16 Weeks "Bumpdate"

16 WEEKS

baby: baby pro now weighs in at a whopping three to five ounces, and he's four to five inches in length. He/she can hear noises since his tiny bones in his ears are in place and functional! I love that his/her tiny little eyebrows, eyelashes and hair is starting to grow!  The tiny muscles in his body, especially the ones in his back, are gaining strength, so he can straighten out a little more. Thanks to his/her developing facial muscles, baby can make expressive frowns and squints! 

Favorite moment of the week: has to be when Tyler and I went on a hike this past weekend. It was so beautiful & a great time to get to talk to eachother without distractions! Loved getting time away, even if just for a couple of hours!

Miss anything? Miss seeing my precious little nephew. He is doing great and all of the pics my sister sends me are just adorable. 

Movement: none yet!  

Cravings? Cinnamon crunch bagels from panera. 

Sickness? Dull aches in my lower abdomen (uterus)- it's called "round ligament pain" and it occurs when the ligaments stretch to accommodate the size of the growing uterus (womb). 

Gender prediction: I had a dream that I had the baby- I didn't even have to go through labor (wouldn't that be nice!!) and I dreamt that i had a boy!!! He was as cute as could be. Tyler still thinks it could be a girl. We are 5 weeks away from finding out & cannot wait! 

Labor signs: none

Mood/energy: pretty normal

Sleep: like a baby! 

Exercise: considering that all my undertakings right now are pretty active, I am getting plenty of exercise! 

Diet/Weight: I will know for sure at my next appointment on Tuesday! 

Bump: starting to show a tiny bit! I can still fit in all my regular clothes tho! 

Looking forward to: finding out the gender and feeling the first few kicks! It could be any day now! 

Thankful for: the students I am teaching at BHS & at Ballet Yahweh! It has been fun getting to know them better and see them using their God-given talents! 

Until next time-

xoxo,

Dorothy & baby PRO :)  

15 Weeks "Bumpdate"

15 WEEKS

Baby: Baby Pro is the size of an orange! Weighing in at about 2.5 oz and measuring 4 inches long! 

Something I am super excited about this week is that our baby's bones in his/her ears are hardening, and baby Pro is now able to hear sounds, including my heartbeat, speaking, and breathing!! Since last week the arms and legs have grown longer than the head. This is significant, since the head has been the biggest part of the body until now. Taste buds are forming, and the fingernails and toenails are growing longer by the day. Eyelids are stills fused together but he or she can notice light/dark. 

Favorite moment of the week: On Saturday night, Tyler and I found out that Krispy Kreme Donuts was doing a "dress like a pirate day" to get a free dozen donuts- so obvisouly, we had to do it!!! We quickly went through our closets for anything that closely resembled a pirate and this was the end result!!

Ahoy! We got me booty!!!! Spur of the moment date to get free donuts was a success! We had a fun time throwing this all together. Thanks Krispy Kreme!

Fave moment #2: Finding out a dear friend of mine is pregnant and going to be due around a month after me!! I am so excited to go through this together and I can't wait for our babies to be friends on the outside :)

Movement: Not yet! 

Cravings? Not really!

Sickness? Lately, I have felt pretty normal except random bouts nausea when riding in a car/ congestion/ indigestion- which I found out are common symptoms of pregnancy at 15 weeks. So unfortunately, I'm right on track. :/

Gender prediction: I still feel unsure. Don't really have an "intuition" yet about the gender. Tyler is pretty positive it will be a girl. We would be blessed either way!

Labor signs: None! 

Mood/energy: Still trying to lay down and rest when I feel tired. This week was a whirlwind, as I jumped right in to a busy schedule after I returned from my trip to California. I started teaching dance at Ballet Yahweh, taught 4 fitness classes, and taught the high school girls the tryout routines/ held tryouts on Wed-Fri for the BHS dance team. With all of these things happening this week, my body was pretty tired and sore! It won't be that exhausting every week, so I am ready to get into a schedule and be able to make sure I am getting enough rest and "putting my feet up" as my dad would say. I am loving my new positions at Ballet Yahweh and coaching the high school dance team!

Sleep: Sleeping very well! 

Exercise: Refer to "mood/energy" post above. 

