Baby UNDER Construction...

Almost 18 weeks! There is a wives tale that says "baby girls steal your beauty". According to the copious amount of pimples on my face, we are definitely having a girl. My face is worst than it ever was in high school hence, the headless portrait!

Pregnancy has been TOUGH. Thankfully, we didn’t struggle to conceive as I know it is difficult for many. Shortly after we found out I was pregnant, morning sickness (more like 24/7 sickness!) hit me like a ton of bricks. As my sense of smell increased, my appetite decreased. I had aversions to meat, especially red meat and anything powerful smelling. I felt ravenous with hunger all the time but nothing sounded appealing to me. Derek has been so loving, he would either pick up dinner or make dinner despite his heavy load of studying. In frustration I would end up crying because I couldn’t eat. I spent the majority of the day in bed, curtains drawn shut, phone turned off and a vomit bucket right beside my bed. I’m sure you might wonder "why didn’t she just run to the bathroom?" I was throwing up so much I became tired of the toilet water ricocheting into my face and clothes; the bucket lined with a garbage bag was a far better option. I’d throw up stomach acid and the little food that I managed to keep down. It was the first time my life that I was concerned about losing weight.


Due to several complications at 9 weeks, we had an emergency ultra sound. Our little baby was dancing around so much we nicknamed her/him "dancing gummy bear". Dosn't it resemble a gummy bear?

At our 2nd prenatal appointment, the nurse noticed that I had lost several pounds. I was advised to try "crackers and 7Up" I was very annoyed at the quick fix suggestions everyone had thrown at me. It was almost like it was my fault that I was nauseous because I wasn’t doing one simple thing, eating crackers with 7Up. The fact that it came from staff at a OBGYN office bothered me, surely I wasn’t the only pregnant woman suffering severe morning sickness to the point where I was losing weight! Not to mention, what good would the suggestion do if I couldn’t keep anything down anyway?

The following pictures are reccomendations to cure morning sickness by the MANY friends, family and stranger offering their expertise...


This was not worth the $5.97 I spent on it.



These worked at first, so well that I obviously went over board on purchasing so much. My justification, I knew we wouldn't have it here in West Virginia so I splurged. It stopped working after a week.


My mom sent me these along with maternity clothes. I've stopped by every store in this town and no one sells maternity clothes. My mom claimed that she ate these when she was pregnant with me. She failed to mention that there is a very hard seed in the middle of it, it nearly cracked one of my crowns! Needless to say these don't work.

In my mind I envisioned pregnancy to be wonderful… smooth sailing. I’d continue my routine of running or working out in the morning, working and participating in activities with the other wives. I figured I was a healthy young woman (but not too young) so naturally I thought that my pregnancy would allow me to continue life as it had been. I must admit that I’ve never had patience for anyone who blamed their pregnancy for their actions (such as punctuality, upholding expected responsibilities ect.) My experience with my pregnancy has definitely altered my perspective. I have no routine, I quit my job (which I wasn’t sad about at all) and I have developed a profound respect for women who can work, attend school ect while being pregnant. I haven’t cooked or done much housework at all. I’m thankful to have a husband who is understanding and is willing to do what he needs to do to help out. I’m also thankful for our friends who are so persistent in keeping tabs on us. They’ve brought us meals and have kept us in their prayers.


This was taken at 12 weeks. Everytime the we get an ultrasound, the doctor comments on how big the baby is...I'm really hoping for a normal sized head rather than the traditional supersized Tongan head that runs in our family.

This week I’m heading into my 18th week. Although the nausea hasn’t cleared up completely I haven’t thrown up in the past 6 days! I’m sure by our next appointment I’ll have gained weight; I’ve developed an appetite of a football linebacker. My Doctor prohibited running so I plan to continue watching what I eat (as I had been doing pre-pregnancy) and exercising regularly. My poor husband has already heard enough crying from me and the last thing he’ll need is to hear me cry over excessive weight gain post-pregnancy.

Despite all the uncomfortable symptoms and sickness, we are truly so excited for gift we are about to receive. We are blessed with the knowledge of our Heavenly Father’s love and awareness of our situation. We’re thankful that we can draw strength from our faith in him and from one another.