Kristin McLendon

Kristin McLendon: September 2010

Sunday, September 26, 2010

15 weeks



We're 15 weeks already!  We are eagerly anticipating the day that we get to feel little hoot move!  According to all the books we read, little hoot is moving around like crazy-hopefully just a few more weeks till we can feel him/her!


Mom and Dad came up for the weekend and we had a great time!  Mom and I went to Lenox mall where she took me for my first maternity shopping experience.  It was quite a day and did you know they actually make PETITE extra small/small jeans.  I was one happy girl upon this discovery.  That's been my biggest worry when it comes to clothes, because I have such a hard time finding jeans that fit with out a baby in my belly!

While we were out shopping...Robert and Dad were out playing golf.  Robert was very happy for the opportunity to break in his new golf clubs that Mom & Dad gave him last month!  

At the end of the day we reunited and went to Babies-R-Us.  You can see above how much Robert and Dad enjoyed their time there.  They really enjoyed trying out ALL the gliders.  Robert's determined to find the best one!


Saturday was spent at our most recent favorite restaurant.  We frequent the midtown location, but when we got there, they were closed due to an exhaust malfunction.  We took their advice and went to there nearest location....which happened to be on....


Yes, that's McLendon Avenue.  Spelled the same way and everything!  We had to wait forever for a table, but well worth the wait (and it gave us an opportunity to explore a new area of town!  So cute and quaint!)

Before the weekend with Mom and Dad was over, I finally finished an order for a special friend back home.



Now that we're into the second trimester and the energy has finally returned I hope to have Etsy back up really, really soon!

Thanks Mom and Dad for such a great weekend!  We enjoyed having you!  Looking forward to seeing you again soon!

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Monday, September 20, 2010

A Grand-Nan's View...

...of Little Hoot!  Robert's mom wrote a blog about finding out she was going to be a grandmother... you should take a look.

We're all eagerly anticipating the arrival of this Little Hoot!

Click here for her blog.

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Prego Pictures!

We finally got these on facebook...now we're catching up on the blog!  Hopefully we'll be able to post these week by week from now on!

8 weeks:
9 weeks:


10 weeks:



11 weeks:  

12 weeks:


13 weeks:


14 weeks:


A few more from 14 weeks:
The handsome daddy-to-be:


Cousins!  Robert and Chad are 12 hours apart--They are due in January and we are due in March!





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Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Little Hoot's First Photo Shoots!

Most have already seen these on facebook, but we wanted to document it here on the ole blog!


Our unofficial visit so that Robert would believe me:

6 weeks, 5 days (and when we heard the heartbeat for the first time!)



Our first official visit:  

8 weeks, 2 days:





Our 2nd official visit.  This is the visit I fell in love.  Up until this point we had to take the Dr.'s word that the blob they were pointing at was a baby.  This go around Little Hoot was jumping around and waving to us.  Oh, I can't wait to meet him/her!

12 weeks, 4 days:

Little Hoot turned and waved to us.  Look at those little hands!


Oh my!






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Saturday, September 11, 2010

A Very Important Factor to Our Story of Little Hoot

**I've now added this into the original story--but wanted to leave this up due to the comments! :)

**If you haven't read part one yet, pause and go do so by clicking here!

I left out a very important part of the story...and I can't believe I did!  It's so important...I have to write another post to put it in.....

Following the week of hearing the owl outside our prayer room window, I was at youth group.  Side note...at this point no one knew we were pursuing trying to have a family in the near future....A lady in our church was there to share with the youth and she started praying for me.  After she prayed she looked straight at me and said, "I just see you in full time ministry, wholeheartedly running after the Lord with a baby on your hip."

Yes, the Lord is so good, kind, sweet and patient with me!

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Our Story of Little Hoot

Hi.  My name is Kristin.  Once upon a time I was in full time ministry, living in Coastal Georgia, believing that I had given up the desire to have a husband to be fully devoted to what the Lord had for me.  Insert Robert.  Jesus took me by surprise and landed the man I would one day call husband into my life.  I now saw a future with a man running side by side together in ministry.  I could now picture marriage.  I still could not picture being a mom...being a mom and in full time ministry just didn't seem like a reality to me.  Robert started pursuing me...and of course in the process the subject of children arose.  We spent a week a part fasting and praying (we already didn't live in the same town, the week was spent having no communication).  Robert wanted kids, me I couldn't picture them in my life.  At the end of the week, the conclusion was me confessing to Robert that I lived a life of surrender to Jesus.  I would not out right not have children if that was something the Lord desired for me.  With that, we moved forward and were engaged a few months after that and married just 7 months later.

A little fun factor you should know about our relationship is that Jesus reveals things to the two of us at the same time.  In the beginning, we were friends, working together, both desiring nothing more than the youth of Richmond Hill to fall madly in love with Jesus.  In a blink of an eye,  our relationship changed overnight as the Lord gave us dreams the exact same night of what He desired for us.   Newly married, the Lord showed us the exact same day that our time in Richmond Hill was coming to a close.  We weren't even together when He showed us.  Made for interesting conversation around the dinner table that evening.

