The Moberg Family

Author: Susanne

  • Everything I Need To Know About Parenting, I Learned From Pregnancy

    Everything I Need To Know About Parenting, I Learned From Pregnancy

    It’s true.

    You have no idea how many times I think this statement every single day of my life. Below is my “Everything.” I’m not claiming I’ve mastered these things (thank God I have actual parenting to help me with that…) 😉 but I sure have taken a pretty good go at them! 

    I’ve been working on this list for months, but in honor of my due date (and no baby yet), I’m ready to post my list. Here they are, in no particular order:

    Number 1: “Babies Change Everything.”

    People say this to me/us ALL. THE. TIME. (Disclaimer: if you are one of the ones who has said this to us, please don’t take the following personally.) And every time someone says this, it takes every bit of grace in me to not say, “No…REALLY?!” Instead, I smile, and say, “Oh, he already has…”

    These are the people who must not realize that I have been throwing up for 9 months, and that was not a part of my daily routine pre-July. That I spent the first 4 months of pregnancy sick around the clock and since then have woken up sick every single morning for the remaining 9 months. These are the people who must not realize that since I’ve gotten pregnant, the most I’ve slept in a row is 4 hours at a time, when I was on nausea meds with a good amount of sleeping aids in them. The majority of my pregnancy I’ve only slept for 2 hours at a time. About 2 months ago, my body decided it needs to wake up every single hour throughout the night. Again, not a habit I was familiar with pre-pregnancy. I’ll let you draw some of your own conclusions about how handicapping two of my basic health needs–eating and sleeping–has literally affected every area of our lives.

    So yes, you’re right folks…babies have–already–changed EVERYTHING.

    Number 2: Life revolves around eating, sleeping, and going to the bathroom.

    Literally, my life is dictated by these three things. I’ll need to nurse my baby every two hours? Are you kidding? That’s CAKE. Right now I have to eat every stinkin’ two hours, and that means I either need to prepare a meal or find the nearest hamburger joint every two hours! At least with nursing there’s not any prep involved! Because I have to eat so frequently, there’s just not much time to do anything else in between but sleep and go to the bathroom. I’m so ready for this baby.

    Number 3:  If it happened in a day, it’s fair game to talk about, especially in regard to bodily functions.

    I have lost all filters for what’s appropriate when talking about bodily functions. Again, when 1/3 of my day (see Number 2) is consumed by going to the bathroom–either to relieve myself or to throw up–why WOULDN’T I want to talk about it? Sometimes my vomiting story of the day is the most entertaining thing that’s happened to me in a week. I have to tell SOMEONE about it… I definitely used to wonder why when moms would get together they would choose to talk about things like the color of their baby’s poop… but now I totally understand. There’s just nothing more satisfying than having a good friend share in my vomiting experience or bathroom accident of the day. And I have to give a shout out to my incredible husband, who has beared with me with the patience of a saint in this arena. The phrase, “Babe! You’ve GOT to come look at this!!” is not an uncommon one in our household these days, and he has been such a champ…totally humoring me as I force him to share in this pregnancy by living vicariously through my bathroom experiences.

     Number 4: Never-under any circumstances-leave the house without snacks.

    Even if I have JUST eaten and I only have a 15 minute errand, I just never know what might happen. And if I cross the 2 hour threshold and DON’T have several snacks in my bag to tide me over until I can get a real meal…well, it’s all over. This baby’s meltdown looks like vomit flying out of my mouth. I know this has been great training for when we have lots of little ones. I will never, under any circumstances leave the house without snacks when I have kiddos.

    Number 5: Always carry a spare $20 in your car.

    There was one particular day, several months ago, when I was SO HUNGRY, and knew I was getting dangerously close to the 2-hour eating mark. We had NOTHING in the house that I could eat/sounded like I could keep down, and so I had to make a special trip out for a cheeseburger. Against my better judgment, I got a few more things done around the house before leaving, so by the time I had gotten in the car I was already well past the 2-hour eating mark. I knew it could get messy quick, but I just gave myself a solid pep talk all the way to Sonic, telling my stomach that it was not going to throw up in that particular moment…that it was about to get food and it needed to patient today. Well I was about 13 minutes into my drive, 2 minutes away from said destination, when I realized…

    I FORGOT MY WALLET.

    OH. DEAR. GOD.

    $3.81 standing in the way of a full tummy and a vomit-free lunch. I’m pretty sure the world literally stopped spinning in that moment. I looked up, expecting an oxygen mask to drop out of the ceiling. MAY DAY. I began to PANIC, thoughts flying through my head of how on earth I could solve this problem. I will just have to BEG Sonic to give me a cheeseburger. I am not above begging. I can give them my license to hold until I have time to drive home to get payment. No wait, I don’t have my wallet. Ugh! What about if I beg them to give me a cheeseburger, and then they can literally handcuff me to the table until Brian can meet me here with the money. I’m sure they’ll understand…I can explain that I’m pregnant and tell them how sick I am and…

    And then I just burst into tears. None of these things were going to work. I called Brian, sobbing, and started giving him my solution ideas and he just so gently interrupted me and said, “My love, they’re not going to give you a cheeseburger without paying for it.”

