Three Weeks!

Today my sweet little buddy is three weeks old. I can hardly believe how time has flown by! Beau and I celebrated the occassion by taking an extra nap together! I LOVE my nap time with the boy - he's the snuggliest, sweetest thing to fall asleep with! He loves to lay on my chest and curl up right under my chin. It's the most presh thing ever. He's also gotten so good at turning towards me when he hears my voice and can slowly follow me when I move infront of him. He even turned to Brandon this week! Brandon was so excited, I think he was feeling a little left out with Beau already turning to my voice. This week I also purchased Brandon's FIRST Father's Day gift! It's so neat to be able to get things ready for him for that day. I've seen how much he absolutely adores being a dad and he's so good to our buddy.

In other news, this past Sunday we went to church for the first time with Beau. It went fairly well,although towards the end we had to leave early due to feeding time getting close and my child knowing that. :) Tonight Beau also made his debut in Bible class, although poor buddy was struggling to stay awake! He did so good though, and even had his hand traced for a gift to give to Brandon for Father's Day.

Yesterday Beau stayed up the longest stretch thus far. We went from 3:30 to 8:00 which was a HUGE accomplishment! I'm loving having him stay awake for greater stretches, he's so much fun to be with. This weekend we have lots of events planned and tomorrow is a busy day for the both of us as well, as I have a couple places I have to go sans Beau so he'll be hanging with Gran for a bit.

I'll try to get some pictures up as soon as I can so you can see him as he continues to grow! I think I'll end here though, as I have a snuggly buddy on me right now and am anxious to cuddle with him for just a bit. :)

Happy Two Weeks, Buddy!

Our sweet little Beau Elias is two weeks old today. This morning, Gran and I took our little guy to his two week check up where he weighed in at 6 lbs and half an ounce and was 19 inches long. His doctor said he just looked perfect and we couldn't agree more. Then he told us we had to get his PKU test done. Ha. Well, I wasn't planning on there being any tests done, especially not blood work, so his feeding time was going to run into the blood time. Bad situation #1. Then there was the fact that Mommy forgot to pack the pacifier to get us through until feeding time. Bad situation #2. Then I found out that instead of getting just 5 drops of blood from my baby's heel, they needed to fill 5 dime size spots with his blood. Bad situation #3. Needless to say, my child was NOT the happiest with his mother. Can't say I was too thrilled with her either.

But the appointment and the blood draw went on and Beau is growing so much everyday! It's so neat to see his facial expressions and see him slowly learn to follow my face when we talk together. He's been trying so hard to hold his head up too! We just know he's going to get there soon enough. Another thing Beau has become fond of is being sung to. Whether its just for fun or when he's getting sleepy, Beau just LOVES having Brandon or me sing to him. His favorite for sleepy time is Isaiah 43. As soon as he starts to hear it, his eyes get SO heavy - it's the most presh thing ever! We've also been able to snap quite a few pictures of our little man's first couple weeks, with lots of nap moments with Daddy.

This little boy has brought so much to our lives and it blows me away every time I realize how much we love him. I don't think anyone could've ever fully prepared us for all the challenges that would come with having a newborn (and there are challenges!), but I also think no one fully prepared us for the emotion that would overcome us as parents.

On a side note, I also went to the doctor for my two week check and can say that my incision is healing well and that this breastfeeding business is working for losing the baby weight! I'm so glad I get to feed him; it's again one of those things that I didn't realize would be so technical, but we're really enjoying the bonding and I know all the little kinks will work themselves out soon. So, finally, here are some pictures from our fam of the last couple weeks - Happy Two Weeks, my sweet Beau Elias! (Side note: I accidentally put the pictures in reverse; the first are the most recent and so on, whoops!)

A "Beau"tiful Birth!

Yes, our boy has arrived! Beau Elias Lehrmann arrived at 12:51 AM on Wednesday, May 27, weighing in at 5 lbs 13 oz and measuring 18 3/4 " long. He has beautiful blue gray eyes and has LOTS of sandy blonde hair! Beau means "handsome," which, if you've seen any pictures of him (or even better, gotten to see him in person!), you'll agree with our choosing of the name. (Although I could be partial :) ) Elias means the Lord is my God, which is our prayer for him.

Our day began by having to go to the doctor to check Beau's status Tuesday morning at 11:30. After meeting Brandon there, getting checked in, and finishing our non-stress fetal monitoring test, we were told Dr. Ford had been in a training and that the nurses weren't sure when he would be back, that it could be 30 minutes or even an hour. They wondered if we wanted to wait it out or if we wanted to reschedule for the following day or so. Brandon decided it would be just as easy for us to wait now, since we were already there, and that if it went too far over 30 minutes, that I could just get through the rest of the appointment by myself. Well, Dr. Ford ended up coming in just about 30 minutes later and, after performing a sonogram, stated he was glad we had chosen to stay because we needed to be admitted to the hospital. In the past week, my amniotic fluid levels had diminished to very low levels in each pocket, with one pocket actually being difficult to find any in. While he said we would probably be just fine in continuing the pregnancy, he was more comfortable not taking any chances. He said we had three options, one that we could start inducing; two that we could perform a c-section; and three that we just continue the pregnancy until labor began naturally. When he asked us what we would like, Brandon asked him if this was his wife, what would he choose. After some thought, Dr. Ford rechecked me and said he'd attempt the induction. We checked in and after an hour or so, I was given an insert called Cervadil, which was supposed to ripen my cervix so I could start dilating (at this point, I was still at a zero). Well, an hour or so after that was put in, I started getting uncomfortable and, after the nurse came in and asked how I was feeling, it was confirmed that I had actually begun to have contractions. This was quite a surprise for everyone. That began around 5 and the contractions just continued to get stronger and more frequent as time passed. Something the nurses had noticed, however, was that every time I was coming down from a contraction, that Beau's heartbeat would drop slightly. Around 10:30 that evening, our nurse came in and said that Dr. Ford had suggested we take out the Cervadil and then at 11, start Pitocin. She seemed unsure that our baby would be able to handle the Pitocin, but we went on with removing the Cervadil. For the next hour and a half, I continued to have very intense contractions. During this time, as Brandon later told me (and I'm so glad he waited until after all this was over!), as my contractions would come to an end, Beau's heartbeat would jump to around 200 and then sharply drop to around 80 before regulating itself. This ended up being the tidbit that began everything else. At 12:15, Dr. Ford came in and informed Brandon and me that a vaginal delivery would no longer produce a healthy baby for us and that a C-section was the only viable option we had. Well done deal. No questions asked. I simply said ok, let's go, and I was wheeled into surgery where I was prepped and numbed and within 15 minutes after that, had our baby out. It took them about 30 minutes or so to finish putting me back together and at that point, I was able to finally see my son. Brandon had been with him the entire time since birth (and actually watched how he was born!), and was just the proudest daddy. From that point on, we've been spending as much time as possible with our boy.

