With people as gorgeous as we are...

2009-05-20T09:40:00.001-05:00

It is our 3rd Anniversary today. Hooray! We have had three very sweet years, and we know that the Lord will continue to lead us through many more! In honor of our big day, I've put together 4 collages: Wedding, Year 1, Year 2, and Year 3. I hope you enjoy them! They were fun for me, as I enjoyed looking back on all the wonderful memories we've made in just three short years.

I love and respect my husband more than anyone I know. He is such a wonderful man, and I am blessed to be his help meet and the momma of his baby. I see God at work in both of our hearts, and I simply enjoy sharing this journey with him.

The big day, perfect in every way.

Year One

Year Two

Year Three

With many more to come!

Our Trip to GA

2009-05-18T11:24:00.000-05:00

Holman and I were barely home a few days before we set off for another adventure- this time, in the car! A friend of mine had passed away, and with Ryan going out of town, I had no desire to be home alone. So Bailey, Holman, and I hopped in the car and set off for company in Atlanta.

For those of you who live in the Atlanta area, I'm sorry I didn't see you this trip. I chose to stay at home and visit with the family. I just needed some time with them this trip, but I will be visiting again in June and hope to see some of you then!

Bailey is a great car traveler- He loves to go! Holman, not so much... but we made it with a few stops and some unavoidable wailing.

One great part of our trip was that Mallory's big banquet was on Friday night, and I actually got to go!!! Beatrice and Becca kept Holman, and I got to see all of the Living Science Banquet festivities. I helped Mallory get ready and actually ended up giving her an updo- something I'd never done before! It turned out pretty well, I think, and I appreciated her faith in me. :) Mallory looked amazing and beautiful- way too grown up though!

I was appreciative of the wonderful company and the fun activities with the family. I feel like I struck gold as far as in-laws go. I praise the Lord for them.

Holman's first trip to Florida

2009-05-18T11:05:00.000-05:00

I know it's been a while since I updated on here. (Isn't that always what I say?) But I just discovered a really cool way to update. I made the above collage with Picasa, and since Picasa is owned by google, everything is connected with my blog. So much easier to update now!!!

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One of our more exciting recent happenings was Holman's first trip to Florida. The two of us flew down for an entire week of visiting, getting spoiled, and soaking up the rays.

Holman did beautifully on the plane: slept, ate, flirted with neighbors. It made me want to fly everywhere we take him! He liked it much better than being stuck in his carseat. Can't say that I blame him.

This trip was the first time that my grandparents (his great-grands) have gotten to meet him in person. They were obviously quite smitten with him, and they loved on him as much as they possibly could. It was so precious to be able to spend time with them, and I love the fact that they are able to enjoy this little blessing.

Holman was so cooperative the entire trip. Even when his naps were messed up, his eating schedule a little off, etc... he was such a trooper. My parents just fell deeper in love with their little grandbaby (you could constantly hear them saying, "I just love him!"). As you can imagine, I loved all the time we got to spend with the family.

I was also excited to be a part of my mom's church's spring concert. I sang with the choir, and my dad and I did a duet of "In Christ Alone." It was so wonderful to sing in a choir again and to praise the Lord through music. My mom is doing such an amazing job directing the music ministries of this church, and the people there have fallen in love with her (which is absolutely no surprise).

We picniced in Orlando, enjoyed live music in the square at "The Villages," and really enjoyed time on my parents' lanai (I don't know if that is the correct spelling... anyway, it is the screened in porch at their house). It was restful, encouraging, and fun!

That's just a quick summary of our first trip to Florida- hopefully the first of many. It stinks living so far away from them, but it makes our moments together all the more precious. I look forward to seeing them again before too long!

Uncle Merritt and Holman

2009-05-18T10:44:00.000-05:00

These are just a few photos of Holman with his uncle Merritt. Merritt came through town on his way to Wind River ranch. He is working there this summer-- the same glorious ranch we went to last summer and are going to again! We can't wait to go visit him. :)

Long-awaited update in picture form

2009-04-15T15:11:00.006-05:00

I know I am a blog slacker. I really do intend to blog. I do. But my days somehow get filled... what with the diapers, feedings, keeping the home in relative order... my life is busy!

So, if you read this, and if you enjoy it... let me know! If I knew people read and enjoyed it, I might be motivated to blog more frequently! Thanks!

So... another month has passed! Here are some highlights in photo form!

We welcomed another member to our family: Bailey!

We had lots of visitors!

Andrew and Amanda came to bring us Bailey and love on the little one.

Merritt and Bryan came to visit over their spring break. Much good video-gaming was enjoyed.

My sweet Janelle came and loved on Holman. He was a BIG fan of her!

The Gentry family came for a fun visit, and we introduced the babies for the first time!

See? I have been really busy lately! Those all happened in March!

A few newsworthy April items...

We planted our very first vegetable garden on Saturday. We really hop something grows! We planted carrots, beans, peas, broccoli, cucumbers, blueberries, potatoes, garlic... surely SOMETHING will grow! Ryan did all of the back-breaking stuff...

Oh AND the back-burning stuff... Worst sunburn he has ever had.

