Showing posts with label Our Bekah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Our Bekah. Show all posts

Introducing Bekah Ballerina {sweet stuff}

You may remember back in September when I was planning Bekah's first costume and shared a few sketches with you. The planning came down to three options: Bekah would either be a tiny waitress (to go with her daddy who works at a restaurant), a classic baby pumpkin, or Bekah ballerina.

The waitress option was my favorite early on, but after a few failed attempts to find a black onesie, we changed our plans. I decided to go with the option that could be put together with items we already had at home. Allow me to introduce you to the sweetest, pinkest girl around...

Bekah Ballerina!

Whew. It looks like being a baby ballerina is more work than we anticipated. I love it when she naps like that. 

Trick-or-treat was such a fun night in our building. Luke worked hard all evening on a school assignment, but it was just so nice to have him home when he usually would have been at work. We loved our visits with friends and neighbors, and we learned the hard/delicious way that we bought way too much candy again this year. 

Did you or your little ones dress up this year? I'd love to hear about your costumes! 

Love,
Bonnie

Choosing Bekah's Costume

Since before I can even remember, I have been excited for the day to come when I would have a baby to plan a trick-or-treat costume for. Babies are cute all by themselves, but trick or treat costumes just add to the cuteness. I'm happy to report, the day is finally here! It's time to plan Bekah's trick or treat costume.

We live in a building that has a ton of sweet families and really wonderful kids. This is the second year in a row that we're having trick-or-treat in the building. Of course, Bekah is way too young to eat candy... or walk door to door... or know what trick-or-treat is... but we'll still be hanging out as a family and passing out candy to all the trick-or-treaters.

I decided to do a few drawings of Bekah in different costumes to help me decide what I should make for her this year. And today, I'm sharing them with you... so now you've got to help me decide. :)

Here's option #1...


And option #2... (the kids I babysit helped me pick this one - they thought her reddish-orange hair made this one a good choice)...


Finally, option #3... (and maybe the silliest of them all...)



Luke works for Texas Roadhouse so it would be really cute to give Bekah a mini version of his uniform. He's cute, she's cute... seems like a good fit to me! Now I want to hear from you, which costume would you pick? And just because I love hearing these stories, what was the best trick-or-treat costume you had growing up?

Thanks for enjoying cute stuff with me! :)

Love,
Bonnie

**Today's post is the second in my fall welcome week series. I'm joining with Jenna and a bunch of other bloggers as we share our 1st week of fall posts. You can read more about it by clicking here, if you'd like!

Momma-hood: What I'm Learning {7 Weeks}

I'm pretty sure that ever since I was three years old and had a new baby brother, I've believed that I was made to be a mom. I've always been very nurturing and dreamt about raising a family. I saw a gift that God gave me in caring for people and I felt so good about that gift. 

Back in October, those life-long dreams of momma-hood were realized when early one morning, I stood in our tiny little apartment bathroom and saw the double positive lines on my pregnancy test. I really enjoyed being pregnant. I loved watching my belly grow and adored hearing Bekah's beautiful and strong heart beat at our monthly appointments. Luke and I loved dreaming about the sweet baby growing inside of me and we loved thanking God for this amazing gift of life.



Then on June 9th, I got to hold my little girl in my arms for the very first time. It was almost like we had been friends for a long, long time rather than two strangers meeting for the first time. She's my girl and I'm her momma and I am crazy about her. She brings out the best in me - helping me give up so much of my selfishness so I can be the mom God made me to be.

I want to be honest and share with you that I was in for a big, big shock in the first few weeks of motherhood. It was really hard. There was a tiredness in those first weeks that just can not be compared to anything else I've experienced. I think moms are often tempted to be too hard on themselves, believing they aren't doing enough. Those thoughts come really early. At times, I didn't handle all of the difficulties very well. I cried a lot. I felt so frustrated with myself and in moments I felt pretty hopeless. Everything was so new and different and I didn't know if I was handling the changes well.  

