I Made it Through the Wilderness!

I know, I know - I'm WAY overdue for an update to this here blog. Sorry! Life happens!

In case you didn't know, we're PREGNANT! 21 weeks pregnant actually.

God worked a major miracle for us in January. Long story short, we were doing fertility treatments and had just added a new shot (ouch!) to the mix. They had high hopes that it would work for us since it's so high powered, but it didn't work. Bring on the devastation, frustration and crushed spirits.They told us to scratch the whole month and not continue with the plan that month. We had planned to regroup in February and try some new meds. But God had other plans. (Hallelujer!) He gave us a miracle baby and proved to us once again that His ways are better than our ways and He is good.

So, with that little recap out of the way, here's what's happening this week:

How Far Along: 21 weeks today!

(Only 19 weeks to go!)

Size of baby: Baby weighed 15 ounces at our appointment on Tuesday and is about 10 1/2 inches long.

Maternity Clothes: I was blessed with two big bags of maternity clothes. I am set for a while on shirts, but am always on the hunt for pants. We leave for the beach soon, so it's crunch time for finding some shorts. (blah!)

Gender: Little Miss :-)

Movement: She moves and grooves at certain times of the day, especially after lunch and when I play music in the car.

 Sleep: Pretty good this week. I sleep half the night sitting up on a mountain of pillows and the other half rotating between sides.

What I miss: Nothing significant. Sleeping on my back would be nice!

Cravings: Ice water. For real. Panera has also crossed my mind several times this week. I'll need to get my fix soon!

Best Moment This Week: Going to the 20 week scan and getting to watch little Claire move around for about an hour. They were able to get good clear shots of every part of her except her heart. Halfway through the scan, she decided to cross her arms over her chest and throw her legs over her head. They tried so hard get her to unravel so they could get a good shot of her heart, but she just wasn't cooperating. The good news is I get to go back in a month and look in on her again!

 

2012 Rewind

2012 brought many ups and downs for us, but through it all we've been reminded that God is faithful and completely able to move mountains and work miracles in our lives if we just ask Him.

In 2012 we...

Continued on our path to adoption.
Searched for a job for Chase and he got a job at a plant. Not his favorite, but it paid the bills.
Hosted a girls only small group. (Chase went to the boys only one at another house.)
Got a cabin in the mountains and did absoultely NOTHING the entire weekend. It was fabulous!
Went on a girls only retreat with my small group. It was refreshing and awesome.
Spent a lot of time waiting on DSS for the next step in the process.
Saw Chase's job go from 5 days a week to 7 days a week.
Had our DSS training classes scheduled and got set back another month due to scheduling conflicts.
Had our biggest project at work go live. I worked many many hours, so Chase was single that week.
Went to DSS training and had our eyes opened wide to the whole process.
Prayed hard about another job for Chase and he got a position at Suntrust Bank!
Got a lot of new recipes from Pinterest. I accepted the fact that I'm a Pinterest junky.
Hosted the second semester small group at our old and new home.
Felt God dealing with us and through some serious talks and prayer we put our adoption journey on hold.
Learned a lot about asking God for a baby in faith and then waiting expectantly on His timing.
Went on many photoshoots and had fun with our clients.
Found out the branch that Chase worked at was going to close, so he was on the job hunt again.
Got to photograph my niece getting married.
Started going to PREG, a fertility specialist, and have been very very happy with their services.
Went to the beach for an entire week with the Todd family. It was fun & relaxing!
Watched God drop a BEAUTIFUL house in our laps when we had just found contentment being renters.
Went on a women's retreat the same weekend Chase moved us into the new house. Perfect timing, huh?
Photographed a good friend getting married to Mr. Right. We're so happy for them!
Built an entertainment center for the new house. It's still not in the house, but we're so close!!
Found out Chase got transferred to the other Suntrust branch in Seneca. YAY!
Hosted our annual Christmas party. It was redneck themed and absolutely hilarious.
Went to many family gatherings during the holidays.
Hosted a New Years Eve party.
Took a deep breath and braced ourselves for what God is going to do with us in 2013!

High 5 for Friday!!!

It's been a long time. I shouldn't have left you without a dope beat to step to.

{High five if you get that...}

1. Obviously a HUGE thing I'm thankful for this week is our new house. I'm already in love with every single inch of it! We are truly blessed and so amazed at how God just dropped this house in our laps.

2. I'm excited about all the firsts in this house. It's the little things that still make me giddy like cooking our first meal in this house (mini-meatloaves in muffin tins, rolls and mashed potatoes) or using my new microfiber duster on the hardwoods. I also love that Chase pulls out the risky business slide randomly. It's a great way to enter the room! I don't try it though - we all know that I'd keep sliding and crash into something breakable.

