Baby Diaries #19

How far along? 31 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 25 lbs!

Maternity clothes? Make my life more comfortable, but I'm starting to get sad when I go to my closet to choose from the same outfits over and over again!  1/2 of the clothes I bought in my craigslist find are for cooler weather and well that doesn't jive with NC hot/humid summer temps right now.

Stretch marks? Still none on my belly, counting my blessings!

Sleep: Has been relatively restful, I had a zombie nightmare on Friday night...weird huh!?  I didn't even watch or talk about zombies with the hubby at all that night!

Best moment this week: Friday night Bud sang to my belly for the longest time yet.  We've discovered that Bitsy gets crazy active as soon as I lay on my side to go to sleep at night.  So he crawled under the covers, placed his hand on my belly (so he could feel her breakdancing skills), and proceeded to sing to her....he sang country, jazz, soul....we got the biggest reaction from his country singing so either the girl hates country music or she already knows how to 2-step!  Also earlier that night he randomly created a rhyming song involving her name and vowel sounds that had me in stitches and now he likes to randomly sing it out loud just to get me laughing....this child won't recognize my voice when she comes, but my laughter will be engrained in her head ;) 

Movement: Space is getting limited so we are feeling more and more!  I love the giant kicks and punches.  I love feeling her entire body weight shift.  It's not painful, yet, and I am amazed by sudden jolts my belly makes as she gets comfortable!

Food cravings: I'm starting to think that if I haven't had them yet, I won't have them at all!

Gender: It's a Girl!

Labor Signs: I may have experienced some Braxton Hicks this week, but I am not sure.  A few times I felt my tummy and it was rock hard for a moment or two.  It never hurt and it wasn't really noticeable, but that's the closest I've come to Labor signs.  Only 9 more weeks until our due date!

Belly Button in or out? It's been out for weeks, nothing has changed.

What I miss: I miss wearing regular clothes.  I found a blog this week with a wonderfully talented Goodwill shopping fashionista and all I wanted to do was go shopping and try to find a Goodwill that would clothe me as well as her!  But, alas there will be no clothes shopping for this Mama until well after Bitsy is here and I'm back to a normal size!

What I am looking forward to: Bud & I are going to visit our first church here in Fayetteville today so I'm hoping we can find a place that really meets our needs both spiritually and socially!  After that we will go see Horrible Bosses (Sundays have become our movie day....being that most of Fayetteville is closed on Sunday), and later we might have dinner with a co-worker and his wife for his birthday.  I'm also looking forward to getting a doctors appointment scheduled this week!

Weekly Wisdom: Our friends Mr. & Mrs. W gave us some great advice a few weeks ago that I forgot to post.  They told us that when you have a baby it's YOUR baby and it's the time in your life when you get to tell everyone how to act around YOUR baby.  You get to govern how family acts, because you are now responsible for someones life and upbringing.  I guess we hadn't totally thought that far ahead and it makes sense.  If someone, friend or family, does something that is not a habit you want your kids to pick up you get to tell them and hold them accountable for their actions when they are around your little one.  Great advice, thank you Mr. & Mrs. W!

From babycenter.com

Your pregnancy: 31 weeks

This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. She weighs about 3.3 pounds and is heading into a growth spurt. She can turn her head from side to side, and her arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. She's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.

source

I hope you had a Blessed Sunday!

Book #18: Water for Elephants-Sara Gruen

source

I bought this book back in June en route to one of the weddings I was in.

I started to read it before we moved, I set it down.

We started the move and I packed it in my book bag.

I read "A Place Called Blessing" while we moved.

Finally about a week ago I picked this book back up.

