bigger and bigger...

My belly keeps growing and every time we take a new picture, I'm shocked by how much it grows in such a short time! It seems like it grew so gradually for so long, and now it's crazy big! Here's the latest shot...

t minus 6 weeks

I'm 34 weeks this week. It's crazy to think that my pregnancy is winding down, and soon our little man will be here. Now that Easter has come and gone (it was AMAZING by the way, I was just too exhausted to post!), we can finish prepping for Micah. Hopefully his room will be finished soon, and then after our last shower next week, we'll finish buying the things that are necessities. We already have a lot of non-necessities :)

He has clothes, wipes, and diapers, so we're doing well on the absolutes :)

Today, the confirmation of my pre-registration came...that was pretty weird. Our very good friends had their baby this week, and we've been tracking with them the whole time (6 weeks behind of course!) and now the next milestone for us to hit after them is just birth! That alone has been sending me spinning this week. I can't believe he's almost here! I can't wait to hold him!


*People have been wondering why I didn't register for diapers...and the reason is that we have NO idea which brand will fit him best, or if he'll have sensitive skin, or if his skin just won't want to tolerate a specific brand. We've been given a couple of different kinds (and I did register for one box), so we'll try them all and then decide which ones we want to go with. I would just hate to register for a ton of diapers in a particular brand and then be stuck with them if the baby has a reaction to them or something.

it's time...

IMG_6597
Originally uploaded by alexanderpavone

...to set up at the OC Fairgrounds for Easter weekend. This is my fourth Easter on staff and every year it gets easier. It's always a ton of work, but ALWAYS 100% worth it. It's the craziest time of the year, but it's also my favorite time! I was wondering how on earth I could manage this large of an event at 8.5 mos., but it honestly hasn't been that bad...we have a great team that is super supportive which is awesome! This afternoon/evening is our BIG set-up night. We're praying for no rain on our tents...we'd rather not have soggy carpet for our babies!!

I can't wait to have a giant tent full of preschoolers worshiping together!

starting over...

With our recent move to a new apartment, we're starting over on Micah's room. Alex had to take apart the crib and curtains and re-do everything here. It's been slow going since we've both been pretty busy, but here's stage one...paint on the walls, crib put together, and curtains hung.

micah loves his daddy

There's something incredibly amazing about watching Alex bond with the baby. He doesn't carry him like I do...he can't feel every movement like I can, but he takes time to talk to him and wait for the kicks and movements. Last night, the most precious thing happened. I was laying in bed watching tv and waiting for alex to come home from work. The baby hadn't been moving at all, and as soon as Alex walked in the room and started talking, micah started moving like crazy! Alex walked out of the room...micah was still. Alex walked back in and started talking again, and micah started having a dance party! It was pretty awesome to see him respond like that. Usually Alex is talking directly into my stomach so for Micah to be responding to his voice which couldn't have been that loud was incredible!

we. are. insane.

yup. we're crazy. c.r.a.z.y.

Remember when I was listing all of the craziness we have going on before Micah comes? How I leave for a conference early Monday morning? Oh and how Easter will be here before we know it...which means insanity for the next 4 weeks?! oh yah, we decided to move right before Easter.

The good news is that we are both 100% sure that this is the right move. We've known that our neighbors weren't the greatest, but Sunday night things took a turn and we both knew we needed to get out of here. So, we found a great place, Alex promised to do the vast majority of the packing and moving while I'm at work, and I am going to try to be excited and not stress out too much about all that has to happen before April 4th while I am getting bigger every single day! I must say, it's a great little place with a family downstairs and a very friendly landlord....oh, and a garage...and a dishwasher...and a washer and dryer...and more closets...and a patio....and, well, we feel blessed for all of the added amenities we will have for when the little guy arrives!

Here's hoping that I keep some sort of sanity through all of this!

our first baby shower

On Sunday, my amazing friends hosted Micah's first shower. I was SO excited for it, and I had an amazing time. I felt very loved and very spoiled. i don't know if it's fair for one girl to be surrounded by so many amazing women! Here are some pics of the fun ::

Here's the cute invite ::


The table set up....we had 5 different kinds of delicious salads...mmmm....



Megan (the same girl who made the cupcakes for our wedding) made the cutest cupcakes with animal cookies and leaves made of chocolate.
My mom and I ::
Lots of presents!


Micah will have shoes for every occasion...these are for when he's feeling preppy ::


The girls know that I'm not the biggest fan of games...especially baby shower games, so instead, they had craft time! People decorated blank bibs and onsies for Micah! They turned out so cute!



Now I just have to put away all of his loot!

finished!

