Angie-Here are my guesses...

Angie-girl
Kelly-girl
Tamarin-boy
Michelle-boy
Cookie-girl

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Kelly--That too is me and DH. That was one of our engagement pics. And now that I looked closer at it, I do look a bit different. My hair is pulled up.
But none the less it is me!

OK guys I am FREAKED OUT!! Here is why, it is all concerning the house situation. I am a firm believer in the power of prayer and I have had many prayers answered in my life as I am sure we all have however, I have never had one answered quite as quickly as this one! I mentioned that DH thinks that since they are being this way about the house that maybe this is not the best place for us to continue working (that is not the only reason, there are more) besides dh wants to be a fulltime preacher, not just youth minister. So anyway, he called a guy in KY (where we really want to move) and just asked him to keep him in mind if he heard of any preacher positions opening up. The guy called back early this afternoon and told him about one. The guy emailed some people and the elder in charge at the church in KY called dh tonight! It sounds like a good thing so far, best of all NO CHURCH HOUSE to live in. They provide a housing allowance that would let us buy our own home!!!!! We will see if they want to set up a meeting and time for DH to preach (try out)! Please keep this in your prayers!!!
I have mixed emotions b/c that will make me about 5 -6 hours from my parents and only 30-45 min. from all the in-laws! (There are pros and cons to that!

Sorry to dump all this on you all, but I can't really talk to anyone here since no one knows that we are looking to move!

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Hi everyone!!!

How are all of you? I am doing really well today.

My other Amanda - I love what you said about the power of prayer, and I am so happy that you and dh had your prayers answered so quickly! An amazing thing happened to me today and I believe it is due to the power of prayer. I'll explain later on. When does dh go to preach or try out?

Lovely Alana - You mentioned that you only get 1 u/s and it's at 20 weeks? It's like that up here as well. But I imagine you'll have more, seeing as dh is an u/s tech! I am so happy for you, that you got to see your little baby's sac....it's such an amazing feeling to see those little critters for the 1st time.

Kela - How have you been? How far along are you now?

Michele - I am so happy that you've made it this far!! How do you feel? Have you told your family yet? How long did you wait before telling everyone?

Angie - I KNEW it would be okay!!! I am so happy that your #'s are awesome and no spotting!!! You made my day today! When is your next u/s?

Tamarin - How many u/s do you get to have during your pregnancy? In Canada, we onlyn get 1 at 18-20 weeks, unless there is a problem. If you're overdue, they will do a fetal assessment. When is your next u/s? Are you going to find out if you're having a boy or a girl?

Debra, Jima - Hi guys!! How are you doing?

Okay so guess what???!!! My Doctor called me at home today after work and told me that my last betaHCG was negative and he says that I can start trying again!!! Can you believe it? I have to supplement my prenatal vitamins with an extra dose of folic acid for a little while, but he said there is no problem with starting to try again now. I used to pray that I would get pregnant again, but this time I prayed for healing and look what happened!! AMEN AMANDA!!! Hallelujah!! I don't think I want to try this month as I want some time to get over losing the baby. Some days are really good and others, as you all know are not so good. The ++ thing is I have many more good days than bad. My daughter is such a blessing. She follows me everywhere (including the bathroom) and asks me A MILLION questions. Yesterday, I'm in the tub, having a bath and she's sitting on the edge and we're having a chat. I start to get out of the tub and she says to me, "mommy, what happened to your bum? why is it so big?" I just BURST out laughing!! I just told her that mommy likes her bum that way! (ya right)
I love her so much!

Anyway, I think thats it for me. Have a great evening guys!

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Hi Ladies!

Amanda ~

I'm so glad you're feeling so great & ready to start trying again! I'm also glad you're trusting in God & prayer to help you through this. I'm sure that is helping you a lot & healing you like you said.

Amanda ~

Sounds like a door has opened for you two in Kentucky! That's so great! This could very well be the direction that you two are meant to go in. I hope the best situation is clear & works out for you very soon.

I wanted to ask you if you like Jennifer Knapp? I came across this CD of hers that I have the other day & was listening to it. I really like her voice & her music.
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Here are the books that I ordered:

• Belly Laughs: The Naked Truth about Pregnancy and Childbirth
  
• Nutrition for a Healthy Pregnancy, Revised Edition: The Complete Guide to Eating Before, During, and After Your Pregnancy
  
• Pregnancy Fitness: Mind Body Spirit for Women
  
• Pregnancy Journal: A Day-to-Day Guide to a Happy and Healthy Pregnancy
  
• The Girlfriend's Guide To Pregnancy
  
• The What to Expect When You're Expecting Pregnancy Organizer
  
• What to Expect When You're Expecting

I can't wait for them to get here! Gosh it's been about 14 or 15 days already.