I found this story to be extremely intriguing as well as inviting.
A bit raunchy in parts, something I wasn't prepared for, but an enjoyable read none the less.
The way that Gruen writes invites you into the characters and helps you to see them clearly.
I have yet to see the movie but knowing that Reese Witherspoon & Robert Pattinson were cast as the main characters in no way affected my personal images as Sara Gruen described them.
Being that I know nothing about the inner workings of a circus the story seemed more than believable and enticed me fully with it's whimsical charm and harsh reality of the life of carnies.
We take a journey with the main character, Jacob, as he appears to have a life full of normalcy pulled out from under him.  His rock bottom landing sends him into a whirlwind of emotion causing him to do what many of us only threatened to do as young children.
Run off and join the circus.
Although it is clear that it was never his intention to purposefully join the circus the crash landing seems fate and the overall outcome provides him with a life fully lived!
This is a tale of loss, of love, of growing, and of learning.
I would recommend this book to my friends as a fun summer read for sure.
Now I just need to get my copy of the movie via Netflix so I can see how it compares!

I hope you all had a Blessed Saturday!

Bible Verse Friday #30

"If your instructions hadn't sustained me with joy, I would have died in my misery.  I will never forget your commandments, for by them you give me life."~Psalm 119:92-93

God gave us guidelines for how to live our lives.
If we take the time to apply those guidelines to our lives we will live full of joy and peace.
If we ignore his guidance we will surely live a life full of strife and pain.
The verse says 'I would have died in my misery', I don't think it means physically die, I believe it's saying emotional, relational, and/or spiritual death.
Whether or not you follow God's direction we will all encounter strife, pain, hurt, etc.
But it's in knowing his will for our lives that we are able to view these 'painful' times more positively than those who ignore the commandments.

Although this sounds elementary in theory it is quite complicated to truly grasp and apply to our day to day lives.
So remember his promises to us.
No matter what is going on in your life remember: "If HE brings you to it,  HE'll bring you through it".

I hope you have a Blessed Friday!

P.S. On the topic of bible verses check out Little Bit Funky's new series!
She is putting a fun spin on bible verses and I highly encourage everyone to shower her with blessings and check out her etsy shop!  Let her know how much you'd like one of these adorable hanging verses!

Bling bling...

I'm writing about a topic that puts me on a soapbox.
Recently I was asked if I would be receiving a 'Push Present'.
I wasn't sure what was meant by this and asked for clarification.
It was then explained to me that after 'pushing' our new child out into the world many women receive said 'Push Presents' in the form of some nice bling.
Ultimately, it's a gift from the husband because of everything you went through.

source

Maybe it's just me (this is where the soapbox begins), but I wanted a baby just as much as my husband did.
We took the time to plan for this new stage of life and I did my research.
Granted I've been blessed with what I can only assume is the easiest pregnancy ever.
I don't expect my husband to give me any type of gift after our little blessing arrives.
I don't like my husband to think he owes me for doing him some favor for the last 30+ weeks (and counting).
I would hope that once my Bitsy Hitzy arrives that I will forget quickly about the labor pains and recovery.
I know that God engineered my body for this task and although the pain portion is a direct result of sin, I've at least been warned in the Bible that childbirth isn't easy.
Is it too much for me to say that my baby is enough.
I do not expect, nor do I want any bling come October 2 (or other date depending on her promptness to arrive).

My reaction to this question was as follows:
"No, there will not be a 'push present', in fact I'd be upset if my husband spent that kind of money, my 'push present' involves us getting out of student loan debt in 5 years vs. 50 years".

Someday when we don't owe money for our educations, when we are able to sock away more into savings, when we are preparing to renew our vows after 22 years of marriage....maybe then there will be some guilt free bling.
In the meantime, I'll praise God that he has provided me with a husband who wants children as much as I do, who wants to afford me the ability to be a stay at home mom, who desires for us to be debt free as much as I do, and who when he looks at me shows me he loves me with a twinkle in his eye that is the best form of bling I could ask for!

If you've received a 'Push Present' please know that that is something between you and your spouse and I in no way feel it is my place to say it's wrong.  It just doesn't fit our family.

I'm stepping off my soapbox.

I hope that I haven't offended anyone.

I hope you had a Blessed Thursday.

Book Club

Tonight was the first meeting of our book club.
We were instructed to bring a side dish and some recommendations for books.
Using a recipe from one of my Kraft food & family magazines I made the following:

What you'll need to make your own:

-2 eggs

-4 oz (1/2 a package) of cream cheese softened

-1/2 cup of a three cheese blended shredded cheese

-3 cups of frozen broccoli cuts, thawed

-1/2 lb fresh mushrooms cut into quarters

-1/2 cup of cherry tomatoes, cut in half

-4 green onions, sliced

-2 cans of refrigerated crescent dinner rolls.

