Hello, Baby!

When I sat down on the couch this morning, I literally laughed outloud when I looked down. It might sound strange, but I often feel like my body changes on a DAILY basis! I am exhausted and still not gaining much weight on the scale (only 1/2 lb. up from pre-pregnancy weight), but the baby seems to be growing just fine! This week the doctor said he expects that I will start gaining pregnancy weight within the next few weeks since apparently as you get closer to the 20 week mark, they see a healthy progression of weight gain. I suppose if they aren't concerened, i'll try not to be. :) I'm still exhausted and struggling with dizzy/light-headed spells, but it's all worth it in the end. The medicine I got has really helped my nausea. Things are looking up! Or out - in my case!

Baby Meredith also got his/her first Christmas present from G and G Meredith! I love presents and I get to open them for baby at least for a little while!

Lord, help me!

I am so excited to meet our little one for more reasons than one! First and foremost, because I can't wait to watch and see all that he/she becomes, who he/she will most look like, etc. But for goodness sake, my morning sickness is TERRIBLE and I desperately can't wait for it to be over! I'm still having trouble eating enough and still throwing up regularly. Sigh. And of course, Aetna still won't approve the only medicine that will actually work! I'm going in for my 16 week appointment tomorrow, so i'm hoping the doctor can help me figure something out. I've been doing my best to pack back on all the weight i've lost so far in this pregnancy from being so sick. I even had a crispy chicken sandwich from Dairy Queen the other night. Yes, i've resorted to a bit of fast food (NO McDonalds, though (ick)). I've been baking a lot more chicken and potatoes, but we'll have to wait and see what the scale says tomorrow. This might just be the only time in my life I will actually try so hard to gain weight. I pray I've gained the weight!

Appointment Update

Today I went and saw one of the OB's in the practice I go to (I rotate between 5 and they're all wonderful!) She was disappointed when I stepped on the scale and was nearly back to my pre-pregnancy weight (112). Two weeks ago at my 12 week appointment I had gained up to 118 which was awesome. I've never been so excited to gain weight in all my life! And I never thought I'd be so disappointed to see 114 today. I have fairly high ketones in my urine and the doctor said that's a sign of lacking nutrition. Aaron and I have always been fairly healthy eaters....a lot of vegetables, fruit, etc. and I realized today how important it is that I start eating more meat and protein. I never anticipated this being such a problem! But it really woke me up. The doctor thinks the lack of protein is responsible for my fainting spell. Fortunately the baby is prefectly fine, so our little one must be taking all he or she needs! I heard the heart beat again today and that never gets old! My uterus is also up closer to my belly button now - It's the strangest thing to feel stretching throughout the day...I can't wait to start feeling the baby move!

Thank you all for your prayers. This is probably the best case scenario considering that it just requires a change in my diet (at least we're hoping this is the cause - we'll know sooner than later!)

So i'm happy to say that my first step in altering these eating habbits included a giant grilled chicken sandwich from Fudruckers right after my appointment! I think i'll enjoy the holidays with my new orders to "eat more calories!"

Scary Times!

I've not been feeling well lately and just yesterday experienced a black-out/pass-out spell (followed by "no warning" vomiting that ended up on my neighbor's living room floor - ugh.) I have the sweetest friends. My neighbor wouldn't even let me help her clean it up. Seriously. I felt terrible, but God blesses me so much through these women He's brought into my life. I started blacking out yesterday morning and somehow made my way down the hall to my neighbor's condo. I am so thankful she was home. My memory of what happened is fuzzy, but it was the scariest thing I've ever experienced! My other neighbor took me to the ER and they did a lot of blood work and sent me for an ultrasound of the baby (for some reason they couldn't find the heart rate on the hand-held thing.) Baby looks wonderful, cute and perfect, measuring at 14 weeks 2 days, so we're thankful for that! I had pretty low blood pressure, but i'll have a follow-up with my OB this week to hopefully figure something out. Praying and trusting in God's protection. All of this is so out of our hands!

Thankful and More...

