Contented to be...

Parents, Stewards, Lovers, Caretakers, Nurturers, Guides, Holders, Guardians, Father, Mother, Mama, Daddy, Trainers of this Child. Thank you Lord for the privilege, honor and gift you have already bestowed upon us.

For the Sake of Special Requests...

I have been asked enough times for pics of "the belly".
So here she be, in all her glory!

Sister Kate & I!

Mama (Gramma) Kuitert!!

Just love this wee onesie! Will thinks she'll wear the "I Love Daddy" one more often though! We'll just have to see about that.

Only 7 more short weeks to meet this wee one (give or take a few, I've heard! ha!)

Who's she gonna look like????

Krystal?

Krystal's growing up pics

or Will?

Will's growing up pics

We're waiting for some younger ones of K and older ones of W, but you'll get the jist of us in our wee little bodies! Can't wait to see how our Anna turns out!

A little word about the mommyhood journey...

This is the raddest sermon done on pregnancy, childbirth and motherhood (never really heard one like it). It's from a church that my dear friend Serenity recently visited on their journey for Jesus across the nation. She suggested we check out their podcasts and there just "happened" to be one from their recent Mother's Day service done on mommies! It's some deep perspectives on God's perfect design of and the privilege of the high calling women have been given to carry, bear and raise children, as a part of His kingdom plan. Check it out if you have a few, it totally empowered me to continue perservering through this mommy journey I'm on! BTW...only 9 more weeks for us Irwin 3 to go!!!!!

"Pregnancy Conquerors"
http://www.jacobswellspokane.com/Site/Podcasts/Entries/2008/5/11_Jacobs_Well_5-11-08.html

*Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." -Luke 1:38

And they're off...

My Follow-Jesus-to-wherever-He-leads friends, the Coulombe's, are off on their nationwide venture to love on, feed and share the gospel with the poor and needy. Here are a couple of videos and their blogs to follow, and I'd love to ask for your prayers on their behalf for daily empowerment by the Spirit to live out all God asks them to do!

Videos:

http://www.vimeo.com/375668 (done about 7 months ago)

http://www.vimeo.com/1021615 (done about 1 month ago)

Blogs:

http://mustardseedministries.wordpress.com/ (the Mustard Seed group's blog)

http://www.downwardspiraling.blogspot.com/ (Andy & Seren's blog)

Proud Big Sis!

My lil (bigger) bro was down this weekend from Portland for the big Abby's golf tourney at the Roseburg Country Club. It's one of the largest invitational tournaments in Oregon w/336 players this year! Wowza! He showed up of course, as the stud he always is on the course, and ended up pulling off the 1st place in net score w/his partner! See the link to the article below, to view the scoring and info (he is THE Thys Kuitert written about!)...
http://www.nrtoday.com/article/20080616/SPORTS/974848107&parentprofile=search

Nice work Brother, all that hard work pays off doesn't it (even literally sometimes)?!?!

The man of the hour and his other fav sport!!!

Movin' on Up!!

(up north that is...to the land of Suther...Sutherlin, Oregon)
What, you just moved in?!!?!
Tis the question of the hour by most folks, but we are definitely at a place in time that it is appropriate to make the big move, AGAIN, Lord willing of course!
After moving in last June, and Will was hired on staff as Kid's Pastor at church, we quickly realized that the commute time and expense from Green to Sutherlin was going to be a bit of a strain on him, 6 days a week. Although, God has provided in big ways (energy, multiplied hours and funding) over the past year and we have never been lacking.
But, as baby Anna is approaching her arrival into the world, we both realize that the hours of the ministry (without the ability to pop in and out of the house for mealtimes on long days) are going to be a bit of stretch, as are the miles between Will and I, when that time arrives.
The biggest thing both of our hearts beat for in Kid's ministry at SFC, is to have the ability to be more involved and ingrained in the community we are serving in North Douglas County. For Will to be able to attend extracurricular activities of the kids, coach basketball as he's able, and just in general be available at the drop of a pin for the needs of the little (and big) sheep he is shepherding, is just not able to happen (with much ease) from 25 miles away.
So, all those things being laid on our hearts, and after much prayer and deliberation over the letting go of the "former things" we have been living in and loving down here in the Green district, we feel that God's hand is moving and guiding and we are willing (with our grief baggage packed along) to follow. I quickly learned when we were first moving into our "blood, sweat and tears" home (we did a sweat equity program for 1 year to get into this home, for those of you who don't know) that I had no rights to even claim that much glory or hold onto this home for myself. God soon converted my mind after move-in, that this is my "Giving-God-the-Glory-Home", and that I had no permission to claim it as my own or hold it as my own, as something I would never let go. I seem to have to learn that lesson with each "thing" He gives me, over and over. This one's been a rough one, after so much of our newly married life and love has been poured into it. It was my very first palette to work with for home decorating and I have relished in every moment of it, never to give a moment or paint splatter of it back! But as I'm daily reminded right now...
"The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord." -Job 1:21
So, all that being said...do you know a buyer?!??! Our home is listed with Joanne Graham with the Century 21/The Neil Company in Roseburg and here's the web listing...
http://www.neilco.com/MLS/Property_Details.php?LISTING_ID=8051464&table=residential
You can see the listing for more info or pass along this info to anyone else you might know that could possibly be looking in the Green area.

