Adventures in Life: Potty Talk

I have discovered that when you have a toddler there is lots of potty talk that happens. You know, the 4 letter words every potty training mommy uses.

poop.

toot.

wipe.

pee-pee...

Ok, that last one doesn't work, but you get the picture. These words are constant vocabulary around the house these days....and let's just be honest, as the wife of a plumber these words are pretty common year round for us.

We have been unofficially potty training Rebekah for quite some time. When she was about 10 months old, whenever I would take her diaper off to change her she would let out her pee. On me. On the changing table. Pretty much everywhere. So, I decided to try setting her on a little potty seat, just to try and see what would happen. This started a very long streak of her letting out both #1 and #2 on her little potty chair. For over a year she was still wearing a diaper but when I would change her, she would sit on the potty chair and usually let something out.

Then we had Caleb and moved. We suspended our use of cloth diapers and I became inconsistent with our pee-pee routine. She turned two and stopped wanting to sit on her little potty seat. The battle was just a little much for me to handle. But recently she has been showing interest in using the potty again, and she has been wanting some big girl panties.

We have been experimenting with Pampers EasyUps as a combo "big girl panties" and diaper in one. She loves that "just Bekah" can put them on and pull them up. They are nice and stretch so when it comes time to race to the bathroom because her 'pee-pee is coming out' it is quick and easy to remove. It was a little hard to tell which side was the front and which was the back, but I think we got it figured out. 

Before we moved in with Daniel's parents while we build our house, we used cloth diapers. If we were in our own house, I would probably use cloth training pants. But since we are using someone else's washer and dryer, we are going with disposable diapers, and I think these Pampers are going to work well for us when we decide to full on potty train. 

If you are interested in trying Pampers EasyUps, you can click here for a $1.50 off coupon! I received 4 free diapers to try out from Influenster. These opinions are all my own. 

Adventures in Life: Quiet Time Coloring

I always loved coloring. A clean, new, blank coloring book was always an exciting treat. Even as an adult I savor each new page in a coloring book. And I love that adult coloring books are a thing now. They are my favorite! 

One of my newest coloring books is also a devotional book. It's called 40 Days to a Joyful Motherhood. A devotional book for mothers. A coloring devotional book for moms. What a great idea, right?!

I have been enjoying this devotional book for the past few weeks, and while I have not completed all 40 of the days, I have very much enjoyed the the idea of this book. Each day starts with a verse or two from the Bible. It is followed by a few paragraph to full page of a devotion on the topic of motherhood as it relates to 6 different topics: self acceptance, self care, reconciling with grief, generosity, presence, and forgiveness. The devotion is ended by a prayer and on the opposite page is a drawing to color. 

What I liked about this book: I enjoyed that it could be a quick 10 minute quiet time or I could go deeper by looking up the included Bible passage and spend more like 30 minutes studying, meditating and coloring. I found that the pictures were simple enough to color and think about what I had just read. I also liked that there was extra space on the pages to write down thoughts, almost like a journal. I tend to write and doodle when I am thinking and this book provided me enough space to do just that.

There were a few ways I thought this book could be better. The actual book itself is kind of flimsy. The pages are thin and you could only really use color pencil on them - marker would go right through onto the next page. While the content of the devotional was good, I wished it would have delved deeper into what God's word says about motherhood. To me, the devotional aspect of the book was more 'milk' instead of 'meat' when it came to the study of the Bible. 

I would recommend this book to moms who are looking for a quick and easy way to get some relaxing devotional time into their schedule. It would be great for someone who doesn't normally have a quiet time, and would make a good gift to any mom who likes to color. 

I did receive this book free in exchange for my honest review. 

Adventures in Life: Some Big Changes

June was a big busy month for our family - and a quiet month here on the blog. 

What was going on you ask? 

Well, this guy joined our family

Caleb Scott was born on June 16th and he has been a wonderful little guy! (More on him to come.)

The other big event of the month of June was:

We listed and sold our house... In just 2 days! We are not totally sure where we are moving yet - we are looking at building a house (I know, I know! Yes, we are a little crazy). There are a few pieces of land we are looking at but haven't made any decisions quite yet. 

