Part Time

I am officially a part time employee for the next month-- and it feels so good! My 6 1/2 years at Amnion has truly been an amazing journey of growth and a tremendous gift... and while it has often felt like my "identity", I couldn't be more ready to transition out of it (come April 1st). I love how God does that -- prepares our hearts for what He has planned. Timing is everything, and as a change-resistant person, I am always so thankful when things seem to just fall into place in just the right amount of time. I am actually ready to go!
If I were meant to continue in this line of work, I believe my desire/drive for it would have remained as intense as it once was. And the concrete fact that I am becoming a mother is really a good sign that I am meant to begin a new chapter, one that doesn't involve the same kind of ministry and/or investment. It is no less and no better than my previous assignment-- it is just different. A new and welcome (and somewhat terrifying) season! And while being the Relationship Educator was a passion and a privilege, it really was not my identity. A wise woman once said that if our identity remains in Christ, then our assignment can change at any given moment and we won't be thrown off course. I want to remember this as I begin this journey of motherhood. I want to invest fully in what God has for me as a wife and mom, but be diligent about remembering where my true identity lies. Someday my kids will grow up and move on-- someday my husband may leave this life before i do. And while those transitions will be difficult, I don't want to find myself grieving the loss of "who I am" based on "what I do". I have heard that many women find themselves at a loss for meaning/purpose when their children leave for college. Definitely a time of evaluation and even perhaps of grief, but I don't want to feel lost. Yes, the next couple of decades will be an intense and consuming assignment-- but I want my goal to remain the same-- to remember that who I am is a child of God, and what I do in that identity is daily and hourly up to Him. Whether doing the laundry, changing a diaper, or counseling a teen, full time or part time, may my true identity shine through...

Babymoon

On the airplane ride home, we found an article in the US Airways magazine, in the seat pocket in front of us, on Babymoons-- the honeymoon-esque vacation you take right before the baby comes and ruins your chances of ever having a carefree getaway again! (carefree being the operative word)
And that's just what it was-- a carefree time of relaxation and lots of sunshine! It really was about 85 degrees every day (sometimes a bit warmer), with cool ocean breezes (near the ocean), and plenty of open-air restaurants to sit and take in the fresh salt air! I'll let the slideshow say the proverbial 1000 words (just click on it to enlarge)... but it was definitely a wonderful memory-- both with the fam, and with each other--
We loved our little Bed and Breakfast, in the home of a lovely British woman who was a Jehovah's Witness and a Talent Agent -- which definitely led to some interesting conversations! The Wedding itself was an extravagant experience, and the food and ambiance at the Biltmore Hotel were truly elegant. I got to meet Dave's grandmother too, who lives in FL and couldn't make it up to PA for our wedding.
The best part was just getting away to rest and refresh-- and coming home with a tan wasn't so bad either ;) ...

29 + 29 equals 85!

29 weeks at 29 years old!
29 + 29 = 58
58 backwards is 85
85 degrees is how warm it's supposed to be in Coral Gables, Florida this weekend... which is where we're headed in a couple of hours...!!!
Dave's brother is getting married on Saturday at the Biltmore Hotel, outside, in a garden! I can't wait to be in the sunshine!! It is one of my favorite things-- especially in the middle of winter! We are staying at a small, one-room Bed and Breakfast a few miles away, and have decided to make this our last "just the two of us" excursion -- staying till tuesday!
My plan? To dig a hole in the sand and lie on my belly for a couple of days! I so miss being a stomach sleeper these last few months. Sleeping is getting more and more difficult now that i'm in trimester 3, so hopefully a little cat nap, on my tummy, in the sunshine (of course with a good sunscreen lather) will be a total luxury!
I'm determined to remember the camera this time AND to remember to take a lot of pics.
Especially since I get to wear one of my bridesmaid's dresses from my own wedding! (Thanks to Lauren, who was just about as pregnant then as I am now) :)
I tried it on yesterday and it JUST fits over my freshly gained 6 more pounds :) (i had a dr. appt. this morning) .... So that should be fun...
Well, if you're reading this, enjoy the snow for us!! Ha ha...

a girly weekend

Yesterday was a back-to-back girl fest! I'm always intending to bring my camera, but somehow even when i do, i forget to capture the moment. Hopefully someone will send me one and i can post it...
Saturday morning brunch is becoming a tradition, bridging the gap between some of my best single and married girlfriends. We've only done it twice, but it's already been a fun blessing, as we are taking turns hosting...which is super easy... All that's required is that you come in your p.j.'s and if you're so inclined, BYFBT (Bring Your Favorite Breakfast Treat). No agenda, just hanging out and catching up-- what girls do best!
Saturday afternoon I drove with good friend Al and her husband to Sea Isle City to catch up with my old high school gang of girls (and their moms!) at an engagement party. It's so fascinating to me that we are all grown up, getting married, having babies, and yet can reminisce about the wonder years we all experienced together. While our conversations have evolved from boys and homework to wedding venues and baby names, our times together are always something I look forward to. We live in different places now, so it's actually a great idea-- all this marrying and babying-- or we probably wouldn't get to see each other and be reminded of the beautiful (and not so beautiful) passages of life we have gone through together. It's extra special, and i think probably rather rare, that our moms are always in on it too-- though mine had to miss out this time - :( - due to her knee surgery. (we missed you, Mama! Get well soon!)
All this girliness has left me napping the afternoon away today, which has been a true delight in and of itself-- there's no tired like pregnancy tired! And there's nothing like a great snooze with a light rainfall outside to start your week...

