February 18th

while it's just another day...it's also another marker i wish we were celebrating with our little boy. today he would be 18 months old. it is so hard to believe. i can't even begin to imagine what he would look like at this age. i can't decide if he would look more like ryan or myself. what i would give to see him....and hold him. i miss him so very much. but while my heart continues to ache for him, i am ever so thankful for the ways God has filled us up over the past year and a half. when i look back, i see His hands all over us. even when we felt so alone and isolated. He has never left our side. the other day at Bible study, we were discussing the way God uses or places people in our lives at certain times. i can without a doubt say that He has placed some of the most amazing people in our lives over the past year and a half. we have been loved and cared for unconditionally and i am forever thankful for this. i can't even begin to tell you the sacrifices people have made to take care of us. it has truly been a blessing. a blessing that God has given us and a blessing that these people were willing to be vessels of His love. i pray that He will allow me to be His hands and feet while i am here on this earth. that i can share His love and return what others have so graciously given to us. so, while today is a hard day, i am certainly filled with love and even a peace that i will see my little one again one day.

today...

not a lot going on here...just the usual. but i am about a week out to having a new niece and four weeks from having my own little girl! i am so excited i can hardly stand it. i will be sure to post pictures of my niece a.s.a.p. hope you're having a good week!

this week...

this week (February 7-14th) is Congenital Heart Defect Awareness week. congenital heart disease is the most common birth defect, and is a leading cause of birth-defect related deaths worldwide. Please remember all those lost to CHD and honor those that are still fighting.

as wyatt left the nicu and headed to cvicu (cardio vascular intensive care) after his surgery i remember being very anxious and not sure what to expect. i was shocked at the number of babies in this unit. the rooms were almost completely full. of course there were many different reasons for why they were there, but none the less, each of these babies had ended up in cvicu due to a congenital heart defect. we will never know what caused wyatt's condition. there are so many questions. i often ask why or why him....but these are questions we will not have answered here on this earth. anyone could have been in our shoes. i know as a society we often say that wouldn't happen to me or there is no reason to believe that would happen...but we had NO reason to believe our little boy would be there either. so this week, i ask you to remember these precious babies lost to CHD and those who are still fighting. please remember the people who dedicate their lives to caring for these children. i truly admire the men and women who devote their time and energy to watching over these precious little ones. i cannot imagine the stress they willing take on every day as they literally watch over these babies, administer medicine, check vitals, love on them, and care for their parents who are in desperate need of love as well. they are truly gifts from above.

please pray

one of my dear friends who lost her sweet baby girl just months before we lost wyatt is 18 weeks pregnant and in need of prayer. i will let you go to her blog to get the details, but i wanted to ask you to remember them. her faith during this difficult time is inspiring. love you sarah! our prayers are with you, taylor, and baby burke.

here is a link to her blog....http://www.adamsfamilylr.blogspot.com

time for an update

well, i thought i would have a lot more time on my hands to update a little...but i guess i was wrong. so here's a quick update...well maybe not so quick. ha!

things are going pretty good here. we are almost 34 weeks. i can't believe it! however, i feel as though i have been waiting on this baby forever :) let me just say when you're ready to be a momma you're ready...and those feelings just don't disappear...although life would be easier some days if they would.

there are a couple of things i am sure you want to know that i haven't posted yet...like her name or what the nursery looks like :) but i have been holding back since they are not finished. i guess i want you to be surprised with the finished project and don't want you to see my mess in the meantime :) ha! but i'll go ahead and give you a little...we have a first name....finley. no middle name yet, but some ideas or maybe an idea...still thinking. it's kind of funny but with wyatt we had a few names we liked and had trouble making our minds up. so this time, i had a few boys names i liked and a girl name. well, maybe a couple of girl names, but i was really leaning towards finley. so, when we found out we were having a girl it was pretty much decided. so not like me :) it just took a little bit to convince ryan that finley was going to work. he likes it, but was bothered by the long e on finley and ritchie :) this totally makes me laugh since i taught for 5 years and this never bothered me...i also informed him that her last name would not be ritchie forever...although i hate to marry her off that fast :)

as far as the nursery, we are making progress. we did decide to totally change it. this was an ENORMOUS decision for us that has honestly brought a lot of emotions with it. i'll get more into this another time. i will say it is getting a little easier since we have dug in and gotten started. i just wish we needed two rooms :) but, back to her room...it is VERY girly...imagine that! i think it is going to be perfect! her colors are cream, gold, grey, and petal pink. i will most definitely post some pictures when it is complete. i just can't until it is all together :) which i hope will be soon!

this past weekend, my dear friends hosted a dinner to celebrate our sweet girl. it was perfect! i cannot thank them enough for all of their hard work and for all of the details that went into this evening. i had told them that i did not want a shower since i felt like we had just had one for wyatt and she is our second. yet, i did want to celebrate her and God's blessing to us...so i agreed on a dinner with some friends. but wow was i surprised! they of course went all out....i should have known better :) i had told one of my friends while talking about this dinner that i really wanted to the focus to be on this blessing, celebrating her life, and our gift from above. i was so moved by the details that brought this focus home. to begin with, her invitation to the dinner was perfect....i will have to load a picture of it once i relocate it..ha! but it was cream with grey snowflakes and one pink snowflake...and at the bottom it had part of James 1:17

"Every good and perfect gift is from above..."

i LOVE this verse and believe it whole heartedly!

and then check out this set up :) all done in her colors....it was beautiful!

just wanted you to see the snowflakes hung from the ceiling :)

this was in the kitchen. love it!
my sweet friends and hostesses...amelia, (me), ashley, kristi, and leslie (my sis)
my amazing teacher friends...i could just say friends...but hey they are some amazing women and teachers on top of that :)

and finally...the sweet goodie bags....loved.

it was an amazing evening. it truly warmed my heart. i am so thankful for such incredible friends and family! thank you! i can't wait for Finley to meet all of you!