We had a lactation specialist visit with us yesterday and she was such a blessing to speak with! She stayed with us for over an hour and helped us both learn the best ways for me to feed Beau (and ways Brandon can help). He ate SO much better yesterday and we know its so largely due to her help and willingness to stay, watch, and give insight into how to best nourish our little guy. We've also been so grateful for all the messages, visits, calls, and prayers that we've received! We were overwhelmed with gratefulness and joy at all the messages we were able to read after getting to check our emails and facebook accounts last night. We've also enjoyed every text, phone call, and visit we've received!! I'm so sorry we had to cut visits short the past couple days, I had developed a fever from the surgery a couple nights ago and we had only gotten around two hours of sleep for the night after that (and are just now getting into how to work on that!). I'm happy to say though that we were able to get about 4 hours of sleep last night and are feeling quite well today! That's not to say that I'm not about to take a nap, as the pain medicine I'm on makes me a little drowsy, and it seems if I don't get a 30 minute or so nap in, I start to get nauseous. So, hopefully, after I get my staples removed, we'll be on our way home today. Beau's already been released from the pediatrician here, so he's just waiting on Mommy to get released so he can go home and see his new crib! :)

Welcome to the world, Beau Elias. We love you so much more than we could have ever realized.

Some of the best things in life come in little packages.

Well, we had our appointment yesterday to see how our little guy's holding up. My doctor started out by measuring my fundal height and, afterwards, said I was measuring a little small. He said that could easily be due to the fact that my muscles were a little stronger with this being our first child, but that he'd feel better looking at him on a sonogram (which we had scheduled to get anyway). So we waited in one room while they got the next room ready and were finally shuffled across the hall. There, we got to see our little boy. It was SO nice to see him again since the last time had been at 20 weeks! We saw a very strong heartbeat and were COMPLETELY assured that indeed we are having a boy. :) After though, our doctor measured how much he felt our boy was weighing and his growth. He started to talk to me about how some women can carry larger children and others it seems are designed to carry smaller ones. It appears I'm the latter. At first he said our boy was only measuring at 5 to 5 1/2 lbs and then after taking all his measurements, came back with 5 lbs 15 oz. While he said that's just fine, it can still waver up to a pound either way and we'd prefer it to not lean the pound on the lighter side. He then wanted to have a non-stress fetal monitor put on him for 20 minutes, just to make sure he's doing ok. So off to another room. At first I was set up on my back, but after 10 minutes or so of him not really moving and having a slower heartbeat, they turned me on my side. That must've awoken him because his heartbeat sure got faster and he kicked that monitor a few times in a row! We were reassured after 20 minutes that he seems to be doing well. After, Dr. Ford told us that since I have yet to dilate, we'll schedule to come back in next Tuesday (our original due date) for another sonogram and non-stress test. If he sees that our little one hasn't put on much weight (which doesn't seem very likely), then we'll induce the end of next week. He said it may simply be that our little boy has gotten everything he's going to get from inside me and is ready to be out. We're not sure, but we'll see how he's doing on Tuesday. For right now, we simply have to check his movement throughout the day and let them know if he goes for an extended period without movement. I know God's completely in control of this and is watching over our sweet little guy, but I found myself upset at first that I might've done something wrong. I know this is only Satan playing mind games with me, but it was SO hard to not feel like a bad mother and not worry that I should've/could've done something different. Thankfully, I have a wonderful husband who continually keeps reassuring me that sometimes the best things in life come in small packages. :) Sounds like he's pretty much on target with our bundle. So right now we just pray Bundle keeps growing, but if not, that we have a safe delivery next week. We'll update again with news as soon as we know, but for now, it looks like Bundle (and Bundle's name!) will be revealed on the 28th or 29th!

Doctor Visits and Showers

That pretty much sums up what's been going on with me for the last couple weeks. A week and a half ago, a group of super sweet ladies threw Bundle and me a shower (Bundle much more than me...I just got to open up all the fun stuff!). It was so beautiful! Once we get our computer back in working condition, I'll be sure to post some pictures from it. Needless to say, Bundle was quite blessed by SO many people and we are now ready more than ever for him to arrive! We had wonderful gifts ranging from adorable little onesies, to a special Batman costume, cute little socks that look like sneakers, special cards, I really could go on and on... When Brandon and I were finally sitting in our living room, just looking around at all the special items people had purchased for our little one, we couldn't help but comment on how good God is. It just amazes us that there are so many people that are looking forward to getting to meet this little guy; that there are so many people praying for his safe arrival.

