Sunday, May 29, 2011

Abiding in the Word.

"For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead."

James 2:26


Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Lima Bean Update

It's that time again.... another month of Lima's life has come and gone. Time flies!  I thought I should update you on what's been happening.

How far along? HALFWAY!! I can't believe it - 20 weeks.

Total weight gain/loss? Gained 10 lbs.

Maternity clothes? Mostly maternity clothes. I don't really need to be in maternity clothes all the time just yet, but seeing as how ALL of our junk stuff is in storage, I couldn't find my summer clothes. I guess the timing on getting pregnant worked out pretty well considering my lost wardrobe. :)

Stretch marks? Nope.

Sleep? Still sleeping really well. I have incredibly vivid dreams. It's like going to the movies every single night! I can still sleep on my stomach - I just twist my lower half to the side a little.

Best moment last month? Feeling Lima Bean move for the first time - May 5 - and finding out that Lima is a GIRL - May 12. Also, Andrew and I registered for all of Lima's stuff. That was fun.

Movement? Yes. And she apparently likes to have disco parties in my stomach. I love it.

Food cravings? Still enjoying refreshing/light foods... apples, strawberries, tomatoes, cheese, cereal, etc. Lately I've been craving juice and iced coffee. I visited my brother this past weekend and I delighted myself in a few Capri Sun juice pouches. Yum-o. Lastly... I've wanted Blow Pops. I've treated myself to a couple (strawberry flavored, to be exact), but I'm trying to resist so I don't end up with a mouthful of cavities!

Gender? Baby girl! 

Lima Bean's size: At the last ultrasound two weeks ago (almost 19 weeks), Lima Bean was approx. 11 oz and 6.5 inches. According to my maternity book, Lima should only be about 9 oz at 20 weeks. That makes me wonder if we have a little chunker on our hands. Haha!

Labor signs? Nope.

Belly button in/out?
 Not drastically out, but definitely showing through my shirts.

What I miss: I wish I could say running. I read another gal's blog where she mentioned missing running. I think that sounds so cool and athletic, but it'd be a lie. Haha! Since my last post when I said I missed red wine and sushi, I've had both (shhh, don't tell). At this point, I'm pretty content. I guess I just miss Andrew a lot.

What I am looking forward to:
 Feeling Lima move even more and deciding on a name (I think we've pretty much decided on a name, but we're not putting it in stone yet).

Most recent baby purchase: Goodwill finds with my mom (the queen of bargains) - a few baby clothes, books, and one little toy. 

Milestones:
 Besides Lima Bean moving, finding out it's a girl, and registering for all the baby goods, this weekend, while ordering a decaf iced coffee from Starbucks, the gal at the register asked me when I was due. She was the first stranger to initiate a conversation about my expanding belly!  I guess my belly has officially gone from a beer gut to a baby bump. :) 


20 weeks!!



In honor of Lima.

The day Andrew and I went to the dr to find out the sex of little Lima, we celebrated by doing two of our favorite things:

1) Lunch at Doc Cheys - Wok seared green beans and Pad Thai!

2) Dessert at Zesto's - Chocolate milkshake for me and a Snickers Arctic Freeze for AJ. Perfect for a muggy ATL day.

Unfortunately, no pictures were made of our delicious lunch. Clearly we only had one thing on our mind - devouring our food, but we did document our dessert deliciousness.


AJ in front of the dr's office where we had the ultrasound.


Just found out it was a girl! 
Cold bite?

Chocolate milkshake in Lima Bean's honor

Lima enjoying the milkshake


Monday, May 23, 2011

Jones's Journey Update.

Well a whirlwind of things have happened in the last two weeks regarding our future plans. Originally, our plan was to hop in the car... two weeks ago... and make the 30 hour drive out to Phoenix.

Since then, we found out that Andrew was needed in Sacramento, CA for two weeks. He was told on Friday, May 13, and was gone by the following Tuesday. Everything moves quickly in this IM (interim management) program! So that's where AJ is currently.... Elk Grove, CA to be exact. He is assisting another interim manager who was in need of some major back up help because he had to let the majority of his kitchen staff go (long story there). Andrew has taken on the role of the kitchen trainer - training employees to prep food and run boards (where the food is assembled and packaged just before serving). If you ask Andrew, he would probably say that training in the kitchen isn't his forte, but he hopped on the plane last week and hasn't complained once since we've talked. He's a trooper and I admire him for that.

Next on the timeline? Phoenix, AZ! Andrew will zip home on June 2 then fly out by June 5 so he'll be ready to jump in first thing Monday morning. He will be at the Queen Creek FSU in AZ until the end of July.

