photos taken by Innovative Memories

Pregnancy Highlights:

How far along: 33 weeks... only 48 more days to go!

Size of baby: 17 inches & 4.25 lbs - about the size of a pineapple.

Maternity Clothes: LOVE dresses and skirts! It's all I wear. The only time I actually wear pants is when I sing at church - the stage is high, so it's a modesty thing. :)

Gender: ALL BOY, most definitely. We have the 3D ultrasound of his boy parts to prove it. ha! ;)

Movement: Lots of squirms and rolls lately. I don't feel as many "kicks," but I think that's because he's running out of room. He has ended up in some weird positions when I wake up in the mornings. Sometimes my belly is all contorted on one side, or in the middle. It's really fun to play "poke and seek" with him. I poke him in his foot and he moves it to another place, I find it and poke it again! Josh won't play too long, he thinks it annoys him. Haha, I think he likes it. :)

Sleep: Not much has changed here. It's still difficult to sleep. I am thankful for my body pillow relieving some of the pain in my hips. I usually wake up 4-5 times in the night to roll over and/or pee.

What I miss: Since it's summer, I miss being able to be in the sun as long as I want to. My doctor told me the baby gets too hot and can't cool down in there, so he advised me to stay out of it. I still like going to the pool and swimming a little, it's good exercise and he can stay cool while I get sun! :) I also miss being able to go on mission trips. There are two going on this week that I would have LOVED to be a part of - a team from Watermark returned to Costa Rica where we went last year and Josh took a bunch of students from our new ministry to downtown Atlanta to do some community work.

Cravings: This may sound weird, but I am craving ice water with lemon. Like I want to eat the lemon and ice. Haha! Weird. Also, I am loving mandarin oranges and orange juice again. And green olives are always yummy. :)

Symptoms: Pelvic pain. I think this means the baby is low. All I know is it hurts to walk, cross my legs and roll over in bed. But I have good days! I'm just ready to meet this little guy!

Best moment this week: BABY SHOWER!!! Hosted by my lovely sister and mom. It was great and lots of fun (except the part where I had to eat 10 different kinds of baby food... that was gross).

I have been busy getting everything ready in the baby room! And having a baby shower just adds to the excitement of organizing and putting things in their place. Hopefully I can post some pictures of the "final product" soon. But right now, it's still a work in progress. :) I did finish the photo display above the dresser/changing table. I am really excited about how it turned out! I love it!! I hope Micah enjoys seeing his mommy and daddy every morning when he wakes up and every time he gets his little diaper changed.

 I just realized this could be my last pregnancy update before Micah is due! (I have been updating every 7 weeks or so) Read some of the past updates: 13 weeks 19 weeks 26 weeks 

Right now I'm debating between writing a pregnancy update (currently 32 weeks) or sharing my thoughts on a topic that has really been on my mind and heart lately. I'm afraid if I try and skip over this topic again, that I will eventually give up and not even write about it. So here goes... 

Relationships.

I am four years into marriage now (and yes, with a baby on the way!) and I am still constantly giving dating and relationship advice. One reason could be due to the fact that I was married young and still have lots of friends that are single. The other could be that my husband and I serve in student ministry and that's all that seems to be on the minds of teenagers these days (and my days and your days, I'm sure).

But I'm not here to write just another cheesy post on "finding the one" or a "dating 101" guide that will give you all the answers. The truth is, I want to challenge some of the advice out there on what makes relationships work.

Disclaimer: Your number one reason for dating should be to find a husband or wife. If it's not, then you probably should stop reading now because what I'm about to say will be of no interest to you. 

1) Watch out for red flags.

Red flags, warning signs, etc. I received this dating advice from many well-meaning, godly women when I was dating Josh. They would respond with it after I would mention a certain character flaw that bugged me about him (yes, he has flaws!) At the time, it just confused me. But now, this advice really concerns me. Just think about it for a second... what are "red flags?"

He/she has an anger problem - red flag. He/she struggles with pornography - red flag. He/she is obsessive, controlling, jealous, manipulative (the list could go on) - red flag.

So basically what you're telling me is - this person has a sin problem. And for that reason, we should "watch out" and probably steer clear of them. Are you kidding me?!? Sure, I understand these qualities are probably not at the top of the list when praying for a future husband/wife. But this advice encourages us to find a perfect, flawless person... with no red flags... that ultimately doesn't exist.

2) If you have to work at it now, just wait until you're married.

