Margo

We had a real treat this week, when Megan Stephens paid us a visit! She has been gallivanting around America for 2.5 months working on support raising and visiting family and friends. We were so lucky to be a stop on her journey and to visit for the night! We ate lasagna, chatted away the evening and she even spent the night. Meg is doing awesome work for the kingdom while working super hard to start Young Life in her city in India. We're so proud to call her a friend! Keep up the good work, sister!

We are jolly (nod to Meg). We thought it was awesome that we both still dress like we work/live at camp. I would prefer to only ever wear shorts & a t-shirt all day, every day.

One hilarious part of our evening was when David stuck his hand behind the couch cushion (not sure why...) and found a CHRISTMAS PRESENT! Hahaha... we were practically rolling on the floor laughing. Unfortunately, it was just some lotion from some one's stocking (probably Ash or Greg since they were sitting on the couch when we opened presents), but it was still an awesome surprise 7 months later. I'm a bit nervous about what else we may find back there...

week 11

Well, the word is out! It's so funny how facebook makes any message spread like wildfire... I'm really glad we took the time to tell a lot of our people personally before they read it on facebook. There were a few people we didn't get to in time (thanks to a few over-zealous aunts), but everyone is super understanding.

I think the painting is finally finished (near me, at least) in my office, so I'm resuming a normal schedule! Oh, and my Internet was down all last week so that made for even more work-from-home time, which was nice. I am glad to be back on a normal schedule so I can pick up the productivity a bit.

Now that our house is on the market, we're focusing on that full-swing. We're going to need to buy a new car in the next few months too (this one isn't very baby friendly), but we're just taking things one at a time.

J/K on the paint being finished... apparently they are going to torture me by painting trim and doors until February when I have this child. 

I am a hormonal disaster. Blair shared baby Magnolia's birth story and I sobbed. Like, ugly cried. Then, at dinner I cried telling David about it. Then, I cried thinking about John and Patty Bryant holding our baby. Not to mention, I have been totally, irrationally moody. Poor David. This is my public apology to my husband. You are wonderful, and I totally don't deserve your grace.

Ok, the last two look like an alien (like, a real alien), but the first one is a BABY!!! You can see it's sweet little face with his/her hand right there. This was my first abdominal ultrasound (and my 4th overall), and I was concerned they wouldn't be able to see the baby since I'm not showing yet... wrong! There it was! It (so weird to call it an "it"... I totally think it's a girl) was facing out, so we saw it like in the last 2 pictures for a while, then all of a sudden she started doing gymnastics (my kid, for sure!)! All you mamas can go ahead and laugh at me, but I was freaking. out. Laughing, crying, shrieking. Dr. B was laughing with me because I was enjoying it so much! I kept saying to David "Did you see that?!? Did you see THAT??" It is such a miracle that a tiny little 2.5" creature is already such a complete human inside of me, but you can't see it or really tell it is here yet. 

So many thoughts flood through my mind as I look at these images... more than anything, thank you, Jesus for this baby. 

spreading the news

Beware: another long post!

We wanted to tell our families about our new addition in person, if possible. It worked our really well that my parents came into town for a quick visit and we had already planned our 4th of July weekend in Sanibel. My plan was to video tape all the reactions, but I only got a few...

Mom & Dad Bourke

Ashley & Greg

The day my parents went back to Columbus, Ashley went from Birmingham to their house. It worked out perfectly for me to send her gift with them, and we called on Skype for the big reveal. While we were chatting, Greg got online! David put on his shirt, and we revealed the big news to him that way. I couldn't record our Skype conversations, but I took screen shots to capture it.

"Aw. You've been a mom for 25 years, now you get to be one in real life."

"Are you excited to be fat?"

-Greg Bourke

The Geyers & Johnsons

The Bryants

I didn't get these pictures (or a video) for the actual reaction, but we told the Bryants about our addition in a fun way. While were were all eating breakfast I put this bun in the oven and told Hayden to go get it out. She got it right away and shared the news with the fam.

The Bogensbergers


We had planned to tell Greg and Jodi one night that we already had plans to eat dinner at their house. Little did we know, they were throwing us a "thank you party" for helping when Ella was born (which was the nicest thing anyone has ever done, and equally unnecessary because we didn't do much!). David broke the news by saying "we aren't going to be able to go on the Mediterranean cruise after all" (something we had been planning on doing in November) and responding to the "Why?"s by telling them "they won't let you cruise when you are 28 weeks pregnant!" Jodi flipped. It was so fun! We were able to make our party dual-purposed and celebrate baby Geyer too!



