Almost a family of four!

"Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him."

Psalm 127:3 NLT 

It is hard to believe we could welcome Adalynn to the world any day now.  I am 37 weeks, 4 days pregnant, and having contractions throughout each day.  She is measuring about 7 pounds.  I am feeling pretty good, although my feet are so swollen I can only wear running shoes at this point!  I just read through my essential oils guide and it suggests adding tangerine oil to water each day for edema, so I am going to try that.  It is hard to find time to put my feet up with my desire to "nest" and care for Zeke and Gregg! 

We recently had maternity photos taken in Adalynn's nursery before we moved the furniture in.  I am so thankful that our wonderful photographer, Summer, is able to capture these moments for us.  Here are some that we selected:

Things have been busy around here as I've tried to prepare for our newest addition and balance all of my OB and perinatal doctors appointments.  My mom has been such an amazing help, and I thank God for her each day. 

As I try to prepare my heart for our baby girl, I am also trying to enjoy the moments I have with just Zeke and me.  He is such a precious little boy and so full of personality.  We have fun laughing and playing each day.  He continues to test his independence, which leads to a lot of bumps and bruises that Mommy could do without!  Each time we are in public, he begins talking to anyone he can (i.e. grocery clerk, doctor's office receptionist, etc.).  I honestly don't know how Gregg and I got such an outgoing child.  Actually I do...it was all God's handy work!  I look forward to seeing Zeke enter into the big brother role.  He is such a great helper to me and loves babies, so I think it's a perfect fit for him!

If you feel led, we would appreciate your prayers for a healthy baby, smooth delivery, and God's perfect timing for her arrival (ours would be in about a week or so!).  Zeke came right at 39 weeks.  Please also pray, most importantly, that she would come to know the Lord at an early age.

Thank you and may God bless you and your families.  I'll leave you with my 37 week pictures!

Celebrating Baby Adalynn

On January 26, 2013, my mom and Jami hosted a ballet themed baby shower for Adalynn and me.  I cannot even explain how blessed I am to have these two ladies in my life.  They both worked so hard to make it a perfect day.  Jami is so creative and made the most adorable things using the colors in Adalynn's nursery (pale pink, white, and grey).  She made a tulle wreath, pom poms (in the nursery colors), a tutu for the table (literally), an "A" for Adalynn's wall, "A" water bottles, and a framed description of the meaning of Adalynn's name (among other little touches!). 

 

The table display was so lovely with my my mom's grandmother's china, little diaper carriage (made by Jami), yummy food, and other little touches. 

The guests brought books for Adalynn's nursery too.  My mom gave me two of my favorite childhood books that she had been saving.  It was fun to see what books each lady chose to add to the collection.  Zeke even got a book from Judy Rhyne!

In addition to all of that, I was humbled by the generous gifts we received.  Here are a few pictures of some of the wonderful things:

Adorable shoes from Samantha and Susan!

Animal print jacket from the "Beach Babes" (my mom's Bible Study Fellowship friends)

Tummy time mat

Sweet onesie outfit from Lindsay Williams

Precious bubble from Mom

"How Great to be a Child of God!"

Homemade blanket from Lis Klemis

Personalized lovey from Kim McNaron

Sweet ballet pajamas from the Babes!

Pink Adalynn lovey to match big brother Zeke's!

To complete the fun day, we played a game where you match candy to words related to labor and delivery.  For example:

11 pound babies = Whoppers
Contractions = Now and Later
Epidural = Life Saver
Hospital Bill = 100 Grand
Dad during delivery = Bonkers

Here are the ladies deep in thought...

I didn't get a picture of everyone who was there, but here are a few with friends and family:

Some of the "Beach Babes" and me

My friend Katie who is also having a baby girl not too long after me!

Lindsay and me

Cara with baby Harper

My friend Julie's daughter, Alice, enjoying a cupcake with Sophia!

Since the shower, my mom and I have been working on Adalynn's nursery.  I'll post pictures once it is completed.  Zeke has been busy playing and entertaining us with his sense of humor and zest for life.  He is now 39 1/2 inches tall and 38 1/2 pounds.  It' is hard to believe how quickly he is growing.  We also took maternity photos recently, so I will post those when I get them too.  God bless!

Zeke playing with his buddy, Carlitos, while Carlos and Gregg carry furniture up to Adalynn's room!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Zeke!!!

Can you believe it?  Our little man is 3 years old!  We have been telling him he is turning 3 on January 19th, so if you ask him how old he is, he'll say, "January 19, I gonna be tree." 

Earlier this week he received a fun birthday card from GeeGee that turned into a fire hat and a word puzzle activity from our dear friend, Thalia.  He has already mastered the puzzles and he is having so much fun (as you'll see below).