So here's to new adventures and (hopefully) blogging about them more! 

Adventures in Life: Instilling Patriotism

When you hear Memorial Day, what do you think of? 

The start of summer? 

A 3 day weekend?

BBQ time with family or friends? 

When I was growing up we would often spend Memorial Day weekend at my grandparents house. The weekend always included a trip to the cemetery to remember and honor the men and women who had served our country in the military. Often my grandparents would travel to multiple cemeteries helping with the various services held. The way my grandparents chose to spend their Memorial Day was one of many lessons in patriotism they taught me. 

My Grandpa Jim was a Marine and while he did not often speak of his time in the service, it shaped who he was and how he viewed our country. He truly appreciated the freedoms we enjoy as Americans, because for him they were not free. He fought to preserve the freedoms Americans enjoy for himself, his children, his grandchildren, and his great-grandchildren. 

About a month ago my Grandpa Jim went home to be with the Lord. And even though I can not travel to visit his grave (you know, 39 weeks pregnant!) this Memorial Day we will be remembering him and his service to this country. Acting on the patriotic spirit that he instilled in us. 

While the reasons for Memorial Day are still to complicated for Rebekah to understand, I want to start teaching her now about our country. While I do not agree with many of the decisions that are being made by our country today, I do want her to learn about our great nations past. To carry on my Grandpa's patriotic legacy. 

One way we are doing that this year is by reading her a book called "God Bless Our Country". It's our newest Tommy Nelson book and it's just perfect for Memorial Day, 4th of July, or just any day you are feeling patriotic! Adorable pictures of animals pairs with sweet rhyming text to teach children about America in a way that is easy enough for toddlers to understand. It also teaches about the importance of praying for your country, something that kids and grown-ups can be reminded of!

If you would like to win a free copy of God Bless Our Country for you own collection, just comment here or on my Instagram picture of the book (here) before Monday (Memorial Day!). 

I received a copy of this book for free from Tommy Nelson Publishers, and like always the opinions here are all my own. 

Adventures in Life: A look back at 2015

Well, December came and went without a blog post...oops!

To be honest I have not had a lot of motivation to blog lately. I'm not sure why. Maybe because I was comparing our little blog to others (I know, I know, I shouldn't do that). Or maybe because we were just to busy celebrating Christmas and New Years and living in the moment that I didn't take the time to write. Or maybe because it's cold and yucky outside... But as I was looking back at 2015, I remembered why I do this blog. For me blogging is a way to document our life. There are so many posts that I had completely forgot about as I looked back on 2015. Things that Rebekah did, books we enjoyed, recipes we tried...and suddenly I felt motivated again to record all of these things for another year!

So before we start fresh for 2016, here is a quick look back at some 2015 memories:

January
Rebekah showed off her #pinkninja shirt
We heard from Daniel about how to prevent frozen water pipes.
Rebekah turned 5 months old! 



February
I shared about our cloth diaper experience
We read the book "I Choose You Today"
Rebekah turned 6 months


March
Rebekah turned 7 months and started enjoying big girl food!

I shared one of my "motherhood finds" 
I LOVED Max Lucado's new book.


April
We saw a great movie - you should see it! 
Rebekah went on her first road trip.


May
Rebekah turned 9 months old!

I became a "Tommy Mommy" for Tommy Nelson Publishing and started reviewing children's books on the blog! 

June
We started our "Summer of CSA" with our first veggie box.

I cried over cantaloupe
We took a trip to MN.


July
More yummy fruits and veggies from our CSA each week!
Rebekah turned 11 months old and we went to the pool a lot

We read some new books...sitting in strange places. 


August
We counted our blessings.
I shared some mommy discoveries
I got to read an advance copy of a new book from my favorite author!!
Rebekah turned ONE!



September
I did a 30 day power purge of our house
My little helper and a spider.


October
We got glass for our basement shower!!

We savored our last CSA fruits and veggies. 
I wrote a guest post for a blog friend.
No more Hoodwinked! 
Another story about my little helper.

November
Rebekah showed me what she wanted for Christmas. 
I shared a lesson I've learned about being a mom. 
I learned a new lesson...
And we visited some old friends in TN on our drive to FL for our family vacation.

