Andrew: One Month

Andrew- One Month

September 16, 2010 marked the one month birthday for our boy Andrew.  I never thought in a million years that I would feel the way I did the day he turned a month old.  Honestly it was a bittersweet day.  The tears flowed freely as I realized that a full 30 days has gone by since the day he was born.  Time passes way too quickly and I find myself begging the Lord to slow down the growing process just a bit. I can't seem to soak up enough of the newborn phase.  I find myself wanting to cherish every single moment with our precious boy.



Baby Acme was rough on Andrew



I absolutely love being a mother.  I feel complete like I have finally found my true ministry in life.  I told Jeff the first day that I was made to be a mother.  These words I continue to find myself repeating over the past few weeks.  Sleepless nights, fussy times, dirty diapers, pee in your face and spit up in your hair are all part of the motherhood experience that I find myself laughing through and knowing one day I will miss greatly.  These are the moments I prayed for as we waited for the Lord to bless us with a child.  These are the moments I try not to take for granted since I know so many girls longing for these memories as well.

Father & Son nap time

My favorite time of day is the times that I rock my baby in his room.  It seems like it is in these moments that time stands still.  I cherish the little hand that reaches up to grab my hair to twirl as he falls asleep.  Or the little sigh that he gives right before he falls into a deep sleep.  Truly, truly precious memories that I hope to never forget.

Many times this month, I find myself standing next to Andrew's crib thanking the Lord above for blessing us with Baby Andrew.  My poor baby has been baptised in my tears of joy more than I care to admit. I find myself in a constant state of praise for all the Lord has done for us. 



Andrew LOVES getting a bath!

Bath time, cuddles, family nap time and first smiles are all the things that I pray I never take for granted.  I will carry them with me for the rest of my life. 

One Month Doctor Visit

Andrew's one month stats as of 9-16-10

Pounds: 10.9

Inches: 22

We are truly grateful for the opportunity to raise and love on Andrew Jon--he is a precious gift that we never want to take for granted. 

A Few Firsts Happening Here

We are trying to find our groove around here for outings outside of the house.  This has been pretty easy to plan because he is still so young and typically will sleep for two hours after his feedings. 

Our first big outing was to Jason's Deli to celebrate Andrew's 2nd week on earth and to cure Mom of an intense case of cabin fever.  Once I fed him, we hurried to the restaurant where I am happy to report he stayed asleep until we arrived back at the house.

We also headed to church for the first time this past weekend.  This has been our biggest adventure of all by far.  I thought I had planned it out just right but was I ever so wrong.  The plan was for me to wake up early enough that I could get a shower and dry my hair before Andrew's next scheduled feeding.  Unfortunately when I got out of the shower, Andrew was screaming in his crib.  I wrapped my hair in a towel and quickly started to feed him.  This day, he decided that he would take his time eating so by the time we finished I had 5 minutes to spare before we had to walk out the door.  Thankfully my hair curled up after sitting in a towel for almost an hour and I still had my traveling make up bag packed from the hospital so both were quickly done in the car.

One word to describe my look: frazzled.

A funny story that happened while at church.  Andrew is a big tooter when he eats, after he eats and before he eats.  Basically this boy toots like no ones business.  The boy has very manly, very loud toots.  One of his feedings fell in the middle of church so I was fully prepared with bottle in hand to sit on the back row and feed our boy.  During his feeding our pastor gets up to pray and begin his sermon.  My son thought this would be a good time to let em rip.  Not just one or two but possibly close to a dozen, very loud, very manly toots came a flying.  His Nannie and Poppy, who were sitting two rows in front of us heard their precious grandson tooting up a storm.  I was trying not to laugh out loud but had silent laughter tears rolling down my cheeks.  Neither Jeff nor I could look at each other because the silent laughter would have become full on belly laugh. Imagine, his first Sunday at church and he is already acting up during the prayer.  Sadly all those toots were the result of a very loaded diaper being made so a quick exit was made to remedy the situation.  I am very happy we chose to sit on the back row and not our usual 3 rows from the front. 

Here is a quick video of a new trick Andrew discovered tonight.  Someone needs to tell this boy that he is only three weeks old and shouldn't be able to do the things he is already doing.

Introducing Andrew

This is our sweet baby, Andrew. The proof that God answers prayers and that good things do happen to those who wait.  I am loving every minute of being a new mom.  My favorite part is that newborn smell and the middle of the night cuddle times. I know these two things will not last forever so I am soaking up every single minute.

We are blessed beyond measure.  Andrew is a great sleeper and a good eater.  His pediatrician summed it up nicely the other day by describing him as laid back.  Don't get me wrong, he has his fussy moments but that quickly can be remedied with a bottle of breast milk.  (Yes, I said bottle--the boy is slow to nurse but thrives on a bottle. He's gaining weight and doing well so I'm good with that) 

He has his Daddy wrapped around his little finger.  One of my favorite things EVER is to listen to Jeff have guy talks with his son.  I hope to capture one of these talks on video but Jeff is not the type to perform on command so I will have to be tricky about it. The benefit to having a son who takes pumped bottles is that his Daddy can bond with his son while helping feed and the added bonus of  Jeff taking the night shift on the weekends.  This is a huge blessing to me since during the week I fly solos at night and most of the days. 

Thankfully our son thrives on routine and is slowly starting to get a routine of his own.  My favorite part of his routine is his nightly bath.  Andrew loves the water (again just like Daddy) and nothing relaxes this kid more than his sponge baths.  Baths are a great blessing in our house.

We thank God daily for blessing us with this sweet boy.  We have fallen head over heels with this little guy.  What a blessing he is to our family! 

Thank you Lord for answering our prayers for a baby!  We thank you for all that you have done and all that you are going to do in his life!

These Are the Days We Will Remember

I remember it like it was yesterday, driving in our rental car heading somewhere North. I had put together a Young Family road trip playlist and Jeff and I were sitting back enjoying the open road with songs blaring from our speakers.

The theme of that playlist was to live in the moment. My favorite was Keith Urban's "These Are the Days." At that moment in time those words resonated with me.

"These are the days we will remember. These are the times that won't come again...So take 'em by the hand, they're yours and mine. Take 'em by the hand and live your life. Take 'em by the hand don't let 'em all fly by"

It was on that road trip to the North that I decided that no matter where the road took me I was going to live fully in the moment--not letting life pass by but soaking up the present moment.  Today I am just days away from being a full time mom and tonight starts the official countdown to Andrew. My mom will be staying with me as we wait for Andrew to make his apperance into the world.  I still can't believe I am just days away from holding our son.  I would be lying if I told you that I wasn't a tad bit nervous, the unknown always makes me feel this way.  But then I have to remember the promise I made to myself many years ago on the open road while listening to Keith Urban. 

"These are the days we will remember. These are the times that won't come again...So take 'em by the hand, they're yours and mine. Take 'em by the hand and live your life. Take 'em by the hand don't let 'em all fly by"


This past week Jeff was on vacation.  We knew this would be his last vacation before our lives changed so we made a point to do a bunch of things that may not happen for awhile after Andrew comes.

• ate at Outback with our last Christmas gift card. 
• swam in the pool
• sat outside most evenings and listened to his radio scanner...we were able to pick up his work frequency so I got to hear a bit of the behind the scenes from work
• bought and installed Andrew's car seat.  The first time we drove with it in our car, we both turned our heads slowly to look at his seat before backing out of the driveway and Jeff said, "Well, it's official.  Our life is about to change."
• went to the movies--Inception still has my head spinning
• went to a local hardware store to buy a few batteries.  Jeff likes to support the "little guys" and of course when he declared this I had to laugh and now tease him often.  As we passed a local sno-cone stand I said,  "Let's go support the little guys, Jeff."
• while browsing at Steinmart (I can't wait to buy normal clothes again)  I started to pick out the brightest and most flamboyant outfits for Jeff.  The people shopping next to us gave us the funniest looks but we didn't care.  I wish I had my video camera with me to capture Jeff's running commentary on the outfits.  Priceless!
• went with M & M to take nephew Jacob on a big brother outing to Chuck E Cheese.  While the boys played, Meredith and I sat and talked about the littlest cousins we were about to bring into the world, who are days apart and will grow up to be best friends.  Crazy good times ahead!

Even though things are about to change, Jeff and I both can not wait to welcome the Little Mister into the world. We look forward to celebrating our new family of three and soaking up the newborn days---the good, the bad and the ugly.

I wanted to post a video of Keith Urban's These are the Days video to close this post and when I came across this families video I had to post it here.  I can't wait to take a trip with my boys one day. 

Taking One for the Team

Last night Jeff and I went with our good friends to hear Sara Groves play. She is one of my favorite Christian artists. Her music speaks to my soul. :)

I didn't know if Jeff was going to enjoy her music and on the way over gave him a bit of warning regarding her style. Her style of music is very mellow and for a guy who loves Van Halen I just knew that Sara may not hit the harmonic chord it does inside of me.

He looked at me and said, "I guess I am taking one for the team tonight?"

"Yep. Pretty much."

This conversation got me to thinking last night as I was sitting in the concert. Marriages are all about taking one for the team. There has to be a give and take from both parties in order for the marriage to thrive.  My moment of taking one for the team occurs every fall during football season.  I have no problem watching football but I don't often get to watch my hometown team, the Cowboys.  Jeff refuses to watch any football other than Chargers on the off chance we mistakenly see the Charger score before Young family kick off.  Game time at our house is 8:30 Sunday night so the TV and computer stay off most Sundays.  This my friends, is my way of taking one for the team.

Jeff gladly accepted the invitation from our friends to attend this concert. I think he knows that his way of taking one for the team involves anything with music. (Remember my Phantom of the Opera birthday present?) As we were sitting listening to Sara, I started to realize that he was no longer, "taking one for the team" but fully enjoying himself as well.  What's not to love about Sara Groves?

Thank you Jeff for being such a good sport last night.  It means so much to me that you are willing to embrace my love for music and good lyrics. You are a great team player!

And I close with our favorite Super Bubbie who found the music so relaxing that he passed out in the middle of it.  Nothing like a sleeping "baby"!

Celebrating "Tess"

Today is Jeff's 40th birthday!

I asked him today if he felt old.  He's reply, "No, not yet." 

I found this picture the other day of he and our nephew Jacob back in October.  We had borrowed Jacob for the day and took him on an adventure to the Stockyards.  It may not look like it in the picture but Jacob LOVES his Uncle and the two had a great time together exploring.  Jacob has nicknamed Jeff, "Tess."  Not sure where that one came from but it is one of Jeff's favorite things to hear the little man say.  In fact, my sister in law was telling me that "Tess" even has his own chair at their house.  Jacob will point to one chair and say "Daddy's chair" and then point to another chair and say "Tess's chair."  Mere, I am sorry there is no "Mommy's chair." 