This was advice I also received from Christian men and women. It gave me the illusion that if our relationship took any "work" at all, that it was obviously flawed and probably not who God intended me to marry. This too may seem like a fair warning, but it just isn't solid advice. Any two sinners that come together will have conflict. The Bible is clear that marriage will have it's troubles.

Are you married? Do not seek a divorce. Are you unmarried? Do not look for a wife. But if you do marry, you have not sinned... but those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this. - 1 Corinthians 7:27-28

Yes, this is talking about marriage troubles. But if we want to go Biblical, a lot of them didn't even have a choice in who they would marry or were they given much time to "date and figure it out." So when it comes to relationships, the Bible is clear that there will be troubles (i.e. work) involved whenever two people join together as one.

3) When you know, you know.

This is probably the one that bugs me the most. I just don't believe it. But that's the thing about me - I have a hard time being sure about anything. For me, this is where faith comes in. I cannot be honest and say that I was 100% sure I was going to marry Josh, until the day he got down on his knee and asked me to marry him. Did I love him and want to marry him? Yes. But until he put a ring on my finger, I just wasn't sure. And even during our (very short) engagement, I still knew there was a possibility that one of us could pass away before the wedding day. I let go of all doubt when I stood before him and promised to love him through sickness and health and all the troubles in between. That's when I knew he was "the one."

But still, this advice is given to couples while dating and I just don't understand it. Why confuse them anymore by telling them a lie? Why burden them with the pressure of having to "know for certain" that this person is who God has for them? They may not make it to the altar, what then? I know many couples who claim to have known their spouse was "the one" while dating, who ended up divorced later. This is not the answer to making a relationship work.

So... what does it take to make a relationship work?

Good question. I believe there is no formula for a perfect relationship because there are no perfect relationships. In fact, if we take a look at relationships in the Bible they are full of conflict and awkward situations... starting all the way back with Adam and Eve. Marriage shouldn't be taken lightly, but it also shouldn't be as difficult as we make it. Fix your eyes on Jesus, run hard after Him and then look around and see who's running next to you.

"A happy marriage is the union of two good forgivers.” -Ruth Bell Graham.

Tomorrow I will be 30 weeks pregnant. I almost can't believe it. Only 10 more weeks until Micah is expected to arrive. We moved to Ocala 10 weeks ago and it seems like just yesterday... man, how times flies! I have really enjoyed my pregnancy and feel very blessed to have had an easy one so far. I think I'm going to be a little bit sad when it comes time for this little boy to leave the womb. It's an experience that I want to cherish and remember forever! I want to feel every kick, punch and roll and don't mind being kept up at night to enjoy it. You know, it may be because of the journey we were on to get pregnant in the first place - but I can't imagine any mother not enjoying this.

I do feel a bit unsettled in my spirit though. I am learning to "unpack," so to speak, and make this familiar place my home (again). Moving is always an adventure. We have done it three times in our last four years of marriage. That's three homes, three towns and three churches. But everywhere we go, we encounter the same people... with different faces. "There is nothing new under the sun" as Ecclesiastes says. The same problems exist and the same answer is Jesus.

I have been praying lately that God would not allow me to become hardened to hurting people. It can be easy to do when you are in ministry. You see the needs and know that without Christ, there is no cure. We can't make the cancer go away, or the husband to come back home or the parents to stop abusing alcohol... but we can pray with the expectancy that God can do those things! If only we would turn to Him and let him take the pain.

I'm ready to return to the mission field. I want to go be a part of what God is doing around the world! I know there are people who believe that we have "enough problems in our own backyard" and don't understand why going to another country to help spread the love and message of Christ is needed (I used to be one of them), but I can bet you anything that most of those people have never set foot outside of their doors. And if they have, it was on vacation and not to experience the true needs of the people there. To them, I just want to say...

Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. - Matthew 28:19

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere--in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, AND to the ends of the earth. - Acts 1:8

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns! - Isaiah 52:7

I know I have said this a million times now, but I'm ready to be a mom. Not "ready" in the sense that I know exactly what I'm doing or that I will be the very best at it... but I'm ready to learn. I'm ready to raise a child who will know and experience the love of Jesus. This is my mission field. At the moment, at least. My hope is that Micah will one day be a messenger of the gospel himself!

Someone told me the other day, after living in Mexico with his dad for awhile, he learned that there is a big cultural difference in the way we value living... Americans live to work and Mexicans work to live.

Visit a foreign country, see the way they value life and you will be amazed at how we waste it. 10 more weeks, I have 10 more weeks until I begin my new ministry/job/mission - Lord, help me not to waste it.