Where does that leave me? At home with my parents, the dogs, and the Grace Church intern. Party at the Fowler's!

Andrew and I decided that two months wasn't worth a 30 hour drive with two dogs (one of which doesn't travel well)... just to live in a hotel. Plus, I don't even think the hotel allows dogs. But looking on the positive side, Andrew will earn enough Marriott hotel points to get us a free vacation. Hot dog!! I plan to fly out at some point to visit. I'm still counting on a hiking/camping trip to the Grand Canyon.

It will be difficult to be away from Andrew all summer. Lima Bean and I miss him already!

Thank goodness we can rest in the faithfulness of our Savior when the going gets tough.

"I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. For your steadfast love is great to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds." - Psalm 57:9-10

Abiding in the Word.

Whew I have not been committed to this since I've been home. Please forgive me!  I have let all of my discipline fly out the window. But NO MORE!  Shall we resume? :)

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God."

Ephesians 2:8.

Such a simple verse, but so incredibly wonderful. Praise be to God for His gift!

Friday, May 13, 2011

A bet's a bet.

Wanna know a secret?

We know Lima Bean's gender. :)

Andrew and I found out Lima Bean's gender yesterday, but before our appointment we made a bet with my parents if it was a girl or a boy. Both Mom and Dad agreed it would be a girl, while Andrew and I betted it was a boy (my sis Kate was on our side too). If it was a girl, Andrew and I would owe the rents dinner on Saturday. If it was a boy, Andrew and I would be treated.

The appointment went really well. The ultrasound tech put the warm HOT goo on my tummy and started moving the magic wand around. We got to hear the heart beat... 151 bpm. We saw Lima's stomach and all four chambers of the heart. We also got to see the spine - so cool. Lima is certainly a little miracle. We enjoyed the ultrasound so much. I think we feel even closer to the babe now.

Well as the tech did her thing on my stomach, she asked if we wanted to know the sex of the baby. We said yes, so she did a little more exploring... she checked three different times throughout the ultrasound so she could say confidently (99% positive) if it was a boy or a girl... AND....

It looks like we owe Mom and Dad dinner on Saturday!

So there you have it folks. A bet's a bet - and we lost. Looks like Lima's gonna be a daddy's girl!

The ultrasound tech said Lima looked like a gymnast! That's a leg and an arm up above.
The two dark spots in the rounded area on left (the body) are her stomach and heart. So cool!


No explanation needed.

Baby Lima is saying hello! Such a sweet face if I say so myself.

Blogger down.

I wanted to apologize for my delay in writing. Blogger has been down for a few days now. It is officially back up and running, so I'll be updating you on the Jones' Journey AND Lima Bean shortly. :)

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Cinco de Move-o.

Well I think we must have a party child on our hands... that or a Pentecostal.

I felt Lima Bean move for the first time today!! Wahoo! Either Lima Bean likes to party it up on Cinco de Mayo or he's feeling the Spirit on National Day of Prayer. Nevertheless, Lima's on the move.

I feel like we've hit another milestone in little Lima's life! I've been looking forward to this stage. I'm hoping for more bonding time with little Lima now that I can feel that there's a baby in my stomach.

Next milestone... boy or girl???

We're back!

Well Andrew and I spent a good 24 hours in the car on Sunday and Monday, but we made it back to GA!


Thanks for the greeting GA. We're glad GA is on our mind (and that Nathan Deal is Gov!)

The drive went well. It started on a beautiful Sunday morning in Cheyenne at 7 am with 32 degree weather. With our car (over)loaded, we hit the road. We made it all the way to St. Louis, MO on Sunday - a whopping 14.5 hours. Whew. It was a looooooong day. Monday was only a 9 hour drive. Still long, but GA was on our mind.

Andrew did most of the driving.

Day one

Day two
While he drove, this is what the rest of the family did...





Yes, Ellie spent most of the time in my lap. Amos sat in the way too crowded back seat. Lima just did his growing/developing thing like always.

You remember when I mentioned our car was overloaded? I'll let you decide for yourself.


We were all happy to finally be home... even Lyla (the CRV).



Since we've been home, I've gotten myself a nice sun tan burn, Andrew has played any and every sport in his parent's front yard, we've been fishing, oh and Andrew even shot a snake in the lake. We've had good 'ol southern fun. :)


We're thankful to be home and that we made it safe and sound. At this point, we're trying to soak up the time here until we hit the road... again... for a 30 hour drive to Phoenix. Ahh!