Looking Back

I hope and pray that everyone has had a year full of blessings like mine. My 2008 has been overflowing with blessings and I just am in awe when looking back. I could never thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ enough for what He has given me and what He has allowed my life to become as a young woman. I have had so many big changes this past year. I graduated from UK, married the love of my life, and then was blessed with the pregnancy of our daughter, Kennedy. Those are the obvious blessings, but there are so many more smaller things to be thankful for that I know I do not deserve.

I'm never good at resolutions. I would say though that for 2009, I hope to deepen my relationship with Christ. I take nothing for granted that He has given me, and I know that with great gifts from above comes great responsibility. As a Christian, I want to be held accountable for living my life in a way where I always strive to glorify Him in everything I do-being a friend-being a church member-being a sister-being a daughter- being a sister-n-law-being a daughter-in-law-being a wife-and becoming a mother. I pray that through my relationship with Him, that He will teach me and show me how to be all of the roles that ecompass the woman that He has created me to be. I know that all blessings come from the Father, and I give my life, all of me, back to Him. I hope that regardless of my sin and imperfections, that He can use me as a light in all of the relationships that I will continue and begin in the year of 2009.

This past year has been amazing, but I am so looking forward to 2009. I can't wait to grow closer to my husband as we become parents, and I can't wait to meet and hold Kennedy Brooke Moughamian. I praise God for what He has done in my life in 2008, and I have faith and trust in Him to lead me on all of the new journeys that 2009 will bring.

To my friends, family, and loved ones- I pray that whatever your plans are for 2009, that you will allow Christ to be your guide throughout your journey. I love you all and thank you for being a part of our lives!

I had to include some pictures! The pics of Dave and I are our from our first New Years together and New Years Day!

Remember, eat cooked cabbage with a dime for New Years Day. (It's good luck!) Happy New Year everyone! Talk at you next year!

20 Week Checkup

The old wives are insane! Their tales are just plain false. Kennedy's heart rate today was 132 bpm. According to the old wives, she should be a boy. Well, we got confirmation that Kennedy is definitely a girl. This gave me the green light to go ahead and order her bedding for her room so we can start painting. Dave and I did this immediatley following our appointment.

Today at our visit we had our anatomy ultrasound and praise God that we have a healthy growing baby girl inside if me. The technician had the personality of the wall, so I was weary of Kennedy's health. She kept saying "Oh Gosh" when she was trying to capture images of the heart because Kennedy was moving so much. I was convinced that there was something wrong, but we had a visit with the doctor right after and she is perfectly healthy. All of her organs are there and growing and functioning just as they should be. Her little face has filled out so much since our last fetal photography session. I could actually see the profile of a baby and not an alien! The doctor did tell me that she was in the breech position, but this is very common at 20 weeks. She said that Kennedy would probably change positions several times between now and labor, so it's not something we are going to be concerned about until the later months.

Kennedy weighs 13 ounces. She is almost a pound already. She is probably the size of a small cantaloupe. I have included a picture for your comparison.

(I had to also include a picture of my new diaper bag that I got for Christmas! It's a Juicy Couture baby bag, and I just think it is so fun and girly!)

Well, my doctor also shared with me that I am very healthy. Kennedy and I both get an A+ on our health report card for this month. I know I owe it all to God. I am so thankful and joyful. I pray that Kennedy continues to grow and be healthy for the rest of her life.

Post from Dave

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and you are enjoying the Holidays. The year seems to have flown by and it's hard to believe that 2009 is just around the corner. There has been so much excitement and so many blessings in 2008 and I can't even imagine what there will be in 2009.

I am extremely grateful to have such an amazing wife and I can't wait to watch her become an equally amazing mother. There is truly much to be thankful for and much to look forward to.

Just this past weekend I felt a kick from Kennedy for the first time! Wow, how exciting! What a joy it will be to continue watching her develop. It seems that every day I am amazed by something new that has happened. I am also reminded that in a few months I will be a father. I have so much to learn but already I have more love, excitement and anticipation than I can explain.