We had so much fun telling all of our close friends and family. We both spent hours on the phone to try and reach everyone we wanted to tell personally before they saw it on facebook, but we weren't entirely successful. Becca had one of the best reactions when she burst into tears, and Monty had the best response when he said "I didn't even know y'all were sleeping together!" (which will only be funny to you if you know Monty Hogewood :)).


Thank you, friends, for making this such a special time in our lives!

week by week catch up

Today I am 10 weeks, 5 days pregnant. It freaks me out how much longer I have to go, but that's part of God's plan for growing babies so I'll take it! I guess I haven't really said this on here, but baby is due on Valentine's Day 2012. I hope the kid isn't born on Valentine's Day, but it is nice to have an easy date to remember (February 14, in case you didn't know). As soon as we found out there was a baby on the way, I starting writing typing everything down. I want to remember all of this journey, so my blog is likely going to be my outlet for most of that. Read or don't, it won't hurt my feelings.

*This is long. I mean, 6 weeks long. Don't bother reading if you don't want to, but this is here for my future recollection. I guess that applies to everything on my blog :)
**Oh, and counting by weeks is confusing... When you are "5 weeks" that means you have completed 5 weeks, but that also means you're entering into the 6th week... make sense? It took me a while to figure out which week I should be celebrating (hence the pointing to the wrong number sometimes...).

Week 5

Whoa. I still can't believe I'm pregnant. I feel like it's not really true because I don't feel pregnant at all. I'm sure I will with time, but the days are dragging on! I'm not going to lie, I've had a hard time staying focused this week. I've subscribed to about a thousand pregnancy-by-week emails and read about everything there is to read about growing a baby.

I'm so anxious to start telling people! It's so hard to keep it a secret, but it's also really fun to share just with David. Granted, I'm sure he's overwhelmed with my every thought/emotion/concern that I tell him...

It was crazy to be at the soccer game yesterday with Wendi (Ellie), Jodi (Ella), Leigh (Max) and Saskia (baby girl on the way) and to also secretly be pregnant! From there, we went to the Rochas (Kate & KJ) with the Linhosses (Max again) and Sarah (baby Lawhorn on the way). I've been so looking forward to one day fitting in with the mommy crowd (which is all of my friends), and it's weird to finally be pregnant and still be waiting.

Week 6
I'm so glad Beth is pregnant right now! I am very easily disguising all of my questions and google searches as "involved aunt" research :). Of course, I'm SOO excited that our babies will be 4-5 months apart too!! God's timing is so perfect. I used to be sad watching my other friends be pregnant together (Sarah, Jodi, Blair, etc.), but what a better gift than to do this with my sister in law? Granted, she's having twins and she'll be finished with I'm half-way through, but it's still going to be awesome. As soon as we can talk about it :).

I still don't feel pregnant, but it's weird to wake up in the morning and see some of the things I'm reading about happen to my body (boobs!).  I also cannot sleep at all. No idea why, but I have the hardest time getting comfortable enough to fall asleep... last night I slept on the couch. I think it's the dog.

We have all kinds of Bourke family drama going on right now, and I feel a bit selfish trying to stay out of it. I want to protect our little bubble of joy and keep out any unnecessary negativity.

First "craving" (though, David asked if it was a pregnancy craving or just an Emily craving, and I honestly don't know the difference): at 10pm I had a craving for a Little Debbie snack cake (tulips now!). My dear husband got some at BiLo. Granted, he was returning a redbox so it wasn't a special trip or anything, but it was a little out of the ordinary to sit in bed at 10:30pm eating junk food!

Week 7

6/20- Today is the first day of my 7th week, and it started out a little scary. Yesterday I felt some really weird pain in my stomach while I was walking around (at the Just Between Friends sale w/ Jodi & Anna... yeah, it was hard to keep it in that I'm pregnant!), and it got worse and worse. Of course, David and I were googling like crazy (bad idea), and I was nervous... It eventually tapered off and I slept like a rock (I can do some serious sleeping... and, I've started taking a nap when I get home from work! ha!). I'm kind of a hypochondriac anyway, but I wanted to call the doctor just in case. He is out of town this week (figures), but his nurse wanted me to come in so the PA could check things out. They did an ultrasound and everything is perfect! Praise the Lord! I even got to see our little bean's heartbeat fluttering on the screen. Wow. I cried (of course). We go see Dr. Brody next Monday, and I'm even more excited now!! I can't wait for David to be there with me.

