The Reason For My Blogging Hiatus

Our beautiful miracle

Evelyn Rae Swift

October 31, 2011

9:54pm

7 pounds 6 ounces

19.75 inches long 

more details and pictures to come, I promise! This mommy is tired!!!

My Growing Belly...THE END!

 October 8

35 weeks

162 pounds

October 15

36 weeks

164 pounds

October 22

37 Weeks

October 26

38 weeks

172 pounds

38 Weeks

Here are the stats from my appointment today:

• Blood pressure: 116/84 
• Weight: 168...water retention? - my hands, feet and face are pretty swollen these days.
• Tummy measurement: 37 cm
• Her heartbeat was in the upper 130s
• Cervix 60% effaced, almost 2cm dilated. In doc's words, I am very, very soft. 
• And, I'm happy to report...no stretch marks!!! :) Woo Hoo!

Once again, she could make her appearance any day!!!! 

You know how some pregnant women say that they are so miserable at the end and just want it over? I don't understand that at all. I feel wonderful, except I'm really tired....all the time. I have been so fortunate and blessed to have what people call an "easy" pregnancy! (I do realize that I am one of the lucky, blessed few to have this.) I have so enjoyed every day of this pregnancy, but I am definitely ready to see her sweet face. The excitement and anticipation is starting to drive me crazy, because I know she's coming, within days!!! I'm just ready to hold her and cuddle.  :)

Blessings to you all!  

Beautiful, Beautiful Shower

On Saturday, October 1st, my dear friends gave me a baby shower. Let me just say that it was the most beautiful, thought out, planned, and decorated shower that I have ever been to. Everything was amazing, and made me feel incredibly blessed, from the amazing food, to the adorable centerpieces, and the well wishes, gifts, and advice from everyone.

Let me recap the day in photos (which were done by the incredibly talented April Musser - thank you so much!)

 As you walked up to the door, this is what we were greeted with! LOVE this!!

 Isn't it amazing?? The decor was absolutely gorgeous! Animal print everywhere with a splash of green, brown, and pink!

 This was really cute - party favors!

 By the end of the shower, that jar was full of incredible advice! I've loved reading every single one, and they will go in my scrapbook for sure!

 Cupcakes!!! Cupcakes are my favorite dessert, so I was in heaven. I, of course, had all three flavors!

They were made by Tara at Pensacola Cupcake and Co. I highly recommend her cupcakes for any event that you have!!!

 These cake toppers were beautiful.

Cherry Limeade!!!

 Gorgeous. Every last detail. Notice one of my maternity photos in the back. Our maternity photos were all over the house in frames...what an awesome idea! And, they had all 300+ photos looping on their television! And, these really cool animal print orbs were hanging over the food tables - so cute! I kept a few to hang in Evelyn's room. 

 The food. Oh, the food!! Phenomenal!! Those who know me know that I love Panera bread soup and salad, so that was the theme! And let me say that these salads and soups made by my BFF's were waaaay much better than Panera!

 Christy, the gorgeous and talented host, manning the 3 soup varieties.

 Feeling Evelyn!! So sweet. My little buddy and adopted nephew Isaak was there for a bit, and he said several times "Ah-Zoo's baby shower!!" and when I asked him who was in my tummy, he replied "Evelyn." Such a sweet boy...

 Gifts!!! Blessed beyond measure!! I have to admit, I felt a little uncomfortable being the center of attention and being given all of these wonderful things, but I felt (and still feel) so blessed!!

I was so moved by it all, so moved by all of the love and prayers for our little miracle - I lost it. The tears flowed - to be expected! ;)

 In awe of the beautiful bow holder made by Jessica and the bows made by Christy.

 My beautiful mother and I

 My beautiful girls. They are a blessing to me in so many ways. They made me feel so loved, so blessed, and just so special on that beautiful shower day!!! I know there was so much planning and preparation, and it was so special and means the world to me. Every detail was thought of, every single thing was beautiful. I felt like a celebrity, like I was receiving the royal treatment. 

I love you all. And we are all rockin' the animal print! 

All hot mommas!!!!!

A huge thank you to all the ladies who came - what an amazing group! You've blessed me incredibly, and I can't wait for you all to meet Evelyn! 

37 Weeks

I'm sorry that my blogging as of late has only been quick pregnancy updates....I'm just really tired and when I try to put together a coherent blog post about things other than the pregnancy, it just doesn't work!

So here are my stats from our 37 week OB appointment:

• Blood pressure was 118/78 - looking good! So thankful I don't have BP problems!
• Weight was up to 168 - the doctor said I am definitely retaining fluids. Thankfully that will go away after the birth! Hopefully this cooler weather will help with the swelling and puffies.
• Belly is measuring right on - 37cm.
• She is definitely in position and has dropped head down even more, and I can definitely tell! Lot's of pressure down there and it is hard to walk, sit up, stand up, get out of bed... 
• Cervix is 1cm dilated and 60% thinned - excellent progress from last week! Woo Hoo! 

