Ryleigh in Raleigh

a sleeping baby & a warm cup of coffee

2011-03-12T08:15:00.000-08:00

I'm definitely enjoying my Saturday morning alone. Yep, ALONE with a sleeping baby. We are currently living with Todd & Brooke in Durham while our house is being finished, and I think this is my first time being "alone" since we moved in. Honestly, it's quite peaceful & I think I kind of like it. Living with Todd & Brooke has been a tremendous blessing for our family & we are definitely having some fun times! Ryleigh loves hanging out with her older cousin girls!

I've spent my morning "alone" thinking through paint colors for our new home & doing some birthday party planning for the Ry Girl. We decided to postpone her party until we are in our house & I'm thrilled with this decision. Her '13 Month Birthday Party' will be over Memorial Day weekend so that our family can come up to celebrate her, see our home & spend a long weekend hanging out. It's so exciting---I can hardly wait!

Anyway, I wanted to give an update on the girl. I've been doing some yard selling for summer clothes for her & I think that she is officially ready for spring & summer. I even snagged her a really cute swimsuit! I need to gather a few more items but yard selling & consignment sells have been amazing for gathering items for her summer wardrobe. I've also been hitting up the winter clearance for next winter & I got her the cutest little purple jacket for only $3.98! Oh yea, that is my kind of deal!

She is so grown up these days. I wish everyone could just spend some time with her & enjoy the joy that she brings. I love her & being a mommy to her is the best ever. She has the most loving personality & I've been told, "she's just so gentle with everything that she touches". I'm so curious to see who this little lady is going to grow up to be. I know this much, she is going to bring so much joy to all that she meets.

I did want to share a fun memory that was made last night. Ethan's sister, Erika, came up to visit with her 5 month old, Kamber. Ry & Kamber had a good time hanging out & Kamber is getting so fun these days. Last night, the girls took a bubble bath together. Ry & Kamber were not too thrilled with the idea of sharing the bubbles but it was so fun to watch! Here is a picture of this moment:

Anyway, I hope that you are enjoying this warm, beautiful spring day as much as I am!

love,
Brandy

date night & a new home

2011-02-10T21:22:00.000-08:00

Ethan & I went on a date tonight to see The Civil Wars at the Pour House here in Raleigh. we had a great time & I am very thankful to a sweet friend, Amy Crouch, for watching Ryleigh for us. it was our first time leaving her with someone other than family & my first time not putting her to sleep at night. it's such a weird feeling. I am resisting every urge to go in there, wake her up & cuddle. I've definitely taken all of the nights I've had to cuddle with my bug for granted. tomorrow night, I am going to cherish every second with my girl---I hope that she never wants to stop cuddling with her Mommy!

on a different note, Ethan & I are moving in a week from Saturday! yikes! we are moving to Durham & moving in with Todd, Brooke & their girls while our house is being built---yipee! our house! I'm so excited! our closing date for the new house is April 27th. we've decided to postpone Ry's 1st birthday until she is 13 months old so that we can do it in our new home. now, I definitely can't wait to decorate for her party!

I Feel a Change Coming On

2011-01-31T11:58:00.000-08:00

my Ryleigh Bug has recently started to want to go to sleep on her own. I know that many mommas aim for that & I admit that I did too. it's just the reality of it that makes me sad. I love snuggling with my girl before she takes her nap & before she goes to bed. those moments right before she drifts off to sleep are honestly some of my favorite moments being a mom. Ryleigh likes to grab my hair or rub my face as she is drifting off. are those days gone? have I had my last sleepy-face-rub from Ry?

lately she will not even attempt to go to sleep unless I lay her in her crib. oh the way things change. life with Ryleigh changes more & more every day. I know change is good but it doesn't mean it's always easy or comfortable. I'm realizing that I can't fully wrap my head around one aspect of mommy-hood when it changes. what's next? I feel a change coming on.

where has the time gone?

