The Grand Celebration, Part 1

On January 13, 2011, my parents will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary.  F-I-F-T-I-E-T-H.  5-0.  Is that amazing or what!?  Last winter, we began discussing how we would commorate this incredible milestone.  Instead of a party, their request was that the whole family go on vacation together.  Of course, we all loved this idea too! We discussed a cruise, but some weren't crazy about leaving land, and some job situations didn't permit committing to a full 5-day trip 10 months in advance.  We settled on a trip to The Grand Hotel in Point Clear, AL.  Several of us had been before, so we knew what a wonderful place it is, but none of us had seen it at Christmastime. 

So on December 18, after much planning, discussion, and what must have been hundreds of emails, The Grand Celebration officially began.  Saturday dinner was our first group function - we met at a local Mexican restaurant to celebrate Daddy's birthday.  It's not actually until January 16, but it seemed appropriate to celebrate it along with the anniversary and since we would all be together. 



When we got back to the hotel, we headed to the Skylounge in the main building, which we had reserved as our meeting area.  It had a beautiful view of the bay, and was the perfect place for all 25 of us to sit around comfortably, talk, and play games.  

From left - Holly Beth, Blake, Leanne, Paul, Crawford, Owen, Carter (partial), Alec, Mitch, Melissa



Owen, Carter, Alec, Mitch, Melissa, Jason, Tiffany, Craig, AnnaClaire, Susannah

We each wrote down a favorite memory or story involving Daddy, then drew them out of a hat and read them aloud.  It was fun to guess who had written what, and see what has stood out to different people (like all 3 of the teenage guys writing about going to Baron's baseball games).  It turned out to be a great way to share familiar stories and hear some new ones too.

Saturday night wound up culminating at the indoor pool (since all our guestrooms were in the Spa Building where it is located).  The men were in one corner playing spades, the girls were in the opposite corner visiting, and the grandsons and younger girls were in the pool. 

Sunday morning, Jason and a couple of the guys got up and went fishing.  Evidently it was wonderfully exciting for the first few minutes, before the lack of fish and cold caught up to them. :)  A bit later, a bunch of us enjoyed the famous Grand Breakfast Buffet (lump crab omelet . . . YUMMMM).  At 1 p.m., we were all to be dressed and ready for the family picture.  I wish I could adequately recount the hours of discussion that went into what we should all wear.  For the last 3 years, Jason has been the designated family photographer, but Tiffany's boyfriend (now fiance!), Craig, was able to be there for this portion and take it for us.  Jason was thrilled.  Much easier than him having to set the timer and run back and forth from the picture to the camera. Plus, Craig is incredibly talented and did a phenomenal job corralling 25 rather opinionated subjects.  See the result? 


Heffington Family, 2010

Sunday's dinner was our Hawaiian-themed luau at Original Oyster House.  We had a private room so we could have as much fun as we wanted.  I will share the full wedding story later, but Mom & Daddy were married in Hawaii when he was stationed with the Army there for 15 months. We tried to dress as festively as we could, considering it was December and our summer clothes were packed away.

Grandchildren, including unborn Bradford. :)

I was planning to wear one of Mom's original mumus, that she wore often while pregnant with Lane.  However, we somehow managed to forget how remarkably petite she was as an 18 year old.  Suffice it to say that it didn't fit my pregnant body as well as it had hers.  Yeah, how does it make a pregnant girl feel when a MUMU is too small?  You guess.  Anyway, I had to improvise with a sarong.

They were married as mere infants, I tell you!

Wish we all could be fun sisters . . . Laura, Margaret Lindi, Mom, Daddy, Lynn, Lane, Leanne

 Mom recently converted all their slide photos to digital format, so with a little effort from our resident AV expert, we were able to watch their Hawaii pictures while enjoying our dinner.  Laura did an AWESOME job planning, decorating, and organizing this event!



Merry Christmas!

So this is the original Christmas card I picked out, designed, staged the picture to match . . . you get the idea.  Well, as you may recall, I had 50 free cards courtesy of the Shutterfly post.  When I went to order this card, my coupon code did not work!  Imagine my frustration . . .  As it turns out, though, the free cards are not valid on plain ole' traditional photo cards; they have to be fancier ones.  Which, ironically, were far more expensive per card than what I originally picked. 

So the best I could create from the different style was this:

This is a stationery card, printed on very heavy nice paper.  If the reverse side was formatted properly, it could have been mailed as a postcard. 

So the 50 free cards were worth even more than I thought (and would have spent)!

"Stuff"

The title of this post would imply that it is about a random assortment of unrelated items that I couldn't link together in a more coherent way than with a vague descriptor like "stuff".  But that's actually not the case at all.  I've been writing this post in my head for weeks now, and just haven't managed to get it down on, theoretical, paper.  You see, it's a topic that God has been teaching me a new perspective on for some time now.  And believe me, it's taking quite some time.