I just had a revelation. A scary one. Once the 12 week mark passes your likelihood of a miscarriage goes down drastically, but you're not out of the clear until that baby is breathing oxygen. BUT THEN, you have a CHILD to care for! You're NEVER out of the clear.

This week has been wonderful and horrible. My nausea has been awful, but our office is being renovated and I've been able to sleep in every day. It has been a HUGE blessing from the Lord. A few pregnancy firsts happened this week. 1) Emotions. I sobbed like a baby during this performance on America's Got Talent (I LOVE her!), and then during the 19 Kids and Counting special about Anna having her baby. Like, ugly crying. 2) After being nauseous all week, I threw up for the first time. Apples unfortunately were the culprit.

Week 8
We got to see you today! Dr. Brody was crazy busy, and I ended up being his last patient of the day- #47! Plus, he did 2 surgeries and delivered 5 babies! Nuts. Everything looks perfect, and hearing your heartbeat was amazing. I got all my questions answered, and it looks like I'll get to go to the doctor every 2 or so weeks just to watch things move along!!

I woke up Tuesday morning feeling pudgy. I am not showing at all yet, but I just feel fluffier than usual. I'm not used to this and I'm not sure I like it right now. I bought a tankini to wear at the beach this weekend because I'm not comfortable with my body right now. David says I don't look any different (other than my "huge boobs"). I keep weighing myself expecting to see a change, but shockingly there hasn't been one yet. In fact, my weight generally fluctuates a whole lot day to day, and now it has been insanely consistent (122.4-8 every day).

I heard these lyrics today ("Whatever You're Doing" by Sanctus Real), and it totally describes what I'm feeling (though it's not about being pregnant at all):


Whatever You're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but somehow there's peace
It's hard to surrender to what I can't see
but I'm giving in to something Heavenly

Unfortunately, the nausea has reached (what I hope is) a peak. I've gone from mostly feeling fine with a few bouts of "ew I feel like I could throw up" to feeling mostly like I need to hang out by the toilet with random spurts of "ahh... so this is what it feels like to be normal". I've been throwing up every day, plus lots of dry-heaving sessions (sorry if it's TMI...) intermittently throughout the day (which might as well count as throwing up). We were in Sanibel for the weekend, so I found myself heaving on the side of the road, in the bathroom on a cruise boat, in several restaurant bathrooms, etc. Not. fun.

My mom decided she wants to be called "GranMolls". Love it!

Can you tell I feel like crap?!

Week 9

I've been away from work intermittenly for a few weeks, and now I'm back in action. I've been really really anxious about how to handle my nausea and exhaustion at the office since no one knows yet. If things get bad, I'll definitely tell my boss.

I'm starting to freak out about how long this process takes. I think it's just being sick that makes me super nervous to think of how far away February is. I know the second trimester tends to lessen these symptoms, but my MIL threw up (everything, every day) for 4.5 months. It's all worth it for this baby. No doubt in my mind. I read this today in one of my weekly emails, and it hit the nail on the head for how I'm feeling:

As pregnancy has blossomed in the public eye, so have our expectations: work performance must not drop, weight gain must be kept to a minimum, we must strive for healthy, active, happy, glowing, gorgeous, perfect pregnancies.



Problem is, the reality of pregnancy does not always work so well with these ambitious intentions. The first trimester can be particularly brutal. Nausea is hardly inspiring. And with the body on overdrive, building up blood supply and the placenta, your energy level can plummet to previously unimaginable depths. Exhaustion can be intense. Full-afternoon naps are not uncommon for those who can manage them. The rest of us just pass the early months of pregnancy in a haze of semi-consciousness, longing only for the couch.


Some suggest powering through, but that can be tough. We think there's something to be said for heeding the body's call to rest. And there's definitely something to be said for cutting yourself a break. For the vast majority of women, the cloud of bone-tiredness lifts, at least slightly, after the first trimester. So, yeah, you've always imagined yourself being perky while pregnant, but pregnancy is long. There's plenty of time for perkiness; this may be more of a time to be prone. (You'll be missing that position soon enough, anyhow!)

7/7/11- I told my boss. After spending the morning yesterday over the bathroom sink and finally calling it a day after lunch, I figured it was only right that I fess up. (Oh, and she was awesome. She always is.) After all, I might have lots more days like that in the near future and she needs to know what's up. It doesn't help that our office is being painted right now. It's sort of a cruel irony that the time when my senses are heightened, the smells I can now pick up make me nauseous.

