Nesting in a Black Hole

I'm starting to feel the nesting thing kick in--I want to be organized. Saturday Bob took the boys to Nathan's basketball game, Anna napped, and I cleaned all the detritus from the play room. I also worked on the paper morass in the kitchen, making some headway there too. It was a good feeling. That good feeling was all but overwhelmed by the realization that things keep going . . . missing. Little things. Not terribly important things. But things that niggle at the edge of my brain all the time, taking an inordinate amount of brainpower as I try to imagine where they could be. Things like . . . the atlas that used to live on the bookshelves in the study. This was one of your standard huge road atlases that you might keep in your car. In fact this one used to live in our car until we got a newer one, and this one moved inside. I use it actually quite a lot when on the phone or looking stuff up. I love maps. And it has disappeared! Where could a huge book like that disappear to? Makes you wonder, doesn't it.

Another missing item is a ring and nipple for Anna's bottle. I have exactly 9 rings and 10 nipples, and now I have 8 rings and 9 nipples. Again, this might not seem like a crisis, but . . . where in the world could it have gone to?! It's driving me nuts! It's a red ring, by the way, in case it shows up at your house, LOL.

Another inconsequential thing is a folder Nathan made during the Greek unit at our co-op. This is really unimportant, except to an irrational pregnant woman who was filing papers away in notebooks and realized Nathan didn't have anything representing all the great Greek stuff I taught him during that unit. I won't tell you how much time I spent looking for that Saturday night. It wasn't pretty.

So you can clearly see from these examples that there is some sort of plot going on here, something subtle enough as to not raise a big alarm, but just annoying enough to make me really go crazy. It's just hard to nest when you can't find all the little twigs you need. Sigh.

So here I sit, eating ice cream and blogging. Christine called a few hours ago to see if I could teach tomorrow at co-op for her. She's teaching the character part to the K-4 and K-5, and I am supposed to teach that next week, so we just switched. That all sounds fine except that I am having a very difficult time coming up with anything to do on the spur of the moment. The unit is on architecture, and so I thought something about how our words can build up or tear down would be appropriate. And maybe if I had a little more notice, I would be able to come up with something great! As it is, I hunted around for one of my character story books so I could find a good story on kindness or something and . . . you guessed it . . I can't find the book. Now I'm at a standstill. Maybe more ice cream will help.

*Update* Now I am NOT teaching tomorrow--whew! Christine called back to say that Joel really isn't sick--he is having an allergic reaction. While that's not a good thing per se, it does mean that he can go in the nursery tomorrow, and she can teach. So I dodged that bullet. Of course, by this time I did find an appropriate Maxi and Mini Muffin story, and even a coloring page, so I am set for next week. Unless, of course, I lose my folder . . .

Pregnancy Hormones Run Amok

I had a doctor's appointment today, which went fine. The kids all went over to the McC's house, which made them very happy, so on the way to pick them up, I stopped by the healthfood store to pick up more of my toothpaste. I have to use toothpaste without sodium laurel sufate (the foaming agent) in it, because otherwise I get terrible cankersores. I love Dr. Burt's lavender mint toothpaste--no SLS, and it tastes good. There are no major brands without this substance in them. Anyhow, there was none on the shelf, so I asked when they would be getting more in. The lady said Burt's Bees has discontinued it. Discontinued it?!! Oh No!!!!!!! What am I going to do? I was so upset; my stomach dropped, and I got a little teary-eyed there in the store. I did start crying when I called Bob to tell him the bad news. Maybe I'll have to buy the recipe from Burt himself and start making my own, LOL. That sounds like something I have time for. Sigh. The third trimester is not a good time for unexpected changes. Now, after a tragedy like this, I am supposed to cook dinner?! LOL

Anna's New Skill

Anna has mastered climbing the stools in the kitchen, so now she can be at counter level. Obviously she is pretty proud of this feat! A whole new world of things to get into has opened up for her! So now I have to make sure no cups with water are near the edge of the counter. Or knives . . . or glass bowls . . . Yes, I really could have waited for this particular milestone! Anna is such a nosy Nellie who always wants to see what is going on, however, so I'm not surprised that mastering the stool was a bigger priority than walking. She can tell that a lot goes on up there on that counter, and she has very vocally wanted to be in on it! Now she can. It would be helpful if she would also master getting OFF the stool, but that has not happened yet either. Ah well.