'Till then, we sit and wait and pray for God to make the big move for us (we know it's going to have to be a God-thing in this market!) And then when it does, Will has so graciously agreed to have moving and painting crews for me, as I don't have much to offer him these days being prego or having a new babe if we end up selling in the fall. I've got such a good man!
The waiting game of life, isn't that what it's always about anyways? :)

Wait on the LORD;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the LORD!

-Psalm 27:14

Anna?? Malia??

So where did these names come from, you might ask? Because many others are asking, I thought I'd post away on it!
Will's grandma Susie (Anna's great-grandma) has lived out before us a beautiful picture of Anna, the prophetess in the New Testament...
"Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; and this woman was a widow of about 84 years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem." -Luke 2:36-38
Our grandma Susie has been a widow, lover, follower and minister of Jesus Christ and His gospel for many long years. (And what a special gift it was to her to be able to be here when we found out what baby Anna was!) This was a picture of grandma Susie and a name that God laid on my heart for a girl before we even knew we were pregnant, so we pray that this wee little package from Him will grow to love and serve and follow at an early age, just like her namesakes. "Anna" actually means "favored by God or gracious" and we already believe she is a gracious and favored gift from above! Another cool part too, that we just found out this weekend, is that 2 different grandmas on Will's paternal side both had Ann or Anna in their names as well!
Malia is a different one, not one I would have expected Will would have been a fan off, since it was a little unique and didn't have a deep meaning or namesake that we could trace it back to (Will's major criteria for naming a child). I was in Polynesian dancing on and off from the age of 5-25 years old. So when I heard the name as we were discussing girl names, I decided that any girl-o-mine would have to have a little hula in her hips! "Malia" is a Hawaiian variant of the name "Mary" and has many meanings: perhaps, probably, bitter, wished for child and calm and peaceful waters. We'll probably stick w/one of the last 2, with so many options, one should have a right to choose, right?! The funniest part is...Will is just in love with this name and it is the main name that he communicates with, to his little princess. Gotta love it how God works both of our hearts to love and enjoy the names of the babes that He bestows into our care! He's just that concerned with those intimate details of life.

A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, Loving favor rather than silver and gold.

-Proverbs 22:1

So, here's our little Anna Malia...

A proud Aunty!

Here she is in all her scuba-diving pug-glory...Lilly Kuitert!

The winner of the Pug Crawl Parade Costume Contest

in Portland, OR this past weekend!

All she had to do was just strut her little pug stuff on the cat, I mean dog-walk and there was no comparison between she and the other 60ish pugs in the contest!

Hooray Lilly and Sister Kate for being such a good pug-mama! Here's the article on the Oregon Human Society website on Lilly:
http://www.oregonhumane.org/pugcrawl/index.htm

IT'S A...

GIRL!!!!

Do we look excited or what?!?!?!

The only legal naked baby shots to be shown on the web!

Sucking her thumb already! Look at that little button nose, so precious! And amazing how much they can show us now on ultrasounds. I felt like we were being given this glimpse that only God should have (since He is the knitter of us, seeing us in the "unseen" parts of our mama's wombs.)

