22 weeks and counting...

... and getting bigger by the minute! (Or at least it feels that way). This is the first week I've really started to feel 'big pregnant.' Strangers and people I haven't seen in a long time have started to feel like it's safe to ask if I'm pregnant, which is exciting because finally you feel like you look pregnant and all the weight you've gained is for a purpose! So here's my little update on life at 22 weeks. Sorry if any of it is too much information, but your body really does become a total stranger during pregnancy.

(ps- yes, I do still feel like a huge nerd taking these pictures. Self-portraiture was never my strong suite!)

The Belly
I'm protruding now to where everything I try to wear starts to roll down under my belly. I'm relegated now to anything with a huge waistband that comes up higher, though I can still wear a surprising amount of non-maternity. I've mostly been wearing stretchier stuff that (hopefully) still looks normal and not grannie-waisted, and usually a sports bra. Matt has started rubbing my belly and talking to K more, which is the coolest thing to me. It's still so surreal to think there's a little human in there listening!

Le Belly Bouton
I have such a super-innie that I doubted if it would ever really pop out like most pregnant women. It's taken some time, but I can definitely feel it getting shallower. It actually freaks me out quite a bit. Your belly button is never supposed to poke around like that! This has started becoming my best friend recently!

The Kicks
I'm finally feeling some kicks now! At first they just felt like nervous butterflies, but now they are frequent enough to know that it's the baby, and I'm starting to see some patterns of activity. For example, we ran out of time to cook last night and ordered Domino's, and their special was an extra-pepperoni pizza. Well, this pizza had enough pepperonis on it for about 4 pizzas, and it was so good. For the next 45 minutes, I felt so many kicks I made Matt put his hand on me to see if he could feel them too. I think they're not quite hard enough yet, but I'm sure they will be as she gets bigger! Part of it may have been that I was laying on my back and Pontouf was laying on top of me, both of which I don't think I'm really supposed to do. Baby K was saying get off me!

The Sleep
Sleeping is getting harder and harder. I'm never quite comfortable, partially because there are so many ways you're not supposed to position yourself that I'm always a little paranoid even if it feels comfortable (especially on my back, because that supposedly cuts off circulation to your aorta and a large vein). I'm also getting up to pee on average about 3-4 times a night, and there's no possible way to just hold it anymore! What's funny is that I've gotten Matt and Pontouf in the habit of getting up more frequently too, when we used to all sleep through the night. I've inflicted my schedule on the whole house! Good thing it won't really matter, since in November Baby K will give us all a new schedule to adapt to.

The Baby Room
I am so excited to start setting up the baby room! We were working on it last night, Matt setting up the books on the bookshelf and I was organizing and pulling the tags off the loot we got from the Kid's Exchange (thanks for the help, Aunt Alisa and Aunt Leanne!). It's so fun to start making little piles... one of all the bibs and burp cloths, one of the shoes/socks/hats, one of the folded-up blankets, etc. I went out looking for baby clothes detergent so I could start washing clothes and putting them away, and Matt had a good laugh at me since we still have so much time left. I even opened some of the newborn diapers and put them in the changing table. Then I found out that each package of Pampers brand diapers and wipes has a code that you can enter in and get points towards free things, similar to credit card points systems. Since we've already bought 5-6 packages of diapers here and there, we racked up about 32 points! And they're not all baby stuff, you can redeem them for Macy's and Starbuck's gift cards.

(Little piles on the changing table, with a little green basket of ridiculously tiny newborn diapers!)

(Diaper stash in the closet... there's not as many as it looks like!)

The Brain
It makes me laugh that, ironically, I almost forgot to mention this part... the Baby Brain. I'd read about it, but had yet to experience it until now. I used to be able to multi-task and do about 4 or 5 things at the same time and get them all done just fine. Now, half the time, I can't think straight, can barely focus on one thing at a time, and forget things that people have just said to me or worse, answers to questions I just asked. Luckily, Matt has been really patient with having to repeat and re-explain most of the things he says to me. I think it has to do with the 'nesting instinct' and the fact that now we're in the new house, all I can think about is getting everything settled and ready for the baby!

Getting Settled

So finally, here are the first pictures emerging from the new house as we work to get everything unpacked and settled! We've really been happy with how well it's turning out, and while a new house, new job, new town, and new friends is always a lot of 'new' all at once, we really feel God's provision with everything in the adjustment.

