"Children are a blessing from the Lord... remember that at 3 AM."

All three of us are still doing well, although we've made quite a few trips to the labor deck over the past few weeks. I've had some pains and strange symptoms that the nurses have been concerned enough about that they've wanted me to come in to get them checked out. A few visits have resulted in putting me on antibiotics, but I've mostly left with instructions to rest and drink as much water as humanly possible. We had a moment of concern yesterday when the baby's heart rate dropped too low during a contraction, but they continued to monitor him and he looked completely fine. So, we're thankful for a healthy baby, but I'm definitely getting more impatient to pop this guy out!

Andrew and I are going to a Phillies/Mariners game tomorrow, which should be so fun. Obviously, Andrew is much more excited about seeing the Phils than I am, but I'm also very aware of the fact that this will probably be one of our last times "out on the town" just the two of us for a long time. :) Plus, I haven't been to a baseball game in years!

Andrew did survive his camping trip with all of his buddies last month and I had a wonderful time in Charlotte seeing Jared get married! It was also so great to see some family members that I hadn't seen in so many years. I got lots of good time with my parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles and Joel and his family. The hardest part is always saying goodbye, especially to those I know I won't see for a long time. Being away from family is always a difficult thing, but the thought of our little boy being away from his grandparents, aunts and uncles is a little much sometimes.


Happy Father's Day to the best dad there is AND Happy Birthday to the best nephew there is! I can't believe he's going to be 4!!

Babies having babies

Well, I am closing in on 30 weeks pregnant and still feeling good! I've had some minor issues here and there, but our baby is checking out healthy at every appointment and must be studying to be a kick boxer. He likes to wait until I've settled down to sleep for the night to show off his moves - a habit I hope he breaks once he's out of the womb. No high hopes on that though. :)

Our nursery is finally painted and we've been gathering most of the items we'll need for the little guy, thanks to generous gifts from our friends and family! I've had a blast putting everything together. Andrew laughs at all of my lists floating around the house - things we need at the diaper station, best ways to get babies to sleep, things to bring with us to the hospital, etc. I do like to be prepared! Some may say having all of the baby clothes and blankets washed and ready to go 10 weeks early is a bit excessive, but it makes me feel better. It also makes everything feel a little more real. We both have to remind ourselves occasionally that we're going to have a real live baby in this apartment soon.

I'd really like to have a natural birth if I can. I was all about epidurals for the first few months because I was under the impression that the only reason to refuse an epidural is pride. And I have none of that. ;) But after speaking with a few people and doing a little research on my own there are quite a few benefits to going all natural. I'm preparing myself for the fact that they may suggest an epidural and, obviously, if it's in the best interest of me and the baby then I won't refuse that. My main prayer is that I won't have to have a C-section because of my small figure or any other reason. I know these things are done daily and it's really nothing to worry about, but the idea of it flips me out a little. I would really be disappointed to lose the experience of pushing my baby out myself.

So Andrew will be spending the rest of this week alone with the cats while I'm in Charlotte at Jared's wedding! We were both extremely disappointed that he was unable to take leave for this week, but thankful, at least, that I'm able to go. It'll be wonderful to see family and spend time with everyone before the baby comes. Andrew has plans of going out for beers with some friends and possibly camping...with no tents...and sleeping with a knife in case bears come. Sigh.

Baby update

I am 24 weeks today!

I had a great prenatal checkup this week. The doctor said I'm right on track with my weight gain, which was a great relief after hearing so many lectures about being so skinny. I'm not showing quite as much as normal, mainly due to my long torso and the fact that our baby will probably be a bit smaller than average, but I should be popping out more pretty soon. The baby's heartbeat is healthy and strong! He's gaining about 6 ounces per week these days and his facial features are almost completely formed. :) I've been feeling good, for the most part. My main complaint is lack of sleep, but I'm hearing I should get used to that.

Andrew's been working hard standing posts for the last week. It's been a very tough schedule because many of the guys in his division are gone temporarily for various reasons, so everyone has to pull a little more weight than usual. He's been very tired, but thankfully only has one more week to go of these difficult hours.

Thanks to all those who read our little updates and pray for us! Much appreciated.

It's a boy!!

We officially found out a couple weeks ago that Andrew and I will be having a little baby boy in roughly four months! Tomorrow actually marks exactly four months from my due date. Obviously, we are ecstatic. We've already decided on the name, but will be keeping it a surprise until our little guy is born.