I am seriously worried that she will not be walking by the time the new baby is born, a mere 7 weeks away. She has really shown absolutely no interest in walking, or even really in standing alone. She can stand alone, but she doesn't stay there long before she's down on her knees, crawling away. I think she feels she's quite a good crawler, and she can keep up with the boys that way, so why learn a new skill that will slow her down for awhile until it is mastered?! At least she's not my first baby, with a second coming so close. I do have plenty of helpers to hold her if need be while I deal with the new baby. But it would be so much nicer if she was walking, or at least standing confidently . . .

Praying for your husband

Several posts ago, Bob commented on how incredibly busy he is right now. Here's a refresher: he's taking 2 master's courses (with all the inherent projects, tests, and assignments), he needs to replace the garage doors (whenever we get approval from our HOA, grr), taxes need to be filed, he just finished his 2 year relicensing process for real estate, he just got a listing and so needs to do all that paperwork, we'll be having another baby in less than 8 weeks or so . . . it just goes on and on. As a praise, he did pass his physical today (yay!), and he has also decided to stop doing Bible Study Fellowship and instead be a part of a new men's group at our church. This only meets every 3rd Saturday, and frankly I think anything our pastor leads is going to be a very good thing. They're going through a systematic theology book.

All that to say, I've been really trying to pray consistently for Bob. We also have a lot of big decisions regarding retirement and our options there, and so far God has not emblazoned any answers on the lawn or anything, so that is another area for prayer. Two years ago at the Ladies' Retreat for our old church, we got a list if things to pray for our husbands each day of the week. This is what I've been doing for Bob, so I thought I would share them again, in case you might not have been reading my blog way back in February 05 (gosh, that seems like such a long time ago!).


Sunday: That he might become a holy man, a man of prayer, mature in the Lord, growing in his knowledge of the God. (1 Thes. 5:23, Col. 4:12, Eph. 1:18-19, 3:16-19, 6:18) That he might daily seek God with all his heart, walking in the Spirit moment by moment, growing in his dependence on Him. (Ps. 119:1-2, 27:4. Prov. 3:5-6, John 15:5)

Monday: That he would learn to take every thought captive, to not be confused into the world's thinking, but to think spiritually. (2 Cor. 10:5) That he would learn not to depend on his circumstances for happiness, but on God alone. (Hab. 3:17-19)

Tuesday: That he might have new strength in the midst of his busy schedule, and that the Lord might infuse him with His strength. (Eph. 3:14-19) That his self-image might be a reflection of the Lord's thoughts toward him. (Eph. 1:17-19, Rom. 12:3, Ps. 139)

Wednesday: That he might become a called man, not driven, with well-thought-through and prayed-through goals in life. (1Cor. 9:24-27) That the Lord might give him wisdom to lead his family physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. (Eph. 1:17-19, James 1:5-7)

Thursday: That he might stand firm against the schemes of the devil, and resist Satan in all circumstances. (Eph. 6:10-18, James 4:7) That he might not be deceived into unbelief and sin. (Gal. 6:7)

Friday: that the fruit of the Spirit might be exhibited more and more in his life. (Gal. 5:22-23) That he might learn to love as God commanded. (1 Cor. 13:4, Rom. 12:8-10)

Saturday: That the Lord might protect him, guarding his course. (Prov. 2:8) That he might learn to manage his time well. (Eph. 5:15)

The A-Wing Fighter Cake

Well, here it is, although you can't really see much detail in the picture! I chose this picture so you could see the Lego model and its box, in case you (like me) have no idea what an "A-Wing Fighter" is supposed to look like in the first place. The gray things on the sides are actually prezel rods frosted gray, and they are the "laser cannons". I used Oreos on the back as the engines. While the boys were quite pleased with the darker red color, since I used "burgundy" gel instead of just plain red, what we did not count on was the fact that it was not "no-taste red", which is what we usually use for red. And let me tell you, it tasted! Blech! Good thing there wasn't really much of it, LOL. Luke was quite happy with my efforts, and now, after Bible study, there remains only the part around the cockpit, so everyone else liked it too!