Easter was wonderful. We had brunch at our friends' home and got a cute family photo or five...

And finally, little Holman keeps getting bigger and cuter by the day!!

Hope you enjoyed the update! Blessings from our family to yours!

Love,
Sarah

The first two months

2009-03-09T16:35:00.005-05:00

Not much time to blog these days... but I wanted to give a quick update. For those of you who might twitter, I am scstweets. Ryan got me hooked. He is rjtweets.

Life with an itty bitty newborn was/is...

exhausting

wonderful

amazing

challenging

ever-changing

and

different than I could have ever imagined!

I don't think I've ever met a mom who said, "you know, parenting is a lot easier than I thought it would be." And I won't be the first to say that. It is so much more than I could have imagined. More draining, more fun, more fulfilling, more exhausting... did I mention exhausting?

I think that it's easy to get lost in a fog for the first while with a new baby. Being a brand new mommy, I have so much to learn. I spent the first two months pretty much in survival mode, trying to follow that "mommy instinct" and trust that God would sustain me. The night feedings really weren't the worst part to me... the crying, on the other hand, might have driven me batty...

It was difficult because Holman cried a lot. It was wonderful because he is the most gorgeous thing I have ever laid eyes on. It was challenging because I had to change many of my expectations. It was fulfilling because he wanted me, just wanted to be close to me, just wanted his mommy. It was ever-changing because it seemed like as soon as I figured out how to take care of him, his needs changed. It was amazing because all of the sudden, I was a MOM. A real Mom. This was our baby, and we were free to raise him in whatever way we felt would honor God. Wow. So many dichotomies in parenting.

And now, the fog seems to be lifting.

About two and a half weeks ago, I was having such a hard time because Holman didn't seem happy between feedings. My sweet mother-in-law gently suggested that I try supplementing with some formula. I was so ready and desperate to try anything, so I fed my sweet boy and offered formula afterwards. He gobbled it right up! And would you believe it? He has been practically a different baby since that day. Fussy days, yes. But nothing like before. He was hungry!!!!! Many moms might be saddened by the realization that they couldn't produce enough milk. Sure, I wanted to solely breastfeed. I was certainly feeding frequently enough as they suggest-- we were still on a 2 hour schedule at 8 weeks! But it just wasn't God's plan. Since supplementing, life has changed drastically, and I feel nothing but relief. I praise the Lord for His timing, for preparing my heart, and for bringing this solution for us. Holman is so much happier. It makes life a lot easier around the Smith casa!

I have so much to learn, and I am loving this new season we are in. Being a mom is amazing. As Holman starts to smile more and more, it is becoming so fun!

Some of our milestones so far:

Smiling a LOT now!

Rolled from his tummy to his back

Looking intently at things, playing with toys in the bouncy seat

Sleeping in his own room and own bed! Hallelujah!

Only getting up once at night and once in the early morning... at least this week! Keep it up, little man.

Starting to learn to go to sleep by himself. Hard for mommy to let him cry some, but it's going well so far.

Had a real babysitter and mom and dad had their first date in 9 weeks. Thank you Amber!!!!!!

We love our handsome little man. We are so blessed to be his parents. We know that life will never be the same, but when we look at his amazing smiling face, we know it will be worth it. May the Lord grant us wisdom to be parents after His own heart.

Love and blessings,

Sarah

Part 2: My labor story

2009-01-14T07:42:00.005-06:00

Finally, as promised... the story of my labor! I will go into a bit of detail here for those of you who might actually be curious. For the rest of you, you can skip to the end for a quick summary. :)

Okay, as I mentioned... within the hour of surrendering to the Lord's timing, I went into active labor. Funny how that happens.

December 28th, 11:45 PM. Loss of mucous plug. Knew that something was changing in my body, though not sure quite what it might be. Got up out of bed to check on things. Sure enough, I was losing my mucous plug. Still, they say you can do this many weeks before birth, so that alone wasn't enough to make me really decide I was in labor.

Contractions started to actually hurt. Till this point, I had been having many Braxton-Hicks ("practice") contractions, which tightened my uterus but didn't hurt at all. Now things started to change!

December 29th, 12:30 AM- 1:30 AM.

I decided to time my contractions which were gaining in intensity. I wanted to make sure I was ACTUALLY in labor before making Ryan get out of bed. Sure enough, the contractions were about 6 to 8 minutes apart and about the intensity of a period cramp.

1:30 AM I woke Ryan up with something like this... "Well, I don't think you're going to work today..." :) We decided to get up and do some things around the house (of course, we had left things a mess on this one night!)-- laundry, dishes, etc.

I called Chariti to let her know I was in labor. I told her I would just labor for a while, she could sleep a little longer, and I'd let her know when I needed her. At this point I was sitting on the couch, listening to some of my selected music, and laboring. I was surprised by how quickly my contractions started to intensify and how they got closer together. I had anticipated a lengthy labor, much of which I thought would be more of the 6-8 minute spacing. I was wrong! By this time, the contractions (though not entirely regular) were strong enough and close enough (3 minutes apart maybe) to keep me from doing anything around the house.

3:00 AM I called my parents to tell them their grandson was on the way! They were in the car and on their way within minutes, I think!

