Simplicity in Joy : Pregnant and Moving to Portland

In late February of this year, I skeptically took a pregnancy test after I missed my period thinking, "Surely I can't be! My period is only late because I've been exercising every day." Not even three seconds later did I see two pink lines on the test. When I ran out of the bathroom to tell my husband, he was shocked and incredibly happy. We called my family right away to share the news but I remember being very nervous because of my previous miscarriage a couple of years ago. I asked my husband every day, "Do you think I'm still pregnant? Are you sure? What if I miscarry again?" It was a daily struggle of trusting in the Lord especially since my husband had just gotten laid off at work. We had to believe that God would guide the way even with a baby on the way.

I am so lucky that my first trimester flew by with no problems. Vomit? Not once. Food aversion? Um. I gained weight from eating like a cow. Any cravings? Not really! It was a very smooth ride with only a bit of nausea-- nothing that a nap and bread couldn't fix!

Lo and behold, my husband got a job offer to work at a fund in Portland, Oregon. On the other side of the country! It was a whirlwind of finding an apartment, prepping lesson plans for a substitute teacher to take my place for the last weeks of school, putting our house on sale, dealing with annoying moving companies, and flying to a new state with a frightened cat looking at me like I was the worst cat mom ever.

The flight to Portland went by amazingly! Because I had my cat with me, I got to skip all of the security and boarding lines. My cat was charming the pants off of every traveler who met her. Unfortunately, she isn't the best at adjusting to moves and after going on a bathroom strike for two days... she decided the best place to pee was on my legs. At 3 a.m. in the middle of the night. I was devastated, horrified, and distraught. The pregnancy hormones did NOT help me calm down at all.

Today marks the first day of my 23rd week of pregnancy. Baby is the size of a papaya! I am getting bigger and bigger. And baby's kicks are stronger and more frequent. I am on Pinterest every day looking at baby nursery decor ideas and I love to sneak into the baby's room to stare at the few bits of furniture that we got so far. Pregnancy symptoms right now aren't very fun. I have pelvic pain, heartburn, and bleeding gums. Let me tell you prenatal yoga has been a savior. Despite a few scares at the doctor's, they say my baby is going to be just fine. Baby boy has some calcium deposits in his heart and a cyst in his brain but it is nothing to be worried about. They say it won't affect development or function thank the Lord. Oh, October please come soon.