Happy New Year From The Keth's! (And Emery is 6 Months Old!)

Hello Friends and Family! It has been one incredible year for our little family, and I'm hoping everyone feels the same! I wanted to just review the year a little bit, but try not to make this blog TOO long, lol.

January

This was a pretty tame month, we celebrated my dad's birthday and just enjoyed the fact that we were pregnant! On the 17th, we found out we were having a BOY! I also started my second year of college, so that kept me pretty busy. :)

February

In February, we celebrated Valentine's Day and also got ready for our first year anniversary! My pregnancy was really progressing and I was feeling all sorts of kicks and jabs from my boy!

(Odd Pregnancy Cravings)

March

March was an eventful month! Shaun and I celebrated our first year of marriage of the 26th! I was so thankful for my marriage and how awesome my husband was. We also left for Boston to see my brother get married to his lovely wife, Nicole. It was SO much fun and it was an incredible experience. However, walking around Boston being almost 8 months pregnant was NOT fun. Hahaha :)

(My present...Don't worry, Shaun got a Kindle ;))

April

My brothers wedding happened on April 7th, it was beautiful! April was one of the most life changing months. It was an extremely hard month, but it was the best thing that could have ever happened to us. I thank God all the time for the events that took place. We also enjoyed the progress of my pregnancy! We celebrated Shaun's 24th birthday on the 28th, it was fun! :)

May

May was a relaxed month. I finished my semester of school and just enjoyed the last part of my pregnancy. We were definitely trying to prepare for our little one's arrival. We also had our baby shower in May! 

June

June, what a big month! Most of it was spent relaxing and visiting with my amazing sister! Then, on June 27th we received the most precious gift EVER, our son Emery Joseph. I remember the whole experience like it was yesterday and I loved every single minute of it. It was the most incredible thing. I fell in love with my supportive husband so much more that day.

July

In July we said goodbye to my sister and hello to my wonderful mother-in-law Cindy who came to help us for 3 weeks.  I can honestly say that I don't remember much from July, everything was kind of a blur between sleepless nights and figuring out the whole 'mom' thing. Then Emery turned 1 month old. It was the fastest month of my life!

August

August was honestly kind of a blur as well. We were just trying to get adjusted to our new life. I believe August was the month that we started getting the hang of things, like Emery not sleeping in bed with us anymore and actually sleeping at night. I also started my semester for school. Emery turned 2 months!

September

September was a fun month! Emery was really starting to show his personality and we had so much fun discovering it with him! He started to stay awake more often and he just really began to take an interest in everything! He also learned how to roll from tummy to back. I loved it so much! We also got a visit from my brother Heath and sister Nicole. Emery turned 3 months old!

October

October was a bittersweet month. Emery was getting SO big and SO fun, but he also had to have surgery. I spent the whole month worrying, but I knew I shouldn't have, it went perfect. He was such a little rockstar, he handled it so well. We went to visit Shaun's family in Chicago! It was a ton of fun. Emery learned how to roll from back to tummy. He also began to eat baby food! It was a great month! I also celebrated my 21st birthday on the 15th. Emery turned 4 months!

(Poor baby after surgery)

November

November was a fun month! We celebrated Emery's first Thanksgiving, it was so much fun! Emery got his very first tooth this month too! He has been turning into such a big boy! He just loves to be independent and play with his toys. He also loves to watch Yo Gabba Gabba while in his Jumper. He learned how to sit up unsupported for short periods of time! He's really turning into such a wonderful boy! Emery turned 5 months!

December

December was an amazing month! Between celebrating 'Nana's birthday on the 15th and Emery's first Christmas and New Years, we had a blast! Emery is so big now and it is just so amazing. He is sleeping in his crib now, he's starting to yell and talk more, he's learned how to jump in his jumper and put himself to sleep. He's almost ready to start holding his own bottle! It is crazy how fast he has grown over the past 6 months!

So there it is, my year in 1 post! I've loved reflecting on this past year and thinking about all the wonderful memories and moments that have happened. I am incredibly blessed with such a wonderful husband and an amazing son. I think I am one lucky girl! I know that 2013 will only bring more happiness and fulfillment into our lives and I can not wait! Happy New Year Everyone!!!!!

