Future Plans

So I feel like people want to know what Christopher and I are going to do with our lives once Chloe gets here. 

20 Weeks- half way there!!

Christopher has about a year left before he can graduate so we are moving back to Springfield for a year (at the end of August... Chloe's due date is July 31st.).

After that year we hope to find a church that will take Christopher on as a missions intern while I finish my degree online. 

That's about as far into the future we're planning right now. 

I'm 22 Weeks along today!

It may seem crazy to some to move with a newborn but we feel like if we don't go back now we will just get stuck/comfortable where we are and forget God's call for our lives. Besides, it will be so nice to just be the three of us! I cannot wait for it to be just me and Christopher again. I know it will be completely different since we'll have Chloe, but it will be amazing in its own way.

Christopher got me this devotional. It's by Catherine Claire Larson. It's wonderful!

Sometimes it's hard to understand God's timing, but as long as we trust and obey Him we will eventually see that he has everything in control.

Galatians 6:9 

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

Psalm 37:3-4 

Trust in the Lord , and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord , and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Proverbs 3:5-6 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

- Allie

Chloe Mayme

Christopher and I found out on Monday that we are having a baby girl! 

We are so excited! 

I think I have secretly wanted a girl from the beginning of this pregnancy but I really want a boy someday. 

It has been so much fun to see Christopher light up when he talks or thinks about our daughter. I cannot wait to see him be a daddy! He is already a wonderful husband and I know he will be an amazing father. 

So I know it might seem strange but Christopher and I have had the names of our first born son and daughter since before we were engaged. So when we found out we were pregnant we knew we were having either C or M. We just didn't know which one yet.  

On February 28 (I was 18 weeks) we were so excited because our OB/GYN said we would most likely find out our baby's gender. We had been looking forward to actually calling our baby by name for a while. When we went in the doctor she said that our baby was being shy. Anytime she would try to look to see the gender our baby would have her legs crossed. She asked me to drink 3 bottles of water and she would try to check again in 20 minutes. When we went in the second time our baby kept putting her knees together. My doctor tried to make baby move but she could only see what she needed for a few seconds and she could not get a good picture. My doctor said that from what she saw our baby looked like a girl. But she told us not to hold her to that guess because she couldn't see as much as she wanted to. 

A few weeks later I went in with Christopher (He always goes with me because he's wonderful!) For my 20 week ultrasound (I was technically 19 weeks and 5 days). This ultrasound is more advanced than the one at my OB/GYN's office. It can see the heart, kidney functions, spine... And a whole lot of other things that seem impossible to see right now. Another thing we knew we were going to find out was our baby's gender. 
We had it set in our minds that we were having a girl but we knew we could not confidently shout it from the rooftops yet. 
We went into this appointment with a lot of mixed emotions. We were so excited to finally be able to find out our baby's gender but we were also scared about finding any complications (because I'm high risk) that we or our child may have to face. 

This ultrasound was so nice. 

I got to see my beautiful baby for a whole hour! About half way through we were told we were having a girl. Our daughter does not like to do what people want her to.  Anytime they tried to get a picture of her face she would put her hands right in the way. And when they tried to see her boy or girl parts she would put her knees together and do bicycle kicks. It took them awhile to see things. But by the end of the appointment we knew she was perfectly healthy and a GIRL. 

It's amazing and crazy how much God is protecting our baby girl already. Our daughter is totally fine. She has no complications as of right now. 

I am 20 weeks today and I cannot believe it. I'm halfway to seeing my beautiful daughter.

So now that we know we're having a girl let me tell you about her name. 

Chloe Mayme 

Chloe is a name I have like since high school. I won't tell you exactly where it came from because you will laugh at me. But the name Chloe reminds me of certain character traits that I hope my daughter will have. Traits like friendship, loyalty, curiosity, and kindness. 

Mayme is the first name of Christopher grandmother (it rhymes with name). She has Alzheimer's and will never know who our daughter is. But we wanted Chloe to know that even if her great grandmother can't know her, that she would have loved her. 

We want to honor Christopher's grandmother in a way that Chloe can one day understand.

Psalm 139:15-16 ESV

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.

Catch Up Post

So it seems that I need to play a little catch up...

This month has been a good one.

Christopher and I have been so overwhelmed with the encouraging words and comments about our pregnancy.


My body has had a lot of changes this month, mostly my belly.

This was taken in my 17th week

I'm still having some morning sickness but it's not as bad as it was in my first trimester.
So many changes going on that I had no idea about. Pregnancy is a big adjustment.

Christopher and I are hoping to find out our baby's gender on the 28th. We cannot wait to find out!

I really like all of the doctor's I have seen so far. I know that God specifically placed them in our lives and that he knows everything that is going to happen with our baby.

Waiting in the doctor's office.

So this year is our "last Valentines Day" before we have kids so we wanted to make it extra special.

