On a Journey

October Has Flown By!

2011-10-26T18:59:00.000-07:00

Wow. I just glanced at the date... October 25. I feel like these last 24 days have been a dream. But then I stop to think about all the events that have been taking place and I understand why I feel that way! It has been an emotional month... ups and downs. But, quite the eventful month. I am so glad to have spent so much time with family but I always hate under bad circumstances. It always seems like families only get together when someone has died or when someone gets married. At least that is how it is with my family sometimes.

At the beginning of the month, we received a phone call from Mom to let me know that my Aunt Nancy had passed away. It was so sudden. In case you aren't familiar with my family's background, Nancy is my Mom's baby sister. When I was young, she was always the "fun" aunt. I idolized her in so many ways, and remember several occasions where people commented on how much we were alike. She did so many great things in her life. She ice skated professionally with a company called Holiday on Ice, traveled all over the world as a flight attendant, lived in lots of cool places all across America like Washington, California and Colorado. Anytime we went to visit my grandparents, I crossed my fingers that Aunt Nancy would be visiting at the same time just so I could spend time with her. Some of my favorite memories always take me back to listening to her Paula Abdul's Straight Up cassette tape and watching the VHS. She loved fashion, make up and hair. So, obviously this was a lot of stuff that I could get into and play with. As I got older, she began to change. She struggled with such deep depression. She became someone that I didn't want to be around anymore. I began to see a woman making poor choices in her life giving no regard to others, not my "fun" aunt without a care in the world. Her last few years had been very rocky and although I had prepared myself long ago that this could always be a possibility, I still wasn't prepared for that phone call.

I was able to go to the funeral and spend some time with my family. It was such a weird time together. We don't believe it was suicide but how do you have a "celebration service" for someone who truly had given up on life. I think of her often and as much as possible I think of happy times that I can remember. I don't want to remember who she was when she was passed because that wasn't her. I hope that with the passing of time, those happy moments are all I can think.

Brennan got really sick at the funeral about 15 minutes before the service started. He was running a fever, really high too! At first I thought it was just teething since I felt about 2-3 molars popping through, but then we realized his fever was probably too high for teething. So, he continued off and on with a fever for a couple days. He is pitiful when he's sick. This was our first real sick experience. He was very clingy and cuddly, which is not his normal self. We enjoyed the extra cuddles but not at the price of him being sick. We left straight from Atlanta and headed for our previously planned vacation to my parents' home in FL. There was such great timing in this devastating tragedy. We were able to spend the entire week in FL with my parents and Grandmother. Brennan has the ability to bring such great joy to anyone he is around. I think it helped everyone with those first few days after getting back home. My Grandmother, suffering from dementia, continued to ask the same questions about Nancy every 2-3 minutes. I could tell she was grasping a little of what happened but just reliving the sadness over and over again.

We did have fun whilst away. Despite the grief, we made some great memories. One day, Wes and I went to Universal Studios and left Brennan with his grandparents. We felt like little kids all over again. Wes got his fix of roller-coasters for a while... I think he rode The Hulk like 6-7 times! We both loved the Wizarding World of Harry Potter! It was definitely a huge reason why we chose to go there, and it was well worth it! We made several trips to the beach both in New Smyrna Beach and also in Titusville. Brennan loves the water! He wasn't afraid at all. He would have crawled right into the surf if we would have let him! Wes loves the ocean a little too much... he lost his glasses playing in the waves. So he got a new pair in an hour at Lenscrafters! Why have we never discovered this before?!?! Glasses in an hour? It was amazing!

All in all, with the funeral and vacation, I was gone for 12 days. Needless to say, I was very ready to be home. We drove back in two days, which made the trip much easier. We were home for only a few days and then this past Saturday night, Brennan started taking steps! It was so neat. He had spent the evening with several other little ones who were already walking and I just know that it was just the boost that he needed. He's up to about 7-8 steps without falling now. He'll be on the move by Thanksgiving! Enjoy the sweet little video of his first few steps below and thanks for reading. Just needed to vent a little. Too much going on these days! I'm ready for the holidays!

Kitchen Disaster

2011-09-29T11:07:00.000-07:00

So, I could have really hurt myself or my sweet little boy. I was making dinner and had hot, melted butter in a pot on the stove. After I thought it was cooled, I poured in 1 tsp of balsamic vinegar and it exploded! Lesson learned... Luckily, Brennan was playing on the other side of the room. However, it is not uncommon for me to be holding Brennan while I'm cooking, especially easy stuff and that very well could have been a disaster. Very thankful no one was hurt, and just had a huge mess to clean. Here are some pictures of Brennan playing by the window before our kitchen became a danger zone!

Love this little bum!

ALS Walk- Over The Years

2011-09-26T11:54:00.000-07:00

Saturday, our family participated in the Walk to Defeat ALS. It was something we had done back in IN when we lived there so when we found the TN Chapter of the ALS Association, we knew we had to jump in and walk! We didn't walk as a team or anything, just as a family. It was so good for us. It was a beautiful morning and the sun was shining down! We hope to participate next year and many years to come. It is important for us to do this to help Brennan remember and learn about his Grandma Ima!

ALS Walk 2011

Team Captain and Co-Captain

Starting the first lap


Lots of walkers and supporters

2006 ALS Team- Ignite for Ima

Photo Booth

2011-09-20T11:12:00.000-07:00

I was so ready for cooler temperature. It seems as though Fall is just around the corner. I am not much for seasonal decorating (except for Christmas) but this year, I'm really wanting to buy anything Fall I can get my hands on. I want mums, a hay bale, and pumpkins for my porch. Inside I have already stocked up on Bath & Body Works fall hand soaps for the bathroom and kitchen. Patiently, I am waiting to purchase a couple of Yankee Candles. This is my favorite time of the year. Especially after our hot summer.

Our last few weeks have been busy... Two weekends ago, we took a trip up to Indiana to my cousin's wedding. It was such a quick trip, but we enjoyed every minute. IKEA was a great end to the weekend- I could spend so much time there, and it's quickly becoming a tradition to go there anytime we visit Indiana. Last week Brennan and I went to the Knoxville Zoo with a friend. She graciously invited us to go using her "guest" pass. Free is always nice. Thursday we went and spent the entire day with my friend Whitney and her daughter, Harley. She is 6 days younger than Brennan and they are great friends. Saturday, we visited the Fruit and Berry Patch. It was a lot of fun- did some porch sitting and apple picking. I made an apple pie with some apples we got there. It wasn't a complete disaster, but I don't know if I'll try and make a pie crust from scratch anytime soon.

Wes has had a lot going on with him these days. He is really enjoying his job. Also, he is seriously considering starting Graduate classes. I'm so excited for him because it would be a great opportunity for him and could open doors for future opportunities for our family. He would be studying New Testament and is trying to work out ways to intertwine his interest in China. This would be a huge time investment as the program is generally 7 years, because it is only one class a semester. I'm just praying that God continues to lead him as he is making these decisions.

What's up in Brennan's world?

Well, Brennan has decided that taking two naps a day isn't fun anymore. Yesterday he played in his bed for an hour when he was supposed to be sleeping and when I went in to check, he had pulled his diaper off and was just bouncing around his crib with no pants. Which, amazingly, the diaper was dry but the blankets were wet. Strange. Then he slept from 1-4pm. It was perfect. I thought it was a fluke until today when he did the same exact thing, except without the nakedness. We took some silly pictures yesterday, as you can see from the pictures above. His little personality is starting to come out. He seems so independent already. I know that ultimately it should be my goal to raise a child equipped with the tools and confidence he needs to live without me, but it's kind of hard to deal with the reality that he is growing up so fast and soon he'll be embarrassed to even hug or kiss me in public. I just try and steal all the kisses I can now.

He has a little cough right now. I think it's allergies, so we'll see how long this lasts before we make a trip to the doctor. His voice is a little raspy, and I think it's kind of cute. Always makes me think of Phoebe on Friends. Love that episode when she gets a sexy voice from her cold.

MOPS

2011-09-01T16:34:00.000-07:00

Being a mom is hard. I know it's also one of the greatest things in the world, but let's be honest- it's not easy! These children don't come with a manual. Today was my first day of MOPS (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers) and I feel like it went well. I really enjoyed being around so many other moms and I know that sometimes it's just nice to know you're not alone. About every other day or so, I have one of those moments where I just feel like no one really understands what it's like to deal with __________. (Fill in whatever kind of moment you are having.) And, now I can come together once a month with other women who more than likely understand exactly what I'm feeling when I am experiencing ____________.

I am very grateful for a gentle nudging my friend, Amy received when she asked me if I wanted to be discussion group leader for MOPS. I probably would have never just decided to join on my own, and when she approached me about the upcoming season, I jumped right on board. I took some time and prayed about it first, but then felt such excitement about this group of women.

Brennan loved getting to spend time with some other kids, too. The childcare workers said he played all morning long and I could tell- he gently fell asleep in his car seat on the way home. There are several other little ones his age in his class, so he was definitely having a good time!

At this point in my life, I am struggling so hard trying to balance all the different aspects/roles I seem to portray... wife, mother, friend, employee, daughter, granddaughter, housekeeper, cook, weight loss enthusiast. (Haha, that last one was a joke!) I decided to begin using my blog again as a more purposeful "journal" rather than just allowing anyone and everyone to read into my heart. I can't believe that Brennan is already 1- so many different things happened this past year that I wish I could at least read back through my blog and reminisce over his first year of life. I will soon forget all the details of our days. So, I hope to revive this blog and not worry too much about who will be reading and just know that my closest friends and family who know me best will be the ones that I am sharing with.

What's up in Brennan's world?
I want to begin taking this opportunity to just write down a few things that my sweet, little boy is doing these days... favorite foods, likes, dislikes, or even funny stories, etc...

He is so close to walking! I'm trying not to rush him, because I know he will be ready in his own time, but gosh, he's so stinkin' close! Tonight while I was preparing dinner, which was incredibly yummy by the way, I couldn't hear him playing with his toys so I frantically stopped what I was doing and ran in to see what was going on. He wasn't in the front room so I usually check the bathroom next... nope. I went back towards his bedroom and then I saw him hanging out in the laundry room playing with my mop handle. He was so content, I didn't even let him know I was there. I just let him continue. I am so grateful he finds ways to entertain himself so easily. I'm sure it's mostly because he is still exploring his little world, but I just find it fascinating the things he enjoys playing with. And, most of the time, as long as they are no danger to him, I just let him.

