A Little....a BIG.....Motivation

Today was my only day of spring break that I had to myself. Every other day had already been spoken for, so I knew that I was going to be working on baby stuff!

The days are coming closer and closer to the due date...14 days, 9 hours, 51 minutes, and 2 seconds to be exact, if she's born at 8:00 in the morning on the 29th.

But who's counting?!

I have two other friends that are due on the same day. This morning I got a text saying that one of these friends went into labor!

AAAHHHHHHH!!!!

That was a big motivator to get some stuff done!

So...I got the travel system out of the box and put together...




I got out the diaper bag and began filling it with the many suggested items from experienced moms...



And I finally finished the wall art project! Well, sort of. I still have to paint the letters, but that won't take long. The big thing was getting it all laid out right and hung...



This project was stretching me a little. I'm a symmetric design type person, so putting the hoops on the wall in "random bubble" type fashion was stressing me out a little. LOL I couldn't get the "L" to hang straight, and I still think I need another circle on the bottom right, but other than that, I'm pretty happy with it! Because of the lighting, the picture turned out darker than what it actually is. The materials are different shades of pink, green, and white patterns. Right now the letters are in unfinished wood, but they will be painted pink, probably...I can't make up my mind.

I better make it up pretty quick! Time is a-tickin'!

Update!

"Thank you" doesn't seem to be enough to express how thankful Dan and I are to all of you who have contributed to the adoption fund and prayed for us! Because of your generosity, we were able to send a $1400 payment to the lawyer yesterday!

YYYAAAAAYYYYY!!!!!

I have updated the thermometer to show what is left of the lawyer fees and the cost of the home study ($500, which was not included in the previous amount).

We are getting there!!! Still have a bit to go...but we are getting there! :)

We went with the birth mom to her doctor's appointment yesterday, which also included a sonogram. They confirmed that she is, indeed, a girl, and we heard her precious heartbeat. When they put it in 3D mode, we could see her moving her mouth. She looked like the baby sucking on the pacifier from The Simpsons...hilarious! So far, she is 5 pounds, 4 ounces, and 18 3/4 inches long. If she goes to her due date, they estimate she'll weigh about 7 pounds.

Birth mom is doing pretty well...she is as ready for Masie to be here as we are! For different reasons, of course. She is tired and ready for her life to get back to normal. Please keep her in your prayers during these next few weeks of major transition.

Thank you all so much for your love, prayers, and support. We love you all!!!

How Can I Help?

Dan and I have gotten this question a lot here lately from dear ones that love us and have been praying for us for, quite literally, years in our effort to have children.
If you know my husband at all, you know that he has never met a stranger! There aren't many places we go that one of us doesn't know someone in the room. We have both been blessed with many friends from places we've lived both while we were growing up and since we've been married.
For this reason, we have opened an adoption fund and linked it on the right hand side of this page under the title "Help Bring Masie Lauren Home!" so that all of our friends, near and far, can have an opportunity to help. As you can imagine, the lawyer fees are a huge expense for us. The amount listed on the thermometer is what we have left to pay, and how close we are getting to that goal. We, first and foremost, desire your prayers for the remainder of this process. However, if you feel compelled to help in a tangible way, this is an opportunity to do so.
God has been so good to us in every step of this process. Every obstacle that has seemed insurmountable, He has walked through with us, and I know He will continue to do so. Each day is a gift of anticipation for our baby girl who will be here sometime around the due date of March 29th. Though each day has had it's questions, we have had a consistent peace that Masie Lauren is ours.
Thank you for believing with us. Thank you for standing with us, and sharing this amazing journey with us. Thank you for your prayers. We simply cannot wait to introduce you to the one that has been loved even before we knew who she was.

Where Joy and Sorrow Meet

The same day we put together the baby furniture, we learned of a devastating loss that some friends had just experienced. The reality of the fact that anything can happen at anytime throughout this process was a slap in the face. We are smiling in the pictures below for the ceremonial taking of the picture of us putting together the baby furniture. But I carry in my heart the feeling of indescribable sorrow for this couple...remember the prayers being prayed for them with every screw being turned and turned and turned...the incredible need to see that baby bump and feel it underneath my hand...the scrutiny of every little detail that isn't turning out "just perfect" as we worked because if we try hard enough and get it right, everything will turn out okay....

