Merry Christmas-ish!

Is it bad that I'm glad Christmas is over? Maybe? Yes? Let me explain. It's a two-fold explanation.

First the negative.  Nick and I had to work at the hospital this Christmas. Now we had a great Christmas-ish on Christmas Eve. We woke up, opened a few gifts, ate some blueberry pancakes, watched It's a Wonderful Life, and had dinner and went to church with some good friends. Christmas plus working plus raging pregnancy hormones equaled a little Christmas meltdown.

While I did remember and rejoice in the birth of Christ, to me Christmas also means family. And missing that part made me sad.  Thankfully that will be remedied in the next few days since Nick and I will be spending a week in Georgia with family for the New Year. In that matter, I am glad Christmas is over because of the separation.

The second is positive. Nick and I are looking forward to next Christmas with soooo much anticipation. This next year holds the promises of many blessings. We both graduate in May from our programs. We hopefully will have new jobs closer to family. My sister will be getting married. And of course the greatest blessing. As my belly swells bigger and bigger each day, as my hips and back begin to ache, and as each little kick wakes me up in the morning, Nick and I can't help but get excited about little Abigail joining up next Spring. Christmas next year, Lord willing, will be a joyful time of  reflection and enjoying our new blessings instead of anticipation and separation.

So I hope you all had a great Christmas, but I pray that your up coming year will be full of blessings so that next Christmas will be even better!

Belly Button

Well, I'm still waiting for Nick to download some pictures of our little Peanut... or should I say, Abigail Grace?  :)

These past weeks have been busy. My whole family (parents, sisters, and fiance) crammed into our little house for Thanksgiving. We went to a 3D ultrasound place the day before Thanksgiving, and that's when we found out we were having a little girl. We are both soooo thrilled!!!! Nick is going to be such a great girl-Daddy! Ever since, my mind has been in a pink haze.

I've been working a lot of overtime, and that plus finishing up the semester hasn't let me really calm down and think about this little miracle. So I'm looking forward to this Christmas break to just think... meditate on the Lord, my family, my friends, and my little Abbie.

In other news, the belly has officially popped and my belly button is going to suffer the same fate soon. I'm excited because Friday Nick is going out to get me a scrub jacket so that I don't have to keep squeezing in to my current scrub tops.

Well, the Christmas tree lights are on, the dog is in my lap, and hubby is beside me watching football. So off I go!

It's the most *busiest* time of the year!

Papers, clinicals, work, class, tests have been going non-stop. But something else going non-stop is baby peanut's growth!

I can hardly believe that in just a few short weeks, Nick and I will finally know if it's a boy or a girl! And no we don't have a preference, just that it's not both ;) Yes we have names picked out! You'll just have to wait to see! ;) Since Nick is working Thanksgiving day (oh the joys of the hospital!), my whole family is coming up to spend the holiday with us. We're going to one of those 3-d fetal photography places the Wednesday before turkey day to see baby Peanut! I'm soooo excited to have the fam there for this special time!!!!!!

Though there's still a huge list of things to do (the main thing being cleaning everything and figuring out where to put all these people in my little house!), I can feel the excitement. All this busy work makeks it so the time flies, but sometimes I feel I'm missing out on my pregnancy.

I can hardly beleive that I'm 16 weeks already! I've finally begun showing a little bump and so am glad to no longer just look "thicker." :) It hasn't been the easiest pregnancy. I've felt fine, but I've had some bleeding. It's called a subchorionic hemorrhage, but mine is small (1.5 X 5cm in comparison to my bigger than a grapefruit uterus). The doctors have been taking a close look at it, and the bleed is not in the amniotic sac nor is it under the placenta. So little peanut is blissfully unaware. He or she is just rolling around, sucking on his/her thumb and practicing breathing. It's really amazing. So thankfully, the bleeding has almost completely stopped, and hopefully will be gone by my 20 week scan :) Still, it's a little scary, and if you know me, you know I'd tell you anything about me. So I figure there's at least one other friend out that that hs or will have this problem and it's OK!!!!! :)

Anyway, Nick is bringing up some of my old baby furniture this weekend, and so I'm super excited to start setting up the nursery!!!!! And I swear we have a camera, but I'll have to have Nick find it so I can start posting pictures soon!

