Monday, March 31, 2008

Still waiting....

Sorry to those who called today to check on the baby status and with whom I was slightly grouchy with. It's not you...it's me. This morning I started off on the wrong side of the bed to begin with. The weather didn't help either. I go to bed hoping that maybe I will go to labor in the middle of the night and when I wake up in the morning and haven't, it takes me a little bit to adjust. No excuses for my grumpiness though, so I'm sorry. I'm good now, so feel free to call. :-)

Right now, I have no thoughts about going into labor tonight and I am beginning to be OK with that. I have an MD appt. tomorrow morning at 9:30 and from there will hopefully have more information about what my doctor wants to do now that I'm overdue. I would still like to go naturally if at all possible, but am not opposed to induction if necessary.

We have a friends birthday dinner tonight at 7pm that we are going to try to go to and then there is our lifegroup party tomorrow night if nothing has happened by then.

Thanks to Becky C. for coming over this afternoon and distracting me for a few hours. It was nice to chat and catch up. I need to keep making plans so that I can stay busy while waiting.

Lord, keep me from being whiny at this last stage. We just desire a healthy baby to be born in the perfect time. If that has to be April Fool's Day...so be it. :-) Help me to wait patiently in you.

Sunday, March 30, 2008

Still pregnant

It's 8:42pm on Sunday evening. I am still pregnant. I am a lot more uncomfortable today. I've had no contractions. Today is my due date. How many more simple sentences can I include in this blog?

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Labor

As I am awaiting the arrival of this new little one, I have been given some time to muse...and last night's musing was on the word "labor" in conjunction with delivering babies. It's funny because "labor" is such a mild word to describe the literal gut-wrenching pain you feel during childbirth. Having gone through it before, I remember it being pretty darn painful. Yet, here I am ANXIOUS to go into labor...even a little frustrated because I am NOT in labor.

It struck me as funny that I, who despises pain of any kind, am looking forward to this kind of labor (read:torture). But here's the gist...at the end of this laborious time period, I will hold in my hands a most precious gift...and it makes all the toil, pain, and yes, "labor" seem insignificant in comparison.

I think about the yearning to be in that pain so that I can receive the reward at the end. It would seem like I am sucking down crazy juice. But let's get serious for a moment. I see many parallels into my own spiritual life...except I am usually not so excited to go through the pain because I can't always see the reward at the end. It's rare that God allows us to go through something painful without having something at the end that shows "why".

In this case, yes, I am looking forward to the serious pain of labor, because I know that at the end of it (and there WILL be an end) that I will meet the little person who God has created to be a part of our family.

Anytime now Lord...

Friday, March 28, 2008

High School Musical 2- Dance-A-long

Jonelly, Mindy, Abby, and Jules...I totally wish you were here to watch HSM 2 with me tonight. It's the dance-a-long where they teach you the moves. It brings back many happy memories of our silly dancing session during the HSM marathon this summer.

Jonelly, I almost called tonight to tell you about it. However, I realized that you are at the women's conference and would probably answer because you thought I had baby news. I can imagine ministry time being thwarted because I HAD to tell you about the HSM 2 dancing. I really need to have this baby...if this is what I have to look forward to. :-)

For everyone else, and if you hadn't already gathered...we had a High School Musical Party at my house at the end of summer last year. It was a fun time and we got pretty silly towards the end, totally "dancing" to the music. It was a great workout and probably one of the best nights of silliness and fun I had had in a long long while.


Friday Fun

It's been a fairly uneventful day. I spent most of the day cleaning and doing laundry. Aside from the laundry, the house is a mess again because I am watching the Riv-man for a little bit...and having two toddlers in the house just lends itself to toys everywhere. Ryan (River's dad) got me a peanut butter cup blizzard on his way over...a total craving these days. Now, the boys are settling down watching Toy Story. It's cute to watch them now because they are really starting to interact with one another. It's fun, but it also means a few squabbles here and there. I'm glad that Noah has such a good friend in River.

