Answered Prayers

Hello!

I know I write on my blog pretty sporadically nowadays, so here's a quick update:


1. I'M PREGNANT!
2. It's a girl! Due August 9th.
3. Her name is Lyla!
4. She is the greatest miracle.


At our anatomy ultrasound (18 to 20 weeks), we went with anticipation that everything would turn up normal with the baby. Kyle and I are both young, we never smoked, hardly drank, and had no genetic disorders in our family history. Shouldn't a person with those credentials be the poster child for a healthy, easy pregnancy? The short answer - not always.


The evening after the ultrasound, I received a call from my doctor that went a little something like this...


"Now, I don't want you to be worried, but..."


CUE THE WORRY.


Lyla had two cysts on her brain. He also mentioned something about a heart valve the radiologist couldn't see, but by that point, I was so overcome with worry that the rest of his words all blurred together.


"Something's wrong with the baby..." is all I could replay in my mind.


After an hour of what felt like endless tears, confusion, and googling, I texted my mom with the news. I asked her to pray. I asked her to tell every prayer warrior she knew to do the same. Within 24 hours, all of mine and Kyle's extended family, friends, and even acquaintances were praying over this little life.


I asked Mom to pray big, specific prayers. I told her to ask God to take away the cysts, or at the very least, make them decrease significantly. I asked her to pray that the baby's heart valve was fine.


The following day, after I had some time to calm down, I emailed my doctor with a million questions. Normally, the doctor would take a few days to respond. Fast forward three hours, I had a new email with an answered prayer inside.


He informed me that the missing heart valve was actually just a poorly taken picture that needed to be redone. The valve was there and intact. Thank you Jesus.


Now the hard part came - waiting a week for an appointment with a perinatologist (high risk doctor) to investigate the cysts. Research on my part revealed that the cysts, with no other abnormalities, were relatively normal. In all likelihood, the baby would turn out fine. If she had any additional abnormalities, however, it hinted at a chromosomal disorder - namely, Trisomy 18. To make a long story short, babies with T-18 rarely make it to the birth. If they are born, they are often stillborn. Talk about a mother's worst nightmare.


It was difficult finding comfort in the potential outcomes. On one hand, the baby could turn out normal. On the other, the baby probably wouldn't leave the hospital. Where do you find a resting spot between those two options?


Fast forward an agonizing seven days, we were finally at the doctor's office. The main thing we were looking for on the ultrasound was the baby opening her hands. With T-18, the baby's hands stay permanently clenched. We knew if we saw her hands open, the likelihood of her having the disorder was slim to none. And this is what we saw...

Hi, Momma!

Lyla waved, gave us peace signs, and did "jazz hands" the entire ultrasound. No question about it - Trisomy 18 seemed extremely unlikely. Thank you Jesus!


As for the cysts, one of them was already COMPLETELY dissolved. in less than a week. how unreal! The doctor then went a step further and explained all other potential abnormalities and then showed us evidence on the ultrasound to prove that she didn't have them (ex - cleft palate, heart defects, spina bifida, etc). We left the office feeling SO relieved, confident and joyful. Our baby girl was completely healthy.


 Talk about big prayers yielding bigger results. Do yourself a favor - don't ever question if prayer works or if God actually hears us. He hears every single prayer and responds in his own way.  So, so thankful.

How God is using my anxiety

For those who don't know me that well or have never looked at my blog, you should know that I struggle with anxiety and stress and have struggled with it since I was a kid. With this being my first year as a teacher, that anxiety has increased tenfold.

For a while, I questioned my faith. Clearly I couldn't truly be trusting God if I was having all these anxious feelings constantly, right?

But I read something interesting today. In the article, "How God can use your anxiety for good," the author states the following:

"'When we discourage from safely expressing their anxiety, then we are essentially saying to them that anxiety is a bad emotion …. It communicates to them that perhaps something is wrong with their Christian faith.' Smith goes on to talk about how God may be using anxiety to draw us closer to him, allowing us to recognize our need and limitations as anchors to the One who is sufficient."

I thought about what I had just read. It's true, my anxiety has reached new highs this year that I've never experienced before. What's also true, however, is that I never stop praying because of it. Literally, when I wake up multiple times throughout the night, half asleep with my heart pounding for no apparent reason, I start praying. It's no longer something I think to do; it just happens. It's become as natural as breathing for me. I ask for God's help. I ask him to walk with me and guide me through these overwhelming times.

 God is using my anxiety as a tool to bring me closer to him. And that makes it all worth it.

Dear new teacher, you're awesome.

Being a new teacher is really hard, y'all. and intimidating. and stressful. and slightly terrifying. There have been many days when I leave school in a complete daze - my husband wants to know how my day went, and typically all I can muster is a few mumbles about accommodations and data collection. Again, IT'S HARD. 

What is incredibly easy, however, is to dwell on all the things you don't understand, all your short comings, or how you weren't able to get through to that kid in your third period. Today, I'm choosing to focus on the good. Here are some positive things that have happened to me in my first month of teaching:

1. I'm working with some incredible people who have welcomed me into their circle from the moment I met them. Morale is HIGH at my school; how many teachers can say that?

