Amy Scott's Thoughts

Sharing the thoughts that bounce around in my brain!

Halfway There! May 26, 2013

Filed under: Parenthood — Amy Scott @ 2:08 pm
At 20 weeks our baby is the size of a banana or so I have been informed by baby websites!

At 20 weeks our baby is the size of a banana or so I have been informed by baby websites!

I’ve officially reached the halfway point in my pregnancy. The first twenty weeks have been interesting and part of me really hopes the next twenty just fly right by. The funny thing is I’ve been thinking/talking lot about being halfway there lately which has meant “Living on a Prayer” by Bon Jovi has been massively stuck in my head. Not all the lyrics apply, but the chorus is right up my alley – “Halfway there, living on a prayer” (Don’t forget to sing the Whooahs in your head or out loud as you read that). Hehe! This song came out the year I was born and although I don’t remember it being released, pop culture has certainly done it’s job to make this song an 80’s hit I know. Soo.. anyway, I’m halfway there! Living on a prayer!

Apart from this major milestone, Jeremy and I also added registering for baby stuff onto our list of firsts this week. Can I just tell you how grateful I am that I have a husband who doesn’t stress all that often! He really balanced me out during this process. I really didn’t expect registering to be so stressful or tiring, but wow, it’s took a lot out of me. As would be expected, I did a ton of research before we went. I thought I had done my homework, but once I got into the store, it was hard to know what items were better than others. Babies’R’Us gives you this HUGE list of stuff to register for that Jeremy and I are sure is just a ploy to make more money for them. Some of the items on the list sounded the same or sounded so vague we had no idea what they were. Registering for baby stuff made me feel dumb. It was a whole new world and I had no clue what I was doing. My mind automatically assumes that if we don’t register for the right stuff then we’ll fail as parents…. No clue why I think that this “stuff” is so important… Probably because I tie them to the safety and general well-being of my child. Oh well! I’m sure our kid will survive even we missed something on the registry.

It was mind boggling to me as we registered just how much all of these items would cost if all purchased by us. Oh my! Kids aren’t cheap! Yikes! Suddenly I wholeheartedly appreciate baby showers a lot more! While I am excited to decorate and prepare for this little one, I was overwhelmed by how much stuff they suggested you have. Where am I going to store all this stuff? I’m pretty sure it’s going to look a baby bomb went off in my house. I don’t remember baby items being so big either until I envisioned them in my own space!

Like I said before, my hubby was super helpful in this process. He reminded me that the kid will survive if we don’t have everything on the “list”. Jeremy was also great at picking things when I was torn between items and clueless as to what direction to go. At Babies’R’Us, the lady that helped us finish and finalize told me it looked like we were having a lot of fun while we registered – that fact is largely thanks to my hubby who can lighten any mood. After our first registry attempt, Jeremy and I went out to dinner to regroup and re-energize. Target was our next stop and it was a bit tricky there as well. The registry system wasn’t working right so Jeremy and I got to know many employees well as we tried to make this registry become a reality. After 45 minutes of trying this and that, we were able to make it happen! There was much celebrating! Because we had done all the hard thinking at the store before, we breezed through Target because we knew what was wanted. It was much faster and much easier on my brain. 

The adventures continue on in this new journey. Tomorrow will be the next adventure as I go clothes shopping – something I have not enjoyed since January. I need summer clothes, especially before our vacation next month, but I’m not looking forward to having to shop at new stores and in a new section. Yay for expanding! Okay, not so much. At least I’m technically on the down hill slope now, right? Halfway there!

 

Learning in Layers May 22, 2013

Filed under: One Thousand Gifts Challenge,Recollections,Women in Ministry — Amy Scott @ 10:43 am

I’ve been mulling this post over in mind for a few weeks. I’m finding that as I contemplate about the future, I also have this strong desire to look back and see where the Lord has led me. It’s so evident that his hand has been on my life. Especially, the last year and a half. I had no clue the growth that would take place in my life over the last year, but God has been faithful. I didn’t learn all these lessons at once. Just like layers, God has been removing things from my heart that shouldn’t be there and replacing them with His truth. Most of these lessons I knew in theory, but they were head knowledge, not heart knowledge. I’m finding the best lessons are learned through life experience and often by walking down hard roads. The good news is that the hard roads lead to great places.

