Ultrasound Video

We promised our family members that, since they couldn't be there, we would record a video of our ultrasound.

Just beware. This will be the cutest thing you've ever seen.

Although our baby looks like a skeletor right now, I promise he's a cutie :)

Just watch for his little arms and legs, toes and fingers, and at the end you can see him opening and closing his mouth. Oh it kills me!
Oh, and during the ultrasound I was thinking that the sonographer was switching the angle and view... but I now realize that it was the baby flipping and turning around. He is so dang active!!

(oh... and the comment about Jim is a joke. I think Jim and Jess are SO blessed to have 3 girls, just like I have 2 older sisters. We just like to mess with them!)

And how cool would it be if Jessica had a baby boy this time around too? It would be a blast.

Anyway. Here's our little jumping bean... in full action!

Ultrasound - It's a boy!

Micaiah Gabriel Stern

BOY! We just found out today. I'm 17 weeks and 1 day today and we ended up having to have an earlier ultrasound than planned, but we are so thankful for it.

Our baby boy is measuring perfect in all areas. Actually, the sonographer said that, as of now, he is weighing in the 85th percentile. Big baby :) But, she said it probably wouldn't matter this early on. I still think it's cute because I love chunky babies.

I knew it all along. What they say is true; a mother's instinct is usually right. I just kept feeling like we were having a boy. Will and I would catch ourselves calling it a "him" so many times. We also always felt like we would have a boy first. Although we won't be able to dress him up in frilly dresses and put bows in his hair (well, I guess we could but that would be so wrong), we are so excited about his little life. His calling, his gifts, his love for God, AND putting him in skinny jeans and chuck taylors ;)
We had a prophetic word over our kids before we moved to BR. The guy said that our son would "play the drums of war." How sweet is that? And, what's funny about it... the baby looked like he was playing drums when we were watching him on the ultrasound, lol. He is such an active baby. Sonographer says that's a good thing... he's healthy. I feel him ALL the time now. I LOVVVVE it too! Best feeling ever and I never want it to stop. Although it's a little weird, I just cherish it. It definitely feels more like kicks these days... little ones. But they are more pronounced than they used to be. The other night I felt him moving around a lot so I put my hand on my stomach where he was and he kicked my hand! So strange! I love our little drummer boy :)
He is measuring out perfect and his heart beat is now at 146 beats. We got to see his heart beating on the ultrasound, his profile (including a precious little nose), his arms and legs flailing around. The sonographer could barely get pictures because he just kept moving.
I love seeing Will at the appointments. It gives me a little glimpse at what a good dad he will be. He just kept smiling as big as he could and said he would cry every time he saw the heart. What a sweet man. I'm so blessed to have him. Being pregnant has made me love him even more. He spoils me too :) (gets me as many slurpees as I want).

After the appointment, we headed to Babies R Us because I just couldn't wait to start registering. Wow, was that a process. Fun, but tiring. There are SO many dang things to register for for such a small human. But, since we are starting at ground zero, we kind of need it all. Thankfully, my mom and dad have already gotten us some big item purchases such as a stroller, a breast pump, and a baby carrier. This baby is already so loved. We were there for about 2 hours just going through the list and scanning everything we thought we would need (without going overboard). Our feet were pounding by the end. And we still have Target to go to tomorrow (but that should be easier).
Will also let me get ONE outfit for the baby this time. I was so excited and we ended up getting a onesie that says "rockstar" on it. When we got it home we realized that there are drums in the background :) Neither of us realized. I think the little boy picked it out himself haha.

I have also decided on a yellow/grey/white nursery for our little guy. I'm not one for nursery bedding sets or for perfectly matching things, so it will probably be a completely random set of things... but I will love it that way. I'm thinking about hitting up some antique stores and some craigslist ads to add some different vintage things in there. Only downside is that we can't paint in our townhome, BUT we may be moving soon to a different place so we may be looking for a more permanent place like a rental home or something. Anyway, I'm so excited to nest!

We are SO excited for this little life to enter our home in about 5 months. I can't believe how fast time is flying by. I'm just thankful he is growing how he should and that there are no concerns. He just a little mover and a shaker.

It's nice to finally be able to call him "HIM" and to call him by name.

Here's our sweet little boy, Micaiah Gabriel. How is it that I love him so much already?

First things first.... :)

Our skeletor

Oh his profile kills me

What's Goin On...

Things have been C.R.A.Z.Y (to say the least). But GOOD. So good. God definitely works in mysterious ways and we are learning that more every day.

If you want an update on our life, you just give me a call. Too much to put on the ol' blog.

Let's just say, God is up to some good stuff and He loves us so very much and is providing for us like crazy.

On another hand, little baby Stern is kicking away a storm in there. It gets stronger every day. It still feels like flutters, but less like a butterfly. It's more like little taps. Picture me having a little tiny person in me doing Dance Dance Revolution. That's kinda the feeling. :)

Another cool thing, we get to find out if the baby is a boy or a girl THIS MONDAY! We had to switch the day due to some things, and I am SO excited about that. It's way earlier than we expected, but we love it. Let's just hope our little one is cooperative! This is the one time in our child's life that I will encourage it to not be modest!

I am just so thrilled to finally go out and buy an outfit for the baby. And finally put a name to it, rather than just calling it "it". Sounds so wrong. The poor child deserves a name!

In other news, Will's mom is coming to visit us in a couple weeks. I feel bad because it's kind of during the most chaotic times of our lives, but we will be soooo excited to have her here (as long as she doesn't mind). Our first visitor!

