A Time For Every Season....

11 Weeks old! Your baby continues to grow and is now approximately the size of a large lime! The crown-to-rump length of your developing child is 1.75 to 2.4 inches. The weight of the fetus is approximately 8 grams at this point. The growth of your baby is phenomenal now and your baby's length will double in the next three weeks. The head is grossly out of proportion and is almost half of the baby's length. You are almost at the end of your first trimester and while changes continue to occur quickly in your baby, they are happening at a slower rate in you. Your uterus has been growing with the fetus inside of it and is now almost big enough to fill your pelvis. Your uterus may be able to be felt in your lower abdomen, above the middle of your pubic bone. You are not able to feel the baby moving inside of you at this time. Some women think that they have felt their baby moving now, but it is either gas or a wrongly dated pregnancy. You might also be noticing changes in your hai...

I was listening to this song on the radio yesterday and realized that the words echo my 27 years of life . These words reflect the real life moments that come out of marriage and daily living- there are very hard time, times to speak ones mind, time to keep quiet, times to cry, times to laugh - there is a time for every season according to Ecclesiastes 3. How those words prepare me for the future; in this Christian life we weren't promised ease, we were promised trials. My life doesn't exist for self it exists to glorify my Father. How better prepared I am today for trials than I was 4-8 years ago - it was through the past refinement that I have grown. I love the passage in James 1 that speaks on trials and how they prepare us for future service and endurance to run this race called life. May I never forget that I am in the refining process and will be until death. Most recently I have been hit with the reality of death. Our pastor spoke on it Sunday, Carrie McDonald spoke on ...

I posted more pictures and some video's on the links to the right!

John found out today that he doesn't need surgery! The herniated disk looked a lot better according to the second MRI - God is good! The doctor is sending John into "traction" when he returns from Oregon and has a pain management doctor calling him to set up a drug program; hopefully one that will allow him to sleep. The drugs he is currently taking for his nerve problem keeps him awake all night. We are so happy he doesn't need surgery, the surgery the doctor spoke about was too invasive, it involved moving John's vocal cords and being in bed for at least a month. This plan is much better! John and Drew leave Saturday for Oregon - they will enjoy 4 fun filled days of male bonding without mommy. I will get a wonderful vacation, I can actually clean the house and enjoy having it stay just the way I left it - no messy hands leaving stains and muddy feet to track in dirt! There are carpets to be shampooed and my office needs a thorough organizing! Today was the firs...

"Living...Laughing...Loving... Learning" is the William's Family Motto. Today we tried to laugh as Drew learned that taking a permanent marker to the seats in Daddy's car wasn't the best idea. Permanent, black ink on brown seats appears to be very noticeable. In taking an optimistic look, Daddy can see Drew's artistic flare each day as he gets into his car! John went in yesterday for a series of MRI's and CAT Scans. The doctor injected John with radioactive die and took some pictures of John standing on his head.... literally! The good news - his CAT scan showed no head trauma or brain injuries! No, the accident hurt his neck but they took a CAT Scan of his neck and the brain just so happened to be included. The bad news was given to John last week, he was instructed by his doctor not to work at all - especially on concrete. God has been so good! Our fast last month increased our savings and John has scheduled some easy handy man work with one of his Sou...

Today was Drew's last day at school until the Fall. Mommy will miss being off duty on Monday's and Drew will miss playing with all his friends. The teachers put together a scrapbook of Drew's year at school, he was able to learn so many "life" lessons and grow with his speech and his sharing skills. He enjoyed playing with paint, going to music class, dancing, jumping, playing in the gym, and listening to lots of books. This past year Drew has become very social and longs for the next time he will play with his friends. This weekend Drew went to a neighbor's birthday at "The Little Gym" - he had a blast running, tumbling, jumping, throwing balls, and being your typical boy. He loved eating the cake - so much so that he grabbed two forks and ate with both hands! The good news is Drew will be back to school in the Fall two days a week! Meanwhile we are working at home teaching Drew his colors, letters and numbers 1-10. We are also trying to get him to...

I had the liberty of dissecting a mother's heart. As I approached the heart, I was aware of a thick red substance oozing out of it. I studied this weird substance and found it to be love. The heart appeared to be so full of love that it couldn't hold it all in! In examining the heart, I found nerves that were attached to every part of the body. At first I didn't see a nerve going from the heart to the hands. But in looking closer, I found that this nerve had been used so much, forgiving and helping, that it was worn and thin. After cutting into the heart, I could see that there had been many times when the heart had been broken. But the red substance had filled the cracks and, in time, made them disappear. There are many cavities in the heart. The first one I explored contained patience. On the walls of the cave, I observed markings (like high-water markings) that indicated the levels of patience she had during her life. All through the heart, I noticed huge orange clumps. ...

Drew loves to wear our shoes around the house! He has BIG shoes to fill, especially after our news today. We are so proud of John, he found out that he passed his teaching exam on the first try! Wow! Now, John will begin 4 intense weeks of training July 7 th which will prepare him for his first teaching position. We are fairly certain that he will begin teaching at the beginning of the school year = late August, but nothing is for sure so please pray that he is hired quickly. I pray that Drew grows to be just like his Daddy, he will make some sweet girl very happy! Drew had a little music recital at school today, we took a few pictures and enjoyed seeing what his Monday's look like. Drew loves school and will be very sad in one more week when it is all over for the summer. I am feeling a little better! I started downing tons of juice and green tea, the plain water was making me very ill. The green tea isn't very tasteful but tolerable and I am very thankful to not feel so naus...

The past few weeks I have been feeling the signs of Morning Sickness - I don't know why they call it that because I have it all day and night. I'm holding onto hope that it gets better after 12 weeks - only 3+ weeks left! I didn't have morning sickness with Drew, so this is a very new experience. Poor John has been working hard around the house and taking Drew a lot so I can nap and relax. I am trying hard to look at feeling lousy as a blessing because the end result is totally worth it! We are very thankful to add another arrow to our family! Our fast is over! I had a Taco Bell burrito yesterday and man was it yummy! We were so excited to see that we saved almost enough money to pay for our upcoming trip to Oregon this May! That was exciting! John and I both learned a lot during the fast, especially the difference between "wants" and "needs." I was able to kick my addiction for coffee! It is already May 4th and I have yet to get that urge for a Cinnamon...

We went in for our first checkup yesterday. Drew was able to come along and see his new baby sister/brother on the screen - he was so excited! He kept saying "Mommy, baby sleeping...." then when they were checking me Drew came over and kept saying. "Mommy. you OK ?" Drew is such a sensitive little man. We heard the heartbeat and even saw the baby move. It looks nice and comfy! The pictures show the baby's head on the right hand side, and the hands and leg buds are towards the left. I couldn't believe that at only 8 weeks we could already make out a baby on the screen. The doctor said everything looked perfect, Home Health will be stopping by my house weekly starting at 18 weeks to give me progesterone injections which should hopefully keep me out of the hospital, off bed rest, and the little one out of the NI CU. So, I am thinking we are having a little girl and John is set that it's a boy. We will be finding out in 3 more months. Love, Melissa