A Thank "Filled" Weekend

My parents drove up from Cincinnati to view the baby in 3D and stayed the weekend.  Thanks to them I got some much needed help with finishing projects around the house and now I feel like I can breath.  I am not going to list all the projects that were done but lets just say our house is very clean.  I can now worry about the projects that I enjoy doing like making the baby a couple of really cute outfits.  And Gracie got some much needed attention from "Papi & Nina" and daddy & mommy.  Over all it was a restful and productive weekend.

per Gracie: Papi & Nina

The Name Game

As most of you have heard we are having a little bit of a problem with coming up with a name for my little man.  I have a 101 names for a girl that I love but boys are hard for me.  It is just not right for a boys name to sound pretty so maybe that is why I have a problem.  I just keep praying God will give us one soon so Gracie can practice.  With a couple names we have liked, we have run into initial problems and names that are also stores;).  So I have been open to any and all suggestions.  Names have been coming from mostly work, and then some family.  This past weekend I went through a bunch of names with my parents not telling them ones I like more then others.  A few that I liked they thought were a little funny.  Not sure I want my babies name to be funny.  I think this is why we don't tell.  We like the surprise when the baby comes out and the non-opinions if people don't like the name.  Once the baby has a name it is too late for people to say they don't like it, at least to us.  We are still plugging away at names and combination of names.  Strange to know come November when this baby arrives the name will be the least of our thoughts.

Names that have come on & off the white board at work due to it being a joke or I just plain don't like them:

Funny Names:

• Shaw Schenk: funny suggestion
• Hank the Tank Schenk: funny suggestion
• Sylvester: not sure if this was suppose to be funny but no thank you

Worthy Suggestions but just not interested:

• Evan
• Caleb
• Carson: my parent's dog name
• Keiffer
• Sterling: just can't we lived there
• Ames
• Trennen
• Jansen
• Samuel(sam): grandparent's dog name
• Elijah: we both love but too many of our friend's used this name
• Levi: I love again too many
• Jacob: I love but as Troy pointed out that is his brother's name:)
• Ethan Alan Schenk: Troy loves but was unaware of the furniture store:)

The problem is not Troy it is me.  The first time around I had a good list of boys names but we had a girl and over these 3 years either the name has become very popular or someone has used it.  My definition of a "good" name is one that is not popular but at the same time when it is heard people don't think what the heck...plus I do like a name with a good meaning.  So although Troy has a couple of names I think he would use, I have not found a name that I just love.  We still have time to think.....

28 Weeks

My little man is very busy kicking and punching me all day. He is defiantly more active then Gracie ever was and he is also sitting much lower then Gracie ever did at least until the very end. I am often wearing my belly band just to help with the pressure. I am using lots of lotion because I am a little afraid this one may give me stretch marks and I really don't want those.
Today I had to chug down the glucose orange drink.  I have never thought it was that bad but I know the faster it goes down the sooner the time can start.  Doctor said all is well and we listened to the baby's heart beat, which I always love.  I am now at the point where I will be visiting the doctor every 2 weeks, wahoo I am getting closer. 

Cravings: nothing at this point and no aversions either
Sleep Cycle: always on my side with a pillow under my belly and my bathroom trips remain in the 2's and 3's area.  Except I have woken up the last couple of nights on my stomach not sure why or how this is possible but it keeps happening.
Movement: all day especially when I am pressing my stomach against my desk.  He does not like his space invaded.  In the evening you can watch my stomach jump and move all over the place.
Names: Troy has 1 and I have none.  There is a board at work with a list of names and people are voting on them.  I knocked off a couple for sure no's and there is actually 1 we added to our list.  Not sure Troy loves it but we need another contender.  For some reason boys names are so hard for me.
Excited For: the first football game
What to Expect: Per Baby Center my baby is the size of a Chinese Cabbage about 2 1/4 lbs
What I miss: not having pain in my back all the time, this pregnancy has been much hard on my body & mind this time around
A surprise: belly button might go but it is still holding strong....only time will tell
Funny Moment:  Went to the doctor at 26 weeks because of my back and during my appointment the doctor said that I needed to keep my bladder empty and stay hydrated:)
New/Best Moment:  Last Friday I went to the doctors for the second time in a month but to enjoy watching my little man in 3D.  Although this is not my first time seeing him in 3D, this time was better.  

A 3D View

Today was an exciting day.  I headed to the doctor's office with my mom, dad, mother-in-law and Troy for a 3D view of this little miracle that is kicking about in my tummy.  We got 30 to 45 minutes of viewing time.  Although he did not completely work with the camera we did get a couple great pictures and of course the grandparents loved it.  The first thing we asked for was confirmation that it was indeed a boy, Troy was still a little leary.  But we got the confirmation needed and Troy was again all smiles.  The nurse during the ultra sound said look at those cheeks.  I think this baby will look a lot like Gracie.