We don't have a mantle anymore (there's one of those giant hole things for the tv above the fireplace), so we did a bit of maneuvering and used the top of the piano instead. I figured this was a safe little spot to share since it's one of the only pretty and (almost) completely finished little corners of the living room! I love having so many family pictures all in one place.
Here's part of the back yard and deck with the grill waiting to cook and a swing waiting to be swung! Matt found out that our new yard is just a little bit bigger than our old one when it took him 3 hours and two water breaks in the heat today to get it all mowed!
Come visit soon, and I promise this nice clean guest bathroom will be waiting for you!
Right next door will be baby K's room as soon as I can get it all set up (notice the giant box of diapers already! And the big white tub, is, well, a baby bathtub.)
The rest, we'll just say, is a work in progress. My family moved enough growing up for me to know that there are always a few weeks after a move where you panic because you have no idea where something important is, and you just have to sit back and say it must be here somewhere. We're pretty much in that stage right now, trying to be patient as it all comes together. I got all of our pantry stuff put away yesterday, and we went on a big grocery run today, so that helps. There's nothing like a cold coke in the fridge and some chips in the pantry to make a place feel more homey. Plus, we're getting our mail here, which is exciting to me. I'm always worried they'll mess that up somehow in the whole mail transfer process.

We're heading back into Raleigh tomorrow for just the afternoon so that I can go to the Kid's Exchange consignment sale at the fairgrounds, which I'm pretty excited about! This will be my first time going as a mom (to be) and I can't wait to see what kind of cool cheap stuff we can stock up on for the wee one!

back in Raleigh (kinda)

We're in Raleigh this week, finishing up our last... four... days... of work... I think we're going to make it. We've both been anxious to go ahead and get down to Randleman and be settled in one place! I keep having the classic problem of going to grab something, then having to stop and think which house it might be at (nevermind which bag/box/random hiding spot it might be stashed in)... and then realizing it is not at the same house as me! We're staying at the beautiful and luxe Hotel de Brogli (Matt's parent's guest room) and it has been so nice. I have a big, beautiful bathtub at my disposal anytime, and in-laws who have been stuffing me and Baby K full of delicious home-cooked food! Most of the veggies have even been fresh as it gets, straight from their garden. Thanks mom and dad! Hopefully we have not been too obnoxious of houseguests, although we do have one little addition with us who is furry and barks a lot at inopportune times- but maybe all the puppy kisses and snuggles have made up for it!

One of the things I keep leaving in the wrong place is my camera, so of course, I can't post any new house pictures yet. But it is definitely coming together well! We spent overnight this weekend putting up the blinds over the windows, and putting away more dishes. Right now what's mostly left to unpack are the pantry things, my craft room stuff, putting together the guest bed, and then putting together K's room. I've left that for last 1-because we thankfully don't need it right this second, and 2-because I'm so excited about taking my time and making it beautiful! (And because some of the projects I'm planning to make for it necessitate the craft room being organized first).

There's lots of exciting things on the horizon for us, but luckily now that one house has closed and the other is about to close (thank the LORD!) and everything is moved, we can catch our breath a little bit!

Moooooooving...

Well, it has finally come... the day that gets overshadowed by excitement with a new house, busy-ness of packing, and panic over how quickly you have to get it all done until you almost forget that you do, in fact, have to... actually move. Pick up boxes and take them out of the house. Pick up a piano and take it out of the house and into a new one. That day finally came for us yesterday (and a little more this morning) and we are officially moving!

We're tired and sore, but incredibly grateful for our whole family that has helped in one way or another... the guys who have lifted all the heavy stuff, the girls who've helped me pack (trying not to make the boxes too heavy for the guys) and sent moral support by phone, Matt's mom bringing us breakfast this morning, and Matt's dad who is like a jigsaw puzzle worker when it comes to fitting every single thing into the truck. Thank you to you all!

Tonight will be our first full night sleeping in the new house, in a little bit of chaos, yes, but at least with all our posessions in one place (for the most part). Our phone and computer are in parts and pieces in one of these boxes somewhere, so if we don't get your email or call, we aren't ignoring you! You can always try our cellphones... we'll sound exhausted, but at least you'll get ahold of us! Besides, I hope all of you will be calling for directions so you can come visit! Hopefully the next post will be from the new house, with everything a little more settled and calm. I'm driving out today to meet Matt and the new house, and it will be my first time driving out there by myself... wish me luck, I have a notoriously terrible sense of direction!

