Movement

The last photo is my favorite! I love seeing the emotion on my face (ouch) and the emotion in my sisters face (oof!). I have devoted this post to movement. This baby has been an very active baby since 15 weeks when I first felt the little fish turn in the fish bulb. It truly warms my heart to think that in just a few days/weeks I will get to observe his movements with my eyes and not my tummy. I wonder if I will recognize certain patterns or movements with his body. I wonder if he will have a lot of energy. I wonder if he will be less weight because of all his working out within the womb. 

Full Term!

37 Weeks Pregnant
Update from BabyCenter.com:
"Your baby is now considered "full term," even though your due date is three weeks away. If you go into labor now, his lungs will likely be mature enough to fully adjust to life outside the womb.
Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel. Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz."

I liked reading this post because I have not even thought about his locks. I think about his nose, his fingers, his belly... but not his hair. I like reading this post and picturing the little man within. I am growing more and more excited to meet him!

If you are able to watch the video above you can watch the card on my tummy jump all around. Not only was he dancing around in my belly, but he also had a serious case of the hick ups. Enjoy!

Ephesians 3:17 - 19

¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸ may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Spooky Situation

On this Halloween Day I have decided to share a story of Gods protection!

Back in July I was bit by a tick, not just bit but it stuck under my skin for over 24 hours. One morning I woke up, itched my side, felt something, looked down, to see a nasty red mark with a tick rooted in the center. Fear struck through my body like lightning. I began to sob like a baby. I was terrified that I contracted Lyme disease not only for myself but the baby inside of me.

Ticks have never worried me, I have pulled off many from my own body and the bodies of others. I am an expert with the tweezers and am always the one comforting others that "its no big deal." And here I was, with the tweezers in hand, shaking uncontrollably in the bathroom. I took a deep breath in, prayed to my heavenly Father and removed the tick. I then called Mike and my mother...

The next day I went to the doctor where they looked at the bite site and identified the tick. It was a dear tick nymph which are the largest carriers in the area of Lyme disease. They gave me an antibiotic as a just-in-case method of treating the Lyme disease. I was not excited to take the antibiotic for 14 days straight. I had to wait 4-6 weeks before coming back into the office to have the blood work done for the actual Lyme disease test.  

During the whole time I was standing strong and believing that God protected baby and I and that I had not been bit by a tick with Lyme disease--- even if the statistics were steering otherwise. I asked friends and family to also stand alongside of me in prayer.

Well the 4-6 weeks past and I went in for the blood work, then I had to wait another 2 weeks for the results. And, the results are in!

My blood work was negative for Lyme disease! AMEN!

Jesus protected baby and I from Lyme disease. He is such a good Father. He cares about every little detail. I learned a lot about standing in faith and believing great things for your life. I thank Him for protecting us and for teaching me more about relying on Him.

He Is!

"He Is"

Below are the words to a song called, "He Is." 
Enjoy them and pass them on!



