So, this little girl is still hanging on despite the fact that we are all so very ready to meet her! My prayer is that she will come on her own before I have to go back to the doctor on Wednesday... but only time will tell!
But to help time pass by a little easier a small group of friends got together last week for a baby sprinkle. At first, I was clueless and even had to look up what a sprinkle was....[for those of you also in the dark it is what they call a shower for anything other than a first child since you already have most of the big items that you need to be 'showered' with the first time around]. I looked forward to it all last week and then when it was finally here it was the greatest and most perfect sprinkle I could have asked for! The company of friends could not have been any better and I am so thankful for each and every one of these sweet ladies. But what I enjoyed most was the laughter. I honest laughed enough to think that this baby girl may have been giggled out...but no such luck! So, spending an evening with special and very close friends was amazing. Plus, I got some really fun and practical items that rounded out the night just perfectly! It was a huge blessing and I am so thankful to these precious friends who I think the world of!
See what I mean when I say I laughed a lot:
Thanks sweet girls for a perfect and fun night! Love you all so much!
So, it is just hard! It is trust. It is patience. It is knowing that His plan is better than mine. It is His timing and not mine. It is anticipation. It is anxiously awaiting her arrival. It is wondering what she will look like. It is having everything ready and just wondering when! All of my emotions over the past few days.
coming home outfit. I smocked and a friend put it together for me! excited to have it all done
Last week at my weekly appointment my blood pressure was high. They took it several times and I was almost 2cm dilated. The doctor told me to not go back to work and to take it easy the rest of the week and come back on Friday for my blood pressure to be rechecked. I was sure that this was going to be it, it was almost the same situation as with Collier - Blood Pressure went up, sent home to rest, water broke and then he arrived. But no water breaking and only inconsistent contractions over the next few days. In my mind I was now ready for her arrival but she is just not ready! When I went back on Friday my blood pressure was almost back to normal and so I was sent home with no definite news of her arrival. I will be honest, I was bummed...I was ready and wanting to have this little girl here in my arms.
nothing on the walls yet. but we are getting there!
So, over the past few days I have really been convicted that my heart is in the wrong spot. It is not my time but He knows exactly when she will be ready to arrive. Why would I want her to be any sooner.....for my selfish desires! I am continually reminded that I have allowed my thoughts to be consumed with the anticipation of her arrival and NOT on Him. I have had to surrender over and over and over again this though process, the confession, asking forgiveness and once again aligning my thoughts with His instead of my own! It is hard! It should be natural. His ways are better! I know that, why do I battle is so much? I am plain crazy but I find myself a million times a day going through this process of surrender! I honestly want this waiting time to be filled with His joy instead of on poor me. I am ready, but He [and she] are not and so I wait. I wait and I ask God to prepare her heart and her body for her arrival. I ask for my delivery to be smooth. I ask for our families hearts to be prepared for the change that is ahead. I ask for Collier's understanding and his relationship with her. I ask for His perfect time! I praise Him that He knows better than I do and that He will guide me so that I am right in line with His will! No better place to be! Just to be honest, it isn't exactly the easiest thing to stay on that path and He never said it would be. I am so thankful that I have a baby in my tummy. I am thankful that she is healthy. I am thankful for His many blessing because it could be much harder and much more different. So, I know fully well how silly it is that I am making such a big deal about this, but it is just where I am in the waiting game!
We did have a great weekend. Relaxing and low key. After a rainy and over cast Saturday it was great to have a beautiful Sunday. We spent some time outside playing baseball and golf [well Justin and Collier did and I just sat and watched]. Collier and I did walk to the play ground at the church across the street from where we live on Saturday but as soon as we got there it started raining and so we walked right back home. He took a 3 hour nap every day this weekend, which also allowed me to get in a few naps as well! Justin got our laundry room all cleaned out and organized and we also vacuumed the house. I made chicken pot pie for dinner and managed to use almost every dish in the kitchen. Good for me since I cooked I didn't have to clean up! Good for me I have a really good husband who cleaned the whole mess up after we ate. I was also able to freeze some individual pie's for easy dinner after Miss Priss arrives! I have been trying to do that over the past few weeks...stock up the freezer. But if I am being honest, it has been mostly sweets.....like chocolate cake and cookies.....more than dinner items. Oh well, that is what happens when preggo woman thinks about what she may want after a baby arrives :)
Collier is 34 Months and I wanted to be sure to document a little about what he is up to. I know that in just a matter of time that this little girl will arrive and things will be so different for him [and us]. But wanted to make this especially about him!
At 34 months, He still eats a banana every morning as he watches his morning Disney Jr. shows. He is a bit picky when it comes to eating, but he will eat lots of strawberries, blueberries, grapes, and peaches. He will also eat carrots dipped in ranch dressing. His latest is cheese sandwich that includes mayo, mustard, swiss chess and cheddar cheese. I can always rely on apple sauce and yogurt when nothing else will work! Sometimes he'll eat a few bites of a hotdog.