2011-01-25T19:08:00.000-08:00

our Ryleigh Marie is now 9 months old & she is already taking steps! she is growing way too fast---how do we slow this down?? at her 9 month appointment she weighed 17lbs 8oz (25%) & is 28.5 inches long (76%)! she's growing like a weed! I've realized I need to hold on to & cherish every little moment. she is learning new things everyday & I can hardly keep up! she loves to eat & some of her favorite foods are: banannas, shredded cheese, yogurt, mandarin oranges & avocado! she makes a big mess but it's so fun watching her explore all these new textures & flavors. I've even caught her trying to feed our pup, Oregon, a few times! but hey, at least she likes to share! she is also into anything & everything including: unfolding the laundry that I just get folded, emptying Ore's food & water bowls, unraveling the toilet paper, throwing our DVDs off their stand & opening our kitchen cabinets! we have done minimal baby-proofing since we are moving in a month. needless to say, I am very busy these days! we are looking forward to moving, getting unpacked & baby-proofing our new home for a soon to be walking toddler!

we had a great Christmas and it was so fun watching Ryleigh open her presents! she definitely did her fair share of eating bows, pulling ornaments off the tree & climbing over gifts. we spent Christmas morning at our home in Raleigh & drove to Durham to spend the rest of the day with Todd, Brooke & their girls. we even got snow on Christmas Day & we ended up with about 7 inches! it was so fun to play in the snow & Ryleigh was definitely all bundled up---she was wearing like 6 layers! we were able to go to Augusta, GA to spend Christmas with family the week after Christmas & we made lots of good memories! Christmas will never be the same for us now that we have Ry. she brings such a new joy & a new understanding for why we celebrate! I'm definitely already looking forward to Christmas next year!

Ethan & I have already begun planning for Ryleigh's first birthday party & it's so fun to think through all of the details. her party is going to be on Saturday, April 9th & we are so excited! I hope your 2011 started off as great as ours---we are definitely looking forward to all that this year holds!

love, Brandy

seven months to seventeen years

2010-11-10T19:49:00.000-08:00

to my Ryleigh Marie---

In one week you will be 7 months old---my, oh my where has the time gone?

I remember the day that you were born. Every detail of that day will forever be engrained in my memory. I was so glad to finally hear your little cry. It was the sweetest sound I’ve ever heard. Due to the c-section, I couldn’t see anything but your sweet little whimper let me know that everything was okay. After hours & hours of hard labor, your poor momma just wanted to know that you were safe.

Today, I still want to know the same thing. I get up during the night just to make sure that you are breathing. I’m constantly trying to keep you from falling and hitting your head because you pull yourself up on any & every thing that you can. I’m so anxious about this next step of eating because I’m afraid of you choking. I don’t trust you with anyone (that’s why your daddy & I have only gone on one date alone in 7 months). Maybe it’s a mommy thing---but I always want to make sure that you are safe & the best way to do that is to never leave you.

I know this sounds ridiculous but it’s truth. Your momma is already dreading the day that you tell me that you are going off to college. How did my momma let me ever move to California for two years? I can’t even imagine….

You love your daddy. I wish there was some way for me to capture the look that you give him when he comes home from work. He truly is yours. He’s a great daddy & he looks forward to spending time with you everyday. The other night, you and he were cuddling in bed. You had your arm rested on his arm. I went and laid down beside you guys. I too put my hand on your daddy’s arm and you slapped it off. It was as if you were telling me, “he’s mine!”

You often make your daddy & me laugh. Your favorite word is “hey”---and it suits you perfectly. You are quite the social baby girl but you do get bashful. I love when you get bashful. You dig your face into my shirt and it’s the sweetest thing!