Possesions.  Belongings.  Worldly items.  To me, "stuff" is just the most effective word.  The stuff that fills my closets, drawers, garage, attic, cabinets, shelves, and every other available space.  The stuff that fills my check register and empties our checking account.  The stuff that fills our calendars.  The stuff that fills my thoughts.  Bottom line:  how much of this stuff is from God?

Where to start?  Well, I started thinking about this post several weeks ago when Jason and I dedicated a Saturday to cleaning out our garage.  Incidentally, it was that Saturday in early November when it was 30 degrees at 7 a.m. when we began.  We've only lived in our house for a few weeks shy of two years, so the garage was genuinely not that much of a mess.  We've always been able to park one car in there with plenty of room.  The main problem was that we had never invested in any type of shelving or storage, so pretty much everything was on the floor.  We tried really hard when we got married and moved in not to move stuff that we hadn't used in years.  Overall, we were pretty successful, we thought.  Garage cleaning day still yielded a much bigger pile of trash than I anticipated. 

The giveaway pile was not as large, as I had done a fairly through clean-out before a garage sale last year.  I had a box of clothes that didn't sell there, and Jason added a few things to it.  A small table, some old luggage, and a few other assorted items rounded it out.  I was determined to get it out of the house, so I had Jason load it in my car immediately.  I knew that seeing it cluttering up my car would motivate me to deal with it.  I had heard that by itemizing your donations to charity using the charity's valuation guide, you can actually wind up getting more for them than selling in a garage sale.  I was stunned at how much!  For example, a women's sweater is valued from a low of $3.75 to a high of $15.  So for something that's in good condition, and I just don't wear anymore, an average of $8 is certainly reasonable.  When was the last time you got $8 for a sweater at a garage sale?  Yes, it's a tax deduction, not hard cash, but figuring in our marginal rate, we are still getting a lot more credit for that one carload of stuff than we would have sold it for - if we even could sell it!  Remember, the box of clothes I had was leftover from a garage sale.  And it was sooo much less work and stress.  And then it was gone - out of my way, on it's way to being useful to someone else. 

But the discussion on stuff is about more than cleaning out the garage.  What motivated me to be up at 7 a.m. on a Saturday, in sub-freezing temperatures, to clean out a garage?  Or clean out the office/soon-to-be-nursery and guest room closets a week later?  Or to try to limit the amount of useless items we moved into our house two years ago?  The desire of my heart is peace and order.  Too much stuff makes me stressed.  As I've learned this over the past few years, the question became how to handle it.  As I try to do with anything causing me stress or lack of peace in my soul, I took it to the Lord.  Let me tell you, the prayer, "Lord, please help me figure out what to do about the fact that I have more clothes than will fit in my closet" didn't get far off the lips or out of the heart without the absurdity of it hitting me.  My STUFF is causing me STRESS?  And I have to even ask what to do about it??  What is wrong with this picture?

We have not been promised that life on this earth would be easy or stress-free.  We are promised that His yoke is easy and His burden is light.  We are commanded to be anxious for nothing.  We are warned not to store up treasures for ourselves on earth.  There are things on earth that will cause us stress.  Large trials of faith involving loss, relationships, sin, sickness, etc.  And small realities of life that just aren't fun sometimes.  Work, balancing the checkbook, cleaning house, grocery shopping come to mind.  These things sometimes cause me stress because I have to do them when I don't want to.  Such is life, and adulthood.  They are necessary.  But how many unnecessary things cause me stress?  Having to move a gillion knick knacks in order to dust my furniture.  Having so many clothes in the closet that I can't find a hanger for the clean ones, and can't find a place to hang them.  Redecorating my house for every season/holiday/event of the year.  Scrapbooking.  Blogging.  Attending every social event that occurs.  None of these things are bad.  If they bring you JOY, wonderful!  If they bring you STRESS, why are you still doing them?  Or in the case of physical possessions, why are you still letting them live in your house?  Clothes are a genuine source of stress if you don't have any to wear.  Or you don't have a coat to put on your child in the winter.  But to be stressed because I have more than I can keep organized?  May it never be!

I'm still asking myself theses questions, though through the grace of God, I have learned to release some of these "obligations".  I enjoy blogging, and it's something I wish I did more often.  But it does not deserve to make me feel guilty for not doing it.  My house is pretty simple, without a lot sitting around for me to dust.  I don't decorate for any holiday except Christmas.  And in fact, all we did this year was decorate the tree and mantle, and hang the outside wreaths.  My spring planting consists of two pots by the front door.  None of these things make it less of a home.  For our family, they make it more of the home we want - a safe place of peace, love, and calm - because we spend less time cleaning/decorating/gardening and more time with each other.  This year's Christmas decorations are minimal, but I LOVE looking at the tree and mantle, and I also love knowing that come New Year's, when we are ready to start working on the nursery during our time off, our time won't be consumed with packing up 4 tubs of stuff.  Maybe one day it will bring me joy to have every room fully decorated for whatever season we are in, but today is not that day. 

