Can you handle more pictures?

You'll have to forgive me for MORE pictures of Ella. Life does not consist of much else these days. She is doing great. Three weeks old yesterday. Her cute little cheeks getting chubbier by the day. Her preemie clothes won't be needed for much longer, and people tell me before I know it she'll be graduating! Let's not go there just yet! She is gracing us with anywhere from 2-4 hours of sleep at a time at night. We'll take what we can get.

We've enjoyed a visit from Ella's Memphis Aunt Kari, as well as her Grammy, Papaw and Aunt Melissa from Abilene. Ella's Grandma, Aunts and cousins in Australia are counting the days until they can get their hands on her. Round Rock threw a wonderful shower for us on Sunday. We are blessed in many ways.





Ella likes to drop her paci out when she is done - usually right before she drops off to sleep (as in this picture)...but she usually does really well about keeping it just within reach in case she needs it again. She's pretty smart. I've seen her snag it again when she felt like she wanted it. Pretty funny!



And little by little, I am feeling like we're gonna make it! I am willing to bet that any first time mother knows the feelings I am talking about. In that first week or so at home, I had myself convinced, with all sincerity, that I would never leave the house again. I couldn't imagine us ever making it out the door in one piece (with all we needed!), getting anywhere on time, let alone enjoying the outing. But as the sanity returns, the fatigue wears off, and now that I have made it into the shower before 3pm more than once now...I am thinking that there will be life outside of apartment #2426 for our family.

Two Weeks of Life

We've been enjoying our baby girl outside of the womb for just over two weeks. She is thriving and weighed in a 7lbs 1 ounce at her two week check up. I have to admit, while wonderful to carry her in our arms, I do miss carrying her within me. Seeing her grow from within, hearing her heartbeat and feeling her kicks were all such special moments. I am so thankful for that experience.

We went to see my doctor last week and it was truly a strange thing to go there without the belly - like I had lost a part of my identity. The whole pregnancy thing almost seems surreal now.

Don't get me wrong - I love having her outside of the womb, too. Its a whole new world. Right now she is sleeping outstretched on her blankie. She is there most of the day. We give her lots of snuggles, but we also put her down. I need the break from the very frequent nursing. One of my favorite times to hold her though is when she is done nursing. She is so content. It is so hard to put her down!

There are some things about the pregnancy that I do not miss though! Like itchy hands and feet. And the restless nights caused by the pregnant body, leg cramps, crazy dreams, frequent trips to the bathroom etc. Of course, while I sleep "better" now, I am no longer a woman of 8-10 hours of sleep per night. :) Who would have thought that two or three hours of sleep would feel so good!

Ella is quite a patient baby. She is sweet natured and usually content. She seems to be a thinker. We wonder about what???


You have to wonder what a sweet little girl like her has done to make her parents end up like this:



At this point we're pretty much sticking to just the essential outings. This was one to Target. Ella and I went along so that Dad wouldn't be stressed by my shopping list and coupons. Our cart looked quite different to how it has in the past. I have come close to saying I'll never go out again! But I am sure that will pass and we will get the hand of getting out the door in one piece.

The sweetness of Ella Rhys

This onesie says 'Don't wake me, I'll wake you'. I bought this on December 5th when I found out I was pregnant. Oh the truth of it . . .


Feed me . . .


Because when you feed me . . .




A couple of my favourite places to be . . .

Ella Rhys Whaley

On Monday, July 28th, at 12:22pm, we rejoiced in the safe delivery of our first child, a daugther, Ella Rhys Whaley.

Ella Rhys weighed in at 6lbs, 4oz. She was 19 inches long. She is truly the most adorable and sweetest baby.

Ella is from German, meaning 'from a foreign land', and Rhys (which was actually listed as a girl's name in the book we used :-) - has a Welsh meaning, 'enthusiastic about life'.

It is our prayer that our Ella Rhys will always be aware that her citizenship is in Heaven. We are indeed from a 'foreign land'. And while longing and waiting for a better, more heavenly country with our family, we pray that she will desire, know, and share a great enthusiasm for life.

Ella was born at 38 weeks and 1 day, via c-section. Many of you celebrated with us that the placenta previa had resolved itself at 35 weeks, or so. However at around 36 weeks, I had developed cholestesis of pregnancy. In spite of medication, the cholestesis did not respond, and because it posed a great risk to the health of Ella after 38 weeks of pregnancy, my doctor advised us to deliver at 38 weeks via c-section. While it was not our desired or dreamed about natural delivery, the most important thing to us was the well being of our baby girl. The cholestesis already has resolved itself - praise God.

