Liam Isaac: 24 Weeks!

I am almost a week behind in posting this 24th week post (seeing that as of tomorrow, we'll be 25 weeks along). But it's better late than never...so here you go! :)

The past couple weeks have been very eventful! At 22.5 weeks, we went in for our 6th month doctor's visit. We got to see our precious Liam again, which was such a happy time. Here are a few of my favorites from that day...

Hehe...even though this next picture is a little lumpy and not as clear...I absolutely LOVE it, because he's giving us a big smile. I know he's going to be such a joyful baby!

We love this little guy so much already!

The past few weeks have been very busy for us...we've had lots of events going on for our students and our church, and last week we went to Atlanta for the National Youth Leader's Conference (which was incredible!) In the midst of all the crazy awesomeness that's been going on, I came down with a really bad cold and it's stuck with me for the past 3 weeks. And then on Wednesday we had a little bit of a scare, because I had an allergic reaction (hives + swelling up + all that fun stuff) to an unknown something. I went to my clinic and had them check everything to make sure Liam was okay. His heartbeat was strong, and he was kicking like crazy during our visit, so all is well with him! Even though we weren't able to pinpoint what the reaction was from, they were able to give me some medication to help stop it from progressing and to help me get over it.

I still have a bit of a cough and sore throat, but I am finally feeling like I'm beginning to get over this cold (praise God!) and my hives are almost all gone now. :) I'm excited to get my energy back so I can start being productive again!

Even through the sickness, it's been a very good past few weeks. While we were in Atlanta last week, we were able to connect with some great friends...AND we went to IKEA to pick up most of the furniture for Liam's room! I cannot even begin to express what a great feeling of relief it is knowing that we now have his crib, dresser, etc. He now has a place to sleep! (Once we put all the furniture together, that is). I'm excited to start getting his room together now.

Here's an updated baby bump photo...

Don't be fooled...looking at the picture, it seems like Liam has shrunk between week 22 and week 24...but I really don't think that's the case. I think most of it has to do with the placement of the stripes on my two outfits (they're like optical illusions!) If there's one thing that I've learned while doing this photo series, it's that I really love stripes. I didn't realize how many I had in my wardrobe until I start picking out what to wear for my next photo. :)

Liam is growing! He weighs about 1.5 pounds and is about 9 inches long. 

I can tell he's getting bigger too. His movements have been bigger and I feel him throughout most of my day. I love looking down at my tummy and seeing him move from side to side at times. I've been having dreams of holding him almost every night this week, and I am so looking forward to that dream becoming a reality!

Thanks to all of you for your constant love and support throughout this journey of ours. We are so thankful for all of you, our family and friends!

Hope you are having a very blessed weekend!

-Tiffany

Liam Isaac: 22 Weeks!

Hello friends!

Well, we are 22 weeks along now! As always, these past two weeks completely flew by...and looking at our calendar, I don't think time is going to slow down anytime soon. I'm pretty sure our little Liam will be here before we know it, and I'm perfectly okay with that. :)

The past two weeks have been good and busy, but we've still had time to get some much needed rest. There are nights when 7pm rolls around and I turn to Jonathan and say, "Is it really only 7?! Is it too early to go to bed?" I've always needed a good night's sleep to function well, but this pregnancy has taken that to a whole new level. I'll get 10 hours of sleep one night, and still be exhausted come lunch time. Growing a baby is hard work!

Liam has been getting stronger and stronger. A couple weeks ago, Jonathan felt him kick for the first time and it made me so very happy! He's felt him move a bunch of times since then, and it makes us smile. It's gotten to the point where we can just watch my tummy and see it twitch right where he's kicking. It's the coolest thing ever!

On Friday we were under tornado watches and warnings for the afternoon/evening. Storms are not my favorite, but God reminds me to trust in him and he gives me peace in the midst of it. Growing up in Maine, tornadoes never happened (although they had one last year, which was completely bizarre)...so it's not something I'm used to at all. We blew up our air mattress and camped out downstairs while praying and waiting it out. Thankfully, a tornado didn't touch down near us...but my heart goes out to the towns and households who were affected by last week's storms.

