pregnant – The Bless Your Heart Blog

A Grace Filled Mother’s Day

Where do I even begin?

I’m a momma three times over now and I’m not sure I could be any more joyful. Never, EVER did I think my heart could hold so much love…so much adoration…for such beautiful little creations…

Our days have been full of so much grace here lately; grace for things that might not seem like a big deal to anyone else but things that spoke so richly of His love for me…

A decent night’s sleep before induction (unlike the last two births)…

My babies waking up earlier than normal so that I got to love on them before I left for the hospital (which was a good thing since that whole labor thing took a little longer than we were expecting)…

Checking into the hospital with a nursing staff full of familiar faces that were excited and ready for us to meet sweet Sayble…

Rainy, cloudy, overcast weather that kept our recently planted grass nice and moist while daddy was away taking care of mom instead of the yard…

Decisions that I was nervous about making that ended up being made for us since we had some small progress…

A nurse that encouraged us to sleep until the next round of induction drugs could be administered because labor would come if it was going to come…

A doctor who is patient and understands the desire for natural labors…pretty sure had I been in a big city, they’d have just cut me open and snagged baby so they could attend their kids’ track meet since it was taking longer than expected…

Blood sugar and blood pressure that stayed right on their respective cues from start to finish…

A baby who’s heartbeat never once showed signs of distress during that lengthy process…

A nurse and a doctor who delivered their baby’s naturally who encouraged me just as much as my sweet hubby and doula-mom…

A friend who volunteered to cover a shift so I could squeeze her hand off while she championed with me to have this baby…

Being able to allow myself to sleep through some of those first few hours of contractions…

Pitocin finally doing the trick and other than transition, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be…and pretty sure transition would be bad regardless…

Pushing out that sweet baby girl in nine little pushes…

Post-partem drugs doing what they were supposed to do to help my uterus really clamp down back into place and size…

An easier recovery (mentally and physically) than Wryder’s birth…

A (so-far) seamless transition from two to three…or four to five…

I feel like grace was the word for this pregnancy from the get-go…and I’ve experienced it so richly the past week or so that I’ve found myself not being able to help but pour it right back out.

As a type-A kinda girl, there have been plenty of opportunities (now that there are five of us in one house) that didn’t quite meet my rigid expectations and I’ve noticed that I’ve dealt with them swimmingly. I haven’t felt rattled or frustrated or disappointed…I’ve just felt a sense of nonchalance…trust me, THAT is grace.

I know that grace is an area I struggle with; I don’t have much for myself, much less for anyone else…but when I see it in action, it literally brings me to my knees. It is SUCH a breathtakingly beautiful thing. How I looooooooonnnnngggg for more…and long to give it away more…

So this Mother’s Day that is what I wish all of you mommas and mommas-to-be and mommas who’s hearts are burdened for whatever reason or season…I wish you grace…

That you would be able to see how readily it is available for you and that you would reach out and receive it…

That you would fully understand the weight of the job you do but know that it’s not all up to you…

That you would cut yourself (as well as the mom next door) some slack and dwell in the shadow of the Almighty as He works with you to fill in the gaps…

That you would give it away even when you think it is undeserved – because isn’t that really what grace is…

Happy Mother’s Day to the women of the world! Grace to you in all you do!

Just Waiting – With Some REALLY Excellent People

Today is Sayble’s due date! I suppose I have a few more hours of wishful thinking that she may join us outside of the womb, but I’m thinking today is probably not the day.

Three of us Phipps cousins were all due within two weeks of each other, me being due first (ahem) and they have all had their babies as of today. I can now say I’m FOR SURE next! 🙂

I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve such amazing, loving, encouraging, Godly women in my life, but they have just showered me in prayers and messages of encouragement the past few days.

When I thought I was sliding down the slippery slope of “I can’t do this! I don’t want her to come out,” my sweet sister says, “You will be fine! You’re a pro at this!” My sister in the faith said, “I pray that your body begins to relax knowing that you were MADE to have this baby, CREATED to have her. Your body and heart will sync up beautifully!” I’m trying to live THERE.

