My life as a mom to my Growing Lil Man and my Lil Princess! "Guide me in your truth, and teach me, O LORD, for you are God my Father and my hope is in you all day long."- Psalm 25:5
James, Kim, and the four girls came down to celebrate the 4th together. It was a wonderful weekend with the family and there is nothing like watching little kids shoot off fireworks and celebrating the holiday with family!
Friday night we enjoyed some great Cracker Barrel, DQ and fireworks! It was so much fun watching the girls shoot fireworks off. The best picture was when the the three girls and Adam lit a firework and all came running back to the driveway as if the firework was going to explode!
Saturday (the 4th) it rained, rained, and then rained some more! It did clear up for a little bit in the afternoon, so everyone could go swimming. After swimming and we headed to church, Red Robin, and then to the local park. At the park there was a mini-petting zoo, inflatable jumpies, candy, and pretty much everything that would be in a kids fantasy land. It was kind of a bummer though, because it was so muddy from all the rain, but the girls seemed to have a blast regardless! A & I left a little early from the park, so we could go see ty our neighbor boy who just came home after graduating from Army Bootcamp. As dark rolled upon us (with no rain, yet), we started shooting off fireworks in the culdesac. Ty and his friends enjoyed firing off the huge ones, which provided us with lots of entertainment. After all the big ones were finished, A & I helped the girls (including Annie, the neighbor girl) fire off some smaller ones. As the rain rolled in, the girls still insisted they could (and still wanted to) shoot some more off, so we did as many as we could until the firework would royally not light because it was so wet. We ended a wonderful fourth of July celebration by watching Shrek The Third. When there were fireworks going off all around it really made me stop and give thanks for the life God has provided for me. I think to often Independence Day becomes more about the fireworks, rather than than the actual thought of our freedom in the US. So as I stood and watched all the fireworks going off everywhere I especially gave thanks to the Lord for all the troops fighting for our INDEPENDENCE!
Today the girls, James, and A played games and just had a great time hanging out with each other. After they left this afternoon it was time to clean, do laundry, and relax! It's been a wonderful today and especially a great afternoon with my husband. We've enjoyed relaxing and taking it easy, especially because today has been a rough "pregnancy" day for me. Overall the weekend was wonderful and it's so nice to spend time with family. It wasn't even 5 minutes after they left, that A told me "I miss the girls:(" The twins really took a liking to A. They always wanted to sit on his lap, be picked up by him, etc. It was so cute! And believe it or not about an hour after they left, we both looked at each other and said, "I really do miss all the noise!"
Throughout the weekend the girls never cease to amaze me when the things they say. Here's just a glimpse of the things that made me smile:
As we were walking to the firework tent there was a huge balloon flying in the air. I pointed it out to one of the twins, who then informed me it looked like my tummy! Thankfully I'm still pregnant and not holding my baby in my arms.
One of the twins was rubbing my belly and said, "There's a baby in there! That's what my mom looked like with Baby (this is what they call their little sister). When is it coming out?"
We were shooting off fireworks and one of them didn't do very much and one of the girls let us know what she thought of it after it was finished by saying, "That's it!!!" It was hilarious!
A & James were playing ping pong and one of the twins really wanted to play, so A told her as soon as they were finished she could play. She then said, "You always say that!" After about 5 minutes she asked them, "Are you going to be done before it's dark?" When she finally got to play on A's team, she was saying, "I'm the bestest!" "I'm so gooooooooood!" Let me remind you this is right after the ball went flying off the table from her crazy serve or went right by her as she swung and missed. She always wanted to high five A after she thought she scored a point; it was so cute watching all the girls play.
As they were getting ready to leave, they all gave us a hug and said, "I love you!" Oh, how I wish they didn't have to leave:(
And so it continues.....kids will always be honest and their giggles will always make me smile!
