It's the Simple Stuff that I Love the Most

One thing I miss most about New York is the pizza I grew up on! I've tried all different kinds of pizza from different places in Cali, but nothing delights my taste buds like a slice of NY pizza. Today my parents ordered pizza for dinner and I happily stuffed my pie hole with a few slices. Yummy!

Another amazingful thing about being home is getting to hang with my friendsies. Technically I haven't had much of a hangout session yet BUT I did bump into my friend, Justin, today and he was finally able to give me this bracelet that he made for me months ago. (Thanks, Justino! I love it!) It has on it my husband's initials, and a heart. 

Handmade gifts are priceless. I treasure them more than anything. Which is why I consider it beyond-words amazing that my God is forming and shaping my baby's being in my womb. She's not just coming together on her own, but God is literally making her. Each one of us is fearfully and wonderfully made by God (Psalm 139) and handmade gifts remind me of that truth. 

Lastly, I get to hang with my nieces!

Rachel and I grew up together, which makes us more like sisters than anything else, but her daughter (Zariah) is who Rachel and I jokingly refer to as my "practice child." I swore she was my very own baby when she was born, and I definitely learned a lot about what it means to care for a baby just by having her around 24/7. She gave me good practice for my soon-to-arrive baby girl!

I love her like my own, and miss her too much when I'm in California. =(  

All in all, family, friends, and food are filling my world for the next few weeks. I'll miss it all when i'm gone, but this season in my life calls for me to appreciate what it is that I can have, and patiently wait for those things that I must live without. I'm blessed to have my loving husband in California, a church that feels like home, and Jon's family members who have become my family members (and have done so much to make my transition a whole lot easier.) I am blessed in California and blessed in New York. Really, what more could I ask for?

" I trust in You, O LORD; I say, 'You are my God.' My times are in Your hands..." (Psalm 31:15)

The Perks

Over the weekend (on the exact day when the world was "scheduled" to end, according to Mr. Camping) I flew into New York to visit my familia. I reached my 6 month mark that day and expected to have a very uncomfortable flight, being that this belly now has a life and mind of its own. I was pleasantly surprised with a great flight experience. I had some pretty cool row company (except for one nervous man who couldn't stay still to save his life. So annoying, but thankfully he was only my row-mate on the first half of my connecting flights. Phew!) I packed a ton of snacks, some ginger candy (to prevent nausea) and did my best to stay hydrated. I also wore the most comfy clothes I could lay my hands on (spandex and a long fitted T with a light sweater) and everything went smoothly, thank God. 

Yay for smooth flying while pregnant! 

I half expected to feel awkward being back at home with my parents. I figured it would be weird to stay in my old room as a married/pregnant woman, and that the overall vibe in the house would be different. Such is not the case. It feels like I never left, which makes me feel SO blessed. This is exactly how life should be... being able to return to my parents' home for a visit and feel 100% comfortable is the best feeling ever. (Baby is kicking in agreement. =)

The 6 Month Celebration of Our Connubial Collaboration

Dear husband, 

If our marriage has ever been enjoyable (and it has) then most of the reason for that is you. You're the perfect blend of rugged yet gentle, Godly and fun, hilarious and humble, handsome and down-to-earth, understanding and encouraging (I could go on forever.) God brought you into my life and has used you to mold and shape me into a better person, for His glory. I treasure our marriage and recognize that its value is beyond my narrow comprehension. My prayer is that God would continue to glorify Himself in and through our union, because if we did this for our own selfish purposes it would be a pretty lame marital journey. 

I love you beyond words. 

Happy 6 month anniversary! 

xoxo,

Becky

5.5 Months

On Saturday I hit my 22 week mark. (phew!) I can feel the finish line advancing and I'm SO not ready to experience labor pains. (Ouch!) Somebody help! Okay, since none of you can help me (wahh!) I'll just take it like a grown woman and act like i'm confident about having to push until my brain explodes. =)

So, I'm finally reaching the point where it takes me forever to find a comfortable position to sleep in. I've tried one pillow, two pillows, three and four pillows strategically placed under my neck, under my belly, between my knees, etc. And uhhh, pretty much nothing really helps. I do have a pregnancy pillow that is pretty awesome, but no amount of pillows can truly make me feel like the skin on my belly isn't stretching to its current capacity. When I lay on my side I feel like my stomach has a life of its own. I definitely can't lay on my belly because it feels nothing like it used to, and all in all I'm in for another few months of sleeping while pregnant. Enough said.

I've made it a personal goal of mine to remain glamorous throughout this pregnancy journey. It's a struggle sometimes, but it's well worth the effort. I feel a whole lot better about myself when I actually take the time to put on some makeup and do my hair. I've caught myself asking my husband, "Babe, do you think I'm pretty?" enough to realize that I should probably try to feel pretty on my own, without tormenting him with the same question over and over again. Thankfully, he's patient with me. He tells me, "Babe, I tell you how beautiful you are all the time. . . especially now that you're carrying my baby." He does actually tell me I'm beautiful every day. What a guy, huh? I'm blessed to have him.

On Saturday morning I woke up feeling overwhelmed, sad, and just extra emotional. As a solution to the problem Jon decided to take me out on a little date to San Francisco's Pier 39. It was SO refreshing to spend that quality time with him. Both of us got to experience riding on a trolley for the first time. (Isn't it funny how some people grow up around pretty awesome things that they never take advantage of? Jon grew up here and had never ridden a trolley. I grew up in the Bronx and never went to a Yankees game. Pretty sad stuff.)

{Only the cheesiest smile ever!}

Once we reached our destination we ate the most yummyfyin' clam chowder I've ever had the pleasure of consuming, in my life. Seriously. 

{New England Clam Chowder in a bread bowl = deliciousness at its best}


Then, on our way back to the trolley, we stopped to watch a 20 minute street performance by some very talented and super entertaining English acrobats.

Dangerous stunts performed (without the added precaution of safety nets) are always fun to watch!

{In this shot, the airborne fella had just jumped off of his friend's shoulders.}

And of course our day would not have been complete had we not captured a shot of our unseen, yet super duper loved, baby girl in belly. 

{It was windy that day. Can you tell?}

Hope all of you mothers had a beautiful Mothers Day! Just knowing that our baby is on the way made my Mothers Day very special this year!

Nesting.

Being pregnant is one of the hardest things i've ever experienced in my life. Not only is my body changing, but my perspective is changing... and my desires are changing... and my thoughts are becoming mommy thoughts... and my LIFE is changing. What keeps me sane is this: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." (Hebrews 13:8)

Being a pregnant woman AND a housewife is all the more tricky! What to do when all you have the energy to do is sit on your rear and be pregnant all day? My answer: sit on your rear and be pregnant all day (of course!) I must admit though, I do sometimes feel like the laziest person on the face of the planet, but I always do my best to make up for it when I actually have the energy to do so. These last few days have been great for me energy-wise. I've been able to attack the dirty laundry pile, and wash what seemed like an endless pit of dirty dishes, and scrub the bathtub, and reorganize our closet space (to make room for our growing baby wardrobe), and so on.

This is what I've always wanted: to be married, be a housewife, and raise my own children. I'm starting off with one baby girl and one small apartment . . . and one husband. haha. (That won't change, babe!) And this is God's perfect will for me right now. So, as I continue to adjust to all of these changes, I will never cease to remind myself that this place in my life is exactly where I belong. Bumpy road or not, I'm up for the challenge!