Positive Attitude

It's here. The dreaded med school rotation....

Surgery. 

Dreaded on my end because of the non-existence of a husband it causes. I certainly enjoyed having my guy around a lot more these last few months. Thank you Psych & Family Med rotations; you were good to us. I've loved watching Andrew blossom this year from book-focused medical student to practicing physician under the guidance and teaching from some amazing preceptors. I am amazed at the knowledge he has gained, the patients he has helped treat, and the passion which motivates him day in and day out to continue onward.

Though a few months of "3rd year" remain, we look forward to what this next year holds. Not only will this guy become a father to our sweet baby girl, but he will also be applying, interviewing, and arranging for the next phase in this journey. Residency. 

I am blessed to be his wife and support him through this journey. It's fun to think back to when this all started. It doesn't seem like too long ago that our 16 year old selves were helping each other look into future careers. Or that I was taking and picking Andrew up from the airport week after week for interviews. My, how time has flown by. Here's to the next 5 weeks of surgery and a positive attitude!

23 Weeks | Baby Reyna

 Today marks 23 weeks of pregnancy. Our sweet baby girl is the size of an eggplant at 1.3 pounds and 11.8 inches. As you can see, we are enjoying a spring break getaway at the coast with Andrew's family. What a treat it has been. 

We are chugging right along but the medical side of me is sure anxious to reach next week's mark (point of viability). Speaking of anxiety, each week seems to bring some new concern or issue. The Lord has protected us thus far, why is it so difficult to continue trusting and give up my fears? It's human nature. I truly believe that the devil uses fear as a foothold. And boy is it a strong one. A storm is rolling in as I type this. The wind is powerful, the waves crash on the shore, and the rain hits the window with force. I am reminded of God's strength. His might. 

“The seas have lifted up, O LORD, the seas have lifted up their voice; the seas have lifted up their pounding waves. Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea—the LORD on high is mighty” Psalm 93:3-4. 

I always thought pregnancy to be such a wonderful time- full of excitement and joy. Don't get me wrong, it certainly is. What a blessing it is to be carrying this life. But, I had no idea the amount of worries and fears I would carry each day. Maybe this wouldn't be so if we hadn't lost our first. Maybe it wouldn't be this difficult if I were another type of nurse. Or maybe it would. Trust me, I know and have seen far too much. All the more reason to place my trust and faith in my Lord. All the more reason not to give the devil this foothold. As I've mentioned in earlier posts, this takes daily effort and hourly prayer. It takes encouraging friends who seem to always know the right words to say. It takes a husband who will listen to my fears and worries and calm each one. It takes a dear mother who I know prays for me daily and who checks in frequently. It mostly takes centering my mind and spirit on the grace and providence of God. It takes surrendering my fears and worries and being okay with the outcome because my trust and faith in the Lord's plan for my life is greater than the path I would choose for myself.

Sweet baby girl, I know that worrying does no good. Fear is not healthy. But I also know that I can't do this on my own. I know that God gives us storms to weather and the strength to get through; what a beautiful storm this is. How I can't wait to see your darling face, to hold your little body on my chest. In this waiting time, this growing time, I am doing my best to surrender these fears. Keep moving, keep growing. How I pray that you will know the Savior's love. I pray that your faith will be stronger than your mamas. That your soul will overflow with trust in the midst of your deepest heartache. We love you so very much sweet girl.

I've been so calmed and encouraged by the following song by Hillsong United. Not only is it beautiful, but speaks such truth.

Oceans

'Your grace abounds in deepest waters. Your sovereign hand will be my guide...When fear surrounds me, you never fail and you won't stop now. So I will call up on your name.  And keep my eyes above the waves. When oceans rise, my soul will rest in your embrace. I am yours. And you are mine.

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders, let me walk upon the waters wherever you would call me. Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander. And my faith will be made stronger in the presence of my savior.'

Around here + Guest Suite

These flowers bloomed the exact same day last year. We moved into this little old house a year ago and I remember these flowers welcoming us to our new home.

Since we move so frequently (and will continue to do so), it's hard to take the time and energy to truly settle in a house. We have decided to stay until Andrew's Residency begins and that will make this stay the longest to date for us. The thought of seeing this spring in the same place, and another to follow, brings me joy. I know what to expect. I know when each tree/plant will bloom. I know when the ants and spiders will show up. I know that come July, our yard will be filled with silly chestnut tree droppings (not sure what else to call them). What a relief it is to be in one place for a while longer.

Our office/guest/craft room has had a recent transformation into a guest suite. As I mentioned in my last post, we look forward to family members and out of town friends staying here- especially once baby girl arrives.

I don't have many photos of the room before- but sure wish I did. Just picture a room with 2 cluttered desks (one Andrew's, and one mine for craft/clutter) and a bed. Add in some random boxes on the floor. Below is all that I have of the BEFORE. 

 AFTER

 

Ignore the fact that the mirror needs a good cleaning in the above pic ;/

The furniture was purchased from a friend who is moving and the rest of the decor is simply moved from other rooms in the house. It's convenient to stick with the same color scheme throughout the house in order for items to easily be moved from room to room. I still want to get a few special old-timey family photos printed and framed. A few ideas are floating around in this brain of mine.  We look forward to visitors! The guest bed has also been my favorite napping spot the past few days... it's cozy!