We are all doing great. We have been home since Thursday afternoon. Ella is easy to satisfy, loves to cuddle, be sung to, and read to. Her dad rarely leaves her side. We melt in her sweetness as she sleeps and dreams away, and get lost in the brightness of her bright and curious eyes when she is awake.

We have received a wonderful blessing. God heard our prayers! And His answer is greater than we imagined. Thank God with us and pray for us as we raise Ella Rhys to love Him and be light and life to this dark world!













' . . . we welcome you to our family, and we hope you find the light of Jesus shining in this place. Walking hand in hand, we will serve the Lord, and together we will celebrate His mercy and His grace. This is home for the lonely, to the tired a place of rest. It's a house of devotion to the Dearest and the Best. We welcome you to our family, and we hope you find the light of Jesus shining in this place . . .'

We love and welcome you Ella Rhys. We pray for God's wisdom as we raise you.

Aussie Mission team time

We were so blessed to be able to hang out with our teammates this weekend. We all went our separate ways in May. Shawn went on a campaign to Australia with Skyline, the Griffiths headed north to visit family in Michigan and Pennsylvania, The Mullins moved to the Ft Worth area to be with the Legacy church of Christ. And we moved to Austin to be with the Round Rock church of Christ.

So it was a good reunion and it even worked out for everyone to come to Austin! It was great to worship together, too. We swum in the pool (it has been QUITE hot here), and were blessed by time with our heart group.

A little synchronized swimming (attempted at least):


A little lovin' on baby girl:


Our team (and Maggie...the Hunter's dog):


Us - the day before we welcomed our daugther!


Thank you God for these times. On a sad note, we also learned that Jason's Grandmother, Venita Southern passed away suddenly in Oklahoma. Our family will experience the circle of life in a very real way this week. We are thankful for Grandma's long life and her good health throughout her life.

Here are some pics at 37 weeks (2nd picture) and 38 weeks (below).  Soon to come - pics of the little girl within!

Catching up with friends

The last couple of weeks have been a flurry of activity and travel. We drove to Waco to visit with the Shrocks. Seeing them again was the beginning of some wonderful reunions with friends from Memphis. Chris and Danielle are both Baylor doctoral students. We were neighbors in Memphis, and are almost related! Chris is close friends with some relatives of the Whaley family. We always enjoy our Shrock time and are glad to have a few more visits with them while we are state-side and residents of Texas.
Here's our Baylor Bears:


Our next reunion was with Danny and Katie. They are also expecting their first child, also a girl, in early September. They just got back from a survey trip to Angola, Africa. We really enjoyed visiting with them and hearing about their trip and future plans. They have been passionate about Angola for a long time. It was a target mission field for them even before the country was open! God has answered their prayers and provided visas for two visits there already, but especially for teammates. Amazing.

Following their visit and after learning that the arrival of our child was not about to happen any day soon - the doctor gave us the okay to travel to Dallas for the Global Missions Conference. We were able to see our entire team. What a great reunion. And lots of dear friends from Memphis. My heart felt full to overflowing with thankfulness that we could be there and spend time with our friends.

Corey put together a great Aussie Mission Booth:


Dinner with our team and the Hartmans:


Katie and Ileene:


And we ended the activity with a test to see how baby Girl was doing. She seems to ace these tests. We are so proud.

Habitat for Humanity and Heart Group

Last Saturday we had the opportunity to provide lunch for a crew working on a Habitat for Humanity house just north of Round Rock. A member of our Sunday night Heart Group works for Habitat. We met the home owner, and it was neat to learn more about how Habitat works.





Our Heart Group is our small group that meets each Sunday evening. Before we even arrived in Texas, they had already taken on the task of being our internal support system while here, and while we are in Australia. We feel very blessed by their support. They are willing to take on anything to help us. Last week we stuffed envelopes for a mailout. We are thankful for their tireless and cheerful support and service.

It's beginning to look a lot like a baby is on the way . . .

We finally unpacked and assembled some of the larger baby items we have received. We put together the pack-n-play, which will actually be her crib until someday in Australia we get her a real bed. We also assembled the stroller, got the car seat out, and the take along swing. For such large boxes . . . you'd think these things came pre-assembled, but . . . alas. I guess it is part of the 'are-you-capabale-of-having-a-baby' test. So far so good.





I'm thinking it is true what people have been telling us for the past nine months. "A baby changes your life". She's not even here yet, but has certainly changed our apartment. Every where you look there is evidence that a child is on the way.