I may have mentioned before (or maybe it was on Facebook) that Jeff and I are now communicating via email when he is at work.  Since I am so close to my due date this will help him know that when he sees my number pop up on the cell phone that I mean business.  Anyway, the point is that I sent him an email last night at midnight telling him the 40 reasons why I love him.  I thought I would share it with you today but decided against it because really, it means more to Jeff  than I know it will mean to you. 

But here are 10 of my favorite things from that list.  (the not so mushy stuff, to keep you all from gagging)

1.  Your love for Van Halen
2.  Your raunchy one liners that you say to shock me and then follow up with "Post that on Facebook." You know there is no way I could repeat what you just said in public.
3.  You have only called in sick 3 times to work in the 11 years I have known you. Amazing!!
4.  You taught me to live in the moment and enjoy every day to the fullest.
5.  Your love for travel.  We have great road trips.
6.  You already have Andrew's first road trip planned. I can't wait to travel as a family of 3.
7.  Your willing heart to serve at church. I love watching you serve in Children's church---you are their Pied Piper
8.  You are a loyal Charger fan!
9.  You love family traditions. (see above)
10. You asked me to marry you (what a smart man you are!)

I am so thankful God brought this man into my life.  He is a wonderful husband, brother, son, friend and soon to be father.

I love you, Jeff!

Working on a Recreation

I am a huge fan of this place but I'm not willing to pay the price they have for this item.

I actually own a few keys that look like the picture above and am going to run to this place to buy a few of their frames that are similar to the above picture.  Thankfully this week, their frames are 50% off.

When I'm finished, I will hang them over my bed to look similar to the picture below.  Click the picture to see a better view of the art above the bed.  Don't you just love it when you find creative inspiration and realize you can so recreate that for a much lower price.  I know I do!!!

Making Our House a Home

I have been trying to find the best way to write this post. And you must read this knowing that this post falls solely under the heading "getting my words out." 

First off I LOVE MY HOUSE.  I often will walk through the house and say out loud, "Lord, thank you! THANK YOU!"  I feel blessed to be where we are today and down right grateful that my husband refused to settle on the many houses over the past 7 years that I just knew were for us.  In fact I had nothing to do with finding this house.  NOTHING.  It was all the Mister.  He came home with a list of houses he wanted us to look at with our realtor and I said, "Okay-whatever."  Seriously, I was so done with house hunting at this point that I had lost the thrill for the hunt.  I just wanted a house--any house would do--just tell me when to start packing was my attitude.  We found 4 houses before this one that we were willing to put an offer on but each one already had a contract pending when we tried to move ahead.  Talk about being frustrated but trying to trust God at the same time--a delicate balance. But this house had no contracts and no interested buyers and had been on the market the whole time we started looking (since December.)  It's like God was just waiting for us to find this house or allowing me time to grow to the point where I let Jeff find the house and be totally at peace with his decision.  In fact, a week before we looked at this house for the first time, I had said those exact words.  I am so thankful that I did say it too.  Not only did Jeff do a great job finding us a home but my man walked a little taller too knowing I fully trusted him to lead us. 

Fast forward a bit...

I had a moment the weekend we moved.  I was hot, tired and was trying to get dressed for church without knowing where any of my essentials were located.  And then we realized that something was wrong with our shower--it had no hot water.  At the time, I couldn't take a shower in the other bathroom because our shower curtain was at the apartment.  And taking a bath was out because I had not had time to bleach the tub to my liking.  All this to say, I was a wreck and hating myself for even feeling this way the first night in our home.  As I was drying my hair I found myself saying, "I wish I was back at the apartment!"  To which I quickly chastised myself for even thinking such a thing.  It was at that moment that I found myself quoting 1 Timothy 6:6, "Godliness with contentment is great gain."  And yes by the following Sunday things were back on track and I had no problem finding my essentials. Oh the difference a week makes.

And then came last week...

Most of you know by now that I was very much looking forward to putting my own stamp on our house, my decorating touch so to speak.  Unfortunately 5 weeks away from having a baby can keep you from decorating high up places, like above the kitchen cabinets and painting bathrooms that desperately need a new coat of paint.  As I was sitting in Andrew's room (my favorite, most decorated room in the house)  I found myself wondering if it would all get done soon. The answer to that question is no, it will not.  Then I had to ask myself if I would be okay with that.  The answer to that question is yes,  I will.   I don't know why I put so much pressure on myself to have it just right in such a short time.  The thing I have coming to realize is that the joy of being a homemaker is having little projects to enjoy doing at your own pace.  Who cares if I have accessorieses sitting in my window sill waiting to be put on display above the cabinets?  It will happen one day.  Who cares if there is a big black streak down the hallway where "the originals" scratched the walls as they were moving furniture or the chunk of wall their furniture took as a keepsake.  It will all come together in it's own time and I am okay with that.

I have so much to look forward to that I don't want to let my need for perfection hinder the joy that is coming the next few weeks, months and year.

I look forward to bringing Andrew home from the hospital to his first place.

I look forward to planting flowers in our flower beds.

I look forward to picking out fabric for my curtains to hang in our living room.

I look forward to having people over to our house to entertain.

I look forward to getting outside to meet my neighbors and start cultivating friendships on my street.

I look forward to trick or treaters ringing our bell.