We were hopeful that today would be the day. I got my weekly email update from Baby Center saying...you are 40 weeks. You are due! Yep, sure am. The funniest part is that I feel great. I don't know if I am adjusting to being uncomfortable or what. Don't get me wrong, I still have moments of sciatica and uncomfortableness, but on the whole, I am feeling pretty good for being this pregnant. Dave thinks he'll just stay in there for awhile. Who knows anymore.

Dave is at work tonight and Noah and I have to run some stuff to him later. We went for a walk earlier and played at the park. It was sunny, although not that warm. It's been a pretty good day. We'll see what this kid has planned for us (if anything) this weekend.

Off to go get River and Noah some snacks and then to pack up the stuff that Dave needs. Have a great Friday everyone.

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Swimming

Dave took Noah swimming at the pool today while I got the opportunity to take pictures and some video. Noah is such a water baby! He's gotten pretty confident in his abilities and prefers swimming by himself and jumping in himself (with the use of the lifejacket and daddy nearby). I can't seem to get the video to work, but I'll try to post a few pics:


Baby Update

Really, again there is nothing to update. Went to the MD again yesterday. Not dilated. We went for a walk yesterday to try and get things going, but still no dice. He'll come when he's ready. I have another appt. scheduled for Tuesday if I don't go sometime over the weekend (I am technically due on Sunday). We're taking it easy the next few days. Dave is at Thorntown this morning, but it shouldn't be a long day. They scheduled him lighter in case the baby made an early debut. Noah is watching his dog movie "101 Dalmations". He LOVES this movie. I only allow him to watch it once per day in lieu of his other cartoons. But, for me its a nice hour or so to wake up and get moving. So, here I go...

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Top Ten Tuesday- Top ten ways you know you're ready to Pop

1) NOTHING fits right anymore.
2) Your belly button sticks out like a turkey button declaring to the world. "I'm done!".
3) Mentally, you are as prepared as you can be.
4) He's head down and ready to go.
5) You need a road map to navigate the stretch marks on your belly.
6) Your husband asks everyday, "So, can you have this baby today?" Sure dear...I'll get right on that.
7) You start shopping for post maternity clothes just because you hope that you will not always have elastic on your pants.
8) The preggo waddle is out in full force.
9) Moving from positon to position takes too much work and staying on the couch seems so much more probable.
10) You're ready to meet the little person that has taken up residence for 9 months and see who God has designed him to be.

Lord, we pray that he would come in your perfect time...but whenever you're ready...so are we. :-)

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Mental Pictures

I wish I could be honest and say that I have been ready for this baby to come for weeks now. On the outside, I felt that way (any woman who has been 9 months pregnant can attest to being uncomfortable). However, emotionally, I have had mixed feelings. Part of me is not ready to let him out of the womb because he's hung out there for the last 9 months. It's bittersweet because although I am uncomfortable much of the time, it's also the most incredible feeling having something move and grow inside you. I know that our lives are going to change (yes for the better), but change none-the-less when he makes his debut. Noah will no longer be the only child...etc. etc. It happened a little bit when I was pregnant with Noah, those final weeks where it all comes to a culmination right before the big performance. At that time, my friend Melinda came and we just prayed over the baby and all the different things..and I went into labor that night and all was well.

This time has looked slightly different. I feel that there has been more to prepare for mentally and emotionally. But yet, God is so faithful and has allowed me to work through these things prior to our new son's birth. Allow me to explain:

Melinda came last week and we prayed for awhile about the baby and that was good.

God really has given me a peace about not knowing what his middle name will be until he's born. We keep deliberating and are not set on anything, but it has been stressing me out. There's more to the story, but that's all I'll go into. Anyway, Dave prayed over me one overly emotional evening and since then I have felt much better about it.

