(I'm going to let Adam take the reins on this post, but just wanted to preface with how PROUD I am of my amazing husband. His baptism was one of the most awesome days, ever. He just blew me away and I don't think I've ever been more proud. He has grown to be such an amazing leader of our family and I cannot wait to see what the Lord has in store for him!)

Hello world! Here to make my blogging debut, it's me Adam! Sorry that my first post is super long!

I'd like to start and say a big Thank You! to all of our family and friends that have given me the support and prayers that have helped me get to this day. It truly was an incredible experience. The Lord has been working in me a lot the past few months and I have been thinking about getting baptized for a while, but never could bring myself to do so. But with the push from my small group and my wife, I finally decided to do it.

I was massively freaking out about it. I was mainly nervous because I didn't know how it was supposed to go, and I didn't know what to say. The church emailed me a brief summary of what happens, but it wasn't very detailed so I didn't really know how this would go down. The email said I had to say something before I get baptized, but didn't specify how much, so I didn't know whether to say a sentence or a story. God put it on my heart to tell my testimony so I typed it all out and looked up and it was 8 pages single spaced, way too long. I finally cut it to the bare minimum and got it to about a 6 minute speech. But I was still freaking out that it was way too long.

We get to church that day and the pastor shows us where to sit and says that three other people were getting baptized, two children and one teenager. I thought, "Great, I'm the only adult. This will be weird." After we all went up front and the pastor asked us questions to declare our faith, I sat down and watched the two adorable children get baptized.

Right before my turn, I looked at Lizzie and said, "This is going to be weird, it's going to be too long." She assured me over and over that it was going to be great. My wife was my biggest supporter through this and was the main reason why I decided to get baptized.

Normally when I speak in front of people, I get the shakes real bad and I use a lot of filler words. But as I walked up there, the power of God came over me, and if I hadn't wrote what I was going to say down, I wouldn't be able to tell you what I said. It was almost like a trance. But here is my testimony:

I'm here because my life changed back in August. At the time I was extremely depressed and convinced that God had left me. I would beg him to show himself to me, but I would get nothing. I was so fed up with it. My wife and I had been coming to Stonebridge for about 2 years, but it was very off and on. She was the one who would get us to go since I always wanted to go "next week." But for some reason last August, I went to church by myself.

I don't know what David was talking about that day, but one simple sentence stood out. "Faith is standing on the chair." He gave the analogy that Faith is not looking at the chair and saying, "Yeah, I bet that can hold me up." Faith is getting up and standing on the chair. 

After church I went to breakfast with my Dad. For some reason I started pouring into him saying that God has left me, and I keep calling for him and he doesn't answer and he has turned his back to me. After my rant, and a very long pause, I'll never forget as he leaned over the table, looked me dead in the eye and said, "Son, God didn't leave you. Have you thought that you turned your back to God?"

Later that night, there I was sitting on my couch thing about what happened that day. I thought, "Ok, I'll try and stand on the chair." I got out my Bible and looked at it and realized I had no idea where to start. So, like everyone, I Googled it, "Where to start reading the Bible." All the results came back Mark, Luke, and John, but it didn't feel right to me even though I didn't really know what those books actually said. So I went to page 2, and there was Ephesians. Guess what Ephesians is about: Faith.

Ephesians 2:1 "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world… But because of his great love for us, GOD, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-it is by Grace you have been saved. And GOD raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms of Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by Grace you have been saved, through Faith, not by works, so that no one can boast." 

I broke down to my knees and started praying. I told God I was going to get on the chair, I was going to put my whole life in his hands. I felt the Lord in that room that night. He was standing over me and he put his hand on my back and the whole room was flooded with light. I saw the Devil in a black hood standing in the corner and I saw him leave as soon as God touched me. It was and incredible experience, I just didn't know what to do next. 