You really are the best thing that I’ve ever done. It sounds cliché but it’s true. You are my best little friend. I can’t wait to see how you are going to turn out & the woman that you are going to grow to be. Please take your time. I am going to relish every little second & teach you everything that I know. Seven months will be seventeen years in no time.

love, your momma

Ryleigh on Halloween, 6 months old, 14 1/2 lbs & 26 1/2 inches long

our life over the past 6 months:

2010-07-01T07:42:00.000-07:00

we said goodbye to our life & friends in San Rafael, California and moved to Raleigh, NC where we would begin a new life & meet new friends.

we arrived in Raleigh on February 1st and Ethan started his job at Vintage 21 Church as the Director of Kids & Families. he literally hit the ground running. he had lots to do and prepare before our little miss Ryleigh arrived, including Raleigh Easter.

we spent our first two months in Raleigh looking for an apartment, unpacking & getting everything ready for Miss Ryleigh's arrival. our sweet Ry Bug was born on Saturday, April 17th at 1:08am (birth story will come soon) and we were instantly in love.

we've spent the past two months getting to know this sweet baby girl and learning how to be parents. we hope to use this blog (especially now that we have internet again) to share with our friends & family our journey as parents.

here are some pictures from Ryleigh's first 11 weeks:

my life was forever changed in this momentphoto booth fun with Daddy in the hospitalI can't stop staring at her--she's beautiful!we finally got to take her home & she wore the dress I wore home from the hospitalher first bath at homeone month oldnapping with her daddyshe's just so pretty!she loves the pool already!two months oldshe really is growing way too fast!

Perkins Family Update

2010-01-28T14:56:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends,

I wanted to write a note to inform all you about some recent events in our lives.

First, I wanted to say that Brandy and Baby Ryleigh are doing great. Today, Brandy is officially 30 weeks!!! It is hard to imagine that in just 10 weeks or less, we will have our little baby home with us! We are so very, very excited!

The next thing is pretty big news!

During this time of transition, we have been actively seeking an opportunity for employment. We were in contact with several places early on and none of them seemed to be able or desiring to hire me (Ethan). The plan has been for us to move from San Rafael, California to Augusta, GA. We also planned to stay with my parents until after the Ryleigh was born. As time has drawn closer for our departure, this seemed to be our future!

But then again...God often has other plans!

As many of you know, my brother, Todd, has been working for an ACTS 29 church called Vintage 21 in Raleigh, North Carolina as the Children's Director. In late December, Todd was moved from his job as Children's Director to become the new head Pastor of Vintage 21 Durham. This left an opening in the Children's Director position. Todd spoke with a few of the Pastors at Vintage 21 and told them I may be interested in this position. After a few conversations with Nate Williams, I was told that due to a few circumstances at Vintage 21 the position may not be available until later this summer.

I quickly moved on and considered the job interesting but was accepting of the circumstance. If I was to get a job at Vintage 21 it would be God who would have to work!

But then again...God is always at work!

Last week I was contacted by Nate and offered the position of Children's Director at Vintage 21. After speaking with Brandy about this and spending time in prayer, we have made the decision to move directly to Raleigh, North Carolina and take the position as Children's Director.

This job is a part-time position and it will require me to find another part-time job in order to have the finances to take care of my family. Living in Raleigh will offer me a chance to do something I have become extremely interested in, continuing my education in seminary!

With all this news, I believe the most important thing I have to say to you all is to pray for us!

God is leading my family to a place we have not planned. As of right now we do not have a place to live, we will be staying with my brother in Durham until we can find a place. We do not have another job offer to help us financially. We will be in a new place, with new people, and a new environment. AND we are having a baby in 10 weeks or less!!!

All of these things bring stress and pressure in our lives---we need your prayers that God will provide and keep us at peace.

To be sure these things sound scary and unsure, but we serve an amazing Father who has already taken care of so much in both our lives. We ask you to pray for us so that you can spend time with our Father. I have no doubt that God will take care of my family, I just want everyone, including us, to give God the glory when he does take care of us!

Thank you for your prayers and thank you for all the support each one of you has shown us!

Grace and Peace,

THE PERKINS FAMILY

For more information about where we will be serving and worshipping: vintage21.com

it's a new year

2010-01-10T17:48:00.000-08:00

Ethan and I had a wonderful Christmas home visiting family. It's always nice to be with family, especially on the holidays. We were overwhelmed by all the gifts we received for little Ryleigh and she isn't even here yet! She is such a loved little, baby girl already and so many people are so excited about her arrival in this New Year---2010 is going to be one great year!