In Genesis, He's the breath of life

In Exodus, He is the Passover Lamb

In Leviticus, He's our High Priest

In Numbers, the Fire by Night

Deuteronomy, He's Israel’s guide

Joshua, He’s salvation's choice

Judges, He’s Israel’s guard

In Ruth, the kinsmen's Redeemer

1st and 2nd Samuel, our trusted Prophet

In Kings and Chronicles, He is Sovereign

In Ezra, He’s the true and faithful scribe

In Nehemiah, the Re-builder of broken walls and lives

In Esther, He’s Mordecai's courage

In Job, the Timeless Redeemer

In Psalms, He is our morning song

In Proverbs, He is our wisdom

Ecclesiastes, He's the time and season

In Song of Solomon, He is the lover's dream

In Isaiah, He is the Prince of Peace

In Jeremiah, the Weeping Prophet

Lamentations, the Cry for Israel

Ezekiel, the Call from Sin

Daniel, the Stranger in the Fire

Hosea, the Forever Faithful

Joel, the Spirit’s Power

Amos, the Strong-arms that carry

Obadiah, the Lord our Savior

Jonah, the great Missionary

Micah, the Promise of Peace

Nahum, our Strength and Shield

In Habakkuk and Zephaniah, He's brings revival

In Haggai, He restores that which was lost

In Zachariah, He’s our fountain

And in Malachi, He's the Son of righteousness rising with healing in His wings

AND THAT’S JUST THE OLD TESTAMENT

In Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, He is God and Messiah

In the spirit filled book of Acts, He is the reigning fire from Heaven

In Romans, He is the grace of God

Corinthians, the Power of Love

Galatians, Freedom from the curse of sin

Ephesians, our Glorious Treasure

Philippians, the Servant's Heart

Colossians, He’s God and the Trinity

Thessalonians, our calling King

In Timothy, Titus, and Philemon, He's our mediator and our faithful pastor

In Hebrews, the Everlasting Courage

In James, the One who heals the sick

In 1st and 2nd Peter, our Faithful Shepherd

In John and Jude, He's the lover coming for His bride

AND in the Revelation, in the very end, when it’s all over, said and done, when time is NO MORE. He is and will always be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Prince of Peace, Son of Man, Lamb of God, The Great I Am, Alpha and Omega, God and Savior

He is Jesus Christ the Lord

HE IS EVERYTHING THAT YOU NEED!

Seeing the Unseen

So what exactly is a 3D ultrasound?

"In 3D fetal scanning, sound waves are sent at different angles. The returning echoes are processed by a sophisticated computer program resulting in a reconstructed three dimensional volume image of fetus's surface or internal organs, in much the same way as a CT scan machine constructs a CT scan image from multiple x-rays. 3D ultrasounds allow one to see width, height and depth of images in much the same way as 3D movies but no movement is shown." (Wikipedia)

Psalm 139:13

For years my mother and I have had the dream of painting my belly when I was pregnant. Well, our dreams became a reality when she came up to visit. The verse Psalms 139:13 is very special to me because I know that the creator of heaven and earth is currently working to create this baby inside of me. For this reason I love the verse, "for I knit you together in your mothers womb." This is such a special time of creation and my mother thought of a perfect way to document it with photos. Above you can see the painting my mother did of a yarn basket. We took our photos at a local yarn store. This was such a fun adventure. I loved living out our dream and I hope it continues with the next pregnancy as a new family tradition. 

(Photos courtesy of Caseyhphotos.com)

(A special thanks to Fiberspace for allowing us to use their space.)

Athleticism

I suspect from the twists, turns, kicks, and such that this boy inside of me will be an athlete. At 20 weeks the technician told me that he had a highly developed cerebellum (which controls coordination.)  So at the moment, signs are pointing to an athlete! Just like his daddy! 

Mike is good at everything! Sometimes it bothers me because I am a bit of a klutz. Mike picks up any kind of sport with ease. And he doesn't just "pick it up" he is really good at it. 

The other day Mike told me he had a dream with his son in it. Of course I wanted to know the details right away. He told me that he was playing catch with his son and Uncle Brian and he said he remembers feeling so happy in his dream. Even writing this out brings tears of joy to my eyes knowing that Mike already loves this boy so much and is eager to meet him and build a relationship with him. Mike is going to be such a good daddy, I can not wait to see it all happen! 

I someday hope to look out the window and see Mikes dream a reality. 

Father and son playing catch...

Siblings

Maybe I am being a bit forward in thinking about child #2, but I can not wait for this little guy to have a friend. That is what is fantastic about siblings. I have a fantastic relationship with my siblings. We are all different in so many ways, yet, there is countless amounts of love that we share between us.

I can only hope that someday God would bless us again with a buddy for this child. I pray that he would have a great relationship with his siblings and that he would love them with a deep best friend love.

I am not sure how or if my parents did anything specific to establish the sibling bond between my siblings and I. But there is totally a bond. I too hope to instill the sibling love in my own children also.

My two sisters (Becky and Angel) and my brother (Martin) are amazing people and I can not wait to introduce them to their first ever nephew!  