I ordered my crib last night!!! It has to be custom made so I had to order it early. I'm so excited. It's so cute!

I almost ordered the changing table..it's not from the same company..but I finally found one that will match the crib well. I can't order it yet though because it will come before we've told the family about the baby. The reason why I was going to order it so early is because it's so hard to find one that wil match the crib I got..so I freaked when I saw it! But they assured me that it will still be available later. I'll order it in about 2 weeks.

I also ordered the crib bedding just now!!! YAY! The only reason I ordered it is because it's so cute & I'm worried that it will be gone soon. It's a boys bedding set & I can hardly ever find boys bedding sets that I like. Most of them are too nerdy. Anyway, that's why I ordered it so early. Of course if we find out we're having a girl we'll have to buy another set...but that's ok because this set is so cute I'll be looking forward to using it whenever we do have a boy!

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amanda....that is so awesome!!!! BTW...... my uncle is a pastor in gilbertsville kentucky, somewhere near paducah.....my granny lives in wurtland......any chance that the man that your dh talked to is named mark lilly?
amanda that's so wonderful that your dd follows you around like that it must be so comforting. we lost a baby...the first pg after i had my tubes reversed....if it had been my first child, i don't think that i would've handled it very well....anyway...dd meagan was 5 at the time & the little dear actually saw where i had accidentally bled on the bed (sorry for the graphics)...and i think that traumatized her. the next morning was sunday & dh took the kids to church without me and meagan did not want to go into her sunday school class, she wanted to stay at home w/me.....anyway, the teacher, not knowing what happened over the weekend tried to coax dd by saying "we're going to hear a story about a baby"....well, poor meg started bawling & said "i hate babies!".......that precious little girl followed me all over the place and would help me with everything, and for the next 2 years she was still so sensitive toward her mommy, that she would actually cry when i took her to school ( before we started to homeschool our kids)...children are so much more in tuned than we think.
also have to add a little to the story...a month after we lost hannah, i was sitting in the livingroom...minding my own business, when the Lord actually spoke to my heart(this was in oct)..He said.."you will have a son by Christmastime next year". i thought.."okay,Lord...was that really you, or was it just coming from me?"...cycles came & went and by the time april came around...guess what?? no af! yep..pg again...and on dec 18th, 1996...a little boy named elijah david was born...just like the Lord had told me.....elijah means " the Lord is my God"...david means "beloved".
there is so much more to tell about everything that had gone on during the time that i had my tubes tied and when elijah was born...but that's another book...sorry for rambling....can't help it...we serve an awesome God.
angie...how are you doing, girl?? hi everyone & good night.

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Amanda-WOW! I hope everything works out for you and DH. It sounds like it's going well now! YAY!! I live in the same neighborhood as my MIL! So, 30-45 minutes isn't that bad. hehe.

Amanda-You really think I'm lovely? I'm so glad your dr. gave you the TTC go ahead!!!! YAY!! Kids say the cutest things! Your daughter sounds like a funny girl.

Cookie-You are going to love Belly Laughs. I laughed so hard reading that book ! You'll have to post a pic of the crib when it arrives! I agree about a lot of the boy bedding looking nerdy! I found one that I like though. I'll post the web address later to show you guys. What does the one you bought look like?

Debra-Awww....poor little Megan. What an amazing story!!! You always pick such great baby names!! I think I need your assistance.

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Debra-that was a very nice story for you to share w/us.....thank you ...it helps w/keeping the faith when I hear stories like that.

Amanda- I am soooo glad to hear you in such good spirits!! It really comes across in your posts...DD is too funny. I remember when my dd was younger and would come up w/stuff like that....now she's 10- and it's NOT so funny!!! lol!

Amanda (#2)-Wow!!! That was quick!!! Maybe the Lord is clearing the stress quickly for you b/c you are about to get pregnant really fast!!! a

Alana/Cookie- I"m definitely goin to try and find Belly Laughs at Barnes and Nobles...it's been mentioned around here a few times.

Cookie- any web links for the furniture? I'm sure we'd all love to see ideas! I'm still debating what color crib to get - natural finish/white? Who knows???

