Since I'm so behind on everything, let's see if I can hit the high points of the past TWO months since I updated last.

Sam is working!  He is now a property claims adjustor for a major insurance company and is in training.  He likes it.  It's not his dream job, but it's not too far removed from construction, and it's yet another skill to add to his toolbelt. This will be good for a few years until he gets bored with it or can get into his dream job.  He's also learning to read and write Chinese, to go with his verbal fluency.  

I am selling Premier jewelry, and just went to my first regional Rally, and it is very exciting.  I love it, but am struggling to figure out how to manage a small business and manage a small home with small children.  One of the things I enjoy about it most is that I get to accessorize, it has emboldened me to chop my hair off and get a super cute cut (which I had been looking at for a year, literally), and it helps me focus on something outside of my little world.  My friends say I've taken the "Jewelry Lady" thing and run with it, becoming a little fashionista.  I'm glad. I am personally pretty tired of wondering whether I look like I just rolled out of bed.  But now I have discovered the power of bold earrings to make me feel like I can take on the world.  Really. Try it.

I've also got a smart phone.  It's a droid.  It makes me happy.  It also has a Bible app, and since Jan 1 I have been reading the "One Year Bible" plan.  So far I have used it every day (except one, but I caught up the next day, so it's almost the same).  It has helped me.  I think.  I don't know; maybe you should ask Sam if it has helped me.  But it's been almost 3 weeks, so it's close to being a habit.  Besides, it reminds me automatically.

Lizzie is potty training.  Like, we took away her diapers yesterday.  She has done as well as can be expected for a 31-month-old who decided the day before we started that she wanted to wear underwear.  We went that afternoon to Target and got her about 2 dozen pairs of pretty underwear, which she has made some great use of.  She forgets to tell me when she has to go, so I've done a lot of, "Oh! you're peeing!  Let's go!" and picking her up and running to the potty so she can finish on the toilet and still get an m&m.  She did announce that she had to go on the potty before she went #2 (thank the Lord!), and she did it.  I couldn't have been more proud of her. She called my dad ("Papa") to tell him, because she was so proud of herself. 

Lizzie is growing up and being such a wonderful sister.  When she greets anyone, even on the phone--like when she called my dad--she says, "I have a baby sister.  It's Karis."  (Of course, it comes out like "I ha' a bay-ee sissoh.  It's Tay-yiss."  She hugs her and loves her.  She also pushes her and takes her toys away, but there haven't been any major mishaps from her lack of impulse control. Yet.

Lizzie has sweet conversations.  When someone asks her, "how are you?" she answers, "I'm doing fine."  That cracks me up. Every time. 
 Her favorite show is still Wonder Pets, and turtle Tuck is her favorite.  She says so. "Do nyou want to watz my favwit so wiff me?  Do nyou want to watz Wunner Pets?  Tut is my favwit."  She has recently caught on to liking Busytown Mysteries.  She giggles through the whole opening song. 

She has learned that if there are monsters in her room, she can tell them to "Go away, in Desus name."  That is a big deal.  We've been dealing with monsters quite a bit lately, and I'm not sure if it's got to do with shows she's watched, but we have had a few instances when we have had to have some intense prayer when tucking her in, and have seen profound changes in her demeanor afterward.  It actually came to a head more when we had just finished doing a Christmas advent project, The Truth in the Tinsel (highly recommended!), which involved Bible reading, discussion, and of course, a preschoool craft. 
Related to the Christmas project, Lizzie's favorite thing to ask for is, "I want to do a paff" which means, in Lizzie-speak, a craft.  Usually I can get away with letting her go to town with a glue stick and construction paper, but sometimes she requires a little more focused attention or guidance.


Karis is 6-1/2 months old, crawling, pulling up to stand, sitting without assistance, and beginning to cruise.  Seriously, when she wakes up in her bed, she doesn't lie there, she is sitting upright within 2 seconds, and trying to grab the edges to stand.  I am not ready for this.  I have not been ready for this.  But she doesn't have any teeth yet.  And she hates baby food or any kind of puree or mush, while she loves her mum-mums and puffs and anything she can grab hold of, put in her mouth, roll around with her tongue, and swallow.  Like green beans, roasted squash, and my oatmeal.  She's a grabber.  She has pulled more bowls and plates full of food off the table while in our arms than I can count. 

Karis is a funny kid.  She smiles with all her might.  She sounds like a duck when she laughs.  No, seriously.  Not even like a cartoon duck, but a full Mallard honk.  Karis loves to give kisses; big, open-mouth kisses, on the mouth.  It makes her laugh.  She cuddles.  She wants to hold your finger while she falls asleep.  She wakes up at least three times a night, and wants to nurse every 3 hours through the day, like she's a newborn.  I hope it's just a growth spurt, because I can't keep that up.  She is still in love with her pacifier, but has lately been using it as a chew toy more.

And.... Karis just squawked from her bed.  It's time to start the day with the kiddos.  Day 2 of potty training, here we come!

Karis' Birth Story in Installments - Part 2

[Wow, time is flying.  It's already the next Wednesday, and Karis is 6 weeks old.  She smiles.  She is really cute.  See?

Continuing on....  Part 1 is here.]

Since this could be for real, we started to time and write down contractions.  I got up, washed my face, got dressed, and started to gather things to pack for the hospital.  I think I ate something, and remember drinking a Gatorade. 

6:37    41 seconds
6:40    1 min 13 sec
6:45    39 sec
6:48    33 sec
6:51    54 sec
6:54    40 sec
6:59    46 sec
7:01    40 sec
7:03    52 sec
7:06    1 min 2 sec

As you can see, things were getting more intense.  That's when we stopped timing, and kicked into high gear.
I called the doctor, I called my mom.  I talked to the doctor, who said he'd let the hospital know to expect me; Sam talked to my mom, since I was busy throwing up my Gatorade off the back deck.  They would come to the house right away, to stay with Lizzie, who was still sleeping. 

[Here it is Friday morning.  Coffee is consumed.  Everyone else is sleeping.  Sam has been laid off again.  That's another story.]

We scurried around getting everything together - at least I had made a list of things to bring to the hospital, and put together a pile in the corner of the room for when it was "time".  Contractions were rough.  They were all in my back.  It was not the way I wanted to have contractions.  I remember having to hurry to try to pack something between contractions, because I once one started, I couldn't concentrate on anything else, and probably the most frequently said phrase was, "ohhhhhh, Jesus help me."  I spent a lot of time on all fours.  I barked instructions to Sam, who was trying to make sure everything was in order for us to leave:  "Don't forget the toothbrushes. ... Where's the phone charger? ... There are cold water bottles in the fridge."  If you asked me how it was going, I would have told you that everyone was moving way too slowly and we needed to  be at the hospital at that very moment.

