Tuesday, December 28, 2010

It's pretty...

My new computer arrived today and its so pretty. It is very shiny and exciting. Hopefully over the next couple of days I will start learning the new operating season and where everything is. I dont plan on putting a lot of time into it until Zach and Rachel leave on Thursday.
I also need to get Zach's friend to transfer things over from my old computer to the new one.
Hopefully soon I will be able to post a bit about Christmas, a few snow pics and then of course some updated Jeremiah photos.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

I dont mean to leave ya hangin

My computer is on the fritz. And as a result I have been unable to come and update you sweet readers (you are out there right?) as to what we have been up to. Or more importantly to post more pictures of our sweet little one. Because I'm sure that's what most of you are here for anyways. After consulting several computer savvy friends we decided that it was in our best interest to replace my computer, therefore in the next week or so my new computer should arrive and I can once again resume my own personal electronic life. Good thing we recently got smart phones, and that I can occasionally hop on hubby's computer or I would really be going nuts!

Saturday, November 20, 2010

A Weeks Worth of Gratitude

Well here it is over a week later and I am just getting around to posting again. This last week has been very different and busy. I have started doing more than just take care of my child which has been refreshing but yet tiring as I balance my new life. This next week will hopefully be a much slower week as we take time to enjoy Thanksgiving with each other. I am looking forward to Aaron being off all but one day this week and getting to spend some uninterrupted time with our families as well. We are so very blessed!!
11/14~I'm grateful for our friends at Access church Asheville. It was such a joy to go back this week and share our son with them. We loved the warm welcome back we received and are thankful for the friendships we formed with the great people there.
11/15~I'm grateful for being able to drink Diet Coke again. As silly as it sounds I am glad to have this wonderful beverage back in my life again. As unhealthy as it may be I am glad to be able to enjoy it again. While I really did not miss it that much while I was pregnant I have certainly enjoyed it this week as a treat :) My goal is to continue to drink mostly water while enjoying my sweet Diet Coke as a treat.
11/16~I am grateful for heat. It has been getting cooler lately and I am so thankful that we have heat to keep us warm. I hope that the Lord does not allow me to take even these simple things for granted-there are so many who do not even have these luxuries.
11/17~On this day I am thankful for the life my grandmother lived. She had such a huge impact on my life and I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to know her as well as I did. I love every moment we had together and miss those moments more than ever. I still struggle with not being able to introduce my son to her but am so thankful that she is no longer in pain. I'm thankful that one day the Lord will reunite us together in heaven. Happy 2 year home coming Grandmother!
11/18~I am thankful for the Lord's financial provisions. While we are not wealthy we have been blessed far beyond our deserving. We have come many times during our short marriage to wonder where the money is coming from or wonder how we are going to make ends meet but yet the Lord has been so faithful to provide not just our needs but so many of our wants as well. I pray that we always remember we are simply stewards of what is His and that we always recognize His provisions for us.
11/19~Today I am thankful for weekends. I am thankful for the layed back and relaxed relief that comes with Friday afternoons. I love that my sweet husband comes home on Friday afternoons and that we have two whole days to spend as a family. Even though I dont work outside the house any longer I still love and treasure weekends.
11/20~I am so thankful for my "sister" Abby! Words cannot express what she means to me. I am thankful that nine years ago the Lord brought us together. I am thankful that she has been there for me through the thick and the thin. We enjoyed our college days together, we were in each others weddings, we traveled together both short trips and abroad---I could go on and on trust me. She is wonderful. She truly is a blessing in my life!
11/21~I am thankful for naps. I have always loved squeezing in the occasional naps but they are especially special to me during this newborn phase when sleep is only coming in spurts during the night.
11/22~I am grateful for the internet. I love staying connected with family and friends. I love being able to catch the latest news and information from both family and friends as well as whats going on in the world around us. I am thankful for email and sites like facebook. I also love reading blogs~having both a place to record my own thoughts as well as keep up with family and friends.
11/23~I am thankful for our fireplace insert. Aaron has worked so hard over the past year to accumulate wood for us to use this winter. While we have baseboard heat in the ceiling it is expensive so we use our fireplace insert as our primary source of heat. It is so nice to have a more affordable way of keeping our family warm. We also love that we can have heat regardless of whether or not the electricity is on :) Plus who doesnt like to have a fire going?
11/24~Today I am thankful for the health of our son. We took him to the doctor today and he is doing so well! He is gaining weight like a champ (now up to 8 lbs 9 oz) and has grown almost two inches since he was born. We are so blessed.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Thank you God for Chrysalis

Chrysalis always has and always will have a special place in our lives. I am grateful that God chooses to meet us there. I am grateful for all of the amazing things that happen in our lives and the lives of others there. I am grateful for all of the wonderful people that come together to share the love of Christ. Today we had the privilege and joy of taking Jeremiah for the first time to Chrysalis. It was so special to share our son with this very important aspect of our lives. We loved introducing him to our friends. We even took a picture so that we will have a chance to share with him later about his first time at Chrysalis.