Month of Luke

We've been celebrating Luke's 8th birthday for a few weeks now. His actual birthday is Feb. 27, which was the day we drove back from Ohio. Unless you count listening to Henry Huggins and snacking all day to be a celebration, that particular day wasn't filled with birthday cheer. But a few days before, we all went to Young's where we had ice cream, and Luke received some great presents, like a kit on making balloon animals (we've tried a few, and believe me, this is not as easy as those clowns make it look, LOL) and a gift card for Barnes and Noble. He also got a set of Star Wars figures, which made the ride home go a lot faster for him and Nathan! We went to Barnes and Noble the next day so he could pick out his books. The gift card was for $25, and he and Nathan had a great time selecting which books, including tax, would maximize the value of the card. Finally they picked 4 books (Star Wars of course, since I would never buy those for them, LOL), and the total price came to $24.45, due to their careful calculations. Hey, there are adults who can't figure out things like that! Luke was especially thrilled because he got the remaining $.55 in change.

Last night we finally had his special birthday dinner, since we made a huge commissary trip on Wednesday. This is the first time since the beginning of December that we have gone, and let me tell you, the ol' pantry was getting pretty bare! He requested Aunt Amy's lasagna, which we all enjoyed, except for the fact that I forgot to get tomato paste at the commissary and had to make a special trip to the little store down the road. Grrr. We spent over 2 hours and $800 on groceries (I told you it was a huge trip), and I forgot something for a meal the NEXT day! But I digress . . .

Due to my glucose test preparations last week, I didn't feel like making a cake, so we're bringing his cake to Bible study tonight. Luke wanted a Star Wars ship, so we decided on the A-Wing fighter because it looked to be the easiest. We still have the box from the Lego model they got for a present one year, so that is what I will go by. We'll see how that turns out. And I think that tonight will be the final celebration of this 8th birthday!

* Big Sigh of Relief *

The doctor's office called this afternoon to tell me the results of the glucose test. When I realized it was the receptionist, and not the doctor herself, I was pretty hopeful, and she said that my results were normal! Yay! I will certainly keep exercising like a madwoman, however, and keep late night ice cream parties to a bare minimum, LOL. But I don't have to take a nutrition class and learn how to prick my finger and test my blood several times a day. Wahoo!

I'm Alive!

Well, I'm sure all of you loyal readers will be relieved to know that I did indeed make it through the glucose test with no problems, and in fact it was not tramatic at all, proving once again that your mind can really psyche you out by only concentrating on the worst case scenario. There were a man and a woman working at the lab today. The woman was quite skillful; the man not so much. Of course it would happen that he drew my blood 3 out of the 4 times, but while he inflicted more pain, he still got the samples with no problems. They both were able to even got a sample out of my bad right arm, so it turns out that even scarred veins heal themselves! Who knew?! I guess it has been over 5 years since that disasterous time while pregnant with Caleb when the techs could not get any blood out of that arm, and I have not let anyone try since then, so I haven't had any new data to go by. What a relief to have that over and done with! I felt fine throughout the test. Now we just wait for the results.

Worries . . .

Tomorrow is my 3 hour test (have I mentioned that lately? LOL!). I'm dreading it, quite frankly. When I was pregnant with Caleb (#3), I passed my 1 hour test just fine, but then several weeks later I spilled some sugar into my urine at a routine appointment. Since this was at Wright-Pat, big teaching hospital that it is, their immediate response was to send me in for a 3 hour one. (In a historical footnote, I was scheduled for it right after 9/11, but the base was closed so I had to come in a few days later. The base was still on super-tight security, and it took almost 3 hours to get to the lab--I left the house at 6:00 and started the test at 9:00. Nightmare right there.)

