And Just Like That, March Is Gone

March brought us many gifts, but a baby in arms was not one of them.  However, this third month of the year did pour out abundant, surprising blessings, like glorious weather, warmth, sunshine, green grass, the year's first flowers, and opportunities for young boys to play outside and dig in the dirt.  An early spring is always welcome around here!  :)

On the day I took these pictures (which has been a couple weeks ago by now), while the other three headed to the garden with hoes and other tools, David got the job of emptying the ash bucket first.

And then he joined the others in the garden.

Does Josiah look like an overseer or what?

I'm not exactly sure why he was standing like that and watching the others, but it makes me smile to see it. He's such a firstborn.  :)

This March really has been out-of-the-ordinary, and my heart has rejoiced as I've watched my boys frolic outdoors.  Our trampoline, which stood desolate for most of the winter, has been the scene of hours (literally) of fun and exercise.  The swings, which hung empty for months, have been filled again.  Bicycles have been ridden, bows stretched and arrows shot, the grass has even been mowed--in March!  Some years when the first of April rolls around, the grass is barely green, much less long enough to be mowed.

Every winter I long with great ardor for spring, my favorite season; but this winter my longing for the season was dwarfed by my anticipation of this baby being born.  With thoughts of her in my mind, I hardly had time to chafe about the winter; and besides, with a winter this mild, there was hardly enough really cold weather to build up much longing for warmer days!  In my mind, this winter is officially The Winter that Wasn't.  Although I would have LOVED more snow than we had, I'll admit to being relieved at the moderate temperatures of the winter and the early blooming of this spring.

As has been my habit for the past two months, I want to include my status updates from Facebook here in this post; these tidbits give additional insights into the month we're leaving behind.


March 1 - It might be a sign that I'm a *little* too engrossed in the book I'm reading (Song of Years by Bess Streeter Aldrich) if I read about a threatened Indian attack in the book and feel an urgent need to go check the doors of my house to make sure they're all locked! ;-)

March 3 - Hustling and bustling around this morning to get out the door on time to Josiah and David's swimming lessons, I happened to glance down at my feet--right before I walked down to the garage--and noticed that I was still wearing my bedroom slippers. Good grief. After I ran (well, as much running as an 8-month pregnant woman can do) upstairs and changed my shoes, I rushed back down to the minivan where all the boys were waiting; and when I told them what I had almost done, they were mortified...and VERY grateful that I had remembered to look at my feet before driving off! It was one of *those* mornings... ;-)

March 5 - I can now say that, at 35 weeks of pregnancy, I went sledding with my boys. Whether that was a Cool Mom move or a Stupid Mom one remains to be seen. To my credit, I only went down the hill once. To my discredit, I ran into a fence to stop. Makin' memories, folks...we're makin' memories... ;-)

March 5 - The two hours it took Shav to settle down last night--his first night in a big boy bed in big brother Tobin's room--was wonderfully reduced tonight...all the way down to 45 minutes. That's what I call progress! Of course, during his "nap" in that room today, not a wink of sleep was had by him. Oh, well, he'll get there, until one day when it's completely normal to fall asleep in that room. I love to sneak into that room during the night and peek at my two little guys; they're so peacefully cute as they sleep! :)

March 10 - On the way home from swimming lessons this morning, we were listening to Focus on the Family's (excellent, by the way!) recording of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and I learned something new. One of my boys thinks that "Aslan's last name is God," but another one thinks that "His last name is Lion." Hmmm...which one is right? ;-)

March 10 - When it comes to internet speed, only one direction is preferred: FASTER. We recently made a change that decreased our speed, and it's about to drive me NUTS. And that just goes to show how much of a spoiled brat I am, when I fret and chafe at the fact that it takes me longer to...oh, you know...effortlessly send pictures and words all around the world. Rather than marveling at the wonder of it all, I'm drumming my fingers and growing impatient because it's not happening instantly. I need to step back and appreciate the lap of luxury in which I live...even if my internet is moving at a snail's pace!

March 13 - Just call Shav the Grammar Police. Whenever one of us says, "Blah, blah, blah..." (as in, "We were reading about how the underground tomb of the first emperor of China was filled with gems and blah, blah, blah..."), he immediately pipes up and says, "Not blah, blah, blah!" It cracks us up, and the other boys get a kick out of getting his attention and then saying, "Blah, blah, blah..." just so he'll say, "Not blah, blah, blah!" He does remind me to be more careful of my words so that I say what I really mean and don't just resort to "blah, blah, blah!" :)

March 14 - I was outside this evening, after the sun went down but before dark, pushing Tobin and Shav on the swings. I was feeling a little chilly (an uncommon feeling for me these days, thanks to this internal space heater!), but wanting to stay outside a little longer for the sake of the boys. Next thing I knew, Josiah had gone inside and was returning with something in his arms for me: my coat. The way he's learning to take initiative to meet needs--without being asked--blesses my soul! :)

March 16 - I wish I could think of something great to say about this morning... I'm coming up blank. But hey, here are two things to be grateful for: 1) this morning is over, and 2) not every morning is this bad. Does counting my blessings work if I'm doing it through gritted teeth? ;-)