Here are a couple our favorites from the ultrasound.

2D of the little baby's face

For those that are familiar with ultrasounds you will quickly see the right side of the baby's face, right eye nose and mouth.  He seemed to be using the placenta like a pillow and did not move far from it. 

Some Serious Cuties

Although these two will both have their own sibling to fight with in the next couple of years, right now these two are just that.  Cousins that love each other like brother & sister, and fight like brother & sister.  But when we are not reminding them to share they are having the best time running around crazy.

 the best cheese face I could get

 & serious

 sawyer checking out the camera

 just chilling

loving on uncle cliff

together of course

Fear

As long as I can remember fear has been my biggest weakness.  No not like most people at least that I have ever known of.  I mean terrified of things happening.  This is something over the years that I have prayed for and there are times where I don't think much of the fears of life but then there are times when I am just plain struggling.  Now I look at CNN for the news, world news and the happenings.  This is not what worries me it is if something were to happen to my family.

Now I know everyone has the basic fear of life but my mind is something I struggle with controlling.  I take the smallest of fears and from 0 to 60 I have already played the whole situation out in my head.  How I would react, how I cope, the what I would do next.  If I hear a terrible story I relate it to my world and take it on as my own.  This struggle has gotten larger for me and one that I struggle with weekly if not daily.

In June a friend from college, Kristin, her son died suddenly.  I found out right after that there was no accident and I heard some of the details.  This week she shared the news with friends that her son was not killed by accident but by the hand of his step mother.  For the last month this situation has been just an overwhelming presence in my life.  I don't just hurt for her, I hurt.  I look at Gracie and want to weep.  I think this is a women who had her own children.  Someone that was trusted at least by her husband.  My mind jumps threw details of this women and of little Ethan.  What he must have been thinking and how he was feeling.  My heart aches for him, how he was not protected.

I know in my heart the Lord loved this little boy, but i struggle with the not understanding.  This in turn makes me so fearful for Gracie, how I can't always be there to protect her and that just eats me up.  Troy reminds me of how important it is to pray but don't you think Kristin prayed for him, I know she prayed for him.  In the end God took him to a better place.  I know God is in control of all things but I have struggled with, why pray if at the end in this situation it did not matter, not to Ethan.  I know in my heart that what I need to do is pray and I have not stopped but I struggle.  I am constantly praying over the control of my mind, controlling my thoughts when they run away from me.  I am not stupid I have seen the power of prayers many times in my own life and for others around me.  I have been blessed through prayer but right now I struggle with the fighting of my heart and mind.

So, I have been praying over my mind.  Praying for this thing called fear that has been so evident in the last month and a half.

Isaiah 41:13 
For I am the LORD your God, who upholds your right hand,
Who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.


2 Timothy 1:7
For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.

Little Miss Schenk

Now that the pictures are officially out I wanted to post a couple of pictures that were taken of my very first niece.  Kyle and Kristen welcomed a baby girl on August 3rd, Eleanora Renee Schenk.  We were very excited to meet her and got a few pictures with the newest family member.  It is so exciting to see her now and to know just how much she will change over the next year.  Crazy to look at her and then Gracie and just know how fast it really does go.  Makes me want to slow time down even more.

Enjoy the pictures

 me & nora

 me, nora & gracie

 troy already loving little nora

The girls in this family will be a little over protected by 

all the uncles, brothers and cousins who pretty are 

brothers. Good luck to the little Schenk's you will need it.

troy, nora & gracie

A Special Date

Gracie and Troy had one last little date before football season officially takes Troy away for the month of August.  Lunch at Chick-fil-a and time out at there favorite spot to visit the local PetSmart.  Gracie loves getting to see all the animals.  This is always such a special time for them, I love it.

From the Garden

Ok so you have seen my help me posts, my what do I do next posts and now here is an over joyed post.  I have been told over and over there is nothing like growing your own veggies.  I now understand.  I have success!  My beefmaster tomato's are comming in strong.  I have atleast 15 of them on the vine and I want to pick them so bad because they really are huge but they have not yet turned red.  Lots of cucumbers, peppers, and cilantro.  All tastes fabulous.

Cabby & Abby

Just to document:
Cabby & Abby are Gracie's  besties.  She loves them both but her favorite for a very long time was Abby.  If heading down stairs with them she will only allow is to carry Cabby down, she is always the one to handle Abby.  She plasys with Abby more then anything.  Then one day she went to get 1 choice of a baby to ride in the care and to our surprise she came down with Cabby.  Cabby was finally in the spotlight.  I just thing Toy Story when this kind of thing is going with Woody & Buzz Lightyear fighting for the spotlight. 

Cabby, Gracie & Abby

Then the new toys arrived.....