Anyhow, back to my current fears . . . you may know that I had some blood clots in my right arm right after we got married, and because of the catheters, etc. to deal with them, I have substantial scarring in the veins of my right arm, and so it is practically impossible to draw blood from there. When I had the last 3 hour test (where they draw your blood once before you start, then 3 more times after you drink the stuff), the techs had a progressively harder time finding a place to draw blood on my left arm. By the time they were trying to draw the last vial, 3 hours later, they could not get anything. Believe me, there is nothing so aggravating as having people poke around your veins when you have had NOTHING TO EAT for 12 hours except a huge load of nasty glucose drink! I was very jitterly and nauseaus, which I never am during blood draws. Finally they had to resort to calling an "expert" from the big inpatient lab upstairs, and he got the sample with no problems, probably due only to my fervent prayers. My poor arm was bruised for weeks.

Tomorrow however, there will be no expert on hand to be called if there are problems! So I am praying that the person will be able to get the blood samples needed with a minimum of poking and fussing. I'll let you know how it goes!

Big Day for Nathan!

Nathan is playing Upwards basketball for the first time this season, and today he scored 2 baskets! He was so very excited--they are his first baskets! His team has one really tall guy, and a few boys who have obviously played several seasons and are pretty good, so I don't think the team has lost yet (unlike his soccer team, which lost every game, LOL). By the time Nathan scored his first basket, the score was 14-4, and so his teammates kept passing Nathan the ball until he finally scored. It was very sweet, and a reminder of why I like Upwards--they really do emphasize everyone participating, as opposed to winning. The tall guy kept rebounding all through the game and passing the ball to whatever other shorter, less basketball-favored kid was around him so he could take a shot. I think the end score was 30-12 or something like that. But Nathan felt like he contributed!

In other news, we now have one working garage door again! A few days after we left for Ohio, Bob called to say that the door where I usually park the van was not going up--the motor was spinning, but nothing was moving. He looked inside the opener, and some white pastic gear thing was broken, so he ordered the new part. The directions were pretty complicated, but then he ran into someone at work who happened to have changed out that exact same part on his opener earlier, so he talked Bob through it all! Bob started on it last night and pretty much finished it, but then as we were admiring the door going up and down again, we noticed that something wasn't right with one of the pulleys--it kept going off track. So Bob realized we needed new pulleys as well, and he went off early this morning to Home Depot to get those as well as 2 new doors. He got the doors, and the pulleys, and he replaced the pulleys, so our one garage door now goes up and down smooth like butter! We are waiting to put the doors themselves up because we aren't sure about them--they have little windows along the top, and we realized that no one else in our whole neighborhood has windows on their garage doors. So we called the HOA people, and they said they needed to approve the doors, since they are different. We should hear back in a few days. If they deny it, no big deal--we'll just get the doors without windows. Neither Bob nor I have my heart set on these, but Bob got them for the same price as the door without windows, and you know we can't pass up a bargain! In the meantime, we have one garage door working!

My morning was spent at a big consignment sale for children's stuff. We don't have any good consignment stores around here, but twice a year there are several huge consignment sales at local churches that I like to go to. Last Fall I even consigned some stuff myself, and almost everything sold! I was looking for a new infant carseat, which I did find. Ours is 8 years old and showing its age, so we thought it was time to upgrade. I bought a Graco that is not quite 3 years old and in great shape. I'm looking for a Graco double stroller too, which I think this car seat would fit into. I have to really find a bargain though, because we actually have a double stroller--the problem is that it is also 8 years old, no infant carseat fits in it, and the back seat is not higher than the front, so no one wants to ride back there because you can't see. Plus, it is incredibly heavy. They have made big strides in stroller development in 8 years! I didn't find a double stroller at this sale, but there is another one at the end of March, plus I'm keeping my eyes on craigs list. I have also realized that we need more crib bedding, since we got rid of Nathan's old set several years ago, after Caleb didn't need it anymore. It was also showing its age! I didn't find any today though. I did buy a few maternity shirts and a few things for Anna.

The ice storm that keeps on giving . . .

