30 Weeks!

I have made it 30 weeks in my pregnancy and I'm very thankful! So far so good. Last week my parents were in town and they were able to come with us to our ultrasound appointment to see the little guy. That's right, little GUY. It was so precious! We were really thinking we had a baby named Grace in there, so to find out we were having a boy was quite a shock. But, after packing up the girl clothes, I am now super thankful and excited for our baby boy. I can't believe that in 10 weeks we are going to be parents. I can hardly wait!

Pregnancy is going just fine. I had my blood work done last week and my iron levels are a bit low and my sugar was a bit high. Now I'm sitting in the hospital waiting room doing my 3 hour glucose test to be sure that I don't have gestational diabetes. I've been having braxton hicks contractions since about 18 weeks and in the past 3 weeks they have gotten super painful when I am at work or on my feet for too long. My midwife wants to do a couple tests to be sure that labor is progressing at all and that the contractions aren't doing anything. In the meantime, it is SUPER hard to work while I'm having them. I only have one month more of work so I'm very thankful for that and praying for grace to get through the shifts that I do have. It's hard work waiting tables when your pregnant! I think there should be an automatic 20% tip for all pregnant waitresses. In other pregnant news, we met with a doula a couple weeks ago and we are decided that we are going to hire her! I'm really excited. She is really sweet. Her name is Jenna and she spent two years in the Peace Corps in Africa assisting a midwife in delivering babies. Because she is not DONA certified yet she is giving us an amazing deal on her services and she will use our birth as one of her required 3 births to become certified. I'm really set on having a natural birth and I know it's going to be a lot of hard work so I'm glad that Chris and I will have the help we need to get through it.

Our baby room is coming along nicely. My parents helped me set up a guest bed, clean out the closet, and set up the crib. The Mumma's are letting us use an adorable bassinet that the girls slept in. Mike and Debbie repainted and reupholstered a glider chair and hopefully we will be able to get that in the room soon too. Chris and Dad built some shelves in our small storage area and I had Dad help me use the scrap wood to make some decorations for the room. We painted lots of birdies for the room! When spring first sprung in Jackson Chris and I bought a bunch of bird seed and we would sit by the window in that room and watch all the cool birds hang out on our lawn. We would pull out the computer and try to find the names of the different birds. It inspired me to do a bit of a bird theme in the baby's room.

I started reading Baby Wise last week. I have always heard mixed reviews about this book because of a lot of drama that happened with "Ezzo Kids" years and years ago at GCC. I wasn't thinking I would read it because of all that I had heard about it, but Sera Mumma encouraged me that it would be really helpful in understanding how to set up a schedule if that's what we decided to do. I must say, I really love it. I don't want to be dogmatic about anything here because I know that we need to be super flexible with our plans for baby, but I have been so informed and encouraged by this book! He seems to be really flexible with feeding and sleeping, but still structured enough that there is some sort of schedule set up. What I had always heard is that the whole point is so that baby is not running the house, but in reading the book I don't think that's his point at all. His point is that you would have a healthy baby who is getting full meals and plenty of sleep. I love the idea of a baby of 10-12 weeks sleeping through the night too. But again, I want to be really flexible. We might meet the little guy and then throw all those plans out the window.

I feel really blessed that I get to have three baby showers in the next month! My mom and Debbie are putting one together for me in CA on August 21st. This one will be mostly for stuff off of my registry at BabiesRUs. The girls at church are having a cloth diaper shower for me the next weekend. We are going with FuzziBun diapers... the best in my opinion. And my sweet friends at work are going to have a "White Trash Baby Shower" for Chris and I. I'm not entirely sure what to expect, but I am excited that they would want to bless us in that way. Also, they love theme parties so it's just as fun for them. Apparently they are going to get a root beer keg and we will be eating things like tater tots and pigs in a blanket at Erica's trailer in town. Sounds like a blast!

