"Hey, Who are you lookin' at?"

Sleepy Girl

Daddy's Girl

"I have a sneeking suspicion that you're about to change my diaper!"

A long night...

I knew it would probably come eventually- that is, a night of no sleep. Well, last night little Kathryn didn't go to sleep until 4 am. After a week and a half of pretty predictable waking once a night to nurse, we were a little thrown for a loop as to what to do. What a good opportunity to receive grace from the Lord (something I'm seeing in retrospect...I was not quick to say that last night in my bleary-eyed state of emotions.) I think she has been going through a little growth spurt the last few days, as attested to the fact that she weighed 7 lbs 7 oz. at the doctors today! Up from 6 lbs. 12 oz. in a week! A night like last night is a good reminder that I don't have everything under control, and that's ok. As it turned out, she ended up falling asleep laying on me on the couch, so even if I didn't get much sleep over the night, I got some good cuddle time (and eventually I fell asleep too). Thus begins the long-term process of laying down my life for my little one (and ones to come!) I think a night with little sleep proved to show how selfish I am, and it is a good reminder to look to the Lord for strength. And even though it was hard in the moment to be almost asleep and having her start crying several times, the neat thing is that it really doesn't seem like that much of a sacrifice. I would not trade a day away of having the new responsibility of caring for our daughter. Maybe that's God's way of lavishing grace on new moms? :)

What's in a name?

We orginally thought that Kathryn would go by Kate, but now that she's here, we're thinking we really do like her full name. So the verdict is still out. (Actually around here she's called "sweetie," "Pumpkin pie," and "Peanut" more than anything else!) So for now I think we'll stick with Kathryn.

More Pictures

She LOVES being snuggled!

Napping with Daddy

Budding Opera Star?

1st bath... She loved the warm water

Not a Happy Camper!

Naked Shot!

My Birth Story

Well, for those of you who haven't already heard the excitement of Kathryn's birth, I thought I would write a brief summary of the events.

Thursday started off nice and relaxed with my Mom. She treated me to a manicure and pedicure, which was very fun. Then we did some errands, which is when I started thinking I was maybe having "real" contractions. Nothing really painful, but stronger than usual. They started coming about every 20 minutes, and I remember thinking that it was interesting that they were coming regularly. However, I didn't want to get my hopes up that this was "it." We ate dinner and then I decided that maybe I should take a nap, since the contractions seemed more like 10 minutes apart. I figured they would probably go away while lying down, figuring they were more braxton hicks contractions. At 8:30 I got up, and I remember being surprised that I was still having these contractions and started thinking this might really be the real deal. So I called our doula and some friends to tell them that I thought this might be labor. I think we started timing contractions at 9pm, and quite quickly the contractions went from 10 minutes apart to 5 minutes apart to 2-3 minutes apart. At around 9:45 the doula arrived, and we all figured I had hours yet to go, so we hadn't called the doctor. In fact, I still had a list of things to pack in my suitcase. Sometime around 10, maybe a little after, I started feeling a lot of pressure and the contractions were coming consistantly around 2 minutes apart. I remember saying something like, "I want an epidural! Why did I want to do this naturally?" all the while thinking I was only in the beginning stages of labor. Then I think it dawned on all of us that these contractions were only getting stronger and closer together and we still had a 15 minute drive to the hospital. In quite a flurry, Nick and my mom tried to find the rest of the things on my list to pack and got the car ready to go. On the ride over there, I felt like I really had to push. I said, "I have to push! I can't not push. I think I can feel the baby coming out!" My mom went between reciting Psalm 23 and saying "DON'T PUSH!!!" What felt like a looong time later, we pulled up to the emergency room entrance and I stumbled on Nick's arm to the maternity ward. After very calmly greeting us saying things like, "1st baby? And contractions started at 8?" our doula said something like "Yes, her first, but she says she needs to push. I think this baby is coming soon!" They rushed me into a delivery room and a nurse checked me, to find out that I was 10 cm. and ready to push! What a relief to hear that! They couldn't find Kathryn's heart beat and the nurses kind of panicked. The doctor on the floor came in since my doctor had not had time to arrive yet. She calmly assessed the situation and made clear that this baby should come now. So with 3 or so big pushes, out came Little Peanut! Check in to the hospital= 10:55. Baby born 11:04. 9 minutes to spare! Whew! All in all, I think we were all a little shell-shocked at the rapidity of all of the events of the evening. We certainly did not intend to cut it so close! But we were thrilled to see our sweet little Kathryn healthy as can be. I think next time around we will go to the hospital much sooner! :) But thanks be to the Lord for his protection over us and for bringing Kathryn into the world safe and healthy. Thanks for all your prayers!

Kathryn Elisabeth Swan

We're home! We are enjoying our little daughter so much...still can't really believe we're parents! Thank you to all who have surrounded us with prayer and thanksgiving. Here's a picture of our sweet little girl...more to come.

