Faith Phelps

Well, We found out this morning that we are having a girl We are so excited

Faith Anna Phelps is what I want to name her. (Mike's not sold on the Anna Part yet).
-Faith because we have truly lived by our faith in God knowing that He would start our family when He knew it was time.
-Anna (after my sister & great-grandmother (Annushka), and Anna of the Prophetess in the Bible. 3 women very worthy of being named after).

She will our first child, the first Niece for Anna, James, Dan & Brooke, the first to make my sister an Aunt and James an Uncle, first Grand-daughter for my parents, and first grandchild for Mike’s parents. So… needless to say I think she’ll be a tad bit spoiled with love from the get-go!!!!

So, since there are no mountaintops in this area this is my version of shouting it from the mountaintop!

So cute frilly dresses....Come to momma! :)

More Ovaltine Please!!!

Okay, so we all know the commercial, but how many people have actually HAD Ovaltine?? Me neither. In fact, I don't even know if I am spelling it right. Anyway, acid reflux/heartburn has become an everyday problem for me again. I know that if I cut out coffee it would fix it, but I've already cut out Tom's Beer, Sashimi and rare steak....I have to be able to hold onto something that I love!!!!

Anyway, we were at the Carrolls house last night (a great new family that we have become friends with as a result of Mike's change to A-shift) and I grabbed a Wendy's sandwhich on the way there (since my hunger pains are accompanied with moody outbursts) and then we ordered Pizza. I know, I know, REAL healthy Krista...Good choice! :) Well, not much time had past from finishing the pizza that I started getting Heartburn. I asked Diane for Tums or something. She had Tums & Pepto, but recommended I try her remedy. A tall glass of COLD chocolate Ovaltine. I figured, hey, if it didn't work oh well, I got a tall glass of chocolate milk. Well, it was yummy for sure. But....wait for the shock factor....it worked. Not only did it get rid of my heartburn, but it stayed away!!! That NEVER happens. I didn't even wake up last night to eat more tums.

THANKS DIANE!!!!!

So, now I will advise every pregnant woman to buy a thing of Ovaltine for emergency's such as this!!!

MORE OVALTINE PLEASE!!!

(Now after searching for a picture I at least know that I am spelling it correctly!) :)

Is that you God? It's me...

You ever have one of those weekends where it just seems like every turn presents another problem? Yeah...Those suck. Now add on pregnancy hormones and you have a tornado where it was just a whirlwind.

Okay, so that is exactly how my weekend went. I prayed all weekend to try and get myself in the right mindset and there would be certain points of relief, but for the most part I just couldn't get my spirits up. Well, God had a funny way of letting me know that He wasn't ignoring me. I was on my way to a baby shower and I had a friend from church in the car with me. We were on the exit ramp and started hearing a funny noise. It didn't feel like a flat because my car was still in perfect control, but it sounded like one. Well, low and behold, it was a flat.

I called Mike because the Escape has a VERY different way of accessing the spare. Well, he insisted on coming to change it for me because I apparently shouldn't be doing that while pregnant. Side bar: this thought never occurred to me. I am such a "I am woman Hear me Roar" type of woman, that I just do stuff like that because that's what I was trained to do...never be helpless. This is why God has me paired with Mike because he loves to take care of me and he thinks of things like that! Anyway...back on track now... I wasn’t pulled over but 2 or 3 minutes and a VDOT (Virginia Department of Transportation) truck just happened to be driving by and pulled over and changed my tire for me. It's a good thing too, because the spare had no air in it either.

So Lu, that's the VDOT guys name, changed my tire and got me all fixed up and ready to go on my way again. We examined the tire to see why it went flat, but there wasn’t anything wrong. NOTHING. NADA. ZIP. ZERO. ZILCH. I truly believe it was God getting my attention to show me that He is taking care of me and listening. Because I pray and forget to listen He had to speak to me via flat tire to let me know that He is watching me, there for me, and actively caring for my needs. His plan is so much bigger than I can even imagine. It's a good thing the He is taking care of me. I'd be such a mess without Him. Actually without them. I guess that's why it's so important to marry the person that God has planned for you. He knows who will protect you and take care of you the best. I did pretty well on my own, but Mike is truly my partner and protector in Life.

