Motherhood

I have now entered the wonderful world of Motherhood. Our house has been taken over with baby equipment, laundry, breast pumps, and the sounds of our sweet girl. Everyday I look at her and I am overwhelmed with love and amazement. She is such a blessing! I know every parent thinks their child is the cutest and sweetest, but I think she takes the cake! She really is the easiest little baby.

Here is a glimpse at some of my favorite things about Avalynn:
1. Her eyes.
2. The way she touches me when she is eating.
3. When she crinkles her nose up when she eats.
4. The way she looks at me when I talk to her.
5. Her little grunts when she is waking up.
6. The way she looks at Josiah.
7. If she is fussy and someone hands her back to me, she calms down.
8. How observant she is.
9. Her new adorable coos.
10. Ummm...ok everything!

Josiah and I recently decided I needed to go back to work. I was pretty upset because I had always wanted to be a stay at home mom. And once Avalynn arrived the desire to stay home was even greater. So I started to look for ways I could stay home at least part time. Putting pen to paper it seemed that was the best option considering how expensive daycare is for infant care.
I finally decided to give it completely over to God and let whatever came my way be what was best for my family.
So yesterday I finally heard back from work. They said they didn't have a spot for Avalynn until May. Considering I didn't have any other arrangements for her, I offered to work part time. Luckily I have a mother-in-law who can watch her in the afternoon while I work. But this is what I wanted. I will get to stay home with her half the day, she will get to be with her Granny, and we won't have to pay for childcare. So really it was a answer to my prayers.

I am constantly thinking of the scripture Proverbs 3:5-6. I am learning daily to trust in him with ALL my heart. Thankfully he has been very loving in teaching me this lesson.

Avalynn's Birth Story

Our little girl will be two weeks old tomorrow. It is unreal to think not too long ago I was still pregnant and our little girl remained a mystery. She is such a blessing. There are times I look at her and I can't imagine what it was like when she wasn't here. It seems she has always been here with us, which I believe she was, it was just deep in our hearts.

Her birth story began Monday, October 11, 2010. I woke up and had a leisure morning, sipping coffee and watching TV with my sister. I called my doctor to see if I could move my appointment to an earlier time, since my sister had to get back to Memphis after missing class for a few days. Also on that day I was feeling a little down so I decided to get dressed up a bit to lift my spirits. After dressing sassy and many failed attempts to curl my hair, I put the finishing touches on my outfit and Allison and I met Mama and the parents at Chick-Fil-A.

After the delicious meal, my mom and sister left to go to my doctor's appointment. My mother-in-law met us there and we waited and waited and waited to see the doctor. This was the longest time I have ever waited. The hold up was the sonogram tech was backed up with patients. Since we were delayed the nurse took me back to get hooked up to the monitors. This was to monitor the baby's heart rate and to measure any contractions I was having. Everything on the monitor was great.

Then I met with my midwife and everything looked great. We discussed her stripping my membranes to hopefully trigger the beginning of labor in 48 hours. Then I met with the sonogram tech who checked to see how my fluid levels were since I was 40 weeks. The tech asked if I needed to go to the restroom, which of course I did, and asked me to come back when I was done. When I came back my midwife was there and I could tell something was going on, but I didn't feel afraid. The first thing my midwife said was, "Your baby is naughty." We kinda laughed and I asked what was going on. She explained my fluid levels were very low. She explained they prefer your levels to be at the lowest a 5, which my levels were at 2.5. So we needed to get the show on the road.

I asked her if I could bring my support team back so they could hear all the details and also I didn't know if I could relay all the details with a clear mind. So as my team came back she explained what the situation was in a very calm and clear manner. I never felt scared, but the reality of my baby needing to come now was starting to overwhelm me. I just wanted to know she was going to be fine. As we were walking out of the doctor's office it was like a wave of emotions came over me. Thankfully I did have my team there to help talk me through it and assure me everything was going to be ok.

