1st Baby Shower

Here are some pictures from our first baby shower the Saturday after Thanksgiving! It was so much fun!!!

Thanks so much Aunt Pat, Mom, Amy, and Grandma Lucille!
Brian is going to LOVE all his stuff!

Life is Weird, but Birth is Normal!

This saying was on the sticker we were given at our first Labor & Delivery class at WakeMed hospital Monday night! And to be perfectly honest, I have to agree that Life can be strange, but it's very comforting to know that our Heavenly Father has created our bodies so uniquely and perfectly that being able to delivery this little miracle inside me is perfectly normal!

Chris and I attended our first class on Monday evening and will go every Monday until December 15th - and even then I still won't be ready!!! LOL! We are in class with 7 other couples and it is very neat to hear other couples' views and opinions. I am excited about the classes and so thankful that it is available to us.

There is such a wide range of "normal" according to how our labor and delivery will happen - and I am so glad that God already knows how it will happen and His plan is Perfect!

Baby Brian at 28 weeks

The ultrasound technician assured us that we were still having a little boy!!! It's a good thing since the nursery is already painted!!

Baby Brian is doing VERY well! He weighs 2 1/2 lbs and all his measurements are "perfect" according to the doctor! He has a good strong heartbeat and a good strong KICK as well!

Enjoy the pictures!

Brian's profile at 28 weeks
(Head on right, Shoulder on left - nose and lips in middle!)

Kicking a lot harder!

Baby Brian continues to move around and kick Mommy daily! But this morning, Daddy got to feel him kick!!!

Daddy had his hand in just the right spot on Mommy's belly this morning when Brian started moving around and kicking! Daddy asked, "What was that?" and Mommy asked him if he felt that and when he said, "Yes!" she told him it was Brian kicking! Daddy actually felt it a couple of times before Brian settled down.

It was so exciting for Daddy to be able to feel Brian move around! We are so grateful that Baby Brian is doing well and growing bigger every day!

Sick, Sick, Sick

Sorry we haven't updated the blog in so long! Mommy got sick with a really bad cold and started having a lot of problems with her back and leg again! Thankfully, the cold is almost completely gone and we are working on the back pain!

Then Daddy got Mommy's cold! YUCK! Now Daddy's all stopped-up and congested! Hopefully he'll feel better soon!

So, Mommy's just added several new things to the blog below! And next week hopefully we'll have more pictures of little Brian - we have an ultrasound on Monday!!

Pictures of the Painted Nursery!

The paint is on the walls in the nursery!! Thanks Aunt Amy for picking out such great colors for Brian's room and laying out the stripes! Mommy and Daddy really like it!

Daddy did about have a heart-attack when the light blue was being painted on the walls because when the color was wet it really looked like "Carolina Blue"! That didn't go over well with Daddy! But thankfully the color dried darker and it doesn't look like Carolina Blue!

Nursery Painting Party!

Without the help of Grandma Terry, Grandpa Richard, Joe, Brian & Marisa, we could not have completed installing the ceiling fans (in the nursery and guest room) and painting the nursery last weekend! We had some amazing help and it looks wonderful!

Thanks to all of you for your help!

Nursery Cabinets

Grandma Terry helped Mommy find these decals at Stone's School Supply! They are perfect!

24 Weeks

We had our 24 week doctor visit last Friday!

Baby Brian has a very strong heartbeat and Mommy is measuring "perfect" for being 24 weeks along - according to the doctor! We are so thankful that all the lower back pain and leg pain has gone away and Mommy is only slightly uncomfortable in the evenings sometimes after a long day a work!

Mommy will have another ultrasound on November 17th to make sure the placenta has moved away from her cervix and everything else is looking good! Oh Darn, another time to see the baby!!! :)

Pictures of Mommy

Mommy at 22 weeks!

Baby Brian is getting bigger!

In ALL your ways...

Acknowledge Him (God) and He will direct your path.

Kristin's meeting at Building Together went surprisingly well yesterday! The board of directors had asked the executive director to meet with the staff and talk through what they thought God was leading them to do in regards to their ministry. We know God is working daily through BTM to reach children and families and bless their lives for His glory. None of us feel that God is leading us to move from this place at this time - which was very encouraging considering that half of the staff we had in August has resigned since then.

BTM staff (all four of us!) deeply desire to continue serving and loving the families that God brings us daily. We continue to pray that God will be glorified and our Board of Directors and Community will continue to support all that He is doing through BTM.

Even though BTM is still struggling financially and we know it may be a while before all that is straightened out, we walk by faith that God will continue to provide.

"Do not throw away your confidence, which has great reward! For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the Will of God, you may receive what was promised!" Hebrews 10:35-36

And we walk by Faith...

We continue to trust God for our every need - even when we can't see the way out!

Chris received an email today that Newcomb & Co. is holding off on hiring right now because of the economy. They wanted Chris to know that he is on the top of their list, but it may be another week or so before they make a decision on when they'll hire for the warranty position and be ready to schedule an interview. The news was disappointing, but we choose to trust that God's timing is always PERFECT.

I did receive part of my paycheck from last Tuesday today, but we're not sure when I'll get the rest of it - maybe by Friday is what we were told. The staff at Building Together has a huge mtg tomorrow starting at 9:00am - ALL PRAYERS WELCOMED!!!

Thanks to everyone who has been praying, encouraging, and supporting us through this time! Our "Thank You" just doesn't seem sufficient, but THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!

