20 Weeks and a prayer request

Hello my friends:)


     Yesterday, we traveled to Columbus, GA to visit our doctor and have the 20 week ultrasound.  I, of course, was feeling very nervous as usual, but Shawn assured me that everything would be fine.  We left our house with plenty of time to spare (because of the gender testing fiasco) and got to the office about 10 minutes early.  Good thing we left early because we hit road construction for about 15 minutes.  Our ultrasound technician is AMAZING and she works so quickly and explains everything.  We were able to hear little Charlie's heart beating once more: about 152 beats per minute.  That's incredible....I can't believe their little hearts go so fast.  We were so tickled during the ultrasound because Charlie had his legs crossed at the ankles and refused to reveal his private area.  If this trip would have been the gender reveal, most likely we wouldn't have found out!  He did some VERY cute things during the ultrasound:  smacked his little mouth open and shut a few times and had his hand resting below his chin.  I said, "look, honey!  he's rubbing his beard:) "  We're overwhelmed with how obvious it is that Charlie is a little human.....  Life is such a miracle--at all stages of development.  Our ultrasound ended and we took the results to our doctor.  She happily informed us that everything looks great!  Our little man is growing right on schedule and we couldn't be happier.  If you haven't gotten a chance to see the photo on FB, are two of the 20 week ultrasound:

Charlie Mattison @ 20 weeks

Feet crossed and not budging!

We are so grateful that his development seems to be progressing on schedule.  I can feel more and more movement every day--  he moves around during the day and sleeps at night.(which could prove to be very beneficial for me!)  I love feeling his little feet kick me--right now he's feet up near my belly button and head down.  I'm sure these movements are gonna become uncomfortable at some point, but they remind me that he's alive and kicking! haha:)

     One a more serious note, during this pregnancy I have had some terrible dreams.  Each of my dreams that I've had have been of me losing a loved one.  I wake up crying and out of sorts, terrified in general.  Now I know that dreams don't always signify certain things and sometimes they can just be the result of eating too much before bed!  But I've really been processing these dreams in my head and I've realized that I have a VERY big sin and fear that this pregnancy has brought to light.  I'm terrified of losing people I love and not being in control.  The fear that I have of losing Charlie is extremely real, as is the fear that I have of losing someone in my family.  I worry constantly about my husband, my nephews and niece, brothers and sisters, grandmas, and mom and dad.  My worries have doubled now that I have in-laws that I cherish like my own parents and grandparents.  When we experienced Whit's emergency during his 3rd week of life, I was a wreck.  It took me about 4 months to bring myself to hold a newborn again.  I didn't realize that anxiety in my heart was causing me to react a certain way and to doubt the sovereignty of our Almighty God and to rest in His goodness.  This sin is controlling my thoughts and I believe, sneaking its way into my subconscious in the form of nightmares.  

   I'm telling you all this because #1, I need to confess this sin.  I know all mothers worry--- that it's just something we do.  But, worry is debilitating my life in many areas and causing me to live without joy.  #2, I want to be at peace with God and the path He has for my life- knowing that He really is looking out for my best interest, and the interest of my family- because we love Him and He is good and He is for us.  #3, I want to hide God's word in my heart (especially verses about anxiety and God's sovereignty) that I can rest on His truth and so that I will not sin against Him.  #4.  I want the best for our baby.  It is not best for Charlie that worry while he's in the uterus, or that I suffocate him by sheltering him from everything when he's growing up in this world.  My heart must change to trust that Charlie is God's- first and foremost.  Shawn and I are stewards of what God has given to us.  We will protect, love, nurture, and discipline Charlie, and admonish him in the ways of the Lord--but ultimately, He is the Lord's.  I know this to be true in my spirit, and through the word- now I just need to daily remind myself.  

   If you've read thus far, you are dedicated to our little family in some way and I thank you for your support.  I ask that as a gift to us, that you would pray for us and my heart especially.  If you would like, please feel free to leave a verse on which we would be able to meditate.  Thank you for taking the time to be involved in our lives, to watch our little boy grow, and to pray for us.  We love you all!