Sunday night, Wes had left for the evening for a night at McKay's bookstore. I wanted to get Brennan to bed fairly early as he'd had a long day with church and small group afterward. I drew a bath for him, which he absolutely loves, and I watched him play with his bath toys for a few minutes. Then I realized he was starting to lean forward and let little "toot" bubbles out. This had not happened before, so I thought it was hilarious! He knew it was funny so he kept trying to push them out. Well, unfortunately, he pushed too hard and well you know what happens from there. I felt like it was an out of body experience- I didn't know what to do first. I didn't have a pair of extra hands (Wes) to help me get him out so I could clean out that bath tub. So, I just pulled him out of the tub quickly and sat him on my lap- first mistake. Then I let the water drain out. While the water was draining, I just stood him up butt-naked next to the tub so I could get the proper cleaning items in place and ready to go- second mistake. The second I turned away, he switched over to the toilet, which was already lifted in order to put the leftover mess, and he was just splashing away! Ugh. At that point, I just wanted to laugh and then cry. Eventually, I was able to get him cleaned and get the tub cleaned and then get him back in the clean water. We carried on about our nightly routine, but man, that was the first time that had ever happened and I was glad it was over. What a stinker....literally.

Buddha Belly

2011-08-30T18:56:00.000-07:00

So, I just love this video and I wanted to share. (It's actually a few weeks old, but I still love it none the less...)

A Good Night's Sleep

2011-08-30T12:37:00.000-07:00

Last night I stayed at UT Hospital for a sleep study. While I was pregnant with Brennan, I began waking up in the middle gasping for air. It didn't happen every night, but it was frequent enough that I was pretty freaked. I assumed that it had something to do with being pregnant and my outrageous heartburn that ailed me during those 9 months. It wasn't until this past June that I found out it could be something worse. My Dad was diagnosed with sleep apnea in June and began the process of sleep studies. It was shortly after that, he suggested I go and get tested.

I have been a snorer since I was a small child. And, as of late, Wes has been spending more nights on the couch than I'm sure he wants to. Apparently, snoring is one of the biggest indicators to sleep apnea. Not everyone that snores has sleep apnea, but almost everyone with sleep apnea snores.

I arrived last night and took my new cookbooks with my calendar/planner. I had some downtime before getting hooked up to all the nodules, so I took advantage of the cable TV and planned out our meals for the week. Close to bed time, my nurse came in and hooked me up to all kinds of wires- I seriously felt like I had a bomb attached to me.

It took a little time for me to get comfortable, but I finally fell asleep and actually feel like I slept fairly decent. My nurse said I went through all my sleep cycles, which was good news. However, once I got home I received a phone call with the results of my test. Apparently, I stopped breathing on average 19 times per hour. My oxygen levels were in the low 80's.

So, what's next? Now I go back next week to stay overnight with the same wires, but this time I get to use a CPAP machine. Not too excited about that, but hopefully it will help me feel better during the day. I have been told that losing weight can often help with sleep apnea, but it's so difficult to lose weight when you don't sleep well at night and don't have a lot of energy throughout the days. So, hopefully with my CPAP I can begin feeling more rested and losing weight will be a lot easier.

Just for kicks and giggles... here I am last night with the "bomb" around my neck. Imagine sleeping with all this stuff on all night! I'm amazed I made it through! P.S. I missed Brennan so much- first night away from him!

Chubby Cheeks

2011-04-26T16:41:00.000-07:00

Time Flies

2011-04-26T16:37:00.000-07:00

Spring is already here! It's been 4 months since my last real post and so much has changed. Brennan is growing like a little weed and some days I just can't believe that he used to be so tiny! We are guessing he's around 22-23 lbs, but we won't know for sure until we get to the doctor for his 9 month check-up! Yep, he'll be 9 months old on May 11. Being a parent is such a neat responsibility. I love watching him learn new things and find new body parts that he didn't know he had! Lately, he's discovered his hands, his head and also something else I won't mention. In the past month or two, he is really starting to make those "dada" sounds among other things. Still haven't heard a "mama" yet, but I think we're getting close. I am afraid that we'll say "baba" before "mama," but that is alright. He's doing so well with baby food- he loves to eat! He'll eat anything at any time, except he hasn't really enjoyed mangoes. That's the only thing so far, he even slightly turned up his nose to. He sits in his high chair and watches me clean up the kitchen after dinner and he'll play with his toys. He's just recently learned that he can throw things in the floor and then lean over the high chair and see them. Then he'll throw all of his other toys in the floor and just look at them.

I'm excited to start him on some finger foods. I think he'll really enjoy them- we've already tried a few things and he gags. So, I'm thinking he's not quite ready, but it should be soon. He's very close to crawling at this point. He can get up on all fours but then is having a hard time knowing what to do next, so he just face plants.

Wes and I are waiting to hear about a possible job. While we have both been very blessed to be in work/home situation since Brennan has been born, we both feel very strongly that it's time for a change. I am so grateful for the opportunity that Wes has had to spend time at home with the baby, but I know he is getting anxious be out in the workforce/ministry. We will keep you posted as things begin to unfold. I am really working on my patience during this time of waiting. I don't like to wait, so this has been extra difficult, but I know God has this amazing plan for our family. I'm ready to see it unfold.

Dad Ada

2011-04-26T11:32:00.000-07:00

A Sweet, Sweet Sound

2011-01-21T16:33:00.000-08:00

This has been a crazy month for me. Blogging has not been a priority for me. However, we did finally catch Brennan's new laugh on video, so I did want to share! I could listen to this all day! Hope you enjoy!

Brennan- 4 months! (And, eating cereal!)

2010-12-18T06:25:00.000-08:00

Brennan went to the doctor this week- he weighed in at 13 lbs, 4 oz and 24 inches long. She gave us the ok to start him on cereal. I'm loving it just about as much as he is. Enjoy some pictures of his 2nd try. His 1st attempt wasn't too successful, it was my fault. I made his cereal as thick as I like oatmeal, and he didn't know what to do. But, now I got the hang of it.

My parents have been here this week, and have been enjoying every minute they can with their grandbaby. Tonight, they are baby-sitting so we can go out for dinner and go hear Christmas music. I think they are pretty excited about it. We are too!

Changing our Family Tree

2010-11-19T08:06:00.000-08:00

It is hard for me to think big picture. Over the years, big picture is becoming easier, but often times still difficult. To continue my thoughts from yesterday...

If we stay put here at JBC, we have an opportunity to change our family tree. (To borrow the phrase from my friend, Dave Ramsey.) Financially, we are in a great spot. Now, does that mean we're making tons o' money... no! We have been given this opportunity to really get ahead and if we don't plan very carefully, we could miss out on it's blessing!

I hate student loan debt. Wes's student loans have recently come out of their "grace period" and so now our monthly expenses have greatly increased. We also bought a new vehicle over the summer, which was needed. However, we had to finance a small portion which we're still paying on. On top of this, we're back down to one income. So, you see this predicament we are in, right?

So, if we are truly thinking big picture, what should/could we do to help change our family financial tree?

I can continue to work full time here at JBC which provides us with housing/utilities, health insurance, retirement funding all in close proximity to our home.
In addition, we've recently learned of a government program where we can enroll in Income-Based Repayment (IBR) for our students loans and additionally, if we work in a non-profit for at least 10 years the remaining balance will be forgiven. (Gotta take advantage of that!) According to the IBR Calculator, we could potentially drop our $400/month student loan payments down to $40. Obviously, as our income increases our payment would also increase since it's on a sliding scale, so technically it would be better for us to continue on one income.
Because we live so close to my work, we can go back down to 1 vehicle. We can sell our Ford Contour to pay for the remainder of the loan on our mini-van. By doing so will reduce our car insurance premiums, and also our cost in gas and repairs.
Because Wes doesn't work a regularly scheduled job, he's able to do some freelance videography which we are hoping to just throw his income on any debt we have remaining.
We are considering canceling our cell phones and using one pre-paid phone instead. It would cost us $200 or less to cancel our phones with the remaining contract, which is over in June. If we continued until our contract is up we would be paying $115/month until June.

My head is swimming right now just thinking about all the different things we need to try and take care of. These are just things that we've been considering and looking at to try and reduce our monthly expenses. It's strange how the less money you make the more you end up saving in the end. Or at least that is how it works for us.

Anyone care to share any big picture struggles/dilemmas with me?

Recent Ramblings

2010-11-18T13:32:00.000-08:00

Am I the only person who struggles with being content? I know in my head that I'm not, but sometimes it sure feels that way. It can often make me feel very alone. I get so frustrated with myself when I have a passing thought about how I wish I had this, if only I could do that, or if only we lived there. Almost instantly I realize what just came out of my mouth and again my discontent self is at it again.

Maybe it's just natural for me to feel that way, but I honestly hate it.

Wes & I have been struggling with some things lately. We've been asking ourselves (& God) a lot of questions about where we need to be. Ever since moving back to JBC, we had in our minds that as soon as Wes graduated we would be off on some new adventure. Knoxville was never really a place where we intended to stay for long- it's always been our safe place, if you will. It's familiar and we can always feel at home here. We're starting to ask ourselves, "why do we feel like we need to leave so quickly?" Are we both just so used to packing up and moving as soon as we start getting settled? Is it a commitment issue? Are we allowing discontentment to take over our hearts?

We started talking this week and we came to the conclusion that maybe God wants us to learn how to be content with what we have and where we are. Maybe His plan is for us to just stay put. We don't have any real reason to feel like it's time to move on- other than our own predetermined ideas.

After we got married, we both started thinking more about settling in somewhere. But, after having a baby, that desire to settle and have some type of stability in our lives has become stronger than a desire- almost a need. We both want to raise Brennan in a stable home, which allows him to feel safe and secure. (Sing with me now, "leaning on Jesus, leaning on Jesus, safe and secure from all alarm.") We're toying with the idea that maybe God can use us exactly where we are, if we just allow it.

I love my faith community. It has been awesome to learn so much about what Jesus intended for our lives. I have witnessed people's lives being changed through Christ and I want to continue being a part of that. But, I feel like I've been holding back because deep down I assumed we would be leaving Knoxville and I never felt like I could give 100%. Now, I want to.

I could go on, but I better wrap it up for now. Stay tuned for more.

A Few Pics- Exclusively on Blogger!

2010-11-16T04:23:00.000-08:00

Typically, when I post pictures, I usually post them also on Facebook. This morning, I'd like to just post pictures on here for my loyal readers to enjoy (all three of you)! Also, Wes just figured out how to upload pictures from our phone... so that is why we have all the way back from when we were still at the hospital in August.

Still in the hospital

Under the bili lights... seemed pretty comfy at first!

Getting ready to go home, August 15

Playing with Daddy

Look at those long legs!