Mike has said that he has already started praying for baby number two. He says he is praying for another boy. Ha ha ha, we shall see! I am learning that God gives us exactly what we need.

I love you Becky, Martin, and Angel! xoxo

1 cm Dialated!

36 Weeks Pregnant

Update from BabyCenter.com:
"Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. He now weighs almost 6 pounds and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. He's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered his body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected his skin during his nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of his first bowel movement.
At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely he's in a head-down position."


We went to the Doctor yesterday to discover that I am 1 cm dilated! That means that my body is starting to prepare for the arrival of this baby.  How real and exciting! Baby is head down and looking great!

Fear NOT!

35 Weeks Pregnant

Update from BabyCenter.com:
"Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds. Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight."

I have noticed a creeper in my heart. Lately I can sense fear in my heart growing regarding so many things. (Being a mommy, pushing a child out of me, will my emotions get the best of me, will I show Mike love the way he needs while doing all these things?) I often catch my mind rolling in circles with these issue and more.

Then I remember to GIVE UP!

I try to take those thoughts captive and throw them like a dart towards a dart board. I need to throw my fear at the feet of Jesus. He has the power to quiet the storm of fear that runs through my heart. Not only does He have the power to take the fear, but He has the power to do it immediately! Each moment I wallow in fear is a moment that I give in to my sinful nature. When I am sinful it makes the devil feel as if he is making progress. Well, he aint making no progress with me! My heart belongs to Jesus, Jesus gladly takes my fear, not only does He take it but He blows it up with his presence and provision. I pray that I will remember His truths below and always capture fear in my heart and give it to my heavenly Father.

"He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. 

His faithful promises are your armor and protection."

Psalm 91:4

"Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: you have enlarged me when I was in distress; 

have mercy on me, and hear my prayer."

Psalm 4:1

Godparents- CHECK!

 Meet Tom Wojcik:

Tom has agreed to be the Godfatha! Tom is Mike's older brother and as you can tell from the picture he is always the life of the party. Tom is married to the beautiful Brazilian Marcia. I am sure Mike would pick different words but if I had to describe Tom in three words they would be: Loyal, Hard Working, and FUNNY! Tom is one of those people who can always find good in any situation. (Even if he is doing it with sarcasm.) I know that this little boy is going to be blessed by having Tom as his Godfatha! Thank you Tom for accepting the challenge to impact the life of our first born! You are so valued and important to us!

 Meet Rebecca Coleman:

Becky has also accepted the Godparent request! She will be Baby Wojcik's Godmother. Becky is my younger sister. She has been spending the last year of her life selflessly giving herself to AmeriCorps. Through this she was a nomad and traveled all through the US volunteering her time, talent, and treasures. The three words to describe Becky are: Faithful, Caring, and Compassionate. God put Becky on this earth to win hearts for Him and she lives out this purpose daily. We are so blessed to have such a strong woman of God impacting our son. Thank you Becky for agreeing to be a part of our son's life while on earth, and even in eternity.

What is a Godparent? 

            Well, to us being a Godparent involves developing a relationship with the child and helping us in his spiritual upbringing. There are many different ways of carrying out the duties as Godparent, but one of the most important things to do is to build a relationship with the godchild.  Make time to see the godchild as regularly as you can. Try to give him one-to-one attention: find out what makes them tick, what makes them happy or sad.  Spending time with the godchild can be very rewarding, for the child and for you.

Responsibilities of a Godparent:

1.      Pray for your godchild regularly

2.      Set an example of Christian living

3.      Help him to grow in the faith of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

4.      Give every encouragement to follow Christ and fight against evil

Perspective

Over the past few weeks two women that I know of had their babies prematurely. Praises to God that both babies are doing well and growing stronger by the day. I can only imagine what goes through their mind as they face challenges that may or may not have been foreseen. But what is going on in their lives has given me some perspective.

Each day that this little man stays inside of me, is a day stronger that he will be once he is out. As the days grow closer, I catch myself getting nervous over "the plan." If you know me, you know that I live next to my agenda. I cant function without it! I make lists and plan things months in advance. This whole hold-onto-your-seat and wait for labor to begin is growing difficult for me. Like I said, I know him staying put is good, but I just want to know the plan!