Friday, November 12, 2010

I was doing so well

I was doing well keeping up with my days of gratitude until this week. Sad since we arent that far into the month yet. Oh well. The good thing is my son is well fed and happy, not that my blog has been updated. I'm going to make tonights post quick since I'm tired and we have a busy weekend ahead of us.
11/10 I'm grateful for my meals our friends/family have prepared for us in this new season of our lives. It has been so nice to focus on our son and not what we need to do about food.
11/11 I'm grateful for the time I had with my grandmother and that she is now with Jesus and no longer suffering. There have been times where I catch myself wanting to introduce her to Jeremiah and I find myself thinking about her a lot during this season since it is close to her birthday, the day she passed away and also the holidays which were so big for our family. And while I get sad for a few moments I cant help but be grateful for the many years we had together.
11/12 I am grateful for cameras and the blessing of capturing memories. Words cannot describe what having pictures of my family and friends means to me. I love having both the important events and the daily moments captured for us to look back on.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Lovin where we live

Today I am so thankful for the beautiful area in which we live. I love living in the mountains of Western North Carolina. I have visited many places in the world, many of them very amazing and wonderful but nothing compares to home in my heart. I love fall in the mountains. God just shows off in amazing displays of color.
I also feel very blessed to live in the neighborhood where we live. We are definitely the youngest around yet I wouldnt trade it for anything. We love our neighbors and the connections that we are forming with them. They are excited about us being here as well. It is sweet to have people tell you they are glad you are around and hope that you have no plans to leave. So many of our neighbors have come over to meet our son and seem really excited to have a baby in the neighborhood. It is neat to see them be so excited about him :).
We took Jeremiah on his first neighborhood walk today. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed taking him out, enjoying the warm weather and introducing him to a few more of our neighbors. I look forward to many more walks around our neighborhood with him in the future.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Yesterday and Today

Today I found myself very grateful for our church families and my hard working husband. Yesterday we went to the birthday celebration service for New Covenant Church. It was a great service and was a blessing to see where the Lord has brought the church over the past 33 years. I am grateful that the church has recently added a crying babies room where nursing mom's can go and have a private place to nurse and care for their babies. I missed that yesterday when we were at the community college and I needed to nurse. I love the people that make up the church. Nothing compares to the love of those Christian brothers and sisters. We have really appreciated all of the love, meals, prayers, etc our Christian family has given us. I am grateful for the teaching and worship we receive through our church. We are very blessed to have found a place where we feel God move and where we feel we can begin to connect and grow.
I am also very grateful today for my hard working husband. He has been such a blessing to me since we got married. He has encouraged me to stay home and does not complain about having to get up and go to work. He works so hard to provide each and every day for our family. Even when he comes home he keeps up with household work, especially the harder outside work. Since the birth of our son he has been amazing at getting food ready for me and keeping the kitchen clean. He has also stepped up and takes care of his son (esp. diaper changes) when needed. Thank you Lord for blessing me with such an amazing husband!!!

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Grateful for rest

My heart overflows today. I am so grateful for lazy restful days with my family. Today the three of us spent time snuggling together in the bed. Now we are not a cosleeping family but occasionally we do pull our little man in the bed for some extra snuggle time. This morning was so perfect. We got a few pictures of him outside in the first "snow" of the season and then went right back and crawled up in the bed together. Hours later we managed to get up and make it to the living room for more lazy day moments together. It is nice to have lazier days where we can just enjoy each other and catch up on much needed rest together. I love pajama days, especially with my sweet family!

On a side note: I am getting super excited about the holidays. We have nearly all of our shopping completed. I am looking forward to enjoying the holidays with our son this year. While he will be too little to grasp anything related to the holidays I am looking forward to having the stressful parts over with so that I can enjoy being with family and all of the sights, smells and sounds of the holidays.

Friday, November 5, 2010

First Friday Club

A couple of months ago the women on my dad's side of the family started the "First Friday Club". Basically they just wanted to get together once a month. I am grateful for these opportunities to spend time with my family. It is nice to see everyone outside of holiday functions. This month we went out to eat and made sure that everyone had updated address books and birthday calendars. This month was also special because Jeremiah went with me. It was wonderful to introduce him to more members of my family and watch everyone love on him.
Now I'm back home and ready to snuggle up with my boys :)

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Grandparents and Great Grandparents

Today I am grateful for family, especially our grandparents. It has been such a joy for us to introduce Jeremiah to his grandparents and great grandparents. I have always been close to my grandparents and there is a special joy that comes with introducing them to my son. I love watching the joy on their faces and hearing/seeing them love on him. It is awesome for me to know that he will at least have the pictures to look back on but even more exciting that he will have the chance to know them during these first years of his life.
Today my grandfather and his wife drove up from Atlanta to meet Jeremiah. We enjoyed watching them hold him and snap pictures of him. Thus far Jeremiah has had the opportunity to meet all of my grandparents who are still living. Hopefully in the coming months we will be able to introduce Jeremiah to Aaron's grandparents.
Overall we look forward to Jeremiah growing up with all levels of family around him. We love living fairly close to everyone and the opportunities he will have to grow close with his family as he grows.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

In a week and a half...

