Waiting for November...

Yesterday, March 13, 2012 was quite possibly one of the greatest days of my life. I got to see my baby for the first time. That feeling has no words to describe it. Though it was only a tiny dot, the size of a blueberry maybe, it had a heart beat. A good one...strong. THAT means, that "thing" growing inside my belly is alive. It is part me, and part by husband.

I could not take my eyes off the monitor. The technician couldn't find anything at first, and I panicked, but then there it was...

You know, I don't understand how people can consciously say there isn't a God. Being pregnant has really made me think about this...

2 things, from separate bodies, a sperm and an egg meet. And it starts this radically growing every changing organism that forms a brain, heart, liver, kidney, bones, legs, arms, etc... It has a heartbeat before anything...and that to me is miraculous!

This made it all seem so real...that there really is a little baby growing inside me. It will continue to grow, and one day be ready for the world, and it will depend on me and Chris to take care of it. Not just the normal stuff, but provide food, shelter, love, stability, guidance, advice, and opportunities. This child's life will soley depend on us...and that is a humbling thought.

I am so blessed that God trusts in my enough to carry this baby. For the moment it was conceived, it was not ours but Gods, and we will spend the rest of our lives trying to show him or her that. I am sure every parent says this, but there is no baby in the world that will be loved more than this one.

My due date is now November 5th. I suppose I'm partial to November, since that is my birthday month, and I most certainly wouldn't mind sharing it with my child. November 6th also happens to be my grandfathers birthday, and he said he would just be tickled if it waited for that day to enter the world.

Now the waiting begins...waiting for the next appointment, waiting for the next ultrasound, waiting to find out if it is a girl or boy, waiting for the day he/she will come into this world, waiting to be a parent...

Waiting for November...

The joys of life

So the news is finally settling into Christopher and I that we are going to be parents. It is really exciting, and slightly terrifing! It sounds weird to be called mom, but that's what I am going to be. This June, when Mothers day rolls around, I am going to be a "Mother to be". Madness!

It was really exciting telling all of our friends and family. We got some great reactions. Lots of grandpa's cried, lots of mom's started making baby plans, and me... I just keep thinking about how I want to decorate a nursery! Christopher says this is just an excuse to want to paint something agian, I laughed and agreed!

My favorite people to tell was our youth! I knew some of them were going to freak out! And they did! We have lots of babies due this year in our church. 5 to be exact, and (though I am biased) I think ours is special.

We had told lots of people, and then BAAM! It happend! A person reached out and RUBBED MY BELLY!! Seriously...SERIOUSLY!!! I pushed her hand away and was like "don't touch my belly please". Come on people! Why do the words "I am Pregnant" give people permission to touch you in places that they would not under normal circumstances touch you?? I mean, i'm a bigger girl as it is...so I know I may look VERY pregnant, but i'm not okay? You can't feel anything in there! I knew it would happen eventually but really, right then?!?!?!?!! So to all you people out there, when you find out someone is pregnant, that doens't give you permission to touch them, it really freaks them out okay??

I am told this feeling of invasion of space goes away, but I don't know... I told our youth if they wanted to touch my belly, they better ask first, or I may chop their hands off. : )

Anyhow...

Since we haven't been to the doctor yet, we are guessing that our due date is around October 25th. This is what The Bump has to say about baby W this week.

 

Your baby is the size of a sweet pea!

The average embryo at week 6 is about .25 inches and will double in size again next week. Wow

• Obviously, he/she's growing like crazy!
• He/She's also circulating blood with his/her increasingly more sophisticated circulatory sytem.
• He/She's about to get cuter too, since starting to sprout a nose, eyes, ears, chin and cheeks.
• And he/she might even be wiggling his/her (paddle-like) hands and feet.

Seems crazy that something that starts out so tiny, is going to grow so big!

Our prayer this week: for healthy development! (though that will be a prayer every week!)


Happy Leap Day everyone!!

I am not a tomato sauce!

