Celebrating Baby Boy!

So over the last weekend of October I was able to fly back to Indiana for two showers with our friends and family. It was amazing. Seriously. Amazing.

One of the best parts was being greeted by these two baby girls! Oh how I love them.

Basically, we have friends and family that we adore...and being able to go home and celebrate the little one together was priceless to me.

Not to mention..while I was home I was able to see so many people! It was the perfect weekend to be home. It rocked. That's all there is to it!

These three stopped in Lafayette on their way to Olivet's homecoming..I haven't seen any of them since Britt and Chad's wedding..two years ago...and now they have a one year old. Crazy.


We had a semi-cousins lunch. We were the only four kiddos but it's always fun!

So Saturday..the lovely ladies of our family hosted a shower. Then Sunday we also had a shower with the ladies from our church, Marilyn, a family friend as long as I've been alive hosted it.

I'm going to do a picture dump because I think that's more fun than words! :) Especially since I love pictures that include anything baby!

The computer is running a little crazy...so we'll put the Sunday shower first..






And then the Saturday pictures...

With the grandma's and great grandma's.
Oh how I love family!


With all my little helpers..all the little ones helped me open the gifts. A little chaotic but so awesome!
Thanks Rose!
Monogrammed goodness for the little man!
With sweet Kelsey.
We're pregnant at the same time...now that's pretty stinking cool. We're so excited for their baby girl on the way!
Em helping me with the perfect cakes! They were so stinking delicious!




HAHA...Anna was not happy with us at the time..so she would rotate like 45 degrees each time we took a picture. I loved it.
So excited for her Tigger costume and Pop's boots!
We took the girls to the mall for Trick or Treat. They were ADORABLE!
One final picture for you Mom! We went out this weekend to buy find baby furniture. Unfortunately no go there...but we did finally find dining chairs! The modern chairs were Brad's idea which I was totally against...but then we found these which I am in love with! They're totally different than our normal style and I think that's pretty cool! Good job
Brad! Now if only I can find that baby furniture!


Thanksgiving is this week!! I LOVE THE HOLIDAYS! Happy Thanksgiving!

A more cheerful post..

So! Update: The company took care of the short term disability thing...and we will be able to qualify! (This is huge because otherwise I would have gone back to work only 4 weeks after baby boy entered the world.) We received the email yesterday and I literally broke down in tears at work. Embarrassing. But true.

Also...I'm thankful for an awesome husband. Today he let me sleep in and then agreed to help me get the house in order so we can leave next week and I won't be overwhelmed! Then we get to go shopping for some long sleeved clothes for me, and for furniture for the nursery! We haven't had a Saturday off together with no plans in over a month. So glad to get to spend the day together!

That's it. I won't be spending any more of this day on the computer because we have so many fun things to do! I love Saturdays in the fall! LOVE IT! Hope you have a great week!

Learning to trust.

So. As the pregnancy has progressed life has been more and more fun...but along with it have come a few stressful moments. I'm learning to trust in the Lord, and in His provision. I have gently been reminded by Him that He is in control of my life...He is my salvation, He will provide, He cares for me. I have to keep reminding myself of these things daily.

Side note: I totally just typed out the entire situation to explain what's happening...but that's not the point here...and basically it's just me stating the craziness for my own benefit. So here's a summary.

Our hospital was purchased. MANY things changed. We didn't know what those changes would be but we found out this week...and well...they're going to take awhile to adjust to. Most of the big changes are going to have financial impact on us...in a larger way than expected. And to be honest...I'm stressed.

HOWEVER. This week has been such an amazing testimony of the God that we serve. After the message at church on Sunday Brad and I had an awesome talk..about what we're struggling with in sin and why.

I'm struggling with not trusting God to provide. It's shameful. HE has ALWAYS provided. It's hard to say provide too...because it's not about money..I know and believe he has blessed us immensely. We make plenty. We have wanted for nothing. It's that I guess I always felt that I was assisting. Which is just laughable because all we have is HIS and because of HIM. But really, when Brad was unemployed..I never worried...and now I think it wasn't maybe so much that was I trusting in the Lord's provision but in my own security in work and ability to help us. I'll tell you...it's a little convicting.

So now..we're having this precious baby boy come February, and because of my job our situation has seriously changed. Now...I say this...but it's not like it's that bad...and I realize that. And any one thing of the many would not be a big deal...it's kinda just that it all happens at once you know? So I have been seriously struggling with what do we do? How can we best be frugal and wise..and yet trusting in the Lord to provide? And basically I have had to give up my control. Our God is SO much bigger than anything that we have going on down here.