How to:
Heat oven to 375.  Mix your eggs, cream cheese and shredded cheeses in large bowl.  Stir in your vegetables.  Unroll crescent dough into 16 triangles.  Arrange in 11-inch circle on foil-lined baking sheet (I used a pizza sheet), with short sides of triangles overlapping in center and points of triangles toward outside.  The opening in the middle should be about 5 inches.  Spoon your mixture onto dough near center of circle.  Bring outside points up and over filling and tuck into the center of the ring.  Bake 35 minutes or until crescent rolls appear golden brown.

It turned out wonderfully & tasted splendid if I do say so myself!
As far as book recommendations that was a little harder as most of my books are still packed up.
I brought Water for Elephants which is what I'm currently reading and I had Googled book group recommendations and seen the book The Memory Keeper's Daughter as an option.  Since I know I have The Memory Keeper's Daughter and I know I haven't read it, that was my suggestion.

In the end we chose a book called The Help, with the plan that we will read it and meet to see the movie towards the end of August.  After we watch the movie we can go to dinner and discuss the book and movie and such.  I think that as a group we thought it might be easiest for us to ease into a book group but choose a book that was being made into a movie, good timing!
I'm excited and ordered my copy today off half.com for $9.25!

The fun thing about the book group was that it was a great chance to meet some other wives.
AH & SK were both there and my husband works directly with their husbands so we know each other already.  SS was there with her little boy and once we move on base we will literally be neighbors with her and her husband, which will be great (We already discussed monthly date nights where each couple surrenders their child to the other couple so that they can get a much needed night out, as well as reciprocal dog babysitting for when either of us goes out of town)!  The wonderful hostess JB has offered to let us use her home for all future book club meetings and as it seems she's had more book group experience than any of us!  There was also DG who was an animated and fun spirited woman!  Afterwards, as we were departing, she informed me of a wonderful German restaurant which I am now uber excited to dine at!  Bud and I love our schnitzel!  Well I look forward to the arrival of my book and the next Book Club Meeting!

In the meantime I hope you had a Blessed Wednesday!

'Big' City

Monday, since Bud had a 3 day weekend, we ventured up to the 'big' city of Raleigh.
We had purchased IMAX tickets to see Harry Potter, this is the first time I've paid for IMAX tickets.
When Bud was in college he worked at an IMAX theater part time so one of the perks was getting to see the movies for free.
Bud was there to critique the theater, compare it to the theater he worked at.
The main difference was that this theater was all digital, as in no film, whereas the Bob Bullock IMAX theater is film and it's quite an amazing setup!
The quality was still amazing, but the screen wasn't as big as "the Bob's".
Overall we enjoyed our experience and the movie!
Have you seen Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part 2 yet?
Now that the movies are done I'm ready to read the books.
After the movie we decided to hoof around Raleigh a bit before starting the 1-1/2 hour drive home.
It had rained while we were in the movie and to be safe we grabbed the umbrella before we started our walk.
We ended up visiting the NC State Capitol...

State Geologist's Office

State Library Room

Lots and lots of books!

Presidents North Carolina Gave the Nation Statue
This work honors the three presidents born in North Carolina

...which took all of 10 minutes.

Granted the entire 2nd floor was closed for renovations, but the Capitol was drastically smaller than we expected.  

None-the-less it was a neat place to stop inside!

We walked the block surrounding the Capitol and saw a few neat churches:

There is something really neat about old churches.

The steeples.

The stain glass.

The stature.

They seem to have a personality all their own.

It was right after seeing the 2nd church that the sky opened up again and poured down buckets of rain!

We rushed inside the history museum gift shop to avoid getting drenched.

Unfortunately, they were about to close so once the rain let up we were out taking our chances with the elements!

Turns out my umbrella was broken so as I attempted to walk it continued to turn inside out.