I've heard many women say this happens, but boy did my tummy "pop" today! No sucking this in. Please excuse my lazy look. I'm just preparing myself for what my "usual-do" will probably look like! ;)

I haven't updated in a while. Perhaps it's because I'm finally on the "home-stretch" of probably the worst flu virus i've ever had! Who knows how I got it, and let me tell you, it came on QUICK! I spent all of Monday feeling just fine. Then about 20 minutes after Aaron and I ate dinner, I started feeling sick to my stomach. I thought it was morning sickness returning, but no. I was throwing up about every 20 minutes! I couldn't keep anything down...no food, fluids, nothing. So I called the on-call dr. in the middle of the night to get his advice. He said he wanted me to go get iv fluids in the ER. So, I made the quick trip there and they got me back to a bed right away. I was soooooo sick. They hooked me up to fluids and gave me some anti-nausea medicine in my iv and it worked quick! I'm so thankful for doctors and medicine. At first we thought it might be food poisoning, but then I came down with a high fever yesterday. My OB said not to let my temp get above 101 without going back to the ER. Well, the highest it got was 100.9. Thank you, Lord (and Tylenol, too!) Ironically, I had a pre-scheduled 12 week appointment yesterday, so even though I was still sick I went in. They were worried they may have a hard time finding the heart beat, but nope! She put the wand to my belly and picked it up right away. We have one cooperative baby on our hands! It's so comforting to know that even despite whatever attacked my body, the baby is safe. Amazing.

So today I'm thankful for many things. 1) Baby's health, 2) My improving health and 3) Good friends - who are like family - and brought me mashed potatoes. I wanted my mom so bad!

I'm also thankful for our sweet families (and friends) who have blessed us and our baby with his or her first gifts! We told my parents on Halloween about the baby, so that's why they sent us the cutest little Halloween infant set. My sister mailed us Goodnight Moon - A must have in baby's book library! Aaron's parents sent us the cutest little strawberry hat. Aaron's mom Patty is incredibly gifted at knitting. She knits various fruit hats for all new babies born in their church (strawberries, blueberries, etc.) Isn't that precious?!? I couldn't wait to finally get mine! :) And my dear friend Charlie gave us the sweet little elephant. Charlie and her husband Klaus just had their first little boy, so it's fun to be in baby-mode together!

Even though tomorrow might be a very low-key Thanksgiving for us - depending on how i'm feeling - we still have so much to be thankful for. God is good and we rejoice in Him in all of our circumstances. I hope everyone has hearts filled with thanksgiving!

Ooooh Baby!

Baby is facing down - You can see both sides of the brain, a small left hand and a few facial features!

Well the word is out! Aaron and I are expecting our Mini-Meredith sometime around June 6, 2011! I'm about 10 1/2 weeks right now and had planned to wait to share the news until 12 weeks, but as many know it's nearly impossible to wait that long! We told our parents at 8 weeks and knew we absolutely couldn't ask them to keep it a secret, so it slowly started to leak out from there.

Amazingly, I was pregnant when we ran our recent half marathon but had no clue. And even better, I had my best running time. Awesome! So I wonder if we might have a future athlete on our hands. :)

I found out the morning after the pregnancy center banquet. I didn't sleep well that night and couldn't figure out why. It dawned on me that I should take a pregnancy test?? Not to mention that the morning before, my devotion reading for the day had me praying through Psalm 139. I cried through the entire thing and thought I was simply emtional because of the miraculousness of life! Actually, I thought I cried because it reminded me how well God knows me even when I'm confused about myself. But my heart knew something my mind didn't yet. Since I work at a pregnancy center, one might think that I just took a test at work. But since I have Friday's off, I had to run over to CVS to take a test. I peed on that little stick and set it down on the counter. I watched it for a second and didn't see anything (I've never been good at following directions!) so I left the room thinking, "I'm such a nerd...why would I be pregnant?!" But when I returned, I saw a faint little line. That's when I threw all of my work training out the window and thought, "It's too faint to be a positive." HA! Can we stay stupid?? So I went to ask the pharmacist and I showed her the test while I quietly and timidly asked, "Is this a positive?" She glanced slowly up at me and said, "Any line is a positive." DUH, again, I work at a PREGNANCY CENTER. I see this ALL THE TIME. But there's something about it happening to you. CRAZY! Let me tell ya. Although I can't say this pregnancy was planned, we weren't trying to keep it from happening either. But as a friend recently said, trying or not, a pregnancy is ALWAYS a surprise! I love that. It's so true. So of course I paced around the house the rest of the day taking in all that this means and it took all the patience I had to not call Aaron right away and tell him. But I was successful and waited until he got home from work that night. He was surprised too, but so excited. We had an early ultrasound at 6 weeks and saw our little one's precious beating heart. It was nothing short of incredible. But the picture I posted is actually of our 9 week ultrasound. The baby changed a lot in just 3 weeks! Everything is looking great. I'm measuring spot on now (was a bit small at 6 weeks) and the baby's heart rate is strong at 155. I wish I could see that everyday!