Emery is 3 Months!

Emery is three months! And I have a guest blogger! It’s *drum roll please!* Shaun!!!! Haha. Motherhood is an absolute joy! Emery has blessed us in so many ways! Shaun says that fatherhood is amazing. Emery is like our little sunshine, we get to wake up to his smiling face every day, and it’s so precious! Recently we’ve had some issues with pediatricians and such, but we are working through it.

Dada and Emery at Rainforest Cafe

 Emery’s surgery is coming up quickly! Yikes! I really don’t want this to happen, but I know God is faithful and he will protect our little boy. It’s still so hard though, I don’t want him to have to suffer. The surgery is for a condition called “hypospadias”, and it’s not a major surgery, but it’s still surgery. We have faith that he will be okay.

So we can talk about Emery’s feedings! He’s eating a ton more now, around 30-34 ounces a day! He will usually eat 4-6 ounce bottles at a time, but sometimes he wants 8-10 ounces. I have a feeling it won’t be long before he starts to take 8-10 ounces per feeding.

Emery’s sleep is incredible!!!! He takes 3 naps a day, one around 11, one around 2 and one around 6. The past few days he’s been skipping his morning nap and sleeping from 2-5, I’m hoping to get back into routine but I don’t see that happening with our upcoming Chicago trip! It’s working though, so it’s okay. The naps last about 2-3 hours, sometimes 4 hours, then he’s up about 2-3 hours, then back down. Then he goes down for bed around 9-12 and wakes up for 1 night feeding around 5, then back down until 8. He’s gotten so much better at sleeping since his first month blog!

Emery is a really happy baby (most of the time) and when he’s up he LOVES to look around. Anything that is colorful will catch his attention, anything with noise will catch his attention and anything that moves will catch his attention. He’s also started to “talk” to us a ton more now. I will ask him if he can say “goo” and he will respond most of the time. His crankiest times are when he gets sleepy or he is in his car seat. He really hates his car seat, which is a total bummer.

Emery sucking his thumb for the first time!

 Emery has a tooth coming in! Crazy! He’s got a little white bump on his bottom gum, right in front. When I touch it, it’s a bit sharp. He’s been drooling like crazy, chewing nonstop on his hands and a bit more cranky than usual. Overall though I think he’s handling it like a champ!

Lately we’ve been having some rough days, especially last Sunday, he was crying so hard at my aunt and uncle’s house and he wouldn’t stop! It was the first and only time he’s ever acted like that, and we still don’t know what caused it. Today has been significantly better than the past few days though, and I’m sure it has a lot to do with the fact that we prayed over Emery today. God is so incredible, isn’t he?

We are leaving for Chicago on Saturday; it will be Emery’s first plane ride! Shaun and I are extremely nervous; we just hope everything goes really smoothly. I’m sure he will do fine, but there is that nagging part of me that just hopes he doesn’t have a random melt down on the plane. Any tips or suggestions would be wonderful! We will have to write another blog when we get back about the experience. Prayers would be so wonderful!

Shaun and I are just so happy with what God has blessed us with! We are so underserving, yet his mercy still flows through us. It’s amazing! We just hope we can raise Emery to be the best person he can be, and to have a heart full of Jesus! We wouldn’t trade being parents for anything else in the world. Every day, Emery grows more and more and we know the future looks really bright for us. We are actually really looking forward to having more kids, but right now we are focused on Emery, more kids will come before we know it! God Bless you all!

Emery in his new big boy car seat.

Emery is One Month!!!

Happy one month to my beautiful little boy! I can't believe a month has already passed, it went so quickly. I thought I would share a little bit about Emery! 

First of all, bedtime can be amazing, or it can be awful. We have a bit of a routine though, so I guess that's a bonus. We normally head to bed around 9-9:30, sometimes he will sleep and only wake up to eat every two-three hours or some nights he will stay awake until 1-2am and then finally sleep until 4 then back to sleep until 6. He's normally awake around 6 though, unless it's been a rough night. We've only had a handful of nights that he will scream all night, so I am counting my blessings. 