A sweet friend was praying over my labor and upcoming induction and unprompted she said, “I was thinking earlier today that God has always been faithful especially regarding the birth of your babies and He will do it again! I just feel so confident in His plan for Sayble, too!” Wow. Who does that?!

My two (beautiful and uber-classy) aunts, the moms of both cousins who have now met there sweet little babes, have checked on me oh-so dutifully and both reached out to me today to encourage me and cheer me on! I can assure I’ve done nothing to receive such favor!

I’ve had friends send me scriptures and blog posts. Even my nail lady got in on the action and had researched labor-inducing pressure points for my feet when I went in yesterday to get my pedicure. Our mail lady stopped by today to see me one last time before baby was born and set up a time to bring us a meal and meet miss Sayble.

I tell ya, the Lord has blessed us with some of the most loving and generous people… I have just been in awe of His love for us because of the love of His people.

And so, we wait some more. I’m doing my last big house cleaning today and tomorrow we’re gonna run a few errands and have some fun with the kids. Sunday has already been reserved as a day of NOTHING…and I’m really looking forward to it. Unless…

Unless…she decides to grace us with her presence before induction. I’d be ok with that, too. 🙂

Pray for me if you think about it…for a safe, healthy, complication-free, easy, fast, natural birth! That’s not too much to ask for, is it?! I kinda giggled as I wrote that but I distinctly heard the Lord say, “Not for me…”

Let it be so.

Ready

I feel like I’m to the point that I am READY.

I’m ready to meet sweet Sayble.

I’m ready to labor and push and bring her outside of my body.

I’m ready to snuggle her and swaddle her and get to know her outside of the womb.

I was scared to death of the whole labor process with both Sawyer and Wryder and I don’t feel that way this time…and I pray I don’t pass that point of readiness.

I feel like I’m perched on the diving board and I’m READY to take that leap into the deep end…the house is cleaned and organized and bags are packed and the ‘big brother/big sister’ shirts are made and we have diapers and wipes and formula and bottles and the carseat is in the truck…but labor hasn’t commenced so I can’t take that leap just yet.

I don’t want the longer I wait to increase anxiety, because that happens sometimes doesn’t it? When you feel SOOOO ready and you just wanna jump in feet first but you have to wait and then the enemy starts whispering fears into your ears…general anxiety sets in…and you’re a blubbering mess. Don’t ask me how I know.

I would LOVE to go into labor on my own this time. I haven’t had that luxury with either kid prior…apparently my womb is quite comfy. 😉 I keep telling the Lord that He knows the desires of my heart, but I trust that He’s knows best as well. He has been so faithful this pregnancy, friends.

I had so many fears going into this one. My heart so longs to be obedient to Him and I wasn’t certain that He was ok with us having a third one. I was reminded that He views children as blessings…He wants us to fill our quivers! We have the means and the ability to create more warriors for the Kingdom and He would bless this addition. He is the giver of life so even despite our efforts, if Sayble wasn’t meant to be, she wouldn’t have been. But she IS.

Her story has looked different than the other two, but no less full of His goodness and grace. After watching momma’s go through tough pregnancies and walk beside some as they lost babies and after having a bout of pre-eclampsia the day I was induced with Wryder, I have been so scared that I wouldn’t make it with this one. I didn’t want her to be born early and spend time in the NICU in a different city…I didn’t want to be scared to death and have my life threatened with pre-e…I didn’t know how I would carry her to term when I already felt so huge…

But? We’ve made it…and none of that has come to pass. He has showed me that He is trustworthy…again and again and again… Lest we forget…

We go in for another checkup tomorrow…and until He’s ready for her to make her debut, we will wait expectantly for her arrival. I will savor these kicks and stretches and countless bathroom breaks and never-ending house cleanings and day dreams about her sweet face and the last happenings as a family of four.

Pray for our family in this time…that we would wait well and that we would savor these days together…that labor would come in His time and that all would be safe and well and healthy…that we would honor Him with our story of Sayble’s life…all of our lives…He is most worthy.