It's two weeks before Christmas.  Most of us are probably stressed about one thing or another.  Is the stuff that's causing you stress truly important enough to hold that power over you? 

Ok, figuring out how to close this ridiculously long, rambling post is now causing me stress. :)  I'm going to choose not to let it - after all, I'm not forcing anyone to read it, right? 

"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."  Matthew 11:28-30

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."  Philippians 4:6 

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal."  Matthew 6:19 
 

Thankful

We are.  Very. 

20 and 21 Weeks

Shutterfly Giveaway!

As you all know, I am new to the blogging world, and somewhat photo-challenged (don't worry, my husband has the talent of several people; baby Bradford will NOT lack photos!).  I hear fantastic things about Shutterfly and the fun projects you can do with your pictures. Once you load your pics to Shutterfly, there are several options. You can edit your pics, make collages, order prints or gifts, etc! Of course, they also offer adorable cards for all holidays.  Love these Thanksgiving Cards!

Naturally, Christmas Cards are my very favorite - to send and receive.  I actually leave all the Christmas photo cards we receive on the refrigerator all year.  If you sent us a card last year, I still enjoy looking at your and your kids' smiling faces every time I open the fridge (which, let's face it, is pretty often these days!).  I can't wait to choose which of these super cute cards we'll use this year.  


I also love these beautiful, customizable  Thank You Cards.  That might be something we need to look into (we've agreed that I can end a sentence in a preposition on here, right?  Conversational?).  

What makes it all EVEN BETTER is that bloggers can earn 50 free holiday cards by blogging about Shutterfly.  Check out the details here.  Thanks to Jamie Whitt for the giveaway info!

Introducing . . .

Bradford Samuel Ramsey!

Jason gets credit for saying all along that it was a boy!  I thought so too for the longest time, but the closer we got to ultrasound time, more and more people kept predicting a girl . . . and they swayed me.  As I was lying on the table, he asked me for one last minute guess and I said "At this point, I'll be more surprised if it's a boy."  The ultrasound tech asked us at least 3 times if we wanted to know - I guess that's not an answer they want to risk getting confused on!  We assured her we had no doubts, and she gave us the news right away.  


More importantly, everything on the ultrasound looked great, and indicates a perfectly healthy baby boy!  We are so thankful.  He measured a few days ahead, adding a bit more validity to the date confusion.  Oh well, we are praying that he comes in God's perfect timing, somewhere in the month of March!


As soon as we found out it was a boy, we decided to tell the name immediately.  We first discussed Bradford Samuel at the very beginning of my pregnancy, and had officially settled on it a few weeks before.  We did not have a decision on a girl name, so we hadn't promised anyone that there would be a name announcement the same day.  Bradford is in honor of Jason's grandfather, Paw-Paw - a man who has loved and served the Lord on this earth for 96 years.  We could ask for no greater legacy for our son!  We chose Samuel for it's Biblical meaning "because I asked the Lord for him".  We will call him Bradford or Ford.  I love either one.  As I write this, several weeks later (oops), I primarily refer to and think of him as Bradford.  I can see that lasting until he's born, and throughout newbornhood (yep, I'm sticking with thinking that's a word).  Then, as he get's bigger maybe I'll think of him more as Ford.  We shall see.  As for now, I've told everyone they can call him either one.


This picture is my favorite, with his sweet hands up by his face.

And one where he's looking at us - facing forward.

It's amazing how "real" this makes pregnancy - seeing his limbs, organs, brain, 4 chambers of the heart, etc, along with feeling him kick more and more . . . and calling him by name!  What a miracle.  I am so humbled, honored, and grateful to God for allowing me to carry this child of His!


"So in the course of time Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, 'Because I asked the LORD for him."
1 Samuel 1:20

Halloween

I've never been a huge Halloween fan - not liking candy and such.  I really don't remember doing much of anything in high school, college was just an excuse to go to the guys' dorms, and after college I didn't even entertain trick-or-treaters.  But since moving to Montgomery, Halloween has become an event, thanks to the Dwyer's Annual Halloween Party.  As soon as we started work in Montgomery, we started hearing about the party, hosted by another husband-and-wife Renaissance couple, Jason & Carolyn.  They are always great hosts, and the party has lived up to it's reputation of fun, making us excited to dress up.  This year was no exception.

2008

We dressed as Sam Bonfe (one of Jason's bosses, and if you know him, this was a great costume!) and Tracy, Sam's assistant.  Tracy was expecting baby Avery at the time.

2009

Flappers

And without a doubt, our favorite so far, 2010 . . . .

Yep, that would be a priest and a pregnant nun.  Let me just say, we hadn't know I was pregnant very long at all when we planned these costumes.  In fact, I suspect Jason thought of it long ago and had always hoped for the opportunity to use it.  We didn't tell anyone in advance, so they got a pretty good kick out of it.

It will be hard to top this next year.  Good thing we'll have a sweet little boy to take the attention off of us!

A few more pictures to catch us up . . .