Born 1/25/07 11:04 pm
6 lbs. 9 oz. 20 inches long

Happy Due Date!

Well, I went to the doctor today and he said I'm still 3 cm. dilated. Since today is my official due date, he said he was fine going one more week and seeing what happens. So I'm scheduled for an induction for next Thursday in case the baby decides not to come before then. Between now and then, I have another ultrasound on Friday (just to make sure everything still looks good) and then another appointment next Tuesday or Wednesday. Assuming, that is, that I haven't delivered by then. In the mean time, we have been having a WONDERFUL time with my mom, who arrived yesterday morning. She and I have done some crafts for my cousin Katie's wedding, as well as grocery shopping, Starbucks, and reading. Tonight she made a delicious dinner for us. (Last night she made chocolate-covered strawberries! Mmmmmm) As I told her earlier, I always appreciate her good cooking when we're in Wheaton- But it's a whole new kind of "wonderful" when it's in my OWN house and I don't have to do anything to prepare it! What a blessing she is...I'm so glad she will be here for the first 1-2 weeks after the baby is born!

Nothing New

Well, I'm afraid this has not been a very exciting week...enjoyable, but not exciting. Thus the lack of posts. :) Nick and I have been able to spend a lot of time together this weekend, which has been great. We found some firewood for sale today, so it was nice to build a fire inside to compliment the inch of snow that we got yesterday. I do want to thank all of you who have been praying for us as we approach the arrival of our little one. I have felt particularly lifted up the last few days, as the Lord has given me a wonderful peace and joy as I look forward to becoming a mom. Last week my emotions were a little bit of a rollercoaster, and I was fighting temptation to be anxious about the near future. But it is helpful to remember that I am in the Lord's hands, and he promises to give strength in my weakness. In fact, I will find no greater strength than in Him, trusting the Lord in the midst of this transition. And now as labor is only days (or hours?) away, I am so excited to hold and cuddle our baby! We are so greatful for your friendship and prayers. We'll keep you posted! :)

It's coming...Soon!

Yup, I'm still here. I went to the doctor today and she said I'm 3 cm. dilated and 80% effaced! So things are looking like they're progressing right along. It's so fun thinking about holding our baby any day now. We can't wait to find out if its a boy or a girl!!! I do have a recital for my students this Saturday, so it would be nice to be able to keep that engagement. But other than that, I think I'm ready. I'm planning on sending out an email and/or updating the blog when I go into labor and again when the baby is born (someone will, if not me). We'll post pictures as soon as we can once "Speck" makes his/her debut in the world. :) Still feeling great...walking and sleeping well. How kind of the Lord to allow such a smooth pregnancy. I pray that the labor and delivery will follow suite. Love to you all!

Nesting Instinct

As my aunt Becky mentioned in her comment from the last post, the "nesting" instinct has definitely been part of the last weeks of pregnancy for me. Let's just say that Nick has loved it! I finally cleaned out the trunk of my car (which hadn't been clean since I started driving it 2 1/2 years ago) and meticulously scrubbed all interior car surfaces with armor-all. Why the car, of all things, I'm not sure. :) And Nick looked at me a little funny when he saw me bleaching the blinds that go in front of our sliding door. For whatever reason the grime started to bother me. Oh, and the doors that go to our laundry closet. Those got bleached too. The walk-in closet that had been my "put everything that doesn't have a place" storage room has now been miraculously organized, as well as our outside storage closet with all of our moving boxes. Hey, I needed room for the jog stroller, so I had some motivation. :) I guess I'll just keep looking for projects until I run out of time or run out of things to do. :)

Baby update...

I went to the doctor today and I'm now 2 cm. dilated! :) Still could be a few weeks, but hey, that's 2 cm. less to worry about later! 2 weeks and counting.

The Final Countdown!

Well, I must say that this week has been a bit of a rollercoaster emotionally. Upon getting home from vacation, I had this overwhelming feeling that there was SO much to do before the baby came and that I could never get it all done. However, by Wednesday I couldn't remember what it was that felt so urgent or why I had been overwhelmed at all. And now I really feel that all that I'd like to get done before the baby comes is done. Thank you notes are written, the car is cleaned out, the carseat is installed (which took longer than I thought), the house is mildly clean, the crib is ready, the yellow and green clothes are washed, my eye and dental appointments have been made. So I think I'm ready! I'm getting really excited to meet this little alien inside of me. :)

37 1/2 weeks along

At my doctor's appointment last Tuesday, he said I am 80% effaced and 1 cm. dilated, which I know doesn't really mean much, but at least things are getting started. The head is down as well, a good sign. I had an ultrasound on Thursday (and NO, I didn't find out the sex, for those of you wondering!), and according to measurements (which can be wrong), this kiddo already weighs about 7 lbs. 2 oz! It must be that big old noggin. :)

Snapshots of Christmas

The first leg of our Christmas travels brought us to Muncie, IN to be with Nick's family. I flew out on Tuesday the 19th, and Nick drove out on Wednesday. We had some nice quiet days with Dennis and Marilyn (Nick's parents) while the other siblings finished up work for the week. Swan traditions include breakfast with the extended family on Christmas Eve morning. Then we give gifts Christmas Eve night while enjoying delicious Pizza King pizza and eggnog.

