Biggest Update Yet

It's been a long time since I've written, and so much has happened since my last entry. I'm sure most of you know a bit about what's going on via Facebook and social media, but I apologize for not writing anything more extensive this year.

We found out the morning of Valentine's Day. This is that night.

Perhaps the most exciting news we received this year is that we're expecting a baby!! It's been no secret that I've desired a baby for most of our marriage, but we knew the timing wasn't right so we patiently waited until it was. On Feb. 14, we found out that I was 4 1/2 weeks pregnant with our first baby. Our little pumpkin is due on Oct. 21 and we couldn't be more excited!

A lot of people ask how I'm feeling, and I'm happy to report that I have been so blessed throughout my pregnancy. My first trimester brought me almost no symptoms: no vomiting, nausea, etc. I did have fatigue and occasional food aversions but that was about it. It was very nerve-wracking though. While regular first trimester symptoms are yucky and no fun, they at least offer assurance that everything is OK. I didn't have that most days and that was really scary. I spent most of the time worried something would happen, but I knew worrying wasn't good so I tried my best to just trust that Lord that He would bring us through this pregnancy.

How we announced the news on social media.

After I was 12 weeks along and we heard our pumpkin's heartbeat for the first time, I felt a lot better. We announced to most of our family and close friends in the first trimester, but then it was time to make the announcement public, which was so fun!

The second trimester also went fairly smoothly, though I did start to have trouble getting comfortable at night and my bathroom breaks became more frequent. I also received news during this time that I would be losing my job in the near future, which was really scary. I started looking for full-time jobs, which is one of the reasons I was hesitant to share our big news on my blog.

At the end of April we entered into a contract on a lovely town home in Downers Grove. We didn't think we'd be able to afford to live in Downers Grove (which is where our church and many of our friends live), so we were thrilled at our find. It has 2 1/2 bathrooms, 3 bedrooms, a 1-car garage and a lovely deck out back. We were cautiously optimistic as my job situation hung in the balance and my self-employed status made securing a loan rather difficult.

This is how we did our gender reveal on Facebook.

In June we had our 20-week ultrasound and found out that our sweet little pumpkin is a girl. Of course I would have loved to have a son, but I was thrilled at the news that we'd be having a daughter. It felt like such an answer to prayer, which was comforting during that time of turmoil with not knowing when my job would end or if we'd get our house.

A month later our closing date rolled around and we were so thankful that everything worked out. On July 1 we became proud homeowners! We decided to wait a few weeks to get some projects done at the house and extend our time at our apartment since our lease went until the end of August, so we didn't move in until July 19.

The front of our house from the MLS listing.

Since then we've been busy painting rooms (well, Erik has at least) and trying to get settled. We're working on getting the nursery set up (so far it's painted and the crib is put together, just waiting on the arrival of the dresser and glider) and also unpacking the rest of the house.

I am 30 weeks along today. I'm still enjoying a fairly easy pregnancy, but starting to get more back pain and making even more frequent bathroom stops. It's difficult to get comfortable most of the time, especially at night. But this is all to be expected. Sometimes I get down about all of this, but mostly I am excited and can't wait to meet our little girl. She is perfectly healthy, as all of the tests and ultrasound have shown. Before you ask, we are keeping the name a secret. :) We can't wait to announce her birth and her name to the world!

My most-recent bump photo, taken Thursday.

As far as employment, I am still working as a contractor for Charisma Media and will continue doing so until I give birth. I'll pick up my search for a job in a couple months and hope to start a new one toward the beginning of 2015. Erik is still working at a methadone clinic in Aurora and has enough days saved up to spend almost a month at home with our little girl and me.

If you'd like to know how to be praying for us in this time, here are some prayer requests:

• For my ultrasound at the end of the week. I had a low-lying placenta at my 20-week ultrasound so they need to see its position. If it still low-lying or covering my cervix, it could complicate birth and may force a c-section.
• That these last 10 (or so) weeks of pregnancy will go smoothly and that we will use the time wisely to prepare and relax.
• That our little girl will be born healthy and we'll adjust well to being parents.
• For both of our job situations, and that God will provide finances and a clear answer on our path. Also that we will find an affordable day care we feel comfortable with.

Thanks for reading, everyone! This really has been a big update (baby, house, job, oh my!) and I hope you enjoyed it!

2013: A Year in Review

We are doing a “Year in Review” at Charisma magazine and Charisma News, where we repost the top stories of 2013. It’s a great way to look back at the year that’s about to end and reflect on what happened in those 365 days. So I thought I’d do my own “Year in Review.”

Us near the end of 2012 (left) and a few weeks before 2014 starts.

If I summed up 2013 in one word, it would definitely not be boring. It included trips to theme parks, our first cruise vacation, a master’s degree graduation, a cross-country move, living with family, another move to our own place, joining a new church, making new friends, new jobs and so much more. I think change would be a great word to describe this year.

