Times are a-changin!

Today I am 21 weeks pregnant.

I still haven't felt Ellie kicking or moving yet, but many friends have assured me that they didn't feel their baby until later either, so I'm just enjoying the absence of kicks in the ribs and punches to the bladder for now!

I'm sleeping better and feeling LOTS more energized, which is fantastic!

And the biggest news of this week is that today is my LAST DAY as a teacher!...a paid teacher that is. Moms are teachers in big ways...just not in ways that bring home The Bacon!

I'm saying goodbye to another group of students today, and while there is a semblance of sadness to bringing this chapter to an end,  I am sooo excited to be a stay-at-home Mommy! What a blessing!

Here's me at 21 weeks! The belly is pretty hard to miss these days! (Especially in my maternity swimsuit - yikes!)

18 weeks!

This has been a week for the record books in the Sperling household!

Monday I woke up feeling....good! (?)

Tuesdsay I woke up feeling....even better!

Wednesday I woke up feeling....great!

Thursday we went to the doctor for our ultrasound and saw our little GIRL growing strong!

Friday I had energy, I wasn't nauseous, I ate meat for lunch (?!) and I realized I hadn't taken a nap since TUESDAY!!

And today, I ate my first real meal in ages, complete with "that sounds good!" and "this tastes good!" and "that was delicious!" all happening throughout the same meal!!....
Also, Wednesday it became apparent to everyone that I am pregnant. (And not just because they saw me on the side of the road puking!)

That's right...I "popped"! Here's proof:

So this weekend, we celebrate the end (hopefully!) of nausea and puking and the beginning of weight gain, feeling the first kicks (coming soon, I hope!) and getting ready for our little girl:
                  Elliot Kaylene 
We are thankful for good health, and looking forward to the 5 and a half months of watching this belly grow!

it's official

well, folks.  I've been trying to figure out how to return from the blog-world hiatus with this news, so I guess I'll just come out and say it.

I'm pregnant.

The baby has bumped.  There's no hiding this belly. 17 weeks along, the baby is currently the size of...wait for it...an onion.

You read it right. An onion. Kind of weird. Not as cute as a raspberry or a peach, but that's how life goes.

Yesterday we heard the heartbeat, and it was very reassuring to hear it beating fast and strong. There's a real human in there, growing very, very quickly.

I will be sharing more details of this journey in the future, since last I shared on this blog was talk about adoption/not having babies biologically. It has been quite the process, and I am looking forward to sharing the ups and downs and ins and outs. But for now, I will sum up with the following truths:

God is extremely faithful, we are so thankful for this baby, and while these past four months have been very different than what I would have asked for in an ideal situation, God has stayed true to the promises that we clung to when my mom was dying of cancer:

When you pass through the waters,

I will be with you;

and when you pass through the rivers,

they will not sweep over you.

When you walk through the fire,

you will not be burned;

the flames will not set you ablaze. (Isaiah 43:2)

Stay tuned.

dpp 25: Merry Christmas!

 This first pic is cutely appropriate simply because my husband .loves.  football. So much so that I have agreed to name our first child Pigskin.

I love this picture, but mostly because this is the only picture we have taken together since...yep. So this one counts as a Christmas photo. Merry Christmas.

dpp 24: a Sperling Christmas

Some of the holiday happenings with the Sperling family! Love being a part of this family!