    THEN WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?! I cried.

    I’ll jump in the car and meet you there in 15 minutes. Eat a granola bar and drink an apple juice…and I’ll see you soon.

    I had forgotten that he had stocked my car with SNACKS!! World’s most perfect husband. He has mastered Rule #4.

    But if I had just had a spare $20 in the glove department…

    Number 6: Accidents happen…don’t plan on getting dressed just once for the day.

    I haven’t gotten to the point of needing to bring a spare change of clothes with me in my purse like I likely will need to do in my diaper bag for the little peanut, but I’ve been pretty close. Luckily, most of my “accidents” happen here in the house, and the ones that have happened in the car, in restaurants, airports, sidewalks, etc., have been manageable. But I can’t tell you how many times we’ve been walking out the door and suddenly I’d thrown up so violently that I pee my pants and require a full change of clothes. I’ve shed a fair number of tears during this scenario, but recently I’ve grown to be much more mature about it and rather than get upset about having to throw my cute shirt and jeans into the washer, I just say: “Eh…accidents happen. No sense crying over spilled milk.”

    TMI? Well, you’re the one choosing to read my blog :).

    Number 7: Plan on allowing an extra hour to get out of the house, and even then–plan on being late.

    It’s just that my body controls me now, and besides that, there are sooo many “unexpected” things that can happen at any given moment. You should see how I have my schedule alotted out for each day…imagine it. Every 2 hours I have to be eating a full meal. Each meal takes AT LEAST 30 minutes to eat, because food still does not go down easily and my gag reflex is sooo sensitive. On top of that, I’ve recently discovered that I have acid reflux, which is why it feels like my food is constantly crawling back UP my throat after I’ve killed it, chewed it, and swallowed it.

    During the days I was rinsing 7 different times throughout the day to try and get rid of my oral thrush, I had to rinse right after a meal because I couldn’t eat for 30 minutes afterward.

    Meanwhile, I’m supposed to be keeping hydrated. But I can’t drink DURING meals because my stomach is too cramped and acid-refluxy to fit all of that in there. Which means I only have small windows to get all 80+ ounces of fluid down in a day. Plus, my bladder is so squished that when I DO drink water, I have to GO…a lot.

    Are you picturing this? Here’s a sample schedule for you:

    1:00 Prep food for meal
    1:10-1:40 Eat said food
    1:40-1:45 Brush teeth & Rinse with two types of rinse
    1:45-2:15 No eating or drinking
    2:15-3:00 Drink lots of water, and make sure I’m in a place where there’s a restroom

    That leaves me from 2:15-3:00 to actually be DOING something other than eating. Do you see how frustrating life is? So showering, getting ready, preparing to leave, ALL has to fall within a 45 minute time frame, WELL before I actually HAVE to leave. If I needed to be somewhere at 2, then I’d have to start “getting ready” around 9 to make sure I could fit everything into my eating schedule.

    Now, imagine everything’s going perfectly according to plan, and at 1:43 while I’m brushing my teeth I accidentally gag, which–always–triggers vomiting. Well, it’s all over. Plan on being late.

    Number 8: I am not in control of ANYTHING except my attitude.
    You can read as many books as you can get your hands on and be more disciplined about following a schedule than anyone, but there is no way to make your days and life predictable. This pregnancy has been, literally, completely the opposite of everything I have ever hoped for and dreamed of in a pregnancy. Nobody dreams of being sick every single day of their pregnancy. Nobody dreams of ending up in the hospital–twice–due to severe dehydration during pregnancy. I could list all of the many, many, many other things that have happened to me and my body during these last 9 months, but it’s not necessary. The point is, the entire time, I’ve had a decision to make every single day:

    To trust my God, and make it through each day with joy, or to turn against Him and be bitter, complaining to anyone who will listen.

    There were (are currently) so many days where something’s occurred that’s felt like, “Are you kidding me? THIS on top of vomiting every single day of my life?” And then I’ll sit before God, gain revelation and peace about His goodness, stand up to conquer the day with joy, when no sooner have I turned the corner that SOMETHING ELSE piles on top… And I just have to turn right back around and get on my face before God to find joy. Because honestly, finding my joy in Him sounds like a lot more fun than being bitter and angry. But that doesn’t mean there haven’t been tears…Oh boy…have there been tears alright. There have been hundreds of times, literally, when I’ve thought–I can’t handle one more thing on top of all this, and then…it’s come. One more thing. Two more things. Three more things.

    Tonight I sit, exactly 40 weeks pregnant, with a chest cold that’s lasted a week and a half, the stomach flu, and a husband who has a 101 degree fever. And so my choice is…to scream and cry and shake my fists at God, or…OR. Or to trust in the One who formed me, my husband, and my son with his own two hands, and trust that He is good.