We love you Anna Malia...

We even had the beloved grandparents there (the Glazner's are Baby Anna's local Nana & Papa, my parents, Grampa & Gramma Kuitert were there & Will's parent's were there in spirit!) We feel so blessed to have the family that is around us, supporting, loving and praying for us! We couldn't do it without them!

A baby Irwin upate from what-to-expect...

"At 22 weeks, guess what? Your baby has finally broken the one-pound mark. How heavy is that? Hold a one-pound box of sugar in your hand the next time you're in the grocery story (and expect people to ask you why you're grinning from ear to ear). Is the box eight inches long? That's about the length your baby is too!
This week, your sweetie is making more sense of the world as he or she develops the sense of touch. In fact, your little one's grip is quite developed by now — and since there's nothing else to grab in utero, he or she may sometimes hold on tight to that umbilical cord (don't worry — it's tough enough to handle it). The sense of sight is also getting more developed. Your fetus can now perceive light and dark much better than before (even with those fused eyelids). But remember — unless you're shining a flashlight over your belly (which you can do, by the way), it'll be mostly dark for your baby inside that cozy womb of yours.
Moving up from the eyes, the eyelashes and eyebrows are well formed now — and even more hair is sprouting atop that cute little head. You'd be quite surprised, though, if you could see your little one up close and in color. Hair at this stage has no pigment, so it's bright white."

Can't wait to see this wee one in real life!! We're over halfway there, K & W

Wow! and then Hmmmmm, what do I do with this information....

Just something to educate ourselves on. Always like to know where the people informing me on the media are coming from (don't watch her too often, but she does have some good topics on her shows sometimes.) Definitely something to ponder and seek our Jesus about His opinion on these matters and belief systems that are blatantly spoken here...

Some family photos & a preacher in the house!!

Just wanted to pass along the link to my love's sermon from this last week at big church (what we refer to it as, since we usually work with the wee ones)...

http://www.oursfc.org/Sermon/index.php

(click on the MP3 link next to Will's name and "Wholly Holy" from 4/13/08 and it will pop up for you to listen to on your media player)

God is doing awesome works in and thru my Will and I love to shout it from the housetop, giving Him all the glory!!!

"Let everyone in the world fear the Lord, and let everyone stand in awe of him." -Psalm 33:8

And by request of a few, a few family pics of the ever-blossoming family and belly-o-mine...

Can you tell how much he already loves this wee one?! "And the glory of children is their father." -Proverbs 17:6

Hillarious stuff!

Get a good laugh out of this...(thanks Kris!)

Dead & Buried with Him?! What?!

Just as I am today, try to read these few words with new eyes and ears, even if it's scripture you've read a hundred or not even a time before...

"What should we say? Should we keep on sinning, so that God's wonderful kindness will show up even better? No, we should not! If we are dead to sin, how can we go on sinning? Don't you know that all who share in Christ Jesus by being baptized also share in His death? When we were baptized, we died and were buried with Christ. We were baptized, so that we would live a new life, as Christ was raised to life by the glory of God the Father. If we shared in Jesus' death by being baptized, we will be raised to life with Him. We know that the persons we used to be were nailed to the cross with Jesus. This was done, so that our sinful bodies would no longer be the slaves of sin. We know that sin doesn't have power over dead people. As surely as we died with Christ, we believe we will also live with Him. We know that death no longer has any power over Christ. He died and was raised to life, never again to die. When Christ died, He died for sin once and for all. But now He is alive, and He lives only for God. In the same way, you must think of yourselves as dead to the power of sin. But Christ Jesus has given life to you, and you live for God. Don't let sin rule your body. After all, your body is bound to die, so don't obey its desires or let any part of it become a slave of evil. Give yourselves to God, as people who have been raised from death to life. Make every part of your body a slave that pleases God. Don't let sin keep ruling your lives.

You are ruled by God's kindness and not by the Law."