She is on her way, coming very soon! I can't wait to see her face to face!

Love and blessing to you all...

A Quick 36 Week Update

Yesterday we had our 36 week OB appointment. It is exciting and surreal to be at this point in the pregnancy, to think that we could be holding our sweet baby within a matter of days!!!

I'm feeling really good. I'm experiencing some swelling in my feet, face and hands, but that is mostly at night and depends on if I ate a lot of salt that day. I am definitely slowing down, and I can't move as quickly as I used to. I really understand now why pregnant women waddle. It is not because the weight of the baby or your balance being off, it is because it hurts! It's no joke why they call it "lightening crotch." I also am tired all of the time, but that is to be expected. After a day at work, I am so lethargic, basically a big "zero." I just can't function! But, overall, I am feeling amazing! Loving every minute!

Here's the low down on the appointment:

• No weight gain this week - staying steady at 164
• Blood pressure was great - 110/76
• Belly is measuring at 36cm - perfect!
• She is in position - head down into my pelvis
• Internally, my cervix is soft. He could feel her head!

So, Doc was pretty sure that I would be back next Wednesday for my 37 week appointment, and that I probably won't be going into labor this week. But he did say that he also wouldn't be surprised if I come in to Labor&Delivery any day now! 

So with all of that, I came home (after an Olive Garden date with hubby), and made sure our hospital bags were completely packed. We now have all of her newborn clothes washed and folded, and all of the nursery essentials are put away and waiting. There are just a couple more things I would really like to get, but we have the majority of our bases covered! Hooray!!

Love and blessings to you all...

My Growing Belly (Part Five)

Here they are - part five! She's growing and growing! Just think, I only have a few more pictures to post in "My Growing Belly" series.

:)

Soon, I will post about my AMAZING shower today! I had such a good time, that I'm just too tired to blog about it right now...

August 27

29 weeks

150 pounds 

 September 3

30 Weeks

152 pounds

September 10

31 Weeks

154 pounds

September 17

32 weeks

156 pounds

September 24

33 weeks

158 pounds

October 1

34 weeks

162 pounds (40 pound weight gain mark! Oh dear.)

A Full Week of Fun Adventures!

Whew! We've had quite the full week here at our house...

First, we were brought to TCBY after Saturday night church. This was our first visit, and I thought it was just the typical yogurt shop. But let me tell you, they have totally revamped their concept. It is self-serve frozen yogurt with about 12 flavors to choose from and then all the toppings that you can think of - ranging from crushed up candies to fresh fruit. It is amazing. For my first round, I did the whole chocolate/vanilla yogurt with tons of chocolatey toppings. Round two consisted of fruity yogurt topped with fresh fruit. Hey, it's the only time in my life where I can have two rounds of TCBY in one sitting and not feel guilty or unhealthy. And Evelyn must love ice cream - she kicks like crazy any time I eat it - must be the cold dairy. Anyways, it was amazing, and it will most definitely be a regular stop for us. And it is a great place to go with friends!

Sunday was my last morning on the worship team. It was somewhat bittersweet, but I have a complete peace about it. I have been on a worship team for churches consistently since I was 16. Wow, that's ten years. It has been an incredible ministry to be a part of. I have made amazing friendships along the way, and I have seen God move, felt His Holy Spirit pour down through musical worship. But God has now closed that door. I don't feel like I need to go into any great detail, but I fully believe that it is time for us, husband and wife, to step down. And I've come to realize that the pregnancy has nothing to do with it - we would be in the same place and feeling the same way regardless if I was pregnant or not. So I truly believe that God has closed that door for now. Will He ever open it again? Maybe, maybe not. For now, we just rest in Him and wait for Him to tell us if and when we will be on the worship team at our church.

We went to our breastfeeding class together. The teacher was a RN and lactation consultant at the hospital, and she was really sweet. She covered a lot, and I think we both learned a lot. It was good to have hubby with me, to be my support, because he is a part of this too, even if he doesn't have functioning boobs, haha! I feel motivated and excited to breastfeed, and I know I can be confident in doing it! I think it is one of the greatest things that a mommy can do for her child. I'm just praying that it all goes as smoothly as possible, and that I don't let frustrations set in, especially in the first couple of weeks.

Sunday afternoon was gorgeous. Perfect weather for our maternity photo shoot! Our dear friend, Amick Cutler, is an incredibly gifted photographer. I HIGHLY recommend him for any photos or design work that you need done. We had so much fun shooting at various locations around Pensacola. Let me just say that I probably will sound incredibly biased in the next statement, but I believe it's the truth: our photos are probably the best maternity photos I have ever seen. Ever. They are so creative and beautiful. Thank you, Amick and Christy. It was an honor to have you take our maternity photos!! I LOVE THEM!!! (you can get a preview of our photos here.)

