It is not every day I can say I relate to a Biblical Figure, not that I don't try, pray, seek after, and strive to discover a oneness with our spiritual ancestors. I don't even know if relate is quite the right word to use here, but due to lack of a better term it will do.
Motherhood has a unique way of uniting. It is something so universal and so unique at the same time. It is mind-boggling to know that this gift I am experiencing has been experienced and shared by women everywhere since the beginning of time.
Maybe united is a better way to articulate my feeling, either way I am unbelievably honored to relate, and so humbled to share this experience of motherhood not only with women everywhere, but one in particular. Mary, the mother of Jesus, a Saint by all regards, the holiest of figures, the chosen one, the one person in the bible who is perhaps the most un-relateable has been on my mind these last few days. A particular passage has been ringing in my head the last week or so, making me so aware of this blessing of motherhood. There are just so many things about Mary that we will never understand, never know, never have a glimpse of comprehending. The fact that she was chosen above everyone to carry and nurture our Saviour, is something that is just so unbelievable, so divine and so holy, one will never understand. But something that unites us all to her, is the fact that she was in fact, a mother. Making her and us a part of this mysterious and miraculous bond. Mary knew the love a mother knows. Something I am so honored to experience. Something so unexplainable, I could never put it into words.
In the beginning of Luke, he tells us his version of Jesus' birth. Mary is confronted by not only the joy of being a first time mom, but also is overwhelmed by the meaning of her child. Her story so unconventional, rings in my ears, over and over, this one particular sentiment is something that plays in my mind.
Verse 19 "But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart"
Although her experience was on the level of cosmic proportions. I too feel this overwhelming need to treasure up all these things I have experienced over the last 7 months, and will for the rest of my life ponder them in my heart. Her ponderings no doubt are something I could never understand, but for some reason I feel that Luke captured the essence of a mother's heat in this one passage, these things that surround our child, the celebration of their arrival, the miraculousness of their birth, the joy they bring, and the trepidation embarking on motherhood holds...is all embodied here with Mary. The mother of all creation. She too had this overwhelming desire to treasure up all the things concerning her child and knew just how special each thing, big or small brought to her baby and to the rest of the world.
This last weekend was one of those moments where I was overwhelmed by the blessing motherhood brings. A bit more conventional than shepherds and angels, wise men and mangers...my experience this weekend brought me to my knees in thankfulness. Humbled by the love of so many, the thoughtfulness of all that I hold so close, my child was celebrated. I was paralyzed in thankfulness. I could do nothing more than at times just sit back and ponder the significance and blessing of motherhood. Bringing me to a place of complete gratitude and awe of our Lord.
I am not sure I can even begin to express the depth of my emotion, in fact I am probably sending everyone who reads this to a point of complete confusion. But this generosity, this embrace, this love, has become my treasure. Nothing anything material could ever compete with, nor could all the money in the world buy. My treasure is a divine blessing sent in the form of my bouncing baby in my belly, my loving family, my generous friends, and my extraordinary husband. A joy I could never articulate, but one that will stay with me throughout my lifetime, and one I will ponder over and over on until the day I die.
This miracle of motherhood, is one that becomes even more miraculous as the days pass. I can only imagine what emotions are to come.
To all that show us the Lord's blessings and love, to all that embrace us as their own, to all that celebrate our sweet girl, we are eternally grateful....you are treasured.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Pretty in Pink
So, we did it (and by we, I mean me agonizing, analyzing, photo taking, picture emailing, doubting, having Bobby make 3 trips to the paint store, camouflaging our walls in various shades and then finally deciding to make B-dub make the final call) decided to paint our little Annabelle's room P I N K! I mean, don't get me wrong, I LOVE pink, it just somehow has developed a stigma throughout time that all things pink are extra girly, extra frilly, extra...well just extra is a good word to describe it I guess. I get that pink is girly, but we are GIRLS...right!??!? I am not sure how one color is so fully embraced and fully despised all at the same time. I am all for a few girly moves, but had a little hang-up on us going over the top with pink, giving our sweet girl a lifetime despise for the color. However, before my rant turns into a rave...I will stop here about pink, no matter how you slice it....