I called Josiah at work to give him an update, he was just like what you would picture a nervous and excited soon to be daddy would react like. I got into my hospital room and things started to progress by themselves. Then my midwife came in to break my water, or what was left of my bag of water, and it was in a matter of minutes it seemed when labor really started to progress.

Since Josiah and I had decided to have a natural labor and birth we were able to walk the halls to help keep labor progressing, get in the birthing tub, and use the birthing ball (yoga ball) to help me get into comfortable positions. I did all of these and much more positions to help me be comfortable. It was definitely hard, but I was determined. There was only one time when I thought I couldn't do it, but thankfully I had a great husband as a coach who helped push me through it.

It seemed time had stood still. I was thankful I had no concept of time. Especially when I found out I had pushed for three hours. But when Avalynn did arrive it was all worth it! It was like an electrical surge had gone through my body. I was so thrilled I did it! The first words out of my mouth were, "Mom, Mom, I did it!" I was so thankful my mom was able to experience the whole experience with me.

There is no way I could have done this amazing fete without all the people who helped me. I am so thankful for the team at the hospital. They were so supportive through labor and helped Josiah and I accomplish our goal of a natural birth. My midwife was also amazing. She was there through the whole process. She helped Josiah know what would help me be comfortable and guided us through the hours of labor. Knowing she was laboring with us was comforting.
Also my mother-in-law was such a great assistant coach. She helped make sure I was comfortable and Josiah was comfortable. Also she was constantly assuring me I was doing a great job.

And last but certainly not least, my amazing coach, Josiah. He was definitely my rock through this. He was there by my side the whole time. He was constantly assuring me I was doing a great job, massaging me, telling me to relax my body, to breathe, feeding me ice chips, etc. When Avalynn came he was just as relieved as I was.

So we now have our little girl here and would like for you to continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we go through new experiences of being a family of three. Keep posted for new and exciting updates of our new journey of being a parent.

Due Date

Today is suppose to be the big day. But unfortunately there seems to be no sign of activity. I didn't think I was going to be one of those women who can't stand to be pregnant anymore, but sign me up I AM!! I am just so over this state of being. It is not because I am uncomfortable or anything like that, I just want to meet my baby!

Yesterday I told everyone I feel like I am going to be pregnant forever. I feel I am never going to meet this person who has been growing inside me. It almost makes me ask the question- "am I really pregnant, or is this just a weird state of being?"

I guess I didn't think I would go past my due date. Everything seemed to point to her coming on time or a little early. But babies will be babies and choose when to come no matter what you circle on the calendar.

I did experience a big tease Tuesday and Wednesday. I had contractions all day Tuesday, but nothing that blew me away. Then into the night the contractions grew stronger, and we ended up going to the hospital around 4:30 am. They hooked me up to the monitors and everything was going good. I was told to walk for an hour to see if I would dilate more, to see if this was real labor. So after walking for an hour, the contractions slowed down and I did not dilate any more. We went home and I was exhausted. As the day went on my contractions went away. Needless to say it was false labor.
But my parents decided to head down from Memphis that night just in case anymore activity happened.

I have enjoyed having them around. It has kept me busy, but I am putting the pressure on myself to have this baby. But little Miss will come when she wants. I would rather her come when she is ready, then be forced to come. I just desire to hold her and see what she looks like. I am anxiously awaiting her arrival.

Please continue to pray for Avalynn and me. Pray she comes soon, but ultimately is a healthy and precious baby. Keep posted for more updates.

The Waiting Game

Cue the Jeopardy theme song. That is the way I am feeling these days. I am feeling like a walking time bomb...I could go off at any moment, sort of speak. People have been real supportive and have checked on me daily, which has been great.

I have been blessed with feeling great throughout this pregnancy. The only complication I have encountered has been a pinched sciatic nerve which flared up around the 23rd week and 37th week. It was really difficult to deal the second time considering I was carrying more weight and getting around a little slower than usual as it was. So I went to visit the chiropractor and it definitely helped. But she suggested to begin my maternity leave considering my job involves a lot of bending and picking up the kiddos. That was definitely difficult for me because I wasn't prepared to take my leave that early, but I am glad I am able to take some time for myself.