The beginning of the year held so much promise, and yet so much uncertainty. Erik and I decided last summer that when he graduated we would move back to the Chicagoland area once one of us got a job. You can check out this post for more info on that decision. But since he didn’t graduate until May, January was much too early to start job hunting or planning any other details. So although we knew we had a major change coming up, all we could do was wait and enjoy where we were at.

So enjoy we did. We went to Disney World in the first week of January and went on our first cruise vacation in April. We spent three days on a Royal Caribbean trip to the Bahamas and soaked up (too much) sun a month before Erik graduated. We also took our last trip to Islands of Adventure at Universal Studios, where we got wet in the rain but savored the butter beer and memories we knew we wouldn’t experience again for a while. In the mean time, Erik and I were both applying for jobs and praying God would open a door so we could return home and live near our families and friends again.

When the time came, we packed up a 16-foot truck, said our goodbyes, and drove from Casselberry, Fla., to Bolingbrook, Ill. We each had to drive the whole way since we have two vehicles, so the trip was exhausting. But we made it in two days and it was such a relief to be home! I began working out of my aunt and uncle’s house (where we lived for two months) and Erik earnestly continued his job search. He started working at a treatment center in Chicago just a few days shy of a month after we moved here.

Unfortunately the job wasn’t quite what he was hoping for, but it was enough for us to be able to move out. We moved into a two-bedroom apartment in Lisle near the train station to make his daily commute to Chicago easier. Then in the middle of October he started a new job at a methodone clinic in Aurora—about a 20-minute commute from our place. He likes it better and the commute is a dream compared to his Chicago job.

The last few months haven’t been too eventful, but we’ve spent time with family and friends—old and new. We got to celebrate Thanksgiving with family for the first time in four years, we experienced our first snow storm since 2010, and we put up our first Christmas tree as a couple. We officially joined Four Corners Community Church, and I’ve become a regular volunteer in their nursery. I get to hold babies and play with toddlers, plus I am serving parents by allowing them to worship our Lord worry-free. So it really is perfect for me. Also, two weeks ago I chopped off almost 10 inches of my hair, which I will donate to Pantene Beautiful Lengths. This is the fourth time I've donated my hair and I'd say it will probably be the last, but I said that last time; so who knows.

As we wrap up another year and begin to dream for 2014, I am so thankful at where God has us and the work He’s done in our lives. I have a feeling this next year will be much more unpredictable, but I have no doubt that it will be exactly what God planned for us, and I intend to enjoy it as much as possible!

Happy New Year’s everyone, and stay safe!

From the Plains to the Sunshine State ... and Back Again

As you most likely know by now, Erik and I are moving … again. Yep, for the fourth time in the three years we’ve been married, we’re packing up our life and moving. For the second time, we’ll be moving cross-country. After about a year of discussions and prayer, we’ve decided to move up to the suburbs of Chicago.

In August 2010, when we had been married for just four months, we drove all of our belongings from Normal, Ill., to Orlando, Fla., so Erik could attend the mental health counseling graduate program at the University of Central Florida. At first I was optimistic that we’d find a great community and possibly want to stay here. But it’s become clear that this is not where we belong.

We’ve attended two churches and five small groups in the effort to try to find a community. Could we have tried harder to make friends? Maybe. And it’s not that we haven’t. We just don’t have a tight-knit, family-like community, which is what we truly desire. As we begin to discuss having a family of our own, one of the most important things to us is having a good, strong support system. We don’t have that in Florida, but we do in Illinois.

Erik graduated with his master’s degree in May, freeing us up to leave Florida. There are a lot of details surrounding the move, so I’ll explain some of them here:

1. What about jobs? I love my job at Charisma Media, and am so thrilled that they’re letting me keep it! That’s right. They’re going to let me work remotely, allowing me to keep all the responsibilities I have (which are all online-based) while working from home in Illinois. What a tremendous blessing! Erik is still vigorously hunting for jobs, and we’re optimistic that being local will help him land something soon.
2. Where will we live? Until we get settled and know what area we need to be in for Erik’s job, we’re planning to live with my Aunt Tammy, Uncle Steve, and their boys in Naperville. Their house has been my home for the last eight years, so it’s fitting that it’s where we return. Yet another blessing that they’re letting us live with them. We are so grateful!
3. How will we get there? This is the most annoying detail. We’ve decided to go back the same way we got down here: Driving. With two cars and enough stuff to fill an apartment, it’s the most cost-effective way. So we will rent a truck and tow my car, and drive Erik’s car. Last time we were blessed enough to have help driving, but this time it looks like we’ll be going it alone. It’s about a 19-hour drive, so of course we’ll have to spend the night somewhere and split it up into two days. Nonetheless, it will be A LOT of driving. So please pray for us!
4. When do we leave? My last day at my office will be Friday, June 28, and we’ll pack up our truck the following day. We’ll have to clean our apartment and it will be a tiring day, so we’ll spend the night with some friends before heading out. We will leave the morning of Sunday, June 30, and hopefully arrive in Naperville Monday (July 1) afternoon or evening. I’ll then take off the first week of July to recover and settle in before starting to work from home on July 8.