we painted pink (and by WE - I mean, my b-dub starting at 7:00 a.m. on both of his days off accompanied by his parents, who locked themselves in the nursery, so the fumes wouldn't get into the rest of the house, painted dusk til dawn, stopping only for food and necessary trips to the bathroom). TGFIL (Thank goodness for in-laws). I think my paint crew rivaled any make-over show on any cable network, these guys were full painting pros. In less than 48 hours, they turned our khaki cave into a pretty nursery for our little Annabelle. This unlike many jobs, was two jobs rolled into one, or maybe four jobs rolled into two...You see we (please refer to my previous definition of we here) painted her room, then her bathroom, then ceiling in her room, THEN ceiling in her bathroom....a hefty feat. EVERYTHING in these spaces, ceiling included was a deep khaki color that just wasn't fitting into my vision for my girls nursery. Don't get me wrong, I like the color...in fact, every other room in our house is that color, I just felt like we needed something a little different for our baby girl.
So my crew, that I am entirely indebted to, spent their entire weekend helping us get Annabelle's room - pretty in pink. It feels like finally her room is taking form, I am already picturing a little nightlight in the corner, pretty music piping through the space, the soft glow of a lamp in the corner, and my little girl sleeping soundly in the space that was made just for her. An image that brings tears to my eyes, even as I am typing. Not because of anything material that we do, make, or put in the room for her, but because it is all for HER! Our precious girl.
Daddy-Dub was on a mission this weekend, to take the whole project and complete it to perfection...without the help of hired hands. Something me and a few others tried to talk him out of :) but Mission baby room was on his mind, and he was set to conquer it with everything he had! And conquer he did!
Mission baby room had 2 op teams this weekend ( my husband will either be proud of me for using military terms here, or ashamed at my lack of knowledge & misuse of them), our painting op team that I have told you about and our second op team, I like to call the shopping op team. I was on the second team... Don't let the title fool you, our second op team was not your usual, toned, trained, and condition team you may be more familiar with when you think mission force...in fact, it was very much the opposite. We were there in mental force (or at least we were for the most part) but the team being comprised of me ( BIG baby belly in tow, swelling feet, and hungry most of the time) and my mom, who under normal circumstance would have been able to paint the room, the bathroom, shop, and cook dinner all in one day, is still recovering from knee replacement surgery, she had less than 6 weeks ago!!! Trooper....I would say so. After weeks of me chomping at the bit to get her to come down, and weeks of not asking because I knew she just couldn't, my mom was a warrior and decided she was up for the trip! Annabelle & I both were VERY glad she came! Nevertheless you could say we weren't operating at full capacity. However, we figured out that with the right amount of snacks - appropriately timed, comfy chairs, and stores with bathrooms we could really function ok. We got a LOT of fun things accomplished for our little one, things I COULD NOT HAVE DONE WITHOUT the help of my two teams. B-dub and I feel so beyond blessed to have so many people helping us prepare for and welcoming our little love. I don't know what we would do without the many, many hands of our family and friends that are willing to go above and beyond to make this nesting process go as smoothly as possible! A thank you would never be enough!
I cant wait to tell Annabelle about all the help her sweet family gave her mommy and daddy as we prepared for her arrival. She is one very lucky girl. And we are some very lucky parents. The loving touch that has literally stroked her walls, paced her floors, and picked her decorations will all be embraced by not only me, but Annabelle as well. Her room will be the perfect reminder for all of us of just how much love we are surrounded by, every second of every day by our families.
we painted pink (and by WE - I mean, my b-dub starting at 7:00 a.m. on both of his days off accompanied by his parents, who locked themselves in the nursery, so the fumes wouldn't get into the rest of the house, painted dusk til dawn, stopping only for food and necessary trips to the bathroom). TGFIL (Thank goodness for in-laws). I think my paint crew rivaled any make-over show on any cable network, these guys were full painting pros. In less than 48 hours, they turned our khaki cave into a pretty nursery for our little Annabelle. This unlike many jobs, was two jobs rolled into one, or maybe four jobs rolled into two...You see we (please refer to my previous definition of we here) painted her room, then her bathroom, then ceiling in her room, THEN ceiling in her bathroom....a hefty feat. EVERYTHING in these spaces, ceiling included was a deep khaki color that just wasn't fitting into my vision for my girls nursery. Don't get me wrong, I like the color...in fact, every other room in our house is that color, I just felt like we needed something a little different for our baby girl.
