Hard

the past few weeks have been a little bit hard. not that i thought this whole parenting thing would be easy all of the time, but there are some things that i may not have thought of/considered/known.

my girls have been sick. nothing horrible or life threatening (thank God, i am not sure i could do that again). just normal stuff, but in a baby everything is exaggerated. and why are my newborns getting sick? probably because i hate to sit at home and mostly because i love to show them off. all of which means that they have been exposed to people and places. not always a good thing. i feel really bad now, knowing that i could have prevented some of this!! i have told you that annabel had an ear infection and they both were congested. and i have told you that annabel has a hernia (not my fault). but now claire has croup!! great! croup is scary...the cough, the weezing, the sad look on her face because she just doesnt feel good. even her skin color looked off for two days. now, i am not some crazy lady that just takes her kid to the doctor for every little thing, but i am also not going to sit at home if/when i think they can help me. so, after lots of research and talking to a few nurse friends, i took claire in this monday to see the doctor. they gave her a steroid in hopes of relaxing her airway. i also took her in because she had projectile vomited all over me. not just a little spit up, not just like, "hey mom, this doesnt taste good so i am going to spit it out." nope, all over the place kinda thing. and of course i had just taken a shower and blow dried my hair!! lol. but what got me a little worried was that it was plenty of time after her feeding to not do that, plus she was not upset and had not been coughing. they said that yes, there was a stomach thing going around so i needed to watch her. but thankfully it didnt happen again...until tonight.

claire seems to be getting better and not having as many issues with croup, but for whatever reason tonight all of her feeding came up again. this time i think it was a gas bubble's fault, not any type of sickness. peter is out for a guys night at the baseball stadium, so of course, things have not been nearly as easy as when he is here! annabel was screaming and claire was trying to eat. i sat her down on her boppy while i picked up annabel. while holding annabel and feeding claire propped up on the hoppy, 3 oz suddenly started hitting my lap, the couch, the boppy and all over little claire. screaming annabel came out unscathed. lol. funny thing is, as soon as it was all out, claire just sat there like nothing was going on! i kinda panicked. i had just texted my friend a few minutes before and told her that she should have come over while our hubbies were out (she has 3 boys and loves to hold my girls, but tonight one of her boys needed to be chauffeured around town). ironic...i think i must have jinxed myself by texting her. anyway, i called my sweet neighbor next door and she came right over!! christi and tim are so sweet and have always been very generous in helping us with anything and everything. as soon as she walked in, i handed annabel off to be soothed/rocked and i started running a bath for claire. after just 10 min things were good...both girls were falling asleep, so (like the books say), we put them in their beds to soothe themselves to sleep. well, it has been almost an hour and annabel is still screaming. claire is awake, but just hanging out. ugh!!! at this rate, annabel will be screaming in time to start her next feeding. oh wait...i just gave her the pacifier and she hasnt peeped for the last 2 min.

this cry it out thing is kinda hard! i am waiting 10 min to give the pacifier to her. she will hold it for about 30 seconds before loosing it again. she gets several good screams/cries in, will catch her breath and relax for about 15 then start in again. oh...she is at it again! i am trying to follow the tips from the book "healthy sleep habits, happy twins". its nice because there are different methods/options to helping the babies and the parents, but none of them seem to be easy! and my girls are so different so they dont need the same thing. all of this bed time drama has really been wearing on me the last few nights. i have been so busy during the day that by "bed time" (usually 9ish pm) i am ready for bed too. the crying grates on the few nerves i have left. peter has been awesome and super helpful by taking care of the soothing at night, but i still hear it. and tonight he is not here. so, instead of making bottles, or starting puke laundry, or draining a bath, or taking care of the messy table, i am sitting in my dark room typing and getting up every 10 min to try to not talk to my screaming kid while giving her what she doesn't want. yep...a little overwhelming!! the books "say" this could take 4 nights, but in most cases with twins, more like a week. and i am not even sure i should even worry about it...i mean in just two weeks we are going to be in michigan and then we will have annabel's surgery...sleep schedules will be totally messed up. but i am praying i will be wrong. i am praying that by struggling through the sicknesses and struggling through the screaming fits, that my girls will have it under control!! :)

sorry this is not the best post ever. tomorrow i will post about their last month (crazy to think they are already 2 months old tomorrow) and some cute pics! for now i am done...its been a hard few days, but i am still so thankful for what i have and who i have!!

blessings, ALo

oh man!

