Wednesday, April 28, 2010

What will we name the baby??


A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of one’s birth. Ecclesiastes 7:1


Will and I have had our eye on some names for a while... even before this little baby became a part of our lives.

Will and I take names really seriously. We know that God takes names seriously. Look all throughout the Bible and you will see that the meanings of the names are nothing short than who God saw them to be... good and bad. God often changed people's names when they walked into a higher calling with Him. God sometimes named people before their birth because they were called to such a great purpose, like John the Baptist, Jedidiah, Solomon, or the Messiah.

So, anyway... we not only hope that our child already has a high calling given from the Lord, but that God will give our child a name that can carry it throughout his/her life. I pray over the baby every day and lay hands on it... Will does too. I pray that it would encounter the Holy Spirit, even in the womb. That it would come out into the world already so familiar with the voice of God. I even pray that it would have encounters like John the Baptist did... that he leapt in the womb at the presence of the Holy Spirit. That literally blows my mind.
(which is another reason why I am so passionate against abortion, but that's another subject).

Babies, in the womb, have such a high calling... just like any one of us may have. God looks upon these babies as HIS children. So many people have gotten so comfortable and too familiar with the ways of the world and the ways they dishonor a human life in the womb.



So, that leads me into NAMES (which you've probably been waiting for for the past 5 minutes of reading haha).

God gave us a name when we were reading our bibles together when we were engaged. We randomly said, "oh, that would be a cool name for a kid"... we also loved that this particular man in the Bible was a very sought after prophet who spoke with kings and said "whatever the Lord says to me, that I will speak." The king called for only ONE man who could come give the word of the Lord but he hated him because his words were "evil" (according to him). We love how bold He was to say the word of the Lord weather anyone liked it or not. (1 Ki 22:8)
Then we were watching the Truth Project and the guy said that his grandson was named this same name and we thought it was strange because we had never heard the name before. We prayed right then for our future children and asked God to give us the names that HE wanted... not that we wanted. I have even heard of people not wanting to name their child something that they knew God wanted... and then they would have a dream of God writing it on a chalkboard. Wow... talk about a sign.

So, that's the story in this name. We really feel the peace of God on it. I had someone prophesy over me about a year ago that God was wanting me to picture my future children in my mind and that, if I did, God would be faithful to give me visions of their life. And I really feel like that has happened. I am asking for more though!

Micaiah is the name. Pronounced meh-KY-uh. Apparently the real pronounciation is mai-KAY-uh...but we thought that sounded girly haha.

So, if it's a boy, his name will probably be Micaiah Gabriel.
Micaiah means "who is like God?" ... which is the question we want our children to be focused on their entire lives.
Gabriel means "God is my strength"...which will be a really cool thing for him to look on his whole life and know that God truly is his one strength.

We would love for our child/man of God to know what His name stands for and to be confident in walking in that.

We decided that we would use as many Hebrew names as we could. There aren't many options... most of them are weird. Like Yanichel and Mordechai... ha ha.
But, for as many we can, we would love at least one of their names to be Hebrew.

As for a girl... I just randomly thought of this name one day and really liked it. And then I just happened to look it up and it was Hebrew and I loved the meaning. So, I talked to Will about it and he loved it.

Shiloh. Which means "his gift" and also "peaceful" -- it would completely be the truth that the little girl would be a gift from God for us after all I went through health wise during the midst of getting pregnant with her. I could also just picture a child in love with the Lord and having a peace on her.

Then (I've only told a few people this)... when I was taking my pregnancy test for this baby I looked at the product number on the package and it was "SHLO" with some numbers after it. I laughed at the time because I thought it would be funny if I ended up being pregnant and I had just recently thought of that name a couple days before.

Coincidence? I don't know. :) Probably.

We don't have a middle name yet for Shiloh but we have rummaged through some.

Here's some we came up with (or... I did) and their meanings...

-Ana (grace, favor)
-Eden (delight)
-Elise (my God is a vow)
-Eve (life)
-Josephine (He will enlarge)
-Ruth (friend)

and there's more I just can't think of them now.

What do you guys think??

Well, sorry if this post was boring. I like to document our stuff that we do for the baby. Maybe eventually I will print all this out and put it in a baby book or something. Maybe. No promises, little baby. Ha.

Anyway, whether it be Micaiah or Shiloh, we are so excited for either and we are excited that God has named these children... because they are, in fact, God's children first and foremost.

:)



Monday, April 19, 2010

December 8th, It's official


WHEW! We finally had our first ultrasound. What a relief that is.

Official due date is December 8th.