The next week "happened" to be small group sign up, and even two weeks prior I would have never signed up for small groups, I didn't really see the point. But God put it on my heart to join one. It has been incredible. Just to hear these men of God share their experiences and struggles and pray with them. They helped me go from having an incredible experience to being a full fledge God follower who wants to share the word. 

So here I am, and if you knew me 2 years ago, heck even 6 months ago, I'd be the last person you'd expect up here. But i'm here to declare that I am saved by the Blood of Christ, and it's through Faith, not by acts, that I am saved, and I want to share the word of God with the world. And it's all because I got up on the chair. 

Here's the group that got baptized with me!

What an incredible experience having my wife, father, pastor and small group leader pour the water.

This is Scott, my small group leader.

My great family that God has blessed me with.

Travels

First things first, baby girl's crib came in!!!!! I keep shutting the bedroom door and reopening it just to look at it. Her room is slowly coming together and it just makes things seem so much more real!

Ok, back to non-baby business. (Yeah, right. Everything is about the babe these days.) I headed to Fort Worth on Friday, April 10 to spend the weekend with Jeff and Katie before my full week of meetings started in Dallas on Tuesday morning. As always, they were the best hosts and we had an awesome time! 

The weekend started with getting my fix of Tex-Mex at Mi Cocula. Katie isn't a fan of mexican food (I know, WHAT??), but she always suffers through it when I come to town. Speaking of how awesome Katie is... on Saturday morning she treated me to an amazing mani/pedi. I snapped this picture of her, which is what I looked like about ten minutes prior. It was a full-on spa experience! So relaxing. After being pampered, we headed to some adorable baby boutiques where Auntie Katie purchased some unbelievably cute outfits for the little babe! 

We spent the rest of the afternoon at a Crawfish Boil with their friends. The weather was nice and it was fun to just hang outside all day!

Maxi party!

This little girl is my spirit animal. Check out all that pink! So cute.

I'm not the biggest crawfish fan, so we made a few pit stops on the way home... FroYo from Braum's followed by some tacos at Jack in the Box. (And yes, I was eating my FroYo as we pulled through the Jack in the Box drive thru. Zero guilt!)

We spent Sunday relaxing and I watched them do a little gardening. Katie has quite the green thumb and their yard looks amazing!

Sunday evening we met up with my Aunt Michelle, Uncle John and cousins Luke and Brody for some grub at Woodshed. Check out this spread!

Typical boys, Brody and Luke weren't thrilled to pose for a picture.

Jeff didn't start his next rotation until Tuesday, so we were able to hang out before he dropped me off at my hotel on Monday afternoon. (He also forced Katie and I to try this Caribbean restaurant connected to a gas station for lunch. Eeeeeps.)

Saying adios to his niece for (probably) the last time before he meets her!

After a full week of meetings in Dallas, I finally landed back in Atlanta at 11pm on Thursday night. Adam was a sweetheart and volunteered to pick me up, even though I told him a hundred times I didn't mind taking a cab. I spent most of Friday catching up on work and relaxing before it was time to head to Auburn for A Day. We attended a couple years back, but Adam was still coaching and couldn't make it. This year he could! And I was way less exciting. 

Night one we had BBQ fixed by the frat house's cook (because yes, that's a thing).

I was such a trooper and even headed out to the bar with the fam for a little bit! I did, however, opt out of the shots.

Saturday was the Spring Football Game, and the weather actually ended up being pretty nice! We headed to the frat house around 10a to get the party started and were able to walk to the stadium from there. Mitchell's adorable girlfriend, Reagan, joined us for the festivities, too!

Over 62,000 attended!

After a draining day in the sun, we headed back to the frat house for a bit before heading back home to ATL. It was a fun 24 hours in Auburn, and it's always fun to see Mitchell!

20 - 22 Weeks

20 Weeks: March 31

Baby's the size of a: Banana and her taste buds are working!

Sleep: The Snoogle is my jam.