This week has been extra busy for us..dd is having her 11th bday tomorrow and it's going to be fun!! We're bbq'ing and having (now some neighbors , too) lots of her friends and some of my family over. It's a luau theme...so it should be fun! Last night dd and dh took me to eat for my 33rd bday. Getting old!!! lol Dh gave me gift cards..b/c I told him the only thing I want is clothing ( and I don't really trust his choice in clothing for me ) So, today is prep day ( costco and lots of balloon blowing)...I hope I can hang. This nausea is kicking my butt! All the suckies and lemon water and everything else aren't doing enough. My next u/s is on monday...so thank God I'm being kept busy until then. TTYL! I hope all is well w/everybody!

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hi girls...have something really strange to share w/ you.....remember a few months back when i got a good deal on a bunch of yarn,etc....also about that time, my granny had given me some material scraps..............anyway.... from the material, i had just enough to make 2 beautiful identical baby blankets (for girls)....then i get started on using up the baby yarn....i had just enough to make 2 identical baby layette sets, complete w/ blankets (for girls).
even before making these items, i kept getting funny thoughts about twin girls...actually, its been a heart's desire as well.....anyway, after making these things, my sister in law calls and tells me that 2 of her sisters are pg with twin girls......a few nights later, had a weird dream that i was expecting twins & was looking at an u/s (i was about 8 wks) and i could see 2 little sacs w/ a tiny baby in each...one was higher up than the other and on the same side of the uterus....if they have their own placentas, that means fraternal twins..................to top off all of this weirdness, i'm currently working on a baby sweater set and it looks as if i'll have just enough yarn to make 2 identical ones!!..............and no, i'm not pg this cycle....the stupid witch showed up 3 days early this time!...i thought that my cycles were going to be a normal 28day, now this...ggggrrrr.
angie..its good that you're staying busy..it sure helps w/ waiting.....when af shows up, i find it very therapudic to crochet baby things.
alana....baby names???? for twins girls, i was thinking of Bravyn Faith (brave in faith) and Graecyn Hope (grace and hope). for a boy, its kind of up in the air...........Zachary Joseph.........Isaiah Daniel...........Josiah ?...........Jobe Adam.

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Hey everyone! I hope that you all are having a good day. We decided to have a yard sale today, last night at about 8p.m. Supposedly there is a large one that reaches from Nashville to Memphis, down a major hwy. but we have not done very well, nothing like that last one. Oh well! We have more than we had at 7:30 this morning so I guess a little is better than nothing.

Amanda--I am so happy for you! I am glad your dr. gave you the go ahead! I agree, the power of prayer is certainly not to be underestimated! I think that many times, (at least I fall into this catagory) we pray and pray but in the back of our minds we are thinking that they will not really be answered but that is so untrue! If we truely have faith and trust in the Lord he does answer our prayers especially when our hearts are pure. I think our stories are proof of that!

DH's tryout is probably going to be 4th of July weekend since we will be there anyway and the church here does not know that we are looking to move. It is easier to do it that way.
Angie--I hope that DD's b-day goes well! It sounds fun!

Debra--I am not sure where Gilbertsville is, but this place is Stanton, KY about 45 minutes from Lexington (in central KY). WHat a cool dream! I hope that it comes true for you! Those are great names! I love the name Grace.

Alana--We have lived across the street from my parents in the past and that was ok but IL's are a different story! Ha ha! Postive about living near them is that if I do have to work, we have a babysitter! (I am hoping to stay home for a while, but I doubt it will happen)

Cookie--What does the furniture look like? I have not heard of Jennifer Knapp. What types of music does she sing?

WEll I need to do some school work!

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Ask me about Custom Made Korker Bows for your little princess!

Check out our family website at: www.pena3.gotfamiliesonline.com









[/IMG]

Hey ladies! I had my carpets steamed cleaned this morning and have decided that we must move before baby comes!! Carpet (with 2 dogs) is sooo gross! I can't stand it! It holds odors and germs and eeewwww. I've spent most of the day looking for a house to buy. We are still renting and it's just ridiculous!! Such a waste of money. Patrick found one he really likes today and he's going to show it to me tomorrow. Our lease is up in November and we don't want to renew and be stuck here another year, so the hunt is on!! I'm very excited. The one he found is under construction and should be finished in a couple months. The really great thing about it is that it's on a 1 acre lot! Very hard to come by here! And they have not put in floors yet, so I could put in all tile!! Goodbye carpet....forever!! I am so excited!!!!!!

