Senior Officer Jaime Padron

One year ago today, Austin Police Officer Jaime Padron was killed in just inside Evan's new store. Today, we attended a dedication in his honor. The North Austin Sub-station was renamed the "Jaime Padron Station" and a memorial garden was created behind the building.

I am so thankful to the Austin Police Department for making WalMart shoplifters a priority in their community. I am so thankful these men and women come to aide my husband and his team when needed. And I am extremely thankful to Officer Padron, his family, and their ultimate sacrifice in keeping our community safe.

2nd trimester

The last few weeks have been very emotional.

I started getting over my morning sickness and my breasts stopped hurting around week 11 (shortly after my last post). At week 11 and 1/2, I got a TERRIBLE bladder infection. I was in so much pain, I missed several shifts at work. There was also enough blood in my urine to keep me panicked (that doesnt look right, but I cant figure out how to spell it) that something bigger was going on and Baby was in danger.

Week 13 was a God-send. The bladder/urinating pain finally went away and my lab tests showed the infection was gone. We also met Dr Andrea Campaigne. COOLEST DOCTOR EVER. If you need an OB in the Austin-area, I highly recommend her. She said all the right things to calm my fears, made me laugh, made me think, and was so relaxed I felt I could talk to her about anything. We also got to hear baby's heartbeat. He/she is perfectly healthy and growing inside me =_) There is nothing as beautiful or emotional as hearing your first child's heartbeat for the first time. Wow. We set a date to find out boy or girl, later than I was hoping, but Dr Campaigne said b/c I'm fluffy we'd get a better picture later than struggling to try it earlier.

This week, week 14, has been looong. We've started packing up our apartment to move out to the farm next week. I finished my final projects, just have a couple of papers to write and I'm done for the semester. And work has been terrible - tips not coming in, management being down right rude, and just an overall negative atmosphere (worse than normal).

However, last night was crazy awesome. We went to our church's Christmas party. I had the priviledge of sitting with a friend who had bypass exactly one year ago yesterday. She's lost 107lbs and looks incredible! We both enjoyed getting to have a meal with someone who eats like us - start with a small portion and still dont finish it.

Also at the party, several people shared what God has been doing in our lives this last year. It was very powerful. I usually dont share in times like that, but I felt this year I needed to. I encouraged that if youre looking for something, stop and wait on the Lord. He has His timing, but mostly He just wants you to ask Him and wait for Him to answer. That's what it's been like for me...

Almost 7 years ago, I was lookin for love. I desperately wanted to be in a relationship. I thought that's what I needed to make me happy. And like He always does when I'm being naive and selfish, God popped me upside the head and I turned back to Him for my true comfort and THE relationship I really needed. Not 3 months later, He introduced me to my husband. I especially challenged the teenagers in the room to make their boyfriend/girlfriend's relationship with Christ a priority. Being with someone who shares your love of Christ is so very important.

This year has been the same about the same. Last Spring, God showed me, in a very emotional way, that I was extremely dependant, even addicted, to food. Food was my comfort, my friend, my confidant. It was always there for me when I (thought) I needed it. I'd tried to lose weight and get healthy in the past, but it never worked b/c of that total dependancy. At my first consultation for the band, my counselor told of how he would be thinking about what to have for lunch before he even got out of bed in the mornings. Through his story, God opened my eyes. He showed me how often I thought about and planned my next meal. God showed me what was wrong in my life, gave me the opportunity, tools (the band), and finances to make a change, and I give Him all the glory for turning my life around.

As I started to lose and really deal with my emotional attachment to food, God started opening doors for my husband and I to deal with other unknown issues in our marriage. We thought we had a good, better than most, relationship. After going through the fire that was this summer, and truly learning to communicate and trust each other with our words and deepest emotions, fears, and hurts - I can now say we have a GREAT marriage and God is making it better and stronger every day.

My surgery was June 22. Our God-sent-roller-coaster was mid August. He used this summer to get us right with Him and each other so He could bless us more than we could imagine. We never dreamed, especially in all the turmoil, that I would be pregnant by September. And I know it wouldnt have happened if we hadn't turned our sins over to Him and allowed Him purify our hearts.

God knows what he's doing. Ask His guidance. Listen to what He has to say. And most of all, wait for Him.

Week 10

Our little gummi bear is the size of a Pecan - already showing his/her Texas pride =) Haha This week he/she is growing ear lobes and lips. The next 10 weeks, he/she will be growing very fast, growing from a pecan to a mango by New Year's!! Crazy!!

Mommy is feeling overall better this week. I'm still extremely tired and exhausted pretty much all the time, but the nausea is almost gone. My biggest hurdle is finding things I want to eat, especially protein. I can't let baby suck up all the good stuff, leaving nothing for me. I've got to get more protein!! /sigh On a positive note, I lost another 6lbs! Making total baby weight down 15lbs =)

FYI: TMI - if you don't want to know, don't read this one!

Seriously - lots of TMI on the way...

Last night, my boy kept me awake, tossing and turning, crying b/c of the pain. I know breast and nipple tenderness comes with the territory, but wow!!! It felt like someone stuck a long needle into my nipple (not like a piercing but IN the nipple) and kept pulling it in and out just to torture me. I thought I was going to die. It feels better now, some, and I still just want to chop them off. The baby doesn't need nipples to breast feed, right? I can just attach fake nipples and he/she will be just fine? Right? /sigh

Did some research. Going to be getting some Lansinoh (forgot how to spell/say it already..) today. If that doesn't work, a Bag Balm - used for milk cows. Sounds weird but I'm willing to try almost anything...

Changed the due date

My nurse called today. She scared me a little with 4 missed calls and a very vague voicemail. But all is well. The baby is a little on the small side for 9 weeks. So they're thinking we conceived a little later, making the due date June 4 instead of the last week of May. I like June better anyway =)

My Gummi Bear

I don't know why I was nervous about the dr appt. Liane (RN/midwife) is amazing! We get to meet Dr Campaigne next time. Liane answered all of our questions, was supportive of our biker lifestyle - told me to ride as long as I'm comfortable! - and was so excited and proud of my weightloss journey with the band. She said the baby will take what baby needs and to continue eating healthy but not worry about if I'm eating enough, baby will be great! We're going to watch baby's growth and if it's not growing according to schedule, then we'll make eating changes as needed.

Liane asked us is we had any feelings on the sex. We said we just want healthy, no preference on boy or girl. She said - but what do you feel?? Our answers were surprisingly similar. My husband said 'I feel like we're going to find out it's a boy, but it'll end up being a girl.' I said 'I try to imagine it as a girl but everything in me denies it and says boy.' It was awesome to say that out loud and hear Hubby's thoughts. We talk about everything involving baby, but somehow hadn't told each other our feelings on gender!

Unfortunately, we did not get to hear the heartbeat. The ultrasound tech is only in the office on Tues and Fri. HOWEVER... we did get to SEE the baby!!! Liane is a woman of many talents and can work the video part of the sonogram machine =) Baby is so beautiful!!

1st Dr Appt Today

I'm getting anxious. I've done some research and read reviews and experiences about the doctor we've chosen to see. But meeting someone new and beginning that important relationship when already pregnant is a little nerve racking.

The best part though - is how much I love everything about Nurture OBGYN. Dr Campaigne is very skilled and knowledgable. And her nurse, Liane, is a lisenced midwife. With all the questions we have and different birthing options we're interested in learning more about, they really are a great match for us.