Crazy Blessed

Life is crazy right now with a one month old - ONE MONTH...one month...she can't be one month old already, she was just born. She's growing too fast already. Each day just flies by so quickly. I'm trying with all my might to hold on, to slow down, to memorize each little moment with her. To remember each little smile, each silly face, everything that she likes and dislikes right now. For tomorrow it will likely change. I'll look up and she will be 5.

Our days are a little disheveled. Or maybe that's just me. Yesterday a friend came by to visit, and even though I knew she was on her way, I couldn't manage to get dressed and put on makeup before she got here. My house was messy. The dogs were dirty. But I had spent the morning rocking my baby while she had a tummy ache. And suddenly I knew what it meant to be a mom. I can't put it into words, I just know that those things suddenly became far less important. My needs...well, they pale in comparison to hers. Taking care of her is my favorite thing. Even when she's fussy and won't sleep.

I always thought that waking up in the middle of the night would be so difficult. Well, I won't lie, it is hard, and I'm tired. It's hard until I walk over to her crib and see her looking up at me with those big beautiful eyes. And then I melt. And then I get to spend an hour feeding her and rocking her until those little eyes get so heavy that they finally close. I try to remember to cherish these quiet moments in the rocking chair while the rest of the world sleeps...

Motherhood is crazy, I've decided. It's the biggest blessing I've ever experienced. But it seems unfair that the days have to fly by so fast. In just a few short weeks I will be expected to return to work. I just don't know how. How will I leave her for a whole day. A 12 hour shift without my love?? I'm pretty sure she will miss me. Will she understand??

I thought I'd share Ella's newborn pictures, for anyone that has not seen them yet. Excuse the big C in the photos.

Make a Smilebox photobook

And while I'm at it, I don't think there is a better song to express how I feel right now...it takes a minute to load on the mp3 player at the bottom of the screen - but soooo worth the wait!
(and you might want to mute the sound on the slide show so you can hear the song)

"Me" - by Plumb

I haven't had
A chance to sleep
And when I wake
I wake with your dreams
I guess my pillow
Holds some kind of key
To your peace
Your peace

Me
I wouldn't trade your love for all the candy
In this great big world
Me
I feel so crazy blessed and oh so lucky
To be the place you go
When you need to feel safe
When you need a kiss
It's me

I haven't showered
And I tried to eat
But all your tears
Oh they needed me
I need some time, some time to think
But when I hear you
And what you need is...

Me
I wouldn't trade your love for all the candy
In this great big world
Me
I feel so crazy blessed and oh so lucky
To be the place you go
When you need to feel safe
When you need a kiss
It's me

I wash your face
To make room for
All the kisses
Of tomorrow
And every day
That I get to
Be here with you
Is sweet

Me
I wouldn't trade your love for all the candy
In this great big world
Me
I feel so crazy blessed and oh so lucky
To be the place you go
When you need to feel safe
When you need a kiss
It's me

Oh don't be afraid
Cause you'll have is....
Me

This song could not be more true. I've lost count of the times Ella has fallen asleep long enough for me to finally make myself something for lunch, and then I hear her cry. Lunch can wait. It usually does...

Baby Update

So here we are - only three weeks away from our due date of November 15th...words cannot express how READY I am. Notice I said, "ready" not "prepared." Are you ever REALLY prepared? I keep telling myself that no one ever feels prepared. If any of you moms out there did, don't tell me, it might burst my bubble. The nursery may be ready, the diapers and wipes all sitting in their little basket, her clothes and blankets washed and hanging up, but does any of that really make you "prepared" for the life change that is upon you? We went to a newborn care class last night in the medical center. To be honest, there was some good advice, a lot more of it was kind of common sense. BUT at least it made me feel better to go.

37 weeks:

And Nolan thought it might be about time to update his belly pic ;-)

So I'm now on my 37th week and going to the doctor on a weekly basis. This past Monday was my second week to do that. The first visit I showed no signs of being anywhere near labor. However, yesterday, I got both good and not so good news. The not so good news is that apparently my Dr does not "like" to induce first time mommies. She says its best to go into labor on your own...says the person who is NOT pregnant and uncomfortable (don't worry I know that the dr does know best, I'm just antsy). So...she says we wont discuss induction until 41 weeks. That's a month from now!

