As of tuesday, this belly is officially 28 weeks, which means we are in the last leg of pregnancy! What.the.heck. How did 3rd trimester sneak up so fast!? I will say, we are getting pretty anxious about meeting baby girl soon, so the fact that it's getting closer is definitely exciting! But then... I think about labor getting closer too...and thats when a little bit a fear sinks in and trumps that excitement sometimes. *sigh*. I've talked to plenty of mamas, read stories, watched documentaries (whoa is all I have to say about that)... so basically have heard it all. But I still think nothing can fully prepare me for what lies ahead in the labor and delivery room. Because if there is one thing I have taken away from everyone I've spoken too and everything I've read - it's that every labor is different and no two women are the same. So as we embark on this last leg of pregnancy and prepare for D-Day, we just keep praying that we would not let fear get the best of us, but that we would trust God, my body, and this process that He has designed. And what a sweet gift we will be blessed with at the end of it all :) So keep praying for us, folks!
So...enough about labor. Let's get you caught up a little on what us Whites have been up to! Since I've been pretty bad about updating regularly, my favorite way to "effectively" give a catch up-update is by just giving you a Lately List (as I like to call it), which is pretty much a picture list of a few things we've been up to over the last couple of months/weeks. First up:
1) Weddings! Baby girl has already been a guest to 4 weddings so far! We love this season of dear friends uniting in this sweet covenant and feel so blessed to take part in this special time in their lives. Here's a little shot of us at a wedding for a dear friend of mine from high school! It was so fun to catch up with friends from the past and see where everyone is at now...it was sort of like a mini reunion :) So best wishes to the new Mr. and Mrs. Lapastora! Thanks for including the "3" of us in your special day!
2) We moved...again! ha. Yes, hello 4th address in 2 1/2 years! Yikes. But want to know the kicker? We just moved 2 houses down....so at least we can say it was the easiest move ever! As to why we moved just 2 houses down? long story. But lets just say it was for the best. AND, if gave us the opportunity to finally paint some walls before we moved in. We never found it worth it to paint our other rentals because we knew they would all be pretty temporary - but I'd had enough of plain white walls this time around, so we finally agreed to add a little color! And ALL the thanks goes to my wonderful in-laws for doing ALL the painting! Seriously - big thank you. The way you continue to love and serve us is such a blessing!
3) The nursery is underway! Of course I made sure this was the first room to be painted, as I was dying to get the first step started :) And I made sure to snap this little "sneak peek" picture to document the first little look. So stay tuned for the rest of the progress and final product!
5) Mini Beach Vacay: After having some crazy busy work weeks along with moving houses, Andrew and I decided it was time for a little "getaway". Our goal: A beach. Relaxation. Cheap. Fortunately, we have a friend who owns a little place down in Sandbridge, and was kind enough to let us stay there for free! So we packed our bags, extended our 4th of July vacation from work and headed down to Sandbridge for a long, relaxing weekend. Let me tell ya - time away, especially at the beach, is SO good for the soul! And exactly what this very-pregnant mama needed! It was SUPER hot the couple of days we were there (in the 100's), but was also the perfect excuse to live in the water the whole time :) BLISS, I tell ya. So thanks again Mike, for your generosity! These 2 "almost-parents" were so refreshed and blessed by this time away together, relaxing, and soaking up this last little bit of time "us" time before baby!
Why, hey there, big ol-sun bathing belly!
5) Prayer Request: I wanted to include this in here not really as an update about us, but more for my family - and our need for extra prayer right now! Without getting too detailed, I will just say that my Aunt is currently at UVA preparing to receive a liver transplant tomorrow. My family (particularly my grandparents), have been through so much throughout this process with my Aunt, and we have all been praying hard for her, and her health and recovery. I so strongly and firmly believe that God is bigger than ANYTHING, and any sickness and illness -- so we have been praying hard that He would be with her and my family during this time to bring her healing. Because I also believe that prayer is SO powerful, I would like to extend this need of prayer, and ask if you all would pray for my Aunt and my family - for her healing, health and protection, and for my family who is at UVA with her now - for their strength and emotions as they support her bedside.
Bless you all for taking the time to catch up on our lives, for praying for us, and for always encouraging us!
XOXO
Brittany