Thank you all for being a part of our lives. I hope that each of you has a Happy New Years and we look forward to a great 2009!

Things not to say to me or any other pregnant woman!

Okay, so I have read funny things not to say to a pregnant woman and laughed about it in the past. Well, the time has come when I am beginning to experience some of these comments and I am not laughing any longer. I actually get it.

So if you want to avoid offending, hurting feelings, angering a pregnant woman, then follow my pointers on what not to say. Some of these I have already experienced from friends and family. Others, I am giving fair warning now that I DO NOT want to experience in the future. We pregnant woman are already insecure, touchy, moody, and emotional...don't make it worse. =)

-Are you sure you aren't eating for two?
I'll eat as much roast beef as I please! It's none of your business how much I eat. Why do people think that because your pregnant they can comment on your food intake. I don't comment on the amount of food you eat on a normal basis. BACK OFF!

-I think your butt is spreading out.
Yea I'm sure it is and so is my stomach and my arms and my face and my thighs. It was all that roast beef I have been eating for two with.

-I only gained 7 pounds when I was pregnant.
Good for you. Take your 7 pounds and shove it! That's all I've got to say. This is especially annoying when the person telling you this is someone who is overweight now. Yeah you might have only gained 7 pounds during pregnancy but you gained 70 at some point between then and now.

-Your pregnant? Was it an accident? I wish you would have waited. I figured you would have waited longer to have children.
Look the only appropriate thing to say when someone tells you they are pregnant is to respond with Congratulations. I don't care if you think I should be pregnant or not. There are many things I think about how you live your life and I do not judge or make snarky comments. God chose to give me a baby. I am blessed. You need to take it up with Him if you have a problem.

-What hospital are you having your baby at? Central Baptist Oh really? Because everyone I've talked to says that hospital is really run down.
Okay, this is just rude. Unless you have had a baby in this hospital then you don't really have a right to tell me what you think. I am happy with my choice. Mary had Jesus in a manger for crying out loud!!! Does it really matter as long as you like your doctor?

-I bet your dad wanted it to be a boy or I bet your husband wanted it to be a boy.
This comment could be the other way around with a girl. Okay, here's the deal. I didn't choose to have a girl or a boy. God gave me this baby. He made this baby what He wanted it to be. I would have been so happy with either. So is my husband and so is my dad. If you have a problem with this then maybe this is another one of those you need to take it up with God comments.

-You look like you are ready to pop.
No, I'm not a balloon. I think you might be mistaken for the fact that I'm busy growing a human life inside of my stomach.

-So this is your first? Oh my, with my first, I had horrible back labor for THIRTY hours, and then I needed a C-section and was in pain for WEEKS and the baby didn't sleep through the night until she was two years old...
Any kind of pregnancy/labor horror story. Okay, I will experience my own labor soon enough. Spare me the horror stories. A nice bless your heart will work fine in place of this.

The ultimate worst kind of comments would have to be women that have never had children or been pregnant that will say things where they act as if they know what you are experiencing or they try to give you advice on what to do. This is the ultimate "had it up to here" to pregnant women. Like when I say "I feel so nauseated." and someone says "I know how you feel." or "Me too." Okay look you can't possibly know how pregnancy nausea feels so don't even try to say that you do. This is just one of the many examples.

Okay, so I hope this has provided you with some insight on what NOT to say to a pregnant woman. For those of you women who have already had babies....maybe you have forgotten what it was like hearing these comments from someone else. Hope I reminded you. Oh and for those of you ladies who have not yet experienced pregnancy. Someday my friend someone will say something to you along these lines while you are expecting and you will think back to my post!

Most of all... I hope this made you chuckle a bit. =)

20 Down, 20 to Go

Well, I must start off by saying congratulations Suzanne and Randall! Suzanne is one my best friends. We met my freshman year of college and she was my matron of honor in my wedding and I was her maid of honor in her wedding. Our weddings were about a month apart. I thought being able to plan for a wedding alongside of my best friend was great, but now I am ecstatic that we are both expecting only 7 weeks apart. Now I get to share the joys of pregnancy with her as well! Suz and Randall are expecting on July 7, 2009 and I can't wait for our little ones to meet one another. I hope they will love eachother as much as we do!