    I recently heard this at a conference: “Trust in the God who led his perfect son to die on the cross…and then trust in the God of the resurrection.”

    Thank you, God, that YOU are in control, and I am not…you do a much better job of being God than I would… If, by the grace of God, I can grasp this concept now, I have a feeling parenting will be a whole lot easier…

    Number 9: I married the most amazing man in the entire world.

    I could never count how many times I have just cried and cried over the reality of this statement. I really don’t think I would be in one piece if it weren’t for Brian in this season. He has been the constant, steady one, urging me to turn my face towards the King when all I wanted to do was cry, balled up in a corner. He has been the encouraging one, who has picked me up out of bed (literally at times) when I had no strength to do so myself. There have been so many times that I have apologized to him for not being able to be as “excellent” as I desire in this season…and he just NEVER waits a second before affirming what an incredible job I AM doing, reminding me that we’re in this TOGETHER, and we’ll make it through TOGETHER. I have never known a man who has walked with his wife so closely in pregnancy. When I talk about being pregnant, I always say “we” instead of “I” because there’s just not been one second that I’ve felt alone in it, like it’s just MY thing. I may be doing the throwing up, but he’s always–always–insisted on doing the cleaning up.

    I couldn’t be more excited to enter this season of parenting with my husband. I know I get the role of “stay at home Mom,” but I am convinced that I will never be in this alone. Thank you, God, for my incredible husband.

    Number 10: I never knew I could love like this.

    I know that there is sooooooo much more yet to come, but I tell you what…Brian and I just ADORE our son already…I can’t tell you how many times I’ve already cried over how overwhelmed I am with my love for him. Everything–every decision–is so different now that he’s a little person, even if he is still in my womb. Public school vs private school vs homeschool…not just a theoretical debate anymore, but we’re talking about my son. To vaccinate or not to vaccinate…this is my son. Thinking about sending him out into this world before he’s had a chance to root…this is my son. And every sacrifice…is totally not a sacrifice if it has to do with my son. The greatest day in this pregnancy was the day that I started to feel him kick, because then…THEN, I would throw up but feel him KICK afterwards. And this simple reminder each time I throw up is enough to make it all worth it. This is all for my son…and there is no price too high to pay for his health and well-being.

    I love him with all that I am…and I would do anything for him.

    And I never knew I could love my husband like this. And I wouldn’t change a thing about this pregnancy if it means I have a healthy son and an even healthier marriage coming out of this… Because of God’s mercy and love, our marriage has not been weakened, but strengthened with this trial. Our love for each other has grown so much stronger than it ever could have had we not walked through this together. The day before our wedding, someone told us, “Your love is going to continue to get stronger and stronger for one another.” It’s sooo hard to believe that when you are so in love, loving to the capacity you’re capable of, and believe that that capacity couldn’t possibly grow. But wow–how much more you’re capable of loving once you are one! And after each trial, when you realize you, indeed, judged this person’s character correctly on the day you said, “yes”–this man of God is not only everything you thought he was, but MORE…he surprises you every single day by showing you greater glimpses into the character and the mind of God, loving you just as Christ loves the church…by cherishing, not by dominating…just as he promised he would on your wedding day. And at the first trial where you feel completely and utterly worthless…some days unable to get out of bed, let alone SERVE him, he not only stays by your side, but affirms over and over and over how much MORE he loves you now…because he loves your heart…he married you for your heart, not for what you could do. Sooo patient with me, sooo kind to me…the most unconditional love I have ever experience outside of Christ’s…

    And so I have never been more confident than I am now…Everything I need to know about parenthood I learned from pregnancy. Most importantly, that we’re in this together, and our God is in total control of our lives.

    Now, thank God we have the next 25 years to work on mastering these little rules…. 🙂

  • 3D Ultrasound of our little man!

    3D Ultrasound of our little man!

    So a couple weeks ago, we couldn’t help but shell out a bit of cash to get a second glimpse at our little baby boy. The first ultrasound was sooo amazing, and the thought of being able to peek at him again was a temptation we couldn’t resist.

    3D-4D ultrasound is just incredible. There are no other words for it…the fact that we can see a 3D image of our baby while he’s in my womb is almost more than I comprehend. At first his umbilical cord was across his lips like a big mustache, so we couldn’t see the lower half of his face. But later he moved and then it was spread across his neck so we could get a full view of his face. Here are some of our favorites:

    Well, who do YOU think he looks like???!!!

    Isn’t this CRAZY?! There he is!!!!! And no, that’s not a huge growth on his face–he’s pressed up against my placenta, which is that mass covering the right side of his face.  And that dark-ish substance around his neck is the umbilical cord. I just think this shot is so cute :). Isn’t he so sweet?!?