Some of our favorite Christmas memories this year are:
1) waking up on December 7th and deciding that we were going to get a Christmas tree--can you even do Christmas without a tree?
2) decorating our tree with Charlie Brown, warm cookies and hot cocoa
3) our traditional Christmas breakfast cooked by Ethan every Christmas Eve morning
4) catching a tailwind that helped our flight be an hour shorter than it should have been
5) seeing Ethan's face when he got A Muppet's Christmas Carol (Brandy)
6) calling LeAnne a liar while the girls were playing Clue: The Office Edition (Brandy)
7) space blanket--enough said
8) fireworks with Haleigh Baby
9) sleepover at Dusty & Kevin's---Ghost Hunters and Killer Bunnies ("do you feel that? it's getting colder")
10) letting family feel Ryleigh move
11) knowing that Cody is good with a knife
12) tennis with Rivers & Caelan (Ethan)
13) "there is not a normal person in this place" -Ethan
14) "that's okay" -Nana Walker
15) watching family play the Wii
16) realizing that Santa gets to come to our house next Christmas!
____________________________________________
When we got home from Georgia for Christmas, we hit the ground running! We have the month of January to pack for the move, plan for the move, find a job, and prepare even more for little Ryleigh's arrival. We started with taking down our Christmas tree and all of our decorations. I had accomplished a good days worth of packing when I got sick with an awful chest cold---again! Needless to say, our packing was put on hold for the remainder of the week and we have definitely got some catching up to do. Our family doctor said that due to my weakened immune system because of the pregnancy and the two colds back to back that I have developed asthma in the pregnancy. He also said that it is likely that I will get asthma now every time that I am pregnant---but I am praying against this now! He encouraged me to rest so that I could get better for this sweet girl and continue to prepare for our move.

We have a busy three weeks ahead of us but we are encouraged that everything is going to get done. We have great friends and great students that have offered to help and just want to spend time with us before the move. It's going to be a good, yet busy month!

We hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas and are enjoying your 2010!

love,
Brandy

a letter to our friends and family

2009-12-18T17:41:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends and Family,

I wanted to send you along a note about what has been going on in our lives. While many of you may already be aware of this news, we wanted to make sure everyone was given a chance to hear.   For the past several months, Brandy and I have been in prayer over a large decision in our lives. After praying and seeking guidance over this issue, Brandy and I came to the decision to move back to the east. Currently, we plan to move back during the first week in February. Though the choice to leave California was not an easy one, we believed it is what God has called us to do. I could go on and on about how amazing our time has been at BayMarin Community Church since we arrived in April of 2008. The students really showed us a lot about ourselves and the gospel. We love them and will miss them so very much.

We come now asking for a only one thing from our friends and family, prayer. Pray that God would continue to guide us and direct the decisions in our lives. Pray that through this time the gospel would grow stronger in our lives and in the lives of the people we leave behind. Pray for our trip back to the east. The road is long and not easy to travel. It will be even more interesting with a 31 week pregnant Brandy, our dog, and my father! Pray that God would protect us on the road. That snow, rain, sleet, or hail would pass us by. Pray that our car would make the trip with no problems. Pray that we find cheap gas and uniquely affordable hotels to stay at! Pray that God would watch over us and that 100,000 and 3 holy angels would go with us every inch! Pray that God would open doors for a job for me and that I would be able to quickly and easily find a place of employment. Pray for our home. We are eager create a home for a soon to be baby, Ryleigh.

It is my greatest hope that this would be a time in your life that prayer would grow and you would realize how great God is. I ask only one more thing from all of you. If God is so gracious to us, if He provides all these things that we ask for, if we are given everything that we need, that you would realize the power that is in the gospel. Brandy and I go forward into one of the most unique and overwhelming times of our life. There are so many challenges and obstacles ahead of us, but we believe that God has called us to do this. We believe that God will not lead us somewhere and not take care of us. We believe that God is about to show us how powerful He really is.