A little before 8 AM my parents arrived, and shortly afterward Lizzie woke up.  Fortunately we had been prepping her for when her grandparents would stay with her, so that we could go to the hospital and bring home baby Karis.  She hung out with my mom while we finished packing, and she watched me wide eyed when I got on the floor and moaned my way through contractions.  I was trying not to worry her, but it's kind of hard to not look like you're uncomfortable in a contraction.  (A couple weeks later, she copied me, getting on all fours and moaning.  Then she looked up at me proudly, "mama! push baby out!"  I just stared at her.  What the heck?!)  We finally gave Lizzie hugs and kisses, and made it out the door.  I had 2 contractions before we even got out of the driveway.  Being strapped into the front seat was not going to be fun. 

On the way out I had enough focus to send a text to Steph, "going to hospital" ... She replied asking if I was able to talk; my answer, "no talk. you can text the word out."  I was not my usual text-chatty self.  Within minutes she was also in her car and ready to meet us at the hospital. 

We live only about 20 minutes from the hospital, but it being 8 AM on a weekday, we were concerned about traffic.  After being stopped at one red light, we prayed earnestly for green lights all the rest of the way.  Praise God, the prayer was answered!  We rolled all the way there, not having to stop until we got to the hospital parking lot!  Sam ran in to get a wheel chair (he is so smart - I never would have thought of that, and would have tried to crawl my way in the double doors).  Check-in went smoothly, even though I spent half of it with my head on the counter.

Then they wheeled me back to a room to check my progress.  It was no later than 8:30 AM.  Guess what? I was already to 5 cm!  I laughed in relief.  Half way there, and we just got to the hospital!  I was unbelievably grateful, and so glad I didn't have to be set up with an IV for antibiotics for Group B Strep like last time.  They asked me about my preferences in pain management, and I told them I wanted to try for all natural, but like last time I was not opposed to having something to help. 

I don't remember when Steph showed up, but we were hardly there before she came in and started making herself useful.  In fact, I think she was even there when they were trying to get the IV set up (for the just in case).  Our only complaint in the whole hospital experience was the tech who tried to place my IV.  She basically did a terrible job, and even when I was holding my hand absolutely still, and I don't have hard veins to get, she was moving the needle all around and accusing me of moving.  Are you kidding?  I'm a woman in labor having intense contractions; even if I do move--which I didn't--that's no excuse for doing a crappy job and having to try a second time.  Sam was ready to throw her out and request someone else if she didn't get it right.  After that, everything went smoothly and every other nurse and tech was awesome.

My midwife showed up, encouraged me, and went back to her office (only a couple minutes away).  I had had an appointment for an ultrasound scheduled for that afternoon, and I remember telling her, "You can let the girls in the office know I won't make it in later."  She laughed.  While I wasn't in contractions, I actually was in a pretty good mood.  I laughed.  Sam talked to the nurses, asking loads of questions.  Steph gave me sips of water--her chilled Dasani, even--and pushed my hair out of my face.  She sent text updates to our small group, and had called our pastor to let him know what was going down.  I remember her asking me if I wanted her to post a facebook update, but then we got interrupted and it didn't happen. 

I spent nearly the whole time backwards on the bed, leaning against the raised head of the bed.  When I had back labor with Lizzie, nothing seemed to help except lying on my side and having Sam press with all his might on the small of my back.  This time pressure didn't seem to make it better, but I kept wanting Sam to keep his hand on my back where the contractions were.  The warmth of his hand made them better.  I would occasionally tell him to move his hand to one spot or another, but I never wanted him to apply pressure on my back.

Around 10 AM, the nurse decided to check me, and as I was moving onto my back I was mentally running through my options.  If I had not progressed very far, if I were only at a 6 or a 7, I definitely wanted some kind of pain relief.  As well as it was going, I was not really enjoying the process.  But it felt kind of different when the nurse checked, and I was elated (well, as elated as I could be) when she said, "You're doing great. You're to 9 centimeters!"  I definitely got a second wind at that point--we're almost there!  They called the midwife, who arrived within minutes and checked me again.  She said there was a little bit left to go, but that I could push at will, since I was starting to feel pressure.

So there I was, laying on my left side, thinking, not 'I'm going to have a baby in a few minutes,' or 'I get to meet Karis soon,' but 'I don't want to tear again,' and 'In a few minutes, I won't be pregnant anymore!'  I felt the burn and was a little afraid to push, but pushed a little at a time, really just doing what I felt was natural.  I only pushed during contractions, resting between them.  About 15 minutes of slow and steady pushing later, at 10:20 AM, Karis Michelle was born.  Sam said that as soon as her head came out, they checked her neck for the cord, and suctioned her mouth and nose.  Then she gave out a good and loud wail and out she came.  There was no tearing, just "a surface scratch" that needed no stitches.  Sam got to cut the cord after a few minutes, and she latched on to nurse perfectly.

She weighed in at 7 lbs, 2 oz, and 19" long.  I think.  We have it written down somewhere, thankfully. Her eyes were a dark, dark color, and it took hours of staring at her to realize that they were a dark blue.  At this point, now that she is 6 weeks old, her eyes are a dark gray, sometimes looking like a dark hazel.  It's still a mystery what color her eyes will end up. 

Within just a few minutes, we were all oohing and ahhing and cuddling the newest baby.  We were moved to a recovery room on the 2nd floor, and Steph helped us settle in, unpacking some of the bags and setting bags and shoes in the mini closet and arranging things on the side table.

Karis' first visitors were our pastor, Brother John, and James who was meeting with him when Steph called him to let him know the news.  Then Brent came and stayed for a couple of hours.  My parents came with Lizzie in the afternoon, and got to meet her.  Scott came a few hours later, and so did Becky, who is expecting a girl in November.  Becky brought us Five Guys burgers and fries.  Becky is awesome.

Karis is a wonderful baby so far.  She eats well, sleeps well, burps well, poops well.  And she is full of rolls and chubbiness.  The Lord knows that if you have a 2 year old, you need to have an easy baby.  We are so grateful that, while challenging at times, every day has been so full of grace.

[Linking up with Home Sanctuary's Company Girl Coffee.  Finally.]  :-)

Welcome Karis!

She's here!

Karis Michelle was born on July 5, perfect and beautiful.  She weighed 7 lbs, 2 oz at birth, and is a healthy and content baby. 

Her name, Karis,  means grace. (We pronounce it like 'care-iss,' not the way it sounds at the link, though.)

1. that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness: grace of speech

Who wouldn't want to speak that over one's daughter?  Not to mention, grace is much needed while we navigate this new adventure of parenting two girls.

Lizzie goes back and forth between adoring her baby sister ("bay-ee sisser") and acting up out of feeling displaced.  It's a bit of a struggle to keep her on an even keel, but over all, she is doing well.

It is kind of a strange and wonderful thing to refer to them as "the girls."  We have girls, plural. 

The last week of being home has honestly been better than I expected (again, grace), and I am feeling great.  Sleep has been rare, but we are getting what we need.  Friends from church have been bringing meals and adorable outfits. We are blessed.