December
There are not any posts to look back on for December - but here is a quick recap of our month.
We spent 2 weeks in Florida on a wonderful family vacation.

Rebekah got to show off a new shirt she got.

And we had a wonderful time celebrating Christmas with each of our families.

Wheew. That was a long post, but I'm excited to continue documenting our lives on this little ol' blog, and cant wait to see what blessings God has in store for us in 2016! 

Adventures in Life: I'm Power Purging!

It has been a little quiet around here because I've been working on a new project.

The 4 years I was in college and the 3 years after college, I moved at least once every year. Moving forces you to purge. If you don't want something enough to pack it and move it to a new home, you get rid of it. Done and done. But after nearly 6 years of living in our house, we have accumulated 6 years of ...stuff. Stuff we don't use. Stuff we don't need. Stuff that just takes up space and makes the house feel cluttered.

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine on Facebook posted that she was going to do a 30 day challenge and she was looking for friends to join her. (I totally thrive on accountability and competition, so I was IN!)The challenge is called the 30 Day Power Purge from Hannah Help Me blog. And it is exactly what it sounds like - 30 days of purging/cleaning/organizing your home. Bit. By. Bit. Turning a project that seems overwhelming and impossible, into daily tasks that are totally doable.

YES! I NEED THIS!

So, about 12 days ago we started. Each week is a different area of the home. And each day Hannah has a video with a challenge for the day. An area to purge and de-clutter. We started in the kitchen with the refrigerator. Then the pantry. Here is my pantry before and after picture. 

Next up - the junk drawer 

And the cabinets...

Now we are moving on to the living areas of the house. Things like toys, books, movies, and the office (read papers!!! I have a problem with keeping every single paper - but I'm starting to let go) 

So, you get the idea, right?! 

Anyway, that is what I have been working on during nap time. (Nap time is usually when I get some blogging done.) I just wanted to share the link to Hannah's blog, in case there were any of you who may want to do some fall purging too! 

Here is the link to Day 1 of the 30 Day Power Purge. Let me know if you do it!  

Adventures in Life: Daily Devotionals

Spending time with God each day, reading the Bible and praying, has always been an area that I have struggled with. I go in spurts. Sometimes it is a few weeks on and a few days off. There have been times in my life that it has been months off. It's not because I don't want to have a little bit of quiet time in my day to spend time with God. I do! I want the quiet time. But for whatever reason, the habit has been a difficult one for me to form. 

I am a work in progress!

One tool that I have been using this year is an app on my phone called She Reads Truth. I have been doing their read through the Bible in a year study - and I've done a pretty good job of keeping up for most of the year. I started in January and at the moment I am just a few days behind - but I fully intend on catching up and finishing this year. 

Even though it will still be a while before Rebekah can read on her own, I still want to be modeling for her reading the Bible every day. We just got a great new book to help us do that! It's called Read Me A Bible Story 365. This daily devotional book starts in Genesis and goes through the Bible, ending in the book of Acts. For each of the 365 days of the year, there is a kid friendly paragraph paraphrase of several verses from the Bible.

Here is the page from Tuesday. At the top you can see the date, the verses that the story comes from, and what I call the kid friendly story that the writer, Sally Ann Wright, came up with from the verses for the day. I really appreciate that the Biblical reference is included in each day, so that we can teach Rebekah that these are not just stories that someone made up, but the word of God. 

I am really looking forward to using this book for family devotional time! 

If you would like to win a free copy of Read Me A Bible Story 365 -  There are 3 different ways you can enter (and if you do all 3 you will have your name in the drawing 3 times!)

(1) Leave a comment on this blog post telling me if you have a daily quiet time, and if you do, what does it look like?

~AND/OR~

(2) Click over to our Adventures of D and V Facebook page and like or comment on the post about Read Me A Bible Story 365

~AND/OR~

(3) Visit my Instagram page and like or comment the picture I have posted about Read Me A Bible Story 365

The winner will be selected and contacted on Monday, September 21st. 

I was provided this book for free from Tommy Nelson Publishing in exchange for sharing my opinions. My opinions on blog are all my own true thoughts.