Right, God?....

How does one go about being excited about what they are doing and sad at the same time? I'll be honest...there were many tears shed from us both...for so many different reasons. We finally finished our work and decided to go see our girl. We chit chatted with the birth mom, and when the timing was right, I asked (as I always do) if I could touch her belly. She said yes, and I just started talking to her belly like people do...I don't even remember what I said...but T said, "Did you feel that?...right there?" I DID! Not just once, but multiple times! That's the first time I've felt her move. T said it was odd because she's always calm at that time, she usually didn't start moving until such-and-such time...."But she knows her Mommy's talking to her...!"

And there it was.
It was what I needed to hear at just the right moment.

I can't predict the future. I am not in control of anything at all, but I know Who is. No matter what happens He will be my provision and grace and strength and rest.

There's a place the lost surrender and the weary will retreat
Full of grace and mercy tender in times of unbelief
For the wounded there is healing, strength is given to the weak
Broken hearts find love redeeming where joy and sorrow meet

There is a place where hope remains
In crowns of thorns and crimson stains
And tears that fall on Jesus' feet
Where joy and sorrow meet

~Exerpt from "Where Joy and Sorrow Meet", Avalon

Tuesday

This week Dan and I deemed Tuesday to be the day we put together the baby furniture and rearranged our room, as we were both off work and I didn't have school.

Since we have a one bedroom apartment and are in the middle of our lease, it is going to be rather cramped, so making the most out of our space is a necessity. We had already gone through all of our boxes, bedroom, closet, and storage closet outside and weeded out what we needed and what could be donated. The only thing left to do is re-launder my original plus size clothing and take it to Goodwill....cuz I don't EVER want to see it again! :)

So I got up Tuesday morning and made a great breakfast (using this great recipe!), excited to get started on our day. Once that was finished, we tackled the bedroom. It took a little while to work with different layouts we had thought about. The consistent problem we had was the bedroom door hitting the footboard of our bed. We considered taking the footboard off and storing it under the bed, but I think we finally came up with something that would work. Since we had stuff piled on the bed while we moved things around, I didn't take pictures of the whole room, but here is a photo collage of putting the baby bed together. Once we get the armoire put together and the wall hangings done, I'll post pictures of the final product.

Speaking of Crafts...

There are two sites that I've pinned on Pinterest that I've really wanted to try crafts from.
This one has really cute headbands, and this one cute-i-fies (not a word...I know...) the plain ol' onesie.
I decided to combine the two! (FYI...I just cut circles instead of flower shapes called for in the headband tutorial.)
Here is part of the process...



This is the front with the headband...



And this is the back...



I can't wait to see this on my Li'l Masie! :)

One of the BEST Road Trips EVER!

Not long ago, some friends of ours asked if we had baby furniture yet.
We didn't, and they offered to give us their crib and changing table, since their youngest had outgrown them.
The only obstacle was that they live in Wichita Falls, and our vehicle isn't big enough to accommodate getting them from point A to point B.
We were finally able to temporarily obtain a large enough vehicle and coordinate our schedules to pick it up this last weekend!
We decided to meet halfway, in Decatur, for the transfer.
Dan and I got there a little bit early and decided to drive around a little bit and look for some antique shops. They had several downtown. Unfortunately, we got there late afternoon, so everything was about to close by the time we found them.
In the shop we did find, however, I found some good bargains! Mostly things to make crafts with, which will (hopefully) come in a later post!
We met our friends for the transfer, and while the men unloaded and loaded the furniture, the ladies had a nice little chat in the parking lot, despite the chilly wind! It was good to see them and connect face to face...not just on Facebook. LOL
They really blessed us with this furniture. It means so much more to us than words can say. I know I've said this before, but it bears repeating...we recognize that anything could change at anytime in this process, but when our friends stand with us in agreement, through words as well as deeds, that this thing is going to happen, it stirs my heart in such a way that I can't explain. It speaks LIFE and HOPE and fulfillment of PROMISE.
THANK YOU seems inadequate for how I feel.
Pics to come later for complete set up. For now, this is the furniture freshly unloaded in our home! YAY!!!! :)