Spring Is Here...

Happy First Day of Spring!!!

A Psalm for Your Day...

Today is such a beautiful day. The sun is shining and the weather is just perfect. I was reading this psalm and thought that I would share it with you. I especially like the last verse.

The heavens are telling of the glory of God;
And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.
Day to day pours forth speech,
And night to night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words;
Their voice is not heard.
Their line has gone out through all the earth,
And their utterances to the end of the world.
In them He has placed a tent for the sun,
Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber;
It rejoices as a strong man to run his course.
Its rising is from one end of the heavens,
And its circuit to the other end of them;
And there is nothing hidden from its heat.
The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul;
The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the LORD are true; they are righteous altogether.
They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover, by them Your servant is warned;
In keeping them there is great reward.
Who can discern his errors? Acquit me of hidden faults.
Also keep back Your servant from presumptuous sins;
Let them not rule over me;
Then I will be blameless,
And I shall be acquitted of great transgression.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.
~Psalms 19

Regaining Lost Time...

Well, I had another doctor's appointment yesterday. We had another ultrasound and everything is going well. We were actually able to see the umbilical cord and see the blood pulsing through it. Our little one is about an inch long now and has grown a great deal since my last ultrasound. Based on the ultrasound my doctor was able to set my due date for October 16th which means that I have regained the almost two weeks that felt I had lost a few weeks ago. I am now about 9 1/2 weeks along instead of 8 weeks. Here is a not so clear picture from yesterday's ultrasound (I still don't have the scanner hooked up).

The baby is on it's head.

I seem to have recovered from my bout with the croup. My nose is still a little stuffy but my DH said this morning that I have regained my color and look better than I have been looking. I hope to get a few things done around here today so that I can rest some later on this afternoon.

Hope your day is great!

Way Under the Weather...

I am sorry that my presence here at my own blog has been pretty nonexistent. I managed to catch the croup that the little boy I watch had. I hadn't been feeling very well all week and then on Thursday night it got way worse. I went to the doctor yesterday and he prescribed me a z-pack. I will hopefully be back to posting more next week. Until then, I will either be in bed next to the steamer/vaporizer or in the steamy shower trying to get my chest to quit hurting.

Hope that your week has gone well. I look forward to catching up with all of you next week.

A Little Bit of This and That....

I am sorry that I haven't really been posting that much recently. I have not been doing much to share about so I have found it kind of hard to write posts.

On Monday, we went to the doctors. She did an ultrasound and things have continued to develop. One of the big things that we were looking for was a fetal pole or a heartbeat. The first thing that we saw was a heartbeat. The moment that I saw it on the screen, the tears came. I was just so happy to see my little one and its little heartbeat. I go back in about 2 weeks for another ultrasound. I did start spotting again on Monday morning before my appointment and it got worse as the day went on. It is starting to lighten up some but I have done nothing but lay on my back for the last two days. It seems to be doing the trick so it is well worth it. I have two ultrasound pictures but the scanner isn't set up so I can't post a picture of them. We will know after my next appointment when due date will be. My doctor is saying the later third of October which puts me about 6 1/2 weeks along.

While my mom was here she helped me decorate for spring. I have been dying to take some pictures but my house is quite cluttered right now. Maybe sometime this weekend I will be able to take some pictures. I have some new spring decorations that I bought last year after season and I really like what my mom did with them.

The little boy that I watch, J., has been in the hospital twice in a little over a week. Last May he got the croup and had to go into the hospital. Well last Monday he spent the whole day and night in the hospital and yesterday he was readmitted to undergo breathing treatments because he has the croup again. He was released last night and he may or may not be coming over thins afternoon. Hopefully he will get to feeling better soon.

For dinner we are having cubed steak, mashed potatoes, broccoli, and salad. It is one of my DH's favorite meals.

Hope your day is great!

This March Before Us...

Happy March to you! I just love this month because all of the spring green is starting to pop up everywhere and the weather is just right, not to hot and not too cold.

