The Oil That Eases Friction

In family life, love is the oil that eases friction, the cement that binds closer together, and the music that brings harmony.
Eva Burrows

The real question isn't whether or not you love your kids, but how well you are able to demonstrate your love and caring so that your children really feel loved.
Stephanie Marston

15 days! I cannot believe it's only 15 days til little miss Charlotte is said to be due to make her grand entrance into our world! I have the nursery set up and the swing, the high chair, the little bed in our room. Her clothes are all washed and folded and I'm planning my return to pre-pregnancy fashion :) I can't wait to be able to breathe again and get up from sitting a short time and not feeling like my back is made of porcelain. I will miss feeling her move in my tummy, that is quite an indescribable feeling. It's not even something I can explain when people ask how it feels. It's not butterflies, never has been, it feels like a person in there trying to get comfortable. I remind myself that no matter how uncomfortable I am she is infinitely more so than I can even imagine. I know she doesn't know any different than her current surroundings but it makes me less apt to whine ;) I am also excited because Mom and Kara are definitely coming to see Charlotte and I'm praying the Lord will open the appropriate financial doors that everyone can come see her. Then in November I'll get to celebrate my birthday and Kara's wedding all in one weekend! What a great time that will be! Not too much has been going on other than getting the final things ready for the baby. I'm still working and last doctors appointment I hadn't gained any weight :) I was sure glad to see that. I think what I had gained is sufficient ;) Ha ha, well keep us in your prayers please! She'll be here anytime now!


In truth a family is what you make it. It is made strong, not by number of heads counted at the dinner table, but by the rituals you help family members create, by the memories you share, by the commitment of time, caring, and love you show to one another, and by the hopes for the future you have as individuals and as a unit.
Marge Kennedy

The Future Worth Living For

A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bankroll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, and the future worth living for.
Author Unknown


"I don't pretend to know what love is for everyone, but I can tell you what it is for me; love is knowing all about someone, and still wanting to be with them more than any other person, love is trusting them enough to tell them everything about yourself, including the things you might be ashamed of, love is feeling comfortable and safe with someone, but still getting weak knees when they walk into a room and smile at you.”"
Anonymous

We're on the end side of this mountain called pregnancy :) I've been feeling pretty good lately I have my achey days here and there. As long as I can sleep I don't feel too bad but when I don't, OY! I feel like a beaten up monster. I've also started having an issue where my hands fall asleep in the night and ache in the morning when I wake up. Come to find out it's Carpal Tunnel Syndrome brought on by pregnancy! That was a new one for me, I did not know that could happen! Then at work we lost a couple girls so my schedule has gotten changed up. I hate the hours because while it's nice to getting off at 1:30 I don't get to see Dallas really at all on monday, tuesday, or wednesday. It's really bad, I'm so spoiled with getting to spend most of my days with him and now I feel like I barely see him again. I know I'm whining, I am just spoiled :) It will be really nice to have Charlotte here to hang out with me instead of on nights like tonight where Dallas works for nine hours and I'm here alone, I'll have her to keep me company. Anyways, I'm glad to be almost done and be back to normal! I'm not a fan of the weirdness of the big tummy that is so cumbersome. It will be worth it all once she's here.



"Love is just a word until someone comes along and gives it meaning."
Anonymous

The End

“What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from.”
T.S. Elliot

“Every day is a fresh beginning, Every morn is the world made new”
Sarah Chauncey Woolsey


