My Life As I Know It...

Is about to go from a little busy to insanely busy. I am typeing this post mainly to reach out to my prayer warrior friends because of the special place in life God currently has me. Usually about this time of year I am diving head first into soccer and in a couple of months you would usually see a post about how I just dont know how I juggle it all. But this year is very different for the special gift I carry inside me. If you know me well, you know I love (ok don't really love) a full plate. Which I manage to fill up all on my own, then stand back and say "oh my goodness, what was I thinking????" I say all that to also say I really enjoy some of the things I currently have going on in my life. Coaching soccer, getting gifted certified, teaching etc. That might not sound like much just looking at the list of three things, but here is what a typical week will look like:
Monday: Big girl soccer 4-5:30, Little girl soccer 6-7:30
Tuesday: Gifted class 4-6:30 (actually a welcomed break from soccer)
Wednesday: Big girl soccer
Thursday: Big girl soccer 4-5:30, Little girl soccer 6-7:30
Friday: Thank goodness a day off unless I have a high school game
Saturday: Little girl soccer games
Sunday: Some little girl soccer games (hopefully not many)

This does not include the many high school games I will have during the week. This will start tomorrow and last through May.

So my hopes are that I will make it through the spring season, not stressed or overwhelmed. First and foremost this baby's health is most important. So my prayer is that if something has to go I will have a peace about it. Both soccer teams bring in an income, so whatever God decides, I know he will provide. Another thought in the back of my mind is that I will be in my second trimester next week, so the majority of the spring season will be during my second trimester and I want to be able to enjoy this part of my pregnancy. I couldnt wait all my life for this and the last thing I want is to have my pregnancy on the back burner while I run around like a chicken with my head cut off.

I guess this is the beginning of those "changes" that everyone talks about. But it is such a good change and very welcomed. I'm sure my desire to be a mom will also help me prioritize.

This Weekend

Jonathan and I had an awesome weekend. Friday night we had supper club at a friends house and it was so much fun as usual. We always try to have some time of devotional and Friday night we shared praises and prayer requests and will be lifting all of them up as the week goes on. Jonathan and I are SOOOO blessed to have such a good God fearing circle of friends. Our friends Mick and Stephanie are friends after my own heart, they served us only my most favorite food in the whole world and who our son might just happen to have a middle name that sounds a lot like the restaurant the food came from, the one and only Hudson's Bar-B-Q! Yum. Ok we are not naming our son (if we have a boy) after Hudson's, but it is a small similarity that I love their food and that name ;) Saturday we got up and had breakfast as usual. Saturday's for some reason have been hard for me, I think it is because it is off the "routine". Who would have thought you would need a routine before the baby gets here. But because I sleep in and don't eat as early I am waking up not feeling so go and our usual IHOP is NOT sitting well. It has become an AVERSION to say the least so I did get Chic-fil-a which was WAY better and did not keep me feeling like crud the rest of the day the way I had the 3 weeks prior. Later that day we headed to my bubbs house for dinner. They cooked us yummy spaghetti and meatballs, then home, to bed, and up for church the next morning. Sunday was relaxing and here I am Monday starting the week all over again :) Yay, Im so glad I have another week to look forward to! :) :) :)

Nicknames

I never really ever had a nickname growing up. My parents called us by the names they gave us at birth. I didn't get my first nickname (which I am only called by a small precious few) until high school from a best friend, "Annie". I remember that I felt special in a sense to have been given a nickname. Other than that I am just plain ol Anne Marie. Jonathan on the other hand seems to have a million and one nicknames, over half dubbed by his family, but even friends make up nicknames for him all the time. Im not sure he really cares much about a nickname either way. All this to say with a baby on the way, these things come across your mind. In the name selection process you pick names that you fall in love with for one reason or another. Jonathan and I both adore the names we have picked out for our little angel, but I have found when you tell others the names you have picked they seem to think they can start making up nicknames. It is the strangest thing. I guess it falls right in line with "everyone is going to give you their opinion so you can let it go in one ear and out the other." But I feel like names are important and play a role in the person that you are, after all it is part of your identity. If you have seen the names we have picked you would probably have picked up on what people may try to potentially pull with their names. For our daughter her name will be Emersyn. I just love this name, that is why we chose it. I do NOT like the name Emmy. If I did I would have chosen that name. We love Elijah for our son, I HATE ok don't like that word, STRONGLY dislike the name Eli. Again, if I did I would have chosen that name. So I guess I would love to know your thoughts on nicknames, are they fun or is it annoying when people call your child by something you didn't name them? I don't think we will have as hard of a time with Emersyn, but I have a feeling with Elijah, people may try to shorten it. How do you go about kindly making sure people call your child by the right name? I guess this REALLy hits home for me because all through my childhood I was called by the wrong name. That is mainly because my birth certificate read Anne as my first name, Marie as my middle, and Farmer as my last (my dad says mistake on the hospitals part, we did have it corrected my senior year in high school). However, Anne Marie is my first, no middle name, and Farmer was my last. So all my teachers called out Anne Farmer. Every year I had to correct them. I even had some never correct it and call me Anne the entire year. What does that say about someone who does not even take the time to get your name right. That doesn't include the times I was just called Marie, or Anna Marie, or Anne Maria, the list goes on. I don't want my children to go through that and I am confident we chose names that are not that difficult for even someone who has a brain the size of pea. Ok, we know God doesn't make people with brains the size of peas, but we do know people sure can act like their brain is the size of a pea.