And the good news...we hopefully won't even have to have that discussion because Ella has already "dropped" and is at the something (??) station (I forget the technical jargon - oops) and appears ready to go. And there were some other things that indicate labor may be near but I will spare you the details. Long story short - I will likely have her BEFORE my due date - per my doctor's prediction. I have to keep reminding myself that she will come at the PERFECT time - the day God ordained as her birthday. I'm just anxious wondering when that will be. My sweet mom shared a quote with me on the phone that was so awesome:

"Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy,
I'd have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle."

(If I had my life to live over, by Erma Bombeck)

So, I'm praying that over these next few weeks that I would have that same attitude. That I would cherish every moment, each kick, each little movement, each hiccup...because pretty soon I will blink and she will be all grown up.


In the meantime, here are some pics of Ella's room. Huge thanks to all of the people who've helped us get it together! My mom, Megan, and Talli worked sooo hard putting that second coat of paint on the walls after Nolan and I did the first one.

I made these!! Thank you to my sweet mom for so patiently helping me hang them and for making such pretty bows :)

And thanks to Nolan's parents for hanging the shelf and frame on the wall...AND to Ella's Aunt Megan for hauling that frame around Canton ;-)

The Raggedy Ann my mom made for me when I was a little girl. And just a FEW cute little hats just waiting for someone cute to wear them!

Gotta love www.etsy.com

Lotsa cute lil' clothes waiting to be worn. Thanks Aunt Peggy for helping me hang them all!!

Happy Birthday (belated of course)

So as always, I'm a little late in doing this, but HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my love, my best friend!

I'm honored to call him my husband...

and thrilled to see him as Ella's daddy - in just a couple of weeks (or less???)



Some of my favorite things about this man:

• His heart...it's truly amazing. He loves the Lord and puts Him first.

• The way that he loves me - unconditionally. He lives out God's love to me on a daily basis.

• His kindness and generosity towards others...he would do anything for anyone.

• His encouraging words - especially these past 8 months. He tells me "you're face is NOT fat" - gotta love him because, yes honey, it is. He tells me I'm going to be a good mom when I start freaking out. He talks to Ella and tells her to take it easy on momma pretty soon, let's hope she listens :-)
  

• He's an awesome friend, not only to me, but to all of his friends. I admire the way he is so intentional about keeping in touch with all of his friends, even if its just a text here and there. He makes an effort.
  

• His desire to provide for his family - he is such a hard worker and does so with integrity. He takes such good care of me on a daily basis, not to mention going above and beyond during my pregnancy! I'm sure he's lost count of how many kitchen runs he's made ;-)

• He has always been able to make me laugh - from day one. Whether it was sporting the goggles in chem lab when I first met him, or being goofy around the house...his sense of humor has never left. I love it, and would be bored silly without it.
  

• He's passionate about the things that he loves - football comes to mind quickly ;-) But its so much more than that. He is passionate about the people he loves and doesn't hesitate to show that.

• He's going to be one amazing father. I know this simply because I know him. While being a Dad will be new to him, and diapers may get put on backwards, I can't wait to watch him love our little girl. That's the part that matters. She will be the luckiest little girl ever. I've just been praying she gets all of these very same qualities that her Daddy has.

So, Happy belated Birthday, Nolan.
I'm blessed to have loved you and been loved by you for the past 7 years.
Wow how time flies.
You're the best part of my day and I love and respect you with all of my heart!

Showering baby Ella!

I've just had the most wonderful weekend!

I've decided there are few things better than sweet little baby clothes, and boy does Ella have enough of them now :)

Some pretty amazing women put together one beautiful baby shower for Ella and I on Sunday at the church where I grew up. It was perfect! Huge thanks to all of the women who helped, but most of all, to my big sister - Aunt Laura. Sister, you are amazing! I know you put so much hard work into making this day special for me and it truly meant the world to me. I have been excited for this shower since I knew I was pregnant! And you did an awesome job! The decorations (all pink and brown) were adorable, the cake was so cute and DELICIOUS! Again, it was perfect and I am so BLESSED and so grateful.

