Cherishing every moment...

Here are some pics from the first week and a half or so of Grace Louise's precious little life! We are enjoying her so much (especially since I am getting around much better now). I am soaking up every moment, committing these times to memory, and not taking a second for granted! We have been truly blessed!

Lala had this birthday cake waiting for us when we arrived home from the birthing center. Happy Birthday Grace Louise!

Grace Louise in her bouncer. Still a little swollen and roughed up from the delivery!

First ride in the car seat. Doesn't look very comfy, does it? Thanks to Lala, now we have a much prettier, smaller (and more comfortable) car seat.

Her blanket made with love by Kare Bear! Matches her bedding perfectly!

Two of my favorite times- morning and just before bed. This was Day 2 and Grace Louise was being so sweet with mom as we were getting ready for nite nite.

Hard to see, but this is Grace Louise laying beside my baby picture. She looks like her dad, too!

Morning nap time. She sleeps in a bassinet beside our bed, but I can't resist a little snuggle time in the morning. She wakes up between 7 and 8 and I feed her and put her back in the bed with me. I've always heard that babies are especially sweet in the mornings and this is soooo true! I guess daddy was up early in order to take this picture (probably fixing me breakfast- he has been so AWESOME!)

She'll snooze about anywhere.

Can you see that little head poking out of there? First ride in the Moby wrap and she loved it! She fell asleep by the time I walked to the mailbox and back.

Hanging out in her crib, enjoying the mobile. She is quite alert between 11am and 4pm, sometimes trying to skip her nap times altogether! She loves listening to music in her crib, watching the mobile, laying on her changing table, swinging, or laying in her bouncer.

Lots of friends have been by to visit. We've tried to get pictures of Grace Louise with every visitor. She is so loved!

Our families are smitten!

Introducing Grace Louise Hurst

This blog has been a long time coming! Jimmy and I are proud to announce the arrival of our precious, "Baby Girl", Grace Louise.

Born: Sunday, November 1, 2009 @ 2:27am, Labor of Love Birthing Center (Lakeland)
Weight: 8 lbs
Length: 21 inches

And so the story goes...

Grace Louise started letting mom know that she was on her way during the Florida/Georgia football game on Halloween night. Actually, I started having contractions just before lunch. They were certainly a different kind of contraction than what I had been experiencing (for the past month!), but it was going to take more than that to convince me after all that waiting! Jimmy and I went to WalMart early that afternoon and did some shopping for Operation Christmas Child. I had a few contractions that made me sit down or stop walking... but I still wasn't entirely convinced! We went to BeBe and Pop's (Jimmy's parents) to watch the game and I was finally able to time consistent contractions around 6:00pm. They were 6-7 minutes apart for the rest of the evening. When I had Jimmy to myself for a minute, I told him, "I think this is it!" But just in case it wasn't "it", there was no need in getting anyone else's hopes up... so we kept the suspicion to ourselves. I was so excited inside, downright giddy...obviously still in early labor.

We fueled up the car on the way home, certain at this point that we would be having a baby soon, and I was tickled plum pink that my patience paid off and that I was experiencing naturally induced labor...finally! My friend, Amber, an OB nurse, came over around 8:00 to check my progress and by the time she left an hour later I had progressed and my contractions were about 2 minutes apart. I labored for another hour in the bathtub and then we left for the birthing center at 10pm. The car ride was exciting (yeah, maybe for Jimmy), but pretty intense, as I was certainly in active labor at this point. About 5 miles from the birthing center, I called my midwife to let her know that my contractions were coming every minute. Must have been the bumpy railroad tracks! (Daddy drove us quickly, but safely).

