Waiting in anticipation!

So, it is officially 4 days til Baby H's due date and its a understatement to say that Mama and Daddy are anxiously awaiting his arrival!! Everyone keeps saying to enjoy this time, to rest as much as possible, to just relax, but my mind is so fixed on what's to come! 

I went to the doctor on Friday and I'm still not dialated at all, so I go in on Wednesday and they'll do a non stress test to check on the baby and make sure he's still good in there! If everything is still good, they'll let him cook one more week, and then we'll talk about getting induced (so if everything looks good, it seems I'll probably be induced the first week of November) We shall see! We're praying that he comes naturally and on his own, but we trust that it's all in the Lord's hands and He knows what's best for mama and baby :)

In the meantime, I've been trying to stay busy to make the time go faster! My mom came down to Wilmington last Tuesday and Wednesday, so that was fun to hang out with her, do a lil shoppin, and just enjoy her company :)  On Friday, Case had the day off, so we were able to take a little road trip to Myrtle Beach for the day to get away! The weather was perfect, we ate lunch on the beautiful boardwalk, and had fun just walking around and spending time together. There are two main comments I get from strangers lately when they see me- 1. It's gotta be ANY day now, huh??  and 2. Your life is about to change forever...While I know these comments are true, they still make me laugh! So needless to say, Case and I enjoyed our time together before our lives change FOREVER!

One of the highlights of our Myrtle Beach day was getting to hang out with Schlak and Elizabeth (who were in Myrtle Beach for their honeymoon and headed back to Indiana) Schlak is one of Case's closest friends from Peru and they were accountability partners for 2 years..We met up with them for ice-cream and to catch up on life and the wedding..It was great to see them and really refreshing for both of us!! They are such a sweet couple and we were so glad it worked out that we got to hang with them for a bit :)  Case's wedding present to Schlak was a ride on the human slingshot..Him and Schlak rode on it together..They were giddy like little boys in an amusement park!

On Saturday night, our friends Mike and Amber had a fall party at their house and it was lots of fun! We had yummy fall treats, a pumpkin carving contest, made caramel apples, and just enjoyed the company of sweet friends :) Case and I's pumpkin said "Almost home" and had a stork carrying a baby..I can't take credit cause Case did all the hard work, but it turned out really cute and is now sitting on our porch! 

Well, I'll refrain from posting any more pregnancy pics cause right now I feel and look like I might explode haha..So you can just trust me when I say that I am getting bigger and bigger and baby is still growing! Prayers would be appreciated as we continue waiting on the Lord to bring our sweet boy in His perfect timing...Also prayers for peace and calm for Casey and I as we enter in this completely new experience of labor and season of parenthood! Love you all :)

Lessons learned from 4 year olds

I decided to apply to be a sub while I'm waiting for baby to make his appearance into the world! So far, I've gotten several different calls and have subbed in different classes from Pre-K through middle school.  As a 2nd grade teacher, middle school is definitely out of my comfort zone, but it has stretched me, so that is good!

On Wednesday, I subbed in a Pre-K classroom- oh, those sweet 4 year olds! While interacting with them and hanging out for the day, I noticed so many things about them that I wish we as adults could/would embrace more easily!

First of all, could they get any more friendlier?? I think not! I had only been there for less than 5 minutes, and the amount of hugs, waves, and love I was shown made me stop and think, "If only adults were this friendly!" They welcomed me with such open arms.

Their honesty and their questioning made me stop and think too. They weren't afraid to ask ANYTHING and they had an awe and a wonder for the little things in life. Nothing was a silly question. Their curiosity for the world around them was so precious to see.

Everyone was part of the group. The way they included each other and accepted one another, regardless of differences, was so sweet.

And these are just to name a few of the ways they encouraged me. Their soft, gentle hearts and playful spirits made me stop and think about how we as adults should embrace more of these childlike characteristics. It's amazing what kids can teach you :)

**On a side note- Casey's 30 BIG tubs from Oregon that he had boxed up in crates arrived here in Wilmington on Monday!! After an adventure of going to pick them up from Leland, we loaded them in a U-Haul and took them back to our condo! We have slowly but surely been going through them! Casey's been reminiscing as he looks through all his stuff (art, clothes, housestuff, pictures, golf clubs, you name it!) 

We have been hanging more stuff on the walls and its starting to feel more and more like 'our' home! Baby's nursery is coming along too! Just gotta hang some shelves and then we'll be done (we'll post some pics when it's all finished!)

On Saturday, I'll be 34 weeks along! Almost 6 more weeks to go!! Woohoo! Casey and I had our childbirth class last Saturday, so we were able to get  a tour of the hospital and learn some important things as we get ready for little H's arrival!

