Leaning

Lately, I’ve been leaning on this verse a lot. I think it sums up, quite beautifully, His steadfast love for us and the way in which it overcomes any earthly worries we may have.

We’re going through a bit of a stressful time right now with some things, so I ask for your prayers over the coming weeks for our little one. Despite the uncertainties, I am reminded daily of how blessed I am to have such an amazing husband and family, and how blessed we are to have this Little Bean in our lives. We serve a mighty and merciful God, and I thank Him daily for our abundant blessings.

Confessional Friday: {Link Up}

Good morning, girls. I've missed y'all terribly! It's been a bit of a crazy week, but I'm so happy to kick off my weekend here with all of you. There are a couple of things that we could really use prayers on, so if you have some time today, we'd appreciate it.

1. I confess that we have a pretty good idea of the sex of the baby, although we are still waiting for a bit to announce ; ) We didn't expect to find out this quickly, but the tech was able to get some pretty amazing pictures from the ultrasound we had Monday. SO exciting!

2. I confess if you haven't read this book, Jesus Is Calling, please do so. Erin posted an excerpt of it on her Instagram last week, and just the small snippet of text she shared was enough to move me to tears.

3. I confess that I bought these shoes at 3:00 a.m. on Tuesday, during a bout of sleeplessness. I promise, I just logged on ASOS to "glance" at some maternity clothes and ended up eyeing these beauties. Whoops.

Okay, girls. Let me hear what's on your mind this week!

Confessional Friday: {Link Up}

'Ello, friends! It's almost the weekend and we're confessing. Let's get right to it, shall we?

1. I confess that your comments and emails following the "Worry" post had me nearly in tears. Say what you will about blogging, but I love that we're all part of such an amazing and supportive network of women. Women that build each other up with encouraging words and uplifting thoughts.Thank you all for your sweet, sweet words. It's nice to know that I'm not the only worry-wart ; )

2. I confess that I gained a pound this week...woohoo! Trying like the dickens to get back up to pre-pregnancy weight. It's not much, but hey Jack, I'll take it!

3. I confess that I'm still waiting for that "pregnancy glow" I'm supposed to be blessed with right now, ha! In my opinion, I just look...well...a lovely shade of pea green. Perhaps I'll glow a bit more once this nausea eases up : ) Until then, I think it's bunch of hogwash.

4. I confess that I haven't had my hair highlighted since before Christmas...and I'm not due for another until April 24th - yikes! My hair girl retired last month, so I've been trying like a mad woman to find another stylist. I found one that came highly recommended, but I couldn't get in until the end of the month. Y'all should see my crazy hair in person. I've got quite the (unintentional) ombre look going on right now.

5. I confess that I was MORTIFIED when I ran into a sweet blog reader in Target last weekend. Not because I don't like meeting friends in the blogging community, but because I was wearing: 1) Not a stitch of make-up, so it's a miracle she recognized me in the first place; 2) A pair of 10-year old sweatpants and an old Phish t-shirt, (yes, I loved me some Phish...judge away); 3) A hot mess of a bun on top of my head, comprised of hair that hadn't been washed in a sweet forever. I kept apologizing and apologizing to this sweet girl for my horrific appearance. So embarrassing!

6. I confess that events like the above always, always seem to happen when I look like I've crawled out of a gutter. Why is it that every time you think, "I'll just make a quick trip to Target. Surely I won't run into anyone I know today", that you inevitably see the entire dadgum population?

7. I confess that y'all rock my socks off. Really. You're kind of awesome. Just so you know.

Alright, give it to me straight. What's going on in your world this week?

P.S.- Since I seem to have a hard time getting this link up posted at a decent time each Friday, I'm going to try, (try being the operative word), to post on Thursday nights. Because, hey, it just seems like the responsible link-up hostess thing to do.

Worry

I know, rather, I knew that when I became pregnant, my level of worrying would reach a whole new level. I knew this because, like my mother and paternal grandmother, I have a bad case of The Worries. I've had it since I was little.