We made it a couple more blocks before the sky unleashed again.

It was at this point we had a decision to make, walk back to the car and drive to find a place for dinner or continue on foot and hope we found something soon.

A quick conversation with a businessman assisted us in finding a local BBQ spot.

With only about 4 blocks between us and the BBQ we decided to hoof it.

At least until we got to the next corner and the sky opened up again!

Luckily we were right outside a CVS so we jumped inside and made a few small purchases.

2 ponchos, 1 new umbrella, and 1 box of bandaids for my poor feet.

We donned our new gear and set out the remaining 3ish blockers to Clyde Cooper's BBQ.

This place has been here since 1938 and when we walked in we were immediately greeted by friendly faces and rapid service.

We both got Chopped BBQ Sandwiches with french fries and SWEET TEA!

Eric got his sandwich with coleslaw on it, which is very common here in NC.

We got our first taste of East Coast BBQ which is much different from TX BBQ, but still delicious!

I think Bud may have been a little skeptical prior, but he cleared his plate!

By the time we finished the rain had truly let up and we were able to walk back to our vehicle full and content and ready for the drive home!
It was a wonderful day and I look forward to more trips to Raleigh and more exploration of the new state!

I hope you all had a Blessed Tuesday!

Box Office & Books

Yesterday Bud & I had a wonderful Sunday.
I made a yummy breakfast of cheesy scrambled eggs and blueberry scones (from a can)

We listened to his Brother's sermon online and watched the following documentary "God of Wonders"

(It's a 90 minutes)

As we watched the documentary the boys took this time to cuddle with me, they make the best cuddle buddies!

 

Then after that Bud & I pulled ourselves together and headed to a matinee to see "Captain America".

We really enjoyed it and I would highly recommend it!

Since we had sat in the theater for over 2 hours (including previews) we thought it would be a good idea to explore downtown Fayetteville.

The funny thing about Historic Downtown is that it's about 2 blocks long.

1/2 of the store fronts were out of business and of the 1/2 remaining only about 1/2 of those were actually open on Sundays.  

Despite this it was nice to just walk around and be out of the apartment.

We found a quaint little part of Fayetteville!

 After a little bit of wandering around we decided to sit at a little coffee shop and read for a bit.

As I sat enjoying my Iced decaf vanilla latte I looked around and took note of the tiny details of the courtyard....

....I loved the brightly colored chairs and the plants growing from everywhere.
I loved thinking that at one point this was a 2 story building.
I loved the quietness and the tiny finches that huddled just outside the gate door.
Bud and I enjoyed a little more time reading in silence....

...when another group of people showed up, that was our cue to head home.
It had been a wonderful day and a good experience in our new city.
Here is to many more afternoons such as these!

I hope you had a Blessed Monday!

Baby Diaries #18

How far along? 30 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 23ish lbs

Maternity clothes? Every single day.

Stretch marks? No new ones yet.

Sleep: Wonderfully each night and yet I'm starting to need the occasional nap during the day.

Best moment this week: Bud getting to feel Bitsy and her acrobatic skills in the womb.  I love watching his expressions change as she gets to kicking and punching!  I love when he talks to my belly!

Movement: Seems to be picking up more and more these days.  I'm in heaven!  I literally feel overwhelmed with excitement each and every time she moves.

Food cravings: Still nothing, very convenient if you ask me.

Gender: It's a Girl!

Labor Signs: No and with only 10 weeks left let's hope it stays that way for awhile!

Belly Button in or out? Outtie from here on out, hehe...silly pun I know.

What I miss: Easily being comfortable on the couch or at the movies.  I now need an extra pillow for lumbar support when I lounge.  

What I am looking forward to: Tomorrow Bud & I are going to Raleigh to see Harry Potter at the IMAX and to check out what the city has to offer.  

Weekly Wisdom: Enjoy pregnancy.  I am every little thing about this pregnancy so much and I can't believe we are nearing the end.  Only 10 more weeks, assuming she's on time and not early OR late!  Every kick/punch or shifting of weight from her is a constant reminder to me of how amazing our God is.  He creates life, I'm just the lucky one who gets to carry this tiny bundle around!