I look forward to celebrating our first Christmas as a family of 3.

I look forward to watching Jeff be a father to our son.

I look forward to rocking my baby boy in his room and laying him down to sleep.

I look forward to making this house OUR home. 

But most of all, I look forward to seeing how the Lord will use this house to bring Him glory. 

The home we waited for, the home we prayed for, the home we found in God's perfect timing.

"Thank you, Lord! THANK YOU!"

Happy 4th of July

We spent the 4th of July working around the house. 

• Painted laundry room (pictures to come soon)
• Picked up our changing table from friends (Thank you Tim & Cyndi!)
• Hung a few fans (Thank you Matt for your help! You are the best BIL EVER!)
• I ate two helpings of Cousin Libby's banana pudding (a 4th of July tradition)
• Enjoyed the cooler weather...preggo even uttered the words, "I'm cold" at one point that night.  Words I thought I would never say 8 months pregnant in the middle of July.  Praise God for the rain & cooler Texas temps.
• Watched the fireworks with the Cherry Clan cousin's at Doug & Libby's new house.  We were so close to the show and in the privacy of their backyard.  Priceless!
• Enjoyed a relaxing Sunday afternoon of piddling and napping and finishing "The Help".
• The night ended with Jeff and I eating hot dogs at his parents and enjoying my "special surprise dessert" from my FIL.  (Actually for him but he loves having "the baby" to blame his sweet tooth on)
• Dinner was wrapped up with my MIL using my face as a test dummy for her school homework.  Let's just say I am very thankful not only for her but her deciding to get her Esthetician license.
• Thankful for the fun, productive and relaxing 4th of July weekend.

Happy 4th of July from our family to yours!

This Time Last Year

This time last year, my heart was longing for God to answer two long term prayers...a baby and a house.  My mom invited my brother and I to a night celebrating Bible study leaders.  The night fell on her birthday and all she wanted was for her two kids to be sitting beside her, worshipping together.  They took a moment to pray for each of us and speak scripture over us, prophetic words were given to many that night.  My word given to me was to delight in the Lord and to wait on His timing, He was going to answer my prayer by the end of the summer.  I was skeptical but something came over me that night that filled me with a deep peace.  I knew someway, somehow God would either answer my prayers or He would change my heart to line with His.  {Read the original post here}

This time last year, I was working through one question that a friend posed to me at the beginning of the summer, "If God doesn't answer your prayer for a child, will you be okay?"  To be honest, I honestly didn't know and was terrified to admit that I probably wouldn't be okay. As Rich Mullins says, "Surrender does not come naturally to me" and I constantly found myself fighting against His will rather than resting in it.  Yet by faith, I moved ahead knowing that was exactly what I needed to do if I ever wanted to have a joyful life.

{Read the original post here. }

This time last year, I was in a complete stand still but choosing joy over sadness.  This my friends, was a choice I had to make every single day.  It was by faith that I chose to live in the moment and trust that one God would answer my longing for a child and move us out of the one bedroom pad. Nothing says living in the moment like jumping in the pool on a hot day, fully clothed with one of your favorite cousin-in-laws at her son's one year birthday party.

This time last year, I learned to bloom where I was planted.  August 2009 was what I like to call my great awakening.  I decide it was high time I started living my life instead of waiting for my life to begin.  I made a to do list and I filled my days with good things while surrounding myself with faithful friends who inspired me and prayed along with Jeff and I.  Jeff and I enjoyed our summer to the fullest with a few random road trips thrown in.  Gone were the days of me sobbing the day that I realized a baby would not be coming.  In fact, it was around this time that I started to ask the Lord to show me each month why this was not the month for positive plus sign.  And each month, God was faithful to show me time and time again that His timing was perfect.

I share all of this with you for one main reason, to encourage those in the same place I was this time last year.  There is a little song that I used to sing when I was in the middle of my journey.  You may know it as the "Going on a Bear Hunt" song.  I like to call it the "Got to Go Through It to Find Joy" song. 

I realized that the path to joy could not be found by taking the short cut. 

"Can't go around it, can't go above it, can't go under it--you gotta go through it"

Last summer, I spent a lot of time reading God's word and looking up scripture that talked about timing and plans.  I cried out to God more days than I can remember and was blessed with two great friends that I could talk to openly and honestly about how much I despised this time of waiting.  The great thing about these two friends is the encouragement that they gave to find a ministry that I could serve in.  Live beyond yourself is a good way to sum up the words these friends shared with me.  I found true joy in serving others and living beyond the four walls of the one bedroom waiting room we lived in.

Did answers come at the end of the summer?  Nope.  I didn't get pregnant until 5 months later.  Did I find the peace and joy I was longing to find? Absolutely!

I was recently reminded by my  mom about the night we shared last May.  She asked me if I realized that at the end of this summer I would be holding a sweet baby boy in our new home.  God knew all along His plans for us and I wonder why I ever doubted Him to provide in the first place.  You see, God's timing is not my timing-- His timing is PERFECT.  So if you find yourself in your own waiting season, let me encourage you to not give up on Him.  He will answer your prayers someway or somehow even if that means changing your heart to match His plans for you.

God is good.

God is faithful.

God's timing is perfect!

God bless your journey!

LIttle Things I Don't Want to Forget

The look on Jeff's face yesterday when we finished signing our life away for our new home.  PRICE LESS!

The way Jeff always asks "How's our boy doing?" when he comes home from work.  Or "Is my son behaving himself?" That's Jeff's way of asking if Andrew is kicking me to death.

