It is no secret that Blake is hoping for a boy but I have a feeling if this little one is a girl....she will have him wrapped around her finger. We go to the doc Tuesday and then we should be making our next appointment to find out the sex of the baby! I am so excited.

I'm not my own...

I've been carried by You all my life.



You've become my heart's desire
I will sing Your praises higher
Cause Your love sets me free
Your love sets me free
Your love sets me free



My sentence to baby B:
When the world has broken you down, His love will set you free.

Lately

My sister talked me into becoming a "blogger" since we are expecting and we live so far away from family and friends so I do believe this is a neat way for everyone to keep up with us and our growing butterbean. Another friend of mine suggested that I print out all of my posts so that I can make a scrapbook for the baby. I love this idea. So, I am going to do just that--if I can figure out how to do it.

My Dad got the baby his/her baby book for Christmas (it is the sweetest thing) and it asks me to list certain things I have been craving lately. Since I have had an interesting variety of food cravings lately, I figured I would share:

Chocolate Pudding Snack Packs and Strawberry Jello Snack Packs--We have had to buy these in bulk for the past few weeks. I could snack on these things all day.
Fruit RollUps--I keep these in my purse at school :)
The hibachi grill we have in town probably classifies me as a regular these days. I could eat plate after plate of rice. (getting hungry just talking about it)
Blueberry pancakes--yeah I know, these are probably not the healthiest cravings to have when I am prone to gaining weight over the next 6 months.
Apple Juice--I am pretty sure I am not the only one doing some damage to the apple juice. Blake Barber has a glass with me every evening.
Deer Meat--I have always been a big fan of deer meat but lately, I have asked Blake to cook it for me several times a week. He is the best and I am sure he doesn't mind eating that either.

The same friend who suggested the blog scrapbook idea, mentioned writing a sentence a day to the baby so that they will have a full journal to read and appreciate when they get older. I loved this idea as well. I think she meant after the baby is born, but for every blog post, I am going to write a sentence for my sweet pea.

I loved you long before I even knew about you.

God is good...

ALL THE TIME.



Thank you, Lord, for a better day. You're beautiful.

Feeling Fearful?

Have you ever had so much weighing on your heart, that when you try to pray about it, you have no words--all you can do is speak His name in hopes that He will speak to your heart? I had one of those moments today. I am a firm believer that sometimes, that is all it takes.
This is what I found waiting for me in my Inbox today. It amazes me how God knows exactly what to say at the most perfect time.....

Your heart is the well-spring of all of your life. It is the place from which your reactions, your attitudes, your actions all bubble up from. All that you are as you walk through this day, with whatever it holds, will spring from your heart. That’s why God tells us specifically to guard that well-spring.

“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” (Proverbs 4:23).

We are wise to check what is residing in that well-spring. Among the many things we find in our hearts there will always be one of two very specific things in the lead – faith or fear.

One will always be on the top of the heap. They cannot both occupy the same place. If faith resides there your well-spring will pour out peace and confidence in God’s care for you, even in the midst of uncertain times. If fear resides there anxiety and depression will be the natural outward flow.

Faith or Fear. Every day we choose. Many times a day we choose. When the evening news brings signs of foreboding unemployment, financial crisis and uncertainty tomorrow, fear is the natural response. That well-spring will pour forth worry and stress. When relationships are on edge and illness or hardship looms, anxiety churns within us creating it’s own downward cycle. Faith over-rides fear. Fear over-rides faith.

God tells us exactly what to do when fear grips our hearts and takes over our minds. Left unchecked it will scatter our faith like confetti in the wind and leave us anchor-less in the storms of life. Listen to God’s very specific instruction from Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV).

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ
Jesus.”

What a simple formula! Not easy – but simple. Worry is a call to prayer. The moment you become aware of that churning anxiety over ANYTHING, go immediately to your Heavenly Father. Present your requests to Him. Then turn your thoughts and prayers to thanksgiving.

