13 weeks down, 26+/- to go

We've been bursting to tell everyone, and we've finally made it to 13 weeks today! We're joyfully and hopefully expecting our first little baby boy or girl mid-April!

It has been quite a journey getting to this point, and though it was full of pain and much loss, we are so thankful for how the Lord has used the journey to conform us more to His image. We do not deserve this Life He gives, but we gratefully receive it as His gift of grace. Greg and I continue to pray that He will prepare us for this huge change and that He will enable us to show His love to this little one. We covet your prayers for and with us as we await our baby's arrival.

Because of our three prior losses, we were monitored closely during the first eight weeks, so we were able to have two ultrasounds very early on to see and measure the heartbeat and size. It was absolutely amazing to watch the tiny little dark spot on the screen pulsing with life.

We'll hopefully know whether it's a boy or girl just before Thanksgiving -- let us know what you think; vote in our poll on our blog!

Great Book in Turkish!

This is awesome news! Maybe I should pick up a copy and work on my Turkish that way...

We love Eden!

The video on this post is simply too cute. You have to watch it!

Ever since little Eden was born, she has stolen Greg's heart. I give her much of the credit for helping my husband want a little baby of our own one day soon.

Sonic has arrived

The trip up, waiting in line, ordering, eating, and returning only took three hours!

And here's proof that we survived:

Welcome to the land of amazing cherry limeades and 2-4pm Sonic Happy Hours, Boston!

(Sorry to rub it in, Carrie. Just another reason for you two to move to Boston! ;)

Thankful Thursday

Hmmm, you might just see a theme this week...

I am thankful for...

1. Liz's hug today to encourage me to keep on.
   
2. Steve's phone call this afternoon to make me laugh and let go of some of the stress.
3. Dinner with Karen tonight to help me forget about work and share life with a dear sister.
4. The hope that my office will hire someone in the next couple months to take some of the load off of the rest of us!
5. The knowledge that I'll make it through this crazy month and probably look back and think, "Oh, that wasn't too bad." haha
6. Music that calms my mind and heart and focuses me on the God of Peace.
7. Sleep - and that's what I'm off to do RIGHT NOW!
   

4th Anniversary - 28 hours in NYC

Just over two months ago, we boarded a BoltBus to New York to celebrate our 4th anniversary.

We had lunch in Times Square.

We walked for hours around Central Park.

We had an incredible anniversary dinner in Hell's Kitchen -- 44&X.

Greg had a rack of lamb, and I had duck.

The bathroom at the restaurant was GORGEOUS. It had candles and roses everywhere!

We enjoyed a leisurely walk and took in the night lights on our way back to the hotel.

This is an awful picture of our hotel - the Grand Central Hyatt, but it really was amazing. What a gift!

The next morning we walked around some more.

We went down to Battery Park and saw the Statue of Liberty and the construction at Ground Zero.

And we stopped at the Starbucks by the Empire State Building on our way back to the bus.

It was a wonderful time to just be together, enjoy the city, and celebrate four amazing years of marriage.

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful for...

1. The promise of a New England autumn. The oh-so-slightly cooler temperatures have given rise to great anticipation in our home. We LOVE autumn in Boston!
2. Our church's generosity to children in need. Our annual Back-to-School Festival is this Saturday, and donations this year provide both backpacks and school supplies for neighborhood children as well as water bottles for children in Istanbul. Greg and I are thrilled about the added link to Turkey this year and the awesome opportunity to bless children in Istanbul and the work of the community center with which we partner.
3. Watermelon - beautiful and delicious!
4. A husband who loves languages just as much as (okay, even more than) I do! We stayed up way too late last night after having pulled out our Turkish language books around 9pm. Greg said he had a dream last night that we were living in Istanbul! :)
   
5. How supportive and sacrificial my parents were in making it possible for me to go to Baylor. As I watched all the SUVs piled full of family and freshmen things pull into Tufts yesterday, I found myself reminiscing to move-in day my freshman year at Baylor, way back in 1999! Thanks, Dad and Mom, for going above and beyond your call (regularly) to enable me to follow the Lord where He leads me.
6. Free access to a gym around the corner; working at a university and living close by definitely has its benefits.
   
7. A much needed three day weekend!