God has come to my aide on the side of the road more than once. I guess that's the one place where there aren't any distractions! So, the next time that there is an inconvenience in your life, maybe it's God trying to tell you something. He's always there, He's always listening. He's just waiting for you to call upon Him.

Who really cares???? Well...doesn't everyone?

Okay, so I don't know if every pregnant woman is as psycho as I am about being pregnant. Not psycho as in doing everything right...cause I am far from that. Psycho as far as excited. I want everyone to know. I tell people at check out lines, the bank teller, the woman at the post office, seriously, any poor soul who fains the least bit of interest gets my news! :)

I am so thankful for Mike & I to be starting our family! I am so excited to be a mom. Am I worried about not screwing up my child? Of course, but I have a great family that is Chalk full of good advice. If you have ever met my sister's sons you would know that I have a good model to follow. Nicolas will be 9 next month (I really can't believe that) and can hold a more intelligent conversation than most adults! Jeremiah is just 14 months and can already pick up after himself and do so many things that most 2 and 3 year olds (and adults) don't know how to do. It's all in the training, and I know that I have a good child training Guru in my sister.

Okay, so back to my psycho excitement. I have a count down clock on my computer screen ticking down the minutes until we hopefully find out whether it's a boy or girl (8 days, 17 hrs, 32 min & 31 sec, 28 sec, 26 sec.....). I bought some iron on transfer paper to create my own t-shirts (mainly one that says "Jingle Belly, Jingle Belly, Baby on the Way), I have already registered (which I started doing on the day I found out and continue to add things as I think about Kidd and how she/he is growing). Every name I come across through our program applications, people I meet, or names I hear on the TV or radio are all the suddenly potential kid names. I walk around holding my belly and praying silently for the child growing within me to become a strong Christian servant to be a light for Jesus into this world, and when I am alone I hold my belly and say out lout "Grow Baby GROW!"

So, I know that I am not the only soon-to-be-mom that does these things, and that is reassuring. But... I still feel sorry for the people that get trapped in my excitement! So sorry if that is you!!! Not sorry enough to stop of course!! I'm going to be a mom!!! Why not get excited about that!!!!

16 weeks

Well, here's my baby belly at 16 weeks. I finally actually look pregnant! :)

Mike & I got to hear the heartbeat this morning and it is a strong 151. So...going by old wives tales it should be a girl, but we will find out for sure on Dec 12th.

Lately I have been really wanting a girl. I don't know if it's because of all the cute girl stuff out there, or if it's because we already have my sister's boys an no girls, or if it's because I want a mini-me to play with... =) I have always wanted it to be a boy, but the last week especially I have really wanted it to be a girl.

I haven't been able to feel the baby yet. A few weeks ago I think I felt it, but you can just never tell. Hopefully within the next week or two I will be able to feel him/her more distinctly!!!

Well, it would work out well because the only name that Mike and I can can both agree on so far is Faith! :) We'll see!!!!

I'm going to have a baby!

I was watching Private Practice last night and the whole show was on labor and delivery. I was watching everything with no particular thought, except for critiquing the acting, until the end. It was a strange reaction I must say. I have always seen babies and loved to hold them and play with them, and LOVED the idea of one day having one of my own. Well, this was a new thought and associated emotion that I experienced. I was looking at the new moms holding the babies and all of the sudden it occured to me....I am going to have one of my own in 6 months.

6 MONTHS!!!!!!!

I started to cry and dream about what they would look like. How God will chose to combine Mike's genes with mine. What the labor will be like, and how our lives will change. And the cool thing is, none of it scared me. I am looking forward to the experience. I want to know what it is to feel the pain of labor, and the joy of holding our baby for the first time. I want the exhaustion of waking up multiple times a night for feeding, and all of the sudden having this new person that I have to schedule my life with. And not around. I think so many mothers miss the boat on this. They see a child as a hinderance to living. That their life just got that much more complicated. That's not how God intended it to be. A new child is a blessing, and no one should ever feel any different!!!