Sarah, Pat, Stacey, Sean, Nick, me, Dennis, Marilyn

Then on Christmas morning we drove to Wheaton, about a 4-4.5 hour drive. No one was home when we got there, so we were able to relax a bit after the drive. The official festivities started up on the 27th, with brunch at Grandma Taylor's house. I think we had about 50 people (only a fraction of the total number in the family, though!). This year we did a "used and loved" gift exchange, as each person brought something in good condition from their house to exchange. It turned out great, and Nick and I walked away with a nice bread box and a CD boombox (to replace one that we have that skips CDs). Then we had Christmas dinner, also at Grandma's. Needless to say, there was plenty of yummy food to be had!

Meredith, my 2 year old cuddly niece

We celebrated Christmas with our immediate family on the 28th, and everyone was able to be there, including Stephen who had just recently gotten back from a semester in Italy, and Gram, my mom's mom from SC. I was thinking about how next Christmas will be a bit more "lively", since there will be 3 more babies! Kristen is due in April, and Nancy is due in June. What a blessing to welcome these new little ones soon.


On Friday the 29th, we drove back to Indiana to celebrate New Years weekend with Nick's extended family. Every year we rent cabins in Brown County State Park, a much loved tradition. (Nick especially likes the fire-making). The ladies threw me a baby shower, which was very fun, and we all enjoyed time relaxing as a family.

Nick and I send our New Year's greetings and blessings to you all. And as we reflect on Christmas and look ahead to the beginning of a new year, may we remember that the greatest gift we have received is the gift of our salvation through Christ's sacrifice on the cross. There is no greater hope than knowing that we will spend eternity with Him, not by any merit on our parts, but by his saving grace alone. Only by placing faith in Jesus's atoning work on the cross are we saved from the wrath of God that we so justly deserve. And if that's not a new beginning that fills my heart with joy, I don't know what is. :)

Happy New Year!!

Hello, dear friends! We're back from a wonderful vacation with family and in the process of getting organized and unpacked. Nick was a hero today, as he drove 10 hours (Indiana to Gaithersburg), then turned right around to come pick me up from the airport. I, on the other hand, enjoyed my short little 1 1/2 hour flight. :) We're glad to be back home and out of suitcases. I'll post more soon with details of our Christmas as well as pictures. Happy New Year, everyone!!!!

Getting Ready...

I decided this week to try to get baby stuff ready, just in case this baby comes earlier than expected. When we get back from Christmas travelling, we'll have 3 weeks until my due-date. So my project for last night was making a bassinet sheet out of an old pillowcase...it turned out great, even though it took a little longer than it would have, had I known what I was doing! :)

Then I set up the Winnie-the-Pooh mobile that Mom gave me, so now all that's needed is a bumper. I have an old sheet that I'll try to make into a bumper with some foam...we'll see. That's this weekend's project. We also managed to clean out one of our closets (which had become a collect-all), so that there is lots of room for baby stuff.

Our First Baby Shower!

This last weekend I headed down to Charlotte for my first baby shower! I left at 6am and got there around 12:30 (I did find that stopping every two hours, like pregnancy books recommend, helped from getting too stiff). One particularly fun thing was that my mom was able to come down from Wheaton. What a fun combination to have friends from Charlotte get to know her and vise versa. So I got there Friday afternoon for a relaxing evening at the Freases house with Mom. Saturday morning was the shower, and I was completely blown away by how many ladies came! For those of you reading the blog who were at the shower, thank you so much for coming and blessing me in that way! Not only was it a fun time to see all of you and catch up, but I was really impacted by your generosity to help me with the things I need for this baby. Several of the ladies pitched in to get us a very snazzy travel system (stroller/carseat combination), which was the main big thing that we still needed. In fact, I think we'll install the carseat in Nick's car when he drives to Indiana for Christmas (JUST in case!). Two highlights of the shower- a slideshow that Juli Morrison put together with secretly obtained photos of me when I was little and of Nick and me. Mom and Nick, you were both very sneaky! I didn't have a clue about it! The other surprise was a love letter that Nick wrote, which Kristin Freas read out loud. I had no idea that Nick had done that! Of course, I started crying before Kristin even started reading the letter! I guess I have a few more weeks of blaming those pregnancy hormones! :) Nick, thank you for your constant encouragement. As always, you are such a source of joy in my life! I love you! After the shower, a few ladies stuck around to go out to lunch at Chilis. After lunch, Mom and I did some shopping...note to self, stay away from Concord Mills Outlet Mall before Christmas! We did manage to get a parking spot after following someone to their spot from the door of the mall. We felt a little bit like stalkers. :) We picked out some very cute boy and girl clothes from Babies R Us, which makes me appreciate the reality that this baby really is a little girl or a little boy (well, duh!). Seriously, though, I do feel like I'm anticipating finding out the gender of this baby even more now! I am glad, however, that we haven't found out yet. It's fun not knowing! I stayed in Charlotte until Tuesday morning, enjoying lots of time with friends (and eating out quite a bit...what a treat!) Tuesday morning Jeanie Lechner and I managed to fit all of our stuff (with Alathea in the back seat) in the car. I think if we had had one more thing to take back, it wouldn't have fit. But we made it! All in all, what a wonderful weekend of fellowship both with Mom and with friends from NC. I was glad, though, after 4 nights away from Nick, to come home and be in his arms again. :)