Yes, I realize there are a couple of weeks missing.  It's been a little busy around here!

An Actual Current Post

A couple of people have asked me if I've given up on blogging already.  I promise that's not the case, I've just been trying to get pictures together and such.  Oh well, you've heard all the excuses, right?  I am currently confined to the recliner due to a cold, so I'm making an effort to catch up.  There are several new posts below, with a couple more coming with pictures. 

October 14 - 25 Jason and I travelled to California for Northern California Tres Dias #1, as well as a few days of sightseeing.  The trip definitely earned a couple of dedicated blog posts, so those will be coming soon.  We got home Monday night, and jumped right back into the week.  Now it's Thursday, and I have a cold.  But I'll NOT complain, as I'm so thankful to have stayed well (in the midst of a lot of sickness) and felt great the whole trip. 

Baby-wise (the figure of speech, not the book) things are going great, and I'm thankful to not have much to report!  The trip really came at the perfect time for me to feel great and still be able to walk all over San Francisco.  The consensus is that I'm showing a lot more since coming back, and I'm enjoying the maternity clothes loaned by Robin, Allison and Natalie.  Thanks again, girls!  I did successfully purchase a pair of maternity jeans last week.  While in San Fran, I spotted a 3-story GAP, which I knew was likely to actually carry maternity clothes in-store.  Good news - I found a pair of jeans that I actually felt were flattering (definitely a first in maternity shopping).  Bad news - they were a horrifying price.  Definitely more than I've ever paid for jeans, and it about made me sick to pay it.  Thankfully, there was an Old Navy a block down the street, and I found an equally acceptable pair for half the price!  I marched right back to GAP and returned them, with a much more peaceful feeling.  I decided to wear them the next day, and Jason was excited to see them as I pulled them out of the bag and put them on.  Let me digress for a moment - I have realized that full-panel maternity pants are much more practical for me than low-rise.  I am carrying quite low, so anything that's supposed to go under my belly sits very low on my hips, therefore making keeping them up a rather full-time job.  My grandmother used to say "there will be a great meeting when your shirt and pants come together" and I've certainly felt that way wearing the low-rise pants I have.  So I was for full-panel all the way when jeans shopping.  Back to Wednesday morning - I'm putting the new jeans on, and I notice Jason staring at me with the MOST perplexed look on his face.  When I inquired what was wrong, he hesitatingly answered "what IS that?".  Why, it's a pair of actual maternity pants, my dear.  I didn't realize it was his first time seeing anything with a panel!  "I just expected there to be a zipper" he answered.  Once I reminded him that any shirt I wore would be long enough to cover up that part, he jumped on board quickly with telling me how good they looked. I wish I had a picture of that face, though!

The biggest news is that our 20 week ultrasound is this Monday!  We have been so busy since the last appointment, that I really haven't thought about it too much until this week.  It's definitely true that the closer it gets, the more anxious I am to find out what this baby is! And kudos to all my friends who wait until birth to be surprised, but honestly, there's not even a tiny part of me that wants to do that.  To each his/her own, I suppose.  All along, I've felt like it was a boy, but now I'm less sure.  Pregnancy buddy Alison found out 3 weeks ago that she's having a boy, and as much as I know that every pregnancy/woman/baby are completely unique, I can't help thinking that means maybe I"m having a girl.  Our pregnancies have been about as opposite as can be, and after seeing her today, I still feel like we are carrying and looking completely different.  We shall see!  Anyone who hasn't already levied their prediction, you have a few more days! 

Do we have names picked out?  We're hearing this question pretty often these days.  We agreed long ago not to tell names until we knew what we were having and had made a final decision (there tend to be a lot of opinions around here).  If it's a boy, I believe we are settled.  A girl name is proving to be more elusive.  We thought we had one, but after a frank discussion about how to spell it, I'm reconsidering (the spelling I like doesn't meet my requirement of "rational spelling", as it turns out).  So I do not know that there will be a name announcement on Monday, although I know I'll be anxious to make a final decision. 

Do we have nursery plans?  Second most common question.  Answer: somewhat.  Long ago, I knew I wanted the bedding to be neutral so we could use it again.  Not the whole nursery, but the bedding.  In order to be truly neutral, I wanted to pick it out before we knew the gender.  Finding something proved more difficult than I expected.  I found one I loved right away, but took several weeks to think it over, and it sold out.  I spoke to stores from Daphne, to Denver, to St. Louis, and NO ONE had or could get any more.  So we went back to the drawing board and found this:

Actually, my mom found it online and sent me the link, and I remembered that I had a swatch of it at home.  Jason and I ran in RichTex one Saturday to see it in person and make sure they still had it, and it happened to be the last day of a 30% off sale.  So we took the plunge.  It has two different shades of green, blue, and pink, so I think it will be pretty easy to match with some coordinates.  Besides this, we're waiting to make any further plans.  Step one is cleaning out the garage so we can combine the guest room and office, and we're hoping to start those projects now that we're back in town for a while.

