{GummyBear Weekly Update}

How far along?   I am 18 weeks & 1 day today!

Total weight gain?   Not really sure... don't have a scale at home to use...

Maternity Clothes?   Not yet! Just lots of leggings!

Stretch marks?   Not yet..

Sleep?   It's about the same... My hips go to sleep really fast so I am tossing and turning all night long... BUT tonight I will sleep with my pregnancy pillow for the first time! :)

Best moment of the week?   My sweet husband brought me an orange Fanta to drink! YUM!

Miss anything?   COFFEE and sleeping on my belly... that's about it! 

Baby movement?   Not  really sure if what I feel is baby or just gas bubbles... Ha!

Food cravings?    Any kind of chips will do the trick right now...

Sick?    Nope just heartburn... ugh!

Showing yet?    Yes I am! For sure!!

Gender prediction?    I am going with a girl. Just because my husband insists that it's a boy. :)

Labor signs?    Lord no!

Belly button in or out?    In.

Wedding rings on or off?    Still on!

Happy or moody?   HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY! 

Weekly wisdom?    Bring tums wherever I go!

Looking forward to...?    Finally feeling my baby move around and having our last ultrasound to see what Baby Ru is! Can't wait!! :) 17 more days!!!!!!

{Grateful for...}

Having natural curly hair that's finally getting back to being healthy again.

This ginormous and delicious Italian fig and a dog who wants a bite.

The cover of this particular sour cream container because it reminded me of my home in Alabama.

Leftover Taco Soup. 

My handy husband who knows just about everything about fixing a car.

One of my favorite coffee cups that makes drinking decaf coffee not so bad.

Having the sun's warmth on this walk with Ellie & Richard.

These flowers (or weeds) that made me smile real big. 

This manly man who loves coffee gelato just as much as I do. 

{GummyBear Weekly Update}

Weekly Update 

How far along?   I am 17 weeks today!

Total weight gain?   Only 1 pound surprisingly.

Maternity Clothes?   Nope not yet! Just lots of leggings!

Stretch marks?   Not yet..

Sleep?   It's gotten a little better but I still hate sleeping on just my sides. (I WAS a belly sleeper)

Best moment of the week?   I ate my first turkey and ham sandwich after getting the OK from a friend who is an OBGYN nurse! It was awesome!

Miss anything?   COFFEE and sleeping on my belly... that's about it.

Baby movement?   Not yet... But can't wait! 

Food cravings?    Peaches! And I was craving a turkey sub but I fixed that! :) Thanks to Stephanie!

Sick?    Nope! 

Showing yet?    Yes I am! For sure!!

Gender prediction?    I am going with a girl. Just because my husband insists that it's a boy. :)

Labor signs?    Lord no!

Belly button in or out?    In.

Wedding rings on or off?    Still on!

Happy or moody?   Happy for the most part but I get emotional some too. 

Weekly wisdom?    Never eat Taco Bell EVER again no matter how strong the cravings are!

Looking forward to...?    Finally feeling my baby move around and having our last ultrasound to see what Baby Ru is! Can't wait!! :) 

{Coffee Time with Jesus}

The past three weeks I have been doing a new Bible study every morning as I sip on my yummy cup of decaf coffee. (mmm decaf...) I recently started calling this my "Coffee Time with Jesus" and I thought it would make a nice little post. I actually found this online Bible study while on Pinterest and thought it would be something fun for my mother and I do to together. Good Morning Girls  is where it all began and the study goes along with the book Anything by Jennie Allen, which has been a great read so far! Each week we have a couple of chapters in Jennie's book to read and then everyday we have a little bit of 'homework' to do from the Bible. It's been a great way for me to be in The Word (Bible) more and I have even learned a new way to break down verses. My prayer life has also improved a lot over the past few weeks and I am so thankful for that. So there's a little piece of my morning for you! 

{Letters to GummyBear}

My sweet little GummyBear,

It was about 13 weeks ago that I found out you were growing in my belly. 

I'm not gonna lie, I was a little scared at first, 

but I have given all my fears and worries over to the Lord.

I know He is with us both so I have nothing to worry about now.

I have seen you about 5 times now on the ultrasound machine. 

Words can't express the joy and excitement I felt the day I first saw you move! 

I was about 12 weeks along and you were waving to us and kicking up a storm! 

I can't wait till I actually feel those kicks. The doctor says I won't feel 

you move till about 20 weeks or so. I hope it's sooner. 

I get my last ultrasound at about 20 weeks and I am praying you are sitting

in the right position so we can tell whether you are a girl or boy!

Please be good for Mama and Daddy that day!!!!

We wanna start calling you by your name already. We have had your name picked out

for a while now and are super excited to finally use it.  

GummyBear is good for now.

Your Daddy wants you to be a boy so badly and insists on calling you one already. 