I am learning to adjust being at home. I am still getting into trouble by trying to do all the things that I use to do. I can do them, but I have to take lots of breaks in between. I just can't allow myself to go like the energizer bunny like I am use to. Josiah has been great about trying to slow me down, although sometimes I put up a fight.

We are so excited to meet our little girl! We are hoping she decides to come soon, we just can't wait! I went to the doctor today and she said everything still looks good. I am still dilated to a 2-3, and my cervix is 70% thinned out. Avalynn is very low, which is the right position to be in.
Our due date is the 10th, so I am thinking she is holding out for an awesome birthday, 10.10.10. But if she doesn't come by next week I will go to the doctor Monday and have a stress test, and sonogram to make sure fluid levels are good and everything else is good. If all looks good I will go twice a week. Since I have a midwife she will let me go up to two weeks past the due date. But if Avalynn decides to stay cookin for too long the induction day will be the 21st.

So the waiting game continues on. Only Avalynn can decide when she is ready to meet her new world. Please continue to pray for us as we wait on our little one.

Final Countdown

A lot has happened since the last posting. I guess I have been tied up trying to get everything in order for our little girl. It is been a whirlwind of activity for sure. We have put together her room slowly the past months. It is still a small work in progress. Mostly I just need to do some last minute organizing. Here are a few pictures of her room a few weeks ago before we added some items.

We also traveled to Memphis for a baby shower that my mother and her friends gave us. That was an "adventure" in itself. We had to adjust our plans for traveling because of a job interview Josiah had. Which ended up being a great blessing. So he has since changed jobs and is now working for the Shawnee Mission School District teaching 3rd grade. This was such a blessing! We are now going to be eligible for great insurance beginning October 1. So we have a little joke going that Avalynn is not allowed to come until after the 1st.

My Mama and Mimi

Ladies of the family

Last week my mother-in-law Susan gave me a baby shower. I was thrilled when my parents decided to come to Kansas and be a part of this celebration. It was nice to be able to show them around town a little, and have them see what preparations I have done for Avalynn. It was bittersweet when my parents left to think the next time I see them it will be for Avalynn's arrival.

My two moms

Susan's diaper cake she made

So now we begin the waiting game. I have begun weekly visits to the doctor. She seems to think Avalynn will be here early if not on time. So keep us in your prayers as we will begin a brand new chapter in our lives as parents.

Woman and Man

Lately I have been contemplating the difference between a woman and a man's brain. Not the brain as in the organ, but the mind. What was God thinking when he made a man the way he is and a woman the way she is? Why are we so different, but yet so much the same?
We can be the same in our likes, dislikes, dreams, desires, etc. What makes us different is the way we pursue these.
I have noticed how my mind has begun the morphing process of preparing to be a mother. There are things I never would have been interested in til now, and things I don't desire now. My drive towards certain goals are much stronger than they use to be, and then there are issues I don't even go there with I may have harped on before.
And then there are times when I feel I don't know who this new person is anymore, because of these changes. I was beginning to feel a little depressed about this change, but then I am reminded of the blessing in disguise. I am transforming into a new person, but deep down I am still Bethany. Most of the "new Bethany" I am dealing with now is one who is beefed up on hormones, low energy, and a one track mind. I know in time some of this will vanish and I guess some will stay. Learning to be the Bethany I am deep inside and the new Bethany will be the struggle. I am going to have to learn to mesh these two personalities into one with time, patience and support from people around me.

But what about man? What happens to a man when his wife is dealing with these struggles? I have a very loving and supportive husband, thank goodness, but what is going on with him? Is he going through the same things? Is he morphing into a new person, or is he so busy trying to appease the "new" wife he hasn't been able to focus on himself? I can see little things here and there with Josiah, but I think his real transformation is going to be when our daughter enters this world. See for me I have the constant reminder of our impending addition, through heart burn, kicks and jabs, sleepless nights etc. But for him I believe it's going to be with the wonderful gift of holding and seeing our Avalynn.