Well tomorrow is my last day of clinical, so hopefully I won't abandon my dear blog for much longer! Until then!

12.5 weeks!

Almost done with the first trimester!!! Soooo exciting! (When Nick gets a chance, I'll have him show me how to upload pictures so you can see little Peanut!)

School is pressing on, I'm starting a new job at the hospital, and birthday month is upon us... No wonder October is nearly done!!!! Life is crazy, busy, and just crazy, but Nick and I are loving it!

Every day, I feel like I'm getting bigger... thankfully, my appetite has dropped off some (I was eating like a teenage boy off his Adderall), so now it's Peanut's turn to grow! So far, most clothes are just a little more snug. However, my black pants from high school are done. Thankfully, my sweet Mamma sent me a new pair, but there's this funny stretchy ban around the top :) I think they call it maternity pants. Nick says I'm beginning to get "radiantly round."

So far, Peanut's doing great! We got to see him/her suck his/her thumb a few weeks ago before we headed out to Florida. The fact he/she even had a thumb was MINDBLOWING! And then the other day at work, I used a doppler and was actually able to hear the heartbeat!

My next appointment it Thursday! Until then!

Busy and Habitual

Life has been soooo busy/crazy. I feel like I've never been this tired before in my life... I know it's in part due to the fetus, but I chalk up A LOT to my school/work schedule... I've been working or doing clinical every day since last Sunday. And not only am I doing a lot, I feel like I'm in this habit of life.

I wake up, go to work, go home, eat, sleep, repeat... every day. It has been driving me crazy! (Thankfully Nick and I go on vacation to Disney this week... more on that later). However, after talking with baby daddy last night, I realized something. Right now I'm responding to this busyness and habits with stress, but on the other hand, I respond to God's busyness and habits with joy... shouldn't I be joyful in all things?

The Lord is always working... the Bible tells me He is always hard at work for the good of those who believe (which includes me). He doesn't sleep, He doesn't eat (like I do), He is constantly at work. Aren't I glad for that?

The Lord is also a Lord of habits... isn't that great?! He's trustworthy. Nick and I have been a little stressed about the future (as all expectant parents are I'm sure). But the Lord has always habitually provided for us when we had no other options. It's His M.O. in our lives... we come to some due date (he needed a job before we got married, I needed a job before we moved to Kentucky, we needed a place to live ASAP in Kentucky), and we have always had zero prospects up until the last moment... but it's during those last moment preparations that the Lord provides for us not just one but a multitude of options. I'm so glad that the Lord is habitual... trustworthy. So even though I stress because I have no answers right now, I'm gently reminded by my sweet husband that the Lord is busily and habitually at work for us, on our side.

So I guess I should rejoice that I'm sharing this busyness and this habit-rut that I'm sharing a small part of this with the Lord (though this is easier said than done). But I do know that I am always trusting that the Lord will take care of us and our little family! :)

Little Peanut

So as you know by now, Nick and I are going to be parents!!!!! Sooo exciting! And we've gotten TONS of support but also a lot of questions, so here are some answers.  :)

- How far along are you?
Today, I am 8 wks, 2 days. I know I am early along to tell, but Nick and I can hardly keep it in! We are so excited, and after having a few scary ultrasounds (my expected dates didn't match up with what they were seeing on the ultrasound), we finally got a confirmative normal!

- When are you due?
April 27 :)

- Is that before you graduate?
Yes... My last semester in my nurse practitioner program is very clinical heavy, so I'll try to get it done early. We're just praying that little peanut wants to stick around until at least my due date! But if he or she comes early, no big deal. I'll still graduate, but will just have to do some clinical time during the summer.

- How do you feel? Feel sick?
Not really sick...yet. Sometimes I just have an aversion to different foods or smells. Mostly, I've been emotional, hungry, peeing a lot, and dog-tired.

- Are you showing yet?
Not yet. I think my pants are just a little tighter due to my eating... I've been craving cheese for some reason. Any thoughts?