Yesterday, Noah woke up too early from his nap. So, when I went in there, he just snuggled with me. I ended up taking him back to my room where I was reading a book. We cuddled for awhile and I realized that he had fallen back asleep on me. I sat there for an hour and a half just snuggling with him, while reading a tremendous book on God's mercy and grace, especially with children. I wept through the end of it and just held him. It was one of those moments where I didn't have the camera, but I had to take a mental picture. I felt like God really gave me that time with Noah as a gift, especially as this new little one will take up a lot of my time initially. It was nice to snuggle my big kid for just a little while longer. He's growing up so fast and I know those moments are fleeting. Thanks God for giving me that time yesterday.

I also got to take a preggo belly shot with my friend Abby, who is also pregnant. She is due in June and we have enjoyed being pregnant at the same time. I was hoping that we would be able to do this before I went into labor, and indeed...we were. :-)

So, I realize it seems silly, but I really feel more mentally prepared to have this munchkin now. God's timing is perfect. Keep telling me that though if I am overdue!
Still no baby for those of you wondering.

Happy Easter everyone! We celebrated it yesterday with Noah. We're not sure how much we are planning on playing up the Easter Bunny, but we let him search for eggs and gave him a small basket of goodies. One of which, a bubble gun from Walmart, was complete junk and never worked from the get go. I won't comment further.

Dave is at work this morning and Noah and I are getting ready for church. We're a little bummed that he has to work on Easter Sunday, but that's life married to an ER Vet I guess. Anyway, as of today I am a week away from my due date. I am definitely feeling the ticking time bomb feeling. I just wonder when its finally going to detonate. :-)

I wish I had more interesting things to report, but alas, no. Hope that you all have a wonderful Easter! Noah and I talked about the significance of the resurrection today while I was changing his diaper. All he had to say about it was, "dog!". Not sure how that connected, probably didn't. But, someday soon I am hoping to have some really cool Jesus talks with him. Happy Easter everyone!

Friday, March 21, 2008

I-pod Recovered!

I just found my i-pod in the pocket of Dave's jacket (which I had apparently borrowed). Hooray! I'm so glad that its recovered! Praise Jesus!

Garage Sales!

Well, let me backtrack just a bit:

My good friend Melinda came into town Tuesday through Thursday. We had a wonderful time together solving the world's spiritual problems, watching movies, and talking about our favorite book series (The First Born Series by Karen Kingsbury). She also watched Noah while I had my Dr. appt and prayer on Wednesday night. It was super great to have her here.

Last night, Abby and Rocky watched Noah so that Dave and I could catch Juno (The last night for it was yesterday in our town). It was cute. Dave wasn't so thrilled with it, but he was a good sport. He also out of the blue surprised me with Mary Kay's Satin lips. Apparently one of his techs is now selling Mary Kay and he decided to get me something to pamper myself. It was SUPER sweet of him. Good job honey!

OK, now on to garage sales. I hit 2 garage sales this morning. The first one had really cute baby stuff but was WAY over priced. I still ended up buying a onesie for the new baby and a shirt for Noah just so that I could say I actually garage saled. There was also one on our street as we were coming home. Noah ended up with an oversized batters helmet, which he wouldn't take off. The funny story there is he couldn't see as we were walking to the van and walked right INTO the van! :-) I cleaned it up once we got home and he is loving his new "hat". I also found Dave a couple pairs of mesh shorts for the summer. Yea for garage sale season! It's finally here!

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Baby Update

Disclaimer: Talk of womenly things included in this post. Read at your own discretion.

Well, not much to report. I was an hour early for my appt today (thinking it was 2 instead of 3) so Dave and I waited and waited. Everything looks fine, but I'm not really dilated at all. This is pretty much the same way that it was with Noah. Nothing, nothing...then GO! It also means that I am not really hopeful of going too early. His head is way down though, (I could have told her that) so at least he is not breach. Really, that's about it. I'm going to go ahead and make plans for next week. If anyone wants to come over on Monday and watched Enchanted with me, let me know. I bought it yesterday. :-)

Dave Update

I don't have much more conclusive news, except that Dave really likes the doctor Frank referred him to. The doctor took another chest x-ray, which was pretty clear. They both agreed that Dave was not able to get his peak intake of breath. However, since Dave was feeling relief from the ibuprofen, he put him on basically a mega ibuprofen. He thinks this might be the tail end of something viral and that Dave's lungs are irritated and that might be what is causing the pain. So, basically the meds are an antiinflammatory to help give them relief while they heal on their own. I'm sure there are more technical explanations, but that is the best that I understand it. Dave came home yesterday from his appt and slept until he had to go back to work. I called to check on him last night. He was swamped with patients, but said that he was feeling OK. We'll see what this morning brings when he comes home.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

It's all about who you know...

