Patience

Yesterday, I was talking to my friend Amber and we were discussing how we want to become not only better wives to our husbands, but better Christians as well. I was explaining to her how I've grown Spiritually since the deaths of Lauren Hymer in 2006 and especially Jill Attebery just two and a half weeks ago. I've been so inspired by these two and their families beyond belief!

I was telling Amber the story that I heard on Jill's funeral service video..Shortly before Jill's death, her husband, Pastor Scott, asked her "Jill, how do you put up with all of my stubbornness and impatience?" and she didn't say anything like "Oh honey, you aren't stubborn or impatient!". She just looked at him and smiled and said "Patience."

When I heard that story, I got VERY emotional and it made me look at how sometimes I come across the same way as Scott..stubborn and impatient!! I tend to let myself get angry and I take it out on my husband when I should really just be patient! I'm trying to better myself in this department, but catch myself falling back into the angry state again. For instance, Brandon has been working the past three nights in a row and he got home this morning at 6 am and he wanted me to wake him up at 10:00 am so that he could sleep tonight because he starts working days tomorrow. Well, me trying to be a sweet wife, I give him an extra 30 minutes to sleep and don't go in there until 10:30, but he doesn't want to get up. I went back in there every 30 minutes or so once or twice and finally at about noon, I said "I'm not coming in here again!!!!". He finally got up at about 1:30 and started getting ready to go hunting! So my impatience and anger kicks in because he works so much, I barely get to see him... and when he has the day off, he wants to hunt!!! I understand it's a man thing and they love to do it and I am so happy he has a hobby. However, I feel like I am left out of everything and start to feel very lonely and depressed because I am CONSTANTLY home alone... whether he's working or in the woods. I explained to him that he really shouldn't kill anymore deer because he's already killed three. We got two back from the processing plant yesterday and it was $215!!! We still have one more to pay for and our freezer is just about stocked! We don't need anymore! So I thought for SURE he'd spend his one day off with me. When he's not in the woods, all he wants to do is watch TV.. and all I ever have to do is watch TV! So I get upset with that. I try so hard to tell myself to be patient and to just understand, but catch myself showing anger each time. I'm really praying to God for a lot more patience!

With that being said, I was telling Amber that she really needed to get the book Diamonds in the Dust by Joni Eareckson Tada. It's a daily devotional book and only takes up maybe 5-10 minutes of your day and it's SO worth it!! I think I've gotten Amber talked into buying it. For today, one of the devotions is really sticking out to me. I'm going to share it with you. It's from the October 23 devotion:

"Surely, O God, you have worn me out; you have devastated my entire household. You have bound me - and it has become a witness; my gauntness rises up and testifies against me. All was well with me, but he shattered me; he seized me by the neck and crushed me." - Job 16:7-8,12

You've heard of the patience of Job? To me that never made sense, because the book of Job is one long list of complaints. Not one to take suffering meekly, Job cried out in protest against God. Even his friends were shocked at his impudent anger. Goodness, most of us would bite our nails in fearful trembling if we ever talked to God that way.
God, however, does not get offended. He doesn't get insulted or intimidated. In fact, in a supreme touch of irony, in the end God orders Job's pious comforters to seek repentance from the man himself, Job, the very source of so many heated complaints.
I love that about God. Where it concerned Job, the guy was only human. And, yes, his patience was gloriously played out in that he refused to curse God and die. But it was the Lord who demonstrated the very best of what it means to be patient. God, as it says elsewhere in Scripture, refused to break the bruised reed or snuff out the smoldering wick. God even defended Job!
The patience of Job? I would think it should be the patience of God. The God of Job- your God- defends the hurting, uplifts the oppressed, and listens to the complaints of the suffering. He may not respond to your questions with neat, pat answers, but He will always, always answer your questions with His own patience.

Prayer: O, patient and long-suffering God, thank You for being so tolerant with me, with all Your children who tend to complain. Patiently lead us through our trials until praise is on our lips.

AMEN! Wasn't that amazing?!? I love this book!!! It always tends to lift me up and I find the prayer I need daily!!!

