January 24, 2008 18 weeks, 4 days

Five more days until I find out if it's a boy or girl! I'm getting so excited. All I can think about is the baby. I felt it move for the first time yesterday, and I was so glad. I've been worried. It was like the baby just poked me a few times to say, "It's ok." :) And I cried. But I cry over everything these days. I can't figure out what to eat - so I cry. A baby kisses his daddy on tv - so I cry. I can't stand up when I sit on the floor - so I cry. It's pretty ridiculous. I'm never this emotional. And I can't sleep at night so I'm tired all day. My back hurts and my hip hurts whenever I lay on my side - which is the only way I'm supposed to lay. But it will all be worth it in the end. :) My husband is getting excited too. :) He kisses my belly and talks to it all the time. He's so sweet. It makes me love him even more. I just feel so blessed. It's amazing to have this much love in my heart all the time. I just feel like I could burst. God has been so good to me, and I'm so thankful! It's so incredible to think about. This miracle growing inside of me... this everyday, ordinary miracle. I was thinking about it today, and it says in the Bible that woman's consequence for original sin would be through childbirth, and I started to see that in a new light. Sin separates you from God, but having this baby growing inside me has brought me closer to God than I've ever been. To see him in action, creating and shaping my baby, shaping me and getting me ready to be a parent - it's incredible. I understand now, that it must have been part of his plan. He didn't want to torture women with pain - he wanted to draw them closer to himself - and I can't think of a better way. God is amazing. :)

January 30, 2008, 9 weeks 3 days

It's a girl! I had my ultrasound yesterday and everything looked perfect. I cried my eyes out. It was my husband's first time seeing the baby, and I'll never forget the look on his face. Pure joy and wonder. :) I'm getting so excited! Now I can't wait until pay day... I'm ready to go shopping! :) Sadly, I had to go and eat some bad applesauce last night, so I feel terrible today, but I'm still so excited. :) And we decided on a name for our little princess... drum roll please...Lily Annalise Ozee. A beautiful name for our beautiful little girl. Not that it was easy to decide. My husband and I went back and forth forever on names, but we both love this. And it was funny - after we decided on it last night, we were reading our Bible - we're doing that read it through in a year thing - and we read over the passage in Luke, "Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these." What a sweet verse for my little girl. :)