In a week and a half:

*I have given birth to a beautiful baby boy.

*Missed my pregnant belly and the flutters within more than once.

*Stared at my son for HOURS and wondered how I ever lived without him.

*Fallen even more in love with my husband.

*Dropped over 20 lbs.

*Fit back into a lot of my prepregnacy clothes (just in time as it is getting colder and my maternity clothes were all summer clothes)

*Had many uncomfortable places in my body.

*Marveled at the human body and how God designed us.

*Learned that sleeping in two to three hour stretches is not that bad.

*Found that meals from family and friends are absolutely the best blessing in times like this.

*Spent more time thinking about bodily functions than I ever thought I would.

*Discovered that my son has gained over a pound in a week

*Taken hundreds of pictures

*Only left my house a handful of times and most of those have been visits to the pediatrician's

*Discovered how wonderful the Moby wrap really is

*Enjoyed the simple pleasures of sleeping in my own bed, using nice toilet paper, and showering



I am amazed at just how much has taken place in this last week and a half or so.

Days of Gratitude

Last year I spent each day in November remembering things that I was grateful for. While my schedule is a little busier this November I thought it would be nice to try and do the same thing this year.
11/1~ I'm so grateful for my sweet husband. He has done so much for me over the last few weeks of the pregnancy and then through this first part of Jeremiah's life. He was such a pillar of support for me during labor and has not hesitated to do what has been needed for our son. I am grateful for all of the work he does to provide for our family. I am so very blessed that he goes to work each day to allow me the opportunity to stay home with our son.
11/2~ I am grateful for the safe and healthy delivery of our son. I am still in amazement of how labor and delivery went for us. It was much faster than I had imagined it would be. I am grateful that the Lord looked after each and every aspect of our hospital stay and care. I am thankful that the induction process went as it should and did not result in more medical interventions/procedures.
11/3~ I am so grateful for the blessing of staying home with my son. Before the birth of my child I often took the blessing of being able to stay at home for granted. Since his birth I have so deeply enjoyed the blessing of staying home and caring for our child. I love being able to meet his needs and learn new things about him each day. I love that I dont have to hand him over daily to someone else but that I can spend each day with him.

Friday, October 29, 2010

Our little blessing

Jeremiah Giese was born Saturday, October 23rd at 1:50 p.m. After a smooth pregnancy we hit a bump in the road medically in the last week where the doctors wanted to go ahead and deliver. We went in Saturday morning at 4 a.m. to be induced. We were all surprised at how quickly things went and our little miracle arrived just short of 10 hours into our visit. While his birth wasn't quite what we planned from the beginning it went smoothly and I could feel God's presence all throughout. All of the concerns they had for me medically are better and everything for Jeremiah looks good as well.

We are very much in love with our son! He is perfect with all fingers, toes, etc just as they should be. He has a very relaxed personality and we are enjoying every minute with him.
Here are a few pictures. More pictures to come.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

He's here!

Our sweet gift from the Lord arrived today at 1:50pm. I will post more information and pictures very soon. Right now I am going to collapse in this hospital bed while he sleeps. Praising Jesus for his many blessings and answered prayers today!

Friday, October 22, 2010

It's nearly go time!

Based on my lab work the doctor feels it would be best for us to go ahead and deliver our sweet one tomorrow morning. We will be heading to the hospital at 4 and will be getting things started from there. Sometime tomorrow we will hopefully have him in our arms.
Please pray for a safe and healthy delivery, a healthy baby, and for my lab work to return to normal. We value your prayers and thank God for each of you! We cannot wait to share our son with you. Thank you for praying for us during this pregnancy, God has been so faithful! We cannot wait to give him the glory for a safe delivery and a healthy baby!

What a week!

Well this last week has been quite an interesting one. Our social calendar has slowed down drastically and so I thought would the excitement, haha. I worried on Monday that our little guy wasnt moving enough and right before we called the doctor to see about getting things checked he started movin like crazy again and hasnt really stopped since. I'm with my mom on the fact that this won't be the first time my son will scare/worry us.
Aaron's work week has been very heavy this week as well. He has been working until 6 or later nearly every day. I am grateful that he has steady work during this time and that he works so very hard for our family!
We managed to have dinner with both sets of our parents this week. What a treat to have our families so close by. I love the close family connections and am glad that we will be able to offer those to our children.
The end of the week was certainly the most surprising part of our week. When going to the doctor this week they found some changes in my normally great numbers. As a result of these numbers we are looking at the possibility of meeting our son just a bit earlier than we thought. Even though this comes only days before our due date and is before any health issues would be come alarming it still comes as a surprise to us. My emotions processing this latest news have been all over the place. I know that the Lord my God has ultimate control but my flesh is screamin a different story. Praying for the peace of Christ to overwhelm us at this time.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Baby help/visits

We are blown away by the number of people who have already shown their love for us and our sweet little one. So many of you have asked about bringing meals or coming by to visit once he is born. We would LOVE to share our little one with each of you but would like to ask a few things. Please call/text us before coming to see that it is a good time and that we are not resting. Also if you have been sick recently (last 48-72 hours min) please wait before coming to see us.