3:00-4:00 AM By about this point, the couch wasn't cutting it. Onward to the bathtub! I have always enjoyed warm water (it is my cure-all!), and the bathtub is definitely the way to go for labor. Especially as things got more intense.

4:oo AM Chariti showed up! Hooray! She brought a book to read to me between contractions, but we never got to that. I think we were both surprised by the intensity of my contractions. She was such a lifesaver, because she knew exactly how to coach me through each contraction. ("okay, you should be at the climax of the contraction now, and then it'll start to come down... just relax..." etc). Our friendship definitely reached a new level this night!

4:00-7:30 AM We labored, mostly in the bathtub. Enough cannot be said about how superior the bathtub was to any other laboring position! :) I was getting exhausted, as I had had no sleep, no food, and no rest from contractions for several hours now. I wanted to stay hydrated, but even water made me sick to my stomach. My water started to break a little around 6:30 AM, but it wasn't a lot (apparently most of it came with the baby!).

7-7:30 AM Chariti had explained to us that we would "just know" when it was time to go to the hospital. We all knew that laboring at home as long as possible was preferable. So although the contractions got worse, it still wasn't time yet. Until a little after seven.

It was time.

The unfortunate thing about when it is "time" is that you don't have much time between contractions (maybe a minute and a half)! AND, if it is truly "time" then you are in transition which is by far the hardest, most intense, most painful part of labor.

And so it went sort of like this:

Contraction
Hurry! Put some pants on her!
Contraction
A sweatshirt would be good! Grab the house-shoes!
Contraction
Hurry! Get her in the car!

You get the idea...

7:30-8 AM Probably like the longest half hour of Ryan's life. :)

(One thing about Ryan was that the whole time we labored at home, he was sick to his stomach. He kept himself busy making preparations, packing the car, praying for me and making sure I knew he was proud, helping me move when I needed to, etc. He did exactly what I needed.)

So, imagine us in the car on our way to the hospital. It's early morning- lots of cars on the road. I am having these crazy contractions every minute and a half or so. I would breathe in through my nose and pretty much wail/sing/yell out through my mouth. It was oh-so-pleasant. :) Meanwhile, Ryan is in the driver's seat doing breathing techniques of his own, attempting NOT to vomit in the car. I can just imagine what people were thinking when we were driving by them! We probably looked like crazy people!

We were almost to the hospital when Ryan had to slam on his brakes for a traffic light. Owee!! Finally, we arrived at the hospital. The funny thing was that the easiest sound to make when I was wailing was something like "Noooooo" or "Naaaahhhhh". So when Ryan asked if I wanted him to drive up to the door, I was going "Noooooo" and then quickly correcting myself, "Yes, yes, yes." Then back to my "nooooo"s. He drove up to the door and we got out.

8:00-9:oo AM

We made it just inside the first automatic door before another contraction hit. I stood there in the hallway, leaning my weight on Ryan, and kindly involving EVERYONE in the nearby waiting room in my labor. I am hoping there were no pregnant women in there, because my noise was probably terrifying.

When the contraction was over, they brought out a wheelchair (they could probably hear me upstairs!)- just like in the movies! They pushed me over to the desk where we waited for the nurses to come get me. Another contraction! More lovely noises for all to hear!

It was 8AM, and they took me back to the delivery room without Chariti and Ryan. Yikes!

They hooked me up, botched the first arm for the IV but managed to get the second. They peppered me with questions-- as if I was lucid enough to answer them after almost nine hours of labor! Then, the dreaded question:

"Do you want an epidural?"

I was so weak. I didn't even answer the first time she asked. Then, I weakly cried, "I need my husband and my friend!" When Chariti got to the room, I looked at her as she sat on my bed, and I said, "I really want the epidural." In her inimitable calm style, she looked at me and reminded me that we were almost finished. And she was right.

A check revealed that I was 7 CENTIMETERS DILATED! While seven was awesome, more would have sounded even better to me at that point. I was just so exhausted and in so much pain! But I didn't get it. It's a good thing! There really wasn't time!

Ryan literally had time only to go park the car and get the cameras. Around the time he returned, the nurses were asking me if I felt "different." I'm sorry, but when you've been laboring for nine hours, you really have no idea what you are feeling besides pain. Different? I don't know! The nurse decided to do another check on my progress.

And then, those glorious words.

"10 Centimeters Dilated!!!" (The Hallelujah chorus resounding in the background...)

10 Centimeters. All that was left to do was push our precious baby out. We were about to meet our Holman David. About to meet him. How amazing! And yet how exhausted I was!

Pushing and time to meet him...

The doctor who was to deliver Holman had been with us but had stepped out for a cup of coffee. He figured he had some time. He was wrong.

I started to push, having pretty much no idea what I was doing. Thankfully, apparently, I was pretty good at following instructions from the nurse and from Chariti. I listened as they told me how and when to push. And I pushed with all my might. Watching the video is amazing and exhausting... I can remember just how intense those moments were!

8:53 AM Chariti looked at her watch and said, "Okay, it's 8:53. Let's have this baby by 9:00."

On the video you can actually hear Ryan laugh when she says this. But hey, like I said, I was apparently pretty good at following directions.

