Before and After

If you know us very well at all, you know that we LOVE a good before and after moment. Well, we must, because we've had SO many of them! :) You know, when you've finished a project that has turned out great, then look back on what you started with. It's so satisfying! Here are some of the before and afters that we've experienced over the years, mainly home updating/renovation projects. :) Enjoy!

Yard sale coffee table from our first home as married people - Harding West Marrieds apartment B-16. :) We simplified it and made it smaller to fit our tiny living room.

Dining room of our current house. Do not adjust your monitor settings...that really is a matching padded wall, table runner, and curtains! That's how the former owners had it decorated. Once again, we simplified. And, I heart orangey red. :)

Bathroom in our current house. Can you say, "major overhaul?" We took it from 1983 with his and hers sides (one vanity, closet and entrance door each), brown cultered marble, and carpet (ewww, in a bathroom?!?) to 1 big vanity, 1 big closet, and nice new tile. Major thanks go to Tyson's parents for their huge help on this project! And, yes, these two pictures were taken from the same spot in the room...did I mention this was a major overhaul?

In the living room we took down the dark paneling and replaced it with painted drywall. A much simpler project than the bathroom, and it really brightened the room, made it feel bigger, and brought it out of the 1980's.

Camryn's room. I don't have a good before picture of the opposite corner...that's where the huge mural of Gotham City was. Not very girly, so we changed it to golden yellow walls with black, cream, and pink...but not too much pink. :)

Just had to throw this one in there. :) The pregnancy wasn't always easy, but so worth it now! The before picture was about 1 week before Camryn came, and the after was last month...such a sweet girl!

The den/office/play room. For the last 3 years it has been brown paneling and dingy white drywall. We recently finished painting everything and rearranging the layout. Aaaaah, much better. :) (Anyone remember Kevan's dog Bailey? Apparently she came to visit us once!)

This is a little project that I saw on Martha this week, and it actually looked easy enough for me attempt. By just folding old magazines (no cutting, no glue, no nothing) I got a couple of cute, office-y Christmas trees! It took a while to fold each page three times, but really, what else do I have to do. ;)

So, there you have it...our favorite before-and-after moments. What about you...what's your best before-and-after? Pictures, please! :)

She's Here!

Well, much to our surprise, Camryn Joy Kirksey has arrived 12 days early! I'll do a quick post and picture for now, then follow up later with more details.

Camryn Joy Kirksey
Sunday, February 15, 2009
8:16 a.m.
7 pounds
19.5 inches
Mom, Dad, and baby are doing well. :)

We're in the Red Zone!

That's what Tyson is calling it now...the red zone. :) My due date is 18 days away, which basically means that I could go into labor any time now. Wow, that's a sobering thought! It didn't really sink in until my doctor's appointment last Monday when I found out that I am 1 - 2 centimeters dilated already. I freaked out just a little (OK, maybe more than a little), but then later found out that many expectant moms stay there for even a month! Regardless, it was a reality check! (At today's appointment, I found out that I haven't progressed any in the last week...thanfully!)

We have been spending the past couple of weeks making some "final" preparations, realizing that our time before Camryn arrives is getting shorter and shorter. We've installed the car seat in my car, finished the nursery, and we're in the middle of a 3 week childbirth education class.

So here are some pictures of what we've been up to. You can see that the belly is definitely getting bigger, and boy, am I feeling it! I'm not in pain or anything, I just feel like she's pushing on everything inside me when she moves! Also, here's the latest progress on the nursery:

This weekend, we went on a shopping trip, and used gift cards to pick up some things that we still needed for her room. We got a diaper pail and a changing pad/covers, plus we have put a little shelf on the wall for wipes, etc.

Last weekend, my parents stopped by on their way out of the country (on a trip to Israel!...they'll be back this week), and they dropped off the crib skirt and bumper. Oh, wow, they turned out so good! I was thrilled with the result, and I think they look great in the room! Here's the whole crib put together...

And here is a better view of the inside of the bumper...I love how the fabrics all look together. Girly, but not baby-ish...just what I wanted!