Fun with the Cottinghams

Here's a few pics of recent happenings. We went out for Mexican with the Cottingham family. Jason went to OC with Nikki. I read with Hannah, and Jason reads with Julia at Buddy Camp twice a week. And Gracie, the youngest, just thinks Jason is cute. They are a neat family. After dinner we 'climbed' Mt Bonnell. In one of these pics I look like I might kill someone, but it was just a moment I was stuck in...catching my breath!

We've been in search of white cheese dip. It seems that white cheese dip (as we know it), does not exist west of the Mississippi. This is a pretty sad deal for us. But . . . in October, we hope to be back in Tennessee, at which time I will make up for the absence of white cheese dip in Texas.
This is what we got upon ordering 'white cheese dip'. Sure, its white...and its cheese . . . but . . . Sigh - we miss El Porton.





Climbing up to the top of Mt. Bonnell . . . I'm going for the worn out pregnant look.


Here's Jason and Gracie on the marble cow . . .

An answer to prayer . . .

We went to a doctor's appointment last week fully expecting to walk out with a date for the c-section. However . . . after almost four months of waiting and praying, we learned that the placenta previa is no longer an issue!!! It has moved up, clear out of the way, allowing us to proceed with a natural birth. We are so excited but I'll be honest - I was first shocked and taken aback. I had pretty much come to a point of acceptance about the c-section. While less than ideal (but we know necessary for our baby's health), and while still anxious at the thought of such a surgery, we had begun to find joy in the fact that she would be with us two weeks early and were eager to mark that date!

So we watched in disbelief, but with huge grins on our faces, as the doctor typed 'previa resolved' on the ultrasound screen. We feel like we have our own little miracle. We were dealing with a complete (not partial!) previa at 20 weeks. The previa migrated some to being partial at 28 weeks, and still partial at 32 weeks. We were well aware that the chances of it 'resolving' were pretty slim after 28 weeks. However, some time between 33 and 35 weeks, the placenta moved on up. Our little girl now gets to just hang out until she feels fit.

Many prayers have been offered for this specific situation. God answered these prayers and we are so thankful to Him

We celebrated with lunch at Taco Shack . . .

34 weeks

I realize the last few posts have been rather self-indulgent....pregnancy picture after pregnancy picture. Soon you can enjoy baby girl picture after baby girl picture.

Here we are at 34 weeks. Things continue to go well.




We're really enjoying Austin. Jason has been working some for a guy from church. Buddy Camp - a summer reaching enrichment program will continue throughout the summer. We enjoy reading with Hannah and Corey. There are plenty of opportunities for us to get to know people. We want to continue to grow the 'skills' we will need in Australia to reach out to people.

33 weeks

Just a couple of pics. Sorry about all the cords in the background...we were still getting things situated. Not sure why these pictures are posting the way they are.

Visit from Kari

Our good friend Kari Nieman flew from Memphis to see us in Austin. We didn't even make it three weeks! Jason's brother is also here with us. We had a great time. I haven't laughed in a long time like I laughed this weekend. Nothing like friends with whom you can completely unwind with.

We pretty much just hung out together. Tried to go to Lake Travis - only to make it all the way there and be rained out. We played games and as I said, laughed a whole lot. My poor daughter probably wondered what was going on!

Trying to catch our breath . . .


Thanks for coming, Nieman! Can't wait to have Aunt Kari back soon!

Last day in the office

May 23rd was my last day working in the Memphis office of Carlson Wagonlit Travel. My new office is the sofa, or the kitchen table or wherever I find myself. It is such a blessing to be able to work from home.

My boss gave me a laptop computer as a gift. We are both Mac users - but she gave me a PC which is much easier to use with our reservations system. Her gift has eliminated a GREAT deal of stress. Thank you Barbara!

I sure do miss the girls in the office. It was a good five plus years working in this office. And for those needing travel: air, cruise, car, hotel, all inclusives . . . give me a call.

When you visit someone in labor and delivery . . .

A word of advice: If you are pregnant and go to a hospital to visit someone in the labor and delivery ward, you might want to make it very clear that you are NOT there to deliver your baby!

Completely forgetting the belly, I walked up to the admissions desk and asked 'Where is the labor and delivery ward?' I thought the volunteer looked at me a little strangely. Perhaps she was thinking 'what an awfully calm laboring young woman . . . '

She finally asked me 'are you here to have your baby?' It didn't register at first but then I started laughing. This lady made a perfectly reasonable assumption . . . but it totally caught me off guard. I'm just glad she was calm about it and didn't holler for a wheelchair or anything else.