What do you think? Have you noticed a change in yourself? When was the moment of change for your husband, or for you? Have you embraced the new you? Are you looking forward to transforming into the new you if you have not already done so?

Preparing for baby

The countdown has begun. We are getting closer and closer to the day that we will meet our precious baby girl. And we have yet to begin getting the room together or gathering the "stuff" which comes along with this new addition.
We do plan on beginning the process come August. I am having my first baby shower in Memphis, August 21st. And the next shower is in Kansas not until September. So I guess depending on what we get at these showers depends on how the room turns out. I am super excited about seeing all the cute and yes, lots of pink things. I am not a pink type of girl, but I have to say it is definitely growing on me.
One thing I have done is ordered the baby bedding. I had a hard time finding something I really liked, but my mom showed me this website and fell in love with this bedding.
I am going to add a green sage for an accent color. I can't wait until it comes in. I think once we start getting big items like this it will start to feel real!


We also finally registered at Babies R Us. There are still some things I would like to add to the registry, but at least we got it started. A couple of people have asked if we are going to register anywhere else and I don't think we are. We pretty much covered all the bases at Babies R Us.

So according to my ticker above my blog we have 84 days! So much to do, but excited about the process.

The number 3

This weekend I have enjoyed a relaxing time with my sweetie. We used this weekend to celebrate our third wedding anniversary. Josiah set up a prenatal massage for me, which was amazing. Then we went to a hotel and got ready for dinner. We found an upscale soul food restaurant in the heart of downtown. It had live jazz music and I was able to get some food close to my heart. Our dinner consisted of a starter of fried green tomatoes and fried okra. Then we had these amazing sweet potato cornbread rolls. I am definitely going to have to find a recipe for those, especially for the holidays. Then my dinner was fried chicken, baked macaroni and cheese and my favorite, collard greens! Yes I am very southern! Josiah had fried catfish, candied yams, and baked macaroni also. You may think that these dishes should be sold on paper plates, but it was nice to eat comfort food in an elegant environment. Then to top off the dinner of course Josiah had to get the bread pudding.

It was such a nice and relaxing weekend. We both needed it.
But of course our weekend wouldn't be complete without some drama. While we were eating our breakfast our hotel started to flood. It started with some water in the lower level where we were eating. Then in the hallway the water started come in fast. Then we heard that the parking lot was flooding. So Josiah went to go move our car, and he said if we were going to get out we needed to leave. As we were leaving we saw the full flooding damage. The street our hotel was on was completely under water. It was bizarre. So it cut our time short, but we got home fine.

Yesterday when I was relaxing for my massage I realized that three months from yesterday is our due date. We have three months to prepare for our little Avalynn's entrance into our world. Wow! I can't believe the countdown has really begun. We have so much to do. We haven't even registered, started the room, or done one thing toward preparing for her. If you know me, this is not like me. I usually have everything ready way in advance. But I think this pregnancy is teaching me to slow down. Hopefully we will get a start on some of it soon.

The number 3 is also significant because in a short amount of time the two of us will be the three of us. We will have a big change in our life. If we want to go out to eat we will have a car seat with us. If we want to go out of town we will have to plan how to travel with a baby. I am looking forward to having our new addition, but it will now be the three of us. Reality is really settling in. I am looking forward to this exciting adjustment in our life.

New Best Friend

When Josiah and I moved to Kansas from Tennessee I knew I would encounter the obstacle of finding and building friendships. We have been here for a year and three months and I still feel like I am brand new to the city. There are times that I wish I could hang out with a friend, and then I think about who I will call, and I end up doing a blank stare at the phone.

There have been people at work that I have been able to build relationships with, but life always gets in the way and moves that person away. Also considering everyone has their own agenda trying to organize a time to get together seems to be difficult.