He is still a cleaner and prefers to help vacuum, mop, blow, rake or anything that has to do with helping! He loves playing with his tool box and building blocks. His guitar is also a staple and lately requires a pick in order to play. He picked [pun intended] this up while watching Daddy play one day. He is finally starting to take to reading books....Mom and I are both thankful for this. For a while I thought that he was just going to follow in his Daddy's foot steps and have nothing to do with reading. But thankfully he is interested and will read a few books at a time. His favorite currently is 'Go, dogs, go'. which we read every night before going to sleep. He is also so sweet about being sure that we say our night night prayers!
He has gotten very good on his scooter and the tri-cycle that is at Mom's house. He loves both and is quite coordinated. He has been very snuggly lately. He wants to be held and loved on. When he is in my arms he will wrap his arms around me and rub and pat me on the back. He tells me how much he loves me and anything else. He told me the other night 'i love this house, momma. it is just beautiful, I just love it'. So funny! But then he has also said to my Mom 'hold me Nammy, momma can't hold me, she says no'. He is so patient with me, but not fully understanding that he is almost over my weight limit with him plus this baby girl in my belly.
He is getting more and more independent wanting to do everything that we will allow him to do by himself. I am working with him to get on and off the potty by himself. He wanted to dress himself this week. He did pretty good just needed a little guidance which is the case in most situations where he is trying to do it all by 'my shelf'.
He still loves to take a shower with Justin or me! He does enjoy a bubble bath but I think he prefers to shower with one of us over the bubble bath. He doesn't like his hair washed or dried, unless he is able to dry it himself with a blow dryer.
His favorite movie is currently Ice Age...He has all three and he loves them all! He is a little inconsistent lately with his naps. One day he will nap for 3 hours and the next 30 minutes, which usually makes for a long and fussy evening. We are working on explaining that although he does not have to nap he must stay in his bed to relax for a little while.
I don't really think that he understands what is about to change with the arrival of his baby sister. We talk about it a lot and how if Mommy or Daddy are holding baby sister we can not also hold him. Crying babies, dirty diapers, being gentle and easy and being a sweet and helpful big brother! Only time will tell how he will do, but you can bet I am praying hard for God's hand to be in the midst of this situation! I love this little man and he melts my heart with the sweet things that he says and does. He is so sweet and loving and I am so thankful to have him as my first born baby. As excited as I am about having a girl, this little boy has stolen my heart in more ways than I could have ever imagined and I am so thankful that God has so gracious blessed us with him.
Yesterday Justin and I celebrated our anniversary. And we've done it with a childless weekend that has been just perfect. It has been a fun 6 years! I am thankful every day for Justin, he is an awesome husband and daddy.
6 fun things you may or may not know about us!
I have had a crush on Justin since I was in 1st grade. I told one of my best guy friends in 9th grade that I wanted to marry Justin Hicks and he laughed at me....(Justin had a very serious girlfriend all through high school.) This chick knows what she wants :)
Justin's mom told my mom at a high school football game...that we would make beautiful children! My mom thought she was crazy because Justin was almost more like a brother to me at that point (or so my mom thought... ha ha ha)
We both love the lake...our favorite summer spots and times are when we are at the lake (Eufaula or Compass) and we both love nothing more than to veg out on the dock! Although when at Eufaula that involves a fishing pole for him...not me!
If we chose to live anywhere else it would be Nashville
Neither of us are cleaners...which means that our house is sometimes a mess...BUT we produced a child who loves to clean and is slightly OCD - see God does have a sense of humor :) and a good plan!
We both watch Nascar. Yes, I do to and I enjoy keeping up with it.
It has been a fun weekend just the two of us. We have been slightly lazy and somewhat productive (we have done some cleaning and nursery preparation) We have laughed about our past and talked about what is ahead for us in the next few weeks when we get to meet this little girl. We have talked about what she will look like and what her name will be. I love this man with all of my heart. He is who I dreamed of loving and getting to love him with all my heart just makes me so happy!
My parents were so kind to take Collier to the lake with them this weekend. It was a last minute decision and I so appreciated and needed the weekend to get caught up on rest, cleaning, decorating, crafting and most of all time with just Justin. It really has been so much fun. Thank you mom and dad for doing this for us. It was a perfect Anniversary and Birthday gift and honestly words can't quite express how appreciative I am. And on that note: they also got me a pedicure which I enjoyed yesterday morning. Needless to say I've had an awesome and fun Anniversary and Birthday weekend!