You will be happy to know that our baby is perfect and just how it needs to be. It is measuring 0.8 cm (basically 1/4 of an inch).... sounds little, but it's huge to me. I was about a week ahead. We are actually 6 weeks and 5 days today, basically 7 weeks along. I knew I would be about 7 or 8 weeks. So, THIS week, the baby is actually a blueberry :)

What a surreal moment this was for Will and I though. I will remember it for the rest of my life. It was like a breath of fresh air when she saw the baby and said "here it is!" -- I could finally relax. She said at this point it's really hard to see the head and the rump difference... but it was still cute anyway. Just a peanut basically. She showed us the heart beating. We saw it visually with the screen and what a cool thing to see. A little tiny organ pumping perfectly. GOD IS SO COOL!!!! Then she had us listen to it. She found it right away and it was so clear. I was so overcome with emotions, I wanted to cry but knew if I moved it would be harder to find it again. I was just in awe. Will and I just kept smiling at each other. How is it possible to love a little life so much already? I keep saying to Will that it is so cute. I think our baby is soooooo cute!!

It was just so crazy for me to see something living in me like that. A separate heart was beating. That just seems so unreal.

The funny thing is that our friends Esther and Nate down here in Baton Rouge were at their doctor appointment at the same time as us finding out how far along they are. She is 7 weeks and 6 days. We are basically the same. It will be so fun to have someone to go through everything with!

Anyway, here is our little one. So cute!!!



I just know he/she is smiling at the camera :) haha. Just in case you don't know what you're looking at... the black space is my uterus, the little white peanut at the top of it is the baby, and the circle right next to it is the sac that it will live off of for the next 7 months. Amazing. We saw the heart beat right in the middle of it. She made it colored red so we could see it... it was beating just like any other heart. So adorable. Will recorded it (because he is a proud dad) haha. Here is our baby's heartbeat....


http://www.divshare.com/download/11105206-6f0


We went to LSU lakes today to celebrate after we saw the baby. It's a beautiful area where you can walk around the lake and sit on the dock. Will and I brought a picnic (and Gibson of course) and just hung out. Perfect day outside, too. We love our life here. God has so blessed us!!!
Well, I think that's it for now. Just had to share the good news. Don't forget to vote on if we're having a boy or a girl on the side of the blog ;)
Will's dad is SURE it's a boy haha.

Oh and ONE more thing!!! So, I told the lady that did my ultrasound that I had PCOS. She said, "you don't look like a typical PCOSer" (I get that a lot). Then when she did the ultrasound, she said "you don't have PCOS"! I knew it!! God healed me!! About a year and a half ago, I had an ultrasound done to look at my ovaries and they were definitely polycystic. I saw them and everything... basically the first lady told me I would have a hard time getting pregnant. Yesterday, I saw them again and nothing. Everything looked great! God is soo good and I just wanted to share the good news. The lady was floored. :)

Friday, April 16, 2010

Blueberry


Oh, and I forgot the most important update (I'm ignoring my child!!).

This is what our little growing champion is up to these days....
Oh and just to document.... this has been the WORST week for sickness. Oh my gosh!! This baby must really be having a party in there. Last night I was curled over the toilet, not able to throw up but so miserable that I was hoping I would. I also had a migraine at the same time... the kind where all lights need to be turned off. Will comes home from work to me over the toilet in the dark. Ha. Must have been quite a sight. My amazing husband went straight to walgreens to buy me Tylenol, Emetrol, more ginger ale, and pretzels. My dinner consisted of all of the above. Ugh. Oh, and let's just say my brain hasn't been quite as present this week as normal. I am very forgetful and clumsy (which I never usually am). It's more fun to blame the baby. :)



Baby's brain -- both hemispheres! -- is growing fast, generating about 100 new cells every minute. Arms and legs are emerging as joints start to form, and a permanent set of kidneys (baby's third!) is now in place.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

For Moggie


This note is to my Grandma, Moggie. She has pancreatic cancer and is not doing well this week.