Chariti coached me and told to show the nurse that I was ready to have this baby. The doctor, meanwhile, was still in the hallway with his coffee. Hilarious (but not at the time). And all of the sudden, Holman was ready to come out! The nurse instructed me to stop pushing (which is one of the hardest things to do at this point-- your body is just ready to get this little one out of there!).

Then it was like a madhouse as the nurses and doctor made the final preparations. I was begging them to hurry and trying to be patient as I had to wait to push him out. Then the doctor finally gave me the go-ahead.

Chariti had given me seven minutes. It only took six.
December 29, 2008. 8:59 AM.

Our son was born!
Holman David Smith
8 lbs. 11 oz.
21 inches.
Amazing.

I have never been more exhausted in my life, but that moment was unforgettable. Perfect, I said. He is absolutely perfect.

Praise the Lord. Holman is beautiful and perfect. And we are truly blessed. Thank you to all of you who prayed for us and for the delivery of this baby. I can only say that God answered us so graciously, and that labor was an amazing (albeit exhausting) experience. I know that the Lord sustained me. And he has blessed us with a beautiful baby boy whom we adore.

Thank you for reading! I look forward to writing more about the first weeks of sweet Holman's life.

Baby Holman has arrived! Part 1: Preparations for Holman

2009-01-03T19:10:00.003-06:00

Greetings, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and blessings to all of you!

I know it has been a long time since I wrote, and MUCH has happened in our lives. We enjoyed a wonderful Christmas season together here in Memphis and even enjoyed surprise visits from some of Ryan's family members. As Christmas drew nearer, my belly grew ever bigger, and my patience ran ever thinner. It was one of those difficult moments of trusting the Lord for His perfect timing!

It was a wonderful time of the year to be pregnant, but it was also difficult to WAIT. We were so ready just to meet our little guy. My feet were swollen to the size of miniature elephants, and my body and emotions felt like they had reached that point of being completely and utterly DONE. Still, Christmas day was a special and sweet reprieve from the stress of it all, as Ryan and I genuinely enjoyed and cherished our last Christmas together as just the two of us! We loved every moment. We were able to join the Smith clan in Georgia via video-conferencing- Ah, the joys of modern technology!

After Christmas, we were doing what we could to encourage the process of labor- massage (actually on Christmas eve), pedicure, red raspberry leaf tea, evening primrose oil, etc. I had my moments of frustration and could tell that my hormones were simply wacky (example: bawling because I ran into the corner of a chair).

Finally, the Sunday after Christmas, December 28th. Emotional. Ready. Tired. Struggling!

I think I've mentioned Chariti, my friend who had agreed to serve as my labor coach. We had of course been keeping up with daily updates as labor approached. That afternoon, she called and encouraged me. It might sound strange, but her advice really helped me. She told me that I needed to sit down and basically give my body "permission" to go into labor. She could tell that although I was excited about having the baby, I was intimidated and fearful of the process of labor. She was so right! She reminded me that we would get through it... the baby would arrive... and it was going to be okay no matter what happened! I needed to hear that. She also encouraged Ryan and me to sit down and talk to Holman, encouraging him to come! Maybe all of this sounds crazy, but it really helped me feel ready for labor.

Sunday evening, I was still struggling with the Lord over the timing of Holman's birth. I sat in bed, talking it over and crying it over with the Lord. I finally surrendered to Him and told Him I was sorry for not trusting Him more fully. How could I begin to think that my ways were better than His?!?! So, I decided to trust Him. Really trust Him. What a relief.

It makes me laugh to say this. Within the hour, labor had begun. Isn't that just so like the Lord?! Just wants to get us to that point of trusting Him. His timing is indeed perfect. I just needed to relax and trust Him.

Details of labor and delivery will come soon!

The promised update

2008-12-09T07:54:00.008-06:00

What a whirlwind the last month has been! So much has happened. So, we'll do an illustrated round-up.

The month of November was a lovely one. It began on the very first day of November when I had a wonderful baby shower and 3D/4D ultrasound down in Woodstock, GA! First we had the opportunity to see sweet baby Holman on a 3D ultrasound- talk about amazing! I put all the pictures on Facebook, but here is one... our swet boy!

Sweet Nancy Bowling hosted the shower in her lovely home. I was thrilled that my mom and BOTH grandmas could make it all the way from Florida just for my shower. What a blessing!

A few weeks later, some ladies here in Memphis threw a second baby shower! Chelsea, Chariti, Amber, and Dawn all pitched in to make this such a precious time. They all drew on quilt squares which Amber is sewing together to make for Holman. And as I opened their gifts, they each shared parenting advice. One of my favorite moments was the ladies praying over me. What sweet sisters!

Before we knew it, it was Thanksgiving! We had the amazing blessing of my parents and brother joining us again this year. I really can't say enough about how much fun we had. Our friends, the Fourniers, also joined us for Thanksgiving dinner (continuing a tradition begun last year).