Here is my first attempt to capture and post video of Collier. This is a very common thing that happens around our house. If we have music playing he grabs his guitar to play along. There are other times that he just wants to play us a 'concert' and will sit in a chair and play and then tell us when to clap. The clapping is very important and certainly required. On this particular day, I believe that Justin was out of town and it was just us listening to a little music.
Today begin's the season of Lent. In the past few years I have struggled with the 'what am I going to give up for Lent '. Is it something that is going to help me...something that I just need to stop or give up anyway and I use this season as an excuse to get me started? That may be good or bad, either way the fact of the matter is that it is NOT what Lent is to truly represent. Jesus came. Jesus showed us how to live. Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice. He rose. And He did it all for each and every one of us! He made a difference for us. So, as I enter this Lenten season I want do a better job of reflecting Him. I want to make a difference for Him, for His glory! I want to draw closer to Him so that He will draw closer to me. In CBS we are studying John and are right now studying His preparation for His crucifixion (God's perfect timing as we enter Lent). In Chapter 13 He washes the disciples feet and explains how we are to be servants...He was our perfect example. The commentary for this lesson went on to explain that it isn't always the actual act of serving but having a servants heart and we can only have that if He lives through us! I want to be His light. I desire to grow stronger and stronger in Him so that I can have a servants heart like His. Sometimes that does mean giving up something so that I can spend better time with Him rather than the things of this world [for pinterest, or blogging, etc]. I hope to achieve that this Lenten season. I am so thankful for a God who sent His son, for my own sake. Humbling and unworthy are always my feelings when I think about that truth. But He did this for me and for you and He wants us to come and sit at his feet and grow stronger and closer with Him....I can't wait to see what He has planned for that sweet time together!
Honestly, I am joining my husband in giving up pasta....that is mostly be default since I am the maker of the menu around here and to make it a little easier on him. So, I am giving up the less important things too...but also hope to devote MORE of my time to being in God's word and ask that He will continue to work on cleaning me up from the inside out!
Happy Ash Wednesday to you....
Psalm 51:11 'Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me'
Last weekend I worked on a few small projects for the babies room. Only one got completely done. I had fun being a little crafty and am all the more thankful for pinterest. I know that because of pinterest we are all losing some degree of being unique. But for someone who WANT so badly to be crafty yet it just doesn't come naturally pinterest is a huge help and resource, so for that I am thankful. All of these ideas were stolen straight from pinterest.
Pom Poms. I love them. I am planning to make a few of these to hang over the crib. I had imagined doing a whole bunch...but they were more time consuming than I had planned. So I am going to do a combination of fabric (pictured above) and tissue paper (which I hope to be a bit easier). I'll share pictures when I am done. I hope that it doesn't look funny with the different textures..again I AM NOT CRAFTY..I just copy!
Do you see that pink and white stripped thing behind the pom pom? It is going to hold that plastic frame on it and I just love it. I just need to attach the frame to the board and find a place to hang it. The lighting makes the pink stripes look REALLY pink but they really are closer to the pink fabric on the pom pom. Happy with how it turned out and very inexpensive!
I just used paper, paint and modge podge to cutsy-fy this wipes box. the only completed project of the weekend. I like how it turned out and it was quick, easy and fun. Just the type of project I need. I wish the fabric pom poms were as easy as this was because they are so stink'n cute!
The nursery is slowly but surely coming together. I am sure it will be close to being done when this little girl arrives into our family ... although if it isn't that is ok too... I would just rather it be MOSTLY done :)
As we were all getting better from the head cold funk that made its way around our house and decided to linger longer than anyone really cared for it. Collier decided to really see what boundaries he could push and pass and walk all over. He has a new (very ugly and mean) face that goes along with a very bad attitude and often disrespectful tone. This 33month old has decided to show his true TWO colors! He has seemed to have a bit of aggressiveness that I have never seen before. Because we have all been sick at one point or another I believe it elevated fast. I have no idea if it was all of the medications that he was on or if it was just the beginning of a new phase. But after several days of being consistent and persistent he seems to realize that he can not get away with this behavior. We notified school teachers and bible study teachers and asked that they help us be on alert and correct this behavior. It has thankfully gotten better but here is what we experienced.
The week before last when Mom went to pick Collier up from school...he was in time out. To my knowledge he hasn't been in time out before. He had thrown rocks at a little GIRL on the play ground. Oh my goodness.
When he doesn't get his way he would grit his teeth, wrinkle his nose, squint his eyes and pucker his lips all at the same time speaking in a mean tone. When I dropped him off at school on Tuesday I was talking to his teacher about about his behavior to be sure that we are on the same page with them. She assured me it is only a phase and suddenly that ugly face started. I looked at him and told him we weren't going to have that face and to show me his sweet face...immediately he changed his expression and smiled a sweet smile. His teacher was slightly surprised but I believe that she better understood that he does know the difference. His entire last week was time-out free thank goodness.