He's been sleeping in his bassinet lately which is wonderful because for awhile he would not sleep on anything other than me! As soon as I would lay him in his bassinet he would wake up screaming! That was pretty stressful, but most nights he does good!

As far as eating goes, he eats about 2-4 ounces every 2-3 hours, sometimes he goes 4 hours. It really varies, if he eats 4 ounces he will normally go about 3-4 hours in between feedings, but if he only eats 2 than he goes about 2 hours in between. He averages about 24 ounces a day, but it all depends on the day. He's a great eater! 

He loves to look around! He gets mad at you if he can't look around while he's awake.He's so strong for his age that he already holds his head up and turns his head every direction to look around. He was already holding his head up by himself right after he was born! He loves to kick and move his arms around. He's also going to be rolling over pretty soon, he can already get himself on his side. It's crazy! I think it's safe to say he's going to be doing everything early! Another thing he's almost ready to do is coo, he's got his mouth ready to make the noise but nothing is coming out yet. 

For playtime, we've been doing tummy time with a mirror. He just loves to look at himself. He will lift his little  head up and stare at himself for quite awhile. It's so cute! He loves to stare, especially if he's starring at his daddy. He will follow his daddy wherever he goes, I love it! Whenever he hears his daddy come into a room his little eyes start to dart around looking for him. He also loves to watch TV, it cracks me up!

He's really not a fussy baby, he cries when he wants to eat, needs changed, wants held or is just tired. He never really fusses just to fuss, but I know that could change. I'm crossing my fingers though! Overall he is sweet as can be and loves to cuddle and I can kiss him all I want and he tolerates it, so that's a bonus. Haha! 

A few more little things that I didn't fit in:

• He enjoys bath time, especially if he can see himself in a mirror.
• He likes to lay in the boppy pillow and just relax, sometimes he will nap in there.
• He's been drooling a ton, I'm hoping it's not a sign of early teething.

I love my little family, Shaun is a great dad and Emery is a wonderful blessing. I'm looking forward to all the new things he will learn this next month!

Emery Joseph Keth

He's here! He's here!

I can't believe my precious baby is finally here! I honestly couldn't wrap my mind around giving birth or being a mom, but here I am! I decided to go ahead and share his birth story for those of you who want to know! I think it went pretty smooth!

Let me share a bit of the background first, my sister has flown here from Washington to help me with the baby, but obviously leaving all her little ones means she couldn't stay very long and she has to leave July 3rd. I desperately wanted her to be there for the birth and was praying I wouldn't go over my due date. At my 38 week appointment I was only dilated to a one (almost a two) and starting to thin out. It wasn't too bad of news but I really wanted to be progressed more. At my 39 week appointment (Monday, June 25th) I was only dilated to a two (almost a three) and still not thinned out a whole lot. We started talking about my options if I wanted my sister to be there for the birth, and we decided to come get checked on Wednesday (June 27th) and if I still wasn't progressed than we would talk about being induced on Thursday (June 28th). I was really conflicted, I really wanted my sister to be there but I did not want to be induced, so Shaun and I turned to prayer about what we should do.

On Monday, after my doctors appointment, I was starting to feel crampy more and more, I figured it was just from being checked and such and didn't really pay much attention to it. Monday night Shaun and I prayed tons that he would come and we wouldn't have to be induced, because it wasn't what either of us wanted. While I was sleeping Monday night I kept waking up with pretty uncomfortable cramps throughout the night. I still thought it was from getting checked and didn't think too much about it, they weren't horribly consistent. Waking up Tuesday morning I was still cramping, except I was cramping harder and more frequently. I still didn't think I was in labor though, but I did think maybe I was progressing. So we spent Tuesday counting contractions and I was convinced that I was not in enough pain to be in labor.