So we had a big snow/ice storm right before the kids and I left for Ohio. Our driveway and front walk simply do not get ANY sun at all during the winter, so the ice just hangs on, melting when warm and then refreezing. This has caused some major problems this time around. For one, we now need a new garage door because the Pathfinder slid on the ice in the driveway and ran into the door, breaking it. And then today we got a registered letter from the Post Office saying that our mail man slipped on the ice by our front door while delivering a package on Feb. 16 and will probably be suing us. How lovely! This is really stressing me out, with the glucose test on Monday and now this lawsuit threat. The mail man "sustained bruised ribs and was also given prescriptions", and any claim will include "special damages (medical bills, etc.) and general damages (pain and suffering, inconvenience)". Sigh.

This answers all my questions . . .

Here is part of an interesting article in today's Washington Times called Ice Cream Induces the Arrival of Stork.

Want a bun in the oven? Then go have a big bowl of ice cream. Add a little whipped cream, too. Harvard University announced yesterday that drinking whole milk and eating high-fat ice cream appears to benefit women who want to get pregnant. Skim milk may not be baby-friendly: The study found that women who dutifully ate two or more daily servings of low-fat dairy products each day increased their risk of ovulation-related infertility by a whopping 85 percent. An extra serving per day increased their risk by another 11 percent. Women who scarfed down a single serving of high-fat dairy food every day actually reduced their risk of infertility by 27 percent. The study lauded ice cream in particular: Women who ate the genuine creamy variety two or three times a week reduced their risk of infertility by 38 percent.

So I think we can all draw some conclusions about this unexpected pregnancy, LOL. I am sure I was faithfully eating ice cream last August--I had to keep up my milk supply, you know. Here is the shocker at the end of the article, however:

Dairy products may play another role in pregnancy. According to research published in the Journal of Reproductive Medicine in May by Dr. Gary Steinman, an attending physician at Long Island Jewish Medical Center, women who consume animal products -- specifically dairy -- are five times more likely to have twins.

Whew--I guess I've been lucky these past 6 times!

Home Again

We're back! Here's what we were up to the last few days of our time in Ohio. Saturday we packed up everything and took it all over to Amy's house, where we stayed for the rest of our time. Jason was out of town at a big trade show, so it was just us mommies and 6 little boys and 1 little girl! We had such a fun time over there. The boys really got to be comfortable playing with each other, since we spent 3 days there, and Amy had fun dressing Anna and playing with her. Anna was very unsure of Amy's fat orange cat, Pumpkin, who has to be the most unthreatening cat on the planet. At first she was terrified, but she eventually settled down into alert watchfulness, as she kept her eye on him, never turning her back to him while he snoozed ferociously on the back of the couch. Each night after the kids went down, Amy and I stayed up late talking and eating ice cream.

We had been planning on heading back home Monday, but it looked like the weather between Ohio and D.C. might be not so good, so we held off until Tuesday. It was nice to have the extra day! Bob was busy at work on his take-home exam for one of his classes, so even he agreed that an extra day would be a good thing for him!

We left yesterday at 9:30, and we got back here at 6:15, after an uneventful day of driving. The weather was nice, which makes it easier to get kids in and out of the van, so I was glad we waited. We started out listening to Peter and the Starcatchers, by Dave Barry (yeah, the funny one) and Ridley Pearson, because it got rave reviews both on Amazon and on the Well-Trained Mind board. I think it is a good book, but after finishing to the first CD (out of 7!), the boys just weren't that into it, mainly because well, nothing really good happens to Peter and his fellow orphans in the beginning, but lots of sort of bad stuff does, and it was a bit depressing for their tastes. I figured I will get the book out of the library, and Nathan and I can finish it on our own, and we moved on to Henry Huggins by Beverly Cleary, an altogether different sort of book--very "safe", LOL. It was a good choice though, because Caleb and Jonathan really got into it.

Books on tape really make the miles fly, and they are always my top recommendation for keeping kids entertained on long trips! My other tip is "snack bags", where I put little individual servings of various snacks in a quart Ziploc bag for each boy. Then when I announce they can have a snack, they can all pick what they want out of their own bag--no handing tons of stuff back and forth, which is hard when you are the only adult! Usually I include stuff like a fruit roll-up, little snack-size baggies of pretzels, teddy grahams, and M&Ms (the M&Ms usually get eaten first, LOL), raisins, a dum-dum pop--some special things that they don't get very often. Then they also amuse themselves by deciding what things they will eat in what order. Each boy gets a water bottle too, but they know that we don't stop very often, so they have to not drink it all really quickly!

