cucumber.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 29 lbs gained. :/ My doc said I'll probably gain closer to 40 lbs for the entire pregnancy because of my starting weight. Not too thrilled about this, but I know it is all part of the beautiful privilege of having a healthy child. My doctor sees no worries and says I am measuring perfectly. Still exercising and eating right to stay in the best shape for delivery.

Maternity Clothes: I have been very blessed by thoughtful ladies who have given me maternity clothing. I haven't had to buy any! Basically, I live in dresses. And if I wear pants, well let's just say... thank you Lord, for the "belly band."

Gender: As far as I know, there's still a little boy in there. ;) We are having our 3D/4D ultrasound done in 2 weeks! It will be our first and last since the gender appointment. I am so excited to see him again!

Movement: All day, every day! And yes, he moves the most when I lay down to sleep at night... but his kicks and punches are very much welcomed! I wouldn't have it any other way. I honestly get worried if I don't feel him within an hour.

Sleep:  Changing positions is getting difficult and I wake up in the mornings feeling like I just ran a marathon. Literally, my whole body aches. I don't understand how one tiny little baby can cause my back and legs to cramp so much. Still thankful for my body pillow, it helps a little.

What I miss: Being able to eat whatever I want, whenever I want to! Due to a couple bad bouts of acid reflux/indigestion, I can not eat anything three hours before bedtime and must avoid acidic foods (like tomatoes and oranges). This too shall pass.

Cravings: Not really having a lot of weird cravings. At least nothing out of the ordinary. I still love greek salads like nobody's business.

Symptoms: Indigestion/acid reflux, aches and pains... oh, and a growing belly!

Best Moment this week: Hearing Micah's heartbeat at the doctor appointment on Tuesday. Always a blessing.

I have been convicted lately of doing the ONE thing I promised myself I wouldn't do when Josh and I were blessed with finding out we were pregnant... complain. I hate even admitting it, because I know there are some of you out there who would give anything to be pregnant right now. I know this feeling so well, which is why I felt the need to share this. The Lord has taught me so much through this whole process - including the waiting to conceive, the surgery and now the pregnancy.

Before I was pregnant, I thought I had the RIGHT to be angry when I saw a woman complain about morning sickness or heartburn or other aches and pains. And most of the time, I do think it's pretty immature to write these things on Facebook or Twitter. But I have learned (through experience!) that these things DO happen and they are not comfortable. I don't find a problem when people complain that they have a head cold or the flu, so why should it anger me when I see someone complain about pregnancy-related symptoms? It goes deeper, of course. It was my own envy and pride that was at the root of it. I felt that if I were pregnant, I would cherish every moment and never complain... well guys, when you're standing over a toilet vomiting profusely because of the acid that's been burning in your throat... it's hard to smile. (Sorry, TMI? I think you get the point.) But I've learned that I should never say I'm above anything or anyone. God has a great sense of humor. :)

Another lesson I've learned is that "looking fab" while pregnant is not the goal. Sure, it's nice when people give compliments and I'd rather not hear the negative things. But, the fact is our bodies are going to stretch and grow through this process. And everyone is going to look different when it happens. Some carry high, some carry low, some carry wide, some carry... well, you know how it goes. I was really encouraged by this article that I read today called "The Right Kind of Damages." It had some great truth that I wanted to share...

“First of all, our bodies are tools, not treasures. You should not spend your days trying to preserve your body in its eighteen-year-old form. Let it be used. By the time you die, you want to have a very dinged and dented body. Motherhood uses your body in the way God designed it to be used. Those are the right kind of damages.

The joys of motherhood are just beginning for me. I'm embracing every kick and praying through every pain. I have a feeling that this pattern will continue through the rest of my life.

I really love spending time at home. And since we've moved and I'm not working, I've had a lot of time to do that. But lately, this has made me realize how anxious I am for our little boy to be here! Our home feels so empty and lonely with just me in it during the day. And part of me feels purposeless until his arrival. I mean, I know this isn't true... I'm still a wife, the cook, the cleaner and someone has to feed our dog and fish. :) But, I just can't wait to be a mother! Since we still own a house in Alabama, we're renting our home here in Florida. You would think that with the same things on the wall, same furniture and decorations, that it would naturally feel the same. But things are different. This home is bigger and has lots more space, yet we still miss our little garden home. Renting puts limitations on what you can do - I've had to get over the "no painting" rule and get used to the idea of someone else randomly making visits to mow the lawn. Our little Alabama home was our first place. We loved it and wish we could've picked it up and moved it here with us. (It's funny, as I'm writing this I'm also half-watching HGTV's "Our First Place." I love this show!)

But as they say, "home is where the heart is" and "a home is where you make it." So we've turned this little rental into our happy home. I've posted a few snapshots below. We've been here almost a month and we're still working on filling up all the extra space.

Things I'm looking forward to working on: - the nursery! you'll see we haven't really started much yet. - getting a coffee table and rug for the living area. - hanging some wall shelves in the dining area. - adding to our "beach collection" for the top cabinet shelving in our kitchen. - adding a sitting area/rocking chair in our master suite - will be helpful when Micah comes!

Thanks for stopping by!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 19 Weeks (almost halfway there!)

Size of baby: Mango

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 14 lbs (holy moly!)

Maternity Clothes: Dresses are my favorite thing right now. I did wear my first maternity shorts a couple weeks ago (so comfy!) and I bought a very handy belly band. I can still fit into my jeggings, but it's getting uncomfortable!

Gender: BOY!! Micah Jordan Robinson

Movement: Yes!! I felt the first flutters on April 3, in the morning, while I was lying in bed reading. It was amazing. I have been feeling him move ever since. Stronger every day. No kicks yet, though!

Sleep:  Sleep wasn't going well... until I bought a body pillow! Haha. I was starting to get pain in my hip that would wake me up in the middle of the night. I still wake up off and on, but I am sleeping much better.

What I miss: Honestly, not a lot. I love being pregnant! But there are things I avoid for safety reasons, that I will look forward to returning to. :)

Cravings: I have been STARVING lately! (Could explain the weight gain, haha) But I've read that it's good to eat what you crave, because it's your body's way of telling you what you need. I have been avoiding food that causes indigestion and heartburn though.

Symptoms: Speaking of heartburn, that's my main symptom right now. Along with hip/ round ligament pain.

Best Moment this week: Finding out our baby's gender and seeing HIM on the ultrasound! Nothing like it!

  Our appointment yesterday was amazing. I still think about it and smile. Such a wonderful experience to see your baby, the one you pray for and trust that God is growing and nurturing! I breathe a huge sigh of relief every time the ultrasound tech assures us that the baby is healthy and looks "absolutely perfect." I couldn't ask for such a blessing! Yesterday's ultrasound was more detailed and thorough as she examined our baby's brain, spine and heart for any sign of problems. There were none! Praise God. The only thing that was outside the range of normal was our baby's weight - 10 ounces already!! A little above average is what she told us. I guess I've been eating enough for the two of us. :)   And of course, there was the big gender reveal... it's a BOY! It was funny. It took her 20 minutes or more to get the baby to finally "show us the goods" so we could know what we were having. But she told us afterwards that she caught a glimpse of "it" within the first couple minutes, but it wasn't obvious enough to show us yet so she didn't say anything! I did catch her refer to the baby as a "he" though... and then she caught herself and said real fast, "...OR she." But I figured that was just an accident! Haha. It was fun. We were anticipating this day for awhile.   Here are a few pictures of our sweet Micah. I look forward to holding him in my arms already!