Diet/Weight: Total weight gain thus far is 5 lbs! Supposedly from here on, I should gain somewhere around 1 lb per week until baby comes! Thats a total of around 25-30lbs. Some advice my sister gave me was to not necessarily "eat for two" but just focus on eating nutrient dense foods to make him/her strong and healthy! I definitely try to take snacks with me so I don't have an empty stomach. Baby doesn't like that!  :)

Prayer needs/praises: You can pray that God would continue to help us grow together and prepare us to be a great team while learning together how to raise this child! 

Looking forward to: Feeling the first flutters of the baby's movement! Can't wait! 
Thankful for: So thankful for a healthy pregnancy so far! Also, very thankful for a great group of friends and community that loves us and encourages us along this journey! Grateful for the great friends God has placed in our lives! 

xoxo,

Dorothy & baby PRO :)  

13 & 14 Weeks "Bumpdate" & 1st Trimester Review

13 WEEKS! 

My 13/14 week update is really special because I am in Santa Barbara, CA as I arrived right on time for my little nephew's arrival.  It has been really fun being able to snuggle, hug and kiss my new nephew Samuel Lee Poverelli.

Here is my little nephew sporting the onesie I gave to my sister and her husband to announce that we were expecting! It was so fun to dress him in the onesie we gave them- it says "Only Grandchild BIG COUSIN!" as he will be a big cousin in March!

Samuel Lee at 4 days old! 

Samuel Lee made his debut bright and early on Sept. 4th 2015. It was perfect timing since we arrived later that night. We saw little Sam for the first time that next morning, 1 day old and as perfect and healthy as could be! He stole our hearts from day one! Mamma, daddy and baby are doing just great and it has been fun to see Stephanie as a mom. She is really enjoying all that motherhood entails and getting to know her little one! I am getting a lot of practice, snuggles, sleepless nights and bonding time as well! It's been such a sweet time of seeing family, taking care of the new mama and baby, and we've gotten to get out and explore some hot spots around here! We've gone to the beach, walked down the famous State street, seen the "mission" and rose gardens, gone shopping, ate at some YUMMY local restaurants and we gone to the farmers market down town & ate at the Wharf on the water. We are trying to soak it all in. 

On the last day in Santa Barbara, I also moved on to the second trimester- 14 weeks!!! 

This outfit was not so good for a bump picture, but still wanted to document the "barely there" bump at 14 weeks! 

Review of my first trimester:

First trimester summary:

It is so hard to believe I am 14 weeks pregnant and starting my second trimester already! 

Baby: In week 13, he or she is already around 3 inches long. baby pro is the size of a peach! 

Tiny vocal cords and teeth are forming! Although he/she is still tiny, she already has her own fingerprints. A crazy fact I did not know is that the baby's intestines are moving from the umbilical cord into its new permanent home in baby's abdomen. In week 14, our Love Bug’s immune system is starting to develop! The immune system will take several months or years after birth for it to reach a healthy, adult level, but he/she’s on her way! 

Bump: Still is not super noticeable, but I can tell it's there! It has not "popped" out to where it would be obvious that i am pregnant. 

Favorite moment of the week: Hearing about the news that my sister delivered a healthy bouncy baby boy! Seeing and holding my new little nephew for the first time was for sure a highlight. I feel like Gods timing could not have been more perfect in helping prepare my heart for motherhood. I already want one of my own after holding and helping with Samuel! Our babies will be 6.5 mos apart. I love being able to ask questions and see my sister being a great mom already! 

Miss anything? Missing my husband a ton!!! It's hard being away from Tyler! Everything is so much better when he is around! We have had a lot of fun the past week but I do wish that he could have come! 

Movement: Not yet! 

Cravings? Loving anything with cinnamon and butter.  Also still loving buttered popcorn in the theater. Occasionally pickles. 

Sickness? Feel so thankful to be feeling completely myself the past week! Symptoms like nasea & headaches have pretty much dissipated. I feel more energetic this week! 

Gender prediction: Considering that we just bought some of the cutest clothes for a little girl, i have a feeling it may be a girl. But I could be entirely wrong! I will find out in 7 more weeks! 

Labor signs: None! 

Mood/energy: Feeling back to my normal self in energy and mood! I do cry easier in sad movies, but no mood swings! 

Sleep: like a rock! 

Exercise: Since we have been in California this week, we have been walking around and exploring most days! We have hiked & walked the beach, walked down state street, explored on a Surrey around Solvang, CA and gone swimming. Tried to do something fun and active every day. Also, I've been on a lot of walks with Samuel. He loves to move! 

