movin', movin', movin'!

Just a quick update on Baby.  I've started to feel her/him moving, which was my most favorite part of being pregnant before, so I'm so excited for this new stage!  I can't wait for some of those BIG kickers, so Taylor Lu and her daddy can feel it, too :)

Finally... a word!

I'll keep this short and sweet and let the pictures do most of the talking!  Matt, Taylor and I went to the east coast for 2 weeks (Nov. 18-Dec. 3) to visit our extended families (Matt's in DC for his grandparents' funeral at Arlington, and mine in North and South Carolina).  We covered a lot of ground (by plane, mostly!) and enjoyed being able to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with family.  The trip was amazing and gave us a much-needed vacation out of cold, cold Alaska!  See pictures here.

Saying good-bye to family was hard (as it always is for me), but coming home brought its own relief: no more living out of a suitcase, back into old routines, and the coziness of home!  I put up our Christmas tree the day after we got home and I love how cozy our house feels with a fire in the woodstove and the warm lights of our Christmas tree.

Matt left last Monday to go to Anchorage for two weeks to train for his new job.  All training will be done through the hospital.  This week, so far, he's spent 4 12-hour shifts in the OB (obstetrics aka maternity ward) unit.  While there, he's delivered TWO babies and seen several others born.  Today, he started a 4-day stint in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit), where, so far, he's changed the diaper of a 1 lb. 15 oz. little boy just this morning.  I'm sure he'll have lots more stories to tell once all of his training is done, but I honestly couldn't be more proud of him for all that he's accomplished (and currently accomplishing!).  I believe the Lord is really rewarding Matt right now for all of his hard work and excellent work ethic.  Taylor and I miss him so much during this time, but are thankful that he has such a wonderful job and is getting all of this great experience.

Thursday, I went to my first appointment to see the midwife.  Taylor and I got to hear Baby's heartbeat.  Up to this point in the pregnancy, the only indicators have been morning sickness and no desire to eat food because of smells, so it was fabulous to hear something that made this so much more REAL and concrete!  Next will be to find out the sex of the baby in January.  I have an inkling that this will be a boy, but obviously there's no way for me to know that yet.  Getting excited to pick out a name for her/him!

I didn't do this before we left, but wanted to make a point to do it, even now, after Thanksgiving, because despite the fact that Thanksgiving is over, I continue to be thankful for these things.  Here is my list for what I'm especially thankful for THIS year:

1. My family.  Particularly, Matt, Taylor, my parents, Matt's parents, and all of our siblings (Janie, Peter, Hannah, Isaac, and Olivia).  I am also thankful for my extended family who I've managed to remain close to despite the distance separating us.  I am thankful that I have a wonderful extended family on Matt's side, too!
2. My friends.  I could list off a million of you, but this year I have been particularly thankful for my friends Amy L., Sam (my newest friend!), Amie B., and my pastor's wife, Jennifer.  All have been wonderful and supportive friends to me this year... people I can't imagine life without!
3. Being a mom.  This is something that my parents would tell you I refused to do as a young girl.  "I never want to have kids!" was my pre-teen and teenage motto.  However, as we all know, those years are a silly mess of rebellion and hormones, so thankfully God didn't hold me to that.  Taylor is my absolute joy!  We have hard days of course, but mostly, I am thrilled with her little life.  With this new baby on the way, I am even more excited to be a mom than ever.  God has called me to this and my desire is to be the best at this calling that I possibly can be... to be what God desires me to be as a mother.  I love it.  And I love both of my babies so much!
4. My home.  The Lord provided a wonderful house for us this year... something Matt nor I could have ever dreamt up on our own.  Not only that, but He provided financially for repairs and other "extras" that made this house what is home to us.  It is a blessing that I am DAILY thankful for!
5. Finally, I am thankful for Christ's mercy.  I struggle with a lot of bitter and prideful emotions in my life (as far back as I can remember!) and still, He remains merciful to me, even though I can be a real brat.  He heaps blessings upon blessings into my life and it is beyond me as to what I do to deserve it.  Which is really my point.  I don't deserve it.  That's grace.  And it's what I'm thankful for more than anything else!

