Here are some things I recently learned how to do. I don't know where else to put them, so I'm just going to add them to this blog! I cannot wait until Noah gets here, that poor boy is going to have so many photo shoots!! :0)
First, this is my tummy currently. I was 24wk4d on Tuesday the 19th (yesterday), and as of today we have 15wk2d until Noah's due date of August 5th - I'm not sure we are going to make it that far, but we'll see!!
Now these next two are from my 30th birthday photo shoot back in November 2010. My BFF is an AWESOME photographer and I get all the photoshoots I can handle!! You can check out her other work (and all my little neices/nephews) on her flickr site.
Okay, so here is a picture of my younger sister. I love the brightness of her dress and the vibrant green from the grass. She's so darn cute. This was about 2 years ago. So, she was 10-ish...
This is from our engagement photoshoot in 2007.
And, this is from our wedding, 05-26-2007
this last one is me again, another photoshoot with Donna. I think it was 2008...
My wedding was spectacular, spectacular.
Matt and I met on eHarmony in December of 2006. By the end of the week we had our first date, and then our second, and 5 days later he said he loved me. Then about 6 weeks later he asked me to be his bride. He proposed at Lamberts, a restaurant known for their delicious rolls. He had them bake my engagement ring into a roll. It was so sweet. We were married on May 26, 2007. It was a dream.
He wrote a song for me and sang it that day, it was too much.
My vows to Matt:
Matt, I love you and I am honored today to become your wife. I'm proud of the man you are; your character, integrity and commitment to form a solid foundation for our relationship. Each day I further learn to trust your judgment in leading me and someday our family, as God leads us.
I promise to remain faithful to God, seeking His will and guidance in my relationship with Him and for our marriage. I promise to be faithful to you and above all things to honor you as my husband. I promise to submit to your leadership, and look forward to making our home a place of refuge for you - a home full of love, acceptance and joy.
I promise to make our relationship a priority. I will not run from you emotionally, knowing that you love and that we both desire to grow through our conflicts. Knowing that marriage is a life-long 'work in progress.' I vow to stand with you and face each challenge as your partner. And, no matter the challenge, I will not divorce you.
I am proud to become your wife today. I willingly commit myself to be your best friend, greatest fan and exclusive lover, until the day that one of us lays the other in the arms of Jesus.
I love you.
Matt's Vows to me:
Amanda, you’re my light and my love. You’re my level head and my voice of reason. You’re my biggest fan and the one who is always there to lift me up when I’m down. You’re my best friend as well as the only one I want to spend my life with in this marriage relationship.
I will have my moments, just as you will have yours. I ask you in front of everyone here that you will try and have grace towards me in my moments as I’ll do the same for you.
Sometimes I’ll be right…in my mind…while in actuality I’m dead wrong and you know it. I ask that you lovingly show me my error, if you deem it even necessary to point out. I ask you also to not overlook my faults, failures, and idiosyncrasies, but help me to work through them.
Above all, I want you to know that I love you and will always love you. Even though we’ll have our verbal bouts and valleys along the way, I promise never to leave you…and if you leave me, I’m coming with you.
Though our disagreements might seem paramount at the time, in the grand scheme of things, I know that they’re just inconsequential, and I promise that in the midst of those disagreements or valleys or even in the mundane-ness of life, I will never consider divorce as a solution, or even an option.
I want to work through our low, hard times because I know the end result will be a much deeper, loving relationship with you, which is what I desire. I want to love you more 50 years from now than I do at this moment; I need your help to do that. Help me to love you in the way you want to be loved, which is the way that I desire to love you, and we’ll be better for it 50 years from now.
We started out by celebrating Christmas Eve with the Marchlewski's.
My family away from family!!
Then on Christmas morning we traveled to Gulf Breeze to visit with Matt's mom and sister. We then went down to Panama City to see my dad, his wife and my youngest sister, Kloe, and brother, Parker. We had fun, and it's always nice to travel with Mattie. We sing and laugh alot!
Oh, and Falcor was with us, so that made the trip even more interesting. He had been to the groomer the day before, so he'd be nice and clean. As soon as we got to dad's Falcor pooped in the middle of their living room, so we put him outside. They live on a golf course, and it has little ponds everywhere. A neighbor came to the door later with Falcor, and he was soaking wet, completely brown and smelling fishy. Matt quickly bathed him and we left shortly after that...oy vey...that dog!! I wish I had pictures of this part, but I was pretty upset with the little curious fella!!
After ALL of that we went on to my mom's. We had a delicious dinner and lots of laughs!! All in all, it was a terrific day!!
And then, on December 26th (of course) I went shopping for AMAZING deals with my besties!!! Donna & Jim.
So, week 12 is finally here! We are so excited about our appointment next week. We will see quite an amazing looking baby (plus I can finally have a belly u/s rather than...well, it's just better)!
This week peanut is about the size of a plum. I bought some plums to mark this occasion for a few reasons. (1) I love love love them...nothing is sweeter to me! (2) I haven't gone to the bathroom (if you know what I mean) in 3 days! ugh!! (3) I wanted these pictures!!
The most dramatic development this week: reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, his toes will curl, his eye muscles will clench, and his mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won't be able to feel it. His intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his abdominal cavity about now, and his kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder.
Meanwhile, nerve cells are multiplying rapidly, and in your baby's brain, synapses are forming furiously. His face looks unquestionably human: His eyes have moved from the sides to the front of his head, and his ears are right where they should be. From crown to rump, your baby-to-be is just over 2 inches long and weighs 1/2 an ounce!
My husband challenges me -- especially when I don't feel like being challenged -- and he helps me become a better 'me' by not forcing me to change...but loving me just as I am... Through his love for me he makes me stronger, wiser, healthier.
Our God is so wise and loving...He brought this man to me when I was most ready, and when He knew we could both handle each other... I am overcome, daily, with the knowledge that He held out so long because He knew better ...
