Moving right along....

Well, we have officially hit 25 weeks!! We have had the best time organizing Copelyn's nursery and hanging some things on the walls. I am still anxiously awaiting her name to hang on the wall that I ordered. We had an appointment this past week. Everything went wonderfully! Copelyn was wiggling around like crazy and her heart beat was loud & strong. I love that sound! I have stayed within the limits of weight gain so far for where I am in my pregnancy. I just close my eyes when I step on the scale though....haha! I have never seen those numbers before! So far I have gained 12 pounds so we are on track to gain about the right amount. Either way though, it doesn't matter as long as I have a healthy baby in my arms in February! I don't have any weird cravings or anything & I am not any more hungry. I do have days though (more in the last two weeks) where I want FRENCH FRIES! I used to just put it off but now I have been treating myself at least once a week! I have to say the new Wendy's Natural Cut French Fries are to die for and Copelyn agrees! She goes crazy when those hit my tummy. We have continued to exercise and keep up our routine. I do get winded more easily and have to take more breaks but I still enjoy just doing something daily. I drink A LOT of water! I Probably consume about 1 Liter just when I am exercising which isn't good for the bladder! So it takes us a little longer to get through our workout due to potty breaks but we make it! I still haven't been very good about doing my kegal exercises. Honestly, I can't quite figure out if I am doing them right! haha Oh well, I do the best I can!

Copelyn doesn't move very much. She has her moments and it is typically only when she wants to do it not when we are pushing on her trying to get her to move. The other night I was laying on our bed and all of a sudden I saw what looked like an elbow push against me. It was so weird. She kept doing it over and over again. It was so cool for Scott & I to watch. Other than that though she will give me a few nudges here and there. We call her "Thumper" because when we press on my stomach it feels like she thumps against us continuously.

I have gotten my first few books to read. One on breastfeeding and one on natural birth. My plan is to try it with no medicine and I have a very supportive doctor. She just goes with the flow. We start our birth classes too! I can't wait to learn because I honestly know nothing!

Next weekend we get our yearly Christmas pictures made. We are bringing Molly with us and I can't wait to see how they turn out! I love making Christmas cards!

I have some updates of Copelyn's room below. They were taken with my phone so not the best quality. The round mirror is something Scott found at TJ MAXX Homegoods. I wanted a square one...he wanted a round one. I guess Daddy won!! We still have a ways to go but it is getting there! At least our little girl has a nursery to sleep in!

Oh What a Day!

(This post was written Friday night, I just forgot to post it)

I was not going to post about this but then I figured its all part of the story and one day when I print these posts for Copelyn I want her to know every detail of the journey to get her here safely! This morning I woke up and it was just like any other day. I went to the gym, rushed home & showered, then sat in my two hour rush hour traffic (oh Atlanta how I love you!). As soon as I got to my rotation I was busy! I was running around like crazy and then all of a sudden I felt a gush of water. I was in shock and I ran to the bathroom. I will spare you of the details but long story short I decided to go about my day for just a bit (stupid on my part, right?). Honestly, I didn't want to call the doctor's office because I didn't want to bother them again! I feel like I have become THAT patient who calls about every little thing. I had just called last week because I was very ill with some kind of flu bug. I didn't want to call again! Well, about two hours later I started getting really bad abdominal pains. At this point I decided to wait no more and I called the doctor. I just love them at the office! They are always so sweet to me. The nurse called me back & told me I needed to go to labor & delivery to get checked out.

WHAT!? Labor and Delivery! My thought exactly. I am not supposed to set foot in that place until February. So I rushed to my car and drove as fast as I could to the hospital. While all this was happening my poor husband was stuck at the house waiting on Copelyn's furniture to arrive. We made the executive decision he would wait around for the furniture until we knew for sure what was going on with me.