It's the new year and by golly we're halfway through January all ready! Can someone slow down the time a little please? We are now in our third trimester officially :) It's almost down to ten weeks before our little girl makes her debut into the world. We've been pretty busy with getting the holidays done, traveling, and planning for Charlotte. Fortunately everything is going according to plan so far and the weight is on track. I'm hoping to be able to keep the gain reasonable so that it won't be too hard to get off before Kara's wedding in November. I think that's a fairly reasonable goal, to be at least at my 10 week baby weight of 155. My ideal is around 140 but, I'm not going to stress about it. I just don't want it to be completely obvious that I just had my baby a few months prior. I am very thankful for the fact that I am married to a man who loves my pregnancy shape and never fails to tell me how gorgeous he thinks I am. It's really helpful because even though I don't feel ginormous or ugly it is so nice to hear that the man you find most attractive still thinks you're the most attractive. We get to lay in bed at night and watch little Charlotte going crazy in my tummy. It's funny because she's most active in the morning when I wake up and when I lay down in bed at the end of the day. She lets me sleep well at night (between trips to the bathroom) and even nap when I can get myself to sleep. I dreamed last night that she was born and probably about three months old and she had wispy red hair :) I love to dream about how she looks. She normally has dark hair like my little sisters did, last night she took after her Daddy's side. I've yet to dream she's white blonde, that's really taking after her Daddy. He was the Whitest haired little boy I've ever seen. Anyways, we'll be preparing stuff for the hospital stay before long. Dallas wants to make a run to the hospital and find the maternity ward soon. He is very much wanting to have that planned so he won't freak out once I do go into labor. Thank God we don't live more that 5-10min from the hospital, in traffic no less. So, I'm not too concerned but it will ease his mind to know. I guess that comes from his years as a military man. I'll try to post some pics of the babies room sometime soon. We've put off setting it completely up until it's closer, so it's almost that time. I find it hard to believe! Reality struck when the doctor told me Monday "Well, We will be seeing you back in two weeks then" and it hit me that that means that we're right there at the end! It means we've hit the last ten weeks! So, even if she goes lat we've got at the most 11-12 weeks before we're honest to goodness practicing parents! I can't wait but at the same time it's kind of scary. Thank God I've got a man I can totally trust and rely on to be a great man and a loving Father and Husband and has wanted this his whole life. He can't wait to try out being a Daddy and teach her things. We were at Lowe's the other day and passed the rug section. He just so happened to notice a city scape rug. His eye's lit up because he's been wanting one for her to play with but the only ones we were finding were large and expensive. This one had roads, buildings, a farm, school, and of course an airport complete with runway. He was so excited that he scooped it up before he even checked the price. I was happy that it was $19.99 because Charlotte was going to have that rug no matter what :) As we were carrying it up to pay he tells me "I'm going to teach Charlotte how to do Air Traffic!" and it made me smile. He's so eager to teach her things and I couldn't be happier to watch him show her the world. So, that's all for now friends please keep us in your prayers as we're nearing the home stretch!

"From quiet homes and first beginning, Out to the undiscovered ends, There's nothing worth the wear of winning, But laughter and the love of friends."
Hilaire Belloc

Changes Every Day

All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another. ~Anatole France

If nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies. ~Author Unknown

I was getting ready for work on Monday and as I finished applying my make up I looked in the mirror and thought "I look like a Mom." Not in a "I'm dressed too frumpy or have bad hair" way but just older and mature. It's funny because lately it seems every other day something new is popping up. Then yesterday it seemed as if all of a sudden I have a baby bump. A real one, not the "is it a pooch or is that maybe a baby in there?" kind but a real honest to goodness baby bump and it was a happy moment. I've been dying for this moment to arrive where I don't feel merely fat but I feel like I look pregnant. Dallas noticed and all the girls at work brought it up too. It's so scary that as of this Friday I'm officially half way done. I can't wait to meet my little girl but I really dread the getting her here part. I've always been afraid of it. Sometimes watching A Baby Story is helpful but other times it fills me with fear :) It's like a car wreck you can't help but look even if you've covered your eyes you still peek through just a little to see. It gives me a little comfort to familiarize myself with the process. I never realized that the first kid will take almost all day to get out... *gulp! So, whatever, the more I know the better I'll feel when the time comes. I'd rather know and be nervous than to have no idea and freak at every little thing like when we knew I was pregnant but didn't know how far along we were. It was like living in slow motion, the fear of doing something wrong that would compromise the little life inside that we didn't want to do much of anything but stay put and go to work/church. :) I'm so grateful to have this experience though, every little punch she gives me reminds me of the angel that's coming. I love the idea of Dallas and his little girl. There couldn't be a prouder Daddy at this time and he's being really amazing at helping around the house and handling the more delicate situations I won't go too in detail on here. But, he's exactly the man I need and I am so blessed to have a husband who not only loves me but is willing to do things that I can't really figure out how to do on my own and supports me. So, all that being said, Happy 25th Birthday to me tomorrow! :) I'm still excited even if Dallas has to work and I'll be here alone most of the day. See ya'll on the 25 side!

