Haiti.

I am still trying to wrap my mind around the ever-worsening horror in Haiti. My heart is sick over the unimaginable tragedies there.

I came across a blog written by a missionary couple that has been serving in Haiti for a few years. The link below is the husband’s firsthand account of what he experienced during the earthquake. If this doesn’t break your heart enough to either make a donation toward aid for Haiti or get on your knees and pray, I don’t know what will:

http://rollingsinhaiti.wordpress.com/2010/01/13/earthquake-day-in-port-au-prince/

I cannot even begin to imagine what this man must be dealing with emotionally. Not only does Haiti need our prayers, but so does everyone involved in search and rescue.

I was discussing donations with a friend of mine and she mentioned that some of her Haitian friends living in South Florida have said that they worry that some of the smaller charities out there collecting money won’t even make it to the needed areas. Let’s pray that the following charities are good stewards over the money they receive. I have read that Compassion is already in active operation toward aid for Haiti and so is World Vision. You can also get on the official Red Cross website and give online. Go to Redcross.org and look for "donate" and choose "International Response Fund." You'll see Haiti specified there. If any of you are like me and financially strapped right now, and looking for a way to make a vital contribution that won't put you further in the hole, perhaps this ready option might work:

 Text "HAITI" to 90999 to donate $10 to Red Cross relief efforts. It will be charged on your cell phone bill. How easy is that?!

When I think about the thousands of people that are still alive but trapped, or the parents who are desperately searching for their missing children, or the scared - now homeless - children searching for their parents, my heart breaks into a million pieces. I can’t even imagine what it would be like to go outside and 60% of Houston be completely flattened. How overwhelmed and helpless everyone must feel!

I am going to pray my heart out for these people and everything in me hopes that you will too. I wish there was more that we could do, but I know that God esteems our intercessory prayers and that prayer is SO much more powerful than we understand it to be.

UPDATE: I just read on cnn.com that the Red Cross has already raised $3 million in just over 24 hours through their text messaging campaign. Every little bit HELPS!

It's a BOY!

And we have already decided on a name for the little guy! 

Samuel Allen Wilkerson

“Sam” has been Brandon’s (maternal) grandfather’s nickname since he was a child and “Allen” was a dear friend of ours who passed away a few years ago from cancer.  Both gentleman are/were such positive, Godly influences in Brandon’s life and we are very proud to name our son in their honor.

I must admit that when we found out that we were having a little boy, I was a little sad at first.  I think mainly because I knew how badly Brandon wanted a girl.  He prayed for it every night.  But you know what? A week ago I heard a guest pastor deliver a sermon at our church and he said this, “Our greatest disappointments are God’s divine appointments.”  Those exact words are what rang through my head and even prompted me to pray and ask God’s forgiveness for my initial reaction to finding out the gender of our child.  How could I even be the slightest bit sad or disappointed when I know in my heart that all gifts that come from my Father in heaven are perfect? (James 1:17)  God’s plans are greater than anything I could ever imagine, and I trust that He gifted Brandon and I with exactly what He planned for us to have together before either of us were even born and I wouldn’t trade that for anything!  Besides, when I was pregnant with Caden I was hoping for a girl as well and I am so happy that I got him instead.  He is a blessing to us (almost) everyday. :)

Brandon was so excited to see his baby moving around during the sonogram and wouldn’t you know it, we even got a little wave from him!  It was amazing.  His little hand was opened all the way like he was ready to give us a high five, and then he made a fist and opened it right back up before our very eyes!  The technician said, “Awww he just waved hello to you!  How special…” Special, indeed!  I was amazed at how much he has grown since the first ultrasound we had back when I was only 10 weeks along in the pregnancy.  Now he is so much more defined!  We could make out his spine, and of course his arms, legs and face.  It was even more amazing to see his little heart beating.  We could see the different chambers and everything!  Other than that, he looked pretty squished in there.  And oh my goodness his feet looked huge!  I have a feeling he is going to be very long…just like his daddy.  

The pictures she got weren’t very good…it was so much clearer seeing it live. But here is the best one:

We are planning on saving up some cash so that we can do the 3D ultrasound in a few months to get better quality pictures of Samuel.  They recommend that you do it around 28-34 weeks gestation for the best results, so that puts us anywhere between 3/8 – 4/19!  I can’t WAIT!!!  It’s $195 and the package includes “8-9 frame worthy pictures and a 10 minute video of the baby in utero.”  Insurance doesn’t cover it, but I don’t think it will be too hard to save up for that!!!

