Sneek Peek!!

Our sweetie in 3D today! The ultrasound is saying she's 9.1! Healthy girl... it's all in the cheeks.

Little Update

Today I had another appointment at the birth center. I am 40 weeks and 4 days pregnant... was hoping not to have to go to an appointment this late, but that's how it goes. :) Rather than one hour, the appointment was about one and a half hours long. Baby Ruby is in the absolute perfect position - left occiput anterior. This means her head is perfectly lined up in my birth canal, not crooked at all and she's ready to go. Almost 100% engaged. The midwife, Carmen, checked me at the end and stripped my membranes again. I am a very flexible 3 cm, almost 4. She was really impressed with how cooperative my cervix was. :) She could feel Ruby's head bobbling out of confusion as she stripped my membranes. Something kind of weird came up, and that is the size of my baby. Not feeling as big as she seemed to last week at the appointment, but still big. Just to take precautions, I am getting an ultrasound today to gage about how big she is. Not that this is really a risk at all, but it should help the midwives know what type of positions to put me in while I'm laboring as to not have shoulder dystocia issues. (Her shoulder getting lodged in my pubic bone). Again, this isn't an issue that a midwife can't handle. Usually hospitals send you to a c-section so they don't have to worry about having you deliver in a "not preferred position." (On your back). But midwives know all the tricks...
That said, in about one hour I'll be getting a peek at Miss Ruby via ultrasound. Not as good as the real thing, but I'll take it. And that's all for now, folks!

Baby Belly Dancing

A little too embarrassed to post this on facebook, but........ I may or may not be watching / doing belly dancing videos to help induce labor. :) It's been fun. The kicker....... Brian may or may not have joined me / initiated the belly dancing the other night. ;) If that doesn't make you giggle, I don't know what will!

Wonderful Christmas Eve

I think my heart will always cherish this Christmas Eve! While there was no baby Ruby appearances (yet?!), I had a wonderful day with my husband. I am very thankful for that! Here's how it went:

*Slept in til 9:30 together
*Ate chocolate chip pancakes and watched a Christmas movie in our pajamas
*Opened 1 present each
*Slowly got ready for the day, went to coffee and last-minute Christmas shopping
*While shopping, did lots of mall walking and took only the stairs
*Dropped Brian off at the church to get ready for our Christmas Eve service
*Took a nap until the church service :)
*Saw all my wonderful friends at church, enjoyed the candle-lit service and worship
*Got a sweet gift from my bff, Amy (homemade peppermint room spray, and homemade peppermint sugar scrub in turquoise mason jar with lid-CUTE)
*Came home, opened all gifts
*Got the best gifts from my loving husband - he didn't get as many from me :(
*Took hot bath in lavender bath salt (made by Tara), while getting a peppermint-sugar-scrub-foot-rub from Brian
*Now enjoying some red raspberry leaf tea to help labor come on :-p and watching tv with my husband with a heat pack on my back.

What a wonderful Christmas Eve! One of my favorite days in a long time. I am feeling so blessed that I was able to savor worshipping Jesus tonight and focusing on how incredible the Father's love is for us! Thank You, Jesus, for being born and allowing us to worship You for who You are and the mighty things You've done. I am ready to meet Ruby, now. Jesus, she'd be such a great Christmas gift....

Never-Before-Seen-Preggo-Photos

Found these on my computer, never posted them on fb or anything. Wish I remembered all the weeks...:-/
(4.5 weeks - HA!)


(13ish weeks)


(17ish weeks)






(32 weeks)


(36-37 weeks)

Final Days

My darling Ruby is well on her way! I really cannot believe the time has come. Most everyday I hope that it is "the day" but today I'm actually feeling content. I'm due on the 24th, 4 more days! However, if I go 2 more weeks, I feel fine with that. The reality is: she'll be here one way or another. Whether it's now or then, she's coming, and that is exciting. That's how I feel right now, ask me in an hour or tomorrow and my opinion may be different! ;-)

I had my appointment yesterday and the midwives checked me. I was 3 cm dialated and 75% effaced. She stripped my membranes while she was in there. (TMI? Then don't read my blog, lol). I have a feeling I may be more dialated today, but not sure. She also guesses Ruby is between 8-9 lbs! YOW! We'll see, I guess. She is "fully baked" for sure. That's my current status. {And I've been having contractions through writing this whole entry...}

Today my best friend, Tara, was so sweet to come over this morning / afternoon to help me clean house. There are so many things I've been dying to get done that I can't do on my own, currently. My back feels broken after just about anything I do, so a load of chores was hopeless. She came and deep cleaned my bathroom, helped with laundry while I ironed, and organized our "closet." It was such a gift. I feel like I can bring a baby home now to this house! That was the goal.

Thanks for reading, pray for this sweet little one if or when you think about it.

Washed by the Word

I love my husband. I love his passion for the Lord and for His Word. This morning started off right - sleeping in, eating breakfast together, and reading the Word together. We started out with the Proverb-of-the-day (Proverbs 1). Then I told Brian about a Psalm that I can't get enough of the last few days, Psalm 116. It's titled "I Love the Lord." (No, the titles aren't original to the text at all, so usually I try to ignore them, but this one caught my eye). I love having a husband who washes me in the water of the Word, as he's called. (Ephesians 5:25-26). What a delight!
Psalm 116 -
I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy.


Psa 116:2 Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.


Psa 116:3 The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish.


Psa 116:4 Then I called on the name of the LORD: "O LORD, I pray, deliver my soul!"


Psa 116:5 Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; our God is merciful.


Psa 116:6 The LORD preserves the simple; when I was brought low, he saved me.


Psa 116:7 Return, O my soul, to your rest; for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.


Psa 116:8 For you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling;


Psa 116:9 I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living.


Psa 116:10 I believed, even when [fn] I spoke, "I am greatly afflicted";


Psa 116:11 I said in my alarm, "All mankind are liars."