God is teaching me flexibility. I need to remember that God has ordered all my steps and He knows the details in the day of my sons birth. I trust Him, He has my best interest in mind. I need to let it go and remember that God has already figured out his Birth Story, his Birthday, his every detail. My job is to trust him and seek Him.

So, I am preparing, packing the hospital bag, attending the childbirth class, praying, seeking God's will for my life, and trusting that His plan is by far better than any plan I could have concocted in my mind. Just like God had a plan for those babies born early, He also has a plan for me and my little man. His will is perfect and pleasing!

Believing in something you can not see...

Even though I can not always see my toes, I believe that they are always there!

I took this picture while laying in bed. I had to prop my head up to see my toes. In my current "temporarily disabled" condition, a glimpse of my toes is a rarity to see. Although its rare, my toes are still attached to my feet- thank God!

The same reigns true with God. Even though we cant always see Him, He is always there. At times we may have to prop our heads up or stretch our neck out. And then we spot Him, shining His light upon us! I always have my eyes open for glimpses or kisses from God. I have faith that God is standing beside me as I live this life, even if I can't always see him. 

I hope I remember this blessed moment later on in life. When I am struggling to feel God or see Him, I pray that I will look down at my toes and realize I CAN SEE THEM NOW! Thus, seasons change but our Lord remains the same! Even if we cannot see something, it doesn't mean that it does not exist!

We have a nanny!!!!

Our God is a God of provision! 

For me, a huge area of anxiety with becoming a parent was what to do with my son when I went back to work. God rocked my face with this anxiety! What a huge blessing. I need to slow down...

A few months ago we asked my sister, Becky, to pray about being our nanny for about 6 months so that I could return to work and finish out the school year. And pray she did. We got a little package in the mail and opened it to discover a huge poster with the word "yes" written across it. We have a nanny! And not only do we have a nanny but we have a nanny who will love our little boy just as much as we do. What a huge comfort!

Becky will be a perfect nanny. She knows us and how we work. She will love our baby and do everything in her power to care for him. And best of all, she has the blood of the lamb pumping through her veins! I am filled with a humble feeling of Gods provision in knowing that we have a perfect care giver.

T- Minus 6 Weeks!

34 Weeks Pregnant

Update from BabyCenter.com:
"Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. His fat layers — which will help regulate his body temperature once he's born — are filling him out, making him rounder. His skin is also smoother than ever. His central nervous system is maturing and his lungs are continuing to mature as well."


I felt my first braxton hicks contraction. Fear and reality hit me like a frying pan scene in a cartoon. These "fake" contractions mean that my body is starting to prepare for the real thing! REAL THING!? Woah! Am I ready for the real thing?! I am not sure I will ever have the feeling of total readiness but the truth is I am ready because Jesus is in me. Even if I cant do something, Jesus can. Thus, we are a combined force to be reckoned with!

Ohhh Belly Button!

What really is a belly button for? 

According to one of the very most trusted online resources, Wikipedia:

"The navel (clinically known as the umbilicus, colloquially known as the belly button) is a scar on the abdomen caused when the umbilical cord is removed from a newborn baby."


How fascinating and familiar at the same time. A scar, we are all the same in a scar. Meaning, we all possess this scar. We all require a life line to our mothers in the beginning for air and nutrition. We need this for life, growth, and progression. Then, we are left with a scar. I look at my scar fondly these days as I watch it grow and change. I have a round tan line of new skin that has never seen the light of day.

My scar makes me thankful for my own mother who bore me.

My scar reminds me that Jesus had this scar also. Can you imagine Mary and Joseph cutting this cord in a manger?

My scar reminds me that God had to send His Son to earth to not only bear the scar of being human but also God sent him to bear the scars of the world.

Jesus endured these scars so that we could have life, growth, and progression! So essentially, He needs to be our umbilical cord to heaven while we are here on earth.

Fun Fact:
Navels can serve as a way of distinguishing between identical twins in the absence of other identifiable marks.