- What do you want, boy or girl?
Nick is hoping for a boy, and I don't know what I prefer. Both of us, though, are going to be thrilled no matter what!!!! We find out mid-December!

We are soooo excited!

Me, Myself, and Yoda

So Nick is in NYC on a mission trip this week... leaving me, by myself, with Yoda. He's a pretty good companion I guess :)

So what have I been doing with my alone time, you ask? A lot!

Well Friday, Nick and I met up with some friends for... Harry Potter... yessss! It was AWESOME! I'm a little sad it's over :(

On Saturday, I had a girl's day with some friends from Sunday School. We drove up to Cinci to the creation museum (which was OK) and then Ikea (which was fun). It's so good to have just some good girl time. No I do love and adore Nick, but I loved spending time with these girls.

Sunday involved my favorite things I have been dying to do... Church, Naps, and 30 Rock marathon on Netflix. 'Nuff said.

Today has been spent cleaning, cleaning, cleaning. My internal body clock woke me up at 7 am (yay) and I began sweeping, wiping, dusting, and laundering. I took a break for lunch with some friends, came back and napped (again... I know. But it's just sooo good!). Now I'm going to make some twice baked spaghetti and fold the laundry while watching Fiddler on the Roof... sigh. I love being a girl.

But seriously, I miss my hubster and CANNOT wait for him to get back home! Oh and I'm excited for my fam to come up this weekend... So at least I'll be busy this week!

Ode to July and NASCAR

My roommate in college and I would randomly make up odes to different things that we were enjoying... This is my Ode to July

Oh July,
How I love thee,
With your sunny skies and lack of school.
You will be full of friends, family, travel, and books.
You will be hot, yes, but I look forward to your warmth
In comparison to this cold classroom.
Yes, July,
You could not have come sooner!


On an interesting side note, Nick and I went to the Wal-Mall to return an air filter, and the Wal-Mart parking lot was jammed packed! We had no idea what was happening! I mean it was 11 am on a Wednesday. Then we saw it... Jimmy Johnson's race car. NASCAR had come to this parking lot and brought a flock of ... interesting... people. So the hubs and I finally parked 15 minutes later, got out, and joined the milling masses. The whole time my hubby was yelling "I wanna go fast!" and "Please don't let the invisible fire burn my friend!" It was fun to say the least. And we got free Mountain Dew, which, by all means, seemed... appropriate. :)

Here's to an awesome July!

The End of the Crazy... Maybe

So today is my last day of clinicals! Then I just have one paper, one take home test, and one class left. So excited to have a (somewhat) normal life again! That is after I work the whole 4th of July holiday weekend.

Through the summer 'o crazy, I have learned a lot. A lot about being a nurse practitioner, yes, but also a lot about my other roles in life.

I've learned a lot about being a wife. Nick and I have learned to cherish and savor every short moment together. We have met each other for lunch when the other is at work. We have woken up early to see each other off. Stayed up late to have more time together. We have been intentional about our time together; investing in conversations and connecting. It has been sweet.

I have learned about being a better sister. I have been able to talk with my sisters more than ever this summer. Since my commute to clinicals happen the same time as their commute to work, we have been able to chat in the mornings and evenings. Again these are sweet moments.

I have learned about being a better daughter. My dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer 2 years ago. He had his prostate removed 2 Octobers ago. During a recent screen we found that his PSA was elevated again. The cancer is back. That is the LAST thing you ever want to hear. So my dad asked me to pray for him and for the Lord to guide him through these decisions ahead. He told me to write down what the Lord has been teaching me. So that is my goal. To learn how to honor my father through blogging. Keep me accountable!

So I would never want to repeat this summer of craziness, but I would never take it back. I hope to find rest in this next month.

Phone blogging!