Even though no major damage occurred near us, there was still quite the storm. The rain was coming down super hard and the wind was howling outside. During most of that, Liam was kicking HARD. And he was keeping a beat! I couldn't tell if he liked the sound of the storm, didn't like it, or could just sense my stress about the situation. Jonathan was convinced that he was just keeping time with the raindrops and that we have a future drummer on our hands! haha. His kicks made me smile, and definitely brought joy in the midst of the storm.

Now it's time to share an updated baby bump picture. I warn you, your jaw may drop when you see this. Liam had quite the growth spurt these past two weeks!

BAM! I promise you, I did not use any Photoshop tricks to make my tummy look bigger than it is. This is real life, people! Right now little man is measuring at about 11 inches long and weighing about ONE POUND! We are now into pounds and not just ounces! CRAZY! 

I also feel like my hair has grown two inches in the past two weeks. Is that even possible?

I'm starting to feel like a real pregnant woman now. Now I'm having difficulty bending over to pick things up...getting up from a seated position...and I've randomly pulled a couple muscles (ouch!) doing normal activities such as laundry and turning off the TV! Really? haha. I'm having to learn to adjust to this changing body of mine and remember that I can't do things exactly the way I used to before. And that's alright. I'm carrying a child. 

We have our next doctor's appointment later this week, and I can't wait to see our little guy's face again (we get to have another ultrasound!) 

Have an amazing week, you guys!

Love and blessings,

-Tiffany

There is no one alive who is youer than you!

Today is Dr. Seuss' birthday! Happy Birthday to one of the greatest children's authors ever!

This quote is one of my favorites from Dr. Seuss: Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you!

When I read this quote today, I started thinking about how sad it is that often we try so hard to be the opposite of who God has created us to be. I think it's amazing that out of the billions of people on this earth, no two people are exactly the same. He has made us all with different features, personalities, talents, and fun quirks. We were all created to be unique and to stand out.

But how many times do we try to blend in. How many times do we try to be "normal" and attempt to be like everyone else. I think we're all guilty of this from time to time...I know I have been!

Too often we look around and compare ourselves and our lives to other people. This is not healthy, and we need to bring an end to it. Comparison is the thief of joy. We are robbed of our joy when we spend our time and energy focusing on how we compare to others. Our looks, our bodies, our talents, our financial situations, our gadgets, our toys, our marriages, our families, our parenting, our relationships, our popularity...the list goes on.

No good can come from comparing ourselves to others.

When we begin comparing ourselves to those around us, we enter a slippery slope. We begin to become discouraged with ourselves and our situation. When we're feeling down about ourselves, we often try to look and find someone who is worse off than we are so we can think to ourselves "Well, at least I'm better than they are!" And sometimes we try to put others down just to make ourselves feel better. It's a viscous cycle.

We need to stop this awful cycle of comparison. 

Let's stop wasting our energy comparing ourselves to others, and instead focus on who God has created us to be...focus on the blessings, the strengths, the talents, and the unique personality and traits he has given us. There is NO ONE alive who is YOUER than YOU! So be the best you that you possibly can be! :)

Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that...Don't compare yourself with others. - Galatians 6:4 MSG

To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.  - E.E. Cummings, 1955

Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.  - Judy Garland

So, let's be ourselves and encourage others to do the same! :)

 

Liam's Room (a work in progress)

Hello friends!

I hope this Leap Day is treating you wonderfully! :)

Now that we know our little bundle of joy is a baby boy, and we are well into the 2nd half of this pregnancy (yay!), I've had lots of questions from friends and family regarding what we're planning for the baby's room. We've been brainstorming and dreaming of this room for months and months now, but now it's fun to start the process of actually bringing it all together and making it a reality.