I'll do my best to share my birth story soon (it's a good one), but I did at least want to give an update.  Lizzie is up and asking for a bagel, so I had better get it while Karis sleeps, and before Lizzie changes her mind.

(I'm linking with Alicia's Homemaking Try New Adventures, and Home Sanctuary's virtual Coffee with the Company Girls.)

So, about pregnancy

36 weeks, 3 days. Almost full term. Almost done being pregnant for the second time. Almost ready.

On an online forum someone posed the question, "What will you miss most about being pregnant?"

Really? Nothing. There is not a thing that I will miss about being pregnant, except maybe having the option to choose approximately when I sleep. Once Lizzie came, I never looked back.

That's not to say that I don't enjoy feeling movement, or getting a little extra courtesy at the grocery store. It's just that being pregnant is all about the hopefulness of what is to come. It's like waiting for a seed to come up out of the ground. The germination process is not what it's about, and frankly, it's hardly the fun part. (Perhaps the reason I haven't written a whole lot about my pregnancy has something to do with the fact that I don't want to come across as a complainer. I like the end result of pregnancy: a child. I am just not a fan of pregnancy in and of itself. Or maybe I just don't like my pregnant self all that much.)

Feeling her roll and kick and punch me in the bladder is all well and good, but inspecting her little feet and having her pull my hair with her little tiny fingers are infinitely better. Seeing my belly move when she gets hiccups or suddenly decides to change position is nothing like what it will be to look in her big eyes. Hearing her heartbeat (or as Lizzie says, "heart beep") on the doppler every couple of weeks is fun and reassuring, but I can't wait to hear her actual sweet little voice.

Lizzie's exclamations 5-23-11

Today has been a fun one for Lizzie quotes.

I always think to myself that I will write down all the funny and cute and smart things Lizzie says, but usually forget to. I guess Facebook has its place in some way for recording some of these things, but it really doesn't count. Let's face it; once a status update becomes old news of 22 hours ago (or if you're really popular, 3 hours ago), it is never heard from again.

Today Lizzie counted to ten without any coaching or prompting. She was in her high chair, minding her own business while I was getting ready to clean her up from lunch (rather, her pre-nap "I'm hungry" stalling routine cheese sandwich), when she started counting her fingers. "Two, fwee, fwee..." I almost stopped listening because she usually gets stuck at "fwee" like a broken record. But to my great surprise, she kept going. "Fo', fy, siss," I couldn't help it, I interrupted. "Wow, Lizzie! You counted to six!" She grinned up at me, then went back to her fingers. "Se'en," then moved to her other hand to finish, "Eight, nine, ten!"

Ten fingers. So what if she thinks the first seven of them are on her right hand. But at least she has ten in total!

While in the bath tub tonight, Lizzie was splashing up a storm with her toys. Once the waves subsided, her toys were floating in a spiral.

She started to exclaim, "Ring around rosie! Ring around rosie!" (Except she can't say her "R"s yet, so it was more along the lines of "wing wound wosie," which is kind of cuter.)

A few minutes later, she had her drenched washcloth draped over her head, dripping water down her face, thus, "Waning on you!" (Raining on you!)

Yes, "You" equals "me" and "Me" equals "Mommy". 'Cause that's how it makes sense in her head.

Unofficially

I took an unofficial break from pretty much all things blogs last week. I didn't write any. I only read a few (my Google reader had some 500 unread blogs that I sort of skimmed marked as read this past weekend). And I had a great week.

I've been getting up before 7 (most mornings) and having coffee, a good little quiet time, making something of a plan for the day, and usually doing a bit of exercise. Most mornings I can get all of this in before Lizzie wakes up. This is why I love it when my husband is on a routine that gets him up and out the door early in the morning, which also makes us ready to go to bed before midnight each night. All these things don't happen on a retail or unemployment schedule--or lack thereof.

Then during naptimes, I have been either getting in some reading or doing stuff around the house that needs to be done. Like de-cluttering. (Don't tell anyone but I actually borrowed and read through The Complete Idiot's Guide to Cleaning this week. I have 2 more weeks before I have to return it to the library, and I'm hoping I will actually implement at least some of it before taking it back.) But so far, I've just been trying to uncover the surfaces in our home. If I can find our furniture, I think I'll have a much better chance at maintaining a neat and peaceful home. At least for the next 2 months.

So, not much has been done in the realm of blogging.

However, I feel like it's a good time to give a brief update.

Lizzie is 23 months old. Almost 2. Sleeping in a big girl bed. Singing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" into a microphone. Parroting what she hears. Walking around the house with her shopping cart (with her baby doll or puppy dog sitting in the front basket), putting things into it, and saying, "Buy diss." She has cut the first of four of her 2-year molars, and seems to be working on the next one. She is mastering the art of manipulation by cuteness. She "helps" me sweep the floor, water the garden, and clean up. (The garden currently still has one cherry tomato, one cucumber, and now 4 (hopefully) lettuce seedlings.) She still can't say her "k" sounds. She says "wuv you" when she gives hugs. She seems to be catching on to the idea that she will be a big sister, and that there is a "bay-ee hiding" in Mommy's tummy.

Speaking of which, I am 32 weeks pregnant. There are only 8 weeks left to go, Lord willing. I'm really hoping there aren't 9 weeks left. I'll try not to complain about it too much, but I just have to say that I am still not the biggest fan of being pregnant. I had to break out the support hose on Sunday; it helped the insane swelling I've been having in my left foot/ankle/leg, but I'm not sure if it was worth it. Part of me would rather have swelling than wear nylons. I haven't taken a picture of my pregnant self in a while, though I know I should. If for no other reason than to see how my size compares to what I looked like at this point last time. I have a feeling I'm bigger.

Every once in a while I get concerned about giving birth again, but the other night, after seeing a video of a goat being born, I was considering that I was glad we deliver little, soft, human babies, rather than anything huge or with hooves. I'm pretty sure being a mother rhinoceros would be the worst thing ever. Most other babies don't grow their horns or antlers until they're older. Not so the rhinos.

My mom's book release party/signing went really well. Here are some pictures. It was a lot of fun, and it was a huge success, due largely to a fantastic turnout of friends from church.

I am strongly considering venturing out into a business. Ambitious, I know. Especially for someone who is expecting a second child, and is somewhat lazy. There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of risk, and there could be a fair amount of profit, even if I do get off to a slow start. We're praying about it, but for the most part we have peace.

Well, it's been about half an hour of nap time consumed here, and I have some more decluttering to do before I can feel like I crossed off much of significance on my To Do list today.

This may unofficially be my only post of this week. And I am OK with that.

The Results Are In! (20 weeks)

 We all went to my 20 week appointment this morning.  Sam held Lizzie and a camera while we watched the screen.  

Lizzie recognized emphatically that there was a "bayee" on the "puter" but didn't really make the connection that we were watching the baby in Mommy's belly.