So that's the real, current, update - and I'm back to blogging - for the time being, anyway!

"There is an appointed time for everything.  And a time for every event under heaven."
Ecclesiastes 3:1

16 Week Appointment

This appointment was rather uneventful, as it should be.  I came prepared with hours of reading material (based on previous experience of waiting) and didn't have to wait at all.  The nurse found the heartbeat right away with the Doppler.  It averaged 140 beats per minute, lower than in the past.  Dr. Phillips asked a few questions, we discussed the quad screen (which we declined), and basically I was on my way!  I was so thankful to have no serious side effects, symptoms, or concerns to report.  Next month, ultrasound!

"I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High. "
Psalm 7:17

Pictures . . .

We really do take picutures.  Unfortunately, we have a bit of a disconnect between the camera and my computer, so I'm blaming that on why I've gotten so behind on blogging.  On our recent 4 hour flight to California, I talked Jason into transferring pictures for me.  Hopefully we can work out a more effective system soon.  Meanwhile, here you have the last few weeks.

12 Weeks

At 12 weeks, we had a bit of a  . . . surprise, which turned out to be great!  I won't call it a scare, because I was honestly at perfect peace the whole time.  I had a bit of bleeding one night.  After consulting my many trusted books, I was convinced it was nothing because I had no other symptoms, but we agreed I would call the nurse the next morning regardless.  That morning was Thursday, and Jason's car was in the shop.  We were planning to leave at noon for Birmingham anyway, so he took me to work and then headed back home to mow the yard before we left.  I was completely sure the nurse would say it was nothing to worry about as long as it had stopped.  Instead, the response I got was that Dr. Phillips likes to bring you in for an ultrasound in any case of bleeding.  Um, ok!!  So she made me an appointment for that morning.  Jason wound up barely having time to take a shower before heading back downtown to pick me up.  By the time I had gotten to work, called the nurse, waited for the return call, gone to my morning meeting, explained to everyone what was going on, wrapped up what I could, and headed out the door to the doctor, I didn't even have a chance to contact my family to tell them what was going on.  I sent a quick text from the waiting room.  This turned out to be a good thing, as my mom and sister were rather worried.  Fortunately, they didn't have long to wait - I think my appointment was at 10 and we were back in the car by 10:20. 

Our first ultrasound was at 7 weeks, and this is what we saw:

Awww . . . but, admittedly, a bit of a blob. 

So imagine our joy, 5 short weeks later, to see this:

A baby! Head, body, arms, legs, hands!!  Of course, we had been reading the weekly emails about the development of the limbs, etc, but there is just nothing like seeing it for yourself.  What a miracle!!  The baby is about 2.5 inches long at this point, about the size of the picture.  And yet so formed.  How great is our God?!

All this happened in the middle of the "be here now" revelation, and what a great example of that principle it was.  The night before, getting the lawn mowed before we left town seemed like such a big deal, but this sure put it in perspective!  We were even done at the doctor in enough time to run across the street to the hospital for a visit with the Bagwells and sweet baby Campbell, whom we had thought we would not get to see for another week or so. 

What a nice surprise this turned out to be!

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
Psalm 139:13

Be Here Now . . .

I've been meaning to post this for several weeks, because it made such an impact on me.  After a crazy-busy August, Jason and I were sooo excited to have Labor Day weekend at home.  He had not had a day off in the month of August, and we looked forward to going on a date, watching football, and not doing much else.

The weekend turned out even better than we hoped - wonderful, enjoyable, relaxing.  We even got to spend a few hours with family celebrating Paul J's new job at the University of South Alabama.  It was everything we hoped for, and Monday night we were so relaxed and peaceful.

And then something happened.  Tuesday, we went back to work.  And life hit again.  He was preparing to leave for Tres Dias on Thursday, I was preparing to spend the weekend in Birmingham, work had just piled up while we were out, and all the stuff we had escaped over the weekend came right back.  Several times, I caught myself thinking, "I shouldn't have relaxed all weekend.  I should have been working on this or that.  This is what I get."  I shared with Jason that I just felt like the most important things in life weren't getting my attention like they should.  He agreed.  It was a very stressful week and struggle to find peace.

As He has done so many times, God provided me with some direction from one of my college girls.  We weren't even talking about my stress when she shared this:  "Quite possibly the best thing I ever got out of counseling was the idea of being here now - I was almost never in the now - I was always regretting something from the past or planning something for the future.  And the worst part was {my daughter} was always in the now, as all children pretty much are.  So it was like I was never really connecting with her because she could tell when I was there physically and not mentally.  I would encourage you to start eliminating everything that is not essential and top priority until you start to feel like you can live in the moment.  Try to be here now as much as you can."

Wow.  That made such an impression on me.  And the other girls, I know, so I thought some of you readers might need to hear it too.  When I really started praying on this, God was faithful to help me eliminate some things right away, even though I didn't necessarily want to.  I am definitely still seeking some further clarification and answers on some of the busy-ness that seems to consume my time.  The Bible tells us that the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace (Romans 8:6) - that is the mind I want!

