Lately...

I never would have imagined how much baby stuff we would get in the mail the closer we got to our original due date in mid July.  Believe it or not, it doesn't really upset me that much.  It does make me a little sad but I'm already well aware that our precious baby boy is with Jesus.  I'm doing well overall.  We still have bad days but there are far fewer of them as time passes.  I don't think we will ever have all the answers we wish we had but that is where faith steps in.  I know God has a plan and he will bless us at the right time.  That said, it can be so hard to stop trying to control things ourselves.

 

I've been reading two very good books.  They have been especially comforting lately since I had a series of sleepless nights at the beginning of summer.  Our sunday school class brought over a basket of goodies right after we got home from the hospital which included "Grieving The Child I Never Knew".  It has been a great devotional with spot on information about each stage of this journey.  "I Will Carry You" is very well written and a great read for anyone even if they aren't in the midst of tough times.  Both have helped me really think about what has happened and what I'm worried about in the future.  I've cried a ton while reading them simply because they bring a lot of emotions to the surface that I sometimes had yet to acknowledge.  We are also constantly blessed by our thoughtful and supportive friends both in town and further away.

Produce...

Houston finally got some good rain a week ago.  Gypsy was really nervous and remained glued to me all morning.  She would have wrapped herself around my leg if she had the correct appendages to do so!

I went to help out with the delivery for our produce group and got to watch Finding Nemo with this cutie while his mom, sister, and baby brother were at the dentist.  He was so easygoing! 

Check out all of our produce!  (Shameless plug alert!  Anyone is welcome to join the produce group!  It is a great value and amazingly fresh!  We still have a few items from weeks ago that haven't gone bad!)

This is our personal haul!  Corn, lettuce, bananas, tomatoes, onions, carrots, peaches, apples, kiwis, grapes, and a mango.

Anniversary Date!!!

Mike surprised me on our anniversary with breakfast in bed and flowers.  We also got a lovely fruit arrangement from Aunt Pam.

We went to Brio for dinner.  You might consider it strange, but sometimes food is so pretty I just have to take a picture!  Mike might have been a little embarrassed. 

Honestly, I usually dive in too fast to remember to take a picture but having an appetizer helps.  The food was amazing!

We wanted cupcakes for dessert and we were really lucky that the cupcake shop didn't close on time that night.  Mike enjoyed the peanut butter cupcake and I would highly recommend their dulce de leche cupcake.  Milk is always the perfect compliment! 

4 Years Ago...

Four years ago we promised to be there for each other in good times and in bad times.  Even though the bad times have recently been overshadowing the good times, I wouldn't want to go through them with anyone else.  I love you!

Bits of Summer...

Wanted to blog but didn't have much to say.  Here are some random pictures from my cell phone.

This was our first haul from our produce group!  Lots of healthy fruits and veggies!

In case you weren't aware, I can wear the largest size or two in kids shoes.  I bought these while I was in Austin for a teacher training with my favorite assistant principal.  They were too cute to pass up!  

I love frosted sugar cookies from my favorite bakery!  They always have fun seasonal shapes and colors. 

Gypsy is finally becoming a good napping buddy!  It has taken a lot of practice but I think she is finally getting the idea.

Random Odds & Ends...

One of my current favorite things is our Keurig coffee maker.  I wanted one for Christmas and my mom was geared up to purchase it for me (or at least make a contribution towards it).  I changed my mind when we found out we were pregnant because I was not going to drink coffee.  I figured there was no point in getting something that would be useless to me for quite a while.  Call it selfish or blame all the hospital medications but I really wanted my coffee maker as soon as I knew I could drink coffee again.  I definitely drink more coffee!

I just put in an order to my friendly makeup representative.  I love playing with makeup!  Eye makeup is my favorite closely followed by lip gloss.  I'm drawn to the really crazy colors that I could only dream of pulling off.  

I just picked up a pair of these this weekend.  I have been telling Mike for weeks that I want to take up boxing to help release my stress and frustrations.  I didn't like the big bulky gloves so I opted for these instead.  Mike got a pair of boxing mitts to protect himself.  I've tried them out a few times and like them a lot!  They have just enough padding to keep me from hurting myself.

I love shopping for shoes!  I saw these while I was out a few weekends ago and had to have them.  It made me miss April Landes because she was always checking out my shoes.  I really want to wear them but haven't had the right opportunity.  I am wearing jeans to work the entire month and I'm not sure if they look good with jeans.

I've been looking for new low calorie options since I am back to calorie counting.  The Chicken Poblano by Lean Cuisine is definitely a new favorite.  I've also been eating a lot of guacamole and other tasty snacks.  I was initially afraid that I would gain a lot of weight because of everything we have been dealing with but so far that hasn't been the case. 

Thoughts...

I read something recently that compares grief to tornados.  Sometimes those familiar thoughts and feelings move in quickly without warning and reek havoc on what could have been a great day.  Weekends feel harder than the rest of the week because I have more time to reflect.  I still feel really awkward in social situations so I don't say much.

A sweet coworker of mine was planning on crocheting  a blanket for our baby.  She went ahead and finished it for me since she is retiring this year.  She said she prayed for us while she was making it.  It was a great surprise!