The American Holocaust

My sister shared this documentary with me and I want to pass it on. The American Holocaust is taking place as millions of precious babies are being killed in the womb by abortion. With my sweet baby boy my in tummy at 29 weeks, this really hits home. Please watch this documentary! I pray we would value every life and deem it as precious. The Lord is the Giver of Life and each life is indeed a blessing.

* Be advised there is very graphic content at some points within the documentary (footage from the Holocaust*

Preparing... I Guess

About two weeks ago it hit me like a ton of bricks: I am going to be a mom! A wave of emotions flooded through me and I realized that time was winding down. In a rage of panic, I began looking for books about newborns and how to best prepare myself (if that is even possible) for what to expect. I took some suggestions from friends and here is what I have been reading so far. Please feel free to comment if you have any other good reads to add!

I found this at Goodwill for .99 cents. It has been pretty good so far... a little "earthy" if you will. The author is trying to teach parents to learn to distinguish their baby's different cries since crying is their means of communication. Seems a bit impossible to me! :)

This book has come highly recommended, even though we probably won't reference the book for a few years. I have been reading it to become familiar with it and will definitely pick it up again in the future. It is a guide to biblical parenting and discipline.

I will share that chapter 3 of the book talks about the heart and how the heart shapes behavior, even in children. I believe that God's word is true through and through and that even in the womb children are sinful. We pray everyday for Micah's heart to become warm towards God as soon as possible. The book talks about how the heart either worships God or idols. There is no middle ground! This is true of people but children also. What could Micah's idols possibly even be right now? We are praying for Micah to worship God even now!

I have yet to begin reading this one. I found it at our favorite used bookstore for $2.00 after a friend suggested I give it a whirl.

** If any of you veteran parents can think of more books about Biblical parenting, even with newborns, please pass them on **

Wish List!

I usually don't "want" things too often, but lately I have really been wanting a Vera Bradley duffel bag. I guess I am thinking about packing for the hospital and thought it would come in handy. I am looking for a used one so if you are trying to get rid of a large Vera Bradley duffel let me know and I will gladly make an offer and take it off your hands! ( I am not picky about the pattern!)

Welcome to the Third Trimester!

I cannot believe the third trimester is here! I can remember being 10 weeks pregnant, sicker than ever and wondering if I'd ever make it through this pregnancy. Thankfully, I am feeling much better, with the exception of a few bad days of sickness here and there. We are on the home stretch and I think the reality of being a mom and welcoming a precious baby boy to our family has hit! I am overcome with more emotions these days than I can process.

I had a doctors appointment on Wednesday where I took the glucose test for gestational diabetes. The lady who drew my blood said I was the first person who didn't complain about how bad the drink (which has 50g of sugar, mind you) tasted. It just tasted like flat Sunkist to me. I also had a sonogram. At my previous appointment my doctor told me I was measuring big so he wanted to see how the baby was growing. Everything looked good! Baby Micah (yes, we have a name! I will explain the meaning later) is measuring in the 54th percentile so he is growing right on schedule. He does have a big head though :\ That will make for an interesting labor :) I will have another sonogram at 36 weeks just to check on the growth again.

So far everything is looking great. I am so thankful to the Lord for this precious gift and that Micah has been so very healthy thus far!

SO.... we have a name! We've had a name for a LONG time :) I picked out the name Micah even before we were married 3 years ago. It has just been one of the few boys' names that has stuck out and I love that it means "Who is like the Lord?" I have always wanted to raise boys (and hopefully a girl or two in the mix as well). I just see a world lacking in true, Godly leaders and pray that the Lord will give us the wisdom to disciple, love, and teach Micah to become a man who is after the heart of God, who loves his Word, who seeks his will, and who desires to be a leader. Micah's middle name will be "Leonard" which is so incredibly special to both Roy and myself because both of our paternal grandfathers were named Leonard. My Papa passed away this past March and I weep when I think of welcoming another precious Leonard into the world this very same year.

Hospital Tour

Last night Roy and I had a "date night" and enjoyed dinner and a tour of Winnie Palmer Hospital. I cannot believe that I am already in my third trimester and that our precious baby boy will be here in a few months! There are some seasons of pregnancy where it felt like I would be sick and pregnant forever. Now I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel and I have flipped the switch to PANIC MODE! Holy moly! So much to do before he arrives!

The hospital tour put me at ease a bit. It was nice to see where I will be delivering and to become aware of the procedures and what not. We were able to walk step by step through being admitted in triage, labor and delivery, post postpartum, etc. The lady who gave us the tour was very helpful in explaining things as best as she could to give us a good feel for what it to come!

Funny thing... the other couple on the tour with us are expecting on Dec. 16th so we could see each other again soon :)

Winnie Palmer Hospital

Labor and delivery room

Just Keep Swimming!