The day after Thanksgiving we had decided to celebrate the Carraway Christmas. Since we're all over the place this year (Andrew in Georgia, us here, parents in Florida!), we wanted a chance to celebrate together. This day was as perfect as Thanksgiving had been. First, we went out and chose our beautiful Christmas tree. The boys put the lights on the tree, and then we sent them out to do manly activities-- shooting guns at the gun range. Mom and I stayed home to decorate the house with my Christmas goodies. That evening, we read the Christmas story, opened presents, watched a Charlie Brown Christmas, and watched Christmas with the Kranks. It was so much fun! For Christmas, my parents surprised us with our beautiful baby crib- something that was more of a dream in my mind than a reality.

I had to laugh at the first one- Ryan's face is funny!

Time for ornaments! Oh, and a big prego belly!

A Christmas Photo of the family!

We were so excited about the beautiful crib, Ryan set it up after everyone left that night. Have I ever mentioned how incredible my man is?! He is so good at building stuff.

BABY stuff:
- I'm down to weekly visits. On December 1st I was 1 centimeter dilated! I was still just one centimeter this week, but it's still plenty early. Still hoping for that tax break baby.
- I'm feeling well for the most part. Started having some severe round ligament pain yesterday and the heartburn is still present, but I really can't complain. This third trimester has really been a blessing!
-The baby's room is coming right along, and we've almost got everything together for our hospital bag.

Thanks for reading, everyone! Hope you enjoyed! Many blessings!
Love,
Sarah, Ryan, and Holman! :)

Weeks 34-36... and an update to come later!

2008-12-08T08:10:00.002-06:00

This is all I have time to do this morning, but check out my prego tummy! The last one is week 36, but I had to do the one without numbers because it really makes me look ginormous! :)

Will update soon on recent happenings... Thanksgiving and Christmas with the Carraways, and one centimeter dilated!

Love!

Update on my belly!

2008-11-17T22:30:00.003-06:00

First, a quick update on prego belly pictures... :) I look gross in week 33 ones, but oh well!

It has been so busy around here! Wonderfully busy! Two baby showers, a wonderful 3D-4D ultrasound (see facebook for photos!), and plenty of preparations to make.

I will have to update more when I have more time. For now, I am coming down with a cold and would like to get my pregnant self ready for bed. :)

Blessings!
Sarah

Memory Monday

2008-11-10T08:34:00.004-06:00

Stole this idea from a friend. I love the idea of posting a fun old picture each Monday. This time I looked back to FOUR YEARS ago, to the month of November. I found some pictures of a climbing outing we took with the Wesley group at Berry. It's almost too embarrassing to post-- I look gross!!!! :) Ah, well, things can change a lot in four years.

Everyone should have maternity photos taken.

2008-10-28T16:14:00.005-05:00

This was such a fun experience. I have posted the majority of the pictures on my facebook--you should be able to find them here and here.

These are so special to me. I praise the Lord for this blessing. I was reminded today that it'll only be the two of us for a little bit longer... then we welcome our little man into the family. But this man will always be the man in my life. I hope these pictures capture just a little bit of the bliss we share as a married couple. I am so grateful and honored to be chosen by this man and to be the mother of his son. I respect and love Ryan more with each passing day.
What an amazing season we are entering!

Funny story and 30 weeks!

2008-10-23T08:15:00.010-05:00

First things first, a funny story and pictures.

We take turns with the neighbors on keeping up our lawn. Not too long ago, our neighbor came out and asked Ryan not to mow something which looked very much to me like a weed. He obliged, of course, but I was convinced that it was a weed and nothing more. It looked like a weed. It grew up from the grass, so I am pretty confident it had not been planted by human hands. And it just kept growing.

Over time, the "weed" grew larger and larger. It has taken over a pretty decent patch of our front lawn. Our other neighbors might think we are crazy. So imagine my surprise when I noticed recently some green produce-- some kind of gourd, I thought-- growing on the plant. Hilarious! I still had no idea what kind of green gourd was growing in our front yard.

So I asked a friend (who happens to be much handier in the garden than yours truly) one night when she was over. We went out and peeked at the produce. "Acorn squash," she said. So funny! I had acorn squash growing in my yard!

Then I walked around the plant, looking for the other squashes. I bent down, using my cell phone as a mini-flashlight. But there was something odd about this squash. It wasn't green like the other. It was ORANGE. Yes. "PUMPKIN!!!!!!"

We have a pumpkin patch in our front yard.

Our neighbors brought us one of the pumpkins the other day and said we could have another one that is still ripening.

Please tell me you find this as hilarious as I do. What a little blessing from the Lord!

And speaking of little blessings, to update the prego-ness:

What can I say? Other than YAHOOOOO! We are 30 weeks, with ten weeks left to go. Well, that is, ten weeks until our official due date. We are all hoping for a tax break baby around here, but we'll just see what God has in store.

There is much more on my heart, but for now it's enough to say, Thank You, Lord. Thank You for bringing us this far. Thank You for each and every precious kick I feel. Thank You for the heartburn and tough nights of sleep, for the hip pains and back pains, as they are all reminders of the miracle that is taking place. Thank You for being the Author of all life. Thank You for a husband who loves and cares for us, who snuggles me when I'm sad and already loves his little baby boy. Thank You for having a plan for our little baby, even before he was ever conceived- a plan for his good and Your glory. Yes, be glorified in his life! Bring him to know and love You passionately! May his life be a beautiful testimony to Who You Are!

