Liam Isaac: 20 Weeks!

20 weeks down, only 20 more to go!

It's hard to believe that we're already halfway through this pregnancy! The first half flew by incredibly fast! I've now entered what many call the "nesting" phase. I have a hard time thinking about anything else other than getting ready for this baby to come. I want to organize everything...even if it's not directly baby related. Our pantry, the laundry room, cleaning supplies, my schedule, my meal planning methods, etc. The list goes on...

I'm trying to remind myself that we still have plenty of time to get everything done, so there's no need to get overwhelmed. :) I must say, getting ready for baby is quite fun though!

The past two weeks have been quite eventful and exciting for us! We found out that our little one is a BOY (Liam Isaac), one of our closest friends (Lauren) came and visited us for a few days, and our dear friends the Crevistons came to visit! It's been fun getting to see so many people that we love and have missed over the past couple of years. They all came bearing gifts for the little man as well...I'll have to take pictures of some of the cute stuff he's been given already.

Liam has been growing and getting stronger and stronger each day. He is very active at times (mostly at night, much like his Daddy). The other day I was laying on the couch resting and Max was right up against my tummy...all of a sudden, Liam startles Max by kicking him hard in the side. Max jumped and just stared at my belly for a few seconds. Haha! It was so funny. That pup has no clue what's coming. :)

Jonathan was a little jealous that Max felt Liam kick before he has had the chance to. Every time Liam's been very active, I place Jonathan's hand where he is...but then the little man gets super still...like a ninja. We'll catch him one of these days!

Here's an update of the baby bump:

I've had moments the past week or so where I think to myself "Surely, my belly cannot stretch any further than it has already." Oh, but I know that I am only halfway there...there's still quite a bit of growing left to be done. It's amazing how God made our bodies to adjust to have a baby!

Hope you all are doing wonderfully! :)

Love and blessings,

-Tiffany

How He Loves Us!

Last night, a group of our Real Life students led their peers in worship at Franklin High School’s Open Mic Night. They led “How He Loves”, and by the end of it, the entire auditorium was standing with many lifting their hands in worship!

It was incredible to see these students take a stand for Christ and be unashamed to praise His name in their public school! God is doing a powerful work in and through this generation, and revival is taking place right now.

This is only a taste of what God has in store!

Here is the video from last night. I encourage you to watch the entire thing, but especially from 6:40 on. 

Let this be an inspiration and encouragement to all of us to step outside of our comfort zone and expect God to do big things through us! It’s time for us to stop living in our little bubbles, and to reach out to the people around us!

God is so good!

"See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are!" - 1 John 3:1

Baby Zajas is a...

BOY!

Ahhhhhh! We are so excited to announce that Baby Zajas is a precious little boy. Our ultrasound yesterday was probably one of my favorite moments of life ever. Getting to stare at our beautiful baby for about 40 minutes while holding my husband's hand was heavenly.

The poll that we took the other day showed that it was pretty half and half with guesses as to if baby was going to be a boy or girl.

Jonathan and I were 99% sure that our baby was a boy. We were convinced of it from the very beginning, and would have been very surprised (although equally thrilled) if baby ended up being a girl. We didn't even have a girl name picked out yet! Now it is so amazing to have it confirmed so we can start calling him by his name and start planning his nursery and all that fun stuff! :)

Speaking of names, we're naming him...

Liam Isaac Zajas

Liam is an Irish name that means "strong warrior"
Isaac is a Hebrew name that means "laughter" and "child of the promise"

I absolutely love this picture. Can't wait to have those little hands wrapped around my finger, get to kiss those little cheeks, and smell that little head (is it just me, or don't baby's heads smell amazing?)!

We were going to do something super creative to reveal the gender of the baby online...but we just don't have the time right now, and I couldn't hold in this information any longer! I wanted to let you guys know as soon as possible! :)

Thanks to all of our friends and family for the shared excitement about our baby boy. It means so much to us.

Love you all!

