just because it's been a few weeks.

It's (almost) September!
So much to look forward to this month.
College football! Can I get an Amen?!
My sister and her family visiting
No agenda shopping trips
Our second anniversary
David goes back to day-shift for four months! Can I get another Amen?!

Things have been going pretty well. Pregnancy-wise, everything looks great! We are so thankful! Work is keeping my busy, as I'm finally full-time/salaried. I have some new clients, so that's been an adjustment for me. I've had the same 2 since I started working for the company. Now, I have 5. They keep me on my toes! One of my kids was bummed about going camping this weekend because it meant I wouldn't see him after school on Friday and because I couldn't go with them. Melted my heart!

David is still enjoying his job. Never a dull moment! Especially lately. Poor guy... hopefully things will settle down a bit when he switches shifts next week. We did find out that the average salary of a McDonald's manager is $38,500, while the average salary of a police officer is $35,000. I'm just saying, one carries a gun and fights crime - the other oversees flipping burgers and serving fries. (Ok, I know managers do more than that, but you get my point.)

Really nothing else to mention. Just felt like I was overdue for an update.

I stole this from sweet Mary Grace. I haven't done one yet, and I thought it would be fun.
How far along? 22 1/2 weeks
Maternity clothes? Yes

Stretch marks? Nope :)

Sleep: It's been a rough week. I don't feel uncomfortable; I just feel restless.
Best moment this week: Random lady at Publix told me I looked gorgeous on a rough day, sweet man going through a tough time commented on my "glow," felt my silly boy hiccup all through a meeting this morning, found an awesome Batman onesie at Old Navy
Movement: Lots of it!
Food cravings: Athens food. As in Athens, GA. As in I may take a day trip just to eat there (and of course see friends!).
Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really. I've had a bit of "reflux" or something at night. But otherwise no complaints.
Have you started to show yet: Yep!
Gender: Boy
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Mood: Excited!

Looking forward to: my family shower next week, shopping for more clothes and necessities, fall weather

Anything else? Thankful that right now my work schedule is incredibly accommodating to my sleep schedule, when I do sleep.

Philippians 4:19

"And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus."-Philippians 4:19

Wow. We are just days away from the halfway point to our little man's arrival, and I am overwhelmed with all that the Lord has met our needs already. And we still have a ways to go...

Just a few examples...
-The day after we found out I was pregnant, I got a raise at work, which has since turned into a salary.

-We were GIVEN a crib. With a mattress. Even better, I really wanted dark wood furniture (crib, changing table, etc.), and sure enough, that's what we were given. So thankful, and so grateful knowing that this crib has already been prayed over many times by precious people. I feel like God's safety net was around it before it even touched our hands.

-Alright, so crib-check! The search sort-of began for a dresser/changing table combo. I didn't really want two separate pieces of furniture, and I wanted the changing pad barriers to be detachable if any were even on the dresser. That's what I wanted. What we needed was a changing table, period. Back to the "sort-of" search. Well, there wasn't really a search. I knew everything in stores was too expensive, and I had only glanced at Ikea. But behold! A sweet member of Christ Community was serving in the nursery with me recently and asked if I was going to the upcoming consignment sale. She then told me her daughter was selling a dresser/changing table if I was interested. Ummm, yes! Do you have a picture?... It was settled before we left church that it was ours. Guess what. It's a near match to the crib. Guess what else. The changing pad rails/barriers are detachable to make the top flat when we don't need the pad anymore. How cool is that? And did I mention it was a steal?! This beauty looks brand new, and we got it for a wonderful, affordable price.

-On to the consignment sale... David and I went hunting for a jogging stroller right when they opened. We found a few, but we weren't set on any. David wandered over to the actual stroller systems and found the identical one we registered for, for just over half the price. Stroller, car seat, and two bases. At first, I was hestitant, because I had heard stories of used car seats, etc. So what does God do? He provides sweet "second family" members to be right there, right when we couldn't decide to take it or leave it. These sweet ladies checked everything we didn't know to check for, and we felt at piece walking out with our man's mode of transportation.

-David and I decided that I would take 8 weeks maternity leave. When we made this decision, I wasn't salaried, and therefore would have no paid leave. So that was 8 weeks without a paycheck from me that we were preparing ourselves for. Since our decision, I've been bumped up to salary and will now have at least 2-3 weeks paid. It may not cover the whole thing, but it definitely helps.

Those are just a few examples. I love how God provided our NEEDS that also matched our wants. Pretty awesome.

We have already been blessed with sweet gifts here and there... outfits, accessories, blankets. We've been able to pick up a few things ourselves... clothes, diapers... and we grabbed a few other baby gear items at the consignment sale.

I hope this isn't coming across as "look at what we got!" I'm really just excited to share how the Lord has made it all happen. We are truly blessed. David and I have done our best not to be concerned with anything and to just try and figure things out as they go... We have tried not to focus on, "How are we going to afford this?" and other questions like that. Whenever we hit a block (which thanks be to God we really haven't), we, well David says, "We'll figure it out. We always do." We don't have to have top-of-the-line, best-of-the-best, brand-new things. We are so grateful for the already used and loved items we have received. Our bank account is especially grateful :)

We are overwhelmed with how much our boy is already loved. We thank you for your love, prayers, and support. We are excited, and so immensely blessed, to have so many to share in this journey with us.

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."  -Matthew 6:34, NIV

"Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes." -Matthew 6:34, MSG

i can't wait.

i can't wait to...

teach him about the Lord
have superhero, transformers, pirate, etc. birthday parties
bring him to work functions so he can interact with handi-CAPABLE kids
see David to teach him everything he knows about baseball, football, and everything else
hear him say "Go Dawgs!" and "Who Dey!"
hear him laugh
see what color his eyes are
jump in mud puddles and dance in the rain
teach him about the true meaning of CHRISTmas and and yet still have santa
wrap him up in cute pjs and blankets
NOT teach him black and white - my parents didn't teach me, and i'm better for it
help him go through the toys he's outgrown to give to less fortunate kids
listen to him talk about his day at school
take him to football games and baseball games
take him to church
take him to see all the people who love him
watch him sleep
skype with his big cousin carleigh and her sweet mommy and daddy
take him on a hike
take him to the beach
run with him, even when we're pushing him in stroller
make animal noises
pretend to be monsters
play with nerf guns
encourage his learning, creativity, athleticism... whatever his interests are
put a bandaid on a cut and "kiss it and make it better"
hear him say "mommy" and "daddy"
watch him play with friends
teach him to read
hear him laugh
see the man he will become...

david and i are so blessed. our little david (aka "tripp") is already so loved. we are so grateful.