29 weeks and counting!

2008-10-21T17:33:00.003-05:00

Here are some recent pictures...

Look, a non-pink shirt!

Week 29!

Ryan got really silly and started taking a bajillion pictures... :) So I got silly too.
I keep getting a little behind on the photos- so these week 29 photos are actually more like 29.6 weeks. But oh well! You get the point! Ryan assures me that not too much changed in those four days.

I have been nesting up a storm here, just trying to get the house ready for this little baby! I have been feeling very well aside from the heartburn... trying to get that under control. But I can't complain at all. I am so happy to be getting closer to his arrival.

Upcoming events about which I am excited:

Maternity photo shoot on Saturday! (see http://www.karajophotography.com/). I am really excited about having some sweet photos of the three us (one in the womb!), and Kara is excited about building her portfolio. I'm praying for beautiful weather!
My upcoming trip to Georgia for one of my two baby showers! (Heading down October 31st for my last GA visit before the baby arrives!) Can't wait to see everyone.
Childbirth class. November 15th.
My Highpoint baby shower! November 16th.
Thanksgiving! My parents and brother are coming to Memphis again!!!!! And our friends Frank, Amber, and Alyssa are also (I think) going to join us again. I can't explain how excited I am to host the feast again. And to eat it. :)

There are so many more things I could write. But it seems like your eyes are probably getting tired. I'll maybe write another post soon. :)

Love,
The Nesting Mama
(Isn't that a cute name!? I decided that's the name for my apron-selling "business".)

Material Blessings

2008-10-15T18:07:00.007-05:00

I have to say that the Lord has blessed us far beyond our needs! Please, if I ever forget how faithfully He provides, remind me of how thoroughly He provided during this time. Here is an example of some blessings we recently received...

It may look like a jumbled mess of stuff... and well, it is right now! But soon it will be put to great use. We had two different couples from our church offer us some great items to use with our little bundle of joy. The Nicolas family offered a really nice car seat and stroller for us to use as well as a little play seat. Awesome! Then the Hendersons basically gifted to us a carload of free baby stuff: toys, a jogging stroller, baby boy clothes, books, bottles (which I had actually registered for...), a swing (!), a bouncer/rocker, a baby bathtub...

And the blessings keep on coming. It's been difficult for me to spend money on maternity clothes lately. I have a friend at church who has three little ones, and we're about the same height... so it occurred to me to ask her if she might have any I can borrow. The very next Sunday, she appeared at church with a huge bag FILLED with clothes for me to use. What a blessing!!! (Here's a funny picture of me hugging the bag of clothes.) Thank you, Jenny!

Okay, well I just wanted to take the opportunity to say thank you to these wonderful people, and to tell other people how blessed and grateful we are.

More to come from babyland...

Love,
Sarah

28 Weeks!

2008-10-15T18:04:00.002-05:00

The above photo is me using my baby heartbeat monitor (a gift from the Smiths) to listen to our little dude! It was the first time I had tried and been able to hear him. What an amazing, amazing sound.

And here is my silly 28-week photo. :)

Weeks 26 and 27

2008-10-04T18:59:00.003-05:00

Okay, so if they don't look that different from each other... I cheated a little. We took the 26 week one at something more like 26.5 weeks. But you get the idea! I'm getting big!

Ahhh... where to begin....

I must say that I feel like I have finally experienced a bit of the bliss of pregnancy. I was so happy that things were going well with our precious baby, but some of our difficulties have made pregnancy less than blissful. Lately, though, a lot of those difficulties have subsided and I am just getting to enjoy being pregnant.

Some things I've enjoyed about pregnancy lately...

Feeling the baby kick. A LOT. I can't get enough of it. Sometimes it's like alien baby, where I can literally see his kicks on my stomach. Sometimes he kicks so hard I feel like my whole body jolts! Like I said, I just love it.
Starting to look super pregnant. I love that. I am carrying a precious gift with me everywhere I go, and people can actually see!
We are registered at BabiesRUs. That was fun to do!
Having difficulty bending over. It's a fun reminder that there's really a baby in there.
Realizing that there is really a baby inside of me. A little human person. A little precious child. It's so mind-blowing at times. I mean, really!

Things I am looking forward to...

Two showers in November (one in Georgia and one in Memphis!). What a joyous opportunity to see my beloved friends and rejoice together!
Getting the nursery ready for our little one.
Trying to get some music recording done before he gets here.
Nesting. Lots of nesting. There is plenty to be done!
Of course, the arrival of our little dude!!!

In other news...

I had a wonderful visit last weekend with Sara and Alexis Gentry when they came to Memphis. It was short but incredibly sweet. I love that baby girl so much. We did my craft fair (in which I sold only one thing) and simply enjoyed being together.
I then had a wonderful visit with Janelle this week! She came Tuesday and left today. I put some pictures on Facebook of our visit. Oh, what a sweet time we had!
We are starting up a small group of other married couples from our church. It starts Monday, and I am looking forward to it immensely!
It has been a busy busy few weeks, and I am looking forward to getting back to "normal"- whatever that means!