Well I think that about sums it up. Feel free to ask any other questions you may have in the comments section. To all of our Florida friends, we will miss you! We hope to come back and visit again some day, though. And to our family and friends back in the Midwest, we can't wait to see you again!

Update on My Surgery: Good and Bad News

To everyone who has been concerned about me, thank you very much!! I really appreciate all the texts and messages I've been getting and all the prayers and thoughts for my well-being. It's been a long day, but I wanted to give an update. I actually went to work at 8:30 today because I had to finish something up. I was only there til 10:30, but it still seems pretty crazy that I actually worked today. It seems like so long ago.But anyway, the surgery went very well.
If you're like me, you've got to hear the bad news first. So here it is: There was a cholestatoma in my ear. The last time I had one was when I was 6 years old, but it grew back. I'm not sure when or why or how, but it was there. The good news: It was small enough that they did not need to do the massive surgery!! They were able to get it out through my ear canal. They made a cut inside so my ear is sore, but this is great compared to what they thought they'd have to do if they found a cholestatoma. Also, there was a chance that they'd have to get a skin graf from my thigh to replace bad skin in my ear, but they did not do that either. The doctor told Erik he was glad I made the decision to let them go in right away.

I woke up very disoriented and thirsty. They gave me some ice chips and wouldn't let me see Erik until I left the recovery area (which seemed to take forever). But they took good care of me there. They gave me a Vicodin pill, which helped. I also got prescriptions for an anti-biotic, ear drops and more Vicodin. Erik dropped them off on the way home, so I'll get those tomorrow. We may not even get the Vicodin if I don't need it. I ate some graham crackers in the hospital and a slice of bread from Panera on the way home. As soon as I got out of the car I threw everything up. I felt better, so I went upstairs (very slowly) and ate some Panera broccoli cheddar soup. I slept for about two hours and woke up feeling better. I finished my soup, but threw it all up about an hour later. I haven't eaten anything other than the soup and the crackers since 10:00 last night, so my stomach is pretty empty. I'm slowly working on drinking a smoothie Erik made for me.

My husband has been such a great caretaker, getting me whatever I need and being very patient with me. He has spring break next week, so he'll be able to stay with me as I recover. I will not know if I can return to work until I call the doctor's office next Monday. I think I will for sure stay home Monday, then see what he says about the rest of the week. The nurse said he may want me to stay home until my pre-op appointment on Thursday, but we'll see.

Thanks again for all your thoughts, well wishes and prayers! I got a beautiful bouquet of flowers from my mother-in-law, and a really sweet card and "Good Luck" balloon from my friends Jay and Carol were on my doorstep this morning. I really appreciate everyone in my life right now and am so grateful to God! If you live in the Orlando area and would like to come see me, I'm pretty much stuck at home for most the weekend, so you're welcome to stop by (babies and all). Peace and love to all of you!

Surgery on the Horizon

As many of you know, I've got a long past with my left ear. I had my first surgery when I was 6 after a cholestatoma grew in my middle ear. It's benign, but it was traveling through the layer of muscle to my brain, which could have been fatal. There were risks to the surgery, but they successfully removed the mastoid. They also had to reconstruct my middle ear and replaced my ear drum with a synthetic. When I was 15 the synthetic ear drum was causing me pain and problems, so my doctor did a second surgery and removed it. They also widened my ear canal and did a thorough cleaning of all the scar tissue that had built up. Three years ago I waited too long between appointments and they had to put me to sleep to clean my ear out.

Well bringing us up to speed, I haven't been to the ear doctor since that procedure. I went to an ear doctor in the Orlando area for a check-up, and he found a lot of build up. Apparently it's called keratoma, and it's basically scar tissue built up from my past surgeries. He tried cleaning it out four times after using ear drops for a few weeks, but there is still a lot of soft tissue lodged in my mastoid cavity, so he referred me to a surgeon.

On Friday I'll be going in for a surgical procedure. If all goes well, it'll only take about 15 minutes for the doctor to go in and clean out my ear. But if the doctor finds that the soft tissue is a cholestatoma, he's going to go ahead and do a larger surgery, which will involve making an incision behind my ear. It's pretty invasive and it comes with some risks, since the soft tissue is on my smile nerves and balance canals. It'll also require more recovery time. But the alternative is for them to finish the procedure and then bring me in at another time for the surgery. I'd rather just go right into the surgery, so that's what they're going to do if they have to. I'm a little nervous for Friday and almost wish I didn't have to wait two and a half more days, but I think it's the right decision. Please pray that all will go well and I won't have to have the major surgery. If it does come to that, pray that the doctors will do a good job and there won't be any negative lasting side effects.

The procedure is scheduled for 3 p.m. I'll try to keep everyone up to date, but I'd appreciate if you all kept me in your thoughts and prayers.