38 Week Appointment

Today Blake and I went to my 38 week appointment. By this time in my pregnancy when they call my name I walk straight to the lab, urinate in the cup and take my seat. The nurse never has to tell me what to do. I mean I’ve done it I don’t know how many times the last 9 months. Blake even has the same seat he sits in at the lab and he’s picked out two chairs in the lobby we always sit in due to they are the most comfortable. I’m sure all my “mom” friends agree, the doctor’s office becomes like your second home.

Anyways, great check-up today as we are progressing. I’m 3 cm dilated and 75% effaced. Anytime now, right? My doctor said the only unpredictable thing about delivery is delivery!! I totally agree. I have to admit it is so fun to wait and not know when your baby will arrive. God’s timing is so perfect. He has showed that over and over to Blake and me during these last few weeks. I’ll have to blog about that soon.

Only one thing left to do, manicure and pedicure!!!!!

38 Weeks and Decisions

I'm 38 weeks today!! I can't believe it. I've become accustomed to swollen feet, fingers and face. I've also hit that point that many of my friends have talked about-getting no sleep. At night I just can't get comfortable and am up using the restroom. I'm doing the whole put the pillow under your belly to try to be comfortable. Finally, last night I took a Tylenol PM (yes you can have those when you're pregnant) and finally slept. At least today I feel as if I have energy.

After lots of prayer, I decided to cancel being induced. I wasn't too keen on the idea to begin with and my spirit never was at rest with it. I called the doctor and cancelled it yesterday. She asked me why and I said, "Well, call me old fashion but I'd rather him come on his own." BUT if I'm ever in danger or Camp is then yes I will be induced, but for right now we are both fine!!

I also decided that Friday is my last day physically at work. If Camp doesn't come this weekend or this week, I'll work from home next week. I'm really glad I made this decision for I need the rest.

On another note, last night our Sunday School class had a girl’s night out at the Melting Pot. It was such a blast!! I figured it was my last night out kind of thing. There were about 13 of us gals and it was totally awesome. It just made me realize how important it is to have girlfriends, especially godly girlfriends. Blake is my best friend but having girl time and discussing “girl talk” is just something Blake can’t provide me with and he’s not suppose too. I say all that to say, that it’s so important to surround ourselves with great girlfriends and to take time to have girl time. It’s so refreshing!!!

Well, I go to the doctor on Friday unless Camp arrives sooner!!!

Chattanooga Shower and more

First an update on Camp!! We had our ultrasound on Friday. He's healthy and everything looks normal. They think he's about 7lbs. I'm still 2 cm dilated and 50% effaced. They have set to induce me on March 30th. Camp has 10 days to come before the 30th!! He's going to be a March baby!!

I'm still rather large and in charge. It's funny because now people just straight up ask me, "When are you due?" I get those looks like, "Oh, honey you are so ready." I actually had one woman wink and smile at me like she was saying, "I feel so sorry for you or I know how you feel." It was so hot this weekend in Chattanooga; therefore, I became even more swollen and puffy all over. I'm grateful to not have to endure a summer in chattanooga pregnant.

My sweet Sunday School class threw me a shower yesterday. The Theme was called, "A Child is Brewing." The shower was like a big tea party. I loved it!! I love hot teas. They had cold and hot teas to choose from. It was great!! Here are some pictures from the shower:






Also this weekend was the very large consignment sale called, "Just Between Friends." Since I am a first time mom I got to go early on Saturday before it opened to the public. I also got to bring Blake. Needless to say, this shopping trip was a success!! If there is one thing I've learned from all my "mom" friends it is take advantage of consignment. Blake and I have been "iffy" on rather or not to use/buy a pack and play. Some of my friends swear by them and some of my friends never use theirs or even bought one. I felt great when we found one at the sale for $50.00. This is compared to the one we registered for that is, like most of the new ones, $185.00. Rather or not we use it, I'm ok with what we paid for it. I also used this sale to purchase the kind of clothes I want Camp to wear. These are usually a little more expensive than what I will pay for, but at the sale they were super cheap!! Handsome outfits are as follows:




I had mentioned in my last post that Blake is working hard on refurbishing an old piece of furniture to be our changing table. Here he is working on it:


Last but not least, Trixie is dressed and ready for her brother to arrive!!!

Beauty of Submission (Part 2)

(Sorry this is late. No Camp yet!! This will be my last book entry until after Camp is born).

Carolyn Mahaney takes us on a submission tour following one of scripture’s most penetrating passages on this topic of wives submitting to their husbands.