Best moment of this week: Halfway there!!!! Can't believe we've finally reached the halfway mark! 20 down, 20 to go!

Miss anything: Not really this week.

Food cravings: Still the really healthy stuff - sweets, waffles, fries...

Anything making you queasy or sick: Leftovers and casseroles. 

Symptoms: My stomach gets sore easily - all that stretching and growing! Hm, I got sick again last week (yay!), but it came and went pretty quick. I also almost passed out at Dillard's on Sunday, which was super embarrassing. Especially when I had to sit on the floor and my friend had to ask them for a bottle of water. Good news - I called the doctor and they said it's totally normal (unless it's happening daily). My body is digesting food differently and I just need to make sure I'm eating a lot of protein. Full disclosure: I've been really bad about "forgetting to eat". Adam and I are going to brainstorm a snack/meal plan to make sure this doesn't continue to happen.

Happy or moody most of the time: Pretty happy most of the time! 

Looking forward to: Baby girl getting strong enough that Adam can feel her moving around!

21 Weeks: April 7
(Officially moving into the "pregnant hand stance")

Baby's the size of a: Pomegranate and her digestive system is prepping for real life!

Sleep: The Snoogle is still my jam, but there are some off nights here and there.

Best moment of this week: Easter celebrations with the family are always fun!

Miss anything: Not really this week.

Food cravings: I've decided I don't have any crazy cravings - I just let myself eat what I want most of the time. When in real life, I just have to fight the cravings and eat a salad. This doesn't mean I sit around and eat Reese's Eggs all day (oh, wait - I have since Easter). I actually do eat pretty healthy, but will let myself splurge when I want to without feeling guilty. (Ah, it's amazing.)

Anything making you queasy or sick: Leftovers and casseroles are still pretty much my only aversions. 

Symptoms: Still get pretty lightheaded easily, but I've tried three different prenatal vitamins with Iron and they all make me sick immediately. 

Happy or moody most of the time: Pretty happy most of the time! 

Looking forward to: Baby girl getting strong enough that Adam can feel her moving around! I felt her kick a couple times with my hand this past week, but Adam's never around. He's starting to get pretty antsy about it!

22 Weeks: April 14

Oops - no picture! I was in Texas and didn't feel like harassing the maid to take it. :)

Baby's the size of a: Papaya and weighs a whole pound!

Sleep: I slept wrong on the Snoogle and was so sore for a couple days! I had to retire it for a few nights (which worked out since I was in Texas for meetings anyway), and somehow survived.

Best moment of this week: I spent the weekend with Jeff and Katie in Texas before my meetings started, which is always a blast!

Miss anything: Home! I was away from Adam (and the pooches) for six days!

Food cravings: Nothing new. Healthier foods are actually starting to look appealing, but not as appealing as Reese's Eggs or donuts.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Same as always. And car rides. 

Symptoms: The lightheadedness (is that a word?) is still in full force. Doesn't seem to matter how much I snack, it just hits when it wants to. My abdomen also gets really sore even after just a little bit of walking. It basically feels like my stomach is about to rip open and drop a baby out. (Oh, wait. I guess that makes sense.) In the past week, I've had two awesome new symptoms show up - my vision is blurry and my nose is so stuffed up. Pregnancy is fun!! (To be honest, it really doesn't bother me. I'm growing an adorable little human so I actually enjoy the symptoms!)

Happy or moody most of the time: Happy, happy, happy!

Looking forward to: Adam is getting baptized on Sunday! He's had this planned for quite some time now and I am so excited for him!

Easter Joy

Easter is always one of my favorite holidays. Other than it obviously being a crucial day for us Christians, the weather always seems to be beautiful and I love any excuse to be surrounded by family. 

We kicked off the week by being 20 weeks pregnant! Full disclosure: I specifically put on this workout outfit because it's my fave and had Adam take a picture of me being "cute and active". Except our dogs are still re-learning how to walk on their leashes and it started raining, so it all ended up just being stressful and weird. But we're halfway there to meeting our babe!!