Worth 1,000 Words: Our Weekend

We woke up Saturday morning and noticed that Sawyer was awake and wasn’t crying. We KNEW that was a good sign because that hadn’t been the case for the past week. Poor girl has some serious strep (and most likely some other virus to boot) going on and had not felt well. At. All.

I got up to use the restroom (surprise, surprise) and I saw that she had left us a note on our dresser. Soon after, she came downstairs and told us that it said Sawyer feels better and wants to feed her goats. We knew she’d turned a corner!

The babies happy to be back with their momma... — The babies happy to be back with their momma…

She’s still not 100% and is still building back strength, but she’s SIGNIFICANTLY better than all of last week. I even lost my mind a little in the midst of her healing and let her snuggle the barn cat…in the house.

Wrex tried to burn our house down on Saturday. Thankfully, it just got the yard.

Everyone keeps saying that that section will come in really nice and green. I’m wondering if we need to do the other sections. I know a guy…

He totally redeemed himself by scoring these:

Aren’t they divine?? I don’t have any immediate plans with them and may just store them until the “dream house” comes along. Regardless, I LOVE them.

Oh, and he asked me on a date…

THAT covers a multitude of sins. Love. Him.

We worked on some decorations for Wryder’s second birthday that is rapidly approaching.

Tractors, of course... — Tractors, of course…

He found these in the mudroom today and I about had to tackle him as he tried to ride them. Ahem. Boy loves his tractors.

He’s also really been into his hat lately. For whatever reason, he wanted to wear it backwards. I’m not totally sure how I feel about this long term, but he sure looked cute for a little while!

The kids played in one of their favorite toys for a bit on Sunday…a box.

And I even got to sneak inside after my walking workout and take a bubble bath. It’s one of my happy places.

A little piece of heaven... — A little piece of heaven…

If you had to lug this thing around you’d want one, too…

She’s a growing! I have yet to NOT have to be induced to have my babies…but I’m hoping I get to labor at home for a bit with this one. We’ll see.

It’s now Monday, daddy is already home and we got some new Jamberry’s in the mail for Sawyer! It’s bound to be a good night!

Love Multiplied

I keep reminding myself that I need to blog…but I feel like I’m lacking subject matter…or new subject matter, I guess. We’ve just been playing outside, enjoying this spring-like weather in the dead of winter.

We’ve played with goats and chalked on sidewalks and jumped on trampolines and played at the park and gone on walks and fed chickens and explored and ran and played ball and ate popsicles and built things and rode scooters and had cookouts…but what we’re really doing is soaking up these last days as a family of four.

We speak of and treat Sayble like she’s already part of the family (because she IS) but she’s not out of the womb yet…and we all know that when that time comes, things will change again.

She’ll require more of me than she does now and will need more of my hands on attention. We’ll all work on bonding and transitioning to our new normal as a family of five. There will be less time for individual time with the kids…for everything (for a while) for that matter.

I remember being scared to death before Wryder was born because I couldn’t imagine how in the world I was going to be able to love him even half as much as I did Sawyer. I mean, that girl…

The Lord does miraculous things with love; mine was multiplied, not remotely divided! I mean, isn’t that how He is with us?? He doesn’t divide His love equally among the entire human population and we all get the tiniest sliver to survive on. No way! We all get ALL of His love!

I remember when they placed Wryder on my stomach and I saw his sweet, quivering lip and his little face that looked so much like his sister when she was born I was smitten! As time has gone on, I love him even more…her, too.

I have no qualms about having enough love for sweet Sayble. He’s multiplied it once, I know He’ll do it again.

Until she makes her arrival, we’ll soak up these last days together before four becomes five…before love is multiplied…before we wonder how we ever were before Sayble…

The product of Wrex and I's love... — The product of Wrex and I’s love…

My Monday

Yesterday was just one of those really, really good days.

I woke up to find that Sawyer had snuck downstairs with daddy and cleaned up the kitchen, living room and mudroom so that I could have an “easy morning.” Seriously, this girl’s heart is so precious. It was TRULY a blessing! We worked so hard this weekend (and I might have overdone it a bit) and an easy morning was just what the doctor ordered. I was so blessed!

