I always thought the most significant words in my life would start with, "Dearly beloved, we have gathered here today to join this man and this woman. . ." While that was a close estimate, I have found one moment to top it. When Ashley and I went in for our first ultrasound, I had no idea what to expect. I knew it would be a significant moment, but I had no idea how much of an impact it would have on me. Seeing the child for the first time was amazing. Little Grace Grace suddenly had a face, hands, fingers, toes, and spine. It was amazing! Then the heart beat. . . oh the heartbeat! No words can explain that feeling. Much like that moment when I saw my wife walking down the isle in her wedding gown, the intensity of this feeling seeing our first child was indeed leaving me speechless. In fact, I am even sitting here tearing up about it now! Powerful!
Marriage has been the absolute best adjustment in my life to this point. Learning to be an excellent and caring husband who provides for Ashley physically, emotionally, and spiritually required way more than I thought. It has stretched me in ways I never thought, and made me more into a man that I ever thought. Now, however, I find myself standing in the middle of yet another transition. A significant one. This is my moment to step up to be a father! Our little Grace Grace will not just have a face, hands, fingers, toes, and a spine; Grace Grace will have a name (just 12 days until we find out!). My heart is so full of emotion, and my mind is so full of questions. What kind of father will I be? How will I learn to take care of a baby?
In these months of preparation, I am finding myself reflecting on these types of questions in preparation of Grace Grace's arrival. My wife has taken care of several newborns over the years while she was a nanny in high school and college, so is pretty familiar with what goes into caring for an infant. While I held a baby for the 1st time 2 years ago when our awesome little nephew was born. So we've had conversations about what to do when the baby is sick, a location in the kitchen of a "Do not eat" foods list for when our little Grace-Grace eventually eats real foods, and how we are going to prepare the house for the triumphant entry (My wife is fantastic organizing this stuff)! Much like our house preparations, I am also preparing my mind and heart (as much as one can before having a child). I find myself reflecting on my childhood and the good examples set by my mom and dad in how they raised me.
My heart and life is so full of joy, and I can't wait to see what happens after our baby has arrived!
-Josh
Grace Family
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
playing catch up and growing a baby bump :-)
Whew! The past few weeks since morning sickness (FINALLY) let up, I've been playing a crazy game of "catch up." Unfortunately, during the 9 weeks that I was out of commission, real life did not pause. So I've had tons to do, events to schedule, and people to catch up with. But thankfully the magic of the 2nd trimester has blessed me with more energy lately, making all these tasks much easier to accomplish. :-)
About a month before we found out we were pregnant, Josh was approached from a professor of his,
with an opportunity to come on staff as pastor of a church here in Lakeland. After getting to know the heart of the church and the focus the people have towards missions and meeting needs in the community, we were both super excited and thankful to get the chance to come along side them. Josh has continued working at SEU and taking his grad classes, so with the addition of the church responsibilities, his plate became much more full. But after sitting down and mapping out a plan for his week to week, over the past few months everything has meshed really well together. Coping with morning sickness so soon after becoming apart of Genesis Church, left me a bit disappointed as I had to miss out on events and even attending services the first couple of months. But now that I'm feeling better and am out and about again, I've been excited to get the chance to connect with the people there and begin to get involved. We're planning on starting a couple's ministry in March that I'm thrilled about and can't wait to get more things started over the next few months. Its going to be a great year. :-)