On Friday night, we headed to the Coopers to finally meet little Minnie! Ignore the terrible quality of the picture, how cute is she in her rain jacket??

Two visits in two weeks?? Weeeee!!

I was extra exhausted on Saturday morning, and Adam surprised me with breakfast in bed! He's the absolute cutest sometimes. 

We celebrated Easter with my family on Saturday, because Mamabear doesn't exactly know the difference anyway. I Adam made a really yummy Cinnamon Baked French Toast! I've been so bad at taking pictures recently, so I have none of our pre-Easter brunch. Whoops.

We successfully made it to 7am church on Easter Sunday! (And someone enjoyed three donuts. I'm not above bribery to get me somewhere early.) We have really come to love our church, and Easter was no exception. Always such a great message!

As soon as church was out, we headed to the Bakers to hang out before brunch. Meagan and Nathan go to the later service, so Jude always goes home with Debbie and Dave when they leave the early service. This means we got our little Jude Dude all to ourselves for a couple hours!

Obviously, that meant it was time to annoy him with tons of photos.

Cutest little bunny I ever did see! Can't wait for the little chicky to be around for next year's celebrations!

Photo Shoot Take 100 by Dave. I love these people!

Monday night was Opening Day and the NCAA Basketball Finals. Adam wanted something "festive" for dinner to celebrate it being Opening Day, so I made these amazing nachos. Chips, cheese, shredded chicken, toppings - throw it in the oven on Broil for 3 minutes and voila! Deliciousness. And the Braves won, so it was a good night!

It also must be noted that Duke won the championship game, which means my bracket beat Adam's bracket! He now has to give the dogs a bath every two weeks for 3 months. (And I'm so glad I don't have to do his ironing for two weeks.)

Sober Saturdays

I still don't miss alcohol (at all) since I've been pregnant, but it also means I've become quite boring. Wait, that sounds wrong. I'm not boring because I don't drink, I just am 100% content sitting on the couch most of the time. Well, now I'm getting kind of antsy in pantsy - so Adam and I have decided to start doing stuff. Specific, huh?

Anywho, my dearest VANN has been off teaching in Peru so we welcomed her home with a little Hen Party at Sarah's. (It was also her Name Day - which is super fancy in important in her motherland of Albania.) Complete with chips and dip, french bread pizzas and this amazing creation by Kelly. Always fun to see them - even if we always wait too long in between visits!

While I was in Buckhead for work last week, I obviously had to stop into the new Georgetown Cupcake! The store is absolutely adorable, and the cupcakes weren't bad either. (CamiCakes Chocolate Raspberry Almond Cream is still my all time fave, though.)

Speaking of Sober Saturdays… Adam had the adorable idea for us to go to a minor league hockey game on Saturday night! We grabbed a bite at Tin Lizzy's before the game and then settled into our $15 seats for the Gwinnett Gladiators game at 7pm. Talk about a reasonably priced night out! Also, it turns out hockey is a really fun game to watch. (I couldn't stop thinking about this clip from Parks and Recreation, so I kept bursting out into song and laughter the whole time.)

Don't mind Adam's eyes, but do mind the guy with the mohawk behind us.

Lindsay was in town for 24 hours starting Sunday morning, so we all got together for a fun day of wedding planning! After a yummy brunch at Food 101, we began our search for Bridesmaid and Mother of the Bride/Groom dresses. 

I almost passed out at Dillard's and had to sit on the floor, so that was embarrassing. Operation: Snack/Food Plan is officially going to commence (soon…)

The day of wedding fun ended with a beautiful shower for our bride, thrown by the Hales.

The bride and her MOH! So honored to stand by her side, just like she did with me!

The bride and her maids (minus Sara - we missed you!) It's always a fun time when we're able to get together. Move back, Lindsay!!