People ask me if we have a specific "theme" for the room, and when I've tried to explain our vision, I'm afraid it comes across as more confusing than anything. haha! So, to help in this dilemma, I've decided to put together a few inspiration boards to show you how we are planning on decorating Liam's room. Now, we may not get all of things...but this is what we're dreaming of! :)

If I had to assign a theme for this room, it would have to be: simple mid-century modern (including some 1960s and 1970s design elements).

There's going to be lots of white in the room to keep things clean and simple (white walls, white furniture, white curtains), but we'll be incorporating lots of fun, bright, accent colors too!

Here are the accent colors we've come up with:

Orange, kelly green, bright blue, yellow, and red! We love color and are not afraid to use it! :)

Now, as for furniture, this is what we're looking at...

EXPEDIT shelf from IKEA - to fill with bins/baskets and use as toy storage.

GULLIVER crib from IKEA - I love how sleek and simple it is. It also converts into a toddler bed!

Eames-inspired rocking chair - Eames was big in mid-century design, so I am really loving this chair.

Knitted Pouf from CB2 - I've been wanting an excuse to get one of these poufs! It makes a great extra seat and a footrest for the rocking chair. Double purpose!

Zigzag printed rug from Urban Outfitters - I think this chevron rug would be perfect for his room!

MALM dresser from IKEA (not pictured) - Instead of using a changing table, we're planning on getting this dresser from IKEA and placing a changing pad on top of it.

Since the room and furniture are going to be white, most of the color will come from the decor we place in the room.

Green Stacked Lamp from Target - We got this on sale the other night, and I about freaked out in the store. It was perfect for what we were wanting, and the price was right! We got a simple, white, drum lampshade to go with it.

Solid Orange Crib Sheets from Carousel Designs - For bedding, we're going with simple, solid, orange, fitted crib sheets. No bumper, no comforter, just the sheet. I understand this is a little out of the ordinary, but it's the look that we like best for us. Jonathan's mom is making Liam a quilt in our accent colors, and my sister is also knitting (or crocheting?) him an amazing blanket in his colors. So we will have those to add to his bed later on when needed. I love that they'll be one-of-a-kind and special to him.

Red Wall Clock from Urban Outfitters - Again, I love how this resembles clocks from mid-century modern design :)

Yellow Pillow - We got one similar to this from Target the other day, but couldn't find it online to link to.

You Make Me Happy print from Etsy - Love this!

Elephant Bank from Urban Outfitters - This is too cute.

Now, for toys! :) I think toys can help bring together the design in a room. My favorites are wooden toys and vintage inspired toys. Some of these can double as both play things and decorations.

FisherPrice Retro Camera

Wooden Abacus by Melissa & Doug

Shape Sorting Cube by Melissa & Doug

Geometric Stacker Toy 

LEKA wooden baby gym by IKEA

Another element that we're wanting to include in his room is a book wall (or partial wall, really).

(source 1 + 2)

We LOVE books, and really want to instill that love for books and reading into our Liam at a young age. I've loved the idea of having a book wall for quite some time. Now all we need to do is add to our children's book collection! :)

There are other fun handcrafted and design elements that we'll be including...but I'll share those later as the room begins to come together.

So, there you have it! That's our vision of how we want Liam's room to turn out. Jonathan and I have both had fun brainstorming and dreaming all of this up. We're very blessed in the fact that we both have the same taste in design...so it makes agreeing on things so easy! 

I think this will be a fun, inspiring environment for our little guy to grow up in! :)

Love and blessings,

Tiffany 

Happy Birthday, Husband!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the most incredible man in the world!

Jonathan,

I am so very blessed to have you in my life. I absolutely love this day...your birthday...because it means I get to celebrate your existence. And for that, I am extremely thankful.

Even though you've been in my life for over 6 years now, I still sit in amazement at how perfect you are for me. You are incredibly strong in so many ways, and are everything I ever dreamed of (and more) in a man. God really knew what he was doing when he made you! I am so thankful that our paths crossed, and we now get to spend the rest of our lives together! How cool is that?! :)

You are my best friend. I could spend every moment of every day together and never tire of being with you. You make even the most mundane activities fun and exciting. You make me laugh so hard and are the source of  many of my smiles. You are such a joy in my life!

