This morning Matt and I got to experience one of my very favorite things of being pregnant, the ultrasound. We are now at the halfway point of 20 weeks so we got to have the fetal assessment today. Basically for those of us who don't know what that is, it is a chance for moms and dads to watch their new little one wiggle around for about 20 to 30 minutes and at the end it you can find out the gender of the baby. For those who do know what they are doing, it is a way to assess the development of the baby. They measure the heart and look for important things like hands, feet and kidneys. It is a really amazing experience.
We have decided that we are going to wait to find out the gender of the baby until Christmas. So I had the ultrasound tech write down the gender and we sent it to my sister-in-law to be the "handler" of the news. :) I call her the Fort Knox of secrets. She actually keeps secrets for fun which is why she is the perfect candidate to keep our information. Matt and I have a hard time keeping good news so there is no way an envelope containing that sort of information would have made it until Christmas.
Even though this is our third baby I never tire of hearing that little heartbeat, seeing tiny fingers and toes and even the four chambers of the heart. I told Matt it is like peaking into a gift. I am reminded of Psalm 139:13- 16, "For you formed my inward parts; you covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are your works, and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them."
"His eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed." Just like God, huh? Seeing the end from the very beginning. Even as he saw us in our mother's womb, He still sees us. He still knows our every day and our every moment. He still sees us when we are in the "lowest parts of the earth". What's funny is that we think that is a lonely, dark place but God calls it a place where he can do His finest work.
Thank you God that you do your finest work when no one sees. Those moments that you struggle do not go in vain. When you wrestle with truth, it doesn't go unnoticed. God is molding, fashioning, planning you. You are being "skillfully wrought". You are not alone you are just being crafted! Have Hope! He is working!
Friday, November 30, 2012
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
November happenings
Wow November is almost over! Can you believe it? Thanksgiving has past and soon we will be unwrapping gifts. I have to admit Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite holiday of the year. I used to think it was because there were no obligations of gifts but now I have realized that it is just because I love food. Haha It's true. When you get a combination of "Honey Baked Ham and Honey Baked Turkey", sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, and cranberry sauce on one plate it is as if you have stepped into the heavenly feast with the Lamb of God. haha Ok a little dramatic but wow so good. And that isn't even mentioning the desserts, which let's face it, I'm pregnant and I ate as much as I wanted. LOL. Let's just hope the scale doesn't tell on me.
For the past 3 years now we have had my oldest brother, Chris and his growing family over to my mom's for Thanksgiving. I really enjoy having everyone together. It is fun especially since there are kids running around now. Of course we have Havah (2 1/2) and Josiah (17 months) but he has 2 step daughters, Renae (15) and Andie (12) and his son Perrin (2). So we have a lot of fun with everyone. This year a friend of mine let me borrow the game corn hole. I call it bean bag toss. After eating we waddled outside to play. I think the whole family got in on the action and at times we even had extra obstacles of trying not to hit the little ones with the bean bags.
My youngest brother, Preston is venturing into rock climbing and the "outdoor" sports. So I guess that means you need a hammock. He thought it would be a good idea to set it up outside while everyone played. It turned into a game of how many kids can you fit in the hammock. They loved it though.
Burnon, my middle brother, is very competitive to say the least. I have to admit, I am too but when I am around him it heightens the intensity. We played against each other in corn hole and he KILLED me. If I wasn't pregnant I am sure we would have come up with some crazy alternative game that I would have had to win in order to stop. But since I am with child I thought I should use wisdom and refrain. So I just conceded my loss and acted like it never happen (and secretly blamed Chris because he was my teammate.) haha
My mom and I have made it a tradition to go Black Friday shopping at the Galleria in Birmingham. When we first started this tradition she would make me cut coupons and wake me up at ungodly hours to get good deals. A few years ago the roles reversed and I was the one waking her up. This year, we didn't have any specific needs to shop for nor did we have any desire to wake up before the sun came up. But this year was probably one of my fondest. I think it goes back to not having any obligation. We just casually got up, ate breakfast at a wonderful German cafe, and moseyed on to the mall. We did find some great deals and I got some of my Christmas shopping done but mostly we just enjoyed each other's company. We laughed about how we had to pee every 30 minutes, I gained wisdom from her about the kids and we shared our joys and concerns. It was so nice. I love my mom.