A year and a half ago, I was bitter and displeased. I had this restlessness and a desire for more. I wanted everything I didn’t need and it made me unhappy because the things I wanted weren’t panning out. I’m so thankful for the intervention I received because I see now what a slippery slope I was on. My friend and mentor, Pastor Vicki Judd, gave me a book called One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. I know I’ve written about this book many times here and you all are probably sick of how much I love this book. However, it’s impossible not to be grateful for the life change this book brought in my life. It took me back to seeing the small things. It brought me to a place of thankfulness, gratitude and contentment. I was so discontent in this season and this book was like medicine that I desperately needed. As a result of this book, I have kept extensive gratitude journals. When I’m tempted to let myself go down that road of discontentment, I am reminded of all the blessings the Lord daily pours into my life. Simple things like having dishes to unload from a dishwasher or having a bed to make or having friends to pray with or a family who loves me comes back to the forefront of my mind and puts me at ease.

At our annual church ladies retreat in April of 2012, we did some assessments to show us our spiritual gifts and our natural personality bents. The purpose to was empower women to serve where they love and to embrace the way God made them.  As an introvert in ministry, I’ve always felt a bit misunderstood, so this was a great exercise to explain to people who I am and how I function. The spiritual gifts assessment really did confirm my love for teaching and investing in people. If I’m doing these things in some capacity, I am doing what God made me to do. The exercise that I was deeply impacted by was when our leader gave us a list with hundreds of words on it. I love words and so the act of cutting down this list into seven core words was quite the challenge for me. However, it was worth the effort and I can see myself in my seven words – acceptance, compassion, courage, encouragement, integrity,  joy and vision. I have these words, as well as my spiritual gifts, as the desktop of my laptop (for about a year now). When I pull my computer up, it’s a reminder. Interesting situation, lately I’ve read a book called The Synergist and one of the categories of leaders in this book is a Visionary. According the books standards, I am not a visionary. However, when it comes to my personal life and my ministry, I value vision. I value having a direction and seeking the Lord for what he is doing. I don’t get swayed very often from my vision – once it’s set, I am working for the goal.  I was feeling kind of a poor about my lack of being a visionary after recently reading this book and re-looking at my lists has just reminded me that I have vision where it counts in my life. That makes me happy.

After this assessment, I felt pretty good about the journey the Lord has taken me on. I was just brimming with excitement for the “big” things I thought God was preparing me for. Oh my, I didn’t realize the next lesson was going to be so hard. After totally affirming who I am, God taught me humility.  Humility was hard and painful. I learned that I  have a lot of pride. I have a lot of big thoughts and big dreams and instead of looking at what was right in front of me, I was always looking to what was next, what I wanted to see happen. Humility taught me a lot about letting go. I learned that I can’t make doors open and I learned that some things aren’t meant to be, at least not in my timing. I had to let go of my expectations for myself. I had to let go of how I taught I was being perceived and just trust God. No more struggling to have my own way. Humility taught me a lot about acceptance. If I was doing what God called me do, it didn’t matter what people thought or what I thought about myself. Humility was the hardest lesson to learn because I learned it by hitting a brick wall. But God was good and he walked me through that season and I am grateful for the change that came in my life.

So now I look forward to a new season. I look forward to raising a family and entering into a different time of ministry. I can see how the Lord has prepared me over this last year to be at this point. I have learned that only person I really need to accept me is God. Even at this year’s ladies retreat, I was reminded that I only need to be defined by God. My life is more than titles and roles. I am more than what I can offer people. I’ve learned the joy of contentment. I have learned that going lower isn’t a horrible punishment. With humility comes freedom. I am free in a lot ways that I never have been. True, it’s easy to pick up those old ways of doing things and those old mindsets, but I am fighting to keep these lessons alive within me. They were worth the time and tears. I’m positive they have set me up for this next season and that they will be a source of strength in my future. God has been faithful to teach me these lessons in layers. Each one adds new depth to my life. I can only imagine what will be next. What an exciting journey!