For those of you that don't know I plan to go all natural. No drugs. No epidural. No cutting. ALL NATURAL BABY!!! For those that know me it is not a surprise. Please begin now to pray for my baby's arrival. That it will be not be pain free, but that it will be free of complications. God is our designer and creator and he designed women to deliver babies.

My purpose in life has now become clear. I have never been extatic about a job. I love my current job, and have had a few in the past that I enjoyed as well, but I never felt the "BINGO! That's what I am supposed to be doing!!" feeling when thinking about a career.

Being a wife and mom....that's what I am supposed to do! That is what feels right! That is where God wants me!

Slow Dance poem

SLOW DANCE

Have you ever watched kids

On a merry-go-round?

Or listened to the rain

Slapping on the ground?


Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?

Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?


You better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.



Do you run through each day

On the fly?

When you ask How are you?

Do you hear the reply?


When the day is done

Do you lie in your bed

With the next hundred chores

Running through your head?


You'd better slow down
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.


Ever told your child,

We'll do it tomorrow?

And in your haste,

Not see his sorrow?


Ever lost touch,

Let a good friendship die

Cause you never had time

To call and say,'Hi'


You'd better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.


When you run so fast to get somewhere

You miss half the fun of getting there.

When you worry and hurry through your day,

It is like an unopened gift....

Thrown away.


Life is not a race.

Do take it slower

Hear the music

Before the song is over.

Heartbeat!!!

A prego shirt I found on cafepress.com...it made me laugh. :)


Well, I got to hear our little ones heartbeat on Tuesday morning. It was the most amazing sound, and of course I cried. If you really know me than you aren't surprised by that! :) I knew that I would probably hear it, and I have heard the heartbeat of unborn babies before, but this was just different. We first heard my heartbeat, and then she moved the Doppler a hair to the left and there was the baby's heartbeat. We could hear both of them at the same time. Mine was a slow beat, the baby's was strong and fast. I thought the first ultrasound made it real, but no....the heartbeat is it....hearing the heartbeat for the first time...that's what makes it real.
You see, I guess because I have had such an easy pregnancy that sometimes I forget that I am actually pregnant. I know it sounds crazy, but I've had no morning sickness, no nausea of significance, and my stomach still just looks like I'm bloated. So, I can sometimes be a space cadet about what is actually going on in my body, and forget that God is forming a living human being whom He has entrusted to our care. Yeah...I know....how in the world can I not think about that every waking minute of every day!!!! Like I said...Space Cadet!

Week 12

I loved how much is going on with the baby this week, so I thought I'd share.


The most dramatic development this week: Reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, his toes will curl, his eye muscles will clench, and his mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won't be able to feel it. His intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his abdominal cavity about now, and his kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder.

Meanwhile, nerve cells are multiplying rapidly, and in your baby's brain, synapses are forming furiously. His face looks unquestionably human: His eyes have moved from the sides to the front of his head, and his ears are right where they should be. From crown to rump, your baby-to-be is just over two inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce.

Egg Rolls

Ok, so I though my first "craving" was pancakes because I just REALLY wanted a pancake made by Z in the Virginian-Pilot caffeteria. Yummy...those are so good.
But no. I now know what a true craving is. I was in the bathroom at work and I started smelling egg rolls. I checked around in every office, and no one had any chinese food at all, but that was all that I could smell. That is all I am still smelling. I just want a big fat plate of egg rolls with some sweet and sour sauce. No main dish, no soup, just egg rolls. Seriously. This has been going on for about an hour now. I am about to go crazy.

SAHM preperations. (Stay At Home Mom)

Please join with us in praying for our finances. Mike and I are trying really hard to get everything in order so that I can be a stay at home mom. That is what I have always felt led to do and can't imagine having to go back to work, even part time. I know that God has a plan, and of course we want to live according to His plan. Based on Titus 2...I feel that my presence at home is what He wants and requires.