We planned to celebrate this year by going to the Georgia Aquarium with his cousins, but Georgia was supposed to have icy roads that day.  We rescheduled for later in January.  I'll be sure to post pictures when we finally go.

Then, we planned to have a small birthday dinner with Wynna and Papa on his actual birthday, but Gregg had to leave town for work, so we had to reschedule that too. 

So...we ended up having a fun day together (just Zeke and Mommy).  I put his Happy Birthday sign up the morning of his special day, then we went to the gym.  He LOVES to play with the kids in the Kids Club at LA Fitness.  I let him pick out a Happy Birthday balloon too, which we all know he loves.  We played together at home and he napped as usual.  I decided to take him on a Mommy/son date to Chipotle for dinner.  We waited in line for over 30 minutes, but it was yummy and worth it. 

Loving his sign!

Eating his "taco meat" at Chipotle!

He had fun and I enjoyed the day with my sweet boy.  It was kind of bittersweet because it will be his last birthday as our only child.  I am so thankful for the blessing that Zeke is to us.  God has given him such a sweet and fun personality.  He has been blessed with a smart mind and funny sense of humor.  He brings joy to Gregg and me each day!

Adalynn update:

I didn't post my 32 week picture when I took it, so here it is...

I am actually 34 weeks now and nesting like crazy!  I've been cleaning out everything I can and working on the nursery.  We started late on the nursery, so there is still a lot to do, but I am having fun shopping for little special touches on www.etsy.com.  We were able to put her name on the wall, and I am so pleased with it.  We are using pale pink, white, and grey with touches of ballet in her room. 

Wrapping up December...and some things God is teaching me!

As I mentioned in the Christmas post, I ended up with the flu on Christmas.  Jared had it before Christmas, Sophia and Harper had ear infections, and my mom had a cold.  Thankfully, my amazing Grandma, was able to stay healthy through it all! 

We had the chance to enjoy a nice brunch after church the Sunday following Christmas.  Gregg had to go back to our house since he had to work Monday, but he was able to be there and say good-bye to Grandma.  We took another opportunity to take a picture of the kids together too!

In light of all of the sicknesses, I have been seeking God, trying to figure out what He wants me to learn from this time.  Dena shared this amazing blog post that helped me put things into perspective.

My dear sisters in Christ and accountability partners and I had been learning the same message at the same time, which is always neat.  We each had been dealing with pride.  For us, it came in the area of health.  I felt like I took such care to feed my family whole, natural foods and research the best ways to keep us healthy.  Then, we were hit by one sickness after the other.  It didn't make since until I realized I was putting more of my focus on the foods and remedies than I was on my relationship with Christ and His plan for my family.

I am going to paste the text from the blog post I mentioned.  You can read more of her series on health at www.homejoys.blogspot.com.  I don't know the author, but I certainly relate to the things God is teaching her.  It is a short read, but very powerful...enjoy!

Love versus Pride

I noticed a disturbing result of my health research: pride. 

“Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.” (1 Corinthians 8:1) 

My health research affected how I looked at myself and others. When I served my children homemade yogurt and whole-grain sourdough bread for breakfast, I began to look down on the mother who feeds her children sugar-laden breakfast cereal. At the grocery store, I looked with disdain at the shopping cart loaded with processed food.

The Lord wants my heart to overflow with love, not facts on the danger of high fructose corn syrup. He wants me to share the joy of the Lord with my fellow shoppers at the grocery store, not criticize their food choices. While I may choose to eat or not eat certain foods, I need to remember that those are preferences—not convictions.

If the Lord calls me to serve Him in a place where my preferred foods are not available, will I refuse to go? Jesus told his disciples, “And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you.” (Luke 10:8) If I can't eat raw milk, real butter, and freshly-ground whole wheat flour, will it really matter in eternity? But it will matter if my heart is lifted up in pride and I refuse to demonstrate love. “Charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up.” (1 Corinthians 13:4) 

When I am a guest, I can cheerfully eat the food served to me even if it isn't what I typically eat. (Of course, there are exceptions for true dietary needs or allergies—I'm speaking here of preferences, not needs.)

Love will also keep me from looking with contempt at those whom I consider radical in their diet. Somehow I think I have found a good balance, and anyone more or less strict than I am is incorrect. When I roll my eyes at a friend's diet preference, I should remember that others may think my kefir culturing in a jar on my counter is equally bizarre. 

Love will seek to understand another's dietary preferences or needs. It means not being offended when my diabetic friend chooses not to eat some food I have lovingly prepared. It means not forcing my guests to eat sourdough pizza when I know they are not accustomed to such food. 

Love goes both ways—to the one whose diet I consider strict or lenient. “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” (John 13:35)