 

The Class of 2013 May 20, 2013

Filed under: Children's Ministry,Recollections — Amy Scott @ 4:51 pm

My fridge is filling up with a collection of graduation announcements. It’s hard to believe this season is upon us already. However, more than any other year, this class of 2013 is special to me. My very first children’s class that I taught at Bethel Church are  now this  graduating class of seniors. At the time they were 4th graders about to enter their 5th grade year. I had no clue if I was going to like Children’s Ministry and this class of girls made me fall in LOVE with it! It’s been a blessing to watch them grow into the lovely young ladies they are today. It’s amazing to see how much potential they have and I am excited for how God is going to direct their steps in the future. The biggest blessing for me is that I’ve been allowed to be along for the ride. I have remained close to many in this class and it’s been a joy to watch them grow spiritually over the years. They are an exceptionally class! Apart from my own graduating class of 2004, this class of 2013 might be my favorite class. They have shaped my life in so many ways. I’m blessed to have been a part of their lives for this season. I’m praying God’s blessing on them as they head out into the world and spread their wings to fly. There are some serious world-changers in this bunch. I can’t wait to see what is next for them! Congratulations to the class of 2013! You did it!

Lake Day 2005

Lake Day 2005

Last Class for the Summer 2005

Last Class for the Summer 2005

This young lady has been my co-teacher for the last three years in my current class of 5th/6th Grade Girls!

This young lady has been my co-teacher for the last three years in my current class of 5th/6th Grade Girls!

Christmas 2005

Christmas 2005

 

Spring To Do List – DONE! May 18, 2013

Filed under: Home Improvement,Parenthood — Amy Scott @ 5:13 pm
Before

Before

On March 20th, the official 1st day of spring, I sat down with my laptop and made a list. It was a list of projects that I wanted to do around the house. The list included items like rearranging furniture, selling furniture, reorganizing closets, creating under the bed storage, etc. It was a pretty good list. I knew that I would have to get my hubby on board because I can’t really move furniture or sell it without his help. I shared my list with him and he was gracious enough to join my quest.

The first project came in the form of reorganizing our closets. The back guestroom has really been my domain to store my stuff. While I have slowly purged over the years I still had craft supplies, wrapping supplies and all my photos in that closet. This lead to us The Container Store to find the right sized under the bed storage. It was very exciting to get that closet cleared! The first step! After that I went through our closets and consolidated a lot of our stuff. I also got rid of a ton of college homework that I’ve been storing, but haven’t look at in many years. I kept all the important papers and most of my assignments are saved to my computer, so it felt good to finally lessen the paper load around here.

After

After

My hubby very kindly moved my bookshelf into our bedroom. He has also been helping me meet up with potential buyers on Craig’s List to sell the furniture in our guestroom.  Thursday night we sold the last of our items and now the space is completely cleared! I was super jazzed because our very wide computer desk sold. Now I’m able to get a slimmer desk that will accommodate more space in our office. I love creating space! The funny thing is that we’re without a desk for about a week while we wait for the other to be shipped to us. When in need, card tables work great! Okay, not really, but it’s keeping our stuff off the floor.

Which leads me to our final to-do list item! With all the furniture cleared out, I wanted to steam clean the floors before we put new furniture over those spots. Today was spent doing just that! Now the floors are cleaned and we’re ready for the next phase. I told myself I wanted these “clearing” projects finished by the time we left for Hawaii next month. After Hawaii, we’ll focus on refilling the areas that we cleared. I’m content with a job well done and completed. I know that making the back bedroom into a nursery will be lots of fun, but that is a summer project, so right now I’m happily going to enjoy the fact that my Spring To Do List was conquered! Hurray!

