What's in a Name?

Well it's official...we have a name for our sweet baby boy!

Jude Allen Davis

How we came to this decision?
Glad you asked:
Davis - well we thought it would best to keep the Davis tradition going and would definitely be less confusing if he had the same last name as us :) haha
Allen - he will be the 3rd generation to bear this name from James' family. This name means noble.
Jude - 1st, we love that it's Biblical! 2nd, we also love that he was one of Jesus' brothers. In the beginning of the book of Jude, he states that he is a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother to James (Jesus' brother). I immediately love his humbleness in this statement. That above all else he expresses his faithfulness to serving Jesus and not stating his claim to fame as His kinship. We all know that God blessed us with the right to say we are brothers and sisters of Christ but Jude was sure to say he is a servant first. Oh what an example to us all. 3rd, Jude means "praise". We wanted to give him a namesake that will be a reminder of who he is in Christ. To explain this further we found specific scripture to show Jude who he is created to be and who he is created to serve.

Psalm 103:1-5

Let all that I am praise the LORD; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things he does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!

What a sweet reminder for Jude to focus on as he learns what it means to praise the Lord with his whole heart. These 5 verses also give him a complete picture of the Gospel, that he is forgiven, healed, redeemed, and ultimately crowned with love and mercy. I can't wait to make this his life mission statement. Something to write on the tablet of his heart (Proverbs 3:3), that he was named Jude because he was created to praise God and to receive His grace. James and I also realized that these verses have a piece of each of us wrapped up in them. James specifically loves the part about our redemption from death and the crown that follows and I relate to the tender mercies God grants. And finally we love the reference to the eagle at the end. What a strong visual image of what it looks like to be a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). As an eagle ages his eyesight dims and his feathers and wings become heavy. To rejuvenate himself, the eagle flies up to the sun's region where the mist over his eyes and old heavy feathers are burned away. The eagle will then plunge three times into water, and its youth is restored! So just as the eagle renews himself in the sun, we can renew ourselves in the Son- Jesus (also found in Isaiah 40:31)!

What a privilege it will be to raise a man of God, we are praying early on that Psalm 103:1-5 will help Jude understand what it looks like to be just that, a man after God's own heart - because heaven knows we can't do this for him!

God Knows

Recently, a conversation during my community group “girl” time arose regarding worry.  A few sweet friends did not regard me as a “worrier”…which was such a flattering and sweet compliment to receive, as I’ve definitely struggled against this in the past, and still have my moments even now of battling the sin issue of worry.  But one of the best arguments I could give against this worry temptation was the simple and profound statement of God Knows.  A brilliant and encouraging friend of mine from Watermark, Jessica Gober, says this all the time and it has done my heart more good than she realizes in the last year.  It sums up so much of the Lord’s sovereignty and love for us.  The second I’m tempted to think of worry, control, anxiousness, etc…I can remind myself that God Knows.  He knows every moment that has been and will be and promises me that He has plans to prosper me (Jeremiah29:11), so why worry, why control, why be anxious?
If my child were to have a heart issue, or have down syndrome, or my home to burn down, or our finances to flop after we move to 1 income…God Knows all of this already and has a perfect plan to teach us more about His love and will work it out ultimately for His kingdom’s Glory.  He knew this pregnancy would be hard on my body, but He continues to remind me how much of a blessing it is and what an honor it is to carry a child, so why be anxious about this sickness?  It will subside at some point, and until then, I’m trying to remind myself of God’s care for me and this child and I need to view this time as an opportunity to grow closer to Christ in my moments of desperation.
If God Knows and loves us so much to adopt us as His children (Ephesians 1:5) and make beautiful plans for us, then there is no need for silly worry!  Matthew 6:25-34 discusses the pointless time we waste on worry, one of its sweetest reminders is where he points out how much more valuable we are to God than even the birds of the air, and God feeds even them.  What can we add of any value to our lives by spending time worrying (verse 27)?  Let’s remind ourselves of verse 33 today and seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness, NOT worry.