    He’s smiling :).
    Look at how chill he looks! Here, he’s got both his hands behind his neck and you can see his elbows kind of resting beneath his chin. Just chillin’ in Mama’s womb… 😉
    Profile view, left hand behind his neck.
    This is one of my favorites..look at him just crossing his feet like it ain’t no thang :).  (In case it’s hard to tell…this is a profile view of his legs. His knees are on the right side of the photo, and his feet are crossed on the left.)
    Front view without the placenta in his face! The umbilical cord around his neck kinda freaks me out…but the ultrasound tech assured me he’s okay and won’t choke…
    Love this! He still has his hands behind his neck, and now he’s pulled his feet up to his face! Just showing off how flexible he is! 🙂
    His little feet are crossed again…I just think it’s the cutest when he does that!! See all of his little toes on his right foot?? SOOO STINKIN’ CUTE. 

    So there he is, folks! Our adorable little man. We can’t WAIT to see him on the outside. It kind of feels like “cheating” to be able to see him so clearly while he’s still in my womb, but we’ve both discovered that waiting to be surprised when it comes to our baby is not our strong suit. 🙂

    We have 25 more pictures and a 30 minute DVD if you ever have some time to waste and want to come see more of our little man. 🙂

    We adore him…and are counting down the days!

  • Good Morning, 2011

    Good Morning, 2011

    This is what I woke up to on New Year’s Day, 2011. And the words, “Good morning, 2011!” rang through my head. I could see God smiling down at me like he was saying, “Look at this ‘Good Morning’ that I saved for 1-1-11!! Isn’t it beautiful?!? I’m so glad you’re awake to see it…” Yes…it’s simply breathtaking, oh Lord.

    I woke up feeling pretty good, and I remember thinking, “Maybe God’s gift to me this year is no more throwing up!!” I sat, eating my first bowl of cereal while staring at the above view. By the time the sun came up completely I was ready to crawl back in bed for my morning nap, filled to overflowing with hope and anticipation for the upcoming, vomit-free new year.

    When I woke up the second time, I still felt pretty good. So I’m not quite sure why my second bowl of cereal had a hard time staying down… Usually, when I’m eating and I start to gag my next step is a no-brainer–get to the nearest sink, toilet, or bucket as fast as possible. But this time when I gagged, I was so convinced that 2011 was going to be a vomit-free year that I didn’t move. I refused. “No way,” I sternly thought to my stomach muscles, who were gearing up to action. “You stay calm and just let this cereal have its place down there.”

    Wishful thinking, I guess. Because it ALL came up a second later. So much for a “good morning.” 

    I barely made it to the bathroom in time…in fact, a good amount of vomit actually splattered across the bathroom mirror because it was so violently flying out of my mouth, despite the fact that my lips were sealed tight and my hand was covering them for extra reinforcement. I just found that splattered mirror vomit the other day, which is what has triggered this post.

    Because I have thrown up so. many. times. this year already. There are days where I feel like I’m getting worse and I have to remind myself of the horror of my first trimester to put things back into perspective. There is SOOOOOOOOOOOO much to be thankful for….!!!! But my point is, when I saw the vomit splattered across the mirror, my first thought was, “Um, that’s disgusting. How did I miss that when I cleaned up the rest of the vomit mess that day? I wonder who’s come over in the meantime and seen this…?” Gross.

    And my second thought was, “This. Sucks. Royally.” And Shame and Disappointment loudly mocked and criticized the little spirit of Hope that I had woken up with that New Year’s morning. “Who are you to hope? This is your lot–accept it. You’re going to be so sick these last 2 and a half months that you won’t be able to enjoy or anticipate the birth of your son. And you might as well accept the fact now that you will be this sick every time you get pregnant. So forget about having lots of kids. Forget about being a good mom while you’re pregnant with the next one. While you’re at it, forget about ever being able to wake up and say “Good morning” to your husband again. Forget about getting more than 2-3 hours of sleep at a time. Forget about ever being able to eat a meal without gagging again…” 

    The list went on and on. So much so that all I could think about was how sick I am…forgetting about the One who had given me the “good morning” word and the beautiful sunrise to go along with it.

    Thankfully, I follow a God who is so much bigger than all of that crap, who interrupted this worthless monologue and broke into my spirit. “A ‘good’ 2011 has nothing to do with the amount of times you throw up this year. I have provided for you every day so far; do not worry about tomorrow. I will provide for you tomorrow, too.” And the simplicity of that age-old truth reverberated in my spirit. I don’t have to work right now, because God has provided. I don’t have children right now, and so I don’t need to take care of another little human at 6 am. Because God has not given me more than I can bear. And when the fatigue and the weariness are so strong around me that all I can do is cry, God has provided a husband who is strong enough to embrace me in such tender love and remind me of the truth–that God will take care of us. Do not worry about tomorrow, for today has enough troubles of its own…

    So I thought I would have a vomit-free 2011. And that definitely didn’t happen. But health is not my greatest need in 2011. My God is my greatest need. My favorite mentor, Amy Carmichael, once wrote:

    “Not relief from pain, not relief from the weariness that follows, not anything of that sort at all, is my chief need. Thou, O Lord my God, art my need–Thy courage, Thy patience, Thy fortitude. And very much I need a quickened gratitude for the countless helps given every day.” (A Chance to Die, pg.365)

    And so–you know what? It was a “good morning” that first day of 2011. In fact, it was a great morning. Because I have–over and over–been put in a place where I need God to come through day after day more than I need anything else. And is this not the place that is most blessed? 
    I pray for you, too–dear family and friends–that you would be in this most blessed place in 2011. In the place of greatest need and dependency upon the only One who can save you and bring comfort to you.