So maybe, just maybe, I'll do more blogging now that I discovered u can do it on my phone. :)

In short, the summer o' crazy is half way done. I have 104 of my 150 hours in clinical after this Friday (only 2 more weeks)! I have 3 more classes, 2 more tests, and 1 more paper for summer school. I'll also have just one more week of working 3 12 hr shifts for this schedule ( until July). Add on finishing a raise packet for work and starting a Bible study which is already convicting/growing me in week one, and you get me. Now. Here. Whew. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Throgh it all, Nick and I have had very little time off together. I think we've had 2 days off together this past month. Maybe 2? Err... However, it has been sweet to find those little moments together. It's almost like a little game. 10 minutes before work one day, a quick lunch break another, 25 minutes after getting home before passing out from sheer exhaustion, a car ride to work together. Time is like playing hid and seek now a days. We have had to really search it out, but when we do find it, those seconds have been like precious stones. Have you felt that way lately?

Summer o' Crazy

So I'm not very committed to this thing... but I hope to be soon!

The Summer o' Crazy has officially begun. I am working full time (3 12hr shifts a week) and doing clinicals (3 8 hr days a week) and going to class every wednesday from 4pm to 10 pm. I'm week 2 into this 8 weeks of madness... and it's starting to show. The house is a wreck, the puppy dog is bored, and my diet has basically consisted of chicken nuggets for the past week...eww. Pepper in some knowledge about hypertension and dyslipidemia, and a good clinical work up, and you have my summer.

There have been some moments of brilliance though... the red carnations on my window sill. My best friend Rachel and Jason's wedding, and seeing Nick baptize his mom, brother, and dad :)

There are some moments of sunshine in the rain. And as my dad puts it, you just have to get up, make the doughnuts, go to sleep and then get up and make the doughnuts again... I just should avoid eating aforementioned doughnuts... :)

It's been a while...

Wow... it's been a while...

Where do I start. Not too much different here at the Wilbur house... Just a lot of school, work, and more school and work. So Nick and I decided to go on vacation during my spring break at EKU, which means during EKU's spring break, which means our cruise to the Bahamas was shared by 1,000 college students. That's OK it was still so relaxing (especially since we like to go to bed early and wake up early).

We left Friday before last and flew on Allegiant air to Orlando... for $120 round trip per person! I know great?! :)  We spent the weekend relaxing at my aunt and uncle's lake house just doing nothing... oh to be retired... ;)

On Monday we woke up early and drove to Cape Canaveral. We got on board early and began a week of nothing-ness. The week pretty much consisted of waking up, eating, getting off the boat, eating, getting back on the boat, eating, and going to bed... oh and then ordering room service.

Our first stop was at Coco Cay, the private island. Nick and I did some exploring and found a pair of nice and secluded benches by the crystal clear water. We laid out, forgot to put sunscreen on the top of our feet (which are still red... arrgh), got in the water, and had lunch with some college friends who just so happened to be on the cruise too! Yay Emma and Anthony! We played some in the water, took an ill-fated nature walk (we really were just walking barefoot on a road paved with lots of pointy little rocks... OUCH!), and took a nap (if you know me at all, you know I LOVE naps!). That evening we got back on the boat, ate again in the main dining hall, and played some card games ( I know, we're old fogies already but hey).

The next day was spent at the Atlantis Resort in Nassau. It was really cool and pretty (maybe not worth the money we spent to go, but interesting none the less). There's a water park in the middle of the resort, and we spent the day in and out of the slides. One slide, which was pretty cool, took you down an inner-tube into a shark tank! You were protected of course, but as you floated down the ride, you could see sharks swimming beside and even over you! We also explored the grounds which were so beautiful... there was an aquarium in the lobby and sting ray ponds all around... very cool.

The last day we spent on ship, doing nothing... I caught up on some Harry Potter while Nick won SECOND PLACE in the Ping Pong Tournament! Haha! He's so funny. He got a little medal and everything!

We left the ship that Friday morning and drove over to the Kennedy Space Center. At first, it looked a little dinky, but then we took a guided tour, and it was actually very cool. The night before, they had just rolled out onto the launch pad the shuttle Endeavour the night before, and we got to see it before it got all covered up! It was pretty nifty... especially since it will be the second to last space shuttle to go up for NASA for a while... thanks to our president... sheesh. Oh well, off subject. We then also got to touch a moon rock, see Alan Shepard's suit, and tour the rocket garden. And then we were off... back to Kentucky and back to real life.