Oregon Family Vacation Part 2

We are still enjoying the time together in Oregon! Chris spent another day surfing on Father's Day and he was able to get up on the board this time! I think this is pretty great considering he's never been and he had no teacher. We spent Father's Day browsing the shops downtown and ended up at the marina. We watched 30 sea lions fight and play near the dock and tried Mo's "famous" clam chowder. It was delicious!

Yesterday we went to the Oregon Coast Aquarium for the first part of the day. Chris had never been to an aquarium before and apparently he had no idea what they were. On the way there he said, "Wait, we're not going to the beach?" I think he thought you ended up out in the ocean at some point when you visited an aquarium. It was pretty small, but they had a shark tunnel and a touch pool which were both very cool. The weather is has been SO beautiful and the rest of the day we spent down at the beach laying out and playing in the surf. Chris and Brad went all the way in, but in order to avoid hypothermia they immediately ran out of the water. It is such cold water! Last night we went to dinner to celebrate 30 years of marriage for mom and dad.

It's been really great to spend time with my niece and nephew. I don't get to see them too often so it has been a sweet time to get to know them better and be an auntie. Amalia is really close already with Chris and I because we have had a lot of time with her, but William doesn't really know us. He is seriously such a cute boy! He's super busy all the time and quite the little bruiser. Ami has me wrapped me around her little finger. I just can't handle how cute she is! She is a super sweet and sensitive girl too. Chris and I love them so much.

Today we are off to the Tillamook Cheese Factory! I'm pretty excited to try some fancy cheeses and get ice cream at their creamery. We are going to play it be ear, but we might drive the extra hour to see Astoria where The Goonies was filmed. Brad and I really want to see Mikey's house.

Oregon Family Vacation!

We are on day three of our big "Newbold Family Vacation" on the coast of Oregon and it has been wonderful! Chris and I packed up after work on Thursday and set out for Oregon. I was very proud of myself for driving from 4:30 to midnight. I got to talk to my very good friend Molly for almost 2 hours on the way there. What I really love about our friendship is that when we have the chance to catch up it doesn't feel like 4 months have passed since our last chat. Chris slept for the first shift while I drove across boring eastern Idaho. A point of contention in our relationship when we are on road trips is that I fall asleep constantly. I cannot stay awake to keep him company and it seems like every time we switch driving shifts, I get immediately exhausted. When I am able to drive for 7 straight hours that is an amazing accomplishment! I felt so proud when he woke up and I got to announce that we had made it into Oregon.

From there Chris drove the red eye shift while I tried to sleep in the little bed we made in the back of the Element. At 6 am we arrived in Eugene, OR! I enjoyed a tall skinny cinnamon dulce latte at Starbucks while I read the Word and did some preparation for teaching small group when I get back to Jackson. After that I used our incredibly handy iPhone to navigate my way to all of the maternity shopping in Eugene. I have been struggling to think rightly about my expanding figure and I know that the issue really is contentment. I want so bad to value what God values as beautiful! I know I don't need to be distracted by the fact that I don't fit into my pants anymore, but I can be encouraged that my body is showing signs of this new and blessed season of life. But, the reality is, I don't fit into my pants anymore. So, I was able to go shopping for some very cute new maternity clothes and I was so thankful for the opportunity! Later that afternoon we met up with my parents, Brad, Heather, and the kiddos in the parking lot of Ye Olde Pancake House. What a joy to see the family and start this vacation together!

Distracted by the lush green forests and winding blue river, we made the hour treck from Eugene to the coast of Oregon. Once in Florence, OR we were greeted by sheer cliff edges and the never ending Pacific. What a beautiful coast this is! Around dinner time we made it to our condo in Newport, OR. It didn't take long for us to jump into the rock shower with DOUBLE SHOWER HEADS!! I will say, the idea of two shower heads made me a lot more excited than the actual experience. In truth, I felt like I was on a water ride the whole time and kept getting splashed in the face. Our condo is so very beautiful. I will post pics later.