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Hey everyone. A few days, and I miss so much!
Here are my predictions:
Cookie: girl
Alana: boy
Angie: girl
Kelly: boy
Tamarin: girl
Me: girl

Amanda, your daughter is the cutest! I'm so glad to hear that you can ttc again! You will know when you are ready, your body will tell you.

Amanda, that is a great sign, hearing from that man right away. When does dh go to preach there? I'm sure he will do great and you will be moving in no time.

Kelly, still waiting for the belly pic! Have a great trip!

Jima, great to hear from you again. Glad everything is going well. Can't wait to see your belly pic either!

Tamarin, you are too cute! Every time you go out, you buy a little something for the baby, don't you? I will be starting that soon too!

Cookie, I hope you love your books! I want to see a pic of your crib!

Alana, Good luck with the house hunting! It's loads of fun!

Angie, still thinking of you girl!

As far as I go, I'm still sick all the time. It sucks, but it's great too! I'm getting close to 7 weeks now, I can't believe it! I absolutely love being pregnant!
I forgot to tell you girls about the necklace my mum bought me.
It is a little ball that chimes. You wear it low on your tummy, so when you walk, it chimes and the baby can hear it. When the baby is born, you wear it, and the baby can play with it, while you nurse. And later it is a reminder of being pregnant.
Is it not the cutest thing ever!

TTYL!

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Happy Saturday to everyone!

Sweet dear Cookie - I HIGHLY recommend girlfriends guide to pregnancy. It had me in STITCHES!! . I can't day I've read any others that you have ordered. Did you get your books yet?

Everyone - - How are all my favourite mommies and mommies -to-be?? I'm good again! Feels really nice to be normal. In fact, because I'm not trying this month, I'm going out next weekend with my girlfriends to tear up the town... It's been SO long since I've done that, I'm really looking forward to it. I won't even have to worry about my kids (DD Hunter and Stepson Tyson)as they will be at my parents house for the night! My parents bought a welsh pony for the kids so they won't even miss me!

I feel so realxed about not trying this month. I thought I would want to try right away, but I just REALLY needed a month off to get over the one we lost. I can't say how good it has been for me. Don't get me wrong, I'm not throwing in the towel, but I just needed a short break from the charting and checking and hoping and praying. Of course I could never give up my girls on the board!!

Well, we're off to my brother in law's for dinner! You guys have a great weekend!

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Hi girls,
Hope you are all having a good weekend. I took DH shopping to the nearest city to us to choose something he wanted for his 30th birthday (next Sat). He got a nice shirt and a tennis racket (as he is planning to go and play tennis with his work colleague fairly regularly). He was so pleased. I am just so glad that I got him things that he wants and he didn't choose anything for his car!!!
We also had lunch whilst we were out which was nice and then last night we went out with some friends for an indian meal and then on to a pub for a few drinks.
The pollen count here has been so high this past week, I have been suffering from quite bad hayfever. The only thing I can take is a herbal remedy, so I got that yesterday.

Amanda - so glad to hear that you are doing well. It will be lovely for you to go out with all your friends and let your hair down. I think you are very wise trusting your feelings and having a break from TTC this month.

Michelle - I have never heard of wearing a ball that chimes - how cute!

Well it has been very quiet on the board, speak to you all later.
love,
Tamarin.xxx

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Amanda-I'm such a dork. I thought the Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy was a book a pg girl was supposed to give to their girlfriends...to explain why their friend was acting so crazy and info on being a friend to a pg girl. Duh ! And I'm not even a blonde!!

Tamarin-Sounds like DH liked what you decided to do for his B-day ! Sorry to hear about your hayfever. I hope you feel better soon.

DH went to the grocery store to get some food. I asked him to get me banana bread, a watermelon and a sub. Interesting combination, eh? Then we are off for some more house hunting. Hopefully there will be a lot of open houses today. I'll check back later!!