There is a friend I can rely on. This may seem sad, but I can always depend on my trusty old friend, The Food Network. I always look forward to the time that I get alone with this friend. This friend teaches me things about myself, and always sends me to some exciting place I have never been. But lately this friend has had too many filler shows. This friendship like most I have encountered reached a bump in the road of becoming dull and a little boring.
Then I met someone new, a family member to The Food Network, The Cooking Channel. This friend and I have spent lots of quality time the past week. With Josiah gone mid week through the weekend on baseball duties, I have been calling on this friend a lot. This new relationship has been very exciting. I am learning so much. The one thing I have enjoyed about this relationship is the ever changing personalities. There has been something to keep my attention all through the day, unlike my other friend who will lose my attention mid day.

So if you are needing a new friend yourself, feel free to call on my new friend. Let me know what you think. What is your favorite aspect of this friendship?

A point in the right direction

The past year I have been dealing with what direction life is going to take me. And through this year I have had lots of peep holes into what my future will look like. Some peep holes show very encouraging progress and some have been a closing door. Not to say that these closing doors were not encouraging, but they took some getting use to.

One of the major turning points in my life has definitely been the new addition to our family. It has turned my perspective to long turn satisfactions and not selfish momentary fulfilment. I am excited about the upcoming changes our family is going through, although at times I get very overwhelmed.
Thankfully I have been surrounded by people who have been able to give me advice and helped point me in the direction I need to go. And sometimes that advice makes me mad, and sometimes that advice makes me silent and reflective. But I am learning it doesn't matter what I want to hear, it is what I need to hear 99.9% of the time.

One example is last week I was feeling very overwhelmed with all the new "things" a baby changes in your life. There is the financial, emotional,and spacial needs and fears which comes along once the time of the baby's arrival gets closer and closer. So I decided I would text my mom and somewhat vent to her, hoping to get some sympathy out of her. Did my mom cuddle me over the phone and tell me all the things I wanted to hear? No. She told me " you need to read Philippians 4:6-9." So I complained and just shook my head in frustration. But once I took a deep breath, I realized it was the perfect advice for my freak out session.

Another example is today Josiah and I were eating lunch out. We were chatting about our usual things, jobs, hobbies, life....when I decided to take the conversation to one specific topic. At the end of my say in this topic I said, "I feel the door is beginning to close, but I am still waiting for a better sign before I completely close the door on this situation." We sat in silence for a few moments and then Josiah said something that was exactly "the sign" I needed to hear. He went on to explain a flash of a vision he was just given. He described a cartoon drawing of me pushing this massive door closed with all my might, but there was still a tiny gap which prevented it from being closed. On the other side of the door was a hand who only had their index finger pushing on the door, which then made it close. This picture showed me that I was trying and trying with all my might to push this chapter in my life closed, but I was in a way waiting for the other person to help me close it. But all the other person had to do was use their index finger, no strength, to close the door. And this is how the situation really is. I am trying with all my strength and power to prove to someone what I can do, but they are not ready or willing to listen. Wow! I would say there is my sign I have been waiting for.

I have been waiting for flashing lights and honking horns to get my attention to these certain chapters in my life. But God has sent me people along the way with words of wisdom, and cartoon visions to point me in the right direction. I am thankful to all the many people who have prayed for me to find my place in this world. I ask that you continue to pray I be accepting to the words and directions which God is leading me to.

Thank heaven for little girls!

20 weeks 2 days

Josiah and I found out May 25th we will be parents to a little girl. We are very excited to finally be able to call our baby by her name and prepare for her. It was quite a surprise for us though. We were both convinced along with our family and friends that we would have a boy. But God knew what he was doing when he planned for us to have a girl.

Our family is super excited to have another "little princess" in the family. Her name will be Avalynn Adair Enyart. We picked the name Avalynn after my grandmother, Evelyn. I have always liked the name Ava and considering it is in the top 5 girl names I started to rethink the name. Adair is in honor of Josiah's lovely sister's, Danielle, middle name. Josiah and I have put a lot of thought in this name and I know that Avalynn will honored to be named after two special women in our lives.