I love it when Jeff puts his hand on my belly and Andrew kicks him.  Again the look on Jeff's face is priceless.

Fun's coming just around the corner and I am enjoying soaking up as many little things as I can these days.

God is good!
God is faithful!
God's timinig is PERFECT!!

Shopping For New Bedding

Jeff and I are starting to "window shop" for things for our new home. If you know me at all, you realize this is one of my all time favorite things to do. I love to decorate and I have been pulling pictures out of magazines for years and storing them in a 3-ring binder.

Every once in awhile, I will gather my ideas and ask Jeff what he thinks about this or that. Usually he is on board with what I choose but every once in awhile he will say, "Ummm, no thanks." But every now and then he completely jumps on board and says "Go for it!"

One of the things he recently gave the green light to is my master bedroom plan. We recently went to a party at a friend's house and feel in love with the color they used in their powder bath downstairs. It was Hearts of Palms by Sherwin Williams.

Let me see if I can find a picture for you...

Picture from The Cottage Nest's Blog

And yes, it's green...apparently my favorite color.


My search for bedding began by trying to find something that would flow well with this color green that we will use in the master bathroom and tie into the color in our bedroom called Beach House (Sherman Williams).

There was this comforter that was a bit too matchy, matchy in my opinion.



And then this which I didn't fall in love with but thought it would be a good compromise for us.





But then I found my all time favorite which I would have bought in a heartbeat but knew Jeff would say it was too girly for his taste. This afternoon, I was showing him a picture I saved on my computer awhile back as we were discussing a paint color for another room. We happened to stumble across this picture that I saved as well, when he says, "I like that!" Talk about picking my mouth up off the floor, then running around doing the happy dance! (Or that was the reaction that played in my head)

"Seriously, you like it? As in if I said, this is the one I wanted you would say let's go check it out and we could buy it?"

"Yep, I like it."

"Oh Jeff, that just makes me happy."

So now we move on to the next step...going to see it in person. If it looks as good as this picture and flows with my green bathroom, we may have ourselves our first purchase for the home.

And yes, I know I have not posted pictures of the home but I will, after we close on the house in just a few days.

Saying Goodbye to Apt One-Oh-Nine

This picture was taken in November of this year before our life changed for the better :)

In less than a month, Jeff and I will be saying goodbye to our home of 10 years. Well, 10 years for me; almost 8 for Jeff. I still can't believe that we have lived here this long. When Jeff and I were engaged we decided to stay in my apartment with hopes of buying a house in a year or two. Of course that plan changed when we took a class called Crown Financial Ministries at our church. Over the years, one of my BIGGEST prayer requests has been for God's timing for us to buy a house. In the past few weeks, God has truly rewarded us for faithfully waiting on HIS timing (another post for another day).

This apartment has been our first home. This is the place where Jeff and I learned to be husband and wife. We learned how to be a team. We learned to be content with what we have and we learned to bloom where we were planted. I learned to cook, take care of a home and was taught invaluable home caring tips from my mentors. Jeff learned to lead our family, communicate his vision for the future with me and was faithful in keeping us on track towards are financial goals. Needless to say, these past few years here helped us develop a firm foundation for years to come. I am grateful that God saw fit to put us in a "time out" until we figured these things out. I know it will benefit us greatly when Andrew comes along.

I will never forget my first night here after a long day of moving, followed by a long shift at Chili's. I was more than tired but a bit angry that I didn't have time to put my bed together and knew that was waiting for me. To my surprise, I walked in the door to a 85% unpacked apartment. Jeff and his mom stayed after I left for work and put together my bed and bathroom and even bought new bedding for the bed. It was a nice, welcome surprise!

For the first few years, my mom lived next door. This was very convenient since Jeff works nights and sleeps late on Saturdays. We spent lots of time together enjoying our mom and daughter chats.

I will never forget the many miles Jeff and I invested in walking around the neighborhood next door. This was the one place where we could have some of our best talks with each other. I swear God met us many times in our conversations around that neighborhood.

I will never forget the many nights we sat out on our patio and enjoyed a quiet evening.

Or the nights we laid in bed and laughed at the couple who used to live above us. They fought almost every weekend in Spanish. And of course the frustration that came when the same couple would wake up before 7 am on Saturday and play their music very loudly with lots of base. Jeff and I did a happy dance the day they moved out. Our new upstairs neighbors have been here for almost 3 years and we LOVE them.

I will miss the apartment team especially maintenance man Bill. He has not only come to our rescue many a clogged toilet but would always look for other things he could do to enhance our apartment. He became our best friend when he installed ceiling fans in the living room and bedroom. Thankfully Bill already promised that we could call him if we ever needed him to come to our rescue at our home.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little apprehensive about shutting the door to Apartment 1-OH-9 for the last time. Yet, I am looking forward to what the future holds in our new home. Here in the apartment, we grew as man and wife. In our new home, we will grow in our new roles as parents.

God has great plans for us and I can't wait to start the new chapter of our lives as homeowners.

Picking Out His Name

Is it just me or are boy names hard to pick? When Jeff and I started to go through the list of names, the one thing we agreed on is the middle name. If it was a boy, he would be named after Jeff's middle name, Jon. If the baby was a girl, she would have my middle name Gwen. Both of our middle names were passed down from family members and we wanted our children to carry on the same tradition.