    Oh, how He loves us…it is a divine, beautiful, glorious love… Thank you, Jesus…

  • Chubby Bunny…Welcome to the Third Trimester

    Maybe it was the restless night of sleep last night that made the circles under my eyes larger than normal or the fact that I threw up for the third time this week this morning that contributed to my slightly swollen-looking cheeks, but for the first time this pregnancy–every time I looked in the mirror today, all I could see was CHUBBY FACE.

    Maybe it’s the fact that I just started wearing maternity clothes this week (I’m currently 28 1/2 weeks) and so there’s no hiding the reality that I’ve crossed over from “Oh, I could still fit into my normal clothes if I wanted” to “there ain’t no hiding this belly if I tried”…and that’s a bit scary…

    Maybe it’s the fact that I eat 8 meals EVERY DAY, including two FULL-SIZE lunches and two FULL-SIZE dinners, and I’ve just been waiting for all those calories to catch up to me and to wake up one morning and realize I AM LITERALLY A COW.

    Or maybe it’s the fact that, for the last 2 months, I have–unashamedly–had a cheeseburger NEARLY EVERY SINGLE DAY–usually for my second lunch, but sometimes for my first dinner.

    Whatever it is though, today I felt B-I-G.

    We were just getting ready to head out the door when Brian told me how beautiful I looked, especially being pregnant. (He’s so good at affirming me all the time, totally unprompted, and though I’ve always been thankful for that trait in him, I’m starting to realize how incredibly blessed I am to know that no matter how chubby I get, I really do have this man who just adores me all the time. He has seen me at my WORST this pregnancy, and if he can genuinely look me in the eyes when I have vomit splattered all over my face, mucus dripping out of my nose & mouth, and pee running down my legs–all at the same time–and tell me he loves me then, then I’m convinced chubby cheeks are not going to scare him away…) But tonight I took the opportunity to press him a little bit…

    “Really? I feel like my face is starting to look quite chubby…”

    “Oh, well, you do have two full-sized marshmallows stuffed in your cheeks, don’t you?”

    And the ensuing laughter, believe it or not, caused me to forget about my chubby cheek fears and we headed out to a concert in the juvenile prison headed up by my dear friend Chrisy.

    We were lovingly greeted by one of our friends who immediately noted the flip-flops I was wearing (it’s about 45 degrees out) and very innocently asked, “Oh, do your shoes not fit you anymore?”

    Ha! Chubby cheeks, and now apparently chubby feet.

    “No–they do,” I said with a little smile, frantically trying to figure out a way I could prove that to her in that very moment. I seriously glanced at every person’s shoes around me, trying to see if anyone looked like they wore a size 8.

    Suddenly, images of me violently ripping shoes off people’s feet and awkwardly bouncing on one foot (me and my unbalanced, chubby pregnant self)  as I tried to jam the coveted “size 8” onto my own chubby foot, frighteningly flashed through my head as the words “ugly step-sister” scrolled through my brain. My feet cried out to me from within, “YOU ARE CINDERELLA!!!” I wanted to believe them, but could find no proof.

    After snapping back into reality and quickly realizing how illogical my little daydream was, I simply explained (trying to stay calm and not sound too defensive), “I just got a pedicure today which is why I had them on in the first place, and I figured I’m so hot all the time anyway that it seemed to make sense to just keep the flip-flops on for the night…”

    Are my feet chubby, too?? I couldn’t help but stare at them the rest of the night in wonder.

    Shortly thereafter a perfect stranger came up to me and said, “When’s your baby due?”

    “March!” I said with a smile.

    “Whoa, you still have a ways to go!”

    “You’re telling me….” I responded.

    “So are you having twins or something?”

    WOW. Chubby cheeks, chubby feet, and now apparently–chubby tummy. All in one day.

    “Nope…just one in there,” I responded. And then my chubby feet and I walked away.

    It’s currently 10:00 pm. I just finished my second dinner, which happened to be (drum roll please)…a cheeseburger. I’m closing out my Chubby Bunny Day with a gingerbread cookie (or four…oops) and the knowledge that my husband adores me and many of my friends constantly affirm how cute I am. And if they’re all just making it up to make me feel better…well, I’ll always have my cheeseburgers.

    🙂

  • It’s beginning to look a lot like…CHRISTMAS!

    It’s beginning to look a lot like…CHRISTMAS!

    Tree hunting with Kevin, Tabitha, Taylor, & Hailey!

    Hailey adores Uncle Brian 🙂

    Taylor drove us to find our tree! She did a great job, too!!