Thank Him for His promise to never forsake you. Thank Him for the power of His name and for His intimate knowledge of every detail. Thank Him for His track record in your life when He has been there for you in the past. Thank Him that He works all things together for your good as you trust Him. Thank Him that He is at work establishing His kingdom in your life.

Your faith and trust in God will over-ride your fear and His peace will actually put a guard around your heart and mind so fear cannot over run you. It’s supernatural and it’s real.

Father God, I confess that fear is often my first response to challenges that come my way. May I be conscious today of choosing to trust You with every detail of my life. Help me to have faith to leave the question marks in Your control and to trust You to carry me and sustain me with your peace that is beyond understanding. Today I choose to put my trust in You. Fill my heart with child like faith today I ask in the strong name of Jesus, amen.

Thank you, Gail Rodgers, for allowing God to speak to my heart through you today.

This Week

How your baby's growing:
Your new resident is nearly an inch long — about the size of a grape — and weighs just a fraction of an ounce. She's starting to look more and more human. Her/His essential body parts are accounted for, though they'll go through plenty of fine-tuning in the coming months. Other changes abound: Your baby's heart finishes dividing into four chambers, and the valves start to form — as do her tiny teeth. The embryonic "tail" is completely gone. Your baby's organs, muscles, and nerves are kicking into gear. The external sex organs are there but won't be distinguishable as male or female for another few weeks. Her eyes are fully formed, but her eyelids are fused shut and won't open until 27 weeks. She has tiny earlobes, and her mouth, nose, and nostrils are more distinct. The placenta is developed enough now to take over most of the critical job of producing hormones. Now that your baby's basic physiology is in place, she's poised for rapid weight gain.

I love getting these weekly updates about our sweet baby's growth. It amazes me how fast these changes occur and how much is happening in my belly! I am still on cloud nine. I am pretty sure I will never come back down. I think about this little one all throughout the day. I can't wait until our next doc appointment which is February 1st.

I had a dream a few nights ago. We had a baby boy! Blake just "knows" it is a boy. I honestly don't have a "hunch" as to what it is. I am just praying for a healthy baby. I believe that is all that really matters to both of us. I sure can't wait to find out, though :)

The most precious gift ever...

Blake and I received the most precious gift for Christmas this year. We will meet this little angel in August. What a sweet anniversary present this will be! I can't even begin to express the love and gratitude I feel in my heart for my God. I don't think the fact that I am with child really set in until yesterday--our first appointment :) It will be a day we will NEVER forget. For starters, Blake and I got lost on the way to the appointment. Imagine that. If you know us, you know it is not uncommon. We even had our trusty TomTom that Blake's family gave him for Christmas and still managed to get lost. I am almost ashamed to even admit we got lost but in the midst of the madness--us both frantic that we would be late for our first appointment--we both just looked at each other and laughed. Oh, how I love that boy. So...we arrive at the doc..with no time to spare...I was pretty nervous. When they called us back, the nerves stayed in the lobby. I immediately fell in love with the entire staff. Everyone that I came in contact with was so nice and made us feel right at home. Finally, it was time to meet our doctor. I knew I loved him as soon as he walked in the door and asked us, "Which one of you is pregnant?." He had a wonderful sense of humor and made both of us feel so comfortable. After the meet and greet and the run down of what was about to occur, it was time to see our baby! Words cannot express the feelings that came over me when I heard that heart beating and saw our little butterbean on that screen. I wish I could have caught a picture of the look on Blake's face. Just that look alone brought me to tears. Right then and there,our lives changed. It hit us that we were going to become parents. We are having a baby! I have never felt so close to God in my life. I am well aware that anything good in my life, anything good inside of me is my heavenly Father. I don't deserve anything good in this life, and yet he continues to bless me and my family. I just pray that Blake and I can let His love shine through us for our child and that we can be exactly who we need to be for this little one. Please keep us in your prayers as we begin this exciting journey.