-Romans 6:1-14

It's not something I am even close to getting, but as I rose today, I've been pondering this identification with Christ in His death and burial, as today was truly "tomb day." I pray it's something you let your heart mull over today and ask God to reveal to you just what this death to the flesh, to sin, to the world means in your life too. The whole chapter of Romans 6 gives us a radical picture of what it looks like to be dead to sin, but alive to Christ. Can't you just hear Paul's plea to the Romans above, to just KNOW that they can identify with Jesus in His death, burial and resurrection power, to no longer be enslaved to the junk that just kills them, for eternity really, if they're not believers? And for us believers that still battle against the power of sin to drag our redeemed bodies down, it's just something we have acknowledge and walk in, the work was already "finished" on the cross, we now CAN walk in grace!

So, my question for me today...what areas in my life, that I keep falling prey to, do I need to reckon and acknowledge the death and victory that's already been won for me?!

It's a Good Friday indeed!

You have been raised to life with Christ.

Now set your heart on what is in heaven, where Christ rules at God's right side.

Think about what is up there, not about what is here on earth.

You died, which means that your life is hidden with Christ, who sits beside God.

Christ gives meaning to your life, and when He appears, you will also appear with Him in glory!

-Colossians 3:1-4 (Contemporary English Version)

Anything more to really celebrate in life?!

A word for all dads of prego moms...

"Week 16: It's Not Fat (according to whattoexpect.com)...
Each week we'll send you a note to share with the dad-to-be in your life. Pass it on!
Say it again: It's not fat, it's not fat, it's not fat. FAT is a four-letter word right now, and she spends every minute of every day wondering if her body will ever return to its original shape. If you know what's good for you, you will banish the word "fat" from your vocabulary starting now. If you absolutely need to reference your wife's size, memorize this scientifically correct synonym: maternal storage tissue."

Got a GOOD laugh out of this one as I read it out loud to Will just now. Thought you all might get a good laugh for the day too out of it. Maternal storage tissues, I love it! Those are my 3 new fave words! Do we ever really grow out of this "inspection" of the body, even as little girls in our "grown-up" bodies...

We do love a good laugh...

EVERY DAY! I don't know what I'd do without man that makes me-belly-laugh and even cry sometimes I'm cracking up so hard (it's an especially fine line right now in emo-prego mode, he stares in disbelief when I cross over that hysterical laughter to hysterical tears line in light-speed mode recently, and doesn't really know what to do with me. HA! Please pray for the poor guy, I seem to be doing just fine with the cross-over, it feels very cleansing and necessary for good health right now! :))

God sure came through in a BIG way when the #1 thing I asked Him for in a man was one that would just make me lighten up and laugh over life!

Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing.

Then they said among the nations,

"The LORD has done great things for them."

The LORD has done great things for us,
And we are glad. -Psalm 126:2-3

Just a little braggin' rights...

Yes, this is him, my Will, my Beloved and my Friend... He not only built this structure and hung the swing last weekend for me, but he also single-handedly built this pergalo over our little side deck. He is truly priceless.
Yes, he is altogether lovely. This is my Beloved, and this is my Friend! -Song of Solomon 5:16

Boys and their Toys...

I thought it was time to do a little feature on Will. He and our dear little friend Noah were rocking out today on the ipod together, to some worship music, not Megadeath like his daddy wondered b/c of Noah's intensity of listening, and it was too dear of a shot to miss. Noah LOVED the ipod and really didn't want to leave it once he got the hang of holding it up to his ear. BTW, Will can't WAIT to have one of these of his own, the child not the ipod, can you tell?

So precious...

Our Own Little Kewpie Doll!

We got a non-routine extra ultrasound yesterday and much to our surprise we got to see our little precious who just so happened to be smiling at us at the time the image was caught! You can see the babe's eyes, little nose and mouth from the frontal view shown below in the ultrasound and it just melted our hearts to see that little joy spot smiling inside me! The first thing I thought of when we saw the sweet face were the little kewpie dolls I used to have, and I realized now have a real one of my own (which is what Nana Jan thought of right away when she saw little Kewpie too!) So here they are in all their glory!

Job 8:21...He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy!

(This was the promise God gave me in the morning during my quiet time, in the middle of a prego-emo-morning mind you, and He sure decided to make good on it by the afternoon!)

To all the mamas out there...

