It's a Girl!!!

We are thrilled!  I think this is the most exciting part of the journey so far, to know something about our baby or should I say our daughter!  It is amazing how much can be known and seen with technology.  I took some advice given me and had caffeine about an hour before our appointment so the baby would be active for some good views, and boy was she!  I loved seeing her little hands, fingers and feet, by far the most precious.  The definition in other areas was not so clear to me, not being an ultrasound technician, but who doesn't recognize little fingers.  And her profile was also very defined.  You could clearly see her nose and mouth; how unreal that at five months the little one is so intricately created!

Brenton says he had a hunch all along; I knew nothing. It was fun to be surprised with no expectations.

Amazingly, the technician could tell the baby was about six days smaller than originally believed.  The little one is healthy and the due date was not changed.  They said they were just going to watch her growth over the next few months, as would be expected.  And as I know nothing about the process, they mentioned if the baby had been 10 days behind or more, then they would have been concerned.  Thank goodness we weren't the extra four days lacking.  I'm hoping she'll be a small little thing, especially come time for delivery! 

Heavenly Shoes

This past week my Pappaw on my Mother's side went to meet our Heavenly Father.  The previous weekend, before he moved out of consciousness, he told someone he was ready for his "heavenly shoes".  It seems he knew his time was near and was ready to meet the Maker.

While it is sad to have him leave, I was amazed to hear so many people say they had never met a more godly man.  Each of the three pastors that spoke at the funeral said just that as they choked on unshed tears.  One saluted a fellow soldier for the last time as he concluded his portion of the funeral.  His, was a life well lived. 

Ironically, as I went to bed Friday night after the funeral, I imagined Pappaw, Howard & Benji (the students who passed at the colleges we've worked at) sitting together and joyfully chatting in heaven.  I know there is no other place those men would rather be than with our Savior.  And how can I be sad on that note.

Thankfully, just before Pappaw past, we were able to spend time with him at the farm.  We drove Pappaw up on his trekker and he watched as we took family pictures, one of which can be seen above.  Little did we know about two and a half weeks later, we'd learn of his passing.  We are so thankful for the godly heritage on both sides of our family!

Family vacation at the beach was also a much needed rest.  I think I'm still feeling a little lethargic from all the rest I took in that week!  Unfortunately, all the pictures are on my sister's camera.  The ones you see, I've taken off her Facebook page!  Thanks Jen.

No More Food!

I never thought the day would come when I would ever say this, but I am tired of food.  Previously, before becoming pregnant, my daily excitements were meals and sleep, very exciting... and they were to me!  So what has changed?  To keep my nausea at bay and stay off the medicine, I have had to eat obscene amounts.  Brenton brags to his friends about the fact that I can out eat him.  And if your are wondering, sadly this is true.  I do not think I would have believed it had I been told, until I got to this point!  I guess I should be embarrassed but, in reality, I am just thankful to not be throwing up as regularly.  Even with my new diet, I would say I have one or two uncontrollable moments per week.  Not bad with the previous ratio, and considering the fact that I am not taking medicine for the most part.  And while Zofran is what made life doable early on, it is nice to not have to deal with the side effects from the pill either.

Really, I should be and am grateful to not be throwing up through out the day.  I feel great for the most part and have gotten to where walking/physical activity, in doses, does not bother me.  We have made some big strides, all except for the lovely new diet! 

My current prayer... "Dear Lord, help me be able to walk so that my eating habits won't take my weight out of control.  Oh, and if you could make the nausea go away, that'd be nice too."  Not superficial one bit, eh?!  (*Wink*)

Last update, my pregnant belly is showing now.  Were I to wear a more fitted shirt, it would be obvious I had not just gained a little weight at 17 weeks (this weekend).  Thankfully, the current trend it baggy, not fitted, and comfortable.  Shirts can be very deceiving and I love it!  We are three weeks away from the gender appointment.  We are excited to find out!  

Guess What?!