So my crew, that I am entirely indebted to, spent their entire weekend helping us get Annabelle's room - pretty in pink. It feels like finally her room is taking form, I am already picturing a little nightlight in the corner, pretty music piping through the space, the soft glow of a lamp in the corner, and my little girl sleeping soundly in the space that was made just for her. An image that brings tears to my eyes, even as I am typing. Not because of anything material that we do, make, or put in the room for her, but because it is all for HER! Our precious girl.
Daddy-Dub was on a mission this weekend, to take the whole project and complete it to perfection...without the help of hired hands. Something me and a few others tried to talk him out of :) but Mission baby room was on his mind, and he was set to conquer it with everything he had! And conquer he did!
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| the PINK, still drying, but perfectly done :) |
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| Our pink room!! |
Mission baby room had 2 op teams this weekend ( my husband will either be proud of me for using military terms here, or ashamed at my lack of knowledge & misuse of them), our painting op team that I have told you about and our second op team, I like to call the shopping op team. I was on the second team... Don't let the title fool you, our second op team was not your usual, toned, trained, and condition team you may be more familiar with when you think mission force...in fact, it was very much the opposite. We were there in mental force (or at least we were for the most part) but the team being comprised of me ( BIG baby belly in tow, swelling feet, and hungry most of the time) and my mom, who under normal circumstance would have been able to paint the room, the bathroom, shop, and cook dinner all in one day, is still recovering from knee replacement surgery, she had less than 6 weeks ago!!! Trooper....I would say so. After weeks of me chomping at the bit to get her to come down, and weeks of not asking because I knew she just couldn't, my mom was a warrior and decided she was up for the trip! Annabelle & I both were VERY glad she came! Nevertheless you could say we weren't operating at full capacity. However, we figured out that with the right amount of snacks - appropriately timed, comfy chairs, and stores with bathrooms we could really function ok. We got a LOT of fun things accomplished for our little one, things I COULD NOT HAVE DONE WITHOUT the help of my two teams. B-dub and I feel so beyond blessed to have so many people helping us prepare for and welcoming our little love. I don't know what we would do without the many, many hands of our family and friends that are willing to go above and beyond to make this nesting process go as smoothly as possible! A thank you would never be enough!
I cant wait to tell Annabelle about all the help her sweet family gave her mommy and daddy as we prepared for her arrival. She is one very lucky girl. And we are some very lucky parents. The loving touch that has literally stroked her walls, paced her floors, and picked her decorations will all be embraced by not only me, but Annabelle as well. Her room will be the perfect reminder for all of us of just how much love we are surrounded by, every second of every day by our families.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Refreshed...
It only took one ENTIRE week, away, with my husband, no dishes, laundry, work of any kind and one comfortable pair of tennis shoes....
My sweet husband planned us the perfect babymoon to celebrate our little Annabelle's upcoming arrival, and I must say, it did not come one moment too soon. We were both ready, after several busy weeks at work, just to get away. A small plug for babymoon's...they are a must. We had the best time, I slept in, went to the candy store every day :) and I had my husband beside me all day for an entire week! It was wonderful.
We celebrated first by visiting our sweet friends Charlie & Heather and their new little guy Carter. Who I must say has the most AWESOME hair of any 9 week old. That kid is seriously stylin. Carter was SUCH a joy to get to hang out with (as were his sweet parents). I think he may have us a little spoiled, we slept right beside his room for 3 nights and the boy did not wake us up once! He was a perfect gentleman, I told Robert not to get his hopes up for those nights...I have a feeling little miss Annabelle may have a slightly different schedule :)
We had such a great time with our friends, with the BONUS of getting to practice a little with a their little one. Tennessee in the Fall may be a must for the Whites from now on, between the leaves, the great company, the cutest trick or treaters I have ever seen, and something a little magical they call "Sweet- Cece's" (frozen yogurt, that oh ya they give you FREE if you are pregnant) we are sold on our Fall destination!