Titus 2

Duties of the Older and Younger
1 But as for you, speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine. 2 Older men are to be temperate, dignified, sensible, sound in faith, in love, in perseverance.

3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, 4 so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.

6 Likewise urge the young men to be sensible; 7 in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified, 8 sound in speech which is beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us. 9 Urge bondslaves to be subject to their own masters in everything, to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, 10 not pilfering, but showing all good faith so that they will adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect. For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, 12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, 14 who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession,zealous for good deeds. 15 These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority Let no one disregard you.

Quick update

So, for the past 2+ weeks I have had trouble breathing. Not just regular breathing, but good, strong, actually satisfying breathing. It has kept me up at night and made me abit lithargic. So..went to see Rachel (my fabulous OB). Aparently this is a common occurance in the first trimester, but the "attack" usually only lasts about 15 minutes. So to be on the safe side she sent me to have a CT scan of my heart and lungs. She wanted them to check for a Pulmonary Edema. Thankfully the scan came back clear, but that still leaves me with struggling to catch my breath. She prescribed and inhaler, so hopefully that will start working in the next couple of days.

Anyway, other than that we are doing great! I am feeling wonderful as far as no nausea or sickness is concerned. We attended Norfolk Church of Christ's Praise in the Park on Sunday at Norfolk Botanical Gardens. It was a beautiful day and it was great to catch up with a lot of friends that we don't get to see often enough. There was a TON of great food both for breakfast and lunch. Unfortunatley most of which I couldn't eat because for some reason foods with really strong flavors or smells have been making me a bit queezy. BUT...a great time was had by all!

So, I am heading to the Chiropractor this afternoon to get adjusted, as the spin truly affects your body as a whole. The adjustment I received last week is truly the only thing that gave me any relief from this breathing issue so far.

Hope you have a great day!

Baby game!

A girl on my pregnancy board gave me this website. So...make your guess! Don't worry, no registration is required! It's just a simple guessing game!

Overwhelmed

I am sitting at my desk here at work and cannot seem to concentrate. I don't have any work to do, so I am not concerned with that; though I do have a TON of school work to do. The problem is I can't focus. My thoughts often drift to the child that is growing within me. Will I eat right, will I do him any harm unknowingly, will we be ready for him. I know that I am not alone in these thoughts and that most parents worry about simple things like that. It's just new for me. I don't consider myself to be a worrier...about anything. I live my life knowing that God is in complete control and there is no amount of worrying that I can do that will change that fact. So...I tend to just let things go for Him to take care of. But this, this child that God is giving to Mike and I to raise, to train, to love, to care for, and to finally send out into the world to be a light. This Child is taking 99.9% of my thoughts right now and I can't seem to get anything accomplished. I want to know that we will be good parents, and that we will train him up so that he will be a joy to all, that we will show him enough love and affection that he will spread it to those around him, that we will teach him the lessons of life that will strengthen him, but not so much that he becomes hardened to it all.

God is in control, I know that. We weren't planning on having children for another 4 years, and by all accounts we should not be expecting now. Obviously God knew that it was time and that He was ready for us to raise one of His children. I am very thankful for this. I can't stop smiling, or telling people. I want the whole world to know that I am going to be a mommy!!! But underneath all of that joy is an actual ounce of worry that I will fail, and that my child will be hurt because of it.

But...I also KNOW that by giving my child and my parenting skills over to God, that I cannot fail, and that He will be glorified through it all. This is my prayer.

First Ultrasound

Okay, so here is the first image of our kiddo! I love it that the whole scan looks like one big happy face! We were able to see the heart beat and the expected due date is May 13th, 2008. I am measuring at exactly 8 weeks!

I have another appt. on October 30th and that ultrasound image should actually look like the baby! :) We should find out if it is a boy or a girl in early December.

Mike was able to go with me, so he got to see the heartbeat as well! So, we are offically expecting parents. Mike was convinced it was just a lot of gas! :) HE! He! Just Kidding!

Hope all of you are doing well!

God Bless!

So long Steak! Au revoir Sashimi!

