7 days to go...

I can't believe we are already here with 7 days till our official due date. This time has really flown by. It seems like only yesterday we were celebrating the plus sign and waiting for the 2nd trimester to begin so we could stop holding our breath with worry. But here we are with only 7 days...one week. I am filled with so many emotions now. It is so hard to put in to words how much I already love this little baby girl, this precious gift from God. It is so hard to express how my love for my dear husband, has grown and changed so drastically in  these last 9 months. This journey has been so beautiful and full of abundant blessings. My heart overflows with love for the Lord that He has chosen us to care for this little life that is forming inside my womb.
And now I want to say a special message to our Violet, one day I pray she can read this and know how dearly we loved her from the very beginning.
Dear Sweet Violet, my daughter, and love,
   It is now only 7 days until you are expected to join us on this side of the womb. I can't believe how quickly this day has arrived. I have loved every moment of carrying you inside me. Every step of the way we have been carried by God. He has protected us both and held us both in His loving arms. Each time I feel worried about you I remember that God is watching over you and He loves you more than I do. So many times I wonder what it's like for you in there. I worry if you are afraid or lonely. I worry about the umbilical cord getting tangled. I worry that you won't know how much I love you. Mothers tend to worry about all these things and I know that it won't stop after you are born. So I pray now that I will surrender all these worries to the Lord and that I will allow Him to care for you as only He can.
Now I am waiting for the day when we can meet face to face, dear child. I yearn to look into your eyes and tell you how deeply I love you already. How long I have waited for you. You are a dream come true. I pray that we will become best friends (as I was with my mother). I pray that we will have even more days together than I did with my own mother. Even if we do not, I pray that you will know how wonderful and perfect you are to me and your father. I pray that you will always keep that love in your heart. I pray that you will know the love of God and how there is no other love as perfect as His. I pray that you will grow and  learn to love and respect others, even those whom you disagree with. I pray that you will have a heart of service to those less fortunate. I pray that you will find love in another human being and that you will be able to share your lives together with as much happiness as your father and I have. I pray that you will always know you are loved and worthy of love.
We wait for you Violet. We know you are waiting for the signal from the only one who knows the perfect day for you to arrive. As you wait for Him to whisper, "It's time dear one" know that we love you.
With love always,
Mom

Sweet Pea Has A Name.

 We have finally decided on a name for our precious Sweet Pea.
Here is a little poem I wrote, you will find her name at the end. Enjoy!

As I feel you move inside me
your fingers and your toes
your arms and your legs
and even your tiny nose

I wonder what you look like
I wonder who you'll be
I wonder if you'll love me
As much as I love thee?

Will you have your daddy's blue eyes?
Will you have my hair so brown?
Will you sing just like the nightingale?
Will you travel the world 'round?

So many things I ponder
As you grow inside my womb.
This time is full of wonder
As we wait for you to bloom.

No matter what you look like
No matter what you do
Your Father in heaven will love you
Even more than daddy and I do.

You will always be enough.
You will always have His love.
You will always have His angels
Guarding you from above.

And now this name we give to you
Our tiny precious flower.
We love you so, our darling girl
Our Violet Cecilia.

Now that you all know the name I will explain why we chose it. Her full name will be Violet Cecilia Sumire Craft.
Violet was my dear sweet Great Grandmother's name. She was a very special woman in my life. We used to go visit her and Grandpa in Missouri in summer time. She was an amazing woman. Full of love for her family and the Lord. I can still see her in her kitchen and I can smell her delicious cooking. I remember when she would get upset about something and I can still see her wiping tears from her sweet eyes and saying "Mercy, mercy." My sweet Grandma Sweet. 

Cecilia was the middle name of Gabe's dear Grandma Craft. Joyce Cecilia Craft. She was also an amazing woman. I never had the pleasure of meeting her in this life. But I have heard so many wonderful stories about her. Gabe often tells me how fondly he remembers her reading Peter Cotton Tail to him and Jesse and how she would read it with all kinds of voices for the characters. Her love of the Lord is evident in the lives of her children and grandchildren. She was an incredible artist and beautiful person. She loved her family so dearly.

Another reason behind the name Cecilia is that St. Cecilia is the patron saint of musicians. When I was a little girl I always used to dress up like St. Cecilia on All Saints Day. She was always my favorite saint. I would dress up in a pink sheet with a hole cut out for my head and carried a harp made of cardboard. I loved it.