i am typing this one handed...my other is rocking annabel...my drama queen. i have tried several times to sit down and blog but between two babies, company, lots of laundry, and pure exhaustion it has been hard!

things are good. crazy and really hard sometimes, but good. i am still only getting sleep in about 2 hour stretches. the girls are getting better!!! we went for a follow up doctor visit today...all four ears look good. claire has a slight dry cough, but her lungs and heart sounded good, so they are not concerned right now. i just have to keep an eye on it. they are new meds for the thrush...it was not getting better fast enough on the first medication. i also had the PA look at annabel...i was concerned that she had an inguinal hernia. unfortunately, i was right. :( so, we are being referred to a pediatric surgeon. thankfully, she is not in any pain, but it is a large hernia and needs to be remedied sooner rather than later. i almost had a breakdown in the office. i am glad that i realized what was going on, but i am so sad thinking that my baby may need surgery! the hernia doesnt seem to be bothering annabel at all...she is gaining weight like crazy. as of today's appointment annabel weighed 9 pounds 14 ounces. claire is a little peanut comparatively, she weighed 8 pounds dead on. yep, that is almost 2 pounds difference!!

so, we are still here...we are surviving, even thriving most days!

i couldnt do this without my "village" helping me! thank God for my village, both near and far!!

here are a few pics!

Claire was serious about our coffee time together! :)

We were out shopping and Annabel wanted to say hi to her daddy!

baby eyelashes. love!! (this is annabel)

i got to hang with my friend, Rachel, saturday night at church (i am volunteering with the middle school students) i cant wait to meet baby Ezra in just a few weeks (rach is due the end of june)

awww...daddy and his mini me, claire

peanut claire and her hooded towel. 

chunky monkey annabel!

i was giving claire a bottle and annabel just HAD to be touching me, so she found my elbow and tucked her hand under it and fell right to sleep. momma's girl!! 

lol. this is from just a little bit ago. claire loved to be basically naked, watch out!!

annabel fits just right in her daddy's arms!

this was me the sunday (not quite a week) before the girls were born (3/3/13).

i took this two days ago (4/29/13). i am feeling much better about how my clothes fit. i still have a long way to go, but these new shorts are the same size i was before babies and this is a medium tshirt. i should have taken the belt off, everything is a tad bit flatter.

i will have to post some pics of when peter's dad and sister were here last week...i havent uploaded them yet. :/

i have a special friend coming over for lunch tomorrow. i am hoping to blog about it tomorrow, but please be praying for both of us. God knows her heart and what she needs...i am praying that He protects both of our hearts and gives us a special time of bonding and sharing. thanks!

blessings, ALo

One Month

the LOtwins are one month old!! i really cant believe it! this month has flown by!! we are so thankful for how this first month has gone! i have loved (almost) every single moment. the only thing that was hard was recovering from surgery...feeling and knowing that i missed out on the very first few moments/day of their life because i was recovering. but, aside from that, life has never been more perfect, more fulfilling, and more unpredictable!

Claire Mackenzie:
loves to look around and becomes very wide eyed when moving from dark to light rooms. she loves to look at herself in the mirror when getting her diaper changed or getting dressed...we could be in trouble! :) she is a good eater, but makes a complete mess of herself and whoever is feeding her. she is now eating between 3 and 4 ounces every few hours. she is a great sleeper and doesnt even wake up when her sister screeches! claire is still our little peanut, but has gained almost 2 pounds this month. claire needs to work on her neck strength a little, but she is doing very good for her size! claire fits great into newborn onesies/tops, but newborn pants are too big around her waist. however, she is too big, especially too long, for preemie pants. we still call her curious claire...she just loves to know what is going on...when she is actually awake! :)

a little shy at first...look at that dark hair!!

hi, mom! i love those little bloomer shorts! 

we think she looks like her daddy, just more girly :)

passed out on daddy during pictures :)

Annabel Marie:
really loves to be held!! that has become even more evident the last two days. she gets upset when i have to feed or bathe claire in the mornings and no one is there to hold her. she is a good eater and keeps a lot more of it in her mouth, she just takes a little longer. annabel is our little grunter...she makes so many noises throughout the day, including the cutest snorting noises especially when she is done eating. annabel is becoming our chunky monkey. she is starting to little rolls and i love it! i just love kissing her cheeks. she fits great into newborn clothes, but is also abel to wear a few 0-3 month outfits. she is about a pound heavier and inch longer than claire. she really loves bath time and becomes so alert during her bath. i treasure those few moments! annabel loves to wake me up at night by screeching at the top of her lungs...its piercing. annabel was laid back in the beginning, but has shown us her more dramatic side as of late. annabel loves to cuddle with her daddy and it melts my heart to see them together. i am totally in love with this little girl!