I used to call Suzanne by the name of Mamma Suz because she is a couple years older than me and always took control in any situation like a mother. Now my name for her is even more fitting! Above are pics of Suz and I at her wedding, at my shower she threw for me, and when we were young college spring break girls! I am so excited about our future as best friends and all of the experiences that I will be able to say that I shared with her throughout life. Not many people get that lucky!

Well, I am at the halfway point! 20 down, 20 to go. The second trimester increased appetite has definitely hit. I never thought that I would enjoy food again, but that day has come. As Kennedy grows, so do I. I feel wonderful though. I wish my pregnancy would stay just like it is now! Kennedy is definitely growing. I can feel her constantly moving and kicking. Dave was even able to catch a kick while placing his hand on my stomach. That was awesome. I go back to the doctor tomorrow for an anatomy ultrasound and doctor check up. I'll update you tomorrow with how we are doing. I'm praying for a healthy visit.

More Christmas Pictures

l'm Back!

Shoo! We have been MIA over the past week. Last Saturday we had Christmas with the Moughamians at our house so I was busy getting ready for that, and then we left Sunday to come to Pikeville to be with my family for a whole week. In fact, we are still in Pikeville, so I'm hoping the dial up internet doesn't prevent me from typing all of this and then posting. We had a wonderful Christmas with our families and each other! It's funny for us to think that this is our first and last Christmas as a married couple without children. It was nice, but we are looking forward to what is to come with Kennedy Brooke. I'll keep this short and hopefully leave you with some Christmas pictures of Dave and I and our Christmas decor. Keep in mind that I am 19 weeks in the pics! We reach the halfway mark tomorrow! OH! and I almost forgot....CONGRATULATIONS Steve (Dave's brother) and Meagan (my new sister-in-law) who got engaged on Christmas Eve! We are so happy for you both!

18 Weeks

Well, we are now at 18 weeks and little Kennedy is about the size of a chicken breast that you would eat for dinner! She probably is around 5 1/2 to 6 inches long. I am feeling so much better. I cannot even believe the difference in how I feel from the first trimester to the second.

The entire experience of finding out if she was a girl or a boy was incredible. We went to the Lexington Fetal Photography. The lady named Cindy was super nice and made our experience worth while. I made sure to drink some Mountain Dew before we got there so she would really be moving. We got to watch her move for about thirty minutes on the screen and we were able to take home about thirty 3d images and about five videoclips. It was so amazing how something so small and fragile can move fingers and lips and feet like a newborn. We were so excited to find out the gender of our baby and I must say, I was shocked that we were having a girl. I thought for sure we were having a boy. Dave, on the otherhand, says that he knew all along that it was a girl. So much for my maternal instinct or "gut" feeling that most women talk about having! Although little Kennedy is not developed and looks somewhat alienish, I was assured by Cindy that she was completely normal! At least I think she's the prettiest, most amazing little alien looking 18 week old baby girl I have ever seen.

Yesterday, I called to get my Zofran prescription refilled and my nurse, Kim, informed me that all of Kennedy's genetic testing came back negative. This is a GREAT thing. I just fell to my knees and thanked God for this healthy news with tears in my eyes. Maybe the maternal instinct is there afterall!

Well, now that we have felt our baby, seen our baby, know that it's a she, and named her Kennedy Brooke Moughamian, we are beginning the new adventure of picking out things for her! This is so fun. Just yesterday I bought her two Polo layettes and my mom bought her several little newborn gowns and blankets. Oh not to mention, my mom already bought her $200 worth of clothes the day we found out that we were having a girl! I have picked out the bedding that I want to do her nursery in and I am so excited to get started. I included a picture of what will hopefully look like Kennedy's room when we are finished.

