The First Week of Life with Noah

The week are flying by and my little man is growing and growing! He gained almost triple what he was supposed to this week and is over a pound heavier than his birth weight at 3.5 weeks! He's growing so fast!

Things we did in the first week:

- Noah was born!

- Spent some time at St.B!

- Brought Noah home for the first time!




- Snuggled a lot! And played a lot!





- Noah and Daddy watched hockey together (from the first evening home and since!)



- Had lots of visitors! Who brought wonderful meals and gifts! Thank you!




- Had multiple visits from our awesome midwives!

- Went on our first outing at 5 days to Starbuck's!



- Had our first visit to Sanctuary House of Prayer!

Happy week 1 in review, Mr.Noah! We love you!

Unto us a child is born....

"For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given.."


This beautiful passage out of Isaiah has become a reality in our home this month! With Christmas being yesterday, it has been so fun to picture the details around the birth of Jesus in a whole new light!

On December 4, 2011, God gave us a son! Noah Malachi Farrow arrived on his due date at 10:35pm, weighing in at 8 lbs and 20.75 inches long! We are so in love!

I've been wanting to blog small things over the last 3 weeks, but I first wanted to give an actual announcement-type blog! I've been meaning to, but thank you Christal for giving me the extra motivation =)

We have an awesome birth story, as God gave us a quick 5.5 hour labor and really answered so many of our prayers surrounding Noah's birth. What an incredible experience!

I'm excited to blog about my little man! Stay tuned for some cute posts coming soon! Welcome Noah!

December is here!

Yay! Today is the first day of December and I always love a new month! This month especially!

It is official....our baby will have a December birthday! I like that =) I know that my pregnancy will not spill over into January, not even close, and so we are getting closer and closer to the unknown day of our baby's arrival each and every day! That's exciting!

There are a lot of people we know who have birthdays in the next 2 weeks, so I'm curious if our baby will land on one of those days. I'm from a family of double birthdays so I'm used to doubling up on celebrations! We'll see!

December will be a wonderful month, I'm sure of it. It is tradition in our home (minus last year) that on December 1, we set up the Christmas tree. We had it all planned out for weeks now. The calendar even reported "Set up tree" on the to-do list for today. But, this afternoon, as we mentally prepared to set up the tree, it just didn't seem right to do it without a special little someone =) It would be even more fun to include our baby in the preparations for Christmas! So, we will wait a little longer and see if our baby joins us soon enough. Otherwise, if this munchkin takes too long, we'll just have to set it up anyways! But for now, we broke tradition and there is no tree or lights up as we wait for a special someone this Christmas.

Happy December!

Aching and Longing...

This morning I'm aching and longing to hold my little one. As I went to bed last night, the thought crossed my mind that it is possible that it would be my last night sleeping without my baby in a bassinet beside my bed. One of these nights will be my last night sleeping without a baby nearby on out the outside world.

I love being pregnant and am not dying to be done with it. I just really want to snuggle with my new baby. I can't wait to have my baby on my chest and check him or her all over. I can't wait to kiss his/her feet. I can't wait to find out if I have a son or daughter. I can't wait to find out the name, calling, personality in a bigger way. I can't wait to see if he/she has hair. I can't wait to find out how much he/she weighs and how long he/she is. I can't wait to feed my baby, hold my baby, love my baby, change my baby.

This morning I'm aching and longing to cuddle with my baby.

It's an interesting tension at the end of pregnancy. A tension of enjoying the present and living content and yet longing for something to come that will change everything. It's kinda like the Kingdom really. Living content in every and any situation, making the most of our lives here on earth and impacting the world around us. Yet, we long for something and ultimately Someone who will come and change everything. Nothing will ever be the same. It even has the mystery component of not knowing the exact day or hour that this longed for Person will arrive.