Perhaps on of my BIGGEST pet peeves is someone refering to themselves as "preggers" or "prego".

NOW...i'm not hating on people who refer to themselves that way, but it really drives me crazy!

I AM PREGNANT! Not prego (which is a tomato sauce) or preggers (which I have decided is the noddles to the tomato sauce) PREGNANT!

I really never thought I would get to say those words...the past months have been a struggle for me. I have taken many tests, waited those 3 minutes many times, just to see one line... Oh but this time...

I have been sick for about two weeks. A cough that is breaking my ribs, and tearing my chest to pieces! I feel nauseated ALL the time. LITERALLY all the time. And of course I was late... I didn't want to get my hopes up, so I didn't even think about the possiblity of being pregnant.

Sunday, during our church service, our pastor was preaching on timing, and how God sends answers to prayers just at the right time. I went up to get prayed for with Chris, because I felt so bad you know? And when Jimmy (our pastor) walked by me he stopped and just said that he felt like God was sending answers to someone right now. It was then I knew it was time to take the test.

We went to lunch with one of Chris' professors and had a really great time. We came home and I went to go take the test. Christopher got on the phone with Jimmy again...and was talking and talking and talking...The moment of truth had come. I waited...and waited...and that stupid one line showed up, I bowed my head in prayer just telling God I was okay with this, and that he knew I could handle it. I looked up and had to do a double take! There is was coming in, that blessed second line. It took it a minute to get there...but it came! I FREAKED OUT!!! I cried, I laughed, and I prayed hard!

I sat there waiting for Christopher to get off the phone. It felt like an eternity. And when he did I walked out, looked at him and mumbled "I'm pregnant" His reaction... "No you're not!" I laughed, jumped into his arms and said "Yes I am!!!!"

We didn't tell anyone for a few days, but we broke the news to everyone yesterday! All sets of grandparents, aunts uncles, and all the "greats" are so excited!

Our first doctors appointment is March 13th. We think we are about 5 weeks along...We will get to see our baby for the first time! Well, the little peanut that is our baby anyhow! It has a heartbeat!

                                                

                                    Your baby's the size of an appleseed!

Your embryo is now measurable -- though at week five, it's a wee .13 inches -- and she's gearing up for much more growth. In fact, in the next week, she'll almost double in size. Grow baby grow!

So there you have it! Baby Watts will join the world sometime this fall

Let's talk about VOWS

For whatever reason I have been really thinking about vows this week. The true meaning of them. All people who are married have said some form of them at some point, but I am curious to what people think they really mean.

This is what webster says a VOW means:
A vow (Lat. votum, vow, promise; see vote) is a promise or oath.

Wow...a promise or an oath.

Here is what my husband and I shared at our wedding...

I, Christopher Shane Watts, take Sally Lorraine Leo, to be my wedded Wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part,

I, Sally Lorraine Leo, take Christopher Shane Watts, to be my wedded Husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, cherish, and to obey, till death us do part

WHOA! "Did she really say OBEY?!?!"
Yup I sure did...

Here is what my vows meant to me:

I Sally Lorraine Leo, take Christopher Shane Watts, to be my sweet husband, to look after him and make sure he is taken care of, to be okay if his taste in food/music/style aren't always the same as mine, to pick up after him and make sure he has clean clothes, to love him even when I don't like him a whole lot, to take care of him when he is sick, though I may be much sicker, to be okay driving an old mini-van instead of a fancy sports car, to love our home whether it is big or small, to be okay if we have 100 children or none, to cherish the small things he does for me because those are what count, to honor his wishes about our future even when I may not understand or agree with them, to OBEY his vision for our family as my husband even when I may not want to, to follow him and be with him until death and only death parts us.

Interesting isn't it? When I said "I DO", I meant every word of it.

I'm sure most people start out that way. I don't think many people get married just so they can get divorced, but I wonder how many people ponder what they are saying when it is said.

So married couples, and couples thinking about getting married... I URGE you to consider what you are saying when you get married. Marriage isn't something to be taken lightly, it is a holy union, whether you intend for it to be or not!