The morning I found his sleep sack up over his face!
(The day we switched to just a Swaddler.)

Playing under the toys

Wearing the hat Lynsey made for him- just got back from a walk.

My absolute favorite! Totally his personality right now!
He loves sitting in his Pooh Bear bouncy seat and watching what you're doing!

Ode to Online Shopping

2010-11-10T06:35:00.000-08:00

This is a new love for me. Shopping has never been too much fun for me anyways, so now I've found a way to buy things we need without necessarily having to go "shopping." I love looking for promotional codes. It's so easy!

My favorite so far has been Diapers.com. I just ordered a huge box of diapers (234 ct) and huge box of wipes (567 ct). We're hoping that these should last for a while, but we'll see. Well, anyways, I got 30% cash back on these diapers and it was credited to my account. So, I was able to use the credit automatically on my next purchase- which was great! Now that Brennan is using bottles more often, we're figuring out which bottles work best for us. We love Avent 9oz bottles, and we only have 1. So, I was able to buy 4 9oz bottles for $27.98 (2 pack for $13.99), plus $4.99 shipping and use the $12.60 credit= $20.37! I priced these bottles at Walmart and they were $19.98 for a 2 pack!

Thank you, Diapers.com!

To Work or Not To Work?

2010-09-24T11:39:00.000-07:00

Recently, our family has been praying about some important decisions that we would need to make after having a baby. As with most women, I have thoroughly enjoyed my maternity leave so far and somewhat dreading the day I have to go back to work. Life isn't at all what I expected it to be when staying home with a baby. I don't have all the time in the world to do the things that I want to do. I have bits and pieces of time but many days they don't add up to be much. Even though my home-boundness isn't what I thought, that certainly doesn't mean I haven't enjoyed each and every minute. I am afraid that as soon as my leave is up, that will be exactly when I feel like we have a good routine down, and then it'll be time to shake things up a bit.

We have been praying and talking a lot about what our next steps would be. Would we find someone to watch Brennan full time? Would I try and arrange my schedule to work part time? Would I look for several students who would be willing to watch the baby for small amounts of time in between classes? All of these questions have been such a burden to me since the day we got home from the hospital. I knew all along that eventually we would need to figure something about but I put it off and put it off. I just kept telling myself, "things will work out." (Even though I had no idea what that meant, and understanding that there is a fine line between just trusting God and not making any effort to resolve.)

I have less than 4 weeks before my maternity leave is up and I can happily announce that "things have worked out." It has been such an encouragement to me- I trusted God and allowed his plan to unfold. One option that I hadn't considered in a long time turned out to be exactly what we needed. Wes quit his job this week and will be staying home with Brennan full time when I go back to work on October 25! I'm so excited. It just seems like a perfect solution for our family right now. He is such a nurturing Daddy and I know that he is genuinely excited for this opportunity to be with his baby boy! While he is home, he'll have more opportunities to be doing some freelance videography which he was unable to pursue while working at the Marriott. He already has several opportunities that have been presented to him beginning in October running all the way through February. Most of his opportunities will be over the weekends, which will allow me to still continue working.

This certainly does not mean that I no longer desire to be a SAHM, it just means that the time is not now. I have been praying about this for so long and really learning to let go of my timing and trust God's. I've always imagined being a SAHM as soon as my first child was born, and now that we're here in that stage of life, I'm learning that it doesn't always work out the way we think it should. Surprisingly, I've really missed my work- I enjoy what I do. Yes, it can be stressful at times, but I truly enjoy it. As much as I try to fight it sometimes, I am learning that God has gifted me in the area of administration and I really enjoy the office life.

One great thing about this upcoming change in our family is that Wes will have time to really think about and be praying for what our next steps should be. While we are so grateful for our JBC community, job, and housing arrangements, it's not our ultimate goal. This is temporary, even though we don't know how temporary. I guess until God makes it very clear what our next move is, we are staying put and just enjoying this time in our life.

Photo Shoot with Mommy

2010-09-19T11:44:00.001-07:00

Checking In- 1 Month Already!

2010-09-16T16:53:00.000-07:00

Brennan went to the doctor this week for his 1 month check-up. It's hard to believe he's already 1 month old. He has gained some weight but not much. Still, we're happy that he's at least gaining. At his last appointment on August 25, he was 7 lbs, 11 oz (back up to his birth weight). At this appointment on Monday, he was 8 lbs, 6 oz. We go back in 2 weeks for a weight check- his pediatrician didn't seem too concerned but certainly wanted to watch and see if he continues to gain slowly or if the pace will start picking up soon.

Things are going well in the Jones' household. Starting to feel like we're getting in the groove of the daily grind... meaning, I'm not feeling quite as chaotic as I have been over the past 5 weeks. I've decided that much like I experienced during pregnancy, it is very easy to overwhelm oneself by becoming immersed in every baby-related book on the shelves. I did this while I was pregnant- I wanted to buy or borrow every pregnancy book out there and I would sit and read inserts from all of them every night. Quickly, I became overwhelmed and got rid of them all! Well, there are lots of books out there on every aspect of being a new parent but for me the two most intriguing categories have been breastfeeding and sleeping. It's the two most frequent issues we have been trying to work through, as I'm sure has been the case for every other new mom, too!

I'm not to the point yet where I want to go trade in all my new breastfeeding and sleeping books at McKay, but I am certainly trying to learn some kind of balance. With every book that I thumb through or read portions of (haven't really had time to sit down and actually read the entire book), I just pray for discernment. I have to trust that God has given me some kind of instinct when it comes to being a mother. So, while I may not feel like I have a clue, I am learning to trust in my own decision making and hopefully that can help boost my confidence in caring for my precious baby. All the books say different things. One book says this, while another book clearly speaks out against that. How do you know? Well, I'm learning that with much thought and consideration you just have to decide what works for you. All of us mommies out there aren't cookie-cutter mommies. We don't work the same way and neither do our children!

This posting has been somewhat therapeutic for me- although it's easy for me to say that Wes and I just need to figure out what works for us, in reality, it's not that easy for me. I'm working through it, and certainly very blessed that each morning I can wake up to a new day. And, luckily, Brennan doesn't very well know the difference. He has no idea I don't know what I am doing- and he loves me the same.

With that said, I wanted to share what has been working for us. Just this week, we have started a routine that I took from the book, "The Secrets of the Baby Whisperer" by Tracey Hogg. While I don't necessarily love everything in the book, I have enjoyed what she calls the E.A.S.Y. method. I have struggled this first month with feeling like I was always holding Brennan or feeding Brennan (when I say I, I really mean we). Then I realized, we were always holding him or feeding him. So, with the advice of our pediatrician and also after reading through this book, we started the E.A.S.Y. method. The acronym stands for: Eat, Activity, Sleep, You. This allows us to have him on some type of routine without being chained to the clock. So, for this week, Brennan has been eating, and then we play/interact with him until he starts showing signs of sleepiness, then we put him down (in his crib) instead of holding him while he sleeps, and then that allows me to do things that I need to do whether that is napping, showering, cleaning, making lunch, reading, etc... Then, when he wakes up we do the whole thing over again. The only thing I don't think this method has taken into consideration is bedtime at night. If Brennan wakes up at night, I don't want to try and keep him awake for a little while after he eats. I would like for him to go right back to sleep after he gets a full belly. Oh well, we're working on it. It's definitely a new challenge every day but I'm really enjoying the freedom that comes with knowing what comes next even if I don't necessarily know what time it may be. This may work for us for only a short while, but for right now, it has been great.

Because of this method, Wes and I were able to have an awesome time together just sitting on the couch talking- something we certainly took advantage of pre-Brennan. Who knew it would be so hard to sit at home and have a truly meaningful conversation with your spouse after you have a baby!? Although I must admit, we bought video monitors and often times we just enjoy sitting on the couch looking at Brennan on the screen asleep and listening to him fart while he's asleep! I don't know how many times people told us that our lives would be changed forever after we had a baby- which to me is a very obvious statement. But, I don't think I could have ever imagined in what ways it would change.

what's Brennan doing right now?

Brennan has been asleep for the past hour and 15 minutes. He went down at 10:30 with no paci and was asleep within 10 minutes. As I'm typing this I'm watching him on the monitor and as I mentioned before, listening to him fart. Cutest little toots I have ever heard.

Wearing My Baby

2010-09-09T05:27:00.001-07:00

I finally decided to start practicing with the Moby wrap. I love it. Brennan doesn't seem to mind it either, since he always falls asleep!

Tales of a New Mother

2010-09-05T04:16:00.000-07:00

So, I'm almost 100% sure that I'm not the only Mom who finds it difficult to find time to blog... There are women out there who blog for a living and are very successful at doing so- hats off to them.

Well, wow. I am just a little over 4 weeks into parenthood. I can't even begin to describe all the different emotions I have experienced over the last several weeks. I love being a Mom but it's also the hardest job I have ever had. And, unlike the other hard jobs I have had, I can't quit. So, luckily, every night when we put Brennan to bed, I pray for strength for the next day and that I can learn from my mistakes during the day and carry that into the next day!

Brennan was 4 weeks yesterday. I can't believe how much I love this little guy- every day I love him more and more. We're definitely taking these first few weeks to just get to know each other. It's such a learning process on so many levels- sleep schedules, nursing, determining what cries mean what, what time of day works best to take outings, etc. He is a very laid back baby, and obviously, his sleeping throughout the day helps him be so laid back.

My parents were here for the first week- what a huge blessing! The first week home was very chaotic for me. I can remember several occasions where I had what I thought was a total meltdown. Plus, I had some illnesses I was dealing with and also recovering from a major event that my body had just gone through! As the weeks go on, it is getting better. We're starting to get on some type of schedule, even though I know that with each day that passes I realize that it could be the last day with that particular schedule. Since I lean towards the side of being somewhat scheduled myself, this has been quite a big adjustment for me. Brennan makes the schedule and I am learning (at least for these first few months) to just adjust to his schedule and try to be as flexible as possible.

I feel very blessed to raise this little boy, but also very under-equipped. This is all the more opportunity to truly lean on the strength that comes from God. I need help every day and it's very humbling to know that I can't do this on my own.

Brennan's Birth Story

2010-08-17T16:17:00.000-07:00

After reading my friend, Lynsey's birth story of her son back in June, I thought it would be a good idea to go ahead and document Brennan's story before I forget all the tiny details... Being a mommy will do that to you, right?

P.S. I'll be honest, this might be a little TMI... but oh well!