Happy Valentine's Day

Here are our brownie hearts that we used to announce that we were pregnant back in the Fall. I thought I'd pull them out again for Valentine's since they're so... love-ly. :)
Dave made dinner tonight-- if you call picking up yummy food from Macaroni Grille "making dinner"-- which, hey, I do! He surprised me with lobster ravioli in a sweet cream sauce-- sooo good! And their bread is the best thing ever invented!! And i'm not just saying that cuz i'm pregnant...
Speaking of which, I think I grew a LOT the past few days. My ribs have been aching, and I had someone tell me today that I am as big as she was at 9 months. That was nice and encouraging! Fortunately an hour later I had a guy guess that I was due in May. THANK you! Although I can't imagine how I'm going to make it to May, already being this big and uncomfortable! yikes! I am hoping that my body adjusts over the next few weeks, but I have a feeling it's all downhill from here in terms of discomfort. I'll try my best not to complain TOO much! :) i'm not the greatest when it comes to pain tolerance ... which should make labor extra super-fun!
Speaking of pain tolerance, my poor mom had her knee replaced yesterday. She's in a lot of pain and the hardest times are yet to come, as she begins rehab in a couple days. If you think of it, say a prayer for her! She's determined to be able to run after grandchildren by May, which was her total incentive for taking this plunge. She's a Super Gramma already!

Restless Night

From about 1-2 a.m. we were awoken every few minutes by what sounded like ricocheting gunshots... since that's not really the norm on the back roads of West Chester, we quickly ruled that out. The house wasn't shaking, so we were pretty sure it wasn't the usual limbs falling from our gargantuan Poplar trees that have been swaying ominously above our little house. After a few scary rounds, we realized it sounded like sheets of ice, either falling from limbs in the rain, or sliding down our roof as the rain loosened them... It was pouring like crazy.
Suddenly at 2:30 we were wakened by dripping sounds. Dave jumped out of bed and turned on the light, revealing a foot-long crack in our ceiling (fortunately to the right of our bed, and not directly above our bed!).
It was one of those "Oh my goodness, what do we do?" moments, where you can't think clearly b/c it's 2:30 in the morning and your ceiling's dripping.
For those of you who read about our fountaining chandelier, you're probably thinking, "Um, you probably should have had the roof replaced by now, Genius!" ...I think that thought was somewhere in the back of our minds around 2:33, as we were scrambling to get a plastic trashcan from the basement and clear all the clothes from the vicinity (don't tell mom). It's funny how in those moments, even though I trust my husband and it really wasn't a true emergency, I have this overwhelming urge to pick up the phone and call my dad-- not that he could do ANYthing about it, but somehow that feels like it will always be built into me.
Once Dave had visited the attic and discovered that the same blocked off part where the mouse was digging was the same part where the leak was, and after he had gone outside in the ice and rain to investigate the roof (which was nearly impossible due to the darkness, ice, and tree that grows over the edge of our roof), his suggestion was that we go back to sleep. Ha! As if I could do that, with images of our ceiling collapsing on us now running through my mind.
I got online and googled "emergency roofer, west chester"-- just in case the worst came true-- which it did not (thank the Good Lord)... I only dreamed about it coming true as I slept fitfully for the next 4 hours or so, often waking up thinking that there was dripping coming from every corner of the room...
Called the roofer at 8 a.m. (we DID get an estimate since the chandelier incident!)-- and he said he could come over as soon as all the ice melts, so he doesn't fall off the roof... talk about Genius!
All of the schools around here are closed... It's now 9:30 a.m. and I am ready for a nap!
Perhaps it will be another "work from home" day!
Here's to procrastinating on home projects!

It's real!

I got the crib bedding I have been wanting today, from my parents, for my bday! It made it so much more real that this is actually happening!

We're having a baby!!!! And these are his things! It is the cutest pattern, and all of the animals on it are plush and 3D. I love it just as much as I did when I saw it online-- and of course it's even better in person. It helps me to have incentive now to get a move on things...

My grandmother gave me a cute little blue outfit for Bruno -- and that made it even MORE real. To picture him in it a few months from now! He is already so loved and he isn't even here to know it!