Sunday, December 31, 2017

What I Read in 2017

1.  A Night Divided by Jennifer A. Nielson
2. An Untamed Land by Lauraine Snelling
3. A New Day Rising by Lauraine Snelling
4. A Land to Call Home by Lauraine Snelling
5. The Reaper's Song by Lauraine Snelling
6. Tender Mercies by Lauraine Snelling
7. Blessing in Disguise by Lauraine Snelling
8. The Midwife's Tale by Delia Parr
9. First Families: The Impact of the White House on Their Lives by Bonnie Angelo
10. The Witness by Robert Whitlow
11. Nora and Kettle by Nicolle Taylor
12. Higher Hope by Robert Whitlow
13. Greater Love by Robert Whitlow
14. All is Calm/All is Bright by Collen Coble
15. Truth Stained Lies by Terri Blackstock
16. Distortion by Terri Blackstock
17. Twisted Innocence by Terri Blackstock
18. Jefferson's Sons by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
19. Settle for More by Megyn Kelly
20. The Things We Do for Love by Kristin Hannah
21. Summer Island by Kristin Hannah
22. Here's The Story by Maureen McCormick
23. Magic Hour by Kristin Hannah
24. Wifey by Judy Blume
25. Amish Widow's New Hope by Samantha Price
26. Home to Walnut Ridge by Diane Moody
27. A Lancaster Amish Storm by Ruth Price
28. Written on the Wind by Judith Pella
29. Somewhere a Song by Judith Pella
30. Toward the Sunrise by Judith Pella
31. Homeward My Heart by Judith Pella
32. A Sweethaven Summer by Courtney Walsh
33. A Sweethaven Homecoming by Courtney Walsh
34. A Sweethaven Christmas by Courtney Walsh
35. Shadows of Lancaster County by Mindy Starns Clark
36. They HyperDoc Handbook by Lisa Highfill
37. Vanished by Irene Hannon
38. Trapped by Irene Hannon
39. Deceived by Irene Hannon
40. Two by Two by Nicholas Sparks
41. Church of the Small Things by Melanie Shankle
42. Against All Odds by Irene Hannon
43. An Eye for an Eye by Irene Hannon
44. In Harm's Way by Irene Hannon
45. In This Moment by Karen Kingsbury

Our 2017 Favorites

2017...What a year!

Though there were definitely some rough moments in 2017, it was also one of the greatest years.

Andrew and I looked back over the year and picked 5 of our favorite moments.

Here they are in no particular order.




ONE.

We both agree on this one.  Finding out we are pregnant was by far the best moment of the year.



TWO.

For Andrew, Burt getting fired was a great day!  Maybe he will be able to enjoy Razorback football again.


Getting Ruby and taking up cycling was a highlight for me.  I enjoyed watching my husband be excited about me wanting to take up this hobby with him.




THREE.

Obviously our Thanksgiving vacation makes the list.  The Notre Dame home game was the highlight for Andrew while I enjoyed our time in Palm Springs more.




FOUR.

Getting all dressed up and dancing the night away with my man at the Hope Ball was a fun night.  I LOVED every minute of it.





A fun night for Andrew was flying on the 787 dreamliner.





FIVE.

Our fifth favorite for 2017 was another one we both agreed on.  Our trip to Mississippi to see Matchbox Twenty.  By far one of the best concerts we've been to.


Christmas Eve

We always spend Christmas Eve with my mom's side of the family.  

This means time with my aunts, uncles, & cousins.









My Mommom moved her piano into the dining room which means there was an ongoing performance all afternoon.




After we finished celebrating at Mommom's house we gathered our things and headed to my parents place to celebrate with them and my brother and his fam.

I immediately changed into my pajamas and made Mikey & Ellie change into their matching pajamas.  Needless to say I was a little more excited about it than they were.


They were a little happier once we started opening presents.  They were so fun to watch this year.  They are old enough to have their own interest and to actually enjoy opening presents.

Mikey loves his hot wheels.






