How He Proposed...

I meant for this to be posted back in February when I was writing a lot of lovey-dovey stuff and sharing about my relationship with Nick, but things got busy and I forgot to post this.  Here is the post I wrote just after Nick and I got engaged.  Nick proposed in THE BEST way possible! By the time you finish reading, I know you'll agree.

 I got engaged! Nick and I have been planning the wedding for a while, but since we've felt the Lord leading us towards marriage since pretty early in our relationship, we knew we'd get engaged at some point, I just didn't know when.

Yesterday (September 8th, 2008) was our one-year-anniversary. We went to The Melting Pot to celebrate, which was all the way out in Charlottesville. We accidentally got on the wrong highway on the way, and got a good half-hour out of the way which made us an hour late for our reservation. I wasn't really upset about it, since we still made it there and they saved our table for us and everything, but Nick seemed more irritated than usual (and I can understand...since he had a dramatic proposal planned back at the dorm). He kept apologizing for getting frustrated, even though it wasn't at me.

Me: "it really doesn't matter; I'll forget about it by the end of dinner, anyways"

Nick: "I hope you forget about it by the time we get engaged"

Me: "by the the time we get engaged??? Of course I'll forget about it by then. I'll forget about it by tonight"

Nick: (thinks) "same thing"

The meal was amazing, and we promised to come again, even though it was expensive. Our server took a picture of us and put it in the Melting Pot frame, so now we'll have a picture to remember that special night for the rest of our lives! On our way home, Nick drew the conversation towards engagement, something we had talked about many times. He asked me my thoughts on it, and I told him all the legistics of it. I told him why I didn't think it was tonight because of this or that reason, and he played along, knowing the ring was in the back seat.

As we got closer to home, Nick said, "I just love you so much, Abi". We had told each other that all night, but I just asked him why he loved me. He proceeded to remind me in story form of the night we met, the weeks that followed, and our one very special night sitting in the open trunk of his car. That night we talked for 4 1/2 hours, and didn't even realize it, we were so engrossed in conversation, and so stunned at what we could see God unfolding right before our eyes. I thought it was precious that he remembered everything, but I didn't think much more about it.

We got back to my dorm, and Nick suggested we take a walk. We walked around the campus, and I had pushed any thoughts of engagement out of my mind by this point because we had set a time we need to be back since Nick had an early class in the morning, and needed to get to bed. When we got back to the car, I noticed the lights were left on. He asked me if I had left my stuff in the car, and I said I had, and asked if he unlocked it.

He didn't really answer but flung the door to the trunk open. The trunk was decorated beautifully with a red velvet blanket and pillows, covered in red rose petals. There was two bottles of sparkling grape juice in a box of ice, and my favorite chocolates scattered over the back. Romantic music was playing in the background, and the whole setup was decorated by little white lights. I was shocked!!! My first thought was that he was re-creating a previous very romantic date, but I still didn't think he was proposing, until he whipped the little white box out from behind the setup and got on one knee.

"This is for real, Abi, stay standing" (He had fake proposed so many times, every time he got on one knee I'd get down with him). So I stood next to him, sobbing with shock as he held the diamond to my face.

"Abi I love you, will you marry me?"

 "Abi, will you marry me? Are you sure?"

I confirmed that yes, I was sure.  I was sobbing so hard with disbelief he had a hard time hearing my answer.

I sat next to him shaking and sobbing and looking at the ring, I still couldn't (and can't) believe it. Andrea, Kayla, and Jenny came out of the bushes :) wielding cameras and snapping flashes in our faces. They had been there the whole time to capture it all (thank you all, I love you!). 
 

Nick did sooo good planning it out. I'm still blown away at all the details, and how everything went so perfectly. I'm so blessed to be marrying the man I've been praying for for so long...God is so good. He's given me what I don't deserve.

And the rest is history!

(Of course, I said yes!)

We're all Olan-Millsy Now

I received a coupon in the mail the other day for a newborn photo session at Sears Portrait Studio.  I was blessed to have my sister, Kayla, and friend, Derek, each take newborn pictures of Adrian when I was in GA, but I thought it'd be fun to do some studio pictures too.  It was fun! Of course, Adrian was awake all morning and slept through most of the session, but we got some cute pictures.  Major plus: I got a membership card for $10 that will let me get a free 8X10 every day for a year.  Do you think I will use this? Yes...yes, I will.

Abortion

Last night was the fundraising banquet for the pregnancy resource center I volunteer at.  I wasn't sure we'd be able to go because of Adrian, but thankfully we were as Nick was asked to help with the sound.  Our speaker was Abby Johnson - a former advocate and employee of planned parenthood.  I bought her book, "Unplanned" and will give a book review when I complete it (although I'm sure it will be great).

Abby's story of how she made the dramatic transformation from pro-choice to pro-life is based on the time she was asked to assist in an ultrasound-guided abortion of a 13 week unborn child.  As a side note, an abortion done at 13 weeks is not considered late term - it is still early, and in fact, it is around this gestational age that most abortions are performed.  Another side note, this is the age that Nick and I first saw Adrian on the ultrasound screen, flipping and spinning around in my womb (the most beautiful sight I'd ever seen at that point). 



This is not Adrian, but it is a 3D image of a 13-week old unborn child.