Just because everything is different doesn't mean anything has changed. ~Irene Peter

One Of The Most Beautiful Miracles In Life

A baby girl...one of the most beautiful miracles in life, one of the greatest joys we can ever know, and one of the reasons why there is a little extra sunshine, laughter and happiness in your world today.
-- Author Unknown

A daughter is a bundle of firsts that excite and delight, giggles that come from deep inside and are always contagious, everything wonderful and precious and your love for her knows no bounds.
-- Barbara Cage


The mystery is solved, we're having a little girl :) I can't explain why but I have such a warm feeling thinking about having a little girl. I would have loved having a boy as well, but, I've always seen myself as starting the family with a girl first. Even though my older sister and I always wanted a big brother until we realized since we already existed a big brother was impossible, therefore we decided the rest of our siblings should be girls. We got our wish too! (Sorry Dad!) Once again when we got in the room for the ultra sound we were so nervous and excited, the anticipation was killing us because we had to wait all day to find out. When we entered the room and I lay on the table, the technician asked if we had any preferences either way, and we could honestly say no. I'd been afraid that Baby would have the legs crossed and keep the gender a secret. Sure enough she did! So, the lady took measurements of all the things she needed to and all of a sudden Baby started kicking and punching :) And then the big reveal, She's a Girl! I was so thrilled and kind of shocked, I'd begun to adjust to the thought of having a boy, still terrified of the dangers that boys get into but, adjusting none the less. Dallas got this huge smile on his face and he said "Wow" that's it :) Wow. Ha ha, he was so happy because all along he's referred to the baby as "she" and "her". I think he's also a little nervous because like me and a boy, he doesn't have any experience with girls. He loves little girls, he thinks they're so sweet and innocent. He's always loved my little sisters too, he just thinks Abi can do no wrong :) I tell him stories that I remember of my little sisters and my Dad, how every night before bed time they'd climb into his lap and fall asleep cuddled against his chest. I can't wait to see him as a dad, he's so sweet and loving, he thinks he can be Mr. Stern but he already says "My girls" and puts his hand on m tummy even though I'm not really showing too much and we can't feel her kick yet. He's so in love with the little girl inside that I can already see I'm going to be in trouble when she's on the outside :) He talks about how kids need to cry it out to learn to sleep through the night and while I know eventually that point comes, I also know he will be saying "Please can we get her!? She's so sad!!" He can't handle Cotton crying in his kennel so imagine him trying to deny his little baby girl when she is crying at night :) Right, like that's gonna happen. I'm excited as well because now we can plan on definitely setting up the nursery a certain way. I can't wait this will make my MS worth it, but, my wallet is already feeling the squeeze for all the stuff we need just to get the bedroom set up not to mention all the other things that babies require for everything else. So, I'm going to be done for now, I'll keep ya'll updated as the nursery comes along :)


She will fill our lives with sunshine... And our hearts with love.
-- Author Unknown

Silent Unspeakable Memories

What greater thing is there for human souls than to feel that they are joined for life - to be with each other in silent unspeakable memories. ~George Eliot

The happiness of the domestic fireside is the first boon of Heaven; and it is well it is so, since it is that which is the lot of the mass of mankind. ~Thomas Jefferson, 1813


