Jehovah Jireh

Wow... has it really been this long since I've posted??! Not like there are tons of people following this blog, but I thought I should probably get on here and share what's been happening over the past couple months. Life has changed completely for us - but in the best ways one can imagine! I will try to play catch-up a bit and go in order of events. This may take a while, or perhaps even a couple different posts. I'll give you the "Reader's Digest Version" as Shane often requests. Otherwise you'll be here for WAY too long!

Let me first share our "week of miracles" (as I've come to call it). The day of Shane's graduation from Asbury was Saturday, May 22nd. That Tuesday (May 25) he received official notice that he was accepted to New York Chiropractic College in Seneca Falls. Wednesday (May 26) my sister and her husband received a phone call that they'd been waiting months - in fact YEARS - for... a call about a baby they would be adopting! And then that Saturday (May 29) we sold our townhouse!!! All these things took place in a span of ONE WEEK. That Sunday I was leading worship at church and just could NOT contain my joy or my thankfulness to God for all He had done in that past week. Don't get me wrong - I am thankful every single day for His goodness, but all of those things packed into 1 week was nothing short of miraculous! We sang "Because of Who You Are" that morning and I want to share these words that spoke to my heart and inspired the title of this post: "Because of who You are I give You glory, because of who You are I give You praise, because of who You are I will lift my voice and say, 'Lord, I worship You because of who You are!' Jehovah Jireh, my Provider; Jehovah Nissi, Lord You reign in victory; Jehovah Shalom, my Prince of Peace - and I worship You because of who You are!" I could barely hold it together that Sunday morning... He has truly been our Provider in ways that I could never have fathomed. We had prayed for months that the house would sell, but with the market in rough shape, we truly didn't know if selling was the way that He would choose to answer that prayer. We trusted that He would provide an answer, and we actually had one prior to the sale of the house in the form of a renter who was coming to the seminary right after we were hoping to move back to NY. But He took that answer and bumped it up about 5 notches when he provided this buyer for the house. I just cried and cried when Shane called me to say, "WE SOLD THE HOUSE!" I was (and still am) in awe of how God has continually provided for us along the way. We serve an awesome Father! So with the sale of the house came the closing of that chapter of life in Kentucky. It was bittersweet as we made such wonderful friends during our time at Asbury, and those friends will stick with us forever. God is so good... I can't say it enough!

Now that Shane had graduated and the house had sold, all we had left to wait for was our little bundle of joy - Parker Joy, that is! :) She opted to come 5 days after her "estimated due date." She's like me... what can I say?! The delivery was long (which I will write about in a separate post), but I was able to do everything just how I wanted - no intervention and a completely natural childbirth without complications. Again... I can't say it enough, GOD IS GOOD! On Monday, June 14th, 2010 at 8:22pm, Parker Joy DeHaven came into this world weighing in at 7 pounds, 15 ounces, and 20 inches long. Jehovah Jireh, my Provider. My world changed the moment I saw my daughter. Watching the video (yes... I have video!) is always emotional for me. I kept saying, "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!" and, "Thank you, Jesus! Thank you, Jesus!" after I held her in my arms. There is no greater experience in life and words cannot express the fullness in my heart that occurred when I held her in my arms. It's amazing to me how God opens your heart in ways you could never imagine after having a child. I never knew I could love someone that much or so immediately, nor did I realize that I could love Shane more than I already do! When Parker was born, I believe that a new part of my heart was laid bare - one that I never knew existed. I love more deeply now than ever before, and I am humbled that God has chosen me to be a mother to this beautiful little girl. Jehovah Jireh, MY PROVIDER!!! Pictures still to come...

Pomp & Circumstance

Shane graduated from Asbury Theological Seminary this past weekend with a Master of Arts in Theological Studies!!! :) I am SO unbelievably proud of him... words really can't sufficiently express. He has worked so hard these past three years - juggling schoolwork, 3 jobs, and taking care of so many other things. I am blessed to be his wife and look forward to this next journey we're about to take. Here are some pictures from the weekend (and yes... my belly is visible in most of these - so I hope they suffice for prego pics, too!):

Before the ceremony

We had great seats! :)

Richard, Shane & Tab - the 3 amigos!

35 weeks!

Yesterday (Wednesday) marked 35 weeks!! I can't believe how quickly time is flying by. Before we know it... she'll be here! :) I am still feeling great AND wearing heels. I get comments all the time at work about that and I just have to laugh. I'm actually more comfortable in heels than I am in flats for some reason! Maybe it's because I've gotten so used to wearing them... who knows?!