The problem we found with the middle name Jon was the first name needed two syllables that sounded good with a one syllable middle name. We also wanted a name that would be a good boy name but also a strong man's name later in life.

There were a few names we wrote down as possibilities but we never could agree on the one we liked the most. Jeff from the very beginning said he wanted to name our son Andrew. I was a bit more hesitant. Andrew is a great name but two of my good friends also have boys named Andrew. I wanted to be original. I wanted to use Jackson at first and call him Jack but Jeff said no. I also suggested Jeffrey (after the baby's daddy) but Jeff said no. He did not want our son to be called junior. So for weeks we were stalled out where the boys name was concerned.

We didn't worry too much because we thought we were having a girl. And if Baby Youngster were a girl, her name would be Maggie Gwen. I was happy. Jeff was happy. No big decision needed to be made there.

Well....

The week before the big sonogram reveal, I started to pray over the name list. I was praying specifically for the boy name. I looked up the meaning of each of the names on our boy list and started to pray for the characteristics of what I hoped our son would have. I prayed for our son to be a leader, strong, a man's man and to love the Lord from an early age. I was starting to lean in one direction after my time in prayer but I kept it to myself because after all, we were having a girl.

Later that week, I was watching the movie The Proposal. The two main characters in the movie are named Margaret and Andrew. I thought that was funny since both our babies names were in that movie. This started me leaning further in the same direction as Jeff.

But what sealed the deal, was this picture on Pottery Barn Kids.


And yes, this is our bedding we will be using in the nursery too! I fell in love with the name right then and there. The night before the big reveal, I stayed awake praying for the next day. As I looked over the name list and the meanings behind the list, I knew that boy or girl we had made the right decision for our child.

The day of the big reveal, I was very calm but something inside me told me it would be a boy. When the sonographer said, "Do you see it?" I said, "Well hello Baby Andrew!" Jeff on the other hand was in shock for about 24 hours but has since fully embraced the idea of having a son. He actually is pretty cute about the whole thing which makes my mama heart soar.

I absolutely love the meaning behind Andrew Jon.

Andrew means manly warrior
Jon means God has given; a gift of God

Oh how I pray that my son , Andrew be a manly, warrior for the Lord. And it seems appropriate that his middle name means gift of God since that is exactly what he is, a gift. Plus it will serve as a nice reminder when our son is getting disciplined and I have to say, "Andrew Jon, come here!" I will remember that this boy is a gift that I waited a long time ... even though he disobeyed, I will still consider him as a blessing! Ha!

And let me state for the record. His name is Andrew. Not AJ and not Andy. His name is Andrew. IF we shorten his name, he will go by Drew since this too is a family name. For now, his name is Andrew. I know I sound crazy clarifying this but a few of my friends have started calling him AJ already and I keep thinking, no his name is ANDREW!

But really, all that is water under the bridge because his Dad still insists on nicknaming him Duke. (A blog post for another day)

18 more weeks until we are holding our son, Andrew Jon. My arms can't wait and my lips are itching to kiss his sweet cheeks!!

Oh, how I love this boy!!!

A Baby Moon...sort of

I am not sure how to jump back into the blog world when I have been gone for so long. I guess I will take a lesson from Mary Poppins when she pops into the chalk worlds and just jump in with both feet.

Here goes nothing...

The month of March has been nuts. Jeff and I celebrated 7 years of marriage and a week later, I was saying goodbye to my sweet Granny B. I will write a post one day just for Granny but today, I'm not ready.

Instead I want to tell you about a little oops of my husband's that turned out to be a tremendous blessing for us both. :)

The only gift I asked for at Christmas was tickets to see Phantom of the Opera. Unfortunately at Christmas the tickets had yet to go on sale which meant Jeff could easily forget this gift, my only major gift (beside Baby Youngster of course). I love my husband dearly but sometimes he is known for putting things off until the last minute. For example, the night before we were to leave town this October for our big road trip, he was booking our rooms at midnight. It worked out beautifully but that is just the way he rolls. I usually don't let this bother me because he has NEVER failed me when it comes to things like this. But friends, I have lived in the DFW area all my life and know how fast tickets to things like Phantom of the Opera can go. I asked him a few random times if he had purchased our tickets yet. "No, but I will." Finally the last weekend of the show came and there was still no mention of tickets. I took matters in to my own hands that morning and thought I would see if I could get lucky and find the last two tickets in the DFW area. I had no luck. Jeff thought he would take a spin at it (because he knew he was going to be in BIG trouble if he failed me now). He found one. He thought this was great. He said, "I will drop you off and wait for you to be done." Ladies, does that sound fun to you? When he told me his plan, I said, "You've got to be kidding me." Nope. He was dead serious. I had already did a little looking on my own for future tours of Phantom of the Opera and saw that it would be playing in Austin in two weeks. I casually mention this to him. I have never seen my husband move so fast. Not only did he buy good tickets but he paid extra for GREAT tickets. We decided this weekend to Austin would be a little Baby moon for just the two of us.

The Monday before we left town my grandmother's funeral was held. By the time Friday rolled around, I was ready to be alone with Jeff. All I wanted to do was get in the car, turn on our favorite road trip tunes and hold Jeff 's hand. It sounds a bit corny but truly, that is what I wanted and needed most. We had a wonderful time soaking up our last road trip before the baby comes. I cried a few random times but mostly I felt a deep peace wash over me. We couldn't have asked for a better weekend. Sadly I came home with a sinus infection and no voice but it was well worth the trip. You can tell from the below picture I was feeling rough that day. Not to mention I mislabeled my shampoo bottle and washed my hair in body wash. I had it dry by the time I realized my mistake. Truly this weekend was a gift from God and a nice way to close out the week, not to mention the weather was PERFECT!