Our second child has 2 arms that stayed up near the face during the whole ultrasound.  

We were waved at multiple times. 

 

 This little one has two cute little feet...

 

And two cute little legs...

And girl parts.

Lizzie has a baby sister!

Starting Again

I'm not really one of those people who is inspired to "start fresh" with every new year.  Maybe it has to do with not being obsessed with numbers, maybe it's from being homeschooled and now being a stay-at-home-mom, where I don't deal with a calendar quite the same way that I did when I worked.  Maybe I am a non-conformist and just can't bear to do what everyone else is doing.  Maybe I'm afraid to make a list of resolutions that I can't keep maintained. 

At any rate, this year I feel different about all that. 

It's probably because I am just now recovering from my first trimester (did you miss it?  We're expecting a new Chen in July!), complete with morning sickness and the head cold from the pit of hell.  It likely has something to do with Sam starting work this week (thank you, Jesus!).  Sam really loves his job, by the way.  He comes home excited about it every day.  It is such a blessing to have him happy about work, and to have him busy.  I loved having him home, but there is nothing quite like having the house feel like my domain again.

To start with, I'm blogging again, and this weekend I'm hoping to chart out a bit of a plan.  I couldn't pass on joining you Company Girls today.  This is especially true since I'm finally enjoying coffee again!

One thing I am surprised that I'm excited about is getting back to menu planning.  I slacked off totally when I was too sick to even think about food. 

This morning I actually sat down with a cookbook and figured out several recipes that I could convert to meals that could be prepared in advance and frozen.  It is exciting.  I'll have to figure out whether to do one mega-cooking day (or weekend), or just build up a supply gradually by doubling or tripling recipes and freezing the extras.  I may do a combination of the two.  Alicia's post about once-a-month cooking and planning really got me thinking I could do it. 

Last week I sat down with my copy of Square Foot Gardening and figured out when the last spring frost is, and made a timeline of when we could plant things.  I think I could start in March.  My dad said one of our friends has an extra SFG frame that would be available if I wanted it.  I said, "Yes, please!"  Now I just have to find a place in our yard that would get enough sun to make it worth while.

I have a couple of odd projects to work on for my mom.  Her book, When Sparrows Fall, is coming out in May, and I'll be helping her with some office paperwork, mailing lists, etc.  I have some assignments to get busy with, and I'm finally feeling capable of adding that to my weekly routine.


Happy 2011, everyone!  I hear the short person singing to herself in her crib, so it is time to post and move on. 

Top 10 Favorite Board Books

With a 16-month-old who enjoys the sound of ripping paper, our accessible book collection is very sturdy.

Additionally, with a 16-month-old who likes repetition, our book repertoire is fairly consistent.
With no further ado, for Top Ten Tuesday, here are Our 10 Favorite Board Books:

1. Caps For Sale, Esphyr Slobodkina

We read this at least once a day. And at random moments Lizzie will smirk, shake her finger in the air, and say "tsz, tsz, tsz!" Caps For Sale is especially wonderful when your child is obsessed with hats, monkeys, or foot-stamping, as mine is.


2. Gossie, Olivier Dunrea
"Gossie is a small yellow gosling who likes to wear her bright red boots. Every day." You don't know anyone who likes to do the same thing Every Day, do you? A few weeks ago I had a revelation from this book; it still impacts my heart when I read it.

3. Gossie & Gertie, Olivier Dunrea

Gertie is Gossie's friend, who follows Gossie, but not all the time. The catchphrase, "Follow me!" is useful when I want Lizzie to come along. Following Mommy is more fun when she relates it to the story.

4. Hippos Go Berserk, Sandra Boynton

We have borrowed this from the library multiple times. It has actually taught Lizzie some counting. She counts to two, and points out the numbers on the page while I read it.

5. Girl of Mine, Jabari Asim

This is the sweetest book, and it elicits hugs and soft cuddles every time I read it to Lizzie. When rocking her before bed I can make her literally melt as I quote: "Giggly, wiggly, precious pearl. I'm so glad that you're my girl!" We have had it from the library for nearly 6 weeks now, and I'm sure we will have to buy it ourselves, because we can't just keep it on perpetual renewal.

6. The Wheels On the Bus
I really can't find any info on this specific book... it just has the very annoying song, which I have abbreviated, and the pages have flaps. It is terrible. But she loves it, so I can't hide it from her, can I?

7. Where Is Baby's Belly Button? Karen Katz

My aunt sent the "Lift the Flaps" collection of Karen Katz's books, and they have been a hit. Belly Buttons are fascinating at the moment, so we like this one. Sadly, several flaps have been exuberantly severed from their pages.

8. Baby's First Bible

There are few more precious things than having a toddler who can barely speak asking to read the book about Jesus (using ASL for Babies' "book" and "Jesus").

9. The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle

Who can't love a caterpillar who eats one apple, two pears, three plums, four strawberries, five oranges, a sausage, a chocolate cake, a lollipop, swiss cheese, ice cream, a cupcake, a piece of cherry pie, a pickle, a slice of salami, and a piece of watermelon, then eats a green leaf and turns into a butterfly?

10. Pajama Time, Sandra Boynton

Sing-song rhythm, and it's all about getting pajamas on. "Jamma, jamma, jamma, jamma, P! J!" Anything that redirects toward bedtime is a winner in my book.

What are your favorites? They don't have to be board, they can be made of regular paper. You have to be very gentle with paper. No ripping. Very gentle.

Bibs

I just realized that we gave Lizzie her first bites of solid food A YEAR AGO.

It gave me a scare for a moment not unlike the moments in which you realize you can measure your life in DECADES.

We've come a long way. The first thing she ate was avocado. She loved it.

These days, Liz will eat almost anything except for avocado. The texture gets to her. I guess it reminds her of baby food. And she is such a big girl that she wants nothing to do with baby food.

Now she eats green beans. Whole. Frozen--especially when she's teething.

(Speaking of teething, we are almost done. Praise Jesus! The last incisor is through and is working its way into its position. Oh, the relief!)

Ever since teething began, along with the buckets of drool, bibs have been part of our daily routine.

Until recently, they have been wadded in one of the few drawers in the kitchen. The same drawer that holds the hot pads and towels and cloth napkins. And it's pretty small. You know how it is trying to cram too many things into one small drawer. It was frustrating, so I began not putting them away. That never helps the frustration level go down, because then they're just out where they don't belong.

Here is my solution:

This picture only shows two bibs hanging, for clarity's sake. Normally there are about a dozen. And the way this kid eats, we go through that many between laundry days.

They are now hanging on the wire shelving behind the door of the pantry. The bibs that clasp are wrapped around the wire.
The bibs that don't clasp--the kind you have to pull over the head like a t-shirt--are looped through a plastic link.

This has solved the bib problem!

Since I'm talking about bibs, and mentioned laundry, I also realized that bibs should be washed inside mesh lingerie bags. Even if you close all the Velcro tabs before you throw them in, there is no guarantee they won't catch on something you really didn't want to have frayed.