Healthy Boy…5th Doc Appointment – Specialist

Well our little boy is doing just fine.  We had our specialist appointment today with Dr. Gore and it went just great.  He never saw or heard a skip in the heart beat.  The sonographer looked for a while and then he did as well, so we got LOTS of baby viewing today, and it was such a fantastic machine.  It was so vivid, it was great seeing our sweet-tart again.  We also got a DVD, BONUS!
So this is what Dr. Gore thinks happened last week: before our appointment I ate several things and had a coke (Dr. recommended to get baby moving to clearly see the gender).  Dr. Gore said this early in the pregnancy a baby is still developing his genetic pathways (or patterns)...including a heartbeat and these patterns can sometimes be disrupted by glucose and/or caffeine.  So since it was right after a significant amount of food and a coke, he's 99% certain that's what caused a little skip in the beat.  He recommended not eating too much and no caffeine before our appointments to ensure we don't hear anything concerning (or Dr. Harris will recommend we see him again).  He also said that if there was anything of major concern regarding arrhythmic issues, we would have seen it today and he didn't find ANYTHING wrong with our little boy.  He is measuring 19 weeks and 1 day and he's up to 10oz now (grew 25% in the last week)!!!  Dr. Gore wants to see us in 4 weeks one last time to check into it again because he said he doesn't want to overlook anything, but again he assured us that we have a super healthy boy inside my tummy.  Thank you Jesus.
Thanks for your love, prayers, and concern...this last week we felt completely peaceful and worry-free about this possible "issue" and I just know that was our sweet Lord guarding our hearts and showing us His sovereignty no matter what the outcome of this was.  One of my fav verses - Phil 4:6-7 is written on my heart, but I have recently been focusing even more on verse 8 "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if ANYTHING is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things." Well there are many excellent things in our lives to think about, not just this life inside of me, but our savior, our church, our families, our community group, our jobs, our home - the list could continue...so I will keep focusing on these praiseworthy aspects of God's blessings and know that His peace will be with us.

BOY OH BOY…4th Doc Appointment

We have thoroughly enjoyed celebrating with everyone that we can expect a precious baby BOY to come this July.  I am personally looking forward to having another Davis boy to love and cherish around the house!
And believe us when we say it was DEFINITELY a BOY.  As the Doc pulled up the sono and moved around to get a good "looksie" before he could say anything I asked "Is that a boy"?  He said yes it is!!!!  Baby Boy was not shy at all, he was proudly showing off.  The Doc even pointed out the umbilical cord so we were positive of what we were seeing. We also got to see all 4 limbs, 10 fingers, 10 toes, the kidneys, the stomach, the liver, the face, the heart and its 4 chambers, etc.  It was so vivid and everything was so obvious to us, so fun to see our baby in such detail.
As for the appointment, we had good news!  I had gained a couple of pounds...YAY.  I'm still not back to my pre-pregnancy weight, but this little weight gain was encouraging to Dr. Harris. The baby was weighing and measuring above average and technically looking like a 19 week old baby boy.  The Doc said this is fantastic development and he is weighing in about 8oz.  The heartbeat was strong, but did skip a beat every now and then.  Harris said this is something he has seen every year or so throughout his practice and with a healthy developing baby he expects it to go away either during pregnancy or right after delivery.  He didn't seem concerned at all, however he did want some blood work done to check into a couple of options.  Those results came in today and everything was normal.  He also said he doesn't want to leave any stone unturned, so he's sending us to a specialist sonographer.  His name is Dr. David Gore and he is a MFM (Maternal- Fetal Medicine) at Presby Plano.
Dr. Harris said he can take a look at the heart just a step further than he can.  Harris sees all 4 chambers of the heart and said everything was functioning normally, but he wants Dr. Gore to look a little deeper.  That appointment has been set for this Friday at 11am.
Despite the heartbeat news, we were not worried or discouraged.  Glad that Dr. Harris wants to check into it and said we'll watch it closely throughout the pregnancy, but we feel no concern and know that the Lord is protecting this baby and is sovereign over the tiniest of details...like 1 child's heartbeat on this earth.
Thanks again to everyone for celebrating with us this weekend, it has been such a joy to think of what this boy means to our family and we continue to be so grateful for this gift God has entrusted to us.

Never thought I’d hear “Gain some weight please”…3rd Doc Appointment

Well we had another Doc appointment this past Thursday, February 2^nd.  Our little sweet-tart is doing so well, heartbeat was strong (and fast), baby seems to be gaining weight, and Doc was pleased.  I on the other hand am continuing to lose weight, which concerned him a bit.  They did test me for dehydration, but said that wasn't popping up in the results.  So he said whatever I'm doing, I'm doing it well and keeping myself hydrated, which is great.

Because of the weight loss, he wants to see us back in just 2 shorts weeks (instead of 4).  He wants to move it up so the sono on February 16th will show him all that he needs to know about the baby just to be sure it is doing just as well as he expects.  The good news is we will find out what gender this sweet-tart actually is and we cannot wait to finally call this child by name, start the nursery plans, and before we know it - hold it in our arms come this July.  A wise friend of ours recently said “nobody looks good in yellow”.  So we are just trying to spare our little sweet-tart this horror and get to buying that blue or pink!

A few prayer requests at this point would be that this nausea continues to subside, that I'm able to eat and drink well, that this baby remains protected each day and that we can stay focused on the Lord - giver of comfort/peace/joy and life!

We love you all and can't wait to share the gender with each of you after February 16th (I have to say, it might arguably be one of the coolest birthday gifts I'll receive).