She is still very active during the daytime - particularly from 11:00am until about 3:00pm. I'm pretty sure I have a gymnast in there! She has also begun to be more active around 8:00pm for about an hour and a half each night. Haven't had much movement in the middle of the night, though, which I'm very thankful for! I hope she likes that schedule and can stick to it after she's born. :)

Thanks to our YMCA family, we were able to purchase our travel system and swing last night at Babies 'R' Us without spending a dime of our own money! What a HUGE blessing. :) We still have a few small things we'll need to get before she's born, but all the big things have been taken care of. My mom bought the changing table for us and gave us a cradle, my in-laws bought us our Pack 'N Play as well as our crib bedding, and we have more clothes than we'll know what to do with! If you've been on my mom's Facebook page in recent months, you can see all the adorable clothes that Parker has awaiting her. As my dad so lovingly says, "You've unleashed a monster!" :) My in-laws gave us a bunch of clothes at the shower this weekend, and we also received TONS of cute outfits from the ladies at that same shower. Our family and friends have been so generous to us and we cannot begin to express our gratitude to each and every one of you! THANK YOU - it is a blessing to have you in our lives.

And here are the most recent belly pictures (from all angles) that Shane took last night. Typically he takes a picture of me from behind because he's still pretty convinced that you can't tell I'm pregnant from the back. Personally, I think it's getting harder and harder to "hide" from ANY viewpoint, but I'll let you be the judge of that. ;)

Catching Up

I haven't posted since we got back from Myrtle Beach. It seems as though our life has been a whirlwind ever since... but we're settling back into the groove of our routines now. :) Myrtle Beach was AMAZING! We started off on a rough note with the car breaking down about 50 miles away from Corey & Danielle's, but we were able to get it towed and the situation could have been MUCH worse. My parents saved the day again and rented a car for us so we could get the rest of the way to Myrtle Beach. Once we got there, we were just SO excited to see the family! It was sad that Tyler couldn't be with us, but we're looking forward to seeing him sometime soon (hopefully when Parker is born, if he's able to get out of class!). The week was full of relaxation, golf (for Shane), seeing "Avatar" in the 3D Imax (pictures shown below), good eating, even better shopping, and LOTS of laughter. Can't ask for a better vacation than that! Here are just a couple shots from our trip:

After we returned home from Myrtle Beach, we had 1 week of work before 2 baby showers! The first shower was given by my friends/co-workers at the YMCA on Friday during lunch. It was so much fun and people were SO generous to us! Thanks to our Y friends, we'll be able to get our travel system which includes the car seat, stroller, and additional base. I wish I could show you pictures from that, but unfortunately my camera was packed in the car already since we were leaving directly after that shower to drive up to NY for the NEXT shower! I think my boss, Gail, was able to capture a few shots on her camera phone, so I'll see if I can post those sometime soon. The food, the games, the gifts, the fellowship... all of it was sweet!

The shower in Jamestown was given by my mother-in-law (AKA "Nana", as she'll be called by Parker). When we first got to Jamestown there was some prep work left to be done, but Judy is SUPER organized, so it was easy to knock out those tasks. Mom & Dad DeHaven bought us our Pack 'N Play which we were able to set up at the shower to hold a lot of the presents! The shower was on Sunday afternoon and my sister was able to make the trip out! Unfortunately, my mom was in Portland, Oregon for Tessa's graduation and to meet her family. They hadn't met before this past weekend, and everyone thought it was probably a good idea for the families to meet before the wedding in August! ;) And although my mom wasn't there, her presence was VERY much felt! She sent along more gifts for Parker (and when I say "more", I mean that she has already bought so many amazing things for her - from outfits, to carriers, to her changing table - that I couldn't believe there was MORE). The shower was wonderful and all the ladies were so gracious - and again... EXTREMELY generous! Parker is such a blessed little girl already and we feel humbled to have these amazing friends and family surrounding us during this time. Here are a couple shots from the Jamestown shower (including the diaper cake Judy made!):

Thanks to EVERYONE who has made this time in our lives so special! We can't wait to introduce Parker to each of you! :)

Myrtle Beach... HERE WE COME!! :)