1 Peter 3:1-6 (New International Version, ©2011)
1 Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, 2 when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. 3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. 4 Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. 5 For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands.

Verse 1: Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives.

This command is to the wives. Submission is not our husbands’ idea and neither are they responsible to enforce it. The requirement to submit to your husband comes straight from God. The responsibility is ours! Secondly, as married women we are not to submit to all men, but rather to our husbands. We are to be subject to our own husbands no matter how worthy or respectable another man may be.

“Be Subject,” is an altogether honorable role that calls forth the full measure of our energy, ability and godly character. Wifely submission is our divine calling to honor and affirm our husband’s leadership and help carry it through with our gifts. God has graced each of us with unique gifts that He intends for us to use to support our husbands. However, when a conflict of opinion arises that cannot be resolved, they are responsible to decide and we are responsible to honor and affirm their leadership. We must never follow our husbands into sin. Our preeminent authority is God himself and at no time should our submission violate any of His expressed commands.

Submission is a powerful dynamic force that can actually influence an unbelieving husband. God will use a wife’s submissive heart to draw an unbelieving husband to Himself. Our act of submission preaches a lovelier and more powerful sermon than our mouth ever could.

Verse 2: When they see your respectful and pure conduct.

Here scripture specifies the attitude of our submissive conduct: It is to be respectful and pure. We are to show respect to our husbands. Are we in awe or revere or treat our husbands’ special? Do we respect them with our tone, words and body language? When we esteem our husbands they will strive to be worthy of respect, and simultaneously our own feelings of respect will grow. When gratitude and respect are cultivated for our husbands, we find more and more to respect.

Verses 3-5: Do not let adorning be external-the braiding of hair, the wearing of gold, or the putting on of clothing-4 but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. 5 for this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their husbands.

Submission makes us beautiful. Submission is the secret to authentic, timeless beauty. This beauty is not a physical one. 1 Peter 3 promises that we will indeed grow lovelier as we cultivate submissive hearts. This attractiveness is real, tangible, and visible to others. This beauty in God’s sight is very precious. Submission endows us with an altogether different kind of beauty, the kind that God sees and prizes-and the only kind of beauty that counts.

Our ability to submit proceeds from a resolute trust in God. Scripture doesn’t tell us to place our hope in our husbands. They are sinners just as we are. God never intended that our husbands bear the weight of our complete dependence. Rather, He wants us to depend wholly on Him. If we invest all our confidence in our husband’s leadership, character or gifting, we will wind up anxious and disappointed.

Submission in its simplest form is trust in God who is completely trustworthy. He is our loving father who controls every detail of our lives-past, present and future. God will never allow any action against you that is not in accord with His will for you. And His will is always directed to our good.

The question we must answer is, “Am I prepared to trust God to lead my husband, to lead me?” The true woman is not afraid to place herself in a position of submission. She does not have to control. Her fear dissolves in the light of God’s covenant promise to be her God and to live within her. Submission is simply a demonstration of her confidence in the sovereign power of the Lord.

If we embrace God’s plan for our lives and purpose to obey His commands, God will develop in us the beauty of submission. He will develop in us the beauty of submission. He will enable us to trust Him to lead our husbands to lead us.

Take Home:
Ask your husband to give you a grade in respect. Ask him to share why he gave you the grade the he did. Seek his forgiveness if necessary. Then communicate to him at least one quality you respect about him.

36 Week Appointment

Last Friday I had my 36 week appointment. The doctor had told us at our 34 week appointment not to expect any movement toward labor and delivery at our 36 week appointment. Surprisingly enough I’m already dilated and effaced. My doctor told Blake and me that she doesn’t see me going past my due date. She told us to go ahead and pack our bags for he could come any minute or in couple of weeks. Who really knows?

At this point I’m having cramping more than contractions. The cramping is normal and is just how your body begins to prepare for labor, or so they tell me. I have to say I’m ready for Camp to come!! Most importantly I’m ready to meet our son. At this point (37 weeks tomorrow) I’m swollen all over, red and puffy. Basically I’m just uncomfortable. Once more, I have insomnia again. I think this can’t be good because I need energy for labor!! God knows how much I love to sleep so I think he’s preparing me for sleepless nights.

No matter what, I’m still so amazed that there is a living human in me. God is so cool! I’m so thankful he will be full term tomorrow. I love that fact that we don’t know when Camp will be born but God knows every hair on Camp, what he will look like, who he will marry and every detail of his life is already planned out. I’m thankful that God has chosen Blake and me to be stewards over Camp. God chose Camp for us!