Adventures in Life: Hooray for Friday

Some weeks just seem to fly by, and the days all start to blur together. One thing I love about blogging is that I can document what we have done during our week and have an account of the little things that make life so wonderful! So here are 5 things from this week that have been our favorite: 

(1) Rebekah got to go on her very first picnic this week. We met her Memaw (that's what we call Daniel's mom) for a picnic lunch. 

(2) We got both a veggie share and a fruit share this week from our CSA and we all have been enjoying the fresh fruits and veggies...summer fresh fruits and veggies are my favorite! 

(3) Rebekah has been very into books and climbing on things this week. I found her perched on top of the book bucket, just looking at her books...you can't make this stuff up! She is such a silly girl! OH! And if you haven't already entered to win the book giveaway, there is still time!  {Click HERE to enter}

(4) We like to have races around the kitchen island...and she is FAST in her little walker. I love when she takes a few big push off steps and then lifts her feet up and glides with her momentum. 

(5) Waiting for Daddy to get home - this is one of our most favorite things to do. When Daniel is close to home, we sit on the front porch and wait for him to drive up. Rebekah can recognize his vehicle from quite a ways away and she starts to clap and squeal when she sees him coming down our street. 

Happy Friday! 

Adventures in Life: Thankful Thursday

I've written many times about my love of lists. I love making lists of all kinds. Grocery, To Do, Christmas lists...I love crossing things off my lists when I've completed them (makes me feel like I've accomplished things). I also love making lists of things that I am thankful for. Often my "thankful lists" are written in my prayer journal. I find that it is a good way to keep my focus on the many blessings in our life, and helps remind me where my joy comes from. So here is a little list of the things I have found myself being thankful for over the past few days:

I am thankful for my parents visit last week and all the work they do when they come. Not only do they love on and play with Rebekah, but they also help with cleaning, organizing, and other tasks around the house that Daniel and I have a hard time finding time and energy to do. I am SO thankful for them! (and for the new light bulbs in my closet that my dad put in! I can see my clothes again! yay!)

I am thankful for Rebekah sleeping though the fireworks being set off by our neighbors late into the night (some of them right in front of our house!) on the 3rd, 4th, AND 5th. I am SO SO SO thankful she did not wake up even once (to the fireworks that is, she still woke up her normal 2 times a night to nurse...I take what I can get!)

I am thankful that I made time for Rebekah and I to take a trip to the pool on Monday - because the weather the rest of this week has been cold and yucky!

Adventures in Life: Crying Over Cantaloupe

Memories are a funny thing. I can be going along, in the middle of a normal day, and suddenly something I  see/hear/smell brings to mind a vivid memory. (Am I the only one that this happens to?!)

It happened to me yesterday, while I was cutting up a cantaloupe.

In the summer when I was growing up, I got to spend some time at my grandparent's house. A few days of just Gramma, Grandpa, me...and my little brother too. And one of my most favorite things to do with my Gramma Seger was to cook with her. She was an amazing cook. I am trying to think of something that she made that I didn't like...but I can't remember a single thing. She made the best of everything.

As you know, in order to cook, you need groceries. So she would take me with her into town to the little grocery store. I loved helping my Gramma at the grocery store. Everyone there knew her, because she worked occasionally as the sample lady. And I'm pretty sure she was the world's best sample lady...she always let kids have 2 samples! Ok, I'm getting off track - back to cantaloupe.

Whenever we were at the store my Gramma would always have me pick the cantaloupe. As we walked up to the bin in the fruit area she would say that she could never pick a good one, and that I was the best cantaloupe picker she had ever seen. She would say if I picked the melon, she knew it would be a good one.

I took my melon picking job very seriously, studying each one carefully. Looking, feeling, smelling for the best one in the bin, because Gramma said that I always found the best one.

Yesterday, as I was cutting a perfectly ripe cantaloupe that I had picked out, the memory of our trips to the grocery store came flooding back into my mind.

And I burst into tears...because I realized that those times with her, picking out melons, were so much more than just some fruit. She made me feel special. She encouraged me. She helped me develop confidence in my abilities...