You are the love of my life. 6 years ago, I started to fall in love with you...and you continue to sweep me off my feet every day. But the wonderful thing is, is that I know our love for each other goes deeper than any of the feelings that we have. We are wholeheartedly committed to each other, to our marriage, and to the covenant we made with God. This kind of love is such a treasure and brings such security. I will cherish it and love you always!

You are a mighty man of God. One of the first things that attracted me to you was your love and dedication to God. I had never met a guy like you before. You continue to lead and encourage me in my own faith, and for that I am so thankful. I love your heart for ministry, for the things of God, and for our students who we get to pastor. God is using you in big ways, and I know this is only the beginning. I find it a joy and honor to have the opportunity to stand beside you to work together and support you as your wife. It's the best job in the world!

You are already an amazing father. As we enter this new chapter in our lives, I couldn't be more excited to get to experience parenting with you. This will be our greatest adventure yet! I already know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that you're going to be an incredible father. This is evident in so many ways. You have always loved and taken care of me so wonderfully, but during this pregnancy you've taken it all to the next level. To see your care and concern for our baby before he's even in this world, really melts my heart. Liam is going to love his daddy! I am so thankful that he has you as his role model in life. I couldn't ask for a better one.

Thank you for being all of these things, and more! I love and appreciate you more than I could ever accurately express with words.

I'M SO GLAD YOU WERE  BORN! :)

Love always,

Tiffany

Liam Isaac: 20 Weeks!

20 weeks down, only 20 more to go!

It's hard to believe that we're already halfway through this pregnancy! The first half flew by incredibly fast! I've now entered what many call the "nesting" phase. I have a hard time thinking about anything else other than getting ready for this baby to come. I want to organize everything...even if it's not directly baby related. Our pantry, the laundry room, cleaning supplies, my schedule, my meal planning methods, etc. The list goes on...

I'm trying to remind myself that we still have plenty of time to get everything done, so there's no need to get overwhelmed. :) I must say, getting ready for baby is quite fun though!

The past two weeks have been quite eventful and exciting for us! We found out that our little one is a BOY (Liam Isaac), one of our closest friends (Lauren) came and visited us for a few days, and our dear friends the Crevistons came to visit! It's been fun getting to see so many people that we love and have missed over the past couple of years. They all came bearing gifts for the little man as well...I'll have to take pictures of some of the cute stuff he's been given already.

Liam has been growing and getting stronger and stronger each day. He is very active at times (mostly at night, much like his Daddy). The other day I was laying on the couch resting and Max was right up against my tummy...all of a sudden, Liam startles Max by kicking him hard in the side. Max jumped and just stared at my belly for a few seconds. Haha! It was so funny. That pup has no clue what's coming. :)

Jonathan was a little jealous that Max felt Liam kick before he has had the chance to. Every time Liam's been very active, I place Jonathan's hand where he is...but then the little man gets super still...like a ninja. We'll catch him one of these days!

Here's an update of the baby bump:

I've had moments the past week or so where I think to myself "Surely, my belly cannot stretch any further than it has already." Oh, but I know that I am only halfway there...there's still quite a bit of growing left to be done. It's amazing how God made our bodies to adjust to have a baby!

Hope you all are doing wonderfully! :)

Love and blessings,

-Tiffany

How He Loves Us!

Last night, a group of our Real Life students led their peers in worship at Franklin High School’s Open Mic Night. They led “How He Loves”, and by the end of it, the entire auditorium was standing with many lifting their hands in worship!

It was incredible to see these students take a stand for Christ and be unashamed to praise His name in their public school! God is doing a powerful work in and through this generation, and revival is taking place right now.

This is only a taste of what God has in store!

Here is the video from last night. I encourage you to watch the entire thing, but especially from 6:40 on. 

Let this be an inspiration and encouragement to all of us to step outside of our comfort zone and expect God to do big things through us! It’s time for us to stop living in our little bubbles, and to reach out to the people around us!

God is so good!

"See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are!" - 1 John 3:1