My doctors are wonderful. I go to a completely pro-life, faith-based OB/GYN practice. I love knowing that my doctors pray for me and celebrate the gift of life in all circumstances. I've opted out of the 1st trimester testing, so I won't have another ultrasound until we find out the gender at 20 weeks (sometime in January.) Aaron and I made this decision given that we are low-risk by all accounts for birth defects. We also know that there are way too many false positives. Pregnancy is scary enough, so I don't need anything else to worry about! Plus, the 20 week ultrasound would show more accurately if anything looks unusual. So we're very happy with our decision and are just taking each week as it comes!

I'll keep posting as I go to fill you all in on the progress!

In October??

No joke, I've been trying to grow this pepper since sometime in June. I realize the problem has been that the pot is far too small, but what else do you do when you live in a condo?? Regardless, the weather has stayed so nice that I FINALLY have a lovely little pepper to enjoy! I'll be able to eat it in one bite, but i'm still excited. I also noticed a new one blooming yesterday, but i'm sure this 70 degree weather is about to end any day. I can't wait to have my very own garden in my very own backyard someday!

Half the Distance, Twice the FUN!

Aaron and I ran our very first half-marathon together today! We've both done them before, but never together so this one was extra special. It's wonderful to face such an incredible challenge with the love of your life! The race overall was AMAZING. The weather was perfect - about 70-75 (a little chilly when we first started...but who's complaining?!? I'm just thrilled it's not humid!!) There were about 4,000 people racing and we finished right in the middle. I PR'd at 2:15 on the dot - WOO HOO!! I hadn't even done that well in any of my training runs! I was shooting for 2:30, so I'm definitely pumped about how well we finished.

It was the first ever race across the Woodrow Wilson Bridge which connects VA to Maryland. It started at George Washington's Mount Vernon estate (where we got engaged) and went all along the GW parkway into Alexandria, across the WW bridge and ended at Maryland's National Harbor right on the waterfront. If you're thinking it sounds beautiful, it WAS! We felt awesome the entire run, including the uphill run for half of the 2.5 mile bridge. At the start of the bridge, there was a sign that read "Welcome to the Rude Awakening." Uhhhh, excuse us?? Not what we want to read at mile 8! It was pretty funny. And for the record, there's a statue at national harbor that has a huge hand coming out of sand and it's called "The Rude Awakening." So I guess that's where they came up with the clever idea (Ha...Ha.....sarcasm!) Mile 11 was the hardest (the true "rude awakening") because it was entirely up-hill, so that was the point where my body said, "Ummmmm...STOP NOW PLEASE!" But of course I pushed through it and we finished strong. Up until that point, I really hadn't felt tired at all.

Aaron did an incredible job for not training nearly as much as I did. He has a runner's body, which i'm a bit envious of, so running comes a little more natural for him. My man was sweet enough to let me cross the finish line first....do I have the best husband or what?!? Especially considering that he is very competative. ;)

The question continues to come up as to when I plan to run my first marathon, and my answer continues to be the same....I don't have ANY plans for that! I just haven't felt the desire to do one, or put my body through it! It's funny how you forget just how tough the end of these races are until you do it, but of course we come back and do them again...and again!! (I wonder if this is what child birth is like??) So everytime I hit mile 12, a marathon sounds terrible! Haha! We hope to do some more races over the next year and see how things go! I can't get enough of running - It's such a spiritual experience for me....more time to talk to God (as I realize how weak I am in and of myself) and I think of the scripture Hebrews 12:1-2 that talks about throwing off anything that entangles us (destructive sin) and running the race with perseverance while fixing our eyes on Jesus (who went before us to prepare a place in Heaven.) Oh what a wonderful image that comes to my mind when I think on that!

Our "Iron-Man/Iron-Woman" pose

The beautiful view from the WW bridge

This man was my hero of the day.