This Friday we are leaving to head down to Myrtle Beach for an entire WEEK of vacation with my family! I cannot tell you how excited the two of us are to have this time away - especially with those we love and miss dearly. :) My parents own a timeshare and take this trip once a year, but this is the first time we'll be joining them! It will be so much fun to see my family now that I actually look pregnant. The last time I saw them I had a very small bump that you wouldn't really notice as a "baby bump" - so it'll be a blast to have them finally get to feel Parker move and kick around in there! By the way... she is SUPER active in the middle of the day (especially as I type this posting), from around noon until 4:30 or so. She tends to calm down a bit for a few hours and then becomes more active again around 8:00pm. I'm glad to say that she's been very "quiet" when I lie down to sleep and I'm thankful for those uneventful nights. It used to be the other way around where she was SUPER active only at night, but now I think she's getting into more of a routine. Let's hope that continues to be the case after she's born!! ;)

This vacation will be our "last hurrah" before Parker's arrival. Not to say we won't be making any more trips... but we won't have any VACATIONS again until after she's here! I can't believe that in less than 2 months we will be holding our little girl! This pregnancy has gone by so quickly and I've really enjoyed every minute of it. I praise God for His guiding hand throughout these past 7 months and I look forward to seeing where He takes the three of us on this new journey! And here's the latest belly picture taken just a few days ago by my good friend, Kate. :)

29 weeks and still feeling great!

I know I probably shouldn't say it... but this has been such a smooth pregnancy thus far! :) I have been so blessed during these months and love every moment I feel our baby girl moving around inside my belly. I wish Shane could experience this phenomenon personally... but alas, it can never be. :)

We went in for our follow-up ultrasound and my glucose test yesterday. The outcome? All great news! The ultrasound showed NO sign of a cyst anywhere on her head (which they thought might be the case at my 21-week appointment). We PRAISE GOD for her health and His protection over her. The ultrasound tech was even nice enough to sneak in a couple 3D shots of our girl (which was not supposed to happen this time around), and it's AMAZING to see her little face... I can't believe what this technology can do!! According to measurements, Parker Joy is weighing in at exactly 3 pounds - right where she should be at this stage of the pregnancy. She is such a miracle... I can't begin to describe how in awe we are of God's grace and blessings.

The glucose test was a breeze, thanks to the fact that I was given permission to drink organic grape juice rather than the nasty orange Glucola they try to force down every pregnant woman's throat. My glucose level was 69 one hour after I drank my 13.3 ounces of juice - definitely FAR below the 130 mark they've set. :)

After the appointment was over, we were able to head across the street to take a tour of the BRAND NEW women's facility at Saint Joseph East Hospital (where I'll be delivering). They just opened their doors yesterday morning and our midwife said, "Hey! You should go check it out after you leave here if you have time! I've heard it's beautiful." And is it ever!! Now things are beginning to set in for me... after seeing the rooms and the actual BUILDING where our daughter will be born. I'm so happy that I'll have the chance to experience this new facility. The doctors and nurses were MORE than excited to show us around their new digs.

And here's the latest baby bump shot taken last night. Looking forward to the next 11 weeks!

Glucola?? Hmm...

At my doctor's appointment today I was given a bottle of orange "Glucola" that contains 50 grams of sugar. I have to consume this entire bottle within 5 minutes on the morning of my next appointment (March 23) so they can stick my finger with a needle and check my blood glucose levels. Awesome. Here's my question - why is it that they don't provide any type of organic alternative to this nasty synthetic garbage?! I'm not in the habit of taking in processed sugars or any other dyes/toxins on a regular basis ON PURPOSE... so why would I want to spike my normal levels with an INorganic sugar and all other sorts of crap? I'm hoping that my midwife will allow me to drink 14 ounces of organic grape juice - which would also equal 50 grams of sugar. I feel this is a valid and reasonable alternative, don't you? And here's another profile shot of my growing belly & baby girl! :)

A brief update

I am really enjoying being pregnant!!! I feel great and I hope this continues to be the case for the remaining 3-4 months. :) I can feel her moving quite a bit these days and I must say that it is the most amazing sensation in the world... I thank God for EVERY time it happens - even if it's when I want to sleep! I definitely look permanently pregnant now - not just a little round in the mid-section. Some people have told me that they can't tell I'm pregnant if they look at me from behind, which I CERTAINLY appreciate. :) Let's hope they're not just being nice!

I'm having a bit more difficulty sleeping - or rather getting comfortable on my side - and I know this will only increase in the coming months. But I'm sleeping pretty soundly once I can find a relaxing position. I'm trying to walk every day and remember to do my exercises. Some days are better than others, though, I'll admit...