When we arrived at the birthing center I headed straight for the bathtub in need of some quick relief from the fast contractions. The water felt great! I got a much needed break as my contractions slowed down a bit and everyone settled in for the labor ahead. Jimmy and my doula, Megan, were amazing coaches, affirming me and providing encouragement and Gatorade...lots of Gatorade and water. Though, in retrospect, eating would have certainly been helpful in keeping my energy up, I was pretty nauseous and food was the last thing on my mind. I focused on relaxing through the contractions, feeling my cervix opening. My midwife didn't "check me" like you usually see in the typical hospital setting, but I knew that my body was progressing and that my cervix was opening up with each contraction. I was amazed at how internal my focus was and that I was keenly aware of everything that was happening in my body. This part of the experience was completely empowering.

Time was not something I kept track of during labor. I had no idea how much time had passed, but I do remember Jimmy coming in the bathroom and telling me that we were certainly not going to have a Halloween baby. Must have been after midnight. After being in the bathtub for a couple of hours (I think), I got out and labored for a bit on the birthing ball in the bedroom. Jimmy and Megan took turns squeezing my hips to provide relief to my aching back. That was a huge help! I only lasted about 4 or 5 contractions outside of the water before I was ready to get back in. This time I got in the large birthing tub, where Grace Louise would be delivered. The water wasn't quite as warm (I like my bathwater HOT!), but the tub was spacious and allowed me to really stretch out and get "comfortable". I don't think it was more than 15 minutes until I hit transition. And believe you me, nobody had to tell me I was in transition! Talk about some intense contractions that make you want to crawl out of your own skin! Thank God that part doesn't last long! I distinctly remember the first contraction after transition that told my little body, "Push!". It really was involuntary- this baby was coming out soon (but not soon enough if you would have asked me in the moment)! I pushed for about an hour and a half until Grace Louise made quite a triumphant entry into the world. And the first thing I said to her was "Baby Girl!" as I pulled her up out the water. She was beautiful! Our lives were instantly changed.

Because of the way that little Gracie Lou "exited" I have had a rough time of recovery (going on two weeks), but would absolutely do it all again for her in a heartbeat! She is such a perfect little person and so incredibly sweet without even trying. As I was rocking her today, I read the scriptures that are framed in her room (Psalm 139 "For You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb... I am fearfully and wonderfully made") and was just overwhelmed with emotion knowing, now more than ever, that these words are so true. This little girl is special and God has great things in store for her!

First pics are posted below... I'll post more of her first two weeks soon! (It won't take so long this time... I promise!).

First Pics

One last belly shot... in-between contractions... moments before leaving for the birthing center... 5 hours before Grace Louise arrives... Trick or Treat

And here she is! First pic with mommy...getting ready to breastfeed for the first time.

First family photo!

First family photo at home- Day 1, less than 24 hours old

Back at the birthing center for a check-up on Tuesday.

Mom and Grace Louise in the waterbirth room.

Here we are in front of Grace Louise's first swimming pool!

She was born in that tub just two days before!

The three of us in our room at the birthing center.

Leaving the birthing center.

Still waiting...

Jimmy and I ran into a woman on the elevator at Watson Clinic who (like everyone else I see) asked when I was due. I'm really enjoying the reaction I get from folks when I say "two weeks ago"! It's hilarious! Anyway, this woman was very positive and commended me on my obvious patience. (Reach arm up, bend at elbow, pat back...)

Seriously though, I don't want to be patient. I want to be holding my baby in my arms! I should have known when I "just had a feeling" that I would go into labor early... that was the devil! God has way too much fun teaching me patience through waiting! I had to wait to get pregnant with this baby and now I'm having to wait to finally meet her! It's hard to believe that 5+ weeks ago I was asking our church small group to pray that I would carry to 37 weeks so that I didn't have to deliver in the hospital! Ha! That was probably when all the heavenly laughter began...

Okay, so now for an update- what you've all been waiting for. The week of my due date I had all kinds of action, indicating that labor was imminent. I had contractions all weekend, BOYS COVER YOUR EARS- lost part of my mucus plug, and was mentally psyched that I was going to have this baby soon. I even told my mother in law, "I'm going to have this baby in the next two days. I just know." Open mouth, insert foot!

