"Is this your first?"

I have been asked this question a lot recently, as people find out we're pregnant. I never really know how to answer.

Yes, this will be the first child I give birth to.

Yes, this is the first time I've made it through the first trimester.

No, this is not my first pregnancy, but hopefully it will be the first to go full-term.

Usually I just say "yes," but I've always been pretty open about our previous loss, so depending on the person and the mood and situation, I sometimes go into a little more detail. I never want to make anyone uncomfortable for asking, but, it's always a bit weird for me to just flat out say "yes, this is my first."

I just don't know...is it too much to go into detail? Or, do I simply say "yes" and bite my tongue?

First Trimester!

It's true, we are pregnant!

It's been a long road. After a miscarriage two years ago, "trying," having to put "trying" on hold due to traveling, school, unemployment, etc., and most recently, 12 more months of "trying"...

We finally took a pregnancy test that was positive!

We are so thankful and trust God's Perfect timing in this. We have a lot to figure out over the next 6 months, but again, we trust God's timing.

Some Highlights Up To Now:

-We took the pregnancy test when I was at about 4 1/2 weeks. We were both very surprised, (after a year of wanting a positive test you start to not let your hopes get too high) but it also helped explain why I had been falling asleep on the couch every night at 8:00 that week (I blamed it on starting a new job)! We decided to go out that night and celebrate, just the two of us. We bought a little baby outfit and just spent the next couple of weeks enjoying this little secret between the two of us.

-We slowly started telling family and a few friends, and I eventually told my work (hard not to as I was fighting quite a bit of nausea).

-We had an ultrasound (picture above) at 8 weeks, and were able to see the heartbeat. This was the first emotional hurdle for me, as we never saw an ultrasound in our first pregnancy. I was definitely emotional as we drove away after the ultrasound...so thankful to see a heartbeat and a healthy baby. I had definitely been "holding my breath" until I saw that heartbeat!

-The second emotional hurdle for me was waking up the day after 10 1/2 weeks, when we had miscarried before. I looked at the calendar and was so thankful to have made it through that day.

-The first few weeks after we took the test, I experienced quite a bit of heartburn, but luckily that faded, as the nausea hasn't yet. I feel "morning sickness" all day, but it's actually the worst for me at night. I finally changed toothpaste because anything peppermint was making me sick, and with brushing my teeth and my gagging, it was a terrible combination! We've been reminding ourselves all along that if I'm feeling sick, that's a good sign. It's been hard not to compare this pregnancy with my first, and I've definitely felt MUCH more nausea, heartburn, fatigue, and overall symptoms this time around.

-We are due October 13, and we couldn't be more excited! We feel so blessed and are so thankful. Not a day goes by that we don't thank God for this blessing. It's hard not to get overwhelmed with all that could happen in the future, but I guess that's what being a parent is about: for the rest of our lives we'll be worried about something to do with our child, and in turn, trusting the Lord in it all!

Bye-Bye Outrageous Interest Rates!

Today marks a significant day for us.

We paid off our credit card!!!!

For the past few years we have tried, on and off, to use Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University philosophy of using cash and not credit cards to get out of debt.

It's been tough to do when we've both been in graduate school, and then long bouts of unemployment and uncertainty, raising support for Rwanda, and moving A LOT.

But, in January I started a job full-time and we vowed to keep our budget as tight as it had been before, so any extra income could go straight to our credit card. In less than 4 months we paid off over $8800 in credit card debt! We are so thankful! Our only debt we have left, since we don't own a house, is our multiple school loans. These loans make our credit card debt look like chump change, but we are focused and ready. It will take a lot longer than a few months, but for us, the stress of school loans is much less in comparison to the outrageous "minimum payments" and interest added to having a credit card.

Regardless of what the future holds, we can move forward with a lot less guilt and stress knowing we are becoming more financially responsible and stable.