Jaclyn, Shawn and Charlie Mattison

19 Weeks

Hey everyone:)

   We've had some busy goings on in the past few weeks!  I know I'm not doing really well at keeping updated on this blog, but I'm trying.  Shawn's been out of town twice in the past 3 weeks, I've had friends visit Alabama, parents visit, I've gone to Greenville for a wedding, planted a garden, and lots more!
   On week 17, mom and dad came down to visit us so they could be there for the early gender determination ultra sound.  I gave Charlie a talking to and let him know he better show his goods because Poppy and Ghee Ghee drove a long way to see if they were having a grandson or grand daughter!  Of course, in Lyles fashion, we were running late, and I got sick on the 45 minute drive to Columbus.  When we arrived, we were told they wouldn't be able to do the ultrasound because the next patient was supposed to arrive in 3 minutes.  I was about to burst into tears when my sweet husband asked, "what if the next lady is late?  can we just go ahead and begin the ultrasound and leave when she gets here?"  The lady said it was up to me, so I quickly said, "LET'S DO IT NOW!!"
   I ate a big breakfast, drank a lot of fluids and gave Charlie the pep talk, all so he would cooperate.  Sure enough, it didn't take the lady long at all to find him.  She said the baby was sitting indian style and we knew it should be easy to determine the gender.  Within a minute or two, I saw something and I gasped and shouted,  "IS IT A BOY????!!!"  And sure enough, when she stopped, she pointed to what I was looking at and said, "He sure is!"  I knew all along we were going to have a little boy, so everyone was very excited.  We left the ultrasound room and just as we were waiting to get on the elevator, the next patient came up!  Here are some photos of our sweet fella-  Charlie Mattison Bohanan (1st name after Charlie Bohanan, Shawn's late papaw.  And middle name after my twin brother, David Mattison Lyles.)

It's very difficult to describe how much I love this little baby already.  Lord, develop this little one with only the care that you can provide.  He is Yours and in Your hands.  

As promised, here is the photo of me (although this is NOT at 17 weeks- it's at 19 weeks).  Belly is definitely growing.  I had a moment of reality when shawn tickled me and I tried to suck in but was TOTALLY incapable of doing so:)  One more week to halfway!  Pray for us as we'll go in next week for Charlie's 20 week appointment.  This is the one where they do all the measurements and make sure he is growing healthy.  Of course, it's a ball of stress for me!  All that I can do is continue praying that God is holding my little one and forming him into who He would have him to be.  Pray for us all:)

Jacalina at 19 weeks (Lord help me-I'm gonna be ginormous!)

   

16 Weeks

Hey Everyone!!

   I know it's been a few weeks since I've posted, so I want to update you.  Things are going really well these days.  I have a lot more energy, not sick, and food is tasting much better!  My belly seems to be growing, although I'm not partial to taking any photos yet.  I wonder if I will ever be?  I've told myself that next week I will definitely take a photo because we're finding out the gender of our little baby!  We couldn't be more excited.  I hope he/she cooperates and doesn't wiggle around too much.  Mom and Dad are coming down for the ultrasound, so hopefully everything will go as planned and we'll be able to see the goods:)
    I'm very happy to be feeling well now.  Shawn and I have decided to plant a garden this year (a big task for a pregnant lady, but I'm super excited about it).  We've started our seeds indoors and will move them outside around Easter.  I really want Shawn and his buddies to construct a planter for me that's on legs so I won't have to bend over in the heat.  Also, we'll be able to take the containers with us for use next year!  We're starting with easy to grow plants:  squash, zucchini, cucumbers, lettuce, roma tomatoes, and 3 types of peppers! (Hopefully we'll have some killer homemade salsa!) We're also going to have a big herb garden this year, including basil, cilantro, rosemary, and oregano---I might be forgetting one!  I hope that our garden will keep me occupied and focused on something other than worrying:)  I'll post photos soon of the plants' progress.
    We're very excited that Shawn's school is progressing quickly.  I've started a countdown on my phone and am so pleased that Shawn has 130 days left of school (roughly, 4 months).  Man, this year has flown by!! Needless to say, I am looking forward to the day when I pack up my desk and enter the world of "stay at home mommy"  :)  Eventually, I will pick up photography again, I believe.  But for a little bit, I'm gonna focus on little Charlie and enjoy precious time together.
  Thanks for all your prayers!  Keep praying about our future-where God would have us be for Shawn's fellowship.  Hopefully we'll know in April (I seriously hope they aren't going to make us wait til May to find out where we're going.  I don't think I can be patient that long!)
  I'll update the blog next week with the ultrasound photos, Lord willing!!  Pray for little Charlie and his/her development:)  We appreciate it!

