Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year!

It has been over two months since we last posted.  The reason for this is because it is hard to post when there was nothing too exciting going on. From the last post until Thanksgiving Ryan and I had been waiting to tell our families about our exciting news. We told no one until Thanksgiving! Since Thanksgiving we have been slowly letting everyone else know our fantastic news. We've lost track of who we have and haven't told. So here is our news: we're expecting a baby!

Here are some answers to questions that I get asked several times a day:

How are you feeling? Most of the time I feel fine, now that I'm into the second trimester. I was the sickest during weeks 6-9 which was right during my break from the photography job to my new current job. Every once in a while I do feel awful, but most of the time I fight through it.

How far along are you/ when is baby due? Today I am 14 weeks and 5 days. Baby Duffy is due June 20, 2014!! Just in time for summer festivities :)

Is baby a boy or girl? We don't know yet. Hopefully our doctor's visit in January will reveal this and everyone will know the gender and name. We are praying for a boy though!!

What food aversions do you have? Pretty much everything.  I've cooked once in the past 2 months because cooking anything usually upsets my stomach. What's really bad is chicken and popcorn, they have the worst smells.

What food cravings do you have? It's gotten significantly better since week 6 when all I could eat dry cereal and drink water. Around week 10 I was attempting to eat more by eating Chick-Fil-A. I like to say that Baby loves Chick-Fil-A. Coming up on week 15, I am always craving fresh summer fruits (watermelon, blueberries, and cantaloupe), carrots, turkey subs, and plain chips. I'm sure all of this will change come next week!

What is your current job? The photography "season" ended on Halloween, just a week after I found out I was pregnant. It was perfect because it gave me time to find another job while attempting to relax at home. I applied and interviewed for several nannying positions, but none seemed the right fit. Then I remembered that the same day that I was hired for the photography job that I also had said 'no' to another awesome opportunity for a job. So I contacted them and was hired just 2 days later! I now work at Goldfish Swim School where I teach and lifeguard children from ages 4 months to 12 years. Since being hired I have done 50 hours of training, got lifeguard certified and took the test to teach my own classes. So yes, I'm in a swimsuit and rashguard with my up-and-coming baby bump. I'm also getting plenty of exercise by being in a pool for 4 hours at a time.

How can you pray for us? Ryan is still looking for a pastoral position for when his internship is finished in June, just in time for Baby to come. Everything will be happening at once: moving, new jobs, and Baby. We are also waiting to hear from the state about getting our hospital expenses completely paid for because we don't have the funds for all these doctor's visits.

At the last Doctor's appointment Baby would not be still enough
for a heartbeat. At first I was nervous because the doctor had to use 3
different mechanisms before giving up and going to the sonogram.
This is a terrible but most recent picture of Baby from December 16, 2013.