 

 

Moving Forward, Moving Backward May 16, 2013

Filed under: Parenthood,Women in Ministry — Amy Scott @ 1:16 pm

There are different seasons in life. Some seasons for moving forward and some for taking steps backward. Realistically all of life is forward motion – but your direction can change. I’m reading a book by lady who used to be a pastor’s wife at our church. She’s gone on to great things. She’s no longer a pastor’s wife and no longer defined solely by her husband’s ministry. I admire the steps of courage she’s taken and where the Lord has led. Her story is incredible and inspiring.

I think as a twenty-somethings, I came into ministry expecting to change the world. I wanted flashy titles and recognition. I wanted to make something of myself and prove to the world that women can really do anything that men do. Now, no flashy titles every happened, but I do feel like I have a made headway in advocating for women in ministry. It might not be on a national level, but in my own way, through conversations and following where the Lord has led me. Ministry can be an addicting lifestyle. It’s not a 9am-5pm job. It’s living in community with a group of people who you love and who will frustrate you and even break your heart. It’s major events and many weekly commitments… oh, and office hours. It has been easy for this one building to become the center of my life.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately – how much my life revolves around my church. Do I really want a building to be the center of my life? I am reminded though that this building represents families that I care about and it represents the call of God on my life. I don’t hang out there because it’s cool and it makes me feel important, I spend time there because I love Jesus and I want to serve his people. There is a big difference between living for Jesus and living for the church calendar.

It’s been an interesting season for me as I ponder a lot about “what next year will look like…” Will I still be able to do this? Will I still attend that? I realize in a lot of ways that I can’t keep serving in the same capacity I am now and enter into the parenthood stage of life. Something has to give. It’s hard to evaluate where I will step back from ministry because I love it and I deeply value the work I do. However, I also deeply value raising children who will know the Lord and will serve Jesus with their whole life. My ministry thus far has been to kids – other people’s kids. Now it’s time to process how I will serve my own kids, how I will lead them and how I will shape them.

I’m excited to move forward into a new season of life. I am excited for a new adventure. I know that raising a family will require a lot of me and maybe my new center will be my home and not the church. I believe serving my family is just as important as serving my community of believers. It seems less glamorous to give up the career stuff and do the family thing, but ultimately I believe that it’s a step in the right direction. I also believe that pulling back for one season doesn’t disqualify me from racing ahead in other seasons. The pastor’s wife I mentioned earlier didn’t jump into these major leadership roles until she had finished raising her family. She put her family first and that didn’t mean that she was disqualified from major influence and major leadership experiences. Different seasons for different stages of life.

Now this isn’t a blog to say that I’m quitting my job to become a full-time stay at home mom – I know my mother-in-law/supervisor at work reads this blog, so don’t misunderstand me. I’m just contemplating how things will be different. My direction in life is about to change. It’s exciting and scary all at the same time. As much as I try to wrap my head around all the changes, I know that it will still be surprising and a walk of faith. I might not know what next year looks like, but I do know that for this upcoming season, my path is changing. I’m thinking more of home. I thought letting go would be harder, but I find that I’m ready for this next chapter. I will try not to figure it all out now and I will try not to stress about questions for which there are no answers. For now, I will contemplate what it looks like to move backward and move forward – all at the same time.