The following Wednesday I went to see our doctor and had our first major "check" to see how Bundle's progressing. Well...we're starting to thin out, but we're pretty sure Bundle's needing some more baking time, which was fine by us, while we're excited to have him here, we want him to take all the time he needs to get ready and be in the best shape possible! While I was there, I also asked Dr. Ford about getting sick, since at that point Brandon had been sick for about a week and a half. He assured me I was doing really well, to just rest and if anything should start, to let him know. Mind you, I had made it all the way to that visit not being sick at all through my pregnancy (that includes morning sickness as well!), so I was feeling really good about getting to the finish line minus any sickness. And then Thursday came. While putting some last finishing touches on Bundle's room, I noticed I had started to have some female problems that were getting worse by the hour. So after calling Dr. Ford's office, they had me come in and proceeded to give me antibiotics and over the counter medicine to take for a week. I started the regimen Thursday night feeling pretty optimistic. Friday I was still feeling very uncomfortable with my first infection, and was noticing I was getting another infection. I must've caught what Brandon had! I couldn't believe the irony; I was just telling Brandon how amazing it was to have made it this far without being sick at all. Next time I'll remember to keep quiet about that. :) As of yesterday, my first infection was still not going away, so I called back my doctor and they told me to come in this morning at ten. There I was checked and told to refill my antibiotic and start a shorter regimen, this only being the next four days. I'm praying this will resolve itself! In reference to my second infection (Or whatnot), I ended up self-doctoring myself through last night, when I woke up coughing and hacking up phlegm like crazy! (Gross I know, but this is what cued me to not self-doctor anymore from here on out) I mentioned that as well this morning after my doctor asked me if I felt ok. I'm now on a couple other OTC meds and am fervently praying to be 100% by the end of the weekend!

I was able to get out of my doctor's appointment today just in time to go to my noon budget meeting at work. I've been trying hard to make sure everything's in order for when I go on maternity, so that when I get back, it's smooth sailing on into the start of school! I was about 5 minutes late walking in and, after being told Janet (my boss) was in the back of the building that we usually don't meet in, was met by a surprise baby shower! My face must've conveyed everything I was thinking, because every single lady laughed and commented on how surprised I looked! There was tons of food, a precious baby cake, games, and gifts! I was honestly so overwhelmed by people's sweet thoughts that I was tearing up on my way home from work today. God is so good to us to have placed so many amazing people in my and Brandon's lives. The back of my car is now refilled with gifts that Brandon and I will get to go through again once he gets home from work, yay!

So now we're pretty much at the point of just waiting. I want this little guy to take the time he needs to get strong and ready to face the outside world, so I'm preparing for the distinct possibility that we will probably go past our due date. Brandon and I have been talking the last few nights over all the changes we've been through in our relationship and how becoming a parent is just one more blessing and challenge that we're so excited to meet head-on together. I truly don't think I would be as excited about all the little things I am if I didn't have Brandon to share them with. God has truly shown me unconditional love through him. Sometimes we laugh at how good it is we got married to each other, because no one else quite gets us the way we get each other and I realize how true that is. I'm more comfortable, at ease, and myself with him than with any other person. And how amazing we get to meet a little bundle that's part him and part me. :)

Well, I guess I better go start on some thank you's; I had finished my last one yesterday from church, so it's off to the work ones!

34 Weeks...Whoa!

Here I am at 34 weeks, sipping on my raspberry flavored water. Brandon was just to the point that he needed to have a full profile shot before our little guy came. I think it's funny our bathroom is in the background, considering it and I have become great friends the last few weeks!

So, enjoy!

Big Enough

I've been thinking and praying quite a bit today, and just felt like writing out some thoughts and feelings I've been having. Maybe then they'll seem to make sense. Then again, perhaps not. ;)

Last night my sister and I were having a casual conversation. You know, one of those where its friendly, but not really...deep. We had talked a little about school, about the coming summer and her classes, and a little about her boyfriend. Through the course of us discussing her relationship and the struggles she and her friend face due to struggles my sister is still dealing with, faith was brought up. She had said how she and this young man had differing views on faith and when I implored as to those differences, she simply said that he believed in a god, but didn't know much more than that. When I asked her how she felt about God, and really, did she believe in him, she said that she didn't understand him and was so angry with him. This statement spurred me on to have her expand on what she meant. I had a feeling I knew some of what she was talking about, but wanted her to expand in her own words and through her own feelings. She said she couldn't understand how a loving and merciful God could allow what had happened to us, that he should've stopped it all. She felt as though he blew off her affection for him through that, and that he must hate her.

At this point, I quickly let her know that God did NOT hate her. In fact, he loves her more than anyone else ever could. I also let her know that it was ok to be angry where she's at, that our God is big enough to take on all the anger and frustration she could ever muster up. We discussed how God did NOT delight in what had happened, that it broke his heart and angered him as well. We went through several different scriptures discussing God's sadness and anger at his creation doing things he did not want and went a little into how God gives us free will in this world to do great good...and unfortunately, to do great evil. I told her that our God loves us so much that he's willing to step back and allow us to freely choose him...and to risk watching us freely walk away. He desires a relationship with us, he pursues us, and desires to be pursued. I let her know that our God loves an honest question, especially when it spurs us to probe deeper into our relationship and love with him. She mentioned how it seemed there were so many people in OT that questioned God's workings, but then we went over how God still provided and proved himself, even though being God he never has to. He does continually for our benefit, and ours alone.

All of this transpired in maybe forty-five minutes of communication and we ended with her saying she appreciated me talking with her. I'm so strongly praying this will be the first of many discussions we'll have about God. In talking with Brandon last night and this morning about this, he reminded me how neat it must be to be in the position he was in with me when I started to question who God was and what he wanted to do with me. I was reminded how wonderful it is when you get to discuss God and his desires for us, his relationship for us, and the sacrifices he makes to be with us. Talking with her moves me to go over different parts of the Bible I haven't (sadly) looked at in awhile with fresh eyes, and reminds me that God's constantly pursuing me in ways I don't always notice.

Please pray for this situation. Pray I'm able to openly and honestly take on any question my sister may have with sincerity and the words of the Spirit. Pray my sister will even ask again. I have no timeline and no expectations, but I trust in our Lord and am so joyous in seeing how he's working. I know he's big enough to handle all the critiques, criticisms, and questions that may come his way.

The Guy's Room

Bouncer (stuffed animal WILL be removed before the boy sits :) )


Close-up of the changing table


Verse we decided on and that I painted and fixed onto some ply board we bought

Lamp

Changing table and dirty clothes bin

This will be hung on the wall (with a picture inside!)