Psa 116:12 What shall I render to the LORD for all his benefits to me?


Psa 116:13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD,


Psa 116:14 I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people.


Psa 116:15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.


Psa 116:16 O LORD, I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant. You have loosed my bonds.


Psa 116:17 I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the LORD.


Psa 116:18 I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people,


Psa 116:19 in the courts of the house of the LORD, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD!

Ruby - my hero.

My sweet baby,

We are getting so close now to your expected arrival! I am 36 weeks pregnant with you, exactly one month away from your due date! Wow, the time has flown by. I really hope these last few weeks (however many they may be) fly by very quickly. I am getting antsy to meet you, sweetheart. I am so excited to see your curled pouty lips and kiss them to pieces! I am excited to see your adorable little toes and padded baby feet. I am really excited to see your buns, and probably pinch them quite a bit. I am so excited to dress you up. I have been thinking so much lately about those first moments after you are born and placed into my arms, on my chest. It makes me tear up thinking about it. Those first moments with you are so anticipated! (and so are the rest). The other day as I felt you relentlessly rolling and kicking in my belly, I came to a conclusion - you are my hero. There's no real way I can describe what I mean by that, you just are. When I think about you in my belly, just growing and doing your thing as God has designed, I get completely overwhelmed. You are God's miracle! You are my hero! You will be part daddy which also helps the hero factor. :-) I am dying to see what you look like, whose eyes you'll have, whose coloration you'll have, how big / rosy your cheeks are, what your nose looks like etc. You are the cutest, sweetest thing already, your daddy and I are positive of that. We love you, "Rubes" - daddy's nickname for you. You're a beautiful precious gem from our gracious, awesome, loving Heavenly Father. Thanks for being you. See you very soon, love!

Mommy

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Counting Down the Days

I.am.so.excited.to.meet.this.baby.

Reality is setting in - we are really going to have a little baby girl! A little combination of the two of us, that only we are responsible for. We will be raising this little one to grow to love Jesus! It's so overwhelming in a very exciting way to me. Lately I've been day dreaming about watching her newborn crying face, seriously those are so cute! Wrinkled forehead, scrunched nose and curly lips. I can't wait to SMOOCH those curled little crying lips! Ah the sweetness! I can't wait to see whose feet she has. According to the ultrasound photos we have, they look exactly like Brian's! To me at least, he doesn't see it. :-p I picture her being born with a head full of dark hair - or at least I am hoping that's what happens. Dark hair, and her dad's huge blue eyes! We'll see of course, I just day dream all the time about her.

I have been showered with gifts and lots of love this past weekend! My baby shower was gorgeous and so much fun. It ended up being a huge turn out, and I cannot express my gratitude for feeling surrounded by loving friends and family. In such a time as this, too. What a blessing to me! Our maternity photo shoot featured on Tara's photography blog (blog.selaphotography.com). We had so much fun and it was a beautiful day.

And now, I believe it's time for me to make a latte!

Just an Update

I discovered yesterday that I need to blog more, thanks to my hubby. ☺ He was reading my blog posts and encouraged me to keep writing. He’s sweet and loves to read my thoughts. Plus I haven’t really blogged much lately for some reason – I mean I have time for crying out loud! So here are a few highlights in my (our) life lately.

Maternity Photoshoot: My best friend, Tara, is an incredible photographer and an incredible friend. She photographed me a couple of years ago alone in a white dress at Mento Brown. She photographed Brian and my proposal in June of last year. She did our engagement photos. She photographed half of my wedding (the half she wasn’t in). And so, of course, she photographed me pregnant. We had a blast. If anyone knows me, they know I LOVE fall so much, always have. It’s so endearing to me. So on Monday we went to E.Z. Orchards and did some photos in the apple orchard, corn field, and pumpkin patch. Then more photos at Mento Brown. {I love that place, can you tell?} They will be our Christmas cards this year and I am so excited to see them!

Ruby’s Room: Her sweet little sage green and rose pink room is getting finished. It is coming together and looks so sweet. Technically, she only has half a room, the other half is our closet. We don’t have closets in this little ol’ house, so we put shelving up in the second bedroom, some on and a half walls in her room aren’t very pretty. My mom is amazing! She has supplied every bit of material I’ve used to make projects in Ruby’s room.
She supplied the Cricuit machine for Ruby’s mobile – She bought the fabric for Ruby’s cute pillows and blankie (and provided the sewing machine and thread for it). –

She supplied the cute patterned papers for Ruby Joy’s name sign –
And of course she supplied Ruby’s (my old) crib –
Yes, it’s a drop-side crib, big whoop. I’ve been scolded enough by friends about how these are no longer legal to sell. Brian and I survived in drop-side cribs, so it’s fine. There are yet a few things that need to be completed in her room, such as a white shag rug and a corner book shelf by her crib, and a few more things on the blank parts of the walls. ☺

Pregnancy: I’m starting to feel it now! I’ve made it my goal to not be a complaining pregnant woman, I can’t handle women who take the gift of pregnancy and complain always about everything in pregnancy. However, I do have heartburn everyday which is lovely and often leads to nausea. I’ve been having Braxton-Hicks contractions a lot lately and possibly a UTI in the works….TMI? Hehe, sorry. So nights are very restless with the mix of heartburn, nausea, Braxton –Hicks contractions, and the urge to pee every few minutes. Yet, I am thankful. I am hoping the heartburn means she’ll have lots of hair like her momma –
The Braxton-Hicks are semi-painful, but I am amazed at the fact that my body knows what it’s doing! How incredible! It is preparing itself for labor and birth which is a miracle in and of itself. I am so grateful for a healthy, well-functioning body. Thank you, Lord!

Baby Shower: I am so excited for my shower! It’s going to be this Sunday afternoon, hosted by my besties – Tara and Amy. Rubber duckies are the theme, so much fun! Looking forward to hanging out with a ton of friends and family and receiving the love in this special time.