Andrew's brother, Jon, just left yesterday from a week long visit here. The three of us had a great time wandering around Seattle, playing late night games of Scene It, eating at every restaurant Washington has to offer and showing him a little bit of our lives here on the west coast. We were so sad to drop him off at the airport yesterday, but so happy we'll be seeing him again this summer when he comes to meet his new nephew! Here's a great shot from when we took Jon to see Mt Rainier. Unfortunately, there was too much snow to go up the mountain, but the boys made their own fun by throwing enormous rocks and sticks into this river.

An exciting piece of news from the Oliphint side of the family is that my brother, Jared, will be marrying Jenny Pemberton on May 20th! I already bought my ticket to Charlotte, NC where the wedding will be held and we are praying hard that Andrew will get his leave approved to come as well. Besides the obvious fact that we want to be there to see Jared and Jenny get married, it's also a great chance for Andrew to meet some of my family that wasn't able to make it to our wedding last year! Their engagement pictures aren't quite ready yet, but here's a cute shot of the betrothed couple. :)

Andrew is currently finishing up his two weeks off and heading back to standing posts this coming Friday. My parents will be coming to spend a few days with us here around Easter, which we are looking so forward to! 

Happy Birthday to my wonderful sister-in-law, Kate!! 

Things are great.

The only semi-bad news is we have a little longer to find out the gender than we thought! Apparently, the doctors and ultrasound technicians disagree on which weeks are best for that. So, we continue to wait with bated breath. Hopefully, another 3-4 weeks or so.

Meanwhile, I'm starting to show, which is very exciting for me! Having never weighed more than 102 pounds, it's amazing to watch all of these changes. I know this is the most obvious statement in the world, but you just can't help but say it when you're pregnant - I can't believe there's a human inside me! Whoever is in there is definitely a kicker. I get a kick (harharhar) out of laying on the couch and feeling those little nudges for minutes at a time. Andrew has yet to feel it, but that's really due to timing not capability. The kicks are strong enough that I can definitely feel some of them on the outside against my hand.

Andrew is mustering up as we speak and concluding his two weeks of standing posts. We are both looking very forward to the next two weeks of relaxation and normal nights of sleep! He enjoyed standing posts for the most part, although it was hard to keep a regular schedule when he would stand post 6PM to midnight and then 6AM to noon the next day. On the bright side, he made friends with some seals and raccoons while on the job (ask him if you're curious enough to know the stories behind that).

One decision we are in the middle of making is whether it would be smart to move to an apartment off of the base. We've looked into a few and the biggest reason for moving would be to save a little money each month on rent. With a sweet little one on the way, we can always use a little extra cash. :) But there are other factors to consider and we want to make sure we make the best decision all around on that. So, we could definitely use prayers in that area that the Lord will make it clear where we should be right now. We only have a couple days to decide and let our current landlords know.

Quick side note: today is our five month anniversary! 


I'm going to Philly for a few days next week to spend time with the fam and whichever friends I have time to see. I'm sure Andrew is looking forward to spending time here with ESPN and the kitties. :D Speaking of which, we've decided Winnie is half puppy dog. Even if she is on the other side of the house, all I have to do is say "Winnie come here!" and she comes galloping over to lick my cheek. Philly, on the other hand, has toned down a little bit. I'm not sure if Winnie tires her out from all of the playing or if she's just feeling she needs to set a mature example, but she's not near as hyper or attentive as she used to be. You can be sure we still force our love on her and anyone who knows the story of Andrew and his poor little hamster knows what I mean.

The picture below shows nap time at our house - a fairly frequent occurrence when Andrew gets home from work everyday. Winnie and Philly are always happy to keep him company.

Also, Happy Birthday (a couple days early) to Papa Matthews and Mama Oliphint!! Love you both.

Being content and cute kittens

Well, we're a little under a month away from finding out the gender of our little peanut! I've already picked out some neutral colors for the nursery (light green and yellow) and have the two paint colors I like best narrowed down. So painting the nursery will be a fun project that I very much look forward to.