Week 10

I love getting to go to the doctor every 2 weeks- and on Mondays! Seeing our little peanut again was so cool because it actually looked like a baby. The picture isn't very good, but I could see both arms and legs wiggling around so clearly. It was amazing. Because I'm going to the doctor so often, David is only able to come every other time. I hate him missing out of any of this, but duty calls at work. Fortunately, since we get an ultrasound at EVERY appointment he'll be able to see a whole lot through the process!

I have been so, so sick. I finally got a prescription for Zofran today, and I am so glad I did. I also experienced a new symptom that was pretty unexpected: tail bone pain. What?! I was in tears last night (7/12) because it hurt soo bad.

The Zofran doesn't seem to help much, but the nausea and vomiting is becoming intermittent (instead of constant). It's still pretty regular, and nothing I do seems to help. EVERYone who has ever been pregnant or known a pregnant person tells me what helped them, and I know they are all trying to be helpful but it's a bit annoying (I think I need to get used to this... ugh.) (close friends- tell away! It's the strangers slash random people who's advice doesn't matter much to me...).

I feel like I've grown! I still haven't gained any weight, and I guess that makes sense with all the stuff that isn't staying down. All my clothes still fit just fine, so it's probably in my head. Oh well.

We've been spreading the news, and it is SO fun to see people's reactions. I love the feeling I get when someone is genuinely excited for us. We are so loved!

tiny little bump? maybe?

Jme's shower

Last weekend I made a quick trip to Nashville to hang out with my college bud and wife-to-be, Jamie. She had a wedding shower, and since I wasn't able to make it to the last one in Birmingham I really wanted to make an effort to spend some time with her and celebrate her upcoming nuptials. We were only together for about 24 hours, but we maximized our time with the two moms chatting about all things wedding (and some baby talk mixed in there too!). Jme and I stayed up way too late laying in bed having heart to heart talks, and it felt like the good ol' days. I LOOOVE being married to David, but there is something so sweet about the time I had living and sharing life with other girls. I am so thankful for Jamie's relationship with John and how it has edified her in more ways than she probably expected. They are going to make a lovely married couple, and I am literally counting down the days until we all convene in Birmingham for the festivities (3 weeks from today!!).

opening gifts with such grace

Maid of Honor, Christine

nooot a good picture (of either of us), but the only one we took. Love you, Janer!!

first baby project

I saw this adorable countdown shirt a while back, and I knew I wanted to make one to document my pregnancy. I started according to her directions (minus buying a $32 shirt... mine was $10 at Tarjay), but when it got to tracing every single number AND then cutting them out I called it quits. I loved a good freezer paper stencil, but that was a little excessive so I figured out a different (easier) way to accomplish the same result. I drew a grid on my shirt using a washable fabric marker, and then traced the printed letters using a small paintbrush and the fabric paint. Sidenote: best way to do freezer paper stencils or other fabric painting? Use your regular acrylic paint (I have tons of this stuff), and buy some fabric paint medium to add to it. Then you don't have to buy expensive fabric paint in every color you want! It mostly worked like a charm! My shirt is by no means professional looking, and I did bump it one time and mess up a few numbers, but overall I am very pleased!

I've been taking week-by-week pictures (though, it's pretty unnecessary at this point... nothing has really changed) that I'll update soon!

the Greginators

David has been playing soccer with a group of (mostly) VW guys again this summer, and it has been so fun. He is LOVING playing again, and I must say, he's pretty dang good. He has scored 6 of the 10 goals for the team this season!

And while he loves being on the field and with these guys, I love, love, love hanging out with the wives on the sideline! These ladies are some of my dearest friends, and it is SO fun that we're all having babies together.

Our last soccer game picture together was before any babies were here!

Saskia- baby girl due in September

Me- baby (??) due in February (holding Max Linhoss. His mom Leigh was sick, so I was on Max duty!)

Jodi- Ella, 7 weeks old

Andrea- baby girl en route from Ethiopia so soon!

Wendi- baby Ellie, 6 months old

We have one other friend, Anna, in our book club who is expecting baby Emory in September, making our book club baby count up to 6 in almost one year! If our baby is a boy, he'll have tons of girlfriends to choose from. If it is a girl, she'll have an immediate group of best friends! I can't wait!

PS- after 1 day on the MLS, someone is showing our house tonight! Pray!

let's sell this house!

Our house has been for sale like this...

for a while now. Sorry for the fuzzy picture... it was so humid outside, my lens was all fogged up...

Not any more!