Sure, it might have just been about the fruit then, and she might have been bad at picking out melons, but because she let me do it, I felt like I was contributing in an unique way to our meal. Another way in a long list of ways that she made me feel special.

So today, I am SO thankful that I have so many wonderful memories of the times that I got to spend with my Gramma Seger. And that even thought she has been gone from this earth for a few years now, I am thankful that I'm still learning lessons that she taught me long ago...even when they make me cry over my cantaloupe!

Adventures in Life: Busy, Busy, Busy!

Oh, my! How time flies! 

I do have so many things that I want to share on the blog, 

but some how my days just slip by without even touching my computer...

Yesterday this little sweetie pie turned 8 MONTHS OLD! 

(I'm still working on getting an 8 month picture and post done. Stay tuned for that...)

I've also got a few new recipes to share, a few new products that I'm loving, and a giveaway coming up! Oh, and I wanted to update you on our basement - perhaps a new tour video! Get Excited! 

Adventures in Life: Spilled Coke and Taylor Swift

I like technology. 
I will admit that I'm not the most tech savvy person. 
I just learned what snapchat was like last week. 

I am thankful we live in an age of Skype and FaceTime so family and friends don't seem quite so far away.

I enjoy my iPhone and the ability to type this blog post in bed while snuggling my sweet sleeping girl. 

I savor encouraging messages from friends on Facebook .... Or 'real' emails (not just junk email).

But lately I have found myself overwhelmed and, well, kind of disgusted by social media and the internet in general. 

Overwhelmed by the volume of information available and conflicting opinions with each new article. 

Shocked by the things some people say to each other behind the protection on their computer screen. (What ever happened to "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all?)

Annoyed by inaccurate or bias material being marketed (and accepted) as truth or 'fact'. 

Tired of all of the negative comments - when did it become the way to convince someone with a different opinion than you by attacking them with words? 

One of my favorite Super Bowl commercials was the Coca-Cola commercial. Did you see it? Where the computer tech spilled the Coke on a server and it made all the internet users happy. 

Ok, I know it doesn't work like that. But I kinda wish it did.

I guess in a world where anyone can write basically whatever they want online, there are going to be haters.... Gonna' hate hate hate. But I've just gotta shake it off. Shake it off. Oh, Taylor Swift, your songs get so stuck in my head! But Taylor is right!! I've got to shake it off and start a new way of thinking when it comes to the online world. 

The other day I came to the decision that when I want to research more about something (for example 'first foods to feed your baby'), I am going to start relying more on books and people I know in real life and less on on-line resources. (Don't get me wrong, I am still going to read blogs! I am just going to do more off line reading). 

It is SO easy and convenient to just Google things. But I have been finding that the plethora of opinions and information that appear on my screen just make me feel like I can never know the best answer or the right thing to do. I can read for hours and still be no closer to an answer. (One article says you should start with rice cereal as a baby's first food. The next article says you should NEVER EVER start with rice cereal.) I have often felt like I'm not doing the best thing for our daughter or our family because of what I read, and I do not want to feel that way.

While I do have things to learn (lots of things!) I know that I do make good decisions for our family. Our daughter is healthy and happy and growing. Am I always doing "the right thing" as a mother... Maybe not by some people's standards. But in each moment I am doing what I feel is right for me, or her, or us... And that's what matters to me. 

Can anyone relate? 

Sorry for such a serious post, I just needed to get it off my chest!

 Here is a cute little girl to cheer things up! 

Ok, one more...

(She can be such a goof!) 

Adventures in Life: Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and some other stuff

Anyone else still having problems writing 2015 instead of 2014? I feel like it usually takes me until March to get that one right!! 

Well, with all the hustle and bustle and travel of Christmas, I did not get a chance to write a post wishing you a Merry Christmas...

(Rebekah's 1st Christmas...more about that in her 5 month post next week!)

And then I rang in the New Year with a stomach bug (yuck!) so I did not feel well enough to do any kind of 2014 re-cap...

So, we are just moving forward and skipping all of that this year. 

I finally feel like my blog brain is coming back to me - I've got recipes I want to share, thoughts that I want to write about, tips that I keep thinking that I need to tell you all, and more!