We ask for you to pray for us. Not for our benefit but for the glory and fame of Jesus Christ.

 May all the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you,

-Ethan and Brandy Perkins
ethanperkins83@gmail.com

inspiration for Ryleigh's nursery

2009-12-17T11:17:00.000-08:00

so here are a few projects that I will be working on for Ryleigh's nursery in the coming weeks:

I definitely fell in love with these the moment I saw them---I can see her trying to spell out her name and "I love Daddy" already!

I definitely can't wait to see this hanging above her pretty, white crib!

I really like this idea for simple art:

okay, this lamp for Ryleigh is definitely on my Christmas list---I'm in love!

I can't wait to begin to put her little room together---but more than that, I can't wait to see her in her room!

ah, nesting!

love,
Brandy

cha-cha-changes!

2009-12-16T21:28:00.000-08:00

So Brandy has finally allowed me to write a blog about Ryleigh....just kidding. I have been wanting to write but Brandy always beats me to it.

I can’t explain how excited I am to have a baby. I had a good friend who was about to have his first child put it this way, “I am overjoyed and nervous to know that my entire world is about to change but still have no clue how it’s going to change.” That’s really what Ryleigh is, change. Change in myself, change in my wife, change in my laundry, change in my shopping, change in my house, change in my cloths, change in MY DRIVING, change in my dog, change in my diet, change in my shaving, change in my video games, change in my movies, change in my selfishness, change in everything.

Most of the time change comes quickly, but it is so different with a little one of the way. 5 months ago, I wouldn’t have thought much about changing these things in my life. Slowly though, everything changes.

I love the TV show “Family Guy.” It is really funny, really entertaining and reminds me of my best friend Chris. The other night Brandy and I were curled up on the couch watching it and Brandy very sweetly looked me in the eyes and said, “you know when Ryleigh comes, Family Guy stops, right?” In case you’ve never seen an episode and I led you on to think Family Guy is the ultimate family show, it is probably one of the most crude and perverted shows on television. When Brandy said this, my heart wanted to defend a show I had grown to love, but I couldn’t help think that I would give up the world to help my daughter grow and learn what is right.

Which leads me to the biggest change...

It may sound funny to talk about the gospel when writing a blog about my coming child, but it’s christmas time and Jesus’ birth is right around the corner, right? I want my daughter to know the gospel. I want her to see it being lived out in her parents. I want her to know that we all sin and we all fail, but that’s why Christ came. There are so many things to change when preparing for your first child but the biggest change I desire is that the gospel would be more alive in my life than ever before. When my beautiful, sweet, innocent, and “perfect” daughter looks me in the eyes, I pray that she will see Christ in me. That Brandy, Ryleigh and myself would fall in love with each other more and more and that Christ would be at the center our love.

-Ethan T Perkins

a moving baby and cloth diapers

2009-12-14T22:37:00.000-08:00

So my favorite thing to do these days is to sit my phone on my belly and watch little Ryleigh kick it off---it's almost like she and I are playing this little, secret game and it just makes me so very excited! I can sit and watch her do it over and over---it never gets old and it definitely makes me and Ethan laugh. I can't wait to see her kick her little legs outside of my belly! My momma says that she is definitely going to be a dancer (or a football player)!

The neatest thing is her kicking has gotten strong enough that Ethan can feel her moving just about all of the time and I love it. I know that Ethan, being the dad-to-be, often feels a little left out when it comes to getting to be near her. I feel like she is already showing him that she loves him every time he gets to feel her move. I know that he loves it and I love watching him get to experience her. I am really looking forward to going home for Christmas and letting my momma feel her first grandbaby moving around in my belly. That is going to be one sweet moment.