Trying to catch a good picture during the race...we sort-of failed!

Mullet Memories

I was looking back through some of our wedding pictures just the other day and came across this beauty. I still can't believe more than two years have gone by! What a fun day this was and i'm glad our photographers got so many great shots. Leave it to my dad to bring this bad boy wig to our wedding. And leave it to my husband to rock it on the way to the reception. I have a FUN family!

Sums It Up!

I love everything about this picture. Addie is so silly and this face pretty much sums up how much fun she is to be around. Aaron and I spent 10 days out in Washington and had a wonderful time. The Merediths had a family reunion on the coast and it was such a blessing to have both my family and Aaron's family in Washington. Even better, 3 days of that was spent ALL TOGETHER at my parent's place. We cherished every moment and it was perfect.

Triennial and Natalie Grant

Worship

Flags of just a few of the many nations represented at the conference
Woman from India speaking about sharing Christ through a sexual abuse recovery ministry
The international market - women from around the world hand-make all of these things and Covenant missionaries brought them over to sell
Our good friend Liz - She and her husband are missionaries in Mongolia

Miss America 2008 - Kirten Haglund. I attended her and her mom's powerful seminar on how God sees us vs. how the world sees us as women

Tiffany! Natalie's back-up singer. This girl is awesome!

The boys of the band. Funny, awesome guys!

with my sis, Natalie and my mom

My mom and sister flew out last week for the Triennial Covenant Women's Conference (amazing, by the way) which happened to be in DC this year and our guest concert artist was Natalie Grant. The three of us had the priviledge of spending a day with Natalie and her band. Natalie is actually from Seattle, so it was fun being in DC with another PNW native. If you haven't heard any of her music, definitely do it. She has an incredible voice, but more importantly a huge heart for Jesus. One major thing that Natalie and the Evangelical Covenant Churches have in common is that we're all very passionate about ending human trafficking in the US as well as around the world. Her new song "Human" was written after a trip to India where she saw 5 and 6 year old girls being subjected to prostitution. She also looked up at a tall building to see a young girl caged in the window. The song is all about how we're not just a bunch of empty beings roaming the earth without souls, but we're human beings, designed to have hearts and a passion for the suffering and lives of others.

Also, Paul and Kathy Wilson, friends of my in-laws who pastor a church in nothern California, started an organization called A New Day for Children which is a safe-house for girls forced into prostitution. It's projected that within just a few short years, human trafficking will surpass drug trafficking in popularity around the US because it's much easier, tougher to track and makes more money. If this doesn't lead us to action, I don't know what does because the truth is that this isn't just an "over there, overseas" kind of problem, it's happening in our own communities around the US. If you click on the link above, you can watch two powerful videos from the New Day for Children web site.

I love that the Covenant empowers women through Jesus Christ and very strongly supports women's ministries because we truly have the power to tackle the terrible violence against women around the world.

Texas Twenty-Four

This past week we spent a whirlwind twenty-four hours in San Antonio for Aaron's company meeting. His boss was so gracious to fly all of the families out, too! We stayed at a beautiful resort and enjoyed every second of our quick stay. I'm amazed by all the fun things we packed into such a short period of time. After everyone arrived on Wednesday evening, we had a great meal and we all chatted for a while. Afterwards, Aaron and I spent time exploring the resort and quite a while in the hot tub. The next morning, Aaron had a meeting and I had a long workout in the gym (a 3 mile treadmill run is FANTASTIC when your machine has its own television!!) Then Aaron and I enjoyed some Starbucks, packed up our stuff, went hot tubbing again (WITH our Starbucks!) and then the whole crew made our way over to the movie theater and we watched Toy Story 3 in 3-D. Let me just say that I think the Toy Story series is the best Disney has ever made! They're absolutely hilarious! After the movie, we trecked over to Red Robin and had lunch. Following lunch, we drove as fast as we could (through the wind and rain and everything else in the wake of the hurricane blowing through the south) and made it to our gate about 20 minutes before we boarded.

Like I said, it was a whirlwind trip, but absolutely wonderful! It taught me how important it is to be spontaneous and to make the most of a small amount of time.

YUM!