With the shocking news of last Friday, Blake and I kicked it into high gear and have pretty much finished the nursery. All that we lack is a changing table. Blake is refurbishing an old piece of furniture for that. We had the hardest time determining rather or not a changing table is needed. We just didn’t want to spend the money on one for we’ve heard so many people say they really didn’t use theirs. All of Camp’s clothes are washed and put into place. Blake has assembled his swing, bouncy chair, safety system parts and other stuff. One thing we’ve realized is that with kids you must have batteries on hand at all times. Everything we put together for Camp this past weekend needed batteries. Yes, bags are packed and in the car.

I have to say my husband has been amazing through this whole process. There are some not so pretty sites of pregnancy and he loves more and more. He thanks me for carrying his child daily. Thank goodness he tells me that I’m beautiful because at this point it is hard to feel that way. Blake has really gotten into child proofing our home. Though not all of it needs child proofing now he has purchased a carbon monoxide detector, checked all the fire alarms and decided what plugs will go into the outlets when the time comes. Blake has even asked that nothing go over Camp’s crib. We learned in class that anything hanging above the crib could fall into the crib, especially a nail, and be hazardous for Camp. Of course, I had to change my décor around this decision but it’s worth it to keep Camp safe and to follow the leadership of Blake.

That’s where we are at. We go Friday for our 37 week appointment and will have an ultrasound! Sorry I don’t share ultrasound pictures. I feel that is private. I have my last shower this Sunday. Oh and my work threw me a surprise shower last week. It was so much fun and so sweet of them!! Blake and I have been blessed beyond means by our family and friends.

The Beauty of Submission (Part 1)

OK, so I’m going to break this chapter (the last chapter) into two parts. This week we will learn about submission and then next week we will take a submission tour. So here goes…

An Extraordinary Product:
Men and women have equal value in the eyes of God and submission provides divine wisdom of complementary roles in marriage. Submission produces peace and joy. Submission leads women to talk about their husbands with honor and respect instead of bashing their husbands to their friends.

The specific instruction in Titus 2 is for wives to be “submissive to their own husbands.” This word submissive in the Greek means to “voluntarily place oneself under.” God has ordained our husbands’ authority, and here scripture requires us to place ourselves under their leadership. The genuine article of submission brings immeasurable benefit to our marriages and tremendous honor to the gospel.

Equal in Value and Dignity:
Both male and female are created in the image of God. God establishes that man and woman are equal in value and dignity in His sight. A conviction of our equal worth is essential to understanding submission in the context of the marriage relationship. God has designed men and women to fulfill differing roles. He unequivocally affirms that they are equal in worth and importance.

Whose Idea was this anyway:
Submission originated with God. God instituted a husband’s leadership and a wife’s submission at the beginning of creation. God revealed His ultimate intention for headship and submission in marriage: It is to reflect the relationship of Christ and the church (Eph. 5:22-33). The husband is to mirror the sacrificial love of Christ by laying down his life for his wife, and the wife is to exemplify the church’s joyful submission to Christ by following her husband’s leadership. God designed submission for His glory.

The trouble with submission:
Submitting to our husband’s is not always easy. Certainly our culture presents us with a formidable challenge. It treats the submissive wife with a mixture of scorn and pity. The real threat to submission originates in a place we may not initially suspect-our very own hearts. We all have a sinful tendency to want our own way and to resist our husband’s authority. This evil desire poses the greatest opposition to our submission.

So we see that the submissive wife-far from being the weak-willed woman our culture portrays-is actually a model of inner strength. By God’s grace, she has conquered this opposition within her own heart. It is actually weakness on display when a wife is not submissive; she is only caving in to her natural inclination to usurp authority and demand her own way. That doesn’t take any effort at all.

Take Home:
If submission includes helping our husbands to lead, what is one way you can use your gifts to assist your husband this week?

2 Timothy 2:1

It was important for Blake and I to find a scripture verse to cover Camp. Since Camp’s first name is Timothy we went straight to first and second Timothy to find a verse. Blake found the following verse:

“You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus,” 2 Timothy 2:1

John McArthur explained the verse in his sermon, "The Elements of a Strong Spiritual Life." He states:

I. THE EXHORTATION (v. 1)
"You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus."

"You therefore" points to Paul's previous admonitions to Timothy not to be ashamed (e.g., 1:8, 12, 16). He had just called Timothy to identify with the behavior of Onesiphorus, who had been faithful to Paul during his imprisonment in Rome (1:16-18). Here he issues a command to Timothy to be strong--a command that was tempered with love.