Moggie, I don't even know where to start. You are the most amazing woman I've ever known. I have never met someone in the world so in love with the Lord. You truly are my hero. I want you to know that there is not a day that goes by that I don't think of you and smile. It's so hard to think of you not being in my every day life. I'm crying as I write this. I was telling my mom today that you are one of my dearest friends. I have the most memories with you throughout the years and I just cherish them. I'm so glad I have those things to think about and tell our kids about. I can't wait to show my new baby a picture of you and tell my kids all the stories about you as they get older. Your life just SHINES with Jesus... that's why I look up to you so much. People always want to be around you because it truly is like being in the presence of Jesus. That is why, even from a young age, I just wanted to be with you.... in your arms, on your lap, laying in bed with you. You are the reason why this family knows the Lord like we do and I don't know how to thank you enough for that. Thank you for bringing my mom to the Lord. Thank you for bringing up my dad to know Jesus. I'm so sorry for the hardships you had to go through in your life...someone as dear as you should never have to go through the things you went through. God refined you, though, and taught you how to be closer to Him through the fire. You're an inspiration to me in that way. Whenever I think my life is hard, I think about the many heartbreaks you had in life and how you kept going, and I live by your example. Your love for missions will never go unnoticed. I just wish I had more time to hear more of your stories. Just when I think I've heard all of them, I hear even more amazing stories. All those women in jail that you ministered to, all the foreign countries you have visited... God is pleased with that. You will be able to see the fruit of your ministry in the years to come. Pretty soon you get to see Jesus face to face. You won't have pain... you will have a brand new body. God will wrap His arms around you in pure joy that you're finally directly in His presence. I can't wait for the day for Will and I to be with you (and the rest of the family). You are so special. I see it as God just wanting you to be with Him now... He just wants to be with you. Although I'm so sad that I can't be with you on Earth much longer, I am so happy in my spirit that you will finally be away from the imperfection of the world. You deserve to be with your maker... you deserve to feel peace in every bone of your body. You deserve to worship with nothing holding you back... no flesh telling you you're tired or in pain. I picture you completely at peace at Jesus' face... in a young body , just dancing how you love to.
I just wanted you to know that this life of mine would have been so different if I didn't know you. I can't thank you enough for what you've meant to me. I always said I would dread the day I would have to say goodbye to you (from the age of 2 probably). Now, here I am, having to do it. My flesh doesn't want to say goodbye, but my spirit is so overjoyed for you. Maybe God will give you a glimpse of who our baby is and who it will be before it's born. I can't wait for you to see it.
Just know how much I love you with every inch of me. It's hard to say goodbye to a best friend. The pain of having to let you go is more than I can bear, but know that we will all be ok. Will and I promise to always follow the Lord and what He has for us. We will never be outside of His plan and will over our lives. Don't worry about us. There is a reason why God put us in this time on the earth, and He is looking after us. He promises to.
Moggie I love you so much!! I don't think I could ever describe how much. I'm so sorry you're going through all this, but it will all be over soon.
God, I pray for peace and comfort over Moggie's body right now. Don't let her be in pain in her last moments on earth. God, wrap your loving arms around her body and put your angels around her bed to sing over her. I pray that during these times, she would only be able to hear praises and worship to You... that none of her focus will be able to be on what's going on with her mortal body. God, may complete rest and peace fall on her today. Let her know how much she is loved. Amen

I LOVE YOU MOGGIE!!!!!!!!!! Don't ever forget it!!!! This is the hardest thing I've ever had to do :(

Psalm 91
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord "my refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust." He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart..... For he will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands..."

Monday, April 5, 2010

Sweet Pea



I had my first bout of "morning sickness" today. Whoever called it that is crazy. I have had it ALL day. It doesn't go away. It's a really bad feeling. My stomach is doing somersaults, I think.

Anyway, other than that, things are goin good. Hopefully this isn't a sign of what's to come for weeks and weeks. Yikes.

We've had a great weekend! Will had Friday and today off, so we have just relaxin to the max :)

Will lead worship on Sunday at Bethany's north campus, which was cool. So much fun. Life here has just been so great for us. We totally didn't expect to love it this much....it's just been so awesome. Louisiana, we can tell, will just be an awesome place for us to put our home for a while. We are excited about establishing our family here. The only downside is that they have awful Mexican food, which (of course) for us was a huge bummer! But let's change the subject because just the thought of it makes me want to throw up.

ANYWAY... I cooked some chicken drumsticks last night (I'll be honest, it was my first time). We use the George Foreman grill for everything... so we figured it would be fine to cook in there. Well, nope! Apparently the chicken wasn't cooked all the way. Will has been sick all day to his stomach... and it just didn't help the situation for me. I was already feeling nauseous before that. Way to go, Laura. Now just the mere thought of a chicken drumstick literally had me gagging. Gross!!

So, I have my first prenatal doctor appointment tomorrow. To be honest, I am not excited at all. I am so nervous!! I am just praying for good news. I am sure everything will be fine, but it's just those inital unknowns that every woman goes through in the beginning. I've just heard so many bad stories and read so many awful ones online... so it's my own fault. Will just keeps reassuring me. So, I will have to put an update up after that.

As for any other news... I can't tell if I'm just bloated or what... but my stomach is starting to pooch out already. Not as much as the first time I took a picture... that was just ridiculous. Kinda funny actually. My stomach has actually shrunken a little bit and now it's a little harder. My book says that everything is growing in preparation for the baby... so it's not just the baby that grows, but my organs, the placenta, and all the extra room for holding that water weight. Right now, I just feel like I ate too much. I can't suck it in. Will loves it :)

I'm really hoping for an ultrasound tomorrow. I'm pretty sure they'll do one but I'm not so sure. One piece of good news is that I called today to ask about our insurance coverage and the lady on the other line said "wow, you guys have the best coverage. I wish mine was that good." Something you always want to hear when you first get pregnant. Apparently it will only be $20 for the first copay and then 100% covered after that. Then, for delivery, it will only be $250 the day that I have the baby. Then everything after that is 100% covered. So, we are so thankful that we don't have to worry about stupid little charges here and there.


So, this is what our little sweet pea (literally) is up to this week.

Growing like crazy, baby is starting to sprout eyes, ears, nose, cheeks and chin. Those little hands and feet- still webbed like paddles- might wiggle by week's end, the heart is beating (almost twice as fast as yours !), and blood is starting to circulate.

SO AMAZING! God is so cool!