37 weeks

Wow! It seems like it has taken forever to get to "full-term!" I remember when I was 11 weeks in Guatemala (August) and I felt pregnant (which was silly), and that seems SO long ago!! And now that I am 37 weeks and 2 days (to be exact), it seems like time is going by ridiculously slow. I have felt so blessed to fully enjoy my pregnancy and loved most of it (minus the first few weeks and now the back pain), but it has all been worth it. But now with the due date less than 20 days away, I am so anxious to meet our little Ryan and to hold him in my arms. I went to the doctor today and he says that he doesn't think that the baby is going to come this week because my cervix is in the anterior position, but if I do a lot of walking, it should help...so what's the plan for this week...walk, walk, and walk some more! My pup is going to really enjoy the extra walks this week, and hopefully it will progress a little bit by next week. Even though I was a bit disappointed that I will have to wait a little longer, I do have a peace about God's timing, and He knows exactly when our little man is supposed to enter the world. I am praying for patience and also just motivation to enjoy these last couple weeks or so. God is good, and I am looking forward to the journey of what is to come.

Pregnancy Dreams

So, it is crazy how vivid dreams are during pregnancy. The past couple of weeks I have had really bad dreams about our sweet little dog Layla either running away, getting smashed (I know...awful), or just lost. They are so disturbing that I have to find her in the middle of the night and just hold her to calm myself down.

Well, last night was my first dream about labor. It was so crazy, that I just need to share. First of all, the timing was the present, so I was 34 weeks. My water broke, and I freaked out because we didn't have our hospital bag packed and none of the baby's clothes had been washed (things I have been thinking about because I am planning on doing all those next week). Then when we got to the hospital, it was a big warehouse where there weren't any private rooms. They were also overcrowded because of some sort of catastrophe that hit Fresno. So, the only place that they could put me was in this room where there were desks and a teacher was teaching some class on medicine. Also, to the side of me was The Well's youth group meeting place (all one big room). I kept thinking how I didn't want all these people see me give birth, but the doctor told me I didn't have a choice. I kept watching the students from the youth group dance and sing, and it was so embarrassing! I woke up before the baby actually came, and glad about that. I'm sure that this is just the start of crazy labor dreams.

I love being pregnant!

I know I kind of sound ridiculous, but being prego is one of the coolest experiences that I have ever had. It makes me think of how amazing God has created our bodies and how He is right now creating a child in His image in my womb.....it blows my mind! I also have always loved pregnant bellies (I know..I'm weird), and so I really do enjoy having a huge belly. At times it is a bit uncomfortable, and it is getting harder to get up off the couch, but the thought that there is a child in there growing is incredible. Here are some pics that one of my old high school girls took of Jason, me and baby. She is an aspiring photographer, and did an incredible job. Enjoy!

The start of blogging

Ok, so after reading a blog, I decided that I wanted to start a blog too...we'll see how good it is, but I am excited to be able to record the life adventures that God has for me (for us...my awesome husband and baby Ekk on the way). This morning I woke up around 7 am, which is pretty early, and I usually try to make myself sleep in until about 8, but I knew that if I went onto babycenter.com, it would say that today I am officially 28 weeks pregnant....and that means I am officially in my third trimester! Woot woot! (so I had to get up!) I have to say...this pregnancy has been such an amazing blessing. For those who know me, know that babies are somewhat of an obsession of mine and to have my own has been an intense dream and desire for a very long time. I really feel that when God created me, one of the main gifts that He gave me was the nurturing gift. So, with that to say, when I found out I was pregnant, it was a dream come true....it very much didn't feel real at the time, but as my little gift began to grow inside me and I can feel his (yes, its a boy!) little kicks, it is becoming more and more of a reality that we are given the opportunity to love and care for one of God's children, one that is ours! It's still a crazy thought for me....but so incredibly exciting at the same time! It has been a blessing to not have to work this year too....which I think has allowed me to fully enjoy this pregnancy. At times I do get a bit stir crazy, and my home has been kept very clean ;), but I honestly think that God gave me an enormous gift of being able to be at home and enjoy the quiet and to learn how to slow down and quiet my soul...something that was VERY hard for me to do...but I think will only help me when the baby does come. God has shown me so much over these past couple months and I think that I will always look back at this time as a very sweet and precious time of my life.

Another reason why I decided to start to blog is the chance that we may be moving away from our friends and family in less than a year as Jason is pursuing his dream of attending law school. I have to admit, there are times when the thought of leaving terrifies me. Fresno is my home, and my family here (which that includes my close friends) are treasures to me. I love living life in community, and the idea of growing old with these people is appealing to me. BUT...there are days, especially when I see the excitement and passion in Jason's eyes, that I get very excited and anticipatory of what the Lord has for us. As of right now, we have NO idea of where we can be. We can be in DC, which would be cool to live in the east coast and have so much to see and do (and I LOVE the cold), or Indiana (which I am kind of rooting for-it's the least expensive to live there, and its cold there too!) or Southern Ca-where we may be close to our dear friends Derrick and Laurel, and not too far from Fresno. Sooo...who knows. What I do know in my heart is that Christ didn't call us to live a comfortable life, and I am VERY comfortable in Fresno, and Jesus has given Jason desires and passions and gifts, and having a law degree will only open up so many doors to use those. I honestly do not know how we are going to do financially, but I know that the Lord provides and we are pursuing learning how to be good stewards of what God gives us now in anticipation for the future. We serve an Amazing God who has always taken care of us, and we have never had to go without. So, I know that if He leads us to law school, he will provide opportunities for us to survive. As I was reading my bible the other day, this verse popped out at me; "I will praise you O Lord my God, with all of my heart; I will glorify your name forever. For great is your love toward me, you have delivered me from the depths of the grave." Psalm 86:12-13. His love is great, and I certainly have been delivered from the depths of the grave...and am continually thankful.