Paul's words "my son" reflect God's way of dealing with His children. God's commands are given with reminders of His love for us. Timothy was Paul's son in the faith, and Paul had poured his life into Timothy over many years. Paul's exhortation to Timothy reflects the tenderness and love that ought to exist between those in spiritual authority and those they lead.

God is sovereign, yet He requires men in spiritual leadership to preserve, guard, and pass on the truth of the gospel. That responsibility required that Timothy be reminded of his spiritual resources and encouraged to be strong in the face of his responsibilities.

A. The Strength Required
Timothy was to "be strong" (v. 1). That translates the Greek verb endunamo[ma]o, which is stated as a present passive imperative and could be translated "keep on being empowered." The connotation is similar to Ephesians 6:10: "Be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might." Timothy was not to be strong in his own strength but in God's. He was to receive God's power and allow it to flow through him.

B. The Grace Received
Perhaps the best translation of 2 Timothy 2:1 is, "Be strong by means of the grace that is in Christ Jesus." As believers we exist in the sphere of grace through our union with Christ. It's the grace of God that empowers believers.

We are saved by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8). Grace is the undeserved favor of God extended through the gift of salvation--it can't be earned. Once grace is extended to us it's always ours. That's important because if God withdrew His grace, our present sins would condemn us. By living in the sphere of Grace we are continually cleansed of our sins (1 John 1:9).

God's grace extends to us not only forgiveness, but also divine power. Romans 5:2 speaks of "this grace in which we stand." The Greek word translated "stand" (hist[ma]emi) means "to be fixed." It is by God's grace that we are both forgiven and have the power to stand in the sphere of grace.

It's God's grace that enables us to serve God--otherwise we could do nothing. God's will is accomplished "'not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the Lord of hosts" (Zech. 4:6). That's particularly the kind of grace Paul spoke of in 2 Timothy 2:1.

Couponing

Beginning late January and early February Blake asked me to become dedicated to couponing. He wants me to focus my attention on saving us money via coupons. I used to cut them every now and then, but never was dedicated to it or anything.

The journey began. I visited all the coupon sites and began learning how “My coupon heroes” feed a family of three on $50 a week. I signed up for all the food websites I could, and (yes) I receive annoying emails in my in-box. It’s worth it to receive that coupon though. Below are my thoughts and my coupon habits thus far:

-Couponing takes time!! It takes me about an hour to visit all my sites and print off the coupons I need. Then I visit my two favorite grocery stores to figure out who has the best buy one get one free items and that’s where I go shopping for the week. Here in Chattanooga it’s either Publix or Bi-Lo. I’ve got to say that I love that Publix takes competitors coupons!!

-We don’t receive the newspaper, but my work does. I look through the coupons in the Sunday paper. I’m amazed how many coupons are not in the paper. Online is my coupon friend!

-Coupons take more time!! I’ve learned you’ve got to make your grocery list and weekly dinner list according to your coupons. Not vice versa.

-More time!! I then make a grocery list adding a C by the item if I have a coupon and B1G1 if it is buy one get one free. Yes, I’ve totally learned the couponing lingo. M is for manufacturing coupon. Of course, my goal is to be able to stack the coupon with the B1G1 deal.

-Staying organized is the key. I’ve not excelled yet at this. This absolutely bugs me!! I’ve tried separating my coupons by envelopes and baggies. I think I’ve come to the realization that I’m going to have to get one of those coupon organizers. Right now I am that woman standing in the corner of the super market going through a whole stack of coupons to match with my buggie of groceries. Yes, I’m the lady that all the stay-at-home moms look at and think BEGINNER!! Hey-you’ve got to start somewhere. Anyways, I’ve got to figure out a system that works with my type A self.

-Next I’ve learned that all the B1G1 are on a 6 week cycle. I’ve yet to really grasp this concept or set up a system to keep up with it. I’m sure if I really sat down and concentrated on the cycle I could create a spreadsheet or something. I’m still in couponing 101. Perhaps, I’ll do that in couponing 102.

-I begin looking and cutting coupons every Friday. In fact, I’ve even gotten good (If I say so myself) at finding coupons for restaurants, clothing and other areas of interest. If I know you like a certain type of brand of something, I’ll send you the link to the coupon. I also now carry coupons for restaurants and clothing stores in my purse and/or car. Instead of the “bag” lady, I am the coupon lady.

Where has this gotten me so far? The most I’ve saved on a grocery bill thus far has been $50. Each week I try to save more. I’m literally that person who grabs the receipt from the cashier and goes right down to my savings analysis to review my savings. I’ve learned most of my savings come from B1G1 rather than coupons.

