And The Beat Goes On!

Hello :) Yesterday was our 2nd prenatal appointment with the primary intent of hearing baby Tan's heart beat via doppler. Boy did we hear it!!! It was the most simplest of procedures. After peeing in a cup, waiting about 30 minutes in the waiting room, being ushered into an examination room, a nurse walked in put a small stethoscope looking object on the lowest part of my abdomen and voila! There my Mr Tan and I were listening intently on the most beautiful sound we've heard thus far-evidence of life. Our little baby's heart beat was quite rapid. I've read that some think of galloping horses when they hear their baby's heart beat. Shaun personally thought it sounded like an extraterrestrial sound captured on a radar somewhere in outer space. Now that I think of it almost sounds like the laundry machine in the middle of a cycle. Haha! Again, we are so incredibly humbled and yet ever so grateful for this beautiful little gift that He has bestowed upon us.

ML

Fig Tan

I just realized that I did not post in celebration of our little Grape Tan graduating to Kumquat Tan last week. Today our little baby has now graduated to Fig Tan! Our next OB appointment is tomorrow. We had to reschedule our 10 week appointment for last week to this week otherwise Shaun would not have been able to have been present. Tomorrow we hope will mark the celebration of a major milestone in our baby Fig Tan's life-hearing the heart beat via Doppler (baby stethoscope). The 24/7 nausea has improved dramatically and now comes only about 1-2 times a day. I am now also starting to stay awake after seeing my Mr Tan out the door in the mornings rather than going straight back to bed. Starting my mornings at about 8-ish is so much more pleasant for me rather than sleeping in until 10am or so...makes my day just a little bit brighter. Although, some are already suggesting I take full advantage of all the sleep I can get now!

Happy 11th week baby Fig Tan!

ML

Longest Stretch Yet

A very sweet & beautiful occasion gave us a great excuse to return back to Brownsville for another visit. My dear and lovely friend/sister was tying the knot! Making this trip back home was not only exciting because Theresa's was getting married but also because I had just survived the longest stretch away from home. I had been away from home for about a month and a half! Might not sound like much but felt like forever to me :)

It's funny how the things I wished would have been different during my time growing up at home were the very things that brought me much comfort during my visit back. I can recall saying to myself as well as my mother when I was younger, "I wish our house was like...!", "Why can't we have...?", "Why do we have to drive...?"etc. I can't help but laugh a little and yet shake my head at myself because of my discontentment as well as my lack of appreciation for everything my parents provided for us as a family. Never did I imagine that one day I would be a little older, more mature, and more wiser finding so much warmth and joy and even humor in such things. I could share some of them with you...but I'm afraid you might not understand or appreciate them as I do. Though, I'm sure you have a list of your own...

ML

Uncomfortable Yet Necessary

The title of my post today describes how some change can feel at times. Very uncomfortable but very necessary. I remember when I first arrived at my previous church back home (ICC) my mother would very "motherly" encourage me to go and sit up front with the other teenagers. I would then in a very teenager-ish manner say, "Mom, please leave me alone!". I remember then as I was looking over at these teenagers who were obviously so excited and connected, "I'll be up there eventually...it's just a matter of time." Sure enough with time (God's grace really) I graduated myself up to the front. Ten years later I am finding myself again very comfortably sitting in the last row enjoying the comfortable view, in a different church of course. Just as I knew 10 years ago, I know today that it will be a matter of time before I get connected again. Though, this time it's not my mother who is by my side encouraging me, it is my very social and extroverted husband (love you baby). This time I can't say, "Shaun, please leave me alone!". As time passes and as God continues to be full of grace and mercy the Lord is so gently leading me up towards the front. He is surrounding us with others who are loving and godly... Though most of the time it's very uncomfortable I know it's necessary in order for Him to lead us where He desires...and being where He wants us is of the utmost important and above all else, including my comfort.

So here I go...

ML

This is what I must look like hiding behind my Mr Tan! =)

Grape Tan

Hello. Today is the completion of week 9! Yay! Our little baby is now approximately the size of a grape! How I wish he/she was bigger. Soon soon :) Tuesdays sure do come by pretty fast for me. It's like celebrating our little baby's birthday every week. It's another week the Lord has granted us in this special little season. A week from this coming Thursday we will have our 10 week appointment with the intent of hearing baby Tan's heart via doppler. This will be a very important milestone for baby Tan. In the mean time the nausea has continues throughout the day. I started drinking peppermint tea diluted with water. It's quite nice. :)

Happy Birthday baby Tan!

ML

M

Bitter Sweet

We are now going on our 3rd month since moving to Houston. The first two months were pretty easy for me. There was lots going on at the beginning. Packing, unpacking, packing and again unpacking once we found our apartment. Lots of errands to be run and things to buy to make our place little more like home. Then we found out about our little baby Tan! Now that things have slowed down a bit it has been a bit more difficult. I knew that once we returned back in from the holiday travels to Brownsville things would slow down and reality would settle in just a little more. We are now attending a wonderful church just 2 minutes down the street from us. The location could not be more perfect, especially with a baby on the way! There is a also a MOPS group that meets twice a month there that I hope to be joining soon. I know with time and God's grace everything will come into place. Change has always been a bitter-sweet experience for me. Sometimes it feels more bitter than sweet. But in the end God makes it so sweet! As I've been seeking the Lord regarding this new season of major transition in my life I have to see a couple of things I must remember.

#1 I cannot allow media & social networks to become my portal to the world. It's so easy to stay home all day long and keep up with the world via Facebook, Gmail, TV, etc. These are all good ways of staying connected but should not become my primary social interactions. I must go out seeking to enjoy and experience the 4th largest city in the US. Even if that means going by myself.

#2 I need structure. I need a "TO DO" list! I've started planning out my week again. This keeps me focused on what my objectives are for the week. Sometimes it means running by the post office. Other times it means trying out a new restaurant (even if it's alone) or having something sweet at Starbucks.

#3 I need purpose. This goes hand in hand with #2. The world can be so deceitful in trying to convince us of what true purpose really means in life. I am so thankful that I can look unto the Lord for the truth in this matter. At times staying home, cooking, cleaning may not seem very exciting and full of purpose. But Truth tells me that the season that I am currently in right now is exactly where the Lord intends for me to be. It is the safest, most perfect place I could be in right now. The world confesses that it is futile and a complete waste of time. Serving my husband, taking care of our home, carrying our little baby Tan, serving others in whatever way the Lord leads and enables me is best summed up by my privilege in serving the Lord.

ML

Kidney Bean Tan

Today is the completion of week 8. Baby is now about the size of a kidney bean! I still find myself amazed that there is a little life that God has enabled us to create growing inside me.

This is what our Kidney Bean currently looks like...

ML