I finally found the chocolate ribbon, so last night I was able to finish Micah's letters. I have to say, there are a lot of craft letters out there, but none compare to the ones from the Paper Source. The font is so cute and none of the letters are goofy sizes like the ones I've seen at Joann. Also, they weigh next to nothing so they're way more practical than the wood letters from Michael's. The reality is that I am in love with the Paper Source. I would buy everything there if it wasn't so dang expensive!

oh, and here's the latest belly shot....i'm getting bigger by the second!

updates to micah's room

We cleaned out Micah's room (for the most part) a while ago, and we've been working on simple projects around his room. We still need to buy our outdoor storage shed so that we can move out a lot of the boxes that we packed up and piled in his closet! We did get his curtains to block some of the light that comes in from the rear parking at our apartment. They are just basic chocolate brown...
We also got his crib and it was put together immediately when it was delivered :)
I've also started making some fun accent pieces for his room. We are converting an oversized nightstand to be a changing table...that's a project for Alex seeing as how we need it to be raised 7 inches! Because it has great storage in it for all things Micah, I decided to look for some baskets to hold things like diapers, wipes, washcloths, etc. I realized quickly that I am very picky (actually, I have always known that!) and also not willing to shell out a whole lot for baskets that are going to be hidden behind doors which left me with very little options. My mom had some extra storage bins laying around and offered them to me. I had an idea to cover them with paper and mod podge and they came out so cute! Now I'm bummed that they're going to be hidden! Here's a before and after of the bins....
I also used strips of paper to cover these plastic bins that we found at Target for super cheap. I didn't want to waste the space in the changing table!


Here's the last thing I've been working on...I have made these for some of our nieces and our friends' babies, and I knew I wanted them in Micah's room. True to the randomness of his room (all sorts of shades and patterns), I chose to do each letter in a different kind of paper. Every craft store in costa mesa is out of chocolate brown grosgrain 7/8" ribbon so they aren't finished quite yet.

So that's the update...I can't wait to keep adding to his room. Micah's Yaya (alex's mom) made his quilt, and his daddy is working on some fun prints for the walls and when those things come together we'll almost be done! It's hard to believe that in less than three months, we'll be bringing him home! We can't wait!

letter to my favorite pants/capris

hello old friend!
it's so lovely to see you! i can't believe that i have forgotten about you the whole time i've been pregnant! you are so comfy and stretchy (which is key when my abdomen is growing daily!) and when i found you, i couldn't believe that you hadn't come to mind when i was complaining about only having one pair of comfy lounging pants! what happened was that i packed you away in a bin with all of my ugly missions clothes...and i'm not going to lie, you are definitely not in style any longer, however i am pregnant and couldn't care less how fashionable i am around the house! so...i am thrilled that i found you...when i put you on, i can't help but think of sri lanka...thailand...the airport in taiwan, and of course bangladesh. we've been together so long and we've traveled around the world together! I am so thankful for you even if you are faded and old! i'm pretty sure that you will fit well into my third trimester, and i couldn't be happier that i remembered you tonight!

love,
me.

spiritual parenting

This past weekend, we attended a class at church with our Families Pastor...it's called Spiritual Parenting and it's the basis of our entire family ministry philosophy. I had taken it before and I live in some of the concepts day in and day out...only in a classroom setting on weekends as opposed to a home setting. It was a long day, but well worth it. Alex and I both walked away with a lot of AHAs. It was so different for me to be thinking through the concepts in regards to this little one growing in me as opposed to the little ones that we have the privilege of working with each week.

It's hard to express my learnings from the day, but I am thrilled that the book will be out by summer and I'll be able to share it with those around me that I love. I believe in the philosophy whole-heartedly...if I didn't, I think I would need to find another job!

Since the weekend, I've spent quite a few hours reading articles from different prominent names in the christian parenting world and to be quite honest, I have had mixed emotions about them. On the one hand, I have been saddened that so many of the articles have been focused on behavior, breaking the child's spirit, and dominance of the child. It breaks my heart that many of the authors focus only on Old Testament passages that they take quite literally instead of looking at the original language and audience to see what the original author intended. It saddens me that the New Testament and the teachings of Jesus himself seem to be ignored in order to push a very behavioralistic approach to parenting.

Oh the other hand, I am completely thrilled that Michelle's book, Spiritual Parenting: An Awakening for Today's Families, will be out in early summer. I am hopeful that this book will be a tool to awaken a generation of parents to what their true calling is, and I am hopeful that this generation of children will grow up learning to know God's voice and desire to obey HIM by depending on the power of the Spirit. God doesn't want perfect children...he desires faith, and I know that there are people out there who are craving more for their children and themselves and just don't have the resources. I pray that this book would be a resource that would inspire parents to living a life different than the christian status quo and that they would look to God as the ultimate example of a parent.