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

About 4:00pm, I was sitting at work chatting with one of my favorite office-mates when I realized that I was starting to feel a little uncomfortable. Not exactly sure now what it was but I just didn't feel right. I had been carrying Brennan very high throughout the entire pregnancy and looked down to realize that he was all of a sudden much lower than before. I could only tell this because I always rested my arms on my belly and it just felt different than before. I didn't really think much about the "dropping" sensation since it can happen days before delivery. I went home and had several friends over for dinner, and it was so much fun! Megan & Jeremy came over and brought a wonderful meal (all I had to do was provide dessert!) and my friend, Kristen came over and brought her adorable new puppy for us to play with (6 week old boxer puppy, Layla). We ate dinner as usual and enjoyed some great conversation but I noticed during dinner that I was starting to have small bit of pain in my lower back- it wasn't bad, but it was enough to make me stop what I was doing. Again, didn't really think much about it at this point.

After dinner & dessert, Jeremy ended up leaving because my pains were becoming more uncomfortable and I think he was probably starting to feel a little uncomfortable because us girls were talking more and more about me having this baby! Wes was still at work at this point. By 8:00pm, I started to realize that these pains were actually contractions and that they were all in my back! Not what I wanted at all! I had heard all kinds of crazy things about how painful back labor is and I certainly hoped that it wasn't happening to me, but it was! Megan & Kristen were wonderful helping keep me comfortable, even offering to help me in and out of the bath, massaging my back during early contractions, and just continuing great conversations to help keep my mind off of what was going on.

I finally called Wes and told him that I didn't want to scare him, but I thought this was going to be it- I just felt like we were actually going to have that baby! He hurried home and as soon as he got there, Megan & Kristen wished me luck and said goodbye. I was so grateful for those ladies who were so willing to stay there with me until Wes got home- it would have been so hard to start early labor all by myself! Wes got home by 9:00pm and I had already called my doula, Alissa, to tell her that I thought this was the real thing. She thought by the pain and sincerity in my voice that I was probably right and that she would be over here as quickly as she could.

My laboring started to get more intense, and I was quickly trying every method of pain relief. I had my exercise ball that I used to lean over during a contraction and Wes was awesome at rubbing my lower back. Counter-pressure is an awesome thing and for the longest time, it was the only thing that brought me relief! I quickly moved to the bathroom and got in the tub- it brought some relief but not enough. I took a shower instead because I actually hadn't got one that day and wanted to at least get one before we headed to the hospital. The pains were increasing by 11:00pm, and I called the doctor. We had been timing contractions for about 45 minutes at this point. They were coming about 4-5 minutes apart and lasting about 1 minute. Every 2-3 minutes, I would have mini contractions lasting about 30 seconds. Unfortunately, the doctor did not have good news for me- because I was only counting/timing contractions in my back, she was not ready for me to come to the hospital. She said that I needed to wait until my contractions were actually in my front, not the back. I'm pretty sure the first thing out of my mouth after hanging up with the doctor was, "I hate her." I tried to lay down on the bed for some rest in between contractions, but it was so excruciating I couldn't handle laying down on such a soft surface. At one point, I was laying over the exercise ball and just started vomiting like there was no tomorrow. I only bring this point up because it just shows what a great support team I had- my husband (who has a pretty weak stomach when it comes to vomit) was right beside me through the whole thing. I could tell he was having a hard time but he didn't budge. When I was done, Alissa & Wes made me head to the bathroom while they cleaned everything up, which wasn't pretty I'm sure. They were wonderful! (On a side note, I was very grateful for Vance who came over after we were at the hospital and cleaned our carpet with an extractor- helped make things easier for when we came home!) Later that night, the only place I found relief was just sitting on the toilet, which I've learned is very common among women.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

After midnight, we tried to take a walk outside to help labor progress but I couldn't handle it but for one lap around our building. We went inside and tried to manage just a little while longer. By 1:15am, I was ready to head to hospital although the thought of riding in the car to the hospital was almost enough to make me want to just stay home. We just waited for a good contraction and then as soon as it was over rushed out to the van and loaded up. This was the only time I have ever wanted Wes to speed- I couldn't have gotten to the hospital fast enough. I just kept my hand behind my back in a fist and when I had a contraction I just leaned back against my fist until we got there! We drove off in the van, which happened to be low on gas, and Alissa followed in her car. Looking back, it was funny that the gas light came on- not so funny on the way to the hospital thinking that I would have to stop to fill up the van before we could get there.

They wheeled me up to Triage after we arrived in the ER. I managed to get dressed and settled in a room. The nurse quickly came in and checked me- 5 cm! Woohoo! I couldn't believe that I had already labored at home for the entire first half! She asked me if I was planning on getting an epidural and I just asked for a few minutes to think about it. I hadn't planned on it, but I also hadn't planned on back labor for 7 hours prior to arriving at the hospital. I desperately wanted some relief and I let her know that I did want an epidural as quickly as possible. They wheeled my bed down to a L&D room, where the doctor and the anesthesiologist quickly came in. I was still continuing to progress and was ready to get the epidural. I wasn't completely sure what to expect, but I will tell you this- I was so glad that I decided to have it! It only took about 20 minutes, but I just felt so good after. The worst part about it was the catheter they had to put in- it was awful!

After epidural kicked in, Wes & Alissa were allowed to come back in the room and get settled. This was about 2:30am when I got the epidural and I was finally feeling like I was ready to take on whatever the night had in store for me. Geneva & Whitney came up to the hospital at like 3:30am and just hung out in the room with us for a while- it was so great. I honestly can't believe that I was laboring/dilating all throughout that time because I was just enjoying time with my husband and my friends. The most painful thing at this point was every half hour or so, the blood pressure cuff would check my bp- ouch!!!! So tight, and they couldn't adjust it not to make it so painful.

By 7:00am, my doctor (well the on-call doctor from my practice) arrived and checked. I can't really remember exactly but I'm pretty sure I was close to 7 cm. I had a wonderful nurse, Ashley who took great care of me and was incredibly encouraging- great person to add to my support team! With each hour, I had previously been progressing about 1 cm. I remember that I was stuck at 7cm for a while. By 10:30-11:00am, Dr. VanNess came in and checked and decided it would be a good time to break my water. (She said it was "bulging." Haha, yuck!) After my water was broken, it seemed like I was able to continue progressing about 1 cm every hour. I had been pleasantly surprised by how wonderful the epidural was- I could just push a button every 15 minutes, if I felt like I needed a little extra boost. I think I was just afraid that if I didn't push it, I would start feeling things again.

By about 1:00pm, I was about 9 cm and they were telling me that it was almost time to push. So, it took about another hour and 15 minutes, and I was ready. I kicked everyone out of the room except Wes and Alissa and I was ready to go. My contractions were coming fairly quickly and so the nurse went over with me how we were going to do this- push three times during each contraction and then wait for the next one. It was such a weird feeling and as tired as I was, it actually was really great. My whole body just felt like it was meant to push- so I was good. After about one hour, I realized that I was starting to feel little more than I had anticipated but they assured me everything was fine and that I just keep up the great pushing! Once his little head started to show, Wes immediately told me that he had a head full of dark hair and it actually looked a little curly. (Now, it's just straight.) That was all the motivation I needed- I just wanted to get this little guy out!!! The nurse said that I some ligaments that were blocking him from pushing his head out any further, but they thought as soon as those ligaments were out of the way he would come right out and very quickly.

Finally, the ligaments broke! I was able to push enough that the doctor finally came in and prepped me for delivery. It only took about 3-4 more pushes and he was out! (7 lbs, 11 oz. 20.5 inches.) It was the most incredible feeling experience in the world. Painful, yes, but amazing. They immediately took him to get him cleaned up and I had some repair work that needed to be done. When they finally gave him to me, it was so wonderful. This little guy that I had been carrying for so long was finally here. I just couldn't wait to touch his little fingers and toes- counted them to make sure they were all here! He was perfect. Every little tiny feature was more perfect than I could have ever imagined. God had given us this amazing little gift to take care of and love and I just felt so honored that he was ours!

Welcome Baby Brennan!

2010-08-17T16:02:00.000-07:00

Brennan decided to make his debut on Wednesday, August 11, 2010. He weighed in at 7 lbs, 11 oz and 20.5 inches long! Mom & baby are doing well.

Welcome, little one!

All My Bags Are Packed...

2010-08-04T18:25:00.000-07:00

Ok, not really. I still haven't done it yet, even though my last post (a month ago!) says that it was on the "to-do" list. I've just been singing the song a lot lately... "All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go..." And, that is where the song ends. (I don't really know the rest of the song.)

Well, July came and went. Now, we're into August. It's hard to believe my month has finally arrived. So far, August is turning into a good month- despite the fact that it's terribly HOT outside. Which I'm sure I don't have to tell you, since it's basically HOT everywhere! I spend a lot of time inside, which is good and if I do brave the elements, it's usually not until 8:30pm or 9:00pm.

Lots of things were going on during July- Wes's job is going really well. Luckily, he likes what he is doing. However, he doesn't really love the hours/scheduling. It's been hard for him to plan things out more than just a couple of days ahead, and things tend to change at the last minute, but he is managing alright. He has had a longer week of almost 60 hours, and has since then enjoyed the extra OT pay! Luckily, it's not like that every week!

My job is going well- July was a busy month. JBC hosted a CIY event earlier in the month, and has since then been busy with youth groups/students visiting our campus. As part of my job is arranging guest housing, I was not surprised at the end of the month that we hosted almost 600 people on campus for the month of July- not including the 800 or so people here for CIY. I've been anxiously starting to prepare my job for someone to fill in for me while I am out. It makes me nervous because I am so hands on, but I know that everything will be fine and that our office will be functioning just perfectly without me!

Pregnancy update: 37 weeks today! I went in for my appointment this afternoon to learn that I am 50% effaced, and 2 cm dilated already! Very happy to hear that but trying not to get too excited. She said it could still take up to 2-3 weeks. My doctor goes on vacation next week, so we'll see what ends up happening. My BH contractions are becoming more frequent/ stronger, but still nothing too painful. Just plain ol' uncomfortable. I try not to complain all the time, but sometimes I just can't help it! Plus, I'm starting to have trouble sleeping through the night, so I get cranky a little easier. I'm very ready to meet this little guy. Wes has been wonderful helping me around the house- it's all in the little things. He helps tie my shoes if we're going to walk, and always makes sure he's around if I'm trying to get in and out of the bath tub! He always asks if I need a back rub or if my feet hurt. He bends over to get the clothes out of the dryer and helps me fold and put away! He is absolutely wonderful. I could not ask for a more wonderful partner to help get me through this awkward time and shape that I'm in. I am really excited about labor/delivery- I know he will be my absolute rock just encouraging me to get through each phase. Don't worry- I'm really excited but I also know that it's probably going to hurt like crazy...