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Hi girls! It's me posting again!
Had a great day today, the sun has been shining and DH and I went for a lovely roast meal at a pub we have never been to before. We sat outside in the beer garden which overlooked a river with lots of boats - so peaceful and relaxing!
Guess what - the baby is definately moving around now! It has been going crazy inside me today, such a weird feeling but wonderful!!
I have just ordered the book Belly laughs from Amazon as many of you have suggested it is good.
DH and I are having pizza tonight and have hired the film The Terminal with Tom Hanks and Catherine Zeta Jones, hope it is good! Have any of you seen it?
Have got my midwife appointment on Tuesday - looking forward to it as have got a million and one questions I want answering!! I think we get to hear the heartbeat too!!
Have any of you heard about the heart rate can determine whether you are carrying a boy or a girl? I have been told by a few people that if the heart rate is around 130 then you are carrying a boy and if it is around 150 it is a girl.
I have also heard that if the bump is all in front and you don't put weight on anywhere else you are carrying a boy, but if you put weight on your bum, thighs and hips then it is a girl. I am going to ask the midwife about these, as they could just be old wives tales. We still don't want to know the sex of the baby anyway!!
Hope all of you are well and having a great weekend. Can't believe it is back to work tomorrow! We have got a presentation of a Quality Assurance Award. It has took us 2 years to get the award and we are celebrating with the parents and children. Hopefully the photographer of the local newspaper is coming to take photos of the event. I bought a celebration cake for the event and DH has kindly put chocolate lettering on it (he is so good at decorating cakes!).
The quality assurance award co-ordinator is coming to present a plaque to go on our wall - very rewarding as I put in a lot of effort to get this award!!
Anyway, speak to you all tomorrow and let you know how it all went.
love,
Tamarin.xxx

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Oooooooooooooh banana bread! Alana! You're so busted! Why are you giving me more cravings?!

Ok do you ladies want to know what my big cravings are lately? For some reason, I can't get enough chili beans with cheese, jalapeno's & hot sauce. I could eat that every day! What a weirdo huh?

Well I still haven't received my books! They were sent out on the 24th last month! What the heck? Barnes & Noble said that it would take between 9-24 days. Dang is that enough time & vague enough? Anyway.. ..hopefully they get here soon!

Alana ~

At first I thought the same thing about "The Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy" so don't feel bad..

The bedding I got is a sports theme. It's so cute! Maybe I'll get some pictures up of it & the crib & changing table soon. Did you pick out your bedding?

You must be so excited to be looking at houses! I agree that carpeting has to be clean, especially when the baby gets here. I'm so picky about that. We just bought our house last year in March & put new carpeting in. No one wears shoes in our house either. I just can't imagine the baby crawling where people have been walking. YUCK! Also the carpet would get ruined if people walked on it with shoes because it's a wool berber & it's light colored. Everyone has picked on me because of getting that carpeting & the wood floors I picked out because they say when I have kids I'm going to regret it but I say to that.

Angie ~

I hope you're feeling better & the M/S is not so bad. How was the birthday party? I hope you all had a great time. I'll probably post some pictures of the bedding, crib & changing table soon..

Debra ~

That is pretty weird about all the twin stuff! Hmm... I wonder if you have twins in your future..

Amanda ~

I hope you're having a great time with your girlfriends & relaxing!

Amanda ~

The furniture is black. I'll probably get some pictures up soon. The bedding is a sports theme.

Jennifer Knapp is a Christian singer. She has a really great voice & I love her music. Have you heard of Crystal Lewis? Same type of thing basically but I think I prefer Jennifer Knapp just a little. They're both really good though.

Tamarin ~

I'm glad your husband found some things he likes for his birthday. I hope you have a great time on his birthday. Sitting at the pub enjoying the view sounds nice.

I haven't seen The Terminal. You'll have to let us know how it is.

I'm so glad you're feeling the baby now! How great! I have heard the old wives tale about the heart rate & also about where you carry your weight determining the sex. I asked my Dr. about the heartrate one & he said "Oh that means absolutely nothing!" Dr.'s don't believe in any of that of course though. Some people say it was accurate for them & others say it wasn't...so I guess it can't be counted on too much.

As far as the weight.. I guess it would make some sense because with a girl you have more estrogen in your body which causes more fat...but with a boy you have testosterone & that helps to keep fat off... but I'm sure for some people, just the eating more & not being able to exercise as much is going to cause more weight gain.. and then for others who just don't gain much weight at all, it won't be true for them. So who knows. All my weight is in my stomach, but I generally don't gain much weight in my butt & legs..just in my upper body...so I'm not sure if that makes me think boy more yet or not. Where is your weight going?

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Ok ladies...here is my latest picture..

12 Weeks



Getting out there huh? Only 2 more weeks until we tell the family! We're so excited!!!

Hope you're all having a great day!

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