It was the funniest thing, because I felt all of that confusion at the same time that I was feeling unconditional, sweet, and total love for my girl. That's parenting, I guess. Those first weeks were hard mixed with wonderful. And there are still moments that are really tough - moments that cause me to whimper desperate prayers to God.

One night early this week, Luke was at work and I was home with Bekah. I am so thankful that I get to be a stay at home mom, but I was pretty tired and we had just hit the time that tends to be her fussy time. I just could not figure out what was wrong and I prayed out of sheer desperation that God would give me some insight into how to soothe her. I wondered if I was causing her pain in some way or if there was some need I was totally missing. So I just asked God for help. I don't know what kind of help I was expecting, maybe an audible answer or some kind of sense for what to do. A little time passed and Bekah and I were sitting on the couch, some extra burping helped her fall right asleep. There really wasn't a clear answer I heard from God that night and I wasn't sure what to think about that. I just felt so desperate and I knew He cared - so why didn't He respond in the way I wanted him to?

The next day, my friend Kelly came over to help me figure out a new furniture arrangement for the living room. We actually ended up just putting the room back exactly the way it was (and by "we" I mean Luke - he is so nice!) but God used our get together for so much good. Kelly stayed for a little while and talked with Luke and I. Kelly is also a new mom, and a dear friend to me. I can't stop thanking God for that afternoon, because during our short talk my heart was totally refreshed. It was a simple conversation about life as a new mom and sleep schedules - but it was like God ordered the whole thing to encourage me where I desperately needed encouragement. Kelly shared little things she had learned or heard from her mom-friends. It felt like each piece of wisdom checked off a box on my list of solutions that I needed. I received some great insight about making it through that fussy hour and how to help her (and us!) develop good sleep patterns. Last night Bekah slept six and a half hours total in her crib without us having to stay up for hours upon hours soothing her. That was a record and huge victory for our little family!


I shared all of this with you for a couple reasons. First, because it was really good for my heart to work through those first weeks. Whew! Weight lifted. ;) I also shared this because God taught me a really meaningful lesson this week. I asked God for wisdom and He gave it to me - but in a much better way than I could have anticipated. He used my friendship with Kelly to give me insight into the best ways to help my daughter. With this method came the added bonus of something I really needed, quality time with a good friend. 

God is so good and creative and passionate about getting us to work together. He orchestrated my need and Kelly's abundance and together we figured out some really tough stuff! You know, before Kelly came over that day, I wondered if I should feel badly that I couldn't figure out my own living room arrangement. Looking back, I realize what a shame it would have been if I gave into my pride and self-reliance and missed out on that time with Kelly and our conversation. 

So today I am enormously thankful. Thankful to be a momma. Thankful for a good living room set up ;). Thankful for my friendship with Kelly. And thankful that God cares so deeply for me that He hears my prayers, orchestrates the very best way to answer them, and teaches me through them.

How has God used relationships to answer your prayers?

Love,
Bonnie

And We're Back! {Home from Vacation}

As of yesterday, we are home from vacation! It was a really wonderful and relaxing week. The week flew by but I am feeling energized, thankful, and excited about everyday life around here. Vacation feels a little bit like New Years to me in that way… it feels like a fresh start to think about what I want life to be like when I go home.

We spent the week with both our families in Ocean City, Jersey. Luke and I both grew up going to there with our families even before we met. We love everything about that place. It was so fun bouncing back and forth between the two beach houses, having fun with both sides of our family. We even had a chocolate fondue night with the two families together - so fun! My sister, Ellie, was the only sibling who couldn't make it this year. We missed her a lot but the cool news is that she got engaged early in the week! So happy for Ellie and my soon-to-be brother, Jackson. They are perfect together.

This was our first vacation as parents and it was an adventure just experiencing the joys and challenges that come with this new season of life. Bekah did awesome with the travel and our family was incredibly kind, offering to watch her sometimes at two or three in the morning just so Luke and I could get some extra sleep. I had so much fun watching her aunts and uncles love her, sing to her, and start their relationships with her. She has grandparents and great grandparents who love her (and us!) so much and we felt that love all week long.












