A Great Reminder of HIS Love

We've reached the 33 mark!  Baby Nolan weighs around 4 pounds and is proportioned like a pineapple.  Overall, I feel great and am just thankful to be experiencing this little miracle.  This past weekend, Jeremy and I were convicted of something pretty important.  Despite the road we've been down to have a healthy pregnancy, we are in no way deserving of this blessing. Over the last few months, we've almost felt entitled to have this baby.  Surely we've earned a healthy child after remaining faithful to God through the experience of a miscarriage.  But this is so NOT true and I'm embarrassed that I ever felt this way.

Thankfully, God's Spirit continues to work on us and humble us, reminding our family that every good and perfect gift is from above. The gift of Nolan's life is like so many of the blessings the Lord gives us each day.  Do we deserve them?  No.  Did we earn them?  Never. Regardless, does God continue to give them?  He does....because He loves us so much!  

My dad shared a special verse with me recently.  God says in Malachi 3:10, "see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it."  Now that's some LOVE!

Above are some shots of week 33 - and may we all continue to be reminded that every good thing that comes our way is not of our own doing, but because we have a God who loves us so very much!

On a less serious note, I wanted to include these cute pics of Titan. I've been mowing through some peanut butter at our house and when we finish off a jar, Titan gets to enjoy a special treat - outside of course.  His vigor for licking the jar clean was quite inspirational!  If Titan could talk he would tell us, "It's the simple things that can be some of life's sweetest pleasures."  Well said, Titan.  You're one wise dog.

 

The Last Hurrah...

We've been referring to our Savannah, GA trip as "The Last Hurrah," as if we'll never have fun again after Nolan's arrival.  Joyful times are ahead for the Vest's, no doubt, but we also know that many a sleepless night will first accompany this next season of joy.  So while it's just Jeremy and me (and I've been feeling pretty sentimental about that...), we will celebrate as best we can!  

Last weekend I finally got to open my Christmas present - a wonderful and relaxing trip to Savannah.  It was great to have a "just us" trip and to travel while I'm still able.  We stayed at a Bed & Breakfast in downtown Savannah called the Ballastone.  Highlights of the weekend included a horse-drawn carriage ride/tour, walking along the river, shopping for and eating pralines, getting a couples' massage, watching Slumdog Millionaire, listening to musicians on the River Walk, returning to our room and finding that it was full of rose petals, eating at the Olde Pink House, Vick's on the River, and the Soho South Cafe, and talking about life and our future with Nolan.

Jeremy standing in front of our Bed & Breakfast (above)

The Olde Pink House - some good eatin' (below)

A beautiful scene in one of Savannah's many squares (above)

Jeremy pretending to be Forest Gump, in the park where this scene was filmed (below)

The EMPATHY BELLY

I have been waiting for this moment to arrive in our child-birthing classes for quite some time.  Each week, a husband from class is chosen to wear....The Empathy Belly!  It was finally time for Jeremy Vest to take a turn.  The empathy belly is a 35 pound belly that straps over the shoulders and fastens in the back.  It is meant to allow unsuspecting husbands to feel several symptoms of pregnancy. If worn long enough, it can actually cause lower back pain.  A Velcro strap is tightly applied around the rib cage to produce shallow breathing and shortness of breath.  A weight is also attached to the bottom of the belly that rests directly on the bladder (my favorite). This is supposed to simulate bladder pressure and frequency of urination.  The empathy belly also comes complete with a set of breasts.  Jeremy does not look too happy to have those!

Unfortunately, Jeremy only had to wear this belly for 30 minutes.  I was hoping the nurse would let us take it home so that he could sleep in it.  Nurse Waller did, however, make Jeremy sit on the floor and stand up, and bend down to remove his tennis shoes.  Jeremy said the worst part of the belly was the 35 pounds resting on his bladder. When I asked Jeremy how he felt, his comment was this:  "This isn't as accurate as your pregnancy.  I've got 35 pounds resting on my bladder.  At least your weight gain is spread out through your legs and rear." end quote.  It seems the wearer of the empathy belly did not feel so much empathy after all :)

http://www.empathybelly.org/home.html

The Landmark Shower

After a whirlwind morning at the Knoxville Marathon, we arrived back in Montgomery just in time for the Landmark baby shower.  We were honored with two other couples that evening and were showered with an overwhelming amount of gifts.  People really go all out for these church baby showers.  We were truly touched by the many families who wanted to join us in celebrating Nolan's birth.

