4th of July

The 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays to celebrate.  Shelby's uncle, Guy, always goes all out and buys tons of fireworks for a huge dsplay. Every year the whole family goes to their house to swim, cookout, and watch the fireworks.  Even though E was just a few days old, we were determined not to miss it! We didn't make the fireworks, but we were able to partake in some hot dogs {yummy and a 4th must have}, swimming, and family time.  And E got to dip her feet in the pool for the very first time.

Lovin' a tan already

At Ellery's first Dr.'s visit {at 5 days old}, we discovered that her jaundice levels were high. We didn't notice her yellowish tint at home, but in the doctors office it was pretty noticeable.  The levels were high enough that she had to spend 24 hours in a lovely miniature tanning bed so to speak.  Cooks home health brought and picked up the bed to/from our house {sorry to disappoint - just in case any of you were thinking you could come and use it now}, and set it all up for us. She did better than I thought she would, but it was a rough night for mom and dad.  Other than to feed, Ellery had to lay only in her diaper, on her back on the bili blanket in the bed. Even when I was nursing, I had to leave the bili blanket on her back.  It was SO sad. I dreaded putting her back in there. Thankfully after this whole routine, her levels went down and she was cleared.  Here's our sweet little glow worm!

 She had to have on the little soft glasses at all times to protect her eyes...she was so good about wearing them even though I know they bothered her. Last cuddle before I had to put her in - Mommy was more sad at this point that she was.

 Our little glow worm. :) Couldn't wear anything but a diaper, glasses, hat, socks, and mits.

 Kiva protecting her sister.

 Last stretch in the bed before our Dr. Appt to have her levels checked again.

Cleared and looking so cute sporting my "non yellow tan".  One of my favorite outfits. :)

Best friends times 2

Last Halloween, our good friends Sarah and Bret brought their son Maddox by for some trick or treating.  However, it ended up being much more of a "treat" for Sarah and I, as we both shared with each other that we were pregnant!  It was such a funny moment ~ I excitedly shared that I was pregnant and Sarah's immediate response was "me too"! What fun it was to find out we were both having little girls, due one week apart. In the end though, they were to be born much closer than that. Bret and Sarah took this picture of us the afternoon Ellery was born at about 3:00....Sarah was still pregnant.

When the nurse woke me up at about 5 the next morning {a mere 13 hours later}, she started asking me lots of "weird" questions.  The conversation went something like this:

Nurse: Do you know anyone here?
Me: Umm...you mean anyone that works here?? No, I don't think so.{Again, it's 5 AM}
Nurse: Do you know anyone in the hospital here?
Me: Hmmm.....Well, I have a few pregnant friends...I suppose one of them could be here.
Nurse: Have you gotten any phone calls?
Me: Oh yes, we've had lots of calls from friends and family.
Nurse: Please for the love ask me if your friend Sarah is here Let me get you your phone (it was out of my reach and had been for hours)
Me: Oh thank you, it's been out of my reach and I didn't want to wake Shelby up to get it.
Me again - now with phone: OH MY GOSH!  My friend Sarah is in labor and is headed to the hospital (except the text msg was from 5 hours ago). I wonder if she's had the baby yet?! She's probably in labor and delivery! (Trying to text as fast as I can.)
Nurse: {Cue "Hallelujah"!} No she's not, she's right next door. {big smile}
And, scene.

So to make a short story LONG {as I'm good at doing}, sweet Olivia Layne came soaring into this world a mere 12 hours after Ellery.  And then we spent the next 24 hours right next door to some of our best friends and their new bundle of joy. Sidenote: The sweet L&D nurses called down to postpartum when Sarah was in L&D and asked if a room next to the Timmermans was available (Bret and Sarah had mentioned their friends were here) and the sweet nurses saved the room next to us for them. See, I told you the nurses were great! ;) We visited, laughed hard, oohed and aahed over the girls, and shared dinner together {and then had the nurses to tell us to please be quiet - ha!} The girls even had their first sleeopver. :) What fun it was to share this experience together.  We love you guys, and your sweet kids!  Ellery and Olivia, BFFB.

Hooray for you!

"For quite a long time the world saved a place.

Millions were born, yet none filled your space."

"Until the second of a minute of one special day,

you took your first breath,

and the world said

HOORAY!"

 (Above taken from "Hooray for You", a book given to us by "Aunt Katy")

My eyes welled with tears as I read the first 2 pages of the book "Hooray for You"; I felt that it was somewhat putting into words what I couldn't find words for. Ellery Jane came screaming into this world on June 24, 2010 and changed our world forever.  I'm not sure there was a dry eye in the operating room, as we celebrated and praised the Lord for the healthy arrival of our precious baby girl.  Family and friends prayed and waited anxiously and I'm told the grandmothers both burst into tears when Dr. Neville went to tell them all the good news. We LOVE my OB, Dr. Neville, and are so thankful for the care and love she has shown us. This was an especially sweet delivery for both of us, as she delivered Poppy last June.  We had a wonderful stay in the hospital and loved {almost} all of our nurses. ;) Below are some pictures from our stay, and of some of the proud family and friends that came to visit.  Blessed is an understatement. Our little girl is finally here and we are in love.

