if it's not one thing, it's another

What beautiful, amazing, springy weather this weekend! I know it's warm, but I LOVE this weather! I love the freshly cut grass and campfires at night. Our neighborhood yard sale today was exhausting, but a lot of fun. I found my favorite brand new DVD in the entire world- Something's Gotta Give - for $1!!!! Our bake sale was a hit, though I didn't make, or eat any of it.....It brought lots of people our way. So, we may have spent about what we made (which wasn't much) but it was fun sitting out and talking with our neighbors and walking around the block. As fun as it was, I ended up napping the entire afternoon with my feet up, trying to relieve some round ligament pain and chugging water. What in the world do we need a round ligament for anyway? This has been the best week for me since January (with consistent days, so crazy!) and I've been going going going, trying to make the most of it! Nashville was a happenin' place to be this weekend too with the Music City Marathon, the Franklin Street Festival, the Nashville Flea Market, and loads of neighborhood sales. Exhaustion is setting in, but I'm super super excited for my mom to come on Tuesday (yay Mom!) Plus, my parents snagged half-price tickets on Southwest to Nashville in May from Omaha ($61/one way!!!) for the Hillsong United Concert! Lots to look forward to! :-) love to you!

a little something to lift my spirits....

One way to combat the feeling of nausea? Retail therapy, my friends! Well, not exactly....but we've chosen some pieces for the nursery, which is exciting and does, in some way, minimize feeling crummy. After lots of web searching, we've decided on a crib from Stanley Young America. (Mainly because Nebraska Furniture Mart can get it, but also because its made right here, in the US.) I was recently informed that drop-side rail cribs are hazardous, and should be avoided....

See the article here....

But we've decided to go with a four-way conversion crib. I LOVE the way it looks!



We also decided on our stroller and car seat (after test-driving some strollers at Babies R Us last Saturday.) We decided to get the Combi Helio. It had mixed reviews, but I really like the way it folds (to basically nothing), weighs just 12 pounds, and is compatible with the Shuttle car seat. It also has a pretty tall handle (great for a tall mom-to-be like me!) The biggest complaint I saw was that the bag underneath was too small, but why on earth do I need a million and one things with me at all times? I'm planning on getting a diaper bag that can be hung over the handle anyway. So, here they are....





We're finally figuring things out...only 20 days until we find out the gender of our little lawson! Can't wait for that!
Love to you all!

happy huskers

Since over half of my friend network is in Nebraska, I just knew y'all would enjoy this video...here's to you, you happy huskers!

http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=7266970

when can i de-board this train?

15 weeks, 10 weeks of being mostly incapacitated. How much more can one person endure? I am jealous of all those moms-to-be who are actually enjoying this part of pregnancy. Why can't I be one of them? When people are so excited for me, and the most I can do is force a smile and pretend I'm not feeling absolutely miserable. I feel like a bad mom already. People keep telling me to hang in there, it'll get better...and I'm trying to keep the doubts out of my mind...but it's hard to see the light (it's more of a pin-hole) at the end of the tunnel. And I keep praying...but not much has changed. I hate being undependable. I hate having to bail out on get-togethers.

Chris' mom and dad were here this weekend, which was so great. I just wish I'd felt better and been more social. We did get to go to the Grand Ole' Opry, which was really fun. It took my mind off the nausea, just for a bit. I miss them already and am looking forward to seeing my mom in a few weeks. :-)

fishers of men

Rise and follow me
I'll make you worthy
Rise and follow me
I'll make you fishers of men.

Rise and follow me
I'll make you worthy
Rise and follow me
I'll make you fishers of men.

Peter, John, and James
Could never be the same
After they heard him say
I'll make you fishers of men.

He said, Rise and follow me
I'll make you worthy
Rise and follow me
I'll make you fishers of men.
He said, Rise and follow me
I'll make you worthy
Rise and follow me
I'll make you fishers of men.

Cast your nets aside
and join the battle tide
He will be your guide
To make you fishers of men.

