In the meantime

We are now past the 37 weeks mark!  That means baby Stanley, also affectionately known {for now} as Hazelelelponi (or Hazel for short!), could be here basically any time in the very near future! Almost 36 weeks!  I think I’ve hit the “you can come any time now, Hazel” stage, which will probably only serve to make the next three weeks draaaaaag by ever so slowly.  Oh well.  Eventually the time will pass, no matter how slow it may seem to be going.  Overall, these months have gone by quite quickly, so I guess I can’t complain.  In the meantime, I’ve been trying to keep myself busy.  The past month/six weeks or so is basically the first time in a quite a while that I haven’t had an outside job, so I’m having to be diligent in all of those housewifely duties that I’m supposed to do...  While at times have so much extra time on my hands contributes to getting even less  done around the house, it has, overall, been a blessing: ...

32 WEEKS TODAY!  That means that our little girl (also affectionately known as Hazelelelponi) should be here 8 weeks, give or take a few days!  That means that in more or less 8 weeks, our lives are basically going to be turned upside down, never again to be the same! That means we will officially be a family of three.  That means we’ll immediately be charged with the incredible responsibility to raise her up “in the way she should go.”  That means we’re going to have to figure out this whole “being a parent” thing.  That means lots of hugs and kisses and just lots of watching this little Bundle of Joy. Cannot. Wait. Meanwhile… I have lots of time on my hands right now.  The last few months have been super busy: The beginning of March, my part-time job volunteering in the kitchen at Cornerstone Bible Institute basically became a full-time job for 2 months.  That meant that I was in charge of ...

Sometimes I come up with a made-up DIY project (or even try a diy project that someone else has done) and it is a flop. (I'm going to blame it on all Pinterest.) Other times, I come up with a project and it actually turns out! Yay!  This little project was one of those those projects that turned out.  It was a simple project, but it made me feel quite accomplished! haha... Anyway, a while back I found a nice maternity t-shirt for a couple bucks.  I liked the color and style.  The only problem with it was that it had long  sleeves!  And considering that I plan to wear it during the height of summer, that is a major problem! But I decided that it shouldn’t be too hard to make it into a short-sleeved shirt.  So I went ahead and bought the shirt. I found another shirt with sleeves that were simply cut off, folded up, and then tacked in place with a few simple stitches. (You can kind of see one of the little stitches.) How hard can it be to do t...

With 20 weeks down and more or less 20 weeks left to go (we're halfway -- woot woot!),  God has blessed with an incredibly easy pregnancy so far!  No morning sickness ever , no super-sensitivity to smells, no weird cravings (except maybe that I simply cannot get enough fresh fruit!), no super-emotional, irrational breakdowns (I guess maybe Isaac would be a better judge of that, haha!)....  I am super thankful for how easy it has been so far.  Despite all my fears of the many unknowns, God has been gracious and good. Last week we had our 20 week ultrasound and our baby GIRL is doing great! :)   Cannot. Wait. for July!!

Since I'm on a posting spree here... here's the latest at the Stanleys!  We are incredibly excited, thankful, scared, and [lots of other emotions!] But super thankful that God, the Father of lights, Who only ever gives good gifts, has seen fit to give us this good gift. We love our precious Little One.

October 15 was Pregnancy and  Infant Loss Awareness Day.  I don’t really have much of anything eloquent or profound to say in light of it, as on one hand, dozens of emotions  are forever crowding my mind, making it hard to even know where to start. On the other hand, I feel empty and dried up, with no more emotions to be had…. Anyway, I do want to share something someone else has already said that is way better than anything I could ever say.  Here’s for you moms out there who know the pain and sorrow of losing a child: Be encouraged--it is only a temporary pain, even if it lasts a lifetime. We have a much greater hope and glory to look forward to!  “Every heart knows its own bitterness, and every heart has bitterness to know.  Sin must bring sorrow—tears are the inheritance of earth’s children;  but in the city to which we are going ‘God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying,...

Here is part two of When God Gives and Takes .  (Read part one here .) ************* I think of that passage in Corinthians about God being the God of comfort and His comfort then being the avenue for us to then comfort others.  In the days soon after our miscarriage, I clung to this statement of incredible truth about God.  He said He would comfort.  I can trust Him to do it here. Now. In the days to come.  In some way, in some very real, tangible way, He will give comfort to my aching soul in this time of need.  And He did comfort and continues to comfort.   Day by day, moment by moment, at each moment of great need, His comfort has come in many ways…His Word, prayer, my husband, friends and family, songs…the list could go on.  Being comforted with God’s comfort doesn’t mean the pain goes away or that tears instantly dry up.  It doesn’t mean all questions have been answered.   But in some strange way, pain and ensuing comfort...

 When it comes to the difficulties and struggles in life, I’m not necessarily one to wear my heart on my sleeve or spill all my guts for the world to read, but this post is the first of two posts talking about our pregnancy, miscarriage, and how God is bringing us--me--through it.  In a way, there’s been healing in writing it down, so maybe I’m writing more for my sake than for any of you readers.  In it all, blessed be the name of the Lord.  **************** It’s been over 3 months now.  Sometimes I think I’m over the grief, tears, and emptiness… and then all the emotions come rushing back, as if it all just happened yesterday…. Our two little ones:  precious gifts from God for just a few weeks.   They were so tiny and under-developed, yet created in His image and beloved, fearfully and wonderfully made.  Who would have thought that someone so small--someone we never  even got to meet--would claim our hearts and love so fast?  Who ...