"That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life- whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear.  Isn't life more than food, and your body more than clothing?  Look at the birds.  They don't plant or harvest, or store food in barns, for your Heavenly Father feeds them.  And aren't you far more valuable to him than they are?  Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow.  They don't work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.  And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care of you.  Why do you have so little faith?
So don't worry about these things, saying, 'What will we eat?  What will we drink?  What will we wear?'  These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your Heavenly Father already knows all your needs.  Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today."
Matthew 6:25-34

11 Weeks

I'm not promising to post a picture every week. In fact, I'm rather horrified by these first two. But I feel like 11 weeks deserves a post for a couple of reasons:

1. I have a doctor update to go along with it.

2. This is the week I felt like I really started showing.

Week 10, I was breezing along, definitely knowing I had gained a couple of pounds, but still wearing SOME of my "skinny pants" for the last time . . . well, maybe ever. Then I wore dresses for a couple of days. Then, on Friday, I pulled out a pair of pants to wear to work. They were too tight. Uh-oh. Another pair. Same problem. Another pair - they were workable. But by the end of the day, I definitely knew it was the last time I'd be wearing them. All of the sudden, my closet seemed full of clothes that did not fit. I did get confirmation from some friends that no matter how grateful and excited you are to be pregnant, not fitting into your clothes is an emotional experience. I ventured into the maternity store on Saturday . . . oh my. So overwhelming. The belly that promises to add 3 months would seem to be perfect - if I ONLY gain weight in my belly! Which hardly seems like something I can count on (upon which I can count, if I'm being grammatically correct, but I feel like the blog should have a more conversational tone, don't you?). I did come home Saturday afternoon and reorganize my closet; separating the stuff I already can't wear so it's at least not at eye level anymore. And I am the proud owner of a Bella Band (well, the Target brand anyway) which seems will be very helpful. This last week, I've just worn skirts, since those fit so much more easily. When we finally took the 11 week picture, I expected a huge difference from the week before. I can't believe you can barely tell!

My doctor appointment was Tuesday. I was not entirely sure what to expect, but I was prepared with a list of questions. Jason had to be at work, but we didn't think he would miss too much. I finally now understand the difference between an ultrasound, a doppler, and a stethoscope. When we had our ultrasound, I was surprised at how fast it was - as soon as she turned the machine on, we could immediately see the baby and see the heartbeat. I was expecting a waiting, holding our breath, are-we-going-to-be-able-to-hear-it experience. Now I realize that comes from the doppler, which is similar to a sound-only ultrasound. The nurse still rubbed the wand over my belly, but with no picture, she's just searching for the heartbeat. And it took a few minutes to find it. And a few more minutes for me to be able to recognize what she was hearing. But at 11 weeks, both she and Dr. Phillips said it's great to be able to hear it at all, so I was very thankful. It was pretty fast - around 155 - 160, I think? I didn't think of that as being a detail I should write down, but so many people have asked me, I guess I should have! Otherwise, the appointment was uneventful. Dr. Phillip's says everything looks great. I asked my list of questions, and was on my way. Next appointment, Oct. 4!

"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. 4 Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.5 For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful." 1 Peter 3:3-5

10 Weeks

August 23, 2010

At 10 weeks, we won’t discuss if I’ve gained weight (I have) if my clothes are feeling tight (they are) or any such thing. I suppose you can draw your own conclusion.

I am so thankful to have felt, for the most part, really good. I can’t stand the sight of a turkey sandwich, or (ironically) even the thought of any of the food we prepared for the wedding (though it didn’t bother me a bit at the time). So while I am challenged to find easy things to bring for lunch and snacks, I am so thankful this is all I’m dealing with! The fatigue is, well, exhausting, but that’s par for the course. God has been so faithful to answer our prayers for me to feel well enough to do what I need to do – starting with traveling to Chicago by myself the week after we found out I was pregnant, including the wedding preparations, even leading up to me getting to spend last weekend with my college girls for a collaborative “Dirty Thirty”. The daily tasks of housecleaning, laundry, grocery shopping, and cooking are falling by the wayside a bit in favor of rest, but people tell me I should get used to that after the baby is born anyway! I am trying not to let the little things stress me out (ha – some days are better than others) and focus on the big picture. Definitely accepting prayers for that goal.

“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. 9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, 10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.” Psalm 139:7-10

Pregnancy Buddy!

August 8, 2010

My friend and close co-worker, Alison, is also expecting her first – 2.5 weeks ahead of me! She had not announced her news publicly yet either, so we had fun figuring each other out and then telling people together.

The very best was when we told our good friend Ryan. I called him into my office, very seriously, one afternoon. Alison came in too and shut the door. He began to look concerned. “Ryan,” I said, “someone in this office is not pregnant.” He thought for a moment, then the light bulb came on – well, partially. He looked at Alison, then at me. “One of you is having a baby?!?” Well, sort of. Another pause. Then “Wait! BOTH OF YOU ARE PREGNANT?!? Cause’ I’m sure not!” Still makes me laugh out loud to think about it!

