Lily's Journey to our family

Sarah noticed that it took 9 years for our family to be blessed with a biological child. She wondered about what we did to conceive this baby. In one word, Faith! I knew God had promised a baby to us. I still think he promised a little boy so we have at least one more on the way. :) In the meantime we kept busy bringing in the children who did not have a home. We both believed that this was God's way of kick starting our family. Lily Grace is so blessed to have such wonderful, loving brothers and sisters.

I cried out to God over and over for a baby born of our love. My husband told me over and over that he could not find one time in scripture that this prayer was not honored. Sarah, Hannah, Elizabeth.. to name a few. We both continued to pray.

At one time we did see a fertility specialist. I was diagnosed with PCOS with that diagnosis came Diabetes testing. I was started on oral meds to control my blood sugar. We did not pursue further fertility appointments. We decided to just go with the flow. Around that time we decided to become foster parents. Then we started getting kids who were coming up for adoption. Before we knew it we had five kids to call our own. It would be four more years before Lily entered the picture.

At the time that Lily was conceived I had started a new diet. I was eating a more whole foods diet. Healthy fats that others said were harmful, coconut oil, whole milk (raw when we could get it), real butter, olive oil. Whole grains like brown rice, whole wheat pasta, whole wheat bread, and oatmeal. Also we were not eating hardly any processed foods. I had lost about 12 pounds. My primary care Dr. upped some of my oral medication because my blood sugar was still a little high but my blood tests were coming back great. Almost as if I did not have high blood sugar. I felt pretty good and was exercising.

On December 23 I took a pregnancy test on a whim. I'd been tired and my blood sugar was shooting up for no reason. I thought it was the stress of loosing my papa and MIL in just a few short months. Looking back I do remember not being able to eat any of the freezer meals we'd prepared because they all had chicken. I thought it was just some type of freezer burn or something though the rest of my family said there was nothing wrong with the food. I was not sick. I'd had some light bleeding throughout the months but with PCOS sometimes you skip a month here and there so I thought nothing of it.

The pregnancy test was pure whim. LOL When the two pink lines appeared I fell apart. When your used to one pink line it's a little disconcerting when the second one appears. I don't think I will ever forget that feeling.

I made it into the OB on January 7th I think. That's when we heard her heart beat. He also gave me a EDD of July since we had no idea when I'd gotten pregnant. He sent me to a high risk OB for sonograms. On January 20th the sweet sonogram tech said, "Oh there is too much baby here for July. Your going to have this baby in June." She then asked if we wanted to know the sex of the baby. I knew it was a boy. That's what God had promised. Nope, the sonogram tech said, "It's a precious baby girl!"

On June 18th Lily Grace joined our family and it has not been the same since!

Be Blessed!

Lily Grace's Birth Story

I have been working on this post for weeks now! Weeks! Hard to type when my hands are always so busy. But, oh, how much I love it!! This is our first picture with all three of us!

After praying all week to go into labor naturally, my water broke at 2:15am Friday June 18. Even though I kept telling people all week that I was going to have my baby on Friday, I did not have my bag packed, her bag packed or the car seat ready to go. Thankfully, even though my water broke I was not experiencing contractions or other problems. By 3:30am we were walking out the door.

One last picture before we go. See, I told you I was getting huge! Roy was so excited. I was just nervous. Of course it was also at this moment that I realized my plan was to do laundry all day on Friday so the kids would have clothes to wear while I was in the hospital. Thanks to my wonderful friends and mom who put together outfits for them all.

Oh yeah.. I forgot to put gas in the car after running all of my errands on Thursday. Roy was so nervous he pressed the buttons to fast and actually had to go in and pay. He was not happy. I was just walking around the car. Still no contractions.

This picture is just for posterity. This was right after she was born. Lovely picture.LOL

At the hospital we were informed that our birth plan had been completely changed. I would be on a glucose and insulin drip during labor, I would be on pitocin, and fluids. We finally agreed to a low dose of pitocin because contractions were still very very mild.

This was the next day. Roy was beat. He stayed with me the whole time.

I did manage to labor with no epidural until about 1pm. I was at 6cm and they wanted to up the Pitocin some more because of the slow progression. I knew if they upped the Pitocin I would pass out. The contractions were already so bad that I spent ALL of my energy trying to relax. Plus, the contractions were in a weird place. I felt them in the very tops of my legs. No matter what position I tried I could not relax that part of my body enough to deal with the pain.