Diet/Weight: Eating out a lot this week, so you know how that goes. Lol! I will find out my total weight gain thus far at my next appointment coming up this Tuesday! 

Prayer needs/praises: Praising God that my sister had a great labor and delivery with no complications! Thankful we got here safely and praying we are safe on our return home tomorrow! 

Looking forward to: Having dance team tryouts and starting to teach at Ballet Yahweh next week! Also, debuting a fun new 80's Piyo lesson in group fitness class this week! Better believe I will have some leg warmers on in class!!!
Thankful for: FAMILY that loves the Lord, prays and laughs together! However chaotic it may be when we all get together (we can get pretty loud and crazy lol) , we always know we will have a good time and have a support system no matter what. 

xoxo,

Dorothy & baby PRO :)  

Our First Pregnancy "Bumpdate"

My first "bumpdate" is a fun one because we have been secretly taking pics of finding out we are pregnant and the process since then, and now I can finally post them. We also have been able to tell our parents, family and friends the news and their reactions were priceless. Also, within these past few weeks we have been able to hear the heart beat AND see our baby kick and wave on the ultrasound! That was a thrilling and amazing sight! What a PRECIOUS little miracle God has blessed us with!! It made us think "Wow, this baby is really alive!" We already knew that, but seeing it move made it that much more real, even though I can still hardly tell there is a "bump" there.

We've got a big secret! Can't tell anyone just yet! I was around 7 weeks pregnant when this photo was taken.

Excited to be parents!

Darling's excited too!

POSITIVE! IT'S GO TIME!

Literally seconds after finding out! 

Excited to confirm our pregnancy, see our ultrasound for the first time,  and find out our  little one's estimated due date! 

Our first prenatal prenatal appointment went great! Due Date is March 9th, 2016!

11 WEEKS

12 WEEKS

Still trying to get this photo thing down! At this point I don't really know what to do with my hands!!
Also, Tyler has done a GREAT job with the photos and has been a huge help. All the photo credit goes to him. :)

Baby: Is the size of a plum! All of my baby's organs, structures and systems are fully formed. Vocal cords are developing, fingers and toes are separated (they were webbed for a bit) and hair/nails continue to grow. The brain and spinal cord are continuing to develop at lightning speed and they can even feel pain. He/ she has a strong heart beat, and it's heart is already pumping several quarts of blood through it's little body. The baby is approximately 2.5 -3.5 inches long.  Also, as we saw on the ultrasound, the little sweet pea is already moving around and making baby-like movements- I just can't feel him/her yet because of how TINY he/she is!!! Absolutely incredible!

Total weight gain: Not exactly sure, I think maybe around 3-5 lbs. 

Maternity clothes? Not yet, I tried some maternity pants on and they were HUGE on me. My belly is not big enough to hold them up. One day, one day...

Sleep: I have slept really well except for lately I have to get up to use the bathroom about 1 or 2x a night. The past three weeks I have had some pretty crazy and random dreams. I have dreamt just about anything and everything. It's so funny to tell Tyler about my dreams that I can remember- we get a lot of laughs.

Favorite moment of the week: Probably being able to tell our parents, brothers and sisters and announcing it to our friends near and far on social media. Thank you for everyone's sweet words, congratulatory remarks, encouragement and support! Also, we are SO thankful for Felicia Pettigrew with FJ designs who helped us with our announcement photos. She did a fantastic job!

Miss anything? Not anything particularly. In a few weeks, I will probably miss fitting into my jeans...

Movement:  I know he/she is moving around in there already but Baby Pro is still too tiny for me to feel any movements.

Cravings? Definitely buttered popcorn from the movie theater or show. Each time I smell the pop corn it's like my nose just insists I get some! It has not disappointed me yet! Also, I am loving Milk Duds- but that sounds about right! 

Anything make you queasy or sick? Soft drinks, windy roads while riding in the car, and any time my stomach is empty. Sometimes in the middle of the night I have to get up and grab some milk or Naked juice so my stomach will feel satisfied and stop feeling queasy. Baby's gotta eat!

Gender prediction: My little brother Dane thinks that my sister is having a boy and that we are having a girl. It's too soon to tell and we would be happy either way. We will find out in about 9 more weeks! So excited! 

Labor signs: Nope

Symptoms: Random headaches, nausea & fatigue… Although this week, I have hardly any symptoms. I'm starting to see a tiny little bump come out. But I am not sure if anyone can tell yet or not. Also, I am really thankful that I have not gotten to the point where I have been sick and throwing up. So far, so good.