Today, I googled "ultrasound-guided abortion", and while most of what I found was liberal bashing of Abby's testimony in multiple blogs, I also found this video of a doctor describing what actually happens during an abortion, as well as a video of an actual ultrasound-guided abortion.

NOTE:  THIS IS VERY GRAPHIC AND HEARTBREAKING!

(the abortion begins at about 12 minutes in)

The reason I am posting this is because if we are to be pro-life, we need to understand what we are fighting against.  I believe that most women who choose to "terminate a pregnancy" do not fully understand the choice they are making.  Also, being pro-life myself, it is only recently that I've come to understand how invasive a procedure abortion actually is.

Anyways, I hope this makes you think as much as it did me.  We are fighting a battle that is not just flesh and blood - but so worth it!

*Click!*

Even though he won't be a month old until Friday, I wanted to record my favorite "click" moments of the past month.  These are the moments when I don't have a camera, but I wish I did...there goes the *click* of the camera in my mind.  I want to keep these precious memories.

When he was born and the midwife laid him on my stomach and I thought, "oh my goodness, he looks just like Nick". Click.

Watching Nick cry, overwhelmed with love for his son when we were alone in our room for the first time that night. Click.

Driving home, Adrian and I in the back seat, thinking that this is how it was going to be...the three of us...for the rest of my forever. Click.

Watching my little siblings run up the street to stop our car when Mom and I arrived in GA the week after Adrian was born. Click.

The first time I saw him smile. Click.

The first time I saw him laugh in his sleep. Click.

Realizing that this time, he wasn't hungry or didn't need to be changed...he just wanted me to hold him because I'm his mama.  Click.

And today...as I stared at him as he slept, he opened his eyes, looked at me, grinned with his whole face, and drifted back to sleep. Priceless.

Oh, these are the happiest days of my life.

I love the moments in the middle of the night when the three of us are up. It's probably 3:17am, we all have bed heads, and our conversation is filled with sleepy whispered, "I love you"s.  Yes, we're tired, but we're a family, and that makes even those rarely seen morning hours suddenly special.

I also love moments like this - when I catch my sweet cuddle baby smiling for the video camera.

Baby Bath Time!

Adrian decided to give himself a massive spit-up bath this morning, so I decided to go ahead and give him his first sink bath.  He looooooooooved it!  He was smiling most of the time! I'm sure I could have kept him in there for a long time.  I sense this will be a fun little bonding time for us in the future :)

Pre-bath joy! He's getting so big :)

Bath time fun!

After bath time snuggles.

After getting dressed snuggle time.

After bath time meal.

Happy after dinner swing time!

I looooooove this little man.  He adds so much joy to my life! What a blessing!

1st Pediatrician's Appointment!

So today we braved the pediatrician's office! I was a little nervous since you all know we aren't vaccinating, and Nick wasn't able to go with me to help me be "big and tough" :)  Also, because of how this month has gone, I left to go to GA pretty much right after we were discharged from the hospital, so we didn't make Adrian's 3 day pediatrician's appt.  When I called the nurse to let her know, the news that I was in GA was not at all received well.  So, needless to say, I was a little nervous.

Adrian did great in the waiting room.  We waited for an hour.  Thankfully, we got to go to the "newborn room" as opposed to the general waiting area.  There were 4 other babies with their parents waiting there, and we enjoyed small talk while we waited.

When we were called back, the nurse informed me that Adrian had received the Hepatitis B vaccine in the hospital.  Imagine my shock! We signed multiple forms denying the vaccine, expressed our desires to deny it in our birth plan (which the hospital had several copies of), and told everyone we came in contact with that we did not want Adrian to receive that vaccine!! After I left the doctor's office, I called Nick in a fit of anger and frustration, and he told me over and over that he is convinced that the pediatrician made a mistake.  He was able to follow Adrian to the nursery right after he was born and was able to oversee everything that happened to him.  To make sure, we're going to ask for Adrian's paperwork from the hospital to verify what exactly happened and are praying that he did not get the vaccine as the pediatrician seems to think!

As for good news, Adrian weighed 9lbs 3oz, a relief for me because he has been receiving breastmilk exclusively, despite nursing not going as planned (an understatement).  I am grateful that he is growing and healthy despite it all! Everything else looks great, although the pediatrician found a heart murmur which she wants to have checked in the next few days.  Thankfully, she doesn't think it's an issue - just wants to verify just in case.  I'm blessed to have this little baby! I can't believe he's 18 days old already. 

Here we are at two weeks!

I can't believe my baby is two weeks old already! So much has happened this month...I'm very ready for things to slow down.  Adrian and I spent the week in Winston-Salem during his last week of training.  It was nice to finally spend time together as our own little family.

Adrian has done pretty good with sleeping during the night, but of course we're still both pretty tired.  Nick has been an awesome help by getting up to rock Adrian to sleep after he nurses or help soothe him when he cries.  He is an excellent Daddy.

My biggest challenge so far has been nursing.  I took a class while pregnant, read books and articles, watched videos, and got advice from so many people, but nothing could prepare me for the real thing! After two weeks of excruciating feedings, I finally got some help today from a friend who is a lactation consultant and am looking forward to healing and pain-free nursing.  The good news is that Adrian is gaining weight and quickly emptying our newborn size diaper stash.  Yay for a healthy baby!

Adrian is soooo sweet. We are just loving him!