*sorry if this post is a little heavy, but it's been on my heart and had to share :)

let the crazy begin...

When people ask us (and by us, I mean my coworkers) when our busy season ends, we are never quite sure how to answer that...we move at a crazy pace and really, we have the month of January to recover and try to gear up for the ENTIRE year! It's a little nutty, but it's just the way we are. It's the culture of our church and they are all good things, it's just a bit crazy sometimes. We are heading into a couple months of being very busy and that will slow down just after Easter...oh, and I'll be about 8.5 months pregnant at Easter :) I've already requested my chair for Easter morning and I'm counting on God to provide leaders to help lead the way so I can use said chair!

In the next 2.5 months, we will have 1 spiritual parenting class, 3 parent orientations, 1 small nighter (movie night for preschoolers AND their parents) event, have multiple doctors appointments, start our preparing for baby class at the hospital, go to Big Bear for our family trip, go to the desert for a work retreat, go to San Diego for a conference, have three baby showers, coordinate and set up Easter at the fairgrounds...oh, and prepare to welcome our son into the world just one short month after all of the crazy ends! All I can do is laugh. I know it's crazy, but it's my life and I love it. I love what I have been entrusted with and I love the people I work with....and the best part is that I am one of 4 people on our team who is expecting, so we will all be going through the crazy together!

Oh, and did I mention that I'm incredibly thankful to have the most amazing and supportive husband in the world?! I couldn't do all of the above without him!!

too cute

We don't have many practical things for our little guy...I mean really, he basically has clothes and shoes, so you would think that we might want to start getting things that are needed, but no, we decided to get these ::could they be any cuter???

hard to believe...

...but it's true, TRU curriculum has officially been launched. Michelle presented it at CPC (children's pastors' conference) in Nashville. The response was incredible, and we are thrilled to see the excitement people have about the philosophy without even seeing a whole lot of the product. If you want to check it out, click here. Tru is something that I could talk about forever. I have yet to perfect the art of describing it in less than 20 minutes, but I'm working on it! Here are a few pieces of the philosophy straight off the website ::

"Through the process of spiritual formation, we desire children to open their hearts to God, learn to discern His voice, have a desire to obey Him, and to do so in the power that the Holy Spirit offers to each believer."

"God has given parents the incredible responsibility of impressing a love for God on the hearts of their children (Deut. 6:5–7). These impressions best occur as a natural overflow from the lives of parents who are seeking to love the Lord with all their hearts, souls, and strength."

"As we teach the Bible in church and at home, we want to be true to content and context. We take a historical-literal approach to Bible interpretation; we investigate what Scripture meant to its original audience and draw out the corresponding biblical truth principle for application. Additionally, because we propose that the mind learns differently from the soul, our approach to Scripture is not only informational (analytical, linear, mastering the text—for the mind) but also formational (receptive, in-depth, letting the text master you—for the soul)."

We've seen transformation in our kids, parents, volunteers and staff. We watch God show up week after week and yet for some dumb reason, we are always surprised. I can't wait to see what God is going to do other in kids, parents, volunteers and church staffs!

Oh, and if you want to see what I specifically work on, check out Tru Wonder on the site...it looks like this ::

:)

feeling very pregnant...

i am at 23 weeks, and loving being pregnant! i started feeling movement around 20 weeks, but didn't become consistent for a little while. Now I'm feeling him more and more and i love it! alex was able to feel a little tiny kick for the first time a couple of days ago which was also VERY exciting! we've been clearing out space and trying to make room for our little guy and hopefully will be getting the crib very soon. I finally tackled the registering yesterday with my mom and dad...alex opted out. Initially, he had wanted to be a part of every decision...well, there are a LOT of choices and being the crazy woman I am, I did a lot of research online before I ever stepped foot in the store. So of course as I was researching online, I was asking him a lot of questions about what his opinion was about certain things...he quickly tired of giving his opinion and suggested I go with my mom :)
We are registered at babiesrus, as well as amazon....I didn't even KNOW you could register on amazon!! We only have a few things there...most of the everyday things are at babiesrus, but there are some fun little things on amazon. Here's a preggo photo...honestly, we haven't been good at taking them...also keep in mind that we probably should taken this earlier in the day because my belly isn't THAT big all the time :)

so proud

Another one of Alex's shirts has been spotted in stores...this one is in Kohl's!! Not only was it spotted in stores, but it's online as well! We are so excited and think it's pretty awesome that Alex's designs are doing so well!


