America, America!

We recently finished our 3 week holiday to the States. While there we got the chance to travel and visit with our family & friends. Our time away was split into 4 different trips: Gatlinburg, TN; Athens, GA; Gastonia, NC and of course, Holland, OH.

But first we had the plane journey. Anyone who has ever traveled with an infant will know that the plane trip is perhaps the most arduous part of a holiday. However, we were extremely blessed as Lucy was a complete star! During take-off and landing she laughed and giggled the whole time.

We spent our first week in the Smokey Mountains in a 8+ person cabin with the rest of the King Family. We spent our days relaxing at the cabin, seeing the mountains, shopping at the outlets, the Dixie Stampede, Ripley’s Aquarium and of course in the hot tub!

The road through the Smokies

Cades Cove

Hanging out in the Penguin Enclosure

Daddy & Aunt Sarah being silly

Puleeeaassse let me take one home!

Finding Nemo......

Myke, Lucy & I then traveled on to Athens, GA to stay with our friends, the Klaymans, and visit the Athens Link Fellowship (our sister church). We had a great weekend with Sarah, her Mom Kelly, and Emily Anne (Keenan was unfortunately away for the weekend). Last summer Sarah & her husband Keenan spent 6 weeks in Dunfermline. Sarah was just at the beginning of her pregnancy and I was nearing the end of mine. So it was exciting for Lucy & Emily Anne to come together! We were also blessed to spend time with the Athens Link. A more welcoming and hospitable group people you’re never more likely to meet, unless of course its our own church family here in Dunfermline, lol! We were absolutely blessed by the people of Athens Link and look forward to seeing them again.

The next leg of our journey was particularly sweet for me as we traveled to Gastonia, NC where my friend of 17 years lives with her family. Now if I had no shame I would put up "then and now" photos of Diana and I, but I’ll just leave that to the imagination. Diana and I have walked through a lot of life together and with 5 years having passed since our last visit it was well over due.

Hanging out at Diana's

We completed our last week in Ohio. Traveling back through North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia added nicely to Myke & Lucy number of states visited (we had already done Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, Tennessee & Georgia). We were able to visit with many family and friends, most of whom were meeting Lucy for the first time.

Lucy & Great Grandma Nell

4 Generations

Crazy Cousins!

Yes Jaden you are related to that little Scottish Girl!

I'm ready to go Dad!

It was a whirlwind vacation and after driving over 1600 miles and 8000 miles on a plane we are back to home sweet home.

Our journey

Eight

On Friday (5th October) Lucy turned 8 weeks old! So I thought that I would share 8 things that have happened or been learned since our beautiful girl joined the world!

4 days old

1. SLEEP.....everyone says "sleep when the baby sleeps" but no one ever mentions how difficult that can be! Fortunately, Lucy is now able to sleep up to 8 hours a night and typically sleeps about 6-8 hours, 3-4 nights during the week.

2 weeks + 6 days

2. I (Abby) was unable to drive for 6 WEEKS!!! While I was certainly not up to it the majority of that time I was very happy to get behind the wheel again. We're so thankful for all our friends who came to visit or take us out....we couldn't have made it without you!

3 weeks + 3 days

3. Being able to do normal things i.e. go to the store or church and spend time out with friends with Lucy is an amazing blessing....she is our new normal!

4 weeks + 6 days

4. Myke and I both work in jobs that have warped our sense of "normal" conversations....having a baby does this as well!!!

5 weeks + 2 days

5. Sasha has done amazingly well. While I was in hospital she desperately missed me, so much that when Myke held the phone up to her on speaker she began purring when she heard me! Sasha has even become a bit protective of Lucy. The day we brought Lucy home, we placed her in the moses basket and sat looking at her. Later, Myke went back to the room and found Sasha staring into the empty basket as if to say "where'd she go"?

6 weeks

6. Lucy moved into her own room at 7 weeks old and loves it! She is now sleeping in her cotbed.

7 weeks + 4 days

7. Laughter is the best medicine! Recently, Lucy was having a particularly fussy night. When she finally got the wind out it wasn't just a burp, it was a proper MAN SIZED belch! I was so stunned and surprised that I actually jumped. But that wasn't the end....next thing I knew a fountain of white was flying towards me and lets just say I found it many places! My response....laugh hysterically.

8 weeks old!!!

