We never would have thought that naming a baby could be so stinkin' scary!
Maybe for some its not, but when we realize that we are naming a little human it starts to get a little scary. We have a list of names that we've collected and we've narrowed it down to 3 first names, but haven't touched the middle name list yet. (That will come after we get a first name nailed down) But each time we look over the list we just seem to get stuck, and start asking questions like, are we going to scar our child with the name we give her, and is she going to hate her name? We aren't concerned with what our families think, sorry families, but this is our baby and we'll name her what we want. Even with that said, its still a huge responsibility for a parent. I think it would have been easier had it been a boy, we only had one name that we both agreed on. But with a little girl, there are all kinds of pretty names. And I must say that it isn't the easiest thing to find a name that goes with a another name (that isn't a "typical middle name") and both of those combined that go with Berry Ann. I'm sure all of you are now rattling off names in your head that could work... there are quite a few names that work, we just don't want to use somethinig that is so common. How many women/girls do you know with the middle name Marie, Elizabeth, Lee, or Lynn? We know quite a few. And we love the name Ann, but for obvious reasons that just won't work!
Needless to say we'll figure something out. Like I said, we have narrowed the list down, it will just take time...and we do have plenty of time thank goodness.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Thursday, April 10, 2008
we're having a...
GIRL!!!
This is our little girl... man were we wrong when we thought she was a he.
We got up bright and early this morning and headed out to the imaging center to get the first pictures of our little one. She was quite active, rolling all over the place. She also definitely didn't like having someone intrude on her space, each time the tech would push harder on my stomach, the more Baby B would kick. And I promise we'll have a name before too long, Nathan was already brainstorming on the way home. We have a few favorites, just have to find something we like that goes along with Berry Ann.... or Huffman since Amanda Jo said our littles could get married. How cute is that?
We are right on track at 18 weeks and our little girl is healthy and growing wonderfully. So in Sept. Baby B will join a very long line of females on my side of the family, 7 on my Dad's side and 5 on my Mom's...only 3 boys total.
Everything looked great on the sonogram, and we got some incredible pictures. If you'd like to see more let us know, we can email them. One of my favorites is a 3D pictures of her sucking her thumb, so precious. I thought for sure the 3D pictures would be a little scary, but they were actually amazing.
Nathan is doing well, although quite shocked (we both are) and terrified. I tried to reassure him that this little girl would be "Daddy's little girl" and would love him, especially in those times when she hates me... gotta love the mother - daughter relationship. Once the shock wears off I'm sure he'll realize just how wonderful this little one will be.
Yay for baby girls!
Thursday, April 3, 2008
my little soccer player...
or maybe he's a runner like his Daddy. I just don't know. But one thing is for sure, we have one active baby on our hands.
I had another doctor's appointment today and Dr. Perryman said the baby was all over the place. While he was checking the heartbeat the baby was moving all over and kicking which caused small thumps every few seconds. Dr. Perryman, like Dr. Whect, had to keep moving around to keep the heartbeat in range so he could get the rate. It's dropped a little, but we're still high at 152. Other good news, I'm measuring (my belly) right on track and my weight is still good - and on the rise, plus I'm feeling some of the kicks/movements Baby B is making.
Yesterday my Mom called and told me there was a "magic crystals" test I had to try. The mom of an old friend of mine caught my Mom at work and told her about this test that would tell us if we were having a boy or girl. Being crazy enough to see what would happen, I tried it (don't worry I didn't have to drink anything or do something crazy). Apparently it has never been wrong, turning brown for a girl and blue green for a boy. We'll find out soon if it was correct, but if it was Nathan will be very happy. The magic crystals turned blue green (BOY)...and smelled horrible, I mean really horrible. I had to do the test outside, and even then I had my hand over my mouth and came inside and watched the reaction with the glass doors closed. To test it again, I just might have to get someone I know who is having a girl or boy to try it.
Needless to say, Baby B is doing well and growing strong. Hopefully we'll have another update for you soon.
I had another doctor's appointment today and Dr. Perryman said the baby was all over the place. While he was checking the heartbeat the baby was moving all over and kicking which caused small thumps every few seconds. Dr. Perryman, like Dr. Whect, had to keep moving around to keep the heartbeat in range so he could get the rate. It's dropped a little, but we're still high at 152. Other good news, I'm measuring (my belly) right on track and my weight is still good - and on the rise, plus I'm feeling some of the kicks/movements Baby B is making.