And Ellie LOVES her "Ninnie".  As soon as she opened a Minnie dress from Grammy & Poppy that old nightgown HAD TO GO!!






Grammy & Poppy got them a mini roller coaster.  Ellie was too busy playing with all things Minnie Mouse but Mikey loved it!

 He couldn't wait on Daddy to finish putting it together to play with it.  





These are my people and I love them dearly!

She's learning to love her Drew. :)

Tuesday, December 26, 2017

We're Having a Baby!!

Y'all I am in complete shock.

Let's back up to June.  

As I was sitting in the hospital holding my newest nephew, Christian, I felt like God told me my turn was coming.  I would be next.

Later that month we did our second IUI and it did not result in a pregnancy.


July came and I began reading through the New Testament.  I just felt like I needed to know Jesus better.  I read about the miracles he performed while here on Earth.  I read about him healing the lame and the blind.  I read about Elizabeth being given a child in her old age.  As I read about all these miracles I felt God tell me I didn't need fertility treatments.  He could and he would heal my infertility without them.

I believed that and I trusted that.

But believing and trusting can be hard.

It was a constant battle between believing God could and would heal us without treatments and knowing that sometimes God uses treatments and doctors to bring people their babies.  In other words I still wanted to believe I was in control of this.

In October Andrew and I decided we would attempt an IUI again, but it would be different.  We decided that the drug I had been on in the past was not the right one for us so we would be trying a new drug that I would have to give myself  through daily shots.  I was not excited about this.  Andrew wasn't excited about the fact that it was going to mean the procedure was more expensive.  We also decided that we weren't going to tell anyone that we were doing an IUI this time.  Having to tell everyone that the June IUI didn't work was just too hard on me.

We decided to go to Branson for a weekend in October and it ended up being the same weekend I needed to start the IUI cycle so it didn't work out that month.

November it would be then.

November's cycle started while we were on vacation so it was another month when the timing just didn't work out.

We had the best time on vacation.

California was an amazing week together just relaxing.

Then we came home and Andrew started three weeks of traveling for work.   He hasn't been home a whole lot in the past three weeks.  

Because of that and the fact that I knew this cycle should start around Christmas, I had just told myself this would not be the month.  I've been waiting on January.


On Friday the 22nd I thought about taking a test.  Not because I thought I might be pregnant but because  we were having Weaver Christmas that evening.  Anytime there is a holiday or big event like that I always think about how fun it would be to tell everyone we were pregnant.  I ended up not taking a test because I really didn't think I was pregnant and if by chance I was pregnant I wasn't sure I'd be ready to tell everyone.

I went through the same thing for Christmas morning.  I thought how awesome would it be if Andrew opened a gift letting him know he was going to be a Daddy.

After we opened our gifts and enjoyed a Christmas morning nap, I decided I wanted to relax in a hot bath.  I started the water and dropped in one of my new bath bombs, all while debating whether or not I was going to take a test.  I knew I had a cheap 88 cent test so I thought why not!  It's not like it's an expensive test and I felt like I was in a good place and a negative test would not bother me.

So I took the test and pretty much went to throw it away immediately without even looking at it.  I've had almost seven years of negative test so I NEVER expected to see two lines. As my hand was moving toward the trash can to toss it I look down and realize there are two very clear lines on this test.


I immediately started bawling!  I came flying out of the bathroom holding it out for Andrew to see. He had no idea I was even thinking about taking a test.

He just looked at me and said, "Does that mean you're having a baby?"

All I could do was nod my head.

Then we bawled together. :)

We are an absolute hot mess in this picture but we were too excited to care.

All these years of no has made him a bit skeptic too.  He asked if it could be a false positive and if I had another test I could take.  I think we were both a little afraid to get too excited.  He began researching false positives while I drank lots of water so I could take another test.

That second test was probably the scariest test I had ever taken.  I couldn't believe one test was positive.  I was terrified that I wouldn't get two positives.

But I did. 


Andrew thought I was a little weird for putting the date on them and keeping them, but you better believe I'm keeping these things forever.  I don't care how gross that might be.  HA!