Needless to say, I am a very proud wife :)

better late than never...

we had a great Christmas...it was full of fun and family and celebrating the birth of our Lord...what could be better?! Here are some shots of our celebrations::

christmas eve with my side of the family...

christmas morning at our little home. just alex and i. can you tell it's early?! it's crazy to think that next christmas there will be three of us celebrating together!

christmas day/day after with the pavone side of the family::

We hope you had a wonderful Christmas!

i'm in love!

This Bible is by FAR my favorite children's Bible. It is marketed for kids ages 4-7, but with a little paraphrasing, I think it's the only way to go, even with kids a little younger. I could never do this book justice, so I'll let the description do it on it's own!

Written for children ages four and up, The Jesus Storybook Bible tells the one story underneath all the stories of the Bible and points to the birth of a child, the Rescuer, Jesus. Complete with 44 Bible stories, The Jesus Storybook Bible paints a beautiful portrait of Jesus and invites children to see that he is not only at the center of God’s great story of redemption—he is at the center of their story too. Children and adults alike will be captivated by the beautifully written narrative and the original and unique illustrations by accomplished artist Jago. Lloyd-Jones’ powerful gift of storytelling draws the reader into the greatest adventure of all time in an exciting page-turner that kids (and adults) find hard to put down.

And here's something from the author ::

The Bible is of course an adult book, so in order to make it accessible to children, by its very nature, as you retell it; you’re going to have to reduce it down. Unfortunately, the danger is that you reduce it down into moral lessons. The entire Bible is hammered down into one long lesson on obedience. Almost like a Bible Aesop’s Fables. Each story becomes a lesson so you can fix your behavior and be a better person. Children are then likely to be left with the impression that they must be good for God to love them. Disastrous and inaccurate. It’s as if Jesus never came.
So I wanted to write a children’s Bible storybook that first and foremost told the Great Story of the Bible--the story running under all the stories of the Bible like a golden stream--the story of how God loves his children and comes to rescue them. The Story that at the center has a baby, the child upon whom everything would depend—Jesus, the only, real true Hero of the Bible. I wanted a Bible Storybook that was, like the Bible is, not all about us and what we should be doing--but about God, and what he has done.

We have purchased a few copies for some special little people in our lives, and it will definitely be the Bible that I point people to when I get asked (which is quite a lot!).

It's not often that I find things that I love in terms of ministry to kids. To be honest, I'm extremely opinionated and dislike pretty much everything that Christian media puts out for children; and not because I think I'm too cool, but because inevitably things violate something deep in me...yes, I've been ruined in the best possible way by my job (and don't even get me started on VeggieTales...). This is by far the BEST product I have seen for kids in a very long time! If you don't believe my hype ( I don't know why you wouldn't!), check out the website...www.jesusstorybookbible.com. Take a look around their site, listen to one of the audio samples, check out a sample story, and watch a video of one of the stories (they change it every week) and then let me know what you think. I honestly think you will love it as much as I do!

so proud...

Next time you're in Target, look in the boys section for this ::
It's Alex's design! So fun! We've already got one for Micah and friends and family have been finding them all over southern California, so check your Target for them and buy one! There's another one of his designs in Kohl's, but we haven't been able to find it just yet. Alex is such a hard worker, and probably the most motivated person I know when it comes to following his dream...I couldn't be more excited to see his hard work (and perseverance) rewarded. We are also extra thankful for this little bit of extra income :)

well....

We had our 20 week appointment last week. The one where they check out the baby's anatomy to make sure everything is on track, and thankfully, it was. Funny enough we had our 20 week appointment at 18 weeks because of Christmas and the doctor's schedule :) We were definitely not sad to be scanned early! We were looking forward to this appointment since my very first appointment at 8 weeks! Yes, I am a freak and made sure to schedule this one way back then!

We had everyone on standby to find out the gender of the baby, and of COURSE, our little one decided to be extremely modest (or stubborn...i choose modest!). Our tech literally had to dig just to get all of the medical measurements that she needed, much less find out the gender. Our sonogram lasted an entire hour!! When she tried to move the baby, he would just curl up in a ball or cross his legs! It was comical to watch, but I don't think she thought it was very funny :) So, after an hour, we finally got a look and found out that it's a BOY!

Alex and I were a little bit in shock because we had both thought that there was a little girl in there! We are SO excited to have a little boy! It's fun to be able to refer to him by his name! We are so in love with our little man already! We can't wait to meet Micah Alexander :)