Well, Dave's chest pain and headache's have been persistent this last week. He has taken antibiotics for a week now with no change and has been on ibuprofen steadily as well. He notices when the ibuprofen wears off. We're still not sure what's wrong, but are feeling the crunch. He wants to get better before we have this kid and I can't say that I blame him.

He went to the Immediate Care Center last weekend, but we have yet to find a good Family Practitioner here in town. Our friend, Frank, who is in our life group works through the hospital. So, Dave contacted him for a good doctor. Frank gave him the name of one. However, when I went to call this morning, they told me that they were not accepting new patient appts. until the end of April. Well, Dave needs to be seen sooner. So, I called Frank with the list the nurse gave me of other doctors to try and left a message. He called me back and asked if Dave could make a 2:00 appt today with the original doctor. I said, "YES!". Apparently, Frank had walked down and chatted with the nurse and got it all set up. It sure is nice to know the right people to get something done.

THANKS FRANK!

So, Dave is heading in this afternoon. If you're wondering why I am playing secretary and setting up an MD appt for a 28 year old man, it's because he is currently at Thorntown dealing with his own appts. and can't actually do it himself. Trust me, if he were at home, he would be making the calls himself. :-)

Full Moon?

Yesterday was the weirdest day. :-) It started off fairly normal. Noah had pottied through the bed, so we started our morning a little earlier (but not by much). Dave came home from work and snuggled with Noah for awhile during the Backyardigans ("Back" as Noah likes to call them). Then Dave went to sleep off the night at work and Noah and I had our normal morning routine. We went over to Carlyle's and met with Becky and Caed. Becky and I are starting "The Screwtape Letters". Not an easy read, but it brings about some fun and interesting discussions. Here's where it gets weird...Noah was actually pretty well behaved. I'm usually reprimanding him up and down to not get into various things or to actually share toys with Caed, etc. When it was time to go, Becky handed him back his movie and he told her "Tank You" without even being prompted. (As a mom, I was SO proud!). He got home and ate lunch fairly well (another shocker) and didn't fight nap time at all (this is not too uncommon. He is doing much better these days about staying in bed during nap and night time). When he woke up, he dumped out his toys from the basket that I had just picked up so that I can vacuum. I asked him, as I was walking from the room, to please pick them up. When this happens, it usually NEVER happens on the first go and I have to come back in and ask him to do it repeatedly. HOWEVER, as I came back into the living room, half of his toys were in the basket! I almost cried out in glee! I praised him up and down for listening to mommy and gave him a high five! I know, I know...this is what we are supposed to expect from your kids. When it actually happens though, it feels like one of God's great miracles.

The day moved on from there of Noah being pretty obedient the first time around. There were not many battles. I decided that I wanted corned beef yesterday since it was St. Patty's day. Since Dave doesn't like eating it, he agreed to take me to get it instead of me making a big one for only me to eat. So, we went to McAllister's Deli where I had a wonderful corned beef sandwich. Noah, who rarely ever eats when we eat out, actually sat and ate most of his food. Dave and I just stared at each other across the table as if to say, "Are you seeing this?". I hope it's a sign of things to come and not just a fluke...but after fighting the battles of the terrible twos, it's nice to have a reprieve and victory every once in awhile!

I felt like pumping my fist in the air and yelling, "YES!!!" all evening.