 

Sugar Rush May 15, 2013

Filed under: Cooking Experiments — Amy Scott @ 1:16 pm

It’s been quite the Wednesday so far! I flew through my productive morning. I love these days because it’s just me, Jesus and the dog hanging out and spending time together. Yesterday my hubby came down with a very unknown allergic reaction. The poor guy had a rough day. I got up this morning and started to deep clean the house and do all the household laundry. We have no clue what caused this reaction, but I figured cleaning never hurt.  Once the house was in good shape, I moved on to my next project – baking my class snack! I decided on cupcakes and went to work. After the cupcakes were in the oven, I decided to make my hubby a special treat since it’s been such a weird week for him. Usually he gets the leftovers from my class snack, but he doesn’t often get goodies that I make just for him. He had mentioned wanting Rice Krispie treats last week and I had picked up marshmallows for them yesterday. While my cupcakes baked, I made my hubby a batch of Rice Krispie treats that he doesn’t have to share! I sent him a text with a picture of the pan and I got a very excited response back! In fact, the treats are already missing a chunk out of the pan since he came home for lunch today.  Once the Rice Krispie treats were in the fridge, I focused on frosting the cupcakes. These cupcakes are nothing special – just chocolate with vanilla frosting. I added some sprinkles for a little extra pizzazz. It’s no one’s birthday tonight, but cupcakes are a good snack for any reason in my book – just because! With all this sugar around the house, I’ll have to make sure I share the cupcakes at church. No need to bring home extras when I have goodies in my fridge too! What a sugar rush!

This week's sweet treat!

This week’s sweet treat!

 

Feeling Dusty & Mother’s Day May 13, 2013

Filed under: Family Time,Parenthood — Amy Scott @ 2:16 pm

You can tell when my life gets crazy because I don’t have time to write. I really don’t feel like myself if I’m not writing. I miss it! Last week was a busy week coming off of a busy weekend. It’s just how things fell, but I need to be intentional about having quiet weeks if I crazy weekends or quiet weekends if I have crazy weeks.  I want to start off by saying that I love everyone that I saw last week and I value them deeply. My issues are not with the people. I just overbooked and this little introverted needed rest. The downside to overbooking is the toll it takes on my mental health. It might have been the pregnancy hormones kicking into high gear, but I felt panicky all week. Finally, I made the call that before going into another busy weekend, I needed a down day to rest. This meant that I had to say no to some activities with people I love, but I knew that I would be not in a good place if I didn’t rest. I’m glad I made that call. Friday was just what I needed. I got to spend time with my hubby and we went out to brunch together. Our schedules had been opposite much of the week, so it was good to see him and spend time with him. I was able to take a nap and a bubble bath and watch a movie. It was a good day.

On Sunday, we sang a song in church called “Beautiful Things” by Gungor. It’s a good song, but I felt for a long time that it was overplayed. Especially when my hubby would play it on repeat in the car. However, this Sunday I was pretty weary just coming off of the emotions of the week. When I get emotional, I tend to not like the person I become. I am faced with my own struggles and weakness. I’m faced with the fact that I can’t keep it all together all the time. I’ve felt less than beautiful this week – especially on the inside.  Come Sunday, I was tired. All my activities had been good and with people I love, but I was just a little run down. As this song played there is a line that is repeated often about “making beautiful things out of the dust.” I’ve felt a little dusty this week. I wasn’t at my best. I was reminded by this song that there is still hope for me even in my most human of moments. God can make beautiful things out of my dust. It’s so reassuring to know that I’m not stuck in this place forever. God can make a garden out of my mess. I’m not much of a cry-during-worship-type person, but I was about to lose it! Oh emotions! Regardless of the ups and downs that I feel, God reminded me that he take whatever I offer him and make it into something beautiful. It was exactly what I needed to hear.

Happy Mother's Day to Me! Thank you, Jeremy!

Happy Mother’s Day to Me! Thank you, Jeremy!