To keep any one person from having to coordinate meals for us we are using a website (www.carecalendar.org) to make sure that everyone who wants to provide a meal has the chance to do so. To log in you will need the ID code: 52218 and Security code: 7608. Please let us know if you have any questions or troubles logging in. When you log in you will be able to see the needs for each day and whether or not they have been filled. There is also information there about allergies, likes/dislikes, times etc. There is also a place for you to enter what you would be bringing to allow for a variety of meals.
We love you all and are very thankful for each of you! Thank you so much for everything you have already done and for the love and prayers we continue to feel during these last few days. We cannot wait to share our new little one with each of you!

Ping ponging back and forth, up and down...

The last couple of days have been a whirlwind. Friday was an awesome day at Chrysalis. I hated to not be involved for more of the weekend than we were able to this time but I am always glad to be able to go out and serve and be blessed by the community of Christ out there.

Saturday was the first day where I noticed that my energy levels are definitely on the flux. I slept late, ate lunch, took a nap, and then got ready for my cousin's wedding. You would think after all that sleep I would be good to go. Especially since the only thing I did was attend the wedding/reception. Crazy thing is I came home and went to bed early. This little one is certainly continuing to show us that life is changing.

Sunday was filled with church, lunch, hammock swinging, corn hole, and seeing sweet friends.

Our big projects have pretty much been completed. I am trying to fill my days with the little things I wanted to have done and resting up. My mind is going all over the place these days. I can tell my emotions/hormones are ping ponging back and forth. It is crazy what these last days of pregnancy can do to a woman. I am so ready to meet this little one!

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Quick check in

So I'm laughin at myself tonight for not blogging anything for nearly a month now. I have a 36 week belly pic that I meant to post but obviously never got around to it. Things have been a bit crazy around here as we have rushed to get our last minute baby stuff together as well as complete other projects before he gets here. Not to mention all of the other commitments we had/have on us before our new arrival. While life has been very busy for us during this last month it has been a good busy (for the most part) and really is beginning to calm down. After this coming Saturday we dont have anything major planned until our little one gets here. Now I realize that is only a bit more than a week, if he comes on time, but for us not having anything planned for that long is a dream. I am looking forward to having a newborn not only to love and cherish but to keep us at home and not runnin around for just a bit. I'm sure that soon enough we will be back to a crazy enough pace.
A few realizations:
*We are so very very blessed. I am overwhelmed with God's provision.
*The end of pregnancy is tiring. Really tiring.
*I feel like a ping-pong ball most days. Ready to be not pregnant and then the next second almost mourning the end of this wonderful pregnancy. Yes, even at 38+ weeks I am still enjoying pregnancy.
*The human body is quite amazing!

On the baby news front. As of this afternoon when I went to the doctor I have dilated to an almost 2 and have a "very soft" cervix. Most of the time I still feel great all things considering. I am having more contractions and they are getting more frequent and stronger. My mind is still baffled by the fact that our little one will be here any time.

I am not even going to pretend to tell you that we will be updating every day with photos and info once he's here. I will simply do my best to share with our loved ones what I can. Love you all and can't wait to show you the newest member of our family.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

My favorite time of year!

Fall is finally here! It is by far my favorite time of year. I get so excited when it starts getting cooler and the leaves start falling. I love the sights, smells, colors, etc of fall. For me there is something energizing about fall. Maybe its the last hoorah before winter sets in or maybe its just the time of year when I feel even more blessed to live where I do, where it seems like God is just showing off with all of the colors and changes. While I havent been able to make many of the festivals and fairs this year I love that there are so many options for enjoying this season. I am looking forward to getting out and enjoying the changing leaves and cooler weather soon.
I am also glad that our son will be born during this season. Yet another reason for me to celebrate fall :)

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Tired?

Many times lately I have been asked if I am tired. Am I tired of being pregnant? Do I tire easily? Am I tired of standing? Etc, etc, etc.
Overall I am doing well. I feel good. Great most days :) I sleep well at least 5-6 nights a week and am blessed to be able to rest frequently during most of my days. So when people ask me if I'm tired I can for the most part on most days say no. Most days I'm doing well. I do have more moments where I wear out more easily. I certainly cannot do all of the things I used to squeeze into a day right now. Since I am blessed to be at home right now I have the ability to take it easy and rest when I need to. Life continues to be fairly busy. We have a lot going on for my family right now and that is keeping me pretty busy. I'm glad for most of the busyness since it keeps my mind somewhat distracted as we wait for our little one. With each day I am growing more and more eager to meet our little one. Only about four more weeks now. All in God's timing.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Our first baby shower and a few pre baby thoughts