Over the weekend, Josh and I finally got to have our Valentines Day date. The plan had been to go out for lunch and then make our way to Picasso's cup to paint pottery. But once we got there, we found that there was a birthday party being hosted and so the studio was crawling with kids and the walls were lined with supervising parents shouting above the noise in order to have a conversation. So since it was so busy, we decided to walk next door and go see a movie instead. During the movie, I started to feel fluttering in my belly. I knew right away what it was since this was the 2nd time I'd felt the baby moving around. But to my surprise, when I put my hand on my stomach, I could feel the little kicks on the outside too! So I told Josh and he quickly put his hand on my stomach. When I saw the big smile spread across his face, I could tell that he could feel the baby moving around too. The baby kicked for about a minute or two before we couldn't feel it anymore. It was such a surprise since that day I was only 16 weeks, 2 days pregnant. My doctor had told me just a couple days before at my check up that it all depended on where the baby had implanted as to when I would start to feel him/her a lot and how soon that Josh would get to feel kicks as well. She had told us she'd had women as early as 14 weeks start to feel the baby and some not until week 20. But with a large majority somewhere around 18 weeks. So I was super surprised that the baby had kicked hard enough for me to feel it on the outside of my stomach. But it was such a fun moment. It was the perfect addition to our Valentine's Date. :-)
The upside to how busy we've been, is that its made time fly by. I'm now 17 weeks pregnant! Which means that we only have 3 more weeks until we find out if we'll be having a little Jackson or a little Nora. Both Josh and I think the baby's a girl. For some reason, I've thought that all along. I can't wait to buy huge flower head bands, pink, pink, and more pink. But at the same time, if we end up having a boy, we'll both be super thrilled with that as well. Josh and his Dad have started the "Annual Grace men camping trips" and Josh has already started talking about being able to take our son along on the camping trips, if we end up having a boy. So I guess either way, we're both going to be super thrilled. :-) All I know is that our ultrasound on March 12th can't come soon enough! :-)
16 weeks pregnant, gained 5lbs so far and feeling huge!
16 weeks, 2 days pregnant and all set for our Valentine's Day Date 2/16/13- Josh felt the baby for the 1st time :-)
About a month before we found out we were pregnant, Josh was approached from a professor of his,
with an opportunity to come on staff as pastor of a church here in Lakeland. After getting to know the heart of the church and the focus the people have towards missions and meeting needs in the community, we were both super excited and thankful to get the chance to come along side them. Josh has continued working at SEU and taking his grad classes, so with the addition of the church responsibilities, his plate became much more full. But after sitting down and mapping out a plan for his week to week, over the past few months everything has meshed really well together. Coping with morning sickness so soon after becoming apart of Genesis Church, left me a bit disappointed as I had to miss out on events and even attending services the first couple of months. But now that I'm feeling better and am out and about again, I've been excited to get the chance to connect with the people there and begin to get involved. We're planning on starting a couple's ministry in March that I'm thrilled about and can't wait to get more things started over the next few months. Its going to be a great year. :-)
Over the weekend, Josh and I finally got to have our Valentines Day date. The plan had been to go out for lunch and then make our way to Picasso's cup to paint pottery. But once we got there, we found that there was a birthday party being hosted and so the studio was crawling with kids and the walls were lined with supervising parents shouting above the noise in order to have a conversation. So since it was so busy, we decided to walk next door and go see a movie instead. During the movie, I started to feel fluttering in my belly. I knew right away what it was since this was the 2nd time I'd felt the baby moving around. But to my surprise, when I put my hand on my stomach, I could feel the little kicks on the outside too! So I told Josh and he quickly put his hand on my stomach. When I saw the big smile spread across his face, I could tell that he could feel the baby moving around too. The baby kicked for about a minute or two before we couldn't feel it anymore. It was such a surprise since that day I was only 16 weeks, 2 days pregnant. My doctor had told me just a couple days before at my check up that it all depended on where the baby had implanted as to when I would start to feel him/her a lot and how soon that Josh would get to feel kicks as well. She had told us she'd had women as early as 14 weeks start to feel the baby and some not until week 20. But with a large majority somewhere around 18 weeks. So I was super surprised that the baby had kicked hard enough for me to feel it on the outside of my stomach. But it was such a fun moment. It was the perfect addition to our Valentine's Date. :-)
