16

And now, the long awaited "first belly picture!" This is at 16 weeks and the plan is to keep this outfit throughout the belly pic shots to see just how different I look by the end (I'm counting on a considerable change!)

We have our ultrasound scheduled for May 10, the day before our 6 year anniversary. And yes, before you ask, we are going to find out what it is. We have many reasons, some of which would make sense and others of which wouldn't, but overall, we decided to because:

1. There are enough "unknowns" in our life right now and we don't want to add to that list
2. We want to be able to start praying more specifically for the needs of a baby boy vs girl
3. We want to be able to wrap our heads around things to look forward to with a boy vs a girl (not to say that we couldn't do most things with either gender, but you know what I mean) - tea parties vs playing in the dirt with trucks

Provided the baby cooperates on the big day, we'll keep you posted on the gender... and don't ask - we're not telling names until the baby is born : )

Listed!

As of this morning we officially have a "For Sale" sign in our yard! Let's hope that the walk-throughs start soon and the offers aren't far behind! We have the appointment to get our floors refinished next week, and after that we're all put together. Now begins the life of making sure that all the breakfast dishes are put away, the bathroom is cleaned up after morning showers and the bed is always made on the off chance that someone will call at random and want to come look at the house in 5 minutes.

Now all we're waiting for is the official placement from General Electric and a "Sold" sign!

Deep Creek Reunion

This past weekend Charlie and I spent in Deep Creek, MD with some of our best friends. This weekend was unique though because there were 6 kids under the age of 4, which gave plenty of opportunities to see how the whole 24/7 parenting thing works. Yes, we spend lots of time with our friends, but very rarely a constant amount of time. What we both realized is:

1. Wow! It takes and awful lot of work
2. It HAS to be a joint effort or you'd never have the energy to keep up with the kids
3. You've got to pick a name for your child that you LOVE for as often as you say it during the day : )

So we're 16 weeks tomorrow with an ultrasound coming up quickly and we're getting so much more excited because it's starting to feel so much more real. Granted, the ever-expanding belly is a tough thing (mentally) to deal with, but I'm sure it'll all be worth it once we see that little baby face.

Can any of you pregnant/past pregnant ladies who have advice on overcoming the freak-out that accompanies the "battle of the bulge" please share your words of wisdom?? ; )

Overly Sentimental or Well-Placed Sadness?

Our brand new carpet was installed yesterday and we bought a great looking new screen door too. Other than a few minor projects and one big project (having the floors refinished at the end of the month), the house is just about sell-ready. It should be on the market hopefully by the time we leave for Deep Creek, MD with our friends next Friday.

So why is it that our house looking so good makes me feel so sad? I ask that like it's rhetorical, but I know the answer - it's because WE won't be the ones enjoying it. We realized how much we both wished that we had done some of these projects long ago, but we couldn't have known the future and weren't willing to spend the money years ago. So now, we're prepping the house for the next inhabitants hoping that they will appreciate it as much as we have.

To get a little more sentimental about the whole thing - working on the house has made me realize that there aren't many things in life worth procrastinating over. Sooner or later, the time passes you by and you miss out on a great experience. If this moving process has taught me nothing else, it's to seize the moments that we have in life before it's too late.

Our Call in Regards to Theology

Our small group just started studying a new topic - and it starts with a background on theology. The article we started with argues that theology comes from traditional, cultural, trust and subjective feeling committments (or past experiences and influences), but it also comes from rationale exploration (and finding things out for youself instead of relying on someone else's opinions and beliefs). It states that theology isn't necessarily your belief in God (though it could be), but instead it's your worldview - whatever that might lead you to believe in. It goes on to state that the question isn't whether or not we will be theologians, but what KIND of theologians we will be - good or bad, rationale or irrationale.

"While theology is rightly seen as an intellectual activity that seeks to bring all things under the lordship of Christ and is rightly seen as an act of worship, it also involves interaction with our contemporary culture."

"Love of Jesus, while vital, is not enough. Theology is not just for the professional, the professor, the pastor, or even the Sunday school teacher. Each of us is responsible to become a competent theologian. Rather than viewing our theology as propositions to be learned, we ought to view it as an act of worship. Our call is not to remain babes but to grow continuously."

It has been awhile since I've thought of developing my theology as an act of worship - and it's pretty convicting. I'm not sure if anyone else has ever thought about what you just read, but I thought I'd throw it out there to mull over.