A few weeks ago we had our first baby shower. What a sweet time with family and friends. Christal did an excellent job putting everything together. We were blessed with many sweet gifts and an even sweeter time of prayer for our new little family and our little one. I know it is because of friends like these praying for us that we have had such an excellent pregnancy. We both feel very blessed to have such an amazing support group around us. (I have some excellent pictures but just not the time/energy to put them up at the moment)
While we have cut back on many activities in efforts to prepare for our little one we have also managed to stay busier than I could have ever imagined. My days lately have been busy preparing for a bridal shower and a separate reception for two of my cousins. I have also started to make sure that all of the "little" things are taken care of before baby comes, or at least making a list of what still needs to be done. My nesting is definitely beginning to come in spurts~mostly as I have the free time or energy to do so.
This past weekend Aaron and I went and served on a Mountain Top Chrysalis weekend. It was a great weekend full of the Lord working in awesome ways. Even at nearly 35 weeks pregnant I was blessed to be able to serve on the weekend. God is so good!
I am coming to realize that growing this little one is taking more and more of my energy each day. I continue to rest well most nights and am trying to take it easy but definitely feel every bit of the 35+ weeks of this pregnancy at times as well. I cannot wait to see this little one and yet at the same time I find it hard to believe he will be here in just 4ish weeks.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Originally titled 28 weeks, reality is 33 weeks

28 weeks
Here is our 28 week belly shot. I appologize for just now getting it posted. We will continue to do belly shots at least once a month up until the end. I might go to more frequent shots later on if I notice more change but then again who knows.
32 weeks
The 32 week belly shot. I am quite amused by the fact that it has taken me over a month to put up our last pic. and to get this post up. Life continues to be wonderful. We have now finished our childbirth classes and are approaching our final baby showers. Only 7-9 weeks left until we meet our little guy. I am still enjoying being pregnant. I have moments where I am anxious to meet him and hold him and then I realize just how much I am enjoying feeling him roll and kick inside and know that I cant replicate that once he's here. Just yesterday at church I was thanking God for answering my prayers and giving me an enjoyable pregnancy~we have been so blessed and are so thankful!
I have also had people ask if we are going to post pictures of his nursery and to be honest I'm not sure. Probably we will but that all depends on when we get some things done in there and how things are coming along with it. For several months now we have had his crib, dresser, and glider in the room along with the guest bed which is staying in there. There have also been other projects of ours hanging out in there from time to time. I am eager for those other projects to be completed or find other homes.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

The third trimester...

We are officially here. The third and final trimester before this little guy makes his arrival into our lives. We have been so blessed to have good health and an overall easy pregnancy. I know that for the most part I have LOVED being pregnant. I love feeling all of his rolling around, kicking and jabbing. Even the occasional back pain and rib pain have been tolerable. It is still hard to wrap our minds around the fact that in around 9 weeks there will be another member of our family.
I read a blog post today about cherising the times when your children are small because you won't ever get them back. I have often thought about that concept as I look at life and especially now that we are getting ready to have a child. It hit me today as I read that post however that it also applies to my pregnancy. Since the beginning one of my prayer requests was that I would be able to enjoy pregnancy, both the good and the bad and to be joyful in it. I pray that others have seen that in this pregnancy as I know we have felt it. We truly have enjoyed this process. We love looking at the updates each week letting us know how our little one is growing and developing.
We are halfway through with our childbirth classes. Several people have asked us why we are taking them with Aaron's medical knowledge of the birthing process and my knowledge of children but I can honestly say that we have both enjoyed and gained quite a bit from the classes. It has been nice to learn new breathing and coping strategies as well as other ways to manage labor. The classes have also been a great starting place for us into discussions of what we want during labor and while we are in the hospital. Next week's class includes the hospital tour which I know we will both find useful. I know that will make things that much more real for us as well.
We love and appreciate all of the prayers our friends and family have offered up on our behalf. What a humbling experience to have so many people praying not just for you but for your child. I am blown away by the number of people that are as excited as we are about this little one and cant wait to meet him. God is so very good! If there is this much love for our child who is not even here yet, how can you truly wrap your mind around the love He has for each of us?

Saturday, July 31, 2010

Lovely day

Today has been such a fun day! When we woke up today the only thing we had on the agenda was to go downtown to the Folkmoot International day festival. Folkmoot is a wonderful international festival that takes place in Waynesville every summer. I love getting to go and see the different countries and enjoy their music, dance and costumes. I love watching how open and friendly people are. Things looked great when we got there today, outside of the lack of parking. It was slightly overcast and there were a lot of great food and craft vendors set up. We had a blast walking around looking at everything. We were able to watch France dance/sing before the rain really started to come down. What looked like a great overcast day quickly turned into a very rainy one. We hated to only get to see one group but we knew they wouldnt be able to perform in the rain. Since we were already wet we continued to look around at the crafts buying a few Christmas gifts and then started the trek back to the car.
Once we got home and dried off we each curled up with a book. I flipped around and found out the Braves game was on, something that just doesnt happen at our house. What a lovely day~my husband, good books, a nap, and a Braves game :)
It has been nice to have such a relaxing day with my sweetie.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