Bittersweetly, (is that a word? Spell check thinks not), Alison has accepted a new job at the Marriott Prattville and will be leaving us next week. I’m so excited for her, and I manage that property as well so we will still work together, but I will miss having her within speaking range for spur-of-the-moment pregnancy talks! We can call and email, and I’ll see her every other week, but it will definitely not be the same. On the other hand, it does mean that 2/3 of our department will not be on maternity leave at the same time, which has its benefits for everyone else.

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work : 10 If one falls down, his friend can help him up.” Ecclesiastes 7:9-10

Telling the Family

July 31, 2010

We found out I was pregnant on July 7. Our niece was getting married on July 31, and my entire family would be together for the last time until Christmas, so we really wanted to tell them then. We were hoping to have been to the doctor before then, but of course it really doesn’t work that way, and our appointment was scheduled for August 3. (Advice for those of you who haven’t traveled this road yet – your doctor probably won’t see you until you’re 8 weeks. Considering you find out at about 4 weeks, this will feel like an eternity. Get your hands on a copy of What to Expect and wait it out. A sweet friend who’s an OB told me at 5 weeks – you wouldn’t want to go to the doctor now anyway, they wouldn’t be able to see or hear anything and it would freak you out. Hang on to that.)

Now Ramseys are good secret-keepers, and we probably could have called them the next day. However, this is not a virtue of the Heffington clan, and we really didn’t want to make it hard on them. We decided we’d tell Jason’s family first, tell mine Saturday night after the wedding, go to the doctor on Tuesday, and announce it to the world Wednesday. That way, they would only be keeping it a secret for a few days.

Holly Beth and Blake’s wedding was no mere 1-day affair. “We” (the family) “do” (food and décor) weddings ourselves. The extravaganza began Thursday morning with a massive grocery trip, and continued through Saturday evening. Really, the wedding deserves its own post, but I’m still getting up to speed with the whole blog thing. I’ll just say it was beautiful, perfect, and such an incredibly blessed time with family. I was nervous about spending 3 full days with them and keeping the pregnancy a secret, but fortunately we were all so busy that no one was paying much attention to me anyway.

Saturday morning, while we drove from the hotel to the church, we called Jason’s parents. I thought they would get suspicious when we called the house, Jason told his dad to put his mom on speakerphone, and when Tom replied that the phone didn’t have a speaker, Jason told him to call us back from his cell phone. So we had both of them on, and they seemed totally surprised, and of course, thrilled. Jason’s brother Sean was actually in town for something and staying at the house, so they went and woke him up. We were trying to get in touch with Mami and Aunt Ann, so we called Stephen and Sarah, who we thought were at their house. Well, they were not at the house yet, and I’m pretty sure we woke them up. (It was 8:30 on Saturday morning, after all). We finally reached Mami, and as soon as Jason said “we wanted to let you know . . .” her “YES?” showed that she totally knew what was coming. Everyone was so sweet and happy for us.

At the reception, we got a second with Holly and whispered the news to her. The wedding videographer was right there, and though we were turned away where he couldn’t tell what we were saying, he did get her reaction. Which was, of course, so sweet and excited.
After Holly and Blake left, the family was heading back into the reception room to get one more picture of us with our husbands. A couple of the kids asked if they could go change clothes yet, and I fairly yelled at them “No! We might need you for pictures!”. They weren’t too happy about that.

Jason called our niece Lily Beth over, and gave her a folded piece of paper. He told her to give it to my dad, but that it was a secret who it came from. The outside said “Papa, call the family together and tell them you have an announcement to make. Then read what’s inside.” He actually started to open it while walking down the hall, with my mom right next to him, and I kind of had to jump all over him for not following directions. Mom even made me look her in the eye and tell her I didn’t know what it was about. I did it without flinching.

We finally finished the picture, and Daddy got everyone’s attention. The paper said “In March 2011, the ‘Darling Dozen’ becomes a Baker’s Dozen!” The 12 grandchildren have appeared on many of my parents’ Christmas cards as the ‘Darling Dozen’. He started reading, and didn’t get beyond March 2011, when everyone started screaming. In the midst of the madness, I do remember my mother yelling “WHO IS IT?” even though I was really the only logical candidate. I did not think it was possible, but they were even more excited than I expected. And the wedding photographer was there for the whole thing, so I can’t wait to see those pictures come back! I still can’t believe we pulled it off, kept it a secret the whole time, and announced it with everyone together! We could not be more blessed than to share this news with our loving families!