Belly button in or out? In

Mood: I go through spouts of intense emotion. Around 10 weeks I cried three nights in a row! Which, if anyone knows me would agree that is out of the norm for me. I am usually very even keel and don't usually get upset a lot. 

Looking forward to: Time in California with my family! Stephanie and Joseph are expecting their first child any day now and I am so excited for my upcoming trip to see them and their new baby! We also don't know the gender yet, so I am pumped to see if it is a boy or girl! 

My sister, Stephanie and her husband Joseph waiting expectantly for their first child to arrive! 

Stephanie at 40 weeks. If I look anything like her at that point, I will be super happy! She looks amazing. She is due any day now! Come on, baby!

Exercise- Still teaching PiYo and Onebeat classes. Feeling really good! It's funny how most of the time before class I do not feel like working out and feel too tired, but afterwards I feel SO much more energetic and my mood always improves. It's ALWAYS worth it! The doctor said it's great to continue exercising during pregnancy and to "listen to my body" and it will tell me if something is too rigorous of an exercise. So far, I do not have a belly in the way- so I know I will have to modify things once I do! I also take my dog on 1-2 walks during the day.
Prayer need? Just for my sister and her delivery! Pray with me that she will deliver safely and quickly! Also, that the baby will be healthy and there are no serious complications! I know they are ready for the little one to make his/her debut!  
Thankful for- The Lord's perfect timing in giving us a child and for his ultimate provision. I am thankful that the Lord will provide all our needs for the baby.  I am realizing more and more that the baby is not going to need a bunch of "stuff," rather, he/she is just going to need a bunch of "LOVE" from us. I am thankful that the Lord has first loved us and allows us to love one another deeply and of course, we can't wait to love on our new little baby Pro. That baby will definitely know He is LOVED!  We are already anxious to meet him/her. 

Thankful for this stage of life, for the Lord's provision in finding me the perfect fit for a job through this year and for getting to do life with Tyler, who is my biggest support, prayer partner, and encourager. 

xoxo,

Dorothy & baby PRO :)  

Exciting news!

Coming soon in March 2016, we will be welcoming a new family member! And... this time its not a puppy. :) 

Tyler and I can't wait to welcome home this new bundle of joy and experience being parents together! 

On July 2nd we found out some very surprising, life-changing, exciting news that we are expecting a little baby PRO!!! We found out shortly after we arrived in Nebraska for the Prochazka family reunion.  When the test came back positive, we both laughed, hugged and were filled with excitement and a little bit of nerves! We couldn't believe we were going to have a baby in less than a year! We immediately had to keep it cool. We knew we wanted to tell our families at just the right time. We also needed time to process it ourselves! It was kind of fun to have a secret between the two of us. No one knew just yet...

After our summer was over, we finally broke the news to our parents and family in some fun ways when they came to visit us. They were extremely shocked and elated to finally be grandparents! I will make a separate post with those stories of how we told them and their reactions! :) Also, we are really excited to share that my sister Stephanie & her husband are due any day now with their first child. We   can't wait to see and love on the new baby when he/she arrives! So happy that my sister and I are going to have our little bundles of joy about 6 months apart! Grateful she is right ahead of me in this ball game!

I am 11 weeks along and so far pregnancy has treated me well! Thank the Lord~ I will try my best to give "bumpdates" along the way!





Of course, Darling had to get in on the action, too. We know that she will be the BEST toy tester!

We are excited to go through this journey together and appreciate the love, prayers and encouragement of our friends and family as we bring new life into this world!  It takes a village to raise a child and we want to thank you for being a part of ours! We are thankful God has given us the gift of life and the privilege of becoming parents! 

Shout out to my incredibly talented and sweet friend Felicia with FJdesigns for these awesome photos! Also, thanks for keeping it a secret for so long! :) You are the best! Check out more of her amazing work here!



Love, 

Dorothy and Tyler (And Darling, too!)

Changing Lives One Beat at a Time!

If you have been reading my blog, you know how I got inspired to teach group fitness. Well now the time has come that I get to do just that! I am LOVING teaching PiYo and now will be adding a another upbeat and fun class that I KNOW you will fall in love with and see amazing results!