Oh, (and how could I forget!) last Thursday, my wonderful twinkie, Erin, and sweet friends Amber and Kate hosted a baby shower with all the ladies from church! It was such a sweet and encouraging time to be around these ladies and to be blessed in such neat ways as I prepare to be a momma! Thank you girls!

At the end of September, I have one last shower in Raleigh, hosted by my 2 aunts, and then we'll be ready for our little man!

This weekend we're headed to Emerald Isle to celebrate my Mom's 50th birthday!!! We're having a big sha-bang with all my mom's family! So that should be lots of fun! 

The next 3 weekends we'll be out of town- I guess we gotta get in as much as possible before our little man shows up!!!

Transition!

So, I'm gonna give this whole blogging a try! I thought it would be a great way to keep family/friends in the loop about what we're up to! With loved ones all over the world, this seems like the easiest way to update people with pictures and the latest Herring news!

So a quick update in a nutshell of our last 2 months:

1. At the end of June, we said "see you later" (not goodbye!) to our dear friends/family in Peru. Casey and I treasured the 2 years we were able to spend in Lima, the relationships that were built, and the students whose lives we got to pour into! They will forever be part of our hearts! As hard as it was to say goodbye, we both know that God has new plans for us in this next chapter of our lives and we are excited to see those plans unfold!

2. At the beginning of July, we rented a U-Haul and moved our small collection of stuff we had from my parent's house in Raleigh to our new home in Wilmington for this next season of life! We don't know how long this season will last, but we are here for however long God has us here :) God was so faithful to answer our prayers in big ways by providing us a place to live, a job for Casey, and a car to drive around in!

3. Casey and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary on July 11th! We had a sweet day together and had a picnic dinner on the beach as the sunset (one of the perks of living 3 miles from the ocean!) It's been a wonderful 2 years and I feel so blessed to have him as the love of my life and my best friend :) I'm a lucky girl!

4. In the middle of July, we had a reunion with our dear friends the Fryars!! We first met them in Brazil and they quickly became like family to Casey and I during our time overseas! We have started a yearly tradition of meeting up at my parents lake house for a few days every summer! We SO enjoyed catching up with them, swimming in the lake, boat rides, and enjoying the sunshine!! We also got to meet the newest addtion to the Fryar gang (sweet Negash who was adopted from Ethiopia!) Casey and I fell in love with him right away and it is so fun to watch their family grow!

Here's Case goofing off with Negash and Caleb!

5. About 2 weeks ago, Casey started his new job at Coastal Christian High School (about 10 minutes from our condo). He is teaching government and US history. He has really enjoyed getting to know the staff and students and is excited about the opportunities ahead of him this year. He JUST finished his Masters degree last night(woo hooo!) with the completion of his thesis defense! I'll go ahead and brag on him a bit and say he totally rocked it! He's been working so hard the last 3 years and I'm so proud of him!

6. As many of you know, back in December, God put it on our hearts the plans that He has for us and the future. After alot of prayer and listening, we feel that God has called us to start a school for disadvantaged children in Mexico. We don't know many of the details at this point, but we do know that He has put this passion and dream in our hearts and we want to be obedient! We are in no way qualified to do such a big task, but we are excited because we know it will have to be God showing up every step of the way- we can't do it in our own strength! The first step in starting a school is actually starting a non-profit here in the States to organize and fund the school. Since being back, our goal was to get all the paperwork done for the non-profit by the time baby comes! It looks like we'll be on track :) So far, we have filed and become a corporation (Igniting Hope for Mexico), have received a tax identification number, and now start the LONG paperwork of filing to become tax-exempt! Once, this process is done, we can turn our eyes to really start focusing on where in Mexico the school will be and making connections down there that will help us get started!! We are really excited about what the future holds!

7. On Saturday, I'll be 32 weeks pregnant! Sometimes it feels like this pregnancy has flown by and other times, it just seems to be creeping ever so sloooooowly! My due date is October 28th and Casey and I are SO so excited to meet our little guy! We had a new parent's class tonight at our pediatrician's office where we got to the meet the doctors who will be taking care of our little one. They seemed super sweet and helpful and informed us of what to expect the first 2 weeks! 

8. We're still working on the nursery and will post some pics when we get it more set up!

9. I will have the privelage of getting to stay home with our little man after he makes his grand entrance into the world! I'm so thankful for my hubby who is working so hard for our family and managing our tight budget so that I get the opportunity to be a stay at home momma! I can't wait!

Well, those are the recent Herring updates I have for now! I'll leave you with a few new baby bump pics! We love you guys and are so thankful for what you mean to us! Until next time...

 Baby H growing!

32 weeks