Fast forward 2.5 years.  One evening it just came over both of us, the word "surrender."  And we both knew what it meant.  We were to surrender our control over the timing of having children to the Lord.  We were so sure we'd heard the voice of the Lord, we called the doctor the next morning and made an appointment.  We went, went on prenatal vitamins and was given the instructions, do not start trying for two months.  We were just so excited about this new adventure the Lord had for us.  After the doctors appointment, we found ourselves at Target perusing the baby aisles.  We both loved a set we found that was called "Little Hoot."  From that point on any time we mentioned anything about a baby, we referred to it as "Little Hoot."

Just a few weeks later I went into complete freak out mode.  As mentioned above, I was never the girl that just longed for the day that I was a mom.  And through events in my life I thought I had surrendered the desire of ever having a husband with that the thoughts of having children.  I believed the lie for several years that I could not be in full time ministry and be a mom.  I was finally okay with being a wife in full time ministry, but still could not picture being a mom.  Robert, being the fully supportive husband that he is, calmed me down and said we don't have to do this now, we can wait.  I still could not shake the fact that we heard the Lord, so I went on a fast and sought Him with everything that I had.  At the end of my fast, I was in our prayer room crying out to the Lord--asking Him to please speak to my heart--and all of a sudden an owl was outside our prayer room window "hooting."  Peace came over me immediately and all I could tell the Lord was "okay."  (Side note-I've since seen the owl in our neighborhood, but have never heard it outside our window again).

Because the Lord is just so good to me...Following the week of hearing the owl outside our prayer room window, I was at youth group.  Side note...at this point no one knew we were pursuing trying to have a family in the near future...A lady in our church was there to share with the youth and she started praying for me.  After she prayed she looked straight into my eyes and said, "I just see you in full time ministry, wholeheartedly running after the Lord with a baby on your hip."  Oh, my Beloved.  Than you for speaking to my heart!


With peace in my heart, knowing I was living a life surrendered to the Lord, at the end of our two month waiting period, we pursued having children.  A little fact of my life you should know is that I have been told for over 10 years that I would not be able to get pregnant on my own.  I have never been "normal" when it comes to female things.  On top of that there is infertility on my side and Robert's side.  All "odds" were against us.  Robert and I knowing this, just surrendered and said, "in your timing Lord".  Of course, we did spend time praying and "breaking off" anything that doctor's had spoken over me all these years.  Jesus is bigger than any diagnosis.

In June we started trying.  In July I'm in Scotland and I had hit a wall of fatigue like none other.  I knew back to back Summer Camps would be hard, but I've been doing youth ministry for seven years and knew the Lord could sustain me.  But this fatigue was something I could not shake.  I retreated to my sleeping bag every afternoon and would plead with the Lord to give me strength.  I started getting nausea in the mornings, but nothing a piece of peanut butter toast couldn't dismiss.  Robert and I were communicating only by email and gchat for those two weeks, and I would tell him I think I'm pregnant and he would in return say, there's no way.  I asked him whether he believed me or not, to have a pregnancy test waiting on me when I got home.

July 27th came and my hubby was waiting for me at the airport.  He had a pregnancy test waiting for me at home and it's the first thing I did upon walking in the door.  The result was positive.  Robert said, take another one.  Same result as the first.  Still in disbelief (we thought we had a lot of faith, but really hadn't been trying that long, and thought there was no way) we went to Publix and Robert bought several tests, all different brands.  All the tests he had me take were positive...still in disbelief, Robert took one...just to make sure these things were working (yes, I just said Robert took one).  We headed to bed that night with Robert asking me to please take another one first thing in the morning.  The next morning, I sent him a text at work, "same result as last night."  I then called the doctor.

Our doctor was going on vacation, so they couldn't get us in for 2 weeks and thanks to me being so "not normal" there was no way of knowing if I were 6 weeks pregnant or 11....and we'd have to wait two weeks to find out.  Within the next hour, our doctor called us and said come see me tomorrow.  So we did.  The only thing they did was an ultrasound to confirm....and in that one quick moment, on July 29th, we heard the heartbeat and the look on Robert's face was one I will never forget.  He finally believed me.  We were 6 weeks, 5 days pregnant.

And that's our story of "Little Hoot."  What began as a liking of a baby set at Target turned into the voice of the Lord and surrendering to His perfect plan, that I now know includes me in full time ministry and being a mom.  We are convinced more than ever, since we thought we couldn't get pregnant and we did so quickly that this is God's perfect plan for our lives and this child is ordained by Him.  We feel honored that the Lord would choose us to raise a "Little Hoot" to be a mighty warrior and lover of King Jesus.  We can't wait to meet you "Little Hoot" on or around March 19th.

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