The look of pure relief on Roy's face when I consented to the epidural made it worth it.

My blood sugar stayed pretty stable throughout labor. I think it went to 148 once while I was pushing. If it stayed between 80 and 100 they did not have to do insulin or glucose. I think they only administered the insulin twice and the glucose three times.

I labored well for another five or six hours. When my nurse came into to check me I was at 8cm and then she said something horrible. I was swelling on one side. She said if she told Dr. B then he would start prepping me for a c-section. She finally decided to tell him that I was progressed another 1/2cm. She then laid the bed flat and turned me on my right side.

I remember tears pouring down my face as I cried out to God. Friends came in a prayed. The pain was becoming unbearable but I welcomed it because I was praying that the contractions were working.

Nurse Kim, then brought in her replacement Nurse Becky and told me she'd hand picked her just for me. When Nurse Becky checked me a little later I was at 9 1/2 and ready to push. It was 8pm.

The first few pushes weren't so bad. Although, the epidural was only working in my legs at that point. The anesthesiologist was called in at one point and asked to administer some morphine. I remember that all very vaguely. I do remember staring at him and thanking him. LOL

I pushed and pushed and pushed. I remember Dr. B finally coming in. I looked at him and said, "Hi!"

Here's where the story gets funny.

I'd been pushing and only grunting a few times. I thought I was doing pretty good. Dr. B does not do episiotomies. At the time he told us that we thought that was amazing. So shocked that we did not ask him how he avoids them.

When he did the perinium massage I screamed and might have actually stood up on the bed.

Yeah, he thought I was more numb than I was.

He was so shocked that he actually got onto me. I missed a whole contraction while he explained very sternly that I needed to get control. (Just know he's still my fave!! He made up for it later)

This is Nurse Kim. The nurse I told you about earlier. Isn't she beautiful? I LOVE her.
I pushed some more and then, THEN! they told me to stop pushing b/c the Dr did not have his scrubs on yet. OH yeah, the top of my baby's head was sticking out and my contractions were constant! I remember begging Dr. B to help me. He kept telling me he was coming. The next thing I knew he was above me and my baby was slipping out. I felt the head, the shoulders, then she was on my stomach and he was beaming like a proud papa.

It was later described as a frantic birth. Once she started coming she was coming. LOL

Stuff was knocked over in the haste to get his scrubs on. His hat and shoe coverings were actually tossed to the other side of the room before he could get those on.

The best part was when they announced that my baby was 7 pounds 1oz. Dr. B turned slowly towards the nurse and in disbelief asked her to repeat. She did.

Then he turned back to me with a huge grin and kept saying, "Your my hero!" He then told everyone in the room about my diabetic journey. LOL

I asked him why he ever doubted me! :)

After the room was cleared out and Roy had gone to get our family waiting in the waiting room Dr. B came back in and gave me a hug as we admired my new baby. He then apologized for getting on to me and told me I was still his favorite patient. He waxed on admiringly for a few minutes about what a great job I'd done during the whole pregnancy. It was pretty sweet.

We had a pretty uneventful stay. Though the next day they informed me that they thought Lily had an infection and wanted to start antibiotics. They took her to the nursery to get the IV in and two hours later they were still trying to get a vein. When they brought her back in to me she looked at me wide eyed and breathed a little sigh before snuggling in and sleeping for three hours.

All in all I think it was a pretty positive experience. The hospital was great and my nurses were the BEST! I loved them. I ended up with a 2nd degree tear but it healed up nicely in just a couple of weeks. I was in some pain but I was able to get up and move around about an hour after birth with no problems.

Lily ended up with Jaundice. They started talking about all the treatment options, but I knew if I could just get out of the hospital and to my holistic pediatrician it would be ok. I knew she would just have me nurse, nurse, nurse.

Her levels continued to go up but they did discharge us because I had an appointment with her pediatrician the next day. And of course she had me nurse, nurse, nurse and her levels went straight down!

Breastfeeding went well and is still going great. I had some issues the day my milk came in. Bad enough that Roy went to Walmart at 11:3opm and got a manual pump. I pumped it out for a day and she ate from a medicine dropper. After that I only used the pump to get the milk started for one day and then after that she has been a pro.

She is a wonderful baby. A true gift from God. I just can't believe how blessed I am. I still get a little teary eyed when I look at her.

Thank you all for your prayers. I am convinced she is such a healthy, happy baby because of all of your prayers. Our God is an awesome God.

Here it all is finally! Sorry I have been away so long. She is a month old now. :)

Be Blessed!