As you probably know, I am passionate about dance and fitness. My background is in dance and I have just recently gotten involved in teaching fitness classes. OneBEAT is a fusion of dance and fitness. People take OneBEAT classes for the joy and happiness that they feel while doing it, and the fitness is just a result of this! You won't even realize how hard you have worked because you will be having so much fun. This class is designed to make you drenched in sweat, tone your whole body, and dance your way into shape! My goal is to help you reach you optimal health and give you tools to treat your body right!

Let's face it, we all know working out can be healthy, rewarding, and beneficial, but it has never been known to be much fun—until now. OneBEAT fitness fuses upbeat rhythms and easy to follow moves to create a dynamic workout system that will give you a total workout, combining all elements of fitness – cardio, strength conditioning, flexibility, boosted energy and a serious dose of awesome each time you leave class.

The routines feature low-intensity and high-intensity moves for an interval-style, calorie-burning dance fitness party designed to strengthen, lengthen and sculpt your entire body! Dance to great music, with great people, and burn a ton of calories without even realizing it! You won't want the fun to stop and your body will be craving more!

This class will be meeting on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4:30 pm starting this August 31! Join us for the ultimate dance fitness party!


xoxo,

 D. Pro

Radient

The book of Hebrews in the Bible is an incredible book filled with innumerable truths and exhortations written to a primarily Hebrew audience, yet every bit applicable to our lives today. The book of Hebrews points to Jesus as being the ultimate High Priest and Mediator between God and man. This was God's plan from the beginning, that He would send his only Son as a substitute offering for our sins, so that whoever believes in Him will be saved and have eternal life.

There are so many truths you can take away from this book, but I will share with you two that stuck out to me. First is that we should throw off any anything that entangles or hinders us from having a close relationship with God and not lose heart through opposition or trials!

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, 
let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. 
And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,
fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. 
For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame,
and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 
Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, 
so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." Hebrews 12:1-3

We are to put our full trust in God and be obedient to His word, thus showing our love and faith in Him. The message is clear- if there is anything weighing you down, burden or sin you are carrying- lay those down at the foot of the cross, press on FIXING OUR EYES ON JESUS. For Christ defeated the strongholds of sin and Satan by his death on the cross and resurrection from the dead. We can now walk in victory over our sin and not be enslaved to it any longer!

One of the others key truths I took away from this book is the ability we have, as Christians, to approach the throne of grace with confidence. Why can we have this confidence? Because we serve a great High Priest- JESUS who sympathizes with us in our weakness. How does he sympathize with us in our weakness? Because he was tempted in EVERY way as we are and yet NEVER fell into sin. He is a loving, gracious and compassionate God who extends His mercy and grace to us in our times of need.

"Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, 
but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." -Hebrews 4:14-17


We have a GREAT GOD who sympathizes with our weaknesses and will restore us and make us BEAUTIFUL and RIGHTEOUS in His sight through the precious blood of Jesus Christ. He has redeemed us and rescued us from our old way of life, given us new life and purpose in Him so that we may be obedient to His will and proclaim His excellencies to others.


We can walk confidently in His forgiveness, mercy and grace and this great love makes us RADIANT!

Those who look to him are radiant; 

their faces are never covered with shame. 

Psalm 34:5 (NIV)

What a beautiful visual this verse gives me!

It says that when we look to Jesus, we are beautiful because we understand what it means to be forgiven. He says our faces are never covered with shame.

Because I look to Him, I am radiant, I am beautiful, I am "vividly bright and shining." I am radiant because of the joy and confidence that can only come from a strong sense of who I am in Him.

When we are looking to our spouses, our children, our friends, or our outward appearance or talents to give us a sense of our identity or our purpose rather than to God, we feel shame because we can never measure up against human expectation. BUT- When we allow ourselves to be fully accepted and loved by God, though, we begin to understand how He made us unique and for a purpose, and even when we mess up, we can come to him and know that if we ask Him, he WILL forgive us and make us clean!

When we are free of shame... we are beautiful!!

Don't look for your value or identity in how good you look, or how talented you are, or how successful you are in the worlds eyes. Nothing will fill you like the love of Christ. Put trusting in God and loving Him as your number one priority and he will make you RADIANT. You will shine bright, just how he intended.

You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy and make me radiant in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. (Psalm 16:11)

I pray you will be encouraged by this truth and that you can walk in freedom of sin and draw near to God with confidence, for he has REDEEMED you, RESTORED you and makes you RADIANT as you walk in His presence!

xoxo,
Dorothy Pro