Our first day here we woke up and spent time hanging out, drinking coffee, reading, playing with the kids. Chris was able to get a solid 8 hours of sleep (which rarely happens at home) and he woke up super rested. We all set out for a walk to the nearby Yachina Lighthouse that has been in use since 1872. We explored the tide pools nearby. Brad and I were astounded that Chris had never been to a tide pool. He had never seen a starfish and didn't know the joy of sticking your finger in a slimy sea anenome! What a Kansas boy. From the lighthouse we walked to a nearby restaurant and enjoyed fish and chips... in my case shrimp and chips because I didn't want to waste my allotted mercury consumption for the week on halibut fish and chips. I'm trying to pace myself as I fully intend of indulging in sea food while I am here. After lunch we walked down the sandy beach and Chris surfed for almost three hours! I was so proud of him. He is the type of guy that picks up athletic things very quickly. When we went skiing this Christmas he hadn't skiied for close to 10 years and he jumps right on the black diamonds. I can't say he took to surfing so readily, but he did a great job for having never done it and having to teacher in the water with him. He has the board today too so hopefully he is able to get up and ride for longer.

It has been a joy to spend these last couple days with my family! The Lord has really grown all of us in the last year, and even in the last month. I am thankful for a family that loves Jesus and wants to share fellowship with one another. Excited for the rest of the week with these crazy people!!

What I was trying to say...

" Fruit-bearing is not a matter of being strong or weak, good or bad, brave or cowardly, clever or foolish, experienced or inexperienced. Whatever your gifts, accomplishments, or virtues, they cannot produce fruit if you are detached from Jesus Christ. Christians who think they are bearing fruit apart from the Vine are only tying on artificial fruit. They run around grunting and groaning to produce fruit but accomplish nothing. Fruit is borne not by trying, but by abiding." -John MacArthur

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. " -John 15:5

A New Mission

Chris and I were walking yesterday and talking about why it is that we don't share the Gospel with people in our lives who don't know Jesus. I was thinking about people that I know who share the Gospel constantly and I think the difference is that those people are totally enthralled with Jesus Christ. They love him so much. He is as much a reality in their life as the need to eat food and drink water. They think about eternity with him, and they think about what eternity without him would be like. Not only do they share the Gospel all the time with everyone, but their lives look other-worldly. By the decor in their home, the clothes on their back, their conversation, how they use their time, you can really see that their citizenship is not here. They are the type of people that you look at and think, "Well, they're different." But, it's good different. My life looks a little too much like the lives of the unbelievers in Jackson. I'm not partying and getting drunk and blaspheming the Lord, but I am valuing my appearance, complaining, being discontent and squandering my time.
I want to be a patient and Christ-centered mom. I want to lay down my life for my child. I want to be super gentle and humble in my interactions with Chris. I want to be his main encourager and his comfort when life is hard. I want to grow in my respect for him and my desire to see him be like Christ. I want to share the Gospel with people I interact with who don't know Him. I want to share the Gospel with all the people I interact with. I want to disciple people with a pure heart and true affection. I want to pour out my life for the church the way that Christ poured out his life for the church. The problem is that I make these my goals. I can idolize things that are really pure desires. When I make these things my idol it is so easy to feel guilty, defeated, overwhelmed that I don't measure up.
My new mission is to love Jesus Christ. I want to think about Him all the time. I want to think about the Gospel and think about how precious it is. I want to ponder the compassion and the love that Jesus had for sinners. I want to think about his selfless abandon. I want to want God's glory the way that the Son wanted the Father's glory. I want my life to be about the Gospel because I think that's the way to bear fruit that will make me the wife, mother, and Christian that I want to be. Sounds so simple.

A Selfless Mother

I read 1 Samuel 1 and 2 this morning and am so struck by Hannah's selflessness. When I read verse 11 I am tempted to think that Hannah's desire for a son is selfish. I've always been taught that you don't bargain with God. You don't say, "God, if you give me this, then I will do this for you." Hannah almost seems to have that attitude when she prays for a son, but then you see what a godly and sacrificial mother she is and you know that her initial prayer for a child was nothing but genuine.

