First Day of Spring

I love spring.  I am not usually bothered by allergies, so spring is probably my favorite season (with Fall following closely behind.)  As I look outside my window, I see the wind blow and the green cloud of pollen go by the window.  We used to have a light blue van, now we have a neon green van.  haha!  For those of you out there who suffer from spring allergies, I am so sorry.  It has to be really bad for you right now.

Since it is the first day of spring, Rita's Italian Ice had a special today.  You could go in and get a regular size Italian Ice for free!!!  I was so excited because they have really good Italian Ice.  A friend of mine came up from Wake Forest to go with me.  We went up to the nearest one and unfortunately, that particular Rita's has closed down...never to be open again.  Sad Day!  The next closest one was around 15 minutes away, so we decided on getting a milkshake from Chick-fil-a instead, which was super yummy.  Maybe I can talk Eric into taking me to the other Rita's tonight!!!  I am sad that our Rita's has closed but that's ok. 

Earlier today, I decided it would be fun to listen to Penelope's heartbeat.  I have a heartbeat doppler thing that a friend let me borrow to use to listen to her heartbeat.  I am very specific as to when I use it.  I didn't use it until Penelope was big enough for me to feel her moving all the time in case I wasn't able to find the heart beat, I would know she was ok by her movement.  It is super fun and sweet to hear her little heartbeat.  Today, she must not have wanted me to listen because I would get it and then she would move, or kick the doppler wand, etc.  It was entertaining.  Maybe she was trying to sleep.  Here is a picture of Penelope and me at 29 (almost 30) weeks:

For a little comparison, here is a picture of when I was pregnant with Savannah at 29 weeks.

  

Penelope has the hiccups often.  (She even has them right now as I type this blog post.)  I love how God designed pregnancy.  The fact that you can feel the baby moving around, feel hiccups, listen to the heartbeat, etc just gives you a closeness to your baby before they are even born.  

Please continue to pray for Penelope that she will continue to be healthy and that our hearts will not be anxious.  I find myself being anxious sometimes.  I love Penelope so much, and I want to watch her grow up.  My hope cannot be in that.  My hope is in the Lord who is sovereign and a loving God.  I have to trust the Lord and His plans.  A verse or verses that encouraged me so much after Savannah died and has encouraged me with my pregnancy with Penelope is this:

Psalm 139:13-16

For you formed my inward parts;

you knitted me together in my mother's womb.

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Wonderful are your works;

my soul knows it very well.

My frame was not hidden from you,

when I was being made in secret,

intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes saw my unformed substance;

in your book were written, every one of them,

the days that were formed for me,

when as yet there was none of them.

What a comfort to read and think about when I think about Savannah's life.  God made her perfect!  He made her exactly how He wanted her to be.  He knew every single day of her life and how many of them were to be.  He knows the same for Penelope.  My prayer is that I see her grow up, get married, have kids, etc.  I know that God is forming her inside my womb and knows all her days already.  God will give me grace for the days ahead.  When she is up all night crying, God will give me grace.  When she has her first fever, God will give me grace then too.  The good thing is, He will give me grace when I need it.  I don't have to store it up today for another day that I might need it.  He is here with me now and will be with me then.

Last thing before I go.  Here are a few pictures of Savvy G.  I miss her so much.  I love to look at pictures of her!!!  Hope you enjoy.

 A good picture of her chubby cheeks, a.k.a fat jaws.

 This picture is a little blurry.  They toy on the table was her favorite toy.  It is part of the Fisher Price Little People series.  She loved holding the figurines.  Even when we were at her best friend's house, she would dig through the toy box and find the little people figurines. 

 Anytime there was a chair open, she was in it.  Anytime I see an open "kid" chair, I think of Savannah.

 Her hair was finally long enough to put in a pony tail.  So cute!!!

At the beach a few weeks before she went to be with Jesus.  She loved the beach.  She was just learning how to walk.  She would walk on the beach and laugh so hard.  She also liked playing with her toys in the sand. 

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope."  Romans 15:13