If you know Nicole Johnson (radical dramatist/speaker at Women of Faith) you will totally hear her voice ring through this essay and imagine her acting the following out for us on stage. If you don't, I'm sure you'll still appreciate her candid ability to speak out truth in the midst of God's light! I haven't tasted this "invisible womanhood" yet, but I'm sure from hearing the words of many friends, I will probably have "those days" very soon! Love all you mamas, but God does even more! He is truly your El Roi, the God who sees you!

Perspective: The Invisible Woman

By Nicole Johnson

It started to happen gradually. One day I was walking my son Jake to school. I was holding his hand and we were about to cross the street when the crossing guard said to him, "Who is that with you, young fella?" "Nobody," he shrugged. "Nobody?" The crossing guard and I laughed. My son is only 5, but as we crossed the street I thought, "Oh my goodness, nobody?" I would walk into a room and no one would notice. I would say something to my family, like "Turn the TV down, please," and nothing would happen. Nobody would get up, or even make a move for the remote. I would stand there for a minute, and then I would say again, a little louder, "Would someone turn the TV down?" Nothing. Just the other night my husband and I were out at a party. We'd been there for about three hours and I was ready to leave. I noticed he was talking to a friend from work. So I walked over, and when there was a break in the conversation, I whispered, "I'm ready to go when you are." He just kept right on talking. That's when I started to put all the pieces together. I don't think he can see me. I don't think anyone can see me. I'm invisible.It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, "Can't you see I'm on the phone?" Obviously not! No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all.I'm invisible.Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this? Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, "What time is it?" I'm a satellite guide to answer, "What number is the Disney Channel?" I'm a car to order, "Right around 5:30, please." I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude, but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going she's going she's gone! One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a banana clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, "I brought you this." It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: "To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees." In the days ahead I would read, no, devour, the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:
*No one can say who built the great cathedrals, we have no record of their names.
*These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished.
*They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.
*The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.
A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, "Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it." And the workman replied, "Because God sees." I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, "I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become." At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree. When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, "My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table." That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, "You're gonna love it there." As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Week 13 and our Little Peach...

Week 13: Different Growths for Different Folks (and Fetuses)
Your fetus is now about three inches long and the size of a peach. But don't compare your fetus with the fetus next door. Starting about now, babies begin growing at different paces, some faster than others, some more slowly, though they all follow the same developmental path. Growing at a universally breakneck speed now is your baby's body as it tries to catch up to the head in terms of size. Though your baby's head is about half the size of its body now, by the time your baby is ready to make his or her entrance into the world, the head will be only one-fourth as large as the body.
Your baby's intestines are also in for some big changes right now. Up till this point, they've been growing in a cavity inside the umbilical cord; but now they're moving to their permanent (and more conveniently located) address, in your baby's abdomen. And to serve your growing baby's needs, the placenta is also growing. It weighs about an ounce now and will weigh one to two pounds at birth (something else you'll soon be able to blame your weight gain on!).
Also developing this week: your baby's vocal chords. Because sound can't travel through fluid (your baby's current habitat), you won't be able to hear any sounds or cries just yet, but oh boy (or girl) — those vocal chords will get a good workout once that baby is born.

(thank you whattoexpect.com)

Happy Birthday GW!

What a party we had the other night with our friends the Matteos!! We finally got to have them over for a dessert night, but decided to do it George Washington-style, since it did just happen to be his birthday that day. We had a big fat ice cream buffet bar, eat as much and creatively as you like, but don't forget to celebrate George in the midst of the party. Will had some fantastic facts about GW, and I was all ready to sing Happy Birthday to him, but Will had ixnayed that before the party even got started. Go figure?! After we got all sugared-up, the girls sent the boys off to a RHS basketball game and we crafted till our little hearts were content. These 3 gals were pros from the racing gates! They stepped up to the necklace-soldering table, like they'd already been at it for years. Emma even did her own solder job (even braved a hot solder iron burn), as shown below and both she and Grace picked out just fantabulous designs for their own soldered art necklaces. I was SO proud of both of them for their hard work and creativity! Mama Tachan got to make her own creation for her sis and there were smiles all around by the end of the party. Not sure if that was pleasure with the workshop or still rejoicing over George's bday, but either way, it was a party and a half!! Thanks George for giving us a reason to celebrate together, we honor you! And thanks friends for braving another Irwin adventure! We can't wait till the next president's bday party!