    Us in front of the “Runner Up Tree”

    The Winner!

    The finished product! You can tell where Brian stopped putting the lights on the tree and where I started (as soon as I could reach). Apparently I have a light fetish…we only blew a circuit once :).
  • Tacoma Thanksgiving 2010

    Tacoma Thanksgiving 2010

    Sweet nieces

    Everyone loves superstar Aunt Angela!!
    The Mobergs!

  • Colorado Thanksgiving 2010

    We went “home” to Colorado for Thanksgiving this year. I think it’s the first time I’ve been home for Thanksgiving in years! Besides my mom’s scrumptious Thanksgiving cooking, here are the highlights from our trip:

    • Getting to see adorable, cheerful, determined, sharp-as-a-tack Fable for the first time in 8 months!

    “If you’re happy and you know it…”

    Matching Boots!

    “Um, WHAT are you doing??” -Fable

    • Meeting our BEAUTIFUL niece Rowan for the first time!!! Ah, we’ve been dying to meet her!!
    Rowan is possibly the SWEETEST baby I’ve EVER met…she has such a sweet countenance!!

    • Seeing our handsome nephews Gryffin & Jaxon, who are as smart and FUN as always!
    • Visiting with Jeff & Amber–parent extraordinaires!

    • Watching Melanie playing with Rowan, and witnessing Rowan eating Mel’s lip:
    Total highlight of the night 🙂
    • Seeing Doug & Melanie!
    • Being pregnant with my husband in Colorado 🙂
    • Seeing my parents, although I don’t have a picture of them 🙁
    • Fable’s baptism!

    • Having almost the whole family together in one place (we missed you, Smiths!!!)
    Thanksgiving 2010

  • Palm Springs Glory

    Palm Springs Glory

    Brian had the best idea to get away for a few days…

    The details came together so seamlessly, that we were convinced God was behind this. We got an INCREDIBLE deal on a beautiful 2 bedroom condo for 7 days, and Brian suggested that this might be the perfect week to get away, celebrate a quite belated 1st Anniversary, have un-distracted time away from normal life to get to really seek God for this next season, and, at the end of our week Lance Wallnau happened to be speaking just 30 minutes away from our condo. Perfect.

    Our 10 days away were simply glorious. I had a MUCH better flying experience this time (my only condition for going was that we scheduled an AFTERNOON flight…) and it was in the 90s every day that we were there. Our condo was beautiful, and even had black-out shades which were perfect for me, who now takes almost daily morning naps. We even ended up getting an 8th day there TOTALLY FREE–thank you, God!! There is nothing more wonderful than getting DAYS away from daily life with your husband, with the only goal being to spend time together and with God… I was in Heaven.

    Here are some fun highlights from our 10 days in Glory Springs…

    Brian took me to a Japanese Steak House dinner at the hotel connected with our Villa for our “Anniversary Dinner.” We arrived there via boat (how fun is THAT?!) and it was a delightful little restaurant. Brian had been there many times before, and was telling me that sometimes the cook will challenge you to see if you can catch a shrimp in your mouth from several feet away. He was so excited because of what a great value it is… “You can get like 10 shrimp FREE just by being willing to catch them in your mouth!!!” I just laughed, and hoped that our cook would be one of these adventurous ones to satisfy my husband’s value check-off of the day :).

    Sure enough, he was! Brian was TOTALLY the star of the restaurant…everyone was watching him! I think the chef threw him like 20 shrimp! And Brian caught a ton of them!

    Look at how determined Brian is! Free shrimp is no joking matter.
    Oh yeah! Right in his mouth, baby!
    NOW people are watching! He had the whole restaurant cheering for him!
    

     We had mentioned it was our anniversary, and the chef made this cute little design for us out of fried rice and sesame :).

    

    Our adorable, hilarious chef.

    

    On the way back to our condo we discovered…CHRISTMAS CUPS ARE OUT at Starbucks!!!

    

    Happy November, Everyone!!!!

    

    Our little man shining through in my favorite dress 🙂

    

    Another HUGE highlight were the outlet malls in Palm Springs. We stopped into a Carter’s and everything was 50-60% off!!! A new mommy’s dream!!! It’s a good thing Brian was there, or else I may have purchased every baby boy item in the entire store… It’s irresistible!!!!

    We managed to make it out with just 4 outfits…the very first outfits we’ve bought for our baby boy! It was pure delight picking these out for him…we were both smiling from ear to ear the whole time!!

    Look at this striped polo shirt!!! He will be a Mini-Brian!! 🙂

    Another fun highlight is that Baby MoBoy GREW A TON while we were there!! Look at how HUGE I am all of a sudden!! The difference between last week and this week is so noticeable! This is also the first real maternity clothing item I’ve worn…I bought this cute skirt right before we left!

    

    I LOVE HAVING A BELLY!!!!!!!