Since then, things have been pretty quiet. I stayed busy all last week, continuing to teach on the internet, going for walks, spending time with friends and family, window shopping, reading...expecting labor to get started at any minute, but not necessarily waiting around on it. That was last week... it came, and then it was gone. So, here we are- the next Friday. I definitely didn't think I would have another week pass by and still be pregnant! This week I've had more intense crampy-like contractions and some other signs that labor is close. I went in for a check-up on Tuesday. 1cm and 80% effaced. My midwife and I talked about natural induction methods, but I've been pretty leery of most of them; I'm eager, but still wanting everything to just start on its own. I went for a massage/acupressure on Wednesday, followed by a lengthy walk around Publix. That kick-started some good contractions, but they tapered off by about 7 or so that evening.

I went in today for a visit with the high risk specialist at Watson Clinic. He sees Labor of Love mamas once they are post due date- just as a precaution. He hooked me up to the fetal heart monitor for a bit, checked my amniotic fluid levels, measured baby, and checked my cervix (2cm now!). Everything checked out great, but he wants to see me back on Monday afternoon if labor still hasn't started. I would have never wished my baby to be born on Halloween, but at this point, I DON'T CARE! (We need something better to celebrate on that day anyway)! I'm going to try to relax this weekend, hoping that labor comes on its own. If labor hasn't started by Monday morning, I'll be meeting my midwife at the birthing center to try a few natural methods of induction.

In the meantime, I'm staking my claim as a very experienced pregnant woman. After all this time gestating, surely I'm considered a professional at this! (Hopefully, though, I won't be setting a world record). And in the spirit of trying to stay positive, here are a few things that I have been able to enjoy since the passing of my due date...

• lots of movie and dinner date nights with my hubby ("come on, this could be our last chance for a while!")
• good pasta dinners (never know which meal will be your pre-labor energy booster)
• Pioneer Days at Lake Wales
• read two novels
• watched 3 Gator football games- uninterrupted
• got a massage

...patiently waiting.

Due Dates are Overrated!

Who needs due dates anyway? Rules were made to be broken, right? Well, I must admit, I sincerely prayed that I would have this baby by the 15th (didn't want to be one of those two-weeks past-due pregnant ladies walking around with "just shoot me" written all over my face). Nevertheless, I included "not my will but yours be done" at the end of my prayer. We have been studying the topic of prayer in our church small group and have been reminded of the way Jesus taught us to pray. We should make our requests known to God, petition Him for the desires of our hearts, but most importantly, allow the peace of God to guard our hearts and minds as we submit to His will for our lives.

So, dang it... I didn't have her by the 15th, but I appear to be close! And with each day that passes, I know that I'm one day closer to actually meeting her! I had braxton hicks (which I so thought were the real deal) Friday and Saturday nights. I had some other indications last weekend that labor was close, but nothing else transpired until the wee hours of the morning. I woke up this morning at about 4:30 with some serious back pain. Every time I would have a contraction, the pain would be horrible in my back! Definitely woke me up from a dead sleep! I got up out of the bed and did some pelvic exercises to ease the pain. Then went back to sleep around 6 this morning. Dull back pain all day, but notta in terms of real labor.

At my check up today, my midwife said everything (blood pressure, baby's heart rate, position, etc) was great and on track for a delivery soon! Yay! Could start any minute :-) I'll keep everyone posted!

Baby Showers!!!

After much harassment from my facebook friends... here are baby shower pics- finally!

Shower #2:

September 26th, First Baptist Church Smith Building

Shower #2 hostesses- Amanda, Aunt Cindy, Missy, Lucy, Nancy, Vicki.

They did a WONDERFUL job!

(I'm the pregnant lady in the middle).

High school lunch table.

The non-pregnant people at the shower- or those without babies.


The pregnant ladies. Geeze Michelle, you look like you're about to POP ;)

Babies galore! We just couldn't get over all the babies at this shower... and mostly baby girls!

Is that not incredible?!

Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls from Belinda's homeroom volunteer- so sweet :)

Lots of cute clothes and other gifts for Baby Girl! The hostesses bought us the cloth diapers and diaper bag hanging in the background of this pic.