My Hot Chocolate Expertise

I learned something new a few weeks ago, and that is that Starbucks offers kid's size hot chocolate for close to $1. It is a little smaller than a "tall," but not by a huge amount. It's not on the menu, so you have to ask for it (I asume they do it for coffee too, although I don't know for sure). And for the amount of sugar that's in it, it's probably about the right size! :) I've also made a wonderous discovery: "Trader Joe's Natural Mint Hot Chocolate" tastes almost identical to Starbucks's "Peppermint Hot Chocolate." As a hot chocolate coneseur (sp?), this is a very exciting discovery (ok, really it just means I can have really yummy hot chocolate every morning!!!)

Blessed are the Meek...

"Let not pride swell my heart...Keep me humble, meek, lowly"

(Valley of Vision, PRIDE)

MEEK- 1. Of gentle and long-suffering disposition. 2. Submissive, compliant. 3. Humble, lowly.

HUMBLE- 1. Having or expressing a sense of selflessness, meekness, modesty, etc. Syn: modest, meek, selfless, unassuming, submissive

LOWLY- 1. Meek, modest, or humble.

"But the meek shall inherit the land

and delight themselves in

abundant peace"

Ps. 37:11

"The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the LORD..."

Isaiah 29:19

"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."

Matthew 5:5

"Though the LORD is great, he cares for the humble,

but he keeps his distant from the proud."

Ps. 138:6

"God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."

James 4:6

Lord, make me aware of my pride. Help me cling to the cross and learn to lay down my life in humility. How my flesh fights this battle! How often I strive for my own praise and recognition, and how this grieves you! Give me grace to humble myself before you and others. I desire to sit at your feet in humble submission, drinking in your daily grace to me, a sinner.

"Help me to stand with wary eye on the watch-tower of faith, and cling with determined grasp to my humble Lord; If I fall let me hide myself in my Redeemer's righteousness, and when I escape, may I ascribe all deliverance to thy grace." (Valley of Vision)

We Give Thanks...

Well, I really did mean to post last week for Thanksgiving, but somehow the weekend slipped away and already it's Thursday! This year for Thanksgiving, we stayed here in Gaithersburg. Our good friends Joe and Jeanie Lechner came up from Charlotte to be with her family, with whom we celebrated our day of Thanks. This year we have so much to be thankful for!

Most importantly is our salvation...the best gift either of us could ever receive. And beyond that, the Lord has heaped blessing upon blessing in our lives.

We are thankful to be here in Gaithersburg at the Pastor's College- and thankful to all of you who have allowed us to be here by your generosity.

We are thankful for new friends and dear friends from home.

Of course, how can we not also thank the Lord for his kindness in allowing me to get pregnant so quickly last spring and for an easy pregnancy. As Nick and I have walked with friends through the grief of miscarriage and the hardship of infertility, I certainly don't take this pregnancy for granted. Every good gift is from above, and I am thankful in advance for the blessing this little one will be. I'm also thankful that I can say that in full faith now, since I have fought many fears in the last few weeks about the coming changes of having a baby. I think the most helpful thing in dealing with my sin of fear and anxiety has been to dwell on God's promises and character. Hasn't he proved to be faithful in every other area of my life? Will he not also provide abundant grace in the coming season of change to handle each and every new thing that comes my way? The answer, of course, is yes. I am thankful that God has answered my prayers this week in giving me a new excitement for the coming of our baby, as well as peace with an increased reliance on Him for strength. With the Lord as my Savior and loving Father, what cause have I to fear?

We are also so thankful for a growing marriage...how far the Lord has brought us in just 2 1/2 years! God has worked in our marriage to bring about much sanctification in both of us...something that has not always been easy, but oh so rewarding. Our marriage is stronger now than it ever has been, and we give thanks to God alone for that.

Happy (Belated) Thanksgiving to you all!