Unfortunately, I had to miss Jude's dedication while I was at the shower, but I met up at the Bakers for dinner after. Adam was also sweet enough to take a few pictures and videos for me!

I'm pretty sure Sunday was the busiest day I've been able to successfully navigate through since I've been pregnant. Woop, woop! Looking forward to more fun weekends ahead now that the weather is getting nicer.

Anatomy Scan: 19 Weeks

Yesterday I got the last glimpse of our little girl before she's in my arms! Contrary to popular belief, you typically only get two ultrasounds during pregnancy. I was lucky enough to get four (one when my doctor was just being nice and then the gender ultrasound we paid for), but typically the mid-pregnancy ultrasound is your second and final one. Pretty crazy!

Since Adam had to work (and he was with me when we found out she was a she), we decided to invite my mom to join me for this one. She was so excited! I also made her videotape the whole thing since Adam couldn't make it, but we can't figure out how to upload the video (anywhere!) because it's so big. 

The point of yesterday's scan was to make sure she's on track growth-wise and to check for any markers for chromosomal and/or genetic disorders. This is also typically the time you find out the sex of your baby - I can't imagine waiting that long! The first thing our tech asked us was if we wanted to know the gender and I told her we already knew. She told us not to tell her, but of course mom ruined that within the first 30 seconds. Haha. This time baby girl cooperated and she could tell almost immediately that our little babe is still a girl!

The key areas they measure are her femur, her heart, the size of her abdomen and the size of her head. (I meant to ask the doctor why these measurements specifically, but forgot. Oops.) We had the same tech as our 11 week ultrasound and she was wonderful! She walked us through everything we were seeing and all the measurements. Baby girl was pretty low-key most of the time, which was pretty helpful for the tech - she didn't have to work around a wiggle worm! The tech pointed out her two kidneys, her stomach, her bladder and we got to listen to her heart (154!) for a good bit. We got a frontal view of her face (which was honestly kind of creepy) and we could see her mouth moving. Just like mama! :) The tech also pointed out both of her legs, her little feet, her arms and her tiny fingers!

I knew the tech wouldn't actually tell us anything about the measurements, so I was eager to meet with the doctor shortly after the ultrasound. While we were waiting, I met another woman who is due the same day as me with a little girl! Maybe they'll be best friends. :)

I met with a new doctor this time, Dr. Kelley, and I loved him! He walked us through her measurements and explained how they put them into an equation and that our little girl looks perfect! Everything from her measurements, to the amniotic fluid, to the size of the placenta… everything is right on track! I was 19 Weeks 0 Days at the appointment and he said she's measuring 19 Weeks 2 Days, within 48 hours of my due date! He also said it may be a little while until I really feel her move around because my placenta is in the front, which isn't any kind of issue - it just happened to implant in the front and now acts as a squishy shield from her kicks. 

He did mention to not start eating for two, etc, etc. So of course I secretly freaked out and asked how much weight I'd gained (which he actually didn't know). He came back and said I'd gained "a measly 7 pounds in two months, go drink a milkshake." He also said "you're doing this whole pregnancy thing beautifully." So maybe that's really why I love him! 

I was surprised with myself that I had zero anxiety before the appointment. I just felt really at peace and knew everything was in God's hands and that it was going to go well. And look at that - it couldn't have gone any better!

Here are the last pictures of our sweet girl until we hold her! Isn't she just the cutest??

19 Weeks: March 24

Baby's the size of a: Mango and the nerve cells for her sense of taste, hearing, sight and smell are developing in her brain.

Weight Gain since last appointment: 4 pounds (Total: 6 pounds)

Sleep: I spend most nights tossing back and forth, so I finally caved and bought one of those Snoogle body pillows. Hopefully it will help out! Sleeping only gets worse, so I'd love to get some quality zzz's for at least the next couple months.

Best moment of this week: Hearing the great news from the doctor! Our little girl is healthy as can be!

