Blessed

Well, here we are at 35 weeks! It is so hard to believe that Mason could really come any day now. I keep telling him that he probably needs to hang out in there for a little while longer, but I think he may be trying to chisel his way out with the way he has been pushing lately! :) But, seriously, I love every little tiny movement he makes, and I am trying to just take it all in these last few weeks.

What have we been up to lately? Well, a lot actually! I am on maternity leave now and I am really enjoying it. I feel like it is just a good time to clear my mind and get focused on preparing for baby's big debut. I think it will also be a good time to just reflect on God's goodness and abundant blessing in all of this. Kyle and I have hoped and prayed to be parents, and God has faithfully answered our prayers in His perfect time. We are just so humbled by the whole idea that He would trust us with a baby...I feel so unworthy in so many ways. But I know that He will provide and guide me in all of those areas where I feel completely clueless. And really, there is no hope for this child apart from Him anyway.

Kyle and I have been blessed by baby showers two weekends in a row! It has been the most fun!! We have the most precious friends and family, and we have been really overwhelmed by their generosity these past two weeks. Last week, my dear friends from Meridian and college hosted a baby shower at Molly's house. Then today, my sweet friends from church hosted a shower at Stephanie's house. Below are some pictures from the showers.

Sweet friends Meghan and Jamie

Most of my wonderful hostesses

Mason's grandmothers and aunts

Meredith and me with my cute diaper cake

Mason will love wearing his daddy's football number!

My precious hostesses

Wishing you a wonderful week from the four of us (can't forget Scooter!).

Christmas and a Crib

Hello family and friends! I have been quite the blog delinquent lately, but now hopefully we will be back in full force. After all, Mason's due date is less than two months away! We are SO excited we can hardly stand it, although there is some anxiety that is starting to set in (moreso for mama than daddy...I have always been the worrier of the relationship!). Even though there is a lot to think about, I know that God has got this totally under control. He has known every detail about this baby boy longer than Kyle and I have even been alive, which totally blows my mind. Reminding myself of God's incomprehensible love for us helps me relax instead of stress and rejoice instead of fret. At this very moment, Mason is break dancing in my tummy and it strikes me what a miracle God is letting us witness through his little life.

A few weeks ago, Kyle put Mason's crib together. I was so proud of him...he did a great job! And even though I didn't get photographic proof of his mechanic onesie (see previous post), you can rest assured that his inner mechanic was in full force. :)

Kyle putting Mason's crib together

In other news, we had a wonderful Christmas with our families! First, we went to Meridian to stay with my family, where our time was spent relaxing, eating delicious Mema food (Mema is my amazing cook grandmother), visiting friends, watching It's a Wonderful Life, and reliving our childhoods through old family videos. We even had a white Christmas (well, we had a few flurries, but it still counts in Mississippi). :)

The girls at Mema's for Christmas Eve

If you pull out your magnifying glass, you may see a few snowflakes on Scooter's fur :)

The second half of our Christmas celebration was spent with Kyle's family in Texas. We flew in to Houston and then drove to the family farm in Nemo, home of Kyle's grandparents Mama and Big Daddy. Our time in Texas was spent visiting both sides of Kyle's family, eating fabulous Mexican food, watching lots of football, shopping around Market Street, and getting excited about two baby boys on the way!

Pawpaw with his girls and grandsons, Hayes and Mason!

The York family after a wonderful meal at Grotto

One New Year's resolution of mine: to be a better blogger! Let's see if I can keep this one :)

Dad's Perspective

Hi, this is Kyle. It's about time I added my thoughts to the blog, for better or worse. Obviously, the whole pregnancy thing is unlike any other experience. I am constantly learning new things, and fighting the temptation to feel overwhelmed with it all. The fact that Babies R Us sells 16 different brands and styles of baby bottles doesn't help. Anyway, I thought it would be funny to post some of my own thoughts and experiences along the way.

• I noticed that the box our crib came in made it very clear that this crib required "Adult Assembly Only". I guess they have to say that for liability, but seriously? Who, other than an adult, would make sport of assembling that thing? I guess the funniest thought for me was picturing our baby in a onesie mechanics outfit with a phillips-head in one hand and a greasy rag in the other, putting his own bed together as the first act of earning his keep in the York house. But, alas, I assembled it myself, as any responsible adult would. I think we should let Scooter sleep in there for a few nights to ensure that I assembled it correctly. Jennifer's not so sure.

• The piece of advice we receive more than any other, by far, is a very monotone variation of, "Well, your life is sure going to change forever." Is that even advice? It sounds more like a threat. I try to respond as sarcastically as possible, usually with a statement about how we already have a dog and therefore we know the drill. I understand the sentiment that people are trying to get across, but I thought the whole point of having a child was so that your life would change forever! That's the thing we are looking forward to most. Note: I'm sure my sarcasm meter will be off the charts about 2 weeks after the baby comes, when in a sleepless state I begin offering that same cynical advice to pregnant couples around me. 

• It's been a lot of fun lately, as our boy has become more active, to feel Jennifer's tummy and try to distinguish if the thing pushing against her is his head or his bottom. Hopefully, after he is born, we won't have as much trouble figuring out which is which.

• I've purchased three "becoming a dad" books, and I'm still not sure how helpful they are. One of the main points in all three is how expensive babies are, and how you shouldn't be stingy when it's in the best interest of the baby. But I've spent all my money on books! Shouldn't the book have a disclaimer on the cover that reads: "The cost of this book would be better spent on diapers. People raised babies just fine for centuries without a new-age book telling them what to do." 