A Whirlwind Visit

My parents were able to come for the weekend, and we had a wonderful time together. I must admit, it was a bit of a whirlwind visit since they arrived Friday night and took off this morning ( Monday). But we managed to fit quite a lot in 2 days! On Saturday we went into D.C. and went to the Holocaust Museum and an exhibit of the first 1000 years of the Bible. This time in the Holocaust Museum, we were able to see the main exhibit...how sobering. I'm afraid we didn't have our timing very well planned, though, since it was about 12:45 when we got on the elevator, and on our way up the museum staff told us that most people take 3-3 1/2 hours to get through, but that there was 12 hours of material! We hadn't eaten our packed lunch yet, so we were a little unsure as to how we would make it throught he whole thing! But we did manage to sneak eating granola bars during one of the exhibit's short films. On the whole, the exhibit was very thought-provoking and sobering. I think by the end we were all ready for an emotional break. So we headed to the cold outside and ate our lunches on a bench (at 3:30 pm!) on the Mall green. After getting some coffee and hot chocolate from a nearby vendor to finish off our meal, we wandered down to the WWII Memorial. After that we headed to the Smithsonian to see an exhibit of old, old Bible texts, all before 1000 AD. Although I have a little bit of a hard time fully engaging in exhibits like that, it was pretty fascinating to think how old some of these pages were.

It was pretty cold eating outside!

Dad and Me at the WWII Memorial

Looking Forward...

Hello, Dear Friends. This last week didn't hold a lot of new things on its plate, but I did have a nice visit on Friday with Jessica (Hoffmeier) Lim, a high school friend, and her sweet baby Daniel, who is 6 weeks old. We enjoyed lunch out and then a walk in a nearby park. Thank you, Jess, for the nice visit!

Coming up in the next few weeks, we have several things that we're looking forward to: My parents are coming to visit this weekend, then our good friends Joe and Jeanie Lechner are coming to town for Thanksgiving. It's hard to believe Thanksgiving is next week! How much I have to be thankful for (more on that next week...) I'm also looking forward to a trip down to Charlotte in December for a baby shower, and then to our families for Christmas. When we get back from Christmas break, there will only be 3 weeks until our sweet baby is due! Wow! I should pause here to ask, "am I getting ahead of myself?" I think I can often do that, especially with so many exciting things coming up. In light of meditating on contentment recently, it is good to ask myself if I'm really focused on today. The next few weeks really will fly by with all this activity, and I don't want to look back on these weeks wishing I had invested more fully in each day. That being said, I do think its good to look forward and be excited about God's blessings- time with friends and family, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and January 24. Please pray that God will keep my anticipation in balance with taking delight in TODAY, that my eyes would be ever watching for his mercies and blessings today, not just looking ahead to them.

The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment

If you have never read Jeremiah Burroughs's book "The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment", I highly recommend it! Written in 1648, this book is packed with wonderful truth. It's not a "quick read," but the time is worth it- at least, that has been my experience in reading it so far. Here are two quotes I found particularly meaningful.

"A christian comes to contentment, not so much by way of addition, as by way of subraction...not so much by adding to what he would have, or to what he has...but rather by subrtracting from his desires, so as to make his desires and his circumstances even and equal." (pg. 43)

"I know nothing more effective for quieting a Christian soul and getting contentment than this, setting your heart to work in the duties of the immmediate circumstances that you are now in...." (pg. 52)

What good truths to be challenged by...I certainly am! How often do I find myself looking ahead to the next thing or wishing something else in my life instead of quietly taking joy in the duty that the Lord has given me today.

Turning Over a New Leaf

This picture may seem a little weird to put on the blog, but this represents a milestone in my medical life! Today I went in to get the glucose test to screen for gestational diabetes. They give you a concentrated drink that tasted like a melted freezy-pop and then I had to wait for an hour until they drew blood. Why is this a milestone, you may ask. Because when I went to get my blood drawn, I did not 1. pass out, 2. cry, or 3. throw up. I have never gone without one of these three (or all of them) for the last many many years. AND that was with taking three vile-fulls of my blood, which is more than usual, I think. So perhaps I'm getting over my fear after all and turning over a new leaf!

Nick's First Sermon!!!

Nick preached his first sermon tonight! It was so fun to see him in that role, and he did a great job! This was a little church (not Sovereign Grace affiliated)...very little, as in 15-20 people. The people were very friendly, and it was a great setting for Nick to try his wings at preaching. He has a homiletics (preaching) class this week, and he said it will be very helpful having this experience fresh in his mind as he learns more about preparing a sermon. Thank you again to all of you who are supporting us and praying for us this year. It is truly a joy for Nick to be preparing for ministry...we couldn't do it without you!

Covenant Life Soccer Game

On Thursday we had great fun going to the Covenant Life School Girl's Soccer Game. This was a semi-finals game, and they won! It was fun for us to see Julie Bowers (Jeanie, I put this on here just to make you jealous!) Julie, hopefully you don't mind that I put your picture for the world to see. You played so well! I was quite impressed watching these high school girls, remembering my days of being a goalie way back when. I think they put me as goalie because 1. I couldn't run very fast and 2. I wasn't afraid to get my knees dirty by "pouncing" on the ball. The only problem is that I got so used to being goalie that once I caught the ball when I was playing defense...oops!

