Prayer requests...

This morning in my quiet time, the Lord reminded me to "be still and know that [He] is God". I know the power of prayer is huge, so I thought I would post some prayer requests on here. I would love it, if you could take a moment each day or once a week for the next 3 weeks to pray for me, Baby Walkup, and Greg. Please comment and let me know if your praying, even if I don't personally know you I would still love your prayers and i'd like to thank you :)

-I start progressing towards labor (they won't induce me before 10/2 unless i'm atleast 1 cm dilated-and i'd like to schedule with a doctor i know that week)
-Or that I go into labor on my own and don't have to be induced-God knows ths baby's birthday already!
-I can get some sleep over the next 3 weeks (haven't been sleeping much which is making me pretty irritable)
-That this baby will be healthy, a good eater, good sleeper, etc
-That Greg and I will lean on the Lord to prepare us for the baby
-Patience for me, I keep thinking 3 weeks isnt far at all but thats making it go slower
-Comfort for me when my body is very much in pain
-Safe delivery (if possible no c-section)
-That this experience has made my marriage stronger and we can rely on each other in the weeks to come

Thank you all so much! I'm excited for this new chapter to begin!

Ps-here's a picture of me from this past week...


Be sure to go to my blog and vote if you think Baby Walkup is gonna be a girl or boy :)

i know, i know...

I needed to update bad! I have been feeling so overwhelmed that I haven't even had time to write on here. I think its because I haven't been able to completely nest because I don't know where to put anything. I look in the drawers and think what would go best here? I look in the bins and think what would I be reaching for in here? It's all so hard to imagine since I don't know what life will be like with a newborn. So my nursery just has piles and piles of stuff on the floor. Lucky for me, my good friend Karin is coming over this week to help me organize!

So, other than those feelings-I'm also getting really excited. I see a light at the end of the tunnel of pregnancy and cannot wait to bring this sweet baby home. I also can't wait to find out if this baby is a girl or boy! Be sure and vote on my blog site, only 4 weeks left!

If you can be praying for me I would appreciate it. I am getting increasingly uncomfortable as the days pass. My right foot is VERY swollen and I can't seem to get the swelling to go down. I'm going to the bathroom almost every hour. Even with sleeping pills, I'm not sleeping more than 4 hours. I know I won't get to sleep that much once the baby is here but i'd like to sleep before he/she arrives! I'm having braxton hicks contractions ALOT. And they are painful :( Oh and I have feet in my ribs! Other than physical stuff, emotionally I'm kinda crazy too. I've been randomly crying for no reason, feeling anxious about delivery, and nervous about bring home a child to raise. I know this is all due to hormones and lack of sleep but it still makes it very hard to work all day then come home to a house I can't completely nest in then go to bed to do it all over again.

Thank you in advance!

I can't end the post without a few pictures from my last shower. It was thrown by the lovely Kristen Owen and Megan Gwinn. Here's a few of my favorites...

Here's me with my hostesses!

Me and Christy-our babies are only a few days apart!

Me and the sissa!

Me and Abuela (the mom in law)

Isn't this the cutest cake!?

Friends since high school, crazy to think we graduated almost 10 years ago! ahh!!

Big Rachel and Lil' Rachael reunited! So thankful for her words of encouragement!

**I wish I had pictures of me with everyone that was there. The shower was AWESOME! And Baby Walkup got TONS of gifts. Thanks to everyone for coming to celebrate with me! **

The start of the baby showers...

It's been so exciting to start having showers and getting cute stuff for the baby. It sure does make things feel more real. I get home and unload the stuff and realize a little person is gonna be using this stuff. I just can't wait! Anyway, I just wanted to post a few pictures form the last 2 showers. I have 3 more to go. I am so blessed!

Shower #1 (This was a surprise family shower when we went to Destin, FL for Memorial day. It was thrown by my mom, Aunt, and Grandma. So much fun!)

This is me being surprised!

Me with the hostesses-from left to right-Maw, Mom, Me, and Aunt Tavie

All the gifts and the cute cake

And this was one of my favorite outfits, it has little monkeys on the feet :)

Then we have shower #2. This shower was hosted by my good friends Candace, Karin, and Ashly. It was for all my friends from mentor group, mission trip, small group, and friends from church (Browns Bridge).

