what a year can bring

I am stealing this idea from my friend Gaby and giving her credit because I told her I would! :)

2011 in Review
January marked the one year anniversary of starting the adoption process. We were discouraged, and yet had so much hope for that route. God had different things in my mind, we just didn't know it yet.

February is the month that took me to Honduras, Eric to Costa Rica, and renewed my passion for mission work. I wrote about it a lot. It's also the month we conceived for the first time in our 4.5 year marriage.

March is the month I came home from Honduras. It's the month that we learned of our conception and felt God's presence in our lives in a new and different way. God also taught me a lot about anxiety this month.

April was a slow month in blog land for me, but not in my personal life. I did post a little about infertility.

May was a big month. I turned 26 and was incredibly depressed. I had to say goodbye to my first child. God taught me a very important lesson on the body of Christ.

June was the month my sweet husband turned 28. God blessed me immensely and unexpectedly with another mission trip to Costa Rica, a balm to my broken and confused heart.

July brought our FIVE year anniversary! It also brought our decision to stop pursuing foster-to-adopt.

August was the month that God taught me a lot about identity. We conceived our second child, unbeknownst to us. I also got this spiffy new blog ;)

In September I guest posted on Held, and we learned of the sweet baby growing inside me. 

In October I had a lot of blog problems and switched back to blogger! Love blogger. We also announced our pregnancy to you and the world ;) I also had to say good-bye to my grandmother.

November came with highs and lows. I told you the name we chose for our first baby on her estimated due date. I also entered into my second trimester with the baby girl I now carry.

December brought the excitement and anticipation of finding out the sex of our sweet baby. We celebrated the best birthday in the world, JESUS'!

What did 2011 have for you? I have to say, this year was a roller coaster of emotions that surpasses the others by a landslide. But we have SEEN God work, we have tasted his goodness and experienced pieces of His magnificent plan. We wouldn't trade 2011 - heartaches and joys - for anything.

held - he would

He would probably gloat when we found out she was a girl.
He would laugh and poke my belly when she kicked him for the first time.
He would drive entirely too fast to the hospital when it was time.
He would be brave during labor and braver during delivery.
He would hold her for the first time like she was the most breakable thing on the planet.
He would love her fiercely.

Please join me on Held today for the rest.

attacking womanhood

Please read this post at Held by my dear friend Thelma from Life as Two.

Thelma puts into words what most of us suffering from infertility can not. It attacks our womanhood, the very core of what it means to be female. If making babies is what separates women from men, where does that leave the women who can't?

i'm part of something awesome

I have a new button over there on the left. See it? The one that says Held?

GO CLICK ON IT!

Ok, sorry for the yelling, I may or may not be ridiculously excited about this. Go explore, have fun, follow us, like us on Facebook, and just get excited with me about this supercoolcan'twaittoseewhatelseisinstore blog!