Here are some pictures from the big party. And special thanks to Houston Folmar for being such a great photographer! I was very entertained looking through all of the pictures monday morning while waiting for my dr's appointment - you did a great job!

My sweet sister, Laura, cutting Ella's beautiful cake



My other sweet sister, Megan, being the "gift girl" / "trash girl" ;-)



Some of the beautiful ladies that attended :)



Miss Lily Ann smiling so pretty



Anna Kate Asby really enjoyed her cake!



Miss Lily was the best little helper - I think she might need to help Ella open Christmas presents too!!



"Wet Happens" - One of Cousin Talli's cute gifts to Ella



My beautiful Mom "Grammie" and long-time friend Janet Hecker oohing and awwing at something cute



Aunt Kathy had the magic touch with Anna Kate - 30 minutes later and she was fast asleep



Cute jammies from Anna Kate :)



The softest little newborn outfit



Sweet ruffles from Aunt Kathy



THE cutest diaper bag from the Gardners



My amazing Mom gave me my baby book from when I was born. The amazing thing is how well she kept up with it! I hope I'm that diligent!!



My sweet Mom also gave me a dress that my granny had made for me 27 years ago! Wow -it looked brand new! So awesome :)



A basket full of very fun goodies from Aunt Ann!



Excited to see some good friends - Lora Tyra...



...and Karla Clemons - thank you so much ladies for coming!!



Beautiful flowers from my sister Laura that sadly couldn't fit into my too full car



Again, this was the most fun shower! I was so excited to take it all home and show it to Nolan. He reopened every present and loved them all as well. Thank you SO MUCH to everyone. We truly appreciate the kindness and generosity of all of our family and friends. Ella is one BLESSED little girl already, and she's not even here yet! I can't wait to see her in all of these cute outfits :-)

Waaaay behind

So it's official - I'm a blog slacker! Soooo much has been going on - I promise I have had the best of intentions to update the blog...but you see where that has gotten me.

So here's a quick run down (probably all out of order):

-I've officially ballooned! The belly is out in full force (pics to come soon!)

-We've started going to the doctor every 2 weeks now and have a sonogram (FINALLY!) this next week, the 16th I believe

-I survived an all day trip to Canton - I think I surprised the girls!

-Work has officially gotten busy again and man are my feet and back NOT HAPPY about it. Had to abandoned the cute shoes and take up the crocs!

Flu season must've started early this year - for those of you who know or have witnessed my awesome fainting skills - did you know that I GIVE the flu shots at work?? Scary huh ;-) All joking aside, GOD IS GOOD because He has given me strength to do something that completely freaked me out to begin with. AND my customers say I'm pretty good at it :)

Speaking of work, I had my FIRST baby shower Friday Sept. 11th. It was fun stuff - pics to come as well!

-Ella's room is getting closer to being done, thanks to some hard working ladies and one awesome daddy!

-I've been blessed to have some very special girl time this summer - with mom and my sisters, my sweet cousin Talli, my old roomies from the college station days (Renae and Kristy).

-Nolan's family from Germany was here to visit for 2 weeks and we were able to spend a lot of time with them. PS please keep praying for this amazing, sweet family!!

-My AMAZING mother-in-law sewed the most beautiful curtains/drapes for our living room and wow did she do an awesome job!

-We got to travel to St. Louis for a wedding and stay in an incredible home / resort!

Ok that's all I can think of, more scattered thoughts later :)

Movin' on up...in pants sizes :)

So you don't have to look real close, turn your head sideways, and squint one eye to see that I'm pregnant now! yaaaaay! I've never been so excited to get big! I remember telling Nolan early on that I couldn't wait to start showing and he just didn't get it. I told him I just needed some outward evidence of this pregnancy besides all the yucky throwing up and constant nausea, not to mention the hourly trips to the fridge/pantry. So...now that the yuckies are gone (mostly), baby Ella has decided to show herself. Then again, maybe she just liked London because that's when she really made herself known :)

Here we are in our hotel in London. It was then I realized, whoa I better get a pic because it's officially begun! This would've been around 16 weeks:




And...here we are now at around 19 weeks. Laura made a good suggestion to keep taking pics in the same outfit so we can really see the growth...we'll see how long this dress can hold up!