From babycenter.com

Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision – which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)

source

I hope you had a Blessed Sunday!

Bible Verse Friday #29

"The he asked them, "But who do you say I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."~Matthew 16:15-16

Let's take a deeper look at this verse by reading the verses preceding and following these verses:

13. When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"
14. "Well," they replied, "some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets."
15. Then he asked them, "But who do you say I am?"
16. Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."
17. Jesus replied, "You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you.  You did not learn this from any human being.
18. Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means 'rock'), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.
19. And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven.  Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven."
20. Then he sternly warned the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

There are times when the people around us will firmly believe something and yet there is something inside of us that says, "no, there must be more".
God can use that inner voice to truly enlighten us.
When Bud & I first moved to Austin it was because we felt God asking us to trust him.
Many people wanted to know how we could be sure that it was God's voice, but at no point did we feel we needed to convince people.
We knew and in knowing we trusted and in trusting we were blessed.
That is what Peter experiences in this verse.
He knows that Jesus is the son of God, even when people around him believe differently.
Despite what others think he trusts his feeling and in trusting he is blessed.
When you know, you know.
This week's verse tells me that I need to listen to that inner voice for peace and comfort and confirmation.
Everyone around me will tell me what they think and what they know, but all that is important is what God tells me.
Through HIM I will find peace and security and comfort all filled with blessings.
Remember that as you walk through your day to day.
In HIM you will find comfort in all things big and small.

I hope you all had a Blessed Friday!

Blake Lively & Ryan Reynolds

in Green Lantern!

source

After a week of packing followed by a week of hotels and moving Bud & I knew we were past due on a movie night.

Bud knows the way to my heart is to bring to the movies & buy me theater popcorn and a soda.

So Last night we knew it was time to step away from moving boxes and to try to enjoy a nice quiet evening.

I will say that I thoroughly enjoyed the movie.

There was action, there was comedy, there was a small love story.

I think the only thing that I had a hard time wrapping my head around was the Blake Lively & Ryan Reynolds love story part.

I know that 11 years age difference isn't that odd to most, but I think the fact that Blake Lively played roles in The Sisterhood of The Traveling Pants 1 & 2 cause me to view her as younger than she really is.  

Overall though, as previously stated, I really enjoyed the movie as well as the time with my hubby!

*Note to self for future movies while still pregnant, bring a small pillow as lumbar support.  

Baby Diaries #17

How far along? 29 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 21ish lbs

Maternity clothes? All the time.

Stretch marks? No new ones yet.

Sleep: It's been easy to fall asleep, but unfortunately I can't seem to sleep any longer than 6 hours.  I'm wide awake as soon as the sun is up.  It's a bit of a pain, but I guess it really just means I should go to bed a little earlier from here on out.

Best moment this week: Bitsy Hitzy put on a real show this week.  Kicking and punching and distorting my belly with each and every move!

Movement: As described above each of these episodes tend to happen just before bedtime.

Food cravings: Nada

Gender: It's a Girl!

Labor Signs: Nada

Belly Button in or out? Outtie, plain and simple. 

What I miss: Sleeping past 6 a.m.

What I am looking forward to: My first full week as a stay at home wife.  I am looking forward to cooking dinner, cleaning house, and enjoying the downtime before our Bitsy Hitzy arrives in less than 80 days!

Weekly Wisdom: Everyone has an opinion.  I encountered a very lovely woman this last weekend who informed me all about the Bradley Method of natural childbirth.  The best thing you can do is let people share their experiences and their advice.  It doesn't mean you have to take it, but you never know when you might learn something.  Prior to that I was only familiar with the traditional Lamaze class.  Now I have a better idea of what might fit our needs as we start the search for a birthing class!

From whattoexpect.com

Your Baby in Week 29 of Pregnancy

How big is your baby this week? She weighs nearly three pounds now and measures about 17 inches. Though she's getting pretty close to her birth length, she still has to chub out a bit. In fact, over the next 11 weeks, she'll more than double — or even come close to tripling — her weight. And as she grows and the room in your womb gets tighter, you'll be less likely to feel those big kicks and more likely to get poked by an elbow or jabbed by a knee.