I remember hearing a missionary at Masters share with a group of girls in our dorm that when she got married she prayed that the Lord would not give her any children if they were not going to love and serve Him with all their hearts. What a noble prayer! Her concern with the things of the Lord was far greater than her concern for the things of this world. In the same way, Hannah was not dreaming of years of motherhood riddled with children's books, outdoor games, sibling rivalry and little league. She knew that the child in her womb belonged to God and that she would only have a few short years with him at her side. She vowed to bring him to the temple and leave him there once he was weaned. She would have weaned him at 2 or 3 years. So, when Samuel was 3 years old she took him to the temple and left him there so that he could assist Eli in priestly duties. Then, she prayed. She prayed with joy that she was blessed to bring a child into the world that would serve the Rock and Redeemer. She prays that the proud would humbled, the wicked would be judged and that the Lord would care for His saints. If this isn't a woman who has her priorities straight, I don't know what one is!

Hannah's treatment of Samuel almost seems wrong when you compare it to what the world values in a mother today. How could she leave a three year old at the temple and then visit him once a year? How could she nurse him for 3 years knowing she would not have him after that? She was able to do this because she trusted in a faithful God who would care for and honor her son's commitment to him. She loved the Lord more than she loved her child. I pray that I could be a mom that is this selfless and heaven-minded! I bet it will be really easy to get caught up in my kid. I bet it will be easy to run to their defense and to be emotionally swayed by their cries and their pleas. I pray that I would grow in my heavenly mindedness now so that when my baby is born I can think rightly about them. I want to see them as an instrument for me to grow in humility, sacrifice, service and discipline. I want to pray that the Lord would use them for His glory and His purpose. The Lord had a specific plan for Samuel and He used Hannah's selfless love to bring about his plan. I know that God's plan for my child will be much different than that and by His grace I hope to have many years to enjoy my child. I so look forward to all the special moments that a mother has with her baby! But above those special moments, I want to value God's glory and His sovereign plan for my family, whatever that may be.

Lately!

Thank you Molly Wilson for your gentle rebuke to get me to start blogging! I always check my blog to see what my friends are posting and I always think, You need to blog. So here I go!

I'm 17 weeks pregnant now and things are going well. I don't feel NEARLY as sick as I was several weeks ago. Praise the Lord for that! I still feel a little sick at night, but nothing like it was in the first trimester. I can only button one pair of pants, the other ones I have to wear fastened with a rubberband or with me BellaBand (which I don't wear often... it's kind of annoying to have to readjust it all the time). I had my 16 week appointment last week and things are going well! I'm so thankful that the baby is healthy. I can feel the baby kicking every once in a while and it really makes me so happy! Every day I think, "I can't wait until October to hold my baby!" With all of the health issues that I've had, I'm just so very thankful that this pregnancy is going so smoothly. Everyday I think about labor and delivery and how very excited I am for that day! I got several books from the library about natural birth that I'm excited to go through. I'm hoping to educate Chris a little because he really has no idea what to expect.

Some other new things, we recently moved to a two bedroom apartment that we love. We have a washer and dryer, a dishwasher (thanks to Leslie and Eric!), a baby room, a beautiful view and patio. Frazier wears a collar so he can't get off the property and that has been such a huge blessing. He gets to hang outside all day which makes him a much happier puppy. Chris and I bought a punch card to the rec center in town and we started swimming laps this week. What an incredible workout! I feel like I am getting the same cardio as with running, but without the impact on my back and legs. I love it so far. We've also been trying to hike a couple times a week... but this week it just won't stop snowing so we haven't gotten out yet.

There's a lot I'm missing here, but I just wanted to quick update everyone. The Lord continues to challenge and grow me. Lately I have been seeing my sin so much and it's been really hard not to mope about it. I'm trying to rest in His grace and in Christ's sacrifice rather than wallowing in self-pity over my sin. I'm thankful that God is making me more and sensitive to things of Him. It's encouraging to think that He PROMISES to grow me into His likeness in Christ Jesus!