From: Allie     To: Christopher

Christopher loves candy, but hates chocolate, so he is kind of hard to shop for on Valentines Day. But this year I found a box of Jelly Bellies and he LOVED it!! I also got him a Cardinals key chain and extra candy.

From: Christopher      To: Allie 

Christopher got me a beautiful Vera Bradley e-reader cover for my Nook! And he got me beautiful roses and they smell amazing!!

I made a cheesecake for Christopher

Christopher loves cheesecake so I made him one with some extra love.

Christopher made me dinner; spaghetti, salad, garlic bread, and chocolate covered strawberries.

Christopher is an amazing cook. Everything he makes always turns out to be delicious!! He completely surprised me when he told me he would be making us dinner. We had a nice candle lit dinner with just the two of us. When we were finished with dinner we went over to my grandmother's house to give her some of our leftovers. She loves spaghetti! We also gave her a picture of the ultrasound and she was so excited. She says she thinks it's a girl.


The next morning while Christopher was at work I went over to a friend named Shannon's house and she showed me her cloth diapering system. I want to cloth diaper our baby and I was curious how it all worked, so she invited me over. There is so much to learn and understand but over all I think it's something Christopher and I will be able to handle. She let me borrow some books and they have been very helpful. I am so thankful for friends who let me ask them a bunch of questions.

For Christmas last year Christopher's parents got us a nightstand to match the one the got us as a wedding present. I was so excited! I took me a few months to get lamps and lampshades that matched but last night we found the right lampshade! I am so happy our room is symmetrical now, I know it sounds dumb but our room is finally something I don't have to think about for awhile.

All in all this month has been great so far. Thank you for following my random thoughts. We cannot wait until the 28th to find out our baby's gender!!

Prayers though out our pregnancy would be much appreciated!

-Allie

God is in Control

So Christopher and I have been hiding a pretty big secret for a few months now...

WE'RE PREGNANT!!!

According to my doctor I am 14 weeks along. I'm starting my second trimester. The due date is July 31st 2014. We are so stinking excited! 

God is in Control.


I saw my regular doctor pretty early in the pregnancy but we had been trying to see an OB/GYN since December. It took much, much longer than we had anticipated. Today was my first official appointment. :)

God is in Control.

The doctor said everything is going well. The heart beat was so awesome to hear. Our little "melon head" is stubborn just like his/her mommy. The doctor tried to get a good picture but the baby kept moving back to where he/she was. Baby didn't want to pose for pictures today. We got a few pictures but not a good one of his/her profile. But other than baby not posing for pictures, the appointment was wonderful. It was such a relief to see our little baby moving around. 

God is in Control.


The weeks before my appointment were filled with worry. I don't really consider myself a "worrier", I mean occasionally I might have an emotional melt down when I try to control everything and then actually realize all of the things I actually have no control over. But that's not worry (it's being a control freak). But man, oh man, I was worried about this pregnancy. I was frustrated I hadn't gotten to a doctor sooner, I was worried about it being a high risk pregnancy (I'm insulin dependent, but we can go into that later), and on top of all of that I was worried about actually seeing our baby and finding out that I had done something wrong and my baby had paid the price. Talk about worrying. I had been letting these thoughts constantly run through my head. I know that God knows everything that will happen to "melon head" I had just been leaning on my own strength which never works. Everything is going well and according to schedule, so all my worrying was pointless.

God is in Control.

Matthew 6: 34
“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

*Sometimes it's so hard to stop worrying about something once it consumes your thoughts.

Psalm 119:114
"You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word."

* I can always go to God when I am scared.

Isaiah 41:13
"For I, the Lord your God,
    hold your right hand;
it is I who say to you, “Fear not,
    I am the one who helps you.”

* God will be with me through everything. He is always with me.

Hebrews 11:1
"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

* This one hit me right in the face.I had not been putting 

all of my faith in God. I was trusting in myself. I need to

 have faith that God controls things I can and can't see

Philippians 4:6-8

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."

* This passage has been an encouragement to me since high school.

It has so many applications

.

God has everything in control. It's easy enough to say but it is sometimes hard to live your life knowing you don't control everything (that's what's hardest for me anyway). But if I really stopped to think who I'd rather have in control, me or God... the answer is obviously God.

Isaiah 55:8-9
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts."

God has given us a healthy baby and we are so excited! I cannot wait to hold him/her in my arms and to watch the love of my life become an awesome father. We may not always understand God's timing but He is always in control.

I'm going to be a Mommy!!

-Allie

Robbie

I started watching Robbie, two days a week, about 6 months ago. He is so fun! He is at that fun age where he changes every week. When I started watching him I could lay him down and he would stay there until I moved him. Not happening now. He is walking and beginning to mimic sounds now.

He looks so little

Sleepy Time

"Smile"

Even though he is so young you can already see his cute little personality. He is loving and sweet. Plus he has such a cute smile! I think when he is older he'll be pretty easy going.

Waiting for Daddy

Stop taking my picture, I'm trying to eat!