It feels a little strange to live in the tension of the unknown each day as I approach my due date in 4 days. I'm consistently being reminded to live patiently and enjoy the present. I'm longing for the arrival of my baby yet knowing that this precious season of pregnancy and the last 11+ years of life with just Shane and I is ending and things are going to change forever. I'm so thankful for the many years of relationship and friendship that we have. I'm so thankful for what is coming and I think it's only going to get better and better as we embark on a totally different chapter.

So, this morning, I'm a little achy. Longing for my baby. Practicing contentment and patience. Being thankful in every circumstance. And wanting to let the revelation of longing for Jesus hit my heart a little more as I see the parallel in longing for my little one...

39 weeks!

We are now 39 weeks pregnant and so excited to meet our baby soon! Within the next 3 weeks, we WILL meet our kiddo and that is exciting! From days, to weeks, to hours we don't know, but the Lord does! And He has the perfect birthday picked out for our baby =)

It's amazing the theories, opinions and preferences everyone has. You notice this in a big way when you're the one carrying the baby and everyone thinks they know what you're having, when it's coming and such. I've decided it's a humorous game and to take the comments in stride because only the Lord knows when this baby will come and if it is a boy or girl. So be it! All the opinions of others can't control this process. I can rest in the sovereignty of God, knowing that He has a plan in process for me, my baby and our little family. It's going to be a good story too!

Countdown to Baby!

Well, the countdown is on...at least for my mom who updates how many days until our due date on her facebook each day =) Today is the last day in the double digits and tomorrow we enter the single digits! Yikes!

I think in weeks for gestation and so when I saw my mom's status a few days ago, it hit me in a totally different way. Seriously, this pregnancy has gone so fast that sometimes it feels like I've hardly been pregnant! That is the grace of God!

It is so hard to believe that it's almost over and soon...very soon....our precious baby will be in the outside world with us. I'm soooo excited to cuddle!

This has been such a fun process. As I write, I am banned from the nursery where Shane is putting together the finishing touches on the dresser/change table. I can't wait to see the finished product! We have been waiting for a long time for our dresser to come in and we got it today! Yippee! I'm happy that it arrived before baby =)

Thankfully, the closer we get to my due date, the more at peace I feel about not rushing this little one's arrival. I was pretty eager around the 37 mark and now at 38+4, I'm feeling even more relaxed at being pregnant a while longer. Who knows but the Lord when this baby will arrive!

Pregnancy Photo Shoot #2 - 33 weeks!

Here are some of favorites of our photo shoot at 33 weeks! The photographer is Erin Leslie and we benefited with these pictures and a fun hour of photos by being models for her portfolio! God always provides in special ways =)

Time to Par-tay, Rest and Prepare!

I just arrived home not long ago from my last work shift before maternity leave! Ahhhhhh! I'm done! And so pumped about that!

We found out we were pregnant 2 weeks after arriving home from Kona back in March, before I started back at work. I picked up casual shifts for April, May and the beginning of June before getting a term at the end of June that lasted until today! The Lord has been so gracious to me. I got in my 600 hours for mat leave by the mid/end of October and I wasn't sick even a day in the process of obtaining those 600 hours! I'm soooo thankful! I got the shifts I wanted and all the pick-ups from April through September paid off!

It's been fun to be at work over the past 7 months. I really do like my job =) And even more over in 2011 doing 8 hour shifts instead of 12s and abandoning nights back in 2010 =) That sure makes it even better =)

I'm going to miss caring for people in such a special way. I sure love providing care for others. But now I'll have a new little person to provide all the love and care for that I want =) I've got a new assignment coming =)

I'm now ready to take off my nurse/work hat and rest. I'm ready to slow down the schedule, rest more and mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually prepare for our coming baby and the transition ahead. Part of me hopes this baby comes soon because I'm really excited to meet him/her and another part of me isn't quite ready to be finished pregnancy because I've loved it so much and I'd like to make the most of my rest time for a bit now that maternity leave has started.

Thank You Jesus for bringing me to today! You are so faithful and kind!