To make a LONG story short everything is okay! It was the first time I had done anything doctor related for Copelyn alone without Scott. And I won't be doing that again. I am a strong person but Scott is my calm presence. When he is around for some reason we handle situations so much better. They hooked me up the monitor. At first they couldn't find Copelyn's heart beat. Talk about scared out of my mind. I sat there with my hand over my eyes just praying. This little baby stresses me! They finally found it (after what felt like 5 minutes) and she was just fine. Her heart beat was 155. Then my wonderful doctor (she truly is a blessing to us) came in to see what was going on. She assured me first that she thought it was fine. Oh where would I be without her? She is so calm about everything and she makes everyone of her patients feel so comfortable. The gush of water could have been three things: 1. my water broke, 2. leaking fluid, or 3. just pee. Come to find out sweet Copelyn's head is on my bladder and she is pushing the pee out of me! haha I know gross right!? I also have not been doing my kegal exercises the way I should! After 3 hours of being in L&D I got to come home...Praise Jesus! Home is where I want to stay until February!

When I got home Scott had put the whole nursery together to surprise me! What a wonderful surprise! We still have wall decorations to put up and I ordered her name to put over the crib which is painted like her nursery bedding. All in all, Mommy and Copelyn are just fine! I really wish she would move over just a bit though but I guess my tummy is her home for the next 3 1/2 months and I don't have control over where she decides to take her naps.

Words for my Little Girl

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home
in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.
- 2 Corinthians 4:16 - 5:9

I have been quite emotional lately. I guess when you are 23 1/2 weeks pregnant you have a lot of hormones raging! If you ever see me on 85 in the morning on my 2 hour commute, just don't pay any attention to the tears strolling down my face or the mountain of tissues next to me. I don't cry because I am sad...I cry because I am so happy. Losing a sweet baby has made me hold tight to what I do have now and not pay much attention to the material things of this world. I guess you could say my world got shaken back into perspective. I am so in love with my husband. I love him more and more every single day. He loves me so well and I am so grateful for that. He never complains...he just aims to love me fully. Each and every morning he makes me coffee and an egg mcmuffin (they are so much better than panera's!). He scrubs the shower like no one I have ever seen! Ahh I love the smell of bleach and a clean bathroom. I love how he is so into football & every single game that comes on the TV but he will give it up in an instant for a walk or a dinner date with me. We fight ocassionally but through each and every disagreement I love him more because of his willingness to fight for me and never give up. I love the dad he is to Copelyn. I am so excited for her that she has a daddy that will love her so incredibly much! And even more excited that she has a heavenly father who loves her more than her daddy and I will ever know.

I love Copelyn so much as well! With every kick, I fall in love even more. I can't wait to kiss her little face, toes, and hands in February. I have found myself in prayer a whole lot more lately. On my knees praising Jesus. I pray for Copelyn's heart mostly. I want her to love Jesus more than anything. I want her to have a heart for other people. I want to protect her heart from suffering. I know as her mother I have no control over these things. I can feed her soul with verses from the Bible but God has to do the rest. Even though she is my daughter, she is first and foremost a child of God. He has all of her days planned out. He knows the second she will be born and the second she will go to heaven to be with him & live eternally. He knows every hair on her head, every crease in her skin, and what all of her insecurities will be. He knows EVERYTHING! It will take me a lifetime to learn everything God knows about Copelyn.

There is a song that comes to mind today..Safe by Phil Wickham. I let Copelyn listen to it daily. They say she can hear everything going on. I want her to know she will be Safe in God's arms. He will protect her even when everything is falling a part. This has been so true of my life. My goodness have we been through some storms. God has always kept me safe though. Even on days that seemed unbearable he provided an unending peace in my heart. I will never be alone with him. He has the whole world in his hands including my little world. Isn't that wonderful news?

Fall Weekend Getaway!

Scott and I headed to the mountains this weekend to meet my family and my mom's high school buddies who so graciously let all of us stay in their beautiful house. Even though I have been sick for a few days (and still feel awful!!) nothing will stop me from seeing my family!

Friday we got in late and they cooked a wonderful dinner for us. We sat around the fire & talked for a while but this pregnant lady can't last long! By about 10pm I was falling asleep on the couch!

Saturday morning Scott & I cooked a big breakfast for everyone! It was so yummy! Breakfast is my favorite meal so I love to go all out for a yummy Southern breakfast! Then we headed out to town! We went to a craft show where we bought Copelyn 10 bows and 10 headbands! We also got her a dress! This child will be well-clothed! Then we went to a bunch of mountain consignment stores! We found this one place that had a cute small antique wheel barrel to keep toys in for Copelyn & they had antique green birds to match her room. Then Saturday night everyone got to feel Copelyn move! I was so glad my mom got to feel her since I don't get to see her very much!