Here is me with my hostesses (from left to right-Candace, me, Karin, and Ashly)

This was so sweet-it;s a table set up for my guests to write notes of encouragement to me. I will really cherish this at 3 am feedings :)

I love this picture-it's Ashly and I, she is 3 weeks ahead of me. Our babies are saying hello to each other. Both of us are being surprised with the sex of the baby so it's been a fun journey so far!

And here is me and my momma!

YAY-I got the lil' lamb swing! I was really excited about this one, thanks mom!

So, that's it so far....

I have one on August 22nd in Kennesaw (hosted by Kristen and Megan), a work shower on September 10th (hosted by Brenda, Kelli, Gidget, and Elizabeth), and on September 19th (hosted by my moms). Much more fun to come!

....to be continued!

Things I miss, love, and look forward to...

Over the weekend I started thinking about things I miss and love during pregnancy. And then I came up with the things I'm looking forward to once the baby is here. So I condensed my lists into 10's. I'm sure those of you that have been pregnant will definitely understand :)

10 things I miss during pregnancy

1-Seeing my feet
2-Having Ab muscles
3-Wearing my favorite jeans
4-Wearing heels
5-Sleeping on my stomach or back
6-Not having heartburn
7-My brain
8-The ease of bending over
9-Being able to work out without feeling exhausted in 5 minutes
10-SLEEPING through the night!

10 things I have loved during pregnancy...

1-How delicious some foods taste
2-Strangers commenting on how great I look
3-All the attention
4-All the prayer
5-The excitement in my mom and Greg's moms eyes for the first grandchild
6-Not having suck in
7-Eating whatever I want
8-Gaining weight and being ok with it
9-Good advice from freinds
10-Knowing a child is being formed in me by my Heavenly father!

And last but not least, the 10 things I look forward to once the baby is here!

1-Not being pregnant anymore
2-Holding my baby for the first time
3-Snuggles
4-Maternity leave to bond with my baby
5-Starting to raise a lil' one
6-Sharing the baby's name with everyone
7-Making the child be friends with my friends kids :)
8-Understanding firsthand what it means to love your child (Like God loves me)
9-Finding out if this sweet angel is a girl or boy
10-Seeing what this wonderfully made creation looks like!

A sneak peek

Hey friends,
Here's a little sneak peek at the nursery...

Ok, so it's only the crib so far :) But what do you think??? :)

27 weeks...

Hey everyone,
This week I am 27 weeks along. I'm realizing there are only 3 more months to go. And all of the sudden I feel like I have a ton to do. But if I tried to list out what I had to do, I could come up with nothing. So I must say this is a weird feeling. Maybe, I'm just hitting a "nesting" speedbump. Who knows! Anyway, I took a picture of myself this morning and I thought I would share with you all.

I'm feeling pretty big and I know I'll only get bigger :) Anyway, sorry I haven't written more lately. Lots going on in the Walkup house. I hope to write more later. In the meantime, please pray for my mom in law. She had surgery on Sunday and we are praying for a speedy recovery without complications. Thanks in advance!

Love-RW

Baby Walkup name madness!!!

We thought we would make a little game out of this baby on the way. So
if you've ever filled out a March Madness bracket than you will find
this very easy. The only difference is we have 64 names instead of
teams. There are 32 girl names and 32 boy names. So, It's game time!

We are inviting you to participate in our Baby Walkup
name madness!! We have attached a blank bracket with the 64 names we
are choosing from. On the bottom of the bracket are the game rules and
Greg's contact info for questions and/or help. The deadline for your
entry is August 10.

Every week Greg will e-mail out the updated bracket for each round up until
to the Final 4. There is a $5 buy in per bracket (that also needs to be
turned in by the August 10th deadline). Yes you can turn in multiple
brackets if you want :) The winner takes half the earnings, with the
other half going to baby Walkup. And with that being said....Let the
games begin!

If you are interested in playing this lil' game-leave a comment with your email address and I will send you the bracket :)