Pregnancy notes: Less than 6 wks to go until we finally get to hold Baby C! I can tell my body knows that the time is nearing for this special arrival. The other day my legs were aching so bad and then it moved into my hips, which are starting to widen (what an uncomfortable feeling). Needless to say, that evening we worked on relaxing and breathing techniques just so I could get comfortable. A really does have this back/hip massage down pat. Other changes in my body that are starting to signal the big D-day is coming: BH everyday/every hour (okay maybe not that much, but definitely enough every day that is making me really uncomfortable), the pressure has increased so much that A says I'm finally walking/waddling like a pregnant lady, the increased pressure has really made it hard for me to bend over and even move around like I was a wk ago, an overly exhausted feeling, I even threw up my lunch the other day, and many more changes. Though I'm uncomfortable at times, I just think about what it's going to be like to hold this precious gift from God. It's still hard for me to believe that I'm going to be a mom and A are starting our family! It'll be here before we know it! It was funny last night when we were visiting with everyone at the party, everybody couldn't hep but say, "It's like you have a basketball under your shirt. It's all in your belly and just sticks right in front." Thank goodness! We are headed to the dr's on Tuesday for an u/s and check up. I can't wait to see how everything is progressing!
Baby C received a special delivery in the mail the other day from Grandma Carriker. She sent a safari sleeper; I can't wait to put Baby C in it!
“Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance.”-Psalm 33: 12
Baby C's arrival is getting so close and I'm getting oh so more anxious about everything. I can't believe in less than a month and a half I'll finally be able to hold this precious gift from God in my arms.
A & I have been busy checking things off our to do list before the baby comes. Finishing our birth plan really started to have things settle in for me that the big day is nearing. Every night A & I work on breathing & relaxing techniques that we plan to use during l & d. I really enjoy this time together and gives us special bonding time with each other and the baby. The other day we finished the nursery and packed the diaper bag; now all we're waiting on is the final touch, the arrival of Baby C! A & I love just going into the nursery and picturing what it's going to be like when Baby C is here. A recently told me that his new favorite room is the nursery. It so sweet to find him in there playing with some of the toys and just hanging out in the baby's room. Each day I manage to keep marking things off my to do list and with each check I know we're one day closer to meeting Baby C.
Today A & I are taking it easy around the house getting more things done on our list and running a couple errands. This afternoon we're going to Ice Age III: Dawn of the Dinosaurs and HuHot's, what a great date day it's going to be with my hubby?!
This Friday Adam's cousin James, his wife Kim and their 4 girls are coming to celebrate the fourth. It'll be nice to spend time with family and enjoy shooting off some fireworks.
Baby C loves "pumping iron" every day and steeling all of Mom's energy in doing so. I've been so exhausted lately and find afternoon naps almost essential for me to function, especially because at night Baby C and I are only sleeping a few hrs at a time. Every time the baby kicks, I really can't help but give thanks for this gift of life. At night when Baby C is moving around in the excitement of hearing his/her Daddy read to him/her, I can't help but praise Him for everything He's blessed me with. Thank you God for the amazing blessings in my life!
“For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.”-Romans 12:3
I can't believe it's already Sunday evening; where is time going?! It's been quite the past couple days that's for sure. Days full of an engagement, birthing class, an amazing church sermon, and a great weekend with my hubby.
Friday night we were suppose to go out with Jenna & Jason to Transformers; however, Jason called Thursday afternoon to tell us he had Cardinal tickets and was going to ask Jenna to marry him Friday night at the game. So, he asked if we could play it off until Friday morning that we were doing something and then see if we could get together on a later date because we had something come up. I texted her Friday morning and said we had something come up and maybe we could do it later this weekend or next wk. She took the bait and then later Jason's brother called to see if they wanted to go to the game with him and his girlfriend. Everything was going as planned until we about blew it. For our date night A & I headed to eat at Cheesecake Factory, some shopping at the mall, and then off to the movie. We get to Cheesecake (only our 3rd time), ordered our food and A got up to run to the restroom, when all of a sudden he sat down and said, "You're not going to believe who is sitting over there?!" He then tells me Jenna & Jason are sitting pretty much behind our booth. Luckily Jenna didn't see him or me, however Jason did see us. I was thankful she didn't see us, because it would have looked pretty bad on our behalf since we originally had asked them to the movie and then canceled last minute for no reason. A did come up with an excuse if they did see us, so she wouldn't have any idea what was going on. Nonetheless, A held his bladder and we couldn't help put laugh about the whole situation all night long and into the next day when we talked to Jenna. When they got down to the game he had bought a brick and had their first date and names on it. He then got down on one knee and the rest is a fairly tale proposal! We're so happy for them and it was kind of fun knowing about the proposal before it happened and kind of being a decoy too. Oh ya, when Jason originally had called me, A predicted that he was going to propose and that's what he needed to talk to us about. Who would have guessed?!