yes there are a few more pics of annabel...thats because her mood was all over the place...its was so funny!

she got really ticked right away...mad i changed her clothes and put on the headband. 

annabel mid screech

then acting like nothing happened

little smirk...mischievous just like her momma! 

then she totally passed out!

just wanted to hang with her daddy. she looks a lot like me!

they are really sweet babies and i am so blessed!

attempt number one: two screaming babies. just like our mornings. it happens! 

they love their daddy!!! 

attempt number two: much better and the normal. laid back sleeping babies.

 blessings, ALo

im a momma

i never knew, i never could have imagined, what it would be like to be a momma. to say its the greatest, and scariest, feeling ever is a huge understatement! i became a mother when i had Charlotte, but being a momma...a true care taker...doing the daily ins and outs of motherhood, has been a whole new experience. and thankfully one that i adore so far!

you know the phrase "always a bridesmaid, never a bride". for a long time i wondered if i would always be an aunt, never a momma. God has made all of my dreams come true in the form of curious Claire Mackenzie and sleepy Annabel Marie. 

one of the most amazing things happens when the girls are upset, especially claire. all i have to do is say in a soothing voice, "Claire, its momma. im right here. you are ok" and she calms right down. just the sound of my voice, even from across the room, and her whole demeanor changes. it melts my heart each and every time!! 

seeing their sweet daddy with them also makes me melt. i dont even know the right words to use to describe all that i see in peter when he is with his babies. he is more that supportive and does more than "his share" of the duties. i rarely have to ask him to do something. he changes diapers, makes and cleans bottles, helps with the late night feedings, and just loves to cuddle his daughters. to hear him praying for them and for our family has helped me fall even more in love with him...something i didnt know i could do. 

our family of four is doing great. yes, i am up every two hours at night, but thankfully the girls are both good eaters and good sleepers making the early hours a little more bearable. they are both getting big...well bigger. i know in pictures they look like every other "average" sized baby, but they are just little peanuts! as of monday at the doc appointment, Claire weighed in at 4lb 15oz and Annabel was 5lb 6oz. they have had lots of visitors and great meals from so many people here in texas. grandma loeser (peter's mom) has been here just over a week and will be here until the 28th. its so nice to have so much help and love for our little sweets!! 

i am doing pretty good. by the end of the pregnancy (friday, the day before delivery) i was up 44 pounds total. my feet and ankles and legs were so full of fluid it hurt to do much. my skin on my belly hurt and itched from stretching (with plenty of marks to prove it) and my heartburn was a permanent fixture. pretty much as soon as i delivered, all of those things started to resolve themselves. while i still have the stretch marks, all of the fluid in my legs has dissipated. i have lost 43 pounds as of today...what??!!?? i still itch, but its a different itch, a side effect of the spinal block (i have scrathed my legs raw in some places...its driving me crazy!). praying (very hard) that it goes away soon! i am feeling pretty good, but still try not to over do it. my scar is still fresh after all.

i am blessed. i have TWO healthy (and adorable) babies. i have an awesome hubby who is my perfect partner in parenting, i am recovering well and my health is basically back to normal. i am blessed because i am finally a momma!!! i just cant stop saying it...it all seems unreal at times! there are things that i could complain about, but i am choosing to cherish the sweet times i have right now with my family with out focusing too much on the "hard parts"... after all, I AM (finally) A MOMMA!!!!

thank you, God, for these children that we have prayed for!!!

Claire

Annabel

Annabel

Claire

They like to nap together. Claire on left, Annabel on right

Claire needed to cuddle for a bit after her bottle, this taken while blogging. :)

blessings, ALo

Claire Mackenzie and Annabel Marie

THEY ARE HERE!!!!

i can not believe that i have not posted anything over the last few weeks. if you have been trying to follow along, im sorry you have been left hanging. unless we are friends on Facebook/twitter/instagram, you would have no idea. "my" laptop had to be turned in when i resigned from my job, and our home computer pretty much completely crashed that same week.