    

    

    We attended the Lance Wallnau conference over the last weekend we were there (only Brian went to the mornings and I joined him for the evenings). Brian was SO encouraged to be around so many believers who are like-hearted and like-minded again. It’s just such a unique, dynamic group of business leaders and world-changers! Both of us were blown away at the INCREDIBLE amount of love we were met with in being there. There were 10-15ish people who had also been at the Mazatlan conference, and all of them not only remembered us, but greeted us with hugs and genuine interest in how we were doing, how I was doing, how our baby was doing… We just LOVE Lance’s assistant Deborah, and she absolutely went out of her way to bless us and make us feel so welcomed and loved while we were there. What a JOY to be there, connecting with believers across the country & world, watching powerful breakthroughs occur in hearts, and watching Jesus be glorified among every word spoken…

    All in all, it was an amazing 10 days away…we had so much time together playing, praying & celebrating. We watched our wedding video again and remembered with such joy every detail of that day that has changed our lives forever. We talked to and about our baby constantly, dreaming about & anticipating his entrance into the outside world. It was a week filled with remembering, anticipating, celebrating, hoping, and dreaming. Thank you, God, for the gift of Palm Springs!!

  • The Tale of the Second Chromosome

    The Tale of the Second Chromosome

    I couldn’t sleep last night, because all I did all night long was dream and think about the fact that today we would find out such a special part of who our baby is.

    Today was our 20 week ultrasound, that would tell us if God has given us a boy or a girl.

    I was literally so excited this morning that I’m certain it was my fault that I threw up. Mornings are still quite difficult, and I’m telling you–if I breathe too quickly or say too many words or even look at someone for too long, I will throw up. Well, this morning, I woke up with the biggest smile on my face, jumped out of bed, threw a special load of laundry in (our blue & pink t-shirts!), bounded down the stairs, grabbed my bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios (you’ll all be happy to know that I’ve moved on from the Lucky Charms phase) and sat down on the couch to stare at the gorgeous water and rising sun. At that moment, Brian was walking towards our house after just coming from a run, and I began to wave frantically, bouncing up and down. And it was in that moment that the familiar feeling took over my body, and I realized that I needed to calm down fast. But, like the kid who already has cookie crumbs on his face when his mom catches him reaching into the jar for the second time, it was too late.

    But it was okay! Nothing could steal my joy! I just had to sit in time out for the remainder of the morning until it was time to leave… 🙂

    We each wore white to our appointment, and packed our matching blue and pink t-shirts with us to change into as soon as we found out…

    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0C3i7XfzTM?fs=1]
    (We’re whispering, so you’ll have to turn your volume way up to hear us)

    I laid down on the table and Brian clenched my hand. You couldn’t have wiped the ridiculous grin off my face. I literally could not handle the suspense for one more second. I had to know if this baby–whom I was convinced was a boy–really was.

    The ultrasound tech had barely put the ultrasound wand on my stomach when she said,

    “You’re having a boy!”
    I gasped and cried and squeezed Brian’s hand so tightly, who also had tears in his eyes. And, ever since that moment, I have been seeing everything in blue.
    Watching Baby MoBoy (the new nickname!) on that monitor was, by far, one of the most incredible experiences I’ve ever had. He was just so cute…the most perfect baby I have ever seen…and the experience was just breath-taking…like watching a miracle kick and stretch and swallow right before your eyes. My eyes were glued to the screen as tears just poured down my face for those 30 minutes of glory. All I want to do for the rest of my life is stare at our son… Our son!!! 
    This was the very first position we saw him in:
    Is he not the most adorable thing you have ever seen?!?! Later he stretched his legs out straight and arched his back…which is when I exclaimed, “Ope! Yep, there it is! Definitely a boy!”
    We could see every bone in his spine, his stomach (that’s the black hole at the bottom of his tummy), his beating heart, the umbilical cord…oh, what a miracle. She counted every toe and every finger (10 and 10!), and even noticed that he had small ears for the size of his enormous head. Then she looked at Brian and said, “Oh yeah–you have small ears, too!” He is going to look just like his daddy, which pleases me beyond words :).




    Here are a few more favorites:




    All glory goes to God, who has kept our little peanut healthy and strong during the last 5 months…The ultrasound tech used the word “healthy” more times than I could count, and when we met with our midwife, she did the same…praise God he is healthy for all my body has been through!! Baby MoBoy’s head is in the 92nd percentile!! Yikes!! His abdominal circumference is 54%; femur length–78%; humerus length–>95%! He weighs 12 oz!! Our little buddy is not so little!! Long arms, long legs, a big head and a normal waist :). He is perfect. 

    The After Tale:

    We ended up going back home to change so I could eat my normal lunch of steak and mashed potatoes before beginning our journey of telling our family and friends. My parents were in Germany at the time, and I was so bummed at the fact that we may not be able to get a hold of them. WELL, I called anyway in hopes of leaving a message for the next time they turned on their phones, and my dad answered!!! It was the greatest blessing in the world…I couldn’t believe it! So my parents were the first people we told and they were in Germany!! Then, we set off in our blue shirts to tell Brian’s family and some of our good friends.

