lately

we spent last weekend with my parents and my mom took a few "28 week" pics...

mr. b's hair is a little crazy on top

i was never on staff at acu leadership camps...

i had to borrow an old t-shirt from my brother joel... nothing that i brought would fit! 

little miss perry is getting big! she will be here before we know it.

my glucose test appointment is tomorrow morning. yuck!

lean on me

if you know me, you know that

i.am.emotional.

sometimes, i think that my photo could go behind the word in websters. or google. or wherever people are searching for definitions these days.

friends, it has been an emotional week. more emotional than normal. pregnancy hormones have really hit hard. apparently, i don’t get angry or mean, i just get weepy.

something that has added to that - my mom bought me this book for mother’s day.

i just started reading it. it’s keeping me in check and it’s putting a lot of things in perspective. i want so badly to be the wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend that has a solid, prayerful relationship with God. i want to teach this to my own daughter… i want to be who God wants me to be. He is reminding me of the importance of prayer before speaking and making decisions – two things that i’m not cautious with at all. it's such a great book -for wives and mommies.

i spoke to two very special friends this week that made me thankful for Godly women. in different ways, each of them reminded me that as women, we are on similar roads – they may not be the same exact, but we all get tired, scared and emotional. and that it’s okay to get weepy sometimes (or a couple times a day in my case). i’m so thankful for all of the support that andrew and i have had through the past 7 months… i’m thankful for the words of encouragement and love that we’re receiving… i’m also thankful for the realness that girl friends are sharing with me about mommyhood. we need to lean on one another and i’m so glad there are others willing to provide advice and support.

i’ll be honest – i know our life is changing in big ways. i’m very scared. (i'm sure many of you are probably thinking - she's not even a mom yet - prengnacy is nothing compared to what is about to hit her!) i want to be the best mommy possible and there are so many seen and unforeseen challenges ahead. but i know that with an open and direct line of communication with God and with the love and support from one another we can be great together...

that’s all. have a blessed and safe weekend.

a little help from my friends...

i thought i would end the final week fo my second trimester with a few things that are helping me get by...

the boppy total body pillow. its ahhhmazing.  don't know why i waited so long to purchase!

for some reason, i could eat a box a day...

the same with these. they are saving my life.

queen helene has helped to prevent stretch marks thus far...

twice a day or bust! (thanks, lucy, for this gift!)

in other news, i have been working on our baby regisitries and would like to say thank to two of my favorite mama's - my sister-in-law rebecca & my sweet friend jessica. i'm getting lots of direction on what to purchase! becoming a new mom is super scary - it's so nice to know that i have others to lean on!

also, over the past few weeks, i've heard a lot of references to 'pinning'. last weekend, i checked it out on pinterest and i'm sooo addicted! i will leave you with a few of the pins i've collected:

this sweet all pink little girl's room

found here

doesn't she just make you want to jump on the bed?!

just a little something i'm planning on wearing after perry gets here...

yeah right.

 but aren't these yellow shorts from jcrew precious?

such a fun idea for little perry
found here

gorgeous poufs

found here

anyway, pinning is great for mindless entertainment when i'm too tired to work on baby stuff and more often, when i can't sleep. i'm sure there will be many more to come in the future!

happy wednesday!

progress

we are making progress... very slowly, but we're getting things done.
we've moved furniture out of the guest room and made a new guest room.
we have started working on perry's nursery.
 i'm beyond excited because we have a "stripped" & primed baby bed!

pieces of the primed bed

note the paint brush in his mouth, charlie always wants to help

perry's daddy has worked his tail off lately cooking dinner, moving furniture, stripping her crib and being extra attentive to yours truly. mr. b knows how to take care of the women in his family, we are especially blessed.

i plan to spend memorial day weekend working on her crib, picking a wall color, and helping my mil with the bedding. i can't wait to see it all come together.

in other news, i worked at the abilene baby expo last weekend. i don't talk much about my job, but community outreach is one thing that i love doing. i spent the day visiting with other pregnant gals about their babies, their healthcare choices, and birthing plans. it was a lot of fun!

while i was there, i had the chance to walk around and check out other vendors. after meeting and having a great visit with an adorable local photographer named hannah vickers, i tossed my name in her maternity session drawing.

folks, i never win anything.

i was in complete and utter shock when she emailed me saturday night letting me know that i won this fabulous prize. and i'm even more excited that i get to work with her, she's very talented. you can check out her photos here.

and i'd like to welcome my precious friend, lucy, to the world of blogging!

we celebrated her birthday on saturday night with dinner & cake

how she didn't end up in a picture ON HER BIRTHDAY, i'll never know... she's always the one behind the camara!

happy birthday, lucy!

so i'm finally starting to feel like the belchers are getting somewhere... we're getting ready for this baby one day at a time! which is good because we only have 13 weeks and 4 days! 

busy bees

 

during this busy, busy weekend, my mama and i (and mr. b was forced got to help a little!) spent all of friday afternoon looking for fabric for perry's room!

this is the color sample of the bed skirt, curtains, and ribbons on her bumper: 

later, we met up with aunt molly & uncle joel on friday night:

they celebrated their 1year anniversary on monday! happy anniversary you two! we love you!

on saturday, we met uncle kevin & aunt kk for breakfast at my favorite pancake spot in ft. worth:

 yummy blueberry pancakes!

so glad we were able to see some of my family! after dragging mr. b all over the place, i got a great deal accomplished. i have to admit that the best part of the weekend was when we slowed down and spent time just the two of us. we got tons of r&r (which was quickly used up after a long monday of work)!

hope these next 15 weeks go by SUPER fast! really looking forward to meeting our little girl!

name dropping

over the past few months, when talking over baby names, andrew and i have always wanted something traditional and unique.
we also wanted a family name.

after quite a bit of discussion, contemplation and a little research, mr. b & i have decided on a name for our little addition:

perry lucille belcher

both names are family names from both sides of the family tree.
perry comes from each of our mother's sides. 
lucille comes from andrew's father's side and from my mother's side.

we couldn't be more excited about this unique concidence or about our little girl's name!

23 week updates

"for this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you.

we continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, 

 uncle joel & aunt kk

so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 

uncle joel trying to compare his belly

 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, 

and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light."

- colossians 1:9-12

this post is about halfway through my 23rd week. on sunday, i will be 24 weeks which means 6 MONTHS. crazy that it is going so fast!
although i may change my tune here pretty soon.
the past two weeks of my pregnancy have been such a special time -
spiritually, emotionally, physically, etc.

there has been so much to get used to; i can feel this little one moving almost all of the time. a couple of nights ago, andrew used his stethoscope and listened to her moving in my stomach. he has been able to feel her move for a few weeks now. such a unique experience! i can't believe that in just a few months she will be here!

of course, i'm achy. i feel great, but i have the usual pains that come with pregnancy.
back, feet, hips; it's all worth it.

we spent last weekend in sulphur springs with my family. it was wonderful!

the girls got pedicures on saturday morning:

 

kaleigh, molly, & i

molly, kaleigh, & mom

 and then later in the day we went to my dad's family reunion in mt. pleasant. it was great to see cousins and family that we haven't seen in years. somehow, i didn't end up with a single picture.

sunday, before leaving, we loaded up baby b's crib. i can not wait to start working on it, or rather, finish and set it up.  pictures and more details to come soon.

we had a wonderful time with family and are thankful for these times spent with one another. our little girl will love this big family full of people who can not wait to meet her!

happy 23 weeks, to our little banana (who is almost the size of an ear of corn)!