So we're in the home stretch! I am so thankful for how I have felt throughout this pregnancy...the nurse today even commented about what a great pregnancy I've had...and she sees LOTS of pregnant ladies! We are prayerful for a healthy baby and mommy, and for Camryn to wait until at least her due date to make her arrival (the longer she waits, the less I have to go back to school at the very end of the year!). We'll keep you posted...

Sneak Preview

Last night my mom emailed me a sneak preview of the bedding that we're having made for the crib! Here is the glimpse that I got of the crib skirt....I LOVE how these fabrics look together! Especially with the pom-pom trim! Now I'm looking forward to seeing it all in person and actually in the nursery...so fun!Also, my blog got a new look thanks to having the day off of school yesterday! I had time to play with our digital camera, then play around in Scrapblog. So, enjoy!

Tyson's Birthday & the Nursery

Happy Birthday to Tyson! The lucky boy got to celebrate yesterday by having the day off of work! When I got off of school, he opened his gifts, then we ate dinner at Abuelo's (yum!), did some shopping, and came back home and ate cheesecake...made by me! I love you so much, honey! I'm so blessed to have you in my life!! Here are some pics of his gifts:

Opening a new shirt from his mom and dad.
Now wearing the new shirt, and holding my gift!

Playing with his new toy from me...speakers for his iPod. :)

In other news...we've been working on Camryn's nursery lately, too! Today, we picked out a chair for her room from Ikea, and I bought most of the fabrics for the bedding. I also got some letters to put on the wall that spell her initials. Here's a couple of pictures of what the room looks like now:I have my next doctor's appointment on Monday afternoon, and shortly after that, we'll be heading to our 3 Christmases in Tyler and Houston, then our Kirksey family trip. We'll be back in town in a couple of weeks, and then I'll update with pictures of our fun holiday! Merry Christmas to everyone out there in blogland! :)

30 Weeks

Oh my goodness, how time is flying! On Friday, I will be exactly 30 weeks along...only 10 weeks to go! I have been so blessed to have an easy pregnancy that the time has gone by waaay too quickly! I am so thankful for how good I have felt, and that any "issues" I've had have been minor (Thanksgiving weekend I discovered what it feels like to have your heart burning!) I realized this week that when I go back to school after Christmas break, I will only have 8 weeks left! (That is, assuming that Camryn decides to come ON her due date! Ha!)

So here is what is going on baby-wise lately:

1. We picked her name! (in case you didn't see that in the previous paragraph!) Camryn Joy. Not Cammy. Not Cam. Not CJ. Camryn! :) We are keeping with a tradition in Tyson's family to have names that end with an "n", and both of us liked how it sounded. It's nice to be able to call her by her name now! :)

2. We regsistered! Everyone that we talked to said that Babies R Us was the best place to register, so that's what we did. Talk about an overwhelming experience! I feel like on every row I just stared at all the stuff thinking either "What is that for?" or "Do I really need that?" There are just so many of everything to choose from. I think that a few mommies should go check out our registry and tell me if we picked good stuff! :)

3. I passed my glucose test! Yay! And at my last appointment, my blood pressure, my weight, and the baby's heartbeat were all great and normal. I go back next Monday for another check up. By the way, the last sonogram I had was at 19 weeks, and I'm not going to get another one unless I start having problems...so disappointing! My friend Jamie is getting a sonogram every time she goes in for an appointment...lucky girl!

4. We are working on the nursery. I got some cute letters at Hobby Lobby today to put on the wall. The only problem was that I wanted C, J, and K, but they didn't have a C! I'm going tomorrow to a different Hobby Lobby near my school to see if they have one! If not, I may be sending my mom or sister to check out the one in Tyler! :) Also, over Christmas break, I will be bringing home fabrics for the bumper and crib skirt. A friend of my mom's (who is an amazing seamstress) is going to make them for us. I can't wait to see it all together!

5. Childbirth classes...I'm thinking we need to go ahead and sign up for some. Has anyone else taken these classes and were they helpful at all?? First-timer needs advice!

6. I felt Camryn hiccupping (sp?) yesterday. What a fun thing! All of her movements in the last few weeks have been big nudges that are mostly higher up (like around belly button level on me). But the hiccups were lower down, smaller movements, and rhythmic...that was definitely something different! I have been continually amazed at the little life that is growing inside of me. And she's not growing and developing perfectly because of anything that I have done, but because God is knitting her together himself! I love you, Lord! You are so good!