Tuesday evening they started to become more consistent, about 5 minutes apart. I STILL was convinced that I wasn't in enough pain to be in labor and thought that this was the pre-labor pains. Around 6 I decided to go to the bathroom. After using the restroom I stood up and felt a little gush of fluid, I thought it was weird but counted it as probably peeing myself or something. I got Shaun and told him what happened, and he came in to help me change, as soon as I bent down to start changing another gush of water hit the ground. The look on Shaun's face was priceless, I couldn't believe my water was breaking! Shaun called my AMAZING midwife and she told me to relax, take a shower, eat a snack, and then make my way over to the hospital. So, I hoped in the shower and tried to clean up but my water just kept leaking so I figured I might as well just stop trying to clean up. I'm glad I did because then another huge gush of water came out. Luckily, everyone who I wanted in the room with me was in the house so everyone grabbed our stuff, including some grapes for me to snack on. I was terrified on the way to the the hospital, I was convinced they were going to tell me that I wasn't in enough pain and send me home. Then we got there, and I got changed and got in the bed. It was finally going to happen!

We got the hospital around 6:30. When my midwife came in to check me I was dilated to a five (almost a six). I was already halfway there! Obviously the contractions started to get worse, and I began to feel it a lot. I sat on the labor ball for a few minutes and couldn't stand it, when I stood up though my water broke the rest of the way! I was in quite a bit of pain, but I really did not want an epidural so I went with some medication in the IV. After I got the medication, I was out! I slept pretty much through most of my labor, waking up for pretty hard contractions. Apparently I was also making some hilarious conversation with my family. Eventually the contractions got harder and I was ready for more medicine. They did end up giving me more, but I also got a small dose of Pitocin because my cervix wasn't thinning out all the way. So pretty much the pain medication was no help, and the pain got a bit worse. Before I knew it, it was 3am and time to push. Once I started pushing I honestly believed that there was no way he was coming out, but after pushing a few times I got the hang of it and kept telling myself "the more you do it, the faster he will come". At 3:20am, June 27th he was born! I remember the relief that fell over me when I felt him come out, and they set him on my chest. He was so blue! The poor guy had the cord wrapped around his neck, but after a few seconds we got to hear his beautiful voice! I just remember looking at him and wondering how everything just happened.

I just want to say that my husband was so amazing this whole time. Everyone in the room with me was a huge help, but Shaun was so supportive and helpful, I felt so comforted by him just standing there. They took him to get weighed, he weighed out at 8lbs 7.4oz and 20 inches long. After they cleaned him up and gave him back I gave him to Shaun. Watching him hold his baby for the first time was amazing! Then Grandma got to hold him next, then Auntie Heather and then Aunt Nini! They were all so amazing with so much support! I loved it!

It was a wonderful and amazing experience. I honestly still can't believe that I did it! We've had so much help and support that I just feel so blessed. I am so amazed and proud of Shaun, it's like he just popped into father mode. He's great with him! Of course we suffer from lack of sleep, but I find myself not caring. I just feel so lucky to have him here, healthy and everything. He really is a good baby, and we are still trying to sort it all out but he's been amazing, and all the help we get has been so amazing! So that's it! I'm a mommy, Shaun's a daddy and Emery Joseph Keth is finally here with us! Thank God for all his wonderful blessings, Shaun and I are blessed beyond understanding! We are so thankful and in love with our little one!

26 Weeks Pregnant!

Sorry for not updating my blog often, it’s been crazy around here!

First of all, I would like to say I am officially 26 weeks pregnant! It seems to go by fast at times and others it seems to go soooo slow. 

Life has been crazy around here! With school and our upcoming trip to Boston I’ve been keeping myself pretty occupied. For Spring Break I decided to get a bunch of crafts done and some reading done as well since I haven’t taken much “me” time. It was fabulous, but now it’s back to reality and we will be leaving for Boston on Wednesday night. I am so excited to go somewhere new and of course for my brother’s wedding! I’ve been trying to pack slowly while cleaning and that has been working out pretty well, as far as school work goes though, that isn’t going as smoothly. Boo! It will all get done though, it always does! 

So now about my pregnancy!!! There are some new and exciting things happening, and some new and not so thrilling but still kind of exciting things (if that makes any sense). 

·         -First, he’s moving like crazy! He pretty much moves throughout the day, some days more than others. I like to kid myself and believe I know his “schedule” but he proves me wrong pretty much every time. Shaun has been able to feel and see him move, which I love and my parents have both seen him move. It seems like whenever sticks their hands on my stomach to feel him move he quits completely. Ha!