This weekend was a family weekend spent celebrating a birthday and Mother’s Day. Mother’s Day was an interesting day for me. Jeremy and I had said originally that we weren’t going to celebrate Mother’s Day or Father’s Day this year. I have yet to change a diaper or rock a screaming child late into the night. It was kind of 50/50 to me. Yes, I am well aware that there is a baby growing inside of me, but it still felt weird like taking credit for something I haven’t done yet. I got SO many “Happy Mother’s Day” wishes and TONS of ladies telling me that this year counted that I eventually stopped telling people that I wasn’t really celebrating the day personally. However, my hubby had other plans! He got me a bouquet of tulips, one of my favorite flowers, and a gift card so I can buy books. He knows me well! It was very sweet of him and very much a surprise! I’m glad though that he did get me something because I’ve had plans in the work for him with Father’s Day. Now I know it won’t make him feel bad because everything will be equal! Our Mother’s Day was spent visiting both our moms and enjoying family time.  It’s nice that our families live close enough that we can spend time with both on the holidays. Jeremy and I are so thankful for our moms and how they helped shape us into the people we are today. I’m sure in the coming years we will appreciate them even more as we gain a parent’s perspective on life.

So overall, lots of lessons learned this week and lots of good family time. I’ve learned that overloading my calender is bad. I learned that’s important to say when you need a break  because it does pay off. I also want to thank all the people that I did see and hang out with last week. Thank for loving me where I am at! Thank you for listening to me and praying for me. I am blessed that even when I go crazy that I have people in my life who love me through it no matter what! I am blessed!

 

 

Good-Bye White Sox May 8, 2013

Filed under: Recollections,Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 4:14 pm
White Sox had many nicknames like Fat Cat and Tubba Bubba! In his prime he was a large fellow!

White Sox had many nicknames like Fat Cat and Tubba Bubba! In his prime he was a large fellow!

The summer before my 4th grade year a stray cat wandered into our neighborhood. He hung around our house and I remember begging my parents to let us keep him! I remember laying in the grass in the backyard praying that he could be ours.  My parents agreed and White Sox became a member of the Vitzthum family. He was already 5-6 years old when we got him the vet told us. He wasn’t a kitten, but he was cute with adorable white paws – thus the name. Very creative, I know!

White Sox is a cat who had more than 9 lives. When our flooded in Woodland, he was trapped in our garage. He broke his leg and had to wear a cast that he hated. He ate rat poisoning once and we thought he was going to die. One year my mom picked me up from Summer Camp and told me she had good news and bad news. The bad news was that she hit White Sox with the car. The good news is he survived. The one downside was he lost his tail in that accident, so he become a bobcat. He has been a part of 3 Vitzthum moves and has been in our family for almost 18 years! It’s hard to believe!

Sleeping on the deck!

Sleeping on the deck!

Today White Sox is gone… After many years of spunk, it was his time to go. It’s better this way, but it’s still hard to say good-bye. I told Jeremy the news and he told me that I have no childhood pets left. It’s true. They are all gone now. The dogs weren’t really mine, but I felt a bit of ownership in White Sox. I had prayed for him to stay in our family. I have a memory of when I had a sinus infection in middle school. I was in such a bad mood that my mom left White Sox into the house (he was always an outdoor cat) and he wandered around my bedroom to cheer me up. He was a great cat and his presence will be missed from our family. Sad day for Amy and my family!

I want to send a special shout out to my mom who took such great care of White Sox until the end! She has the hard job of being one to accompany pets to the vet and stay with them in their last minutes. I know this isn’t easy for her and I am so thankful for the love she shows our pets who are truly family members! She is a brave woman and I know that this is a hard day for all of us, especially her! And a special thanks for my dad for filling some gaps in my photos! These picture are from him and his collection since I lost some photos in a computer transfer a few years ago. Now I’ll have some pictures to carry on the memory.

 

Say No to Multi-Tasking! May 7, 2013

Filed under: Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 8:24 pm

They say that it’s impossible to multi-task. The human brain simply cannot do it. You can only think about one thing at a time. When you think you are multi-tasking, you are really doing one thing, pausing to do another and then moving back to your original task or train of thought. You can’t do two things at once.

In my head I believe this. It makes sense. However, in a world that values “multi-tasking”, I pretend that I am an excellent multi-tasker. I’m top notch really… if they gave out trophies for such a task, I would have a shelf full… Hmm… NOT! I’m not buying it either. I would love to say that I am multi-tasker. I would love to say that I am able to the handle the load of many things all at one time. But today, I proved myself wrong. I hate it when that happens.