Neither of our families were able to come down for the shower, so we asked Linda Dunham, a close friend of the family, to sit with us and help with gifts.  Linda is the one who first introduced Jeremy and me when I moved to Montgomery in 2003.  At Linda's suggestion, Jeremy asked me out for our very first date.  She was the perfect stand-in mom and gift recorder.  Her presence beside us at the shower was very special!  Check out our faces upon opening the AL outfit.  (Linda, too, is a big fan of the Vols!)

A Shower for Nolan, a Marathon for Jeremy

The girls that I grew up with in the Laurel youth group threw me a beautiful shower on Satuday, March 28th in Knoxville. Women from this church that I have known most all my life were able to come and make the occasion so special. God, in His goodness, has provided our family with some lifelong friends through Laurel Church of Christ. Many of them were around to welcome me into the world 27 years ago, and now these same family friends are helping us celebrate the birth of baby Nolan.

Here are some of the dearest friends a girl could ever have! I love you girls and treasure the lifetime of memories that I have with each of you. I'm so thankful we have each other and that we've remained close all these years! I will look forward to our next visit together!
My talented mother smocked and sewed a precious little onesie for Nolan. The brown puppies are adorable, as we are certainly partial to puppies at our house. Nolan will be stylin' in his new outfit!

On Sunday, Jeremy ran his best time ever in the Knoxville Marathon (3:48)! We were on a time crunch to get back to Montgomery for the Landmark shower, so his marathon finish was a double victory!!! My dad also ran in the race - his 5th marathon to date. Praise God for an injury-free race for both of them! My mom, sister, and I enjoyed following the two of them around Knoxville and cheering for our runners.  The finish in Neyland Stadium was pretty awesome!

Before the race, Jeremy and I splurged and bought a new video camera.  Unfortunately, the cameraman (myself) was not too good, so the footage is a little shaky.  Caution: may cause motion sickness.

Nashville Showers

On March 14th, we had our first two showers in Nashville.  The first was a Family Shower hosted by Jeremy's family.  Our sister-in-law Elizabeth did a wonderful job with the decorations.  Pictures of Jeremy and me from when we were babies surrounded the room and little onesies hung over the fireplace.

Two of our favorite gifts were a quilt that my mom made and a Baby Blessings Book that contained prayers of blessing from each person in the family. Before the shower began, each person read their baby blessing to Nolan.  Bre put all of the blessings together in a scrapbook that will always be one of the most treasured items in Nolan's nursery.
Having my Pa there was very special to me.  He even got to feel Nolan kick. Pa exclaimed with surprise, "He bit me" and then told me Nolan would have to get a spanking.
Our next shower was hosted by some of my dearest friends from Lipscomb. The shower honored Keely and me.  These girls have been apart of so many milestones in my life.  It was so neat to share this occasion with them and be blessed by their love for our new baby.
Keely is six weeks ahead of me and we are both expecting boys!  Caleb Thomas is set to arrive on Mother's Day while Nolan's due date is on Father's Day.  It was so special to share this celebration with Keely.
Kristy and Addison also came by to help us celebrate.  One of my favorite parts of the shower was getting to catch up with friends.  Jeremy and I both felt so overwhelmed by all of the love shown to us on this day.  We are truly thankful for all of our family and friends.

Nursery Beginnings

John and Nola (Jeremy's parents) came down from Nashville at the end of February to help us get started on the nursery for "Nolan Robert Vest."  We completely cleaned out the room, sold furniture on Craig's list, emptied the closet, painted the walls, added shelving to the closet, picked out new bedding, painted a bookshelf, and hung curtains.  Titan couldn't help but get in the middle of things.  Note the blue streak of paint down his back.  Titan rubbed against a wall and left a trail of black fur behind.  That was great fun to pick out of the paint :)  




This weekend, my mom came down during her Spring Break and brought us the baby furniture.  We washed all of the bedding and got a start on the set up.  There is still lots to do, but it feels great to have the major pieces in place!  Jeremy painted the bookshelf that was previously in the closet (see above picture) and I was so excited with how it turned out.