Yesterday my Mom called and told me there was a "magic crystals" test I had to try. The mom of an old friend of mine caught my Mom at work and told her about this test that would tell us if we were having a boy or girl. Being crazy enough to see what would happen, I tried it (don't worry I didn't have to drink anything or do something crazy). Apparently it has never been wrong, turning brown for a girl and blue green for a boy. We'll find out soon if it was correct, but if it was Nathan will be very happy. The magic crystals turned blue green (BOY)...and smelled horrible, I mean really horrible. I had to do the test outside, and even then I had my hand over my mouth and came inside and watched the reaction with the glass doors closed. To test it again, I just might have to get someone I know who is having a girl or boy to try it.
Needless to say, Baby B is doing well and growing strong. Hopefully we'll have another update for you soon.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
back to it...
We're back in the housing game. This past weekend we spent quite a bit of time out on the road looking around at different houses in different areas. As disappointing as Saturday was, it was also very encouraging. We have finally narrowed down the areas in which we want to look, which is a huge accomplishment.
Saturday we headed out early afternoon to the northeast part of Pittsburgh. It was actually just north of the county border in Buffalo county. One of Nathan's co-workers told him that would be a good place to look since the area was growing and a major roadway was going to be developed there. We were quite excited because there were some beautiful townhouses located there at an incredible price as well as two houses we wanted to look into. But as we drove out, and farther and farther out, we realized we were in the middle of nowhere. We did finally reach the townhouses, but it was so far out, we knew it wasn't what we wanted. Plus, like most areas around here, the houses sat in a terrible location. As Nathan would say, right across the street was a "Willey's Wet Bar". A lot of places around here are like that, you have a very nice house or even neighborhood and right beside it are the run down falling apart places.
After church on Sunday we started looking again. Since we had narrowed our search area to the Wexford and Cranberry area, it was pretty easy to find nice places. We also have had to increase our price range just a little to accommodate the nicer areas. But BINGO, we found almost 10 townhouses that we thought might fit what we want. We took off again and drove out to see the area. All off the townhouses and the areas they were in were great. Two in particular stood out to us and we're going tonight to look at the first one.
This time around its a bit more serious. Nathan would like to be in our new place by this summer so we have plenty of time to get things ready before the baby arrives. Its all very exciting and scary at the same time. We'll keep you posted, and hopefully before too long we'll be able to share happy news that we're buying our first home.
Saturday we headed out early afternoon to the northeast part of Pittsburgh. It was actually just north of the county border in Buffalo county. One of Nathan's co-workers told him that would be a good place to look since the area was growing and a major roadway was going to be developed there. We were quite excited because there were some beautiful townhouses located there at an incredible price as well as two houses we wanted to look into. But as we drove out, and farther and farther out, we realized we were in the middle of nowhere. We did finally reach the townhouses, but it was so far out, we knew it wasn't what we wanted. Plus, like most areas around here, the houses sat in a terrible location. As Nathan would say, right across the street was a "Willey's Wet Bar". A lot of places around here are like that, you have a very nice house or even neighborhood and right beside it are the run down falling apart places.
After church on Sunday we started looking again. Since we had narrowed our search area to the Wexford and Cranberry area, it was pretty easy to find nice places. We also have had to increase our price range just a little to accommodate the nicer areas. But BINGO, we found almost 10 townhouses that we thought might fit what we want. We took off again and drove out to see the area. All off the townhouses and the areas they were in were great. Two in particular stood out to us and we're going tonight to look at the first one.
This time around its a bit more serious. Nathan would like to be in our new place by this summer so we have plenty of time to get things ready before the baby arrives. Its all very exciting and scary at the same time. We'll keep you posted, and hopefully before too long we'll be able to share happy news that we're buying our first home.
Monday, March 17, 2008
baby belly...
At three and a half months, I'm beginning to show, and I feel like I can see a change every day. I step on the scale expecting to see the numbers changing, but they really haven't yet. So far I've only gained a total of 3 or 4 lbs.
I know it looks like I'm wearing a very short dress, but its just a large tank top. I had to get some bigger shirts to cover up my belly band... it just happened I was wearing this under a sweater on Saturday when we decided to take a picture. Unless I'm wearing something a bit more form fitting, you really can't tell I'm expecting. We'll be sure to update with more pictures as I grow.