I used to worry about falling down while walking up the chalkboard at school. (Yep. We had chalkboards back in my elementary school days. I AM ANCIENT.)

I used to worry myself into physical sickness about passing middle school algebra. (To be fair, I had a teacher whose charm and warmth rivaled that of the Wicked Witch of the West.)

I used to worry about getting into college, despite having a solid ACT score and darn decent GPA.

I worried about finding my soulmate.

I worried each morning about how I'd get through the day at my job at the time. I hated it that much. (The job I had before the amazing job I have now.)

I worried about getting pregnant, even though I had no medical reason to be worried.

...............................

But guess what.

I never once fell while walking up to the front of the classroom.
I did pass algebra, albeit with the skin of my teeth.
I did get into a good college. And on scholarship.
I found Stephen.
I got a new job at a company I'd been eyeing since I'd moved to my city over five years ago.
I got pregnant quickly.

Essentially, I had flat-out wasted a whole lot of time worrying about things that, inevitably, weren't worth fretting over.
...............................

We're in the height of all the early screenings and ultrasounds and such with the baby. And I'm a first-time mom. Y'all, I just about had a mini-nervous breakdown the day we went to look for the babe's heartbeat. It took the nurse all of two minutes to find it, but those were the longest, most emotionally excrutiating of my LIFE.

And now we're waiting on the results of the first trimester screening. And I'm in hyper-drive worry mode. I worry because I'm sick on an almost daily basis right now. Not just "a little nausea" or anything, we're talking all-out UGLY sick. I worry that something must be wrong with me, despite logic telling me that some women are just, well, sick.

The "what ifs" are killing me. But, I know God has a very specific plan. He's a man of great detail, after all. And I know that whatever comes our way during this pregnancy and this baby's life, we'll handle it.  I believe my God transcends all of these earthly worries, though. He is bigger than any ultrasound or screening. He clothes me in strength and protection far more than any vitamin, supplement, pregnancy book or parenting class ever could.

I worry, but He reminds me of His steadfast love: "Did I not bring you this far?", He asks.

And I smile. Because He has.

Our Dog is a Bully (and Other Stuff)

Where in the dickens did our weekend go? I mean...gone. Just gone. Just like Lindsay Lohan's attempts to reform her image, it was practically over before it started.

• We had a lovely Easter Sunday. Complete with a beautiful church service, 68 degree weather and a tad less pregnancy nausea/yacking. 

• And spaghetti! Stephen whipped up a batch of his homemade sauce yesterday and it was mighty tasty. Sidenote: I shouldn't say "whipped"...the blasted stuff has to simmer for nine hours. Any edible substance that takes nine hours to cook has to be worth it, right? 

• And Game of Thrones came back on for its third season, undoubtedly making this one the best weekend ever. (Until the next best weekend ever, that is.)

• So, we have new-ish neighbors that moved in at the end of the street; neighbors who also own a cute little female weenie dog, much like our own Ruby. We thought it would be a hoot to let the two weenies meet each other and become best friends. Ladies, it did not go smoothly. 

Before we could even get our phones out to snap a pic of the budding friends, the other dog growls at Ruby, Ruby growls back, then she jumps out of my arms and waylays the other dachshund. Other dachshund doesn't take kindly to that, (naturally), and gives Ruby a piece of her mind, (and a piece of her left incisor.)

Then they tie up like two cast members of Bad Girls Club.

I think Ruby was offended because she heard the other dog had tried to make a move on the male beagle next door. And Ruby kind of had dibs on him already. She was all, "Sister, you need step off my man Dudley. We've been Facebook official for, like, a month."

And the other dog was like, "Nah. Dudley's mine. He took me to Petco last night."

Then Ruby accused her of telling untruths.

And then it got ugly. Total girl fight.


There was ear biting. There was teeth gnashing. There was growling that mimicked that of a rabid wolf.

If either dog had been wearing a weave, it would've been torn off.

I was horrified.

I quickly apologized to T.J. and his sweet fiance (the human neighbors) and proceeded to wonder where I had gone wrong as a mother.

.......................................

And that, friends, was our weekend.