Welcome!

Miss Lily Grace was born on Friday June 18 at 10:09 p.m.
She weighed 7lbs 1oz and was 20in long.

Her daddy is smitten as are the rest of us! :)
She is beautiful and happy.
More pics and a birth story to follow.
Thanks for all of your prayers.

Be Blessed!

Can you tell what I'm doing?

All images are from BHG.com
I am busy, busy, busy preparing for baby. I know I keep promising a belly pic and I really will get one. I meant to get one today but I put on my working clothes before I could. Trust me, no one wants to see me in my working clothes. LOL
We finished the floors in our bedroom and one more coat of paint aught to finish the walls. Then I will set up her corner of the room. I have already pulled all of the newborn and 0-3 month clothes out. I bought most of her blankets the other day though I do have some material to make about three more receiving blankets. I will start that project tomorrow.

My Dr. decided to induce Monday the 21st. I was fighting it for awhile but I think I have almost decided to do it. I will be 39w which is when they like to induce diabetic patients. Everything looks great for me so I was actually going to try to wait one more week. I still don't know for sure yet. I keep praying for some guidance but have not really heard anything either way. I don't want to be induced. I don't want an epidural and I was afraid I would have to have one with the pain of induction. I have read a few accounts lately of women not having epidurals with induction. I'm still wavering. I am probably going to call my OB tomorrow and ask him to talk me through some stuff.

The good news is that at 38 weeks I was 4cm dilated and 70% effaced. He might just have to break my water. I know still painful but not Pitocin. My prayer is that she actually decides to come this week and make all my decisions moot. That would be awesome! I have some contractions at night but nothing regular. What a wonderful Father's Day present that would be!

Be Blessed!

Almost 38 weeks

Still hanging in there. I will try to get an updated belly picture today or tomorrow. Let's just say it's HUGE! Tomorrow I will be 38 weeks. At the OB on Monday I was 3-4cm dilated, 50%effaced, and 0 station. I have had some contractions since then but nothing noticeable really.
My OB was really pleased with my progress and said that if he has to induce all he will probably need to do is break my water. I'm pushing him to the full 40 weeks, though I have agreed to be induced after that. It's a compromise I made with my DH. I am hoping that extra week will do it for me and I can start labor on my own.

I am OBSESSED with cleaning, organizing, decorating, and crafting right now. The only problem is that the C.O. and D (cleaning, organizing and decorating) is centered on my bedroom. The rest of the house can survive without me. I think it's because Lily will be moving into our room.

Dh is finishing my floors today and Tuesday (if Lily stays put) he will be painting for me. He might even start tomorrow. Yes, I know it's Sunday but time is running out folks! :)

Monday I have a fluid scan and NST in the A.M., then we are going to pick up Lily's bed and a few other essentials, and then I have my OB appt in the afternoon. It's gonna be a full day.

I had a wonderful baby shower with my church last Sunday. I got lots of clothes and baby dolls for my baby. We did not get anything on our registry so there are a few things I have to pick up still. We will do that on Monday when we get the bed.

We seem to be set for clothes through about 9m so that works. By set I mean the child has about 4 outfits a day. LOL I thought about weeding out some of the clothes passed down to me, but they are all so cute. Believe it or not I have no receiving blankets/burp cloths for this baby. I remember with Jonathan I was loaded with those. I thought the girls and I might whip up a few on our own. Good practice for us. :)

Well that's my baby update. I will try to get a belly pic and some pictures of the outfits my mom bought her oh and some really cute things that were made for me and baby up tomorrow or Monday.

I am having so much fun planning for this baby! We have one week of school books left. After that we are off though I did schedule in some read alouds and narrations. But that's not really school it's to much fun! :)

Be Blessed!

For this week

We have been busy around here. Last week we went to Orlando and spent some time at my mom's timeshare. It was a nice week by the pool, vegging in front of the T.V., going to a dinner show, and browsing DT Disney. My mom bought Lily the cutest outfit. I will take a picture of it later. It was nice just being with my family. I did come home for two Drs. appts on Monday and Thursday. Sweet Roy drove me back and forth 2.5 hours each way. I was not going to go to my NST on Thursday but, my blood pressure was high on Monday so I wanted to make sure everything looked ok. It was perfect Thursday. YAY! It's been going up and down a lot lately. Of course it's cause for concern because my OB thinks I am hypertensive. It's a long story but I'm really not. I have not been able to convince him of that though. LOL Even though my BP has been great through this whole pregnancy. It all started when it was high once a year when I went to visit him. Yeah. Ladies, we all know that it's gonna be high on THAT day. Come on. I just never could convince him of that.
My PCP has never had any issues with my BP so... draw your own conclusions.
I know it's normal for it to go up the last few weeks and it was high on Monday. Too high even for my comfort. I drink a ton of water and eat lots of protein but we are coming down to the end.