I am so blessed right now. I know that I probably say this in every post, but I am truly so thankful for everything that God has given me. I know that Kennedy is truly a gift from Him and although I am enjoying beginning to look for all this stuff I want to give her, I know that really all she truly needs is love. Because He already knows Kennedy; Because He knew her long before I ever even thought about her; I am asking Him daily to show me how she needs to be loved by her mommy.

IT'S A...

girl. Kennedy Brooke Moughamian.

Now that we have told our families, I thought I should introduce her to the rest of the world. I'll post more later about our experience yesterday. Really one word sums it up... AWESOME!

50/50

50% of you are wrong. =)

Here are some pictures of our miracle sucking on its fingers, opening its mouth, and just being an almost 18 week old baby.

I am so happy and blessed...and just am at a loss for words right now.

Patience is a Virture

I have never liked surprises. I always try peak at my Christmas gifts. I don't like keeping secrets. Dave on the otherhand has the patience of Job. From the moment I saw two lines on the pregnancy test, I have wondered, guessed, dreamed about who my baby is. A boy or a girl? I have my names ready. I have her room picked out. I have his clothes picked out. I can't wait to know. I have tried every old wives tale to predict if my baby is a boy or girl, and I have come to the conclusion that they are completely unpredictible.

I came across some pictures that included the one posted above of a 17 week old baby. It's amazing to think of my baby moving and looking like that. The last time I saw baby, he/she looked like a seed. I long for the day when I can hold my baby in my arms, but until then, I am longing for a closer day where I can see my baby's shape and movements for the first time.

Well, tomorrow Dave has a surprise day planned for us. Me, Dave and baby.

If you haven't already voted in our boy, girl poll, then you should. There aren't that many days left. ;)

Lord, grant me patience.

Is this real?

I still find myself reflecting today on the past two days' horrible turn of events in my hometown. I have realized lately that I have been asking myself "Is this real?" an awful lot. Yesterday when I heard the news about the tragic accident that took the lives of three and affected so many, I asked myself "Is this real?" Today, I am trying to finish up with Christmas decorating at my house and I can't believe that CHRISTmas is literally almost here! Is this real?

I really can't believe that we are going to have a baby in our arms in about five months. Today I decided to post a generic picture of a six week ultrasound. No, this is not our baby. Work with me, I don't have a scanner! This picture looks pretty darn close. My baby is hanging on my refridgerator, displayed proudly. I posted this picture because every time I look at the ultrasound picture of my own little one, even tho it looks like a seed, I am amazed about the miracle in my tummy. I thought my pregnancy would feel real when I heard the heartbeat. I have now heard my baby's heart beat three times, and I have to admit that I still can't believe it. Now, I keep telling myself that it will feel real when I know if it's a boy or girl and I can use a name, but I'm not sure if that will do it. Part of me thinks I won't believe this miracle until I have our baby in my arms. I wish I had more faith sometimes! Today I find myself thanking God for blessing me even when I doubt His plan and timing. He is so patient with me! Hopefully this experience will grow my faith and deepen my relationship with Christ. Thanks for taking the time to read our blog and walk through this life- changing journey with us.

I'll post some pictures of our decorations if I ever figure out how to tie Christmas ribbon into bows and hang garland on my staircase!

Somewhere Down the Road.

I woke up this morning to the sound of my phone. It was my mom and she shared with me that there had been a horrible accident last night in my hometown. My former high school teacher, Ernie Johnson, was driving and had been killed, along with a six-year-old boy from my hometown. There was also another victim killed whose name has not yet been released. Whenever I hear news like this my heart just drops to my stomach and I am in disbelief. EJ was loved by everyone at Pikeville High School and in Pikeville.

Just last week I was in the grocery store and I stumbled across the TGI Friday frozen mozarella sticks. I laughed to myself because the last time I had eaten those cheese sticks was at Ernie's house when he had fixed them for a big group of students in high school. Having some crazy pregnancy cravings, I bought them and smiled thinking of him. I hadn't really thought of Ernie in a while, and it seems to me that God knew what He was doing when He allowed that memory to cross my mind last week. Ernie was a good person, and I know he will be missed.