Also, poor little Gibson has had fleas and we didn't realize! We noticed him scratching a lot and gave him a bath and he had tons! We went out right away and got him a flea collar. Louisiana just has every type of wildlife you could possibly imagine, so we should have figured we would be noticing some little friends on our pup. He's all taken care of now!

I think that's all the news for now.

Be praying for us if you can... lots in the horizon, but we are so blessed and thankful for it.

I Will Praise You

I wrote a song a few months ago. Funny, I was actually in the bath tub when God gave me this song. He really just put it on my lips. So cool! That has never happened to me before. And immediately, I got out of the bath and wrote it down because I KNEW it was a song from the Lord for the season I was in. It's so amazing that God can meet me exactly where I am and give me a song that uplifts me, comforts me, and encourages my attitude and eyes to be in the right place. Only God can do that. Any songs written by men tend to put more focus on yourself. Worship songs, written to God about God, put your focus in the right spot.

So anyway, I am so thankful for this song. It will forever be a treasure in my heart. I wanted to cry while I was recording it just knowing God's goodness over my life and what He has carried me through. He is SO good! Beyond measure.

We have been wanting to record it for a while now because both Will and I knew it was a "God" song. I think Will was more excited about it than I was :) (if that's even possible).

This is a DEMO song though. Just so everyone knows. I am fully aware that it is raw and not perfect... but, honestly, that's what I kind of like about it. What I went through was raw and tough... and you will probably notice that in my voice. Eventually we will record a full version of it will instrumental parts and everything.

I thought about waiting to just put the finished one up... but I thought, what the heck. Might as well share this song with people and maybe it will meet someone in a similar place that I was in (and still am walking through).

Here's the lyrics and song...

When I'm weary
When I feel I can't go on
and when I'm broken
When the chains feel too strong

I will praise You, I will praise You
In every circumstance
Your hand upholds me
I will praise You, I will praise You
Through every single storm
You are the lifter of my head

When I can't feel you
When my heart seems so lost
I know You're with me
Apart from You I have no good thing

Your love is good enough for me
Your joy will be my strength

(don't forget to scroll to the bottom of the page to pause the music player)

Walk To 40 Weeks

We got an idea from this BLOG to do a picture like this. We are really wanting to start a scrapbook after the baby is born of all the maternity pics. But we didn't want them to just be ordinary pictures anymore. So, we are also starting the "Walk to 40 Weeks" ... starting at week 15 :) We also want to write little notes to the baby that we can put in the book too. So here's our first one!

Week 15 Doc Appt

Went to the baby doctor yesterday. I'm really starting to show lately... my stomach is getting hard and people aren't questioning anymore that I'm pregnant (which is nice). I used to get those weird "I wonder if she's pregnant" looks... but now, I don't think so much anymore. Especially when I'm wearing a tight shirt. It's fun :)
Here's me on the dreaded table. Only, this time, it was exciting because it was a quick appointment! Yay! All he did was check the heart beat with a doppler... found it right away. Baby's heart beat is 150 bpm, which he said is perfect. Our little guy/gal is doing so well.
We find out on July 12th if it is a boy or a girl. We thought we'd get to find out earlier, but the doctor is just adding our next prenatal appointment in with the ultrasound. Bummer. Oh well. The baby will be about 19 weeks then, so we are HOPING we will be able to see one way or another. We just can't wait to find out.

My guess, if I had to have one, would be that it's a boy. But... who knows. It's not that I really think that... you just have to have a guess!!

As for me, I am doing well. Feeling great actually. ALL I eat is fruit. Will has to make me eat other things otherwise I faint (which I actually did). Literally, all I have been eating are peaches and blackberries. All. Day. Every. Day. Now I know what people are talking about when they say that they have cravings. I've figured out what mine are. Give me fruit and I'm a happy girl.
I know I've been slacking on the belly pics. I'm trying to do them every 3 weeks, but I'm not even doing that. I promise I will put one up this week. Will and I have a good idea that we are going to start doing with them... so you will have to wait and see :)

We also have some video that I will put up later this week. We bought a Flip Video Camera (we LOVE it) and we have been trying to document little family things. Yesterday we put the crib together and started to put the room together. So, I will put those videos up later this week as well.

Sorry to leave ya hangin ;)

Here's an update on our little growing champ...
Continuing the march towards normal proportions, baby's legs now outmeasure the arms. And, finally, all four limbs have functional joints. Your fetus is squirming and wiggling like crazy down in the womb, though you probably still can't feel the movements.

Think again. Oh yes I can. I've got a little butterfly in there. I keep telling Will that I am almost positive that our child will be born with wings. Ha ha.

Moving Baby

Pretty sure I felt the most amazing feeling I will EVER feel last night. Although this is my first pregnancy, I'm not quite sure if it was the baby or not... but I'm pretty positive. I finally felt the baby move. It woke me up last night while I was sleeping! It almost felt like a huge butterfly in my stomach :) Loved it! Can't wait for more of those. I think I've been feeling the baby for the past few weeks but haven't quite been able to distinguish the feeling. This felt like nothing I've ever felt before. The whole day today, I have been feeling similar feelings. Just random little tappings and flutters in there. How adorable :) :)

For those of you who have been pregnant, what did it feel like the first time you ever felt your baby? I'd love to know :)

I just want to cry when I think about how there is a child inside of me. This is not just any blessing... this is a blessing that can only be pointed back to God. He is the creator, He is the only one to be praised. I will forever be thankful.

Life truly does flow from God, in every aspect. It's just cool to see it (and feel it) firsthand like this. Every day I just thank God for this blessing... for trusting me with one of HIS children.

That baby moving will forever be a reminder of God's goodness, grace, and deliverance over my life. He is SO great and GREATLY to be praised!! Thank you, God.