One think I want to tell you about is that I decided to do the She Reads Truth  #365DaysOfTruth reading program. I'm not a huge "New Year's Resolution" kind of gal, but when I saw this plan on their site, it kind of jumped out at me. I have the app on my phone, and each day, when I do my reading, I swipe the day and it crosses the day off of the list. (Have I ever told you how much I LOVE LOVE LOVE making lists and crossing things off of them!? Well, I do. A LOT.) Anyone else reading through the Bible this year? Or did you make some other kind of New Year's resolution? Have you stuck with it so far? 

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and stay tuned for more adventures with D and V....and R. (Oh, my, do I need to change the blog name?!)

Adventures in Life: Our Journey to Parenthood (part 3)

This is the final part of our journey to parenthood. If you would like to read part 1 click HERE and for part two click HERE. 

I am very thankful that our second pregnancy was a pretty uneventful one. I wish I would have posted more pregnancy updates, but time and energy were at a premium most of my pregnancy as I was working and we were working to finish the basement. I did manage to get it together enough to post a few times:

A new adventure
19 weeks
23 weeks
35 weeks
39 weeks

My due date came and went without any signs of labor. I was very thankful that the weather was unseasonably cool (mid 70's as a high!) as I was pretty uncomfortable the last few weeks of my pregnancy. I was starting to get a little anxious in the days after my due date because we wanted to do a natural birth as long as our little lady was doing well. So we tried everything in the book to get labor going naturally. I have to say that eating pineapple and bouncing on a labor ball were the jackpot methods for me! On Thursday, August 14th, after a day of random, mild contractions, and a long afternoon nap, my water broke. Daniel had just gotten home from work and we called the midwife to let her know. Since I was strep-b positive and needed 4 hours of antibiotics before our little lady way born, she said to get our things together and come on into the hospital.

Our only 'birth plan' was to have a natural birth as long as both baby and I were doing well. Our ultimate goal was a healthy baby and healthy mom in the end and if medical intervention was needed for that outcome we were fine with that.

We were admitted around 7 pm and taken to our labor room. My contractions were becoming more regular and intense but I could still talk through them. I got my first IV ever and we watched a few episodes of the Big Bang theory on TV. By about 11 pm the contractions were getting pretty painful so we decided to see if being in the shower would provide some relief. We tried a bunch of different labor positions that we learned in the birthing class we took, but sitting with the warm water spraying on my back was the most comfortable for a little while. 

Around midnight my midwife, Mary Beth, gave me the okay to labor in the birthing tub for a while. As a former competitive swimmer, water is pretty much my happy place, so I loved the idea of getting in the big tub. With dim lights and a quiet room I labored for another 2 hours before Mary Beth wanted to check my progress. One thing I really liked about Mary Beth and the other midwives is their philosophy of labor was very minimally invasive. If my body is doing what God made it to do, they just let me do my thing. So I knew things must be getting close if she was wanting to check - and we were excited to find that I was 7 cm dilated! I continued to labor in the tub for another hour or two ( the contractions were pretty strong at this point and this is where I start to lose track of my sense of time because I was so focused on breathing and staying relaxed and calm ). Around 4 am Mary Beth wanted me to change positions and use the bathroom, so we all moved back into the bathroom and I labored on the toilet for a while. Around 5am I was starting to feel the urge to push so we left the bathroom and I used a birthing stool for the first part of my pushing. 

I need to pause for a second and just say that in all of this Daniel was right at my side, holding my hand, rubbing my back, whatever I needed. He was awesome! When I was pushing on the birthing stool he was sitting behind me so I could lean against him and he did such a great job supporting and encouraging me. 

Ok, so I pushed. And pushed. Mary Beth kept monitoring Rebekah's heart rate as I was pushing and I didn't know it at the time but she was slightly concerned that it was dropping when I pushed - more than was normal. Around 6am ( I think)   I moved up to the bed and the room came to life with people and movement, Rebekah was almost here! 