Then, the kids got to stay with Miss Gillian, our sweet friend and neighbor, while I had an ultrasound and baby checkup. Both went incredibly well!

Sayble has turned into a wild woman! For a while, she was soooooo mellow in the womb. *ahem* That’s changed. She moves almost all the time. The other night, we were laying in bed and I had my tummy to Wrex’s back and he was almost bothered by how much she was moving – ha! Trust me, honey, I feel it too. 😉

Sucker punching me on the right, showing her knees on the left... — Sucker punching me on the right, showing her knees on the left…

Our kids LOVE Miss Gillian (as do we)! She brought games and puzzles AND crocheted them each a pair of slippers! Seriously, who does that?

She helped Sawyer feed the goats and let her have juice and marshmallows after lunch – ha! No wonder they love her! 😉 She even stuck around an extra hour and a half so I could make a quick trip to Denver.

The bestie had her baby yesterday and I got to meet him when he was less than 12 hours old!

Isn’t he presh?! He was so mellow and snuggly and pink and warm…made me even more ready to hold sweet Sayble!

See what I mean? Really good day…

Random Rambles

Oh. My. Aching. Back.

I’m tired.

Hubby and I worked all day on some post-baby meal prep.

We did this before Wryder came and it was soooooo handy! In Denver, after Sawyer, we had such a huge community of friends that brought us food, we didn’t cook for almost 6 weeks! How awesome is that?!

Our sweet friends from church and MOPS brought us food after Wryder, there’s just not as many people in general out here on the plains compared to the city, ya know!?

We ended up making:

4 pans of lasagna
fixings for 3 pots of beef and barley stew
fixings for 3 pots of taco soup
4 pans of enchiladas
10 loaves of pumpkin bread
6 loaves of banana bread
2 dozen bagel sandwiches
10 dozen cookies
4 homemade frozen pizzas

We laid out some ribeye roasts to cut steaks and fajita/stir fry meat and browned some hamburger to have on hand for tacos, etc. I can throw together some fruit and veggies quick enough if hubby runs the grill! Thankfully, he gets home in good time every evening so I’ll have help for suppers…

I think we’ll all survive. I’d just so much rather snuggle a baby and bond with my new family of five than be cooking in the kitchen, yes?!

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The girls in the Phipps house loves us some cute fingernails! I paint Sawyer’s twice a week, usually the same with mine.

I’ve had my eye on some Jamberry nails for a while, I just didn’t know quite what to think about them. My sweet cousin Melissa sent me some samples and I put them on tonight – which was quicker than I was expecting – and I’m afraid I’m in love….

Cute, yes?! I’m hoping they last as long as they say do…but it is my first time applying them so I’m giving them a LOT of grace. 😉

I’m just thinking that it they last longer than three days that’s better than polish. 🙂 I’ll let you know what I think and you might have to order some, too!

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My sweet friend Amy is currently in the throes of a fundraiser for IVF treatments. Her husband, Jake, judged with Wrex at CSU. Jake (is a stinkin’ rockstar – go Google him) has cystic fibrosis and due to the biological absence of the vas deferens in CF patients, IVF is the only way for them to have children.

Their first born is now two and they’re off and running for number two! You can follow their journey on her blog at http://cheerwineandsunshine.blogspot.com.

For a fundraiser, she’s making these GORGEOUS necklaces!

I ordered three peas in a pod (pink, blue, pink for my babies) for myself and I LOVE LOVE LOVE how it turned out!

Isn’t that gorgeous?? Her prices are on point, she’s FAST and it’s for a good cause! She’s already shipped out well over 100 but she’s ready for more orders!

She offers two different chain/wire colors, four bead colors and four chain length options. If you want to order one of your own, get a hold of me or visit her Etsy store at www.etsy.com/shop/dustanddaffodils.