Hymns: I am more into piano hymns now than I have been in a while. I listen to the same Chris Rice album “living room sessions” everyday. Brian and I have dually noted to have piano hymns playing on the computer while I’m delivering the baby. So peaceful to my soul.

Proverbs Series: Last but not least, I got an idea today. That idea is to blog everyday next month about something that stands out to me in the “Proverb of the day.” If nothing else, everyday I read a Proverb since there are 31 – one for each day of the month. There’s always a couple of verses that strike a cord with me, and I think I may begin sharing those.

And that’s it for now. Thanks to anyone who reads my blog for taking the time. ☺

Natural Child Birth and a New Heart

Ah, natural child birth. A topic I am beyond passionate about. My interest in the topic began in 2008 when I met my good friend, Esther, in Kona. We were roommates and she is a midwife from Washington. Babies and pregnancy had always been a huge interest of mine anyway, so meeting a midwife made me want to pick her brain all the time. This I did, and she was happy to share. After becoming friends with her and hearing the natural / wholestic side of childbirth, birth-control etc. I was sold. Upon realizing that it is not necessary to have your baby in a hospital, infused with drugs and constantly being bothered and checked by the nursing staff, I became more and more interested. I decided for a while, then, that I wanted to become a midwife. Then I decided that would be way too much pressure for me and I couldn’t handle it. So, I decided I wanted to become a Doula (childbirth coach). This is doable for me! I took a course, but didn’t really follow through with getting certified. All that to say I am completely sold on all-natural child birth. Some of the reasons being:

~I believe God made woman’s body to do what it’s supposed to do! Women have been giving birth for thousands of years without hospitals, and the earth has remained populated!

~The drugs offered in hospitals have their risks. Epidurals are scary in general – one misjudgment to where that huge needle goes and boom, you’re paralyzed. Epidurals also slow down labor, which most women have gotten induced for in the first place. They get induced with pitocin which speeds up contractions more than your body is prepared to handle, then you have to get an epidural to ease the pain of the dang pitocin. The epidural slows down the progress, which means time to ‘up’ the pitocin. It’s an endless cycle that often ends in c-sections, because the baby goes into distress. Why does the baby go into distress or their heart rate climbs or drops? Because of the pitocin!

~Once you get the drugs in the hospital, you hardly have the option to get up and move. Gravity is childbirth’s best friend! You’re advised not to lay on your back while you’re pregnant because of the lack of circulation, yet that’s the only option you have when you get an epidural. It’s counter-productive! The only reason hospitals have the woman laying down to push is for the convenience of the doctor. Really, though, laying down goes completely against gravity and is the toughest pushing position there is.

~Hospital staff puts pressure on their birthing patients. “You’re not progressing fast enough” is a common saying among nurses and doctors. SAYS WHO?! Is my thought. The hospital has a time limit for their patients, and if you aren’t meeting that then they ‘advise’ you to take further action. This is such a shame. Sometimes it takes a while to progress, that’s your body’s way of preparing itself from trauma. There should be no time limit for women to give birth, it’s just wrong!

~Most hospitals lack the option of letting you bond with your baby right after it’s born. They swoop it away, bath it, weigh it, give shots and whatever other unnecessary things, then a big sense of bonding is lost with the mother and baby. The naturalistic idea of that time after baby’s born is to let it lay on mom’s chest as long as possible. No rush to bathe the baby (most of the time) or weight it right away or anything else. When laying on mom’s chest, baby learns to breathe quickly from the feeling of mom’s breaths. Also, baby is warmed up quickly laying on mom’s bare skin. Nursing is incredible to do as soon as possible, also. Even in those first few moments. It is so good for the baby to eat and it also helps baby get acquainted with how to nurse much quicker than if you first try after a few hours. (Which often is why babies have a hard time latching, and moms give up on breastfeeding right away).

~Oxitocin- when a mom is on drugs during labor, the natural endorphins / hormones that fill moms up with love and a sense of forgetting the pain, becomes blocked. The beauty of going natural is that the natural good feelings come immediately after the birth. This is suppressed quite a bit by drugs.

Okay, so honestly that stuff barely scratches the surface of why I am so strongly opinionated about all-natural childbirth. It can be so peaceful and uninterrupted. More than anything, I am grateful that God designed woman’s body to do such a miraculous thing! Why mess with such a great design if it’s not necessary.

This brings me to my next point. I absolutely am thankful for hospitals. (Might not seem like it after that little speel, does it?) There are absolutely complications that can happen in labor. The big thing that I’ve discovered, though, is that the things that often are considered ‘complications’ really are not, to a trained midwife. But there are scary scenarios where medical interventions are required to save the life of a mother or baby. It is crucial that when deciding to go all-natural, one comes to peace with the idea that they may end up needing to be rushed to the hospital. This happens very rarely, but it happens. I am so grateful for my midwives and the facility that I am delivering our daughter at! They are incredible midwives, who also are grateful for the hospital. They have a great relationship with the Salem hospital and never say anything negatively about it.

All that said, I need the Lord to change my heart. Here’s why. I am more passionate about the subject of birth than I am most things in life. I get completely worked up on the inside if people disagree with me. It frustrates me 100x more than it should, and that is so wrong. My heart is wrong. I am coming to the conclusion that I need a heart change that only Jesus can offer. On this subject, especially, as funny as that seems. I need to lay down my pride when talking to people who may disagree with me and love and respect them anyway. I am so sad with myself - that I find such an identity with the way I view things like this. I need to be more passionate about people who don’t know Jesus or people who choose not to love Jesus. That is what my heart needs to constantly be worked up about! I love when Jesus points out the things in our lives that do not align with Him. He is so faithful to be refining me and making me love the things He loves.

The Kingdom that lasts

This is my thought in the midst of American patriotism. (only worded much more eloquently by Mark Driscoll in "Doctrine")

"Our hope isn't in self, nation, culture, people, leaders, or politics. It is in God and his love, the only possible source for true and unending justice, kindness, love, unity, compassion and health. His kingdom is our only hope."