Once I get better at groceries, I plan to move on to using more coupons and extra care bucks etc. at CVS and/or Wal-Greens.

Thus far, my man is happy with me (which makes me thrilled). I have a feeling of accomplishment that I’m helping our family out by couponing. That’s the best feeling in the world. I’ve got to admit couponing is addictive because you want to save more and more!!! I’ll keep you all up to date as I continue on the couponing journey. If you have any insight, please do share with me.

Rewards of Kindness-Part 2

Goodness-the activity calculated to advance our families happiness.

Scripture has defined what our reputation is to be. It says that we are to be known for our good works. As people observe our lives, they should be more aware of our good deeds than our style of clothing, talents, hobbies and our standard of living.

We should be renowned for good works at home, in our churches and extending into our communities. The goal is not to garner attention for ourselves, but to show forth the compelling power of the gospel.

First and foremost, the reputation of goodness begins at home. At the heart of our commission to do good is the well-being of our family members. Our husbands and children should be the primary beneficiaries of our good works. We should be women who are known for the following:

Renown for Praying:
Prayer has spectacular potential to further our husband’s and children’s happiness. Who better to pray for them than us? No one knows our family members the way we do. No one can pray for them with keener insight or greater compassion. Therefore, we should be committed to the good work of praying for our husbands and children.

Renown for Greeting:
How do we greet our husbands when they arrive home from work each evening? What kind of welcome can our children expect when they walk through the door after school? Do we receive them with the same exuberance we would a member of the million dollar prize patrol? Certainly, our families are worth far more to us than a million dollar check? As wives and mothers, our family members should be the recipients of our most enthusiastic greetings.

Renown for Listening:
Being an attentive listener is an essential good work for any wife and mother. Yet taking sincere interest in what our husbands and children desire to communicate is a primary way to bring them joy. Careful listening will encourage our husbands to bare their souls to us. It will motive our children to share their innermost thoughts. Listening is the prerequisite to being a woman of understanding who draws deep water from the hearts of her family members. So may our husbands and children know that we want to hear all about it.

Renown for Encouraging:
We should be lavish in our dispersal of good words to and about our families. Daily we should bestow much more encouragement than correction or criticism. We should be on the lookout for praiseworthy actions that glorify God and point out these evidences of grace to our husbands and children. Specific encouragement of this kind will strengthen their souls and provoke them to godliness.

Let’s also seize opportunities to compliment our husbands and children when talking to others-in their presence, if possible. We want to foster the reputation of being women who shower their families with encouragement. For our good words will supply them much gladness.

Renown for Planning:
Imagine the trouble we should spare our families and the peace and harmony that our planning would create. Perhaps we need to get up 30 minutes earlier for mornings to go better? Perhaps we need to begin our Christmas shopping in July so that December is not so hectic. Good works just don’t happen. We need to prepare and plan for them. It is with great glee that we should seek to invent ways to bring our family happiness.

As wives and mothers our labors of kindness and goodness are sometimes taken for granted. We work tirelessly to enrich our husband’s and children’s lives, and yet our toil at times goes unappreciated. Carolyn MaHaney tells us, “If you devote your life to advancing your family’s happiness, the rewards will far exceed the sacrifices.” Marriage will become more precious. Motherhood will grow dearer.

Regardless of who takes notice in this life, God is watching. He is recording every expression of kindness and every act of goodness. What greater incentive could there be to advance our families’ happiness?

Take Home:
If advancing our family’s happiness commends the gospel, in which of the five acts of goodness would you most like to improve? How will you seek to improve?

Asheville Shower

This past weekend my family and friends threw me a shower in Asheville. This was my last trip home for a while. In fact, as of today, I can't leave Chattanooga. It was so great to see some of my high school friends, college friends and post college friends. I miss them all so much. Of course, it was wonderful to see my family. It was weird leaving for everyone was like, "Next time we see you, you'll be a mom!" I just can't believe it!! Below are some pictures from the shower.

Blake's mom made this burp cloth with a boot on it. I love it and she knows how much Blake and I love our cowboy boots. Too bad my feet are beginning to swell so much that I can't wear mine. I tried the other day-haha!!!
My mom had this lamb lovee made for Camp. It is so precious!!

One of my good friends, Kyla, had this UT jon jon made for Camp. Kyla and her hubby are UT fans as well. Hopefully, Camp will get to wear this to his first UT game.


These are my dear high school girlfriends. It was nice to see all of them.
my dear friend Jessica made Camp this frog bank. On the back it says Startup. Blake is in love with this frog. In fact, it's already sitting out in the nursery.