Curtains

Bedding and first bear (Brandon picked him out)

Crib all set and ready to be slept in!

So there ya go! Enjoy!

Great Day and Little Scares

So today Brandon and I went in for our most recent Dr. appointment. We've been anxious to go, as Bundle's debut is getting closer and closer, and we just love getting to hear that sweet guy's heartbeat (especially since Brandon missed the last one). We also had some questions we had thought up since our last visit, since between that time we'd been to our childbirthing class and had experienced some minor (and new) discomforts in this journey through pregnancy. Dr. Ford said my glucose test came back good and that my measurements and weight were terrific, so that was super exciting to hear. We got to hear the guy's heartbeat and afterwards, Dr. Ford asked about his movements. Now, in the last month or two, Bundle's been quite active, throwing some hard kicks and punches just to remind me he's hanging in there and growing like a weed! However, since Monday his activity level has dropped quite a bit, and Monday evening we were a little nervous that something might be wrong, as it was over 5 hours between times of me feeling any movements from him. When we explained this to him today, he hooked me up to a fetal monitor and let it monitor Bundle for 20 minutes while I laid on my left side. I was to press a black button any time I felt movement from him in any way. While he went to go check on other patients as we let the 20 minutes go by, Brandon and I just watched and prayed in anticipation that everything would go right and that our tough little guy was doing alright. After the 20 minutes, he came in and looked over our results and said that he was doing ok right now, but that if we have more decreased activity to either call him or go to Labor and Delivery to be checked out (after hours). So right now our prayer is that this decreased movement is just a growth spurt for our guy and that he's just beginning to run out of room to punch! I'm so glad Brandon was with me today as well, as I tend to overly worry (this whole first time mom thing is tricky!) and he helps remind me that God is in control and that no matter what, we'll be ok. As far as the rest of our appointment, we see that we're right on schedule and that our boy's just continuing to grow! Praise God!

We've also been realizing what a special day May 26th will be. Not only is our precious guy due, but our friends Adam and Alisha are set to be due the same day with their third little boy, Brandon's cousin Rachel is set to leave for the Mayo Clinic where she will hopefully find some answers to help with her illness, and sweet Mayre Stewart is scheduled for her last chemo treatment. What a wonderful day!! We're praying this day brings forth so much goodness (2 babies, although we're quite aware probably not, ha; answers to a debilitating illness, and an end to nasty chemo treatments!), and we're so sure that God will provide!

Today I've been lifting up prayers for our friends Chris and Kristin, who went in this morning to deliver their sweet boy Sutton via C-Section. We know this isn't the course they had planned, but we know through the doctors and all that surround them, that God will have his hand in this and that we'll soon have word that sweet Sutton has arrived safely and that Kristin is recovering without any problems.

Brandon and I have pretty much finished most of Bundle's room and while I don't have pictures to post just yet, I can tell you going in there is so exciting! It's so neat to realize in just a matter of weeks that a little boy will be in there! As soon as I can, I'll be sure to post some images to enjoy!

Well, I think that about sums up our last week or so, I know it's been far longer since I last posted, but the guy's letting me know it's time to eat some lunch, so...I think I'll follow his direction. :)

Getting Closer

We're getting closer to Bundle's debut! I'm now at almost 29 weeks (tomorrow), so we have approximately 11 weeks until the Big Day. Brandon and I are getting so excited knowing our boy will be here with us so soon; it seems like time is flying by! We recently got some baby items (i.e. his bedding, diaper holder, and high chair) and thought we'd post them along with a very recent snapshot of me (well, me and my ever growing tummy!). It's hard to believe how God allows my body to change to allow Bundle to grow, but how amazing! He lets me know every day that he's there though, and his kicks are getting quite strong. I think he's going to be just like his daddy, a bundle of muscle when he's born. It's so neat though, every time he really gets revved up and is kicking like crazy, a simple touch and talk with Dad seems to calm him.

We've also been busy seeing different friends over the last couple weeks, both of whom are pregnant also! Lizzie and Justin are due in August and Kristin and Chris are due in 28 days! It was so nice for Brandon and me to get to spend some time with these good friends, it reminded us of how important relationships with others are.

So without further ado, here are some pictures to enjoy!

Me at 28 weeks

Bundle's comforter

Brandon LOVES this. :)

Diaper holder (to go on changing table later)

Highchair and bowls

Happy Valentine's Day!

So today is Valentine's Day! The hubs and I decided that we'd make pizza and vegetarian nachos for dinner together and then have marble brownie sundaes for dessert...yum! It was SO much fun cooking together in the kitchen, and Brandon was so good at making the pizza dough, even our sweet boy kicked with glee after I ate it! :)

This last week we had another doctor's appointment where we got to hear our little guy's heartbeat and were told at our next visit that I would have my blood sugar tested. We were also informed that I have a kidney infection. I was set to leave for a business trip to Austin in just a few hours and asked my doctor if that would still be ok. After reassuring me it would be alright, he sent me with a prescription to fill just in case my pain didn't decrease or subside after increasing my hydration. Well, come Thursday I was in rather awful pain and after calling Brandon and Brandon calling our doctor, I was told to fill my prescription and call him Monday. My pain's feeling much better (it's now completely tolerable!), so hopefully this infection will clear up soon. (Side note: the worst pain was actually in my back, where my kidneys are; boy can that pain be sharp!)

As for my trip to Austin, I went with my boss to a 3 day conference hosted by the Texas Homeless Education Office. The conference itself was really informative and I was even able to bring back some neat classroom tools my mother-in-law can possibly use in her class. We ate at some really neat and eclectic places that were Austin locals and I ate a lot of vegetarian meals which were quite delicious! I made it through the car rides, but Friday afternoon, was very ready to be home. There's just something about home that makes me so ready to get back to it after a long trip (or day!).