Well that's good for now, I think. Hope you enjoyed my ramblings!
Blessings,
Sarah, Ryan, and the baby

"Simple woman's daybook."

2008-09-25T12:45:00.002-05:00

Saw this on another blog and thought it was fun. For today...

Outside my Window... the leaves on our front tree have started to turn. The sun is different. Fallish. Though it is warm in the afternoon, autumn is definitely upon us.

I am thinking... of all of the things I have to accomplish today. Sara Gentry and Alexis are coming for a visit tomorrow, and there are many preparations to be made!

I am thankful for... my God, my husband, my baby, and so many countless blessings from the Lord. I am thankful for fall!

From the kitchen... keeping it simple today. Chicken sandwich for lunch was yummy (leftover chicken from one I roasted last night). Spaghetti (Alyssa is joining us!) for supper.

I am wearing... prego capri pants and a green prego shirt... both borrowed!

I am reading... Streams in the Desert, Experiencing God, Abide in Christ

I am hoping... for lovely weekend weather- for my craft fair. And that I sell some things.

I am creating... the final touches for my craft fair. A sign, some order forms, something to make my booth look pretty.

I am hearing... The attic fan running and little noises from outside (we like having the windows open!).

Around the house... there is much to clean!

One of my favorite things... when the cleaning is done!

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week... clean up, prepare for visitors, facilitate Bible study tonight, and enjoy my weekend with Sara and Alexis.

Blessings!

Baby update~ Weeks 24-25

2008-09-23T11:42:00.003-05:00

First things first... look at that belly!

I am definitely looking pregnant these days. Some strangers no longer feel awkward about asking me such things as, "is this your first baby?" To which I happily reply, "yes! And it's a boy!", etc, etc. I am happy that it is starting to really look like a prego belly, though of course I appreciate the discretion of those who until now would not have asked any questions. I would hate for them to be wrong. :)

Heart update:
When I last wrote, we were getting things checked out with the cardiologist. We did a number of tests, and everything appears to be fine and dandy. There was a small amount of leakage- something like the valve not closing all the way. But my doctor, Dr. Joe, assured me that it was not "clinically significant," so we have nothing to worry about. As for the heart palpitations, I have seen great improvement since going to the doctor. I am not sure why they were so intense for those two or three weeks, but they have pretty much stopped being a problem. The Lord is good! God has blessed me with a chiropractor whose adjustments actually do apparently improve many of my pains in pregnancy (including, I am pretty sure, the heart palpitations). I never used to "believe in chiropractors," but this experience has definitely changed my mind. Ultimately, though, I have to praise God that the heart symptoms have all but disappeared, and all is going well with our precious baby boy.

This week's visit:
I returned to my regular OB yesterday. Everything seems fine. I had gained a little more weight than I would have liked, but I can honestly say that I haven't been going crazy "eating for two," so I'm trying not to stress about it. And it must not have been too big a deal, since Dr. Joe didn't mention anything about it.

I took the glucose test, which checks for gestational diabetes. I passed the test, but I was very close to not passing, so Dr. Joe wanted to do one more test to make sure. Thankfully, he didn't order the test that takes three hours-- just a little more blood before I left the office yesterday. (By the way, I do NOT like giving away my blood. It scares me every time! I am such a baby!) Anyway, you can be praying that the test will come back with good results on Friday. I would be disappointed to have gestational diabetes, but I know that it is manageable.

Baby names:
Everyone always asks if we've decided on a name. Decided? No. But we've been batting one name around in particular. We both like the name Holman. Feel free to share your thoughts on it. I like it because it is different but not totally crazy sounding. I would love for him to have something that is somewhat unique to go along with our awesome last name. I actually LOVE having the last name Smith, truly, I do. For starters, I am proud of it because it tells the world that I am my awesome man's bride! Plus, it is so simple, I never have to spell it for people, it is cute sounding with Sarah. But I would like to give our kids something kind of unique. So that's our current thought. Throwing it out there. What do you think?

Random mommy thoughts:
I love feeling him kick inside of me. He's been very active today, and I love it. In fact, I had a journal resting on my tummy, and he kicked so hard, it actually moved the book. Occasionally, I have to stop and remember the absolute wonder and miracle of it all. It is just so hard to believe that there is a little human growing inside of me. Even though pregnancy has not been easy (I understand that it isn't easy for most women!), I know that it is worth it. God has a perfect plan for this baby, and He has a perfect plan even now in my pregnancy. I love knowing that His plan is unfolding, that He cannot be thwarted, and that He will use all of this for His glory.

Now I just can't wait for our baby boy to be here. There are a lot of preparations to make, so I guess I can wait in that regard... but truly, Ryan and I both anxiously look forward to our son making his grand entrance. Our son. What blissful words. I am sure he will be here before we know it.

Please keep in touch! We want to hear from you!
Love,
Sarah, Ryan, and baby boy!