Our little one is about the size of a
butternut squash this week!
source

I hope you had a Blessed Sunday!

Burdened No Longer

Guess who got his staples out on Friday?

Which means there is no more Cone of Shame or Collar!
Bud found a local vet who would remove the staples.
Apparently, they took Cappy to have him weighed and when they brought him back to the front Bud asked if they were going to need to muzzle Cappy before they took the staples out.
Their response: "No, we already took the staples out".
Cappy did awesome!
They also told Bud that despite the fact that Cappy is 11 years old, he's very strong for his age.
More good news if you ask me.
When he got home he literally did a backflip and started to wrestle with Bud in the living room!
It is so good to see that he is feeling young again.
I'm so glad that we had the surgery done.
I'm even more glad that we didn't test the mass to find out if it was cancer or malignant.
Cappy seems happy and appears healthy and if the results came back that it was cancer it'd be hard to look past that and still see my Happy Cappy!
So for the time being, I'm going to let him tell me how he feels.
When the day comes that he starts to act old or sick, I'll know.
In the meantime that collar has been deflated and packed away with hopes that we will never have to deal with it again!

I hope you all had a Blessed Saturday!

Bible Verse Friday #28

"God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God" ~Matthew 5:8

During the past week Bud & I have encountered many people.
People we've known during the time we lived in Austin.
People we've known from our time in Kansas.
People we've known nearly a lifetime.
And of course new people.
All of these people have played a special role in our lives.
Many of these people have played a special role in helping us transition to a new life in a new place.
As we left Austin we had people show up in droves to help pack boxes, load U-Packs & U-Hauls, and those who just entertained us with their company as we enjoyed a bite to eat.
On the road we visited with people whose kindness we anticipated and whose generosity greatly blessed us.
Now we are in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
Bud and I have reached out to find resources and connections.
I have a friend I went to middle school with who lives out here with his wife, 3 year old, and in about 5 weeks a newborn.  They have invited us to come have dinner already.
All of these people are showing us the kindness and generosity that God planned for us.
Whether they know it or not it is the pureness of their hearts that will reward them as they have already rewarded us.

So remember that each person you encounter is someone to whom you can shower with blessings.
Be it helping someone move, offering dinner, or just calling to check on someone as they are facing a new stage of life- you just never know how much of a blessing you will be.

I hope you had a Blessed Friday!

Bring it in...

Good News!
We found an apartment!
Tuesday was full of a lot of phone calls that all led to dead ends.
Places that were unwilling to offer short term leases or who wanted to charge a fee up to $650/dog.
Fee.
As in Non-Refundable!

Finally, Wednesday we called and found a place that offered us a 3 month lease with the option to go month to month after that and the lowest and most reasonable pet fee around.
Wednesday evening we took all our belongings out of the hotel and began moving into the new apartment!
Fortunately we had our bed in the U-Haul we towed so it meant we even got to sleep at our new place Wednesday night, well only after staying up until 1am washing our sheets at the on-site laundry mat.
But seriously, fresh sheets and my bed....I couldn't ask for better!
Bud even called ABF U-Pack and asked that our U-Packs be delivered and lucky for us they were able to deliver them today!
Thanks to the help of co-workers JH & PK and an old high school buddy of Bud's TR we were able to get those U-Packs unpacked in just 2 days!
I still have a guest room that is packed to the gill with boxes, but right now I'm just happy to have a place to call my own!

The boys seem happy too, although I don't think they've been unhappy at any point during this move.
We have large windows that reach nearly down to the floor and our pups seem to think that is their spot.
They watch and monitor everyone who walks by the window.

It's a good feeling knowing that tomorrow we can run more errands and that the dogs will have a nice place to relax while we are away.

I hope you had a Blessed Thursday!

Book #17: A Place Called Blessing - John Trent PhD

This is a book that will make you smile, make you cry, give you goosebumps and most importantly make you look inside yourself and evaluate how you view others.

This book is probably one of the best books I've read in a long time.