At our last dr's appointment, the nurse had me step on the scale, she tells me my weight and I was like "whoooaaa!" She looked at me with this disgusted look and I quickly replied "No, no, I'm not complaining, really! Just suprised at the jump." Guess my nightly PB sandwich and milk are doin' the trick :)

But, according to Laura, I'm in denial because I haven't given in to the maternity pants yet ;-) We were having fun shopping in Gap together and she looks at me like a crazy lady when I grab my regular size in some shorts to try on. I was like - what? they ride low, below the belly! She laughs, shakes her head, and by the end of the weekend, she and mom so kindly led me into a Gap maternity store. By the time I made my way to the back of the store, my sweet sister had an armful of clothes for me to try on...hint hint. I haven't been able to bring myself to buy the huge pants yet, but I did get some other fun stuff courtesy of my sweet mom. And I'm sure by the next month, I'll be waiting in line to buy the very large pants!

Please Pray

So I've been wanting to blog about this for awhile now but haven't - mainly because it is such a huge issue and I'm afraid I won't do it justice. But rather than ignoring the issue, I think we can all do our part to raise awareness of what is going on in Iran. So forgive me if I left out important facts/details, and know that my desire is simply to spread the word and encourage.


Growing up in America, I must admit I know very little about most other countries. Sadly, like most Americans, what I've known about Iran is limited to what I've seen on the news, which admittedly is never very positive. If I were not married to an Iranian man, it would stop there. Thankfully, through he and his amazing family and friends, I have learned that Iran is so much more than what I knew. In fact, the depiction that we have here in America is so inaccurate. If you had asked me 8 years ago what Iran is like, I probably would say...desert, Muslim, terrorism, violence, oppression...I'm ashamed to say that, but it's solely because of my ignorance. I knew only what I saw on TV. Having been blessed like crazy by my amazing husband and his sweet family, I now know so much more...(and have plenty more to learn!!)

I know that Iran is a country just like any other, yet unique in it's own ways. It is a very beautiful place with a vast terrain. It has a culture and a history that is so rich and dates all the way back to biblical times with King Cyrus the Great, and before.

Please watch this video - it's awesome and depicts more of Iran than CNN can show

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=126629081448&ref=mf

(I couldn't save it to my computer to upload it here, so it has to be viewed through facebook. If anyone knows how I can embed this please let me know.)

It is a country that embodies my husband's heritage, and now, my daughter's as well. It is a place that one day, God willing, we can take our Ella to, and show her that, as much as America is her home, so is Iran. She will be a lucky girl...what a rich and diverse background she will have. How much more educated about the world she will be, so much more than her momma was - I'm so excited for her!

It is full of people that are just like you and I. But people who, right now, are desiring freedom and change so badly that they are willing to risk their lives for it. Something that, I admit, is hard for me to fathom. Would I do the same? If my government were oppressing and threatening me, would I have their bravery and courage? Would I be willing to stand up for freedom at all cost? Would you?

As I said before, my goal in this post was not to give all of the facts, because inevitably, I would leave so many out. I just wanted to remind everyone of our duty - to pray... relentlessly, without ceasing, and with great faith. God promises us that:

"Where two or more are gathered in My name, there I will be also."
Matthew 18:20.

"If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain,
'Move from here to there' and it will move.
Nothing will be impossible for you."
Matthew 17:20

Scripture regarding oppression:

"Because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy,

I will now arise," says the LORD.

"I will protect them from those who malign them."

-Psalm 12:5

"But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread;

so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites"

Exodus 1:12

"Seek justice, encourage the oppressed.

Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow"

Isaiah 1:17

“I will deal with all who oppressed you;

I will rescue the lame and gather those who have been scattered.

I will give them praise and honor in every land where they were put to shame.”