3. This picture makes the list this week just because of Julie's (on the right) face. She would punch me in the arm if I didn't say that she was trying to make the awkward face. Please don't hurt me! What you can't see in this picture are the hotdog wieners that are swinging from strings tied around their waists. It was a bachelorette party game. It may have gotten awkward...but we'll never tell! :-)

4. My honey works so hard on his honey-do list every night. This particular night he had to do the one task he hates most in the world: hanging curtain rods. To be specific, he hates the screws that they put in the kit and how they don't really fit the other pieces that well. He always starts out so peacefully by measuring and making his marks but as soon as he picks up one of those screws, he becomes the Hulk and I'm afraid he's going to smash through the wall. We can always laugh about it later, but I have learned the hard way that laughing at him in the moment is the WRONG choice.

5. I'm loving this cool weather! I'm so happy to be able to wear my cute flats again. My shoes (on the right) are from DSW and were purchased with a gift card from the wearer of the shoe on the left. Thanks April!!

I hope you all have had a great week as well!!

Happy early Thanksgiving!

High Five!

In this High Five, I can finally reveal some secrets that have made some of you wonder... Apparently I shouldn't say things that elude to secrets I might be keeping because it makes the rumors swirl. I love you all for being baby-hopeful for me though! :-)

I forgot the numbers this week...I'm a bit crazy these days!

Top left: We finally got to announce that we're buying a HOUSE! We got the clear to close yesterday and have our closing scheduled for Thursday of next week. This is the big reveal I was referring to a few weeks ago...

Bottom left: Walmart has really stepped it up in the Christmas department. Yes, I am talking about Christmas already...but I will say I am not ok with them skipping over halloween and Thanksgiving and going straight for the Christmas stuff. I just feel like it's rushing things, ya know?

Top right: Can you see the rainbow peeking through the clouds up there? Through this whole house process, I've been reminded of the promises God has made to me. So this picture in short: Rainbows = Promises. I know that His ways are greater than my ways and His plans are FAR better than anything I could work up on my own. It's just awesome to see that played out first hand.

Middle right: I am super excited and terrified about how much of a blank slate this new house is. I am hoping to step our decor up a bit, so ignore any future rants / celebrations over the perfect tissue box or towel rod. Don't say I didn't warn ya!

Bottom right: I actually took this picture a few weeks back but I was slack and didn't High 5 you that week, so here it is. We had a date night and went to Copper River. Have you ever noticed that little bunker right as you walk into the bar area? That's where we sat and yeah, I'll admit that I was acting like a kid in my very own tree house. It was so cute with its own little walls and our very own TV that Chase promptly turned OFF of the nascar race. I highly suggest you sit there for your next date night. :-)

High Five!

Well folks, I've been so slack since I've been on vacation…including the High Five!

Here it is…

1. This has been my view for the past week. Enough said.

2. My sweet hubby reminds me on a daily basis why I married him.

3. I'm two books down and starting the third today!

4. Here's my view from the bed in the morning. Blue skies and the sun shining. It's a GREAT way to wake up!

5. Chase has been in volleyball heaven this week. He's been able to join a game every day we've been on the beach. His love for volleyball is beyond my comprehension but it makes him happy so… :-)

High 5 for Friday!

1. My niece got married this past weekend. Her dad actually built that barn. Like, from scratch. It was pretty cute.

2. Yes, those are our feet under our fleece blankets. Sunday nights are quickly becoming our favorite nights. We always eat something yummy for dinner and then snuggle up together to watch our favorite shows. Good times, people, good times.

3. Our favorite funny show is back on starting this week. We. Love. New Girl.

4. I'm seriously considering making a paper chain to count down the days to our vacation. We are exactly 10 days away right now. We'll be spending an entire week at the beach house doing nothing. Yep, that sounds like heaven to me!

5. Yes, those are marshmallows. And I am thankful for the edible ones, but this week I'm really thankful for our new mattress. I've always wanted a marshmallow bed. You know the kind - the ones that hug you and you can hear it saying "shhhh you don't have to get out of bed all day...". Ok, that would be creepy, but you know what I mean. I haven't slept this good in a LONG time. :-)

High Five for Friday!

1. One of Chase's shirts may or may not have fallen victim to my pinterest binge the other night. I think it turned out super cute and I can't wait to tweak it and make another one!

2. I had to share how Artie holds his bone. Does anyone else think he looks like he's smoking a cigar? That dog is crazy.

3. Much thanks to Rachael Ray for teaching me that putting a wooden spoon over a boiling pot keeps it from boiling over and making a mess.  I was so excited this week when I didn't have a mess to clean up on the stovetop! 

4. We started Small Groups back up this week and I'm so excited about this semester. We have a good group and I can't wait to really dig in to our series this time.

5. Patience continues to be my nemesis as I wait on something very big to happen in our lives. Thankfully, the end is in sight now, so I hope to officially announce our news in the next few weeks. I know it will make the high 5 - probably a few times! :-) God is good.