My Baby’s Lullaby

The other night, James and I had an evening of “realizations”.  We’re seeing my belly begin to grow, realizing we have about 6 months until Baby arrives, and already into my second trimester…wow it’s happening so quickly.  As I laid down, my mind was racing with thoughts of to do’s and projects and plans, I could not turn it all off.  I laid there praying for rest and peace, but did not receive it…or so I thought.  Among those desperate prayers for sleep, my mind began to wonder – towards sweet-tart and imaging rocking it to sleep in my arms so soon.  Immediately the image of Dumbo being rocked by His mother’s trunk popped into my head, as well as the lullaby sung to Him in that moment.  It’s called Baby Mine.  I knew the first verse of it, but couldn’t remember the rest.  In that moment I had another realization…this would be the song I chose to be sweet-tart’s special lullaby.  To sing when baby can’t stop crying, or go to sleep, or feels sad, or just needs to hear momma’s loving voice.   Below I’ve listed out the lyrics and a video of the song. 

Baby mine, don't you cry.
Baby mine, dry your eyes.
Rest your head close to my heart,
Never to part,
Baby of mine.

Little one when you play,
Don't you mind what they say.
Let those eyes sparkle and shine,
Never a tear,
Baby of mine.

If they knew sweet little you,
They'd end up loving you too.
All those same people who scold you
What they'd give just for the right to hold you.

From your head down to your toes,
You're not much, heaven knows.
But you're so precious to me,
Sweet as can be,
Baby of mine.

As I’ve listened to it over and over already being sure I have it fully memorized, it began to remind me of how God feels about us.  What a sweet relationship a child has to its parent, and how honored we are that God calls us His children.  1 John 3:1 “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!  And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”  Wow, John puts it beautifully, how great is our Father’s love for us that we get to be His children.  I just imagine Jesus singing this sweet lullaby to me in my moments of sleeplessness, sadness, or pain.  Can you picture Jesus cherishing you in the same way?  What a peaceful reminder of our Father’s care for us, praying we can rest in this truth tonight.

Son…Daughter…Blessing

Today, 1.22.12, I saw a commercial of the moment when a mother says goodbye to her son…possibly because he was leaving for college, but honestly as my thoughts of this tender image consumed my mind, I forgot the rest of the commercial.  Their hug was just precious to me.  He was much taller than her, huge long arms, and a loving smile.  His embrace just engulfed her and her eyes welled up with tears.  I couldn’t help but image myself in that moment someday.  Up to this point, I haven’t really tried to guess what the gender of sweet-tart is, nor have I given it a lot of thought, just praying for its health and safety.  But this illustration of love between a mother and her son got me thinking how special that really is.  James and Connie have a very sweet relationship, full of love, respect, and fun.  Oh how I long for a relationship just like this.  His hugs cover her up, he speaks with kindness in his heart for her, and he has learned so much about his own faith because of her actions.  It is so easy for a “girly girl” like me to want a baby girl.  All for the fun of decorating her nursery, dressing her up, and having an excuse to play dolls again someday.  But now, my excitement to have a sweet little boy is just as much as my excitement to have a sweet little girl.

God has given me a wonderful mother/daughter relationship as well, and to experience that someday with my own little “peanut”, as my mom calls me, would be so exciting.  But truly at this point, I already have the best niece and nephew an aunt could ask for, so whatever gender little sweet-tart is will be such a blessing, and they’ll have a fantastic cousin to show them the ropes.

Progress...2nd Doc Appointment

The latest on sweet-tart from our second doctor appointment on 12.29.11 was all wonderful news!  We heard the heartbeat again; it was so fast and precious.  After the Doc found it he said "wow that was fast, easier to find than usual. This is awesome, it's very strong."  We were both very pleased to hear him say that.  I had lost a little weight, but that was to be expected, but my blood pressure was fantastic.

The Doc was encouraged by my progress, He said I'm very healthy (according to my blood work done last time) and he's expecting a smooth pregnancy and delivery.

He was also so sweet to describe his recommended traveling restrictions and thoughts on genetic testing.  It was so helpful and he related everything back to the Lord and believing in life and keeping our minds free from worry. We both appreciated his take on all this; it's everything we wanted in a doctor who has a relationship with Jesus.  If you’d like a detailed explanation of why we have chosen not to do any genetic testing, please ask, I would love to share with you what we learned from Dr. Harris and why we believe this is the best decision for the Davis family.

Thanks to all of you for checking on us over this last month.  It has been a tough few weeks in our home, but I've been so thankful for how we've dealt with it.  God has given us more strength and patience than I think either of us knew we could give.  Last year as I studied Romans, this time in my life reminded me of Romans 12:3 “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.” What a humbling passage, that God gives me even my faith, that none of what I am comes from inside, but can only be given by my creator.