Tuesday we were so pleased to hear that Brandon's cousin Rachel and her husband George welcomed their sweet baby girl, Haley Clarke Price, into the world. From the pictures I've seen so far, Haley is so beautiful and I'm sure she'll be even more so when I get to meet her in person! We're praying so very hard for Rachel though, as she's having a hard time recovering and sadly had to watch Haley and George go home today while she stays in the hospital for a few more to get some treatment. Please pray she's able to get home to her husband and little girl soon!

Brandon and I are really starting to work on what we need to do to our boy's room. I finished the letters for his nursery last week and we're deciding on the scripture verse we want written on the wall. We've picked out his bedding, we just have to purchase it, and then I can go get his curtains. It's so neat to think our little one will be here in 3 months and Brandon and I keep praying for a healthy remainder of pregnancy for both the boy and myself. We've been so blessed thus far and can only hope it continues.

I know I need to post a picture on here of how I look at almost 26 weeks now, as I've officially "popped," but our camera's giving us issues, so that's out for the meantime. No worries though, I'll get one on here soon. :) Trust me though, there's no denying the little one I'm carrying around!

Pictures to be posted soon and please keep Rachel, George, and baby Haley in your prayers!

Growin' Up is Hard to Do!

Ha, well some days anyway. Since finding out we were expecting a precious little bundle, Brandon's been hard at work reworking our budget and figuring out all we need to do now that we've bought a house and are going to have a child (a son!). Let me tell you, that involves some work. We've been busy discussing our wills, talking through who would take care of our son in the event something happens to both of us, going through our finances, meeting with financial planners to discuss life insurance so either one of us and our son is covered if something should happen to the other, etc, etc, etc...whew! And that's not even all of it! It's also figuring out how to afford to take care of all these expenses and sitting down and truly praying over what's important and what's a luxury disguised in necessity's clothing. Today we met with a financial planner and started going over our assets and liabilities, what our financial and personal goals are for the future, and our wishes should something happen to us. We went over how we want to finance our child's college education, and our wishes for our child in his early education. We went over disability insurance, long-term care, and at least a dozen other terms that I didn't totally understand, but am luckily married to a CPA who was able to comprehend with ease. We see how we will have to give up luxuries that we've been blinded into seeing as necessities for some time, and I'm reworking our food budget to make it stretch while still making nutritious and healthy meals for my family. And from all this...we are seeking God and his goodness and are being filled by all the wonderful solutions we're finding.

My husband and I have sat many nights on our couch, discussing our future and the way we want to rear our son. A very good friend recommended "Shepherding a Child's Heart" and I can't tell you how blessed and CONVICTED we've been by its message. We're viewing childrearing in a somewhat completely different light and are realizing our true call to our son. There's an excerpt from the book that I keep replaying in my mind that says, "Children do respond. They are not neutral. They are not simply the sum total of what you and I put into them; They interact with life either out of a true covenant of faith or out of an idolatrous covenant of unbelief." To have this be boldly stated has convicted me of the fact that my child will NOT be undeciding; he will choose either to follow the Lord, or he will choose to follow the world. This realization is very sobering and makes me so excited at all Brandon and I are choosing to do and teach our child. We are seeing how we are God's agents to exercise authority with our child and how we cannot afford to direct him for our own agenda or convenience; we are authorities who direct and require obedience because God requires us to obey. However, our authority is not to be seen as cruel, but as one who loves them utterly and profoundly.

Each chapter Brandon and I read, the harder we dive into God's word, seeing how he directs our childrearing and how he guides our hands in our direction. If anything, this book has motivated us to see how living by the Word is of utmost importance not only for childrearing, but for living our lives for the Lord.

Going back to our budget, Brandon asked me if there was any way I could lower our monthly grocery bill. Luckily, we have this wonderful book called "Good Food for Hard Times" and it is full of recipes using basic ingredients. You can tailor them to be more healthful (as I often do), but it shows you the value that basic staples have. I'm looking at planting a garden which I have NEVER done (!), but am very prayful will be a success and something that I can do to provide for my family. I've already started making several recipes from the book and serving them as dinner and Brandon's been very pleased, so it seems we're well on our way!

Oh, and in case anyone's wondering, yes, we're keeping Bundle's name a secret. We're doing this for a couple of reasons: 1) Brandon and I get all the time we need to solidify the name we want for our sweet boy 2)We get to share in having something sweet and private with our boy for a few months 3)Being the oldest of four girls, I never knew what my sisters' names would be and always found it to be such fun the day of their birth when I'd get to not only meet this new sister of mine, but find out her sweet name! It was like Christmas! Luckily, Brandon shares in the desire to keep our baby's name a secret, so you'll have to wait another 17 1/2 weeks to find out! :)

Whew, I've been going on for awhile and haven't even touched on so many other things that have been going on in our lives! I guess that'll just have to wait for another post!

Babies and Anniversaries

What a wonderful start I've had to the new year! On the 2nd, Brandon and I celebrated one year of wedded bliss. It was so fun to remember how wonderful our wedding was! Brandon suggested we look at our wedding photos while we ate our breakfast of yummy cinnamon rolls. Then he gave me my anniversary gift (which he said the first year is the paper year, so he heard) which was our wedding vows, written in calligraphy on sturdy sheets of paper all ready for me to frame. It was so neat to read over the words we wrote to each other and see how they still impact us today and God willing for many years to come. My sweet in-laws said they'd watch Huck and Annie all day and night for us, so we went to Burleson and Fort Worth and ate lunch at TGI Friday's, which would normally not be any big deal, but was because it was where we stopped on our way to the airport after we got married. My husband is SUCH a romantic! Then I took him to get a new pair of pants for work and a couple new ties. He looked so nice and was so excited, since pants were something he'd been needing recently. Did I mention that he even got all dressed up for me? He had a dress shirt, sweater, and tie on and if ANY of you know my husband, you know this is a big deal. He looked so handsome, I was so proud to be on his arm. We walked around Hulen Mall next, and were planning on going to P.F. Chang's for dinner, but I got a little sick, so Brandon suggested we go home, get in our pj's, and order in take-out and watch a movie. Again, what a selfless and adoring husband I have. The day was so wonderful and I feel so blessed to be with such an amazing man.