Here's my 36 week picture...

Learning How to Properly Install a Car Seat

2010-07-03T13:32:00.000-07:00

We put the car seat in the van today! So, even though we still have 7 weeks to go- we are ready! My "to-do" list this week includes packing my hospital bag. Let's just say I want to be ready whenever Brennan decides to make his debut!

P.S. We love the new van!

New Job = New Vehicle

2010-07-02T13:08:00.000-07:00

So, Wes starts his new job "officially" on this upcoming Tuesday. I'm so excited and incredibly proud of him! Since even before his May graduation, he had been diligently job-hunting and praying for direction. He had been putting in his application in so many different places/areas/cities and just praying that God would open doors. After a while, we both started feeling like maybe we should be staying in Knoxville and God has definitely affirmed those plans!

Two weeks ago, Wes randomly heard about a job opportunity in Knoxville and he quickly began pursuing. They called him in for an interview and hired him on the spot! Even though his official start date is July 6, he's already been working quite a bit for them, while still juggling his JBC summer job.

He was hired by the Marriott Downtown Knoxville as the Audio/Visual Technician. This is a great opportunity for him, as well as a great learning experience. His focus in media has typically been video, so this will be a way for him to learn more about audio/visual. He'll be working full time, and so far it seems like his hours will be pretty flexible.

Our original plan was for Wes to stay home with Brennan full-time, but we knew that wasn't a long-term plan. So, now we are just praying about what will happen after my maternity leave is up. Things will work out- I am not worried, just giving it all to God. I would love to stay home full time but right now we don't feel like we can give up certain "perks" that come with my job, i.e. free housing/utilities, health benefits, etc... Luckily, we live on campus and I'll have so many opportunities to see Brennan throughout the days- I know my job will be as flexible with me as possible, so I just have to trust.

Also, in latest news, we purchased a van this week! It was something we had been thinking about/toying with the idea. I called up our favorite car salesman and let him know what we were looking for and he called back in a few days and said he just came across a trade-in that he thought we might be interested in. We went and looked at it, test drove it, and loved it! It was in our price range, and we were really happy to move forward with buying! So, we now have a 2001 Honda Odyssey (white, of course). It is so spacious and I love having a 2nd vehicle again. We have been doing wonderful with just 1 car since we moved to JBC, but with Wes will be working off-campus full time, we needed to make some major adjustments. I never saw myself as a mini-van mom, but I totally love it! I will update with pictures soon- this weekend I plan on getting it all geared up for Brennan. We have his car seat & stroller combo now, so we're ready to go!

Belly Pics- 29 weeks, 4 days

2010-06-17T15:51:00.001-07:00

Day 2- Success!

2010-06-17T15:45:00.000-07:00

We're trying not to go out to eat until our anniversary! We have seriously been to a restaurant or fast food place at least 1-2 times/day for the the past week and a half! It was ridiculous. We hadn't been grocery shopping in a while, and instead of just making ourselves go, we kept going out!

Yesterday was not hard at all- I was getting kind of sick of fast food, which is usually pretty difficult to do. Today wasn't as bad either. Tomorrow, we are going out with our small group, but we had already planned this before our decision to stop the madness!

Our anniversary is on June 29, so we will see how it goes. We went grocery shopping for two full weeks on Tuesday, so I think we should be set...if we just stick to it!

I have a doctor's appointment next week and I really don't want to see that I've gained 10 pounds! The baby is growing, but I don't want that to mean that I am growing, too!

Girls Night Out

2010-06-08T12:46:00.000-07:00

I'm very excited about tonight- girls night!

We are going to a favorite restaurant, Pei Wei (similar to PF Chang's) and then off to do some shopping at World Market! This evening has been in the works for quite some time, probably several months now. So, to think that it's already here is absolutely crazy!

I love spending time with Wes, but let's be honest- there is something about just getting together with some girls and having a good laugh! We have both tried to encourage each other to spend time with our own friends and not have to always spend every available moment with each other. Although it is difficult at times, it's something that I am learning to do more and more.

Last year, I went through a spell of 8 months or so working with only men. Now, the men are outnumbered. For the duration of the summer, I have the privilege to work with 4 other girls and it certainly helps keep me sane in and out of the office. Don't get me wrong- I think my male co-workers are great, too. I really do! I just really enjoy the new relationships with these girls! I work with such wonderful young ladies and I'm really looking forward to laughing together with them tonight!

Seriously, it's already Memorial Day!

2010-05-28T13:33:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's already the end of May. Scary how quickly the weeks have gone. May has been a good month- lots of things were going on. I recently had a thought/panic attack that no longer did I have to count up the weeks until Brennan's arrival, but I could finally start counting down the weeks (which for some reason sounds way better!) Less than 13 weeks til he makes his debut! While I was home with my parents in Florida, I got to spend some time talking with my mom and my grandma who both informed me that each of their children were all born about 2 weeks early... so, not trying to get my hopes up, but I guess my chances might be pretty good at an early delivery. We'll see.

In another recent panic attack, was also thoughts of how unprepared I'm going to be! And, also how my life will never be the same again. Also, how will I know what to do? Will I be a good Mom? How will I manage on such little sleep? (I am definitely an 8-9 hour/night sleeper!) Will my house be dirty all the time? Basically, an all-around-I-don't-think-I-can-do-this moment.

But, then I was reminded by my sweet husband that it will all be ok. He made sure I was taking some deep breaths, and trying to help me relax. And, then I was ok- finally. I am trying to reassure myself that it would not be helpful to have these huge expectations that I can't uphold and that I will just take it all in stride. I want to be a relaxed Mom- not one who panics. I won't ever be the perfect Mom, and if I'm so far from it at the beginning... that is ok! I will learn as I go. I will learn from others, and also from my own mistakes.

Anyhoo. I am really looking forward to this weekend. Wes, unfortunately, could not be home to enjoy the holiday weekend. He left yesterday for Tarrytown, NY to film a youth conference. Before they head home, they'll spend Monday sight-seeing in NYC (Yes, I am little jealous, but I wouldn't have survived the 14 hour car ride up!) He'll be home Tuesday night. I don't have many plans for the weekend- woohoo! Tonight, I'm going to help some friends pack/clean/load up a U-Haul. They are moving tomorrow (see previous post). I will miss them greatly, but excited that they won't be too far away, and they'll also be back in K-ville around Brennan's due date. Tomorrow, I have nothing on the radar except baby-sitting for some friends for a couple of hours. I was thinking maybe some yard-saling might be fun. We'll see how I feel in the morning. Which, by the way, in order to start working up to some very early mornings with a newborn, I am trying to start waking up at the same time every day, even weekends. Alarm goes off at 6:30 and need to be up by 7:00. Maybe my body can slowly become one of those "early to rise."

As I sit here and type, I'm enjoying the little kicks and baby movements and I believe that I am starting to feel some body parts up in the rib-cage area. Too early to tell which body part, but that is ok. It's a wonderful reminder of this perfect little life growing inside my belly- I can't wait to meet him!

Happy Holiday Weekend, everyone!

Baby Shower Fun!

2010-05-25T16:02:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, our small group hosted a beautiful shower for Brennan! It was so much fun getting together with friends. One of the couples in our small group is moving this weekend to Cookeville, TN and it was so nice to enjoy an afternoon together. We are going to miss them so much!!

Our adorable cake

A nice spread of desserts, plus chicken & turkey salad sandwiches

Brennan Wesley Jones (initials that are going in the nursery)

A fun game- little plastic babies frozen in ice cubes and the first person's whose baby floats to the top yells, "My water broke!"

Another game- guess what melted chocolate candy bar is in the diaper (couldn't use our hands!)

Milt & Wes diving right in

Amber, Milt & Jodi waiting to start

Opening a gift from Brennan's cousin, Shannon (it was one of her blankets)

Much needed diapers

Our friend, Helene painted a canvas to match our bedding- it turned out beautiful

My First Mother's Day

2010-05-15T13:37:00.001-07:00

I spent my first Mother's Day at the beach! It was delightful! Here I am 24 weeks, 4 days! I forgot my maternity swimsuit in Tennessee, so luckily my Grandma had an extra for me!

Nursery- Almost Complete

2010-05-15T12:54:00.001-07:00

Wes and his friend, Ryan put together the crib last night. It has been sitting in the box for a few days now and I've been getting a little antsy! I was so excited to see it all put together!

Graduation & Florida 2010

2010-05-15T11:53:00.000-07:00

Had a few pics to share. We got back from a little mini-vacation on Wednesday. Enjoy!

Warning: Pregnancy-related Post Ahead

2010-05-04T13:56:00.000-07:00

I had my 24 week check-up today. I think I have only 1 more appointment before I start going every 2 weeks. My next appointment will be at the end of May for my first glucose test. I'm really looking forward to it (sarcasm). I'm just praying that the liquid you have to drink isn't as bad as everyone says it is. Anyhoo, everything at the doctor looked good. I had been complaining of slight pressure/pain in my lower abdomen different from a typical muscle stretching so she wanted to do a quick check just to make sure everything seemed on track.

To her surprise, Brennan's head is already very low. She said it just looked like he was already in position. She did a quick exam and thought that because his head is much lower than she would expect for a first time mom at 24 weeks, that is probably why I was experiencing unusual pain/pressure. I know things can change between now and delivery time, but I just thought it was really neat to know which position he was already in!

Everything else was exactly where it needed to be and the size it needed to be! No early dilation or anything like that! Praise God! We are in the process of getting the nursery set up and I'm excited to post pictures once we have everything in place!

Until then...

A Fun Evening Ahead

2010-04-22T05:30:00.000-07:00

Today is Thursday, which I'm always excited about because that means tomorrow is Friday. Especially today I'm really excited because Wes & I are going out this evening to "officially" register at Babies R Us! I've been messing around with the website and adding a few small items here and there, but tonight, we get to walk around the store with the scanner and pick out a few items for Baby Brennan. It was probably one of the most exciting things about our wedding- going through Target and Bed, Bath & Beyond with that same scanner and adding things to our list! So, this is a very exciting night!

Wes is starting to count down the days to Graduation! He will be completely done with classes on Wednesday, April 28! Only 6 days away! He has been very busy lately with trying to juggle finishing up his classwork, editing his China project, starring in the upcoming Media department movie, and finishing up work study. In addition, he is putting the finishing touches on his resume and different cover letters. That's a lot of stuff going on!

I have been busy with different work events lately, but am happy to say last Friday was my last major event for the semester. What a relief! Our office is getting ready to start some major renovations, so we'll be taking the next 2 days relocating to a different area. I have been taking a class this semester since March and will be wrapping that up here in the next 2 weeks. My last class is May 3. I will be taking a break from school until probably mid to late fall. I want to take time to enjoy being a Mom.