33 Week Prenatal Appointment!

I just got back from seeing the doctor today! It was, once again, a very quick visit! I dread the drive to El Dorado and back when it's such a short visit...especially just when I go to see how much fatter I'm getting! HAHA. But at the same time, I love to go because I get to hear how well my pregnancy is going and get to see the doctor smile and say "His heartbeat sounds amazing!!!". And I know that since I'm going so often..it's getting closer and closer to time for Garrett to come into this world!!! In two weeks, I've gained 3 pounds. Which puts me at a whopping 150 pounds total and means I've gained 16 pounds total so far! He said my urine tests and blood pressure and everything look amazing!

I talked to Dr. Ratcliff today about possibly enducing around 38 weeks or so because Brandon and I had a LIST of reasons we wanted to have Garrett in December. One of the main reasons we wanted to be enduced was because we live an hour and fifteen minutes from the hospital and I've been having anxiety about not making it there... also with it being Winter time, you never know road conditions... and because Brandon works up there too. If I was to go into labor at my house and him be at work...I'd panic to the max! HAA. Another reason that was a big concern for me is the fact that we have people coming..and they are all from somewhere other than El Dorado! I explained to him that we even have people coming up from South Louisiana for it. Lastly, for insurance and tax purposes!!! Wouldn't it be sad to miss being able to claim Garrett on our taxes when he was just only a couple days shy of being born in December?!! Not to mention the deductibles on our insurance!!!! I've been pregnant for more than half of this year, so I think we deserve the right to have these feelings!! HAHA.. So, Dr. Ratcliff said that he doesn't normally consider enducing until a woman is "past due", BUT..Said he understands my concerns about family and stuff being from out of town and everything. He said that as we get closer to time and he starts checking my cervix and stuff, if it's started to "ripen" and it seems like enducing would work fine...then we'll go for it! So please pray that I start to "ripen" mid-December!!!! I certainly do NOT want to put risk on myself or Garrett, so I reassured him I wouldn't want to do it unless it was completely safe. He said that when some people want to be enduced, their cervix hasn't started thinning or anything so the drugs they give to enduce labor would probably fail and cause more complications...so the only way we'll enduce is if everything is looking good and starting to ripe!!!

Our next appointment is December 3rd and that's only FOUR WEEKS until my due date! Wow!!! I can't believe how close we are getting! Keep us in your prayers!!!

"It's not about us, It's not about me. It's about Jesus" - Jill Attebery

The past couple of weeks have really made me open up my eyes and really see life from a different view. When we were living in El Dorado, Arkansas, I started going to Bible Study on Wednesday Nights with Jana at Wyatt Baptist Church. Jana and I were inspired to go by Lori, who we worked with at Dr. Smart's office. Lori is a woman of faith and I've really grown spiritually since knowing her. In June 2006, Lori's daughter Lauren, was tragically killed in a car accident the day before Father's Day and the day before Lori and Donny's Wedding Anniversary. Lauren had just turned 21 two weeks earlier and was Lori and Donny's only daughter! She was on her way to El Dorado from Conway to fix dinner for her parents for their Anniversary and Father's Day. This struck everyone very hard, obviously. I honestly didn't ever know how Lori made it through the days, but God gave her the strength and still gives her the strength every single day!! I am so inspired by Lori!!!

A couple of weeks ago, tragedy struck Wyatt Baptist Church yet again. The Pastor - Scott Attebery, his wife Jill, and their 2 1/2 month old son Bryce, was involved in a car accident on the way back home from a family reunion. Unfortunately, Jill did not make it. She had terrible trauma to her head and brain. She, however, did help save several other lives by having her organs donated! Isn't that so amazing? The first few days after I got the news, I was VERY upset and couldn't understand why God would do such a thing to such a woman of Faith and a woman who just had a newborn baby after she and her husband tried for such a LONG TIME for! I got very upset and cried very often and couldn't take my mind off of it. During the Bible Studys, Jill was always there and speaking about everything she learned in the lessons and her pages would be FILLED with notes she had taken during the videos and during her homework assignments. Jana and I were both so intimidated to sit by her because we couldn't COMPARE to everything Jill had written in her books and we were ashamed we couldn't ever come up with as many things as she did. She never failed to speak to me or anyone else. She was so kind hearted!!! I still can't believe that she is gone now, but I know she's in better hands and is up there praising with our Lord!

Jill and Lauren's death was very tragic and has consumed all of my thoughts lately. It has caused me to want to become a better wife and mother, but most of all it has caused me to want to become a better Christian.

I wanted to share the SlideShow from Jill's Memorial Service that was uploaded by a member of a church. The Attebery and Jarvis family remains in my prayers!!! Jill will never be forgotten!