A Couple of Things

OK, here is a promised picture of the belly and the nursery! We stayed up late last night to put the crib together, and we love, love, love it! It looks a little darker in the picture than it does in person...maybe because of my day-glow bright orange shirt! :) I really like how it looks with the fabric that I picked out and with the wall color. Baby is going to love it! ;)


Also, in case you haven't looked at the comments from the previous post, my friend Larissa sent me the link to her post called "What Not to Say to a Pregnant Woman." After re-reading it, all I have to say is "Amen, sister!" :)

100 days

Well, it's official...the counter over on the side of the page says I have 100 days to go! I remember counting down to our wedding and feeling all of the excitement and anticipation...this is not too different from that. There are so many new things that we will be experiencing 100 days from now, and I don't really feel prepared for any of it! (Who does, right?)

We have been spending some time lately working on the nursery. We just finished painting the walls last night, and we are planning on assembling the crib sometime this week. We also just got home from picking up a second-hand dresser/changing table. It feels good to be making some kind of preparations and to see that things are getting done. I will post pictures soon!

I am still feeling well and enjoying being a 5 1/2 month pregnant lady. :) The belly is definitely growing, and people comment almost every day. It has been interesting to hear the variety of comments from people about the belly. I know that everyone who says something is trying to say something nice and to show their excitement about the baby, so I try to keep that in mind. Especially when someone says something like, "Wow, you're getting big!" or "I don't think that shirt is going to fit much longer!" **Tip for saying things to pregnant ladies (and I learned this a year or two ago from my friend, Larissa, but I can't find her blog post about it...) if in doubt, just say, "You look cute!" We know you're referring to the belly! :) I will post another picture of that soon, too.

And for those of you waiting for the next chapter of our testimony, I promise, we haven't forgotten! It's the best part of the story, so I will definitely be working on that post. In the mean time, be blessed, all you out there in blog-land!

Testimony - Chapter 3

(Tyson here...I'll be narrating chapter 3.)

If you haven't yet, please read chapter 1 and chapter 2 first.

Winter had passed and Spring of 2008 was upon us. It had been several months since our latest doctor visit, and nothing had changed. We felt discouraged but hopeful, and were blessed to be surrounded by loving friends, family and church leaders.

As April arrived, we had become ready to try the prescription given by Sarah's doctor. The Lord reminded us that all healing is from Him, and often times He does use a doctor and common medicine. We felt that if that's what God wanted to do, even though we were still uncomfortable with it, we should not box God in. We became spiritually prepared to start medical treatment soon.

The first week of April, I (Tyson) was planning to travel to Searcy, AR for a Camp Wyldewood benefit golf tournament over the weekend. Record rainfall ensued the 4 days prior to the tournament, and the forecast was even worse for game day. I was all but certain that my travel plans would be canceled. In the three days leading up to Friday, Searcy received over 5 inches of rainfall, and yet to my amazement the tournament was never canceled. On Thursday evening I shrugged, grabbed my clubs and hopped a flight into Little Rock. In the 6 hours after I touched down, Searcy received over 3 inches of rain. The tournament was canceled first thing Friday morning, leaving me in Searcy with nothing to do for two days. I called the airline, but no early flight was available back to Dallas.

Realizing that I had better make good of a bad situation, I decided to try to touch base with some old friends from camp, Michael and Shelley Lincoln. I was happy to catch Michael on the phone, and we quickly met for ice cream and caught up with each other's lives. Within minutes, he had called Shelley and insisted that I join them for dinner and stay the night with them. Of course I was happy to do so. These are dear friends that Sarah and I consider in many ways a third set of parents. The Lincolns have fed us, employed us, counseled us, worshiped with us, cried with us, laughed with us and most of all blessed us with a clear example of a Godly marriage and family.

Later Friday night at the their house, I began asking for their prayers for Sarah and I and our attempts to conceive a child. Of course they agreed, and each began talking about their six-year experience with natural healing instead of medical doctors, and how they frequently visit a man in Rose Bud, AR who owns a herbal supplement store called "Remedies".