He said, Rise and follow me
I'll make you worthy
Rise and follow me
I'll make you fishers of men.
He said, Rise and follow me
I'll make you worthy
Rise and follow me
I'll make you fishers of men.

Jesus bore the cross
To gather in the lost
Oh what a mighty cost
To set us free from sin.

He said, Rise and follow me
I'll make you worthy
Rise and follow me
I'll make you fishers of men.
He said, Rise and follow me
I'll make you worthy
Rise and follow me
I'll make you fishers of men.

This song was sung by Rhonda Vincent at the Grand Ole Opry this weekend, and it really moved me. I highly recommend downloading it.

Blessings this Easter!

overdue update...and a little surprise

Yes, to my three dedicated readers (you know who you are) I apologize for the hiatus. It's been 2 months since I last posted anything, and it's time to get back into it. There's good reason for my absence and as most of you know now, this is the reason....



It's a little Lawson! This ultrasound picture was taken at 9 1/2 weeks. A lot of the reason I hadn't been writing is because the only thing I would have been writing about was how absolutely miserable I felt. I'm 14 weeks now, and it seems as if the worst is behind me. I definitely did NOT expect two full months of not being able to keep ice chips down! After trial and error, and loads of medication, I'm finally on the mend (and on a healthy dose of Zofran). Unfortunately, I lost close to 15 pounds over the course of the first trimester, and was still down 10 this morning at my appointment, so I'm really needing to put on some weight! My midwife was a tiny bit concerned, but overall, things are much better. I'm trying to eat more, it's just hard when the nausea comes and goes in waves (mostly at night).....but hey, I'll take that over what it was ANY day! I had lots of well-intentioned advice while I was going through the SEVERE nausea and vomiting phase, but I definitely did NOT have typical "morning sickness". Thankfully, I don't have any posts to look back through about the nightmare that was the first trimester, because I hope to forget about it completely- most people say you forget ALL about it, and I sure hope they're right!

We heard the heartbeat for the first time this morning (we saw it on the ultrasound at 9 weeks, but the tech didn't turn the volume up...) So crazy to actually hear our baby for the first time! We ARE planning on finding out the gender, and will know on May 13th! Before I got pregnant, I thought I'd want it to be a surprise, but now I MUST know! The baby is due October 6th. I can't thank you (those of you who already knew) for the prayers. I've been praying every day, but to know that people around me are as well, really made a HUGE difference!

notes about me

I absolutely adore animals...of any kind. In addition to my dog Moby and 2 cats, Ami and Soco, my favorites are giraffes and sea turtles. Don't ask me why.

I recently watched a sea turtle at the Chattanooga Aquarium for 30 minutes, right next to the glass, and wished I had a tank big enough at home to bring him along.

As a homeowner, I've come to the stark realization that my parents were right all along, there are always things to be done.

Unfortunately, I currently have no motivation to work full-time, other than that at some point in the future I want to do music in some capacity, and have no intention of pursuing a career using my Bachelor of Journalism.

I quite frequently wish that student loans had not accompanied this lack of focus, or perhaps that I had figured it out sooner.

I have perfect pitch, and quite frequently am asked to sing a "G" for my husband to tune his guitar to.

I substitute teach, and have aspirations of home schooling my future children.

Chris and I plan to adopt (after trying for and, God willing, successfully having a biological child) from Asia (hoping to adopt within the next 5 years) and would ideally like to have two biological and two adoptive children, intermixed.

I know some Chinese, and listen to Pimsleur CD's to further my knowledge of the language- Ni Hao!

My dog is currently at the bottom of the stairs, whining because Chris is up there and he can't get to him.

My favorite movie in the world is "Something's Gotta Give." That part where Diane Keaton is hysterically crying, after Jack Nicholson leaves, I laugh so hard I cry.

I can't stand Nicholas Cage. I don't know what it is, but his acting drives me crazy.

I can sleep for over 12 hours at a time, but try my hardest not to....

My grandfather was an artist, and though I don't consider myself a good one, I'd like to think I got my love of art from him.

If I won a large sum of money, I'd put enough away in savings to live off the interest and donate the rest to charity.

