Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Bringing the Word Wednesday!

Fear is overcome by faith...



At our church, we are continuing our Fearless series. This past Sunday, we had the opportunity to hear from Scott Rigsby, a double amputee who completed the Hawaii Iron Man. So amazing to meet him and hear his story, from the accident that took his legs to his incredible physical accomplishments. One thing he told us that really stood out for me is 'Today's unthinkable are tomorrow's realities'. He was able to push past fear in order to achieve his goals. As we were watching his video in the service, watching his legs tap the pavement as he ran, I kept thinking "Why is he all alone? Didn't he have a friend or someone to swim, bike and run along with him?" Then it dawned on me.... Scott wasn't alone.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Week 18


Head to rump, the baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that I'm starting to feel about once a day.

Our ultrasound is Thursday. Exciting!

Nothing much to report other than I'm super tired these days, so I'm off to bed!

Speaking of Names

A long time ago, a friend of ours shared this video with us. Wanted to share with you!



Favorite names?

Monday, September 28, 2009

The Atlanta Flood



So it's been raining, like a lot. I had no clue as to how bad it was until last Monday morning. I turned on the news and saw school closings. My county wasn't listed so I didn't think much of it until we were told to leave our school building at the end of the day, right after the kids left. You didn't have to tell me twice!! I was outta there!




Here in Atlanta, they call interstates by other names. Very irritating! Why not just say 75 North? Or 285 South? So as I'm on the way home, the guy on the radio says that the North/Southbound Connector is closed at Courtland St. because of flooding and they are having to rescue people from their cars. I just happened to be on the phone with Johnny, so I mentioned it to him. He's says, "Sheriss, get off of the interstate. That's 75/85 North." So I got off and went home through the city.
Luckily we didn't get any damage, though the creek about a mile from us began to rise and totally overtake the parking lot of a business complex.

It hit the town of Austell (about 20 minutes from Atlanta) the hardest. They're saying 55% of the community is homeless.

A great guy we know has started hopeatl.com. It's national movement to bring hope to the hurting people of Atlanta! If you haven’t seen HopeATL.com yet, check it out!



Talk to me!

So I like comments! My friend Dominique told me there was something wrong with my comment link on here, so I fixed it! To comment, simply click on the word "comments" at the end of the post. A screen should appear that will enable you to comment.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Bringing the Word Wednesday!

Our church is going through a 5 week series call "Fearless: Staring Down Your Inner Wimp". In this series, our pastor is showing us how to Fear Less & Trust God More in every area of our life. He says the truth is that all of us have an unhealthy amount of fear inside of us that we need to stare down and overcome if we are going to fully walk into the purpose and plans of Our God! On the first Sunday of the series, we were to write down a big fear and pin it to the cross as we took communion. Yes, they'd constructed a cross and we used thumb tacks to nail them down. They can do creative things up there sometimes!

We were given a few verses to marinate on, but here's my favorite!

2 Timothy 1:7
For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of self-control.

And a few more for good measure:

1 John 4:18
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear: because fear has torment. He that fears is not made perfect in love.

Isaiah 41:10
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Psalm 56:11
In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do to me.

Matthew 10:28
Don't be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the one who can destroy both body and soul in hell.


What are you afraid of? Let it go!

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Apparently I'm 17 weeks

I'd like to think I'm in my 18th week and I've completed 17 weeks. Or could I just say that I'm 4 months? In any case, that's how far along I am at this point.

But apparently by now, Ray Ray's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — his/her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. He/She weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and is around 5 inches long from head to bottom. Ray Ray can move his/her joints, and his/her sweat glands are starting to develop.

So, here I am as of today:

Tried to fix the fuzziness, but oh well.

An update for you...
I felt the baby move! It was tapping me from the inside! And then yesterday, if felt like it literally shivered inside! So, being the dork that I am, I shivered too! And, of course, once I told Johnny, he shivered too! He reallywants to feel it move. Hopefully one day soon he will!



Birthday wishes!!
Today's my brother's birthday! Happy Birthday Boy!!!

Monday, September 21, 2009

The Baby Question Post

So, I totally stole this post from one of my pregnancy blog inspirations.


When did you find out?

When we came back from St. Martin. I knew my cycle was supposed to arrive halfway during our trip, on a Sunday. Needless to say, it didn't arrive. I didn't think much of it, as there have been times my cycle likes to change up. That Thursday I bought a pregnancy test at the urging of my BFF (Best Friend Forever) Iman. But I didn't take it until that Saturday morning. (June 27th). It was one of those two lines you are... one line you're not tests. So when two lines came, I just stared at it in disbelief. But I waited 3 whole days to tell Johnny. Why? Well, it was a planned date night for us and I wanted time to plan exactly how to do it.


How did you tell Johnny?
The day before I bought a digital test (it actually says the words pregnant or not pregnant). I also ordered a coconut cake. It's Johnny's favorite! So that evening, when we came back from dinner, we were just watching tv, when I told him I felt like hearing a little Michael Jackson. He'd just passed the week before. So Johnny put on "Lady in My Life"... which was also our first dance song at our wedding. He asked me if I wanted to dance (I knew he would). So after a bit, I told him I'd picked up a card for him at the store earlier. I went to get it and gave it to him. It said something about him being perfect for me. At the end I wrote (You are perfect enough for us... the 'both' of us). His eyes got real big and he said "What?! You're pregnant?" Of course we hugged and kissed... err.. held hands (for Granddaddy!). Then I went to gave him a gift bag. In the bag was the digital pregnancy test, a bib that said "I love Daddy", and a pacifier. He kept staring at the test! Then I pulled out the coconut cake. Gotta love coconut cake! It was a great night!


Was it planned?