On a different note, I'm feeling a little more confident in the cloth diaper area thanks to the advice of friends and a friend's sister. My momma always used cloth diapers so why can't I? I was totally up for the idea but the idea of cleaning the poopy diapers left me a little perplexed. After getting some great advice, I am feeling much more confident and I am hoping that Ethan is still up for the challenge! Haha! It's definitely a team thing---right?

love,
Brandy

sweet tea and the Black Eyed Peas

2009-12-05T17:21:00.000-08:00

It's been a month since we last blogged and so much has happened:

1) we announced our sweet baby girl's pretty name: Ryleigh Marie Perkins

2) we have begun to register---and I must say that it is all very overwhelming! how many different bottles can there really be??

3) she officially has a crib and changing table and it has made everything feel so real!

4) I've only gained a pound in the last 5 weeks--but my belly is definitely growing! my doctor says that she is just getting all of my calories! no complaining here! :)

5) we bought her an adorable pair of brown ballet flats---just like her mommy's!

6) she got to meet her grandparents, aunts & uncles, and little cousins for the first time from my belly and they are so in love with her already!

7) she had her first Thanksgiving from inside my belly and her favorite foods: deviled eggs & sweet potato casserole

8) when we were visiting family in Raleigh, NC, we found out that Ryleigh LOVES sweet tea and the Black Eyed Peas--both of these things make her dance around in my belly!

Also, for those of you that weren't aware, we did have a little scare regarding miss Ryleigh around mid-November. After we had our second trimester ultrasound, we got a call from the genetics department saying that they saw a spot on Ryleigh's heart. They said that it could be an indicator of downsyndrome and we were encouraged to have some tests ran. We had all of our friends and family praying for Ryleigh and her little heart. Four days later, the results came in and they said her and her heart were okay! We are very thankful to God for taking care of our precious baby girl! We have a good and faithful God! Thank you all so much for praying for us and this sweet girl.

love,
Brandy & Ethan

it's a girl!

2009-11-11T15:31:00.000-08:00

We had our second trimester ultrasound today and we found out that our long awaited Baby Perky is a GIRL! Now I am ready to begin shopping and planning!

my belly is growing!

2009-11-01T20:50:00.000-08:00

Ethan and I just got back from Lake Tahoe. We took our junior and seniors there on a leadership and we really had a great time worshiping our God and learning about how to be a servant leader like Jesus. Ethan swears that my belly got even bigger on this trip! I thought that I better put up a picture soon before it grows again! This picture is taken at 17 weeks and 3 days.

love,
Brandy

a wonderful, little heartbeat

2009-10-27T20:38:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, Ethan and I went to our 16 week appointment and we finally got to hear our precious little baby's heartbeat. Ethan is such a great husband and dad---he took a video of the whole experience for our family and friends to enjoy. Enjoy!

This little one has a strong, steady heartbeat! Ethan swears the he can hear it when he lays his head on my belly! We are so ready to hold this little one.

Our doctor, Linda Humprey, said that everything is great with Baby Perky and that he or she is growing right on time!

We go back to the doctor on November 11th for our 2nd trimester ultrasound. We will be able to find out at that appointment if we are having a boy or girl. What do you guys think?

love,
Brandy

have always and will always

2009-10-20T22:39:00.000-07:00

Ethan sent me this in an email:

Out of all the child stars in history who have grown up and totally messed up there lives, there are 2 that have always and will always stay pure!

Baby Perky is going to love Charlie Brown like his or her parents---I just know it!

love,
Brandy

Baby Perky's First Pumpkin

2009-10-18T21:26:00.000-07:00

Ethan and I went to the Petaluma Pumpkin Patch today with our high school students. We had lots of fun hanging out with the students and picking out our third married pumpkin! We realized that next year Baby Perky will be with us to pick out our pumpkin. Later in the car on the way home, I realized that Baby Perky was there today with us picking this very pumpkin.

I'm looking forward to all the little moments, like picking out pumpkins, that are to come with this sweet little baby!

love,
Brandy

15 weeks and counting!

