He Knows Her Name

I have a Maker
He formed my heart
Before even time began
My life was in His hands

I have a Father
He calls me His own
He'll never leave me
No matter where I go

He know my name
He knows my every thought
He sees each tear that falls
And hears me when I call

Over the past month, ever since watching the OCC (Operation Christmas Child) video at church, the lyrics of this song have kept coming back to my mind. These truths about my Heavenly Father are so precious to me. These words are so powerful, especially as I am carrying our sweet daughter as she grows in my womb. I can't help but tear up when I think about how He has been forming her for 6 months now in His own image. He has a purpose for her, one that we pray she will embrace. He knows her name, and He knew it even before Brad and I decided on it a little over a week ago! Oh how we pray that this little one will trust Him as her Savior and Sustainer. That she will fully realize the depths of His love for her...and that we will do the same as we strive to be parents that honor Christ above all else and reflect His love and mercy.

Missing Mom

This is my mom pregnant with me!

Over the past few weeks I've really been missing my mom. I think it's due to the fact that I know she would love to be here now helping me prepare for her granddaughter. So many times I have wanted to be able to ask her how her pregnancy with me was and to just share this experience with her.

My mom was and continues to be an inspiration to me. She loved the Lord and I rejoice knowing that today she is in Heaven with Him. She taught me so much about overcoming obstacles and making the most out of them by the way she lived her life. Now don't get me wrong, she wasn't perfect and I realize that, but she was the perfect mom for me. Some people don't get to experience the love that my mom gave me their entire lives. Because of the Lord's goodness and mercy I got to experience 19 years of being totally loved by her. She was always telling me how much she loved me and I love remembering her for that.

It's because of these things that I am excited to use my mom's middle name (which was actually what everyone called her) Sue, as our daughter's middle name. I hope and pray that one day I will be able to experience with our little girl the things my mom never got to, like her college graduation, wedding (my mom would have loved Brad so much), and motherhood.

My first visit to my grandparent's house.

24 Weeks

16 more weeks to go!!!

Another Checkup

Today we went for our monthly checkup and everything went smoothly. We are so thankful to our Lord for a healthy pregnancy so far. Our appointment was one of the first ones of the day and we were only in there for around 15 minutes...it was great! Now that she is moving so much the thought of not finding her heartbeat doesn't even enter my mind, and that is so nice. Last night she was kicking a lot after dinner and Brad finally got to feel his daughter's little kicks. It was great to see the look on his face. I was even able to see my belly vibrating after her kicks!

One thing that I have decided after getting on the scale today at the doctor's office (we don't even own one because I think it's too easy to become obsessed about your weight) is that I am going to get back into the habit of exercising most days and using a little self control when it comes to food. I know I am picking a horrible time of the year to get back on track with all the temptations of the holidays, but I feel like it's what I need to do. The doctor said my weight gain was fine, but I don't want to get in the habit of indulging so much that it's hard to go back to eating more healthily after the baby comes. So self control and exercise, those are my two goals. Don't worry, I'm not going on a "diet"...that is so not my style. I believe in everything in moderation, it's just that since I started feeling better after the first trimester it has been so nice to actually enjoy food again, which has made it hard to say no. In my mind after 9 weeks of nausea I felt like I deserved it! However, now it's back to reality...

4 More Months!

I can hardly believe that we only have 4 more months until we get to meet our little girl! With the beginning of the holiday season only a few weeks away it doesn't leave much time to prepare for her arrival. I told Brad the other night that this time next year we will have an 8 month old...how crazy is that? We are slowly starting to get the nursery in order. Yesterday we went to pick up the crib and when we got home Brad took down the twin bed and put the dresser/changing table in it's new home. We are giving the mattress & box spring to some good friends of ours who have a son who will be transitioning out of his crib soon. This afternoon we are going to Lowe's to try to pick out a green color to paint a corner cabinet that was my grandparents ( I think my grandad made it but I can't remember). The weather is suppose to be really nice this week so I thought it would be a good time to take it outside and paint it.

We went to Babies R Us Friday night (yes, we were Halloween party poopers) to register for the small stuff. I purposefully thought it would be the perfect night to go because nobody else would be there. Since I worked with infants for 5 years before taking my current job at Salem I pretty much knew what we needed and it wasn't overwhelming at all until we got to the oh so pleasant breast feeding section. I never knew there were so many attachments and accessories that went with the pumps. Luckily while we were standing there in confusion Brad's boss Diane called and I was able to ask her what I definitely needed. Thank you Diane!

I am still feeling really good and am thankful! The last few nights I have slept amazingly, 9 & 10 hours! So far this little one is doing a good job of not keeping me up at night kicking. Hopefully that will continue! I am feeling her kick all the time now and it has become such a familiar feeling. Most anytime I sit down from doing something I feel her rumbling around in there. Her kicks are getting a lot stronger now as well. Every time I get Brad to put his hand on my belly to try to feel them she stops. He has only felt her move once in the last few weeks. He's fine with it, but I really want him to be able to share this feeling with me. He knows in the coming weeks he will have plenty of opportunities to feel her so he's not really concerned. I have many more thoughts going on in this head of mine but I'll save those for another post since this one is getting kind of long.