I'm giving the "Works for Me Wednesday" link up a whirl. Because I believe this will help more than just me.

So far I have linked up with 3 different sites this week. It is so much fun to meet new people through these sites. I don't know why I haven't tried to do this before!

Snow is coming?

I'm excited to see snow, if it actually makes its way here today. But before it comes, I want to run to the store - though not to buy the traditional Southern Snow Concoction of milk, eggs, and bread (actually, come to think of it, we could probably use more eggs before the end of the week) - to buy oatmeal, baby Motrin, a Valentine's Day card (or two), another bottle that flows fast enough to keep Lizzie happy (all the ones we have now are slow), and probably some kind of frozen pizza or easy meal of some sort to put in front of Anna for when she babysits for us on Saturday.

Tomorrow night is the beginning of the big "Jubilee Celebration" for Brother John, celebrating 50 years in the ministry! It is a huge hoopla, with hours and hours worth of planning, many out of town guests, real china, and special slide show and testimony presentations prepared. I'm really looking forward to it, if anything I'm looking forward to the night out with Sam, dressed up, and without hauling the baby with us!

I can't believe that I'm actually "that mother" who has never left my baby with a sitter yet! Yes, I have left her with my mom a few times, and with her daddy plenty of times, but never with a non-family member. Granted, I'm leaving her after she goes to bed, but still, it's a "first" and I seriously thought I'd leave her long before she was 8 months old, but I have surprised myself and not parted with her yet!

While Lizzie is napping, I do need to get a few things done: have a quiet time (why does that get pushed aside lately?), make sure there will be a bottle of milk available for Lizzie in case she wakes up while Anna is with her, empty the dishwasher and wash last night's dinner dishes, and try to guzzle a whole Liter of water. If I'm really industrious, maybe I'll exercise (on the Wii Fit again, since I somehow injured my knee after pulling a muscle in my back - overcompensating, maybe? I don't know), charge the camera battery and empty the camera memory card, since we will have to get footage of Lizzie's first experience with 1"-2" of snow, right?

*Edited to add a link to the pictures in the next post of all the snow!

Oh yeah, I forgot I have a blog!

Well, if it hasn't been 2 months since I've posted a blog entry! If it weren't for the Company Girl Coffee invitation every week, there's no telling whether I ever would have blogged again.

Since it's been so long, I will not try to update everything that's happened since then, because that would take too much time. And I think I hear Elizabeth crying. Yep, that's her.

Okay, I'll be back in a little while.

A few hours have passed and the kiddo is back asleep in her crib. She's been out for almost an hour, so I might have to do the 10 minute version here. But who wants to read the hour-long version anyway?

Lizzie (as we now call her) will be 8 months old on Monday (8th). She has accomplished quite a lot in the past 2 months:

• She is now a "speed racer" when it comes to crawling. Can't leave her alone for a second!
• She stands unassisted for several seconds at a time. In fact, she can stand longer than she thinks she can; while doing something with both hands she will stand for quite a while, but the moment she realizes that she's not holding on to something, she wobbles and sits down or grabs for support.
• She eats pretty much anything we give her. Except baby cereal; she hates that stuff. Last night she was eating small bites of chicken, rice, and sweet & sour red peppers. And loving every bite. Cheerios ("O's") and yogurt are her favorite things to eat. She drinks water/juice in a sippy cup.
• Her two bottom front teeth have come in and they're super cute. They make her smile that much more incredibly adorable.
• Lately she has taken to "growling" as her new method of communication. She woke up from her nap on Wednesday afternoon growling at the cats and dogs. Not sure where that came from, but it's downright hilarious!
• After borrowing a book from the library called "Baby Signing 1-2-3" which uses American Sign Language as the basis for teaching infants to communicate before they can talk, I have started teaching her some of the words a little person like herself would find important: milk, change, more, all done, fan (because she loves the ceiling fan), mommy, daddy, etc.
• She takes 2 good naps nearly every day. Her favorite time of day is bathtime right after dinner, and her least favorite time of day is going down for naps. We let her 'cry it out' because it's the only way she'll ever sleep. At bedtime she is very good and will sleep without any fuss.

As far as Sam and I go, things are pretty much the same.

I'm trying to figure out how to be a mom, wife, housekeeper, dog letter-outer, chef, and child of God every day. I realize that I waste far too much time on the computer doing stupid stuff like playing on facebook and my "born in June 2009" online forum. Then I complain because I didn't have time to have a quiet time or exercise or go to the store. Wah, wah.

I did come to the conclusion that I don't have to spend lots of time in "devotions," I just need to focus for a few minutes, and then have reminders through the day of that time. I also realized that I don't usually process things unless I'm writing it out. I suppose that's the way that I "meditate" or "ruminate" on what is before me. Sadly, I have hardly written anything in a long time, which kind of means that the depth of my spiritual walk has been puddle-like. But it's alright as long as I go somewhere from here.

At New Year's I decided that my "resolution" would be to run a 5K race before Lizzie's 1st birthday (in June). So far I have been able to exercise most days for the last two or three weeks. We have found a race we'll do on April 17th, Lord willing! Sam has been working out for months now, trying to get in shape and lose weight. I'd been struggling to get to the point where I could even take the 10 minutes to get on the treadmill or use the Wii Fit.

Do you know what my secret is to getting active again? I cut my hair all off. It's in a little "mom bob" now. See, the reason I wasn't working out is because I didn't want to sweat, because if you sweat, you have to wash your hair, and it takes too long to wash long hair, so it's not worth it. At least that's the way it went in my head.

Sam is working 4 days a week again at the HVAC company and we are thankful that he still has a job. He has his one last class to finish before he graduates, and then he'll never be in school again, hallelujah!

On Sunday we are hosting a Super Bowl party, and it sounds like we have a pretty good bunch of people coming over. It will be fun, and I don't know quite how we'll pull it off or where we'll all sit, but I'm glad we're doing it. I don't care anything about the game or who wins or any of that, but I do enjoy the commercials, and it's a great excuse to have friends come and snack for a few hours! With the baby, it's easier to invite people to come see us than it is to go out in the evenings when she goes to bed at 7 each night. That has lately put a damper on our social life, but we're figuring it out as we go along. It's a season, and this too, shall pass.

If I have time later I'll put up some pictures or give an update on our trip to Texas with the baby and the dog for Christmas. The short version is that it was a lot of fun and so worth the trip; it was also easier than we expected it to be - both Lizzie and Lady were excellent travelers. The grandparents were thrilled to spend a week with their little granddaughter, and we thoroughly enjoyed spending time with Sam's family.

For now, though, it's time for me to throw dinner together. This did turn into the long version, but it's a fairly good summary of what life looks like for now.

Three months!

I feel slightly in a daze at the moment, simply because I am sort of tired. It's time for the "afternoon pot" of coffee, except that I gave that up a long time ago. Maybe it's time for the 2nd liter of water, instead.

