Now is the time!: January 2013

Wow, I really can’t believe it has been almost 6 months since I last blogged! I’m afraid I’ve begun too many of my blog posts with that same statement, so hopefully I will become more regular with my writing in the weeks and months to come. I love looking back and reading through this little online journal of sorts. Life has been busy, but it feels great to be writing again! So, where to begin??

I guess I should start with the biggest news by saying that Bill and I couldn’t be more excited about the upcoming arrival of our little baby boy (or Baby McNugget as we have affectionately called him) due in early June!! We found out back in September that I was expecting, and today I am just over 22 weeks pregnant. Time has flown! I can only hope that the next 4 months will also fly by so that we can meet this precious baby. J I feel so blessed to be carrying this child, and while it’s sometimes difficult to look in the mirror and see a body that is growing and gaining weight by the day, I consider it the greatest blessing to know that it’s all for this child inside of me who is being fearfully and wonderfully made! Thank you Lord!

Specially wrapped gift due June 2013!

Although I am starting to get a little more uncomfortable as I grow, I can say that overall I am feeling great! I have so much more energy than I did the first 14 weeks or so, and that ever present queasy, nauseous feeling that lasted most of the day for the first several weeks has subsided. My cravings during my first trimester usually included baked potatoes, cheeseburgers, popsicles, Jamba Juice smoothies, fried food, Jason’s Deli turkey wraps, and salads with ranch dressing. However, as of now pretty much anything and everything sounds good! I’m afraid I’ve over indulged a bit in recent weeks, so I’m hoping to maintain a bit more of a healthy, balanced diet these next several months. Most of my pre-pregnancy clothes have now become too snug (or way too snug if I’m being honest), so I’m extremely grateful that my mom took me maternity shopping over the weekend. This whole being pregnant thing really begins to feel more official by the day!

Bill and I had a blast on New Year’s day as we celebrated finding out the sex of our baby with family and friends at our gender reveal party. We had gone in for an ultrasound the Friday before New Year’s day, where we had the ultrasound technician write down the gender of the baby and then seal it in an envelope. Neither of us had any idea, nor was I even tempted to look. I was genuinely excited for the surprise! My mom took the envelope to HEB where the lady working looked at the piece of paper and then filled and sealed a big box we had made with either pink or blue balloons for the big reveal. We had the party at Mom and Dad’s house, and as about 50 friends and family looked on, we opened the box in the front yard and were ecstatic when blue balloons flew up and filled the air! The look on Bill’s face was priceless! He really thought it was a girl in the weeks leading up to the reveal (which he was of course excited about), but he was just completely over the moon when he learned it was a boy. I too couldn’t be happier that we are having a boy! This will be the first grandchild on Bill’s side of the family, and it’s the second grandchild but first boy on my side of the family. That day was an absolute blast, and since then, I feel like the planning has officially begun. I’ve registered for my baby shower, and now plans for the nursery are in full swing. I am excited to share pictures in the weeks to come!

Bill and I have talked about how we feel pretty clueless when it comes to parenting (I’ve really only babysat a couple of times in my life), but I guess anyone with children has been in this boat at some point! Luckily, we have 4 parents who have served as superb examples throughout our lives. I think if we are half as good as any of them then we’ll be doing all right. We pray all the time that we can love this child and raise him the way that God’s called us to. We will love him unconditionally, teach him, support him, discipline him (only on a rare occassion I'm sure J), encourage him, and share the love of Jesus with him in hopes that one day he too will make the decision to accept Christ as his Savior. Oh what a glorious day that will be!

I love this child growing inside of me more than words can express, and I look forward to the day that we will meet him face to face! It's amazing to me that the Lord has already met our child face to face and knew everything about him before he was yet to be formed in my womb. Pregnancy is truly a miracle, and as I journey through these months, I am constantly reminded that I could never do this on my own. It is God who works these miracles, and it is only through him that we may experience life and life to the fullest!

"Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you." Jeremiah 1:5

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." Psalm 139:14

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11