Ode to Maternity Clothes

At first, I was totally opposed to maternity clothes and the thought of getting bigger.  However, I tried a pair of maternity pants the other day, and I fell in love.  They are so comfortable compared to wearing those bands that go over your regular pants.  So, I finally splurged today and bought quite a few things.  Some of the shirts seem like tents for now, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time before they'll fit.

In other news, I've actually taken some steps towards getting prepared for the baby.  I've scoped out Babies R' Us and Buy Buy Baby, and I think that I have a good idea of what to register for.  These stores can be totally overwhelming.  Thankfully, a friend helped me navigate the necessary vs. the unnecessary.

I definitely feel good about making some progress.  Now, we just need the house to sell.  Still waiting on that.

The Baby Bump

Here are some fun baby bump pictures for you all to enjoy!  Please note that I think the side shot baby bump picture can be a little cheesy.  So, I tried to spice it up a bit.  This is me at 22 weeks and growing.

I can't even do the side baby bump shot right.  My one arm is in the middle of my stomach.  Nice!

This was Fred's idea for a pose.  There's really nothing else to say about it.  :)

Introducing Baby Girl Schmitt

Because my family in Florida has not gotten the chance to see all of the pictures of our baby girl, I'm posting quite a few of the ultrasound pictures.  

Here she is at 10 weeks in 4D.  Very cool!

20 weeks - leg

20 weeks - foot

20 weeks - hand giving a thumbs up

We had to schedule another ultrasound because she would not flip over during the first ultrasound.  Apparently, she's proving to be a little stubborn just like her mom.  At 22 weeks, were were finally able to see her left ventricle and get some good 4D face shots.  She's a cutie!

20 weeks - spine

The Latest News

2010 has proven to be a crazy year as we struggle to get settled into a new city and ministry.  We are definitely looking forward to some positive changes in our lives and family in 2011.  For those of you who have not heard, we are expecting our first baby at the end of December.  After quite a bit of waiting and surgery for me (Erin), our dreams of becoming parents are finally coming true.  So far, we know it’s a girl, but we have nothing else planned.  She remains nameless (besides a few ideas that we can’t agree on), we do not have a bedroom for her, and we have not registered for a thing.  We will certainly keep you all posted as everything progresses.  I can tell that parenting comes with a lot of difficult decisions even before the baby is born.  I’ve been trying to investigate immunizations, diapers, routines, names, and etc.  I’m not sure that I’ll ever have it all figured out. 

In other news, our house is going back up on the market again in September after a new roof and painting throughout the house.  We’re really praying that it sells quickly because it’s hard to plan things for this baby girl while we’re waiting to know where we’ll be living.  Currently, we are blessed to live with a lovely woman from the church.  However, we have to sell this house to get into our own place before the baby.  We’re also really praying that we don’t go into major debt from selling it because we’re dropping the price considerably.  Here’s hoping for God’s perfect timing to take place sometime in September. 

Honor

Letting others know you see how valuable they are.

I want to spend some time and mental energy to express my gratitude to those who have helped Erin and myself throughout our lives thus far.  Of course, when you write posts like this you run the risk of omitting someone (or many people).   Please note, this is not an exhaustive list, but an attempt.  If you are reading this and find it interesting...please pay it forward and honor others this month.

Parents
Our parents are vastly different as individuals, however at their core is a deep desire to love us help up succeed in our lives.  Soon, hopefully, we will be able to continue the legacy of love that our parents have instilled in us.  The sheer fact that this post is being written is evidence of the fact that I have had the blessing of parents who have demonstrated what it means to be thoughtful, and giving.

The lessons are too many to count and re-iterate here, however they were caught......eventually.  Erin and I have found that listening to the wisdom of our parents (even when it was unsolicited) is valuable.  Our current position in life will allow us to help others, as we remain faithful to the opportunities that God opens for us.

My prayer is that our parents would know how important they are in the formation of our lives, both good and bad.  My hope is that they would never cease to parent, but remain interested in our life together as a married couple.  My desire is to build a family built on love, one where my children are proud to be placed in.

Mom, Dad, I love you.    /FS

The Aughties

2000-2009
It's hard to believe that this decade started with Erin and I in high school, and ends with us trying to sell a house and moving to the Indianapolis area.  There is a TON that happens in ten years of one's life, but this decade has seen many milestones for the Schmitts:

• Getting married and figuring out how to live together
• Combined 5 Degrees in Education (Erin: high school, Bachelor's, and Master's; Fred:  high school and Bachelor's)
• Starting a full-time Ministry position at a church
• Starting a teaching career
• Buying and Possessing a House
• Seeing Ohio State win the National Championship in person (on Fred's list, but not Erin's)

As we look forward to 2010, we know that God has many more things he'd like to show us...and we sit here at the close of a decade together saying, "We're ready for it!"  

Fight for the Heart

So, I'm (Fred) reading this book about family ministry strategy and I come across this concept that fits exactly where I feel Erin and I are in our marriage.  The concept is: "Fight for the heart."  It's a rally cry for families, mainly parents to fight to build trustworthy relationships with their children.  While many parents strive to merely enforce the rules, or explain the rules, the rules don't mean much unless they are built off of a trust relationship.

Erin and I have had a great year in our marriage, but now more than ever we are going to be pushed to fight for the heart of our relationship.  It has been described as a huge mistake that we are making over the next 6 months as we'll be living apart, but we know that our stubborn tenacity will help up fight for the most important thing: Us.

God has shown us that He has picked us for each other, those who know us closely know how much we balance each other out.  We're past the point of trying to change one another and we're on to the point complimenting one another.  We seek to be an example of what a team looks like and we're on a mission to love others and love God!