Amen!

I could elaborate on my thoughts of American patriotism vs. being on God's mission in loving all nations, tribes and tongues as HE does, but I don't want to offend anyone. :-)

Yummy Meatloaf!

I have been following a gal's blog who I met in Kona. Her name is Rosie Rogers. I don't know her well personally, but I love her blog and she has incredible very, very, healthy recipes that are delicious. I have been itching to try her meatloaf recipe, so I finally did last night. I didn't have carrots, onions or breadcrumbs, but made a special trip to a fruit/ vegetable market in the HEAT just for them. Well, not breadcrumbs, but I processed oats instead of the crumbs. Anyway, it turned out AMAZING. I'm giving her credit for this recipe, if you want to check it out, here is the direct link to that post: http://foodthoughtsfun.blogspot.com/2010/09/amazing-meatloaf.html
Hope you can try it and LOVE it! I would recommend breadcrumbs instead of oats like I use - I think oats don't soak up as much liquid as the breadcrumbs do, so it's not super firm when I make it. Yum!!

Banana Dream Smoothie!

I've been on a smoothie kick this week. I ran out of eggs earlier in the week, so I made smoothies for breakfast instead. Currently I am off ALL sugar, with the exception of one serving of fruit per day. Yep, that means rice, pasta, bread, sweets, EVERYTHING! It's been a little rough, but it's only for a week at the advice of my midwife. Anyway, for my morning smoothies I've made them with plain yogurt, raspberries, blueberries, spinach & milk. I've been day dreaming about a sweeter smoothie though, so I experimented today. I am proud of my creation! Here's what I put in it:

*1/2 banana (makes smoothies super sweet without using sugar!)
*1 heaping spoonful of Adam's all-natural peanut butter
*2-3 scoops of Zoi Greek yogurt - plain!
*1 dash of milk
*3 ice cubes
**the kicker: 1 sugar-free fudgesicle

....YUMMY!!! I'm enjoying it now! I would recommend more ice, but my blender freaks out when I put too much ice in it. :( Therefore, my smoothie is- well - very smooth. Maybe next time I'll crush ice before putting it in so it's thicker. Anyway, I love my creation, perfect 3:00 p.m. treat on a hot day. Enjoy!

6 Months Today! Feeling Blessed.

Today marks 24 weeks of pregnancy - 6 months. WOW! How incredible. It's gone pretty quickly, and I'm assuming these next 3-4ish months will fly even faster. I am loving this season of life. I am so excited to meet our adorable little Ruby Joy and hold her and kiss her, and watch her daddy play with her! But for now, I am pacing myself. I am enjoying being able to do that. I haven't worked since June, which was tough at first. I didn't know how to spent my time and felt lazy. Not the case anymore! I love my schedule as it is right now, and only for now. It'll change in a few months completely, but for now it's so perfect.

*Wake up
*Make breakfast for Brian and I
*Get some cleaning done
*Sit down to coffee and read the Word and whatever other (parenting) book I'm currently in
*Shower, get dressed
*Run some type of errand(s)
*Come home, work on something fun for the baby
*Squeeze in a walk at Bush Park with the dog
*Coffee date with a friend or mentor
*Come home, clean more, make dinner
*Eat dinner with Brian
*Watch a movie, go for a walk, or talk together
*If nothing else is planned, we call it a night

I really enjoy it!!!

I haven't gotten that antsy feeling yet, like I'm not productive. I've made a point to do something productive each day, that helps me keep going. I am feeling blessed right now, while excited for the next season of life too - mommyhood!

Home-Made Liquid Laundry Soap

Ah, one of my favorite money-saving tricks! Making laundry soap at home. I got the recipe from the Duggar Family's website. (The 19 Kids and Counting family). This recipe makes 10 gallons of laundry soap and probably costs about $2.00 for that size of batch. It's also REALLY easy!! You need Borax, Fels-Naptha soap bar, water, and Arm & Hammer washing soda. The box of Borax is probably $3.00-4.00, same with the washing soda. The bar of soap is about $.50 each. Here's how to make it:

-Grate bar of soap and add to sauce pan with 4 cups water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.

-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full with hot tap water. Add melted soap, 1 cup washing soda and 1/2 cup Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken. (I don't always wait over night for it to thicken, usually I pour it into the laundry soap containers and add water, then shake before each use).

-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (Will gel).

-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil. (I buy mine at Wal-Mart in the candle section. it's $2.00 per essential oil and they last forever).

-Top load machine - 5/8 cup per load (approximately 180 loads)

-Front load machine - 1/4 cup per load (approximately 640 loads)

**Baking soda will NOT work, nor will Arm & Hammer detergent. It must be Sodium Carbonate!

There it is in all it's glory. So simple, so wise. Smells great, cleans clothes very well. There's also a recipe on the Duggar Family's website www.duggarfamily.com for how to make fabric softener, which I have yet to try but looks awesome. Thanks for taking your time to read, I hope everybody tries this! Why not try?!

A Few Soul Refreshers

I have been reading through the Bible with some other women in my church. We meet weekly and read about half a book each week. We started in Genesis a couple of months ago, now we're into Deuteronomy. I haven't been able to make it for the past 3 weeks so I've been doing my catch-up reading on my own. To be honest, Number was a little tough. I felt very A.D.D. reading through Numbers, it was hard to follow the story line and not check-out. Anyway, I started Deueteronomy today and my soul became refreshed. This book is a gem! Here are some of the verses that stood out to me and blessed me completely. I've been given the advice recently to read the Bible until it brings me to a point of repentance and or rejoicing. I needed to dwell on these verses for a while before finishing the chapter, they make me rejoice.

Deut. 4:29-31



Deut. 6:4-9


Deut. 8:3(b)

I love my Husband

I love my Husband

The last few days I have been thinking about how I want to write a post about how much I love Brian. I have no real structure in mind for this post, but I do just need to share my thoughts about him. I have gotten emotional a few times this past week thinking about how much I love him and how good he is to me – a true blessing from the Lord!