Rules of Contentment

Recently I have allowed myself to become anxious when I think about becoming a mother, and I realized this morning that it is really a lack of trust in the Lord. He gives me grace each day. His grace is sufficient, and he is most glorified in my weakness. I'm learning to give up every detail to the Lord, even in the privacy of my thoughts. He doesn't just want me to SAY that I trust him for the future, he wants me to BELIEVE it with my whole being! He has always been faithful, and He will continue to be faithful every day of my life! Here are Elisabeth Elliot's "Rules of Contentment," that I find quite challenging and inspiring... I have reworded them a little bit for clarity.

RULES OF CONTENTMENT

1. Allow yourself to complain of nothing, not even the weather.

2. Never picture yourself under any circumstances which you are not.

3. Never compare your own lot to that of another.

4. Never allow yourself to dwell on the wish that anything be different than it was or is. God almighty loves you better and more wisely than you do yourself.

5. Never dwell on the morrow. Remember that it is God's, not yours. The heaviest part of sorrow often is to look forward to it. "The Lord will provide."

More DC Pictures

Top to Bottom: The White House, Vietnam Memorial, Dennis and Marilyn in front of the Washington Monument, Nick in front of Big Abe.

Fun in DC

Is it possible that such a long time has gone by without a post?!? These weeks keep flying by. But be assured, our lives have not been extremely exciting or different over the last two weeks. At least up until this weekend, when Dennis and Marilyn (Nick's parents) came to visit. We had a wonderful time with them! They arrived Thursday night, and on Friday Marilyn and I went on some errands while Dennis visited a fellow glass manufacturer. On Saturday we headed into DC with three things on our agenda: The Spy Museum, the Holocaust Museum, and the American History Museum. We rode the metro in to the mall area, walked to the Lincoln Memorial (stopping by the WWII memorial and Vietnam Memorial), then walked over to the Spy Museum. Unfortunately, it was not free admission as we had thought (it's $15 a person!). 0 for 1. Then we walked over to the Holocaust Museum, just in time to learn that they had given up all the tickets for the main exhibit already. 0 for 2! But we did see one of their exhibits, "Daniel's Story," a walk-through exhibit of the Holocaust from a Jewish child's perspective. It was geared towards a younger audience, but it was still quite thought-provoking. After that we walked back to the American History Museum, only to learn that they are closed for renovations for 2 years. 0 for 3!! We were a little bummed that we weren't able to fully take advantage of the three things that were on our agenda, but we did get LOTS of walking in and enjoyed the memorials and walking by the White House. Needless to say, when we got on the Metro to go home, we were all exhausted!

Then Yesterday we met up with my aunt Marty, since she had invited us to a Gospel Choir concert at a church in DC. It was quite an experience! Talk about some LOUD music, with electric organ and all. The event was supposed to go from 5-7, but it was more like 5:20-8. I think we were the only white people in the congregation, and I must say I felt very "white" watching all the people around us really get in the groove, dancing around and shouting with arms swaying in the air. We did our share of clapping, but I think we definitely stuck out like a sore thumb! :) After the concert we went back to Marty and Art's house and ate a delicious dinner, since we were all starving after three hours of sitting (and standing) through the concert.

Riding the Metro into the City

In front of the WWII Memorial

A Wonderfully Full Day

Yesterday was a nicely full day. I started the day by going to the Tedesco's house, a couple that has a "food ministry" for the Pastors College families. Every Tuesday they have groceries in their garage that are donated by Trader Joe's, and we can take home what we can use for the week. It's kind of hit or miss, but yesterday I came home with a whole bag full of food (most of the stuff is "sell-by" that day, so it's still good, but Trader Joe's just can't sell it.) Then I headed to Wal-Mart to stock up on some household items. From there I headed over to Butler's Orchard, via a beautiful drive through a bright canopy of leaves on a tiny country road. The orchard is not far from us, but it feels very secluded. I was hoping to get some more apples, but it turns out the apple picking season peaked early this year. So I headed for the raspberry bushes instead. I have only gone raspberry picking one other time, and that was 10 years ago (!). I think now I know why they are so expensive in the grocery store! Granted, they were kind of picked over already, so it was hard to find the ripe ones. I did manage to come home with 2 lbs. of raspberries, with only a few scratches on my arms from the thorns. In the afternoon I had a doctor's appointment (baby is growing right on schedule!), and then I came home to try my hand at making raspberry jam. I was delighted to find that it was much easier and less time-consuming than apple butter. The jam turned out great! I popped some bread in the oven so that we could try it out on fresh bread as a bed-time snack. Needless to say, I was a bit tired at the end of the day last night. But it was a nice kind of tiredness. I am greatful for sleep, for knowing that it is a gift from the Lord, to refresh my body for a new day. I think I fell asleep the minute (literally) that my head hit the pillow. And now I'm looking at a new day, eager to see what the Lord has for me today.