·         -Indigestion! Yuck! I’ve had heartburn before but never indigestion, and it is soooo gross and annoying!

·         -My stomach has actually grown (one of those not so thrilling yet exciting things). I doubted my stomach would stretch much since I was overweight pre-pregnancy but I was wrong! As exciting as it is to have a human being growing inside you it’s not as thrilling to realize you’re gaining weight. Yes, I know, I know, it’s for a good cause! 

·         -The pain! (Yet another not so thrilling thing). It’s a bit exciting though because I know it’s from me stretching and getting ready for the baby, but it doesn’t make the pain hurt less! Haha. I knew to expect back pain and such but I never realized my hips/pelvic would hurt so badly! 

I’ve had a lot to occupy me from thinking about the baby coming but the other day I realized that I really have to get this baby out of me somehow. It’s so exciting, yet extremely terrifying to think about. I am so anxious to meet my little guy! 

Some more exciting things going on, in two day I will have been married for one year!!! That is so exciting and I am so happy! I love my husband so much and he is the best thing that ever happened to me! God has truly blessed my life and given me everything I’ve ever wanted and everything I’ve ever needed and more! He has fulfilled my life to the fullest and without him I would have nothing. I am so grateful for His love and kindness! 

I hope everyone has a wonderful rest of the weekend and week! And again, thanks for reading my blog! 

-Hannah

21 Weeks and Valentine's Day

Well, I am officially half way through my pregnancy!! I still can’t comprehend that in just four months I will be holding a precious baby in my arms…MY precious baby! It just seems so unreal. I’ve started to feel Emery move more each day and I love it! I just wish his kicks would make me realize that this is real and happening! Haha! So I’ve been pretty busy lately, my almost sister in law, Nicole, came in to visit us because I threw her a bridal shower. My brother decided to tag along with her and surprise us. When I first saw him I busted out in tears, it was completely embarrassing. Anyways, the time we had with them was short but extremely fun! I miss my siblings so much so it was great to get to see Heath for a while. The bridal shower was fun! I hope Nicole thinks it was too, hah!

I also wanted to say that I love my entire family and I hope my previous blog did not give the wrong impression to anyone. 

So a funny story to share with everyone, well kind of funny anyways. Last night Emery was moving like crazy and I had my hand on my stomach to try to see if I could feel him. Well, I couldn’t tell if I could feel him or not because I was feeling him move on the inside. So I tell Shaun to come over to try to feel him (he’s been dying to feel him move) and I swear as soon as I took my hand off and Shaun put his hand on Emery quit moving. We waited awhile and nothing, so Shaun got up and a minute later Emery started moving again, so I told Shaun to come back over. Again, as soon as we switched hands he stopped moving. I felt so bad for Shaun but I couldn’t help but laugh. Poor Shaun just wants to feel his baby move, but we can’t help that our little man is already stubborn! He proved that at our doctor’s appointment yesterday, he didn’t want to cooperate with our midwife and help her confirm that he’s a boy. I’m thinking he is going to act like his father. ;)

I’ve really wanted to bake again lately but I feel so worn out that I get frustrated and give up. I think I’m going to follow through though and make some cupcakes today and update my baking blog! Well, maybe not today but hopefully this week! I’ve also been talking to Shaun about getting a membership to the Cottonwood Rec. Center so I can swim and use the treadmill and Shaun wants to work out too. I’m thinking we will probably get one this week as well. 

I hope everyone had a great Valentine’s Day! Shaun and I were both feeling really bad yesterday so we are thinking of going out tonight instead! He did buy a beautiful bouquet of flowers and some chocolate covered strawberries! Yum! Thank you so much Shaun, you’re the best! 

I want to end my blog just saying that I feel amazingly blessed with God’s grace. He’s given Shaun and I such a magical miracle and the more I think of it, the more my eyes tear up. Recently I went with my cousin to her doctor’s appointment and her doctor was talking to her about how 1 in 4 women have miscarriages and if you think about it how everything has to be perfect to have a baby. I just feel so lucky and blessed and honestly, undeserving. But I’m thankful, VERY thankful and I wouldn’t trade this baby for anything in the world! I hope everyone has a wonderful rest of the week! Thanks for reading my blog!