So I said we had lots to say and boy do we ever!  This past winter in February, I went to the doctor for a check up as Brenton and I thought we were pregnant.  We'd held off on Valentines as we were going to send belated Valentines saying we were going to have a baby... and our story changed.  The first ultrasound showed there was no baby but there was an abnormal growth, what the doctor thought could be a mole... and would mean we had a molar pregnancy.  I was taken in for a D&C quickly as they wanted to look at the make up of the growth.  Thankfully, it was only a miscarriage.

I don't say that to be heartless, but the doctor had braced us for having to monitor my body for a year to make sure there were no other moles or regrowths.  The doctor left out the part that the growths can be cancerous, but if curiosity gets you like it does me, it is "Google" time when you get home for the appointment.  I will say that possibilities of the next year weighed heavily on me the two weeks we waited on surgery and the lab report.  I was in a drug store when they called to tell me it was "just a miscarriage."  It was almost as if the miscarriage part had been forgotten as it was jumbled with all the other news.  I don't know that I really grieved the miscarriage as I was only eight weeks along, I think it would have been hard had we shared with everyone prior to the news.  I will say it felt like life had been handed over to me again once we found out I was cleared.  It was a huge burden released.

I don't share this to make everyone hurt or grieve for us, it is more of an update to further fill you in on our current news.  Brenton and I are expecting!  We will have the little one at the end of December or early January.  Not sure it is true, but I hear 90% of babies are not born on their due date so we are thinking in more broad terms.  Brenton's praying for a December baby for tax purposes and I'm hoping for a New Years baby, only because how cool would that be?!  I'm just into the second trimester and the nausea has calmed down a good deal.  It's still lingering but much more doable.  My current trend has been a date with the toilet on Friday nights.  Poor Brenton, our dates have been much less adventurous lately.  However that is a blessing, as it is much less frequent than when the toilet dates started!  In short, we wanted to fill everyone in on the details of our lives and that we are very excited!  Oh and we just heard the heart beat for the first time this past week.  The baby is a mover... guess we have another little soccer player on our hands!

The Chore... Not Family, Rather Discipline

I never thought writing a blog would be such a chore, but like anything else, you get out of the habit and it takes discipline to get back into it.  Don't honestly know why, but for the possible fact that I don't know what to say anymore and yet we have lots to say on behalf of the Benwares... ironic, an emphatic, "YES!"

The latest on our adventures was our trek out west to visit the Benware crew and a drop by Oklahoma for a day.  One of the things we miss most about Oklahoma are all the wonderful friends and the history we had together.  Oh we have met many wonderful people in the Blue Ridge Moutains but good ole friends, one just can't get enough!  As always, it's hard not being able to see everyone as this is a prominent time for summer vacations... go figure.  Everyone's schedules are hit and miss, like the ever constant game of cell phone tag in today's society.

And for Texas, boy had it been a while!  It can best be summed up best by one of Brenton's blood-related nephews that looked at his mama the first night we arrived and said, "Mom, who's that boy with Aunt Kelly?"  However, I must say that I felt special I was remembered!  It is truly amazing how much we miss out on watching all 10 Benware nephews and neices grow up while we are out of state.  We can't believe that they have changed so much and then they have to get use to us all over again.  Guess it is just that constant story of... LIFE.  Yet it is always a joy to go see family and catch up on lost time.  Just leaves us something to look forward to the next time we all get together!

Jaeger Crew from New Mexico

Ford Crew from Texas

I guess I'll save the rest for next time... otherwise I really won't have anything to write about!  You'll just have to wait and see!!

Montreat Cavaliers Men's Soccer Team 2009-2010

Athletic Banquet

This years athletic banquet went three and a half hours... some how I always forget how long these occasions are!  The guys' soccer team picture is above, minus Howard who passed and Shaka who is now playing professional soccer in Puerto Rico.  We are so proud of all these guys!

Oh, and last weekend... Brenton saw his first wild black bear.  We had some friends over to our house Saturday evening that hopped out of their car and said there was a mama bear and her cubs just down our drive.  We headed down and apparently, the guys caught the mama with a rabbit (one Brenton and I had previously named, "Buddy") before heading into the woods.  By the time us girls got down the drive, the mama came back out and crossed the road behinds us to her little cubs.  They were beautiful, but I am more than thankful I was in a car!  And funny enough the guys got out of their cars... who does that?!