The next part is kind of a blur. As I was pushing I was given oxygen because Mary Beth was still concerned about Rebekah. I remember her asking if some doctor was in the hospital and saying to have him come quick. I remember her telling me to not push for a few contractions to give Rebekah a chance to rest a little.... And that is the hardest thing ever! I remember her telling me that I needed to push Rebekah out NOW because her heart rate was very low and she was not getting enough oxygen, so with all of my might and energy I gave one big push and there she was! Our sweet girl we had waited and prayed for for so long. They had to take her away to the special infant bed on the other side of the room to get her breathing well, the umbilical cord had been wrapped around her neck, which was causing all of the problems. That was the hardest part for me, having to wait to hold her. And the only part of the birth that did not go as we would have liked - but it was a necessary change of plan in order to have a healthy baby. After the neonatologist and the pediatrician checked her, the nurse brought her back to me and I got to hold her on my chest.

I will always remember her little cry, her bright eyes looking around, and the feeling of her little body against my chest. She was perfect and we loved her a million times more than we thought we ever could.

And we were finally parents!

(So...this was a long post! Congratulations if you made it all the way to the end! Stay tuned for Adventures with Rebekah! ) 

Adventures in Life: Our Journey to Parenthood (part 2)

If you have missed the previous post you can read

part 1 of our journey to parenthood HERE

So, one year later, we were back at square one. Everything was different, but somehow everything was the same. We were still a family of 2. We still wanted to be a family of, well, more than 2. Only a very small group of family and friends knew about the miscarriage, and I am so very thankful that we waited to make a big pregnancy announcement because I don't know if (at that time) I could have handled having to tell so many people about loosing our little angel.

On a side note - and kind of a public service announcement:

Please, please, please, be very careful when asking young couples "So, when are you going to start having kids?". I know that people ask because they care, (and some people ask just to be nosy) but you never know what that couple may be going through. This question can be very hurtful. I was asked this question several times in the spring/summer of 2013 and it was all I could do to hold back the tears.

For young couples who may get this question - the most polite answer I have found for this question is "Whenever God decides to give us kids."

Okay, back to the story. We started trying again. I am not going to share the specifics of 'the trying' here. However if you are in this trying stage, and would like more information about this time from me, please leave a comment and I will be more than happy to answer your questions privately. I will say this, the summer of 2013 was one of the loneliest times of my life. It felt like everyone I knew was either pregnant or had a young baby...the thing my heart desired the most. I have always been pretty good at putting on a happy face and not letting people know how I am really feeling, and that summer I had my "happy face" on every day. 

Month after month went by. Summer turned into fall and fall turned into winter. And we were starting to wonder if God's plan for our family involved some other means of having children (like adoption) because try as we might, we were still not pregnant.

Some days we felt frustrated - why was it taking so long? Why wasn't God's timeline more like ours?! What was He waiting for?

Some days we felt desperate - what if there is something medically wrong and we can't have kids?

Some days we were just so sad for our little one that we lost. 

But all days we were thankful (or at least we tried to find reasons to be) - Thankful for each other. Thankful for good jobs and a roof over our heads. Thankful for the lessons we were learning. Thankful to the opportunity to grow closer to each other through this trial. Thankful for how God was molding us to be more like Him.

We had decided that if we were not pregnant after the first of the new year (2014), that we would make an appointment with a doctor to get some medical advice. But thankfully we never needed to make that appointment, because like I said, God's timing is perfect! And at the beginning of December we found out that we were pregnant (again)!

And to be perfectly honest, I was terrified.

I know, it doesn't make sense, for months and months we had been wanting to be pregnant. Praying every month that I was. And now that I finally saw the 2 lines on the pee stick, I was terrified. I couldn't get past the big "what if".

What if we have another miscarriage?

I don't know if that will ever go away.

Something I had to do every day of my pregnancy with Rebekah was to thank God for giving me another day of being this little girl's mommy. To ask Him to keep us safe and healthy for that day, and to give tomorrow to Him. I know that God is in control. I can worry and plan and try all I want, but when it comes to babies, it doesn't do a lick of good. Now, that's not to say we don't plan things. We do. But when we plan, we also keep in mind the fact that God also has a plan. And His is better than any plan we could make ourselves.