I tend to be a very random person and have trouble explaining exactly how these unrelated ideas pop into my head.

I inherited an anxiety disorder from my dad, who refuses to admit that he has anxiety, and now have to be on medication so I don't have panic attacks.

I cannot multi-task, and as such will never claim to be good at it on a resume.

I sing in the shower, but who doesn't?

I would LOVE to live overseas at some point...Ireland, England, China, Spain..I'm not particular.

If I ever get enough motivation, I hope to improve my piano playing skills...or lack thereof.

I would also love to take up Violin.

I love the show LOST. It's really the only show I watch on a regular basis...and I was really looking forward to it coming back.

I can't eat anything with wheat, barley, oats, or rye due to the fact that I have Celiac Disease. However, since being diagnosed 3 years ago, I'm doing much better at finding foods I can eat, and modifying recipes.

I believe God created the Universe, that Jesus was His Son, and that his grace is the ONLY reason I will know him in Heaven.

the woes of January

There's a chill in the air, meaning the dead of winter in Tennessee has finally arrived. Although it may be short lived, it's never short enough. Waking to temperatures in the single digits feels like torture in this state. Somehow one grows accustomed to the highs and lows of different parts of the country quite quickly. Where 25 degrees may feel warm during a Nebraska winter (some people wear no coats!), the same temp is utterly unbearable in Nashville. I've come to realize that I just can't handle that kind of cold. Give me 100 degrees any day over being so chilled to the bone I have to shower to warm up!

The one thing I'm thankful for about the cold is being able to have a fire. Our fireplace finally has a job, and fulfillment in life, thanks to Pine Mountain logs. If you have never experienced the beauty of these, it's a log wrapped in paper that you place into the fireplace, light, and let go. It's lasts about 4 hours, and has been the highlight of my evening. I just love cuddling up by the fire with a book and some cocoa. I can't get enough. In fact, I'd like to move my bedroom to the living room so I could enjoy the fire more often.

i think i'll go make some cocoa now...

ushering in a new year

2009 has officially begun, technically just over a day ago....but honestly, it feels no different. As always, it will probably take a good solid month before writing '09 at the end of a check will become automatic...which always annoyed me about the beginning of each new year. I was listening to resolutions of the Husker and Clemson football teams yesterday during the Gator Bowl- one memorable moment was that one of them wanted to give up fast food-after the season..... I resolve to write more. It's something I have been attempting to do, unsuccessfully, for the past few months. I'd love to find a direction for this blog, be it food, entertainment, crafting, or something else altogether. Perhaps I'll keep this blog about my personal life, and create another for something more specific? I also resolve to become the pack leader over my dog. Watching the Dog Whisperer was an eye opening experience highlighting my utter failure as a leader of my pack. I can't help it...I love to love on my pup. We'll see if this is achievable, but I know the failure is mine, so it's a start.

Happy 2009!

December 4th already?

Where exactly does the time go? Wow, I just can't believe it's Christmas again! Traveling to Nebraska was so much fun. Spending Thanksgiving with my family, going to the Nebraska-Colorado game with Chris' parents, seeing Nebraska play Creighton in Basketball, and having all our friends over to hang out was SO much fun! We were ready to get home, but knowing we are going back in a few weeks made it all that much easier to say goodbye. Thankfully, I had time to decorate before we left, and I've now had 5 wonderful days to enjoy our decorations (although I haven't had a chance to take any pictures yet.) The time is going far too quickly. I just love this time of year, and I'm really trying to slow down and enjoy it...and to remember WHY I celebrate it. It's so easy to get caught up in everything else that goes on, so I have to constantly remind myself to think about the birth of Christ, the manger, Mary, Joseph, the Wise Men, and the amazing miracle of His birth.
I once had an interesting conversation with someone about the "politically correct" way to greet people. I don't get offended if someone says Happy Hanukkah to me if that is what they celebrate. I choose to say Merry Christmas because the Birth of Christ is why I celebrate Christmas. Regardless of what anyone celebrates, I think we should be able to express our beliefs without abandon. With that being said, Peace to you this Christmas!