Another Question (not quite so serious this time)

Actually, I have two questions.

1. What happened when you went to your first doctor's visit? I have read some information online, but I was curious what your experiences were.

2. What questions do you recommend that I ask? I am terrible about coming up with questions.

Question for Formerly Pregnant Women

I have had some occasional "brown spotting" (the best way I know to describe it) this week and I was wondering if any of you experienced this during your pregnancy. It's not very heavy and I have not had any other changes, so I am trying not to worry too much. My first doctor's appointment is next Tuesday, so I don't want to make a big deal about it before then. Looking online I see that this is can be a common occurrence for some women.

Anyway, just wanted to get some feedback from the rest of you.

Here We Go

Okay, as many of you know, Matt and I are expecting our first baby in early May, so I have decided to blog about the journey and I would like any advice or tips that those who have gone before can supply.

We found out on Tuesday, August 25th and we received the official word from the doctor on Monday, August 31st. While a positive pregnancy test was completely unexpected, it was not a total surprise. We were planning to go to the doctor in October to begin looking into fertility treatments again. Thankfully, God saved us that step. I had begun taking my temperature again just this last month, so we knew that we had hit the right window, but we had no real expectations for success.

I had been struggling with the idea of taking Clomid because I really did not think that it would help. As far as we knew, there was not biological reason for us to not have children. I was pretty sure that I ovulated on a regular basis and I knew from a test last year that my ovaries were still producing like they should be. Of course, clomid is usually the first step in treatment, so I was willing to go through it if that is what we needed to do.

Right now I am feeling pretty good. This Sunday will be 6 weeks and I see from many online sources that that is when morning sickness begins to kick in. I have had a little bit of cramping, but nothing too severe and it has actually subsided some over the past few days. There are times when I feel tired, but I often feel tired, so I'm not sure if it is worse than normal or not. I do have to go the bathroom about every hour, so that is a definite change. We will probably need to consider buying stock in Northern bathroom tissue. The last couple of days there have been moments where I feel a little nauseous for a few seconds, but then it goes away, so I'm not quite sure if I was really nauseous or not. I guess we will soon see.

Our first doctor's appointment is Tuesday, September 22nd. I understand why they want to wait until the 8 week mark, but for a first time mothers who is 36-years-old, it seems like an eternity to wait. I'm thankful for the resources that are available online and all the amazing details they can give about the development of the baby. When I read all the details and see the logic of the development, it just confirms that God is the creator.

We know that this event is completely from God. I have believed all along that when the time was right, we would be able to conceive without medical help because with God, nothing is impossible. I know that only He is the giver of life. That is why I laugh when people get uptight about cloning. The only way a cloned human will have life is if God gives that clone life, and then it will be a different person from the one he or she was cloned from.

Never Take Your Freedom for Granted

Sudan trouser woman 'ready for 40,000 lashes'

The above article is about some Sudanese women who were arrested because of how they dressed; the women dared to wear trousers at a restaurant. Some of the women have already been given 10 lashes, but a couple of the women are challenging the ruling and face the possibility of receiving 40 lashes. Take a look at her outfit. It is very modest and tasteful.

This article falls in line with the topic I plan to use in my Comp classes this fall and possibly this spring. I want my students to think about freedom: defining, analyzing, and exploring the freedoms that they currently have. My plan is that their research paper will look at the lack of freedom that many people experience around the world. My hope is that they will become more aware of the freedoms that they have and that they will never take that freedom for granted.

Stimulus Package?

Did you hear that they almost ran out of money for the CARS program (aka Cash for Clunkers)? Of course, now the government has added another 2 billion dollars to the program (a total of 3 billion for those keeping score), so the program can go on.

While I admit I do not know all the details of the program, I am not in favor of it. As I have read a couple of articles about the program, some questions have come to mind: how many people are buying new cars who cannot afford them? Who is going to make up the money when these people default on their loans? How exactly is this going to stimulate the economy? Where exactly is this money coming from? Why is it such a bad circumstance that car sales are lower than they were a few years ago when the economy was in better shape? What is wrong with experiencing a little failure? Doesn't experiencing failure teach us to do better in the future?

Summer Expectations

As I was finally eating my first bit of watermelon for the summer, I got to thinking about all the elements that I think must be in place for summer to be official. For me, summer needs to include eating watermelon, corn on the cob, and angel food cake. Scents need to include cut grass and sunscreen (I love the smell of sunscreen!). Swimming is a must because the sky should be sunny and the temperature should be above 95 every day, especially in July and August (while these past few years have been easy on the pocketbook, I've been disappointed that we have had so many rainy days -- strange, I know. I think we should move to Phoenix). Evenings should be filled with a dry south wind and the sounds of locust singing in the trees.

What are some of your favorite elements of summer?

Source of True Happiness and a Good Reminder

I was watching Rachel Ray today (or more accurately, listening to her show since I was painting in the kitchen) and she had a young woman on who had lost over 50 pounds within the last year. I believe she is now 16 years old. The young woman credited Rachel Ray's show for giving her the inspiration to lose weight and live a healthier life. While she was on the show, Rachel Ray mentioned that this young woman still feels lonely even after losing all the weight. The girl feels like people still do not care for her, so they played a video of greetings from her home town of various organizations inviting this young woman to join them for some adventures. The mayor even declared it her month (I cannot remember her name).

As I was watching the show, I couldn't help but think that this young woman is still going to be lonely even after meeting all the people in her home town. This young woman thought that losing weight would bring her happiness, but it did not. It really reminded me that "happiness" can only be found in God. It also reminded me that as Christians, we need to be sensitive to the needs of those around us and make sure we are not so wrapped up in our own issues that we fail to reach out to the unsaved. How is this young woman ever going to know true joy if no one reaches out to share the truth with her? My prayer is that God will bring someone into her life to share the truth with her so she will discover true acceptance and belonging and that God will open my eyes to see those around me who are in the same position as this young woman.