Blogger Review: Heaven Is For Real For Kids as told by Colton Burpo to his parents, Todd & Sonja Burpo, Illustrated by Wilson Ong

Heaven is for Real for kids is a book written for children by a young boy and his parents about his trip to heaven and back. This is a children's book for kids of all ages, but I think would target school-aged children more than babies or toddlers. This book shares some of Colton's experiences in heaven and with Jesus and the take home message is loud and clear - Jesus really, really loves children and He really, really loves you!

I enjoyed reading this book! The illustrations are beautifully done and are sure to capture the attention of children. The words on each page provoked thoughts, questions and emotions from me as the reader. The message is clear and there is a strong, spiritual message from cover to cover. I like the scripture references included on the pages.

I'd definitely recommend this book to people of all ages and especially parents and their children. I found an increasing desire in my heart rise up to see Jesus and this book left me asking lots of questions about the details of heaven. I'm excited to experience heaven myself one day! It's going to be incredible and it's so great that Colton got to take this trip there and share the story when he came back!

(Booksneeze provided me with a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions I expressed are my own.)

Babymoon 2011!

Definition of babymoon according to Wikipedia: "More recently the term has come to be used to describe a vacation taken by a couple that is expecting a baby in order to allow the couple to enjoy a final trip together before the many sleepless nights that usually accompany a newborn baby."

Well, I wanted a babymoon, a little get-a-way with my love before the baby joins us =) We didn't want to spend a whole bunch of money while preparing for baby. It didn't seem wise. But I still had the desire in my heart.

So, I told my Abba my feelings and let Him know my desires, yet partly surrendering them at the same time. It seemed wise to throw out the question on facebook if anyone had any ideas. Lo and behold, I got a lovely inbox message with a wonderful offer!

We got to spend 2 nights at a cottage...well, as you see on the pictures, it is more like a beautiful home on the lake =) We relaxed, slept, talked, ate, walked, read, watched movies, listened to music, and talked some more. It was relaxing, rejuvenating and recharging for Shane and I relationally, spiritually and personally. It was exactly what we needed!

The Lord knew that we didn't need a hotel room, a busy-paced weekend or the city. We needed peace and quiet to connect with each other and with Him. He was kind, brilliant and so kind to hear my little prayers about a babymoon and make a way =)

Thank You Lord for Your kindness and care about the small things! He even gave this preggo a babymoon =)

What To Pick?

There is so much to show you all! I have pictures I'd love to post on a bunch of fun things over the last few weeks! 2 lovely preggo photo shoots, a gorgeous shower my sister threw me last week and our babymoon get-a-way this week =) I feel soooo blessed!

Thank you seems like the main thing coming out of my mouth these days, both towards others and towards the Lord. It's very easy to come with a spirit of thankfulness before the Lord these days =) I was talking with someone just this week and had a funny moment. It went something like this...

Friend: "Kristi, I got your letter the other day!"
Me: "Awwww....THANK YOU!"(in a very genuine, "touched" kind of voice).

The friend, a bystander listening and myself all burst out laughing! It was totally not the appropriate response but I'm so used to be thankful these days that it just came out =) We all had a really good laugh =)

So, I'll have to be a little more consistent over the next while with some posts to show you pictures of these fun times! Today, I'd like to show you some pictures of the beautiful family friends shower my lovely sister threw me! I felt SOOO loved and honored! It's so neat to gather with women who have known me for 25+ years =) What a beautiful history! My sister put together a gorgeous shower with so many personal and gorgeous touches. She did an incredible job and worked so hard for weeks! Thank you Stephanie! You are the best sister ever!

What a Wonderful Life!

It's been a fun month full of fun things! For example...

1. Prenatal classes with my hubbie!

2. Thanksgiving!

3. My 29th birthday!









4. Two pregnancy photo shoots! (photos to come)

5. Finishing off day shifts at work! (Only evenings to go in November!)

6. Preparing for baby! (shopping, planning, nesting, cleaning, setting up the nursery)









Here's a picture of last Sunday's 34 week picture! This Sunday I'm already 35 weeks! The belly/baby is growing!