Dr's and Thanksgiving

This week has been filled with stress from all angles!

First, the stress from anticipating the doctor appointment. Like the last appointment the doppler wouldn't pick up the heartbeat. After an ultrasound to hear the heartbeat, we have discovered that the baby is still there, still growing, but... I do have an Anterior Placenta. An Anterior Placenta is nothing to worry about. It just means that the baby is behind the placenta and it makes it harder for the doppler to hear the heartbeat because of the fluid in the way. Baby's heartbeat is now in the 140's, normal for a baby in the second trimester. The Midwife we are going to is determined to find the heartbeat with the doppler, so December 9th will be her chance! December 20, right before we fly to Utah, is the big ultrasound to determine sex of the baby, and whether there are any birth defects.

Next, stressing about Thanksgiving, even when I'm not making the food, is a lot of work! At first, I just felt homesick because it was my first Thanksgiving without my siblings or my parents. But then I stressed because I didn't know what to expect about a Furnell family Thanksgiving. The food was delicious and the company was fun. Justin was very sick on Thanksgiving though, so when we got home, it was peaceful while Justin slept and I relaxed.

Life has many changes...

As many of you already know, there is never a stagnant boring moment in life. When one thing goes wrong, it seems like every element in the universe needs to be included. There have been  many moments like this in the last few weeks. First Justin was having issues with his job, so he quit. Then I was having health issues and I ended up having to quit my job just to survive the day. Thank goodness that Dad Furnell needed help these last weeks with his company or we wouldn't have any money for this holiday season, let alone our many bills and responsibilities. Just to top it all off, Justin's Great Aunt passed away. So, we are currently learning about financial discipline, hormones and egos, and how to keep Sadie entertained for nine hours a day (not an easy task!!)

As far as the pregnancy is going, I have been feeling better since I quit my job. My body has more time throughout the day to wake up. I am also having problems with super light-headedness, and some issues with my Sciatic...already! My next doctor's appointment is tomorrow and we will get to hear the heartbeat again. But if you read my last post about my latest appointment, you are probably just as nervous as I am about the Doppler hearing the heartbeat. Hopefully there will not be any complications!

Still waiting to feel the baby, but I know I will soon.

Here's some news for the whole family in Utah! We are flying out December 24th, if all goes well with the pregnancy and I'm okay'd for flight. We will remain in Utah until January 5th! That's two whole weeks to catch up, feel the baby, see me as a beached whale pregnant woman, and for me to re-introduce myself to my baby brother!

We are very excited for the changes that life is throwing at us, and we are ready for anything!

And one more thing... PC Wizard is up and running! Checkout our website: pcwizardmo.blogspot.com!

Blessings come with Trials

The last couple of weeks have been... let's just say... difficult.

First, I have been worrying about the baby. Like any soon-to-be mother, I always wonder what is going on inside that little womb of mine. Another huge worry is my lack of morning sickness! But after a few doctor appointments I feel better about the uncertainty.

Two weeks ago, I had a doctors appointment for this beautiful little baby that is growing inside me. It was my 12 week appointment where they first try to find the heartbeat with the battery-operated Doppler. The Doppler is usually quite accurate, but in my case... the baby was not being heard. Fear of a miscarriage, started to fill my mind, but lack of bleeding left me still hoping. So an appointment on Monday, leaving a weekend for the baby to grow a little more, was scheduled. I went back on Monday and just like Friday, the baby was still being shy. The fear of something being wrong grew stronger. Because of both tries being negative with the Doppler, an ultrasound was necessary. It took about three seconds for the doctor to find the baby, and the heartbeat! I am so happy that everything is still going how it should. We even got to see the little boy/girl move around! All the excitement of that weekend ended in a 3 lb weight loss.

Last week, my husband's boss announced that he was cutting my husband down to 32 hrs a week, and he took away the vacation pay. We had been planning on me quitting my job in December, which would mean that we would only be living on Justin's  income. Now with his income being cut by 1/4 what we had been planning, budgeting has gotten even more difficult. Today... Justin let me know that his pay has now been dropped a $1.50 an hour and he still can only work 32 hrs a week. Its almost as if we are being tested... Welcome to mortality.

Saturday was a wonderful day for my family. My Dad has recently had his priesthood restored and it was time for him and my step-mom and their three beautiful children to be sealed in the temple. What a wonderful blessing that is for them and for us! On Sunday, my Dad had the privilege of blessing Alysa and Canyon. I am so heartbroken that it didn't work for me to go out and see these wonderful things happen. But seeing and hearing the change in my Dad while he has been working on his priesthood restoration helps me to recongnize more and more how wonderfully blessed our lives are.

Let me rephrase my title to explain more what I have learned from all the things we have been blessed with lately. The new title is: Blessings come FROM trials.