Sumire　すみれ, pronounced "sue-me-ray", is her Japanese name. It means violet (the flower) in Japanese. We decided to use hiragana instead of kanji for her Japanese name. Our dear お父さんand
お母さん, Reverend and Mrs. Yoshida, helped us to make the decision on her Japanese name. We decided that hiragana had a softer image and feeling. Also it would be easier for her and us to write.

So that's the story behind our little Sweet Pea, our precious little flower's name. We can't wait to meet her. In fact the contractions are coming more frequently these days...we are praying she will join us soon. Please keep us in your prayers as we prepare for this life changing experience. We love you all!　

34 and 35 weeks belly shots

Today we are 36 weeks! Our bags are packed and we are ready to go! I have been having a few contractions every day. Not painful ones, everything just gets really tight across my belly and it gets very hard. I will go to the doctor on Tuesday and get an update as to where we are. We went on Friday for our tour of the hospital and had a very nice experience. Everyone was very friendly and we met some of the nursing staff in the maternity ward and nursery. Our sweet friend  Mutsuko (dear friend from church of 6 years) was with us because she will be with us for the delivery too (Lord willing.). One of her high school classmates is a nurse on the floor and she introduced us and asked her to take good care of us. It was so nice to make that connection. We felt relieved. Also after our tour we finally were able to purchase a rocking chair! I was beginning to think we wouldn't find one. They are very rare here in Japan so we were having a difficult time finding one. We found this one thanks to Mutsuko!! I decided to mention to her that we were looking for one and couldn't find one. 3 days later she called and said she found 2! One was new the other was used. She definitely has magical powers!!! She is an angel walking on earth. We went with the used one because it also has a fold out foot stool. We cannot even begin to count the blessings we have received in our preparations for our Sweet Pea. God has been so faithful in providing what we need and surrounding us with so much love.

34 weeks

35 weeks

the rocking chair

Sweet Pea in 3D

Sweet Pea in 3D

Video: Sweet Pea's Beginnings

Sweet Pea's Beginning

Handmade Treasures

I just wanted to share pictures of these lovely hand knit gifts that we have received for our little girl. These were made with such love and I can't wait to see Sweet Pea in them.

These beautiful sweater vests and little purse were made by our sweet お母さん（okaasan） Mrs. Yoshida.

This beautiful blanket was made by my dear friend Kiley's sweet Daddy.

32 and 33 weeks

We had a wonderful appointment yesterday at the doctor! Sweet Pea is back in the vertex position! Thank goodness! We are feeling good and getting very excited. Here are some belly shots of weeks 32 and 33.

32 weeks



33 weeks

The maternity ward of the hospital and Sweet Pea's feet

Last Tuesday we went to the hospital for our 32 week checkup. Sweet Pea has moved into a breech position...we are trying to change that though. Luckily we still have about 8 weeks give or take. So we are not stressing just trying to relax and pray that she will move in her own good time. I think she just wanted to get her mommy into a bunch of crazy positions for a good laugh. It must get boring in there sometimes :) Anyways, here is a short videos that Gabe took after the ultrasound while we were waiting to talk to the midwife about hospital procedures.

30 and 31 week belly shots

We are 32 weeks along now. I will post those pics later though. We always take our belly pics on Sunday nights. We are feeling really well these days and are getting very excited about the arrival of our precious miracle. Will post more pics soon! Love you all!

30 weeks (talking to the little one)

30 weeks

31 weeks

The Nursery

The nursery has been a work in progress. It is finally looking just about right. We have been searching for a set of drawers for the room for over a month. I can be so impatient sometimes.... :)
I was willing to settle for plastic drawers because I was so anxious. Then we found a couple that were too expensive...Gabe reminded me to be patient that we would eventually find what we needed. And low and behold we did. This weekend at the recycle shop (that we have been visiting every weekend for the past month) we found the perfect set. I am so blessed to have a patient husband! It was a great deal and the perfect size. So here are some new photos of the nursery. You can also click on this link to a facebook album with more pictures of it.

One of my favorite artists is Chihiro Iwasaki. These are some postcards I bought at an exhibit of her artwork a few years ago.

Baby, Momma & Daddy Photo Shoot by Sarah Ruddy

Click this here link for more of the pics that wonderful Sarah was so kind to take:
Baby, Momma & Daddy Photo Shoot by Sarah Ruddy


It was a rainy day but we asked our friend Sarah to take some pics for us and Sarah can make anything look great! Thanks Sarah!! BTW Sarah is a web developer and web page designer also, so if you need something in that line check her out here.