Shower #1:

September 12th, Donna Respress' Home

I regret not getting a picture with the hostesses of this shower, but they did an awesome job! Everything was beautiful and pink!

Melanie, Miss Donna, Cathy, Mom

Baby Girl's first bikini!

I love wearing flowers and feeling special :)

Look at all that yummy food!

I can't believe we didn't get any pics at the last shower, but we must have just been too busy having fun! Our friends Angie and Wes put together a couples cookout / wipes shower for us a few weekends ago. We had a blast hanging out with friends, enjoyed a great wild game dinner, and brought home a stock-pile of baby wipes to boot!

I am so incredibly thankful to everyone who helped with my showers and for those who showed up to "shower" us with love and much-needed goodies for our little one :-) Now that we're only a few days away (hopefully) from meeting our precious girl, it feels so wonderful to walk into her nursery knowing that we have everything we need and more!

No doubt, we have been doubly blessed!

Before / After

1). Before/After: The office

Not a great "before" photo, but all I could find. The new office was formerly our back porch. The pic above is a view from the dining area/kitchen to the backporch. We installed windows (where there were screens before), painted the walls, and laid laminate wood flooring (generously donated by one of Jimmy's customers!)

2). Before/After: The nursery

Blah! This was our messy office before the transformation. Now it is a beautiful baby girl nursery!

3). Before/After: The belly

No explanation needed here! I may have to update this one more time depending...

The List

Bucket lists, grocery lists, to-do lists... some people are just "into" list-making. I am one of them. I have a list of short term and long term goals, grocery shopping lists, lists of things I know how to cook, a list of all the home improvements I'd like to see done on our house (Jimmy hates that list), and weekly and daily to-do lists. And if any of you come over to the house after Baby Girl is born you will see a list posted to the front door- "Things you can do while you're here besides hold the baby" list. (Seriously). Now, I've got a new list. "Things to do before the baby gets here" list.

I shared my list with my doula and midwife earlier in the week and they both responded with a few sarcastic remarks like "yeah, baby girl will be so upset if all her books aren't arranged on her bookshelf when you bring her home". I know, I know. If all these things on my list aren't accomplished by the time she arrives, the world won't end- and baby girl won't insist on being returned to the birthing center until I have it all together. BUT... if I could get all these things done, that would be AWESOME! And if she decides to come after her due date, I'll have plenty of things to keep me busy while I'm waiting.

Matter of factly, one of the items on my list was to post pics of the Gator game to my blog... CHECK! See how fun that is?! If there were no list, there would be no opportunity for such a sense of accomplishment. I received great advice to delegate some of the items on my list- so now I have a list for myself, a list for Jimmy, and a list for my mom. (I think my mom likes the challenge of the list. Jimmy?...not so much, although he is being a good sport).

One of the most important items on my list is to enjoy the last few weeks of pregnancy I have left. I'm making time for things like napping, reading, and enjoying a Starbucks coffee and really trying to be present in the moment instead of wishing this time away. I've resolved to work at the things on my list diligently, but slowly, and to be content with wherever I am. I realized yesterday that I'm probably going to really miss being pregnant. After all, this has been such a special journey for me and once Baby Girl is here, I'll have to share her with everyone else!

Until next time... I'll be crossing off a few things from my list. Coming up soon: pics of the nursery and office remodel!!!

Baby Girl's first Gator game!

Here we are at the Florida/Tennessee game last weekend, enjoying our one and only trip to Gville for the season. I bugged Jimmy all year about getting us tickets to this game and boy did he come through (with the help of my awesome father-in-law!) We had a great time watching the boys of ole' Florida kick some volunteer booty! Baby Girl was awake and moving the whole time! How can one sleep with so much excitement all around?!?!

I'm no longer able to say that I haven't experienced any swelling during this pregnancy. By the time we sat for 3 hours driving up there and then walked up the bleachers to our seats, my ankles were so ....hmmm...odd looking that I even took a picture to document the occasion. It was well worth it!

