Hedge of Protection

We are promised that God gives us angels to protect us. Everyday, we confess that angels form a hedge of protection around us so that no weapon formed against us shall prosper. Thank You, God, for keeping your promise of protection over us.

Yesterday, we experienced this hedge of protection in full force. We were sitting in the living room and heard a huge thump. We thought the gril had fallen off of the porch. No, we were wrong. A tree from our yard had fallen over.







The tree didn't hit our house. Although, if it had broken off even a foot lower, it would have taken out part of the upstairs porch and possibly more. There is still a 6-8 foot base of the tree left in the ground. So, our angels did a great job of not letting too much of the tree fall. Also, it fell in just the right way that it didn't do any damage to the shed in the yard. The only thing that got damaged was the fence, which is the easiest (and cheapest) thing to fix. Thank You, God, for our protection!

The whole incident reminded me of the car accident I was in just a couple weeks after we found out we were pregnant with this precious little girl. A friend of mine and I were going shopping for my husband's Christmas present. We hit black ice and I lost control of my car. We went head-first through a snow bank and into a ditch, flipped the car twice, and landed on the driver's side. Neither me nor my friend, nor my precious baby were harmed. Praise the Lord! As soon as we stopped rolling, men were there to help us. I'm still convinced that some of them were angels. No one had a cell phone. They helped us get out of the car and then immediately disappeared. Thank you, angels, for doing your job again and again.

Thank You, God, for protecting us from any weapon that is formed against us, whether we know about it or not. We sincerely appreciate all of your blessings, including protection!

28 Weeks

Yesterday, I was officially 28 weeks. We didn't take this picture until today, so I guess the picture is 28 weeks 1 day.



I'm in the 3rd trimester now and seem to be getting more and more excited. We are still deciding on a name for our precious little girl, but we have 2 that we really like, so we'll have to see which one wins.

She is moving quite a bit. I love feeling every twitch, roll, punch, and jab. Thank You, God, for this miracle that You are giving us!

Dawson

This week has been busy, mostly with things for Dawson. We went to his baseball game and then to his kindergarten graduation. Both of these events were wonderful. This is one of the main reasons that I moved back from New Jersey. I wanted to be able to participate in these events on a daily basis.





Watching him play baseball reminded me of when I was little and my first year playing softball. He seemed so small and lost out there on the field. He just didn't look like he was having a good time. He is one of the youngest on the team. I know it's hard for him. When I tried out for softball, I didn't make the team the first year. The coach told me that if I would come to all of the practices and games, then he would put me on the team the next year. I did. I went to every practice and every game. I was officially a bat girl, but I didn't get to play in any of the games. The next year, however, I did get to play. I knew what was going on and knew what needed to be done. I hope he goes plays again next year. He will no longer be one of the youngest boys on the team. He will be an "ole pro."

His kindergarten graduation was also this week. He was so cute in the cap and gown. The ceremony was very nice and emotional. They highlighted many of the kids reading and math abilities. Dawson did subtraction facts. He got every single one of them right and did them quickly. I was so thankful that I was able to be there for this milestone in his young life!





These events made me think more and more about the milestones for our little girl. I'm looking forward to each and every one of them!

Pittsburgh Pirates

We went to Pittsburgh this weekend to just hang out and watch a Pirates game. Praise the Lord, the weather was wonderful. It was cold and rainy on Friday, but stopped long enough for us to enjoy a great Chinese dinner. We bought a bunch of appetizers and no entrees. The Chicken Endive Lettuce Boats were definitely my favorite!

Then, Saturday, we walked around the city and enjoyed the sites and beautiful weather. Saturday night, we went to the Pirates/Detroit Tigers baseball game. We had great seats, about 15-20 rows behind home plate. The weather was perfect and the game was a lot of fun to watch.



Our baby girl has entered a new phase. I'm now 27 weeks and she moves so much. It's wonderful to watch my stomach do all of these wild and crazy contortions. It makes me wonder what she is doing in there, how she is moving, etc. I'm loving every single kick, twirl, punch, and jab. God is so good to let us enjoy this part of her growth!

It was great to just get away without any work to be done and to just enjoy hanging out with my husband. I love him!

Tired and Rainy

I have been extremely tired the past few days. It's probably because I was working so much for a few weeks and not sleeping well and it's caught up with me. I feel like I'm in a fog most of the day and just want to lay down and go to sleep.

Plus, the weather has been nasty, which doesn't help. It's rained for so many days in a row and the weather professionals predict more and more rain in the 10-day forecast. Why does weather impact my energy level so much?

I think I'm going to go take a nap....

Bonfire

Last night we had a bonfire, well, we somewhat had a bonfire. The sky got dark and very ominous right after we lit the bonfire, so we had to put the fire out and come back to the house for dessert. We did, however, get to grill brats and enjoy the company of some great friends!





Arnie went with us and had a good time, too. It reminded me of when he was really little. He used to have to be on a leash all the time so as to not run off, but as he's getting older, he stays around us more and we very rarely need to have him on a leash unless we are going for a walk or can't really pay full attention to him. Afterall, he does have some beagle in him and his nose can tend to take him places. But, most of the time, he just enjoys being with us and chilling out.