au naturale

Yesterday, Matt and I went to the birthing center here in Fairbanks to meet with a wid-wife and see if that's the route we want to take with this pregnancy/birth.  With Taylor, I had an OB/GYN and loved her, but I felt like I was ill-informed about my options for giving birth to Taylor.  While I feel like my experience was a positive one, there are a lot of things I wish I had done differently looking back.  So I'm getting another chance to do things differently! 
At the birthing center, we learned a lot about what my options are and that I get to call the shots.  Nobody would be ordering me around, forcing me to lay in a bed.  There would be no IV pole to scuddle around with, no monitors hooked up to me, no oxygen mask to wear.  While these are all (except for the monitors) options that I could choose, they would not, under any circumstances (unless fatal) be forced on me.  I loved the sound of that!  Also, I have the option for a water birth, which I realize to some people may seem weird, but I think it sounds awesome!  I would not have an option for pain relievers, which seems a little daunting to me to have to go through the whole labor process sans drugs, but I really feel like it's something I could handle!  I'm so excited for this experience and I can't wait to have this baby!
We also found out that my due date is different than May 30, by just a few days.  I am now due June 4, so mark your calendars, people!  To check out the birthing center, click here.
On another note, about a month ago, Matt applied for a job with LifeMed Alaska.  His interview was about 3 weeks ago and while it seemed to be a promising interview, we haven't heard from the company... until yesterday morning.  The appeal to this particular job was the pay, the benefits and the professionalism of the company and its employees.  After waiting to hear from them all this time, we had sort of given up hope (despite lots of prayer and patiently waiting for the Lord to reveal His plan for us).  Matt got the job!  Oh, how good our God is.  After the long wait, we just really had come to peace with the fact that Matt was meant to be where he is now.  We were just praying for God to give us contentment in this season of our lives.  His timing is perfect, as always, and I am especially happy and proud of my husband for all of his hard work that has led us to this point.  God has finally given Matt his big break and what a relief it is!  Already, the supervisor has been so kind to Matt, telling him yesterday on the phone, "You can start work when you want", and upon Matt's telling him that he would cut our November vacation short, said, "No!  Family always comes first!".  Amazing.
Matt keeps saying that perhaps this is just too good to be true.  I don't think so though.  I really believe the Lord is rewarding Matt's hard work and perseverance with a perfect job.  Please be praying for him!  His start-date is November 9.

Explosion of words!

Taylor's current vocabulary consists of:

• Mama
• Dad
• Taylor
• hot
• please- "he"
• thank you- some variable of two syllables, but the attempt counts!
• uh-oh
• hello
• hey
• hi
• yes
• no
• hair
• ear
• nose
• eye
• teeth
• shoes
• boots- "boo"
• shirt- "she"
• juice- "oose"
• water- "wa"
• watch- "otch"
• ouch
• truck- "tuck"
• duck
• dog- "baw" or barking noise

I'm sure there's more, but those are the ones she says the most and pronounces best!  For those of you reading this who do not have kids, I realize how silly and irrelevant this post may seem, but when you have children, you'll find that when they begin to communicate in WORDS, you become the most proud person alive!  You also come to the "realization" that your child is probably the smartest who ever existed :)

I'd Need A Savior

It must be the hormones of this pregnancy, because recently my brain has just been a blur of thoughts and I say the silliest stuff!  I'm just all out of whack!  That said, I had a wonderful moment of perfect clarity this afternoon when I was driving in my car.  The radio was on and this song called "I'd Need a Savior" came on.  I've heard it a lot, but just haven't focused on the lyrics before....

How many names can I use to explain the love of my Jesus,

the life that he gave and so many times will I praise you today.
I lift up my life ‘cause you’re always the same
And my offering to you I bring


Your name is Jesus. Your name is Jesus.
You’re the Wonderful, Counselor, my Friend.
You’re what I hold on to; I know that you brought me through
All the days of loss, to the cross you knew
I’d need a Savior.


How many songs can I sing to proclaim your wondrous love and beauty so great?
What would I say if you brought down the rain and everyday
I walk through the pain my heart would still say…


You’re what I hold on to; I know that you brought me through
All the days of loss, to the cross you knew
I’d need a Savior.
I’d need a Savior
I need you, Savior

Listening to it, I was just reminded of the passionate love and sacrifice the Lord made on my behalf.  Me.  Little ole nothing me.  Oh, what an amazing God He is to send his perfect and holy son to be sacrificed to save me.  I get goose bumps just thinking about it.  And to think that the God of the UNIVERSE wanted me to be saved.  He chose me.  He knew that I would need Him.  How humbling... and amazingly wonderful! 

Bragging Rights

As most women who have been pregnant before will understand, the early stages are usually the hardest- emotionally and physically.  Because of all the hormonal changes our bodies undergo, things that used to make no difference, seem to be magnified to the hundredth degree!  Plus, morning sickness/night sickness makes things that much more worse.  This is the place where I currently "reside" in this pregnancy.  I am weary, hormonal and sick. 
Another down-side to these first few months is the very SPECIFIC cravings I experience.  It was the same with Taylor.  Everything in our house looks disgusting and smells like it came from the dump, even though it's food I normally love:  vegetable soup (with zucchini!), white chili, oatmeal cream pies, and ice cream.  These are all things that I absolutely love to eat!  Well, yesterday, they all looked and smelled like they were fresh out of the garbage.  Just the smell made me feel sick.  The only thing that sounded remotely good to me was Thai, Chinese or sushi.  I told Matt this and, as the wonderful man that he is, he wanted to splurge on me and get me the food I so desperately longed to eat.
We were out running errands and we stopped at a little drive-thru Thai place.  I ordered green curry over rice... extra spicy, of course!  However, the portion was TINY, so when I had finished eating it, I was still really hungry.  So, Matt took me to our favorite Chinese restaurant and ordered my favorite:  chicken and brocolli with white rice, and an egg roll with sweet and sour dipping sauce!  Oh my, what a lunch that was!
Let it be known by all:  MY HUSBAND IS AMAZING!!!!!!

Big News!

We're excited to announce that we are pregnant!  The due date for Baby Blood #2 is May 30.  We're thrilled about this new addition and looking forward to Taylor being a big sister.
Time to bust out the potty training seat!  Want to jump that hurdle so we won't have TWO in diapers next May/June.  Yikes!