Sporting our blue... didn't want to be mistaken for Rocky Toppers.

The marching band did a number with orange and blue recycling bins. As you can imagine, I thought that was pretty dang cool!

Great seats on the 50 yard line- and in the shade the whole game!

You might be pregnant lady if...

-You have to change toilet paper brands as to not overflow your septic tank. Number of times gone to the bathroom each day goes from 5 to 25 like THAT!

-You see the profile of your shadow cast against the side of the house from the street light, take a double (or triple) take and wonder, “Me? Surely that’s not me? No, that can’t be me?”

-Getting up out of the bed has now turned into a 3 part process: roll over, brace, push up.

-Painting your toenails, too, has become a process: take a deep breath, hold it in, bring toes close to face, paint, paint, paint, release foot, breath… repeat nine times.

-Your sneeze is now occasionally followed by “Uhhhh!” and a change of undergarments.

-Sleeping through the night has become a thing of the past, not because of a crying baby, but because nature calls… a lot!

-You find yourself wanting to organize and clean every nook and cranny of your house, which drives your husband completely crazy!!!

-You become extremely frustrated at yourself because you can’t make up your mind about paint colors, your haircut, what you want to eat- (Italian ice or ice cream?). You basically want someone to just go ahead and make all the decisions for you… that is until it comes to your baby!

-Strangers feel completely comfortable coming up and talking to you about all things baby related, followed by uninvited rubbing of your abdomen.

-You secretely don't mind the belly rubbing and obnoxious amount of attention that you know will end in a few short months!

-You are keeping a photo-journal growth chart of yourself, like your mother did back when you were in grade school. And like when you were a kid, you are tickled to death to show everyone how much you’ve grown!!!

(and last, but not least, you might be a pregnant lady if you end your list with something sappy like this…)

-You constantly thank God for this miracle of life inside of you, which you cannot even begin to comprehend, and spend hours of the day wondering what she will look like, what it will be like to finally hold her, what kind of parent you will be, and how in the world you can love someone so much whom you’ve never even laid eyes on.

Thankful Wednesday

Wednesday nights in the Hurst home, for the past couple of months, have been quiet, peaceful, restful, and reflective. Jimmy and I have been satisfying our need for autonomy vs. togetherness by planning separate activities on Wednesdays. (Give ya one guess of who’s idea that one was!) I have been spending my Wednesday nights here at the house going for walks, painting my toenails, blogging, catching up with old friends, reading- pretty much anything I want to do! Jimmy has been getting together with some guys, doing, you know, guy stuff. I was a bit reluctant at first, but after having such a great time with myself the first week, I decided this wasn’t such a bad idea- and I’m not such bad company!

While I was on my walk this evening, desperate to connect with God after a trying day, I listened to a Point of Grace song called “You Are Good”. I have to admit, I’ve never been a huge fan of the girls, but this song is really beautiful and the words just melted my heart. Here are a few lyrics from the song… (It’s also the first song on my playlist).

With every breath I take in

I'll tell You I'm grateful again

'Cause it's more than enough just to know I am loved

And you are good

So how can I thank You

And what can I bring

What can a poor man lay at the feet of a king

So I'll sing you a love song, It's all that I have

To tell You I'm grateful, For holding my life in Your hands

I got away from doing my Thankful Thursday posts (remember those?) because it was becoming too routine and methodical. I was inspired, however, tonight as I listened to this song and have decided to invest some time thanking God for His goodness. A few things on my list…

-I’m thankful that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever! And that He is good!
-That He sustains us in our weakness and believes in us when we don’t believe in ourselves.
-I’m thankful that God has replaced my heart of stone with a heart of flesh and that He desires after me!
-That all of my needs have been provided. He is sufficient. He is my portion. I have need of nothing. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.
-That I can boldly approach the throne of grace because of Jesus!
-I’m grateful for a healthy pregnancy and the thrill of eager expectation.
-For getting to feel this little miracle inside of me moving (almost constantly!)