Moving on to today. Brandon and I have been counting down to this day since our last Dr.'s appt 4 weeks ago. Literally. We had a countdown on the fridge. We've been so anxious to learn whether or not we can call this sweet bundle a "he" or a "she." We got to the doctor's office a little early and were taken right back. Unfortunately, we waited for a little while, but I think it was more of our anticipation built up than the actual time. Finally, our wonderful doctor came in and the sonogram began. He showed us our sweet baby's brain, its arms, chest, legs, and feet. We even got to hear its sweet heartbeat again and I tell you, there is ujst something about hearing your child's heartbeat that makes you want to melt. Finally, he looked at Brandon and me and said, "Now I'm sure there's one question you have for me before you leave, right?" Brandon and I just smiled. He looked down below and said, "Well, looks like you're having a boy." A BOY!! When he showed us our baby's "area," there was NO denying we are in fact having a boy. Brandon just beamed. I think I was just so excited, I couldn't find words. We left walking out on clouds.

So yes people, we're having a sweet little boy. We are so excited and see how great our God is. To be able to see our boy's growing body and know that (so far) everything is going perfectly is such a blessing. We also, however, have assurance in him that even if something DOES go wrong, our God will be right there, carrying us (and our son...wow, I'm going to have a son!) through.

So praise God! Sweet "Boy" Lehrmann will be here before we know it!

A Quick Merry Christmas and Countdown Special!

A very Merry Christmas to everyone! I pray your holiday is full of joy, love and peace. And so now, onto the countdown!

2 days until Christmas!

10 days until Brandon's and my first Anniversary!!

14 days until our gender sonogram!!!

We have a wonderful two weeks ahead of us!

Merry Christmas!

Sweetest Sound

So this will be a fairly short post, as I'm pretty busy today, but had to stop and say a few things about how the last couple weeks have gone. Thanksgiving was wonderful, it was very mellow and laid back for us this year, but really gave Brandon and I the perfect opportunity to spend some "us" time together since he's been working until at least 7:30 during the weekdays for the last several months and our time to just have "us time" is getting shorter by the days!

Our Annie girl had her surgery and while I'm not supposed to call until 4:30 to see how she's doing, I'm positive everything went well. Our Annie's a trooper, and I have no doubts that she'll be back on her feet running around in no time.

This weekend Brandon's cousin Rachel had her baby shower for little Haley that will be here in February and it was so lovely! There were so many terrific women there with such great gifts that I know Rachel and George appreciate so much. Haley's going to be one cutely dressed little girl!

Today we had our second baby appointment and I'm once again made aware and grateful of what a wonderful doctor we've entrusted our baby's and my health through this. He's just such a good Christian man and helps keep us informed of what all is going on and what all is yet to come and assures us that he will be there to help us through every step. I just don't think having someone that wasn't as tuned in to his relationship with God would be so willing to be there for our every whim! We were able to hear our baby's heartbeat and I can say, there is no sweeter sound to me right now than the sound of my child's heartbeat and the knowing that it's doing well.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of going around Cleburne and talking with many of the different social service organizations. I can tell you, I was so humbled by their operations and by their sound commitment to helping those in need. It left me in great prayer and thanks to God to see what amazing people are standing by his word to help those less fortunate. I think my heart had been hardening a little over the last month or so, and it seems God presented the right opportunity to soften it and show me how he's working all around me.

I taught our ladies' bible class last Wednesday and what a blessing that was! I was very nervous but these ladies were so encouraging in their words and spirit that class went by faster than I was able to realize! I'm so grateful to have these ladies in my life to help encourage me in my walk and mentor me.

Well, I know these events have all been out of order, but I've been writing as I remember them. Tonight is our ladies' Christmas party, so I need to start making my food for this evening. I pray everyone's having a wonderful holiday season!

Getting into the holiday spirit

So it's Friday...Happy Friday! This week has been a long one for both Brandon and myself, as we've been working long and hard (although Brandon MUCH longer and MUCH harder!), so we're really looking forward to the weekend and hoping he doesn't have to go in tomorrow. So I've had such a great morning today that I just had to pass the story on in hopes to get everyone in the holiday mood. Since I'm the Homeless Liaison for the school district here, I get all the phone calls about the homeless kiddos not having coats, clothing for school, etc. I received a phone call yesterday from a mom who's 7-year old little girl did not have a coat, but merely a little hoodie that she was wearing, and was wondering if I could find a coat for her. Well, I set off on my list of people to call and asked our church's clothing ministry if they thought they might have a coat for a sweet little 2nd grader. I was told they might, but were not completely sure, as it's been getting a little cooler here and so coats and sweaters are flying off the shelves down there on days they give out clothes. I was interested and they said they'd be open today, so for me to stop by around 8:30-9:00 to check and see. I called the mom back and asked if it'd be ok if her little girl got the coat tomorrow, I had a lead on one that I could get to her by mid-morning. She was SO appreciative and said that would be fine, so this morning, as I was getting ready to head down to our clothing room, I was just praying it would fit; if it didn't, I was definitely considering looking at stopping by Goodwill to see if they had any gently used coats I could just purchase with my own money, as we had already spent money on this child for clothing and are only allotted so much. When I walked out to the car this morning, BURR!, it was cold and I just knew that sweet little girl needed a coat today, no matter where it came from, but I was hoping and praying with all I had that this would be the coat for her as I drove. When I got the The Bridge (our clothing room; which is indeed right next to a bridge), the sweet lady I spoke with yesterday showed me this adorable gently used fur coat and I just knew it was going to work, but when I looked at the size, it was smaller than what the child's mother had told me she wore. So I told the lady that I would try it on her and if it didn't fit, that I'd be back so some other child could use the coat. So off I went to this little girl's school, wanting so badly for the coat to fit. When I got to the office, the secretary told me to wait as she went to get the little girl from P.E. When that sweet girl came into the office (this was the first time for me to see the child face-to-face), she looked so sweet and so innocent and so COLD. I asked her if she'd like to try on this coat for me, that if it fit, I'd love for her to have it. Well, she eagerly tried on the coat and what do you know...it fit PERFECTLY!! I couldn't believe it fit so well, I was so worried it was going to be too tight or too short, but no, it fit her like a glove! It was the sweetest thing to watch her wrapping herself up in it, smiling and walking down the hall, just clutching the ends of it around her body. I was so happy and so grateful!! When I went back to The Bridge with our thank you letter, I let the women know they had just made one little girl SO happy! One of the ladies told me that it was amazing they even had the coat, as they didn't get very many little girls' coats in and the ones they did flew off the shelves. She also said this one was even from last winter; how amazing! It was just as if God was allowing all this to happen and for that coat to have been put aside so this precious little girl could have a coat to keep her warm. It was so encouraging for me to really look at that and realize how so many things occur and get taken of, all with God's touch.