I wonder how Arnie is going to be with the baby. Traditionally, he has been very good with children. He doesn't bark at them or growl and he lets them pull his tail, ears, etc. However, he also likes his space away from them, normally on my lap. Soon, my lap is going to be occupied and I hope that he doesn't get jealous. It seems so much more likely that he will just ignore her as that is what he has tended to do with most of the kids that have come to visit lately. He's a good, good dog and I know that it will all be fine. They may become best friends!

26 Weeks

Today, I'm officially 26 weeks pregnant. We are almost into the 3rd trimester. This has seemed to be the longest 26 weeks ever! I'm hoping that the next 14 will go by much, much quicker. My next doctor's appointment is next week and then we move to having appointments every 2 weeks. In the beginning of June, we get to have another ultrasound. I'm really looking forward to seeing our little girl again! What did people do before ultrasounds? My mom never had one. She didn't have thebump.com or the books that are available to me to tell me every step of progress that our little girl is making or how big she is now.



The big development now is that our little girl is beginning to be able to hear. We've been talking to her....Daddy definitely tells her every day how much he loves her. I do, too! Plus, I've been reading books to her. There are many, many books that I want her to read and enjoy. For now, my favorite is definitely the one that I grew up loving....

May 12

Yesterday was May 12. It was a big day for us. My husband had a birthday. We celebrated at home. It was wonderful. He came home for lunch so we got to see each other in the middle of the day, which is always nice. Then, for dinner, we grilled steaks. Just a fun night together.

Yesterday was also the day that we turned 100 days remaining until we have our baby girl. That makes today 99 days to go - Double Digits! I've been really looking forward to this milestone. Not sure why this has been such a big deal for me, but I'm so excited about being in double digits.

Meanwhile, baby girl is moving around quite a bit. My husband and I spend evenings watching my stomach move. It's wonderful! The other night, I ate an apple with some chunky peanut butter on it. I think it may have been her favorite meal so far! We are so excited about this great gift that God has trusted us with.

Also, it's really Spring! We've been busy working on the outside of the house. I think a house looks so much better with flowers. Plus, we've almost finished building a walkway. I can't wait fo rthe flowers to really come out!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Today is my mom's birthday and I am just sitting here thinking about how thankful I am for her. We were looking at old pictures last weekend at my great-aunt's house and I was again amazed at how much we look alike. If 2 pictures were placed side-by-side of us at the same age, it would be extremely difficult to tell which was which (of course, they would both need to be black and white or both color). When I was growing up, people would tell me all the time how much I looked like her. It was horrible at the time and I definitely didn't take it as a compliment. Now, I do. Now, I appreciate her more and all that she has done.

When my mom was my age, she had 2 teenagers who, either consciously or subcousciously, did not make her life easy. I guess most teenagers are like that. Anyway, I couldn't imagine having 2 teenagers right now, when I'm spending so much time daydreaming about the little girl inside me.

Since she had her children so early, she is now a rockin' grandma! My brother's kids love to go to her house and play. She gets out and throws the ball with my nephew, colors on the sidewalk with my niece, and is very active in their lives. They love being around her. I'm so excited for our little girl to get to know her. I'm excited for the things that they will do together and how much fun they will have with each other.

Yes, I definitely have a wonderful mom! Happy Birthday, Mom, I love you!

Peanuts, Bananas, and Swiss Cheese

They say that while you are pregnant, you will have weird cravings. This entire pregnancy, I have craved bananas, normally bananas and peanut butter. However, I have expanded. Now, I'm all about swiss cheese. Granted, I have not made a swiss cheese, peanut butter, and banana sandwich. But, today, I did have a peanut butter and banana sandwich and then swiss cheese after I finished the sandwich.

I've been losing weight extremely, extremely slowly throughout the pregnancy. Many women have told me that they lost weight on the Gestational Diabetes diet even though they were pregnant. The doctor doesn't seem to be worried about it, so I'm just going with it. The last ultrasound showed the baby in the 81st percentile for weight/length, so she definitely isn't missing out on nutrition. The next ultrasound will be next month, so I guess we'll check her growth from that.

My dad went to the last appointment with me. It was great having him there. He got to hear her heartbeat and he was so excited. I'm thankful to have such a good relationship with my father and I'm looking forward to this little girl having a great relationship with her father.

Having a good relationship with my earthly father makes it so much easier for me to view my Heavenly Father and know that He is good and loves me. He loves my little girl, too!

Cabin Get-Away

This past weekend, we went to a cabin for a little get-away. It was wonderful! Arnie was able to go with us. We spent the weekend relaxing, cooking out, porch-sitting, and, just, in general, enjoying ourselves.

We even went on a little hike to a scenic overlook.



We are officially 24 weeks pregnant now and I'm getting bigger and bigger. Our little girl is busy growing and moving and stretching. We love watching her move inside my belly.

The wonderfully relaxing weekend was a great way to welcome May!