This lesson applies situations besides babies! I would like to encourage you to remember that God is in control, that He has a plan. Give your worries to Him!

To be continued with Rebekah's birth story tomorrow...and because no post is complete without a cute baby picture...

(again, picture from Aunty Wen...isn't she amazing?!)

For part three of our journey click HERE

Adventures in Life: Our Journey to Parenthood (part 1)

I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who has left such sweet comments about our little Rebekah! (I have not had time to respond to them all, but I do read and appreciate each comment!) 

(Daniel's sister Wendy took this picture when Rebekah was just 5 days old!)

I have had it on my heart for some time to share with you the journey God has taken us on over the past few years as it pertains to growing our family. It is something that we have kept off of the blog because parts of it are painful and difficult to share. Actually, a lot of this story is painful and difficult. But through all of the heartache and trials, God's love, mercy, and goodness have been revealed to us over and over again.

So, let's start at the beginning...

In April 2012 (yes, the same spring we started our massive Operation: Finish Basement project) Daniel and I decided that we felt ready to grow our family. We did not really have a specific time line in mind. We knew some couples that had tried and waited for years to get pregnant. We also knew some couples that it seemed like all they had to do was look at each other and, BAM, they were pregnant. 

We were not really in a rush, just trusting in God's perfect timing for our family. 

That sentence was pretty easy to say and believe for the first few months. It was almost exciting when someone would ask me "So when are you two going to start having kids?", because it felt like it could happen at any moment. But the months past, one by one, and every month it was a little harder to hide the disappointment. Every month it was a little bit harder to trust in God's plan for our family. 

At the end of October 2012, we got the best test results of our lives! We were pregnant, and so thrilled. We decided to let the news be a Christmas present to our families and waited with great excitement to tell them. Like giddy, first time expecting parents we were reading everything we could get our hands on, making lists of names and things we would need. Christmas 2012 was a lovely, joy filled season. I am so thankful that God let us enjoy that time with our families. Excited, care free, and joyful. Looking back, I can see that God's timing was (and always is) perfect. 

The first few days of 2013 were some of the hardest days of our lives...

New Year's Day 2013 is when the cramping began. Nothing horrible, and I figured the pain was just from the growing baby or maybe gas (sorry, TMI!). But at work on January 2nd, I knew something was not right. My symptoms got worse, and I knew that I needed to see my midwife. I drove home from work, unsuccessful at holding back tears as I called her and she immediately scheduled an ultrasound for that evening. I spent the few hours before the appointment praying, begging God to let everything be okay with the baby we had been waiting so long for. 

That evening Daniel and I drove to the hospital, and got confirmation of what our midwife had suspected. Our first pregnancy was ending with a miscarriage. The ultrasound showed our perfect little angel, but there was no heartbeat or brain activity. After carrying that little one for 11 weeks, God had decided to bring him or her home to Heaven. We were no longer pregnant.

Physically, my body did exactly what God designed it to do in this situation. We are so thankful that I did not have to endure any extra medical procedures. Looking back, this was a huge blessing! And by January 3rd, 2013, I was no longer carrying our little baby and my body was on its way back to being 'normal'.

But emotionally...

We were crushed. We were hurt, confused, angry, sad... There are so many emotions that you go through when you have a miscarriage. Human nature looks for someone or something to blame. But the truth is, there was no one to blame. It wasn't anything we did or didn't do. We were given a gift for a while, but it was not apart of God's plan for us to keep that gift. It took me a long time to accept that truth. I was angry that God would let this happen to us. Were we being punished for something? My heart ached every time I heard of another couple who was pregnant. Why did they get to have a baby and we did not? Didn't God think we would make good parents? 

A verse that we have both had memorized for years took on a new meaning. 

We did not understand why this was happening to us, but we knew that we could trust in the Lord. The spring of 2013 was a time of trial and growth. It was frustrating to feel like we had to start over. But we chose to trust that God's plan was better than our own plan. We were learning to surrender our lives and plans to Him. Realizing that we have absolutely no control over this situation. Trusting that God would provide a way to fulfill our heat's desire to be parents.  

To read part two of our journey click HERE
and 
to read part three of our journey click HERE