Today I am waiting on Roy to get home from his dad's house. He and the boys left Orlando and went down to see Grandpa for a day. They should be home at any time now. The girls and I had a fun night with cheap cheeseburgers from McD. and Pride and Prejudice. (The AWESOME version). Today the older girls are doing some school work. Yes, on Memorial Day. We took all of last week off. I am working on laundry and getting my closet and room cleaned up. We need to finish up the floors in our room and hopefully, fingers crossed, paint before Lily gets here in about 26 days. WOW!

I have a pretty full week planned. After I get Roy started on the floors I am moving into the kitchen to get it cleaned and organized a little better. Nest, Nest, Nest! I am taking the Supermom vitamins and Tummy Tuneup from Beeyoutiful and I will say I have noticed it has helped me along with LOTS of water and rest. I can actually get through a whole day before I crash. It's been nice.

I'm having a nice little baby shower with my church on Sunday so I need to finish cleaning up Lily's corner of our bedroom. I have her dresser ready to go just have to wait until Roy finishes up the floor to move it in. We are putting a changing station in our bathroom. We have a huge counter between the sinks so I will be putting the changing pad there and I have some baskets and a Rubbermaid drawer that fits under the counter for her changing needs.

I stole the idea from my friend Michelle. :)

Well, that is all that I have time for now. I hope you all have a great week.

Be Blessed!

Real Food For Mother and Baby

Click on the book for an amazon link.

I just finished this book. It was a fun read. Lots of the stuff I already knew because she follows Weston Price pretty closely, but it was nice to see it broken down for mom and baby. I love the foods she fed her baby/toddler. I loved reading about what he liked and gravitated to for taste. It was really eye opening. I'd already decided that Lily would not be getting the old cereal and rice routine at 6m. Whole grains will be coming later for her. We also already knew she would get Mother's Milk for the whole first year of her life. Our goal is at least 18-24m, but we'll see how it goes.
I was happy to see that I was already doing most of the stuff she recommends (or had at least restarted to do). I have tried to eat fish, but other than tuna in a can I can't stomach it so I am taking CLO daily. I have researched it a lot and I feel comfortable taking a small dose of CLO even though I live in FL.

I liked that it was not full of recipes and purees. I used to give Jonathan more whole food as a toddler then most people thought was appropriate, but I was always right there and he did a great job chewing. Don't worry I was paranoid enough with some food that I cut it up for him, but some things he just enjoyed gnawing on. LOL

Anyway, I just wanted to recommend this book as a book that was fun to read and informative.

I bought the book from Amazon with my own money. It was well spent!

33 Weeks and GROWING

Well here I am at 33 weeks. We took the kids to the beach and had a nice lunch. They enjoyed playing in the sand and running around with daddy. I did not do any running around. I did manage to waddle a little bit down the beach. It was nice. I cropped out my ENORMOUS feet. I doubled my water intake and they have definitely shown improvement. Of course I was already drinking almost 5 bottles of water a day. 10 is going to kill me for sure. Instead of peeing every 30m I now just wear Depends. Just kidding. LOL

Remember me just a few short weeks ago at 26 weeks? I can't believe how much we have grown in the last 7 weeks. I remember at one point fretting that the belly would never push through the fat. LOL Well, it pushed and fought and has come to live.

Baby did wonderfully at her last growth scan. She went from the 76th percentile down to the 61st. YAY! My OB was rightly impressed. He did not even mention the C word at my last visit. He usually mentions it every visit. He claims he wants to go the other way but he keeps saying I am at a high risk for a C-section. I keep telling him he is at a high risk for a punch in the nose. :) He loves me.

I don't know what makes me so high risk. My A1C is great. My blood sugar is great. My placenta is great. My fluid is great. My baby is measuring well. My blood pressure is perfect. Yeah. I don't think I am going to take the C-section talk lying down. Pun fully intended. :)

In other news I updated my sidebar. If you look over there and think for a minute that I read all of those blogs every day you are sadly mistaken. There are a couple I hop to as often as possible for various reasons, but some of them go a month without being read. They are nice when I want to just chill and read for awhile. I like having the categories now so I can read my foodie blogs when I want and my homemaking blogs when I want. I love the Young Ladies at Home category. I am so inspired to read about these young women making such wise choices. I am hoping to glean wisdom from their lives to share with my young daughters.