My favorite vacation moments this year...
  everything on the board walk: taking walks, getting ice-cream, playing mini golf
spending the afternoon at the beach with Bekah & wave jumping with my brother and Luke
how the sunshine made Bekah's red hair even brighter
dinner at Manco & Manco on the last night
sitting around with family doing nothing but watching Bek and her cousins be cuties
laughing with my siblings
 my french fry and lemonade date with Luke and our encouraging conversations
spending time with Grammy when it was just the four of us left at the house 
playing bananagrams
sitting on the boardwalk eating Kohr Bros. and watching the sky change over the ocean 
with Dad, Luke, Bekah, Aaron, and Annie
so much time to spend with my husband - love that guy!












I had a tough time getting myself to stop writing that list! I guess that's a good problem to have - having too many favorite memories from vacation.

How was your week, friends? I'm beating the post-vacation blues by dreaming about what I'd like to do this week. Enjoy the rest of your weekend - I'd love to hear what you've got going on in the week ahead!

Love,
Bonnie

Introducing Bekah Lynn

Well, it's been a little quiet around here lately - but for the best, sweetest, happiest reason ever! On Monday, June 9th at 6:25am, our little Bekah Lynn arrived - 3 weeks early!


Bekah is sweet, unbelievably soft and kissable, and a complete joy. She makes the cutest little squeaking noises and expressions that always make me laugh and she has bright, alert, gorgeous blue eyes. She has the prettiest full head of golden brown hair, a sweet chubby face, and a tiny little body that is so huggable. Her full name, Rebekah, means "captivating" and in the Bible, Isaac calls his wife Rebekah a "special comfort" to him. She has definitely captivated our hearts and I don't think I'll ever get over the comforting feeling of snuggling my girl. I can't believe I get to be her mommy! She is so beautifully designed by God. 




The first weeks of sleep loss were tough to get used to at first, but there is such an amazing feeling of accomplishment when the morning comes. I went to bed last night, laid my head down and couldn't help but smile through the sleepiness and thank God for this life I have been given. The same thing happened again this morning when the sun was rising and Bekah was going back to sleep after the two of us cuddled for a couple hours. I am really thankful. Thankful for Bekah, thankful for Luke, thankful for family and friends who have loved and supported us so much - and most importantly, thankful for the comfort of the Holy Spirit. We'll never have to do this parenting thing alone as we partner with God in caring for our little girl and raise her to know and love Jesus and people. 



Seeing Luke and Bekah together puts a million questions in my mind about how I could be so blessed to call these two my family. I knew Luke would be an amazing Dad, but he has completely surpassed my expectations and made them look so silly compared to the Dad he actually is. Everything that defined Luke before - selflessness, kindness, hard working-ness, fun, thoughtful - all of that and more is multiplied and demonstrated in how he has loved me and Bekah these past few weeks. When I've been worried or tired or doubtful about my ability to do something well, he has been right there every time to encourage me and stand with me. I love you, Luke. You are an incredible Dad and husband!

That's all for now, it was nice to introduce you to our sweet girlie! Tomorrow we are going to Gettysburg for a visit with family and friends - we can't wait to show Bekah our favorite place and introduce her to people we love so much from back home. I have a lot of baby snuggling to do these days ;) so I think we'll just figure out the blogging schedule as we go. I love blogging and feel like a better Bonnie/wife/mommy when I get to use this platform to encourage. I think you'll be hearing from me a lot during Bekah's nap times. :)

I hope you're all having a great weekend - as always, I'm here to pray and listen if you need that today. :)

Love,
Bonnie 

Grateful Heart Monday 6.2.14

Can you believe it's June already? Happy Monday! 