Things have been going well here. We just spent time with the family yesterday for Labor Day, which was fun. The Morrises were there, too, which made it more entertaining than just our immediate family. Sam and I were sort of surprised when we had eaten basically only one meal all day - a rather huge one, at that - and were still not hungry when we went to bed. We ate pretty steadily from three till five PM, though, which may explain things.

Today is Elizabeth's three-month birthday! It's hard to believe that she's been with us for three whole months. And at the same time it's hard to believe she hasn't been here with us forever.
Sunday night we put her in her crib to go to bed for the first time ever. Since she goes in there mostly asleep, she doesn't have a problem with it. Then when she wakes up (usually around 3 or 4) I move her into her play yard in our room. And then when she wakes up the second or third time (usually around 7 AM), I just drag her into bed with us, where she snoozes off and on for another hour or two. In all, she has been sleeping at least 6 hours at a time at night, then another 3-4, plus 1-2. This is wonderful, and we thank God for her capacity to sleep at night.

Elizabeth's day-time sleep capacity is another story. I have learned to accept the fact that she sleeps no longer than 30 minutes at a time during the day. It's just the way it is, and as soon as I came to terms with that (it took me until she was 10 weeks old), I was much less stressed, since I had different expectations. Now when she sleeps longer (like 45-60 min) at a time, I am almost beside myself.

Right now, I should be making a grocery list and planning meals for the rest of the week. But since Elizabeth is in one of her naps (in her crib, I might add), I feel like it's more worth my time to record a bit about her progress as a little person. The grocery shopping will probably not get done today, anyway, so why stress? If anything, I can put her down at 9 tonight, and run out then.

Over the last few days, we have discovered that walking with the stroller outside is a secret weapon in getting E to fall asleep without nursing. On Friday she and I met Sam for lunch, and after lunch, I decided to stop in to Old Navy. While I walked through the parking lot, and then through the store, E kept getting more and more sleepy, and within about 15 minutes, she was out. So, like any sane woman, I took full advantage of the opportunity, and tried on jeans! Glory to God, I found a pair that fit wonderfully, and they are the same size I wore before she was born (albeit a slightly different shape). The same thing happened on Saturday when we went to a wedding shower for a couple at church. Elizabeth had come to the end of her rope, so I took her outside in the stroller and walked around the building a time and a half. By the time we had cooled off the car and were ready to leave, she was sleeping again.
So today we took advantage of the concept by talking a walk around the neighborhood this morning. She enjoyed the fresh air and the sights, and by the time we got back after 20 minutes, she was asleep.

Two weekends ago (Aug 29th-ish) she laughed for the first time. She had been doing a sort of squeal, which you can't really count as a laugh. This one was a full giggle: "heh-heh-heh-hehhh." Kisses make her giggle. And blowing on her chest or belly will also do the trick.

She is very good at grabbing things with her hands now; she can pull toys to her mouth, and she strains and reaches toward things that are out of her reach, especially things on the table when we sit with her on our laps. Today she was all about the allen wrench on the table while we ate lunch. We also set her in her Bumbo seat next to a fridge pack of Cokes, and she played with the box. It had a loose flap, so she maniuplated it happily for at least 7 minutes. Stuffed animals, especially a light tan puppy who jingles, are favorite toys, and she will talk to them, and lick them and smile when they "kiss" her mouth.

Elizabeth now almost entirely refuses to be reclining; she has to be sitting upright. No more of that business of laying back on my knees. Instead she pulls herself forward and wants to sit up. Because of this, we have put away her bouncy/rocker seat, and have replaced it with her Exersaucer. We call this thing her "command station" because of the way it sits her in a cockpit of sorts. She holds herself up on her feet, turning herself to play with different toys on the different sides of the "station". Sometimes her turning is accidental, but for the most part, she is very good at being in command of what she plays with. The funniest thing is that she can go around the toy a couple of times playing with its different parts before she gets bored with it. The joy of no object permanence yet is that every time she sees a different side, it's a new toy. Oh, wow, this toy is over here!

Smiling is probably Elizabeth's favorite thing to do. She smiles at faces, whether they are real people, pictures of babies, her reflection in a mirror or car window, cartoon shapes of baby faces, stuffed animals, or the dogs or cats. She loves faces. In the last few days, she has taken to smiling at Jessa, and if we're close enough, she will reach forward and pet her. Jessa has no concept that this is a human being, from whom food may be begged in the future. Oh, but she will learn.

With all of these amazing milestones, it is not hard to be more and more infatuated with this little girl. So of course, Sam and I can't keep telling each other and everyone about how wonderful she is. We're quite smitten.

Two Weeks

I can't believe she's 2 weeks old.
Here she is posing like a glamor girl.

She also slept pretty much through the night last night--from 1 until 8 AM. In fact, I had to wake her up this morning. After I took a shower, had a quiet time, and ate breakfast. Amazing. Had we not prayed over her sleep, I'm sure she wouldn't have left us peacefully alone for so long.

E is stirring from her nap now, and I am almost done eating lunch.
I kind of can't wait for her to get up so I can feed her again, because I'm watching The Sound of Music while I feed her, and I'd forgotten how much fun that movie is. I did watch a whole bunch of it while she was not eating, but I am figuring that's almost as restful as a nap, so it's completely justifiable.

Camp of Champions Mississippi started this week, and it has been especially on my heart this year. Maybe it's because I'm at home this summer and not distracted by work. They're almost done playing kickball and will head to the cafeteria in just a few minutes. I have that schedule so memorized....

Sam was saying last night how the only thing he doesn't really like about camp is the full week of sleep deprivation, but since now our lives run on about as much sleep as what we got at camp, we'd probably do far better than we ever had. In fact, if we slept for 6 hours straight, we may actually be more rested than at home.

Phone call... I'm off.

Birth Story (with all the gory details)

On Monday I went in for my scheduled induction, at around 6:30 AM. It took a little while to fill out paperwork and get settled in, so it was about 8:30 or 9 before the induction actually started.
They installed a foley catheter into the cervix to dilate it (I arrived at about 1.5 cm and about 50% effaced, just like I'd been at my last checkup), and I got an IV for the Penicillin (Group B Strep positive) and to get the Pitocen going. Then we settled in expecting a long day. I started feeling the contractions as fairly strong and uncomfortable by 10 or 11, but not bad. My family came in to visit, and I was able to talk to them, which actually distracted me pretty well.

When we got to the hospital, we prayed that every contraction would accomplish something, and God definitely heard my prayer! We went into this with the mindset that we don't know what will happen, or how well I'll tolerate the pain, so we were open to whatever pain management we felt was necessary, but would see how it went without any intervention, and take it from there.

We sent my parents out around 11:30 so I could get up to go to the restroom without their having to see my behind through my beautiful hospital gown. As I got up, we discovered that my water had broken, or it broke just as I was moving off the bed. Once that happened, obviously the catheter had done its job, so I was at least 3-4 cm dilated by this time.