Well, I just wanted to share that story. It just made my morning start off so well and get me in what the true spirit of the holidays is all about. I hope everyone has a great weekend and are looking forward to the major start of the holidays next week!

Houses and Babies

Hello blogging world! So sorry I've been away so long, but I wanted to make sure I had things to tell when I wrote next. The past three weeks Brandon and I have been busy closing on a house (yes, our first house!) and anticipating our first prenatal visit, which was today. Back to the house, we bought our very first house and couldn't be more excited! It's so amazing to sit around and look at walls (yep, walls) and just realize they're yours. Brandon and I have spent a couple nights just commenting on how wonderful it is to know this place is our own, a place we plan to bring our bundle home to in May. How good God is!

In other news, we found out last week that our sweet Annie has a hernia (a rather large one) and that her intestines keep falling in its hole (?) and there poses a risk of her blood supply somehow getting cut off and potentially killing her. As scary as that sounds, we decided to see how much it would cost for her surgery (which they said would be the most effective way to remedy her ailment) and thankfully its quite easy for us to afford. So Miss Annie will be having surgery on December 9 as we once again praise God for letting that be an easy decision to make.

Now, on to the baby! This morning was our first appointment with Dr. Ford. What an amazing man! He and his entire staff were so gracious and made Brandon and I feel so assured that our baby is in good medical hands. I will tell you though, I was so anxious, I could barely sleep a wink last night! I kept tossing and turning, looking over at the alarm clock to see if it was time to get up. I think I might have driven Brandon just a tad nuts... :) SO, we were able to have a sonogram and WOW!, I am once again amazed at the workings of God's hands. We just sat there, speechless, as Dr. Ford showed us our baby kicking around and playing with it's hands...it was just amazing. Dr. Ford asked me what I thought and all I could come up with was "I'm in awe at how amazing that is." We could see it's face, legs, feet, hands, elbows, and heart...something I don't think either of us thought we would really see! I think we both went in thinking it wasn't going to look like, well...a baby. Brandon commented on how it was going to look like a sea monkey...ha, well he was rather pleasantly surprised. I couldn't help but tear up at realizing that this precious bundle is actually growing (and MOVING!) inside me and that God made it to where my body knows how to grow and reposition itself to accomodate this amazing little person. Ah, and we also found out we're a little further along than we thought. We thought we were at 11 weeks 2 days, but we found out we're actually at 12 weeks and are due May 26...which just so happens to be one day after my own birthday. I can't think of a more amazing birthday gift. Well, here's a couple pictures of our sweet little bundle at 12 weeks, enjoy!


(The first is with its head up top and its arm outstretched; the bottom is an upside down side view...I never thought I would know what I'm looking at, but I guess it's true that when it's your own, you just see it!)

Prego Pics

Well, I finally got around to letting Brandon take a picture of me prego. Here are some fun pictures we've taken through the time we've known we're expecting...enjoy!


The proud papa-to-be!




Bad lighting, but yep, they're two lines!




The flowers that were there to welcome me home the day we found out!











The first one says "It's a baby girl" - ?; the second says "It's a baby boy" - ?; the third says "I love you" - Absolutely; I just love my husband!

Me at 8 1/2 weeks...already forming a pooch!

Our sweet little Lehrmann-to-be!

Isaiah 43

Well, I sure hope everyone who had the pleasure of having a 3-day weekend certainly enjoyed it; I know we did here at the Lehrmann house! Saturday we had our home inspection (yes, Brandon and I got a house! Praise God!) and that went so well, there were only a few minor issues to be resolved. I was so excited that I asked Brandon if we could go to Lowe's to look at some paint colors, etc. right afterwards. He, being the sweet guy he is, first took me to get lunch (what a treat!) and then went to Lowe's and looked around at EVERYTHING! It was so much fun, just walking down the aisles, holding hands, commenting on all the different paint choices, flooring choices, appliances, etc. Definitely a good time! After that, we went over to my in-laws, who were watching the two kiddos (again, another treat!) and hung around there for awhile. They too, just moved into a new house, so yes, Lehrmanns' are moving and changing all over the place! (Brandon also has a cousin that's getting married in May, just a little over a week before "Bundle" is due) We finished off the night catching up on some "Heroes" via NBC.com and then fell asleep to HGTV.

Sunday we went to worship and study and then Lisa (my mom-in-law) and I went to Subway and Kroger to get lunch for the guys and Meme. It was such a good time, sitting around at Meme's eating, talking, and watching Huck and Annie wrestle...I just had to smile to myself thinking what a great family I'm a part of! Later that day the girls in the family (Lisa, Sherry, Rachel and myself) all went to Rosa's to eat and then did a little fun shopping. I tell you, now that we're expecting, baby items/clothing/etc is all SO fascinating! I refrained from buying, except for some 99% fat free blueberry muffins that I thought would go well for breakfast the next morning.