DIY Dish Soap

We had the bright idea to save some bucks and make our own dishwasher soap.

So far, so good... we hit a little bump in the road with our kitchen sink but that is another story. (See What is Marriage? post) This method was way more cost effective, easy to make, a cinch to store, and is way more green than the chemically-based what-is-this-stuff-anyway goop. 

Here is how we did it:

1 cup washing soda
1 cup borax
2 packages unsweetened lemonade mix


Mix all together and keep in an airtight container. We doubled the recipe to make more. Use 2 tsp in the main detergent holder and 2 tsp in the pre-wash detergent holder.

What is marriage?

I broke the kitchen sink this weekend...
It all started when a spoon slipped past my wet fingers into the drain. Water spewed to all corners of the kitchen. The "badger" under our sink (garbage disposal) now has a hole in it. The pipe below is clogged. Nasty food chunks float amongst a film of glazed oily water. It is really gross, and my fault.

I had to tell Mike. I felt like a dog with my tail between my legs. Yet again, something that I screwed up. How come I am the one who is always wrong in our relationship? The whole dynamic of the husband being wrong and the wife being right is not true for us. Often times I steer people the wrong way with directions, I make careless errors, I bump into corners and walls that have been established since forever, I lose items, and I could go on and on. Mike seems to pretty much have his act together. And yes, I will be the first to admit that he is "cleaner" than myself.


Anyway, I told him about the sink. Well, actually the loud metal scraping of the spoon told him. He was frustrated at the situation but not at me. He still loved me even with my bone-headedness! Not only did he love me... but he helped me clean it up, and then called our plumber to come fix it. He even took a moment to kiss my forehead. This would have been the perfect moment to hammer me hard, tell me I am lazy and should pay attention to what I am doing, shove me with words til I cry...but Mike chose to love.


Reminds me of Jesus. Jesus made the choice to come to us in trouble, to kiss our forehead, to clean up our mess, and to call the plumber. Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice and even though we are lazy and screw ups He still chooses to love us.


Marriage is just one area of our life that we can aim to be more like Jesus in...

Below is a poem from one of my favorite blogs:

What is marriage?

It's vacuuming carpets and hammering nails.

It's saving a dollar by shopping at sales.

It's balancing checkbooks and paying off bills.

It's cleaning the windows and mopping up spills.

It's doing the laundry and matching up socks.

It's a washer that dies when the car needs new shocks.

It's two busy schedules, but one happy life, with each moment you share as husband and wife!

Sprouts of the Brussels

Picky eaters- oh please God, no!

Neither Mike or I were picky eaters growing up. Mike always cleared his plate and surprisingly he loves vegetables. When I say love, I mean it. If you were to ask him if he could eat one food group for the rest of his life, which food group would it be? His answer without question would be vegetables. 

As for me, my family simply wouldn't stand for picky eating. We were forced to look the waiter in the eye to order our food and were often forbidden to order chicken fingers. When I turned 12 I had to order off the regular menu as to expand my pallet. This turned into a real willingness to try just about anything. Overall, I am thankful for the good attitudes we have with food. 

I only hope that our son also has these attitudes. I pray that he eats well and is willing to explore new tastes without hassle. I see moms struggling with whining consumers and worrying about nutrition with their kids.

I saw brussels sprouts on sale this week and decided to try something new... THEY WERE DELICIOUS! I am not just saying that. I am aware that many people think that brussels sprouts are disgusting but this recipe was easy and very yummy.

So, "Be like Mike"

Try some brussel sprouts...

Maple and Cayenne Brussels Sprouts

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Trim and half one pound of brussels sprouts

Place the sprouts on a baking sheet. 

Toss with olive oil and salt--- just feel the measurements... I made mine shine

Roast until the sprouts are browned in spots and tender when pierced with a fork. 

(15 - 20 min)

In separate little bowl combine 3 tablespoons of maple syrup and 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper 

(less pepper if you are scared of too much spice) 

Drizzle sprouts with the maple syrum mixture

Stir to coat

Enjoy