 I enjoy watching Robbie. He is getting to that stage where he is curious about everything and he is starting to explore and learn. I can't wait to see him grow more.

Wooah

Big Boy

Fun Facts about Robbie:

* Robbie likes to "talk/sing". He can go on and on for 10 minutes.

* If I feed Robbie baby food with meat, he WILL make funny faces.

* He is so easy to put down for a nap.

* Robbie is pretty jumpy, so make sure not to sneeze too loudly. I've learned this the hard way.

* He loves toys with sound and more importantly he loves to press the same buttons over and over again.

* The best part about watching Robbie is the huge smile he gives you when you get him up from his nap.

Kyla

I started watching Kyla in March of 2013. She is one of the happiest, sweetest, and, smartest "babies" that I have ever watched (I have watched a lot of babies in my life). When I started watching her she was in the early stages of walking. You know, where she knows how to walk but still falls down about every third step. She was such a joy even then (and so photogenic).

Cutie Pie!

She was so small. 

Tutu Time

"Say Cheese"

What a sweetheart!

So pretty!

Going for a walk

I've been watching Kyla for almost a year now and I love her so much. It makes me start to cry when I think about Christopher and I moving back to Springfield (which is probably in August). She won't even remember me when we come back.

Growing Girl

Sleepy Time

"sheeeze"

Why does this lady always want to take picture of me!?

Swinging

Big Girl

What a goof ball

Pretty Smile

 I have learned so much through caring for her. I've watched her grow more and more everyday. She is constantly doing things that shock and amaze me. Her Mom and Dad are easy to work with and so understanding. I'm just so blessed for the opportunity to have been such a small part of Kyla's life. Her family has been such a blessing to Christopher and I.

She NEVER does this. :)

 Ha ha ha!

Favorite Memories with Kyla:

* Asking her to sing. "La la la la la la la... la....laaaa"

* One time I stubbed my toe and it hurt so bad I cried, she crawled on my lap and gave me a big hug.

* When she sits in my lap and puts MY arms around her and says "sweese" (squeeze).

* "Oww-Si?" (outside) She used to ask to go outside every-single-day. 

* When I tell her to stand up after changing her diaper she shouts "SAND NUP" (stand up).

* When Christopher comes home, she gets jealous when he hugs me and says "My Opher" (Christopher).

* When she crawled out of her playpen all by herself the FIRST time. There have been many other times.

* When she pee peed in her potty the first time. I scared her with my excitement.

* It is so adorable when she asks for hugs and "kiss-it" (kisses) from her dad when he drops her off.

* When she gives me hugs and/or kisses for no reason at all.

* When we go on walks and she says "no scare me doggie".

* When she stared saying my name on purpose. :)

* She loves when I chase her / pop out from behind something and scare her.

* She likes sleeping with a stuffed elephant Christopher got me when we were dating. She calls it "eefant".

* Her laugh when she is being tickled.

I love her so much and she will always hold a special place in our hearts!

Hockey

So many of you may not know this about me but I don't understand the point of Sports.

I mean don't get me wrong, I know that learning games as a child teaches you all sorts of valuable life lessons. But I think a lot of people make too big of a deal about sports.

That being said I have many loved ones who feel like if they had no sports to watch or team to root for life as we know it, would cease to exist. So if you like sports I still love ya. ;)

When Christopher and I started dating (and to this day) he could not wrap his head around the fact that I just don't care about sports. He thought that maybe I didn't like them because I didn't understand them. We would spend countless afternoons watching baseball while he explained all of the rules. We would watch football and he would tell me about different plays. I didn't even give him a chance when it came time for the world cup (that's soccer for my un-sporty friends) because I had sat though hundreds of games when my brother was younger (snooze fest!). And then there was hockey...

I understood hockey very quickly. It was similar enough to soccer (to which I am very familiar) for me to understand. I had never seen a hockey game before dating Christopher. But after the first game I was hooked. I love how fast paced hockey is and don't even get me started on how much I love the fights. The first time I saw a fight break out I remember saying "Whoa, are they allowed to do that?" To which Christopher replied "Yeah, that's just hockey."

Christopher is from St. Louis. He is very loyal to his home teams the Cardinals, the Rams, and his all time favorite team - the Blues.

On our way to my first Hockey game.

Let's Go Blues!!

The first hockey Game Christopher ever took me to was so much fun! We rode the Metro in to downtown St. Louis and watched the game at the Scott Trade Center. Hockey fans are so enthusiastic! Even if we lose they seem to stay positive (just like my wonderful husband). 

This past Friday Christopher went with our good friends to a Tulsa Oiler's game. We have defiantly seen better games but we had a really great time. Hockey games are a blast!

Such a fun night!

Christopher misses his blues.

I know that sometimes it it hard to be interested in the same things as your spouse but if you just try you might end up finding something that you both enjoy.  I hope that I always love and respect Christopher no matter what differences we have. I want to be an excellent wife.

Proverbs 12:4
An excellent wife is the crown of her husband,
    but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.

-Allie