Miss anything: Sugar Free Red Bull

Food cravings: Sweets! And french fries sound good at all times.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Leftovers.

Symptoms: I started to feel her moving around last week! (It basically just feels like butterflies in your stomach.) I've felt her about once a day since last Wednesday, so it's always something fun to look forward to.

Have you started to show yet: I think it's probably time for me to remove this question...

Happy or moody most of the time: Pretty happy most of the time! I'll probably be on Cloud 9 once the weather is consistently pleasant.

Looking forward to: Baby girl getting strong enough that Adam can feel her moving around!

And may I introduce you to my new friend, Snoogle? (See above.) Adam laughs every time I get into bed, but it's so comfy. I just keep waking up in the middle of the night kind of tangled in it. I'm sure I'll eventually adjust… or not. Either way, it's so comfortable.

Adam's Last Birthday Before the Babe!

I can't believe Adam is 27! We were watching a crime show the other night and it said the suspect was in their late 20s to early 30s. I looked at Adam and said "that could literally be you!" It's also hard to believe this is the tenth birthday we've spent together! (We celebrated our tenth dating anniversary on March 12. And by celebrated, I mean I put a picture on Instagram.) We've come a long way since that first family dinner at Maggiano's. I remember I was so nervous I didn't even eat any of the bread because I was scared I would make a mess! 

My week of cooking continued with fondue on Wednesday night and then we tag teamed some homemade Fettucine Alfredo on Thursday for his birthday. The last time Adam made pasta, it somehow all slipped off my plate and onto the floor. Needless to say, this time Adam gave me the hardest time about holding my plate at an even angle, blah, blah, blah. You can imagine my pure JOY when his entire plate of pasta went sliding into the Alfredo sauce as he was dishing up. Perfect.

Fondue party!

I know I'm not about to make a shocking statement when I say it's hard to cook for two. Especially when one of you (cough-me) gets a bit repulsed by leftovers these days. I only made three actual meals this week, and it felt like we had enough to feed the Duggars. Thankfully, Adam demolished all of our leftovers over the course of the week and weekend, so I didn't feel wasteful!

Speaking of the weekend, we had quite an eventful one! Our crib was delivered on Friday evening, and after bringing in just about all the pieces I happened to look out the window and see one of the guys jump off the truck with the final piece… and it went flying into the street. Cool. Needless to say, they have to completely reorder the crib and come back another day. Good thing we're not in any rush!

We headed our separate ways on Saturday morning. Adam attended a LEAD baseball game - it's a baseball league for inner city kids and he feels called to work with a group like that. So glad he was able to get the ball rolling (pun intended) and check out one of their games!

Meanwhile, I headed out to celebrate Allison's Baby Sprinkle. She's expecting sweet Genevieve to arrive on May 6, so needless to say she and our babe are destined to be great friends!

We all wrote a note to Genevieve for her to read on her 16th birthday.

Still dreaming over this cake. SO DELICIOUS.

Adorable Champagne bar! I helped myself to basically an entire bottle of pink lemonade.

I had to dip out of the shower a little early, because it was time to get spruced up for Jillian's wedding! The afternoon ceremony was held at Holy Spirit Catholic Church followed by a break before the reception at the Atlanta History Center. It turned out to be an absolutely beautiful day, so we grabbed a cocktail (mocktail for me!) at the St. Regis Bar during the break. Turns out Ben Affleck was actually there at the same time! Jillian's brother and nephew rode in the elevator with him, and apparently he was very friendly. SO JEALOUS!!

We made our way over to the History Center for cocktail hour outside (again, perfect weather for it!) before moving inside for the party. We all had such a great time celebrating Jillian and Austin, and it was a fun little Pebblebrook reunion for me! 

And the weekend didn't even stop there! We still had Adam and Nathan's birthday celebration at the Baker's on Sunday night. Grilled pizza and Guiness cake. YUM. 

What a fun week and weekend of celebrations!