Grace and the protective gear! There were no fumes gettin' into that wee nose!





Emma & Tachan diligently working...





Check out this brave Emma girl!




The masterpieces dangling from their beautimous necks!
"For we are God's masterpiece." -Ephesians 2:10
Not only are we His masterpieces, His creative works of art, made by His skilled and perfect hands of love, but He enables us to try our hands, by His gifting and abilities, to create our own little works of art. Isn't that a trip?! Love it!

Happy Late Day of Love!!

Just a little reminder that whether you've got a man by your side loving you, or not, Your Heavenly King is the One and Only who will fill that deep down need we Queenies have to be loved from our heads to the tips of our toes and to be gushed over with words of our beauty...

“The King is enthralled by your beauty; honor Him, for he is your Lord.” Psalm 45:11

Let Him be enthralled over you and then be enthralled with Him right back! He's so worthy!

I want one...

Check this precious wee out (truly He has perfected praise out of the mouth of babes!). Copy the html link below into your address bar to see the godtube video...

http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=9e7c4b40cf5a13cea6ca

We'd like to introduce...

Our active wee Irwin (this little one was quite the squirmy one with those little stubs and head bobs, measuring in at a whopping 2.6cm with a rapid heart rate of 179bpm. Alive and well is this wee one! Will thinks the babe was already doing warmups for a basketball game.)

I think this has now caused me to finally hit the reality button, that YES I am pregnant and I can now officially get REALLY excited. I'm a cautious one, so to fully enter into the reality and joy of it all was hard for me while we were in the elusive state of the unknown of what was really going on inside me. I often wondered if we were just making this whole thing up and someday the midwife would tell us it really wasn't true, we were just being wishful! ha! Here's a perfect picture of how I'd been feeling until Wednesday...The other thing I felt through this ultrasound experience was the absolute awe and wonder of what we were getting a glimpse of. I told Will that I felt like I was getting a peek at what only God should be seeing. His private workings of knitting and weaving are so mysterious and miraculous. But man did I feel blessed to see it, even if it did feel almost crazy to be able to do it! So here is our little sweet pea everyone, the little blob of love with stubs that we are already so endeared to...

4-D version above (thank you Kris :)), 3-D below...

Praising God for this miraculous creation, Daddy Will & Mama Krystal.

Psalm 139:13-17...You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous-and how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God! They are innumerable!

Some words from the wise...

or just the whattoexpect.com people that I hear from daily right now. I really enjoy and appreciate some of their tips for the parents, some even sound biblical (imagine that, real wisdom actually sounding biblical, hmm), read on...

"Week 10: Nurturing Your Relationship "This pregnancy is all we talk about — will it hurt our relationship?"
What's the single most significant relationship you'll have in your new life as a parent? Surprise: It's not the one you'll share with that beautiful baby you'll be bringing home some 30 weeks from now. It's the one you share — and will continue to share — with your spouse. After all, fetuses grow up into babies, who grow up into children, who grow up and move away from home (and it happens a lot faster than you can even imagine…trust me!), but a spouse is yours (with a little luck, a lot of hard work) into old age.
That said, there are sure to be some changes in the dynamics of your twosome once baby makes three (or even threatens to make three). That's inevitable (little babies tend to make a big impact on their parents' lives). But if you play your cards right (and play them right from the start, which it sounds like you're committed to doing), they can actually be changes for the better.
The first thing you guys will need to do is to start thinking of yourselves as a couple again — instead of just a couple of parents (or a couple of parents-to-be). Of course, you'll want to focus plenty of attention on your pregnancy, and on your baby-to-be — that's great, as long as you also remember to keep your relationship front-and-center (no back burner for your love life). Nurture your pregnancy and your baby, by all means, but don't forget to take the time to — and put the effort into — nurturing each other. Your baby doesn't have to come between you (though your belly definitely will).
Wishing you a lifetime of loving! Heidi"

Thanks Heidi! I think that's a lifetime's worth of advice for us, eh?! So much to learn, so few days...