July

I find it sad that I am having to sit and do a catchup post on nearly a whole month. My biggest blogging hurdle has been moving the computer to the desk in the other room so I only make it in their to check facebook or read a couple of blogs I follow. My time away from the computer has been great for spending time with my husband and friends but sad for my blogging.
July was a busier month than I thought it would be. It seemed like everytime I thought things would slow down or ease up I found myself busier than ever. At the beginning of the month we had a group of friends over for the fourth. We had a great time cooking out, fellowshiping, playing corn hole, and watching fireworks. The rest of my weeks were busy keeping my cousin's little one three days a week and then meeting with other friends on my "off days". I was also able to squeeze in some Turner kiddo time since they were in NC for nearly two weeks. I have really enjoyed being able to see so many of my friends this summer. Aaron and I have also spent some time cleaning up around the house and getting projects completed. It feels good to finally see things getting accomplished.
Just this last weekend I went down to the beach with my mom, her best friend and her best friend's daughter. It was a great girls weekend and we managed to do a lot in just a few short days. We enjoyed a day in downtown Charleston complete with carriage ride, shopping, lunch, and lots of walking. We also spent time down on the beach and at the pool. On our down time we attempted to watch a few movies although someone if not everyone ended up falling asleep in just about all of them. Overall we had a great time and enjoyed our mini getaway!
For the last few days in this month I am at the Turners house hanging with the kiddos while Matthew and Amy work. We dont have a lot planned but have just been enjoying our time together. While the kids play I have been getting to a lot of work I need to do on the computer including blogging and baby registries.
Hopefully life will settle into a more settled pattern (haha) and I can get back into blogging more. The next couple of months will be our last ones without a child so we will be trying to make the most of them while at the same time not wear ourselves out.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

We have a bit of catching up to do...

Going back a bit to the beginning of June. We had our first party to celebrate our little one. As part of the agreement when we decided to find out whether we were having a boy or a girl I agreed that we would have a party to celebrate our big news with our friends. Because we were going to a wedding right after we found out we went ahead and told family but our friends had to wait a few days longer. We asked them to wear blue if they thought we were having a boy and pink if they thought it would be a girl. While up to that point we had more people saying girl we ended up with nearly an equal amount of each that evening.


Here are the pics for team blue and team pink.

We had a great evening of fellowship with friends and enjoyed being able to tell many of our friends at the same time what we were having!
The cupcakes held the answer inside.
It's a boy! A little boy will be joining our family towards the end of October or early November.
We are excited to meet our little one :)

Friday, July 23, 2010

roadblock (of sorts)

My plans to post and update my blog over our vacation have been halted due to no internet at our condo. Hopefully I can get on next week and update. Life is well! Later!

Monday, June 28, 2010

Keepin on, truckin on

Life has been busy. There are so many things that I need to catch up on. The last month has flown by. We started off the first weekend in June with our big ultrasound appointment at the doctor's office. Right after the appointment we drove over and picked up Aaron's mom and started our drive to Northern VA for his cousin's wedding. We had a great trip seeing his family and being there for their wedding.
Week 20 (The beginning of the bump)

A few days after we got back we held a Gender Reveal party for our friends to let them know whether baby Giese would be wearing lots of pink or blue. Our party was a blast! I will put up a seperate post with pictures from that night.


The following weekend I drove down to Winston-Salem to see Abby in Cinderella. For years now I have been able to go down and see the various plays put on by the West Side Civic Theatre. The plays are outdoors and are always fun to watch. I enjoy the layed back night of entertainment. The next day I was blessed to be able to visit with Sean, Christal and Cooper for a bit before coming back up to the mountains.


The last couple of weeks since then really have been a blur. I have gotten back onto the task of crossing items off of my really long and detailed to do list. Many of these items have been on there for nearly a year and some of them I really want to have accomplished before our little one arrives. Starting last week I also started keeping my cousin's little boy a few days a week. I have enjoyed being able to help them out while also forcing myself to stay home and get a few things done around here as well. Not to mention he is such a happy baby! In addition to those things Aaron and I have also made some decisions, based on many prayers, about our church home. We knew my time in the nursery was coming to an end but we have also decided that our time of going to Access church are also coming to an end. We love many different aspects of the church but are feeling led to come back to a more local church in order to raise our family in the way God would have us to.


As far as our little one goes, we are continuing to be blessed by the Lord with an easy pregnancy. My only complaint is some occasional mid back pain. I thank the Lord daily for this child and this pregnancy. I can honestly say I am enjoying being pregnant. I love feeling our little one, who's kicks are growing stronger every day. I am thankful that they seem new and exciting to me each time. I never want to forget just how special this time is. While the heat has been above average here lately I have been managing ok. I have only had one day where I felt miserable with the conditions. Next week marks 24 weeks in this pregnancy! I will post a new belly pic then.