God made many vows in the bible, as did Jesus. The bible is FULL of scriptures where vows were made for all sorts of things!

 

When we become christians we are in essesnce 'vowing' to devote ourselves to God, and living the life that Christ has called us to live. "I promise to give my life to you fully and to let you take control" Sounds like a vow to me...promise/vow go hand in hand.

What do/did your vows mean???

Thinking of Daniel

You know as the new year rings in, and we all get excited about things to come, I am looking back and pondering...

Our church is doing a "Daniel Fast" which in itself is difficult to explain, but as for now it is cutting out meats, sweets, and wheat's out of my diet for 21 days. I know your what you're thinking this is what the scriptures say,

 ⁸ But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. ⁹ Now God had caused the official to show favor and compassion to Daniel, ¹⁰ but the official told Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your^[c] food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you.”
 ¹¹ Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, ¹² “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink.

I know this may seem strange, but it is what we have been called to do. I somehow don't want to get caught up in the "religiousness" of a fast. In case you aren't familiarr, or don't know a fast is where you "give up something" that is important to you, in this case (and biblical ones) food.

I LOVE food, I'm Italian so shoot me okay? I love pasta, and chocolate, and coke, and steak, and cheeseburgers! So, being called to fast such things is a big deal. But I am choosing to look at it this way. The Lord wants me to cleanse my body, so that I can be healthy in all aspects of my life! Mind, body and spirit! 

This was my revelation today...

It was about 1 p.m. I wasn't hungry. Normally about this time I would drive to McDonald's, grab a burger, fries and a coke (maybe a cookie) and chow down. I am almost NEVER hungry when I eat lunch, I just do it, well, because it's lunch time.  I eat until I feel so full that I'm sick, because it is habit. Really it's gross! So today, instead of eating, I prayed. I asked God to reveal to me why I didn't feel the need to eat, and seek some guidance on this aspect of my life.
This is what was revealed...
Eating when I am not hungry is like going to Church on Sunday, just because it's Sunday. It's a habit, a ritual that I perform at a certain time on a certain day. It has no meaning...no feeling...no reason, I do it because I am a creature of habit!

I was like WHOA! So I questioned my motives behind going to church. I go to church because I'm a pastors wife..yes...because I am a worship leader...yes...but I supposed my motives aren't always pure. I'll admit I go sometimes because I have too...and THAT my friends is not okay.

So my goal for this week is to seek out God and what his plans for me as a pastor's wife and worship leader are. So that when I walk into church it is because I have been dying to get there, and not because "it's time"

Ponder that dear readers...What is your motivation behind what you do? Is it routine? Or are you doing it because that is what you really need to do?

Love to all!

Christmas Chaos!

Well...it's finally over, 8 Christmas's and 1100 miles later we are finally done with the holidays!! It was wild, but good. We were so blessed this Christmas and got some amazing things. But most of all we got to see all of our family, and that's what's really important! It's funny as you get older, and your priorities change...things you used to want so bad really don't matter any more! I am just glad that I am in a happy, loving marriage, have a job, and my bills are paid. Life is pretty good if you ask me! Some really great things coming up in the new year, and I can't wait to share them!

SO for now, here are some pics from this eventful holiday!

 My first round of holiday cookies! And they turned out amazing!

 Sampson waiting for his gifts!

 Sampson after the holiday!

 Christmas 2011

 Joey the elf???

 That is a cat dancing on a scratch pole...just fyi

 SANTA

 My little ladybug being her usual self posing for the camera!

 Can we say YUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 This is Mia...right as she is about to stick her face into the Happy Birthday Jesus cake...

And there you have it! Merry Christmas every one!

30 Days of Thanks

Wow have I been busy! The end of the year poses many things that need to be done in our little family. We have celebrated 4 Thanksgivings, travelled over 1000 miles doing so. I love seeing my family, and my husbands family. I love this time of year! We have so many church things going on, so many people to see, so many things to do. I am so thankful for such a wonderful family!

