Hiking in the Wilderness

This weekend we had four of the youth from our church up for camping.  It started on Friday evening, and ended when we brought them to church Sunday morning for Sunday School.  

On Saturday we went on a nature excursion over in the Cherohala Skyway.  

We made a stop at Bald River Falls.  I hadn't ever visited the area, and it was quite beautiful.  My spirits were a little dampened by the wasp that randomly stung my chin about five minutes before arriving at the waterfall.  I think it managed to get on one of my wrist braces (which I was wearing because my carpal tunnel flares when I do things like sitting in a vehicle a long time), and when I went to brush some hair out of my face it stung me.  I've had a little red welt for a few days as a battle scar.  Random things like that happen to me sometimes.

Once we left there we continued on the true destination of our journey, Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest.  The closest town to there is Robbinsville, NC.  The Wikipedia article about it is very interesting.  It is one of the largest tracts of old growth hardwood trees in the Eastern US.  After arriving at the forest, we took a lunch break to get up our energy, and then we started on a two-mile hike.

I know, you're probably thinking, what is a 33 week pregnant woman doing hiking 2 miles in the middle of June?  Well, Josh assured me that it would be an easy enough trail, and I made sure to stay hydrated.  I even made a trip to Becky's Shoes a few weeks back to buy some new tennis shoes since my pregnancy feet have "outgrown" my other ones.  Sigh.

Needless to say, I was huffing & puffing pretty quick into the trail because the hardest & most uphill part of the journey was at the very beginning.  My sweet husband quickly realized I was going to have to take it slower than the rest of the group (especially because of all the roots & rocks I didn't want to trip on either), and he let them group together, and he took a slower pace by my side.

It was a really neat hike.

Plaque about Joyce Kilmer

Some of the trail

Looking into the forest

In front of one of the large trees

I joked that standing sideways I was still wider than the trees; I'm starting to feel HUGE.  

Interesting patterns in tree growth

And more huge trees...the whole reason behind the hike.

I told Josh that with all of these enormous trees we were posing by, 

that he should stand by a skinny tree too just to be funny.

He thought that this pattern in the tree trunk looked like a shocked face.

 I do believe these are white rhododendrons.  They were blooming everywhere.

This is more of the trail the way back.  Fortunately the last part was more downhill.

We kept seeing these splintered trees everywhere.  Turns out that they had to blow up the Hemlocks a few years back due to an insect infestation that killed them off & presented a danger to hikers.  It looked like they had just done it recently, but Wikipedia places it back in 2010.  We heard a forest ranger telling someone else about it while we were there.  

Overall, it was a great hike.  We enjoyed seeing the beautiful forest, and I managed to survive.  I was telling Josh during part of the hike that I was doing so well picking up my feet & not tripping too much over things (I'm usually quite clumsy).  Ironically, it wasn't but a minute later that I tripped and fell.  lol.  Benjamin & I are just fine.  I caught myself on my hands & knees, and the ground was soft dirt so I didn't even bruise or jolt myself badly.  It was very funny timing.

Thirty-One Giveaway

Great giveaway at this blog...especially if you like Thirty-One!  Check it out. :)

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

Family reunion #2

I think I mentioned that we had a family reunion last Saturday.  

It was our 2nd reunion of about three this past month.

We have another to attend tomorrow.

I couldn't resist taking pictures of the beautiful hydrangeas.  

 I love the family home where they have this reunion every year.

I had never been, and I really appreciate the creative touches everywhere.

 Father & Son

(The reunion is for Richmond's mom's side of the family.)

Josh, of course, looks nothing like his father.  Kidding, of course.

And, if you want to see a little more family resemblance, 

look to the white-haired gentleman in the background.  That is Richmond's father.

And what family post would be complete without a picture of this cutie?

She was staying with Nana & Papaw that weekend while mom & dad enjoyed a cruise. ;)

Oh, how he grows.

Someone commented to me the other day, "You don't look as pregnant today as you did a few days ago."

My response, which made her laugh, "I definitely feel just as pregnant."  ;)

I will say that I have noticed that in some shirts I show more than others, such as the picture below.

 At first this shirt looks like it camouflages well...

 But then the truth shines through...

These were taken at the baby shower at FBC Sunday, btw.  The first picture was taken last Saturday at a family get together for Josh's dad's mom's side of the family.  So glad that it is baby and not just a spare tire.  Haha.

I'm getting along well at 33 weeks.  Benjamin figured out about 1 1/2 - 2 months ago how to get up near my diaphragm and make me short of breath.  He likes to do that on Sundays when I'm trying to sing at church.  lol.

I was quite blessed to get good results from my 3 hour glucose test that I had to go back and have (after my numbers were too high from the previous 1 hour test).  Praise the Lord that it is still a healthy pregnancy...and I didn't have to completely give up sugar. :)

I've developed some insomnia over the past week or so.  I'm very glad to be done with school for now.  I think the sleep troubles are a mix of my pregnancy induced carpal tunnel (which flares the worst when I lay down), nesting urges to get the nursery ready, growing discomfort, and anxiety at the realization that, oh yes, I am going to have deliver this child, and as wonderful as the payoff will be, I still have to experience lots of pain and hospitalization.