Perfect Gift

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow."

James 1:17 NIV/NASB

We had an absolutely fantastic day at our ultrasound today! The results of the vote are that 66% percent of you thought it was a girl, and you were right! The good and perfect gift the Lord decided to bless us with is

A GIRL!!!

Our awesome ultrasonographer, Judy, told us that she believed 100% it is a girl. She did Leanne and Sandy's ultrasounds as well when Ansley was born, and as of then (4 years ago) she had never been wrong once! And yes, that's our little one's bootie up there for all to see... hopefully it's the last time she'll be naked on the internet! :)

(ps- I forgot to add the other ultrasound picture yesterday- this is the one of her little face!)

We are both adjusting a little bit, since we were both pretty convinced it was a boy, but we couldn't be more excited about our little Baby K. As Matt said, today did really make it feel a little more real... now it's not just a baby on the way, but our daughter who is coming, and coming soon! I'm really excited too of course, to start buying some pink things I've had my eye on.

We got to spend about 15 or 20 minutes (or at least it felt that long, I wasn't exactly watching the clock!) just looking at our little one swim around and seeing how healthy she is. She weighs 11 ounces, and her heartbeat was a nice calm 153. We got to see her little feet and hands, and Judy measured the ventricles of her heart as we watched them beat. I even found out that the reason I haven't been feeling many kicks is because I have an anterior placenta, which just means the placenta is in front of the baby, between her and my belly. Basically it's like a little pillow protecting me from any hard kicks! We also agreed to join a trial study for UNC where they measure you to see if you are likely to go into pre-term labor. Judy measured me, and apparently Baby K will have a nice long path to travel (and that's supposed to be a good thing?). It is a little daunting to see how big the baby's head looks compared to the little tunnel she has to come out of. It's still hard to believe that in a little over 4 more months we will get to meet her!

packing, moving, and licensing..OH MY!

This was a very full weekend, but also a very good one. It all started Saturday morning when we went down to Randleman to check out the paint and carpet in the new house. It looks amazing and we began to move things in. After we had been working very hard for a few hours, Lindsey went to a social for the ladies only at a member of Forest Park's pool. She go to have a wonderful time and fellowship with a bunch of the ladies. She was so glad she went and came home very excited. This, of course, made me ecstatic, because I want her to have tons of friends here in our new town and I was glad she got to relax a bit. Thanks Julie and all the other ladies for welcoming Linds in style! We then went out to dinner with Jon, Julie, Hannah and Caleb (their two kids) and then headed home to collapse before Sunday's festivities.
On Sunday morning we got up, went to church and it was here that Lindsey and I were called up to the pulpit to receive my license for ministry from BayLeaf. For those of you who don't know, a ministry license gives you the ability to marry and bury people. I should be getting ordained in late August or early September. The church was very sweet and prayed for Lindsey and I as we are about to embark on a new adventure together and it was great! Then, my whole family got together at Boston Market for a quick lunch before we all rushed off to our busy days. It's always fun to see Mom and Dad (Nana and Grandgraddy as Ansley calls them) interact with her and imagine how it will be like when our baby is here. Can't wait!
Then it was off to take another load of furniture and assorted items to the new house. It went well and my Dad has been more than amazing with all of his help, advice, use of his truck, and brute force when moving all of the items into the home. He's really quite exceptional at packing the truck and when I think we can get 3 items in there, he packs it in a way to safely get 10. It rocks! When we got home last night, we headed over to Leanne and Sandy's for dinner and Hand and Foot. Hand and Foot is a very long card game that my family plays that is incredibly fun. It was a great evening that took our minds off of the intense excitement over finding out what the sex of the baby is on Monday. Lindsey will be posting the sex of the baby later today, but we are hyped to tell you all! Have a great day!

Halfway There!

We are at 20 weeks this week... our official halfway mark! If we deliver this baby right on time (40 weeks, November 30th), that means we're already halfway done!
Here is a full baby (we just finished lunch) and a tired momma (packing, moving, cleaning, and getting ready for a craft show this weekend). We spent all day yesterday at the new house, waiting for some appliances to be delivered and doing more cleaning in the new house. I even got to leave the work to Matt and go by the pool for a little while and test run the new maternity bathing suit (yes, Aunt Alisa, I did have to just break down and buy one!)