    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dw3WDyILaZ8?fs=1]

    Here are our matching t-shirts!

    Our first stop was seeing Brian’s mom, who we knew was in the middle of her recess time at school. We hadn’t told anyone that we were getting our ultrasound that day because we wanted to just show up on people’s doorsteps with our matching t-shirts and see if they could figure it out. We spotted Marilyn instantly, and we walked right up to her on the playground. She soon figured it out and was so excited!


    We visited the rest of Brian’s immediate family (with the exception of Angela who is in Spokane) and several of our friends. We have to give kudos to Kevin and Melisa who were, of everyone, the quickest to figure it out without us saying anything. We visited Melisa at her current work. She said, “Oh cute, guys! Matching outfits!! Wait…YOU’RE HAVING A BOY!!!!!” Others, who didn’t catch on quite as fast would say, “What are you guys up to?” To which we’d respond, “Oh, we just wanted to stop by and show you our new shirts!” Then our friends would look at us like we were out of our minds, and say, “Cool, guys………..” and be really confused until they finally figured it out… It was awesome :). We loved it. 


    Well, everyone! Thank you for reading The Tale of the Second Chromosome! We are so excited to share our news with you!!! 


        
  • For Better or For Worse

    For Better or For Worse

    God gave me the most incredible husband on the face of this earth and beyond.

    I’ve thought many-a-times over the last few months, “So this is what they mean when they say, ‘or for worse’….” I’ve heard a lot of people reference vomiting as one of the first “for worses” (I know that’s not a word) that they experience as a married couple. I don’t know what it is about having partially chewed, blended food mixed with stomach acid come back up and into sight again that so quickly trumps every fight, quarrel and difficulty, and qualifies it as a “for worse.” But, it’s true. There have been countless nights of Brian waking up to the sound of my heaving and the familiar splash into my faithful bucket–over, and over, and over. But he’s never ONCE in those moments been awakened from his sleep and ever said anything like, “So this is what they mean when they say, ‘or for worse’.” No, he’s always responded in immediate selflessness, immediate service, immediate affirmation, and immediate love. And you know, you can do anything for a week or even a month. But I tell you what…come month 2, 3… of constant nausea and vomiting, I was so defeated and he was still so strong. I had tried EVERYTHING, but my body is no longer my own…there is nothing I can do to get it back under my control. So when the third throw up of the night would come, all I could think was, “This is the worst…and there’s nothing I can do about it…” And Brian would barely be out of his slumber before he was quenching my fear with truth and hope: “Oh, I’m sorry…you’re doing such a great job! You’re such a great mother to our baby! You’re going to make it…it’s going to be okay…”

    Today, I broke my 10-day vomit-free streak. Brian had just left to go to breakfast with a friend when the nausea that had plagued me for the previous 3 hours finally took over and discovered the outside world by launching itself through my throat and out of my mouth.

    “I’ll always have those 10 days!” I texted him, after relaying the news.

    “I’m so sorry, my Love,” he so gently and lovingly replied.

    He got home from breakfast, came immediately upstairs to check on me, held me for a moment with such tender compassion, and then without saying a word, he picked up my vomit bucket to bring into the bathroom to wash out, a routine he has become quite practiced at the last 3 months. “I haven’t gotten to do this for you in 10 days!” he joyfully declared.

    And with tears in my eyes, I just silently thanked God again for this man He has brought into my life, who serves me with such a gracious love and whose attitude towards this “for worse” could not be better. Without ever being asked to do so, Brian has cleaned out my vomit bucket virtually every single day and night–multiple times–for the last 3 months. And he’s never batted an eyelash. He has held my hair back when I didn’t have a hair tie. He has learned to know what I need when I don’t even know what I need. He knows when to just let me be, and when to distract me from the constant nausea and pain. He knows when to stay clear of me (at times, any little movement triggers the vomiting) and when to gently rub my back or hold my hand. He knows when to empathize with me, to just hold me and listen and tell me it’s going to be okay. And he knows when to encourage me and press me out of my tears and defeat, helping me declare hope over my body and our baby. He stays so strong, even when I have convinced myself and the world around me that vomiting must be my destiny for eternity. He’s always on top of putting a new bottle of apple juice in the fridge when the current one is getting low and buying me more boxes of Lucky Charms when we’re almost out (yes, apple juice and Lucky Charms are my two “needs” first thing every morning…blame it on Baby Moby!). He has picked up my slack in laundry, cleaning, dishes, grocery shopping…driven me to get Vitamin B shots in my bottom when I couldn’t drive myself…beared with me–mostly ;)–when all I craved my first trimester was watching Christmas movies over and over and over again.

    And I’m just finally grasping that this “for worse” has really served as an amazing “for better” in our lives and in our marriage. We have grown so much as a team these last few months; our love for each other has deepened and widened… We have been through this trial TOGETHER… Praise you, oh God for this “for better” in our lives right now! Give me the understanding to see every “for worse” as it really is–as a “for better” in your hands…