In other news around the Berry Ann household, Nathan is still training for the marathon in May. He went on the longest run he's ever finished this past weekend, 16 miles. He said it was very hard but satisfying, he even decided to go for a shorter run on Sunday with a few friends. I'm still completely amazed and so proud that he is doing this. I know I couldn't do it, but it does make me want to try. Maybe next Spring I'll try to get back into it.
HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!
Thursday, March 13, 2008
genuine worship...
being honest, it's been a really long time since I've been able to genuinely worship God in the way I like...by singing. Yes, we go to church every Sunday and there is always worship music to sing with. But there is more to worshiping God then just singing along, at least for me. I know for some, singing isn't what they enjoy doing or how they prefer to worship. I've had friends who enjoy being out in nature talking with God, others who enjoy reading, some who like to write, and many others who have found their special place of worship in something else. I love to write and so I keep a journal, but if I really want to get deep down, I need to sing.
It's been a little more than two years since we left WV and I left singing. For the 4 or 5 years before that I had been singing in either H2O or with Kidzone, and it was the best time of my life. During this time God really opened my eyes and grew me into the person I am today. I am so thankful for that opportunity. Not only did I mature as a person but the gift that God gave me was able to mature. Its been very hard being away from the type of singing that I enjoy, let alone the opportunity to sing. I was given the chance to sing when we were living in Va, but was unable to participate when we moved a few weeks later. Oh so close! But since being in PA, I just haven't been able to get back to it. Sure, I could try out for the worship team, but I'd just be singing along. I'm not asking to have a solo if that is what you are thinking, but worship here is so much different than what we're used to. Thus the reason I haven't felt my worship on Sunday mornings go too far. I know that God loves it when we sing, but there is a deeper connection that I'm missing.
Today proved to be a bit of a rough day for me. Emotionally that is. The afternoon rolled around and I decided I needed some quiet time, alone time with God if I was going to get out of my funk... no pun intended. So I grabbed one of our fold up chairs, some water, my sunnies, and my journal and headed outside to enjoy this beautiful day.
I wrote for a while but the sun in my eyes started bothering me so I layed my head back and just started listening to the sounds around me. It was then that it hit me, what I really needed was some genuine worship time. I grabbed my worship notebook for some inspiration and started flipping through pages. Within seconds I was back to where I needed to be... singing with God. Song after song I sang and let my heart pour into the words. The songs, I knew by heart, which made it so much easier to close my eyes and concentrate on what I was singing to God. There were quite a few times that I actually broke into tears from the reaffirming words and promises of God, but I kept singing through those tears. I think God spoke back in several ways to me today, but it seemed when I came across one of his amazing promises the wind would blow... God was telling me he was here with me!
It was such a relief to finally get away from everything and everyone that hinders my worship and just let go. I wanted to leave you with a couple of songs that really touched me today. Two of my favorites from when I was singing with H2O. The first is 'I will Overcome' (by Charlie Hall). It was a great reminder for days like today when I feel like I'm being overcome by the world.
And finally a song that is so dear to my heart. Every time I sing this song I remember the setting in which we sang it. It was a song that Cameron King and I used to do, just the two of us and a guitar, at Sola on Wed. nights; one of my favorites. It is such an intimate song, a quiet praise to our Maker and a song that always comes my heart when I want to worship.
It's been a little more than two years since we left WV and I left singing. For the 4 or 5 years before that I had been singing in either H2O or with Kidzone, and it was the best time of my life. During this time God really opened my eyes and grew me into the person I am today. I am so thankful for that opportunity. Not only did I mature as a person but the gift that God gave me was able to mature. Its been very hard being away from the type of singing that I enjoy, let alone the opportunity to sing. I was given the chance to sing when we were living in Va, but was unable to participate when we moved a few weeks later. Oh so close! But since being in PA, I just haven't been able to get back to it. Sure, I could try out for the worship team, but I'd just be singing along. I'm not asking to have a solo if that is what you are thinking, but worship here is so much different than what we're used to. Thus the reason I haven't felt my worship on Sunday mornings go too far. I know that God loves it when we sing, but there is a deeper connection that I'm missing.
Today proved to be a bit of a rough day for me. Emotionally that is. The afternoon rolled around and I decided I needed some quiet time, alone time with God if I was going to get out of my funk... no pun intended. So I grabbed one of our fold up chairs, some water, my sunnies, and my journal and headed outside to enjoy this beautiful day.
