19 Weeks + Week Recap

How far along? 19 Weeks
Maternity clothes? Still can wear lots of my normal clothes but invested in this pair of Jcrew maternity shorts & they are heaven in this heat! (Wait for a holiday or keep a lookout, I got them 30% off)
Stretch marks? No
Sleep: Not so great.....busted out my maternity body pillow which helps a lot!
Best moment this week: Finding out we are having a girl!!!
Miss Anything? Sleeping on my stomach :(
Movement: I feel little flutters, but can't wait for the bigger ones so daddy can feel her move!
Food cravings: Iced Chai Lattes ALWAYS sound good.
Anything making you queasy or sick: This has been my best week yet! Praise God!
Have you started to show yet: Oh yes, can't believe how much sooner you show with baby #2
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Up & Down but constantly pray for Joy!
Looking forward to: Deciding on her name!

Just about Halfway there! In some ways its gone fast, doing my best to treasure these days. This past week I have had mostly all good days and I am so thankful! It has been so fun knowing that its a baby girl growing inside of me. I have been measuring, sketching, & pinning like crazy :) I keep reminding myself she won't be here for a while so I don't need to have everything done this week. But it's just so fun. Ford is starting to understand that a baby in my belly, and showing me that he is not going to pinch or hit the baby(things he's been working on). It's pretty funny, I can't wait to see how much he loves this little girl. Ford got to the chalkboard throughout the week if you can find the little finger marks :)

Grey Maxi | Floral Kimono sold out at F21online(I think I've still seen it in store) 

| Ring (similar)

Just for kicks :)

We made a quick overnight trip up north this past weekend to visit Todd's parents and help some of our good friends settle in to their new house. They are some of our dearest friends but we don't get to hang out as much as we wish so every minute is treasured. You have to check out Bry's blog, it is so encouraging and her story is a true testimony to the faithfulness of our God and that NOTHING is impossible with Him.

Aren't their girls the cutest!

Playing all day is hard work!

I just love this picture of Todd & Ford

 I actually got teary eyed taking this picture of my boys. We have outgrown our truck that we have shared since early in our marriage when we traveled so much we didn't need my car anymore. So, pretty much every memory of our 4 years & our growing family are stored up in this truck. We were trying to stuff everything in, and Ford in between and I started singing, "You're gonna miss this, you're gonna want this back. You're gonna wish these days, hadn't gone by so fast." And I just got choked up thinking of how quickly time is going, and how big Ford is getting, and that precious time we've shared riding everywhere together is just about past.

We also celebrated our 4th anniversary this week so I'll leave you with a throwback <3

So many things these days I was to treasure and remember and be thankful for, but have also been reminded by the Lord, 

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Luke 12

 I want to treasure these days as gifts from the Lord, but pray my eyes remain on Him, to serve Him diligently, to spend time with Him everyday and rest in Him above anything else that seems important. I fell in love with this verse below, I think I will make it a print for the nursery, 

"Do not fear {little flock} for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."

Luke 12

Hello Baby Girl

"Praise God through whom ALL blessings flow!"

These last couple of weeks have had the biggest highs & lows for me. I hit an extremely low point physically. It is amazing how much your physical body controls your mind and spirit. When my body is weak & sick, my spirit feels weak & sick. It is this constant battle to keep my thoughts on the Lord & His Word versus sulking in self-pity.

This Sunday was a hard day for me, but felt I still needed to go the church with my boys, and the Lord encouraged me there. I am very careful not to dwell on the words of the pastor himself but to always return to the verses he spoke on to confirm how the Lord wants me to apply it to my life. But, there is also so much encouragement in how the Lord teaches & speaks to others. We had a guest pastor speaking on the book of Philemon. I encourage you to read that book & let the Lord speak to to you. One thing I am not good at is knowing the history behind a lot of the books of the Bible, it has always been my focus just to spend time with the Lord, & to know Him through His Words. But when someone does have that background, I love hearing it! 

The book of Philemon is a letter from Paul to Philemon. Philemon's slave, Onesimus had run away. But, through God's own works, Onesimus stumbled across Paul & became a believer. This letter is Paul sending Philemon his slave back, with specific instruction. You can read it yourself, but here is what the pastor shared(or how I received it) that the Lord really had stick to my heart,
"God doesn't react: He is sovereign. He has a plan from the beginning. Onesimus had to run away to find his salvation (& find Paul). God doesn't just take a bad/hard situation & turn it around for good, the 'hard' was His purpose from the beginning."

The Lord made this so clear to me, it is so true! God is SOVEREIGN! He knows our entire life before we are even conceived. How small we make Him sometimes to think He is up there just reacting or not reacting to things we are going through. Now, yes sometimes we make things harder than they needed to be, but He already knew we would :) 

I love these versus in Philemon & they are such an amazing reminder of how important it is to acknowledge what the Lord is doing in our lives.

"...hearing of your love and faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus 

and toward all the saints, that the sharing of your faith may 

become effective by the acknowledgment of 

EVERY good thing which is in you IN Christ Jesus. 

For we have great joy and consolation in your love, 

because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed by you, brother."

Philemon 1:5-7

Now that I've shared my "lows" I MUST share my "high"! We found out yesterday we are having a girl! And it was so exciting and encouraging and just felt refreshed by the Lord. I think finding out was a precious reminder to me of what the Lord is creating in my body. Most of my days may be awful, but there is a beautiful blessing at the end. And of course the flood gates of all the fun things you get with having a girl flew open! My Pinterest is about to explode! I just had to start planning already :) Todd is really excited to have a girl, but quickly realized that means buying lots of new things!!! ;) Here is a peek of what I'm inspired by right now:

Heart Swaddle & Hat | Purple Nursery | Colorful Dresser | Blue Cart

All the "stuff" is so much fun, but also treasuring the thought of how different a little girl will be. I love having a boy so much and seeing Ford's relationships with Todd & I, it will be so different with a daughter. I can't wait for all that will bring. 

"My fellow laborers, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen."

In Him, T

(Here are some fun photos we had yesterday on our "gender reveal" day)

"It's a WHAT?!?"

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