I have no guess as to what you are. I am about the only one that doesn't. 

I don't care as long as you are a healthy baby. 

I do hope you have my big brown eyes and your Daddy's ears. 

Either way you are going to be the most beautiful baby in the whole wide world to me. 

I can't wait to meet you. We still have a ways to go. 4 more weeks and 

we will be half way there! I cannot believe how fast this pregnancy has flown by! 

Well my darling I will stop for now. 

Know that I love you more than anything and

 I thank God for you every single day! 

You really are my blessing from above. 

Love Always,

Mommy 

{Marriage Retreat to Germany}

This past weekend was a rare one, where the Army gives us a much needed four day weekend. We were blessed to have been picked to go on the Marriage Retreat offered to military families, where your lodging and meals are free. We traveled about 5 hours by bus up to Garmisch, Germany. It was a nice scenic ride up through the mountains of Austria, where we stopped for lunch at McDonald's.

Not your average view from a Mickey D's

We arrive at our hotel later Friday afternoon, got checked in and then Richard and I went to make appointments to get a couple's massage. That evening we went to our first 'class' where we learned about The Five Love Languages. Richard and I both took a little test to see what our primary love language is and come to find out we both have the Touch love language. That means we feel loved the most by touches. Touches including holding hand, playing with my hair, scratching his back, etc. So that was pretty neat to learn our love language and how knowing them can better our marriage. That night we ate dinner then went to bed. The next morning we woke up and went to breakfast and then to the second part of the class where we learned about finances. After that we ate lunch and then we went to our room to take a nap till it was time for our massages! Richard loved his first ever massage and will go with me more often now. I loved mine as well. I had to get a maternity massage which is nothing different except I was laying on a pillow instead of the hard bed so I didn't mind that at all. We both felt so relaxed afterwards. Then it was time to take a nice hot shower and get ready for dinner downtown with another couple. 

I must say that was an interesting restaurant.

After we ate a very German dinner, we walked around downtown Garmisch, only to find that every single store was closed for the day. Bummer. However Richard did get to see the one thing he desired to see most on our trip... 

Germans have a weird sense of home decor.

After about thirty minutes of walking around, we decided to walk back to the hotel. We got there just before the bottom of the storm clouds dropped a ton of rain. To end our day, we decided to have tea and dessert. It was perfect. That next morning Richard and I ate breakfast and then it was time to head home. But not before we got this awesome picture! 

I hardly look pregnant in this picture.

We came home to a very happy pup who was peeing with excitement. Ellie missed us so very much and we would be lying if we said we didn't miss her a ton as well. 

{GummyBear}

Many of you might not know but we are expecting our first little gift from God!!!! After about three weeks of Richard being home from Afghanistan, I took a pregnancy test and two pink lines confirmed that I was pregnant! Well that didn't take very long... We were excited to say the least but I was also very scared and nervous because of our two previous miscarriages in 2011. I went to the doctor here in Italy at the clinic on post and they checked my hormone levels and confirmed that I was indeed preggo. Then about two weeks later in April we went home to Georgia for a couple of weeks on leave. I wanted to make sure everything was going good so far so I went to the doctor there and had everything checked again and even got to see my baby for the first time on the ultrasound! Richard and I came up with a little nickname for our baby since we don't know what it will be for a while, so GummyBear is my baby's name for now. Since the first ultrasound I have been back to the doctor and have had about 4 more ultrasounds done. I can't express the joy I have every time I see my baby on the screen, especially when we see him or her moving around. Our GummyBear is 16 weeks and 2 days old so far and doing great! We decided to wait for a few weeks to tell friends and family but most of them just knew when we were home but I didn't announce it to the Facebook world till I was in my second trimester, just to be on the safe side. I have been doing weekly updates via my picture frame turned chalkboard! I love how the pictures have turned out so far! It's been a great way to keep friends and family updated. Here is Richard and I announcing it to the world...

This was me at 13 weeks.

This is me at 14 weeks along.

This is me at 15 weeks.

16 weeks and heading to Germany!

{Why "Under His Wings"?}

Well after many hours of thinking and doodling, I am finally satisfied with how this blog looks! Under His Wings was inspired by one of my 'life verses' in the Bible. Psalm 91:4 says, "He will cover you {me} with His feathers, and under His wings you {I} will find refuge." During my husband's first deployment to Afghanistan, I was doing a Bible Study with PWOC and we had deemed Psalm 91 to be our deployment chapter. It brought many of us hope, faith, security, and most of all a sense of peace. It's also called "The Soldier's Prayer". Verse 4 is such a powerful and peaceful verse. I know I will be ok because I have God. During the deployment, I knew my husband would be ok because God was with him. I wasn't afraid. The Lord brought him home to me safe and sound. So that's the reason behind the title of my blog and I hope those of you who read my posts will decide to follow me and my mini adventures!