2009-10-14T21:21:00.001-07:00

So we are officially 15 weeks along in this pregnancy! Time seems to be dragging---urg! It seems like Christmas will never get here---I am so looking forward to seeing family! It'll be hard to get me back on the plane to California I am sure!

I've had so much morning sickness but I love knowing that my baby is growing. Everyone keeps saying that it should be tapering off soon and I must say I am looking forward to it. I'm mostly looking forward to deep cleaning my house and eating a good meal! I feel like I haven't eaten a real, full meal in months! I just want things to taste good---everything except mashed potatoes and chocolate milk tastes awful!

The dad-to-be is doing great! I wake up to him most mornings touching my little bump. He is so ready to be a dad and I can't wait to see him holding our baby.

We have begun to "name" our baby and this is a more difficult process than I thought. It's a big responsibility and we both have to agree on it!

We are looking forward to our doctor's appointment next Friday---we will hopefully find out if we are having a boy or girl! We are praying Baby Perky will not be shy! We are ready to start buying for this little one!

Please continue to pray for us and Baby Perky!

Love,
Brandy

10 weeks 4 days

2009-09-14T17:30:00.000-07:00

We had our second prenatal appointment today and it was so great! The more Ethan and I get to know our doctor, the more we like her! She is very kind and very excited for us and our baby---she even let Ethan video some during the ultrasound! It's a sweet moment that we can share with you.

This has been the worst week of morning sickness to date. I am hoping that means that it's getting a little worse before it gets better. Ethan has been amazing---he takes good care of me and Baby Perky! He is always making sure I'm eating and drinking and even helping pick up around the house. I know that he misses "fun" Brandy but he definitely thinks it's worth the sacrifice for our baby! Thanks Ethan for everything, you're the best!

Our next appointment is on October 23rd and we will finally get to hear our baby's heartbeat---these appointments are getting better and better! We sure can't wait to meet this little baby!

Thank you so much for all of the prayers & support.

love,
Brandy

our baby is definitely a Perkins

2009-09-06T16:22:00.000-07:00

We had another appointment on Friday, September 4th and it was one of the neatest and sweetest days of my life! We went in to do all the family history paperwork, meet our new doctor and we even got to see our baby. Baby Perky must have been very excited to see us because he or she was dancing and waving! It was the sweetest and coolest thing that I have seen to date! After our appointment I told Ethan, "our baby is definitely your's---he or she has all of your energy!"

During our appointment, we found out that our due date is April 8th 2010 and our friends, Chris and Deanna Parrish, are due on the same day! Ethan says, "they are either going to be best friends or they are going to start World War 4 one day!" I guess we will see!

By the way, incase you are curious, our baby is the size of the top half of your thumb. He or she is growing so very fast!

I am posting a picture of Dad Ethan waiting for our new doctor, Dr. Humphrey, to show us Baby Perky! Can you tell that he was super anxious? Anyway, Ethan is going to upload the pictures from this visit and we will put them up soon.

Please continue to pray for us and this growing, dancing baby in my belly! :)

love, Brandy

another appointment and a heartbeat

2009-08-22T15:21:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Brandy and I went to the doctor again---it was such an amazing time!

The first two times we went to the doctor we were very nervous. Even going into the doctor's office yesterday made us nervous. The last two times we went there wasn't much to see because we were in the office too early. In fact, most of the time it took a little while for the doctor to find the "sac." But yesterday was different. As soon as FARKUS got started, he saw the sac and this time he saw even more.

After a few seconds and some flickers on the screen, we saw our baby for the first time. In fact, we briefly saw a little flicker on the baby. Brandy asked what it was and Farkus responded matter of factly with, "oh, that's just the heartbeat." (needless to say, this is the last time we see Dr. Farkus---finally our doctor is back in town!)

The photo to the right is one that I took on my iPhone of the ultrasound machine. Sorry for the little asterisks but he was measuring Baby Perky. I'll keep snapping little photos at the appointments for you to see the growth---apparently Baby Perky has doubled in size from last week!