I tried to break up the homeschooling, homemaking, motherhood category a bit but nothing worked so yes it is loaded down with all sorts of goodness.

Biblical teaching was made just for Rev. Voddie (he did not fit the other categories) but Ms. Patsy snuck in there. She is just so cute! I love her. If you have suggestions of other blogs of sound Biblical teachers I would love to know.

I love to read blogs. I always come away inspired to try harder. No, I don't want to be just like those people but I am a wisdom taker upper. I will gladly glean what wisdom I can from people who have shown wisdom. I don't always agree with everything I read in those blogs, but I see things that I can use. And use them I do! Oh yes!

I did have some problems switching some blogs over so if you see yours in missing please don't think it was on purpose. Just let me know. I will fix the situation.

Be Blessed!

Still Here

I'm still around. Just nesting. Getting ready for baby. She will be here in just a few short weeks. (Yes, I heard that chuckle from your experienced birthers out there.. "she said short!" snicker, snort, snicker)
To me time is just flying right now. I have two Dr appts a week, a busy household that just keeps going, baby showers, an upcoming vacation, dance recitals, end of the year parties... it seems my calendar just keeps filling up with fun things.
I know it could and probably will all slow down in the next few weeks. I am already starting to feel the awkwardness and tiredness and lack of overall energy. It slows me down for about an hour in the afternoon and at night I have to go to bed earlier. Although I get up every few hours to go to the bathroom and I have discovered I have to wake up to roll over. LOL Not a lot of good sleep there.
It's all good though. Lily is doing AWESOME! She is in the 61st percentile growth wise.. PERFECT! My health is amazing! God is so good!
I hope all my friends are doing well!
Be Blessed!

The Empty Womb

He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the Lord. Psalm 113:9

This verse has ALWAYS brought me such comfort. It has also reminded me of God's promises. As I look around at my wonderful children I realize I am the woman that verse speaks of! I am the barren woman who keeps the home and is the joyful mother of children. Only now He has blessed me AGAIN! This time by taking my barren womb and creating life. What an awesome God He is.

I know the infertility is a struggle for so many women. I know the longing of an empty womb. The Bible even tell us in Proverbs 30 that a barren womb is one of the things that will never be satisfied or say, "It is enough".

I have changed my diet radically over the past few years. Moving away from processed foods to more Whole/Real food options. Cutting out white sugars, pastas, rice, breads.. moving towards whole grain options.

I did find out that high blood sugar is a big cause of infertility. It creates a not so inviting environment for sp*rm.

I am not 100% sure why God chose this season for our blessing. I do know that He has perfect timing. I am so very grateful to be able to share that God does indeed hear our prayers and is faithful to answer them.

I remember Roy pointing out at one point when I was struggling with being "broken" as a woman, that he could not think of one time in the Bible that a woman cried out to God for a baby and her prayer was not answered. I clung to that hope.

I am so very blessed to be able to share our journey with others. I hope our story in some way blesses you. I am praying for you dear sister with an empty womb. I am praying for your arms to be filled and for God to give you peace in this season of your life. I pray that you are encouraged by my story. That you will not give up praying to God, the creator of Life. Maybe His answer will be different than you want, but He is perfect. He always has our best in mind.

Be Blessed!!

Overwhelmed

With the weeks going by so quickly (hello, April? April? Where did you go?) and the approach of my baby's birthday even closer I have thought back on the past few months a lot. Mainly because it has been such a time of mixed emotions for me. Joy, rapture, anticipation, worry, anxiety, overwhelmingness, doubt, fear....

Ever since that day on Christmas Eve I have wondered if I will truly hold this baby. Even now as she does flips and turns and all sorts of other gymnastics I have had the doubt. I don't know if it's the fact that I have waited so long for this, the early complications, or the hormones.

I go twice a week now for NSTs (non stress tests to monitor baby's movement and heartrate) and once a week for a quick scan to make sure fluid level, placenta, and baby movement are still good. This has offered some reassurance.

But really, where should all of my reassurance be coming from? Why is it so hard to believe that God will take care of my baby and me? Why do I struggle every day with opening my Bible? Why do I struggle with even talking to God? When I need Him so much I feel like I am just distancing myself more and more everyday! I do pick up my Bible in hopes that today will be the day that I can truly lay it all down at His feet and walk away. I do commune with Him through prayer. Though I feel like sometimes all I do is ask, ask, ask.

