At 25 Weeks

At 25 weeks of pregnancy, 7 yrs ago…
• I delivered a 1 lb 13 oz baby boy.
• I was told that my baby may not live past 48 hrs.
• I was in a complete state of numbness, disbelief, and extreme sadness.
• My sadness quickly turned into anger, frustration, and bitterness.

At 25 weeks of pregnancy, 3 yrs ago…
• I was full of anxiety.
• Although I was getting all good news about the baby, my worries overshadowed any joy.
• I did not allow myself to enjoy my pregnancy because I didn’t know how long it would last.
• I remember crying in my doctor’s office because I was overwhelmed with fear that at any moment my pregnancy would turn around for the worst. Praise God that my doctor was a believer & able to minister to me.

At 25 weeks of pregnancy, today…
• I feel the best (emotionally & physically) than I’ve ever felt during any pregnancy.
• When I’m not thinking on things that are worthy of praise (Phil. 4:8), my mind wanders to...
- "What if I have this baby early?”
- “What if this baby has special needs?”
- “How I’m I going to handle 3 kids who are all very dependent on me?”
• I must rely on God’s grace to help me to meditate on truth. As Jeremiah did in Lamentations 3:21-25, after he recalled his anguish, he remembered God’s character -

“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him." The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.”

• Whatever I must endure, God will ALWAYS shower me with His steadfast love, faithfulness, & goodness. I may not always think God’s plan is good for me, but it is. May God help me to rest in the fact that His thoughts & ways are greater (better) than mine (Isaiah 55:8-9). No matter what I go through, His goodness and mercy will follow me (Psalm 23:6)!

So, that’s where I stand today…

25 weeks, 6 days & counting!

"Mommy, I want to sing to the baby!"

My sweet little girl loves to sing. She sings all day! Random praise songs pop into her head and she starts singing wherever we are. Lately she's been singing to the baby. She's so excited about her new sibling.

This 4D ultrasound image was taken on last Thurs. The baby

is sleeping like a typical Turner - laying on arm with mouth open :-).

God’s Quiet Care: Deliverance Before We Know We Need It

Excerpt from Running Scared by Ed Welch, P.85

He waters the earth and causes it to be fruitful for everyone, whether he is acknowledged or not.
Every meal e eat is an expression of his sovereign care. Sometimes we pray and give thanks; more often we just eat and assume that the grocery store will have what we need for tomorrow.

He heals us day after day. Some researchers believe that cancer is always present in our bodies, but God sustains our bodies in a way that wards off its advances.
How many times have you had colds, infections, food poisoning, and a host of other physical maladies that you no longer have?

He protects us, without us knowing or asking, while traveling on an interstate when everyone around us is engrossed in their cell phone conversations.
How many times has the Good Shepherd fought wild beasts to keep us safe while we peacefully grazed, unaware of his heroic care?

Even before we get to the fullest expression of God’s love and care through Jesus Christ, we have reason to live in thankful dependence. As God has already demonstrated to us in the exodus, he doesn’t wait for crises to happen before he acts. He doesn’t wait for us to call out to him. Instead, he is always on the move, always sustaining, giving every breath to every living being every day.

A Surprise Trip

A few week ago, my sweet hubby took me on a Surprise Trip to San Diego!!! A couple of days before the trip, he told me to buy some (maternity) clothes for warm weather and to be ready on Tues. morning because we would be leaving for the airport right after he spoke at MOMS.

I was elated! He had already asked my parents to watch the kids for 4 days in order for us to enjoy a Pre-Anniversary Trip. The Lord has blessed us with a trip each year for our anniversary. Because I will be 8 months pregnant (Lord willing) on our 11th anniversary (June 12), he thought it was a good idea to plan it sooner. I actually didn't think we would be going any where this year because of the new baby coming and because we had such a big get-away to the Dominican Republic less than a year ago.

After 4 hours of traveling with a layover in Phoenix, we finally arrived in Sunny San Diego! What a great city to visit when you've had to look at snow for the last 5 months! When we arrived, it was dinner time. We really like pizza so we had a casual dinner at a cute little spot called Espresso Pizza. Kempton had the whole trip planned out. All I had to do was sit back, relax, and be spoiled.

We had reservations at Loews Coronado Bay Resort. However, they overbooked for the night so they gave us a FREE night in their sister hotel - Hotel del Coronado.
On top of that, because of our "inconvenience" for the night, they told us that when we returned to the Resort for the remainder of our trip, they would upgrade us into a Luxury Suite. WOW!!!

I praise God for this sweet, unexpected blessing from the Lord. He has given me a romantic husband who regularly shows me that he loves me more than I can imagine. Thank you sweetie for striving to love me as Christ loves the church.

Below are a few snapshots from our trip.

Fun day at the World Famous Zoo

Dinner at Truluck's where you pay $25 for 1/2 lb of crab and don't get any side entrees. Very good though! :-)

Taking a break from hanging out at the Seaport Village.

5 month pregnancy pic

We had a good ole down-home breakfast like grandmama used to make at a well known restaurant called The Big Kitchen. The mouth-watering pancakes are as big as the plate!!!

Kempton's talk to MOMS

Kempton spoke at our church's MOMS group last month. His topic was Fear & God's Faithfulness. If you are interested, you can listen to the talk. You may want to grab a snack first, it's 45 minutes! :-)

Without The Gospel

“Without the gospel everything is useless and vain; without the gospel we are not Christians; without the gospel all riches is poverty, all wisdom folly before God; strength is weakness, and all the justice of man is under the condemnation of God.
But by the knowledge of the gospel we are made children of God, brothers of Jesus Christ, fellow townsmen with the saints, citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven, heirs of God with Jesus Christ, by whom the poor are made rich, the weak strong, the fools wise, the sinner justified, the desolate comforted, the doubting sure, and slaves free. It is the power of God for the salvation of all those who believe.”
—John Calvin, preface for Pierre Robert Olivétan’s 1534 French translation of the New Testament
(HT: Tony Reinke)

HAPPY RESURRECTION DAY!!!