13 Weeks

Hey all!

    I haven't updated our blog in a couple of weeks, so I thought I would just give you a little update.  We went to the doctor yesterday and everything looks good!  We got to hear our little munch's heartbeat!! The doctor said it's around 150-160bpm, so it's nice and strong:)   We scheduled our early gender determination for April 2nd!  Hopefully, little baby will cooperate.  The biggest news is that I'm pretty sure I felt little Charlie move today!  I know that it's pretty early to feel movement, but the American Pregnancy Association does say that moms can first feel movement anywhere between 13-18 weeks:)  It shocked me cause I felt like the baby just ran and head-butted my uterus! Haha!!  He or she must be VERY active!
   As for the sickness and such, everything has gotten so much better.  I'm almost out of my 1st trimester, so hopefully the sickness will be gone with it!  I have a lot more energy now and am also hungrier (haha)!  Shawn is doing well.  He's just working really hard in school.  We are both really thankful that he's going to have a nice long Spring break starting tomorrow:)  Next week we're gonna be traveling to TN for our 2nd anniversary trip.  Who knew that on our 2nd anniversary, I'd be all pregnant and what not?!  Hopefully we'll have a great, relaxing trip.  I'm really looking forward to getting a much needed break from the 7am-5:30 schedule I've had.  I know my schedule will be much worse when I'm a mommy, but at least I'll be doing something that I love!!
   Hope to be writing very soon to tell you if the baby's gonna be Charlie or Charley (Charleigh!)  Love you all!

Jac and baby :)

11 weeks

Ok, so technically I'm not 11 weeks until tomorrow, but I have some time right now to blog, so I figured I would go ahead!  Everything is going well in the Bohanan house.  We spent a wonderful Valentine's Day together---Shawn went the extra mile for me this year:)  He cut out cute little paper hearts and dangled them from the chandelier above our kitchen table, bought me the most beautiful flowers, wrote me a sweet card, got me the new twilight movie, and got me a fancy sleep shirt!  We watched our movie together and had such a great time.

As for pregnancy, everything is trudging along.  I'm crying a whole lot more than usual, so I'm guessing my hormones are raging!  Most days I can't really figure out what I want to eat until I see something in front of my face that looks good.  It's causing a problem since we try to plan out our menu for the week!  I guess my belly is growing a little... I haven't started to take any photos yet because I don't think the change is significant enough to post.  Since I'm almost out of my 1st trimester, I might   post belly pics around week 13.  Keep praying for us that Charlie and I would be healthy- that the little baby would be developing well and keeping safe.  Pray also that I won't drive Shawn absolutely nuts:)  We love you all!