I cannot imagine what the family of the young boy who was killed is going through. His father and sister were in the car during the accident, and my heart just breaks for them as well as his mother. I know that my alma mater is dealing with great amounts of grief today and so many people are wondering WHY? Well, a song I used to sing in church says a little something like this, "Somewhere down the road you will find mighty arms reaching for you...and they will hold the answers at the end of the road."

Throughout my life, I have dealt with different times of grief, and once again, God has brought me to reflect upon several verses. I will share a few...

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."2 Corinthians 1:3-4


"Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."Isaiah 41:10


"This is my comfort in my affliction, That Your word has revived me."Psalm 119:50


Today I am praying for the many people that are hurting over these losses in my hometown and I will ask that if you read this and are a Christian to join me in prayers for these people (many students). I pray that they will cling to Jesus and He will give them peace in their pain.

I am going to go eat those mozarella cheese sticks for lunch and remember. =)

Karena's Having a Girl!

Yay! I just found out that my freshman college roommate and longtime friend, Karena, is having a girl! She is exactly one month ahead of me in pregnancy. It has been so much fun keeping up with her and her baby through our pregnancy! I am so happy for Karena. I know she is going to be a great mommy to her little baby girl.

Karena's baby's heart rate was exactly 140. My baby's heart rate has been between 145-150. Girl babies are supposed to have faster heart rates according to the old wives tale. Hmmm...could this mean a girl for us???? We shall see.

The photos are of Karena and I back during our freshman year of college and even further back in high school where we met at the Miss Kentucky Teen Pageant.

Congratulations Karena on your girl! I love you!

17 Weeks and Counting!

Here we are at 17 weeks! I have pretty much reached four months of pregnancy at this point, and I have been feeling better these past two weeks. The sickness still exists, but does not compare to the first trimester. I have so much more energy too. Baby weighs around five ounces now, and is about the size of a turnip. The baby's skeleton is changing this week from soft cartilage to bone. Baby can move its joints, and its sweat glands are starting to develop. I have felt baby movement quite often this past week! With each movement, I am just in awe that their is a little life inside of me. God really knew what He was doing when He created the woman's body!

The photo of Dave and I was at Thanksgiving at my granny's house. I was 15 weeks then. Now, just imagine me the same with a bump as twice as large. =)

Christmas Dance

We are home from Pikeville and are exhausted! My sister's 8th grade Christmas Dance was last night. My mom threw a pre-party for all her friends to eat and get ready and their parents to take lots of pictures. We had a house full of people and Dave and I spent the whole time keeping the dogs from barking, begging for food, and jumping on people. Shoo!

I had to post a picture because Madison looked absolutely beautiful. I find it hard to believe that she is only 13 because she looks so mature...(kinda like Taylor Swift I think...) but at the same time I can't believe she is old enough to be going to dances with boys! Anyways, look at how beautiful she looked! This girl is the whole package inside and out and I'm so proud of her for the young woman she has grown to be. =)

16 Week Doctor Update

The picture above is of my doctor, Dr. Bain. She is at Central Baptist Hospital and is wonderful! I would definitely recommend her to any woman living in Lexington. Anyway, Dave and I had a good visit with Dr. Bain and Nurse Kim today. I checked out healthy. No swelling, no sugar (other than the Captain Crunch I had for breakfast), blood pressure was good, and uterus was good. We found out that baby has grown quite a bit since my last visit. The last time the nurse tried to find the heart beat she couldn't find it. Dr. Bain had a hard time finding it too, but eventually we found it. This time around was a piece of cake. The second the doppler touched my stomach you could hear the little heart beat loud and clear. This time the baby's heart beat was 145 bpm. Nice and strong still, although it has decreased from 150 bpm. This is very normal tho. The sound of my baby's heart beat is like music to my ears!