I am a little overdue on my picture for this month, so here it is finally:

So a couple of days ago Brandon was finally able to feel Samuel kicking!  I wish it wasn’t pitch black in our room when it happened so I could have seen his face, but I could hear the gigantic smile in his voice as he said with great excitement, “Was that him!?”

We can’t wait to hold him in our arms! 

(Im)patiently waiting...

My dear friend Janet likes to refer to our appointment next Monday as "the one where we find out if the baby has a hamburger or a hot dog." LOL  Brandon and I are both SO excited for this appointment.  People have been asking me if I have a feeling of what the outcome may be, but I am clueless.  With Caden, I swore up and down that I was having a girl.  I had dreams that I was having a girl, I craved foods that apparently women crave when they have a girl and there were several other things which pointed me to believe that I was without a doubt having a girl.  My reaction to the doctor telling me that I was having a boy was, "REALLY?"  This pregnancy is different because not only do I not want to get myself all psyched to believe that I am having a girl and then be sad if they tell me otherwise, but I simply have no idea.

I have decided that I am going to be happy no matter what the sex of this baby is.  God knows what is best for us and so I will rejoice and be glad in whatever He gives us!

P.S.  I think that our cat Rizzo doesn't like it when I am not giving her my full attention and I have proof!  The second that I sat down and opened my macbook, she laid right on top of me and I could barely even see the screen.

After I got the picture above, I moved her so that she could lay next to me instead.  As I started typing the first few words, she took her paw and gently placed it on top of my hand.  Is this not simply ridiculous?

Pep-Talk to Myself

Sometimes I look down at my growing belly and think to myself, “Oh my gosh, I am pregnant again.” It’s not like it’s a bad thing, but sometimes I wonder how in the world I am going to do this again? I know that I CAN do it, because I have Jesus and I know that He will be my strength when I have none left. But that doesn’t stop the old, pessimistic side of Katie from revealing her ugly head as she tries to ruin the joy of this perfect gift that God is creating in her. I tend to default to the memories of the difficult things instead of the memories of things that were wonderful. Are we all like that? I know I can’t be the only one who battles this.

I’ve heard it said that sometimes it is good to list out the pro’s and con’s of something in order to help clear your mind of worry or to help make a decision. The decision I need to make is whether or not to entertain these pessimistic thoughts that cross my mind about the baby and its arrival. I already know what the outcome will be, but since I am sitting at work and really don't want to do anything else, here it goes…

The things that I am dreading:
1) The anxiety of going into labor and wondering what is going to happen next
2) Being a human pin-cushion while in the hospital
3) The slow recovery after having a caesarian
4) Engorgement. Ow. Ow. OW!
5) Lack of sleep
6) Being thrown-up on, pooped on and peed on, on a regular basis
7) The possibility of getting new stretch marks
8) The possibility of hemorrhoids
9) Cleaning the belly button/umbilical cord thingy (gag)
10) Spending an arm and a leg on diapers and formula
11) The possibility of suffering with post-partum depression again
12) The hospital bill
13) Did I mention that I can kiss my sleeping in on the weekends GOODBYE?

The things that I am looking forward to:
1) Seeing him/her for the first time
2) Holding him/her for the first time
3) Breathing in deeply that baby smell – the good one ;)
4) The feeling of unconditional love every time I see him/her
5) Fitting back into my favorite pair of jeans
6) Simply watching Brandon interact with his first-born
7) Getting to see Caden be a big brother
8) Hearing baby belly-laughs again
9) Taking naps every chance I get instead of doing chores
10) Having him/her fall asleep in my arms
11) Listening to “ahh” & “coo” sounds after bath time
12) Dressing him/her up in adorable baby outfits
13) Getiing smiled at every time your baby sees you
14) Hearing “mama” for the first time
15) Did I mention the baby smell?!

So obviously, all of the things that I am dreading will have been more than worth it once I get to start checking off my second list! So snap out of it Katie, and think on these things instead!

John 16:21 - When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.

Psalm 127:3 - Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward.

James 1:17 - Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

Jeremiah 1:5 - Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you…

Psalm 139:13 - For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.