Consume me from the inside out Lord

Well as the yucky sickness has continued throughout December and the new year, this has drastically limited my ability to get to Sunday morning worship, sadly.  But in God’s sovereignty, it just might be possible that He was storing up my emotions for the evening of 1/7/12 at Raise the Mark, an evening dedicated to worship and prayer for Watermark’s membership.  This was my first moment of intimate worship while carrying my sweet-tart.  The first song played was “From the Inside Out”.  The chorus of this song repeats “consume me from the inside out Lord”.  These lyrics, along with many other lines in this sweet worship song, were gently overwhelming my heart as I held a child inside of me.  What a new meaning that song holds now as that night I tenderly asked my Lord to consume me, starting with my baby, from the inside out.  This was the first moment I asked the Lord for my child to know Him as its savior someday.  For this child to feel Christ’s love and sacrifice in a special way.

Tears flowed from my eyes as I realized that God was shaping me into a mother from the very beginning of this process, that he would mold me, break me, and love me through it.  This evening I began to feel and experience unconditional love for the child growing inside of me, and realized God would be the only one to draw sweet-tart to Him, all I can do is pray, guide, direct, and live for Christ.  It was a reminder to let go of my desire to control this area of my life and allow Him to consume my child, not me.

Do you feel like there are areas in your life where you struggle with control and giving God the freedom to consume it on your behalf?  Praying Psalm 73:28 today “But as for me, it is good to be near God.  I have made the sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.” Sweet Father give us strength to submit to your sovereignty!

Reality sinks in...1st Doc Appointment

From Thanksgiving through the beginning of December was very difficult, I was tremendously sick.  My nausea and fatigue had been very prevalent throughout most of the day, which made it difficult to eat much and even to function well.  But thankfully I have an understanding and flexible job and supportive serving husband...so with all this and by God's grace, I'm making it!  I have my down moments, but I'm learning to train my mind to eat early, quickly, and often.

Today, 12.1.11 we visited our Doctor for the first time.  We are using Dr. Steven Harris with Baylor Frisco and he was fantastic!  We absolutely felt at peace with our decision and know that God placed him in our lives about a month ago just in His perfect timing.  He was so bubbly and excited with us about the baby and the miracle it is to conceive.  You would think by now he would feel a little numb to the whole process, but not Dr. Harris, he was mesmerized by the sonogram just as much as us, explaining every detail and awing at the miracle a baby really is.

We got to see the sweet-tart’s little heartbeat fluttering on the screen, which was amazing - we didn't expect to actually see it that clearly.  Then we heard the heartbeat...which in turn made our hearts melt immediately.  It felt so real and so sweet to think that was growing inside my tummy, what a creative and generous God we love to entrust us with this duty!  Even just the sono today made all this iciness feel a little more worth it.  Seeing the start of our child’s creation couldn’t help but remind me of Psalm 139:14 “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”  To think each of us was created in His image and for His kingdom just warms my heart.  That He chose us from the beginning when we all started out looking like a little sweet-tart.  Aren’t His works truly wonderful?

Dr. Harris said the uterus looked great, no tumors or cysts, the placenta is developing well, and the heartbeat was strong.  With all that, he said I'm already at a 95% chance of not miscarrying, praise the Lord for comforts like that.  I will be 7 weeks tomorrow and my due date is July 20^th, 2012!!!!

Baby Mine

The morning of November 16^th 2011 was one of the tenderest moments I’ve experienced. To read a positive pregnancy test for the first time ever, was so much more overwhelming than I could have imagined.  I always envisioned that I would leap for joy the instant I read the result, but I couldn’t help but place my hand over my mouth and stare at that little stick holding the truth of my future, thinking “is this really happening, really true, really MY turn”?  I couldn’t help but cry for joy, for love, for gratitude.  As the day went on and a few tests more, I was convinced this was real.  Every time we shared the news with someone new, it became more and more valid.  But one of the first moments we truly began to grasp that we would have a little baby of our own was when James came home a couple weeks later with our baby’s first outfit.  A blue onsie with white lettering that says “my daddy and I root for the Cowboys”.  My heart melted, at the desire he had to be the first person to buy our child something, at how tiny it was, and that 9 months later our little sweet-tart would actually be wearing it.  What a time of praising and thankfulness my heart was experiencing, for God to allow me to carry a child of His on this earth.  I have desired this experience for so long, at one point I had to continually remind myself the truth of God’s Word in Proverbs 8:34 “Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway.”  I didn’t want to wait on His timing to begin our family; I was saddened that it wasn’t my turn yet.  But God transformed my heart, He taught me to relax and know that He would bless the waiting.  Are you waiting on God in some way?  Is it difficult?  Frustrating?  Sad?  I’ve been there, and will fight those urges again someday I’m sure of it.  But may Proverbs 8:34 be an encouragement to you in your time of waiting.  Trust His Word is true for you!