Monday, August 27, 2012

Here I Go Again

I have spent a lot of time these past few weeks preparing for birth, postpartum, parenthood...but I recently have been hearing the Spirit whispering, reminding me to not forget my first love.

As I stop to listen to those whispers, I pray for those who come to mind, I praise God for His unfailing love, I ask for direction as I want to glorify Him with my life. Although parenthood is still around the corner, I am starting to see how distracting a child can be and how easy it could be to become so involved in my role as a parent that I forget to spend time with my Father in heaven and even ignore His call for my life.

While I believe that being the best parent I can be is part of God's call for me, I am convicted that being a parent is not the whole picture. My Spirit thirsts for me to encourage others while sharing about God's love and plan for each and every person. My hearts yearns for me to speak the words of life with fire in my eyes.

The song "Here I Go Again" by Casting Crowns, perfectly describes what has been in my heart today:


Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Maternity Photos

My dear friend and photographer, Hailey, took our maternity photos a few weeks ago and I wanted to share a few of my favorites with you all!

As a photographer, I get to capture lots of special moments for many people...but I am hardly ever in front of the camera. This maternity session helped relate to my clients a little bit more!





To see more photos from our maternity session with Hailey Rahm Photography click HERE!

Monday, August 6, 2012

The Heat Visited Us

We don't get too many hot days around here, but summer's true heat decided to visit us this past weekend. I refused to complain because I spend 90% of my life complaining about how cold it is up here all the time.

So, this past weekend, John and I filled water bottles with ice-water, packed a cooler with watermelon, cheese and crackers, grabbed a few blankets as well as a few books and headed to the park. We sat under a shady tree for hours and hours and enjoyed every minute of it. Also, have I mentioned that I love to just sit in public places and watch whatever is going on around me?

Saturday and Sunday I saw:
  • A little girl continuously try to get in the water while at the park. She made me look forward to future park days with my little girl.
  • Lots of sundresses and sandals!
  • Couples in love.
  • Sail boats.
  • A wedding photographer dominate the direct sunlight with some awesome equipment.
  • Little boys climbing trees!
  • Some HUGE sunglasses.
  • A dad try to teach his son to fly a kite for hours.
  • My swollen hands and feet.
  • Two pugs having a hard time breathing while on a walk.
I saw a lot more...but I think you get the picture.

On a different note, John is all excited because we finally got a carseat - and therefore are ready to have a baby. I must admit that I still don't feel 'ready' and may never feel as ready as I would like, but I love how practical my husband is. He was worried that our baby would arrive early and we would not have a carseat to bring her home. Now that the carseat is sitting in her room, John feels totally ready to go! At least one of us is feeling ready - six(ish) more weeks to go.

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Life is a Miracle - Enjoy It!

Once again my heart is aching for friends who have lost their baby long before the arrival of their due date. Today it feels like too many mommies and daddies will not get to see their little ones grow up.
When John and I found out we were pregnant, we were excited to share the news with family and friends. We decided to go against the trend of waiting until the 12th week of gestation (when chances of miscarriages are much lower) to share the news because we felt our little baby was a precious gift that must be celebrated, even if we did not get to meet him or her after a full term pregnancy.
During those first few months, I remember asking John if he thought our baby was going to make it. I remember him looking straight in my eyes, right into my heart, while saying: “I think so, but only God knows for sure.” I was afraid something was going to happen and our joy would turn into mourning. I was afraid I was going to experience what so many of my friends have already experienced.

I often fell asleep praying for the little baby inside of me; begging God to keep him or her safe. I didn’t care if we were going to have a boy or a girl; I just wanted to hold a healthy baby in my arms.
Since those first few months, I have learned that every day of life is a wonderful miracle worth celebrating!

During this pregnancy, I have refused to let joint pain, lack of sleep and heartburn ruin my joy and excitement for the life that is growing inside of me. I have refused to let fear take away my joy because too many of my friends have not gotten to experience 33 weeks of gestation.
In the past year, my heart has hurt again and again for friends who could not hear their baby’s heartbeat during different stages of pregnancy. Witnessing their loss and pain has taught me to celebrate every minute of life; after all, we never know if we will get to celebrate it tomorrow.
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