HOORAY for you, indeed.

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the

heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."

James 1:17 

Catching Up!

Over the next few days you may find me doing something that will likely make you gasp out loud and shriek with joy (and maybe even do some hand clapping). Yes, dear readers (all 2 of you at this point)...I'm going to be updating the blog!  Stay tuned! :)

Immeasurably more...part 2

Welcome to the world...

Ellery Jane Timmerman

Born June 24, 2010 at 1:00 pm

7 lbs, 1 oz. 19 inches and

perfect!

With love and great joy,

Shelby and Beth

A Happy Homecoming

As I sit here a week away from giving birth, I think about how different it will all look this time around.  A year ago today, I labored and gave birth to our sweet Poppy to say goodbye. A goodbye to this earth and everything here, and a hello to her Father - her Creator and Maker of the universe. So today, amidst some grief and sorrow, we celebrate her homecoming. Do we miss her?  Everyday. But we believe in a big God.  And we believe that we will be reunited and that this life we live on earth is but a breath of how long we will spend in eternity with her.  One of my favorite songs by Selah, appropriately titled "I will carry you", has a few lines in it about how much the Lord loves and cares for the babies that go before us.  So beautiful and promising are the words (and picture) to me when they sing:

"I've shown her photographs of time beginning,
Walked her through the parted sea...
Angel lullabies, no more teary eyes,
Who could love her like this?"

He is faithful.  And He loves us.  And I believe this not because we are a week away from giving birth to another baby girl, but because it is who He is. He has been faithful to us through the anger, and the tears, and the joy.  And we are thankful. Thank you to all of you who have prayed, petitioned, and walked with us this past year - for your friendship, encouragement, and love. And the weight and burden you have often carried for us.  Here we are - one year later - breathing and walking.  And today, rejoicing.

"Arise, shine, for your light has come..." (Is. 60:1). Happy Homecoming, sweet girl. We love you.

Immeasurably more...

It's a healthy baby GIRL!

I've waited a long time to make this post. Aside from it being a couple of days past my sonogram, I feel like this is the post I've been waiting to write and the words I've been longing to say since last June. It still doesn't seem real, but I'm so thankful that it is.  That there's no more imagining, that the Lord chose to answer our prayers in this way.  We are humbled, grateful, thrilled, and a bit speechless (shocking, I know :) ).  And we can't wait to meet her.

Today we're thanking the Lord for both of our little girls....

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21  Immeasurably more, indeed.

The life I planned

Most of the people reading this know me (in fact, I would be honored if I had any blog stalkers that don't know me- maybe it wouldn't make me feel so guilty?!?) :).  I love to make lists.  LOVE it.  I'm pretty sure I wanted to be some type of secretary when I was little, so that I could just make lists and write checks - ha!  Now, most of you also know that I'm not the best "follow through-er" - meaning I make lots of lists and abandon them.  In short, I like to plan but wouldn't consider myself Type A.  And something that I have found to be a daily struggle is how much - in an unassuming, inconspicuous way - that I like to plan my life.  I have dreams in my head that are purely earthly and don't at all look eternal. Gulp. I have an idea of what the house we will eventually buy will look like (adorable), what neighborhood (city, even) it will be in, and how cute my children will look playing in the front yard. And while some of you may be saying, "what's wrong with that", if I was able to paint a picture just imagine I am June Cleaver and my life is perfection.  And then laugh with me (if you know me) and say "are you serious"?  I am not June Cleaver.  We rent our house (which we love and are appreciative of).  We are joyfully expecting a baby, but know what it feels like to go home from the hospital empty handed.  June Cleaver didn't (and I can imagine wouldn't have wanted to) plan this life.  But God did. Sometimes I just need to be reminded of that, and today is one of those days. My earthly plans pale in comparison to his Eternal ones, and on a day like today I pray that the dreams in my head would get bigger and more elaborate.  That I wouldn't feel trapped and disappointed by my measly June Cleaver plans.
When we lost Poppy, one of my best friends gave me a journal with this poem written inside it.  Today is a good day for it and I thought I would share.  Thanks for letting me ramble, and if you are a blog stalker I hope you'll come back for what will surely be a better post next time. :)

The Life I planned
Has someone seen the life I planned?
It seems it's been misplaced.
I've looked in every corner;
It's lost without a trace.

I've found one I don't recognize --
Things missing that were dear;
Promises I'd hoped to keep,
And dreams I'd dreamed aren't here.

