with a little help

I don't know how many times in the last 10 days I've thought, "How do people do this without a TON of help???" Most days I feel like I'm struggling to function at a basic level... and my mom, dad, sisters and hubby make sure that I am fed nutritious meals and snacks (they also are nazis about drinking enough water!), clean the house, do all of the laundry (I sort of associate Burke with the smell of clean clothes now actually), take the Itsy when he's fussy, make me nap and remind me to take care of things like showering. Thank you Lord for so much help!!!

ingenuity

Remember how I mentioned my worry that little Burke isn't getting enough food/gaining enough weight? Since we don't have a baby scale at home, Adam rigged up our kitchen scale with a mixing bowl to do the trick. Hahaha!

PS- 6 pounds, 8 ounces... he's doing just fine. :)

in love part 2

We'd been forewarned about the crazy mess of emotions that would accompany the Itsy's arrival. In fact, over the last few weeks, several new dads have pulled Adam aside with words of caution- "Watch out for Kirst those first few days... her emotions will be a wreck!" And they were right. I have probably never felt such a swing of emotions as I have this week... love for the little guy that exceeds what I can describe, feelings of inadequacy and incompetence, worry that he's bonding with us and thriving and getting enough food (and I'm not generally a worrier at all!), thankfulness for the help and support of family and friends... it has been a roller coaster!

One surprise has been the effect this whole having a baby thing has had on my relationship with Adam. I knew that Adam would be a great dad and I knew that he was the perfect partner for me as we enter this next great adventure... I didn't know just how amazing he'd be. Watching him calm Burke down in the middle of the night, having my every need met before I can think to ask, seeing his love and affection for the Itsy, glancing out the window to see him working in the garden and just generally taking care of things around here, hearing his calming, encouraging words when I get overwhelmed... I don't know if I've ever been so in love.

in love

I am head over heels in love, absolutely enamored... and exhausted. :) I promise to post something more than just pictures once we get our bearings a little bit. Thanks for all your calls, emails, prayers, etc!

burke james is here!

Our little boy, Burke James Gentry arrived sunday morning at 7:31!! He was 6 lbs 14 oz. and 19 inches long. We are all doing well after a night of rest at the hospital. More details (and of course, more pictures!) to come. For now just join us in praising the Lord that Burke is here, healthy and enjoying love from grandparents, great grandparents and a very proud mama and dad!

baby g. bets?

We're about a week and a half out from my due date, so I thought I'd open the floor for predictions of when this teensy one is going to be born. What do you think? Also, do you think it's going to be a boy or a girl?

Winner of this pool gets to name the beebs... maybe. Ok, probably you'll just get bragging rights, but that's still fun too. :)

nesting?

sundresses, maternity, non-maternity, cardigans

You'd think that this couple weeks off before my due date would be full of reading, lemonade, naps, perhaps some lounging in this gorgeous May weather... But alas, my 6 categoried to-do list has me running around like crazy. Yesterday, I worked on Trish's invites, made a serious trip to Walgreens (ok, more like 3 serious trips to Walgreens when all was said and done... but I ended up with $100 of loot for $4.71- totally worth it!), put away all my winter maternity clothes (YEAH!), got out my summer clothes (well, some of them... the ones with numbers on the tag that were too low to be attainable for this summer stayed securely in their under-the-bed bin), and organized my closet by type and color.

If you know me well, you know that these little organizational tasks (yep, even the crazy closet arranging) delight my heart even in my non-pregnant state, so it might be nesting, or it might just be having some extra time on my hands. My laundry room HAS been a flurry of Dreft and onesies this week, though... I think that I've washed every single article of clothing in the Itsy Bitsy's closet. :)

And actually, I can't complain about the busyness... I'd much rather get this stuff finished up before the beebs arrives. If it all gets done, I have a stack of books that can accompany me on my chaise lounge. I'll keep you posted... :)

adam's dad's updates

Just to let you know- Adam's family is putting news and updates about Mark's treatment on a website: www.caringbridge.org/visit/markgentry. I'll post a link to this website on my sidebar in case you want to check in from time to time.

prayers for mark

I am one of those uniquely blessed people that actually love their in-laws. Adam's parents are fabulous- they love the Lord, are fun to hang out with, and only live an hour away so we get to see them fairly often.

So it absolutely devastates my heart to ask you to be praying for Adam's dad, who found out a couple weeks ago that his cancer (which has been in remission for 20+ years) has returned. These last two weeks have been a whirlwind for him- doctor's appointments, surgery, and more doctor's appointments. This week, he is meeting with the surgeon and the radiologist to determine the best course of action for his treatment.

Would y'all join us in praying for Mark? Specifically, would you be praying that the Lord would make clear the best treatment option (surgery or radiation or a combination of the two), that the Lord would give Mark (and Evette) peace and extra energy to take this on, that God's good would be evidenced over and over again in this really crappy situation and ultimately that this cancer would go into remission as well. Also, this is so small in comparison, but would you be praying for Adam? Between trying to finish the basement this week, dental school starting in a couple months, becoming a dad in a couple weeks and worrying about his own dad, he has alot on his plate...

from "mrs. g" to "mama"

our field trip to the zoo last week

I always sort of thought that the day I found out I was pregnant would be my "nine months notice" from the career world. But with our year-of-mixed-up-news ("YEAH- I'm pregnant," plus "HOORAY, you got into dental school"), I thought that my stay-at-home-mom plans might be on hold for awhile.

Despite some truly champion finagling, planning and figuring out a "best case scenario" plus some "second best case scenarios" (back to the control freak thing), all of the Plan B's for me to work part-time, or at least all of the Plan B's that didn't involve some major compromises that Adam and I aren't prepared to make, just would not work out. And so, as it stands right now, me and the Itsy will be at home full time next year. Getting to stay at home both delights my heart and terrifies me... but ready or not, I am trading in the somewhat-under-control domain of room 45 at Crawford Elementary for the uncharted territory of being a stay at home mama. My last day of work was Friday (praise the Lord for some time to whittle down the massive to-do list)... wish us luck! :)

good-bye flip house!

I know that I posted last week about what I've been learning in the midst of God's good. I mentioned in that post that I've been super stressed about the flip house lately...

In His graciousness, this week God decided to sell the flip house. Within the span of 8 days, we got an offer, the people got the house inspected, they signed all the paperwork, we got our furniture out and we will close this afternoon. It has been a whirlwind to say the least.

I am completely humbled and more thankful than I can say to have this off of our plates. Thank you for your prayers for my stress level and for your prayers for the little things that seem to occupy so much of my thought time and emotional wellbeing.

Praise Jesus!

happy birthday little bro!

My very favorite brother in the whole world is turning 24 today! I tried to gather together some pictures to showcase all the things I love about Aj... his sense of humor, his "carpe diem" attitude, his goofiness, his adventurous spirit. I also love watching Aji really seek out God's best for his life. I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for him. I love you, darlin! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!