Jaclyn & Charlie

9 Weeks!

Pregnancy is really getting under way--next week we'll be in the double digits. That's when it gets SERIOUS.  Shawn and I are still extremely excited to meet our little munch.    Even though I want Charleigh to be a girl, I believe I have a little baby boy Charlie in my belly.  We have done various "Old Wives Tales"  and all of them have pointed towards a boy.  Now I know these things are just silly and for fun, but I also have a gut feeling- and most moms are correct with their intuition.  Because of the way our ultrasound schedule is set up, we won't be finding out the gender until 21 weeks.  That's a whole big long time from now.  But, I guess we'll see then if my gut is right:)  If not, I'm happy to be wrong!  I would love a little girl just as much!
   My pants are getting tighter--they still fit, but they're not as comfortable as they once were.  I can already see changes in my face (aka it's getting fat) and my fingers have already begun swelling.  This past weekend I went out and bought a replacement wedding band to wear for the time being.  My wedding rings were already a little tight, so even the slightest change has made them uncomfortable!  I haven't been craving much, but I have noticed that I don't have a taste for sweets for the most part (at least like I did before), and I really enjoy pizza and ethnic food.  Today I really wanted sushi for a bit, but I better get used to not eating that.  I'm also on the fence about chicken (wait. except wings!), but I'm loving some beef!  I could go for a nice juicy Ribeye steak...although all the joy would be SUCKED out of it because I would have to get it well-done and who wants a steak like that? (well, besides my dad?)
   The sickness has seemed to slow down for the most part, but there are mornings when I just feel like I can't bear to get out of bed and go to work.  I do though, because we need the money...haha.  I will be so glad when I'm at home with Charlie/ey and Shawn is off making the bacon.
    Hubs has been a God-send throughout this pregnancy.  He has been so helpful with the housework and with meal preparation.  I still try to do as much as I can when I'm feeling up to par, but am really thankful that my sweet Shawn knows what it means to love his wife like Christ loves the Church.  Pregnancy is tough for the woman, but don't let anyone tell you that the husband doesn't take part in the suffering (and joy for that matter).  But Shawn has been bearing his responsibilities so well and making me such a happy wife.
  Hopefully within the next couple of months we will be finding out where we will be placed for Shawn's fellowship.  If you would like to pray with us, we really desire to be placed in Augusta, GA, so we can be right near his parents in North Augusta, and only a hop, skip, and jump away from mine.  (Having family close-by and having  built-in baby-sitters would be AWESOME!)Ultimately, we want the Lord's will above all, so just join us in asking God to reveal where He would have us go and that we will be satisfied with our placement.
  Another big deal is that God sent me a friend at work:)  He knew exactly what this pregnant woman needed!  Tabitha speaks English (with a strong southern accent...she's American), she's a sweet girl, around my age, and very friendly and chatty.  She's also very creative and loves to antique.  I've been enjoying getting to know her and having someone to eat lunch with!  Praise the Lord for Him sending me someone my way to make my days more bearable and enjoyable.
   Well, that's it for now.  This weekend we're hopefully making the trek to North Augusta to visit Shawn's parents for the weekend.  I'm hoping it's a pretty weekend so perhaps we can take a ride on the Pontoon boat:) Y'all have a great week! Keep praying for our little family---especially little Charlie as he or she develops!

----love,
   Jaclyn & Charlie
 

7 Weeks, 3 days (ultrasound!!)

Wow. Yesterday your daddy and I went to the doctor for our 1st prenatal visit.  We got to see you for the 1st time and hear your heartbeat.  I teared up and your daddy was grinning so wide.  Our ultrasound lady said that everything looked good and that your heartbeat was going at 138bpm. She said that's great!  Your Gigi says that the old wives tale is that if the heartbeat is in the 130s you're most likely a boy--guess we'll wait and see!  I don't care if you are a boy or a girl- there's so many good things to enjoy about each.  (Although I did dream that you were a boy and looked exactly like your daddy when he was a baby).  The charts say that you're going to be due on my birthday, September 11th.  But, you're measuring about 3 days later than that.  She said it's nothing to worry about:)  The doctor's haven't given me my official due date yet, but it might stay on my birthday.  We can't wait to meet you!  Until then, grow strong and healthy, my little munch.  We pray for you every day.

-Mommy