Faces I had planned to see,
Hands I planned to hold;
Now absent in the pictures;
Not the way I told.

Has someone seen the life I planned?
Did it get thrown away?
God took my hand from searching;
Then I heard Him say --

"Child, your ears have never heard,
Your eyes have never seen,
Eternal plans I have for you
Are more than you could dream.

You long to walk by sight,
But I'm teaching eyes to see;
I know what I'm doing --
'Till then, you must believe.

He's done so much, I felt ashamed
To know He heard my moans.
To think I'd trade in all He's done
For plans made on my own.

I wept over His faithfulness
And how He'd proved Himself;
How He'd gone beyond my dreams
And said to Him myself,

"No, my ears have never heard,
My eyes have never seen,
Eternal plans You have for me
Are more than I could dream.

"Yes, I long to walk by sight
But You're teaching eyes to see;
You know what You're doing --
'Till then, I must believe.

I felt His great compassion --
Mercy unrestrained.
He let me mourn my losses
And showed to me my gains.

I offered Him my future
And released to Him my past.
I traded in my dreams
For a plan He said would last.

I get no glimpse ahead;
No certainties at all,
Except the presence of the One
Who will not let me fall.

Are you also searching
For a life you planned yourself?
Have you looked in every corner?
Have you checked on every shelf?

Child, your ears have never heard,
Your eyes have never seen,
Eternal plans He has for you
Are more than you could dream.

Perhaps you long to walk by sight,
But He's teaching eyes to see;
He knows what He is doing --
Child, step out and believe.

By Beth Moore

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him." 1 Corinthians 2:9

Sunday afternoon blogger

I've not been good in the past at posting things quickly (like our NYC recap which is still in the works :) ), so I'm trying to post things faster this year.  We've had a busy but great weekend!
Friday evening we drove to Dallas to eat dinner with Issac and Tara, and Shae and Smith.  Precious Smith was born on Thanksgiving, but because Charlie and Shae currently reside in TN we hadn't gotten to see that sweet boy yet. We all missed Charlie and wished he could have been with us - mostly I wish he could've seen the way his buddies were loving on his son.  What a sweet moment as we get to celebrate the beginning of sharing another generation of life together.  When I met Shelby almost 10 years ago, I was blessed to be welcomed into this wonderful group of friends.  All of the girls that I met then  have gone on to become wives to these friends. And I love them dearly. And I love the way their men love Shelby (and me).  They are ALL such a blessing and we have loved living and sharing life with each of them (and vacations together!) . And I look forward to having babies together and sharing these next stages of life together too! Sweet Smith is the biggest little boy I have ever seen, with THE cutest head of hair.  At 8 weeks old, he is a long 15 pounder!

Shae is a wonderful, laid back mom who was happy to share her son (and Smith was a trooper) with all of us that night.  It was so good to see them, and even better to know that we will see them again in just a few weeks!

Saturday was busy as well; I got my hair done and prepared for the celebrations we had last night.  Our night began by celebrating our dear friend Chris' 40th birthday.  It is hard to describe this man with words, and his celebration was a beautiful reflection of his dedication to the Lord and his family and friends.  Shelby and I felt privledged to sit in a room with so many others, honored to be so loved by Chris and his wife Tiffany.  Not only is Chris a talented artist and teacher, loving husband and father, he makes time for people and loves them with the love of the Father unlike anyone I have known.  Shelby and I have benefitted from that love and encouragement and were so blessed to share last night toasting (and roasting) Chris. :) And of course, the setting was beautiful - Tiffany has a gift for never doing anything "half-way".  Shelby's final comments on the party were - "When I was a kid I wanted to be like people like Michael Jordan, now I want to be like Chris Guild".

After Chris' party, we were off to celebrate at a couples shower for Courtney and Nick.  If you have read my blog for a while, you may remember that we attended a engagement party for this sweet couple this past summer.  Their wedding is drawing near (Feb 27), and we are so excited to get to celebrate them. Their shower was so fun and we can't wait for the wedding. Courtney and I spent everyday working together for almost 2 years and became great friends as a result.  I definitely miss seeing her everyday!
So far for Sunday - we've been to church, lunched with some great friends, and are now relaxing a bit with our puppy (most likely including a little NFL football and napping) :).
As I look back on this weekend, I'm thankful that the Lord has placed each person we have spent time with in our lives.  That He is refining and shaping us to look more like Him through these friends.  And that we get to share life together, period.
And to those of you reading that we didn't get to spend time with this weekend - the same is to be said for all of you.  We love sharing life with you and are thankful for the way you have impacted our lives. 
The only thing I bet you all didn't realize when you started reading this - is that the Sunday afternoon blogger is a little sappy.  I'll blame it on the hormones. :)