Brian works so hard. I was having a really hard time working at Great Harvest, the early mornings and sheer exhaustion I felt after work and in my first trimester. I voiced these concerns to him, and every time he encouraged me to quit. I was scared. I’ve never quit a job before – just gotten fired, ha. I finally put in my notice and worked 3 more weeks. This was so scary for me, I was worried about our finances. The thing I love is that Brian is committed to provide for our needs. He didn’t want me to hold the burden of working outside the home if I didn’t want to. His only requirement was that I would cook and feed him daily. NO problem! My passion… I love cooking! I love knowing that even in the super tight months (every month is tight, some are super tight though☺) he is committed to providing for us completely. I work on the side, occasionally babysitting and helping Tara (selaphotography.com) with weddings and photo-shoots, however he has not required that of me. I do enjoy it though!

I love him for never nagging me…ever, about anything. He is totally pleased that I cook, take care of bills, keep the house clean, prepare for little Ruby(aka NESTING mania!), and most of all support and encourage him. He has so much going on between being a business owner, an associate pastor, a community group leader, the head of the community group leaders at our church, a drummer for our worship team, and the list goes on. He loves coming home to a cooked meal and someone to talk to. He bounces ideas (and he has LOTS of them…everyday…) off me, tells me struggles or highlights of his day, then he has someone to date. ☺ He takes our date nights seriously – we try to do one intentional date per week, sometimes it’s more. When I feel I’ve failed him in one way or another, he is quick to forgive me.

He loves talking to me, he loves listening to me. My favorite thing right now is when he talks to our daughter, Ruby. He doesn’t feel goofy for talking to my belly, he just does it. He has long conversations with her about lots of fun stuff. ☺ He is so excited to have a little girl on the way. She is going to have him wrapped around her finger, he admits it. He’s going to be the best daddy. He is going to teach our little girl what a godly man looks and lives like. He’s going to teach her so many cool things.

I love hugging my husband. Sometimes, on emotional days, his hugs soothe me. They completely calm me down. I find so much comfort in his arms. He is so gentle with me, he is one of the most humble people I know. He massages my back when it hurts from pregnancy. He give me snacks when I crave them but am too tired to get up.

We have a blast together! Sometimes when he’s too serious I start tickling him. It always ends up in a wrestling match and lots of laughter. I love wrestling him! ☺

Summer time makes me reminisce the beginning of our relationship. I have been pretty sentimental this summer, remembering our first conversation, first date, first long conversation in the park, first time holding hands, first time truly falling in love. We met and started dating in August 2009. We started our dating relationship one week after we met, and 4 days after our first date. I’ve been reading old journal entries from this special and sweet summer. Here’s an entry I think 4 days into our relationship:

“Just had another fabulous night with my Brian. Started off playing “settlers” at Gov cup – I watched. Then we went to Amy’s place til about 11. We intended to go star gazing tonight, but ended up walking around Bush Park. He was having a bit of a rough day because his friend was bummed. However, we proceeded to walk and talk, stopped on the race tracks, under the stars with the soft sounds of the night. Hugged for a few solid minutes – cheered him up, made me float on clouds. He mentioned that the only type of dancing he really feels comfortable with is slow dancing. He pulled out his phone, began playing ‘Fix You’ by Coldplay as we slow danced under the stars…
After finding out that my heels were bleeding from my cute new Wal-mart shoes, we found a bench to sit and talk more. He reminded me of the story of his parents: Met, 3 months later were married. He told me this always seemed foolish to him, that fast relationships have not seemed logical until this one. ☺
We shall see, O Lord!”

So sweet, so much fun. He also told me right around this time that he usually liked emo music or rock, but since he met me he couldn’t stop listening to the ever-cheerful Chris Rice. His song “Lemonade” was always on replay as Brian listened to it and thought of me. So sweet.

All this to say, I love my husband so much. He is everything I want and NEED in a man. I thank the Lord for him, though probably not enough. I am forever grateful for this blessing.

I might have a heart-attack....

Oh.My.Heavens. This mobile I just found online melts my heart! I'm freaking out, it's so cute!!! I'm getting ideas to make my own mobile for Ruby and this is only the first sample I've seen so far... but I'm dying. I think I'll go with it. Holy cow, so beautiful!!!




OR THIS ONE!!...


I will keep you posted on what I do end up making for sure. :)

Letter to my Daughter

This is a journal entry from the day after we found out we are having a little girl. Just typing the title made me tear up a bit..." my Daughter."

My sweet Ruby Joy,

My darling! I cannot get over you, my beautiful little girl. Daddy and I went in to find out your gender yesterday. We are so ecstatic you are a girl! I was right all along. :) You have many "aunties" and "uncles" around you who are so excited to meet you! They are all so excited that you are a girl and your name will be Ruby. We are 19 weeks along today, sweetheart!

I keep looking at your ultrasound photos - Darling, I cannot help but weep. You are forming so perfectly on your own. You are such a miracle! For the last week or so I have felt you move continuously, I love feeling you move! I always get excited figuring out if you're kicking, punching or just wiggling. Ruby, you bring joy to me! Daddy has yet to feel you move. However, Jessica Gerig felt you kickin' away this last Monday at our community group. :) Daddy and Aunt Tara are jealous.

I have never seen your dad quite as giddy as he was last night. We were at Walmart (at midnight) looking for a body pillow for me to sleep on. We though we'd start in the infant section of the store. Your daddy became so overwhelmed with joy as he remembered, "Baby! We're having a baby girl!" He was taken back by all the cute pink girl's things. He would touch the tiny socks or pj's and he had the sweetest tone of voice and facial expressions I have ever seen. He loves you very, very much, sweetheart. He will be such a great daddy, he already takes good care of us!

This coming Monday we are going to Canada! Your first vacation, Ruby! Sadly, you won't remember it very well though. :-p We are hanging out with your great grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins on my side! It will be so much fun!