Baby E

Today Jonathan and I had our first trimester ultrasound of baby E (we call the baby "baby E" because either way his or her name will start with E). Our appt. was at 9:30 and they took us straight back, sat me in the chair, put the gel on and there was baby E. Of course I burst out in giggles at the first sight of our first born. I looked right at Jonathan who had a big grin on his face. The baby was moving tons. Every time I would giggle the baby would stop moving, then I would get it under control and the baby would just start kicking and moving her/his arms. That went back and forth for a few minutes. The baby's size was perfect for the due date they have estimated (Aug 21). We also got to hear the baby's precious heartbeat (music to every mommy's ears). The heartbeat was 176 beats per min (girl maybe?). I told the ultrasound tech that I have not been sick a minute (she said boy maybe?) Anyway, overall we were elated to see our little angel. I told the baby she/he could kick mommy all she wants :) It's so reassuring to get to see the precious gift God is growing inside. Whenever I think about how blessed we are I get so overwhelmed. I am so thankful God chose us to carry one of his children and grow them up in His ways. It amazes me how little this baby started and how big the baby will grow. I spent sometime in prayer today for those still waiting on their blessing. Jonathan and continue praying for a healthy baby who grows to love the Lord and we hope you will pray that along side us as our friends.

Baby Names

Jonathan and I have had a girl name picked out for several years. We have also agreed on a first name for a boy for a couple of years and more recently we finally agreed on a middle name for a boy. Like I have said previously I have daydreamed of being a mom since I was five so naturally its one of those girl things to have names picked out. Amazingly Jonathan didnt think twice and loved our girl name right off. We also pretty easily agreed on a first name for a boy, but I had to do a little convincing for the middle name (which I really would love to be the first name...but life is about compromise ;) so here they are:

For our precious little girl: Emersyn Kate Underwood
For our precious little boy: Elijah Hudson Underwood

I wanted to spell our girl name this way... Emmarsyn (but Jonathan said it would not be pronounced correctly) I liked it because it looks more feminine and if we wanted to call her Emma Kate for a nick name or something we could. What are your thoughts...not sure I could talk Jonathan into my spelling, that is why I have it spelled Emersyn up above (again compromise). I have gone all my life not having my name pronounced correctly because well my mom let my dad name me and what do men know about names??? Just kidding, but he did give me two names for my first name and no middle name. Talk about trying to figure out what to print on your high school diploma;)

How We Found Out...

So I always love hearing stories about how people got engaged, how they found out they were pregnant, etc. And since this is a time in our lives that I certainly want to document, I thought I would share.