March 16 - I'm so grateful that this evening was significantly better than this morning! We celebrated Tobin's Family Night, and he chose to eat pancakes at home for supper, then go to our local indoor mini golf place for our fun activity. It was a good way to end the day. :)

March 18 - I think there comes a point for every pregnant woman when she feels like nothing more than a big, overgrown, overstuffed, bloated, bulky, enormous blue whale. Not the whale that swims and dives and floats gracefully in the water, but the kind that got dragged up onto the beach and just lays there, its gigantic size exposed to everyone's eyes...and they all walk past with shock in their eyes. I think it's safe to say that I've hit the point. No matter what I wear or do, I just feel H-U-G-E. As much as I wouldn't mind hiding out for the rest of this pregnancy, real life demands that I march forth and face the world...so even though I've lost whatever confidence I had, here I go. I'm striding forth...with about as much grace as a beached whale!

March 19 - This evening, Shav was talking in a funny voice, and Tobin did not like it, so he called out in his I'm-going-to-get-my-brother-in-trouble voice, "Shav's talking not regible!" Well, my dear Tobin Bear, have you ever heard of the pot calling the kettle black? Shav isn't the only one who's "talking not regible." P.S. "Regible" isn't a word, Tobin; it's "regular." ;-)

March 22 - One of my little pleasures these days is going softly into Tobin and Shav's room after they're asleep and just looking at them--they're adorable! It seems so right for them to be in the same room: Tobin on the top bunk, Shav on the bottom. And it seems so right for Josiah and David to be on bunks in the next room. Two sets of boys in bunk beds, and one little girl still nestled under my heart. I am so blessed.

March 24 - Last night I slept with my window open for the first time this year. It was rainy and cool outside, and I LOVED waking up (because I do that about every hour these days) to the fresh air and the clear bird songs. Ah, the simple pleasures of life! :)

March 26 - Last night I was lying in bed, feeling Baby Girl's kicks and squirms. Then the rhythm of the motion changed as her hiccups began. I treasured each sensation and thought, "There aren't going to be many more nights like this." The end of a pregnancy is so joyful as a birth draws near, but can you blame me for being a little sentimental and wistful at the same time? :)

March 26 - Why, oh why, don't I use the crockpot more often? Throw a roast in there with some veggies, and dinner is (mostly) done. It's such a good feeling to have that taken care of...and it's not even noon! ;-)

March 26 - In his bedtime prayer tonight, Tobin thanked God for (among MANY other things) "our cousins...our cousins' dogs...our rooster...our woodshed...our dirt garden...the stars," etc. I love the unpretentious nature of the prayers of the young. :)

March 27 - I've enjoyed some wonderfully productive energy surges yesterday and today, but whew! When my energy is gone, IT IS GONE. I go from 60 to 0 in about 3.2 seconds. ;-)

March 28 - Baby Girl's heart rate was 138 at the midwife's office this morning...which just goes to show that you can't trust the old wives' tale that girls have high heart rates and boys have low ones. If we had not had ultrasounds, I would have been convinced this baby was a boy! (Not just by the heart rate, but also because this pregnancy has felt so similar to my other ones.) Even though I believe the ultrasounds, I think I'll still be a little shocked when she's born and she's a GIRL! ;-)

March 29 - When it comes to laundry, I feel a particular sense of triumph when something that was worn on one day is washed, dried, folded, and put away by noon of the next day. It's much more satisfying than doing all of those steps to a neglected piece of clothing that sat in the bottom of the laundry chute for weeks. When I put a shirt away and think, "Shav wore this yesterday!" or hang up a pair of pants and think, "Didn't Jeff wear these yesterday?" I feel like Laundry Superwoman. It doesn't happen very often, but it makes me feel victorious when it does. ;-)

March 29 - Little girl has the hiccups again. Does she do this every night? Sure seems like it, but maybe it's because I only slow down enough to notice them at night. I wonder...how many more nights will I get to feel her hiccups inside me, rather than holding her in my arms and watching her hiccup on the outside of me? :)

March 30 - Finally finished packing my bag for the hospital...now Baby Girl can really come! ;-) Or she can stay put a while longer. Either way is fine. :)

March 31 - I went to the hospital this evening, to the Family Birthplace. Oh, not for myself. ;-) I just had to go to meet the newborn daughter of my nephew! Kerigan Grace is her name, and she's so sweet and tiny. She weighs exactly what David did when he was born, but boy, how quickly we forget what it feels like to hold a newborn. She felt so light in my arms! What a sweetheart she is! :)

And now, with that taken care of, I can proceed to change my blog layout in preparation for April--always a fun task for me.  This time, however, I had the hardest time deciding what kind of header to make!  The good thing about Baby Girl not being born in March is that I can end up using the header I finally decided to put together, the "waiting" header.  If she is born soon, maybe I'll end up making a new header for the rest of April?  Or maybe I won't.  Who knows?  Time will tell...

And now, farewell, March.  You've been a wonderful month, but I must confess that your glory will soon be eclipsed by this new month.  You understand, don't you?  There's not much that can compare to the thrill of a new baby!!  ;-)

Before She Comes

The end of a pregnancy always makes me a little more mindful of the specialness of the children already born to me.  With a change--albeit wonderful!--on the horizon, I pause to say "thank you" for the way life has been during the past few years.  Although I am excited beyond words to embrace life as "the seven of us," I remember fondly the adventures we've had as "the six of us."  The fact that a daughter will soon be added to our family is a dream come true, but I've loved my years of being a mom of just sons.  Certainly most of my thoughts these days are focused on looking forward to a bright future after the birth of this baby, but a tiny part of me has to look back and dwell on the gratitude I feel for the precious past.  

All of this translates to a heightened appreciation for my four sons, and a more conscious awareness of how much I treasure them.  I never want them to feel like my love for them has waned even a microscopic amount because of the addition of a girl to our family.  Each of them is so, so special to me--absolutely irreplaceable.

I took the time today to download some short videos from our old camera; and even though these first two videos are from months ago, they brought delight to me.  I just want to sit and watch these boys and notice things about them and ponder all this in my heart, storing it up for the day when they are grown and gone from home.

Who knew that you could have so much fun with empty egg cartons?  :)  And Shav gets to practice his counting with them, too--not bad for a two-year-old.  :)

The next videos are much more recent.  I love the way Shav plays peek-a-boo...more like pick-a-boo, in his language.  He makes me smile.  :)

And then Tobin wanted me to make a video of him doing it, too.  Of course, he can say it correctly; and he shows off his skill here.  :)

Then I thought, "Wouldn't it be cute to have them say it to each other?"  But Shav didn't go along with that idea for long, and this video captures his famous "I can't!" that he emits with a whine and a groan when he doesn't want to do something.  I am not always amused by him saying that!  ;-)  But in this case, I'm glad to have captured it because it is such a part of this stage of life...such a part of him!

One other snippet for tonight...  I finally completed the task today of sorting through bags and bags of clothes (some girl clothes and some boy clothes) that have been given to Jeff by his co-workers, and I feel so very grateful for their generosity!  The boys have been delighted by the new (to them) items they've discovered in their dressers.  Like Tobin and this Scooby Doo shirt...oh my, Tobin was T-H-R-I-L-L-E-D!  :)

 And I thought Shav looked especially cute in his new sleeper...

...with dinosaurs on it.

Sorting through these clothes was on my Must-Do list for yesterday; but when last evening rolled around, my energy gave out and I didn't get the job done.  Until today, that is.  The other big accomplishment of the day was completing the task of packing my bag for the hospital--hooray!  :)

For tomorrow, besides swimming lessons for Josiah and David, a trip to the library, and a little shopping, I'm trying to decide what my extra project should be...provided I have a drop of energy left after a morning away from home.  Should I clean out my refrigerator, or clean my bathrooms?  Both areas are bugging the tar out of me, but I can't decide which one is bothering me the most and should be tackled tomorrow.  I guess I'll wait to make that decision until the time comes.

Regardless, the most important thing I want to accomplish tomorrow is to continue to thoughtfully, consciously pay attention to my beloved boys and treasure these sweet, ordinary moments of their sweet, extraordinary lives!  :)

Of Midwives and Old Wives

Once a week, I make the trek to town for a very special visit: my appointment with one of the midwives.  And every week, as I drive out of the parking lot to return home, I think, "I love my midwives."

They really are wonderful, and I've talked to so many women in this area who also go to the midwives and--just like me--are thrilled with the care they receive from them.  The midwives treat me (us, if I speak collectively for the other midwife-admirers around here) like a real person, and they always take the time to make sure all my questions are answered and any concerns are addressed.  Plus, they usually spend some time just shooting the breeze with me, too; Barbara, for example, always has some anecdote from her own large family to share with me.  It's easy to begin to feel like friends, rather than simply patient/provider.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of being seen by Ann, who is wonderfully laid-back and personable.  Here is how some of the appointment went...

I had taken a book as always to read while waiting for her (I didn't have much time to wait, so I only got to read a little bit, but I'd hate to be stranded without a book!).  :)  When Ann came into the room, she immediately noticed the book I was reading (My Jerusalem by Bronwyn Drainie) and struck up a conversation about my time in Israel, reasons for going, language study, future desire to return there, etc...even telling me a story about her Ethiopian neighbors here and the way they used Amharic as their "secret" language, just like Jeff and I use Hebrew when we don't want the people around us to understand what we're saying.  ;-)  She didn't need to spend the time talking about all of that, but she did it anyway, and it brightened my day.

My blood pressure, when the nurse took it, was 140 over 60, a little high for me.  Rather than acting concerned, Ann smiled and asked, "Did you rush to get here?"  And when I laughed and said, "Yes, that's what happens when I have an 8:30 appointment," she laughed, too, and let it go.

My weight was 185 which screams "HIGH" to me, but Ann didn't give one word of rebuke or advice about what I should (celery sticks) or shouldn't (tortilla chips) be eating.  In fact, she calmly said, "Your weight has stayed about the same at your last few appointments."  And that was that.

When she asked how I was feeling, I told her the truth:  I feel better now than I did 10 weeks ago.  Much better.  She was measuring my uterus and feeling the position of the baby, and she remarked about how the baby seems to have dropped because there is more room up near my ribs now than there was the last time she checked me.  "That might be why you're feeling better," she suggested.  It also might be why my heartburn has decreased, and why I don't find myself as short-of-breath as I used to.

"Would you like a cervical check?" Ann asked.  "No, not really," was my answer.  :)  After all, the cervix can be an incredibly misleading indicator of when labor will begin.  Even if I were dilated to 4 centimeters, I could still be quite a few days away from having this baby.  So why check?  Ann completely understood.  It might seem like a small thing, but allowing the patient the opportunity to choose or decline something like that is empowering and reassuring, in my opinion.

When Ann checked the baby's heart rate, it was 138.  "If I didn't know differently because of the ultrasound," I told Ann, "I would think for sure this baby was a boy.  Not only has this pregnancy felt like all my other ones, but also the heart rate has been in this low range, the 'boy range,' according to the old wives' tales."

"That just goes to show," she replied with a grin, "how much those old wives really know."

Indeed.  ;-)

Ann told me that she's on call this weekend; and although I would be glad to have any of the midwives present when I give birth, I would be really glad to have Ann.  I guess that's just one more reason why it would be nice to have this baby on my own birthday.  :)

But honestly, I sort of have the feeling that I won't go into labor for quite a while yet...and that when I do go into labor, it will seem almost unreal.  Actually, quite a bit of this pregnancy has seemed unreal--the timing of it (the month after a miscarriage), the amazing blessing of being pregnant again, the fact that it's a girl!  Maybe it's no surprise that here at the end, nine days before my due date, I still have the feeling of "is this really happening?"  I suppose that if my water breaks or these contractions, that have been present but so irregular the past few weeks, start to strengthen, it will finally hit me that yes, I'm really going to have a baby.  But maybe, just maybe, I won't fully believe it until she's in my arms.  :)

Regardless of when she comes, I am grateful to be giving birth in the springtime.

Just as the earth and the plants are so full of promise, so is my body.

So full?  Yes.  Uncomfortably so!  ;-)

Of promise?  Yes!  A promise that makes me unspeakably grateful...and just a little choked-up.  ;-)

Our Home Is Guarded by...

...a bear.

A Tobin Bear, that is (who happens to have the habit of falling asleep in the strangest places during afternoon quiet time).

He might not look very ferocious (especially when he's sleeping), but he does have a weapon (a plastic sword) and he's not afraid to use it (to chase his brothers).

So the next time you come to our door, watch out for the (Tobin) Bear.

And whatever you do, make sure you don't step on him!  ;-)

Wordless Wednesday {Small Boy with Book}

One More Thing off the List

Some weeks ago, as I thought about which school subjects we could finish before the baby's birth and which we would carry into late spring/summer, I decided that one thing I definitely wanted to finish before Baby Girl's birth was history.  And today, we did!

We've been using The Story of the World, Volume One, as our history text this year; but now it's over.  The Roman Empire has fallen.  The barbarians are taking control of Italy.  The last Roman emperor has been chased out of the swamp where he had taken refuge.  It's done.  The book is shut...and not only shut, but also put away in the homeschool closet, to be taken out at some future date when my next batch of homeschoolers is ready to study it.

I've had to laugh at myself recently: when we started studying this back in the fall, I was so enthusiastic about it and eagerly used the extra activities listed in the supplemental book and, from the library, got a variety of other books related to the topics we were studying.  I was gung-ho, and we were going to go DEEP in our study of ancient Egypt, Assyria, etc.  But as we've gotten closer to the end and as my thoughts have turned more and more to the newest member of our family, I've been completely ignoring the other activities we could be doing, I haven't checked any additional books out of the library that relate to the topic, I haven't copied the coloring/activity pages, etc.  I hereby confess that my mindset has been purely, "Let's read these chapters and GET IT DONE."  ;-)  We have done the review questions for each chapter, and occasionally over the supper table I'll have Josiah and David share with the rest of the family something interesting they learned that day in our history study (i.e. tonight David informed everyone about how Attila the Hun died...from a nosebleed!).  But that's about it.  It's obvious that the boys are "suffering" from a case of spring fever, and I'm afflicted with a strong spell of baby fever!

Oh well.  Both Josiah and David will get another round (or two) of world history before they graduate from high school, and I'm betting that when that time comes, they'll remember more than just the fact that Attila died from a nosebleed!  ;-)

Meanwhile, I'm a step closer to meeting this sweet girl face to face.  Not that she was necessarily waiting until we finished the history book or anything.  ;-)

Baby Blessing: Week 38

I seem to have hit the "are you OK?" phase of pregnancy.  For example, Jeff might find me sitting on the side of the bed in the middle of the night; and his automatic question is, "Are you OK?"

"Yes," I might respond.  "Just having a contraction."

And boy, oh boy, do I ever have them!  They are definitely a daily occurrence, particularly in the evenings.  I suppose that's because, by then, my body is tired and ready for a break and feeling the strain of carrying a filled-to-the-brim uterus around.  I typically don't have many contractions in the morning; but as the day goes by, their frequency increases.  And sometimes, as in the example above, I'll have one in the middle of the night that will wake me and make me wonder, "Is it time?"  But then, nothing will come of it; and I'll quickly go back to sleep.  In fact, there hasn't been a single time when I've really thought labor might have started, and so, the wait continues...

Speaking of labor, I've been blessed in that with my last two deliveries, my water broke here at home, signalling the beginning of labor; and therefore, I knew when to go to the hospital.  Although I can hardly picture otherwise, I know that it would be rare for my water to break this time at the onset of labor, because statistically, labor only begins that way in about 10 percent of pregnancies.  So I wonder to myself, "Will I know when we should leave for the hospital?  Will I wait too long?  Go too early?  How will I know what to do?"

And yes, if you think I sometimes worry about unnecessary things, you're right.  ;-)

Regardless, the time will come, and the baby will be born, and although I can't even imagine what her birth story is going to be like, God already knows all the details of it.  I rest in that assurance, even as I count down the days...which I am counting, by the way (a change from my Week 36 update, in which I wrote that I was still counting by weeks).  Once I hit 38 weeks, it seemed more accurate to count the days, rather than the weeks.  Today is 12 days before my due date, and all day I've been remembering that David surprised us all by being born 12 days before his due date.  It doesn't look like Baby Sister is going to follow in his footsteps though, since midnight is drawing closer and she shows no signs of coming out to play tonight!  :)

Actually, if there was any day that I could have chosen for her birth, it probably would have been this one for the simple reason that it was my grandmother's birthday.  If Grandma Winters were still alive, she would have turned 98 today; and all through this pregnancy, I've thought about how special it would be for my daughter to be born on her great-grandmother's birthday.  But again, time is running out; and unless this is an extraordinarily fast labor, it's not going to happen on this date!

I know I'm writing a lot about the big question of WHEN; but believe it or not, I feel a great deal of patience and contentment as I await her birth.  Part of that, I'm sure, is because I feel so amazingly good!  I've had some days of abundant energy recently, and some of the physical problems that bothered me earlier have actually disappeared.  I suppose, too, my adrenaline is kicking in and buoying me high on the wave of "I'm gonna have a baby soon!"  When I mentioned to Jeff about how I feel so much better now than I did weeks ago and how surprised I was by that, he nodded knowingly and mentioned something about nesting and how I always get this rush of energy towards the end of a pregnancy.  It cracks me up how he remembers things differently (and more accurately, I am SURE!) than I do.  ;-)

A few days ago, when I was thinking about what to write in this update, I realized that my heartburn had been much less often and less severe, so I was going to mention that maybe the baby has dropped and is no longer pressing on the upper part of my abdomen so much and, as a result, I have less heartburn.  I was going to say that, that is, but now I'm not going to say that.  Because the heartburn is back.  So I don't know if she's dropped or not.  But I do know that I still need the bottle of Tums in my nightstand.  :)

Today I was remembering how I got such sore ribs when I was pregnant with Josiah because he would always kick me on the right side, squarely in my ribs.  And with David, I had a painful spot near my navel where his little foot would repeatedly kick and stretch me.  With this little girl, on the other hand, I don't have any specific sore spots where she "always" kicks me.  I do feel almost all of her motions on my right side, only rarely on the left; and she is quite active and never leaves me waiting for long when I pause to pay attention to her motions.  But somehow her movements, although strong, must be a little slower and more gentle because I don't feel bruised on the inside like I did during my first two pregnancies.  I still enjoy her movements so much and absolutely savor the closeness I share with her during these last weeks (days?).

Last week, as I mentioned here, I started making meals to put in the freezer for after her birth.  I haven't gotten quite as far with that project as I intended to (is anyone surprised?  no?  really?  no one is surprised?) ;-)  but I am grateful for the few meals I've tucked away for the post-birth crazy weeks.  So far I have:
~ Curried Lentils
~ Wild Chicken (2 dishes of this)
~ Lentil Stew
I'm still hoping to make greater progress in this area during this week, provided Little Miss stays put a while longer.

These days, my time feels so limited.  I often feel tugged by the things I'd like to be doing in various areas of life.  Should I sit down with David and guide him through some pages in his language arts workbook, or should I fold the laundry?  Should I spend time during the boys' afternoon quiet time to clean the bathrooms, or should I cook a meal for the freezer?  Should I clean out the refrigerator, or should I put my feet up and rest a little?  In all honesty, these are the kinds of decisions I have to make all the time, because I never feel like I have enough time to do everything I'd like.  But right now, there is an additional urgency to this decision-making.  I have a deadline coming, but I don't even know when.  The finish line of this race could be tomorrow or two weeks from now, and it's challenging to pace myself when I can't even tell where the finish line is!  :)

However, I often come back to this thought: it doesn't matter.  If I go into labor and the dishes aren't done, it doesn't matter.  If the baby is born and there are dust bunnies under her bed, it doesn't matter.  If I give birth before I stock the freezer with as many meals as I intended and we have to end up eating take-out pizza, subs, and Jeff's tacos for several weeks, it doesn't matter.  Really, I could go into labor at any time, and it would be OK.  At such a time, all the tasks on my to-do list melt away, and my focus narrows to what is truly important: bringing a new life into the world.  Even if my toilets aren't sparkling and there's a pile of dirty clothes in the laundry room.  ;-)

One big before-baby project did get crossed off my list this past weekend, however; and that was a great feeling.  I was actually able to get the nursery completely organized, with tiny diapers taken out of the package and filling the drawer in the changing table, storage boxes sorted through for gender-neutral clothing, blue blankets put away and pink ones brought out, and--best of all--the clothes we've been given for our daughter organized and put away.  Jeff even put together the infant bouncy seat we have, and it's awaiting a tiny occupant to fill it.  :)

While doing that very fun job, I was overwhelmed, in the best possible way, with a sense of blessing.  My hands were touching precious girl clothes that my mother had bought and saved all this time, clothing that my aunt Eleanor had used for her little girl quite a few years ago (my cousin is older than I am!), lots of cute outfits from dear Lisa, more clothing from another friend Ceci, onesies from Sara, special clothes from Jeff's sister Kim.  Did I forget anyone?  And that's not even including the blankets, burp clothes, etc. from Stacey and a bib and burp cloth from Valerie!

* Edited on 3/27 to add:  I knew I was forgetting somebody!  Or in this case, two somebodies.  My dad reminded me this morning about a beautiful little girl outfit that my friend Farrah gave me; and I also happened to remember that Brenda, one of Jeff's co-workers, gave us quite a bit of girl clothing, too--some of it in larger sizes that will be great as our daughter grows up.  I'm so sorry I forgot to mention those two kind, generous friends! 

Do you know what we've bought for our daughter?  So far, it's been these whopping purchases:
~ her first doll (Ebay)
~ a hat (Ebay)
~ her going-home-from-the-hospital outfit (Walmart)
~ an Eeyore figurine (dollar store)
~ diapers
~ wipes

I'm reminded of this lesson I learned last year:  when He adds, He also multiplies.  How true that is, and how grateful I am to the many friends who have been the hands of God to so generously pour out provisions upon us as we prepare for the arrival of our daughter!

It looks like we won't have to dress her in hand-me-downs from our sons after all!  ;-)

~ picture taken at a baby shower for my friend Sally ~ I've had so much fun being pregnant at the same time as she has been and comparing notes on these pregnancies ~ I can hardly wait until her daughter makes her grand appearance, too! ~

By the way, there's still time to enter a guess about when my baby will be born...and if you get closest to the date and time, you'll win a prize ($20 gift certificate to christianbook.com).  You can go here to enter.  Happy guessing!  :)

Why I'm Grateful for the Internet

Sometimes I don't like the Internet.  Sometimes it makes me sad.  Sometimes it entices me to waste time I should be using on other, more worthy pursuits.  Sometimes it frustrates me to no end and makes me want to pull my hair out!

But most of the time, I'm immensely grateful for the technological advances that have occurred during my lifetime that have brought us to the place of touching a button and being connected (in an almost unbelievable way, if you stop and think about it) with the world.  Here are three recent incidents that reminded me to pause to be thankful for the wonders of the Internet.

First, my Aunt Elaine sent me an email (email is awesome) with a link to this video on YouTube (YouTube is awesome...sometimes):

I had never heard of Celtic Thunder before...or of Damian McGinty...and I only recently became acquainted with the song "A Place in the Choir."  In fact, the only reason I knew that song is because Josiah had performed it with the Shenandoah Valley Children's Choir just days before my aunt sent me this video.  As much as I enjoyed this video, I knew Josiah would enjoy it even more.  He did, but not just him: all my boys clustered around to watch this video over (and over and over!), and they smiled and laughed and danced and sang along happily.  None of that would have happened without the Internet.

Second, Sara from Embracing Destiny had posted on Facebook about some online resources for language arts, specifically this link to a list of 10 Best Online Games for Homeschool Language Arts.  Knowing that grammar is probably the weakest link in the homeschool education of my mathematically-minded firstborn, I was eager to check out the games; and that's when I discovered Grammar Ninja, which was a perfect way for Josiah to study grammar that day.  It's a simple game, really; but if that entices him to practice identifying nouns and verbs and discerning the difference between adjectives and adverbs, I'm all for it!    Only because of the Internet was it possible for me to find--and Josiah to utilize--that activity.

Third, I received a wonderful package in the mail at the end of this past week from a kind blogger named Stacey.  Although we do have one mutual real-life friend, Stacey and I have only connected through blogging; and yet she graciously sent me a package of beautiful things for Baby Girl...things which she herself made!

 Things like...

 ...blankets...

 ...and burp clothes and crocheted washcloths...

 ...and even a nursing cover for me!  That's something I would not have bought for myself, because I had one (a very well-used one that I got before Josiah was born) and didn't *need* another one.  But can I just say how happy the new one makes me?  Sometimes it's the little things we don't really need that give special pleasure.  :)

I had so much fun opening the package from Stacey...and looking through everything...and looking through it again...then putting it away tonight in Baby Girl's room.  What a sweet, thoughtful thing to do, Stacey; I appreciate it so much!

Without the Internet, she and I would never have connected.  Truly, the Internet is a gift.  :)

Stormy Night

I'm afraid if I go too long between posts, some people will start thinking I've gone into labor.  ;-)

Well, I haven't.

38 weeks today, and the anticipation is growing; but no real labor is in sight.

What IS in sight, however, is a thunderstorm, so I'm going to get off the computer and settle myself on the couch with the book I'm currently reading (My Jerusalem by Bronwyn Drainie).  Maybe I'll fall asleep to the sound of raindrops...  :)

Six Babies

But not the human variety.  ;-)

It seems to be turning into a seasonal ritual for Jeff.  Sometime in the spring, he thinks, "Chicks!  We must have more chicks!"  And then he goes and buys some.  He did it last year, as recorded here; and he did it again two days ago.  He's funny:  he never actually tells me in advance that he's going to add to the number of our critters, so it's always a surprise to me.  But after being married for almost 15 years to that man, I've come to really appreciate that aspect of his personality.  He's exactly what I needed to help me become more spontaneous and flexible!  ;-)

On Wednesday of this week, after their monthly breakfast out together, David and Jeff returned home; and David bounded in the front door, excitement oozing from every cell of his body and every vibration of his vocal chords as he announced, "Guess what?  We got CHICKS!"  And then those of us who had stayed at home that morning left what we were previously occupied with and gathered 'round to "ooh!" and "aw!" over the sweet little things.

They ARE sweet.  And they ARE little.  

But I remember from previous years that they don't stay that way for long.

So, while they're still in the such-a-cute-little-fluffball! stage, I'm enjoying every glimpse I get of them...

...but even more, every glimpse I get of my boys enjoying them!

Josiah, of course, remembers having chicks before, so he wasn't apprehensive at all about holding them.

Shav, on the other hand, didn't want to get too close to them; but he's happy watching them from a distance, especially if someone like big brother David is nearby.

David was fearless, and only expressed caution because "they might poop!"

This breed of chicken is different than the other chickens we have; and if I could remember the name, I'd tell you what it is.

Apparently they grow up to be kind of ugly-looking things, but their eggs come in a variety of colors--even green!  That will be a treat for Josiah and David to find in the chicken coop as they gather eggs.  :)

Out of all the boys, the one that I expected to be most interested in the chicks is this darling fellow, my Tobin Bear.

From the time he was very young, Tobin has always had a special love for animals; and I was sure he would be fascinated by these chicks.

Sure enough, he's the one that I find crouched by their box, watching and watching and watching them.  He's the one who most wants to drop handfuls of grain into their feed dish.  He's the one who holds them and studies them and smiles at them.

Such sweetie pies (boys and chicks)!

Goodnight, chicks!  Welcome to your new home!  We're very glad to have you here!  :)

It's a Start

Yesterday I mentioned that I was nesting in the area of food and was hoping to get started with freezing meals for those time-consumed-by-care-of-a-newborn weeks after Baby Girl is born.  And today--happily--I started!  The freezer, which I got a chance to organize yesterday, was waiting for its first contribution to the Post-Baby Food Fund.

 The entire top shelf was emptied of everything and eager to be filled.

 And here is its first new resident: curried lentils.

 It's slightly ridiculous how giddy this food preparation is making me.

But ridiculous or not, I don't care.  I'm having fun.  :)

One dish down...how many more will I get done before Little Miss arrives on the scene?  :)

Baby Blessing: Week 37

This week of pregnancy started off great when I glanced at the pregnancy ticker on this blog and read these words:  "Baby is now full term!"  That is a fantastic feeling, to know that we've made it safely into the end zone and any time she wants to poke her head out and say hello is fine and dandy!  :)

I don't, however, have a sense that labor will start soon; in fact, I'm back to feeling mostly terrific physically, so it's easy to accept the fact that I might still be pregnant for several more weeks.  But sometimes, when rough days come, I think, "I am so ready to be done!"  Eventually though, I regain my mental equilibrium, and the world doesn't look quite so dark, and my energy goes up a little, and I find again the peace and strength to not only endure this last stretch, but embrace it joyfully.

Not surprisingly, the question of when she'll be born takes up much of my thinking time these days.  I realized with a start that, if she follows the example of her big brother David and is born 12 days before her due date, that means she would be born on Monday, just five days from now!  But although I wouldn't mind a March baby, I don't really picture the birth happening this month.  I have a feeling when April rolls around, the upcoming birth (if it hasn't happened yet) will feel MUCH more real--and CLOSE--to me.

After Jeff told me that his guess is that the baby will be born on April 2 at 2:12 AM, I decided to make an official guess, too, so I chose April 10 at 10:00 PM (trying to prepare myself mentally in case she's overdue).  ;-)  If you haven't already guessed, you're welcome to do so (and if it's not too much trouble, could you click over to this post to leave your comment so all the guesses can be in the same place? = easier for me to find after the birth when I probably won't be thinking too clearly!).  By the way, I forgot to mention what the prize is!  It's a $20 gift certificate to christianbook.com.  :)

I had an appointment this morning with Marty, one of the midwives at SWHC.  It was the kind of late-pregnancy, short-and-sweet appointment that can seem almost boring but is actually very reassuring.  She heard the baby's heartbeat (and we were talking about other things at the time, so I forgot to ask her what the heartbeat was this time), felt the position (seems to be head-down still, thanks to God for that!), told me that the Group B Strep test I had last time was negative (it always has been for me, but I suppose they have to check every time), asked if I had filled out the birth plan that I got at the hospital when I preregistered (oops-I forgot about that birth plan; I'll do it before my next appointment), saw that my blood pressure was fine, talked about how it's not a problem if there's no weight gain at the end of pregnancy (I was 184 pounds today, which is exactly what I was two weeks ago at my last appointment), asked if I had any questions, and that was about it.  I had so much other stuff I wanted to do today, so I didn't mind getting in and out quickly!

But before I talk about what else I did today...  I was looking back at my pregnancy posts with Shav and noticed in this week 37 update that I weighed 174 pounds.  Now I'm 10 pounds heavier than that, which bugs me a little...but only a little.  There will be plenty of time to think about losing weight after the baby is born!  :)

OK, so today, nesting hit me in a major way, in one area of life:  food!  More than ever before, I have been feeling the need to prepare meals for the freezer that can be pulled out and reheated in the hectic days after the birth; and today I had the time to sit down and make a list of 7 or 8 meals that would be relatively easy to do that with (and with some of them--like lasagna--I'll double the recipe and be able to freeze two meals from one batch).  Then I made up a grocery list and got to go grocery shopping (with only Shav!  it's so easy to shop with only one child!!)  :)  for the ingredients to make those meals (plus other stuff that we needed).  Tomorrow Pre-Baby Meal Prep begins in earnest...hopefully...if I can find the time and energy and don't have one of those days in which I absolutely collapse!  I feel so much better this evening, not only because of having meal ideas but also because of having lots of food in the house.  Now I'm convinced that we won't starve after the baby is born.  Not that there was any danger of that happening even if I hadn't gone to the store today.  ;-)  But I feel much better about our food situation tonight than I did 24 hours ago.  :)

Two other pre-baby things got checked off my mental list today.  First, I went by Jeff's shop and got one of the stylists to wax my eyebrows (which prompted David, who was watching the process, to say, "I am SO glad I'm not a girl so that I'll never have to do that!!").  ;-)  And second, Jeff painted my toenails for me tonight--a lovely pink color this time.  :)  When feeling as big as an elephant, it's mood-lifting to know that at least one's eyebrows and toenails are in good shape.  :)

I don't have any pictures for this update which is a bummer, but oh well.  I wanted to get these thoughts jotted down and not wait for a photo opportunity before posting this.  But to tell you the truth, it's been incredibly difficult to make myself sit here tonight and write this.  I'm as antsy and fidgety as can be, and I have no idea why.

It's time to hit the sack and try to make my restless self be still.  Hopefully sleep will come quickly!  :)

Wordless Wednesday {Pint-Sized Potato Planters}

My Knight Lost His Steed

Even before the wheel-disconnecting-from-vehicle-while-driving-down-the-road incident, Jeff knew his Jeep had problems.  It was old and sort of junky (in the nicest possible way) when Jeff got it a number of years ago, and it had faithfully carried Jeff to and from the barber shop many, many times, in all sorts of weather, since then.  Periodically Jeff tinkered with it, fixing up its various ailments with duct tape, bungee cords, and (no joke) surgical scissors.  But it was now 30 years old and was wearing out, plain and simple.  Would it be worth the cost to get all the repairs made that were needed?  Probably not.  The Jeep's days were numbered.

After the wheel/axle trouble, it was a no-brainer.  Time to say goodbye and let it go.  Fortunately, the customer of Jeff's who was already planning, even before the wheel incident, to look at the Jeep and try to fix it up for Jeff was interested in buying it, so Jeff sold it to him.  I don't think Jeff shed a single tear.  ;-)

I'm not shedding any tears either, because more than anything I want Jeff to have a safe, reliable vehicle.  But I'll sheepishly confess that I'll kind of, sort of, miss the ol' beast.  No more will I hear Jeff coming down the road, downshifting to turn into the driveway.  No more will he come roaring up to the house and noisily pull into the garage.  No more will the Jeep occasionally backfire, scaring me and the neighbors with what sounds for all the world like a gunshot.  No more will the boys get to go out to breakfast with their daddy in the Jeep.  No more will I think about the day when Josiah is old enough to drive and how much fun he would have driving that old thing.  It's over.

The steed has been shot out from under my knight; and my knight--ever resilient, ever forward-looking--doesn't seem to mind.  But silly sentimental me has to pause and take a moment...

...simply to bid farewell to a piece of metal and rubber and wires and glass...that happened to be part of our family life here in our Virginia years.

Goodbye, ol' friend.

Before I Fall Into Bed

I feel like I ought to post something, but this full-but-wonderful weekend has taken the starch out of me...and not just the starch...it's also stolen my words!  It's time for this introvert to have some quiet, alone time--preferably with a pillow and blanket--to recharge.  :)

Before I head up the steps to the bed I can hardly wait to crawl into, I'll simply post these pictures as a way of remembering how peacefully David and Tobin got along yesterday afternoon.  They were looking at the children's Bible that David has been reading, and talking about the pictures, and David read some of the pages to Tobin.  I happened to overhear David pointing out Jesus to Tobin, and Tobin's rebuttal of "That's not Jesus.  Jesus always wears a blue thing!"  True, true.  Most artists of American children's Bibles give Jesus a blue sash.  But in this particular children's Bible, it happens to be red.  :)  

I was amazed at how long this held their attention...AND at how well they got along.

There is hope--even for these two middle children, my Sandpaper Boys.  Soon maybe I'll be able to call them the FKASB!*

* Formerly Known as Sandpaper Boys  ;-)