I don't think that we have a whole lot going on this month. We are currently going through the Truth Project with our church and will be doing that once a week for the remainder of the month. I am learning so much.

My mom will be coming out in about three weeks. Yeah!!! She is coming for maybe a week. It will be so fun for her to be here.

I have been feeling kinda' nauseated the last couple of days. I am not sure if it is from pregnancy or not. Either way, I am not complaining because if it is from pregnancy than that means that my hormones are doing what they are supposed to do. It is funny because morning I was thinking about how good an Olive Garden salad and some lasagna would be. So, my DH took me out for lunch instead of eating something at the house. I ate salad and it tasted really good. But, when they brought my lasagna out, I looked at it and thought YUCK. There is no way that I can eat that. Weird I know!

My DH has to go out of town for his work this month. Since it is going to be an overnight trip, I am going to join him. I am not sure what I am going to do while he is occupied, but we are going to eat at P.F. Chang's and I am really looking forward to that.

This month, I really want to start getting projects finished that fill up my sewing room closet. My sewing room will be a nursery when the baby comes and I need to downsize all of my fabrics by a large amount. I am almost finished with my DH's scarf. Hopefully I will finish it this week and then I will share a picture of it.

Nothing else is going on that I can think of this month. How about you? Do you have anything fun or exciting happening this month?

A February Past Us...

February was here and now it is almost gone. Goodness! I was trying to think about what to post about and then I looked at the calender. A monthly summary was now due.

So this month...has flown by and has crept ever so slowly by. The first week of the month was nothing special, we were just working away on our kitchen. Then on the 8th, I took a test that changed my life. Unlike the probably fifty pregnancy test I have taken over the last two years, I finally had TWO lines show up. Praise the Lord! As of today (we think I am) six weeks pregnant. No spotting for two weeks now and an ultrasound on Monday to see how things are progressing.

My mom spent about a week here with us as I did nothing but lay around. She was such a tremendous help. She visited with me, helped me at the grocery, cooked, cleaned, and straightened. I had such a great time with her here and it was so sad to see her leave.

We did finish our kitchen "renovation" this month (well, except for a lone cabinet pull that we don't have yet). I have cooked in it a little bit, just enough to know that I really like it.

I have watched a ton of chick flicks over the last few weeks. One of my good friends brought over her whole collection to keep my mind occupied, I have watched about half of them I think. Some of the ones I really liked were Princess Diaries, Penelope, Sleepless in Seattle, and Runaway Bride.

This month I worked on a logo for my dad. He is growing Heirloom tomatoes this spring and selling them at the local plant shows. I designed a logo for him.
I feel that this month has been kind of a roller coaster trying to go with what comes at us. God has granted us the wonderful gift that we have been praying for. Now, we just continue to pray that God will keep our little one safe and healthy.

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us."
~Ephesians 3:20

Chicken Alfredo Pizza...

While my mom was here she shared a recipe for a pizza that she has been making recently. While she was here she made it for us to try. A couple of days later, I asked her if she would make it again. On Friday night, my DH made it for us again. The recipe is originally from Cooking Light. However, we have made tweaked it some to fit our tastes. So, I thought that I would share the recipe that is really tasty yet easy to make.

Chicken Alfredo Pizza

(Picture from Cooking Light)

• 1 large bag of fresh spinach, washed
  
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken breasts or rotisserie chicken
  
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 garlic clove, halved
• 1 (1-pound) Thin pizza crust
  
• 1/2 cup light Alfredo sauce (I used Classico)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Preheat oven to 450°.

Saute spinach in a saucepan in some olive oil just until wilted.

Combine the sauted spinach and the next four ingredients; toss well. Rub cut sides of garlic over crust; discard garlic. Spread Alfredo sauce evenly over crust; top with chicken mixture. Sprinkle with cheese and red pepper. Bake at 450° for 12 minutes or until crust is crisp. Cut into 6 wedges.

Enjoy!

My God of Peace and Timing...

