Book Recommendations

I admit it. I'm a Christian who doesn't read Christian fiction. At all. Or, hardly ever. In fact, in my life, the only true Christian fiction that I have read, and enjoyed, is Christy by Catherine Marshall, Frank Peretti's Children's series, the Flabbergasted series by Ray Blackston, and... um... The Narnia Series by C.S. Lewis. That's about it. Oh!! And when I was younger, the Mandie Series by Lois Gladys Leppard.

That being said, that is, by far, not the amount I read. I read a LOT. I gobble up books like they're going out of style. I got books out of the library on Wednesday, and had finished the first one by Thursday. There are a ton of authors that I love reading. A lot of them aren't Christian, nor do they have very many Christian beliefs that show up in their writing. This is all sort of a disclaimer to set up for something I'd like to start on my blog. Book recommendations. So, if you're a die hard Christian who doesn't read anything but Christian fiction and non-fiction, I don't really recommend picking up any of these books unless I say their "safe".

So, for my first recommendation, I recommend an author, but namely 2 of her books (or, okay, really three).

Jane Green. She started off as purely "chick-lit". And BRITISH chick lit at that! I think I started out by reading Jemima J, and then... well, I don't remember. I do know I have read every one of her books but 2. I did NOT care for Mr. Maybe, and I just haven't gotten around to reading Switching Lives. But, none of those books are books that I am recommending today.

The first book I'm recommending is To Have and To Hold, or Spellbound (the American and British titles for the same book). I actually own both.

Anyway, Spellbound is a wonderful book about a woman who was married to a high-profile banker, and then settled in the country while he commuted from NYC. She discovers that he is quite a cheater, and...well, I'm giving away the book. Very good book, and it has characters that are in the 3rd book that I'm recommending.

The Beach House: I have to admit that after trying to read Mr. Maybe recently, I was disheartened with Jane Green's writing style. Also, I had been reading a LOT of chick lit recently, and getting tired of the whole genre... so, after probably six months of no chick lit, I was in the library, trying to find something else to read since the 15th book in Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum Series wasn't in our library yet. I saw two new books by Jane Green and thought, "Why not? It's a library... I can bring them back if I don't like them." So, I checked them out.

That night, I began reading The Beach House
. For the first few chapters, I couldn't decide if I truly liked it or not. It was a complimation of several different stories, and I didn't see how they fit together, and was pretty confused about them in general. But, there was something about the writing style that kept me going. Suddenly, it was slowly beginning to make sense, it was slowly fitting together, then there was a plot twist I didn't see coming, and before I knew it I had finished the book and was begging for more. It was very, very good, and very, very different from Jane Green's normal writing style. I loved it. I didn't agree with some of the morals of the plot-lines (there's a gay man and his escapades in one part, and a TON of casual divorce) and, to be truly honest, it was probably written for an age group that is older than me. But still, it was a very good read, and one I highly recommend.

Finally, I recommend Dune Road.

Now, I haven't finished this one yet. I'm actually at a point where I don't want to finish it because then it will be over and I don't want it to be over because I want to continue in the lives of these characters. But so far it is wonderful. I think I have the majority of the plot lines figured out, but she threw a shocker in there last time, so I wouldn't be surprised if she did it again. This story is set in the same town as Spellbound, and has a new set of characters, except for some minor characters. It's about a famous author, his assistant, and her group of friends. Sounds boring, I know, but it deals with life after divorce, financial crisis, abusive boyfriends, and friendship. So far it's wonderful, and I'm upset that I'll probably finish it by tomorrow!

So, there you have it. My two cents on books. Hopefully I'll write more. I really need to delve back into movie reviews, as Netflix has become a good source of entertainment. As it is, right now I should be working on an overdue homework assignment that I got confused!

Pray for my friend S. She's being induced today! Also, continue praying for my husband and I. A decision was made today, but I can't blog about it until later this week. I will though, I promise.

Hello, Heaven

I have been on the search for Maternity shorts since the beginning of may. I do NOT like "under the belly" bands - they don't work well with my body shape or how I'm carrying this baby. With my first pregnancy, I had bought one pair of shorts at Old Navy back in November for a dollar something, but when I put them on yesterday, we were not friends. They went below my belly and they just wouldn't stay up.

So, Mom and I went on the "Great Maternity Short Search" yesterday. I tried Target, and all of theirs was under the belly. I tried Old Navy, and was told their maternity was only sold online now (WTF?), then we went to Kohls. Oh, Kohls... I have never been a fan of your high prices, but yesterday we became bosom buddies.

I'm up to about a size 16-18 when not pregnant, and the majority of this is in my thighs and hips (and arms), so shorts are usually not an option, but when the thermometer outside reads 90 and the heat index is 104, my nasty legs are going to be shown. Quake in fear from their whiteness.