Monday, March 17, 2008

Noah Bean

This is my favorite picture of Noah from the weekend. It's not Wordless Wednesday, but I just wanted to post it out there since I liked it so much:

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Super Saturday

Yesterday was super busy, but a lot of fun:

Easter Egg Hunt: Our neighborhood had its annual Easter Egg Hunt yesterday. Our friend, Ryan, was the Easter Bunny this year. His son, River, and Noah are best buds so we all went to the hunt together. Grandma and Grandpa Yenerich also came to watch the festivities. The whole thing was finished in about 20 minutes, but it was fun. I wasn't in charge this year, which was great. Noah understood the concept of collecting eggs and went to town. It was pretty cute. More pictures are uploaded onto facebook.


Frank and Sheena's Reception: Later that afternoon, a group of us (Jonelly, Jess, Leah, Emily and William, Ryan, and myself) all carpooled to Frank and Sheena'a wedding reception. It was quite a fun trip! Although most tables were not reserved, Frank and Sheena reserved our group a table near the front...silly them. We had way too much fun...and there was no alcohol involved! I guess you had to be there, but it was a great time of just doing life together and really bonding. Good times.

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Evolution of Dance

I am not sure why I like this SO much, but I do. Just thought I would spread the love:

Friday, March 14, 2008

MIA ipod

I am missing my ipod nano. I have no idea where it is. I know that I last used it to exercise sometime last week or the week before. From there, it went into my coat pocket while I picked Noah up from childcare. I know that it stayed there for a few days because I intended to hook it back up to my van. I think it might have exited my coat at some time because I didn't want to lost it. I might have switched it to a purse with the intent of plugging it back into the van on my way out. However, now I cannot find it. I am devastasted. Dave got that for me for my birthday a year and a half ago. I have not had it that long.

I am feeling rather stupid for not just putting it back when I had the chance. However, juggling Noah, diaper bags, swim bags, purses, wallets, and winter coats on a regular basis makes it sometimes difficult to always know where everything is. Sippy cups are easy to replace. Keys, not so much...but I know where those are. It's the ipod that seems to have disappeared. I always thought that if it were stolen, it would be from out of the van where I have it docked almost always. I am hoping beyond hope that it is not stolen, but just misplaced. I have torn up the house looking for it. I only hope that its in a place that I have not yet looked.

I feel the stress mounting from losing something so valuable. Grrrr.

Lord, I realize this is just an innanimate object and is completely replaceable...However, if you would see fit to help restore my ipod, that would be super great.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Yesterday was a beautiful day and Dave had it completely off. We worked outside a lot and brought out some of Noah's toys (the truck and lawn mower made their spring debut). We played at the park for a little bit. It was a lot of fun. We also took dinner to Dave and Sheri Helms who just recently had a baby, Averi, who is gorgeous. Not too much longer and we will have another one that size again.

I got on my hands and knees yesterday and scrubbed the kitchen floor, in hopes that it might do something. All it did was make my kitchen look a little better (can't complain about that) and made me sore for a little bit. No dice on starting labor. I still technically have 17 more days left, so I've got time. I just hate that ticking time bomb feeling. I am trying to make plans for the next few weeks, but of course, everything is contingent on when this baby decides to make his debut. With Noah, he was only one day early, so I am guessing this one may follow suit and be pretty close to my actual due date. Hence, I have things planned all the way up until that final week. We'll see what actually happens though.

It's another beautiful day out!! Even better than yesterday. I've opened up the windows and we have played outside and taken a walk today. I'm glad that Dave is able to enjoy the outdoors a little bit too...in between jobs. He was at Thorntown this morning and will be at AEC tonight, but is home now and playing outside. Noah could stay outside all day if we let him. He is loving the outdoors and a change of scenery. I can't say that I blame him. After the dreary winter, these days are so refreshing!

Pretty soon, I will have to take stock and look at the spring/summer collection for Noah and see where we need to add. I'm pretty sure we don't have a lot in 2T for summer. We were thinking he would be in it more winter, but he wasn't really. I cannot wait until garage sale season! I am even more excited for our neighborhood's annual garage sale so that I can purge and get rid of a lot of stuff. Clean out the garage a little bit...before we add more to it with all the "new" stuff that we buy this year at garage sales.