Here is proof of my growing belly @ 20 weeks.

On the way home, we stopped for gas at Willie's Place outside of Hillsboro. It's a fun little gas joint full of Willie Nelson memorabilia. I tried to find a baby onezie but they were out. BOO!

While we were there a trucker stopped me to ask if we were having a boy or a girl. I told him we would find out on Wednesday. He proceeded to tell me that his daughter just called with news that she gave birth to a 13.5 pound baby girl. The lady behind the counter and I both said at the same time, "Ouch!" I am pretty sure it was a C-section but can you imagine lugging that baby around in the final weeks. WOW!

Here is one last picture of the theatre at Willie's Place.

Jenny's Songs

Last night about this time, I had crashed on the couch. When I finally woke up at 10:00 p.m I knew I would never go to sleep. I turned on the computer to check on our friend, Jenny. I spent the next 5 hours praying and checking my computer for updates. When I fell asleep at 3, I was thankful for that long nap. I think God was preparing me for standing united with many on the front lines as we prayed through the night.

If you don't know, Jenny was admitted to the hospital last Thursday after fighting the flu for a week. She was diagnosed with septic pneumonia and is in critical condition. Many of us have been praying day and night for God to heal our sweet friend.

Last night was a very critical night for her. All night long there were updates on her Care Page pleading with us to pray for specific requests. I believe God's presence was with many of us as we gathered around the computer, texted each other and waited for updates.

I was amazed with how many people had a paricular praise song playing in the background. Many of us were commenting on Facebook with our different songs.

Thanks to those comments and my ITouch genius list, I came up with a playlist that I like to call, "Jenny's Songs."

I wanted to share this list with you for those of you praying for Jenny so you could add to your music library. Also if you are looking for good, uplifting music, you will not be dissappointed with these.

1. Mighty to Save (Jenny's anthem) by Hillsong


2. God of This City by Chris Tomlin (my personal anthem)


3. You Never Let Go by Matt Redman


4. Here is Our King by David Crowder


5. What Faith Can Do by Kutless


6. By Your Side by Tenth Avenue North


7. Strong Tower by Kutless


8. Desert Song by Hillsong


9. Everlasting God by Lincoln Brewster


10. Prasie You in This Storm by Casting Crowns


11. Healing Hand of God by Jeremy Camp


12. Call Your Name by Third Day


13. Show Us Your Glory by Third Day


14. My Savior My God by Aaron Shust


15. Healer by Kari Jobe


16. Beautiful Lord by Leeland


17. He Reigns by Newsboys


18. You Reign by Mercy Me


19. There Will Be a Day by Jeremy Camp


20. What Do I Know of Holy by Addison Road

This by no means scrathes the surface of good songs out there. In fact, if you have a song that God has laid on your heart while praying for Jenny, please leave a comment. I would love to take my list and yours and compile one mega CD for Jenny and her family to "cling to" during this time.

God is faithful to bring us together to pray for a dear friend in her time of need.

This picture was taken this time two years ago, when a group of us ladies hosted a shower for Cousin Lauren.

My Closet Runneth Over

I have been so blessed with the generosity of those around me who are passing down their maternity wears to me. My closet runneth over.



The first week after my aunt found out I was having a baby she got three big bags full of clothes from a friend at work. I immediately started to wear the maternity jeans because they were more comfortable than regular ole jeans and I didn't have to undo buttons on the way to the potty. In the stash of clothes was this shirt. It makes me laugh!

And let me take a moment to discuss my hair! Ever since I found out I was preggo, it has grown in volume, not in length. It is the strangest thing. I have gone from volume-i-zing my hair to de-frizzing my hair. I just find it funny that even the texture of my hair has changed in the past 3 months.

Okay, back to the clothes.

My sweet cousin Paige loaned me her maternity wardrobe, two big plastic bins worth. Oh how grateful I am to you, P! I took a picture Saturday night while I was sorting through them because I just enjoyed seeing all the piles of clothes to last me through the whole nine months. Especially in light of the fact that my husband has been known to ask a pregnant friend, "Isn't one pair of pants enough to last the whole pregnancy?" (That was over a year ago and you can bet your bottom dollar I started praying this would not be his philosophy during my pregnancy)



I am grateful to have a closet that runneth over, thanks to the generosity of my aunt and cousin.

You girls ROCK!!!

And Mr. Budget, thanks you too! :)

A Love/Hate Relationship

Since I am using my blog as a means to document this new chapter of our lives, I feel it only necessary to discuss the one thing that sums up my life right now.

Oh the joys of morning sickness...

Morning sickness and I have a love/hate relationship.

I love that I am sick since that is something I prayed I would be able to experience. I hate that the "sick" feeling lasts all day long.

I love that I work at home so that I can "get sick" in the privacy of my own home. I hate that when I drive my car these days, I have to carry a bag with me for those moments I can't pull over.

I love knowing that the Little Youngster is healthy but am looking forward to the day where I can keep food down for more than 5 minutes.

This week I start my 11Th week. I am praying that there will be light at the end of the tunnel soon. Yet at the same time, I am thankful that I am finally able to experience the joys of pregnancy. Even if it means the porcelain throne is my home away from home.

