Week 25

This week will mark week 25 for baby Emma and during this 6th month she will be about the size of the eggplant above, at least that's what the Bump.com says. Here are a few things the Bump says that we can look forward to this month:

"Let your spouse put an ear to your belly -- he might be able to pick up baby's heartbeat (no stethoscope required). Inside the womb, the formation of tiny capillaries is giving baby a healthy pink glow. Baby's also soaking up your antibodies, getting the immune system ready for life outside the womb. Eyes are forming, and baby will soon perfect the blink -- perfect for batting those freshly grown lashes."

Every time I read about how Emma is growing and developing each week it makes me so amazed at the work of our Creator and the way he forms us in the womb!!

My aunt Jane ordered our crib, mattress, and dresser this weekend, which we anxiously await the arrival of around mid-July. Aaron and I have cleared out the spare room and will hopefully be getting it cleaned up in the next week or so to begin setting up the nursery, and we also finished (we think) registering for what we need at Target. Hopefully this week I will begin some projects for the nursery and I will post pictures when they are complete!

Chapel @ SEBTS

Aaron was selected to preach in chapel at Southeastern for student preaching week. This is an honor because only a few students are asked to submit a tape/link of a sermon and only two are selected to preach in chapel. He preached on Tuesday out of Galatians 6:1-5, and I think God was able to use him in a mighty way. If you want to listen to it check out this link:
SEBTS Chapel and scroll down to Tuesday, May 4th to download or listen to it.

24 Weeks

We had our 24 week appointment today and everything looks great! This is such a gift from God because, as you may not know, from the time I was about 8 weeks pregnant onward I have had severe sickness and had to get several IVs at the doctor's office and the hospital due to dehydration. In the last 2-3 weeks I have finally started feeling better and been able to do more things. But most of all we are praising God that baby Emma had a strong heartbeat and seems to be a healthy baby!!!

This month has been great because we found out we were having a girl and were able to see her with an ultrasound, Aaron and I have both been able to feel her kicks, and we are finally starting to clear out the office/spare room and turn it into a nursery!!
Since I don't have any cute belly pictures to post, I thought I would post some pictures of what we have planned for the nursery

Since we can't paint we're considering getting some removable wall decals such as these dots and putting them around the room or possibly a tree.


This is a picture from www.kellyskornerblog.com. I love reading her blog and this painting is in her little girl's nursery and I absolutely love it. I have asked my friend Caroline to help me paint something similar to this, so I will post a picture when that project is done.

This is the bedding we have registered for at Target. It was affordable and really cute, plus tulips are my favorite flower - so hopefully Emma will love them too.

And finally, this is most likely the crib we will have. My aunt Jane has graciously offered to provide for us a crib, a changing table, and a mattress and we are O-So-Thankful! This has been our favorite crib and we hope to order it soon!!

Our family is growing... by 2 feet!

This announcement is long overdue, so i thought it was definitely time to start updating the blog again. For those of you that don't know, Aaron and I are having a baby!!! We found out at the beginning of December and were able to tell our immediate family during our visits home at Christmas. Of course we gave them a small gift to open of either UNC booties or socks to share the news (our little one will definitely be raised to be a Carolina fan)! On April 8th we went in for an ultrasound and found out we are having a GIRL and we couldn't be happier.
When we were choosing names we kept having trouble agreeing on boy names, but when we talked about names or a girl there was only one name that we really loved. With that being said, our little girl's name is

Emma Grace Swain

Emma is due to arrive at the end of August, so we are busy trying our best to prepare for her arrival. We are praising God for blessing us with this child and would greatly appreciate your prayers for Emma as she continues to grow and for Aaron and I as we know so little about how to raise her. We are truly blessed with family members, church family, and friends that have already come along side of us during this time through their prayers and generosity. But most of all we are grateful for a faithful God that has created Emma and pray that He will be glorified.

For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.Wonderful are Your works Lord, and my soul knows it very well. -- Psalm 139:13-14

School's out for summer

School is out - at least til the fall when it will start up again.  Sarah only has 2 semesters to go, but Aaron has quite a few left.  Our summer is going to be busy as usual, filled with: life group, staff retreat, VBS, summer camp, visiting family, working at the new church building, plus our regular jobs.  

I will put up some updates with pictures soon!  

1st Anniversary

Our first anniversary was back in January (I'm way behind!) and we took a quick trip to Savannah, GA to celebrate.  We had such a wonderful time and Savannah was gorgeous!  Here are just a few pictures of our trip (I meant to put up more, but the computer wasn't working with me.  We also ate our yummy 1 year cake topper too.  Sweet Memories Bakery in Apex did our wedding cake and for your 1 year they bake you a fresh cake.  It was delicious!

This is me with Paula Deen.  She would have looked more life-like if the camera didn't have a flash, ha.
Savannah is known for these trees (live oaks, i think)
This is the Olde Pink House.  My aunt treated us to lunch there and it was amazing.  It was a former mansion, turned into a restaurant.  If you go, please get the southern sushi - you won't regret it.
Of course Aaron would have me take a picture with a sign about John Wesley.
It was such a great trip and I hope that we can go back soon!

I love Saturday mornings

I love Saturday mornings.  I feel like I can relax and catch up on things.  This morning Aaron and I ventured out to my favorite place for breakfast - Panera Bread.  I absolutely love their four cheese and egg souffle.

Updates will be coming soon with some pictures of our youth and the exciting things happening at our church.  There is so much that I haven't posted recently so I will definitely be putting up a lot of pictures.