I love you, Ruby Joy. I'm glad you are a girl. :) I am so excited to meet you! Love forever & ever,
Momma

A small challenge.

Life has been a little bit crazy in the Bradley house this last week! We have a bad sewer line problem that comes up in spring and summer. Roots grow into the line and slowly clog up our line. It's ok for the first few weeks, then usually Brian snakes it out and we are up and running again. The last time he snaked the line was early spring.. maybe April or so? So we've had lots of water access since then, but this last week was the end of that! Whenever we turn on our sink, do laundry, whatever, the line gets so backed up it comes up our bath tub drain and toilet. So this last week was tough. I had a sink full of dishes with ants (we have an ant problem) crawling all over them for well over a week, because I couldn't use the water to wash them. I had LOADS of laundry that needed to be done, but there was no chance if we wanted to take a shower. So all the household work got way put on hold this week which was a challenge to me! I hated being around the house, because there wasn't much I could do. We finally got a plumber to come yesterday and he cleared our pipes. :) I think I'm on my 5th or 6th load of laundry now, dirty dish free and happy as a clam! We are convinced these very minor problems are just a glipse of what we might face in the future. Church planting is our heart, and we are feeling like planting in other nations may be in our future. All of these small trials are just to prepare us, we're sure. So we take them as light-heartedly as possible and "laugh at the days to come" (Proverbs 31:25b).

Learning how to "consider it all joy..." (James 1:2)

Britney

Bubbly

Can't get over it! This is our first dance at our wedding, and I love watching this video. My amazing friend Alex McInerny has such an incredible voice and Grae harmonized with her well. The music was one of our favorite parts of our wedding day. So blessed to have such talented friends. Now, if only Alex would make a dang cd!!!! :)

Almost 4 months!!

Here I am at 15 weeks and 4 days! On Saturday we will be officially at 4 months, I just can't believe it! I have been dying to start showing noticably, and I feel like sometime this weekend it happened. I prayed that it would happen soon. :) I started having round ligament stretching / pains on Saturday... after all I know about pregnancy, I for some reason had no idea what this was. I panicked a little bit on Sunday because it didn't go away for hours. Apparently though it's the most common thing first time moms call their care provider about. :) I was one of those...

Anyway, that's about my thoughts for now. I haven't been blogging as much lately because we canceled our internet last week. I have a slight connection to our lovely neighbors wifi right now though. :-p Thanks neighbors!

Fourteen Weeks and Free Stuff!

Today I and baby are 14 weeks along! He/she is the size of a lemon, about 3 1/2 inches from head to rump. :) Cutest lemon ever. We enjoyed walking to Dutch Bros. and sunbathing in the backyard with Amy today! Get that belly tan!!

Brian and I have been really into downsizing expenses lately to save, save, save! We just canceled our gym membership and internet and Netflix! That'll be a nice savings per month. I've also been getting into coupon clipping. I clipped 6 or so coupons today all for our date nights this coming month. Buy one get one free Baskin Robins, discounts on frozen yogurt or coffee at shops. We are also refinancing our house, which means about a $100 per month small mortgage! It's exciting to us. :)

Down the street there was a yard sale going on with some cheap stuff, and also a lot of free stuff. There were two upright car-seats for free. I walked down there and got the nicer of the two. Free is a GREAT price! We are surrounded by generous people who love us and our baby, and are getting lots of cute free stuff from them as well. The family I used to nanny for is giving us an ADORABLE vintage high-chair that their daughter outgrew! Here's a photo:

My parents have offered my bassinet, cradle, and crib from my childhood! All in white, which is what I would buy anyway! Our friends the Porters are giving us their beautiful white glider and ottoman that is still very unused and clean! Another friend is giving us her Moses basket lined in tulle which is the theme I want! What amazing blessings! I'm using lots of exclamation marks, because I am really THAT excited about everything! I'm feeling so loved and so excited for this baby to enter our world.

That's my rant for now. :) Thanks everyone for all the blessings already! And thanks for reading my blog, friends.

Right on Track!

So, I think it was two posts ago that I wrote (to the baby) about the possible options that we needed to find out via ultrasound. My uterus seemed really high for being in my 14th week, and I am convinced I have felt the baby move little bits. Well, the options were that I may be further along than I thought, or that it could be twins possibly... or that I got pregnant a month earlier with twins and miscarried one, etc etc. Those were all just possibilities, but I was confident in my calculations and that I didn't have twins. (Though I wish I did)! Anyway, the ultrasound proved that my original due date is correct and that the baby is right on track with that calculation. The ultrasound tech said she would move me to being 14 weeks 5 days, rather than 13 weeks 5 days, but that makes no since based on my cycle schedule. So I'm sticking to my calculations, a lovely 13 weeks and 5 days today. We loved seeing our baby! We really only wanted one ultrasound at 20 weeks to find out the sex and not overexpose our baby to ultrasounds, but we also wanted to know exactly what was happening. Glad we did it, wish we could've found out today so we wouldn't have to get anymore ultrasounds! I asked the tech if she could look between the legs, she said she could, but then never did..... ? That was interesting, lol.

All in all we had a good experience this morning, and are so happy to have some pics of our sweet faced little baby. We love you, Little One!! You have the cutest little pot belly I've ever seen! Looks like you may have your momma's nose, it looks turned up in the pictures. She took pictures of you so fast that we couldn't really see you in action much, but at one point I saw you punch one of your little arms. Cutest little thing I've ever seen. You are 3 oz. approximately now, what a little chunk! ;-p Can't wait to hold you, see you, and kiss you! Only about 5.5 months left!

Practicing Parenthood.

Brian and I have the privilege of watching our good friend's little guy, Hudson Porter. He is 4 months old, and a complete joy! We have had him since Sunday afternoon, and he leaves us Friday morning. While his parents are enjoying a pastor's conference in Colorado, we get to practice being parents!