So in our missional community we have been doing a study called Gospel Transformation, and this week was a week on living in light of the cross. It spoke about how if we are not viewing our lives through the gospel...then we miss so much about what God has done for us, and about the true condition of our hearts. So basically...if I'm not looking through the lens of the gospel and of all the Lord has done and is doing through Jesus...then I have tunnel vision. I may only see one aspect of the gospel instead of the amazing greatness of it. I may totally miss the condition of my heart. Such as how I am not trusting in the goodness of the Lord.

So anyways. I'm learning. I'm learning that even though much of this is out of my hands...this precious baby boy is coming in February either way. We are going to love and adore him in ways I know we can't even imagine. Our God knew his name before he was even in me. This baby boy that I already love so very much...that love we have for him doesn't even come CLOSE to the love Christ has for us.

GOD sent his ONLY son to die..in the most horrible way imaginable...so that WE could have a relationship and unity with Him. He used the cross which was a symbol of death..to become a symbol of amazing life for us.

How is it even remotely possible that I am worried over insurance, maternity leave, and paid time off when I have a God who has promised He is faithful and he will NEVER leave or forsake us? I mean..it's crazy right? So I'm learning. I write all this out...basically for accountability..because it's so tempting to complain, worry, and fear. Which I'll tell you gets you nowhere. All will be fine. Those small details will work out. I have a job that I absolutely love. We have the ability to get benefits..and we have the ability to allow me to work part time. We have a God who is good...all the time.

YAY!!

The crib's here!! YAY!! It officially arrived about 10 minutes ago. I already opened the box..but that's it! I can't put it together..because there is a serious chance I might mess it up and really I think it's more fun if Brad does it! Something sweet about daddy putting the crib together!

(Also...not much point to putting it together yet..as we don't quite have a nursery ready or waiting yet.)

However...it's here!

The FedEx guy totally dropped it on the porch and tried to leave it. Kid you not..he knocked and I literally RAN to the door because I knew it was the crib...and he was already at the truck. Then he saw me staring pathetically at it and offered to come help me move it in. I'll take the sympathy move..because I would have been seriously disappointed if I had to leave it on the porch and that thing is HEAVY!

Anyways..I'm pumped! Pictures will come..you know..at some point..with all those others I've promised..and when we actually have a nursery to post pictures of. Someday. Before February 11th preferably.

Have a great day!

Product Push!

So..I kinda have a tendency of starting clothes in the washer..and forgetting them for a few days.

Sometimes we have to wash them twice because I do this and then they have that wet smell. It's gross.

Embarrassing.

I'm not kidding.

So, I saw this Tide with Febreeze detergent the other day..and thought "hmm I wonder if that would work?" As in...I wonder if that would help me to prevent the sick smell.

IT TOTALLY DOES.

It really does...it's amazing. One of Brad's shirts had that smell of a wet dishrag and we were both bummed, especially me because there was SUCH a big chance that it was my fault.

So...now that same shirt not only doesn't smell like a dishrag...it smells AMAZING! Totally forgiving of my forgetful brain. WOOO!

Don't judge....stinking laundry is one of those house things that I truly do not like. Probably because with that comes ironing. It always gets done...just not always done well apparently. Now though, we're golden!

Try it! You won't be sorry!

The stomach.

Oh this stomach of mine.

So many funny little things about pregnancy..which I love..but also make me giggle a little bit at the insanity of it.

Such as:

I'm starving right now.
HOWEVER....
I am still so full from lunch that I feel like my stomach and my lungs are connected. And baby boy keeps kicking and he's awfully close up there to the ribs..which basically means they're all just sitting right there on top of each other.
(might I just say I really didn't eat that much at lunch...)
But seriously, how is it even possible that I might be hungry, if I still feel so full?

I decided on some all natural unsweetened applesauce because I thought at least that would be healthy...and maybe not take up too much space.

No go...I'M STILL HUNGRY!

But I'm just going to have to go without..because basically there is no more room. Seriously.

Also...today our friend asked me what I've been craving..anything crazy?

To which I could only answer...I crave ALL food ALL the time. Except meat..which is crazy for me. I ordered a breakfast taco with no meat today..and you might imagine that this bacon lover was incredibly confused by that.

So I'm sitting here writing out thank you notes and just thinking how much easier it would be to breathe if I could just lay out straight. It's funny, good funny too. Like I think I'll look back at this and giggle at how strange it felt. I love it.

That's about all for tonight! I have pictures to post from our sweet showers this past weekend which were amazing. It was so wonderful to see friends and family from home! That will be a post for my day off...but the thank yous take priority over the blog. We had an awesome weekend..or Sunday only together. I worked yesterday but it was a great day. Then today we had such a nice Sunday..which was capped by a lunch with friends and it was so awesome! We hadn't met Blair and Adam's sweet baby girl Bailey yet so that was wonderful! We relaxed together today which is just nice.

Anyways..hope you have a great week!