One of the biggest highlights from our last few weeks has been attending a banquet commemorating a 10 year relationship with the #47 School in ZhengZhou, China. Last Wednesday, Wes and I were able to participate in a dinner with other teachers that have visited China to teach in years' past and several of Wes's Chinese friends who had come to the US for this special occasion. He really enjoyed getting to see many individuals that have been a part of his life for those 10 years both Chinese and American. I might add that it was one of the best dinners I've had in my life... It's a close tie with our wedding reception food, which was outstanding!! On the menu for the banquet was grilled chicken with shrimp, asparagus, roasted red potatoes covered in a yummy butter sauce. Butter makes everything taste good! JBC's "first lady" worked extra hard and made like 20 homemade apple pies and we were able to enjoy them with a scoop of ice cream! My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

Ok, that is about it for now. I've been taking a "break" from Facebook updating so I would have more opportunities to update the blog.

A Growing Baby!

2010-04-18T16:39:00.001-07:00

Starting with the most recent... definitely a BOY!!

19 weeks, 6 days

around 13 weeks

6 weeks, 6 days

December 14, 2009

A Growing Belly

2010-04-18T16:31:00.001-07:00

Ok, so these pictures are backwards starting with the most recent shot. Just thought it'd be fun to look at them all in one place and compare how much has changed since December!

this, that and a little squeakity squeak

2010-03-26T08:48:00.001-07:00

Ok, so I haven't posted in a while. Wes is back home and has been for almost 2 weeks. It's been so good to have him home for good. It was good for us to spend some time apart just because it's so easy to take your spouse for granted, but I'm glad we are done with being apart for now!

So, I am very ready for spring. It keeps teasing us with a couple of warm days here and there. Last Friday-Saturday it was in the upper 60's, lower 70's. Then, it snowed on Monday. Yuck!

I took today (Friday) off. It was much needed after our Spring Retreat last weekend. It pretty much wore me out- longer days and not much of a weekend. It was a huge success though. We had just under 500 students and sponsors here on campus- one of our largest groups ever! It was an awesome time for worship & drawing closer to God through an amazing speaker.

This coming week is Spring Break. I'm very glad Wes will have an opportunity to work on editing his China project. They have been working so hard on many interviews and other various footage since they've been back in the states. I know Wes is looking forward to just jumping in and working on completing the project.

I have included a few pictures in today's post. The first one is a plant in our dining room that I haven't killed yet! I'm so excited. I decided to try something easy and since everything typically dies, I picked something that is pretty low maintenance. I'm hoping to move up and try something a little more difficult soon. It's nice having live plants in the house- helps make the house feel more cozy!

The other 2 pictures are kind of gross if you think about it... BUT. I have been so terrified of these stupid mice in the house, that once we caught one I decided that they were kind of cute. It has been helpful to me that I'm not quite as fearful to be alone in the house. Just thought I'd share. Wes didn't actually kill them- he decided to just leave it on the trap and take it out to the trash dump- that way if he finished chewing his way out then he'd have plenty of food to find. I know- kind of slow and painful death, but I don't think I could handle the snappin' traps!

Pregnancy Update: I am 18 weeks, 2 days today. I feel larger and larger each week, but I'm loving every second of it. I am starting to almost hit that uncomfortable stage when sleeping at night, so hopefully I can make whatever adjustments I need to make in order to have a good night's sleep. I am excited about my next appointment, April 6. We will find out the sex of the baby and I can't wait to start planning better! It's so hard to buy things or even register until we know for sure what we're having... We appreciate all the prayers thus far and pray for continued prayers as we progress closer to the summer months!

Go West Young Man...

2010-03-05T10:02:00.001-08:00

So, Wes got up early to catch his flight in Knoxville to Dallas, TX. He was up by 3:15am and his friend, Josh picked him up by 4:00am. There was a group of people from our small group that all took him to the airport and stopped to eat at Waffle House first. I opted to say my goodbyes in bed, and fall back asleep. Unfortunately, I had a hard time falling back asleep. Probably would have been better off just going with everyone else! We spent last evening out on a date to Olive Garden, then home just in time to catch the last bit of Survivor, then we watched The Office together. Perfect evening. Before dinner, we were able to get together with our small group and prayed. It was a very cool experience.

This morning, I woke up to a beautiful sunrise. I wanted to take a few pictures just outside our front porch. It seems we haven't had many days where we see the sun shining so early. Silly clouds have been in the way for far too long! Our apartment is situated on the backside of campus facing the French Broad River. It's really nice to not have as many campus buildings to look at when I glance out the window. Enjoy the beautiful morning pictures below!

15 Weeks & Counting

2010-03-03T13:11:00.000-08:00

Wes leaves for China in less than 1 day! I am so proud of him for all the hard work he has put into this project so far. He is going over to ZhengZhou (where he taught for 9 months) to film for a documentary. He and a friend will be taking a closer look at the relationship between Johnson & also the school in ZhengZhou. We have been sending teachers to China, and they have also been sending their teacher here to JBC for almost 7 years now. (Maybe even longer, I can't remember.) He'll be flying out on Friday, March 5 and returning March 15. Please be praying for safety for his travels!

In baby news, I was 15 weeks yesterday! Yeah!! Since I haven't posted in a while, I'll back up a little... We decided to have a First Trimester Screen done at 13 weeks. We went to a high risk pregnancy office to have this taken care (a series of blood tests and an ultrasound.) They were looking for any type of abnormalities, checking for a nasal passage, seeing infrared heart activity, and checking baby's neck width. It was really exciting to see 13 week ultrasound- so much had changed since our last u/s at 6 weeks, 6 days. It actually looked like a baby! He or she was moving around so much, and we actually saw him open his mouth! (I know we'll look back on that moment and think about how silly it is to be excited about seeing him open his mouth!) While we were at the screening, we wanted to talk with a Genetic Counselor because as most of you know our families' health history is pretty crappy! It was a great time to dive in and look at our family and through about an hour conversation and a family tree our genetic counselor gave us a good bill of health. They were fairly confident that neither of our families' history should affect our child. We were so relieved to hear the good news! A few days later, the office called and said all of my blood tests came back perfect!

So, Tuesday was a "regular" visit to my OB office. It was the quickest trip- 15 minutes max. I heard the heartbeat- holding steady at 152-155 bpm. (Again, another reason why I think it's a little boy!) My OB said everything looked good. She was proud of me for keeping my weight gain to a minimum- -2 lbs since my first visit in early January. She seemed to think that could be because I have not been drinking soda as often. Amazing how that works! I am going back to the doctor on March 23 for a spinabifida test. From there, I will be back 2-3 weeks for an anatomy ultrasound. I will be around 20-21 weeks at that time. It can not get here soon enough!

Hopefully pictures will be forth coming...

A New Place to Call Home

2010-02-10T18:54:00.000-08:00

We finally moved! Our apartment had been in the maintenance stage for almost 1 month and we received word that it would be ready for move-in last Friday. It was totally worth the wait. The maintenance teams did such an awesome job getting things ready. It's amazing what a carpet extracter, a fresh coat of paint and some major cleaning can do!

We have more space and I'm really trying hard to make this feel "homey." Decorating is definitely not my forte, but I'm making strides.

Pictures will be forthcoming.

Pregnancy Update:
12 weeks today! It's amazing to think that it's already been that long! I feel great. I'm still pretty worn out very easily, but hopefully that will start to improve. I'm feeling thicker around the waistline although I wouldn't say I'm officially "showing" yet. I don't think it will be much longer though before you can tell. I go the doctor next week for some type of genetic counseling. We both have such terrible family history with plenty of illnesses, our doctor recommended that we take some time to talk to a specialist. And, we get a ultrasound, too! Our little peanut will actually look like a baby! I can't wait to see him! (No, I don't know for sure, but I have a hunch.) Our next OB appointment is March 2 and we should be listening to the heartbeat then. Things are progressing and I just can't believe how quickly the weeks go by. Our new apartment has room for a nursery so this will be on my endless list of things to do... starting to plan/organize a nursery. I'm so excited! Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers!

Invaders in the Night

2010-01-11T10:44:00.000-08:00

Yuck! I'm almost embarrassed that I'm even posting these pictures, but I was just amazed at how many "invaders" showed up last night. Apparently, we are not the only residents on campus to have this problem, so we are trying to find ways of eliminating them until the Cook's Pest Control guy stops by next week. (Don't worry, he knows that I am pregnant and will hopefully use whatever is safest for me!)

Confirmation Appointment

2010-01-08T05:25:00.000-08:00

I went to the doctor this week for my "confirmation" appointment. It was so exciting! I knew ahead of time that we would get to have an ultra sound, but I don't think I was prepared for how awesome it would be to see our little baby! Wes went back with me and before we had the U/S I had to get my "yearly" check up. After that was over, they gave me a nice little robe and then we moved to the room across the hall. The tech that did our U/S was great- friendly, encouraging, helpful. She answered our questions and printed out lots of pictures for us! I think it was great for Wes to have an opportunity to see the baby. He mentioned to me that it was very difficult to feel like we're pregnant just because nothing has really changed for him, so I think seeing our baby on the monitor was just what he needed! He may have even shed a little tear...

I wasn't quite as far along as I anticipated, so they pushed back my due date a little over a week. So my official due date is August 25, 2010, which so happens to be my birthday! Right now, I am at 7 weeks, 2 days.

I'm feeling good so far. I have the "crud" right now, i.e. stuffy nose, nasty cough, sore throat. I've had it almost the entire duration of my pregnancy, so I'd really be ok if it were to move on. My doctor said it was ok to take Benadryl, so I've been trying to get it taken care of quickly. My nights are pretty rough, so I'm hoping once this stuff has cleared out my nights will be a little less eventful!

I go to the doctor again on February 1 for my first OB visit. At that point, I will be a little over 10 weeks.

We would appreciate your prayers for the next few weeks. We are praying for a smooth first trimester, and that Baby would continue to grow. We are also thanking God for this blessing that He has given us!

Getting Back on Track

2009-12-29T09:51:00.000-08:00

The holidays are a great time to spend with family and friends, but man, is it hard to get back in the groove! I am torn because in one way, I'm ready for the routine, but in another way, I'm enjoying a little relaxation and flexibility in my schedule.