So, one of the most disappointing developments is that I can't eat steak. I tried again last night at my in-laws and I just can't do it. I love steak, so this is very sad. It is partly the flavor of it, but I think the fact that I have to cook it to medium well is another factor. I like my steak med-rare to rare. Pinkish purple in the middle. So tender and juicy it just falls apart in my mouth. YUMMY!!! But, apparently pregnant women aren't supposed to eat raw meat, or fish. This means that I can't have sashimi either. This is very sad since I don't like cooked fish so my main intake of the essential omega's was through sushi and sashimi. So....now I have to resort to supplements. Oh well...the things parents do for kids right! :) This little bugger is surely worth it. :)
Our first OB appt is tomorrow at 9:30. I'll post an ultrasound pic soon after.

Baby ticker

Well, this is a fun little pregnancy counter or "Baby Ticker" that I found and thought I would share. This way, you never have to wonder how far along I am! :)

Planning on a Boy

So, who knows what sex the baby is yet (other than God of course), but I think it's going to be a boy. I could be totally wrong, but here is why I think this. First, when referring to the baby "He" always comes out of my mouth. Also, whenever I have dreamt about having a kid it was always a boy and 2 years ago I was backing out of my driveway one day and looked behind me to check for any cars, and I had a quick vision of a toddler boy sitting in a car seat strapped into the back middle seat of my escape. There was also this one time (at band camp) when Anna, mom & I all had some kind of dream of me having a son..... on the same night.

So...there you have it. My prediction.

We'll see in January of course!

Week 7

Well, it is week number 7. Nothing new is really happening yet. I got a bunch of maternity clothes over the weekend from my friend Katie, which is a good thing because most of my pants are not fitting.

I have learned a very valuable lesson this week though. NEVER SKIP BREAKFAST!!!!! I forgot to eat on Monday morning and it made me queezy the rets of the day. I have been very good about eating a little bit about every hour so that my blood sugar doesn't get high. I am doing everything that I can to avoid morning sickness. So far it's working. I am also resting on God to keep me healthy during this pregnance. I would seriously prefer pain over nausea any day.

Mike is being very diligent about looking at our finances and seeing where we can cut things out. This will help immensly. I really don't want to have to continue working at all so please keep us in your prayers for that. If I do have to work it would just be part time and on the days that Mike will be home and I am not sure if my job will let me go down to part time once the kiddo is born. Other than that the option is to watch someone's kids during the week. I'm not sure how that would work as Mike is home all day every other day.

So, please be praying that God will show us things we can cut out, and provide the means for me to be a full time stay at home mom.

How thick am I?

So, you know that we are pregnant with kiddo #1. YAY!!! What you might not know is how long it took me to figure out....I'm blond, Polish and Swedish, whataya gonna do?

So, it all started about 3 weeks ago. It was Mike's and Robs birthday so we went to Alt Platz Brewing to Celebrate but I felt so sick. I couldn't figure it out, but, to put it lightly, I got rid of my contents and felt better immediately. I couldn't figure out. What was going on????

I was also noticing my skirts and pants weren't fitting. This was not a huge surprise to me because we frequented Alt Platz for Tom's Beer and Pizza about 3 times a week. It's not just any beer or pizza though. We would seriously prefer hanging out there and eating than going to some 4 star restaurant. SERIOUSLY!!! If you're ever in the area we'll have to take you there. Anyway, back to my expanding waistline. Because things were starting to get snug I decided to lay off on the beer and try to only have Pizza 1x a week. So I started drinking Tom's homemade Soda instead.

Then later that week my chest started really hurting. I couldn't sleep comfortably, hugs hurt, clothing hurt, yada-yada. I thought something was seriously wrong so I went to my doctor who in turn sent me for an ultrasound. The results showed a few fibroid cysts that needed to be monitored and I was told to cut back on the coffee. The cysts I have had since 14, so that's nothing new, but cut out coffee???? WHAT???? I tried, but wasn't very successful. I at least cut back to 2 cups a day, I thought that was a great improvement! :)

Then it all came together on Friday September 7th. That morning I realized how late I was (1.5 weeks). I had several meetings that day, but all I could think about was this possible pregnancy. I was adding it all up in my head. I threw up. My clothes don't fit. My boobs hurt. I'm late. Hmm...could it be?? Tight Clothes + sickness + tenderness = pregnancy then top it off with timing and I was sure. I confirmed the timing with Ashley who convinced me to take a test.