And then today we left! It is always so nice to see everyone but it takes me about a week to recover from leaving them! We always have the best time!

Here are some pictures from our trip and of course my belly picture at 23 weeks!

A Fall Cooking Kind of Day!

It is very rare I get to be at home by myself all day! Today was one of those days! I am off because of Columbus Day! Thank you Mr. Columbus for sailing the ocean blue so I could have a day off! I decided to get up kind of early go for a workout, then spend the rest of the day cleaning and cooking!

I started off with these awesome Pumpkin Muffins. They are so good and so easy!
All you do is buy 1 Spice Cake Mix Box and 1 can of pumpkin. You mix just those two ingredients together put them in a muffin pan, and bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. The friends who gave us this recipe suggest to add chocolate chips to them as well. Since, Scott is on a workout/weight loss journey before he turns 30 I decided to leave those out! They are still AMAZING and YUMMY!

Then I made this really fresh recipe called Orzo Pasta Salad. My sister-in-law gave me the recipe a while back and it is just so good. The original recipe has LOTS of ingredients but it is so worth it. The one I made today was tweaked a bit to save some money!

Original Recipe:
Salt
Olive Oil
¾ pound Orzo
½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons)
freshly ground black pepper
1 cup minced scallions, white and green parts
1 cup chopped fresh dill, discard stems
1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, discard stems
1 hot house cucumber, unpeeled, diced (the kind sold wrapped in plastic)
½ cup diced red onion
¾ pound good feta cheese, cubed (buy the chunk feta)
1 pt. grape tomatoes, you can leave whole or cut in half

Fill large pot with water, add 1 tablespoon salt and a splash of oil, and bring the water to a boil. Add the orzo and simmer for 7-9 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it’s cooked al dente. Drain, rise with room temp water to keep the orzo from overcooking itself, and pour into a large bowl. Whisk together the lemon juice, ½ cup olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Pour over the hot pasta and stir well. Add the scallions, dill, parsley, and cucumber, and mix well. Add onion, tomatoes and toss well. Add the feta and stir carefully. Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend, or refrigerate overnight. But, bring back to room temp and stir before serving.

The one I made today includes: Orzo, olive oil, 2 lemons, 1 pt. grape tomatoes, 1/2 cup diced red onion, Feta cheese, ground pepper, salt, basil and a cucumber diced. It is good either way!! I serve it over fresh spinach and it just tastes so fresh! Enjoy!

22 and 23 weeks!

Sorry I have not posted in a while! My rotation has been sucking the life out of me and by the time I get home all I want to do is go to sleep! We have been pretty busy people. Last weekend we went to the pumpkin patch, apple picking, and a wedding all in one day! I was wiped! Then this weekend we had a date night Friday night, Saturday I went to lunch with some girlfriends and then we went to dinner with some friends in Athens, then Sunday we went out for a friends birthday, went to church, then out to dinner with some friends! It was crazy busy. I told Scott I want to put a date in my calendar where I just sit in my recliner all day and don't move!!

Copelyn is a pretty laid back, calm baby so far. She doesn't do much moving during the day but at night she gets pretty active for a good hour. She is funny. When we press on my stomach she will kick us back and it seems as though she knows her Daddy's hands because when he pushes she kicks him back really fast & hard! She must already love him more! Go figure.

Her room is coming a long very nicely. We added shelving to her closet and I have been organizing all her clothes. I can't wait for her furniture to get here in two weeks! Then I think it will really look like a room we can bring our baby girl home to in February.

Tonight we tried out a brand new church. We have been waiting for it to open now for a good while. We are so pumped about being a part of a church from the very beginning and watching it grow. Many of you probably have heard of Andy Stanley. If you haven't you should google him and listen to a sermon. Well, the church we are attending is called Gwinnett Church and it is one of his churches. We are so excited for the many opportunities to come and to be able to serve there.

Sorry for such a boring post! I am going to try to write some more encouraging words sometime this week!