That day ended with me going to urgent care because I had a sinus infection. I hadn't felt well for about a week but I had all I could handle when the right side of my face hurt to touch and my teeth felt like they were about to fall out. So I welcomed the two cheekfulls of pain and felt much better the next morning.
The next day was the Iron Bowl. Around here that is just as important as any other holiday. :) So we went to a friend of the family's house and he cooked BBQ ribs, wings, baked beans, cheese dip and peach cobbler. Yummy! He has 3 grandkids and another on the way so he has an awesome swing set in his backyard that the kids loved. Ended the day with a huge Alabama win of 49-0, two exhausted kids and two parents ready to get back to some normalcy.
Overall it was an awesome Thanksgiving. Maybe I am just getting older but I am learning the value of my family now more than ever. We are all very different but wouldn't be the same without each other. I am just thankful that I am able to share that with my kids.
For the past 3 years now we have had my oldest brother, Chris and his growing family over to my mom's for Thanksgiving. I really enjoy having everyone together. It is fun especially since there are kids running around now. Of course we have Havah (2 1/2) and Josiah (17 months) but he has 2 step daughters, Renae (15) and Andie (12) and his son Perrin (2). So we have a lot of fun with everyone. This year a friend of mine let me borrow the game corn hole. I call it bean bag toss. After eating we waddled outside to play. I think the whole family got in on the action and at times we even had extra obstacles of trying not to hit the little ones with the bean bags.
Perrin, Havah, my mom and Renae playing in the leaves
Pile on Granddaddy in the hammock
Josiah didn't like the leaves very much
My brother's and I playing corn hole
The little ones, Perrin, Josiah and Havah
Perrin, Andie, Josiah, Havah and Renae
My youngest brother, Preston is venturing into rock climbing and the "outdoor" sports. So I guess that means you need a hammock. He thought it would be a good idea to set it up outside while everyone played. It turned into a game of how many kids can you fit in the hammock. They loved it though.
Burnon, my middle brother, is very competitive to say the least. I have to admit, I am too but when I am around him it heightens the intensity. We played against each other in corn hole and he KILLED me. If I wasn't pregnant I am sure we would have come up with some crazy alternative game that I would have had to win in order to stop. But since I am with child I thought I should use wisdom and refrain. So I just conceded my loss and acted like it never happen (and secretly blamed Chris because he was my teammate.) haha
My mom and I have made it a tradition to go Black Friday shopping at the Galleria in Birmingham. When we first started this tradition she would make me cut coupons and wake me up at ungodly hours to get good deals. A few years ago the roles reversed and I was the one waking her up. This year, we didn't have any specific needs to shop for nor did we have any desire to wake up before the sun came up. But this year was probably one of my fondest. I think it goes back to not having any obligation. We just casually got up, ate breakfast at a wonderful German cafe, and moseyed on to the mall. We did find some great deals and I got some of my Christmas shopping done but mostly we just enjoyed each other's company. We laughed about how we had to pee every 30 minutes, I gained wisdom from her about the kids and we shared our joys and concerns. It was so nice. I love my mom.
That day ended with me going to urgent care because I had a sinus infection. I hadn't felt well for about a week but I had all I could handle when the right side of my face hurt to touch and my teeth felt like they were about to fall out. So I welcomed the two cheekfulls of pain and felt much better the next morning.
The next day was the Iron Bowl. Around here that is just as important as any other holiday. :) So we went to a friend of the family's house and he cooked BBQ ribs, wings, baked beans, cheese dip and peach cobbler. Yummy! He has 3 grandkids and another on the way so he has an awesome swing set in his backyard that the kids loved. Ended the day with a huge Alabama win of 49-0, two exhausted kids and two parents ready to get back to some normalcy.
Overall it was an awesome Thanksgiving. Maybe I am just getting older but I am learning the value of my family now more than ever. We are all very different but wouldn't be the same without each other. I am just thankful that I am able to share that with my kids.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)