We've been attending the church in Bainbridge Island that we liked and have really started to enjoy being there. It's a good-sized church, which makes it a little difficult to get involved in, but the music and sermons are wonderful. The sermon this morning was on "chasing glory" and was very convicting. It went along well with a book my mom recently gave me called Calm My Anxious Heart. It's all about being content with what the Lord has given you, no matter the circumstances. It's one of those books that makes you realize just how self-centered and ungrateful you are. We all struggle with coveting different things based on our interest or needs at the time. I struggle with wanting pretty things for our apartment, more little pets to take care of, more time with my husband when he's at work, a job I love to keep me busy, etc. Andrew, on the other hand, struggles with wanting things like a new phone, a higher rank, a nicer car, more time to spend doing things he loves, etc. We both want more money, to be closer to friends and family, the honeymoon that we never really got - it's fairly easy to come up with a ridiculously long list of things we both want. Some are silly little things and some are important things like financial stability. But the main message God has put in my life recently is that your own circumstances are not supposed to dictate your satisfaction with life. This book I've been reading makes it clear that being content is a state of the heart.

The man who preached the sermon this morning has been fostering a little baby boy for the past few months. He said he and his wife's philosophy was to have one more kid than you're comfortable with to force yourself to rely on God. He was half-joking, but I loved that. We're always supposed to be challenged by God so that we can learn to trust Him completely. If you are completely content, it should not be because of your circumstances because even if they are great, circumstances can change in a second. There are so many people that have demonstrated contentedness for me over the years, but the first people that always jump to mind are my teachers in high school. I got to watch them firsthand for four years and admired them more and more as time went on. They work harder than many people I know and do it with a smile. They get very little thanks or recognition and while they should be getting paid like NFL players, they are definitely not. I never stop admiring how much they care about their students and their willingness to always work around the clock. What a great example of being content where the Lord has placed you.

So, since I don't have much of an update on what's happening in our lives right now, there's what's been on my mind. Here's a picture of our new kitten, Winnie, hanging out on the changing table next to Philly. They're best buddies.

Exciting news

Well quite a bit has happened over the past couple months. The last time I posted was just three days before Andrew and I found out we are expecting! Our complete surprise was accompanied with overwhelming joy and we are excitedly preparing for the new member of the family due on July 29th - my birthday.

We had a blast telling both sides of our families the news on Christmas. What a relief to know we don't have to keep that secret anymore. After the families' jaws had un-dropped, we all enjoyed discussing name ideas, nursery decorations, etc.

Obviously because of this change in plans, I won't be looking for a job anytime soon. One thing I've heard of many military wives doing is becoming a nanny/daycare provider for another family during the day and keeping their child with them. It's a great way to earn money and not have to put your own child in daycare. So, that's one long term prayer I have. I'm sure we won't start thinking about anything like that for another year or so.

Andrew has been put in Alpha 2nd, which means he is stationed at the waterfront. This is great news for us since we've heard that those working the waterfront get much better hours than those who are in the limited areas. It sounds like he should be able to return home most, if not all, nights when he's working. Alpha 2nd started work this week, but Andrew and a few others are held back simply because of some equipment that they have yet to receive and are unable to stand post without. So he could be detained for up to another month before he will officially start work. Things can change by the minute around here. Flexibility is crucial in the military!

Along those same lines, Andrew has it on fairly good authority that we will be stationed here for four years instead of two. Of course, we realize that anything is still subject to change, but it's sounding more and more definite with the more people he hears it from. There are pros and cons to this news, but our overall reaction was disappointment. We are happy in Silverdale, but Andrew took his job here based on the fact that it was a two-year ballot. He probably wouldn't have taken it if he had known it would be four years. So, there are many things to consider now - whether he wants to change his job description after two years, how this will affect his decision of reenlisting or not after four years in the service, etc. The definite bonus of this that I am very thankful for is that he will probably not get deployed in the next four years. Especially with a baby on the way, that goes a long way in calming some fears.

So, our main prayer requests are these:

• That we stay content, no matter where the Lord places us over the next few years
• That our "little bitty" stays healthy over the remaining months
• And that God continues to keep Andrew safe in what he does

We are also struggling to find a church that we really love. We went to a church on Bainbridge Island last week that we liked more than any of the ones we've tried so far, but I'd love to find one that I can really get involved in. It would be great for me to know that I have a support group while Andrew is working and out of touch for the better part of two weeks at a time. I'm really starting to miss the fellowship and worship of my church at home and would love to find something similar out here.

Thanks to those who continue to read these very spaced-out blogs. I think I'm afraid if I write too often it'll turn into my own personal diary that no one would take any interest in. :) If there is something to write, I'll write it. Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Years!