11.13.2007

About a week or so ago, I finally gave up . . . and began the transformation of my music room into the nursery. I took down the flags, the posters, and the stupid mandolin that I bought off Ebay. (It was such a bad instrument that I screwed it to the wall as 'art'.) I moved out my guitars and brought in the paint cans--and so it began. Today we were able to paint the base coats for the top and bottom halves of the wall. Next week we'll paint the trim and install the chair rail! For anybody wondering--don't worry, Carrie didn't spend too much time in the room, we decided that we were both okay with me absorbing the majority of the toxic fumes--and I'm strangely okay with that.

11.19.2007 (6 1/2 months pregnant)

Jason and I got together with our friends Jon and Emilie to take some pictures for our Christmas card. This is one picture that we liked, but it didin't make the cut. Jon and Emilie have a little boy named Philipe and he was a great sport for the photo session!

12.13.2007 - 01.02.2008



Here's our best summary of our trip to Atlanta (L to R):

1. We made an overnight stop in Staunton, VA. This is Jason and I in front of the most delicious restaurant in town!
2. We also stayed overnight with my aunt and uncle in Jonesborough, TN. By the looks of this lovely Snyder family photo, you would never guess that Bill and Justin were wrestling in the grass just minutes before!
3. This picture is us with Percy and Ashley Thaba, and their new baby girl. They also lived in Ottawa and worked with Celebration! Church.
4. Jason and I ate yummy BBQ with Roger and Caroline Ferrell - great food and great friends!
5. Jason and I met another brand new baby girl, Allison Lee. Her mom, Lori, and I were best friends growing up!
6. These are some of my best friends from Berry: Courtney, Diana, and Michelle. The little girls are Esther (belongs to Michelle) and Savannah (belongs to Courtney).
7. We visited Jonathan Pasqual and his soon-to-be bride Sarah. We're standing by the lovely Chatahoochee River.
8. I was reunited with another childhood friend - Emily! This picture includes her husband Adam and their two boys.
9. I'm sitting with my little cousin Jackson. He was also named for his grandaddy Robert Jackson.
10. Jason and I took Ryan and Caressa to breakfast one morning at the Flying Biscuit. The long wait was definitly worth it because their grits are to die for!
11. The Byers and the Andersons! These are some of our most faithful friends from Berry.
12. I called this picture "Preggies", because all four of us girls are expecting: myself, Rosie, Sarah, and Carrie.
13. We stopped at the farm again in Jonesborough on our way back to Ottawa. The dusting of snow was beautiful on the rolling hills!

01.26.2008 (34 weeks)



Our church's winter retreat took Caleb and I on some fun adventures. During a nature walk, we came acoss a snow cave (also known as a quincey). It's similar to an igloo because they're large enough to crawl inside of. They're different from igloos because this is dug out of a large mound of snow rather than being built from blocks of ice.

02.06.2008



Caleb's room has come a LONG way since November. Jason and Caleb and I worked hard to finish all the painting and decorating. The blues are very soothing to me, and I love having all the colorful picture books on the walls. The best part of the room is seeing all the things that remind us of our friends and family. The rocking chair is Jackson family heirloom. The blue and white blanket was knitted by a friend's mother. The book on top of the CD player belonged to me when I was little. So many parts of the room are significant!

02.11.2008 (36 weeks)




Jason took some beautiful pictures of Caleb and I. Now that I've been looking through so many photos, I can really tell how much growing our baby has done over the past couple of months. At our doctor's appointment this week, Caleb's heart beat was as strong as always. Now we have the "go ahead" to deliver any time. I have a feeling Caleb might come early!

02.27.2008 (39 weeks-arrival)

That's right folks, the little man has arrived! I'll let Carrie fill in as many details as she wants a little later, but here are some. We went into the Civic hospital on Tuesday night around 10:00, Carrie laboured through the night, and Caleb entered the "outside world" at 6:48am. According to the doctor's chart, Carrie was right in her last entry--Caleb came a week early! Even given that week, though, he was 8 lbs. 6 oz. and 22 in. long. One of my favorite moments from the first week was sitting in the bed in our hospital room with Carrie and a sleeping Caleb. After a long night, the morning sun was coming in our window, reflecting brightly off the layer of fresh snow. Carrie and I prayed together over our new son and told him of Caleb of the Old Testament and how he "followed the Lord wholeheartedly all the days of his life." We told our Caleb that God has a plan for him and a promised land far away. We trust that God will bring him into it and that he, too, would follow the Lord wholeheartedly all the days of his life.