so, the quick version goes like this: after that 33 week appointment (last post) my blood pressure was all over the map at pretty much any given point. i would have really good days and really bad days. of course, it just so happened that each time i would have a doctors appointment, i usually had a bad day. i was asked to stay for observation 3 times. those stays always involved a 24 hour urine test to see if there was a certain protein in my urine that would be indicative of pre eclampsia. there was one visit (at 34 weeks) that peter and i took ourselves to the hospital because i was having regular contractions. turns out it was not true labor and we were sent home, but not before a 24 hours test :). in the end, peter and i met up for my bi-weekly appointment with dr. todd on friday march 8. my blood pressure was very high (no surprise to us) and we were admitted. at the end of another 24 hour test and no eating or drinking for over 9 hours, dr. todd came in on march 9 and gave us the option to deliver that night (saturday) or sunday morning. we chose right then...we were tired of all the back and forth, plus i had already not eaten...what was a few more hours? dr. todd thought the girls were ready and based on an ultrasound from friday, told us to expect 6.5-7lb babies, pretty big for 35 weeks and 3 days!!!

on saturday, march 9 at 8:02pm, Claire Mackenzie Loeser was born, weighing 4lb 11oz and 18 inches long.

on saturday, march 9 at 8:04pm, Annabel Marie Loeser was born, weighing 5lb 9oz and 19.5 inches long.

thankfully, the girls came out doing great. they were smaller than what the ultrasound predicted (no surprise there), but were very healthy! they were breathing great on their own and showed no signs of needing assistance. they did go to NICU for the first night for observation and to "be safe"...after all, they were twins and born late term pre mature. unfortunately for me, things didnt go quite as i had planned in my head. dont get me wrong, i had two healthy beautiful babies, but because of my BP issues and because i have amazing doctors who are cautious, i was unable to spend much time with the girls until 6pm sunday night. i was taken to antipartum instead of postpartum to have medicine to control my BP (although it was stable after delivery). i was not allowed to leave my room, and the girls were not able to leave theirs. so, outside of seeing them for 5 min between my move from recovery to antipartum, i did not see them...just a few pics and videos peter and other visitors would show me. BUT all things considered, i am so blessed!! i have said several times over the last few weeks, we make plans so that we can change them!

the great news is that after the normal 4 days after c-section stay in the hospital we came home all together as a family of four! in fact, we could have left after 3 days, but we opted for the extra day to adjust to being parents with the nursing help if needed. how many 35 week twins can go home 3 days after delivery??!!??

after being home for a few days, i am so happy to say that we are all doing fantastic! we are TOTALLY in love! i have the cutest baby girls (no bias there), they are good eaters, amazing sleepers, and all around perfect!

they do not really look anything alike and we can already tell they are going to have unique personalities...its so fun! they also have their daddy wrapped around their little, tiny finger! peter has been an amazing dad from the get go, and this week he has really stepped up his game. i feel like the luckiest woman in the world to have him as my partner in parenthood (more on this later).

for tonight, i will leave you with the above...maybe i will share more later...like my c-section experience...not at all what i thought it would be. and of course i will have to really tell you how life at home is going. please feel free to follow me on the social media sites...there have been some really cute pics of my sweets added over the last week. geesh...my babies are a week old already!!! but, in case you dont want to do that, here are just a couple.

first day! top is Claire (baby a) bottom is Annabel (baby b)

taking a snooze on daddy's lap in the hospital. Claire on the left, Annabel on the right

i am one tired momma, but soooooo happy! (day 3) Annabel on left and Claire on right

finally at home! Claire on left, Annabel right

one week old at the newborn photoshoot. peter loves his new job! Annabel on the left, Claire on the right

cant believe they have been here a week! Annabel on left, Claire on right

thanks for all the prayers and support and encouragement for peter and me and our girls. we really could not be more blessed or more thankful for all that God has given us in the form of these amazing little people!

blessings, ALo

Ready, Set...

not time to go...yet! i just got back from my 33 week appointment. the girls are both doing great, growing big and still cooking away! peter and i were able to see them on another ultrasound...they wanted to see if they had turned. no such luck there, but they are both doing great. we even got to see some hair on their big ole heads! :) based on the measurements, they are both right around 5 pounds...claire is just under and annabel is just over. i am still having contractions and lots of pressure down there, but the dr. todd says its totally normal. the pressure will not ease up simply because there are two babies, twice the weight and pressure bearing down on me. thankfully, i am still closed, not dilated at all. my belly is measuring 50.5 inches and i have gained exactly 30 pounds. i had gained a little more, but after this weekend i have lost a few. plus, i am trying to cut out sodium so as not to blow up! lol!! so far i still have my ankles showing, so it must be working! :) so, things are still good for us. i go back next tuesday. no plans to schedule anything, just take things one day and one week at a time.