The upside to how busy we've been, is that its made time fly by. I'm now 17 weeks pregnant! Which means that we only have 3 more weeks until we find out if we'll be having a little Jackson or a little Nora. Both Josh and I think the baby's a girl. For some reason, I've thought that all along. I can't wait to buy huge flower head bands, pink, pink, and more pink. But at the same time, if we end up having a boy, we'll both be super thrilled with that as well. Josh and his Dad have started the "Annual Grace men camping trips" and Josh has already started talking about being able to take our son along on the camping trips, if we end up having a boy. So I guess either way, we're both going to be super thrilled. :-) All I know is that our ultrasound on March 12th can't come soon enough! :-)
16 weeks, 2 days pregnant and all set for our Valentine's Day Date 2/16/13- Josh felt the baby for the 1st time :-)Saturday, February 2, 2013
Love, Mama
Our sweet little Grace-Grace (as your Daddy currently calls you),
We've known about you for 14 weeks, but dreamed about and planned for you for a few years now. Your Daddy is the happiest I've ever seen him and so excited about you. You and I have had a rough couple of months so far, but thankfully you're giving your Mama a break from the food strike you were on and its making the days much easier. A few weeks ago we saw you for the first time. I was covered in instant tears as I watched you flip this way and that way. You even waved to us and we watched as you figured out how to flex your fingers. I wasn't prepared for the overwhelming emotion that filled me while we watched you on the ultrasound screen. Your Daddy even teared up as we listened to your strong heatbeat thumping away.
Since seeing you, its awakened dreams in me that have filled me with such excitement. I think about you growing up, what your personality will be like. What things will touch your heart, what interests you may have, what direction God may take you. And I'm filled with a sense of awe and thankfullness that I get to be apart of your little life and watch it all unfold. Life is messy and its not always fair. But your Daddy and I will always be your biggest cheerleaders through the ups and the downs that come. You're lucky little one, you're coming into a world filled with voices that will always speak life into you. Your Nana and Aunt Salena are so eager to meet you that they are planning a special trip to see your birth. Your Grandpa carries your sonogram picture around with him on his phone to show people. Your great grandparents Schwartz and your Great Grandma Sydor are already praying for you and are so excited about you. You're coming into a family that loves you so much already.
We've got awhile before we meet you Little One, but we're so thankful for your health and all the growing you're doing. You're our long awaited little gift. And I can't wait to see the part you'll play in our family and person that you'll become.
I love you to the moon and back little Grace-Grace,
Mama
We've known about you for 14 weeks, but dreamed about and planned for you for a few years now. Your Daddy is the happiest I've ever seen him and so excited about you. You and I have had a rough couple of months so far, but thankfully you're giving your Mama a break from the food strike you were on and its making the days much easier. A few weeks ago we saw you for the first time. I was covered in instant tears as I watched you flip this way and that way. You even waved to us and we watched as you figured out how to flex your fingers. I wasn't prepared for the overwhelming emotion that filled me while we watched you on the ultrasound screen. Your Daddy even teared up as we listened to your strong heatbeat thumping away.
Since seeing you, its awakened dreams in me that have filled me with such excitement. I think about you growing up, what your personality will be like. What things will touch your heart, what interests you may have, what direction God may take you. And I'm filled with a sense of awe and thankfullness that I get to be apart of your little life and watch it all unfold. Life is messy and its not always fair. But your Daddy and I will always be your biggest cheerleaders through the ups and the downs that come. You're lucky little one, you're coming into a world filled with voices that will always speak life into you. Your Nana and Aunt Salena are so eager to meet you that they are planning a special trip to see your birth. Your Grandpa carries your sonogram picture around with him on his phone to show people. Your great grandparents Schwartz and your Great Grandma Sydor are already praying for you and are so excited about you. You're coming into a family that loves you so much already.
We've got awhile before we meet you Little One, but we're so thankful for your health and all the growing you're doing. You're our long awaited little gift. And I can't wait to see the part you'll play in our family and person that you'll become.
I love you to the moon and back little Grace-Grace,
Mama
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