Nothing Much

The most exciting thing that has happened lately is that it snowed in Houston last week! It was beautiful while it lasted. Here are the few pictures I took. I spent most of my time enjoying watching it fall outside from my bedroom window as I sat in my cozy, warm bed.

Okay, enough of that, let's talk about the little one on the way. God willing, we find out whether we're having a boy or a girl on January 4! Since we are so anxious to know, it seems like everyday just d r a g s. Or maybe it just seems that way because I am pregnant? Anyhow, we are hoping so badly that it's a girl. I will even confess to specifically praying for a girl, as silly as it may sound. I mean, a baby is a gift from God no matter what the sex is, but I can't stop thinking about how fun it would be to put little bows in her hair and buy her little pink frou-frou dresses to wear! All that being said, if we do end out having a boy we will be just as happy for the baby's arrival because no matter what our desires are, I know and trust that God always gives perfect gifts and knows what is best for us...so boy or girl, we will be praising God when this baby arrives!

I failed to remember to take a belly pic on the first of December, but it's better to be late than never, right? Here it is:

Oh my gosh, I feel like the belly has doubled in size since last months pic. Yikes. I am scared of what it will look like at the end of May when the baby is due. Brandon is 6'4"and I am only 5'6" so please pray for my belly's sake!

Before I go, I am going to answer the question that I get the most...

"How are you feeling?"

-TIRED.

-I never got morning sickness, but I have a super sense of smell now and it keeps me away from things that I used to enjoy. As tragic as it is, chocolate is not something I crave anymore. It doesn't smell bad or anything, I just don't want it.

-I don't have any strange cravings but if I think about a bean burrito from Taco Bell or a chicken sandwich from Chick-fil-A long enough, I MUST have it, and I must have it NOW.

-I have this constant pain in my aaaaaa left leg. It's right where my thigh bone meets my hips. It hurts the most a night. (Anyone know what could be causing this or how to make it go away?)

-I have been having very vivid, random dreams even though I toss and turn all night. I am thinking about getting one of those pregnancy pillows. Apparently they are supposed to make sleeping more comfortable for those of us who are 'with child'.

-Oh, and I am gassier than ever - if some of you can even imagine that. LOL. Seriously, I will eat one of those little candy canes and burp discreetly for like 10 minutes. It's ridiculous.

Caden-isms

I need to create an on-going list called Caden-isms or something because that kid says the funniest things sometimes. Yesterday, as he was putting little stickers on my belly 'for the baby' he stopped and put both of his hands on either side of my belly, looks at Brandon and says, "She's getting fatter!" Of course Brandon just busts out in laughter and I am standing there like, "Hey!" Granted, I know that Caden was talking about the baby because he always refers to the baby as if it's a girl, but I still laughed and asked if maybe next time he could say "bigger" instead of "fatter!"

He is so excited about this baby. :)

Ultrasound

I am terrible at keeping up with this blog so let me start this off right with pictures!  First is the belly pic Brandon took on the 1st of November:

Second, is an EXCLUSIVE belly picture that I took at work today!

And now the scoop:  So the appointment we were supposed to have on October 30 had to be re-scheduled b/c someone went into labor, so we finally got to see our little nugget on November 6th! We had to wait two hours for the doctor to finally get to us but it was worth the wait! Not only did we get to see our baby but we also got to hear the heart beat! What a great sound. I looked over at Brandon to see his reaction after the doctor pointed out where the head was and where the little feet were and I don't think I have seen a smile that big since our wedding day!

Meet baby Wilkerson!

I don't know if you can see it clearly enough, but based on the measurment from the top of the baby's head to it's little bottom, our estimated due date (EDD) is either May 30 or 31. Caden's birthday is May 27 so I hope he won't mind too much if he ends up having to share his birthday with his little brother or sister. Our next appointment is December 3rd.  For those of you wondering, we will have to wait until I am around 20 weeks to find out if it's a boy or a girl. We definitely want to know. That puts us at some time in January...which to us, seems like an eternity!!!

I cannot tell you enough how excited we are to welcome this baby into our family...especially Brandon!  When we finally told Caden we didn't quite get the reaction we were expecting.  His exact words were, "Does this mean that I am going to have to babysit?" He is so funny. I think he is going to be a great big brother.  He already loves the baby, prays for it to grow strong and even kisses and pats my belly.