Zephaniah 3:19

I think that scripture makes it very clear that oppression is not pleasing to God, therefore, as Christians, we must pray diligently for this to end.

"The servants of the Most High, who would have Him honored

and His cause promoted by the extinction of 'oppression,'

must cry unto Him day and night, — must give Him no rest,

till He come and deliver the oppressed."

THINGS TO PRAY SPECIFICALLY FOR:
1. Removal of the oppressive Islamic regime
2. Safety of the people of Iran, those who live there and those traveling to/from there
3. Families in Iran who have lost loved ones
4. Iranians here, who are heartbroken watching their beloved die, who feel helpless beyond
imagine.
5. Awareness around the world of the brutality going on there
6. Radical change of heart of those behind all the violence
7. Intervention as appropriate

Just know this:
Our God is BIG...there is nothing He cannot do. To limit our prayers to small requests is simply a lack of faith. Pray big! Pray for a revolution in Iran. Pray for equality for men and women. Pray for freedom of religion...that people there might know Jesus and be able to worship in freedom without fear. Pray that Iran would be the country that it has the potential to be, that it used to be. Pray for people's image of Iran to be changed...that they would realize that the violence and corruptness seen in the government there is not representative of all of the people that live there. Pray that God would bring change, and truth. But most of all, whatever you pray for, pray hard, pray fervently, pray without ceasing, and pray IN FAITH, knowing that God hears. It's the least we can do, and yet, it's the most we can do.

"The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble."
-Psalm 9:9

IT'S A GIRL!!!!!

So the long awaited doctor's visit finally arrived...I think I hardly slept the night before! I must have fallen asleep at some point, though, because I had a dream that I had the baby and it was a girl :)

Thursday morning we woke up early and headed to the doctor's office in the woodlands - with a brief stop at Shipley's first (can't do without those chocolate donuts). Our appointment was at 9:30 with my doctor and then we were supposed to go to an office up the street for the "anatomy ultrasound" as they called it. By about 10:15 we had yet to be called in and Nolan and I were very antsy, to say the least. The last thing we wanted was to miss the ultrasound!! Luckily I was next on the list and in we went. To be honest, I hardly even remember what went on at that appt, all I could think about was finding out. I do know that we were getting worried we would be late so the nurse ushered us out and told us to come back after the ultrasound to finish up (they were crazy busy in the office that morning). So we headed out, soooo very excited!!!

The second office got us in pretty much on time. We were led into the exam room and before I knew it, I was covered in ultrasound goo. The minute the tech put the little "wand/stick" over my belly, he quickly said "do you know what it is?" We quickly said "no, what????"



Immediately he replied "It's a girl." I squealed "I knew it!!!" and looked at Nolan - he was grinning from ear to ear. I don't think I stopped smiling for the entire day :)

For the next 20 minutes or so, the tech was just checking various things on our lil' girls body, her heart, lungs, etc. The funniest thing was that she was indeed being very shy, or as Nolan said "she's just being a lil' turkey." Every time the tech would try to look at something she would flip over. It was too cute. The doctor came in soon and did her own scans of everything. We got some pictures, but in most of them, she had her little hands over her face like she did not want to be bothered.

Here are some pics of our sweet girl:

Apparently she likes having her picture taken about as much as her mommy did when she was little!

I guess she's determined to make us wait until later to see her little face, that or she was having a really good nap and didn't want to be disturbed.

And...we finally got one

At one point the doctor finally caught her face and said "aww who's cute lil' nose does she have?" Nolan laughed and said "Not mine!" The doctor said "what?" and turned to look at Nolan and goes "oh I see what you mean." We were laughing so hard!!

It was the best day, we were so excited to see our baby girl and can't wait to finally meet her!! In the mean time, I'm already having fun looking around at sweet girly stuff, trying to decide how to decorate her room, etc etc. Thanks to Grammie and Aunt Laura, our lil' girl is already off to a good start at being a VERY well dressed girl:



These next few months are going to be so fun! The best part is, I finally feel good again, so that definitely helps. AND I don't have to eat every 2 hours, so that's exciting!! :)