Now that we have a more immediate desire to find a more fitting house, it's for sale for real! David has been working on getting his real estate license (it turned into much more of an ordeal than we expected) and setting up Realty Zone, LLC with his buddy Dan. They are in full-swing house selling (and buying!) mode, so let's hope our house sells!

Check it out on the MLS!

a letter

written June 6, 2011

Dear Baby,
This morning we found out you are here! Well, you're inside me. I can't believe it. I want to shout it from the rooftops, and yet, I want to keep it our little secret and revel in the joy I share with only David.

Today I was hopeful that it was true, but as always I was cautiously optimistic. I woke up extra early this morning out of excitement (but constantly trying to temper that...), raced to take the test and jumped back in bed to wait out those five minutes (David was outside walking the dog). I didn't say anything to David when he came back in, but while he was in the shower I set the positive test at his sink- knowing that is the first place he would go after the shower. I had a perfect view of his reaction, and it was perfect. He said "you have two lines??!" we cried (well, I cried) and hugged and laughed. Then we got ready and went to work =). Not your ordinary Monday morning, yet a completely normal day.

We have wanted you for so long. Even before we "started trying" we have wanted you. We didn't have to wait nearly as long as some people do, and I am beyond thankful for that blessing. We started this process expecting, well, a process. God prepared my heart for NOT instant gratification, and I am so glad he did.

We went into this month so hopeful, but still trying to have realistic expectations. After lots of months with no success, they were going to fix me, take care of the problem, and hopefully make it possible to make you! It worked.

More than anything, God is so good. This has been a month of understanding. I cry thinking about God's goodness- not only in giving you to us, but in loving us enough to do what is best. I (finally) learned a huge lesson this month. We talk about "God's timing" all the time in our Christian culture, but it has a new meaning to me now. As a Type A planner-person, I can quickly leave God out of an equation when it "works" according to my timeline. If you had come right "along schedule", God wouldn't have received any glory. Now? He gets it all. Just as He should, little one.

I was born for this. In high school we had to do a project on the career we hoped to have one day. Sort of a "what do you want to be when you grow up" research project. My career? Homemaking. I believe we are all called to things in life, and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God called me to be a mom. I think knowing that made the waiting process easier. I knew you were coming, I just didn't know when.

Is it going to be hard? You betcha.
Do I wish our families lived in town? More than ever.
Is there a whole lot of logistical stuff to figure out and work through? Of course.

But, this is my commitment: No complaining. No whining. No stressing about the little things and being distracted from the total joy it will be to carry you inside me for the next 36 weeks. I know that will be hard, and maybe I'll fudge a little bit to David, but this is too good to not revel in.

I am beyond grateful for all my friends who have gone before me and let me walk beside them through this process. I have learned so much from their experiences, and I know that will make my turn even more enjoyable.

This was my devotional reading this morning from Jesus Calling, and it is literally Jesus saying these things to me:

Seek My face, and you will find fulfillment of your deepest longings. My world is filled with beautiful things: they are meant to be pointers to Me, reminders of my abiding Presence. The earth still declares My Glory to those who have eyes that see and ears that hear.

You had a darkened mind before you sought Me wholeheartedly. I chose to pour My Light into you, so that you can be a beacon to others. There is no room for pride in this position. Your part is to reflect My Glory! I am the Lord!

This completely reinforces exactly what I felt God was trying to teach me- my job is His glory. Period.

Well, this has gotten longer than I intended it to. It won't be the last time. You'll learn, baby, that I'm garrulous (and I like vocab words). So is your Grandy.

We love you more than words.

Always and forever,
Mommy

4th of July in Sanibel

Sorry for the silence on the ol' blog... We have been up to some fun things!

For the 4th of July weekend, we made our way down to Sanibel to hang out with the Geyer and Johnson families, and we had a great time! It is probably the last time for a while that we'll all be in Sanibel together since Beth's babies are due in October (yay!!). 

Unfortunately, the weather messed up our plans a few times, but we were all flexible and had a good time regardless. We went to the beach, did some shopping (we love the outlets!), struck out about five times on restaurants being closed, swam at Cathy's friend's pool, sweat(ed?) a bunch and hung out at the house.

On Sunday we took a boat cruise to Cabbage Key and saw dolphins along the way! It was SO fun, and reminiscent of our whale tour in Hawaii.

and a cute random video of Brianna signing...

We had a great time! There are a bunch more pictures HERE.

proud to be his cousin

VERY cool article interviewing my cousin Steve... check it out!