Mice

2008-09-08T22:03:00.002-05:00

Ode to our mouse

I must report there is a mouse
He somehow got inside our house
While spending time with hubby dear
I kind of screamed inside his ear

Along the wall the creature ran
And I must say, I'm not a fan
The movie stopped, the lights were on
And Ryan looked, but mouse was gone

That trixy little one got by
And look and look though we may try
We couldn't find dear Mr. Mouse
He still could be within our house

The traps are set, and I do hope
To find him there, but so far, nope
But now when I get up at night
I have to take along a light
Until that fateful day when he
Will take the bait and cease to be.

The end.

I love my parents

2008-09-08T09:04:00.004-05:00

I do. I just love my parents. I praise the Lord for them.

One thing I love about them is that they are hilarious. Today, I'd like to tell a funny story about my parents. There has never been a lack of humor in our home...

On a recent trip to Florida, Mom and Dad were driving mom's sweet little volvo (this picture is from a trip she and I took some time ago). Mom has driven "Sweetie" (as we like to call her) to Florida several times, and more than once she has made it on one tank of gas. So they packed a picnic, made the obligatory Quik Trip stop, and they were on the road.

Things were going along quite well. They made it all the way down 75 into Florida, over I-10 to Jacksonville, and were on the home stretch of I-95 to good old T-ville. Since they packed a lunch, they were only stopping for brief little pit stops. And they were, I am sure, having a wonderful time. I have never met two people who after 30 years of marriage still genuinely enjoy one another so immensely. They act like they're dating!

It was sometime around Daytona that my mom happened to notice (from the passenger seat) that the fuel tank was looking a little low. But, being the sweet wife that she is, she thought, "he'll handle it. I don't want to nag." Dad has a sort of history of running a tank until it is almost empty- whereas mom would rather fill up when she still has a quarter of a tank left! So she let it go. She's trusting that way.

Around this same time, my dad looked over at her and said, simply, "I just like you." (I am telling you, they are like newlyweds). Of course she replied, "I like you too." And really, they do!

After a little while longer, they were driving through Port Orange when mom looked over at the gas gauge again. It was really looking like it was in the red by now. So she (ever-so-sweetly) asked Dad if he had looked at the fuel tank in a while. He said no! Apparently he had been so enjoying the ride with my mom that he hadn't really thought about it. So mom asked him how many miles were left until zero (Sweetie has one of those fancy "miles till zero" indicators). He pushed the display button to check.

ZERO MILES TILL ZERO.

Mom's intestines were immediately tightened.

So here they are, in Port Orange (no man's land), and the GPS indicates that the closest gas station is 8 miles away. Mom wasn't mad or anything. Just antsy! They both knew that they needed gas, and quick!!!

They reached an exit where there appeared to be a gas station. They coasted down the exit ramp, sputtered through the stop sign, and somehow made it safely to the pump at the BP. Whew! Mom's tank holds 18.5 Gallons. Care to guess how much they filled it with?

18.4 Gallons!!

After all of the hullabaloo, Dad assured Mom that she could relax... and being his hilarious self he said, "So, how do you like me now?"

You will probably get a kick out of this story of you know my parents. I just wanted to share it because it made me laugh my head off.

Blessings and laughter,
Sarah

Random thoughts on hurricanes

2008-09-05T21:21:00.002-05:00

I have a pet peeve.

I cannot STAND how giddy the news people seem to get when there is a hurricane headed our way. What is wrong with them?

Seriously, next time you watch the weather (as they cover Hanna, Ike, etc, etc...), look closely at the coverage. It seems like the news people are thrilled to have this terrible news to report. Sure, they say things that sound very concerned and caring towards those who might be in harm's way. But really, there seems to be some kind of morbid glee over the pain and suffering which might (hopefully!) follow.

And it makes me mad.

That is my random thought. Tell me what you think.

23 weeks!

2008-09-05T17:41:00.003-05:00

We are officially in week 23! How exciting! I went to the cardiologist today. Everything seems to be fine. They did an ultrasound of my heart (amazing!) and are monitoring my heart for 24 hours. I anticipate that they will say my heart palpitations are stress-related and somewhat normal for pregnancy. So far so good! I will appreciate the peace of mind.

I'm definitely starting to get a pregnant belly! Ryan was taking the pictures and was stunned because all of the sudden I looked pregnant. Funny how it sneaks up on you. :)

That's it in prego world. I might have to post a random thoughts post later though.
Blessings from the three of us!

Getting a little behind...

2008-09-02T11:47:00.003-05:00

I know I am a little behind on blog posting. I told mom I would try to do it over the weekend... I'll just pretend like it's still the weekend!

Here are the photos from the last two weeks:

How about that belly?! Geepers, it came out of nowhere over the last few weeks!

Things have been going pretty well here. I am having a little bit of trouble with heart palpitations, which they say is normal in pregnancy. Still, I will likely get things checked out this week with the doctor. Just waiting on a call back.

We are anxiously awaiting our little guy's arrival. I think that some of the discomfort I've had during this pregnancy makes me all the more grateful and aware of how dependent we are upon the Lord. I am grateful that the Lord has decided to bless us in this miraculous way- with a child to love and cherish and raise in the admonition of the Lord. I am in awe because I am realizing how precious life is.

I have many thoughts swirling in my head, some about which I might like to blog at some point... I will do my best to put "fingers to keys" if I get really inspired.

Many blessings from the three of us!