So it was a great trip, but it's nice to be home. I did bring schoolwork for the boys, which they did (Nathan: "The only thing I don't like about Grandma's house is that we still have to do school here."), but now it is time to buckle back down into our regular routine--for a few more weeks, anyways, until the new baby comes. Yep, I'll be in single digits come this weekend--9 weeks left! Wow. I have another doctor's appointment on Friday, and I'm planning on taking my 3-hour glucose test on Monday. We'll see how that goes. Did I mention that I ate tons of ice cream on this trip?! Oh well--it was worth it!

Happy Feet

Yesterday I had a new experience--a pedicure! One of the couples in Mom and Dad's OCF Bible study is PCSing next week, and as a going-away party for Christa, some of the ladies got together and had pedicures. Mom and I were invited, but I really dithered around about going. I've never had one before, and it just seemed like such an extravagent waste of money, especially in the winter when no one even sees my toes! Finally I decided to go figuring that as a pregnant woman, my feet deserve a wee bit of pampering.

Wow! I was so glad I went! I had so much fun. Four of us sat in puffy massage chairs--that made it worth it right there for me! A 45 minute back massage, and not just the cheapo "vibrating" massage! The chairs had basins of hot water at the base that we soaked out feet in, with little foot stools to put our feet while they were worked on. To be honest, I didn't even really pay much attention to what was actually done to my feet, since I was busy visiting with the other women. But I will say that the whole experience was incredibly relaxing, and my feet were incredibly happy when I got finished. Then we all walked next door to Starbucks, where a few other ladies were waiting who had not chosen to have pedicures, and we visited for awhile longer over coffee (well, I had hot chocolate, LOL). It was such a nice afternoon.

I don't think this will ever by any means become a regular part of my routine--I just could not justify the time and the money! But I do recommend it is as a very fun way to spend an afternoon with good friends!

You may be wondering where the kids were during this afternoon of pampering. Grandpa stepped up and watched everyone. Isn't that great?! They played Risk and Chutes and Ladders, as well as watched a video. One thing Grandpa has introduced them to this visit is John Wayne and his classic cowboy movies. You can imagine how great especially Jonathan and Caleb think this is. John Wayne is definitely Jonathan's new hero, LOL. He's galloping around the house again. Never a dull moment . . .

Here in Ohio

Obviously we have been having too much fun to blog! It was quite an adventure making it here, although more for my parents than us. They did get stuck in the Charlotte airport over night on Tuesday, Feb. 13, reliving all the times we spent the night at military terminals such as the one at Clark AB, the Philipines, when we were bumped off of Space A flights. Ahh, the memories. Some I am sure are better off not relived! So they flew into Dayton Wednesday morning, my dad dug out their car from long-term parking, my mom drove home, and my dad got on a plane to fly to VA via Atlanta. He got to Atlanta just fine, but his flight to Dulles was first delayed, then canceled. He was put on another flight, which was delayed . . . and delayed . . . and delayed. We were very seriously worried aobut him having to spend a second night at an airport in a row! but after heavy-duty praying, he left Atlanta about 8:10 and got in to Dulles at 10:00. After some more excitement, where he couldn't find his suitcase (it turned out that the equipment wasn't working right because of the cold) he was able to have a solid night's sleep at our house in an actual bed.

We left at 9:15 the next morning, and really the drive out was anti-climactic. The roads were fine, the kids were good. We listened to Ben and Me as our book on tape. We made it in time for dinner. Whew! Finally!

Friday Amy picked me up and we went on the Faircreek women's retreat. Her mom was the speaker, and she spoke on "Transformation--Becoming like Christ through worship, humility, and suffering". It was an encouraging time of renewal as well as catching up with old friends. One thing we all did was bring something which signified transformation in our lives. I brought a little scrapbook that Amy made for me detailing our friendship over the years. It starts with the awkward junior high and high school years, goes through college and our both getting married, and ends with us as mothers. If that isn't a transformation, I don't know what is, especially when I think about how having a big family and especially homeschooling were not even remotely on my radar screen as life possibilities for me back in junior high and high school! What is so neat is how Amy has been there through it all with me--everyone should have a friend like that!