**photos to come**

“18 Praise be to the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds. 19 Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen.” Psalm 72:18-20

How We Found Out

July 7, 2010

*Trying very hard not to make this post TMI!*
Officially, yes, we had been trying for a couple of months. I was due to start July 4 or 5. The holiday weekend was super-busy with family in town, but when it was all said and done, I hadn’t started. I really did not think I was pregnant, for a few reasons:
1. I wanted to be. But we were praying daily for God’s will and timing for our family. I didn’t want to get my hopes up and be disappointed.
2. The month of June was a little crazy schedule-wise, so I knew that we hadn’t exactly played the numbers game to the maximum.
3. I just thought I would KNOW. I feel like I’m generally pretty in tune with my body, and I thought that if I knew it was a possibility, and had been thinking and praying on it so much, I would KNOW that there was a new life inside of me. Does everyone think that?

The ONLY reason I thought I might possibly be is because I had had a day of random cramping mid-month, which has never happened before. But it didn’t really add up calendar-wise to what we thought . . . so that could have been anything.

Tuesday on the way home from work, I stopped to buy a pregnancy test. I was a bit paranoid at this point about making sure no one I knew suspected that it was even a possibility. I carefully chose the pharmacy I stopped at, opting for the older CVS over the brand-new place that’s closer. Montgomery is small enough – and especially our area of town – that we see people we know almost everywhere. For instance, I never go to Publix that I don’t see Jill Sanderson or Ashley Wilson, two very dear friends from our Lifegroup. I purposely avoided the new Rite Aid in the Publix parking lot, thinking I was very likely to see someone there. So I walk into CVS, very alert, and who do I see but Jill. She is standing at the self-service photo center, so I duck up the aisle before she can see me. Yes, really. Make it to the family planning aisle and am immediately overwhelmed with the options. WHY are there so many? I make a quick decision – basic plus or minus, store brand (it was still $15 for crying out loud!). Pay at the pharmacy, even though it’s packed, and beat it out the door before Jill finishes.

On the way home, I thought “there are 3 tests in here. I probably won’t need 3. Wonder how long these keep?”. Checked the box – expired May 2010. It was the first week of July. At this point, I was already home, so I wasn’t going to do anything about it that night. Jason wasn’t home yet, and we had a deal that I wouldn’t take a test without him. He knew I had bought it, but I decided to give it another day. I knew I’d be sad/frustrated to get a negative (because it wouldn’t explain why I was late), so I figured I’d probably start Wednesday anyway.

Wednesday – nothing. Wednesday night I finally decided just to take one of the ones I had – figuring they were only a few weeks expired and would probably be fine. I took it, sat it on the counter in the bathroom, and went into the bedroom to wait the obligatory 2 minutes. Jason picked it up, then picked up the instructions. “Well,” I said, “what does it say?” He responded “I’m not exactly sure . . . it says that no matter how faint the line is . . .” . Sure enough, there was the faintest line possible in the plus window. But tell me – would YOU trust this result from an expired test?!? No way.

So we did what any normal people would do- threw on shoes and headed to the drugstore. Of course, by then it was about 10:15 and everything was closed, so we had to find the 24-hour pharmacy. This time, I went straight for the Clear Blue Digital! My original intent was to take the new test the next morning, so it would be super-accurate, but naturally, by the time we made it back home I had given up on waiting. New test, 3 minutes later, viola!

The first thing Jason said was “So, what do we do now?” To which I replied, “We do NOT freak out about the fact that I ate brie today!”. Which then led to an explanation of why that would even be a concern. While we were thrilled, I remember saying at one point that I felt like we were too subdued. I suppose we’re more the staring-at-each-other-in-stunned-silence type than the jump-up-and-down-screaming-type anyway.

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”

-Ephesians 3:20-21

The Blog

Sooo, I’ve been a blog-reader/harasser-when-you-don’t-update for several years. I have always said that I don’t have the creative ideas or cute kids to blog. I still don’t technically have either one, but with our first little one on the way, we’re willing to take the chance. Will anyone read or care? TBD . . . but I’m going to give it a shot anyway. I’ve never had ANY success with journaling, but I really want to remember this very special time in our life, so maybe the online version will be the trick.

I feel as though I should have something very profound to say in this, my first post. I am very conscious of what the “tone” of this blog will be. We all know those blogs that seem to be nothing but a constant rant about husbands, kids, money, the world we live in, etc. (I’ll refrain from linking!). I definitely do not want to be one of those. Nor do I want to be one of the ones that portrays everything as completely perfect. Those make me think “Why is my ­­­­____ (fill in blank with house, family, finances, life) not that perfect?” Personally, I tend to struggle with discontentment after reading those. So how do I convey who I am? A child of the King, blessed so much more than I deserve, SO imperfect, but walking in grace and striving to live a life of piety (the direction of my whole life toward God) on a daily basis? I don’t have an answer. Above all, I want anyone who reads to see Christ in the words I speak.

“What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ - the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.” Phil. 3:8-9

P.S. I have had this post written for several weeks, but am finally setting up everything. For the record, I am COMPLETELY overwhelmed by the setting and design aspects of this blog business . . . if it looks terrible, offer to help! :)