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This guy:

Seriously handsome, yes?? He’s a dream…the best husband, dad and teammate a girl could ask for. Hoping Monday doesn’t come too soon…

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Sayble is growing, no doubt. (If you’ve seen my belly, you’d agree. *ahem*) All of the moving about is my FAVORITE part of pregnancy, hands down. She’s been a lot more active and purposeful lately and I have loved every minute of it.

I know we women have the hard job of birthing the baby and our hubby’s get off easy, but they sure don’t get to fully experience the sweetness of a miracle on the inside. It still leaves me in awe…every. single. time.

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Sleep. Good sleep. I hope at least. Night night!

Worth 1,000 Words: What We’ve Been Up To

I was a little absent last week, though I can’t REALLY think of anything out of the ordinary we did – doctor check ups, grocery shopping, Cubbies…just the norm.

There was a little TV watching…mainly so I could watch them cuddle.

Aren't they sweet!? — Aren’t they sweet!?

Wryder got stuck in the chair one time. Then, after all the attention and hubbub, he got “stuck” a dozen or so more times.

I’ve apparently entered THAT phase of pregnancy. You know, the one you just don’t really get cold anymore because you have so much blood and baby pumping through your body? I guess Wrex was a little chilly on the way home Wednesday night and had a good giggle about his pickup settings.

The temp I put the pickup on... — The temp I put the pickup on…

We did a little chicken gazing. I could watch those ladies all day!

Wryder is ALL about driving these days. After almost every meal these days, he’ll pick up his empty plate and use it as a steering wheel. When we were outside, he used the knob to the jack on the trailer hitch as a little tiny one. It. Was. Adorable.

The kids got some belated valentines from Gramps!

Wryder LOVES food. One of his favorites, though…

This weekend has been a REALLY good one! The weather kind of forced us inside to work on some projects we’ve been wanting to get done but haven’t taken the time to do…and a few relaxing deeds, too!

We got baby Sayble’s layette done, as well as our taxes – hallelujah! Those can seem so daunting sometimes but Wrex and I worked all morning and got them done AND get a refund – always a plus!

We let the kids pick out a movie and had a fun supper in the living room…and Wrexy and I had a Bourne marathon! YAY! I’ve been wanting to do this for forever because I often fall asleep or get sidetracked while I attempt to watch ANY movie, but especially ones that aren’t so brainless. 🙂

We had a little outside snow play…

Don't ya just love their hats? — Don’t ya just love their hats?

and a lot of other silly shenanigans!

Tomorrow, we’re back to the daily grind. Thankful for this snowy cold…

If You Give a Wife a Paintbrush

If you give a wife a paintbrush, she’ll go to town and buy a gallon of paint.

Then she’ll ask you to take four doors off of the hinges and set up a painting station in the garage.

The garage will be too cold, so she’ll ask you to dig some heaters out of the basement.

Once the heaters get turned on, she’ll want to shut the door to trap the heat inside.

Now that the door is shut, she’ll need more light to be able to see to do her painting.

When you set up more lights and the garage is nice and toasty, the flies start waking up and dive bombing her work, so she’ll ask you to run interference with the air compressor.

As she paints more and more in the closed up garage, the fumes start to get really strong.

She’ll ask you to you help her finish…and you happily oblige.

The story of my Saturday…

Pinterest Picks

Nesting has hit an all time high around here. We’re rearranging rooms and making plans and cleaning things out and organizing nooks and crannies and and and and…

I’ve been on Pinterest a bit more than usual lately. One, because the nesting just puts me in that creative mode and two, because at the end of the day, after all the nesting, I can’t move anything but my fingers. Kidding. Sorta.

Here are my latest and greatest Pinterest Picks!

I can see this happening to pink teddy in a few years... — I can see this happening to pink teddy in a few years…

I need this quilt for our room STAT. Isn't that divine?? — I need this quilt for our room STAT. Isn’t that divine??

EVERYTHING about this room is great but I love the little nook in the corner... — EVERYTHING about this room is great but I love the little nook in the corner…

Who doesn't need a gold metallic cow hide? — Who doesn’t need a gold metallic cow hide?