Missing...

I’m hurting today, hurting real badly. How unfair is it that I’m only twenty years old and I don’t have any grandparents around for my child to know? How unfair is it that I had no grandparents at my wedding to watch me and be proud of me? I know I probably shouldn’t think like that but sometimes I can’t help but get mad. I guess I should start with a background story of all of this so no one is confused. Sorry if my writing is off today…

I came from an extremely close family, my dad’s side. There is a bunch of Midkiffs around town and I’m related to all of them. My grandma Becky was married to an amazing man, my step-grandpa Lee. I always remember when I was little my whole entire family would come to my grandparents’ house every Sunday for lunch after church. She always had meat sandwiches, and I would love to play in her big back yard. If I ever came over with my bangs over my eyes my grandma would instantly bring me outside and cut them, they drove her crazy! I’m the youngest of my grandma’s 13 grandchildren and there is quite an age difference between me and my other cousins but it didn’t stop us from being a close family. My grandma loved each and every one of us and we all knew it, there was no denying it. My grandpa Lee passed away in 2001, I was really confused when he passed away. I was heartbroken, and watching my grandma be heartbroken was even harder. Ever since that day she would always tell me that she couldn’t wait to go to heaven to see Jesus, and I hated hearing that honestly. My grandma was definitely the glue that held my family together. Now in my last post I mentioned dating someone who was not the best person in the world and it was a huge mistake, well once I broke it off with him my grandma treated me no differently. She wasn’t disappointed in my judgment; she didn’t make me feel bad for my mistakes our relationship just went back to normal. Trust me, a lot of people judged me, even in my family and honestly I feel that some people STILL judge me for it, even though it was already 4 years ago. 

Sometimes I feel out casted because of the choices I made. My relationship with people, even family is still destroyed. And what hurts the most about it is that some people, even in my family won’t give Shaun the time of day because of my past. Shaun is an amazing guy who loves me and treats me awesome, he has his eyes set on God and leading our family. But they wouldn’t know that about him, since they don’t want to know him period. My grandma Becky was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease when I was about 17. It was hard, but I knew that she still knew me and loved me and things were going to be okay. I got the privilege of spending time with my grandma while she was living at my uncle’s house. I would get to eat breakfast with her; she would tell me stories about her childhood or about raising my uncles and aunt. Yes, sometimes they were the same stories just ten minutes apart, but I loved listening to them. She was the best, literally, the best and her love for God and for her family was so touching. I’ve always wanted to be like her. Fortunately for me, I live with my father who is EXACTLY like her and it’s like getting to see my grandma every day. My grandma officially couldn’t live by herself anymore and needed to go live in a nursing home in Phoenix, making it hard for me to see her. She never forgot who I was, but she didn’t believe that I was who I was. She thought I was a family member named Kathy, she thought I was too old to be Hannah.

 My grandma Arlene, my mom’s mom was also an amazing woman with a heart filled with love for her family. She was married to my step-grandpa Bob, unfortunately I don’t remember much about him because he passed away when I was only three. I spent a lot of time with my grandma Arlene since she baby sat us a lot. We even lived with her for a while when I was young after my grandpa Bob died. She would give us anything we wanted, it was kind of ridiculous but we were definitely spoiled. She loved cooking for us, but she had a hard time since she had a stroke and couldn’t really use the left side of her body. She could still walk but she couldn’t use her left hand that much. I would help her, I loved helping her cook. It was so much fun! We were the only grandkids she had at the time, really the only family she had so all her attention was on me and my siblings. I knew she loved us and would do anything for us. She never once judged me for my mistakes. When I was about fifteen my grandma had another stroke and she could no longer walk. She had to sell her house and everything she loved and live in a nursing home. I was heartbroken…

Now I guess I should fast forward to January of 2010, my grandma Arlene passed away from heart problems, it was quick thing. She got sick and died about two weeks later and the whole time she was drugged so I felt like I never actually got to say goodbye to her. I couldn’t believe it, I didn’t expect it to happen and especially not that fast. My heart was broken, literally. I cried and cried and cried. It was the first time I felt that kind of pain. The good part is that she at least got to meet Shaun, yes she was drugged and she wasn’t really conscious but they met. Then we skip to April of 2010, we got a phone call that my grandma Becky wasn’t doing too good and we decided we would go see her the next day. Literally twenty minutes later the phone rang to tell us she passed away. I couldn’t believe it! Again? Really? I didn’t get to say goodbye, Shaun didn’t get to meet her. I couldn’t handle losing both my grandmas so close together. 