peter and i were able to get away for a weekend...a babymoon! our friends from church, jimmy and melissa, have a place in matagorda (about 2 hours away from houston) right on the water and they offered to let us use their home this last weekend. matagorda is mainly a fishing village, but it was perfect for us! we were able to lay around and relax, enjoy the beach (which is not like marco island, but totally fine!) get lots of rest, eat good seafood, do lots of walking on the pier and the beach, and enjoy the sunshine (even if it was a tad chilly). we had an amazing time! it was exactly what we needed before our lives become insanely chaotic!! i didnt take very many pics, but here a few:

the beach on sunday afternoon. lots of debris, but we didnt care!!

the babymooners! so blessed by this sweet man!!!

the twin shell we found on the beach. we brought it home for the nursery!

some days we feel ready for the girls to be here, some days i am not so sure. thankfully, God is in control and has blessed us beyond belief with these little ones already! please pray with us as we finish the last minute stuff to bring them home! :)

blessings, ALo

Little Alarm Clock

so, in all the books that i have been reading lately it talks about how the LOtwins are already starting on a schedule. its crazy because, in the mornings the girls are very active from about 6:15 to 7:15...its like they know its morning and time to get a move on. there are a few other times throughout the day that this happens too. i dont have the big rolling across the belly movements any more (not enough room) but they sure know how to give me a jolt with a punch or kick or booty dance (they do not get that from me, by the way!!) well, yesterday in the early hours of the morning, we must have lost power. at just before 3 am i woke up from all the kicks and karate moves going on in my belly. i was a little bit annoyed because they were strong enough that i knew i would not be falling back to sleep. so, i took my phone off the charger and decided to play a little tetris in bed (yep, i still LOVE tetris!). but when i looked at my phone the time said 6:56am. what??? for real?? i looked at the clock and back to my phone and then over to peter's side of the bed. uh-oh. he was still there. typically, peter is up by 6:20 and out the door for work by 6:30 to miss the major traffic. i said in a gentle voice (at least i hope it was) "honey, i think its almost 7am. i know your clock says 3am, but your phone will say 7am." "what?? uh..." "honey, the girls woke me up, they know its time to get up. im sorry". SO CRAZY!!! the girls saved the day!! well, they saved peter from leaving any later than he already was. i just cant believe it. i think its so cool!

i had a good doctors appointment yesterday. they are still in there cooking. i am still fully closed. dr. todd gave peter and i the green light to get away this weekend, just the two of us!!! :) still praying for a few more weeks! i am getting pretty uncomfortable and rather tired, but i know they are not ready yet!! my biggest complaint (even though i dont like to complain) would just be the heartburn/indigestion and my itchy belly (serious stretch marks!) it will all be worth it in the end! here is a pic before i went to the appointment. 32 weeks!

if you are not friends with peter on instagram or facebook, you should check out some of his pictures from honduras. he has some amazing stories!!! the views are amazing, the little girls all look so sweet, and the team got a ton accomplished! the girls loved that peter is so tall!! lol! i love his big heart and his willingness to go and serve but more importantly to come home changed by these sweet girls and all that God is doing in honduras at Casa de Esther. check out photos here. (these photos were taken by jamie from Casa de Esther) this is one of my favs!!!

hope y'all have a great day!! its a beautiful sunny day here in houston...and its chilly!! perfect!!

blessings, ALo

First Pictures!

here are the first pics...

Baby A AND Baby B!!! holy smokes!! today was awesome! the ultrasound tech quickly found BOTH babies and their heart beats. yes, we got to see and hear both of their little hearts beating. what a joy that was for us again! i of course started crying! that sound has got to be one of the best sounds ever!! then to hear two... so amazing!! they are measuring great, everything else looks great...just a great day!! because we are having more than one, this pregnancy is considered high risk, so i will go every two weeks for an ultrasound and check up. more pictures will be so great! :)

peter and i are beyond thrilled! we are so blessed and grateful that God is choosing us to be parents again, especially to two little ones. please pray for healthy, normal growth for both babies. that is all i care about now!! please pray for all four of us!!

ahhhhh...TWINS!!! so awesome!

we are blessed!

blessings, ALo

1,000 words

Pictures are worth a thousand words!!!