Nick worked yesterday while I studied and put away my heavy winter clothes. We're both off today, so we went to church and Home Depot where we bought a pink dogwood tree to go in our back yard... I'm thrilled! I had a dogwood when growing up, and out back yard needs a little pick me up... and while we are on the subject of yards, we have a pesky mole problem... they are tunneling EVERYWHERE? Does anyone know how to get rid of them?

Well that's all for now! Look on Nick's Facebook for pictures of our vacation!

Studying and Huge snow flakes

I'm sick and tired of 2 things... studying and huge snow flakes.

First studying, I know it will all be worth it in the end when I get those little letters behind my name, Christy Wilbur, APRN... sigh. But it's still over a year away. Now I do enjoy clinical. Working in a doctor's office is awesome... I feel like a little germ detective, figuring out all the little clues. And it's nice to not have to clean poop at work. But then there is the class side. I enjoy class too, well maybe not research class, but I don't enjoy not having enough time to study. I know I know. I should be studying now instead of complaining, but I needed a little break. 4 hours straight is hard. So I just have to put my head down and plow through all these books, powerpoints, and online lectures... sigh.

No onto huge snow flakes. I also enjoy the snow... when I can stay home and do nothing. Today for example. Went to the doctor for a check up and came out into a snow flurry where snow flakes the size of Yoda's tongue were falling to the ground. It was like God was throwing snow balls at me, saying, "Ha Ha, you have to study!" Ok, so God wouldn't say that but that's how I felt. But for the most part, I'm working most of the days it's snowy out... and there are no snow days for hospital nurses. I'm getting burned out... I need to get the heck out of dodge... and so Nick and I are going on a cruise to the BAHAMAS!!!! In just a month from today, we will be boarding a big ship far away from big huge snow flakes and patients with Neurological disorders and heading for bright sunny beaches and a week of relaxation... sigh....

But until then, onward I must go with studying and such!

Snow days and babies

School was canceled today due to snow... no complaints here! This just means nap time with the puppy.

Nick's in a week long intensive class this week, so it's just the pup and I. He's coming home tonight (so he doesn't have to pay for another hotel room... yes, that's my husband), and we're going to see some friends from Sunday School who just had a little baby boy yesterday. So excited for them!

Then tomorrow will consist of more snow, sleeping in, and lunch with some girls from work. Then I get to see Lexie's baby.

Let me tell you, babies are so cute, but I am so glad that I don't have one right now.... My life would be super crazy! So I'll just stick to seeing other people's babies on snow days for now :)

Sea legs

I'm sitting on the couch, with the puppy dog, sucking on a life saver and listening to Beth Moore on Passion's live feed. She's talking about renewing of the mind, how it is deliberate but do-able, how it helps us discern the Lord's will, how it is linked with repentance.

Looking back on 2010, it was a hard year. Nick and I had hit after hit with family issues and bouts with homesickness and loneliness. They consumed our minds and thus our actions and our hearts. I felt that the Lord did guide us through the year, but we were still pushed around on the waves of life instead of being anchored to the Lord.

2010 reminds me of the story of Peter walking on water (Matthew 14:22-33). Peter sees Jesus walking on water through the winds and the waves. Peter jumped out of the boat and ran to Him and began walking on  the water to the Lord. When Peter sees the waves and the wind, he begins to sink and cries out, "Lord, save me!" Christ lifts him out of the water and brings him to the boat, safe but wet. The other disciples then begin praising the Lord, saying, "Truly, you are the Son of God."

In much the same way, I am Peter. I jumped out of the boat in 2010 but quickly began to sink when I took my attention away from the Lord and toward the wind and waves of life. I would begin to sink and the Lord was always there to catch me and save me, but I would always end up sinking, always end up wet. The Lord was with us, saving me every time, but I spent so much of 2010 whipped back and forth by emotions and circumstances rather than in the peace that surpasses all understanding.

So this is my new years resolution/goal... to walk on water with the Lord. I want to be more devoted to a personal relationship with Christ. Spending time reading the Bible and praying, not being swayed by the waves and winds of life. I want more than just the assurance that if I fail, the Lord will save me from drowning... I've had that since I became a Christian over 12 years ago. I want to get my sea legs. :)