Thanks for continuing to check in on us even in our long absences.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

furniture, flutters and funny dreams

Things around here have been very busy lately. We continue to try and finish up projects around the house that we have been wanting to do especially the ones that have to do with baby. At the end of last week the crib and dresser came in and Aaron's mom brought them over here with her truck. During the weekend my parents came over and helped us move around the furniture in our guest/baby room and assemble the crib. It is a beautiful crib and dresser set! We are still getting used to seeing them in the room as we walk by. Once we have things more prepared I will post pictures.
I am getting more and more used to feeling our little one flutter in my belly. Most of the time I start to feel little flutters in the first quiet moments of the evening. Over the last few days and nights I have noticed that I am feeling our little one more often and for longer moments each time.
I am evidently very excited about finding out the gender of our little one. Last night I had 3 seperate and very different dreams about finding out. In each dream there were different friends and we found out or told people in different ways. When I got to the end of the last dream I found myself wanting to go back to sleep and to the dream so that I could find out...haha. Many of our Chrysalis friends and family were in my dreams as well as some complete strangers that I couldnt figure out why they were there or would want to know. I'm glad that I only have to wait 2 more days before we find out (or at least have the chance to).

Friday, May 28, 2010

ch ch ch changes...

This past weekend we began what I know will only be the first of many changes in our little household. We pulled everything out of 3 of our 4 closets and proceeded to sort through and reorganize. Nearly two days later the biggest part of the project was finished. The closets look great, especially the baby closet which is nearly empty awaiting arrival of all things baby.
Yesterday mom and I went to the store of all things baby and bought the car seat and stroller. Later that evening his mom ordered a glider rocker for us and then brought us our crib and dresser we ordered a few weeks back. We have been so blessed to receive so many big items already and all at a discount thanks to an awesome sale at the store of all things baby. With 20% off of each item we really saved a lot!
This weekend Aaron is on call but we are going to spend most of our time working around the house and putting together the crib.
We are getting more and more excited about this little one. It took me forever to fall asleep last night as I realized we had only a week until we will be able to go and hopefully see what this little one is :) As a fun way to announce to our friends what we will be having we are going to have a gender reveal party on June 8th. We will let our families know later that day but will have everyone else wait until the party to find out. We cant wait to celebrate with everyone!

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

I'm still here!

We are still around and doing great! I am sorry for the long absence between posts. Here are a few tidbits of what has been keeping us busy:

Baby Giese (also known as Wiggle Worm)
I spent most of the first trimester sleeping. That included through a good part of the Olympic figure skating. I was blessed enough not to really have any morning sickness. I did have a few food items that made me feel icky, but with avoiding those items I have felt great. Aaron and I walk as often as we can and have started the process of trying to select names.
I've been to the doctor twice now (I go again next week) and have received two great reports. Thus far this pregnancy has been wonderfully uneventful. I will continue to pray for a happy and healthy pregnancy. We will continue to pray that the Lord continues to form this little one and brings about a healthy pregnancy and delivery.
We have not taken many belly pictures largely because there has not been much to photograph in that department. Around week 12 I began to have a slight bit that I could no longer suck in. Here at 15 weeks I am just barely past that point. Still nothing major to report. Here is a little picture of week 12.


In other events, our social schedule has finally slowed down. We ran a very busy schedule from the beginning of February to the end of April. Lots of fun events but it was very tiring not to have any down time. We were blessed to be able to celebrate Cooper's 2nd birthday with him, participate in another Chrysalis weekend, continue to serve with our church, celebrate Adam's birthday, visit Disney (i promise to upload pics soon) and a number of other events.
I am excited to say that we are making some progress on some personal goals we have around the house as well. It is nice to see some things come to place that we have had to put off for quite some time. Both of us are looking forward to this spring and summer season and all that it will bring!

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Crafty fun!

Awhile back I decided to try my hand at decorating a few shirts for my friends little girls. I picked out a different fabric for each shirt and then found a cute font for each on my computer. After a quick printout of the first letter in each of their names I set to work tracing the letters onto the fabric and then mounting that onto the iron on backing. (Next time I will put the fabric on the backing before I cut out the letters)
Here a few pictures of the finished products. I really liked the way they turned out!




Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Enjoying a mouse or two

Aaron and I are enjoying Disney World this week. I will be back next week with pictures and memories to share.
Love you all!

Sunday, February 28, 2010

I cannot wait

I cannot wait to snuggle up with our child. To soak up all of the little coos and sweet baby smells. Oh friends my heart just keeps getting bigger and bigger much as my child does with each growing day. God is so good!

Friday, February 26, 2010

new look?

I decided it was time for a new look once again. What ya think?

Also, I am wanting a new name for the blog. Should I go back to What's up paper cup? or should we pick something new? I think if we go with something new it needs to be something that can stand for our family regardless of how many of us there are or whats going on at the time. Perhaps something reflecting us and/or our values?
Any suggestions?

Monday, February 15, 2010

With growing joy and excitement....

we bring you our exciting news..............we're pregnant!!

I had suspicions and decided to take a test even though it was probably a bit early. Within a minute or so the test very clearly read pregnant. Even though I knew it was a very real possibility I was surprised. I looked at it over and over saying to myself...really? I even went so far as to go back and look at the test several times throughout the morning. As the day went on I realized just how excited I was and how much I love our little one already!


Aaron came home from the office for lunch and I had waiting on his computer an "I love Daddy" bib. When he saw it, he looked at it and quickly realized its meaning. He had a few moments of surprise and realization and ended with great joy.



We are both still processing this news and are excited about the changes that are coming!