He sleeps awesome. Still in the lots-of-naps during the day stage, which is great. He also sleeps pretty solid through the night, only awaking when his beenky falls out. Currently I am battling major allergies and possibly a cold. I AM SO STUFFED UP! It's even hard for me to want to go outside, open our windows, or roll down windows in the car while driving because of my hay fever. It's gotten a little worse every year I've noticed, however it is especially bad this summer being pregnant. All the symptoms are just magnified from my already stuffy/swollen sinuses. All that being said, I wish I had the energy to run around and play outside with Hudson more. Staying inside is working for now, though. I've been getting lots of laundry and ironing done. :)

Yesterday was HOT for Salem! It was in the 80's, and poor Hudson started feeling it in our un-air conditioned house yesterday evening. He just started bawling on the couch and turning red. Brian installed our air conditioning unit in our bedroom which was truly a gift last night! I put a wet wash cloth on Hudson to cool him off and took him into the air conditioned room, and he suddenly loved life again! Here's a video of Brian blowing and pretending to blow in his face. He would prepare for it coming, then get tricked! It was SO cute. He was happy for the rest of the night.


Please ignore the horrible video quality! I thought it was upside down, but it wasn't so I flipped it the wrong way. Anyway...

Dear Little One

Dear Little One,

Now I am 13 weeks and 3 days pregnant with you. We made it through our first trimester - YAY! We, dad, and Auntie Tara went out to Bella Vie yesterday for our appointment. We got the privilege of hearing your strong little heartbeat! What a powerful experience. The midwife, Carmen, said it would take a while to find you in there, however, instantly we heard you! You were right in front. You made me cry tears of joy, an experience I could never adequately describe. Your daddy's face was priceless, he was so proud and in awe.

One very interesting thing came up, though. I told the midwives Carmen and Desiree that I (am pretty positive) have felt you move a bit since last Wednesday night (June 15). Desiree took an interest in that, then asked to feel my belly. She was doubtful that I could feel you that early - as was I. When she felt my belly she was surprised at how high my uterus is, for how far I am. She, a woman not fond of ultra-sounds, highly suggested we get an ultrasound soon! There are three possibilities for this: 1) You are twins :) 2) You are 17 weeks instead of 13, or 3) I could have a very frontal uterus.

What a surprise!

Either way, we scheduled an ultra-sound for this Thursday morning (June 23rd). Daddy and I were both reluctant on putting you through an ultra-sound, but decided we'd like to know what the deal is! We will get to actually see your little body, fingers & toes, head & nose. (I'm not gonna lie, I'm very excited)!

Happy first day of summer, Little One! Hope the summer treats us well, and that my allergies will subside soon.

I love you very much. You are such a blessing to our lives. I pray that I can be the mommy that you deserve. Only by the grace of God!

Love,
Your Momma

Sweet Beat.

13th week!

Well, another week has passed, we are now at 12 weeks 3 days. I see now why EVERY pregnant friend I've talked to says they hate the 'in between stage.' Not too firm a belly, but bigger than normal. I just got home from a walk with the dog, and she actually walks me. I am just wearing a thin t-shirt, no hoodie, and I felt SO jiggly. When I walk our dog, she DRAGS me the entire time, even when she's tired. She never walks next to me, she's always going full force. It's hilarious, but I felt not-so-hot following behind her today jiggling like there's no tomorrow. :-p

Enough venting, I am feeling my fundus like WHOA this past week! {The fundus is the top portion of the uterus}. My husband gets confused every time I say that word to him. :) Anyway, I swear I feel it getting higher and higher each day. This is so exciting to me! I'm totally into being totally in touch with my growing baby/body, especially with my interest in midwifery. Anyway, my FUNDUS is about at belly button level, which is getting up there! It makes me so excited that there is something causing this bloated tummy and that it is becoming more evident everyday. Such an exciting process!

As I mentioned in my last post, I am no longer working at Great Harvest, so I am able to concentrate more on taking care of the house. I am loving it!! All last week I was sick, and gaining new sickness symptoms everyday, which made last week not too successful in my projects. However, I am feeling a ton better now and fired up about doing things.

I really want to buy a camera soon!! Brian and I were looking (for fun) at some yesterday, and I am inspired to get one. I think it's silly taking all my photos on my phone, lol. I really enjoy reading a blog with crisp, nice photos while explaining their post. It makes for such a pleasant blog reading experience! :) Speaking of a phone photo... Here I am today at 12 weeks 3 days. :)

How it began. :)

So, I haven't journaled or blogged anything, really, so far about the excitement of this pregnancy. I really want to before I forget details and fun facts. Here's the story of the very very beginning. :)

For starters, Brian and I thought it would be hilarious if we pulled an "April fools" on facebook telling everybody we were pregnant. We got a good friend (Nichole Haverland - our wedding photographer) who was 5 months pregnant at the time, to take a pregnancy test for our prank. So she did, and late the night before April 1st, we posted a couple of pics. One up close of the positive pregnancy test and one of us holding it, with excited faces. We wanted to get it up the night before to make it more "realistic." Well, that plan worked, unfortunately. We were immediately flooded with phone calls, texts, and all sorts of comments on facebook. Everyone was SO excited for us. It was funny at first, then we started feeling a little bit guilty. Then when a good friend from church texted me saying "I am praying for you and your baby!!!!!" - I lost it. I felt like the meanest person on earth!! So, we immediately took it down and told everyone the truth on facebook. We got so many comments about being the person who cries wolf, yadda yadda.

Now, as most of you know about me, I have wanted to be a mom since the day I was born. I was ready on our honeymoon to start having babies, but we committed to two years. Two years quickly changed to one year, and we were both ok with that. Well, right around the time of our April fools joke we *ahem* didn't watch our birth control method too closely, and God blessed us with a little "April fools" miracle. He thought it would be funny to pull the trick on us - which it was. And I am ever so thankful.