I wrote for a while but the sun in my eyes started bothering me so I layed my head back and just started listening to the sounds around me. It was then that it hit me, what I really needed was some genuine worship time. I grabbed my worship notebook for some inspiration and started flipping through pages. Within seconds I was back to where I needed to be... singing with God. Song after song I sang and let my heart pour into the words. The songs, I knew by heart, which made it so much easier to close my eyes and concentrate on what I was singing to God. There were quite a few times that I actually broke into tears from the reaffirming words and promises of God, but I kept singing through those tears. I think God spoke back in several ways to me today, but it seemed when I came across one of his amazing promises the wind would blow... God was telling me he was here with me!
It was such a relief to finally get away from everything and everyone that hinders my worship and just let go. I wanted to leave you with a couple of songs that really touched me today. Two of my favorites from when I was singing with H2O. The first is 'I will Overcome' (by Charlie Hall). It was a great reminder for days like today when I feel like I'm being overcome by the world.
And I can see that my hands are trembling
I can see that my legs are weak
I can see that my head is spinning, but I will overcome
And I know that my heart is hurting
And I know that my soul it aches
And I know that it seems I'm failing, but I will overcome
O Lord I'm strong in you, O Lord I'm wise in you
O Lord I can see in you, so I will overcome
O Lord I'm loved by you, O Lord I'm free in You
O Lord I'm complete in You
So I will overcome, I will overcome, I will overcome
God listen to me shout; I'm so far from anywhere
And I'm calling out
Lead me, lead me to the rock that is higher than I
You're my breath, You're my breath, You're my very life
Infinite, Holy King meets weak and frail Christ in me
And I will overcome not by my strength but by your grace and love
And finally a song that is so dear to my heart. Every time I sing this song I remember the setting in which we sang it. It was a song that Cameron King and I used to do, just the two of us and a guitar, at Sola on Wed. nights; one of my favorites. It is such an intimate song, a quiet praise to our Maker and a song that always comes my heart when I want to worship.
Priceless Treasure (by Charlie Hall)
Priceless treasure, Jesus the Christ;
The jewel of my searching demands my life.
So I bow to You,
and I kneel to You,
You have my heart.
Oh, marvelous Savior,
You came down from heaven to us.
Oh, beautiful treasure,
You made us His daughters and sons.
Oh, that we could reflect You,
show you to the world that you love; Jesus the Christ
You are my gain in death or in life.
My quest is to know You, my God, my delight.
So I bow to You,
and I kneel to You,
You have my heart.
Oh, marvelous Savior,
You came down from heaven to us.
Oh, beautiful treasure,
You made us His daughters and sons,
Oh, that we could reflect You,
show you to the world that You love; Jesus the Christ
(I'm sorry I couldn't get the formating right for the songs... this silly thing wouldn't let me insert breaks or line spaces!)
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Baby B update...
today we had our 2nd doctor's appointment and got the chance to hear Baby B's heartbeat. Unfortunately we go to a private practice and not a hospital so they don't do ultrasounds/sonograms in the office. We do have a script to have one done in April and we'll get to find out if Baby B is a boy or a girl.... only 4-5 more weeks.
We have an active little one, our doctor told us, Baby B's heartbeat was 160 and he/she was moving around like crazy. I wasn't quite sure how either of us would react to hearing the heartbeat for the first time, and was surprised when I starting laughing...which didn't help Dr. Wecht keep in contact with the baby. She said she didn't mind, it happens all the time. I couldn't see Nathan while I was laying down but he was pretty silent, and eventually smiled and started talking after the Dr. left.
Our next appt. isn't until the first week of April and hopefully we'll be able to schedule our sonogram the week after that. We'll update again as soon!
We have an active little one, our doctor told us, Baby B's heartbeat was 160 and he/she was moving around like crazy. I wasn't quite sure how either of us would react to hearing the heartbeat for the first time, and was surprised when I starting laughing...which didn't help Dr. Wecht keep in contact with the baby. She said she didn't mind, it happens all the time. I couldn't see Nathan while I was laying down but he was pretty silent, and eventually smiled and started talking after the Dr. left.
Our next appt. isn't until the first week of April and hopefully we'll be able to schedule our sonogram the week after that. We'll update again as soon!
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