28 and 29 weeks belly shot

28 weeks



29 Weeks

Chorus Concert at Rias Hall

Gabe recently had the opportunity to sing with our friend Mark's Barbershop chorus again. He used to be a member when we lived in Sumita but when we moved to Ofunato he had to quit because of the drive at night to practice. He really enjoyed singing with the group again after such a long time. I thought they did a great job and I was so happy to hear him sing again! The group performed at the Kesen area Chorus festival. It was a concert featuring choruses from all over Kesen which is the county we live in. Each group performs a few songs and then one song all together. In my opinion the barbershop group stole the show! Here are some pics of the guys singing and also some pics that Gabe took of the new concert hall.

26 and 27 Weeks

Well we are now 28 weeks!! I can't believe that in about 12 weeks our precious daughter will be in our arms! I get all teary eyed just thinking about it. What a beautiful miracle God has given us. Today I went for my 28 week check up and baby and mommy both got a healthy report. Sweet Pea is weighing in at around 2.4 lbs. My tummy is getting very big and I can't believe we still have 12 more weeks to grow. The doctor said she was perfectly normal and that her head was turned down in the vertex position now. She may move again because she still has some room in there. But for now her little head is down. She is kicking with a lot of force these days and I have enjoyed watching my belly bounce and vibrate from side to side. Also we are getting close on deciding her name but still have not made a final decision. We have it narrowed down to 2 names now....

26 weeks


27 Weeks

Sweet Pea's Room

I have been really looking forward to setting up Sweet Pea's room. My nesting urges have been overwhelming.... Thankfully I have a very sweet, kind and patient husband. Last weekend we made some definite progress in her room. Now that we have her bed put together I can't stop looking at it. I look down into and imagine what she might look like laying there sleeping and one day looking up at me with a smile. I am so in love with my daughter already. It is like no love I have ever known. It is a beautiful and new love that I know will only grow stronger as the days continue to pass. What a blessing she is to us already.

Daddy hard at work


Wishing we could sleep in there too!


I can almost see her in there...


Her little laundry bag was hand stitched with love by Mrs. Yoshida. It has Goldilocks and the 3 Bears on it. I love it! And Daddy picked out the canopy.

22, 23, 24 week photo

Hey Friends and Family! Sorry for the delay in updates. We just got back from a wonderful trip to China to celebrate the wedding of my dear brother-in-law Jesse and his beautiful, sweet wife Maya! We had a wonderful time and will post some pics soon of our journeys. For now here are some belly pic updates! Week 23 and 24 were in China! :)
22 weeks

23 weeks

24 weeks on the Great Wall

24 weeks at the Summer Palace

Sweet Pea

23 weeks

Well we are now 23 weeks! We have been enjoying lots of tummy talking time. And yesterday Gabe felt Sweet Pea move for the very first time. She is definitely getting stronger because I feel her a lot more frequently now. It is amazing! I love the way it feels and I can't wait to be able to see her moving from outside my belly. Here is an image of 23 weeks from Babycenter.com

18, 19, 20, 21 week belly pics

The weeks are really flying by! These are pics from 18 and 19 weeks. I will upload 20 and 21 weeks later. Tomorrow we start our 22nd week!!! I can't believe it. Sweet Pea is moving around so much these days. Especially when she hears her Daddy's voice. It is really amazing when that happens. After work when Gabe picks me up from the train station and he starts talking to me, she starts moving around like crazy. It is so sweet. And I love to see how happy it makes Gabe. He is going to be a wonderful Daddy. He talks to her and sings to in my belly and I know she must love the sound of his voice. I know I do.
Well that's all for now. More pics to come later. Love you all!


18 weeks


19 weeks


20 weeks


21 weeks

20 Weeks

We've waited and wondered for 20 weeks
what precious package lies beneath....
And now you'll have to read this poem I wrote today
to find the answer that you seek!



We've been just two for 11 years
We've held each others hands
We've calmed each others fears.

The Lord joined our hearts into one
He blessed us so with friendship and love
And now He's granted that a new life shall come.

Our two has turned to three
Our hearts now shared
With our precious sweet pea

And now a name for this tiny pearl
For our darling one...........................

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Our Baby GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


This is a video of the doctor giving me the ultrasound when we found out. Enjoy!
It was so nice to see a doctor who spoke perfect English. He lived in New Mexico for 10 years. It was wonderful!