About one week to one and 1/2 weeks after the April fools joke, I was feeling nauseated all the time at work. I worked at Great Harvest bakery, and none of the freshly baked goods smelled good to me. Everything smelled horrendous and strong. One day while helping a customer who seemed to be taking FOREVER making up their mind, I got the watery mouth. I got so antsy, I wanted them to hurry up and make up their mind or I was running to the bathroom. I think I may have rushed them a little bit by my antsy-ness, and we finished up their transaction. At that point I knew something weird was going on. Either I was sick with some kind of mild flu that wouldn't come full force, or ...... I....... was........... pregnant? I really didn't think that was an option, though I wished it was.

A day or two after the customer incident I was grocery shopping and decided to throw a pregnancy test in the mix - a two pack, in fact. I went home, took it immediately, and it was negative. So then I was confused - what the heck? I'm never nauseous. I waited two days, wasn't feeling any better, so decided to take the other one in the pack. Brian kind of rolled his eyes a little bit at me for being so obsessive. But I needed to get to the bottom of this nausea! I took it while he was out running errands, set it down and didn't look at it for a little bit. Suddenly, TWO lines showed up!!!! I wept immediately. I prayed out loud to God, thanking Him, while trying to figure out how that was possible. I called Brian right away and said "When are you coming home?" "pretty soon babe, what's up?" "well, I have something to show you." "Did you take another pregnancy test? Are we pregnant?" "(weeping) YES!" "Praise the Lord!! I'll be home soon!" - What a loving supportive husband, I LOVED his response. He came home, we snuggled, prayed for our baby, then went out for food and prenatal vitamins. So the story began. When we found out, we were about 3.5 weeks along (gestation) - very early.

That's the beginning of this sweet journey. I am now done working at Great Harvest, because the mornings were killing me along with the smells. I will be helping my best friend Tara (blog.selaphotography.com ) with weddings all summer long, which will tide us over financially. Then I'll have lots of time to nest and prepare for Baby Bradley (who I'm positive is a girl). I'm so happy for this season of life, I could not ask for more.

Thanks for reading! That was long! :)


Here I am, 11 weeks 3 days. Not totally baby here, but the baby is helping make my tummy a bit bigger than normal. :)

Baby Bradley

The word is out! Brian and I are EXPECTING!!!! We are so excited. According to my calculations, we are due December 24th. I think my blog may be my outlet for photos, updates, facts, etc. rather than Facebook. Feels less public, anyway. Without further adieu, here are some pics. :-)
4.5 weeks (sucking in!)


8.5 weeks (sucking in)

I Danced.

I decided to do it. Shut the blinds, blast live worship music from IHOP and danced my silly heart out! It's always awkward at first, but then freedom comes from doing something socially unacceptable / awkward, and changing focus to it being all for Him. I danced all around our house, twirls, stomps, jumps, some old moves I learned in ballet. I scared my dog, also. She was barking, completely confused. Well, Izzie, get used to it. Your mom hopes to be dancing more and more in the near future. :)

Blessings.

To Dance

I.miss.YWAM. I am where God wants me and am learning so much still about him daily, but I miss YWAM / Kona. I miss the hours on end of worshipping the Lord and dancing. Not caring if I look foolish, and having my eyes closed the whole time. *siiiigh

Which brings up my next point, I wish I was a dancer. It is such a beautiful art. I was a dancer from age 9-15, didn't take it very seriously. Wish I did though. I want to dance beautifully as a form of expression before my Lord. It's something I will learn to close the blinds for and do while home alone. :)

Tis so sweet to worship Him in spirit and truth.

V-Day 2011

Being married + Valentines day= much better than ever being single!!! :)

Weekend before V-day Brian took me to "Alice in Wonderland" ballet at the El Senor Theater, downtown. We dressed up much more than normal (I even bought a new dress), and had a lovely time. Such a great surprise! I did ballet up into highschool, and ever since have wanted to see a show. Brian doesn't care if this seeming "emasculates" him, because he loves me more than what people think! And he had a good time. :) Afterwards, we went to "Prudence" restaurant downtown, it was SO nice and yummy. We went all out, having drinks and a three course meal. The best part is, the view from our table was the spot that we became engaged 8 months ago.

Then Sunday the 13th, we headed to the coast for the night! We stayed at "Looking Glass Inn," a very nice, clean dog-friendly hotel. They had the fire place going when we got there, and a doggy basket ready for Miss Izzie. She had treats and a queen-sized bed to herself! Lucky girl! :)
The next morning the weather was aweful. So we lounged, watching movies at the hotel til noon, then drove along the coastline to Newport, enjoying the drive, scenery, and then lunch. We got back to Salem around 3pm, enjoyed cake and icecream with my family for my dad's birthday, then went to Northern Lights theater for a $3 movie. Such a wonderful evening!

THEN, 2 dozen roses arrive in the mail today, from my hubby, to surprise me. I love being married!

The art of contentment.

Tis a tricky thing, contentment. I believe, it is especially difficult to be content in the nation / society that I live in. There is always something bigger and better out there; cars, houses, clothes (better, not necessarily bigger:), jobs, life-stages, etc. However, I am convinced that I will never be satisfied. It is easy to pick out things I would like differently in my life, all too easy. However those things will bring me no eternal or lasting value. In fact, they will all be burned before me when I meet my Savior face to face. My goal everyday of my life, is to have nothing set before me that is more important or distracting than the desire to be with Jesus. He deserves to be my desire!

This is a matter only He can help me in. My loving husband encourages me with sound wisdom, whenever I become distracted by things. He reminds me that my purpose in life is to bring our Lord glory. That I do not become dismayed because I am not this, that, or the other thing. OR that I have this, that or the other thing. This life is so temporary, I would hate to be hung up on things.

Lord, it is my plea that You would help me focus on you, and that all my idols would bow down to You. Help my frustations, at times, of the things or qualities that I do not have, to cast them down before You.

I will cast my cares upon Him, for He cares for me!