Party of three, the story begins!! WE ARE PREGNANT!!! just a few weeks, but i know everyone has been waiting as patiently as we have to find out, so i couldnt wait to tell you!! :) we are thrilled!!! our prayers have been answered! now we are praying for healthy growth!! 

this pic shows the progression of positive tests. i took the first one saturday night, and it was barely visible as positive. it was early to take one and late at night, but i couldnt wait. the second one is from sunday, still faint, but the line is there. i was still worried about a false positive so i continued to take them! monday afternoon, tuesday morning, and yesterday morning. yesterday's came up immediately (like while i was "taking it") and it was very dark pink right away. definitely pregnant. i am also now three days late...i am never late. i have a few other classic symptoms, but i dont need to share all of that!

just pray with us!! we are going monday for our first doctor's visit. at this point, i am not considered high risk. since Charlotte had a chromosome disorder and not a genetic disorder, they are not too concerned. they will be monitoring my levels and i will continue on progesterone until week 13. Lord willing, we will have a baby the beginning of APRIL!! my calculated due date is april 9.

thanks so much for all the love, support, and encouragement!!! we are blessed! we are so full of joy!!

thank you to my awesomely talented friend, christie lacy for an impromptu photo session!! check her out!!! she is seriously the best and also a very sweet friend of mine!! here are two others she did for us...

ahhhhh!! so giddy!!! :) now, i feel nauseous!!

Psalms 40:1 I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined unto me, and heard my cry.

blessings, ALo

How Many in the Jar?

wow, what a day. the first thing i want to say is another BIG thank you for all the messages, texts, emails, calls, and cards. i feel so loved and supported. i loved hearing from so many people that they were praying for me and for peter and for our soon to be expanding family. thanks so much!!

i am currently sitting on the couch just relaxing. i feel a little crampy, but they told me to expect that. nothing too serious, just that uncomfortable feeling. i am also spotting a little due to the slight cervix dilation needed to do the IUI. my cervix was still dilated from earlier this month, but something about doing more to keep the tube straight while doing the actual turkey basting. the spotting should stop tonight. if i see more spotting later this week i am supposed to call right away. there is a higher chance of ectopic pregnancies with IUIs, so we are on the lookout for anything abnormal. the IUI equally increases our chances of multiples...oh my! we knew that going in, but it is kinda crazy to think about!! i was told yesterday that dr. todd thought there were four good follicles before the hcg injection. who knows how many will release to be fertilized, but again...that is more than one! we wont know until much later if we have multiples. peter did awesome today! his numbers were SUPER high. after the wash down, there were 90 million little guys left to inject...90 million!! for real??!!?? i know that it only takes one, so that is why the number seems so crazy to me. the specialist said that this was higher than most. goes to show, this is mostly about me and my issues.

even with that, i left today excited. i am sitting here, thinking about it all and i am super excited! based on the way the doctors and nurses were talking and responding, they were excited and encouraged too. that helped a lot with my anxiety. everyone seemed so excited for us! of course, the cupcakes probably helped! :) i ended up taking 40ish to the doctor's office and about 15 got picked up by my sweet co-worker, rachel, for the rest of my co-workers. i dropped the cupcakes off in our doctor's office before we picked up the "boys" upstairs. when we went back, everyone told us how awesome the cupcakes were and they were so thankful to have had them. guess that gives me an in for special treatment! :)

after the IUI, we waited for about 35 min, listening to worship music and praying. it was pretty emotional for me and i am soooooo thankful that peter was there. he was able to take a personal day today to be with me. it has been awesome. while i was laying there, i thought so much about Charlotte. i thought about all that God has done for our family. i prayed about all that He still has planned for us. it was all a bit overwhelming and i teared up. but the worship music was so great and helped calm me down along with praying! i am so glad that we prepared in advance to do that. i have mentioned that i wanted to be a witness to the nurses and doctors at the office, so the worship music during the whole procedure was, hopefully, awesome for them too...for them to see who we are. we are teaching our high schoolers about being the salt and light of the world, so i am praying that while telling them and i am also showing them (and others).

so, here i am on the couch. i am disappointed that i missed out on the high school service tonight, but i am so excited that i am home to relax after our conception day! :) we wont know anything for about a week and a half, but we are going to continue to be excited about what God has for us...a baby!!

here are a few pics from today:

awesome tortilla soup for lunch. FULL of veggies and so good! plus lunch w/ hubby!

conception day celebration cupcake

homemade almond funfetti w/ buttercream and glitter sprinkles

mostly finished, just a few not frosted. 

if anyone wants the play list that we had for today...we called it "waiting worship", i can make that available. we use spotify, so its super easy!!

Psalm 113:9 He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children. Praise the LORD!


Psalm 139:13-16  For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you,when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.
James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.


blessings, ALo