Monday Brandon and I got up and yes, ate those blueberry muffins! We also went over to Meme's a bit in the morning to take care of some things she needed and chatted a bit before heading up to Target. I had been there the day before, but had forgotten to bring my gift cards with me, but had a great idea of what I wanted to get. Well, what I was planning on getting and what I actually got were two rather different things. What I was planning on getting were some items for the bathrooms and some bed linens and a pregnancy book...what I got were some tortilla chips and spinach and artichoke chips, corn and black bean salsa, some fat-free popcorn, peanuts, a pregnancy book (yes, that item WAS on the list), and a cute little onesie for Bundle (in a green and cream neutral, of course). Oh well, my stomach was beginning to talk and Brandon just told me to go with it! After that, we met up with some dear friends, Matt and Emily, and their sweet boy, Jackson, in Fort Worth. We ate at Pei Wei (yum!!) and then walked around Babies R Us (it was honestly a bit overwhelming!), before heading back to town and making a small pit-stop at Marble Slab. What a fun time we had; these friends are so wonderful! That night, Brandon laid down on our bed with me and sang Isaiah 43 to our baby. Now, we know it can't hear us yet, but I just teared up as he sang and rubbed his hand across my stomach. It was like God put that on him to sing, because it was something I needed to hear and be reminded of as well.

Well, in case you're wondering, pregnancy is such a blessing! Whenever people ask, I simply say, "As long as I don't feel well, that means it's all ok!" My morning sickness is somewhat more of a come-and-go-throughout-the-day type sickness.But it's wonderful. Every little thing about this is wonderful. Brandon and I keep praying to God to watch over our little one and are constantly letting him know that no matter what happens, we know he is in control and his love outmeasures even our own.

Thank you to everyone that has given me such encouragement throughout this short time since we've found out we're expecting! So many people, whether they've known or not, have given me such reassurance of God's plan for me, and for this life I'm living for him. I am his, and he is my Lord - hope everyone has a terrific rest of the week!

I didn't drink the water!

**Warning: Lots of emotions were outpoured during the writing of this post, so I'm so sorry if it seems I keep focusing on negative things...I promise, I'm just sorting through and tossing out all the negative junk. :)

Ha, it's been awhile since I've blogged, but Brandon and I have been over our heads swimming in things to do. I know many have been wondering when I would be updating, and after some time to reflect on what I want to say and how I want to say it, I'm ready.

First off, we're PREGNANT! There we go...it's out there. Yes, this was completely UNexpected, and yes, we're now totally excited. We're at 6 1/2 weeks and we feel so blessed to be experiencing this incredible joy of impending parenthood. While it's incredibly scary and going to the "unknown," I fully believe God will prepare us over the course of this pregnancy. To go more in depth on this subject, for me, this pregnancy thus far has been such a roller coaster of emotions. I've gone from being elated and on top of the world to just sobbing myself to sleep. Something you have to understand, while this is a joy, it's one of those events that reminds me of what others choose to miss. It's times like these when I want to run to my mom and ask her everything about her pregnancy with me; "Was it hard?" "Were you feeling this way?" "Isn't it the most amazing miracle??"...and I can't do that. I can't tell her that I'm even pregnant for fear of a harsh put down, as I've had in other news she's heard from us. I have to go into this pregnancy knowing there's a real likelihood that my child will not know my side of the family (aside from my one sister), and that at some point down the line, Brandon and I will have to address that in a way that is still respectful, but that lays out how life is. I have to go through this knowing my parents won't be in that waiting room come delivery time, nor will they be excited to see any sonogram pictures of what our little miracle looks like. All this...because this is what they choose. I think that's the hardest part of it all...knowing they choose to not want any part of my life, and now, my child's. It's feeling very isolated in a room full of people. It's wondering (and fearing) "Will I turn out that way with my child?" "Am I predisposed to not want me child?" I know this is Satan just FEEDING on my heart and mind right now, and in those moments, I'm so vulnerable and fall prey so easily. It's not wanting to mention this (although here I am doing so) because I don't want to make anyone else feel awkward...and so I worry alone. But I know God's holding me, I know he's watching over me, telling me to feel secure in his love, to trust HIS plan and HIS love; he's never going to abandon me, he's going to be holding my hand every step through this pregnancy, and beyond. There's such a reassurance I find in God and his word. Reading through my Bible, I see how it's a story of a father and his children, and how it shows the many struggles that occur in that relationship, but how faithfulness, trust, and above all, love make that relationship grow and persevere. It's seeing God get frustrated at his children out of love, and seeing him continually coming to their rescue. It's knowing God sent us (me) something I can read and implement and that I can know will be a plan following in his ways. I pray I can teach this sweet bundle how amazing our Lord is, how a life serving him is so much more fulfilling than anything else they could dream up, that having a relationship with our Lord will get them through so much more than even their relationship with me will get them through. I'm praying they'll see Christ working in themselves, and will choose to show that love (hence Christ) to others. I'm seeing how important my job is (and is going to be)...and I'm knowing God is guiding us each day.

It's amazing to know I have such a wonderful husband who is "on the same page" as me regarding raising our children. He (as well as I) feel we need to start putting our desires into actions as soon as possible. We pray over our bundle everyday, I sing to it (and yes...I know our bundle doesn't have ears yet...;) and yes, it's usually when I'm alone! ), I talk about God with it and Brandon always talks to my stomach (it's the cutest thing!)...we do this so from the instant it can hear us...it's hearing of God and his love. I want our child to be immersed in the word and the amazing beauty of Christ's love...how exciting it is to talk about all of this!

In other news, Brandon and I signed a contract for a house Monday! This is our first house and we are just SO excited! It's a 2 bedroom, 1.5 bath house with a great yard for Huck and Annie (since their world is soon to be flipped upside-down!), and we just can't praise God enough! We've been looking since before we got married and just can't believe God's timing in all of this. He knew. We didn't. But he showed us once again how faithful he is. So we're set to have a house inspection this Saturday and, providing all goes well, we'll close on the 31st, paint and re floor the house the next few days after that, and then move in!

Well I know this has been quite an update and if you're still reading at this point, know prayers for our sweet bundle are so appreciated! Know we think of all our friends and family while we're going through so many new transitions and can't wait to show our bundle to so many wonderful faces!