The funny thing about being pregnant is how often Dallas & I find ourselves wondering what our baby will look like and what Baby Keever will act like. We think back on our different experiences in childhood and laugh and (with his) shudder. Will Baby Keever be a quiet Baby or will she be a noisy talker? Will she respect authority like I did and be a good child or will she be defiant and take all the screws out of furniture when she's put in a separate room because the teacher had to take her out of class because she was heckling her at seven years old? Will she be happy and content to play outside with her drawing things and pretend dog or will she destroy our car with a baseball bat and booby trap our friends cars to pass the time? Will she accept her spankings when she's been bad or will she cut up all of her daddy's belts and hide them in her closet so she can avoid being spanked? Will she clean the fish tank since it's her chore for the week or will she break the fish tank... three times? Will she be a sweet good natured child or a wild crazy tormentor of the siblings to come yet secretly value them as best friends? All these examples are true real life examples of Dallas, yes, I do not exaggerate one bit. I shudder when I hear stories of my husbands childhood, he was so boyish and just I don't know how to put it into words. He says the things that he and his brother did as a boy just popped into their heads and they did it. No explanation. No reason. It was just something to do! God only knows what he would have been like had he not been saved when he was 15. Thinking about childhood is so funny to me, I remember how I just did not like Kara. I didn't care for her one bit, but, let anyone else pick on her they faced the wrath of Amber. Then sometime around my teenage years I really liked Kara. Now she's definitely one of m favourite people in the universe. The funny thing is as different as our childhoods were, now we're the same person. It's so crazy how often we're thinking the same thing at the same time. We will literally say the same sentence at the same time. It's funny how people grow up and become different people yet at the same time we're those people we were all those years ago. I still see that mean pesterer pop out every now and then and have to remind my husband he is just that and I'm not his little sister :) I'm still perfectly fine to stay with my drawing stuff and be home. I can't wait to meet Baby Keever and teach her all the things she should know and experience things for her first time along with her. To hear her belly laugh at something and watch her sleep peacefully on her proud daddy's chest, all the things that make life worth living and make life worth living. I love Dallas more than words could ever express. I wake up in the morning and watch him sleep and I still can't believe I got to marry him, I can't fathom how much we're both going to love our baby. It's so amazing and I can't wait to see Dallas as a Dad. Wow. Anyways we have a doctors appointment tomorrow so I don't know what's going to happen but, that's what up.



And thank you for a house full of people I love. Amen. ~Terri Guillemets

An Inestimable Blessing and Bother

If one feels the need of something grand, something infinite, something that makes one feel aware of God, one need not go far to find it. I think that I see something deeper, more infinite, more eternal than the ocean in the expression of the eyes of a little baby when it wakes in the morning and coos or laughs because it sees the sun shining on its cradle.
Vincent Van Gogh

A baby is an inestimable blessing and bother.
Mark Twain

So Dallas and I learned yesterday that we are *exactly 10 weeks along. It's amazing what is happening and you don't really know. It really stinks to be pregnant. I'd always wanted to be the cute little pregnant girl with perfect glowy clear skin and the tiny little belly that was only apparent from the side. Of course I knew these were high and very lofty goals reserved for the select few but a girl can dream right? Anyhow the ridiculousness that is morning sickness besieges me morning afternoon and evening so I really don't get why they call it morning sickness. I've only thrown up twice but I seem to feel nauseous all the time and that is something I've always hated with a passion. To top it off my clothes are getting pretty uncomfortable only around the waist and I'm freaking out about the fact that 7mo from now I'll be in agony getting the baby out and into the world. Then came yesterday. For about twenty minutes Dallas and I were watching our little miracle floating and swimming and kicking inside *MY stomach. It was surreal, I almost expected there to not be anything on the monitor but there Baby was. The look on Dallas's face was beyond words, he was so happy, excited, and proud all rolled into one nervous man. As I lay there holding his hand and watching that screen the loss of my lucky charm breakfast not even two hours prior faded away and the nausea disappeared. I was no longer nervous but rather felt happier than, well, prolly since the day I became Mrs. Amber Keever. It's such a terrifying prospect to me. That we will have the responsibility of raising a baby that will one day be a real person like us. The possibilities are endless for how a person can turn out. I know God brought me the perfect and only man for me and gave us this baby, he obviously trusts us to do whats right and raise this child for his honor and glory. I just pray we can raise a child worthy of Him. I know I really don't have too much to worry about because I have the Lord and His word to help guide me through the tough times, and a husband who couldn't be happier or more eager to please and ready to grow a child :) Dallas is so happy he doesn't even care if it's a boy or girl. I think he's secretly hoping for a little girl like me, but either way we're so elated to be having a baby no matter what the sex is. Anyways, I'll be posting again after the next appointment which is who knows when. They still need to call to schedule my next one. Super annoying! Until then I love you all and hope you're all doing well. Please keep us in your prayers :)


If nature had arranged that husbands and wives should have children alternatively, there would never be more than three in a family.
Lawrence Housman