8. A Good Man.....more specifically, my hubby. I'm going to end this by unashamedly bragging on my man! There is no way that I could have made it through a medical emergency, major surgery, a new baby, emotional chaos, sleepless nights, a dirty house (lol!) etc without him! There are a lot of different beliefs about whether there is only one person for you or you get choices etc....all I know is that God knew exactly the man that I needed as a husband. I am so thankful for you, MYKE BROWN!!!

Bringing Baby Home

Lucy will be 4 weeks tomorrow, Friday, how time flies! Our little treasure arrived nearly 4 days overdue on 10th August weighing 5lbs 9oz and 19.5 inches in length at 1:16am.

In my last post I wrote about anticipation and that one aspect of that is the unknown. Our story took some unexpected turns, however God remained faithful through everything. Labor progressed normally until late that night when Lucy's heart rate began to fall. We were rushed to an emergency c-section and afterwards I had to return to surgery due to a hemorrhage. However, Lucy and I have been given a clean bill of health and we came home on 14th August!

I mentioned God's faithfulness. Earlier in the year a word was given during worship one Sunday morning. It was for "Lucy" and spoke of God's interest and love for her, it also encouraged us to not fear because he would care for her and he did for both of us.

Throughout the pregnancy these verses were frequently on my mind: 

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are you thoughts, God! How vast the sum of them! Were I to count them, the would outnumber the grains of sand - when I awake, I am still with you" Psalm 139:13-18

Myke & I have been reminded over and over again during the last few weeks how blessed we are to have a heavenly Father who knows us by name, even before birth...and even more so, that he cares!

So now begins our new adventure as a family: Daddy, Mummy, Lucy & Sasha. The bags under our eyes are growing by the day, the floor is beginning to have a familiar path tread upon it and we are loving every moment!

Mummy & Lucy (3 days old)

18 days old!

Please stop taking pictures! I'm trying to sleep!

Yum, yum...wait a second!!!

Anticipation

We are now at 34 weeks, leaving us with 6 weeks until our little girl is scheduled to make her appearance. So this means we're in the final stages of preparation. We've now completed our antenatal classes and thanks to our friends at the Link Church also have possession of over 1,000 baby wipes! 


Obviously, more than some antenatal classes and baby wipes are needed to bring home a baby. But one of the things we've realised is like everything else in life, you can try to be ready, however, there will always be something that you weren't ready for. I think that's part of the anticipation though.....knowing that as much as we've prepared there will be surprises.

One of the things we've enjoyed is getting baby girl's room ready. Myke's painted and built furniture while I supervised! Her room is further along than this....but here's a sneak peek.

Today a new friend of ours, Sarah, took some maternity pictures of us. Sarah got some great shots and we're so blessed to have this special time captured on film. Sarah and her husband, Keenan, have been over from Georgia for 6 weeks to spend time with the Link Church. They've been a blessing to so many and Sarah gave some guidance for the baby shower that the ladies at the Link gave me.

Yes! We have decided a name......Lucy!

Time well spent is spent with a friend!

Recently, we had the pleasure of having my college roommate, Jenn, to stay with us for a week. In August this year Jenn and I will have been friends for 11 years. Which is wonderful to say as such friendships are true gifts, but scary as well since it marks 11 years since we started our Evangel days together!!! 

Ralph Waldo Emerson said "It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them." 

So I'll just take this moment to say I'm so thankful to have a friend like Jenn who has seen me in my most ridiculous moments!

Outside Balmoral Castle

 We spent the week going here and there so that Jenn could get a taste of the best of Scotland.

Dunfermline, Edinburgh, Anstruther, St Andrews, Braemar (Balmoral), Granton-On Spey, and Fort William........a busy week for this pregnant lady!

Jenn was a star trying out many of our favourites! Steak pie; haggis, tatties & neeps; Stephen the Baker's steak bridies, fudge donut and vanilla slice; the Baked Potato Shop; and best of all fish & chips from Anstruther!

29 weeks + 6 and counting!

We traveled across the Cairngorm Mountains down to Fort Williams where we spent a night. The road across the Cairngorms was certainly one of the most interesting I've ever driven....one lane roads and STEEP gradients!

While in Fort Williams we took a cruise on Loch Linhe, which a beautiful day to do so. 

Jenn was lucky to come to Scotland for our week of summer!

Ben Nevis - the highest summit in the UK