21 weeks, 1 day

I'm just a little past halfway. Besides being exhausted most of the time, I feel pretty good. I'm able to get stuff done in little spurts around resting, and I'm very thankful for that. We are busy trying to get registered for what we need, putting money away to buy the nursery furniture, and all the other plans that have to be made to welcome a child into the home!

Carter is moving around like crazy. Taylor has felt him once. He doesn't always kick hard enough to be felt on the outside, even though I can feel him often! Taylor is really looking forward to when Carter will move a lot while Taylor talks or sings to him. Shouldn't be too long now!

That's just a quick, simple update. And, here's my 21 weeks, 1 day picture:

2011 Memory Verse 2

This weekend was the Regional Rally for Premier Designs-the company I sell jewelry for. It's so much more than selling jewelry, and maybe in another post I will describe more about the amazing opportunity Premier is in my life. But, this post is about my memory work. Each year at Regional Rally a Bible verse is announced to be the verse of the year for the company. Just a little over a month ago, Premier lost one of its co-founders, Joan Horner. It was decided that for 2011, in honor of Joan, her favorite verse would be used for the 2011 Verse of the Year. This verse is what I have chosen for the next two weeks to spend time meditating on and memorizing.

Psalm 34:1,3

"I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise will continually be on my lips. Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt His name together."

How Pregnancy is Preparing Me for Motherhood

There are two main things recently that have been running through my head. I really believe these two lessons I've been learning during my pregnancy will transfer into motherhood. Hmmm...wonder if God designs it that way. :)

1. Take it one day at a time! When my morning sickness hit me halfway through week 5, it literally knocked me flat out of nowhere. One minute I was fine, and the next I was sick, sick. I quickly learned not to over plan. One day at a time was very important. Some days I could get up and do something, but some days I couldn't. I had to quit worrying over what wasn't happening and focus on what was happening. Something tells me that one day at a time plus the patience that comes with that will be very important as a mother.

2. Rest when I can! Being pregnant for me means that I sleep--A LOT! Because of a blood disorder that I have, I did not get a massive relief of fatigue once I hit my 2nd trimester. I've also learned that if I try to ignore I have a blood disorder and need to rest, then I feel sick like my 1st trimester all over again. So, I have to honor my body's need for rest so that I'm taking care of me and the baby to the best of my ability. I can only imagine how important this will be especially right at the beginning. I will be a better mom and wife if I rest often at the beginning when sleep is so sporadic. This will also go hand in hand with taking it one day at a time.

2011 Memory Verses

Last year I attempted to memorize 2 verses a month throughout all of 2010. I made it through May, but fell apart after that. :(

I'm going at it again this year with the accountability provided by Beth Moore and Living Proof Ministries. On Living Proof's blog, you can find the challenge to memorize 2 verses a month for the entire year. You can post your verses on their blog and encourage others that are participating! I'm really excited to dig into this again.

With Carter coming in 5 months, I chose these two verses to start off my year:

Gen 30:20 "God has presented me with a precious gift"
Jer. 1:5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart."

Happy New Year! May your 2011 be filled with truth from God's word!

Surprise!

We got a great surprise today that just made our day and our Christmas! I am 15 weeks along today, so we have known that we had 4-5 more weeks before we could find out if we were having a boy or girl. As you know, 3 weeks ago we went to see a specialist to check for genetic disorders. While there, the sonographer made a prediction that we would have a boy; but we kept that under our hat. Today, my OB asked us if the specialist had made a prediction. We told her yes, a boy; and she asked if we wanted her to take a peek. YES! Of course! So, she did, and with a little wiggling around from her HE moved around and let us take a peek. He is for sure a boy! :) We are going to name him Carter Ashton! We are so excited to know! So excited to call him "him" or "Carter" or "Little Man" or anything else boy-ish. And, so excited to start planning the nursery! Baseball/Texas Rangers theme-here we come!!!

Before leaving for the doctor we snapped this 15 week belly shot!

Labor of Love

This holiday season I have found myself a little more reflective than usual on Mary as she carried and birthed Jesus. Something about being pregnant has made me really think about how her situation differs from mine, and if I'm feeling so many different things what in the world must she have been feeling? And then, while working today, this new song from Point of Grace captured my attention. On Monday night we toured the hospital where we will be delivering our precious child. It's a beautiful, pristine Women's Center that strives to make moms and dads feel comfortable and at-home through the entire experience. Listening to this song, I am reminded that Mary's experience was far from what mine will be. It makes the scary part of labor and delivery not so scary when I think about what she went through to deliver the Savior of the World!

Labor of Love by Point of Grace

It was not a silent night
There was blood on the ground
And you could hear a woman cry
In the alleyways that night
On the streets of David's town
And the stable was not clean
And the cobblestones were cold
And little Mary full of grace
With the tears upon her face
Had no mother's hand to hold

It was a labor of pain
It was a cold sky above
But for the girl on the ground in the dark
With every beat of her beautiful heart
It was a labor of love

Noble Joseph at her side
Calloused hands and weary eyes
There were no mid-wives to be found
On the streets of David's town
In the middle of the night
So he held her and he prayed
Shafts of moonlight on his face
For the baby in her womb
He was the Maker of the Moon
He was the Author of the Faith
That could make the mountains move

It was a labor of pain
It was a cold sky above
But for the girl on the ground in the dark
With every beat of her beautiful heart
It was a labor of love

For little Mary full of grace
With the tears upon her face
It was a labor of love.

It was not a silent night
On the streets of David's town.

12 weeks pic with silly face