It was an easy read and one that I couldn't put down.

A Place Called Blessing follows the story of a young boy, named Josh.  The youngest of three boys and born into a family with misguided parents.  Tragedy strikes and the boys are all sent to live in foster care. They move from home to home eventually living together until tragedy strikes yet again and the brothers are torn apart.  Josh grows up and out of the system jaded and scarred from a life of bad happenings.  He randomly lands in a small town while trying to accomplish his dream of having his own place, a car, and some privacy.  The family that helps him get on his feet not only shows him that they love each other deeply, but that they are able to love him as well.  The twist in this story is one that awakens your soul.  It causes you to think "could I be that gracious"?
I highly encourage everyone to pick up a copy of this book, read it, live it, and pass it on!

I received this book free from the publishers through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program.  I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions I have expressed are my own.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Bud's First Day

Bud left for his first day of work today as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Air Force.

 I felt like such a proud wifey.

 We are now a one car family.
The main downside was that I had to stay in the hotel all day.

It was my first official day as a "house"-wife.
I kept busy.
I had internet connection so I Skyped with my Dad for over an hour.
I tidied the room a bit.
I watched a little television and I surfed the net for possible apartments that we could check out.

The hardest part about looking for a place to live to hold us over until our base housing is ready is finding someone willing to give us a short term lease and not charge an arm and a leg for the dogs.
Originally we wanted to rent a house, but no homeowners wanted to do short-term or month to month.
Bud came home from work that day with wonderful news

He is just so HANDSOME!

He was told today that he has 8 days of house-finding leave!

That means I get the next week with him to find a place to live and get settled.

So starting tomorrow we will hit the streets hard to find a place to call home, temporarily!

I hope you had a Blessed Monday!

Baby Diaries #16

How far along? 28 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 20ish lbs

Maternity clothes? Yes and proud of it.

Stretch marks? No new ones yet.

Sleep: This has been easy the past few days because of all the traveling.  It's exhausting so by the time my head hits the pillow I'm out for the count.

Best moment this week: Safely reaching North Carolina and knowing this is where our baby girl is going to be born.

Movement: She is definitely making her presence known.  Moving more and more as I sit still long enough.  Sometimes my belly rumbles like a bowl full of jello!  Bud has been able to feel her shift all her weight around and I love watching his expression as he experiences each of these moments.

Food cravings: Nada

Gender: It's a Girl!

Labor Signs: Nada

Belly Button in or out? It's out and it's probably the only thing about pregnancy that I dislike.  It's weird to look down and see that I now have an outtie.

What I miss: I miss my own bed right now.  Since we left Austin on Thursday I've been sleeping in a different bed each night and now Bud & I will be sleeping in separate beds until we find a place to live.  This hotel has 2 double beds and although we could both sleep in 1, it would be a tad bit uncomfortable for both of us.

What I am looking forward to: Getting Bud inprocessed and all the "fun" that goes with that.  I have to get entered into the system for all my benefits and we have to get on a housing list.  We will be looking for a place to stay until our base housing is ready.  It's going to be a crazy few days, but I am looking forward to the process of getting settled.

Weekly Wisdom: Enjoy the little things.  Here is a picture of me settled into the hotel room in Fayetteville.  Pup had been laying on the floor and I wanted a little cuddle time so I sat on the floor, before I knew it Cappy wanted in on the cuddle time too.  Both boys were gentle and oh so calm.  They both just laid their heads on me and let me pet them.  How sweet!

From whattoexpect.com

Your Baby in Week 28 of Pregnancy

Your baby is settling into the proper position for birth, with her head facing downward (toward your body's nearest exit!). Your little work in progress is now about 2.5 pounds and almost 16 inches long. She's busy adding new skills such as blinking to an already impressive repertoire of tricks like coughing, sucking, hiccuping, and taking practice breaths. Your baby's sleep now includes the REM (rapid eye movement) phase — and that means she could be dreaming already .

Our little girl is about the size
of Chinese Cabbage right now.
That's so unbelievable!
She's growing so fast

I hope you had a Blessed Sunday!