Tiffany + Jonathan + LIAM! :)

Baby Zajas: 18 Weeks

Hello friends!

Well, here we are at 18 weeks and I can hardly believe it! Each week seems to go by faster and faster. I had a dream the other night that I was holding our little one in my arms, and it won't be long until that is a reality. Only (approximately) 22 weeks to go! :)

This week is an exciting milestone for us. On Wednesday we go in for our big ultrasound to discover if Baby Zajas is a boy or a girl! I can hardly wait! We are going to be so thrilled no matter which way it goes, but it'll be so nice to finally know and be able to call our baby by his/her name.

Do you have a guess as to what we're having? Submit your guesses below. (As a prize, the winners will receive affirmation in their guessing abilities!)

Do you think Baby Zajas is a boy or girl?
Boy Girl
	Results

I feel like I've really popped these past two weeks. I may say this every week though, so I'm not sure how accurate it is...haha! But I really do feel like my tummy looks more like a baby bump now rather than just a thick stomach. And...I'm kinda loving it!

Baby has been moving a lot lately, and at times the movements have been feeling stronger. At first, it just felt like little flutters, but now there's a feeling of a slight tapping. I absolutely love it! 

Hope you all are having a blessed week!

-Tiffany

What will our baby look like?

So often lately I find myself daydreaming about what our baby is going to look like. We're counting down the days until we get to meet our little one in person. It's going to be so surreal and amazing!

I keep wondering what features of our kiddo will be like Jonathan and what will be like me and what will be uniquely his/her own. I can't wait to see what God comes up with! :)

We go for our next appointment a week from today to have our big ultrasound! We are so looking forward to finding out if we're having a boy or girl. Can't wait to start calling baby by his or her name. I feel like this will make everything seem just a little bit more real to us. Exciting!

P.S. Isn't that picture of Jonathan the cutest thing ever? Seriously, I think that's my favorite picture I have ever seen. Apparently he posed like that without anyone telling him to...I love it! haha!

Favorite Things: During Pregnancy

Hello friends!

I thought it would be fun to do a Favorite Things post all about things that I've loved during my pregnancy. For me, it's been really helpful reading about the things that other moms-to-be have found helpful during this time. So, I thought I'd share the things that have made my pregnancy even that much more enjoyable! :)

Vitafusion Prenatal Gummy Vitamins
Oh my goodness...these things were near life-changing for me when I discovered them! They are tasty, and they have all the nutrients that baby and I need (including DHA!).

I've always had difficulty swallowing pills. I actually couldn't swallow pills until I was 15 years old, and even now it's not something I'm very good at. So when I had to start taking prenatal vitamins--that were the size of horse pills--this proved to be quite the challenge for me. My first prenatal vitamins also tasted like rotten fish (because of the DHA)...so that, along with my difficulty swallowing pills...made my morning sickness even that much more challenging.

Needless to say, when I found these I was incredibly happy!

Loved by Heidi Klum Maternity Jeans
Once I entered my 2nd trimester, my normal jeans were getting snug around the waist and were not comfortable to wear at all. I was very wary of purchasing maternity jeans, but knew that it was something I had to do. I did lots of research online, trying to find some that would be the best for me, and that's when I discovered these!

These are the most comfortable jeans I've ever owned, and they are so cute too! You really can't tell that they are maternity jeans either. I've read from other bloggers that they work well all throughout pregnancy too. I'm certainly a fan!

I bought mine on Amazon, but you can also find them in Motherhood Maternity if you want to try them on before purchasing.

Preggle Pillow
When I had to start sleeping on my side, it was a real adjustment for me. I've always been a back sleeper, and when I transitioned to sleeping on my side, I started having a lot of hip and back pain. I would toss and turn all night trying to find a comfortable position, but it only proved to be frustrating.

Because of this, my sweet husband did lots of research online and then bought this amazing pillow for me! The first night I slept with it, my hip pain was gone! This pillow makes sleeping so much more comfortable now. I highly recommend it!

