Celebrate!

Austin's cousin=Erin Hines

Austin's best friend=Michael "Flu" Flusche

On June 18th, Erin and Flu got hitched! Now Austin's best friend is officially a family member.

Here are a few pics from the wedding weekend...

Austin and the rest of the Curtis Needs a Ride troupe serenading Erin at the rehearsal dinner at Joe T's

Austin's sister Kristin with Bride Barbie

It's official! They are Mr. and Mrs. Michael Flusche!

The new and improved Hines family :)

My Journey with Food...

About a month ago, our midwife told us that she suspected I may have gestational diabetes. Over the course of two months, I had gained twice as much weight as I was supposed to gain. I was given strict instructions on my diet. Until we got this diabetes thing figured out, I was not allowed to eat any refined sugar or fried food, and very little carbs.

I went in for my first glucose test (where they make you drink something that tastes like super-sweet Gatorade and then take a blood sample). The results came back that my glucose levels were abnormally high, which meant that I had to take yet another blood test a few weeks later.

Meanwhile, I was still adhering to my strict diet. This meant that when friends were going to Starbucks, I couldn't order a decaf iced caramel latte (tons of sugar). No ice cream, cookies, wedding cake, Shirley Temples, or even Yoplait yogurt (filled with sugar). No grabbing a candy bar at Walgreens because I feel like it, or even having lemonade with dinner. When friends are going out to eat at an Italian restaurant, salad is pretty much the only option, because everything else is so high in carbs. All that to say... it has been a very challenging month. Probably one of the biggest lessons I've ever received in discipline and obedience.

Last week, I took my second glucose test. This one required me to drink the yucky Gatorade again, and have my blood drawn a total of four times over the course of three hours. I watched Stuart Little two and a half times while sitting in the waiting room. Super.

Two days ago I finally received some good news... I do NOT have gestational diabetes!! I am healthy, and the baby is healthy. We are very relieved.

The strange thing is, now that this diabetes thing is officially over, I'm glad it happened. It felt really good to be so healthy for an entire month. I've heard that it only takes 14 days to form a habit. I think that in the last 30 days, I have made it a habit to be much more conscientious about what I'm eating. Although I'm allowed to eat more like a normal person again, I'm pretty sure I'm going to remain on my "diabetes diet." It is awesome how sweet fruit can taste when you haven't had any sugar in weeks. Pineapple and strawberries seem to be my new favorite foods.

I know that God is sovereign and that he has had a plan for this pregnancy and this baby from the beginning. It is just interesting to see how it is playing out somewhat differently than I might have planned it, yet so much better.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts."

Isaiah 55:7

Two Year Anniversary

On June 6, 2010, Austin and I celebrated our two year anniversary. It is certainly hard to believe that an entire two years have passed since our wedding. God has been so gracious to us these first two years of marriage. I can't wait to see what He has in store for us as we continue to share life together.

We celebrated by spending an evening in Dallas. We went to Reunion Tower for happy hour. This is a fun little tip for my DFW friend

s... the restaurant is very expensive, but Monday-Friday they have happy hour, and you can get reasonably priced drinks and appetizers, and still have the experience of eating at the top of reunion tower! Very fun. For those that are unfamiliar with the building, below is a picture of the Dallas skyline. Reunion tower is one with the giant glowing ball at the top. It is a revolving restaurant, so by the time you leave, you have seen Dallas from every angle!

Third Trimester :)

I am officially into the 3^rd trimester of the pregnancy! That means that the baby is due in just three months. One of the most common questions that we are asked now is if the nursery is ready. The answer is… we haven’t even started! I have two more weeks of work, and the plan is to get to work on nursery things this summer. However, we did buy a crib. It is still sitting in its box in the garage though. As we begin to progress on the nursery, I’ll post pics. Promise.

At 27 weeks pregnant, these are some updates on baby Hines...