One area that I feel like we have sucked at immensely: going out to eat! It's so much easier to go out for dinner or for lunch, rather than having to take the time to prepare a meal at home. But, I must say, this is one thing we'd really like to improve on before baby arrives! Obviously, the ease of going out to a restaurant will change with a baby, and we may find it much easier and more convenient to stay at home for dinner. Regardless, it takes work. I have to get better at planning. I am grateful for short opportunities throughout the work day to menu plan, and I love the feeling of accomplishment after I have finished putting it together!

Menu Plan for Week 12/30 thru 1/5

Wednesday: Meatloaf, macaroni & cheese, green beans
Thursday: Pasta Roll Ups, Italian bread, salad
Friday: Pork BBQ Sandwiches, corn on the cob
Saturday: Pepper Steak, Rice
Sunday: Chili Parmesan Chicken, asparagus, rice, dinner rolls
Monday: Potato Soup, grilled cheese
Tuesday: Cheesy Eggs & Ham, Biscuits

*Pregnancy Update*
Feeling pretty good. My only complaints are heartburn, sinus infection, snoring, and feeling bloated. No nauseous or food aversions, yet. Although, I did gag at the smell of Bath & Body Works Cotton Blossom- yuck! I start feeling pretty tired in the afternoons, so I try to take a few quick breaks. I have already had several people mention to me that having pregnancy heartburn means the baby will have lots of hair, so we'll see! I can't wait to meet the little guy or girl!

Oh Baby!

2009-12-23T10:34:00.000-08:00

I'm pregnant! It is very surreal right now. We are both so very excited and surprised and blessed. We found out last Monday, Dec. 14. It was an absolutely crazy night for me to find out such exciting news! After I found out, I had to leave almost immediately for my last class. It was very painful to have to sit in class for 4 hours when all I really wanted to do was cuddle on the couch with my husband!

It feels like we are both just now having a chance to really let this sink in. When you find out something like this on the last week of classes, and finals week, it's hard to get all the last minute papers and projects off your mind! Finally, we finished! I turned in my last paper on Monday, Dec. 21 and Wes had finished on the Thursday before. Which, by the way, we both got all A's! I'm so proud of Wes- he has been working so hard through his classes this semester. Only one more semester to go for him!

Tonight, we are going out to celebrate Christmas & the baby tonight for dinner at Chesapeake's (seafood restaurant downtown Knoxville). I am looking forward to just having an opportunity to just talk about everything. Let's face it...I am a woman. And a planner. I like to talk it out and start planning, even if it is just in my head. I don't care if we have 8 months left before his/her arrival, I just want to talk about it now! We have been praying about this little one for so long!

My first appointment is Jan. 5. I'd certainly appreciate your prayers!

Pictures by Helene

2009-11-30T13:55:00.000-08:00

Our friend, Helene, took some pictures for us a few weeks ago. Be sure to check out the website! We are so pleased with them- she is very talented and we were lucky enough to be her first "clients!"

2009 Pratt Family Thanksgiving

2009-11-28T14:25:00.000-08:00

We just got back from our big trip up north- man, it felt good to be home! I enjoyed our time with family so much.

Here's a quick re-cap from our week...

Tuesday: Left Knoxville around 7:30 am and arrived in Meadville, PA at about 5:30 pm

Checked into motel
Drove to Grandma Pratt's house for dinner (Aunt Judy arrived just shortly before we did!)
Ate yummy vegetable soup and talked for a couple of hours with Grandma & Judy before leaving for the motel for some rest!

Wednesday: Got to Grandma's about 9:00 am

Ate breakfast with Grandma & Judy (Still no one else showed up yet!)
Made some phone calls, wanted to stop by and see Grandma Bonnie
Ate lunch with Bonnie & Wes at The Safari Bar and believe it or not, I felt like we were on a Safari. The owner had a nice large collection of "stuffed" animals that he had hunted over his lifetime
Stopped off at grocery store for some last minute items
Went back to Grandma's and watched a little HGTV
Started cooking for Thursday (Well, I just watched in amazement at all the steps it takes to prepare a big Thanksgiving meal...)
Had spaghetti for dinner
Played Play Nine with Grandma & Aunt Judy
Gwen, Derek & Emily arrived around 8:30 pm
Chit-chatted with them until about 9:00 pm
Left for motel

Thursday: Thanksgiving! More family members have arrived by this time...

Woke up & called Mom & Dad to wish them a Happy Thanksgiving! Found out my other Grandma, affectionately known as PeeWee, was in the hospital with pneumonia.
Got to Grandma Pratt's around 9:20 pm
Ate breakfast with Aunt Judy
Rick, Noreen & Leah had arrived around 1:30 am
Helped put any of the last minute items together and loaded up cars
All headed out to nursing home where my Grandpa has been for 3 years now
Alan & Eileen met us there
Had lunch at 1:30 pm
Grandpa was able to come in and eat lunch with us and spent most of the afternoon with us (His health has been deteriorating for several years now. Unfortunately, he is suffering from dementia, among other things.)
Talked to Grandpa and told them that I was there and that I loved him... (not sure if he knew who I was or not...)
Played games with everyone until 5:00 pm
Loaded up vehicles and headed back to Grandma's
Watched Home Alone with everyone (it was on TV)
Played Trivial Pursuit with everyone (girls lost!)
Gave out hugs and said goodbye around 10:00 pm

Friday: Heading home to TN

Woke up at 8:00 am and packed up stuff
Ate breakfast at Cracker Barrel across the street
On the road at 8:53 am
Pulled onto campus at 7:30 pm

LONG DAY!!!

Glad to be home! Loved the time spent with family!

Money Talk Tuesday

2009-11-10T13:31:00.001-08:00

I recently found some old "financial" documents that I had saved on my computer. It was entertaining to browse through old budgets, bills, and account balances. I'm a nerd. I love looking through this stuff, not only because it's fun, but also because it takes me back to a different time in my life. Wes and I were just starting out. We didn't have a lot, (and still don't). But, this is a physical way I can see our progress.

Budgets are fun. I enjoy working on them, creating them, balancing them, and even changing them. (I try to keep in mind that this is not as much fun for Wes!) I have a weird fascination with other people's budgets. Not the amounts, but just the format. Here are several of ours from the past...

budget 1
budget 2
budget 3
budget 4

Feel free to share a blank budget with me! I love getting new ideas!

A Happy Halloween

2009-11-03T07:56:00.001-08:00

HAPPY BELATED HALLOWEEN!

A New Addition to the Family

2009-10-28T13:35:00.000-07:00

No, we're not pregnant...

We are excited to announce that we will be getting a dishwasher!

Recently, we have been asked to move into another apartment here on campus. This apartment is on the first floor of Clark Hall, one of our older dormitories. Even though none of the students live in this dorm, they still need someone living there as "resident manager." In addition to having a dishwasher provided to us, which is obviously wonderful news, our housing will be provided as a "perk."

We will have this opportunity to live there free... no rent & no utilities! I know it sounds silly, but I am really excited to have a dishwasher! Our friends who currently live in this apartment just happened to mention this amenity, and my ears perked up (and I think my eyes filled with tears!) I know... I am ridiculous!

The apartment's current residents will be moving out on December 11. Not sure, at this point, how quickly we will be moving in, but hopefully before Christmas!

It's Almost Christmas

2009-10-27T13:36:00.000-07:00

I've been looking around for some yummy Christmas treats that would be easy to make in large batches and have found quite a few I hope to try this season! My plan, not that I will stick with it entirely, is to make large amounts of "goodies" and give as gifts for friends & coworkers. We don't plan on spending a lot of money in the Christmas budget this year, but I do enjoy baking sweets, so this will be a fun project for me! Here's a sneak peak at what might be cooking in my kitchen very soon...

Rolos, Pretzels, M&M's

Preheat oven to 250. Spread out circle pretzels and place a Rolo upside down inside each pretzel and warm for 3-5 minutes. Once you remove, immediately place an M&M in the middle and let cool.

Oreo Truffles

Crush entire bag of Oreo's into fine crumbs, probably best to use food processor. Mix together with 8 oz Cream Cheese and roll into balls. Chill. Melt chocolate in double boiler and roll truffles in chocolate and top with crushed white chocolate. Chill. Eat. Enjoy.

That's all for now. I'll be posting more recipes once I decide on my final choices!

I have been listening to Christmas music since October 1. Can't wait til everyone else in the Christmas spirit!

How Hard Could It Be?

2009-10-23T10:23:00.000-07:00

I have really enjoyed exploring other people's blogs. It is strange to me that it does not even matter that I may not know the person writing, but how I can often find encouragement. And, if I really have time, I love starting with one blog then linking to about 4-5 blogs beyond that from just that first initial site.

It seems like contentment is a popular struggle for many people, particularly women. I enjoy reading through others struggles because it helps make me feel more normal. I think this struggle is easy to put aside and forget, until I read through others' writings on the subject and I realize how difficult it is for me to be content.

I stumbled on a blog earlier this week discussing this very topic and I thought it had some great direction and encouragement. I wanted to just re-cap the "bullets" that are mentioned from a book called "Calm My Anxious Heart" by Linda Dillow. Linda writes in her book several different ways that she has discovered help her through discontentment. If you know me, I love "bullets." It seems to help me remember better... so here they are.

Never allow yourself to compain about anything — not even the weather.
Never picture yourself in any other circumstance or someplace else.
Never compare your lot with another’s.
Never allow yourself to wish this or that had been otherwise.
Never dwell on tomorrow — remember that tomorrow is God’s, not ours.

What a challenge! A few weeks ago, Mark Nelson taught at Crossings about "living in the therefore." As I've mentioned, we are studying Romans, and this whole teaching was based out of Romans 3:20. If we're living in the "therefore," we're not waiting for something else to happen before we start living in Christ. The teaching was way more complex than that, but for me, this is what I took away.

Finding contentment is difficult. For me, when I am not seeking Christ, my heart is discontented, especially when I am seeking success, happiness, money, acceptance, or any other number of things. But, I am encouraged to know that I am on a journey, and it may take time for me to learn these things.

Not an Ideal Lifestyle

2009-10-20T07:49:00.001-07:00

I sit at a desk for 40+ hours each week.
I sit on the couch for 20+ hours each week. (Please don't judge- I'm just being realistic!)
I sleep in my bed (comfortably) for 60+ hours each week.

With only 168 hours in a week, this is not an ideal amount of inactivity.

A sedentary lifestyle is not the best choice for me. Now, do I constantly make decisions that encourage a sedentary lifestyle- yes! Are those good decisions- no!

According to a women's health website, a sedentary life is defined as being physically inactive at work and at home and failing to participate in exercise for at least 20 continuous minutes at least three times a week. I don't like to exercise. In fact, I hate it. I wish every single day that I could be someone who wakes up each morning excited to exercise. I hate starting to work out after not doing it for a long time because then I'm sore. I hate wearing workout clothes. I hate being outside when it's cold. I hate being outside when it's hot.