Saturday afternoon we had our Holistic Childbirth Class from noon to 5:30ish. It was kind of nice because we were the only couple in the class, so we had the doula all to ourselves and had the class personalized to what we wanted. It was nice to come up with our birth plan and really talk about everything that goes along with labor and delivery. A & I have started doing breathing techniques and good ways of relieving labor pain when the time comes. I know A will be an excellent birthing coach and I really find it enjoyable working on different relaxing techniques with him. With our last class wrapped up, our birthing plan almost finished, and the hospital tour just around the corner, Baby C will be here before we know it! All of our classes (baby basics, breastfeeding, and childbirth) have been really good and now we have some extra resources if we ever run into a problem (which we probably will).
After our class we headed back home so I could rest a little before we headed to church. Our church service was one that I will never forget. We had a guest speaker who summed up the bible in 4 words. The 4 words are: OF, AND, WITH, IN! Here's a summary of the sermon. He started at the beginning of the bible and explained how God created us OF Him in his image. He then continued that in the Old Testament it was us AND God. There was a separation between us and God for thousands of years and that's why we had prophets, high priest, etc. When we move into the New Testament we start off with the birth of Jesus. It is here where God is WITH us. He lives among us and there is no longer a separation between us. In the end God lives IN us and should always be IN us as true Christians. This nutshell can't even begin to share the message he delivered, but this is the best I can sum it up.
Pregnancy notes: 7 wks to go! Overall I've been feeling great. My fatigue level is through the roof right now, but other than that my body feels great. At night my body is really starting to adjust to what it's going to be like to have a lil one soon: waking up every 2-3 hrs for a bathroom break, laying awake for awhile because Baby C is moving all around, needing a nap in the afternoon (even 20 mins) to last past 5 o'clock, and the list continues to grow. I love feeling Baby C move all around and really can't wait to hold him/her in my arms. What a true blessing this child is to A & I!
“The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”-Hebrews 1:3
The other night my heart just wanted to melt over what I was experiencing. Baby C decided to push it's little foot out the side of my tummy for A & I to feel. A put his hand on the foot, and then Baby C started to move around like crazy. A followed Baby C's foot all around the one side of my belly! It was so much fun watching him play with Baby C; I've never seen A so happy and excited. A is going to be an awesome daddy and I really can't wait to see him with our child. All I could do after watching and experiencing this was to give thanks for these two amazing blessing in my life.
Today we got to hear Baby C's heart beating loud and strong. Baby C had A & I laughing today. As Dr. P was taking Baby C's heart rate, his/her heart rate decided to speed up right away and then slow down again (this happened a couple times). We were listening to it and it sounded pretty slow (as normal) and then all of a sudden it sped up for a little bit and then slowed back down. It was the strangest thing to listen to, but Dr. P didn't seem to concerned. Here's the basics from today's appt: up 23 lbs total, Baby C's hr was 120/130 bpm (120 was baseline and then sped up to 130), and my bp is 114/76. Overall everything looks great and I'm feeling really good especially considering how close we're getting. At our next appt on the 7th we'll get to see Baby C again. Dr. P wanted to do an u/s to see how big Baby C is and check how everything else is going. We'll also start checking me this next time; it so crazy to think about how close we are to finally being able to meet this true miracle.
The other day I told A, "I would say my life is going really well, because I seem to be sending "thank you's" every week. I've been truly blessed and when I find myself thanking so many people for so many things, how can't I give thanks to God for everything (friends & family that love and care for me so much) He has granted me with! Life is good!"
"Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me."- Psalm 31:3
The title in itself should explain that the Carriker household really can't believe it's already Wednesday evening! It's almost been a week since my last post, simply because I haven't found the time to sit down and write about all that has been going on. So, where do I even begin? This past weekend/wk has been amazing! Between a surprise visit from my family, Old St. Charles, Draino Test, Father's Day, and being baptized, my very special birthday, and feeling truly blessed by the Lord........Let's just say it's been an INCREDIBLE weekend/wk and one that I will definitely never forget!
I have an incredible husband and wonderful family! I went to the airport to pick up A Friday night and thought we were headed to the movie for our date night. After an hr delay he finally made it; we headed down to grab a bag he had checked (supposedly). As we were standing by the carousel I wanted to move closer, but A was like "No, just stand here!" I didn't really understand why we were standing so far away, but just shrugged it off. The next thing I know, my parents, PJ & Shan are standing behind me with party blow things, a crown for me to wear and a banner that says "Happy Birthday!" I just stood there kind of confused as to why my family was here in StL! I was so happy to see them and I was royally left speechless about everything that was going on. What a great way to start off the weekend!
After I finally came down from the clouds, we headed to the movie, The Proposal, which turned out to be a good chic flick! We ate a very late dinner at Applebee's and I even got free dessert! I was like a little kid in a candy store when we all got to our house. I wanted to show them the nursery, the baby scrapbooks, pretty much anything and everything! I was so happy to have my family and had quite the adrenalin rush, which lasted till about Saturday night and was completely gone Sunday afternoon. We finally headed to bed pretty late, but inside I was still on a high because my family was here. I miss living close to family and really do cherish the time I get to spend with them when we're together. I really hope someday we live an easy drive away from most of our family.
Saturday A & I were up bright and early, so A took Pebbles on a bike ride and I headed to the store so we would have food to eat for the weekend. Once everybody was up and ready we headed down to Historical Old St. Charles to shop, eat, and just hang out. During May and June there are people who dress up like they lived back in the 1900's. These people walk around and talk to you like normal; they ask about any work available, recruiting for the army, and there was even an hobo. Most of them never break character and are so much fun to talk to; it was definitely something you can't experience too many places. We ate at a really neat restaurant and even got to see a wedding by the river. We couldn't believe people were getting married when it was 95+ degrees and what felt like 100% humidity (107 heat index). By the early afternoon it was time to head back to the house for a much needed break from the heat, but not until we stopped by the ice cream parlor of course. When we got home my mom & I headed out to find some Crystal Draino. My mom really wanted me to do the "Crystal Draino" test to see if we are having a boy or girl. We ran to 4 different stores before we found Crystal Draino. My mom and Aunt Mary did this test when they were both pregnant with me and my cousin Joel and it worked, so my mom wanted to try it and see in the end if it works or not. So here's how the test is suppose to work: You mix 2 tbsp Crystal Draino and 3 oz morning urine in a glass jar and watch what happens. A boy= brown, black, or dark blue coloring. A girl= light blue, green, yellow, red, or no color change. It really stinks so you have to do it outside. The test turned brown/black right away, which means according to this test that we're having a boy. A & I just laugh because everything tells us we're having a boy, so we'll probably end up with a girl and never be able to trust any of the wives tales.
After heading to church, it was off to eat at Mimi's Cafe and then Year One! We'd only been to Mimi's Cafe once before and no one else had been there so we thought we would give it a whirl. Everybody ended up loving there food and it seemed to hit the spot with everyone. We had to hurry to make it to the movie in time. Year One turned out to be an okay movie and gave us a lot of laughs afterwards when we were talking about it. Overall it was a wonderful day spent with the people I love!
Sunday morning was reserved for pool time, changing light bulbs, and doing another Draino test. While PJ, Shan, and A played in the pool, my parents and I changed some light bulbs on our vaulted ceiling. It's always nice having my dad (aka Mr. Handy Man) come around so he can help us with some house projects. My mom wanted to do one more Draino test just to see if we got the same result, which we did! It turned pretty much black and so we will now wait and see if it was correct or not?! Oh, how I can't wait for that day to come! My parents and I went and got some lunch for everybody and then it was off to the airport, but not before we did a mini Father's Day celebration. The previous day we had given my dad his Father's Day gift, so him and mom could wear their matching grandma and grandpa shirts. PJ & Shan gave dad their present and Baby C & I gave Daddy a little something too. A got a #1 Dad shirt and picture frame that said "Daddy & Me" with a picture of A holding the u/s pic. I was really sad when they left, but I also knew they'd be back in August for the arrival of Baby C so that brought a smile to my face.