The house is coming together, and we're really excited about it. The paint is done, and looks awesome in the baby room! I'm really excited about getting some things hung on the wall and getting the furniture put together in there. It's such a calm and sweet little space, I can't wait to bring our little bundle to come live in it.

Poor Pontouf had to stay in the kennel all day while we got things together down in Randleman yesterday. I'll be really excited when we finally get her down there so she can get used to the house and "meet" her new yard (which is what she'll be most excited about)! I know moving to a new house and then having a new baby around 4 months later will be a lot of adjustment for her, so I'm hoping she'll be able to handle it well. Actually, I'm hoping all of us will be able to handle it well! We've had a lot of big changes (or transitions as we love to call them in my family) this year, and I'm feeling really ready to just have some time for the dust to settle and to have a chance to enjoy these huge blessings God has given us.

PS!- I didn't even realize that the boy or girl vote wouldn't tell me who voted what, so if you'd like to divulge which gender child you are wishing on us :) we'd love to know! You can leave a comment or email and tell us. Thanks for playing along... we find out for sure first thing tomorrow morning!!!

What are you doing to develop your mind for Christ?

Anti-intellectualism gives rise to the most extreme, the most morally deplorable, form of sloth. It is to be found in persons for whom the ultimate objectives in life are the maximization of pleasure, money, fame, or power and who, thus motivated, express their contempt for those who waste their lives in purely intellectual pursuits. It is almost as if they wished they did not have the burden of having intellects that might distract them from their fanatical devotion to nonintellectual aims.
- Mortimer Adler

What luck for rulers that men do not think.
- Adolf Hitler

I must be frank with you: the greatest danger besetting American Evangelical Christianity is the danger of anti-intellectualism. The mind as to its greatest and deepest reaches is not cared for enough. The problem is not only to win souls but to save minds. If you win the whole world and lose the mind of the world, you will soon discover you have not won the world. Indeed it may turn out you have actually lost the world.
- Charles Malik

It's easy to slip into laziness intellectually, but we must study!

"Study to show yourself approved to God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." 2 Timothy 2:15

More news on our new house and a baby update coming soon too!

Happy 4th of July!!!

To celebrate our freedom and independence, we went over to the Creech's for an evening of fun. We rode with Matt Creech and got there around 5pm and shortly thereafter Grandma Creech, Joanna and her friend, and Katie and Russ arrived. Mr. Creech grilled hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken and we brought the chips and drinks. There was fresh watermelon, pickled cucumbers, homemade salsa, deviled eggs, cheesecake and coconut cake. It was a mighty feast and we all ate entirely too much. Then Ethan challenged me to a duel involving water pistols. Not being one to pass up a water gun fight, I accepted and soon everyone was getting sprayed (whether they wanted to or not). It was so much fun to see everyone having such a great time. Then Mrs. Creech gave everyone a tour of her garden and we launched an assortment of pathetic North Carolina fireworks on the edge of the farm. Then we all piled into the cars to head out to the Mudcats stadium to watch some REAL fireworks. I grabbed a few shots, and although they didn't turn out exactly how I wanted them (I left my tripod at home), we were glad to all be able to be together and watch some explosives and say Happy 4th of July! Hope your day was as great!

Our House...in the middle of the cul-de-sac!

This has been a momentous week for the Brogli family. I got a new job in Randleman at Forest Park Baptist Church. We continued the packing process for our move and we completed the repair items on our house here for the new buyers. Also, this week, we put a house under contract in Randleman. This is our new home! Due to the former owners being rather heavy smokers we have some work in store for us, but Broglis rarely turn down the opportunity for a challenge. So, in the spirit of preparing a new home for our little one to come live in, we're repainting all of the walls, woodwork, ceilings, replacing the carpet, replacing air filters with higher quality ones, using copious quantities of vinegar for cleaning and thoroughly scrubbing the home. Also, a member of the church mentioned an ozone machine might be available to us if we needed it. So while it will take a bit of elbow grease, we see this home as a HUGE blessing from God only minutes from the church! It's in the middle of a cul-de-sac with what appears to be really fun neighbors and we're ecstatic to have somewhere to put our stuff when we leave our Wake Forest house and that puts us so close to our new church family. A huge thanks to my parents for negotiating the deal and to my dad for inspecting the property so it doesn't fall in on us our first night. We'll see you in late July new house!