The Lincolns had plenty of testimonies of how they had used herbal supplements and natural remedies to cure common ailments, from common colds to athlete's foot and back pain. Shelley went on to tell me that Barry, the owner of Remedies, had mentioned to her earlier in the week that he had helped 125 women get pregnant. She didn't understand his comment at the time, calling it "random" and out of context. Shelley started to believe that maybe she was told for our sake, and she asked if I would like to go talk to Barry in the morning.

Now...needless to say I was a little uneasy about the thought of seeing an "herbalist". I'm generally skeptical about things like that, as most people are, I think. But Michael and Shelley told me that they believe Barry has "a gift from the Lord", and he often knows his patients even before they disclose any information about their lives. Because of our relationship, I knew the Lincolns would never recommend anything that they didn't believe was firmly in the will of God. I agreed and Shelley and I planned to go see Barry first thing in the morning.

On Saturday morning, Shelley and I made the short drive to Rose Bud (population 429). Barry was in, and after a short wait we joined him in a comfortable living room adjacent to the store. He asked how he could help, and I gave a 30-second recount of our attempts to get pregnant and the doctor's diagnosis of Sarah's condition. Barry took a 4x6 note card and began to write on it.

"Tyson, has anyone in your family had thyroid issues in the past?" he asked. Uh...wait a minute here. I came to ask about Sarah, and he's asking about me! In fact, my Mom has had thyroid trouble her entire life, but I didn't know how that was relevant. I answered simply, "yes, my mother has." He went on to explain that I also had thyroid problems that caused a low body temperature. He said it would be hard for us to get pregnant unless my body temperature was closer to normal. He jotted down on the note card some information about something called Wilson's syndrome, and told me to pray about taking a specific amino acid supplement for 60 days.

Now, I had just had a physical exam a few months ago with complete blood work and tests, so I was a little suspicious about the beginning of this conversation, but the fact that he knew about thyroid trouble in my family caused me to stay locked on his words. Nevertheless, I never remembered having a low body temperature.

"Sarah," he continued, "has two cysts on her left Fallopian tube. This is why she hasn't had a period on her own." Barry went on to explain that for both males and females, the left side of the body is responsible for reproduction. Left testicle, left Fallopian tube, left ovary, etc. On a new note card, he jotted down an herbal supplement and handed me the note card, saying "pray about this, but I think it will work and you should be pregnant in 60 to 90 days."

So there I was...holding two note cards and overwhelmed with emotion. Is this crazy? Is this real? Does this guy know anything? He just sat there and looked at me...how can he know anything? I thought back over the last 48 hours, wondering how I had even come to this point. 48 hours ago I was certain I would not be going to Arkansas, and yet, for some reason, I got on a plane, flew north and ended up sitting and talking to a guy from Rose Bud named Barry who seemed to know more about our situation that our doctor or even ourselves.

Chapter 2 - A Word from the Lord

In case you're thinking, "Chapter 2?? Where's Chapter 1??", here you go :)

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The fall of 2007 was just kind of a waiting time for us in this trying-to-get-pregnant process. Nothing was changing with my body, and we weren't sure what steps to take next. We were getting tired of just waiting for something to change, so I made another doctor's appointment for the first week of December.

The Sunday before my appointment, December 2, 2007, Tyson and I went to church. I mention that not because this is an unusual event, but because it was a significant day for us. Our preacher had been teaching an in-depth series on the work of the Holy Spirit, and lately had been talking about the gifts of the Spirit. (this was a really good series, by the way, and you can listen to any of the sermons here) That week, the topic happened to be prophecy. At the end of the sermon, he had members of the church stand up in front whom the Lord had used in the past to speak to others. Each of these people had a chance to say something to the congregation that they felt that the Lord wanted them to say.

One lady said words that I'll never forget hearing, "There is a woman here with a hormone imbalance, and the Lord wants to impart healing in your body." (*In case you are not a PCOS expert :) the cysts on the ovaries cause hormones to be made in incorrect amounts, not allowing eggs to develop.*) Now, I don't deny the fact that there very well could have been multiple women there with hormone imbalances. Even knowing that, I felt like God had reached down and personally touched me. I never wondered if that word was for me or not...I knew it was. And that one sentence would shape the way I thought about my situation for the next several months...it brought back some hope.