Now we fast forward to now, where I’m sitting her being mad that my grandmas won’t be able to meet my child, they never got to see my wedding, they aren’t here when I need to talk to them and get their advice. I know they are much better off now, but I want to be selfish for a bit. Why, Why, Why? Me, Me Me! Okay, I think I’m done now. I just want everyone to know how much I loved my grandmas, they are both heroes in my eyes and I strive to be more like them every day. I want to be strong and strive to be more like God, like my grandma Becky. I want to love my family and hold them so dear in my heart, like my grandma Arlene. Most of all I want them both to know that I love them so much and I think about them all the time.

Welcome to My Blog!

Hello everyone reading this! Well, I decided I wanted to start up a blog about my life, being a newly wed and preparing myself to become a mom! First off I wanted to say that God is SO amazing in everything He does, and without Him I wouldn't be here writing about my many blessings. I'm not exactly sure where to start, maybe the beginning?

Ever since I was a little girl I dreamed of being a wife and a mother, I always had my dolls and each had their own names. I dreamed of an imaginary husband, someone who loved me and was a great father. Looks like my dreams came true! 

When I was younger I made a few mistakes and went out with the wrong person, I was just so desperate to find someone who loved me and someone I could spend the rest of my life with that I ignored God's voice in all the mess. It took quite awhile but I finally realized that it was not what God wanted for me! I eventually ended the relationship and worked on my relationship with God. 

I met Shaun when I was just 17, I still wasn't looking for a relationship but I knew something was different about this guy and after much deliberating and prayer I eventually decided to give him a chance, I'm so glad I did! Shaun and I got engaged when I was 18 on June 10th, 2010 and we got married when I was 19 on March 26th, 2011. Our first year anniversary is approaching rather quickly!

Our first year of marriage has, of course, had some major ups and some major downs! It's been great though and I've loved every minute of it. God has truly helped through the rough times and blessed us in the great times. I just love that man so much! 

Before Shaun and I got married we decided to discuss children, when we wanted them, how many we wanted and so on...we both decided that for us it would be best if we didn't try but didn't prevent either. Of course after we got married all I wanted was to have a baby right that moment!!!

After five months of trying for a baby I finally made peace with God that He would give us one when He wanted, not when I wanted. Two months later, after I was starting to think that maybe we should start preventing and waiting a bit we found out it was a little too late for that! I remember waking up Shaun at 7am to wait with me while I waited for the results of the test. We both entered the bathroom at the same time and both looked at the results, neither of us said a word and just kind of stood there for which seemed like an eternity. Finally broke the silence by simply saying "Oh...my gosh!" 

My pregnancy so far has been up and down. I feel great for a week and I feel awful for a week and then I have weeks where I feel both great and awful. I've been losing weight, I'm not sure how much so far but not enough for my (incredible) midwife to be concerned. I really struggled with my first trimester with thoughts of miscarriage, I was in constant worry and had to struggle with myself to trust in God and finally near the end I was able to let go of all my worry. I'm now 17 weeks and we recently found out we will be having a BOY!!! I could not be more excited for our precious bundle to get here! We decided to name him Emery Joseph Keth, we picked Joseph after both my father and Shaun's father's middle name. 

Lately, my days have consisted of being completely exhausted! I was recently on an antibiotic that made me extremely tired and I didn't feel the greatest while taking it, but I finally got rid of my UTI and am trying to catch up on rest after being on the medicine. Also, school started today so that will keep me pretty occupied. I'm praying for a stress-free semester! 

I think this is enough for my first blog, and I definitely feel good just writing a little bit of everything. Thanks to all of you who have read all of this and I hope you will continue to read my blog! Goodnight Everyone!!

-Hannah Keth