As of right now, our little girl weighs about a pound and so far I've only gained 3.5 - so not too shabby!! :) Here's the latest baby bump picture (taken about a week ago):


My next appointment is on February 24th and I'm SO looking forward to hearing her heartbeat again. I know it may sound crazy, but there are days when I just need to hear that sound to know that she's growing strong and doing well. :) That's all for now...

And here SHE is!!

That's right... we're having a GIRL! :) I am 21 weeks along at this point and feeling great! Here are some pictures from the ultrasound this past Tuesday morning.

Not quite a modest little lady... but we wanted cooperation - and we got it! :)

Here is a profile shot of our little girl - though she didn't care to uncover her face!


And here's a straight-on shot. It looks like she might be praying in there! :) As Shane likes to say, "Spiritual from the start..."

A new year... a new addition! :)

[WARNING: Long post to follow!]
While most of you who read this blog already know our exciting news, I figured it would be a good idea to chronicle the journey of our expanding family! We found out on October 8, 2009 that I was expecting our first child!! :) We were (and still are) ECSTATIC, to say the least. The morning of October 8 began as any other day - with work. As I left work for my regularly scheduled annual doctor appointment, I couldn't help but hope that my dream had become a reality. I kept telling myself, "Don't get your hopes up..." But let's be honest - they already were! Without getting into all the details, I'll just say that I had not yet taken a pregnancy test until the day of my doctor's appointment. After arriving at the office and taking care of my end of things for the test, I was waiting patiently in a chair as my blood pressure was taken. The nurse looked at me just seconds later and said very nonchalantly, "Well, you have a positive pregnancy test." I was dumbfounded! I immediately said, "Are you serious?" Not sure why... especially when we had been trying, and since this was what I was hoping for! But I think her tone and manner caused my initial reaction. It was as if she was reading aloud the things on her "to do" list. I suppose she has to be careful with how she delivers this statement, though, as not everyone would be excited for this news. Once it registered in my brain, I immediately began smiling from ear to ear and teared up a bit. At this point, she returned the smile and said, "Congratulations!" Let me share that Shane was attending class as I was being told this life-changing news. Had I thought I really WAS pregnant, I probably would've insisted that he come with me that morning. But I've dealt with disappointment before on this front and didn't want to create something out of what I thought was nothing.

After delivering this wonderful news, the nurse proceeds to ask me some other questions and determines that I am approximately 5 weeks and 2 days along - making my due date June 10, 2010. WHAT?! At this moment (while I am being escorted into an exam room), every possible thought is swirling around in my head. "I HAVE TO CALL SHANE!" "Oh my goodness... I can't believe this is happening!" "I don't feel any different. Is she sure the test was positive? What if she made a mistake?" The reality of this moment finally began to set in when I spoke with Shane just a few minutes later. I had left him a message for him to call me, and he did so as soon as his class was dismissed. I was with my doctor at this point and I told him that I might have to answer my phone should my husband call. Just seconds after uttering that statement, my phone began to vibrate in my pocket. I scrambled to grab it and heard Shane say, "So... what's up?" And I anxiously answered, "Umm... you're going to be a daddy!" His reaction was instant, saying, "Are you kidding??! Oh my goodness..." I could actually HEAR him smiling on the other end of the phone. He got in his car not long after our conversation and met me at work so we could enjoy lunch together as we shared in this awesome moment.

I'm happy to say that we are blessed to have been able tell both of our families in person. It all started off with our trip to Disney World with the DeHavens back at the end of October. Once we found out that I was pregnant, we began plotting how we would let the cat out of the bag. We knew that Shane's family would be the first we saw... and determined at that point that we would tell them as soon as everyone was together. Once we got home from that trip, we hopped on a plane to NY to tell my family. It was a whirlwind couple of weeks, but worth EVERY second. :) Both families were overjoyed at our news and we've been sharing it with friends and extended family ever since.

As of today I am just over 18 weeks along and feeling great! I had my moments of sickness during weeks 10-14, but besides that I really can't complain! I know now that I have to get at least 9 hours (if not 10) of sleep each night to feel fully rested. I'm drinking lots of water and eating well... making sure Baby D (as we fondly refer to him/her) gets all the necessary nutrients. We are looking forward to finding out the baby's gender in just a couple weeks! It is still quite a surreal experience, but I am so blessed and humbled to be carrying this new life inside of me. God is so amazing...

Here is our first ultrasound from week 8 along with a couple "baby bump" pictures (one from early December and one from just last week):