Jonathan and I had been hoping to start our family so as each month rolled around I would anticipate the telltale signs of pregnancy...oh could it be this month? or maybe this month? Month after month rolled around and if you have waited on a baby you understand how it can make you restless. Well several days before I would "really" know my sister talked me into buying a cheap test. I wrestled and wrestled and wrestled with spending the $ only to find out another month was to come and go. But this month I had been praying a lot about God's timing and he had already given me a little glimmer of hope to hold onto. I had not bought a test months previous because I thought well I'll just know when to go buy one eventually anyway. So after resisting, I found a cheap $3.76 test at Walmart and brought it home. Now I this time it is 3 days before I would "really" know and I have no symptoms whatsoever and no real reason to have taken it other than we were hoping we would be starting our family soon. So I got home and spent sometime praying before I took the test and this round my heart truly wanted God's timing for me and Jonathan. I was hopeful it would positive, but at the same time I felt a real peace about knowing God's timing for us would be so much more perfect that I could have planned. So I took the test and kept it flipped over so I could not see the results until they were completely in. After a few minutes I called my sister (who was moral support while Jonathan was working late) and as she sat on the other side of the phone I flipped the test over and was in complete disbelief. I starting saying oh my gosh it's positive, there is a plus sign and my sister is practically jumping through the phone screaming your pregnant, your pregnant. I was still in so much shock and so humbled that God had blessed us this way. So Jonathan came home and I waited for him on the couch. I had a big grin when he came in and he unexpectedly asked what are you mischievously up to? I told him he was going to be a daddy. He got the biggest smile on his face and said it was about time! He has been ecstatic and I couldn't have hoped for more.

You always have these preconceived notions about how things are going to be or how they will feel. Luckily I have not been sick or too hormonal, but just pretty tired. We go for our first sonogram a week from Monday!!! I can't wait!

More like Jesus

Blessed are all who fear the Lord,

who walk in his ways.

You will eat the fruit of your labor;

blessings and prosperity will be yours.

Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house;

your sons will be like olive shoots around your table.

Thus is the man blessed who fears the Lord.

May the Lord bless you from Zion

all the days of your life;

may you see the prosperity of Jeruselem,

and may you live to see your children's children.

Psalm of Praise 128

Jonathan and I are about to embark on one of the most amazing phases of life where I believe we are going to truly learn what it means to be more like Jesus. We are going to learn to be less self serving and more selfless. We are going to learn what it is like to have unconditional love for someone in the first second of ever meeting them and even before having met them. Yes we are so blessed and over joyed to share with you that we have one of the most highest honors we believe two can have...after much prayer and petition I can now say, "I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him". We are expecting our own little bundle of joy...

I had my first OB visit on December 18th and all was good. They did a head to toe exam. They gave us our due date: August 21st which is Jonathan's birthday. Of course this could change but my gut says they are right on. Our next visit is January 18th and we have our first ultrasound. I am so excited to see that little monkey. It will be good to put a face on the little life making me feel about 3 months bloated, like I have enough indigestion to last me a year, and exhausted enough to sleep for a lifetime....but I wouldnt trade if for the world and I actually feel phenominal to be over 7 weeks into my pregnancy.

The last thing I wanted to make sure that I posted, is how overwhelmed with thankfulness I am for the friends and family who have walked beside us and prayed for us while we have waited for God's perfect timing for us to start our family. We know whole heartedly that God heard all your prayers for us and we feel overwhelming blessed to have you as friends and to be able to raise our children around Godly friends of ours.

More Like Jesus

Blessed are all who fear the Lord,
who walk in his ways.
You will eat the fruit of your labor;
blessings and prosperity will be yours.
Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house;
your sons will be like olive shoots around your table.
Thus is the man blessed who fears the Lord.
May the Lord bless you from Zion
all the days of your life;
may you see the prosperity of Jeruselem,
and may you live to see your children's children.
Psalm of Praise 128

Jonathan and I are about to embark on one of the most amazing phases of life where I believe we are going to truly learn what it means to be more like Jesus. We are going to learn to be less self serving and more selfless. We are going to learn what it is like to have unconditional love for someone in the first second of ever meeting them and even before having met them. Yes we are so blessed and over joyed to share with you that we have one of the most highest honors we believe two can have...after much prayer and petition I can now say, "I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him". We are expecting our own little bundle of joy...

I had my first OB visit on December 18th and all was good. They did a head to toe exam. They gave us our due date: August 21st which is Jonathan's birthday. Of course this could change but my gut says they are right on. Our next visit is January 18th and we have our first ultrasound. I am so excited to see that little monkey. It will be good to put a face on the little life making me feel about 3 months bloated, like I have enough indigestion to last me a year, and exhausted enough to sleep for a lifetime....but I wouldnt trade if for the world and I actually feel phenominal to be over 7 weeks into my pregnancy.

The last thing I wanted to make sure that I posted, is how overwhelmed with thankfulness I am for the friends and family who have walked beside us and prayed for us while we have waited for God's perfect timing for us to start our family. We know whole heartedly that God heard all your prayers for us and we feel overwhelming blessed to have you as friends and to be able to raise our children around Godly friends of ours.