These secret fit belly things are a gift from GOD. They are seriously the most comfortable shorts I have ever tried. I know that they have the secret fit with the jeans and stuff too, and many of you have already commented on them, but I just had to share my two cents about their wonderfulness.

Here is a picture of their beautifulness. I got a pair in black, and a pair in khaki.



The next great search? A nursing bra. Can we discuss how this pregnancy has caused me to shoot up 2-4 inches in my chest AND AN ENTIRE CUP SIZE? I've only gained 1 pound people, it's not cuz I'm packing on the carbs.

My dinner, in courses

So, tonight for dinner... I ate in courses.

This wasn't a conscious decision, it was merely out of hunger. While my Mom was still cooking, I was starving, so for my first course, I had baby carrots and ranch dressing.

For my second course? Macaroni with fresh tomatoes, basil and garlic.

My third course, a pork chop and yeast roll.

My fourth course, corn on the cob.

My fifth course, the dessert course, fresh strawberries and chocolate pudding.

Ah, it was good.

Now, if I just FELT better, it would be more rewarding. I have a sinus infection/allergyness that is driving me up a wall. Constant headache, low grade fever, dry sinuses, sore throat, achy muscles, itchy/burning eyes... Oh, and this fun cough that's making my abs hurt and my back hurt worse.

Pregnancy is going really well though! I don't have many symptoms right now, except for mood swings. We're having some issues, that I can't really write about here for another few weeks, but its pretty stressful. Because of that, I have cried like 7 times in the past 2 days. Enough to slowly drive me crazy.

Pray for my sanity (haha!) and pray for a job that we applied for for Carl with UPS. If he managed to get it, it would be the biggest Godsend ever. It sounds perfect (at least on paper!).

Due Date

It's my one hundredth post, which I think is only fitting for the day.

Today is Father's Day. A day that Carl and I will be celebrating next year. But, today is also our first pregnancy's due date.

This whole month has been hard, this week increasingly so. I should be holding a baby in my arms right now, or at the very least I should be huge and miserable. But, I'm not... and I don't have a baby in my arms.

This would be so much harder if I weren't feeling these strong little kicks from my darling daughter. I can't imagine going through a day like this with out them.

I don't even know what to write... the thoughts and feelings that are inside my head don't want to come out... It's just a rough time.

I know that this was in God's plan. I know that for whatever reason, it was meant for me to lose my first pregnancy. I wouldn't have met some of the people I have, or had some of the conversations that I've had without that miscarriage. And I wouldn't be pregnant with my daughter if it weren't for my miscarriage.

Does that make it any easier? A little. God's not done with me, and I don't think he's done with my Peanut. There's a plan at work there, I'm just not sure what it is... which is okay. God knows.

So as hard as it is to look at the pictures of my best friends brand new nephew, who was due today and born a few weeks ago, or to look at a former church friends beautiful baby girl, or to see a handsome baby boy that was born a few days ago... I will survive. God willing, in late October or early November, I will have a squalling princess placed on my chest.

For all those who are dealing with a miscarriage... remember this, God does have a plan. And the best part? God's plan is so much better than ours. God has our whole LIVES planned out, when we don't even have tomorrow planned (usually!). God knows best, even if that best is horribly painful.

If you've had a miscarriage, or lost a child... I'd love to pray for you. Feel free to email me at ryleyphotography@gmail.com or to comment on this post.

I'm going to close this with a letter to my peanut.

Dear Peanut,
Today was supposed to be the day of your birth. Instead, this is a day that I will always remember your short life on.

Peanut, I wish I could be holding you today, instead I'm going to have to settle with the thought of you spending the day, Father's day, in your great grandfather and grandmothers arms. I know that they welcomed you into heaven, along with your other great grandparents, back in November. I will hold you one day, but until then, say hello to Mamaw and Papaw for me!

You are going to be a big brother or sister peanut! We are having you a little sister! I know that you are so very happy being a big sibling in heaven, continue to look over us, and your baby sister.

You were my first child Peanut, and I will always remember you on this day. You will always be in my heart. As I sit here and write this, your sister is kicking away. I never got to feel you move, something that makes me very sad, but I know that you are moving and grooving, and laughing and are HAPPY in heaven. You will always be my very first love.

I love you Peanut, and as much as I wish you were here with me today, I know thaat you are so much better off in Jesus' arms.

Happy Birth Day my darling.

Love always and forever,
Mommy

20 Weeks (and 2 days..)

Please, please, PLEASE ignore how I look in this photo. I haven't washed my hair in days, and I'm sleep deprived and tired. At least I took a picture though! Ultrasounds coming soon!


