9 Weeks....and Counting

I hit 31 weeks a couple of days ago. Pretty hard to believe. I can still remember the moment I read the pregnancy test. After 6 months of wanting and praying for a baby, God blessed us with a "Pregnant"on the digital pregnancy test. I remember the shock, the tears, and telling our wonderful friends who came to dinner half an hour after we found out. I still clearly remember the constant sickness of the first 18 weeks, the first pound gained (which felt like a victory since I had been so sick), the first time I had to wear maternity clothes, the first time we heard the beating heart of our little blob, the first time I felt him move and the moment I hit the half-way point-20 weeks.

As the day quickly approaches, my thoughts have shifted from the pregnancy to the labor and delivery. My heart is filled with joy, uncertainty and fear of the physical demands that will be put on my body. Since this is my first baby, I don't know what to expect and honestly would prefer to sleep through the whole thing. I know, however, that women do this whole labor thing every day and that I will be fine. With that being said, pregnant women are not notorious for trusting what they KNOW. I, at least, have become more emotional and illogical...especially as of late. I've been worrying about the health of Ben, the details of labor, the horrible recovery and anything else that seems to cross my mind. The little bit of sanity that I actually have left (maybe the Holy Spirit actually) has been reminding me, however, that God is God and He can do whatever He wants. This baby is His and I am His and He has the right to give and take away as He sees fit for His glory. He promises me He will never leave me or forsake me, that He has a good plan for me and that He watches over me. His promises must be sufficient for me. He must be enough. So, today I praise God for blessing us with 31 weeks of a healthy pregnancy and I pray that He will comfort me as I endure the pain and recovery of the fall of woman. :) Let's do this!....in 9 more weeks. :)

Celebration Station

The Mitchell house has been celebrating on and off for the last week. The celebrations started on Thursday, the night before my birthday. After being convinced that my husband had absolutely no plans for my birthday, I called him out and complained that he didn't plan things in advance. He laughed and mainly ignored the accusation, but I heard him quietly tell me to be ready to go at 6pm. That night, as I was finishing up (around 5:59pm), Patrick went to "warm-up the car." A few moments later, four of my wonderful girlfriends walked in the door for a surprise girls night. They took me to a yummy Italian restaurant (my fav), showered me with gifts and then I apologized to my gracious husband when I got home.

The next morning, my actual birthday, started with a surprise birthday party in my classroom. My amazing co-teacher had made arrangements with all of the parents and students to help create an adorable birthday party for me. When I walked into the dark classroom and turned on the lights, all the kids jumped out from behind some bookshelves and yelled, "SURPRISE!" They had decorated the room with streamers, a pinata and flowers. They were all so excited to surprise me....it was SO cute.




The celebration continued at a Sunday afternoon lunch with about 15 friends....just in time to start Valentine's celebrations today. Patrick and I aren't huge V-Day people, but I recently revealed my inappropriate crush on Justin Bieber so I got a great v-day card and a cute Bieber poster. Isn't he cute???


The festivities will conclude tonight with some Chick-fil-A and the first week of birthing classes. What better way to spend Valentines Day than in a hospital learning about labor??!!

Let's Dumb it Down

Smart phones are all the rage these days. You literally can't go anywhere without seeing someone updating facebook, tweeting or checking email on his/her smart phone. Nor can you find a cool "non-smart" (aka dumb) phone when it comes time to get your "new every two"...if you are a Verizon customer. Patrick and I have gone back and forth about whether we are going to go Smart or keep things simple and no matter how long the discussion might be we always come back to simple living. Here are the top reasons why the Mitchell House is not a Smart House:

1. It's an Addiction
Most (not all) of our Smart friends seem to be totally addicted to being connected at all times. So much so that it's hard to even have dinner with friends without them taking out their phone(s) for one reason or another.

2. We're Unavailable
I don't want to be available to you (or you, or you) 24/7. Nor, do I want my pastor husband to be available to you (or you, or you) 24/7. Boundaries people. A lot of people claim "it won't happen to me." You think that you won't be one of the addicts who has to look at the phone every time an email/FB message comes, but you will. No one can escape it.

3. Wherever You Are, Be All There
A great quote from Jim Elliott that still rings conviction in my life after all these years. Yes, this can point back to reason #1, but how many times have you been in a conversation with someone and they get distracted with some form of technology and maintaining their cyber-relationships??!!! It is SO rude! Seriously, I have found that the more time I get distracted with maintaining my facebook, twitter relationships, the less time I seem to have for the people I'm actually around every day of my life. Maybe that's why I'm blogging so little...but probably not.

4. I'll Let YOU Pay
Let's be honest, data packages are ridiculously expensive. I remember when my entire phone bill was as much as your data package alone. For a generation that is so worried about saving the kids in Africa, we sure spend a large (dare I say sinful) amount of money on entertainment, media and technology. Am I saying that having a data package is a sin....um...NO. But I AM saying that it's freakin' expensive and as long as everyone around me is willing to pay for it I'm just going to borrow your phone if I'm ever out and absolutely have to get to the internet. Thanks in advance for your kindness.