It's been a tough season. One that I am looking forward to looking back on and seeing the lessons I learned.

Be Blessed!

What's a girl to eat?

Not much going on there right now. I am having this weird craving for bite sized frosted mini wheat cereal. It's insane. I can not eat brown rice. Most of the time I can't eat poultry unless the flavor is HIGHLY disguised. Eggs are also a food I have had to force on myself.
Because of dietary restrictions pasta, chips, and potatoes are pretty much off the table.
So, to recap, no bird, no brown rice, no pasta, no potatoes, no tortillas, no tortilla chips.
What's a girl to do??
Meatloaf. Lots of meatloaf. Turnips instead of potatoes. Lots of veggies.
PB on whole grain bread. Cheese on whole grain bread. Salads. OH my how I love salad right now. Tomatoes. OH my I LOVE tomatoes right now.
And, sigh, frozen dinners. Yep. I have been eating those nasty frozen dinners from WW and Lean Cuisine.
I had to give up my diversion to lunch meat. Yes, I know about Liseteria. I also know that I have to be able to eat something! PLEASE! My OB told me to eat the lunch meat. It might have had to do with the tears being shed in his office that day. I am a hungry girl. :)
The good news is if I could just hold to a lot of this diet, minus the nasty processed junk, I really think I would see a difference in my weight post baby.
I gained 10 pounds during my first two trimesters. In this third trimester I have fluctuated between one and two pounds gainage. My baby gained two pounds the same time I did, coincidence? :)
As a big girl those numbers are not too low, just so ya know. Can you imagine if I get to the end of this pregnancy having gained only 12-15 pounds? I would be ecstatic! Not because weight it important to me, but health is.

Be Blessed!

Craziness

This nesting thing is going to drive me CRAZY! No lie. I'm in the middle of reorganizing and cleaning up my bathroom. Every time I walk in there I want to scream! Because of tiredness, five children, a cold, aches and pains... I have been at this project for over a week. In a few minutes while the kids are taking showers and finishing up evening routines I will go in there and finish. One week on one small bathroom! Then! Then! I want to cutie pie it up some! Really?? Really? Is there time for that mess? LOL

In a few short weeks I am bringing a brand new person into this house. Into my bedroom. My bedroom? The bedroom with dusty walls painted a color I once loved, but now (just in the past few months so we are blaming it on baby hormones) can't stand! Really? Into a bedroom where the clutter comes to rest. I really want it to be cute. Heck, I want it to be clean and organized but my heart is longing for cute.

Dare I mention the nesting instinct that has me wanting to redo the kids bedrooms, the kitchen, the garden..... dare I? Do you think I could bottle some of this up and carry it into the future? A future where every bend and squat does not bring some tinge of pain? A future where I don't get exhausted just thinking about wiping the bathroom counters down? I love the nesting motivation it's just the timing that stinks. LOL

Lest, you think I am complaining too much I would like to say most of this post is tongue in cheek. I am saying it with a wistful smile and a giggle. Yes, it's frustrating. But it's also new to me and kind of fun. I'm enjoying most of the pregnancy stuff. Even the aches and pains are welcome because it means that my body is doing something new and different. Growing a person. We have not tried that before. :)

Also I am reaching out to some mom who thinks she has to do it all. Homeschool the kids, keep the house clean and organized and decorated, cook full meals, and grow a person. Sometimes we have to throw our hands up and say.. not today. And sometimes we have to take one week to do a project that should only take about two hours. :)

With God all things are possible

Here is a 25 week scan of Miss Lily.

I found this picture frame on sale at a discount store. I thought it was pretty and figured I would put a picture of the kids in it, for He made my family possible. When I got home I started thinking about the baby God promised us. All of sudden it became clear to me that this picture frame was for that baby. We put the empty frame on our mantle and remembered daily God's promise. A while later I was reading through the story of Mary, Elizabeth, John the Baptist and the angel. The Angel was telling Mary about her pregnant cousin Elizabeth who was called barren. He told Mary she would have a child because with God nothing is impossible. Talk about a WOW! moment.

It was a total confirmation for me. And as you can see there sits my sweet Lily. My miracle.

The best part, Lily is not even THE promised baby. That means there is another one out there for us! At least one more. YAY! :)

Be Blessed!