So, by the time Ashley and I came to the conclusion that I was possibly pregnant I was at the tunnel heading into Portsmouth. We hung up with the agreement I'd take a test and call her back. I ran to the dollar store and bought a test there. When I got home my hands were shaking so much that I could barely get my key in the door. I'll spare you the rest of the details! :) I was supposed to wait 2 minutes, but it immediately showed a plus sign. My heart skipped a beat. Could it be? No...don't' get too excited it says to wait 2 minutes. I had the phone in hand to call Mike, but at 1min 30 sec my mom calls. ARGH!!! I love to talk to my mom, and normally would gab for about 20min, but I wanted to call Mike. 2 minutes had passed now and it still showed a positive sign. Okay, I had to get off the phone. So I told mom I had to use the bathroom, that did the trick! :)

Mike was working that day, and had they been at the station I would have driven down there to tell him in person, but they were at the air show in case a plane crashed (which did happen unfortunately). So I called him on his cell phone (what in the world would we do without them) told him the exciting news. After asking me if I was sure he wisely stated "I guess that means we need to quit spending." That's for sure. Now, pregnancy tests can often show a false negative, but rarely do they show a false positive. But we agreed that I should take 1 more test just in case we were that .0000009% couple.

By this point I was jumping up and down in the hallway with tears in my eyes. I know, I know, I'm a dork! :) I called Ashley and told her the news, she agreed I should take one more... and then she would get excited. Before I could get out the door the phone rang, it was Rob, calling to congratulate me! He said by the sound in my voice he knew I was very excited.

As I was walking out the door Judy, my neighbor, was grabbing her 2 year old Grandson that had wandered into our yard. . I told her that I was pregnant, but running to the store to buy another test just to be sure. She was very excited for us and asked if she could share the news, well duh...I wanted the whole world to know!!! :) I jumped in my Jeep and drove to Walgreen's. It is just 3 blocks away, but it felt like a long drive!!! :) Yes, I drove. I wanted to know right away!!!!!

So I get to the aisle with the tests and they're all behind a locked cabinet and I have to push a button for service. WHAT??? Come on now!!! I finally found the button and waited. Even though it seemed like an eternity the manager came to the aisle quite promptly. She got the test for me as I blabbed about this being our first and how excited we are, and that I already took one test but we wanted to be sure (like she really cared). The tests ranged from $8.99 - $37.99. I bought the 9.99 box of two...so I could have another just in case! :)

I rushed home, still smiling from ear to ear, and ran up to my door. As I got to the front door Judy's whole family was out front and Wayne yelled to me "Get on in there girl...hurry it up!" Hee! Hee! that made me smile! :)

That test was positive as well, of course! I called Mike to let him know. We had agreed to not tell anyone else until I took a blood test. That lasted all of 20 min. I ran over to my sisters house and told my family and he called his parents. While I was at Anna's house Grandma happened to call so I told her the good news. I was up until 11:30 that night calling Aunts, Uncles & Friends and emailing people! :) I also talked to Brooke, but Dan was out for the day so I told her to have him call me when he got home. He finally called at 3:30 in the morning. They of course were very excited too!!!!

I was supposed to be doing homework, but how in the world was I supposed to focus on anything? I got online and signed up for several pregnancy websites, and then got onto Babies-r-us and made a registry and added things. I know, I know, I'm a dork. But I knew I was going to get tons of advice and I wanted to be able to hop on and add anything that I liked to my registry if I learned about it. I can't count on my memory to serve me! :)

The last time I was this excited was when Mike proposed to me, and then again on our wedding day. We're going to have our own family!!!! YAY!!!!

So, the world has now been told! :)