Today I'm trying out something new with a weekly Grateful Heart Monday post (See the bottom of the post for info on the link-up ;). Taking time to reflect on what I'm thankful for always does good things in my heart. I hope you're feeling encouraged and empowered for a fresh, new week, friends. If you're feeling a little low today and could use a friend to talk to or pray with, I'm your girl. I needed the same thing this morning. :) Here's what I'm especially grateful for this afternoon. I'd love to hear from you, too!
  1. I'm grateful for our dear friends Nick and Kelly. Back in September they were our brand new friends after we moved to the Philly area for school. One night they shared with us that they were hoping to start a family soon! Their courage and confidence was such a gift to Luke and I during that time. We had always been excited to start having babies but those plans were sort of on the "back burner" since we were in the middle of such a big transition. That night we were so encouraged and our faith was set that if we wanted to start a family, we could trust God to be our provider. Nick and Kelly have been such a gift to us as friends. Oh, and good news… today they are in the hospital awaiting the arrival of their little girl!!! Their little Charity will be about one month older than our Bekah. God is so good! We love you, guys! You are already amazing, world-changing parents and we are so grateful for you. 
  2. I'm grateful for a beautiful baby shower yesterday afternoon. Yesterday after church and a few hours at home, Luke and I drove to the Lancaster area for a baby shower with our extended family on my mother-in-law's side. Luke's grandma put it all together for us and it was the perfect Sunday afternoon. We love family time. Even my Mom, who had been traveling since 4 am from her trip to Missouri, was able to make it! One of the sweetest parts of the day was overhearing our family mention Bekah's name in their conversations. It makes me so happy just imagining the days when she'll be out here running around, being silly, and interacting with all these wonderful people we're blessed to call family. Today I'm so grateful for Grammy's kindness to us and our time with family. (The picture above is Mom, Bekah, and I after the shower)
  3. I'm grateful for a new hopeful perspective. I've always loved this verse in Isaiah 43:19. God reminds the Israelites of all the miraculous things He did for them and how He provided for them in the past… then He says of Jesus starting in verse 18…
“But forget all that—

    it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.
For I am about to do something new.
    See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?
I will make a pathway through the wilderness.
    I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.


You know how some things can just weigh on you? I had a situation this week where I was so hopeless about an area of my life that I felt like I kept messing up. It definitely felt like a "dry wasteland" and I wanted to give up. So God's promise here is really precious to me today. I'm choosing His perspective instead. I'm thankful for forgiveness, for grace, and for a God who can make all things new and even better than before. Today I'm grateful that the things I viewed as "dry wastelands" in my life are being turned into refreshing, overflowing, crystal clear rivers instead. :)

So tell me, what are you grateful for today? 

Love, 
Bonnie

** This post is part of a fun link-up that Ember Grey puts together each week! Follow this link to view her original post and to find the posts other bloggers are sharing about starting their week with a grateful heart. 


Happy Home: Planning Bekah's Room

About three months ago I shared a collection of drawings I had put together in an attempt to get all the jumbled ideas I had for our new living room down in one place. I was really surprised by just how helpful that drawing was for me in planning! It took out some of the guess work about what we needed to buy and all of a sudden I felt much more organized. The drawing part was pretty fun, too, so that didn't hurt. :)  This week we are getting ready to make the official move into our new apartment. We have really grown to love the tiny apartment we've lived in this year. It really feels like home. With Bekah's due date only about seven weeks away, it is time for us to start getting settled in down the hall, making the move from 105 to 111. We're looking forward to making 111 home, too. :)

Last night, while Luke was at work I finished drawing up some plans for the nursery. I did not expect to finish last night and I may have been drawing for several hours longer than I'd like to admit… but I think, for now, the planning of her room is done. Here's a little guided tour!

Just as a refresher, the view into Bekah's room looks like this when you're coming from the living room…

When you walk into the room, turn to the left, and take a few steps back this is what you'll see…
Like the random paint samples? :) The closet is nice and big but our lil' Rebekah's clothes are super tiny. Since the room itself isn't very big, we needed to find a way to use that space in a more practical way. We'll get to that in a minute!