Before that day, I had not personally experienced prophecy that was meant for me. For Tyson and I both, prophecy was a pretty foreign concept, and I associated prophecy with predicting some future event. So, to feel that the Lord was speaking directly to me about something that was going on with me at that moment was pretty shocking. I can now look back and see how the Lord wanted us to hear those words to give us encouragement and strengthen our hearts that day, not just some day down the line.

Later that week, I went to my doctor's appointment. I'm not sure what I expected to learn at this appointment...I guess I was just looking for someone to tell me what to do next. I didn't really learn anything new about my condition, but that was the first time that the doctor suggested and prescribed a low level fertility drug, Clomid. Tyson was out of town on business at this point, so when he got home, we really talked this out. I still felt emotional about taking fertility drugs, especially after what we had just heard earlier that week.

Now, I will say that I do not think that taking fertility drugs is wrong. I just felt that it wasn't the right move for me at the time.

Once again, I felt conflicted. I wasn't sure whose word to trust...that lady in church or my doctor. I wanted some resolution to this problem, but the words I was hearing seemed like total opposites. So, not knowing what to do, we spent December, January, and February waiting on the Lord. Really, I was actually waiting on Him to fix me...to heal me completely.

...stay tuned for Chapter 3...

Testimony - Chapter 1

The story of the last year of our lives has been one of major ups and downs (and lots of just so-so times in between), but ultimately it is a story about the Lord. It is a story about hurting and healing, questions and peace. It's also a little long, so here's Chapter one. :)

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In the Spring of 2007, Tyson and I decided that we were ready to be parents, and that we would start trying to get pregnant at the beginning of that summer. We also decided at that point that we didn't want to tell people around us about this decision. We didn't want the pressure/questions about it, and then when we got pregnant, it would just be a fun surprise for our friends and family. So I went off of birth control at the end of May. A month later, I had a period, so that meant we were unsuccessful. Maybe my expectations were too high, but I was a little disappointed that day. Oh well, better luck next time. :)

But the next month I was late, and I was excited! Maybe this is it! So I took a test...negative. Well, maybe it's too early. So, two weeks later, I took another test...also negative. OK, so I'm not pregnant, but I'm also not having a period. This is weird. During this time, Tyson and I (along with the HUGE help of his family) were completely redoing our master bathroom. It was very busy and stressful, so I just figured that I was late because of stress. July, August, and September went by...nothing. Realizing now that it is probably something other than stress, I set up an appointment with my doctor.

October 4th of 2007 was my appointment. My doctor did several tests and drew blood, and told me they would call with my blood test results in a couple of days. They called later that week and said that my blood work showed an imbalance of hormones that indicated polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). I had never heard of this unexplainable, incurable illness before, but the nurse told me that there were several treatments available (including fertility drugs), and that I shouldn't worry. Riiiight. At the time, I had a very emotional reaction to the thought of taking fertility drugs. I wasn't sure where it came from or what caused that feeling, but I knew that I did not want to take that route. Now I know that was the Lord speaking to my heart, but not letting my mind in on the secret. :)

Here began a time of confusion for me. I wanted to be hopeful, but I didn't want to get my hopes up. I wanted to believe that we would have a child, but I couldn't ignore the fact that so many couples try unsuccessfully for years to get pregnant. I hadn't given up hope, but the thought had crossed my mind, "I may never be pregnant and have a child of my own." It was tough to reconcile all of those thoughts while feeling that it is the Lord's will for us to have children.

Not knowing what step to take next, we just waited it out for a few months. That November, we made a visit to Tyler to visit family, but also to visit our friends (Team Arequipa) who are now in Peru. Our friend Greg taught our class at church that Sunday, and just happened to teach about Hannah. I had one particular "Hannah" night not too long before that where I just wept to the Lord about my infertility. I think most people would say, "How funny that he taught about Hannah when you guys were going through the same thing." I say that the Lord provided that class for us as reassurance and hope that we would have a child just like Hannah did, however unlikely it seemed at the time.


...Chapter 2 to come...