Belly pics

15 weeks 5 days

14 weeks 5 days

11 weeks 5 days

Here are a few pics of my growing belly.

Lemonade of Life

When life throws you lemons make lemonade, or so they say. I guess this is what I am learning lately. Seems that lately I have been thrown lots of lemons, limes and maybe some oranges. Through this I have been trying new techniques of producing the right flavor of lemonade.

I am definitely beginning to become overwhelmed with life and it doesn't help that my hormones are making me feel weird. And sometimes it doesn't help that I am miles away from my family and that friends are few and far between. But I am grateful that I do have Josiah's family here. They help me come back down to earth and refocus at times.

I am still finding my place in this world and I am realizing it may take a lot longer than most people. And I will make fabulous lemonade by the end of my journey.

Trying to prepare for the Future

Last week Josiah and I were on a walk around the neighborhood when we noticed a house for sale that caught our eye. We were not even looking to buy and something about this house just captivated us. As we walked on the sidewalk the owner of the house pulled in. His two little girls hopped out of the car and we sparked a conversation with him about the house.
We asked some questions about the house and the little girls were in love with our pups, Sonya and Bella. After our conversation Josiah and I continued on our walk completely entranced by this house. We ended up making a loop around the street and taking a leap by calling the realtor.
Through this experience we decided that we would put in our paperwork and find out if we could even possibly be approved for anything. To our surprise we were approved! This was great news. We decided to take some time on Saturday and look at a few houses, including the one down the street that caught our eye.
The experience was encouraging and very discouraging for me. We were super excited to think that in our near future we could be eligible to buy and house. But in the same moment of finding something which was in our price range we loved, the reality of finances settled in. To be honest, I did not take this reality check very well. I felt that something so inticing was dangled in front of me and then snatched away. I was so excited about the future that I had desired and planned for, yet obviously not enough.
Josiah and I are finally in a place in our lives where we are not living paycheck to paycheck, so our savings has not matured as we would have liked the past two and a half years. I know that I shouldn't compare our lives to our friends and the people around us, but I do. It is hard to see your life in a somewhat backwards motion compared to others.
I am trying to learn to be satisfied in what I have day to day. I am going to be honest, some days I am great with this and others I struggle. I long to have certain things in my life that I have just not obtained yet, such as a certain job and a certain status per say in life. Am I alone in this struggle?
I know that God will continue to provide for us in the future because he has in our past. I will choose to put this struggle at his feet everyday, even when it is not easy. He knows what our future looks like and although I would love to see the blue prints, I will choose to be satisfied with the tiny glimpses he does give me.

Four Cheese Baked Penne

Super delicious dinner! It is somewhat a wink and a nudge to a fast lasagna. It is also a healthier alternative. Here are some pics from my dinner.

http://http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/four-cheese-baked-penne-recipe/index.html

New Recipe

For anyone that is looking for a great soup recipe, here is a great one. If you love Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana soup you will love this mock soup. This soup is hearty and a little rich, but great for cold nights and a change of pace for a soup lover.

http://http//allrecipes.com/Recipe/Super-Delicious-Zuppa-Toscana/Detail.aspx

Amazing

Friday, Josiah and I went to the doctor and had the amazing experience of seeing our baby. All the sudden there the baby was on the screen. I started to cry immediately, how could you not? After that moment you realize you are "really" pregnant. You become more aware of your body, and are constantly thinking about your baby.

We were in unbelief that the baby was as active as it was. I as not expecting to see it kicking and scratching its face. I told Josiah "it is definitely an Enyart."

What an incredible experience! I can't wait for that moment when I start to feel it kick, and find out if it is a girl or a boy, and then ultimately seeing my baby.

The unexpected

It is interesting when you think that you plan for all the right things then you forget something so important. Well, Josiah and I are covered under insurance, but the insurance we have does not have maternity coverage. Also considering we were able to get pregnant faster than we thought we didn't have time to change our coverage.