Turn a little to your right and this is the next view of the nursery…

Keep turning to the right and you'll see the window wall (opposite to the closet wall we saw)…


Then keep on turnin' a little further to your right and you'll see this last view… (Sorry the camera angles are a little funny - I crunched myself down in a corner to get more wall space in view)

 On the right is the door we came in to tour the room. Ready to see the illustrated pictures? :) 

Here's the updated version of the closet…

If everything fits like we think it should, we'll place our yellow dresser in the closet to serve as storage and a changing table (with a changing pad on top, of course ;)). The mirror that goes with the dresser is actually be too big to fit below that little closet rod holder in the middle, so we'll hang up a lightweight mirror I found at a thrift store. There will still be a decent amount of room to hang some of Bekah's fancier outfits on the closet rod and the rest will fit in the large dresser drawers. I'd like to put a few wicker baskets on the top shelf to hold her extra bedding and whatever else we need a place for. 

We were gifted a beautiful dark wood crib from my parents and Luke's parents (thank you, you four! we love you!). Over the crib I think it would be sweet to hang a homemade mobile (maybe little birds and clouds made out of felt and fabric scraps?) and on the wall I plan to string a fabric strip garland to soften up the space a little. We'd love to incorporate some family pictures around the room so Bekah can regularly see some of her family she might not get to see in person as often as we'd like. 

On to the next view before I start crying about how I want all our family nearby… :) 

Remember the second view I showed you of the wall that the crib will be on? I didn't do a drawing for that one for two reasons: first, I reallllllllly didn't want to redraw the crib from another angle (cribs are hard to draw! haha) and second, for safety purposes, the wall above her crib will probably remain pretty empty other than the fabric garland that will be out of her reach. So we'll move on to the updated window wall view instead. ;)


We'd like to put a twin bed in this space to use for out of town guests (Bekah can just bunk in our room during those times :)) and baby-snuggle time during the day. My parents are kindly lending us an extra bed they have in storage right now and we'll cover it with a pretty quilt they bought me when I went off to Master's Commission. Like the big puppy stuffed animal? Luke bought him for Bekah immediately after we found out we were expecting a girl at our twenty-week appointment. We affectionately call him "dat puppy" and we're guessing he'll just hang out like that. He doesn't really do anything else. But he is super cute and we think Bekah is going to like him a lot. :)

The fabric strip garland will extend to this corner of the room. We'll add a floor lamp somewhere in here and find a long curtain to use for the window. 

Time for the last view! Turn to the right once again and you'll see something like this…


Here's the rest of the twin bed with a mirror we already own hanging above it. I think the mirror will reflect some nice natural light and open up the small room a little more. The basket could be used as book or toy storage. Over Christmas break, my family gathered around the kitchen table and we all drew pictures of ourselves for Bekah's room. It was so much fun laughing together as we all gave our best efforts in drawing self portraits. I absolutely love how each one turned out and we really treasure these little drawings. I'd like to find frames for all of them and arrange them in a way similar to this with the two columns and ribbon. Family is so precious to us and it will be really special to have them represented in our girl's room like this. :) 

Well friends, I think that's it! I hope you enjoyed looking through the illustrations. I love sharing them with you… it's such a good motivator for me to get moving on the things we need to finish up for her arrival. Hopefully in the next few weeks I'll be able to share new pictures with you of our progress.

Praying you all have a great week and that you know how much you encourage me just by reading these posts and sharing in this strong+sweet journey. I'm hoping to be back here a little later this week to reflect on some scripture and life-stuff with you. I'll talk to you soon. :)

Love,
Bonnie

A Homemade Story Book: Bekah's New Room

This semester I took a Children's Literature course and it was so fun! One of our projects was writing and illustrating our own children's book. I like to credit my Mom for creating a lasting love of cute drawings in me back in my elementary school days. She would often write little notes for my lunch and  include an illustration of me and her as well. She's the best. :) So I thought it would be fun to share with you the book I put together this semester for my class. This little book is inspired by our little girl on the way and future family adventures. Hope you're having a good week! Enjoy Bekah's New Room!