Great Falls National Park

This afternoon Nick and I ventured out to Great Falls National Park with some friends from church. It was a perfect day to wander around the trails and see the Falls. There were a lot of people, but Nick and I ventured down onto some rocks away from the crowds. What a wonderful way to spend our Sunday!

24 weeks- 16 to go!

A Rainy Day

I'm sitting in front of the computer, listening to the rain outside and sipping some homemade hot cocoa. Now, if only we had some firewood! :) There's nothing too profound on my mind just now, but I thought it would be a good day for a post. Actually, this morning I was thinking about some of the things I'm most thankful for, so I'll share them here:

Things that make me smile...

• Salvation. Simply put, the greatest gift I could ever receive.
• A godly husband and a marriage that seems to get better and grow every day.
• A great pregnancy- I love everything about being pregnant: looking pregnant, wearing maternity clothes, feeling our little one move all the time. I just love it!
• Thinking about our little baby that I get to love on in just 3 1/2 short months!
• Deeply knit friendships back in Charlotte
• Growing friendships in Gaithersburg
• Apple butter on homemade bread
• Hot cocoa
• Good books to read on a rainy day
• Lovely autumn leaves

...just to name a few. May the Lord bring joy to your heart today!

Apple Picking

Look at that growing belly!

Fall Displays

Nick and I have a little joke every year about "fall displays," as I have affectionately named them. I get in decorating mode right about now and find myself wandering through the seasonal aisle in Wal-Mart trying to remember what I have in my little box labled "Fall Decorations" and looking for something cheap to add to the collection...

He thinks its funny that I get so excited about putting these little "Fall Displays" up (he does appreciate them, though). But there's something that is heartwarming about autumn decorations and smells (cinnamon french toast candles!), and perhaps Fall Displays are a way of enjoying our Lord's creativity in the changing of the seasons.

Autumn

This morning when I stepped outside I breathed in a fresh intake of crisp autumn air. How delightful! Beautifully sunny all day, this day truly feels like autumn is here. How thankful I am to the Lord for his creativity in making the different seasons! After getting home from a delightful morning walk, I set to the day's task: homemade bread and trying my hand at making and canning apple butter. The bread is on its second rising as I'm writing this, and the apple butter seems to have turned out splendidly! I didn't have an actual canner or canning rack (or utensils, for that matter), so I jerry-rigged my own system. I put my strainer/colinder sitting inside a big stock pot for the canning rack, and used kitchen tongs to move the jars in and out of the boiling water. I could only do 2 jars at a time this way otherwise they would tip over, but it seems to have worked! I set one jar aside for tonight, so we can enjoy warm bread and apple butter...mmmmm!

It's So Little!

Here's a little sweater I couldn't resist buying at a recent consignment sale... It's so little and cute! The ruler is 8 inches long, to give you an idea of scale. I can't believe there's going to be a little peanut inside of this cute sweater in only 18 weeks!

Great is His Faithfulness

I came to the realization a few days ago that I really do not want to be anywhere else but here right now. Of course I miss home and dear friends in Charlotte, but God has been putting a peace in my heart about our time here in Maryland. What joy to know that he has placed us exactly where He wants us at exactly the right time. He always does! Even in the timing with the baby coming in January, I see that God has led us in his timing to his purpose. I think it would have been much harder coming here next year (one of the original plans) with a one year old, and I'm excited to have our baby here. One of the other PC wives is due to have her 5th baby any time now, and I have been amazed at how much love and support has been poured out on her from the other PC wives. What godly and servant-hearted women these are! Not only does it inspire me to want to grow in areas I am weak by following their example, but I am comforted knowing that I will have lots of arms around me when my time comes to dive into parenthood in a few months. How kind of the Lord!

Speaking of the other wives, last night we had a sleepover at Kristin Seaver's home, which was wonderful! One of the highlights of the evening was when we all received love letters that our husbands had written us earlier...isn't that sweet? And then we were all in a circle, and Kristin had prepared a bowl of chocolates in the middle. For each woman was a chocolate attached to a ribbon, and as we pulled the ribbon out there was a question attached, which we then answered. Some quetions were funny, some were serious. At the end going around, there were some extras, so we read them out loud and whoever wanted to answer could. One of these questions was "I know you won't like this question, but what are some of your strengths God has blessed you with?" Well, we ended up using that as a jumping block to encourage strengths that we saw in others. What a neat time of encouragement, stemming from friendships that have only existed for a month. As I looked around the room, I silently thanked God for his continued faithfulness in each passage of my life. I have a deep peace knowing that God has a plan for my life, and he will continue to be faithful just as he has until now. How good it is to be loved by our Heavely Father!

"Great is Thy Faithfulness, O God my Father,

There is no shadow of turning with Thee;

Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not;

As Thou hast been, Thou forever wilt be.

Great is Thy Faithulness! Great is Thy Fiathfulness!