On the Move

Mommy has started feeling Baby Brian moving around! She started feeling him at 21 weeks and he is quite active! I've noticed that he is especially active in the evenings when I'm trying to wind down, but I don't really mind it much right now as it is such a joy to feel him move!

That little flutter is only going to get stronger, I know!!

Relief for Mommy

Physical Therapy is working!!!

Mommy has been going to PT twice a week and it is tremendously helping the pain in her leg and lower back. The therapist is doing a great job getting the muscles to relax and stretch out and the pain continues to decrease daily! Mommy is basically getting a great massage twice a week!

Thankfully she has been able to return to work and is sleeping better at night! We will continue to pray that the pain continues to diminish and soon it will ALL be gone!

Update on Daddy

Thank you all for your many prayers for Chris.

Unfortunately, his interview with Newcomb was canceled at the last minute on Tuesday due to an emergency the Vice President had to take care of! And even though it was disappointing, Chris was told he was one of their top priorities and they would contact him hopefully by the end of the week to reschedule for next week.

We continue to trust God for His guidance and direction and know that His plan for our lives is greater than anything we could achieve by ourselves.

We'll keep you updated!

Yeah for Daddy!

Daddy has a 2nd interview with Newcomb & Company (HVAC company) on Tuesday at lunchtime!! He received an email late Friday from the operations manager that he interviewed with last week asking if daddy could meet with him and the Vice President on Tuesday for lunch! We are very excited about this possibility for daddy to talk with them further about the Warranty Associate position that is available!

Please continue to keep us in your prayers!

Pain in my Rear

So, is mommy talking about daddy or baby Brian?!?!

Don't get me wrong, I probably could be talking about my sweet and loving husband some days, but unfortunately I'm talking about little Brian. Mommy's been out of work a lot the past week and barely able to get out of bed because of all the pain in my right leg and backside! Thankfully, daddy has been absolutely wonderful and has been pampering mommy for weeks! The house is clean, dinner has been great every night, and mommy has been chauffeured wherever she needed to go! Daddy is the worlds best. Even Brian says that daddy is the best. Brian cannot wait to see his loving daddy.

We've been to the doctor and thought it could be inflammation of my sciatic nerve, but thankfully there was a cancellation at the physical therapist and I was able to get in on Thursday. My PT did a lot of muscle relaxation work (which helped tremendously), so we think it may be built up muscle and nerve tension that is going to take a little while to work out. I will have PT twice a week for a little while to see if we can continue to alleviate the pain.

Thankfully, mommy has had some relief the past 2 days, so we are hopeful that at least the intensity of the pain will continue to decrease. Please continue to pray for us (especially since my co-pay for PT is $50 a visit!) as I continue to work as much as I can and as daddy continues to look for a job.

19 Weeks

We are very close to being half-way through our pregnancy - and if Baby Brian decides to come early, we may already be there!!! Our doctor's appointment went well yesterday and Brian's heartbeat is still good and strong - I love hearing that sound! I think I've decided that his heartbeat is one of the best sounds in the world!!

Our doctor asked me if I had felt him move yet. My response was, "I don't know!" Thankfully, he said that was the exact response he expected to hear! He assured me that in the next days to week or so, I should feel something that I know is the baby. I'll be sure to let you know when I do!

Mommy's not really started craving much of anything yet - except Olive Garden! All you can eat pasta, salad, and breadsticks - I could eat it every day! And they have this new Asiago Garlic Alfredo sauce that is WONDERFUL over angel hair pasta! Unfortunately it is not a craving I can give into regularly, but we did get to go last Saturday for dinner! So if anyone has the desire to pamper Mommy anytime soon, Olive Garden gift cards are more than welcomed!! :)

Hopefully we'll get some more pictures posted within the next week or so!

The World of Registries

Well, Chris and I braved the world of baby registries this past week! Babies R Us and Target were our stores of choice! Chris thoroughly enjoyed himself with the scan gun - I got to point to everything I wanted and he got to scan. However, I am not afraid to admit that creating our registry at Babies R Us was very overwhelming! 5 different brands of everything, different colors, different feels of materials, a range of prices, where do you even begin? At least we knew what colors we are doing in the nursery - greens, blue, and yellow - and we are putting Noah's Ark things in the nursery as well. After maneuvering through all the aisles at Babies R Us and scanning almost 180 items, Mommy called it a day!

However, Daddy had gotten a little "scanner happy" and suggested we go ahead and register at Target as well, especially since it was "just down the road!" Target was quite as overwhelming as Babies R Us, but there was still a LOT of baby stuff to look at and choose from! To say the least, our Target registry is much shorter than the other one, because Mommy got TIRED!

Shopping and doing our registries was definitely my favorite kind of shopping - FREE, but I'm definitely done for a while!

First Glimpses of Baby Ertel

My First Profile

Look At My Little Feet!

All Layed Out

(Head at the right, feet at the left)

Baby Ertel's Head

It's a Boy! (The money shot!)

Tiny Little Arm

(Waving Good-Bye For Now)

Belly Shots For Future Grandmas

Here are some shots of Mommy at 17 weeks!

Our First Blogging Experience!

Well, we have finally gotten on the blogging train!!! I don't know how good I'll be at keeping this updated every day (please don't hold your breath!!) but we want to be able to share part of our lives with you!

So, as of today, we are 17 weeks pregnant and so excited that we are having a little boy! God has blessed us with this little miracle and we are anxiously awaiting Brian Christopher's arrival. His arrival is scheduled for February 12, 2009 and all our doctor's visits have shown a strong heartbeat and a VERY active little boy - he's going to be just like his daddy!!! So please keep mommy in your prayers! :)