Yes and no. We'd talked about starting a family this year, but maybe towards the end of the summer. The first week in June, we went on a last minute trip to New Orleans. Halfway there, we realized we forgot our preferred birth control method (I haven't been on the pill for 5 years).

There was literally a short period of time that we didn't use our method of BC. And that was all it took. I appologize, because I know that will be difficult to read for my friends that are battling with infertility. But it's the honest, unexpected truth.


When did you tell your family and friends?

We told our moms first. We drove home to Tampa either the 2nd or 3rd weekend in July. I was 8 weeks at that point. We'd bought our moms these bags while we were in St. Martin. In my mom's bag was another digital pregnancy test, a bib that said "I love Grandma" and a birthday invitation we'd created that said "You're invited to a birthday party! 7 months from now!" My mom kept clapping her hands and going "Oh!!" In Johnny's mom's bag was the same invitation and bib.

We waited until we were 12-13 weeks to tell the rest of our family and friends. I wanted to come through the first trimester ok. My mom did a great job at keeping her secret!


What were their reactions?

Oh very happy! Although, I hope Uncle Tim, Aunt Sharon, Grandma and Granddaddy forgive us for sitting in their living rooms in July and not saying a word about our pregnancy! Believe me, it was hard!

Will you find out the sex?

No, not until Ray Ray is ready to enter the world.


What sex would you rather?

I'd be happy with either. Although I do refer to Ray Ray as a boy and Johnny refers to Ray Ray as a girl. But, when we first heard the heartbeat, the midwife hinted at a girl!


Do you have names picked out?

Sort of! I think we are pretty set on a girls name for now. We really like Harper Josephine for a girl. I had an awesome student a few years ago named Harper. She was such a sweet, sensitive, intelligent, and funny little girl! I want her middle name to be Josephine, after my dad's mom.

The boy's name is more up in the air. We'd always said we were not going to do another Johnny. But now I don't know. I do know, if there is another Johnny, he will be called by his middle name. So far its:

Johnny Chandler, Johnny Ethan, Ethan Chandler, Johnny Dylan

He's also be Johnny, IV if we were to go with Johnny as a first name.


How are you feeling?

Very happy now that morning sickness has pretty much made its exit. I still get it sometime, often in the evenings, but not as strong and definitely not all day! The headaches are becoming annoying, especially when they begin at work and last all day. Going to the bathroom every 3 hours is oh so much fun. I've been having round ligament pain for the last few weeks. But, for the most part, I'm ok!

Due Date?

February 27-28th

Which means you're how far along?

17 weeks.

Cravings?

Chocolate! I love it! Actually, just finished a bowl of Chocolate Chex Mix cereal. Try it! It will change your life.

Aversions?

Hot drinks. Frozen mixed vegetables.


Weight Gain?

12 pounds at this point. I don't think I want to talk about weight gain anymore.

How are you decorating the nursery?

Well, once we move... I'm thinking green, white and brown right now. That way, if it's a girl, we can easily throw pink accessories into the mix. Kinda like this:

Plus, I love teddy bears!

Saturday, September 19, 2009

What inspires you?

Curious minds need to know. I feel like I lack that these days. Maybe it's just extreme laziness. Whatever it is, I need to get my butt in gear.

I'll tell you what does inspire me... Looking at other pregnancy blogs. One woman literally blogs Monday thru Friday. I can't promise that, but I will try to write more often. And according to Kenny, I need pictures here. So, one day soon, I will post a picture of my week 17 'bump'. I've got a double bump thing going. One below the belly button and one above it.

Off to find more inspiration.

Monday, September 14, 2009

This is what I know...

Our pastor says that all the time when he's getting ready to spit the knowledge. On a side note, very happy we've finally found a church home in Atlanta.

But, here's what I know thus far



  • Our ultrasound is coming up in a few weeks. Exciting! However, we won't be finding out the sex of the baby at that time. I know for all of you shoppers out there, this is devasting news. You'll have plenty of time for that. We like the idea of waiting until the day Baby Ray Ray makes his/her entrance into the world to say "It's a boy!" or "It's a girl!"
  • We will be breastfeeding Ray Ray. Or I'm going to try very hard towards that end. No decision on whether or not Ray Ray will be a vegetarian, but for now, the breast is best!
  • We'll be a cloth diapering family! Cloth diapers have come along way over the years, and I'm excited to give the new versions a try!
  • Our goal is to have an unassisted birth. No, that does not mean it will be just Johnny and I at home giving the whole labor thing a go. Well, not this time at least! But we'd like to achieve a birth without medical assistance (i.e. epidurals)... anything where a needle is involved. We do know that anything can happen, and will let our birthing team guide us.
About "Baby Ray Ray". Ever since he found out we were pregnant, our good friend Kenny has been calling the baby "Ray Ray". While I'm not a fan of double name nicknames (at all!), for some strange reason, this name is catchy. Oh, but please believe, our child will NOT be called Ray Ray when he/she gets here.

Friday, September 11, 2009

See, what had happened was...

I'm going to get better at posting. I promise!

Things are going well. Morning sickness is pretty much gone, thank goodness! I occassionally feel icky in the evenings, but apparently I'm in the honeymoon phase. At least, that's what I read.

We had our second appointment last week. New office, and so far so good. We heard the heartbeat again, and yes, we were grinning like kids, again! It's so neat to hear!

The only thing I'm feeling these days is lost. I feel like I don't know a thing about being pregnant, what I'm supposed to be doing, thinking, feeling. Like, am I supposed to be rubbing a special cream on my belly? I feel like I'm supposed to be doing something, and I'm just not doing it. So, lost is the general feeling these days.

Am I showing? Sometimes I think I am and sometimes I just think it's that extra 10 pounds I've put on. Maybe I'll take a pic and let you be the judge.

Until next time!