I've been busy baking today! I recently decided that I'd start making bread myself instead of buying it. So far, so GOOD. Homemade bread is very tasty, but it is a bit of work. I think when it comes to bread, I already prefer the recipes with the fewest amount of ingredients. Some of them have eggs, milk, buttermilk, etc. and I just don't keep those types of ingredients in the fridge - esp. because of my allergy. This bread tastes so fresh and fluffy. You can't even compare it to store-bought stuff!

The other yummy treat I made is called "Do-It-Yourself Power Bars" from the cookbook Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson. This is a must have for the healthy baking/cooking enthusiast. It was recommended by the friend, Rebecca (thanks girl!) and I've been lovin' it ever since I got it! She's my awesome friend who is constantly introducing me to new fun crafty things and yummy food tips. Don't you just love friends like that?? So now I'm sharing the wealth, too! These bars are SO easy and fun to make....no baking required! And they're packed full of delicious ingredients like dried cranberries and crystalized ginger (YUM!) This recipe is easily varied...I use almonds instead of walnuts. Heidi incorporates natural sugars instead of refined ones and let me tell you, you can taste (and feel) the difference. Try 'em!

Sweet Love!

Ok, following my ridiculous blog-deleting mishap from a few days ago, I knew I was due for a special post. I'm still trying to figure out how I could manage to delete a blog I had spent so long creating. It was all about blasts from the past...pictures from college and the life-long friends who have made life so much sweeter.

I dedicate this post to my dear best friend, Bre. We met my first year at Azusa and have shared so many life experiences together...both the joys and sorrows. True friendship. Boy, that's real life!

Well, Bre and her wonderful man, Jimmy, recently got engaged and I couldn't be more thrilled! The journey of marriage is such an incredible, refining experience...an adventure of sorts and who better to have an adventure with than the one you love!

So here's to Bre - a friendship that will always remain. And here's to Bre and Jimmy as they begin the journey. I love you both!

Oops...

Well, after spending an hour or so writing a blog update, I accidentally deleted it right after I posted it! I have no idea how that happened, by apparently i've forgotten how to use my own blog....Oh well. I suppose i'll find time to post a replacement later.

As Promised....

So I have no idea why, but these pictures posted really blurry and they weren't like that when I edited them with Picnik (my FAVORITE picture editing program...and it's free!)

These just happen to be four pictures of some most treasured moments of the spring thus far. The first, a night out with our neighbors, Gini and Harper. We dazzled ourselves in 80's garb and rocked the night with our favorite local cover band, the Legwarmers. Anyone living in or visiting DC/Baltimore: They're a MUST SEE. Truly one of the best bands around. It's always such a fun time!

The second and third is from a recent trip to Charlottesville, Va. One of the most charming plantation towns and of course, the home of UVA (a little shout-out to our friends Chris and Erica Andresen....and BABY!) We met up with our dear friends, Aaron Watson as well as the Kelley's and enjoyed a sunny Virginia spring day at a local winery. Both Aaron Watson and Eric Kelley were photographers at our wedding. They've become such treasured friends of our's! Eric and his wife Lora were married just after us and they're expecting their first little boy any day now!

The fourth is of Aaron and I from the NeedToBreathe concert just a few weeks ago. We were lucky enough to have my cousin Jason in town from Washington and I had the pleasure of introducing him to my love for bluegrass/rock music. This band just so happens to help make life pretty wonderful. Check them out!

All for now. Until next time!

Dear Blogging World....

It has been such a long time since I've posted anything....well, a few weeks I think. But in the blogging world that's a lot longer - Almost like animal years.

Aaron and I have been pretty consumed with the busyness of life lately. The sun has been shining and we've had unusually warm weather for this time of year, so we've managed to sneak away the past few weekends to enjoy fishing, hiking, kayaking and exploring with friends. We're both reminded how much we loathe winter (once March rolls around and it's STILL 20 degrees) and just how much we LOVE spring. The changing of the seasons is truly a reflection of our loving God. I think of a song as I type this that has a line saying, "for everything must die to rise again." Jesus' life proved that. And the changing of the seasons prove that as well. From winter (when everything seems to die) and then to spring (when everything begins to rise!) I'm looking out my window to see my blooming flowers and the trees full of bright green leaves. I simply love it.

A lot has transpired over the past few weeks and I think the longer I have taken to blog about them, the less I have a desire to. I have many pictures that I'd like to post, but i'll have to save that for a different blog. I think this will be my up-to-date "word" blog. The next one will be my picture blog (with captions since it will cover a few different activities.)