If you have a minute, I encourage you to take the time to listen to the lyrics of this song and allow it to become the prayer of your heart before God.

Back to school...

For the past few weeks, Jimmy and I have been attending our Labor and Delivery classes at the Birthing Center where Baby Girl will be born! This has been pretty exciting... joining other first time parents to learn about timing contractions, natural childbirth pain management techniques, and in general what to expect from the experience. Everyone seems a little excited, a little nervous, maybe even a little scared, but most of all, eager to learn and feel (somewhat) prepared for the "big day".

I feel as prepared as I possibly can be without actually having gone through the experience. I have been reading about natural (undisturbed) childbirth for years and always knew that I wanted that kind of experience. I've watched just about every waterbirth or natural birth video on the internet and am convinced that this is the best way for me and my baby. No artificial hormones, no inductions, no scary tools or impatient doctors... just my body doing what it was created to do and the rest of us getting out of the way to allow that to happen! Often times when people hear that I am not delivering at a hospital or that I'm planning to deliver my baby in a big bathtub (!!!) their first reaction is "You are crazy!!!" and then, of course, "What if something goes wrong?" Many people fail to realize, however, that midwives are not just a bunch of hairy-legged hippy, anti-doctor, tree huggin', herbal tea drinking, yoga practicing, Birkenstock wearing, gray headed women who think modern medicine is the anti-christ. (Although, I'm sure there are a few out there). These are medically trained individuals who have more training and experience in natural childbirth than any obstetrician you can find! Should a true emergency arise, (going 5 days past your due date or having a labor that is inconveniently long does not necessarily constitute a true emergency) the hospital is only a few blocks away and has a seamless transfer agreement with the birthing center. Now all of you worry warts can breath a sigh of relief!


Believe it or not, I am really looking forward to this experience of birthing my child. Though I know it won't be easy and may not go exactly as I have imagined, it will truly be a labor of love, during which I will be coherent and involved in the decisions regarding my own body and baby. Here is a link to an educational video on waterbirth for those of you who may still be wondering, "What in the world?..."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G09sMP8DqQA

"Baby Girl" update

An update on all things baby...

The song that is accompanying this post on my playlist is all Jimmy's idea. His contribution to the blog. He insisted that this would be the perfect song for the blog after hearing it playing on the loud speaker at Home Depot. I do believe that we were two silly, delirious nuts that night... on one of our home improvement shopping trips. I guess we needed the humor while waiting to get our blinds for the office custom cut at 9 o'clock at night!


We have finished the office (slash man-cave, according to Jimmy). It looks great! Mom sewed the valances for the windows and we made do with furniture that we already had other places in the house or stored in the garage. (You should try furniture shopping in your own house... you'd be amazed at what you can find!) Now we are cleaning out the old office, what will eventually be Baby Girl's nursery. Time for painting and decorating, putting nusery furniture together, and making a sweet oasis for our bundle of joy :) I will post before/after pics of our remodel when we are finished.


Only 7 more weeks left! Baby Girl is basically just growing like a weed now. She's fattening up, gaining about 1/2 lb a week, and working on getting those lungs ready! It is an amazing sensation to experience her moving now. I can literally feel her head, butt, and knees (or maybe those are elbows) all at the same time. She is running out of room! She has been in head down position for a few weeks now and lays on her right side with her legs curled up on the left side of my uterus. My midwife assesses her position at every visit, which is now every two weeks. All is good health-wise with me. No swelling or other issues... only some backache here and there. I have felt absolutely wonderful during this pregnancy and full of energy. I've still been exercising several times a week. Things are starting to slow down a bit though. I'm starting to feel like I'm back in the first trimester and find myself getting tired for a nap in the afternoons and reluctant to get up as early in the mornings! Could this be my body storing up energy for the marathon ahead?!?!

We opted against the 3D ultrasound photo, so no more pics of the little one until she arrives in all her glory!

The popular tailgating game that is sweeping the nation by storm!

