pleasant words are a honeycomb...

i read this verse from Proverbs in a daily email i received for today. "Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and healing to the bones." Proverbs 16:24

i think about how often my words are not pleasant by any means...they are hurtful, and worst sometimes pre-meditated to cause harm. they often "assume the worst" of dear loved ones, or are unnecessarily aggressive, shouted out in anger. its terrible. my words are often used to complain and express my discontent or dissatisfaction with life. my words are not only hurting others, but they are hurting to God, and they are definitely hurting me.

a few months ago, a friend of mine shared some verses from her daily devotional. i was distracted at the time with my daughter, but got to check them out at a later date. i was so encouraged by them, and definitely challenged to work on my words.

All the utterances of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing crooked or perverted in them. Proverbs 8:8

Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned, as it were, with salt, so that you may know how you should respond to each person. Colossians 4:6

Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear. Ephesians 4:29

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer. Psalm 19:14

note the keywords in these verses..."always" "all" "nothing" "no" "only". no exceptions! is this even possible!!?? "All things are possible with God." Mark 10:27

Welcome Hannah Lynn!!!

our baby girl, Hannah Lynn Doyle is here!!!! it's already been 5 weeks since her birth!!!! time flies when you're having fun! and we're having a blast! :) here's one of hannah's first photos taken in the hospital.


hannah was born at North Florida Regional Medical Center in Gainesville, Florida on Wednesday, May 21st at 1:43am. she weighed 7lbs 15oz and measured 21 inches long! she's our beautiful angel...our pride and joy!

here's a link to see pictures of her first week! hopefully i'll post some recent ones soon! i'm also seriously thinking about making a blog especially for her.

anyway thanks for looking! we are completely in LOVE with our baby!!!! she is so sweet and perfect and adorable in every way!

other special may events

of course we all know mother's day was last sunday, may 11. i'm not technically a mother yet but i still received a few cards and happy wishes. brian & wendy sent me a "mother-to-be" card, lindsay got me a mother's day card and a package of fun size snickers (yum!) and one of our neighbors on the street brought me a mother's day card as well! the roses in the vase came from our backyard...so pretty! and the bowl contained the snickers (but not for long!).


adam made me cupcakes. i'm not a big fan of frosting so he left them unfrosted for me :) i took a picture of them but they aren't very pretty (since there was no frosting)....they tasted amazing though! he also let me buy a vera bradley bag to use as the baby/diaper bag!!! we went to the mall on mother's day to pick it up. :) these bags are so expensive but fortunately we had some gift money to help us out. we had been searching for a bag for months and it was very stressful because we couldn't settle on anything! it's so nice to have a bag now! and it's all packed and ready for the hospital! :)


another special day in may was monday, the 12th. adam and i were married two years ago! we went on a nice dinner date to Chutnees in gainesville..."fusion of flavors from india". this equals very yummy food! we love going out for indian cuisine. our favorite restaurant is in the process of moving to a new location and it's taking forever! but it was fun to try out some place new. the food was just as delicious! we seriously just need to learn how to make our own indian dishes!

we had a wonderful anniversary though, reminiscing on the past two years of marriage and also the past 7.5 years we've been in love. :) we still have so much to learn, especially as we add "parenthood" to the mix but we are so excited and feel blessed to have one another and the Lord to see us through it all. i love adam. he's a wonderful hubby and is going to make a terrific papa.

the waiting game

well it's may now....where has the time GONE!? adam and i are so excited! we can't get this baby girl off our minds. we can't wait to meet her! the due date is TOMORROW (may 17)!!!! it's hard to believe we're already here! and i could go into labor at any time!!!

baby update: we had another ultrasound at 36 weeks 6 days, back on 4/25 to check baby's position, since she had been laying transverse for a few weeks. and we found out she had finally assumed the vertex position!!!! so praise the Lord! i remember praying the night before our appointment as i felt our baby girl move around. i had never felt her move like that before! it was incredible! so that was a huge relief and answer to prayer! God is so good and so is his timing. :) here is a profile shot of our baby from our ultrasound. she's getting big! and notice how she's pursing her lips! so cute!

we had our 39 week appointment this morning and nothing too new to report. we scheduled another checkup for next friday (if our baby girl hasn't arrived by then). i have no idea whether i'm dilated or effaced at all. i decided not to find out...less anxiety this way. i figure i'd either be disappointed with the progress and start worrying about induction or too excited and more impatient. she'll come when God says so. and his timing is good and perfect! so we're trying to be as patient as possible! i've been praying for months that she will come after may 12 and before or on her due date. this weekend would be great! :)

baby room has come a long way these last couple weeks. my mom came up and made window treatments, closet draperies and a crib dust ruffle using fabrics we had chosen for her quilt (that lindsay made). these items add so much to the room!!! now we just need to put something on the walls. we also got a floor lamp, a night stand and some plastic storage. all baby's clothes and linens are washed and organized and put away. the portable playard (pack n play) is set up in our bedroom, all ready for baby girl! hopefully i'll get around to posting some pictures of everything.

well it's been a waiting game for 3 weeks now (baby is considered full-term at 37 weeks). i didn't expect her to come 3 weeks early or even 2 weeks early. but this last week has been the hardest wait yet! we've been slightly anxious since realizing she could come at any time! i started feeling some menstrual-cramp type pains last saturday. they come and go and they really aren't that painful. i have no idea if they are Braxton Hicks or something else. it definitely feels like stuff is happening though and that my body is preparing for labor. it's been hard to do anything these days...moving around is getting even tougher and i'm starting to feel a lot more aches and pains everywhere. i really have enjoyed pregnancy but i'm just too excited to meet our baby! :)

one month to go!

we're only a few weeks away from meeting our baby girl!!!! how exciting!!! it's been a fun ride and i will definitely miss being pregnant but i cannot wait to hold and love and care for the new addition to our family! i am so excited to be a mama!!! :)

the baby room is coming along: the room is painted, the new window blinds are installed, the crib, changing table, and the glider are all set up. i'd like to put some decorations up. and we still need a lamp for the room. but progress is being made each week!!!! :)

still on the "to do" list:
-wash baby clothes, linens, covers
-call the pediatrician
-pack bags for the hospital
-organize everything!
-clean house!!
-finish shopping (still need a diaper bag and nursing bra)
-cook and freeze a bunch of meals for after baby comes
-make a call list
-get last-minute advice from BTDT moms (been there done that)
-update pregnancy journal (i've been so bad about this)
-get a pedicure!!!
-lots of other things i cannot remember...lol

my 36 week appointment is april 25. then it's weekly appointments til the end! i still have to get the group b strep test, and i think they'll start internal exams at this next visit or the one after. we found out at an ultrasound during our 34 week visit that our baby is laying in the transverse presentation (sideways in the uterus). her head is on my right side, her bum is on the left side, and her feet are toward my cervix. we think she's been in this position since 30 or 32 weeks. the midwives seem optimistic that she has time and room to move so we'll see! i'm praying she moves head down in time for a natural delivery! i'm trying my best to trust the Lord with this situation cause He's the one in control. :) adam is optimistic which is definitely a big encouragement! babies can flip around at any time, even at the last minute! so we'll keep you posted. i'm hoping she turns SOON!!!!

other stuff: childbirth class this past week...we were given a tour of the labor & delivery floor at north florida regional women's center. it was so fun to see all the rooms and "familiarize" ourselves where everything is located. :) we'll be there really soon!! we have two more childbirth classes, then a breastfeeding and newborn care class after that.