So we are in the process of finding something that is affordable and has good coverage. Some of the policies that we are looking out have a 12-24 month waiting period...umm pretty sure that the baby will be here in seven months.

We know that something will come up and we will have "coverage" of some sort.

Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers that we will resolve this issue.

Ummm....food please!

I am pretty sure that I have eaten everything but the kitchen sink this past week. I am not sure if I am experiencing "cravings" per say, but I definitely left Walmart this weekend with a big jar of pickles, which I could have eaten while finishing the rest of my shopping. But I refrained until I was home putting the groceries away. And with today being Wednesday, I think that the jar is half full now...hehe!

I am not sure if I am trying to eat the same portions that I use to or what, but I am in a constant state of hunger it seems. I am eating three meals with two snacks during the day, which is how I usually eat. Maybe I need to increase my portion size.

I am trying to not obsess about my weight and size, considering that I am pregnant. But I am just not use to stuffing my face the way that I am lately. I have not gained any weight and my clothes still fit. I am only 8 weeks along, but it is hard to "feel" pregnant right now, so maybe that is why I am in a way trying not to over eat. The real reality has not set in.

Chronic Runny Nose...Really?

The past week I have dealt with a runny and stuffy nose. Well the runny nose has turned into a very congested nose. Who knew that these things would happen because of pregnancy. So I have searched the past two days in what is safe to take while pregnant and what will actually work.

I have sent Josiah out at 8:45 pm to buy me some Claritin and a humidifier. Sleeping at night has been difficult because of this and it is not fun to wake up with a bloody nose.

Who knew that in my 2nd and 3rd trimester you could also have a chronic runny nose? I mean seriously...things you don't know about pregnancy until you are in the moment.

If you have had any experience in this let me know what worked for you.

Blessing in surprise

It is official! Josiah and I are expecting a bundle of joy in October! We are filled with many emotions these days, or maybe it is just my hormones. We are excited, surprised at how fast it happened, and anxious at all the changes that are soon to be happening to our family.

We found out two weeks ago when I took a digital home pregnancy test after work. I took the test, placed it on the counter while I waited, knowing that it would say not pregnant. I went about unwinding from work and then it was time to look at the test. All the sudden my world changed! The test read- PREGNANT- in what seemed to be big bold letters. I stared at it for what seemed to be forever. Not believing my eyes I called Josiah, who was sitting in the living room watching tv not knowing what was going on. "Josiah can you read this and tell me what it says?" I pointed to the counter and he read it several times before realization hit. He looked at me mouth wide open and we just stared at each other in disbelief. I started to cry and we hugged, ruining the moment I said, "hold that thought I have to go grab more!"

I ran to the store in a daze and grabbed two more tests. Which all came back positive. In less than an hour after our life changing experience we had to go to our Wednesday night bible study group where we lead worship. This group consists of Josiah's very close family and friends. My mouth was just ready to spill the beans, but we agreed that we wanted to tell the parents first.

When we were home that night I instantly called my mom. I asked her what her Valentine's Day plans were and she continued to tell me her plans and things going on. I then told her that we received an early Valentine's Day present, which was something that Josiah and I both were looking forward to. "We have new names....mommy and daddy!" The phone was silent...and then mom came back down to earth. Both my parents were very surprised and very excited for us.
That night and the following day continued with calling friends and family.

I would just like to thank all the great friends and family that have been a great support system during this time. We look forward to posting more about our journey to parenthood.

Kickoff

After watching a great movie, Julie and Julia, I have the blog itch. The main reason for beginning this blog is to keep friends and family updated on my fantabulous life..hehe! There will be postings of events going on in our life and then the fun reason for future postings is to share great recipes!

Here is a great dessert recipe I made last weekend. It is Millionare Shortbread. It is a fun and easy recipe for a group of people. I had all the ingredients in the kitchen except for the sweetend condensed milk. Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did. Comment and let me know if you try it.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/claire-robinson/millionaires-shortbread-recipe/index.htmlson/millionaires-shortbread-recipe/index.html