I came home after a super productive day at work with a to-do list in mind for my evening. I have only one “quiet” day this week and I’m trying to disperse my weekly to-do list over many days, so my quiet day doesn’t just become a giant list of projects. This meant that even though I was tired and probably should have been resting, I had things to tackle tonight. If I tackled them now, I wouldn’t have to worry about them later. Seemed smart in a way.

I don’t know about your life, but mine can get complex sometimes. I had a lot on my mind tonight. I was in deep processing mode. I decided to verbally process with my husband while I worked on my task list. Can you see where this is going? I learned the hard way that I can’t deep think and do tasks at the same time – something suffers… I made a stupid mistake while rushing through my to-do list and verbally processing. My husband informed that it’s more than okay. But I’m supposed to be super human, right? I’m supposed to handle things. I’m supposed to get things done and get them done right. Ugh. Today I failed at that and it might not be a big deal, but I think I proved the scientists right. Multi-tasking really is impossible.

You can do one thing or you can do another. You can’t do both at the same time. Lesson learned.

 

Pink or Blue? We’re having a… May 3, 2013

Filed under: Parenthood — Amy Scott @ 9:04 pm
Baby Scott @ 16 weeks, 6 days

Baby Scott @ 16 weeks, 6 days

We had a doctor’s appointment today. Normally we wouldn’t find out the sex of the baby until our next appointment which is the anatomy ultrasound with the technician. However, our doctor agreed to give us a sneak peek since we were far enough along. At first the baby’s legs were crossed which the doctor thought was cute, but made me think that we weren’t getting any news today. Honestly, I had to told myself not to get my hopes up. Things might have been unclear and we could have walked out of that room with no hint. Since Baby Scott seems to be an active little one, we eventually did get a view.

It's a boy!

It’s a boy!

We’re having a BOY!!! I thought we were having a boy from the beginning. Yes, I would have been excited if it was a girl. I get girls. I’ve built my ministry around girls and being a girl, I have a slight clue to how they are wired, but boys… Oh boys… I don’t understand them! I guess it’s time to learn! The doctor told us to keep the tags on anything blue we went out to purchase for the next month. She really wants to confirm things next time, but we all agreed that we could see the “parts” and she explained to us how she came to her conclusion. I’m fairly positive we’re having a boy. It’s hard to disagree with the photos. I won’t buy anything until after the next appointment, but at least I have some time to wrap my mind around a boy! A BOY!

Since we’ve really lacked in creativity up until this point with sharing our news, we decided to have our local, immediate family over for dinner. We did give them the heads up that we might have nothing to share. But if we had news we wanted to tell them in person instead of a phone call or text. We contemplated doing doing a “gender reveal” cake or something of that nature, but I didn’t want to be rushed when we got home to make something cute. We thought about keeping the news even a secret from us and giving a baker a seal envelope. However, going through a bakery would mean waiting even longer to find out ourselves and waiting even longer to tell people. I’m glad now that I found out before the rest of my family instead of at the same time. It allowed me time to process before I saw their reactions. I didn’t have to be worried about my own reaction in front of an audience. In the end, we bought a bundle of balloons that say “It’s a boy” and we brought them out once everyone arrived!

We polled the audience before bringing the balloons out just to see what everyone thought. The room was fairly split between boy and girl guesses. It was fun to see everyone’s reactions, especially the ones who thought it was a girl! I’m glad to see that it had to sink in a little bit for everyone else because it took a while to sink in for me. In fact, it’s probably still sinking in! The sweet thing was both families brought a gift, so now we can add another book and a healthcare kit to our list of baby supplies (the only other item at this time is a bib). It was very kind of them and totally unexpected! We’re so blessed by our families! I’m excited now in the next few months to start getting things for this little one. I’m sure it will become even more real as “stuff” starts to accumulate! Not just any stuff – blue stuff!

So yeah, it’s a boy! Just thought you would like to know!