Wow. I'm halfway through this pregnancy! I can't begin to say how absolutely blessed I am. This pregnancy has gone without a hitch so far -- such a blessing after our loss.

We had our 20 week ultrasound on Monday. I was so, so very nervous. I was worried something was wrong with you, even though up to this point all the ultrasounds had been perfect. This one was no different. She kept trying to kick the ultrasound probe! They said that everything looked perfect, and then they confirmed that she was a she!

Then we met with the midwife. I literally could not be happier with her! She was super upbeat, super excited about our pregnancy and stayed in there to answer any of the questions we had. I was very encouraged by the meeting. She's very pro-natural. I learned that Central Baptist (the hospital we've chosen) has a birthing ball, a birthing stool AND I can labor in the water (I can't give birth there, but I can labor there!!). She also managed to point us towards some natural child birth classes. She was perfect!!! I finally felt like I had found what had been missing before with my prenatal appointments. Carl and my Mom liked her too! Carl asked about the number of people allowed in the room (of which I was thankful, I'd forgotten!) and she said that it was up to us! Wonderful! This hospital is very "your baby, your body" which makes me very happy! She'll be allowed to stay with us the entire time, they'll do all the tests and stuff right there in the room!

This pregnancy was rough in the beginning. The first trimester is hard. I'm not going to lie. It's especially hard when you're in classes and working. But the second trimester has been much easier. I still have some problems (mainly constipation) but the midwife and I talked about that as well, and I think we may have some relief in the future.

I love midwifery. I have seen 2 doctors with this pregnancy, who have just said "take stool softeners" I explain that I have and they say to drink more water. My midwife LISTENED and discussed other options with me and said to call if I had any more problems.

I'm on an antibiotic for a UTI and very tired. But feeling a million times better than I did previously!

Mom and I went to our apartment in Richmond Monday night after the appointment and began to organize. When we moved stuff in thats literally all we did - move the stuff in. Mom and I got the bathroom looking GREAT, the bedroom livable (and quite organized). The living room and kitchen still need work, just a lot of boxes still... but it's getting there. Carl and I did this all backwards. We got married and moved into a 2 bedroom, we got pregnant and moved into a 1 bedroom. What's wrong with THIS picture? Because of this, I'm really having to downsize and put things in storage. It's hard.

What REALLY sucks, is that we have an "apartment" sized washer and dryer in this apartment, and no hookups for a larger one. The washer works fine, the dryer takes over 2 hours to dry a load. This means we'll have to do the laundry mat or bring it all home to my parents on weekends.

Please be in prayer for us. I can't go into details right now, but we could use some positive thoughts sent our way!

UPDATE: Here's the ultrasound pictures!

As I procrastinate...Letter to Sweet Pea

As I sit here, attempting to do my homework (hey, I'm working on it, okay? Get off my back, will ya?) I realize that I haven't really written any letters to my sweet baby girl. I wrote a short one this morning in my pregnancy journal. It's much like what you see in the left hand side bar. I keep a running tally of all the things that happen, like when she kicked for the first time, when we had the BFP, that sort of thing. But today, I wrote a letter to her in there, and I decided to post it on here as well. I plan on, one day, making a scrap book and including it all in there. *le sigh* I still haven't made a wedding scrapbook...which could, possibly, be because I still have zero wedding pictures. I have the DVD full of them, just haven't ordered any yet. I suck at life sometimes.

Dear Baby Girl,
Hey sweetheart! In this fist letter to you, I just want to say how proud I am to be your mommy. I cannot believe how totally blessed I am. As I'm writing this, you are kicking me gently, letting me know you are still there, moving and grooving! I love feeling you move, in fact, it's been my favorite part of this pregnancy.
I can't wait to meet you! On Monday I'll be 20 weeks pregnant, which means we'll be halfway there. I need you to hang in there for at least another 15 weeks, mmkay my sweet girl?
Your Daddy is so excited. He was so happy when we found out you were a girl! You have three first cousins, but they are all boys! You will definitely be well taken care of.
I love you sweet girl, and I can't wait to hold you in my arms. Stay safe, sweet baby of mine.

Love, Mommy

Please pray

Please go to the blog I list below and love on them, will you? They delivered their sweet baby boy Nolan 3 days ago at 26w3d. Nolan hadn't been growing inside his Mom and they were concerned he had a heart defect. He was doing well in the NICU, even getting down to 50% oxygen during the day, but last night he coded, and couldn't be brought back.

Please go and love on this family, and send some prayers their way.

http://rubybaby09.blogspot.com/2009/06/we-love-you-nolan-always-will.html

Thank you.