Because my water had broken, we asked if they could decrease the Pitocen dosage and they said it was a possibility once we could tell the contractions were steady and regular. Around noon they did halve the Pit dosage. The contractions were getting to the point that I had to breathe and really concentrate through them.

I labored mostly on the bed, on one side or the other; at one point I got on the birth ball (which didn't help a whole lot), and another time I got on all fours on the bed, which was pretty good for a while until I got pretty tired.

At around 3:30 I asked to try to labor in the tub, since it was an option (it even had jets, which I probably would have enjoyed a whole lot more had I not been in labor). In order to do that, I would have to not be hooked to an IV, so because my contractions were still going strong, we asked if we could take off the Pitocen altogether, and they said it was fine, but if they stopped, we'd go back to it. It took quite a while for the tub to fill up, and once I got in, it was pretty nice, but the contractions there killed, since I had to be on my back to be in the water enough to do any good. So that didn't last very long.

When I got back into the bed, my midwife (who was awesome in every way - I am so grateful for the entire staff who worked with us while we were there) measured me, and I was at 5 cm and 90%! Things were happening. At that point, I was ready to ask for the epidural, but my husband (who was also wonderful through the whole process) suggested I try an IV drug first, to take the edge off the peak of the contractions. I was up for that, and I'd see how it goes, and if it didn't cut it for me, then I could go to the epi.

Somewhere around that time one of my best friends came in to the room to see how we were doing. We hadn't planned on her being with us, but it turned out to be so wonderful that she came, because she was able to help and offer support and take pictures at the end.

The IV drug (Nubain?) didn't appear to take the edge off, because they kept coming strong and hard. I was just taking deep breaths and slowly exhaling/moaning/sighing as my mode of trying to live through the contractions. In each breath I was also praying out in the Spirit, which helped me stay calm and I'm sure helped in more ways than that. But it was still labor, so I asked for the epidural. They'd have to check my progress first, and so we waited for the midwife to come back from down the hall where she had another delivery (we were neck and neck the whole time). At some point they asked me if I was beginning to feel the urge to push, and I said that I was trying to keep a BM in. The nurse looked at me with big eyes and called the midwife in faster. When she checked me, I was complete, and ready to push!

Apparently the reason that the IV narcotic drug didn't seem to be working is that I was in transition the whole time, so the "hard" contractions I was feeling were really my majorly intense contractions, and they felt about the same as they had before! I didn't get an epidural, of course, since the worst was already pretty much past.

I pushed and pushed for about an hour. It surprised us at how long we were stuck at the crowning phase. Her head
Finally at 6:33, they told me to bring my hands down there; they hadn't told me why, so I did, and all of a sudden, there was a slimy, squishy mass in my hands - my baby!
She was 7 lbs 13 oz, measuring 20.5 inches; scored 8 and 9 on her Apgar score, and was flailing her arms straight out of the womb. She had one hand raised right next to her head as she came out, which contributed to my getting 2 tears (a 2nd degree in the back, and a 1st degree in the front) that had to be stitched up. So my labor was actually only about 9-1/2 hours long, and I didn't have an epidural. We are so aware of the kindness and faithfulness of our God to help and answer our prayers.

We got home on Wednesday afternoon, and have been adjusting to our new life. We are completely in love with her, and can't go more than 20 minutes without saying, "she's so beautiful." She is a happy baby, who has her nights and days mixed up... but we still love her.

Elizabeth Hosanna

She's here!

We are in love...




Born 6/8
Weighing 7 lb 13 oz
Measuring 20.5"
Completely adorable and perfect in every way.

40 weeks and counting

So here I am at 40 weeks, 1 day, and no signs of labor. At my appointment this afternoon I was 1 cm dilated, about half-way effaced, and Elizabeth's head is at -2 station; this means she's lodged pretty solidly in the pelvis and is well on her way to heading out. When she gets to a positive number station, I'll probably be at the hospital. Her head is farther forward than the cervix, which is still not facing the birth canal, but with contractions (which I only rarely have or at least rarely notice) it will turn and open and soften and be where it needs to be. I have another appointment on Thursday, assuming I don't have a baby at that point yet, and if necessary, we'll schedule an induction for sometime next week then.

Surprisingly, I'm actually mostly fine with still being pregnant. Part of it may be that I'm more able to be prepared, because we have had all of these 'extra' days. We have a fairly clean house. The bag is (finally) packed. Sarah has instructions for dog/cat/house-sitting whenever we take off for the hospital. I have all the parts to assemble breakfast burritos and breakfast sandwiches to make ahead and freeze for Sam to take to work in the mornings. Besides making breakfasts for the next few weeks, one of my goals for tomorrow is to do my nails and redo my toenails. It's fun to have the opportunity to do somewhat unnecessary things.

That reminds me that I will still have to make Sam's lunch for tomorrow. I don't mind doing it, but at the end of the day when my feet are already swollen (seriously they're about as wide at my ankles as my calves are in the middle), taking the time to do it is just not something I enjoy. And the poor guy is so tired of sandwiches already.

Anyways, here is a picture of myself and 2 other prego friends yesterday afternoon at the church-wide picnic/graduation party (I'm in the middle):

The Update

This was the text of an email I sent to friends earlier this week:

I thought I'd send you an email while the baby is being quiet ... since she's still inside. :) She's due on Sunday, but of course, that doesn't mean much of anything. We are getting ready for her to come, which is really exciting and fun, and a little crazy sometimes. We'll name her Elizabeth, and the middle name we haven't told anybody yet, but I believe God gave me that name when I was at camp last summer.

So life is pretty busy these days. Sam just started work (last Monday) at the same HVAC company he'd worked with in the fall semester. This time instead of being in the office, he is working outdoors with a crew, starting at 7 AM, hammering air ducts together, measuring out drawings, and going up and down countless flights of stairs. He comes home dog tired every day. The project he's working on now (and will be until they move on to a different project, or till his summer work program finishes in August) is near GA Tech, which lately has been an ugly place to be, because of a whole lot of violent crime, and fun stuff like stolen vehicles (even one of the guys he's working with had his car stolen recently while at that project). So that is kind of exciting, and it is causing us to depend on God to keep us and our property safe. It has been kind of weird for me to be at home on my own while he's been at work this last week, after so many months of his being home most of the time, too. He had been in school and working, of course, but he had fewer hours in the week that he was gone. With him out of the house so much, and me feeling more and more large and tired as the days go by, I am somewhat embarrassed to admit that I'm not motivated to do much of anything, though I guess in the last couple of weeks of pregnancy there's not always a lot of motivation to do much, so I shouldn't be too surprised.