32 Week Ultrasound

Since our insurance is HORRIBLE and only pays for ONE ultrasound during the pregnancy unless it's a medical necessity.. My wonderful Momma, being an x-ray tech, had a friend that said we could come in and he would do an ultrasound for us! We were SO stoked to get to see our little man. He said everything is looking wonderful. His heart rate was 160 beats per minute! And he's ALREADY 4 pounds 6 ounces. I think we may have a little chunk coming! HAHA. We are so ready to meet him!! Here are the pictures from this ultrasound!

Sweet Feet!


Confirming that he is INDEED a little boy!


His little heart!


Profile view of his face!

Him facing us!

Looking at his little nose and chin and what appears to be BIG LIPS!

Church Baby Shower

Some of our amazing church ladies hosted a baby shower for us today and it was AMAZING! We had a wonderful turnout and had the best time. Garrett got a LOT of good things and it just makes us so much more excited to become parents and ready to meet our little guy. Our wonderful hostesses all went in to get Garrett the Pack'n'Play that we wanted and we are so very thankful for that!

After the shower was over, I was super excited to get home and start putting his room together and decorating! I had the BEST time nesting! I was in his room for hours on end just getting things the way that I want them to be!!! It's so precious. I will try to upload some pictures of his room for everyone to see!

We are so blessed to have such an amazing church family and wonderful family and friends! We will have a Couples Shower in Shreveport on the 29th also that is hosted by a few of my girlfriends and we can't wait for that!! It's going to be a blast! Love you all!

Here are a few pictures from the shower!





Here are some pictures of his room after I got it all put together! Some things still needs its place and all, but we have one more shower to go and we'll get it COMPLETE!

31 Week Prenatal Visit!

We had an amazing visit today at the doctors office! We were told that my blood work came back "just perfect"! No diabetes! My blood sugar was 121. My hemoglobin levels were in the perfect range. My blood pressure is wonderful...and that is seems like I'm going to sail on through this pregnancy with no problems at all!! I've gained two pounds in the past two weeks, which is exactly what I should have!! That makes a total of 14 pounds in pregnancy so far and he said that is the best he's seen in a long time and to just "keep up the good work"...which consists of a bunch of junk food and sweets for me! HAHA. I'm so shocked that everything has went so well and that I haven't gotten HUGE because of the things I eat, but I am NOT complaining!!We also went to the Women's Center to pre-register and get all set up to have this sweet little boy. It made me all giddy inside to be in the building where in a few short weeks, we will be meeting our son! I was also a bit nervous, I must admit! I just pray that everything will keep on going smoothly! I know that God will take care of us! We will go back to the doctor on the 19th! I will post again after that appointment!

29 Week Prenatal Visit!

We had a doctor's appointment today and it was by far the most tortured one so far! HA. The doctor suggested I have a flu shot since I'll be pregnant most of flu season, so they went ahead and gave me the shot. Then it was time to test for gestational diabetes! I had to down this nasty drink and then sit for an hour...and then be poked again and have blood drawn to test for the diabetes! The nurse said that "No news is good news!" and said that if the test results came back abnormal, they'll call me by this coming Monday. Otherwise, they'll just see me at my next appointment! So we are hoping and praying that the results come back great. If the test comes back abnormal, I'll have to go in for a THREE HOUR test where I have to drink those nasty drinks and have to have blood drawn FOUR TIMES! Please pray that everything comes back normal! Dr. Ratcliff says everything is still going great and that I'm doing really great with my weight! I gained 4 pounds in the past four weeks, which means I have gained a total of 12 during the whole pregnancy so far. He said that is wonderful! We will now start seeing the doctor every two weeks until I am 36 weeks and then we will start weekly visits until he gets here!

I can't wait to meet Garrett!! He certainly seems like a little hyper baby in my belly. He is constantly kicking and punching his Mommy! It's the most amazing thing I have ever experienced in my life. And he is ALREADY a Daddy's boy. The other day, Garrett wasn't moving around very much and I was getting sort of worried about him..Brandon came over and was talking to Garrett and kissing my belly and Garrett woke up and started going crazy hearing his Daddy talk. It was so sweet!! Now that that has happened, Brandon must talk to him everyday and kiss him and it never fails..Garrett starts going crazy when Daddy talks to him! I know that makes Brandon feel so excited because it makes me so happy!!!

We will post after our next appointment on November 5th!