kicks!

baby draper is on the move!
two weeks ago i was so excited to finally feel her/hims flippin around!
each day the movements seem to change and transform as i'm getting used to her 'awake' cycle
last night as joel and i were watching FRIENDS (we've started season 1 and are on a mission to watch all 10 seasons all the way through!) i had him laying his hands on my belly
we've been doing this ritual each night as we lay in bed - willing the movement to be strong enough for daddy to feel
it finally happened!
he felt one really strong kick and could hardly believe it!
he was just beaming :)
we hurried and got ready for bed and laid there for several minutes as our little bundle put on a show for us!
joel was in disbelief - and said he just couldn't stop smiling

now we really feel like there are three of us and we are all bonding!
we are getting soooo excited to become parents and start cuddling with our sweet little lover

this has been a great milestone!

sacrifices

this semester i am privileged to have a graduate assistantship at huntington university to aid in our tuition costs!
i work in the learning center with undergraduate students on academic probation
this experience is teaching me a lot that is and will be helpful to me in my counseling career

i have also began my practicum on our campus clinic this semester
this means that i am actually doing real counseling!
God has been so faithful to surround me with encourging classmates, an intentional and gracious director, and an extremely loving and supportive husband for this process

between classes, counseling, my assistantship, homework, being pregnant, and normal life...i am thoroughly exhausted by my schedule!
on Mondays i leave around 7:00 am to head to campus, not to return until 9:30/10:00 pm
on Tuesdays i am at home to do homework and housework and also run a group for young women at wells county's alternative school
Wednesdays brings a day of leaving the house by 8:00 am and returning around 5:30 - on these evenings i alternate between going to a discipleship class at church (that's right - i volunteered to be a student in another atmosphere!) or attending our midweek service with Joel
Thursdays i leave by about 7:30 am - getting home around 9:15 pm to fall into bed exhausted once again!
Fridays i am at home again either scramling to complete my tasks, taking a coveted nap, going to a prenatal appointment, or spending time with my mom.

now, you, reader, may not care about my weekly schedule...but the point of this post is that while i did not realize how exhausted i would be this winter/spring, there is a light at the end of the tunnel
this is a one-time, small sacrifice i can make in the grand scheme of things: to help my family financially for a few short months before i take a break to give birth to and begin becoming consumed with our first child
speaking of, our bundle of joy has begun to perk me up periodically this week by letting me know he/she is there and moving around!
these first movements and head butts (thats what it feels like...) are amazing!
what a wondeful reminder God has given me to know His plan is perfect and my family is being cared for
:)

the newest merkle: andre adam

Adam and Jill (my youngest brother and his wife) welcomed #4 into their family on Monday Jan. 25th
Madelyn Eve (5), Hudson Dante (almost 4!), and Cosette Isabel (2) welcomed their new baby brother, Andre Adam!!!

Don't they make an adorable little family?!?!

We went and visited when he was 48 hours old :)

Can't wait for our own!

(only 5 months left to go!)

"We should not be ashamed to discuss what God was not ashamed to create"

-Dr. Howard Hendricks

what a profound statement!
this was one of the many note-worthy message i received in my sexuality, intimacy, and gender class thursday night at huntington university.
i am currently working on a masters in counseling there and have 33 of 60 credits completed (working on an additional 9 this semester)!
i know this class will change my self, self-esteem, marriage, ideas of motherhood, and life in general!

we began with some Scripture readings to learn how to focus on what God says to us in His Word about sexuality:
Phillipians 2:1-11
- the first principle in healthy relationships is humility
1 Peter 1:13-16
- the second principle in healthy relationships is holiness
Ephesians 5:1-20
- have courage and faith to be the person that others can sit with; so they can bring to light all of this junk and sin in their lives
1 Thessalonians 4:1-8
- God's will is that we be sanctified to have nothing to do with sexual immorality
Matthew 22:36-40
- love God with our sexuality
John 15:1-17
- If He's the vine and I'm the branch - what does that mean for my sexuality?

i hope in this mini lesson you were able to gain insight, peace, understanding, or at least interest into this topic of learning God's will for our lives and our sexuality

i want to challenge myself and all of you if you're willing to accept the challenge, to "not be ashamed to discuss what God was not ashamed to create"

"goodnight, i love you, merry christmas"

this is the silly phrase joel and i have been hearing around our house the past week while we've been caring for our 2 year old niece, cosi.
she's in the bluffton-care for an undetermined amount of time due to becoming a big sister in the near future!
adam and jill are expecting #4 and we're enjoying caring for their littlest tot while they spend some quality time home together preparing for the new baby

in the meantime - joel and i are getting much needed practice with bedtime stories, messy faces, cuddling, eskimo kisses, and giggles!
(p.s. cosi is totally head over heels for uncle joel - when he's home, it's like i don't even exist!)

in other baby-related news - surprise! my appetite has come back!
while i'm still trying to eat healthy and in moderation, tonight i had a sloppy joe, corn, and sunchips for supper followed by a homemade chocolate milkshake and smore pop-tart for dessert..........yeah. wow.

anyone else have any funny food stories from their pregnancies?!?!