Dave and I talked to Dr. Bain about genetic testing today, and made the decision to have the bloodwork done. Ouch! This tests the baby for things like Downs Syndrome and Spinal Bifeda. Lord willing, I pray that our baby is healthy. The motherly instinct kicking into me caused me to want to worry, but ultimately I know that it is all in His hands. These next two weeks while waiting for the results are going to be a test of my patience and ability to trust that God is in control. No news is good news.

Also, I am going to have my patience tested waiting for December 30th. That is my next appointment and next ultrasound. Hopefully, if the baby is cooperative, we will know if it is a boy or girl! Yay! I am so excited. This will be a late Christmas gift/New Year's gift! The countdown begins for December 30th!

Dave has to go to Pikeville tomorrow for a business meeting, so Sam and I are going with him and we are going to stay until Sunday morning. My sister, Madison, has her 8th grade Christmas dance on Saturday night and I can't wait to see her all dolled up! I'll be sure to post pictures!

Well, I'm off to get ready for our trip and clean my house. Tonight we are going to eat with church friends and then going to the Andrew Peterson: Behold the Lamb of God Christmas concert at our church. It should be lots of fun! There's a song that they will sing called Labor of Love about Mary's birth of Jesus. I'm sure I'll cry... I seem to be doing that a lot lately. =)

I felt the baby move!

I forgot to say that I felt the baby move in my last post! Three nights ago, I felt it for the first time but didn't believe it. Then I was on the couch one night with Dave and Sam and I felt it again! This was confirmation. It felt like tiny pulses to me. The books all say it will feel like butterflies, but I would describe it as pulses or popcorn popping! It's definitely a feeling like I've never felt before. It's the wildest thing ever! I'm so excited just typing this. =)

After lunch today, I felt the baby moving for several minutes and I tried to turn the TV off (like I would feel it better with the volume down). Blonde Moment? Pregnancy Brain? Who knows? Thank you Lord for allowing me to laugh at myself.

At night, when Dave's home, that's when I feel it the most! Maybe baby likes Daddy's voice? Dave will be talking to me and I'll burst out screaming in excitement, "THE BABY IS MOVING!" My love for this little person inside of me grew in a way I have never experienced before after feeling him/her for the first time! I can't imagine the love I'll feel when I hold my baby in my arms.

Top 10 Things I've Learned so Far...

Coming into this pregnancy I would have to say that I did not know anything! The first thing that Dave and I did after finding out that we were pregnant was make a trip to Joseph Beth to try to catch up on some pregnancy reading. It didn't turn out well when we saw a whole family from my hometown in the store. I was paranoid that I would be seen reading pregnancy books with my husband and the news would travel back to my parents a lot sooner than I wanted! Well, now I feel like I have read every book out there, and I still feel like I don't know much, and Dave, well, bless his heart, he doesn't know anything. hehe =)

Here is what I have learned so far that the books didn't tell me about being pregnant:


1. You smile a lot more for some reason and complete strangers will sometimes smile back.

2. You can't not look at other babies when you see them in public. In fact, you seem to break your neck and go out of the way to see them.

3. You seem to be more emotional, moodier, bossier, and more exhausted than ever before...but you feel like you have a pretty valid excuse.

4. You might have your head in the toilet throwing up pickles but you are really thinking about the steak you want for dinner.

5. All the times your mother talked about how miserable pregnancy sickness is compared to normal sickness.....well...You finally believe her.

6. You get to feel the baby long before anyone else, which makes it your little secret.

7. You feel like you can eat anything you want with those pregnancy pants that have the stretchy waist bands. (You don't have to unbutton your pants after Thanksgiving dinner anymore.)

8. You realize that you can love someone that you have never even met.

9. You pray more than ever before.

10. You realize that your husband is just as great as you always thought he was and feel connected to him in a special way like never before.

The books can't teach you that. Okay, enough of my pregnancy rambling. I'm finally feeling better this evening and off to make my husband dinner before we head to Rupp to watch the CATS! GO UK!