Well, I'm jabbering about nothing, so I think I am going to head back outside with the guys and let Noah enjoy some more sunshine while its still here.

Have a wonderful day!

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Lifegroup

I love our lifegroup. Tony Ranvestel (our pastor) came tonight and talked to our lifegroup about spiritual gifts. Admittedly its a heavy topic, (hence why I gave it to him), but I thought he did a really great job of breaking it down and explaining it out, keeping it real, and sharing a lot of his experiences (both good and bad). Although our normally chatty group was fairly quiet, I am hoping (as was the case for myself anyway) that we were all just processing. There were some good question asked towards the end that brought it home a little bit. There was some good prayer that came at the end of it as well. Tony called me later and said how much he liked our lifegroup...I would have to agree with him. We have a great group, with really great dynamics, and I love doing life with them.

Ever Ever After

Enchanted comes out next Tuesday...and I'm pretty excited. It's corny and silly, but cute. I really like this Carrie Underwood song from the movie:

More Updates

Well, Dave went to the MD this morning. They did X-rays, which showed kind of what Dave had seen when he took his own...which was a few white spots on the bottom of one his lungs. The only "conclusion" he could come to was the beginning of pneumonia. He also ran an EKG, which the doctor said was "superb"...so no worries there. The doctor pretty much didn't know what Dave had/has. With the possible pneumonia diagnosis, he gave Dave a prescription for some mega antibiotics.

I went to the chiropractor yesterday and he doesn't think I will make it to my due date considering the position my hips are in. We'll see what happens...I don't really want to get my hopes up for going super early, but at the same time, I want to be prepared. So...(applause please)...I FINALLY started packing the hospital bag. It doesn't have much in it (since a lot of the things I will just stick in when its time, because I am still using them)...BUT...it's started. I wonder how many more "..." I can include in a sentence to drag it on... :-)

Dave is feeling run-down today. I am feeling stuffy with a sore throat and 9 months pregnant. I am thinking a group nap is in order when Noah goes down. Hurry nap time...

That's about all the news on my end, which isn't a lot. Hope that you have a great Tuesday.

Monday, March 10, 2008

Sleeping in!

Noah and I slept until 8:45am this morning! I honestly cannot remember the last time I have slept that long. Granted, we are still adjusting to the time change, and I was up a few times throughout the night for various reasons (bathroom, finding my low battery beeping cell phone, and tending to Noah), but still...when my phone rang at 8:45 I was completely disoriented. I cannot believe that we slept so late. Maybe daylight savings is the miracle I needed to get Noah resting until a little later. :-)

Meanwhile, as I am typing this, he is watching Little Einsteins and is doing all the actions they are doing (patting, blast off, shaking his body all around). It's pretty cute...probably means we watch too much morning television though.

Alright, well Halie M. is coming over in an hour and I have usually been up for 2 hours longer by now, so I need to get moving. Have a great Monday everyone!

Sunday, March 9, 2008

Sabbath Sunday

Well, Dave is feeling MUCH better. As always, we tend to get blown away when God heals in such incredible ways.

With the time change, we have had a pretty lazy afternoon. We all took really long naps this afternoon. It's hard to believe that its already 7pm. The day seems to have passed by without us. It's been nice to cuddle with our monkey though. He's rather mellow today and is very "huggie".

I wish I had cooler things to say, but really my brain is not really on the job today. Better luck tomorrow maybe.

Saturday, March 8, 2008

Dave update

I think I have managed to panic some relatives...so let me further update...

Dave is doing fine. What we think happened is yesterday afternoon, he was helping me move Noah's mattress to make the bed. He tripped over some of Noah's toys and torqued his upper back a little bit. Well, we now think that he may have pinched a nerve. He suspected this early on, which is why he wanted to wait a little bit to see if it subsided with rest before heading to the ER.

Between prayer and rest, he is doing OK. He says its still a little sore, but not enough to warrant him going to urgent care at this point. He said he would go if he needed to later.