Good times.

The reason for our visit: our new friends Robin and Daniel Reed welcomed their first child, Adam, last night. I got to hold him for about 20 minutes - so sweet. Hopefully he won't remember being kicked by baby girl Whaley while I held him.

Thoughts from a pregnant chic due in August

We purchased a new digital camera but are awaiting our old smart media card in the mail. Long story. But pictures to come soon.

We're making connections and new friends. And thanks to email, blogs and facebook we are able to do a pretty good job of keeping in touch with the old.

Last week was Champs Camp. All week I kept thinking it was VBS, but it was really a sport themed day camp. For a spiritual emphasis, there was a daily chapel time, and one of the stations the kids rotated through each day was a Bible lesson. I was in the craft building so all the kids passed through during the day to make a sport themed craft. We had about 130-140 kids - most of these being from the community and about 85 volunteers from the congregation. The children's and youth minister at Round Rock put together an awesome week for the kids and it ran like clockwork thanks to their hard work.

We found a Vietnamese restaurant right around the corner - we love it. Could become a favorite date night spot.

We're keeping on keeping on. It is HOT down here. Since I am obviously rather pregnant these days, it is quite a conversation starter. For the most part the attention is welcome. I am served often with a smile, by random strangers. I asked a man at H.E.B where the carts were. He looked right at the belly and said 'stay here!' He put on his sombrero and ran out in the heat to bring me back a cart. Very sweet.

When people ask me when the baby is due, I get some interesting responses to my answer of 'August 10th'. Most people groan, or roll their eyes. Others tell me how hot and unbearable the last couple of months are going to be for me. I try to act thankful for such enlightenment. Tongue in cheek. Another interesting response is one such as 'oh my great grandmother was born on August 30th'. I mean, how do you respond to that!?! 'Oh, well I sure do hope I get to be pregnant for an extra TWENTY of those HOT, UNBEARBALE DAYS you are predicting so they can share a birthday'. I am sure they're just searching for a connection to my baby . . . August 10th and August 30th are in the same month, after all. I say all this in good (pregnant) humor.

I hope you readers out there don't think I'm crazy but on a slightly more serious note (for me), I have received an overwhelming number of labor and delivery stories. All from very well meaning people, I know. However, remember, I am a first time momma! And I don't even like going to the dentist!!! (although I have made great strides there thanks to our wonderful dentist in Memphis). But it just doesn't do my mind well to know too much information. I know where I can get it, and know who I can ask if I really, really, really need to know something! And I probably WON'T be sharing a whole lot of information with people about our delivery/birth experience! That is just not me. I do anticipate sharing the peace that God granted during this time though.

So go easy on me!!!

Seriously, all is well. I feel great physically, I am even able to enjoy incline walks right now as a 'work out' and just love to see and watch my daugther thriving within me. She is getting so big and is so strong.

Texa-fied

Well folks . . . we did it. We crossed that Mississippi, traveled through Arkansas and down into Texas. "Home" is now the lovely Limestone Ranch of Austin, Texas.

We were greeted warmly upon our arrival - by warm, helping hands, and yes, 95 degree weather. A great moving crew had the truck unloaded and into our new apartment in about one hour. We were so thankful for their help. In the past week we have been putting some things in their place and well, just stepping over and around other things.

We are overwhelmed by the love shown to us by our new church home, the Round Rock church of Christ. We have experienced a lot of love in the past week. Today we received a "pounding". For the Aussie readers out there . . . fear not for our lives. A "pounding" is simply a showering of goods. In this case non perishable food items. We are well supplied and extremely thankful. We have already been guests in people's homes here. Nothing sweeter than Christian fellowship. Jason's family has also traveled to see us already. They are enjoying a four hour drive to see us much more than the 12 hour drive to Memphis.

We continue to adjust to our new surroundings, new relationships, roles and so on. This week both Jason and I get to participate in Champs Camp - a summer outreach program for the Round Rock community. Jason is a team counselor/leader for about 12 fifth graders. I'm designated to crafts. We are really excited about the opportunites that have already presented themselves, and those that we don't know about yet.

Without a doubt we greatly miss life in Memphis. Ironically we are back in the place we tried to start our life in the US almost six years ago. It is humbling to see how in a way, God has brought us full circle. We remember who were were six years ago. We thank God for who and what we have become in the past six years. But we also ask Him to do much more in and through us now and in the future.

We have a new address - you can find it on facebook, or email me and ask for it: firstnamedotlastname@gmail.com :)

And here is baby Girl at 31 weeks . . .