Morning by morning new mercies I see;

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided--

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me."

Another No Show!

Well, I'm sorry to say that our 2nd ultrasound didn't yield much more than the first one... We still don't know the sex of our baby! The nurse said that it was moving around so much she couldn't see anything (she said it was a little fish!), and then when it finally settled down a little bit, its legs were crossed. Can you believe it?!? But all that aside, our baby has 10 fingers and 10 toes (phew!) Everything else is looking good. So I guess we'll have to wait until January to see if this little booger is a boy or girl. It will make the anticipation all that much greater! I have been feeling "Speck" move all the time, which is amazing. Nick can feel it moving too, which is a lot of fun. Well, I have to sign off now because we're leaving in a few minutes for a meeting. Love to you all!

A Normal Day

Nick and I had a wonderful date last night at Panera (thanks to the Sheas for those gift cards!) to plan our schedules from now until Christmas...at least to get the basic idea of what to expect. I thought I would fill you all in as to what does our schedule look like here in Maryland. I'll start with Nick-

Monday & Saturday

6:00 Wake

6:30-7:30 Devotions

8-4 Read for the coming week at the school

4:30-5:30 Exercise

5:30 DATE NIGHT!!!

Tuesday - Thursday

6:00 Wake

6:30-7:30 Devotions

7:45 leaves for school

8-9 Study Greek

9-4 Class

4:30-5:30 Exercise

6ish Dinner together (Wednesdays are hospitality nights)

7-10 Study (once a month we meet with the Mahaneys as a group)

Friday looks about the same as Tues-Thurs, except he stays at school later to study and take the test for that week.

My schedule is still sort of in the making, but here's a rough estimate:

Mondays-

6:30 Wake

7-8 Run/walk (more walking these days!)

9-10 Devotions

10:30-12:30 Babysit Seavers

Afternoon- chores, nap, Walmart Run

DATE NIGHT

Tuesdays-

6:30 Wake

7:15-8:15 Devotions

8:30-10 Grocery Shop

Lunch, nap, exercise, dinner

7-8:30 Accountability Meeting

Wednesdays-

6:30 Wake

7-8 Run

9-11 Devotions and reading

1-2:30 Teach lessons

Nap, Dinner

7:00 Care group

Thursdays-

6:30 Wake

6:45-7:45 Exercise

8:30-9:15 Devotions

9:30-10:30 Gym Day (meet with other PC wives at the church while the kids run around)

Afternoon- get together with someone, chores, nap, dinner

Friday is my day to relax and rest or fellowship with someone. Or run errands. :)

So, these are our proposed schedules- but as I have had a week of learning, God often sends interruptions to our days to keep us relying on him. My agenda for my day may not be what He has in mind for me. So even as we plan our days, the Lord determines our steps. Two prayer requests here-

1. That God would strengthen Nick for long days of class and study

2. That God would give me wisdom to structure my days but flexibility in welcoming interruptions to my schedule, that I would never trust in a schedule to bring me joy.

Happy Birthday, Nick!

For Nick's birthday, we had a fun evening driving through Seneca Creek State Park, which is only about 10 minutes from our house. We didn't have a trail map or anything, so mostly we just drove around. We stopped at this place to sit and talk, overlooking the lake. The park closed at sunset, so we headed to Ledo Pizza, which is said to be a local favorite. I personally didn't think it was all that amazing, but then again it's pretty hard to go wrong with pizza :)

20 Weeks- Half way there!

New Mercies

This has been a good learning week for me. Yesterday I tried to fill up my day to the brim; here's what my schedule looked like: Run in the morning, meet with a friend for a walk mid-morning, go to Target to get various things, come home and do all the chores that didn't get done from Monday, figure out for 2 hours how to refill ink cartridges (in the process squirting black ink all up my arm and on to one of my best shirts), take a nap (didn't happen), catch up on emails, catch up on phone calls, oops- forgot to eat lunch!, out to dinner with friends. The final result was a crying, heaping, tired mess of a pregnant woman who had a stomach ache from eating a steak dinner on an empty stomach. Thankfully I have a wonderful husband who was able to kindly walk me through my emotions and point me to the Cross. (I love you, buddy!) It's days like this that remind me that I need to rely completely and fully on the Lord for my every breath. I so rarely consult the Lord before mapping out my schedule for the day, and as a result I often try to fit more than He has planned for me. He has given me the perfect amount of time to get done what he has for me to do each day, no more, no less. That brings me much peace in the wake of a tumultous day. I am greatful for his arms of grace, my daily strength. May I not walk on blindly but learn from my errors- O that I would be quick to fall at the feet of my savior, ready and willing to do what HE has for me each day.

An Unexpected Visitor

We passed this cat in the parking lot last night, and when we looked out this afternoon, we saw him nice and cozy on our porch chair. We're such suckers for animals...I went and bought some cat food and fed him. So either we're taking care of a stray or stealing someone's pet. We'll see if he comes back around. :)