A & I rested up a little once we got home and then it was off to church for our baptism! Cass emailed me this awhile ago and I can't find a better way to explain baptism then it, so I thought I would just share. Baptism is your time to tell God you love Him by telling others you belong to Him! Baptism makes three powerful, public statements, expressing how we belong to God:
The first reason you need to be baptized is to say, "I believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus." And you give a picture of that by going under the water and coming up. And when we come up out of the water, we enter into the new country of grace—a new life in a new land! (based on Romans 6:3 MSG).
Second, baptism is a picture of what happens to you: "Going under the water was a burial of your old life; coming up out of it was a resurrection, God raising you from the dead as He did Christ" (Colossians 2:12 MSG). When you're baptized you're saying, "I'm dying to all my old sins. They're forgiven, they're forgotten, and they're out of my life. I'm beginning a brand new life in Christ."
Third, it symbolizes your new life in Jesus Christ: "And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes" (Galatians 3:27 NLT).
"When we went under the water, we left the old country of sin behind; when we came up out of the water, we entered into the new country of grace—a new life in a new land! That's what baptism into the life of Jesus means" (Romans 6:3 MSG).
It was one of the most amazing things I've ever experienced and I'm so happy to have publicly declared my life to Jesus. I've been so blessed throughout my whole life and oh all the glory to Him. I'm thankful to be able to walk through this journey with my best friend/husband and to raise our child up knowing the Lord. It was especially special because all three of us were baptized at the same time; we all came out of the water into a new life in a new land! So it was that day that I declared I'm beginning a new life with Christ!
Monday was full of errands and cleaning the house. On Tuesday I was greeted by Rambo who had a note that said, "Happy Birthday! Love: Rambo, Pebbles, & Baby C!" It was so sweet! We started the day off celebrating my birthday by getting a mini workout in, presents, a quick lunch, and then it was time for my massage (which was a surprise). A got me so many nice things and really did spoil me rotten; what a great man I'm married to! He got me some baby things (which is the only thing I told him I wanted) like a bebe pod, baby toys, a whole gender neutral outfit that he picked out, some cute bibs, and a fuzzy/sound making book. He also got a me a corn fed NE shirt, a snuggie, and he even picked out all the marshmallows from a Lucky Charms cereal and put them in a baggy to eat (so I would stop picking them out of his box)! The card he got me was so sweet too! It was one of those that you talk into and then it plays music. Now I can listen to it over and over again! I also received two coupons: one for maternity pictures and one to go get a #1 mom shirt. Shannon (the massose) came to the house and treated me to a special pregnancy massage and it felt incredible. Right afterwards we were off to our breastfeeding class, which lasted about 2 hrs. It was really good/informational and I'm really happy we went to it. Afterwards we headed to Red Robin (Yuuuuuuummmm) and then to Babies R Us. We topped the birthday celebration off by eating some ice cream cookie dough cake, which said "Happy Birthday Angie (Mommy-to-be)!" Overall this was one of the most incredible birthday's ever and I really am blessed to have so many people in my life that love and care about me!
Today was my usual morning and then it was off to run more errands and then do somethings around the house. And of course catch up on emails, blog, facebook, pictures, pretty much everything that I just haven't had time to do lately.
Pregnancy notes: Overall I'm feeling wonderful and as Adam says, "I wouldn't even know you were pregnant if it wasn't for your belly!" I don't walk/act/look like I'm pregnant minus the basketball under my shirt. I've been lucky thus far not to look puffy in my face, have back pain, etc. etc. I've been so tired lately that sleeping is going fairly well too. It's getting so close and I can't wait to meet Baby C is less than 7 1/2 wks! I have a Dr.'s appt tomorrow afternoon and can't wait to see how everything is coming along. A & I are always so excited to hear our baby's heartbeat! At the rate of these past couple weeks, August will be here before we know it and so will Baby C!
“The LORD will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”-Psalm 121: 7-8