Jimmy has recently inspired a bean bag tossing frenzy in the family! At our last few family get-togethers we've all enjoyed a friendly game or two of cornhole. It really is the perfect game for anyone- young and old alike (as you can see in the pics below)! Jimmy, the becoming carpenter and handyman, built a set of boards and after an instructional lesson from my mom, sewed (yes, sewed) his own cornhole bags. You see, cornhole is a very serious game for some folks. There is even an American Cornhole Association (http://www.playcornhole.org/). (Sounds like an old country song I know). Jimmy was very particular about the weight and size of his cornhole bags, and the dimensions and angles of his boards...and I have to say that watching him build and prepare his cornhole paraphernalia was quite entertaining (earning him the nickname "Martha Stewart").

Stay tuned for more cornhole updates, as Jimmy and I will be entering a cornhole league at the Lake Wales YMCA. $20/team for a 6 week tournament beginning September 6th. Come on out y'all, for some corn-holey fun! ;) ;)

I think my mom's ballerina-esque pose wins the prize!

Papa trying to feed me some of his birthday cake at our last family dinner.
(Cornhole was involved).

A Family Portrait!

A few extra pics from our maternity photo shoot that were on the CD that Lexi brought over this evening. I was so excited to see more of me and Jimmy (and Baby Girl). This was all I had the patience to upload. (Apparently my computer doesn't "do" high res photos).

Encouraged

This weekend I attended the Women of Faith Conference in Tampa with one of my dear friends, Heather. I used to be a Christian conference junkie, relying so much on the hype and emotion of the event to affirm the quality of the experience. I am thankful to now have a good grasp on God's neverchanging love for me and his constant presence in my life. Don't get me wrong... the conference weekend was wonderful and oh, so encouraging to my spirit! The group of ladies (and men) who spoke touched my heart in many ways. As I reflect on their stories (usually VERY funny stories) and the Biblical truths they taught, there were a few key take-away points that were particularly impactful to me that I wanted to share...

Lisa Harper

• The women in the lineage of Jesus were not perfect...and God uses imperfect, messed up people! Take a look at Tamar (manipulative prostitute), Rahab (prostitute), Bethsheba (adulteress), and even the ever-revered Ruth (who, by the way, comes from a family who put the funk in dysfunctional!) God works despite us!

Sheila Walsh

• "Be still and know that I am God"- Psalm 46:10


• The words Be still literally mean "let go". So often when we hear this scripture, we think of sitting in a dark, quiet corner trying to be super spiritual. Let go of all the worries, anxieties, and troubles of our day and trust in God's promises and sovereignty. Let go...He will deliver you!

Steven Curtis Chapman

• As most of you know, Steven and his family lost their youngest, adopted daughter in a tragic accident last year. Hearing him share honestly about his personal struggle and how this experience has made him question everything he has ever believed, was heart-gripping. Through it all, his family has been upheld by faith in the Lord and to quote his wife, Mary Beth, "we have hit the bottom and found that it was solid". What a testament to God's unwavering committment to never leave us nor forsake us! God is on the throne!

Merilyn Meberg

• Before Christ, we are bound by the weight of lovelessness. The question of every human heart is "Am I loveable?" In our journey of knowing God, He wants to answer that question and for us to truly believe and know the depths of His love for us. Oh, if we could only grasp a measure!

Maternity Pictures!!!

For all of you "non-facebookers" out there, here is the link to our maternity pics on the photographer's website. I'm meeting with Lexi in a few days and will post more pics of me and Jimmy together when I get them. Enjoy!

http://www.greenprintphotography.com/

Cute baby clothes and "super breasts"

Boy have things been crazy around here the past few weeks! We are trying not be overwelmed with the remodeling projects (which have only just begun, by the way)! This was supposed to be my "week off", but has resembled nothing of the sort. Errands to run, A BUSINESS to run, A HOUSE to run...but, hey, who's complaining, right! We're gonna have a baby!!! Yay!