I bought the book Prayers for New & Expectant Moms over a year ago at the local Christian bookstore. On the Sunday that I found out I was pregnant I asked my DH to find it. In it was a prayer that addressed my fears of the day. I thought about the book earlier but thought "I have already read what it has to say about where I am today". But as I was praying today, I felt like God was saying "Read that section again". I reread the prayer that I read almost two weeks ago and as I tearfully came to a place of peace and rest I was in amazed by God. I just thought I would share the prayer just to show you how AWESOME God is.

"Dear Lord, can I endure another tragic loss? I don't believe I am able to shoulder the burden of another miscarriage. I cannot go back to that place of grieving again. Lord, you will have to meet me right where I stand--now, even at this very moment. I do not want this burden upon me any longer. I am un a stranglehold of consuming fear and do not know how to free myself from it. Hold my heart, my soul, in your able hands. Regard me as one who is immeasurably weak and frail and unable to handle the strain of living with such sorrow. Lord, I need you as never before. I am helpless and stagnant without your steadying hand of strength. Bestow your grace upon me, I plead. Even my heart is unstable, conflicted, and filled with worrisome thoughts. Lead me to a place that is safe and secure.

Shelter me, Lord, from the torment and instruct my heart in your ways. Give me new vision for life. Help me see past all the agonies of these losses and give me your grace to place them in your hands. Safe keep all my hopes and desires for a family, Lord. And temper these longings with the overarching desire to live the life you've planned for mewith resolve and courage. Shoulder me up through these coming weeks and months with your precious promises of mercy and peace and the joy of Your fellowship. Let me not drift from your love; kepp me close, and minister to my broken heart. I know that you love me. I trust your soveriegn reign over all things. Yet, I'll never understand the whys behind so many of my hearts questions. Beyond my unanswered pleas, Lord, lead me to a place what is higher than where I am now. Lead me home to you even as I walk in faith through this pregnancy. Amen."

~Prayer is from Prayers for New & Expectant Moms by Michele Howe

The Thoughts in my Mind...

Fridays just seem to be popping up every time I turn around. I just can't believe that a whole new week has passed.

I have spent most of my days hanging out on the couch. I picked up a knitting project that I started for over two years ago. I am trying to get projects that I have started completed before our little one arrives.

I haven't spotted since last Saturday and I went to the doctor yesterday for another ultrasound. She saw the yolk sack which was good. She didn't see anything else which makes her think that I found out I was pregnant really, really early and that I am only 4 to 4 1/2 weeks along instead of almost 6 weeks. The doctor gave me a picture of the ultrasound and if I had a scanner, the picture would be at the top of this post.

To be honest, in my mind I feel kinda' confused/discouraged/slightly lost, if that makes sense. In many ways I feel like we (my DH, myself, and our little one) took two HUMONGOUS steps back. For one, I am in the same place (as far as the timeline is concerned) that we thought we were almost two weeks ago. This makes me feel kinda' discouraged because the completion of the first trimester is such a big deal and I feel like we haven't made any progress towards it. Secondly, when I miscarried before, the tests that they ran led them to the conclusion that everything had basically stopped developing about the time that I found out I was pregnant, it just took my body several weeks to figure that out. In the back (actually, I should say front and center) of my mind, is the rememberance of this and the thought that maybe the same thing is happening this time. My doctor didn't say anything negative, I just don't know if she isn't telling me all of her concerns (which I understand may be a good thing).

I say all of this to ask you to please continue to pray for us. For me, please pray that my mind does not get the better of me, that I will be able to rest in Him even when my mind is doing circles. I have ten days until my next ultra sound and I need to be positive until we find out I should think otherwise. I really don't need to stress about it for 10 days. For my DH, pray that he will not be discouraged either. We have both prayed that God would bless us with a baby for a couple of years now and I know that he is just as nervous as I am. For the baby, pray that things will continue to develop and that everything will progress smoothly.

I have recieved several comments about people praying for us all over the country and the world. For this, I am extremely thankful. I appreciate your lifting our little family up to God because being in His hands is the best place to be.

Jehovah is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; My God, my rock, in whom I will take refuge; My shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower.
~Psalm 18:2