Love,
Bonnie


On My Heart


I was just reading this sweet post by Becky at Farmgirl Paints. She wrote about her daughter who recently turned fourteen and about what it's like to look back at that age from an older, mama-view. It really touched my heart just thinking about what it will be like to sit in Bekah's room with her someday as she shares her happiness and sadness and everything in between with Luke and I. That girl is going to be amazing, I know it already. :) Even at only twenty-six weeks pregnant, I feel very blessed to be her mama.

That post got me thinking about some of the stuff that feels tender and special in my heart lately. So I thought I'd share it here with you as a little sounding board. God is so good and in control of all the things that feel so unknown to me right now. I hope somehow this post encourages you that He knows your heart and cares about the things you care about, that He'll always be there for you to help you work it out and make it through life like the conqueror you are.

First: I've been thinking a lot about counseling lately. I shared a post a couple months back about my heart for girls who are hurting and in need of hope. Did you know I'm a pastoral counseling major at school? I really do enjoy the major and respect my professors a lot. This semester's counseling/psychology courses have made me a much more understanding person, I think. Understanding in the sense that my heart feels a little softer for people in whatever situations they're in. I am less quick to assume I know why someone is going through what they're going through and just more willing to wait and listen. I have to be honest, this area of my life has felt a little confusing lately. Sometimes learning about counseling frustrates me. It messes with my pride because I want to be right. I want to know why things are the way they are and what people mean by the things they say. Does that make sense? I've had days where I've questioned if I'm in the right major and I've felt a little bitter towards the idea of being a counselor. Such a funny position to be in, knowing there is something God will do with this calling but not always feeling that it fits me. But I know I don't need to be tossed around and all over the place by my worries or questions. This is a journey of faith and I can make it through these days that feel sorta confusing and trust God's love for me. Ephesians 3:20, right? He is able to do immeasurably more than all we could ask for or imagine… I believe that about your future, too. Is there anything about your future I could be praying about?

Second: Marriage. Friday through Sunday, Luke and I were blessed by our sweet friends Nick and Kelly with the opportunity to go to Family Life's Weekend to Remember. It was such a beautiful weekend. We stayed at this Downton-like lodge in the Poconos (man, is anyone else already ready for season five?) and we just focused on "us" for a few days. It felt like another honeymoon and it was wonderful. Luke is my best friend and truly a joy to be with. I felt like the luckiest girl at the entire conference to have him by my side. He is an amazing man who loves me in such a selfless way and amazes me with his kindness and strength. As soon as we came home I was reminded how easy it is to not focus on your marriage. School and work and daily tasks make life busy, but it will always be worth it to shut the computer, turn off my phone, slow down a little… and just enjoy being with my husband. Marriage is a wonderful thing. 

Third: Bekah. I shared a little about this beautiful girl in the beginning of the post, but my goodness, what a joy she is already. We love her deeply and can't wait to snuggle her in less than fourteen weeks. 

Of course there's more, but it was helpful to share just those three tonight. What's been on your heart lately? Sometimes it helps to write it all out and remember there's hope and grace available for whatever's going on in our lives. 

Love you, friends! Thanks for reading what's on my heart. 

Bonnie

Our First Twenty-Three Weeks with Bekah

Well, there are only about seventeen weeks until we get to meet our little girl! That means I am a little more than halfway through this pregnancy. Every day it becomes a little more real that Bekah really is coming!

I'm excited to share some of our pregnancy journey with you today! Below you'll find a collection of some of our favorite thoughts, experiences, and silly little memories from the past twenty-three weeks or so.