2. Some kids like me enough to high five me in the hallways. BAM.

3. I got through my first walk through without passing out, and even better, was rated proficient!

4. I've been able to "get through" to kids who are sometimes unreachable, both academically and emotionally.

5. THE KIDS ARE GETTING SO CLOSE TO SAYING MY LAST NAME RIGHT. Yes, all caps was necessary.

6. I've strengthened my ability to work and communicate with others. I'm an introvert through and through, so this is big for me!

7. I have learned something new every single day.

8. I have successfully taught math lessons (the 12 year old version of myself is in awe at this turn of events).

9. I am learning to put the needs of others before my own.

10. As a teacher, I am serving an invaluable purpose in these kids' lives!


If I could give any advice to all the new teachers out there, it would be this: focus on the little victories. You are doing better than you think! 

Vegas Recap

Blogger? Is that you?

I haven't posted anything in forever it seems! I've been preparing for the upcoming school year, and that, among other things, has gotten in the way of my writing. I'm back now! :)

A few weeks ago, I went to Vegas with my husband and his family. Kyle's parents (who are incredibly generous) offered to pay for our entire trip: food, flights, hotel, EVERYTHING. They're awesome. It was such an interesting place! I'm not much of a gambler, but I still had a great time. Lucky for us (slightly sarcastic), we were there during the Electric Daisy Carnival, so we were pretty much constantly surrounded by craziness. It made the trip more memorable, though! ;) Here are some photos...

Mandalay Bay

All our pools!

While we were there, we saw Criss Angel's "BeLIEve" show. My husband and his brother are definitely lovers of magic, so this performance was right down their alley. Not gonna lie, it was pretty impressive! I wanted some shots of the actual show, but the security guards were looming down the aisles and threatening to kick people out for taking pictures, so I figured it wasn't worth the risk. What can I say? I'm a rule follower, haha!

Anyone out there ever been to Vegas? What did you think?!

L'Oreal Paris Ultimate Straight Review

Happy Thursday!


So the best website EVER, Influenster, sent me a full line of haircare products from L'Oreal to review. For those who don't know, Influenster is a website that sends you products based on your influence on social media. You don't have to have a blog to get products; simply being active on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, etc will absolutely suffice! Feel free to sign up here.

Anyway, back to the good stuff.

Here are the products I received:

1. Smooth Intense Ultimate Straight Shampoo (Full Size) Retails for $4.99
2. Smooth Intense Ultimate Straight Boosting Pre-Conditioner (Full Size) Retails for $6.99
3. Smooth Intense Ultimate Straight Conditioner (Full Size) Retails for $4.99
4. Smooth Intense Ultimate Straight Perfecting Balm (Full Size) Retails for $6.99
5. Samples of Shampoo, Pre-conditioner, and conditioner

Total Retail Cost: $23.96 (before tax)

And Influenster gave them to me FOR FREE. What?!

Typically, my hair is very fine and wavy. If I blow dry it immediately after showering, it comes out slightly wavy, slightly straight, and flips out at the ends. Cute, I know. L'Oreal Ultimate Straight claims that their products "start straightening strands in the shower--so you'll spend less time with damaging styling tools." So let's put these products to the test! Will they really make my hair straighter? Check out the pics below:

P.S. Excuse the lack of make up. It's summertime and I just don't care.

Overall, I did see an improvement in my hair from using these products. My hair definitely came out straighter than it usually does. Is this a miracle product that allows me to avoid my straightener? Not really. HOWEVER, it did make my morning routine a little easier than usual!


I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.

Exciting news!

Hey everyone!

So I have some awesome news that I've been waiting for the perfect moment to share with the world, and the time has finally arrived!

(and no, it's not a baby).


Drum roll, please...



After 18 months of confusion, frustration, and lots of prayer, I am thrilled to announce that I have accepted my very first teaching job! I'm going to be an inclusive special ed teacher for a group of precious 7th graders, and I could not be more excited to take this next step in my teaching journey.

The road to this point hasn't always been easy, and I regularly found myself questioning what God's purpose was for my life. After a few months of going back and forth about what I was meant to do and getting absolutely no where, I gave in completely. Instead, I chose to trust that God would put me precisely where I was meant to be; worrying would do nothing to change that fate. People would ask me what my plans were for the following school year, and I would simply respond, "I'm waiting for God to tell me!" And he did. He is so faithful.

I could not be more excited for this next adventure. 

Top 10 signs you're obsessed with your dog

Admit it, guys. You're in love with your furry bestie. You may be a tad obsessed with your pup if...

1. You've caught yourself having full length conversations with your dog. In public. with onlookers.

 

2. You regularly leave social events three hours early because you "don't want him/her to be alone for too long."

So...you about ready to come home?

3. You buy your dog the most expensive food you can get your hands on yet are still munching on fast food for every meal you eat. 

4.  You get a little offended when you're not allowed to bring your dog with you to a family function. Example - "What do you mean I can't bring my dog to the birth of your baby?!"

5.  You always value your personal space, except when it comes to your dog. Then come on over, precious!

6. When your dog greets you with a big smile on her face and you melt every.single.time.

7. Your Instagram account is basically dedicated to your dog.

 

8. You feel legitimately guilty for leaving them home alone while you're at work.

She's very upset, obviously.

9. You're basically a volunteer paparazzi for every cute thing your dog does. 

10. You consider them a part of your family!

"And this is my doghter, Raleigh!"