The time has come

I’ve been nervous to do this. To get back on this horse I never knew how to ride in the first place. I’ve been nervous because my last post was my 20 week pregnancy update. Our daughter was born on August 8th, 2017. She was born 7 weeks early due to me developing preeclampsia in my 33 week of carrying her. Evelyn is fine. She’s more than fine. She’s a fighter. She’s stubborn. She’s beautiful. She’s everything magical. She spent 29 days in the NICU. 29 days of not wanting to learn to eat. 29 days of pure exhaustion and humility. 29 days of fully holding on to the hope that God has stored away in my heart... Like I said. She’s great and there should be no reason for me to be nervous to be writing. And yet I feel like I’ve lost so much of myself when I became a mom. I know a lot of women suffer from this same loss. I look back and wonder how I can find the Aubrie I once knew. The Aubrie that didn’t suffer from PTSD or extreme anxiety. The Aubrie that wasn’t controlled by her moods swings. I lost her somewhere along the way. But I bet if I went up to Akron Children’s I could see her sitting in the parking garage staring out her car window wondering when the weight of the world would fall off her shoulders. But what, or who, I always seem to over look is the kind, gentle soul sitting beside me. Telling me it’s alright. His hand on my shoulder. He’s desperately trying to lean in and talk to me. Trying to whisper in my ear that He has things under control. To trust. So I do. Every day is a battle. Every day is a battle. I’ll say it again for the people in the back. Every day is a battle. Every day is a battle to trust in the Lord. To be led by the Holy Spirit and to give myself to Him daily. I think this is such a challenge because I want to do everything for E. To be her all. I have always wanted to be a mom. It has felt like my calling ever since I knew children came from women. So to have the things that happened during the last week of pregnancy and then the 29 days to follow felt like a joke. A cruel joke. To wonder if/when she would come home. To know we shouldn’t try to have another baby. But that isn’t God talking! Daily I have to change my tone of voice and praise Him from whom all blessings flow. E is our greatest gift. And she is His. Not mine. Not Austin’s. She is God’s.

You know, I didn’t want this to be another Christian blog. I never sought out for it to be that way. I’ve always wanted it to be a place where I can put my thoughts. But it is a Christian blog. And within its virtual pages you will see how He has changed so many things! I’m not sure how often I’ll write but today I needed to get that off my chest. If you made it through that, thank you. Please be patient with me. I have a lot to grow through during this, still, difficult time postpartum.

Love always,

Aubrie

Baby Bigs 20 Week Update

Today marks 20 weeks of pregnancy! Man oh man has the time gone by fast! It feels like just yesterday I was texting my sister and 2 best friends to see if they saw the second line on the pregnancy test or if I was loosing my mind. You see, we weren't sure if I could get pregnant. A month after we got married I had a small surgery to see why my ovaries were giving me such bad issues for nearly a year. The surgeon found endometriosis and removed a sac that was hanging from the back side of my uterus. Strange. So strange this body of mine. Fibromyaglia. Now Endometriosis. It's crazy to think that I could possibly not be carry this child. It's amazing to think that the Lord has given me this incredible gift. It still brings me to tears to think about it.

So now we're 20 weeks along and I'm getting up 2-3 times a night to use the restroom and having to share my queen size bed not only with my husband but with a body pillow as well. But we are making it. We are making it through these crazy times. We are learning to share with each other. How to lean on one another. And most importantly how to lean on Christ through it all.

God is good and He will remain good. There is nothing I can do to change that.

xoxo,
aubrie

Weekend Run Down

Friday I woke up feeling absolutely terrible from my fibro. I had to call in to work and ask if I could come in later. I knew sleeping would help ease some of the pain I was feeling. I'm still not feeling amazing though. My sciatica is badly pinched on my left side which causes everything to be off balance for me. This week I'm going to attempt to find a chiropractor that has prenatal experience and that doesn't cost too much (wish me luck).

Friday evening we had a wedding to attend. It was fun to get out and celebrate our friends. The last wedding we "attended" was our wedding so it was a great reminder as to why we are together. Not to make each other happy, but to make each other holy. To constantly push each other towards Christ and to be shaped into His image.

Saturday I tried to sleep in after Austin left for work but baby Bigs wouldn't have it so I called my parents and met them for breakfast. After that I ran a view errands, came back to the house, and cleaned. This Saturday it was 40 degrees out so when I finished my tidying I laid on the couch and read Fierce Women by Kimberly Wagner. Even after Austin got home we were still lazy and didn't do much, aka my favorite kind of day.

Today we woke up to drink coffee together then got ready for church. The sermon today was on loving sincerely and like Christ. To be honest, I almost fell asleep because the windows were open and there was a slight breeze coming through... After church we got lunch and picked up some groceries. I did end up falling asleep before we ended our day with eating dinner with my parents.

Although I thought this weekend wasn't very busy, looking back at it I'm staying to think differently! However, it's always a joy to spend time with the ones I love most. I hope you were able to do the same.

xoxo,
aubrie

18 weeks along

Today marks my 18th week in my pregnancy. Time is flying by. I can't believe that I'm almost half way through my pregnancy! Luckily I've had a fairly easy time. Even in my first trimester I only had morning sickness right before bed. I know that I am extremely blessed to have such low key symptoms. When I found I was pregnant I was preparing myself for the worst... I was terrified (I still am) that my fibromyalgia would flare something fierce and that I would be miserable for the next 9 months. I am forever grateful that this hasn't happened! I'm grateful that my nausea was only in the evening when I was at home and in private. I can't imagine getting sick at work and having to push through that. I admire women who do have to live through that. I admire the women who are sick the whole 9 months! You are the real champions!

My aunt got me a really cool scrap book from Blink Box Collection that I have been using (pictured above). This weeks card asks: "things I miss most before the belly:" instantly I think SKINNY JEANS! I'm glad summer is coming and I no longer have to wear boots with every outfit because my skinny jeans haven't fit since about week 10! Ha! I think something else I miss is sleeping on my stomach or on my back. Now I do still slip this sometimes at night. There's just something comforting about sleeping on my stomach that I can't quite give up yet.

That's all I have tonight so I'll wrap this post up with a bump picture. I hope you have a wonderful day or night!

XOXO,
Aubrie

Changes

Dang, have I really not written anything since last summer? How is that even possible? Well my friends... A lot has changed...

-I married my best friend, Austin
-We regularly attend an amazing church
-We live in the cutest duplex ever
-Polo is still around and being a cute pup
-I've been working at my job for almost 3 years

And last but not least, we are pregnant!

You know, I doubt anyone will really be reading this blog post but I feel the need to write and to share. I can't believe I've slacked this much lately. My heart aches to write but I have no idea what to say anymore... I'm afraid to lose that part of me. The part that knows what to say and how to write what I want to say. The part that that knows how to be honest and to share. I don't want my life to be at a stand still. I feel like I do the exact same thing every single day. Maybe I'll start doing weekly pregnancy updates and see how that goes! I want to get back into this but I'm not sure how.

XOXO,
Aubrie

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