Today I had my 34 week appointment. Everything, once again, was great. I am so thankful. My weight was up....to 162 pounds. Which means I have hit the 40 pound weight gain mark. I still have 6 weeks to go. Oh dear. Oh my. But here's good news - I don't have any stretch marks! Hooray! The doctor once again didn't seem to concerned about the weight gain, but he did think that I am retaining water, and that by my next appointment, I may lose or maintain my current weight because of the water retention. It could be water retention, (my rings aren't fitting so well anymore and my sandals leave indentations) but I'm not convinced the weight gain is all attributed to that - I think part of it has to do with the huge plate of pasta and four pieces of bread and cake that I ate last night...My hubby was more than pleased that I have gained even more weight - it puts a smile on his face every time I step on the scale. My tummy measured at 33cm, which is still on the smaller end, but is considered great! And, my blood pressure was back up to its normal 120/80. The doctor felt for where Evelyn is positioned, and she is definitely head down. He said that she will most likely not move from this position. And, I was delighted to hear that from here on out, if I were to start contracting, Dr. S would not do anything to stop it. He said that after 34 weeks, she is perfectly ready to make her entrance! Our next appointment is in two weeks at 36 weeks, and he will start checking my cervix for dilation. I cannot believe that we are already at this place - the reality is that she is coming, and coming very soon! Within the next six weeks!!!!

Last, but certainly not least, my shower is Saturday!!! I am so So So SO excited. My dearest girlfriends have been busy planning and preparing, and I know that it is going to be amazing. I think that they have been working too hard - I feel like I should be helping in some way, but they just keep telling me that all I need to do is show up. It is going to be incredible to be surrounded by those who love me, love Evelyn, and have been praying for us throughout our journey and through every step of the pregnancy.

Love to you all!!!

Her Name Means "Life"....

Five years ago, long before Michael and I started to think about "trying" to get pregnant, a name came to us. We've held on to that name since. We considered others, but we just kept coming back to the original name. I believe that name was given to us by our Savior. Little did we know back then what we were going to face in trying to fulfill our dream of a child.

Two years of "trying," two years of pain. I felt like a failure. My body was broken and it could not produce a child. Every other woman in the world seemed to be fine, their bodies worked, their bodies produced life. I felt inadequate, like a let down, especially to my husband. I questioned God every single step of the way. Every treatment cycle brought more negatives, more pain, and more money spent. I had given up hope. But we have a God of hope. He is our hope, He is our healer, and our story is evidence of that. 

So we come to the here and now, where as I sit, I can feel our beautiful unborn child move throughout my tummy. She is a miracle. She is living proof of how great our God is. And in around 7 weeks, we will be able to see her face to face, we will be able to see the gift of life.

Life.

Her name means life. We didn't even know that until we looked up the meaning after I became pregnant with her. 

Life.

How amazing is that? God knew long before she was a twinkle, a thought, a dream, what we were going to go through to get her. The very meaning of her name is the very thing we prayed for, the very thing that we spent months and months for on our knees. 

Life.

And so, I am proud to share with you, our beautiful miracle's name, given by God, is...

Evelyn Rae

Pursuit

Do you ever have a song stop you in your tracks? This one does it for me every time. Daniel Bashta released a new album last week, and I swear I could write a separate blog post about each song. The album is amazing, completely God-breathed. There were moments as I was listening to the CD that I thought, "I think God had Daniel Bashta write these songs just for me." Every single one has spoken to me. 

There is one that I have to listen to over and over. It features one of my favorite singers, Kim Walker, so of course it was going to be one of my favorite songs on the album. It came on the other day when I was driving, I hit repeat and sang along at the top of my lungs. As I sang, I couldn't help but let the tears flow. I wasn't just singing. This was my prayer, my shout to God, a pouring from my heart. 

"I will pursue You..."

We've all been guilty of it. We are on our knees during the hard times. We pray like never before, we read our Bibles. Then life takes over, things seem to be going well, and our pursuit of Him becomes second. And then something happens, big or small, and we are back at the feet of Him.

I will pursue You, no matter what - good days, bad days, okay days. 

I will pursue You - for me, for Michael, for my family, for my friends. 

"Strip everything away..."

I feel like God has been doing that in my life, especially in the last couple of weeks. Stripping down everything -  our finances, our ministry in worship, our relationships, our "normal" - until all I see is Him. A word of caution - if you ask Him to strip everything away, He will, and it will be painful. But He will make it beautiful. 

"I can't live without Your presence..."

Sometimes I think I can. I really do. I've got this, God. I can manage. 

But the reality is, I can't. No matter how much I try, no matter how much planning I do - I can't. 

I hope this song speaks to you as much as it has to me. 

Pursuit - Daniel Bashta, Kim Walker

Strip everything away

'Till all I have is You

Undo the veils

So all I see is You

I will pursue You

I will pursue Your presence

I will pursue You

I will pursue Your presence

Open my eyes

Search me inside

I can't live without Your presence

I can't live without Your presence

I'm pressing into You

So do not pass me by

I'm breaking through the boundaries

I will not be denied

I can't live without Your presence

I can't live without Your presence

I will pursue...