The Big News

  • Luke and I were not surprised to find out we were expecting. We were so hoping to get pregnant quickly and praying with our friends that they would too. It was such a sweet moment when that pregnancy test read positive. We were and are incredibly thankful. 
  • At our first doctor's appointment for the baby we found out we were about seven and a half weeks along. It was so surreal to see that tiny white figure on the ultrasound machine (already taking such a beautiful baby-shape) and know that was our child. 
  • Telling our parents, families, and friends about the baby was so fun! Everyone was very excited and all the responses were so different. With each person we told, we were reminded how blessed we are to have such wonderful people in our lives. It's neat to hear everyone dream about the role they'll have in her life. 
  • My dad had the perfect idea for how we would share the news about the baby with my siblings. We all gathered in my parents' kitchen thanksgiving evening and held hands as Dad prayed over the meal. He got a little chocked up near the end of his prayer and thanked God for "the newest member of our family". As he spoke those words, I pulled out a little sonogram image from my sweater and passed it to my sister Annie. She looked down at the picture in her hands and SCREAMED.  Everyone else quickly opened their eyes and saw the black and white picture. We all laughed, hugged, and screamed and there were very happy tears. 

The Monthly Checkups

  • At the checkups I always say, "I could listen to that heartbeat for hours!" There is so much love and pride in my baby that fills my heart when I hear that strong heartbeat. 
  • Our twenty week ultrasound/gender appointment day was hands down one of the very best days of my life. From the moment I woke up, the whole day had such a beautiful glow about it. Luke wrote the most wonderful blog post that night. Click here to head on over to his blog. He captured the day perfectly! I love that guy so much. :)
  • The nurse and the doctor at the twenty week ultrasound both commented on how beautiful Bekah's lips are… isn't that sweet? Every part of her that they showed us on the screen was the new most beautiful thing we had ever seen! The tiny but strong bones in her legs, how she rubbed her little face with her hands, and the way she smiled for the doctor's picture (as if she knew her mommy and daddy were seeing her)… everything about her was just so beautiful.
  • After that appointment I didn't want to think about anything but her. I was so filled with love for our little girl. I didn't want to think about a registry or a baby shower or anything of that other fun stuff… just Bekah. Her sweet face has the tightest grip on my heart and I am so happy to just think about her. 

Pregnancy Body + Cravings

  • I've heard every woman has a really different experience with how she views her body during pregnancy. There have been some tough days but for the most part I've appreciated my body more and I've loved seeing the bump emerge as my body makes more room for my Bekah. Every time we see her on the screen, hear her heartbeat, or feel her kicks, I am blown away by the fact that God is using my body to nurture her! What an amazing miracle. 





  • I've been trying out pre-natal pilates lately and really enjoy it. The weather here has been freezing and snowy so I'm eagerly awaiting spring walks outdoors in the warm weather. 
  • Some people have asked me what my biggest cravings are: spicy food and anything sour. I can not tell you how much buffalo chicken I have consumed in the past 5 months. Luckily, heartburn hasn't been an issue. :)
  • My favorite maternity clothing so far has been from Target and Old Navy. I especially love these leggings, this tank top in green and white, and these maternity jeans. A couple of my other favorites aren't listed online right now. :)

Other Happy Memories

  • Luke and I picked the name Bekah (or Rebekah) a couple years ago while we were still just dating and talking about our future family. The name just stuck. :) After a little research we discovered Rebekah means "captivating". We are definitely captivated by her! 
  • I started to feel definite kicks around nineteen or twenty weeks. At first they were a little difficult to identify but now Luke is able to feel her kicks too! For a few days she was really active around 1:30am. I love when Luke says, "Bekah is a daddy's girl!" in response to her late night kicks. He is a night owl and dreams about their future hang-outs watching movies or reading on the couch. 

  • My beautiful friend Kelly and I have due dates that are only one day apart! They're the ones we were praying with! Nick and Kelly are so precious to Luke and me. We are so blessed to know them and call them our friends. Kelly is like a pregnancy encyclopedia… any time I have a question about if something is safe to eat or about some kind of symptom, she knows the answer. ;) She is going to be an amazing mom!
  • We love, love, love dreaming about Bekah and praying for her.
  • Last but not least, I never want to forget how loving my husband has been during this season. He is truly a man of God who deeply loves me and Bekah and shows it through his sacrificial love for us. I can't imagine a kinder, more patient, hard-working husband than him. I can't wait until the day when I watch his handsome face as he holds our Bekah for the first time.

Love you all. Thanks for joining in this journey as we await the arrival of our baby!
Bonnie

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