We've gotten the baby's room (i.e., the guest room/nursery) set up, and have a little bed set up in our room for the first little while when we're trying to adjust to life with an infant. This week I'm going to hit the store and make sure we have all that we need, and we'll install the car seat in the Suburban (yes, we're buying my parents' Suburban - it seems to make sense for us right now). Anyways, at home group a week or two ago, a couple of the guys were looking at Sam and saying, "Poor guy, so innocent and excited. He has no idea what he's in for; he won't know what hit him."

At this point I'm kind of tired of being pregnant. I've been fortunate to have had a good pregnancy (though it started out pretty rough in the first couple of months), and I've really only just gotten to the point that I'm ready for it to be over in the past week. I am grateful that I have been fairly comfortable until recently - and I am still able to sleep pretty well, I'm not getting tons of contractions that aren't meaning anything, and I can still get around pretty well. But my back hurts if I sit, and my feet and up almost to my knees swell if I stand; I am pretty exhausted most of the time, and sometimes the thought of doing something as simple as hanging up clothes makes me want to cry. From an outside perspective, it's actually pretty funny, but in the moment, it's just pathetic. It may have a lot to do with our waking/sleeping schedule changing now that Sam is getting up early, and I'm getting up to pack his lunch, etc., and once I'm up, the dogs are up, and if I'm up, I may as well stay up..... Just being exhausted could have a lot to do with my lack of enthusiasm for this last brief period of just the 2 of us. Speaking of the 2 of us, we have now been married for 4 years, if you can believe it! It's funny how simultaneously it seems that we couldn't have been married that long, but also that we've just always been married, haven't we?

Because of the recent influx of young couples with (or expecting) young children, we had the privilege of having Keith & Patricia Currie come up and do a marriage and parenting seminar a weekend or two ago. It was great to see them and to receive from them. They have such a wealth of wisdom and of common sense. I think I took about 10 pages of notes - literally. Now the tricky part is going to be remembering and applying the things that are timely for whatever season we're in.

My family's doing well. When Dad was working on a painting project several weeks ago, the ladder he was on collapsed and he broke his left wrist. He should be able to get the brace off of it in the next couple of weeks. It's hard for him to be idle, so he's already been working on stuff, which of course he shouldn't be doing, and we hope that nothing he's been doing will interfere with his wrist healing properly. Fortunately it was his left, and he's right handed, so at least he can still write, eat, drive, etc., without too much trouble.
Mom is still writing, and just sent a great story to her great agent, who is presenting it to several editors.... We're praying one of them - or two of them - will bite.
Older Brother's got one last semester of school (i think it's just the one), and he's starting a small advertising or marketing business - helping local businesses advertise to new residents. We hope that will be profitable for him, too.
Younger Brother is about to graduate high school, and then do .... what? I don't know. But I didn't know then, either. Anyways, they're doing really well. He is at the beach with his best friend's clan this week, and he's so excited about the baby coming that he is willing to drive back whenever I go into labor if it happens before Saturday when they're scheduled to come back, just so he won't miss it. I had no idea he would do that, but I think that's so sweet.
They are all excited about the new addition to the family, my dad especially. He stops in the stores when he sees little Asian babies, girls especially, all enraptured by the thought of his little granddaughter. He will be a total pushover of a grandparent. It's really cute.

These days I think we're doing fairly well. The Spirit is stirring up many in our church in the past little while, and my heart is also being drawn along. But I'm kind of in my, "what do I need to do, to do the works that God requires?" phase, forgetting that the answer to that question is, "believe in the One he has sent," not something that I have to "do." That is such a relief for someone exhausted most of the time, anticipating more of the unknown immenently to come in the next few weeks. But at the same time, I know that involved in there are some basics, like - open the word, take the few minutes of concentrated attention to pray, and be willing to do what I'm prompted to do because of what I can believe of Him....

And it's actually been quite a blessing to have Sam get up and out the door early again, so that I am awake and have opportunity to get up and have a quiet time. I know I should take advantage of it when I can. So my spirit has been hungry and provoked and encouraged - but in that place of causing me to be discontent with my heart's condition, so on top of the raging hormones and the stress of impending major life changes, I've been a little bit of a challenge to live with these last couple of weeks. But Sam is doing quite well with my little episodes of crying fits. He also knows to offer me food when that happens. He has been a fast learner.

That is what life looks like from my perspective lately. I can't believe it's been so long since I've written, so I am glad to have gotten this out to you finally.

I may not post another update for a while - but when I do, it'll be a heck of an update!

Coffee Time :)

Well, it's not morning anymore, but coffee sure would be nice around now. I'm drinking lemonade (the mix kind, though), so if you'd like some of that, I can mix up some for you, too. While you're here, take a gander at the booty I brought home the other day for my baby's room (the post below).

It's quite calm here this afternoon. Sam is napping, the old dog is also napping, and the young dog won't nap, so she is rearranging the back yard, disassembling the stack of firewood, piece by piece, from the back porch into the lawn. I think she believes it's her current mission. There are worse things she could be doing, so we don't see it as a real problem. All dogs need a job, right? This is hers. The cats are alternately napping and exploring quietly.

The first day of spring is actually very much like spring. It's probably close to 70 F out there, and sunny, and there's a nice little breeze coming through. We took Lady for a walk before lunch, which we all needed. Sam needed some physical exercise to help him get back to his workout routine after over a week of being sick. I needed to get my circulation going, so maybe my foot won't swell so badly today. Lady needed to expend some energy somewhere.

The rest of the afternoon I plan to get a little bit of housework accomplished (not much, just enough to keep me slightly ahead of the game), then mix up some cupcakes for home group tonight.

I'm excited to be going to home group again; we'd taken a hiatus back before Christmas, and it took our group a while to reconvene. This is the first night we'll be getting together formally, and we have no plan as of yet, but that's fine, because the Holy Spirit has a plan.

Tomorrow I'm off to a baby shower for a friend's baby girl, who is due about 3 weeks before I am. I picked up a pack of diapers and a couple of onsies for her - one says "Does this diaper make my butt look big?" and I couldn't resist buying it! I need to wrap all that stuff up today so I don't make us late in the morning. It's going to be about an hour's drive to get there, so I'm not excited about the distance, but I am looking forward to the company on the drive.

I'm getting hungry again; I think it's time to make cupcakes.... The sooner I make them, the sooner I can sneak one. :)

Registering

Today (if we get around to it), we will finally go to Babies 'R' Us and do our in-store baby registry. We have been researching all the big things, and have them pretty well nailed down (stroller, car seat, high chair, bedding, etc.), but for all the little stuff, we are going to wander the store like a couple of deer in headlights with one of those little guns. I'm sure we'll have a blast - as long as I have lunch first.

I've been feeling a tad bit under the weather the last few days, with a runny or stuffy nose, but at least it's nothing worse. I can deal with it.

Anyways, that's the update for the day; check out the 2 posts below, because they're kind of more fun than this one.

Oh, yeah, while we're visiting, I want to ask you ... those of you who are moms, what do you remember having for your babies that were, in your opinion, the greatest thing since sliced bread?