• Weighs a little more than 2 lbs.
• Total length (from head to toe) is about 15 ¼ inches
• Eyelids have been fused shut since week 12 of pregnancy, but they start to open this week. The retina is starting to receive light, so the baby is using his/her eyesight for the first time
• I am finally feeling the baby move A LOT.
• The baby has more taste buds now than he or she will have at birth (or ever)

This is a current picture of me. And yes, I'm sure I'm not having twins.

Double the Showers, Double the Fun!

Many people know that I am a Pre-K teacher. What many people may not know is that I teach at two different schools every day. I start my day at one campus, and then at lunch I drive to a different school and teach PM Pre-K there. This can often be very challenging: twice as many classrooms can often mean twice the work. I organize two sets of materials, coordinate with two different Pre-K teams, am responsible to two different administrations, etc. However, last week, I was verrry grateful to work at two schools, because I was given TWO showers! What a blessing! Austin and I were overwhelmed by the generosity of my friends from work. These are some of the pictures from my shower at West Elementary:

the adorable baby blanket that our secretary Janet made

my good friends who hosted the shower

the cake

a bouquet of white onesies!

And these are some pics from the Liberty Elementary shower.....

the women who hosted the shower :)

the cake (my good friend Gloria knew that our nursery is going to be forest themed, so she got us a forest cake!)

the diaper cake :)

Thanks to everyone who made my TWO work showers such successes. Austin and I appreciate you very very much.

Yes, we're using a midwife. And no, we're not hippies

When people hear that Austin and I have decided to use a midwife, we hear all sorts of responses. Some people are thrilled for us, others are pretty skeptical...

"You don't need to try to prove anything. No need to be Wonder Woman."

"You know, God invented doctors and medicine for a reason."

"Isn't it dangerous to give birth out of a hospital? What if something goes wrong?"

The truth is, I agree (for the most part). I am not trying to prove anything or be Wonder Woman. I believe that God uses doctors and medicine to help and heal millions of people. I am NOT anti-hospital. If something goes wrong during labor and delivery, I will be incredibly grateful to the OBGYN that saves my life or the life of our baby.

I just believe that there are a lot of misconceptions about midwifery and the birth process. We watched a fascinating documentary on hospital births compared to out-of-hospital births called The Business of Being Born. I don't necessarily agree with everything in the film. I just feel that God designed a woman's body to deliver a baby. Sometimes there are complications, and in those specific instances, it is good to have a surgeon step in. But I believe it is unnecessary to have a surgeon deliver 100% of babies. (OBGYNS are by definition surgeons).

Most other developed countries throughout the world use midwives for the majority of births. The United States stands alone as the country that has surgeons delivering almost all babies, and we have the second worst newborn death rate in the developed world. Obviously something needs to change.

Austin and I are by no means on a crusade to get all women to use midwives and natural childbirth. There are many reasons that hospitals are the better choice for lots of women. But for us, we feel using a midwife is the right decision.

Our midwife is an amazing woman named Donnellyn. She provides all of my prenatal care. I see her once a month, the same way women visit their OBGYN once a month. She does my blood work, checks my blood pressure and pulse, checks my protein and sugar levels, checks the baby's heart rate, and feels the position of the baby in the uterus (all the same things done at monthly check-ups with doctors). She has been such a blessing to us. I have her personal cell phone number, so whenever I am worried about something (no matter how small), I can call or text her, and she gets back to me almost immediately. For anyone who wants to know more about Donnellyn and her midwifery services, this is her website:

http://allaboutbabies.net/

Nursery update

Lots of people have been asking me if we're working on the nursery yet. Mostly, the answer is no. The room we plan to use for the nursery is currently Austin's office, so until he has a new office, our nursery plans are on hold. But we do have an idea of what it will look like eventually. Because we don't know if the baby will be a boy or a girl, the room has lots of neutral colors. Probably forest themed, with reds, greens, browns, oranges, yellows, etc.

Our good friend Erin Rambo made us an amazing pregnancy scrapbook. Each page in the book has a different theme, and I am obsessed with the page in the picture below. It has pretty much become my inspiration for the nursery.

Also, here is a current pregnancy pic at 24 weeks. I think I have officially reached "bowling ball in the shirt" stage.