We have now told most of our families so I thought I would take a moment and post our news on here :)

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

A few quick thoughts

I dont have long to update at this point but I did want to put down a few thoughts so that I could come back and visit them/update when I get a chance.
*Prayers~ My heart is still heavy with them but God has given me the peace of knowing He is in control.
*Crafts~ I have some photos to post of some shirts I made and cant wait to share them! They turned out really cute :)
I am also getting back into scrapbooking and hope to make some great progress over the next couple of weeks.
*Superbowl commercial spectacular~ We enjoyed a great evening with friends. We had a lot of great food and conversations! I will post some of the pictures from the evening when I can.

Monday, February 1, 2010

The current state of my heart

February is heart month. As a teacher this was just one of the many topics we tried to squeeze into the smallest month of the year. Now that I am at home I think back to those days and think about all of the ways that God has changed not only my schedule but also my heart. For the first time ever I plan on working from home, staying home with our future children, and have noticed how God is increasing the prayers that dwell within my heart.
Over the past couple of days my heart has been very heavy with prayers for many that are close to me. I have family members in need of prayer. I have friends with ailing parents in need of prayer. I have friends struggling with unexpected health problems in need of prayer. Oh how my heart has become heavy for these situations.
Over the next couple of days I will be away from my computer a bit more than usual as I try to help in any way that I can with several of these situations. Please join me in praying for these situations friends. Several of these are life and death situations and others are very life altering.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

My Internal Alarm Clock is BROKEN

From the time I was born my mother has said that my"internal alarm clock" was broken at birth. For the most part my body prefers to be awake at night and asleep during the day, or at least some version of it. More often than not this has caused problems for me since the rest of the world does not suffer from the same condition. When I was working I had to force myself to go to bed at a "reasonable" hour so that I could several hours later force myself back out of the bed. If I was doing well I could manage to get on a schedule where it became normal and not so forced. My schedule would be doing well until a long weekend or vacation. At those times I would allow myself to stay up later and sleep in later. Most of the time this just meant a few days of readjustment or indulging in an afternoon nap. Occasionally during the summers I would wind up getting my sleep schedule so off track that I was physically unable to go to sleep before 3, 4, or sometimes even 5 in the morning. Not a good thing.

Right now I am not working out of the house full time. This is a blessing and what Aaron and I both believe is God's will for me for this time in my life. While it has allowed me the opportunity to really be there once again for my family and friends and even bless others on occasion it has also presented me once again with sleep issues. This time they have come on slowly. For the first couple of months I would go to bed every time Aaron would. I hated the idea of him going to bed and not being with him, plus it was no fun to stay up by myself. In the last couple of weeks I have had great trouble falling to sleep before 2 or sometimes later and have had to absolutely force myself out of the bed somewhere between 10 and 11.
My struggle is that on most days I am free to adjust my schedule. This is great for things that come up or for doing things as I would like. It is not so wonderful when I dont have anything to regulate my sleep. I wish that I could say I was disciplined enough to get up (early-ish) on my own and go about my day but sadly I am not. Now on most days I do get to at least the minimum and the most important things on my to do list--even with my most productive hours falling in the late afternoon and evenings.
My conviction lately has been with the Lord calling me to be more intentional with my time. My hope is that I can start to readjust my sleep schedule once again so that I can make better use of my time. Feel free to ask in the future and see how I am doing. I don't want to change who I am, and I know that I will never be a morning person. My goal is simply to make better use of my time, to be more intentional and accountable.

Monday, January 4, 2010

A New Year...a new word

As we enter this new year there are so many thoughts running through my mind. Reflections from the past year, excitement for the new one. 2009 was a big year for us. Could 2010 top it, is it going to be our year of settling down, what new things will we do, what changes will we see? As I sit and look at a new year I wonder what will it bring. Over the past few weeks I have pondered whether or not to make "resolutions" or goals. There are so many things that I want to accomplish, try, improve, etc. In the past I have not made resolutions because I have trouble narrowing down just one area to focus on. On the rare occasion in the past when I have made a resolution I have like so many others not seen it to completion, sometimes even forgetting that I made one~haha.
This year I wanted to do something. I want 2010 to be different. While looking at a few different sites and seeing many of my friends set their own resolutions I came across an idea that seemed to fit perfectly for myself, it was exactly what I wanted for this new year. The suggestion was to pick a word to focus on for the year. Something that you could focus your thoughts and use as direction. This new suggestion seemed managable and not as overwhelming. Having something to apply to many areas of life, to improve and not just simply change.
As the weeks have progressed I feel like the Lord has brought one word to mind:

Intentional
During these past few weeks I have felt the Lord calling me to be more intentional with my life. Since I am staying home/working from home right now my sense of schedule and occasionally my sense of purpose have become very fluid and at times undefined. While I am learning to grown through this season in my life I am also feeling this new prompting from the Lord. I feel like this time has been given to me and that I need to be intentional about it and what I do with it. I need to be intentional about the kind of wife I am and the activities I find myself doing.
I look forward to seeing how this will play out in our lives this year.