1 Timothy 4:4-5

For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,  because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.

God is good...God is so good that there aren't words to decribe his love. As I celebrated my 25th birthday this past Saturday, I looked back at my life in the past year! So much has happend. So, here I will list my 30 days of thanks!

I Am THANKFUL for...

1. The love of Jesus, my Savior.

2. My husband, whom I adore more than life itself.

3. My job, because I have one, and it pays the bills.

4. My home, because it is our place of rest.

5. My family, we have been through a lot, but at the end of the day, they are some of the most amazing people I know.

6. My old friends, they have a special place in my life. As we grow up and move away my love for them will never change! I couldn't have made it through the past years without them. Love you Kristi, Madison, Amanda!

7. My new friends, growing up is hard. Meeting new people is even harder! I am so thankful for the new friends I have made in my life. Like Kori, she is amazing, and my life wouldn't be the same without her!

8. My Church, they are the backbone of our ministry. I know that I can go there and find rest, and get fed.

9. My church family, they are spread over many states! Without these people I couldn't have made it through 2009-2010. They truly are my family.

10. My horses, they have been there for me for over 15 years. They have been my friends when the human ones weren't. I have poured out my blood, sweat, and tears for them. They are a part of my soul, and always will be.

11. My puppies, they are ROTTEN, but they are my children. And they keep my feet warm at night.

12. Being hot, because that means I have heat, and a warm place to go. There are so many people who don't...

13. Being cold, becaus in the summer it means I have somewhere cool to go and get out of the heat.

14. My pants being too tight. Funny right? Well I am thankful for that because that means I have had lots of food, and I'm not hungry...

15. Having a closet full of clothes, that though I may not like, I still have plenty of things to wear

16. Cold weather! It means Christmas is coming!

17. CHRISTMAS! I love December...caroling, hot chocolate, and most of all celebrating the birth of Jesus!

18. My Pea Coat. both of them! They are snuggly and warm.

19. My cars, I am just thankful that they are nice cars, not fancy or souped up, just nice cars with heat and air!

20. My brother. He was my first friend, beat me up a lot :), but tought me not to take crap from anyone. He is the link to my past! He is one of the most amazing people I know. And I love him more than he could possibly know.

21. My Boss, he drives me crazy sometimes, but he is a Godly man, and a great boss.

22. The sunrise, it reminds me I have made it to another day, and for that I am truly thankful!

23. My bed, I have one! Even though it is taken up mostly by the puppies, I do get to snuggle next to my husband, and it's better than sleeping on the floor. 

24. My health. I may be over weight, not work out enough, eat too much chocolate, but I am healthy and alive. Being skinny doesn't make you healthy!

25. God's provision. Enough said!

26. Technology. Though sometimes I want to throw my computer/cell phone/ television out the window, I am still thankful I had it. I did grow up in a time where you didn't! (Makes me old I guess)

27. A hot bubble bath. There is nothing that a hot bubble bath and a good book can't fix!

28. My education. It may have taken me forever, and I may not have done everything right, but I am lucky enough to have a good education and have a good head on my shoulders so that I can help this country become a better place.

29. My wedding day. It was perfect, no it wasn't fancy, but I got to marry the love of my life.

Last but NOT least..

30. I am thankful for our youth...they push me past my breaking point, expect me to know the answers to lifes questions, put their burdens on my shoulders, hold me to a higher standard of living, demand more time from me than there are hours in the day, and want more love than I think my heart has to give. But I would not trade them for the world. They make me a better person, push myself, and strive to be the best influence in their lives that I can be. They will never know how much I care about them, and their lives. They are my children, no matter how old they get, they always will be. I never thought I would be a pastor's wife. I feel fairly sure at points I am not a good one. But there is no one in this world that loves them more than I and Christopher do!

So there you are. I could have made a billion things that I am thankful for, but here is my 30 for thanksgiving. I will try to do better about keeping up with this! Lots of great things going on in the month of DECEMBER!!

Love to all!