We enjoyed it by ourselves for maybe two hours before I was ready to start calling people.  I could not sit still.  I was so excited and anxious and nervous and all the things.

We FaceTimed with my parents first.  I told them I got a Christmas present I wanted to show them and then held up the tests.  Tears and congratulations all around. :)

Then I sent the picture of us holding the test to my brother and immediately called him.  I told him I sent him a picture of a Christmas present I got this morning.  He told me to hold on and then got real quiet.  Melissa had just laid down for a nap.  I told him to go wake her up, she was going to want to see this gift too.  

The phone went silent.

Y'all I don't think I ever seen or heard my little brother cry.  Hearing him cry happy tears over the phone was pretty much the sweetest thing ever.  I cry now just thinking about it.


We had already planned to have dinner at Andrew's parents house so I made Andrew load up and go over there early.  I couldn't stand it.  I wanted to walk in and tell them immediately.  

Andrew walks in and starts watching TV and plying with BB guns like we don't have the news of a lifetime.

I finally looked at him and mouthed "You're killing me!"

I had been sitting pretty much silently while Belinda and Krystal talked about I don't even know what. LOL.

He got his mom and dad in the kitchen and told them we were going to have to change the date of our DC trip with them.  We needed to go earlier because by our math I will be around 33 weeks in July.  His mom just said "Oh okay" and then she realized what he was saying.  Hugs and Tears overflowing.

Chris and Krystal were in the garage with the BB guns while we told Andrew's parents.  We walked into the garage and I asked Krystal how hard it would be to add a birthday to the sign she got Belinda for Christmas.  She said not hard at all.  I said good because we are going to need another one for August.  She just looked at me for a second and then kind of whispered, "Are you pregnant?"  I nodded yes and she burst into tears.  We hugged and then Chris realized what we had said and he and Andrew cried and hugged.

From there we went inside and called the rest of the siblings.  None of them answered at first.  But  we finally got them all on FaceTime and shared our news, crying every single time.

We called grandparents and aunts and uncles.

We told a few friends.

At that point I felt like we had told so many people we might as well put it on social media too.

I know some people prefer to wait until further along to share and I totally get that.  I had those thoughts yesterday too.

But I've waited so many years for this.

And I believe life begins with conception.  We have a little life to celebrate.  We are trusting and believing for a healthy pregnancy.

Sharing or not sharing right now will not affect the outcome of this at all.  

God has given us a little life and he has given us soooo many people to pray with us through our wait.

I want to share this news and enjoy it.  

I don't want to live in fear.

I want to live in praise for this incredible blessing.

We are having a baby!

And I'm not sure I will ever stop crying tears of thanksgiving over that.

Saturday, December 23, 2017

Our 2017 Christmas Card

Merry Christmas from our home to yours!





A Weaver Family Christmas

Last night we celebrated Christmas with the husband's family.  It was no small gathering with 32 of us there.  We greatly missed three.  Sara, Millie, & Will were all home sick. 


The garage was the only place we could all fit for a group picture.

I love these people so much.  I tell people often I have the best in-laws EVER!  And I mean it.  

There is always lots of tears and laughter when this group gets together.

I love  watching all the nieces and nephews open gifts.

Such excitement.










We loved having Uncle Kevin & Aunt Sandi join us this year.




These two sat beside each other laughing all night.  I'm pretty sure they both laughed until they cried.




My favorite moment of the night started last month with a text message to Jill.

You see there is this penguin blanket that Andrew grew up with.  When we got married he took  it from his parents' house and brought it with him.  We had the blanket a couple of years before Jill moved in with us.  The blanket disappeared when she moved out and to be honest it's disappearance as been the source for a bit of contention ever since.

Last month I sent Jill a text asking what material this blanket was made of because I thought I might get lucky and find one online somewhere.


I was in shock.

And so very excited for Andrew.

He is not one to get excited over just any present but it was pure JOY when he opened it last night!




 I love everything about this picture.




He is currently laying on the couch cuddled up with the penguin blanket. 

He is one happy man.  :)