Palmer's Cocoa Butter
A while ago I heard that Palmer's Cocoa Butter is amazing to use during pregnancy. When I heard that, I tucked that info away for when I needed it...and then when I found out we were expecting, I researched it more.

I've read from several mom bloggers that they used this cocoa butter and didn't get any stretch marks. I also read from a couple of them that they used it during their first pregnancy (and didn't have stretch marks), but then didn't use it their second pregnancy and ended up with stretch marks.

I started using it from the very beginning, and so far so good! We'll see how things go, but in the meantime, I am loving this cream! During my first trimester, almost all smells of perfume sent me into a spell of nausea. Because of this, I had to stop using many of the products and lotions that I was so used to using. This cocoa butter was one of the only things that I could use for lotion without getting sick.

It makes my skin so soft, that I think I'll continue using it even after the baby is born!

You can find this at Target in a smaller size, or buy this value size on Amazon.

Prenatal Pilates
I've always tried to make exercise a part of my regular routine, but since I was so sick during my first trimester, it was hard for me to continue as normal. Because of this, I went on lots of walks and made that my main form of exercise during those first few months (mainly because it was the only exercise that wouldn't make me sick).

Now that I'm past my morning sickness phase (thank God!), I'm trying to step up my exercise some in order to be in good condition for labor and delivery...and so that the baby is healthy! I've been using the 10 Minute Solution: Prenatal Pilates DVD for a couple weeks now, and I really enjoy it. It's split up into several 10 minute sections, so you can pick and choose which areas you want to focus on. I normally shoot for at least 20-30 minutes in the morning, and then also go on evening walks with Jonathan and Maxo. The gentle stretching of pilates has also been a welcome relief to my sore changing body, and has helped with relaxation.

Tomatoes
If there is one thing that I have consistently craved throughout my entire pregnancy, it has been tomatoes! During my first trimester, I ate homemade tomato soup almost every day (husband became a pro at making it too!)...it was one of the only "real" foods that I could eat without getting sick at times.

And now that I'm into my 2nd trimester, I have still been craving tomatoes on a regular basis! I still make homemade tomato soup (although not as often as I was), and have been finding lots of ways to incorporate it into meals. Sometimes I'll just slice one up and eat it as a snack. I've also made caprese salad and baked tomatoes in the past couple weeks.

Tomatoes = YUM!

So, there you have it...those are a few of my favorite things during this pregnancy. If you're a mom or a mom-to-be, what have been some of your favorite things while you've been expecting?

Love and blessings,
-Tiffany

Baby Zajas: 16 Weeks

Friends!

Wow, it's so hard to believe that we are 16 weeks along in this pregnancy already! This means we only have about 5 months left until we get to meet our little one...crazy! :)

Last week we went for our 4 month doctor's visit. We got to hear the baby's heartbeat again, and that completely melts my heart every time. While there we scheduled our next appointment (two weeks from tomorrow!) where we have the big ultrasound and find out if we're having a boy or a girl! To say that I'm excited is quite the understatement.

Here's a current baby bump photo. I'm definitely growing, even though it's gradual! There are some days where I feel more pregnant than other days...not sure if it's psychological or if those are days where baby is having a major growth spurt or something.

I've still had 0 morning sickness since the 13.5 week mark! For that I am so thankful! I know there are some moms-to-be who are sick the entire time...and my heart goes out to you. I am so glad to be over that stage in pregnancy. I have been dealing with some pregnancy migraines, but I'm thankful that they came after my morning sickness so I wasn't having to deal with both at the same time.

Right now Baby Z is around 4.6 inches long (from head to rump), weighs approximately 3.5 ounces, and is about the size of an avocado. Because of the whole avocado thing, I have been craving guacamole like CRAZY the past few days. Thankfully, my sweet husband took me out to get some last night. It was delicious!

Bless that sweet man. He's been so good to us!

Have an amazing week! :)

-Tiffany