Both he and Noah are napping comfortably right now. Sorry to alarm anyone. It's hard to get your tone right when typing. I think what I was trying to convey is that both Dave and I really saw the power of prayer last night in a time of need. God really came and calmed Dave's body so that he could rest and not have to go to the ER (not that we wouldn't have if that's where we needed to go). But, God intervened in a very tangible way and so we are very thankful.

Weekend Excitement

Well, my parents came down last night on their way to Indianapolis. They stayed with Noah and I (Dave worked). Noah, who was a crab all day was so excited to see Manny (Nanny) and Pots (Pops). He put on quite the show for them and was (of course) on his best behavior. We had a nice visit and they took off this morning.

Meanwhile, in the middle of the night, Dave came home with severe chest pains. We talked about going to the ER, but he decided to wait a little bit to see if they would subside. I prayed over him, and he managed to fall asleep. As the night wore on, his breathing evened out and wasn't so labored. He woke up this morning feeling better than last night, but not great. He is still deciding whether he wants to go to the urgent care today or not. He said that at the moment its not bad enough to warrant it, but its still there. So, hopefully he will be either completely healed of whatever it was or he gets it checked out sometime today.

Be praying for Dave as he works this thing through. Not sure what happened to cause it, but as I can attest to last night...prayer works.

Thursday, March 6, 2008

Nesting

Yep, that's me. Or at least my intentions. Execution is sometimes a bit hazy. Mostly because I am stuck redoing the everyday chores 2-3 times a day that the deeper cleaning sometimes gets put on hold. However, today I managed to clean the main bathroom, get the baby's stuff cleaned (swing cover, car seat down and cover cleaned, and his room is almost straightened...but not quite), and had Dave wash the dog, and change a light bulb. Although that doesn't seem like a lot, they were the extra things that I wanted to cross off my list. What still needs to be done is the pile of papers, bills, and various junk that is cluttering my foyer and desk. The plan is, tonight, after Noah goes down, for Dave and I are to attack the nitty gritty of it and try to find a functional solution to keeping the clutter to a minimum. Now, if only we can both muster the energy to do it.

I had another doctor's appointment today. All's going well and I now begin going weekly until we deliver. I still don't have the bag started (although I have moved it from the closet to the baby's room in anticipation of being packed), but on the whole I am starting to feel a little more prepared than I did.

The countdown begins...

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Surprise Baby Sprinkle!

Tonight, we were running late for lifegroup and I was close to cancelling it because of the weather. It was our party night and so it wouldn't have been horrible. Dave was insistent that we go, but as usual, we were running late.

Well, when we got there...everyone jumped out and yelled "Surprise!". I just stood there thinking, "It's not my birthday. Are they surprising Dave? His birthday was last month..." It took me a second to realize that it was a surprise baby shower or sprinkle...since its our second kiddo. We have such an amazing lifegroup.

Apparently, they all got together and planned it for us this last week. The new baby got some lovely and also very practical things. Thanks to everyone that helped put it together. You are amazing! Thank you too for all the wonderful gifts. :-)

NO MORE SNOW!!

Seriously...Let's be done with this. I'm ready for spring.

The (baby) waiting place...

Well, I accomplished everything on my list yesterday. Go me...that's a rare feat.

A couple that we knew in Champaign, just welcomed their daughter yesterday. I got the email this morning. It makes me excited to meet our own little one.

I am torn between savoring these last few (slightly uncomfortable) weeks because this could be my last pregnancy and getting anxious to meet this little man. Dave and I are still unsure about the number of children we are going to have. He is pretty set on 2. Two is a good number for me, but I am just not ready to say that with finality quite yet. Depending on how our life plays out, this could indeed be my last pregnancy. I have so many mixed feelings on that. Sure, morning sickness, sciatica, and packing on (X) number of pounds above and beyond baby are tough. However, I have really enjoyed feeling him move around in there and develop. It's an incredibly unique experience...one that is difficult to describe. So, here I am in my third trimester and my hormones are all over the place (Ask Dave).