I have discovered how much I love swimming while being pregnant. Central FL is so incredibly hot 9 months out of the year and I just happen to be pregnant smack dab in the middle of it! Exercising in the pool has become a great way for me to get much needed exercise and also relax at the same time. The resistance you get from movements in the water are much better on my joints than other exercises I have been attempting to do and I just enjoy floating (literally!) around and relaxing!

Our apartment pool

Addy Carrete

Introducing... my new niece!

Adela Noel Carrete

Born at 10:53AM on Monday, September 5th, 2011 at Baptist Hospital in Pensacola, FL

8lbs. 9 oz. and 21 inches long

I am a very proud aunt and am incredibly thankful that I was able to spend a few days at the hospital in Pensacola to welcome Baby Addy! We had lots of family come to visit and welcome her.

On Tuesday night Addy had to be transported to Sacred Heart because she stopped breathing on 4 different occasions throughout the day and evening. The doctors and nurses were wonderful about keeping us in the know and explaining their concerns and plans of action. It was an incredibly frightening and overwhelming for us all.

That evening made me wonder how people go through one day with all of its uncertainty apart from the Lord. Even in the midst of our tears and anxieties that evening, we knew we could run to the Giver of Life and cast those burdens and cares on Him. We can trust Him! He is good! He has our best interests in mind.

I am happy to be able to announce that Addy is doing much better. She is still in the NICU at Sacred Heart, but all of the tests that she had undergone are coming back negative. The cause of her episodes of not breathing are still unknown and our prayer is that this will never ever be a concern again. She has been breathing regularly since her last episode Tuesday evening.

Please keep praying for our family! Pray for Bonnie, Angel and Addy as they begin this new journey as a family. Pray for Addy, that she will recover well and be able to go home soon. Also, please pray for my mom. She has been there by Bonnie's side throughout this entire ordeal. My mom is always thinking of other peoples needs and putting them before herself. She is a blessing!

Welcome, Addy!! Thank you Lord for this precious blessing!

25 Weeks

Pregnancy Highlights

How far along: 25 weeks and 3 days

Gender: A sweet baby BOY!

Movement: Baby McDaniel moves a lot, especially in the morning and at night and when I eat something. Last night he gave me the best kick so far and Roy was feeling my tummy when he did it!

Sleep: Sleep is ok. I usually come home from work and try to push through to do laundry, clean, budget, etc. because I know around 6:30PM I will hit a wall and be done for the day.

What I Miss: I am really missing having the energy to do everything I used to. I am usually so spent after work each day that I lounge around in my PJs and get ready for bed. It is a vicious cycle. I miss exercising still. Roy and I walk when we can. I tried to run the other day but I just feel so heavy and sluggish. I just wanted to make sure I could do it because I will be getting back to running once the baby gets here… bring on the jogging stroller!

Cravings: Fast food breakfast. I know that sounds like the grossest, greasiest thing ever, but I could really go for an egg biscuit with some hash browns and a Dr. Pepper. I am trying not to give in!

Symptoms: Right now I am battling mega sinus issues. It has been keeping me up at night because I can’t breathe through my nose and I have the worst headaches. I am still getting nauseous some and it literally hits me out of nowhere. I can count on it going away though within an hour or so, which is nice. I think the worst thing right now is just my lack of energy. I hardly do anything but am so wiped out by the end of the day.

News: We have decided on a name! Woo hoo. I am pumped about it. Also, I went to the doctor about a week and a half ago and all is well. He heard the heartbeat and measured my tummy for the first time. He said I am measuring big so he’ll do a sonogram the next time I come in (end of Sept) and I’ll have to do the glucose test as well.

Best Moment this Week: My sister is beginning the labor process! Hopefully I will meet my new niece/nephew soon!

Senior Year!

This fall is really what we have been referring to as our "senior year!" Although I am not an RTS student, we wives feel as though we have felt the full weight at times of seminary by being supportive (hopefully!) wives throughout the past two years.

Last Monday, Reformed Theological Seminary hosted a fall kick off cookout. I cannot begin to tell you how blessed we have been with community at RTS. As many of you know, there are several RTS couples that get together on a regular basis for fellowship and realizing that this is the last phase of the "seminary season" has been bittersweet.

Our first RTS Family Night of the year was last Friday and we hosted 16 adults, 3 children, and 3 babies in the belly in our two bedroom apartment :) Everyone brings a dish and we eat a delicious meal together! It usually ends up with the guys in one room talking about seminary things and the women in the other room playing catch up. We used our coffee table and card table as places for our guests to dine and made the most of it. Oh the stories we will get to tell our children about our time at RTS! Although we are anxiously looking forward to what is ahead, we cannot deny that this has been an incredible experience.

Senior Year is in full swing!

The husbands, or as they call themselves "The Oviedo 7"

Family Night Dinner