• I realize that advancements in technology and retail variety are good things, but shopping for baby stuff is exhausting. There's too much stuff! It's weird for me to consider that Mary and Joseph cared for baby Jesus with not one single thing found at Babies R Us. How did they manage? I do, however, love the idea of the BabyBjorn things. Holding my son like a kangaroo is something I look forward to very much.

Don't worry, Jennifer will be back to posting again soon, and with pictures of me putting that crib together! Sadly, my mechanic onesie was in the wash at the time. 

If you wish to comment, how about telling us the worst advice you got while you were pregnant?

Kyle

Hello, Third Trimester!

I really cannot believe that today begins the third trimester!! Wow. When people told me that pregnancy would fly by, I must admit that in my head I thought, "Hmm...maybe for you...." Now, I can honestly say that it has been 100 % true for me. I can't wait for little man to get here, but there is a lot that needs to get done before he makes his debut! We are SO excited, though, and words just do not express our gratefulness for this precious season of our lives. I don't have long to post, but I did want to put up a new picture to show you how baby is growing. He LOVED Thanksgiving dinner, as you can probably tell! :)

27 weeks

25 Weeks and Counting

Hello all! Kyle, baby and I have had a busy start to November. I truly cannot believe it is November 16th! Even more unbelievable is that we are already 25 weeks pregnant...where has the time gone?? Baby is growing like a weed, and so is his mom. I think it happened over night (that is what everyone has been telling me today) and I am finding that the little things like tying my shoes or picking up things that I drop (which is also happening more lately) are becoming a little more difficult. But I LOVE being pregnant! Truly one of the greatest gifts of my life.

Kyle and I just got back this weekend from a fun little trip to Chicago, our favorite city. We had a ball! It was our last "just the two of us" vacation before baby boy arrives. Kyle took me to celebrate my birthday and was really sweet about doing a lot of Christmas shopping and taking sit down breaks when I got tired. We also ate a lot (have I mentioned how much I love food lately?) and just relaxed. I am thankful for my sweet husband for making my birthday so special.

21 weeks

25 weeks...I grew!

Merry Christmas from the Yorks

Eating in Chicago...what we do best! :)

Baby BOY York and Another Surprise

Yes, we are still here! It has been a busy couple of weeks. Let's start back on October 7th, one of the most joyful days of my life. Kyle and I went into our doctor's appointment at 12:30, anxious and excited to see our sweet little baby for the first time in about 11 weeks. The last time we saw baby, he looked like a little bean, and we were so excited to see all of the details that were not really developed then (hands, feet, nose, ears, etc.). The ultrasound tech told us that she was going to be quiet the whole time because she was concentrating on "checking everything out" to make sure it was ok. I am so glad she told us that, because for about 10 minutes we sat in silence and looked at baby, head to toe. I did not stop smiling the whole time. Last, but not least, we found out the gender. The ultrasound tech asked, "Can you tell what you're having?" and I said, "A little  boy??" The answer was Yes!! She said there is no doubt that it is a little boy. :) So get ready for a lot of blue (hence the abundance of blue on the blog). We are just thrilled! Here are some pictures from that day.

Baby Boy's first outfit from my parents. The hat says, "Little Sport" :)

I was so thankful that my Mom, Dad, and sister could be there!

We are having a BOY!

The next morning, we flew out at 7 a.m. (of course, I woke up at 3:15 a.m. because I was so excited I couldn't sleep!) to see Kyle's family. It timed out so well, because it was Denise's (Kyle's mom's) 55th birthday weekend, and we got to see them the next day after our ultrasound so we had many things to celebrate. Not long after we got there, we found out we had another wonderful blessing to celebrate...Ashley (Kyle's sister) and her husband Brandon announced that they are expecting!!! I wish I had a video camera of Kyle's mom unwrapping that ultrasound picture...we all went nuts! God has really blessed us in such precious and wonderful ways, and it amazes me to think about His hand in all of this. The babies are 8 weeks apart, so the cousins will be close in age, which is such a special thing in itself. Here is a picture of Kyle's mom a few minutes after finding out she was going to be a grandmother of two!

The cousins' first picture together with grandma :)

Exciting times! I have noticed that many times the mountains are followed by valleys. I have had poison ivy for a couple of weeks (first time in my life, but apparently I am highly allergic to it), so my doctor put me on a steroid. After finishing the steroid, I caught this rough cold that has kept me home from work for almost a week...eek. But now that I have started the Z pack, I am doing better and not keeping Kyle (and probably baby!) up all night because of my coughing! And hopefully baby will start to be able to recognize my voice again soon when it returns to its regular soprano range (versus an alto/tenor). :) God is so good, all the time, even when things don't seem to be going the way we think they should. May He receive glory for every good thing, as we know that all good things come from above. Until next time, much love from our family to yours!

Baby and me at about 20 weeks

I Get A Kick Out of You

Pardon the pun in the title...I get that honest from my daddy. :) I just had to post this because it was one of those moments I will never forget. On our way to run a few errands tonight, I felt the baby kick a couple of times. I have been feeling it for about a week now on and off (baby was having a party during the sermon on Sunday!), and it has been the most precious thing to me. So tonight, baby kicked me a couple of times and I told Kyle about it. We thought we'd try to see if Kyle might be able to feel the kicks from the outside. The first little kick, Kyle wasn't able to feel. But a few seconds later, we both looked at each other at the same time and gasped...he felt the kick! It was a good one, too...I think baby might have known his daddy was there because he/she was showing off. :) Truly one of the most precious moments of my life. We are so thankful that God has blessed us with the miracle of this little life.
Oh...and we are finding out if we are having a boy or girl on Thursday (three days away)!! Stay tuned. :)