Baby Girl's first Gator outfit. (Thanks Cathy and Rachel!!!) She'll have to wait until next football season to wear this sporty dress! The matching pacifiers, on the other hand, may come in handy sooner :)

Having a new office means one step closer to having a nursery for our little one! Here is a pic of the progress we have made. Door, window, a/c unit, paint, and a wood floor. We've got some molding/trimming work to do before moving in. Maybe we'll tackle all that next week. For now, we need a break!!! (Plus, Jimmy's birthday is Friday...and we can't be having the birthday boy working on his birthday weekend, can we?!)

Oh yeah, did I mention summer visiting as part of my busyness? I have really enjoyed catching up with old friends and visiting family this summer. The pic above is me and my friend Christen after a great lunch at Lavender and Lace in Lake Alfred. We are only 2 weeks apart. Maybe little Charlie and Baby Girl will get married some day!

Me, Rachel, and Zac after Zac's acting premier in Tampa last Saturday. Fabulous, he was! (Excuse this bad picture of me- I look like I have super-breasts and a really fat arm!)

It's a southern thang!

The most popular questions I get these days:

1. "When are you due?"
2. "Boy or girl?"
3. "Have you thought of name for her?"

The first two are easy. (I hope). The last one is the curve ball. My answer always starts with a dragged out "welllllll..." and a smile. And if my mom is with me, she does this predictable eye roll and head-shaking maneuver as if to say "My daughter is torturing me; don't you agree!" Jimmy and I have decided not to share the name of our little one until she gets here. SURPRISE! This decision was partly out of necessity- we haven't been able to decide or agree on a name- and partly out of the sheer fun of making our parents and family suffer in anticipation! We haven't even shared our brainstorming ideas- Aren't we cruel!?!?!

Now that Jimmy and I have pretty much decided on her name, I have decided to post the following article. I found this months ago on the Internet and could identify COMPLETELY with this woman's explanation of choosing baby names in the south. Here's a perfect example: the first place I looked for baby names was my family tree, followed by a trip to the family cemetery. (no joke). It's kind of long, but enjoy the read...

Any true southerner has trouble understanding why Yankees get such a laugh out of some Southern baby names. People not in the loop think double or even triple names are slapped together for no other reason than locally pleasing meter or syntax. It may be unreasonable of me, but the idea of anybody poking fun at a tradition they don't understand just makes me mad. Southerners choose their babies' names for excellent reasons. Never mind that the names that they select are most likely different than those on the list of most popular baby names for any given year!

Southern moms don't just flip through the latest books and pick names because they are cute or trendy. These ladies go through more pains in naming their kids than they did in giving birth to them! That statement may be taking it a bit too far, but folks in the south do literally agonize over what to name their baby. This is because choosing southern baby names involves much more than reading the few words in some generic baby book that lists the copycat definitions of various baby names. Definitions are all fine and good, they have worked for the people who publish Webster's Dictionary for years! But when you start talking about naming southern boys and girls you're looking at meanings of names within families, not what they might mean to a person who speaks Latin or Hebrew!

Don't be mistaken to think that only the names of a southern child's parents or even grandparents are passed forward. There may have been a brave great great uncle who fought bravely in the war and deemed worthy of remembrance...

As we all know southerners are famous for double names. Some are forced to resort to triple names so that their little Mary or Michael stands apart from the rest. Why this is a tradition credited to the south I'm not really sure. I would like to think that southerners have so many famous kin that they want to claim. This fact makes it necessary to give each child several names so that each illustrious departed family member is sufficiently honored.

I can't count the many theories where credit can be given for the reasoning of traditional southern baby naming patterns and the traditions behind them. There seems to be no definitive answer on why family names and history appear to be more important to new parents below the Mason Dixon Line than in other parts of the nation. There is however, no argument that the results are some of the most elegant and romantic names you will find printed on a birth certificate anywhere. The next time you feel tempted to giggle at a child named Billy Bob consider that the first person that bore the same name may not have perished defending a southern belle's honor but that he may have died defending our freedom and our country.

Article by: Jan Bay