We really are in the final countdown. I still have my bag to pack (that according to the list I printed off the internet should have been done last week...Oh well.) I think I have Noah completely set up and ready to go on all contingencies. This part is always hard for me because I am such a planner...and right now I feel like a ticking time bomb. Well, maybe not quite yet, but in another 2 weeks I will. I can only plan so much and then just wait until he is ready to make his debut. By nature, I am not a very patient person, so I am sure God will use this time to stretch me.

Lord, I pray that you would meet my family in these last few weeks. I pray that this baby would come at his own time and that it would be in your perfect timing. We pray that he would be healthy and pray against any complications. Help my hormones regulate so that I can function normally in these last few weeks. I pray that Noah would adjust well to being a big brother. Thank you God for all that you have blessed us with. We love you.

Monday, March 3, 2008

Well, I'm at least thankful for the slight preview we got of sunshine and warmth yesterday, even if it is not sticking around. Perhaps it was God's way of saying, "Winter is not forever".

We have a busy morning today. I have to go to the post office, meet with Kristin at the mall (which should be interesting seeing as Noah has found the carousel and now makes escapes out of the play area. Me, being 9 months pregnant waddling as fast as I can behind him because he has his mom ears on and can't apparently hear me.) Then off to get my glasses fixed...they are sitting on my face crooked, and its driving me bonkers...and I'm sure it looks a little funny as well.

When Noah goes down for a nap, I am going to try and make my grandmother's polushki recipe. My grandmother is full-blooded Polish. She came over through Ellis Island and has made a life here. However, she makes the best polushki and I am craving it. I have never tried making it before so we'll see how they turn out. I am hoping to make enough to freeze so that I can enjoy them for a long time to come. :-)

That's as far as I have planned. Dave works again tonight, poor guy. So it will most likely be a low-key night here. I have a DVD that is waiting to be watched (I try to watch the girly ones sans Dave...he appreciates it.)

Have a wonderful Monday! For those in Illinois, Happy Casmir Pulaski day!

Sunday, March 2, 2008

Fresh Air

Yes, I experienced it today. As did Noah. We just finished playing outside for the last almost 2 hours. We went to the park and played and then came back home. We only came in because Noah successfully soaked his pants in the slushy grass. I have now opened up the windows for some fresh air in the house. THANK YOU JESUS for this hint of spring weather. I realize this is probably only a preview, but I for one, am thrilled to know that the winter doldrums are soon coming to an end. YEA for Spring! Now I need to attend to my pants-less wonder and get dinner on the table. What a beautiful day.

Saturday, March 1, 2008

Silly Israelites

I am currently reading through Numbers in my chronological bible. I'm at the part where the Israelites have been rescued from Egypt but are on their long sojourn to the promised land. As I am reading, I keep thinking, "Man! They are whiny!! Sheesh, what more do they want from God than being saved?!". Then I turn around and look at myself, and well, blush. God deals with them differently back then (death to show his power sometimes happened) and yet I noticed that even back then, there was atonement. Moses often stepped in and interceded on their behalf...even though they were trying to usurp Moses too! If I were Moses, I would have just stepped back and said, "You people are just not worth saving. I don't need this kind of stress." Let's just say, its a good thing I am not God (or Moses) because he has a lot more compassion than I do. However, its a good lesson in looking into my own heart.

I got pretty convicted as I watched how Moses fought for them even when they didn't do a lick to deserve it (quite the opposite actually). How much am I intereceding and praying for those who currently do not know Jesus?

What's worse, (gulp) I think that I am an Israelite. Just this week alone, I look back ashamedly at how much I have whined and complained. Really, nothing was as bad as it seemed at the time, and when put next to other's more dire circumstances, my silly rants seemed childish and petty. I have all the manna I need. I am a child of God. Yet, insanely enough, I know that God still listens and cares even when I am being a whiny Israelite.

Thanks God, first for loving the Israelites (all of us) even when the whines replaced praises. Second, for giving us perspective that really ALL we need is you. Everything else is just manna.