We were overjoyed and amazed! Brandy and I each spoke later on our way to lunch and we each said that we had cried but only one tear.

It was a great moment and something that was bigger than I thought it would be! Our baby has a heartbeat!

After meeting with Farkus, we then went and visited a nurse who began to explain the next steps we would be taking. She was very nice and seemed excited for us. She gave us about 30 pages of papers to fill out for our next appointment!

Our next appointment is September 4th. It should be great but even the nurse warned us that it is not a lot of fun. Basically, they have to ask about Brandy's entire medical history. I will be bringing my iPhone so I won't be bored...just kidding! They did say that that we will get to see our baby again---so that makes it way worth it!

Hopefully some of you guys are reading this. Leave us a message to let us know what you think!

We miss you guys and love you all!

-Ethan T P

glorious morning sickness & a book for the dad-to-be

2009-08-19T16:29:00.000-07:00

from Brandy:

I've been having morning sickness like crazy! I can't stand up, move, walk, or even lay down--- without feeling nauseous! I've read that morning sickness is a good sign that you won't miscarry. I am so thankful for this glorious morning sickness!

Shortly after Ethan and I found out we were pregnant, I found my way to the bookstore for a few books so we could read up on all the changes that are going to be coming soon. One of the books that I picked up is called, Your Pregnancy: For the Father-to-Be. Ethan has started reading this book already and he is already feeling pretty smart and knowledgeable on the subject. While I was laying on the couch earlier today, Ethan came up to me and said, "how is your amniotic sac doing? and I really hope that you don't get Braxton Hicks contractions." It was the funniest thing! It still makes me laugh when I think about it!

Anyway, a couple days ago I was talking to my mommy about all the things that we are learning and I asked her what she remembered about her first pregnancy. Towards the end of our conversation she told me that she recommended that we write things down for our baby to read later. This blog is a way for us to share the journey of our pregnancy with you, our family and close friends.

Thank you so much for praying for us and Baby Perky! We have another doctor's appointment on Friday. They are trying to see us pretty regularly right now because of the miscarriage. We will keep you updated.

love,

Brandy

a new Perkins

2009-08-18T17:40:00.001-07:00

Welcome friends & family!

I wanted to start...at the start.

On Sunday, August 2nd, Brandy and I headed down to Mexico with our students to build a house for a family in need. We had an amazing trip and even saw a student dedicate her life to Christ. The only downside was that Brandy was sick most of the trip. She mostly didn't work but took photos (883 to be exact) and played with the kids, which was a great moment for her and the many mexican children. When we got home from the trip on Sunday August 9th, we were both very, very tired. I was awakened pretty early on Monday morning (at the moment I was not very happy about this because I was looking forward to sleeping in) and Brandy was in my face smiling and simply said, "I'm pregnant!"

We took a trip to the doctors office, met Mr. Dr. Farkus (real name) and after a few awkward "DOCTORING" moments, he was unable to see anything. He told us it could be one of two things:

1. It is not a baby but is a "chemical" pregnancy (aka early miscarriage).

2. It's super early and we just can't see anything yet.

He then asked us to come back on Friday.

So, Friday August 14 we went back to the "Farkus"...once again...awkward! This time he was able to see a "sac." He then told us, "this is perfectly normal, you are just very early!" I even asked him, "soooooooo are we pregnant?" "Yes, yes, yes very pregnant," said FARKUS!

After this, we called our family and close friends. Brandy and I talked about waiting a couple of weeks to make the news public....that lasted until Sunday night when we told our students and then posted it on Facebook.

You may be aware of what happened to us last time we were pregnant. Brandy and I are concerned and aware of the possibility of another miscarriage, but I believe that this time is very different. I believe that God has chosen this time for Brandy and I to have a baby. I believe we are ready and I believe God is blessing us!

We do ask for your continued prayer us and the baby!

We have created this blog to keep our friends and family updated--we love all of you, east coast and west coast!

Grace and Peace,

Ethan, Brandy, and "Baby Perky"