22 Weeks | Baby Reyna

 Week 22! Our little love is the size of a spaghetti squash, one pound in weight, and eleven inches long! Growing, growing, growing. 

This week we focused on turning the once guestroom/office/craft-room/catch-all space into a functioning and comfortable guest suite. I'll have to share our progress in a later post. This was a priority of mine since we have many family members from out of town and mostly because we want my sweet mother (who has graciously offered to watch the babe when I return to work) to have a nice space of her own in our home. After the guestroom furniture purchases, no nursery progress was made this week; Andrew put me on a well-deserved "spending freeze." I suppose someone has to be the rational one in this house.

Sometimes I have a hard time falling asleep at night because this is when baby girl is most active and I don't like missing her sweet acrobatic routines. Her movements make me smile and I treasure each one. I especially love how excited Andrew gets when he feels the strong kicks and punches. He's quite impressed that such a little babe can be so strong and so alive inside. He brought up how amazing and at the same time odd it is that she is so alive inside, yet wouldn't survive outside at this point. This little one has given us the opportunity to have many deep talks about the miracle and gift of life. 

That's all for now. We love you sweet baby girl!

_______

Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.
Children born to a young man are like arrows in a warrior's hands.
How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them! 
 Psalm 127:3-4

21 Weeks | Baby Reyna

Twenty-one weeks down and our little love is about 10.5 inches long and weighs 12.7 ounces. She continues to bring us joy each day. Her kicks never get old. I giggle when I see the way my belly button continues to disappear. So crazy.

I'm thankful to have been feeling better these past couple of days. Light headed spells are no fun-- especially while at work. Whew! Eating is much easier and more enjoyable these days too. Much to be thankful for there. A highlight of the week included finding a chair for the nursery on Craigslist. It feels great to have found a good deal and to have a comfortable spot for future hours of snuggling and nursing.

The birds have begun chirping at our house. The flowers are budding. I love this time of year and am looking forward to many neighborhood walks in the remaining months of pregnancy followed by stroller walks with our sweet baby. Much to look forward to. Keep growing little one!

Our little biscuit has grown from the size of a plum to the length of a carrot in the past 10 weeks. I have a feeling that the next time I do a collage like the one below, a lot more growth will show. Oh boy!

sugar and spice

 I remember being a youngster and climbing into the corner of my closet. In that corner lived my favorite books, a few toys-- my hidden treasures. One of my books had the nursery rhyme: 

What are little boys made of?
What are little boys made of?
Frogs and snails,
And puppy-dogs' tails;
That's what little boys are made of.

What are little girls made of?
What are little girls made of?
Sugar and spice,
And all that's nice;
That's what little girls are made of.

At that age, I took things quite literally. My own brother liked snails and frogs. He desperately wanted a puppy dog. That made sense. While I spent many an afternoon out in our Texas forest of a back yard climbing trees, saying hello to the cows who lived behind us, hunting for roly poly bugs (potato bugs- for you Oregonians), or frogs for the big bonus, I was the sweet one. My gymnast self flipped and twirled for the elderly onlooker. My rosy cheeks and blond-curled-hair spent the mornings sitting on the bathroom counter while Mom got ready for the day. I tried and tried to brush my hair like she did, we talked, I listened to her sing. I like to think that I was sugar and spice, and all things nice.

I have fond memories of early childhood. I think about our future as a family and what our little girl's memories might be like of her early days. Due to Andrew's career, I foresee many moves. Many changes. Many adventures. I hope our daughter can look back on those early days and see consistency among the changes. Consistency in the way her parents love her. Consistency in her day to day. Consistency in how we support her and teach her. Consistency in how she sees us living out the love of Christ. 

One thing's for sure-- I hope our little girl is both sugar and spice, and all things nice. I look forward to discovering her interests and passions, to loving her just the way she is. 

After our growth ultrasound appointment, we had plans to meet up with Andrew's mom, brother, and our sister in law for dinner and gender reveal. With just 2 hours to go before our appointment time, I rushed to the store and found the only gluten free cake mix on the shelf and came home to bake away. I frosted half of the inside blue and the other half pink. Andrew came home just in time to strategically place the flags I had made so that he knew which way to cut the cake depending on the gender. This was definitely a rushed effort-hence the sloppy frosting job on the side. 

Before the appointment

About to find out!

Happy faces after our appointment...

Look at that darling profile!

We enjoyed calling my family (all out of town) on the way to the restaurant to share the good news but couldn't wait to share our exciting news with Andrew's family at dinner. My Mother in law showed up wearing a bright pink top- she must have had a feeling we were having a girl! Turns out, the cake tasted awful. I'll need to search for a better gluten free cake recipe/mix!

Kellan Beckett | Newborn

Newborn Kellan Beckett is quite the adored little one. His mom and dad are dear friends of ours and it has been such a joy to see them become parents. I look forward to many baby play dates in the coming year!

You may remember Brandon & Catherine from their maternity shoot post, found here.