Bumpdate {22 Weeks}

How far along: 22 weeks on the 22nd! The Lord is so kind to me.

Size of baby: spaghetti squash

Total weight gain/loss: +12 pounds

Sleep: Still great. I am learning to like sleeping on my side... but it may be easier to just sleep in the bathroom :)

Cravings/Aversions: Loving acidic things: pickles, orange juice, tomatoes, salt and vinegar chips, collards with (lots and lots of) apple cider vinegar, cucumbers in rice vinegar. I could just about drink vinegar from a bottle. Still not wanting chicken. Blech!

Exercise: Running, running, running and feeling good, good, good! On pace to log 40 miles this month.

Movement: This little dude is very active! I feel him all throughout the day and a lot at night when I'm lying in bed. Ryan felt him kick for the first time on January 14th at one day shy of 21 weeks. 

Labor Signs/Symptoms: none

Best moment this week: We had our anatomy scan last week at our 21 week appointment. It was so amazing to see his growing little self. Levi is still a boy and measuring right on track! We praise God for a healthy baby so far! I think the best moment of the scan was when the nurse identified Levi's heart and said, "You can see the heart and the 4 chambers because there is a cross in the middle." Ryan said, "Tell me that's not a God thing!" The Lord loves this child, has a plan for him, and reveals Himself to us through a cross in our sons's beating heart. Miraculous!

What I am looking forward to: Starting the nursery! We painted the nursery last weekend and I can't wait to see my navy, aqua and gray vision for his room unfold. It took awhile to land on the perfect choice for Levi's bedding, but we finally decided on something from Pottery Barn Kids and I love it!

What I miss: Sleeping without having to use the restroom multiple times a night!

What I’m reading: I am currently reading Tim Keller's The Meaning of Marriage (which I highly recommend!) and have postponed BabyWise until closer to Levi's arrival. My dear friend and baby expert, Kyndra, suggested I read Happiest Baby on the Block before I read BabyWise so that's my plan. She has 3 little boys and could write a book with all of her mommy wisdom! I'm so thankful for her and all of my other mommy friends (Meg, Jess, and Mere especially) who I've been able to learn from and who are walking this beautiful journey with me! 

((Ezekiel 36:26))

And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

God Grows Things

   
We just returned from a wonderful 9 day Christmas vacation in Colorado with family. We spent four beautiful days skiing on Copper Mountain and lots of time talking, playing games and eating yummy food. Ryan and I have awaited this vacation for an entire year. He graduated seminary on December 12 after taking 10 classes in one year. We were ready for a break! 

During our down time I was able to finish two books. Sparkly Green Earrings, a hilarious and inspiring tale about motherhood, and Jen Hatmaker's Interrupted. I read Hatmaker's 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess this summer and it not only opened my eyes to the excess in our life, but it also challenged me to think differently about my walk with Christ (and to purge in many areas and in many ways).  

Interrupted is the prequel to 7 and to say that it was powerful is an understatement. Jen and her husband write about how God called them out of their church ministry where they were "blessing blessed people" and showed them what Jesus meant in Matthew 25:40 when he said, "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me." 

The Hatmakers write about planting Austin New Church, their ministry to the "least of these," and how God interrupted their comfortable Christianity to draw them closer to the heart of Christ. I read many parts of the book aloud to Ryan and we reflected on how faithful the Lord has been to us since the last time we were in Colorado in 2012. So much has happened in the last two years! We had no clue how the Lord would bless us, grow us (spiritually, emotionally, academically, physically), and beautifully interrupt our lives. 

Over the course of our 3.5 year marriage, and in the last two years specifically, it is through the experiences and opportunities to trust God that we have not only grown, but have seen His unmistakable hand. Ryan now has his masters, we have a home and dog to call our own, and are overjoyed to have a baby boy on the way. God, in His perfect holiness, used our time in a one bedroom apartment, in school, and through ups and downs of ministry to draw us closer together and to Him. 

He is using this pregnancy to do the same exact thing. During the first trimester I often wondered how great it would be if I could just skip all the vomiting, fainting, and nausea and fast forward to delivery. But then God reminded me of a quote from a CIU professor and something my friend Abbey used to tell us at Bible study...

"God grows things and He's not in a hurry."

And so it is with our Christian pilgrimage. Maturity does not happen overnight. An acorn takes years to become an oak tree, a baby takes 9 months to develop, and while it may seem like we wait a long time (or sometimes just a couple of years) for God to show us His plan- His ultimate goal for us is the same: to sanctify and grow us into people that look more like Him. 

I am so grateful we didn't have the option of skipping over the last few years of knowledge and growth we experienced. I'm also grateful for the 9 months He graciously gives us to prepare for a lifetime of parenting and shepherding our son. It is only because of God's guidance and provision through seminary, full time ministry, and through every situation, good and bad, were we prepared for where He has led us today.  

I pray the Lord continues to interrupt our "plans" with His and wrecks our comfortable Christianity so we might truly experience what it means for the last to be first and the first last. I can't wait to see what the Lord will do by the next time we head to Colorado in December 2016. I have no doubt that we will, once again, look back and see His faithful hand growing and shaping us, slowly yet perfectly, into the people He has called us to be. 

Happy New Year!

I pray in 2015 you "have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."

Ephesians 3:18-19

Christmas 2014

We had a belated Christmas celebration on the 29th with my mom and Holley since they were in Disney and we were in Colorado. Can't wait for Levi to join us next year!

Ryan finally got his USC spatula for the grill :)

Disney ornament for our tree!

Mickey hat and gloves for Levi from my mom and Holley!

Ryan snapped this pic and divinely captured "22" in the background. My Dad was celebrating with us in Heaven. :)

The best sister and best puppy ever!

((Luke 2:11))

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord!