Prayers for Baby Wes

I have been thinking about all the many things Ryan and I will be responsible for teaching Weston as he grows up. The most important will be to teach him about God, having relationship with Him, and what God's purpose for us is. Of course, there will come a point where we will have to let him choose if he truly wants to follow the Lord. You teach them the best you can, but ultimately have to surrender them to the Lord and know they have to be the one to make the choice. Thinking about that makes me feel a sort of helplessness at first, but then I am reminded that we are given one of the most powerful weapons....prayer.

 I bought these prayers cards for each week of the pregnancy awhile back. I have definitely not been as good about praying through them as I should be. But, I am feeling a new motivation as I know God is prompting me to pray more for our little guy. After all, it's one of the most important and beneficial things I can do for him as his mama. :-)

 Here are some prayers from the last few prayer cards:

 - Pray that he will allow God to move and direct him throughout his life. Pray that whenever God calls him, your child will move - no matter the cost. What an awesome thing to pray....that Weston will do whatever it takes to follow God, no matter the sacrifice.

  "Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight." Psalm 119:35

 - Pray that your little one's eyes will always be looking for and following the Light of the World. Pray also that he will allow God's light to shine through him to be noticed by others. Weston is already called to know God and make him known to others....our primary purpose and calling in life.

  "When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12 


 "In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 5:16

 - Pray that his heart will remain sensitive to injustices, soft towards those in need, and caring to friends. Pray that when he does experience pain and heartache, that he will reach out to God as his true comforter. Notice that the second sentence says "when he does experience pain and heartache". It will happen.....he will have hard times despite my desire to protect him from anything bad in this world. BUT, what a loving God we have that uses these experiences to shape us to be more like him and promises to walk with us through the hard times. That might sound like a weird statement at first....to be thankful for the hard times. What...that's crazy talk?! However, the longer I live, I can look back at the hard times I have endured and feel grateful, b/c I see how God used them to teach me and make me more like Him. Without those, I would not be who I am. It has deepened my relationship with the Lord.  We are never alone. He is our true comforter. He gives a peace amidst the chaos that the world cannot give. It's true....I have experienced it first hand.

  "Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope." 2 Thessalonians 2:16


AMEN! Feeling very grateful today as I am reminded of God's love for us.

Baby Boy Has a Name!

Yes, it's true....our little guy has a name now! Meet Weston Dean Hembree. His middle name, Dean, is a family name. It's so fun to be able to call him by name now!

 The last pic shows me at 30 weeks pregnant... standing in the nursery, which is almost complete! I love the way it's turning out and can't wait to get it all done. I will post pictures of the nursery once it's complete.

 It's strange to think we only have about 9 more weeks to go! This pregnancy has flown by. Weston is doing great and I have been feeling good! (My jaw (TMJ) is slowly improving, so that is nice.) I am really excited for my Tulsa baby shower next weekend!!! It will be fun to be back home to celebrate with all my family and friends in Tulsa. :-)

  

Dallas Baby Shower

Baby H had his first baby shower last Saturday in Dallas! My sweet friends Andrea, Melinda, and Cory hosted a wonderful brunch shower in his honor. We got some really great gifts from friends and family....this little one is so blessed! Here are some photos from the shower:

Cory & Andrea

Jordan

The shower hostesses (Andrea, Melinda, Cory) and I

My sister, Samantha and I

Opening all the wonderful gifts!

My sister, mom, and I

HERE'S A LITTLE UPDATE:

(Here we are at 28 Weeks!)

BABY: Still no name yet....we plan to make the final decision very soon! As of last Tuesday, he weighed 2.8 lbs. The doctor says he is just right on size....not too small or too big. He is doing great! He moves around quite a bit and responds when I touch my belly now. We had a doctor's appointment last Friday and had a great convo. with her about the birthing procedures at the hospital for natural births. I was very pleased with all the information she had to give us and all the options available at the hospital for those planning to birth their babies naturally. We definitely feel blessed to have her as my doctor....we are so lucky!

MAMA: I am doing good! My only big issue was some severe back pain, but my lovely chiropractor has done wonders on my back. (It was a result of pre-existing alignment problems, a growing belly, and doing too much while pregnant. Oops.) I also have been able to take advantage of the massage therapist at the chiropractor's office, which has been really nice! I recently have been having some TMJ jaw problems, so be praying that I regain full motion in my jaw soon. Besides that, I feel great and am enjoying getting the nursery put together. We are starting to fill his room, which is so exciting!

DADDY: Ryan has been busy working full time while studying for his third and final CFA test! (Not to mention, putting together baby furniture in his very little spare time.) His test is June 2nd. We would appreciate your prayers for him as he prepares in this final month. We are praying that he passes with flying colors and will be officially done with the CFA after an almost 5 year commitment to studying and testing! He works so hard and is so dedicated. I am proud of him!

26 Weeks

I have been a bad blogger lately. I am a bit behind... but better late than never, right?! Here are baby H, Ryan, and I at 26 weeks. My brother-in-law's sister, Erin, took our pictures when she was in town visiting her sister. She is a fellow photographer from Tulsa and we really enjoyed our session with her. Here's a little sampling of our photo session. Erin did a great job!

23 Weeks

23-ish WEEKS

So, I was a little late...and didn't take another photo until 23 weeks (actually almost 24 weeks). My belly has definitely popped out now! There's no denying there's a baby in there now.

We had another sonogram today to check on a couple issues that were found in my last sono. (If you don't know what I'm talking about...feel free to ask and I'm happy to share!) Well, we left the appointment feeling very happy and BLESSED, b/c both issues are completely resolved and everything looks perfect. A big thank you goes out to all those who were partnering with us in prayer for these things. We feel so blessed that God chose to answer our prayer with healing. All praise goes to Him :-)

Baby Update: Baby H now weighs about a whopping 1 lb 7 oz.  Doc said he is growing right on track. Today during the sonogram, he yawned and sucked his thumb. Sooo cute! I think he looks like he has his Daddy's cute nose.

Mommy Update: I am feeling great and continuing to get things ready before our family becomes 3. However, I apparently still haven't learned how much is too much....b/c I did too much yard work and strained my lower back. After I did a photo shoot last night, I returned home and could barely walk! Yikes. Lesson learned. Although, I will say our hedges and bushes are looking great ;-)  Prayer for my back pain to go away would be much appreciated! I am going to see a chiropractor who treats pregnant women, so hopefully she will be able to help me. I feel lucky to have such a sweet and helpful husband that is going above and beyond to help out and take care of me, (despite his crazy schedule with studying, working, etc.).

Anyway, that's the latest news with the Hembree family. Happy Easter week!

Halfway There

20 WEEKS

I can't believe it....we are now halfway there to meeting Baby H! It really feels like the pregnancy has been flying by. Here are some updates of the pregnancy up to this point:

- Name: Many of you have asked if we have picked a name. No, we are not holding out on you and keeping it a secret. We will tell when we have a decision! Unfortunately, Ryan and I have different favorites, so it's been a bit of a challenge so far. I hope we decide on something soon so he doesn't have to be called Baby H forever ;-)

- Movement: I can now feel the little guy moving all the time! He especially is active after meals or if I am hungry. He seems to not be too active when I go to sleep...so that is nice...but if he is...I just tell him it's time to go to sleep.  ;-)  Sometimes his little jabs are strong enough that Ryan can feel it. So fun!

- Nursery: The designing of the nursery is now officially in full swing. My friend Tara is going to help me refinish a vintage dresser and mirror I bought and also help put together the rest of the nursery. Of course, I love design and have ideas...but it will be so nice to have her help! She is very creative, talented, and is starting to do interior designing full-time.  We decided to swap services.....her help with the nursery in exchange for my photography services! I love swapping.

- Food: I mostly still just have aversions....certain things sound better at certain times. I don't really have many cravings. Although, one of the only cravings I have had is for Taco Bueno party burritos, with a side of queso for dipping, I might add. Great. Not the healthiest option for me and baby. It is strange, since Ryan and I really don't eat fast food often. I have given in to this craving some, but am trying to hold it at bay so it doesn't become a regular occurrence! I am trying to maintain our healthy eating habits. Fruit always sounds good....so I am trying to make sure I eat plenty of veggies too! I try to stay away from anything remotely spicy, since I know many people suffer from heartburn while pregnant. So far, no heartburn really. (I may have had a very mild case when I ate too quickly.) I have also been trying to workout each week. Last week it didn't happen as much as it should have, but I did get some exercise while I cleaned the whole house (which I had to break up into a few days). That counts, right?!? I will do better this week!

- Sleep: It has been pretty good, although I still get up frequently in the night to go to the bathroom. Luckily, I am usually able to go back to sleep quickly. I read that the frequent bathroom breaks would taper off a lot in the second trimester, but I guess that's not the case for me. Oh well, I guess it's just preparing me all the more to get up frequently with a newborn!

- Appointments: My next appointment is with my lovely doctor on March 27th (Happy Birthday to me). It will be a wonderful birthday present to hear the baby's heartbeat again! I will have another appointment for a sonogram on April 5th.

Before and After

Our house renovations are done! Yay! Our contractor was really great....did quality work...and did it quickly! (Very different experience from the last renovations we had done.) Our nursery is now ready to fill with baby furniture :-)

 BEFORE 

I forgot to take pictures before the construction began, so just use your imagination and pretend that the closet build isn't already in progress and there isn't junk everywhere. ;-) Then again, maybe the huge mess makes the before and after pics more dramatic!

AFTER

They also put new doors on all the other bedrooms/closets to match the doors installed in the renovated nursery. We are really happy with the way it all turned out. Such a difference!

Also new.... I can now feel baby moving around! I noticed it one day last week, but wasn't sure since it wasn't happening consistently yet. This week it has been pretty consistent. It feels like popcorn in my belly or little nudges...and makes it all the more real that there is a little person in there! :-)