For me, work has been busy. About 5 of our clients had their babies right around the same time. The biggest challenge was that we ran out of car seats (as a non-profit, we can only give out what is donated to us) but God is always faithful to answer our prayers. We lifted it up to Him and we showed up to work yesterday with two car seats annonymously donated on our office steps!! We also had a MOPS group donate $100 in Target gift cards, so I was able to run over there and purchase 2 more car seats! I cannot say clearly enough just how big our God is. I feel like I'm relying on Him daily to meet our needs when it appears impossible. I've found myself thinking, "What am I doing?!? Limiting God based on my own comprehension!" I'm amazed. He shows up. Every. Single. Time.

We are still continuing to get new clients that pose different challenges, but there's always joy in the relationships we build with them - Regardless of their challenging circumstances. Life together: Life is good.

Aaron has been enjoying his work and is making great connections with people at the Pentagon. I'm convinced it's a whole different world there! I'm filled with joy as I see him thriving and I know he's happy. For that, I feel blessed and we are both content with where we're at in life. He's also been busy tying flies for fly fishing which never ceases to amaze me. I posted some pictures on Facebook of this incredible talent he possesses.

The latest on me is that I've begun yet another journey of medical testing. I went to see a new GI specialist and he wanted to run the same procedure I had last summer as soon as possible. I never had a follow-up appointment with my military doc last summer since Aaron got out of the Air Force just a few short days following my last procedure. Since seeing this new doc, I've been informed that I may be at higher risk for a few other things (awesome) so I may be sent for genetic testing and a visit with an oncologist (even more awesome.) In short, I have a handful of unanswered questions and for me, that's the hardest part. I hate waiting. There - I admitted it. I think I just needed to throw that out there. We're praying for wisdom for the doctors i'll be seeing as I move forward, but we're really praying for healing. Like I said, my God never fails me!

Well that's the latest for now. I'll post my picture blog soon, so watch for it!

A Vintage Treasure

I found this hot little number at a vintage shop in Washington while I was visiting. I love the shops downtown Olympia because they're so unique yet still affordable. In case you were wondering...that's almost un-heard of in Alexandria. I paid $14 for this dress (Used...but who cares?) It was a little too big, so I performed some sew-magic and had this puppy at a perfect fit in about 20 minutes! You sure can't beat consignment shopping!

Snap Shots of Washington

I'm back from the best trip (ever!) to Washington. I actually got to see most of my family from both the Gordon and Walton sides. I can't think of any other time when that happened. I only wish Aaron could have been there! It was so special to celebrate Addie's first year of life with a fun birthday bash. She came down with a fever the night before and still had a wonderful time. She's just the world's best kid. She's so happy, funny and FULL of personality! I can't get enough of her. Addie even decided to walk for the first time for her GG and Auntie! She completely surprised herself - She took about 5 steps, landed on her butt, then started clapping. It was so cute and funny, all I could do was laugh and cry at the same time! I love my family so much and couldn't have imagined a better time together. I'm truly, TRULY blessed.

It was only fitting to post this picture with my cousin Jill first. She's blogged about me in her famous running blog and she's amazing! She'll be running her first marathon this Summer. We got in two good runs together while I was in town. It was beautiful - The Cascade Mountains, Mt. Rainier and the Puget Sound all around us. It just doesn't get much better than the PNW!

When you're 4 years old, choosing just one when presented with a plate full of cupcakes is the toughest decision you've ever made. Waiting for a scream...(eek!!)
Nope - We're happy still!!

Sis, GGD, me and Mom (GG)
GG and Oompa's gift to Addie. Her first Radio Flyer wagon!
Birthday festivities
Addie's gift from her auntie and uncle. She LOVES her Rody Horse!
Childhood friends - Tyler and Claudia

First hair cut...somewhat of a tramatic experience, but a lovely look to show for it!

Someone loves ducks...and bath time!

Just the "usual" attitude of this kid!!

Ruston Way - The beautiful Puget Sound!

Mom's side of the family...were we really all together?!? And no, that's not Aaron behind me...only my 7 foot, 18 year old cousin - Ok, 6 feet. But when you're only 5'2, everything just looks ridiculously tall.

Tutu Time!

Old Friends :)

Addie Walked!