My cup overflows!

Wow…what a week. So many things to celebrate! We had a house full of family. All of our Florida fam came to visit and celebrate a very special birthday.  My great grandmother Frances turned 104 years old! No I’m not kidding 104…really! She’s an amazing lady that has certainly influenced my life in many ways over the years but most of all spiritually. In addition to quality time with the family and a rockin party with Gram we also hit some pregnancy milestones.

If you remember from my prior blog entries the last week of Sept has been a one of mixed emotions over the past couple of years. It was around that time that we had miscarried our previous two pregnancies. Needless to say, when we found out we were scheduled for our level 2 ultrasound on Sept 26^th some deep breaths were in order. Leading up to the appointment the adversary tried everything to put fear into our hearts. A week or so before the appointment Chad and I attended church service where we experienced a very emotional testimony.  An amazing couple had shared their story of getting pregnant only to find out that their baby had severe complications and would likely only live minutes or hours after birth. This couple chose to go forward with their pregnancy and had less than an hour with their baby before the Lord called their child to His kingdom in heaven. The strength, faith in the Lord and hope for the future this couple displayed was beyond inspiring. On the drive home from church Chad said that he kind of wished we would have skipped service that week (I must admit the thought had crossed my mind as well). Until that testimony, he said he wasn’t really fearful of our upcoming appointment but now he was feeling a little anxious.  He asked how I felt. I told him that despite the inspirational message, it was difficult to hear but reminded me that our past experiences (as heartbreaking as they were) could have been even harder. We went on with our evening and continued to have very open discussions about each other’s concerns. We agreed that we needed to speak words of hope and faith leaving no room for fear in our hearts. And the upcoming ultrasound was a test of our faith and the timing was our opportunity to put the heartbreak behind us and celebrate the hope in our future! We decided that no matter what happened from that day forward God would get us through it. As we chatted, our fears diminished and our vulnerability with one another brought an amazing new element to our relationship. (As silly as it might sound up until this point we hadn’t really talked about our concerns even though we both knew they existed. I think we were just trying to be strong for each other).  By the end of the night it was totally obvious that we were meant to hear that message at church and God used it to encourage us to talk to one another and rely on HIM instead of ourselves. 

We went to our appointment and it was the most peaceful, stress free, and exciting part of our pregnancy so far! I swear it was like we could feel the Holy Spirit surrounding us (and yes I know that might make me sound nutty but I really don’t care). We got an amazing report. Baby and I are measuring great/healthy and we got to see our little miracle moving around in 3D! Praise God! Also I have to share…at church this week that same couple that gave the testimony a few weeks ago… is pregnant again! God is so good!

Psalm 23: 5-6 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Stuff, stuff and more stuff

21 weeks! We’re over the halfway mark and we’re beyond excited! We got the genetic screen results back and praise God, they’re all negative! It’s starting to become more real. Chad and I looked at each other the other day and said “Wow, we’re actually having a baby!”. As if it were the first time we’d been privy to the amazing news. I’m sure that sounds crazy to most “normal” people, since that generally is recognized the first moment a couple finds out their pregnant. But for us (not so normal folks) well let’s just say it’s taken a while to sink in. We of course were thrilled from the beginning but I must admit that we have guarded our hearts and still do to some degree. That’s just our human nature I suppose. But the more we allow ourselves to let our guard down (and trust God) the more fun things become. We’ve started purchasing adorable things for the nursery and looking at things that we’ll need for our miracle. We’ve quickly discovered a couple things…

1.       Selecting a color or theme for a nursery is much more difficult than one would expect. (Especially a general neutral nursery…yes we’re still holding strong at this point and haven’t found out the sex.) Admittedly, I’m a slight Pintrest addict which seems to only be adding to the confusion. Chad has officially refused to look at any more “inspirational nursery” images. I suppose a man can only take so much. J

2.       We really have no idea what the heck we need for a baby. There are so many gadgets out there that it’s hard to know what is a “need to have” vs. a “nice to have”, oh and we can’t forget the “who in the world really needs that thing” category. So me being the planner and organizer that I am sought out some expert advice. Where did I turn for assistance? Google of course…yep I searched “checklists for a new baby” and at least got a outline of the basics. However moms feel free to share you're motherly wisdom. We're certainly all ears!

3.       MOST IMPORTANT DISCOVERY…The “stuff” doesn’t really matter at all. We know that part of the reason for Chad and I’s journey over the past several years has been to teach us what is truly important in life…God and then our family/friends (in that order).

It’s so easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of excitement that comes with a new baby. Planning the nursery, picking out new things, organizing the shower but at the end of the day we can’t lose sight of what’s really the priority. Now don’t get me wrong I’m all about fun and there is plenty to celebrate but we can’t forget who provides the life we’re so eagerly awaiting for thisJanuary. The possessions we buy will eventually fade away (or end up in a garage sale) and all that’s left will be God and our family/friends. Those are so much more important than any fancy crib bedding, Britex travel system or expensive pair of maternity jeans (which I can’t bring myself to buy even though they’re so comfortable..ugh!). All that being said I will have to refer back to this blog entry to remind myself of this point countless times going forward but it’s summed up best in Matthew.

Matthew 6:19-21

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.