Many of my friends have given me some great tips on things that helped them. I have tried them all but none seem to work as well as what I found last night.

I found a box of these cookies at my in law's house and helped myself to a few. They are delicious and do the trick. Of course, I should have known that the Youngster would love cookies. Baby's Daddy is a huge fan of sweet treats too!

And on a bit of a side note, I want to say something to those of you who wish you could experience morning sickness but haven't had a chance. I still have many friends in my life who are praying for a baby. I always hated when people would complain about their pregnancy woes because I would think "Really? You are going to complain when you have all that you have ever wanted, a baby." I would have given nothing to be in their shoes. In fact, I wouldn't trade this part of my journey with anyone because it just means that God has heard my cried and blessed us. I am truly thankful for this opportunity but for the sake of documenting my journey, keep it real as well.

Yesterday in church we sang one of my all time favorite songs, I Stand In Awe of You. Needless to say, I cried like a baby as I thought about all the ways I stand in awe of God in this season of my life. There have been many prayers answered in all areas of my life and I can only give God the glory. I hope that as I continue to document our baby journey, even the not so fun parts, that you will hang with me. My goal is to give God the glory every step of the way yet keep it real for my own memory sake.

And one last thing about morning sickness.

I love that I have lost 10 pounds since I have been pregnant, courtesy of my trips to the porcelain throne.

The Day We Found Out...

On the day we found out, Jeff started singing our new theme song. I laugh out loud every time I think of him laying in bed singing, "One day at a time...SWEET JESUS!" And let's face it, I am little in awe that he knew the words to this little ditty. Can we say old school?



He then was watching his "girlfriend's" Christmas special when she sang one of my favorite Christmas songs. As this song was being sung, he kept saying, "So true, so true! mmm, mmm, sing it Faith."

The song? Well, watch the video by clicking here

I swear this man keeps me rolling! I couldn't be more thankful to be able to walk this journey with him. He keeps me laughing--that's for sure.

And for those of you wanting a "belly shot", here I am at 7 weeks. In this picture, I refer to the belly bump as my Clomid bump since it has been super hard to lose that little added fluff that was added two years ago. Oh well, it was all part of the process that led me here today. Even though for me, Clomid was a big waste of time and did nothing to aid. (sorry I will stop before I get on a soapbox) I still can't believe that God finally opened my womb even when doctors said it wouldn't happen without medical intervention. Still amazes me...oh right, no soapbox, here's the picture.




To God be the glory, great things He hath done

The Post That I Have Been Praying to Get to Write

Sunday, December 13Th God answered a huge prayer for Jeff and I. After 4 Years of trying for a child, I finally got my positive plus sign. Sit back, relax and enjoy reading the post I have been praying I would be able to write for many years.

Not sure where to begin because how can I possibly put into word's all that God has done in our lives over the past few weeks. I guess I should start with the week before Thanksgiving. My grandmother was very ill and we thought she was going to die at any moment. I am happy to report that she is still with us and doing much better. The night after I spent the day at the hospital, I went home and pleaded with God to allow me the chance to tell her I was pregnant one day. This thought went with me everywhere. I wanted desperately to share with her the news that God had finally answered our prayers. I remember at one point, bowing on my knees and telling God that I would be happy with whatever the outcome because I knew He was fully in control. I knew from that point forward whatever happened God was sovereign and that He would give me peace to walk whatever road He has laid out for me.

Fast forward to December 7Th and still nothing (if you know what I mean) I was officially 2 days late at this point. Yet I was trying to put it completely out of my mind and soak up the holiday season. December 12Th comes around and I am officially over a week late. That Saturday night, I decided to let Jeff know what was going on. He had been my biggest support of the last four years so I didn't want anyone to know but him. We decided that Sunday would be the big day to take the test. That night we were talking about the what ifs and at one point Jeff said, "If you are pregnant it will be an absolute miracle." And I responded back saying, "If I am not pregnant then there is something terribly wrong with my body because I have never been more than 3 days late." I went to bed that night praying for God to give me peace with whatever the outcome.

4:30 a.m December 13Th--I woke up from a deep sleep and felt the Lord was calling me to take a test. Somehow at that point I knew I was about to get the best Christmas present ever. I did what I needed to do and took the test out into the living room to wait for the results by the glow of the Christmas tree.

PREGNANT!

I knelled on the floor next to our tree, covered my mouth and said a silent prayer of thanks to God for finally giving me a positive plus sign. Here is a picture of my journal entry from that day.

An hour later, I went in and woke a sleeping Jeff with the wonderful news. I still laugh remembering the state of shock he walked around in the rest of that day.

The thing that most of my family and friends have been surprised that I actually waited to share the news. There was many times that I wanted to call everyone I knew to tell them right away but I really wanted the memory of sharing with our families on Christmas Day. And can you blame me? I think after four years of negatives and tears I should be allowed this bit of joy.

But there was one person I rushed to tell, my grandmother.

One of the greatest joys so far is seeing her face when I told her the news. At first she thought I was lying. I swore to her that this time, it's for real and then she started to cry. I cried because I still couldn't believe that God would allow me this chance to share this news with her. She said, "I thought God stopped listening to me years ago but now I see that He has not."

To God be the glory!

I promise to start blogging again and share our journey with you.

Thank you to all of you who have been faithful prayer warriors for us. We have been blessed with friends like you who stick by us through thick and thin.

More of the story coming soon so stay tuned.