Two spiritual things I have taken out of my late night panic attacks musings regarding labor and delivery.

1)  Pain in child birth came out of the consequences of sin.  I, like all other human beings, am sinful in nature. The pain associated with bringing life into the world is only a fraction of what I deserve for the sins that I have committed.  Thank you Lord that I am forgiven.

2)  As much as I have my moments of worry about giving birth, I am going to be so glad to have my baby boy in my arms, and I'm sure I'd do it again in a heartbeat.  Jesus suffered far more than I can even imagine when he sacrificed his life on the cross.  He knew what was in store for him; he had even began to sweat blood as he prayed before his crucifixion...because he knew of the suffering he would incur.  And he still did it.  He did it for us, and all we have to do is accept the free gift of salvation.  Knowing how much love it has taken for me (and Josh) to consciously embark on this road to parenthood, how astounding is the love that our Lord has shown us!  God sent His son Jesus to die for our sins, and Christ knowingly made that sacrifice for us.  Our God is awesome.  

Overall, all is well here.  I'm slowly collecting what we need for Benjamin, and I'm going to try to pack up our hospital bags next week just to have them ready and waiting for when the time comes.  I did the first load of baby laundry today, and I tried not to have my spirits dampened when I thought of the many years to come of Benjamin's laundry.  lol.  I even went and pre-registered at the hospital yesterday, and I was able to take a tour of labor & delivery, nursery, & women's center.  I tried not to look too shell shocked as I stared at the hospital bed trying not to visualize what would be occurring there in less than 2 months.  I'll refer back to a quote we heard many a time during the MAT program at Lee, and it is applicable even now.

"Begin with the end in mind."  -- Stephen Covey

And what a wonderful end there is to that labor...A brand new baby.  Again I say, Our God is awesome.  I'm so looking forward to meeting Benjamin. :)

Newborn clothes?

Okay moms, aunts, and grandmoms, another question regarding baby things. :)

How long did your little one stay in newborn clothes?  Or did he/she go straight to 0-3 month clothing?  I'm noticing that most NB clothes say 5-8 lbs, and the 0-3 months say 8 - 12 lbs or so for sizing.

I know all babies are different, and I can't really predict his birth weight, but as a general rule (and assuming he doesn't come very early), what should I plan for?  I'm all set on 0-3 month and 3 month clothing, but I'm trying to figure out about how many newborn clothes I should have on hand.  I'm appreciative that most people have not bought much for me in the NB department because babies grow so quickly, but I don't want to be under prepared.  Any advice is welcome!  :)

In case you're wondering how big I'm getting...

Here I am.  It's not the best profile shot, but it's the most recent.  

What are we looking at, you ask?

Well, this cutie of course.  

I can't believe Christianna is 18 months old already.  She looked so much older running around with her cousins at this Memorial Day Weekend get together at Josh's Aunt Janet's (the one who made the quilt).  She's definitely outgrown the baby stage, and she looks like a bona fide toddler/preschooler.

We had a great time with most of Josh's dad's family.  I spent most of my time doing this...

No, not guarding the food...sitting.  It was a hot and slightly muggy day so I was glad to have nothing more to do than just sit and rest.  Ahhhh.  Summer vacation. :)

Gifts for Benjamin

I appreciate all of the thought and consideration behind every gift given to us for Benjamin, but I have to admit that there's a special place in my heart for the gifts that people have taken their time and talents to create for him.  We have gotten several blankets and quilts so far for him that I wanted to share with you all.

One of my favorites so far, for obvious reasons, is the quilt that Josh's Aunt Janet has made for us.  The most amusing story behind this quilt is that she did not know that we are going with a forest theme, that I absolutely love owls, and that our nursery colors are brown, green, and blue.  Isn't God amazing how he planted the idea in her head to make this specific pattern?

I like the little details that she added such as the quilted starts in the blue portion of the window.

Also, if you look closely at the owl, he has a vest with buttons stitched on him.

Also, with the owl theme is a set of burp cloths made for me by our school secretary, Shonie.  She did have some help knowing what I like since I picked out the fabric for the 1st one. :)

 Josh's Aunt Nancy crocheted the blanket below.

A man from our church made the quilt below (close-up for detailing).

This is just a quick snapshot of some of the gifts we have received so far for Benjamin.  There are countless clothes, diapers, and baby items that we have already been blessed to receive.  We have a large shower coming up on Sunday which will be fun not only because of the cute items for him but because we will have a wonderful time visiting with family and friends.  More to come from me soon.  I'm going to try to play a little bit of catch-up on my blog posting.  Happy summer everyone. ;)