Our next stop on our little getaway was to Charleston, neither B-dub or I had ever been and decided it was the perfect place to settle in for a few days. Robert found the most amazing cottages I have ever seen, so perfect and quaint, like our own little page out of a pottery barn magazine. So there we set up shop. Complete with fireplace, cookies & milk in the afternoon, screened in porch, and a comfy couch, this prego was in Heaven! Robert let me sleep in every day, brought me breakfast in bed, and insisted I only wear my tennis shoes...much to my complaints (although I was secretly jumping for joy). We saw the city, ate at the most fabulous restaurants, bought our little Annabelle a very pretty treat, and walked the beach to our hearts content. Of course most of which we did NOT get photo documentation of...it is a little challenging taking pictures when you are on your own. Nevertheless we had a trip perfect for us and perfect for our little one who was along for the ride.
A few of our pics...
Now the fun begins...we are in full baby mode as we enter the last trimester, things around the White House are shaping up to be VERY interesting in the coming days. My B-dub is tackling the paining of the nursery this weekend, complete with ceiling paint, bathroom walls, and bathroom ceiling....YIKES! Glad I can opt out of the duty. However, I will be keeping myself busy preparing in other realms, furniture shopping, accessorizing and keeping our fingers crossed we can get it all done!
12 weeks and 5 days...We CANT WAIT for our girl to get here!!!
My sweet husband planned us the perfect babymoon to celebrate our little Annabelle's upcoming arrival, and I must say, it did not come one moment too soon. We were both ready, after several busy weeks at work, just to get away. A small plug for babymoon's...they are a must. We had the best time, I slept in, went to the candy store every day :) and I had my husband beside me all day for an entire week! It was wonderful.
We celebrated first by visiting our sweet friends Charlie & Heather and their new little guy Carter. Who I must say has the most AWESOME hair of any 9 week old. That kid is seriously stylin. Carter was SUCH a joy to get to hang out with (as were his sweet parents). I think he may have us a little spoiled, we slept right beside his room for 3 nights and the boy did not wake us up once! He was a perfect gentleman, I told Robert not to get his hopes up for those nights...I have a feeling little miss Annabelle may have a slightly different schedule :)
Here is the little man, full smile just talking away! He is so precious!!
We had such a great time with our friends, with the BONUS of getting to practice a little with a their little one. Tennessee in the Fall may be a must for the Whites from now on, between the leaves, the great company, the cutest trick or treaters I have ever seen, and something a little magical they call "Sweet- Cece's" (frozen yogurt, that oh ya they give you FREE if you are pregnant) we are sold on our Fall destination!
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| Our wonderful friends |
Our next stop on our little getaway was to Charleston, neither B-dub or I had ever been and decided it was the perfect place to settle in for a few days. Robert found the most amazing cottages I have ever seen, so perfect and quaint, like our own little page out of a pottery barn magazine. So there we set up shop. Complete with fireplace, cookies & milk in the afternoon, screened in porch, and a comfy couch, this prego was in Heaven! Robert let me sleep in every day, brought me breakfast in bed, and insisted I only wear my tennis shoes...much to my complaints (although I was secretly jumping for joy). We saw the city, ate at the most fabulous restaurants, bought our little Annabelle a very pretty treat, and walked the beach to our hearts content. Of course most of which we did NOT get photo documentation of...it is a little challenging taking pictures when you are on your own. Nevertheless we had a trip perfect for us and perfect for our little one who was along for the ride.
A few of our pics...
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| B-dub and I on the beach |
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| Annabelle & I on the back of our porch |
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| Our family, minus the frog :) |
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| Perfect sunrise |
12 weeks and 5 days...We CANT WAIT for our girl to get here!!!
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