All this to say... I am a complainer. And, I'm lazy. I am sure that a lot of these things would work themselves out if I just tried. I complain about being tired every morning when I wake up- if I exercised, I would have more energy! I complain about wearing work out clothes- if I exercised I could lose some weight and hopefully fit into my clothes better! I hate working out in uncomfortable weather- so I live about as close to a gym as anyone could ever hope for! (If I would use it!) I complain about being sore- if I kept exercising, I wouldn't be sore any longer!

I am sick and tired of being sick and tired. Let's see if I am finally ready to do something about it.

Happy Birthday, Wes!

2009-10-15T11:45:00.000-07:00

Wes is 29 today! Happy birthday! I was so excited this morning, I woke him at or close to the time that I think he was born. He said he thought around 7:00am.

I wasn't able to make today very special for him, and I am disappointed in myself. I just let the week get by without really planning anything special. He and I are so different. I love to make a big deal out of birthdays and he is really ok with keeping it simple. He always said growing up everyone got a cake for their birthday and that was about it. My childhood was not that much different, but I still like to make it exciting!

I thought I would post some of my favorite things about Wes. (I'm stealing this idea from Lainie over at Peaceful Home, although I probably won't list 29 things).

Wes is...

a caring, sweet husband
a talented artist, even though he would never say that
a determined student
a hard-working individual who is willing to share household duties with his wife
a trustworthy and loyal husband
seeking God daily and encouraging me along side him to do the same
developing strong paternal skills
the first person each morning to make me smile
willing to put my needs before his own
my best friend

Sin or Sins?

2009-10-13T18:22:00.000-07:00

I mentioned earlier in a post that we had been studying Romans at Crossings. This has been a great teaching time for me, as it has really been challenging me. I love how our teaching team at Crossings can integrate the depth of this study with a little humor and some form of the arts. Romans is hard stuff. I've always enjoyed reading through certain chapters, but I gotta be honest- I liked to overlook the first few chapters. In fact, I didn't even know what they were about up until about 7 weeks ago when we started diving in each week.

The first part of Romans is very dark. There is a lot of talk about wrath and judgement. We even had people attending Crossings that just felt like it was too dark and they decided not to worship with us anymore. I really respect the leaders who felt like they needed to teach through this first portion of Romans, even if it wasn't keeping everyone happy.

I've been wrestling with a lot of different ideas that have been coming up in our teachings but the main idea for me has been this idea of sin vs sins...

Let me know explain...

I have lived my whole life thinking there is a never-ending list of things that I can and can not do. We list the "sins" in order from the worst (murder, of course) all the way down to the not as bad (gossip, pride, etc...). Every day I have had this list in mind, knowing that every day I fail. Now, granted, I may not go through life and ever murder anyone (I certainly hope not!). But, there is not a single day that goes by that I do not sin in some form or fashion.

How does this thinking help me? It doesn't. It only establishes a list of things I am not "supposed" to do, only to find out the inevitable... I will do them. Maybe not all of them. But I will commit a sin. Then what happens... I wrestle with feelings of guilt, shame, worthlessness, etc...

Now, if I could re-train my way of thinking, life would look different? Maybe. If I could stop looking at this list of sins (plural), and instead see sin (all-encompassing) as a condition of the heart. I am full of sin. It is in my nature. But, this puts me in a position where I am in complete need of rescuing. Understanding this as a state of being. I don't seem to put the expectations of achieving this list of do's and don'ts. It helps me see that I can not do anything on my own. I need a Savior. Much easier said than done. I still have some wrestling to do.

Yay for Free Money!

2009-10-13T12:44:00.000-07:00

We just found out that we qualified for the Tennessee "Hope Scholarship"! It is an extra $4,000 for the year to help us pay for our school bill and other various expenses!

Thank you to our wonderful Financial Aid office to help get this worked out for us!

One Class Down, Several More To Go

2009-10-13T11:00:00.001-07:00

Last night, I finished up my first class towards my degree. It was a great class- it really helped me get familiar with what is coming up in the next two years. I love the night class format, although four hours is a little long. I hope to keep up this excitement in order to just keep pushing through. I am excited about the next class, but I'm afraid that it might be difficult for me. It's titled, "Board Development & Strategic Planning." I think it will be good, but it might not be as interesting. I could be wrong though.

The biggest project that I worked on for this class was an extensive, investigative paper on my choice of non profit organizations. I chose to investigate The Restoration House of East Tennessee. I'm so glad that I did- it was wonderful to learn more about it. I hope to one day get more involved with this organization. If you'd be interested in learning more about it, please visit their website.

I don't know necessarily what I hope to do with this degree, but it sure feels good to finish. It's been hanging over my head for so long. This may open doors for opportunities I wouldn't have had before, but it also may not. I don't expect a lot- I just want to finally finish something that I started. And, I can't wait!

Weekend Update

2009-10-12T07:00:00.000-07:00

I love SNL. If only I could stay up late on Saturday nights to watch. Maybe one day, we'll have DVR and then we can just watch it the next day without any commercials.

Time to re-cap the weekend...

Friday night we had small group at the Hale's. It was great- we're still sharing timelines, so it is great to have an opportunity to learn more about the people in our group. We always laugh a lot and I love it. And, of course I loved every minute spoiling little Cooper. (I love having a little one in our group!) It seemed like a lot of our group was traveling over the weekend- hopefully everyone has/had a safe trip back home! We'll be getting together on Friday night this week for game night!

Saturday was nice and relaxing. I skipped out on Leadership Community so I could sleep in and finish my homework while Wes was gone. Which I finished! It was great to not have homework to worry about all weekend! We were house-sitting/dog-sitting this week for Doug & Rita. It was fun- I felt so at home at their house, and they weren't even there! Rita seems like she is a lot like my mom, so it felt very cozy! We were able to go to the volleyball game on Saturday and catch the last little bit.

Sunday was also relaxing. (I did lots of relaxing, as you can tell.) Crossings was awesome. We are studying Romans and I am really being challenged lately. (More on that later.) After church, we came back home and ate a quick lunch. Then headed over to let the dog out and take care of the animals. Took a nap. Watched The Amazing Race. Watched football (something I am really starting to enjoy!)

Back to work this morning! It was a nice weekend- I'm glad to see the temperature starting to drop this week. I am loving fall more and more each day! I noticed yesterday that the leaves are starting to change. Can't wait!

Hope you had a nice weekend, as well!

Caffeine vs Me

2009-10-08T13:48:00.000-07:00

Caffeine won. I realized yesterday that I have become completely addicted to Caffeine. I found an interesting fact today about Mountain Dew, one of my favorite drinks.

Mountain Dew contains too much caffeine to be legally sold in the UK. (I asked one of my friends from the UK and he verified this. Although, he could not confirm that it is not sold because it actually has too much caffeine in it.)

I only drank 1 cup of coffee this morning (Half Caff). And, then I caved for a Dr. Pepper this afternoon at 3:30pm. Then I got a refill.

Extra $100?

2009-10-08T10:12:00.000-07:00

How would you spend an extra $100? If you had no limits, no rules, no need to spend on anyone else other than yourself...

Here is my plan:

I would love to purchase a new purse, one that could double as both dressy and casual, if needed.
I would purchase my favorite Fall beverage from Starbucks, Pumpkin Spice Latte.
I would love to download some new music off iTunes.
I would buy some fall work shoes (black, dressy flats)
I would order a print of Wes & I off Picasa, and purchase a neat frame for the picture. My desk is lacking a picture of us!

How would you spend your money?

Every Tuesday & Wednesday...

2009-10-07T18:25:00.000-07:00

I have roughly 4 hours of "me" time at my disposal. Not that this time has to be centered around me, necessarily, but this is twice a week that I know I will need to find something to occupy my time. Hubby works from 6:30-10:00 both nights. I don't have a lot of hobbies or interests to jump into when I have a free moment, but I'm learning. It's good practice for me to do things on my own again. I know this sounds weird, but I feel like I have come to rely on my husband for a lot of things. Not a bad thing, but I tend to avoid doing things if it means I must do them alone.

I'm realizing that it's almost like I have been given this wonderful opportunity to "practice" alone. Sometimes I will try and use this time to catch up with friends and build new relationships, but sometimes I want to stay home. Sometimes when I stay home, I am tempted to do absolutely nothing, and others I have a list miles long of things I hope to accomplish. I've often thought about different ways that I can learn how to use my time wisely. And, since I'm a list maker I thought it might be nice to begin exploring those ideas one week at a time.

Clean! (Love how this is always at the top of my list!)
Learn a new craft, i.e. knitting, crocheting, scrap-booking
Journal (Not the entire time, of course!)
Cook some dinners to freeze
Bake some goodies
Read my Bible
Take a walk/Exercise
Organize online photo albums
Invite a friend over
Work on my homework (Before it's due!)
Read a book (Just for fun!)
Write letters to mail the old fashioned way
Read a magazine

A few things I'd like to NOT do during these evenings:

Watch TV for 4 hours
Play on Facebook/Internet for 4 hours

This week has been great. Last night, I went over to a friend's house and spent time with her. Then another friend stopped by and we all enjoyed some great conversation! God has blessed me with so many neat friendships. Tonight, I had an opportunity to visit another friend after she just recently had a baby (so cute, by the way!) and then went off to grocery shop.

Now, I'm home waiting for hubs to get home. Haven't seen him hardly at all tonight! Totally worth waiting up for!

My New Blog- On a Journey

2009-10-07T17:55:00.000-07:00

I know I make a lot of empty promises. I don't enjoy it. I don't do it on purpose. I am a person of good intentions, but I'm not perfect.

As of late, I have completely ignored our blog. So, why, would I think that creating a new blog be a good idea? Especially, since my first post on this website was from way back in June. Well, I feel inspired. I want to write and I want to share. But I don't want to feel like I'm writing for both of us.

I am messy. I don't have it all figured out. I want to have opportunities to share my life "on a journey" and maybe it could offer encouragement to someone. Or be some good entertainment. I enjoy reading blogs. You learn a lot about people.

I hope you enjoy learning about me!

epooting?

2009-06-28T13:44:00.000-07:00

I decided to start a new blog today! My other blog will still remain the same, but I just wanted another outlet to share... I'll continue to update pictures and Talk about recent happenings of Wes & I, but this blog will just be for me.

So, I guess by now you're wondering why the weird post title- well, when I had to enter in the "security" word verification my word was "epooting." Weird, huh. I just thought that was funny and wanted to share.

Welcome to my new blog!