He would tell us that he was going to kick or hit us and would sometimes actually attempt [succeeded from time to time]. He even told me that he was going to shoot me with his gun. He also has tried to bite me a few times. All of that to say is that any mention of him going to do anything negative toward us or anyone else....because he told me one morning that he was going to hit goofy and went to the TV and hit it next time goofy was on the screen. So, we started no toleration of any of this. Even the ugly face would result in a time out. We do both time out and spanking depending on the level of ugliness [this is my word for not being nice, disrespectful, mean, etc]. One morning, Justin was out of town, and Collier would not cooperate and being ugly to me. After three spankings, I lost it. I put him in his room. I cried. I fell to my knees. I prayed. I went back into Collier's room and it really upset him that I was also crying. I explained that I was very sad because of the way that he was acting. He cried harder and we hugged and talked about the way that he had been acting. It was just a rough few weeks.
So, After a few weeks it [consistent discipline] has certainly helped. He certainly pushed his limits from time to time but not like the one week where it was constantly. He is such a sweet boy and I know that I often take that for granted. I am doing a lot of praying for his heart and that God will lead Justin and I [and mom] in our parenting and raising of this sweet little boy! We have a long way to go and I know that the next 'phase' will be tough too. But we will just take it one at a time!
Friday, I had several errands to run and took Collier along. He told me he didn't want to ride in the cart. So we talked about the rules of not riding in the cart....have to stay right next to Momma's leg, no running off, no touching or pulling items off of shelves... and if any of this was done then he would have to get into the cart. I was SHOCKED. He did amazing. We went to Hobby Lobby, Home Goods, TJMax and Joann's Fabric. I was so proud of him and let him know that he was such a big boy and did so good. Of course I had moments that I had to remind him of the rules but for the most part he did great! I was so proud of him.
I worked on several projects for the nursery this weekend and I'll try and post about those this week. Hope that your weekend was great!
Just to document:
I went to the doctor yesterday. Just a regular and routine appointment [I am going every two weeks now]. Everything was fine. Dr. Ross guesses this baby will be a little bigger than Collier was [CH was 6lb 9oz and 3 weeks early]. He also thinks that she will probably be a little early just like big brother, but no guess as to how early. I've been having lots of heavy pressure under my huge belly and he seemed to think that is because she is a little bigger than CH. My belly is certainly stretching. It is big and it is hard to move, but I am thankful to have it!
We don't have a name...STILL
The nursery is still being worked on. All of the furniture is in, and walls are painted. No decorating or really putting it all together is quite done. I have lots of ideas in my head but executing them is totally different. Hope to accomplish some of them this weekend.
Last night I went through a huge box of clothes my SIL gave me, it is awesome to have three little girls to receive hand me downs from. I hope to get all of the infant clothes washed this weekend.
We have all had some form of this head cold that seems to be going around. And we all still have some remains of it but seem to be coming out of it at last.
Collier woke up this morning early, I heard him talking at 6:15. At 6:30 I heard him turn off his humidifier (that is by his bed) and then his door open, close and little running feet enter our room. I had just snoozed the alarm and as he is crawling into our bed says
ch: I woked up from my nap, do we have nanas?
me in my groggy trying to wake up voice: yes we have plenty of bananas
ch: we go to store to get nana's?
me: no, we have plenty. do you want to go and get one?
ch:yea.
so we head into the kitchen. I refilled my cup of water and then proceeded to drop it and it made a huge mess - it was still dark. As I was cleaning up the floor, Collier was sitting on the floor asking me if I made that mess or if daddy made the mess.....'yes it was me, baby'. and he put his head down (chin to chest) and shook his head saying 'oh no dat teable, just teable'. Me: did you just say that is terrible? CH: yes it is. Way too funny. I was just glad that he woke up in a good mood.. Even if it was way earlier than he normally gets up. Normal wake up time is closer to 7am which is much better for Momma and Daddy!
Last weekend I attended a leadership conference through the bible study I attend. It was something that I didn't want to go to but felt that I needed to. God knew what He was doing [well, He always does] because it was well worth it once I was there and had the time to fellowship with friends and be impacted by some really awesome leaders within this organization. I think that I may have seen this video before, but it really stuck with me and I love it. I love the humor as well as the truth in it. It is hard to imagine that I am a masterpiece created perfectly by God....because believe me there is a lot of non-perfection in this child of God, wife, momma, friend, sister, daughter, etc. But God's truth of grace and love and molding us into His image is what is humbling. He loves us enough to want us to be His reflection. Believe me I am not worthy of being a reflection of even His big toe but it is an honor that I can even try to be....that He created me to be! Amazing. enjoy:
This is one of my favorite songs on the radio right now, it makes me turn the volume up and sing along. waoh, oh, oh, oh!!!