While I was at the retreat, Grandma and Grandpa did the babysitting duties. Even though it was freezing cold and even snowed 4 more inches on Saturday, the boys all went outside and played for over an hour both days! Grandpa unearthed an old sled of Grandma's from the basement, which was a huge hit. They built snow forts too--I'm so glad I brought all the snow gear!

We've been busy the other days too--we went to the base chapel on Sunday to show Anna off to all Grandma and Grandpa's friends. We spent Monday at Amy's house, since Zachary and Jaconb had a holiday from school. They played in the snow there too, as well as with Zachary';s impressive Playmobil collection (TWO castles as well as a pirate ship!) and Jacob's Thomas the Train table. Fun was definitely had by all, LOL. Tuesday was Ladies' Bible study at Faircreek. They are going through Beth Moore's Daniel study, and the video we watched on Tuesday was so excellent. It makes me want to do the whole study!

So there is a long update for all of you who are dying to know what we are filling our time with here in Ohio! I know, fascinating stuff! It's been such a nice vacation for me so far, not having to do any cooking! The only fly in the ointment is that Jonathan has mysteriously started waking up at least once, if not 2 or 3 times a night. He just starts crying loudly all of a sudden, waking me out of a deep sleep. I have to scramble to put on my sweats and run down to the basement so he doesn't wake up the other boys, and then take him potty or deal with whatever his issue is (sometimes he can't tell me anything that is wrong). In the morning, he doesn't remember waking up at all. Let me tell you, I've had enough of that! Very frustrating, and hopefully a short phase. I need more sleep, not less, especially on vacation!

The best-laid plans . . .

Today has been a frightful day, weather-wise. Lots of snow and freezing rain. Originally I was going to drive to Ohio tomorrow with the kids, but yesterday my dad called and offered to fly here on Wednesday so he could drive with us if we waited until Thursday to go. That sounded like a good plan, but the only sticking point is that Mom and Dad aren't actually home in Ohio yet--they left Utah today to fly home, but well, the weather is crappy in Dayton too, as well as in Denver, which is one of their connections. So it is looking right now as if they will be stuck in Charlotte, NC, for the night. Then they will try to get to Dayton tomorrow morning, Dad will attempt to dig out the car and get it started so Mom can drive home, and he will turn around and get on another airplane to fly here. That is the NEW plan anyways, and we'll see how that one pans out. At least Thursday appears to be a better day for driving as far as weather goes.

As if the weather wasn't enough to deal with today, my doctor called with the unwelcome news that I failed my 1 hour glucose tolerance test. Grrr. I have never failed one before, and I feel like such a loser! I guess that harkens back to my school-day sensitivities. Although I took the test almost as soon as we got back from Colorado (where we ate like we were on a cruise), and right after my birthday (which was filled with cake and brownies, LOL), I really wasn't that concerned. I thought my faithful exercising would keep that beast at bay. Obviously that did not work. Sigh. The only problem is now that I will have to take the 3 hour test right after we get back from this trip to Ohio! Nothing like having that hanging over your head every time you think about Young's chocolate-peanut butter ice cream!

So all in all, it was a rather discouraging day. We shall see what tomorrow brings . . .

Connections to the Famous

Hey, I share a birthday with a famous writer! There I was, reading the "Family" section of the Washington Times this afternoon, when I started reading this article about Jay Bakker, the son of Jim and Tammy Fay. When I finished, I glanced at the byline on the bottom, and it was by Brian Orme, who is the husband of Jenna! We all went to high school together at good old Dayton Christian, and then on to Cedarville for college. He's a pastor now, as well as a writer of newspaper columns. I wasn't expecting to see a familiar name in the paper today! Too cool!

28 Weeks

So I'm at 28 weeks now. I had an appointment on Wednesday, and my glucose tolerance test on Friday. Everything seems to be just fine, but it's really hard to actually think about having another baby. I think that's because, well, I already HAVE a baby, LOL. Anyhow, I'm starting to feel tired and blah, and I feel big and awkward--you know how it is. On the Well Trained Mind general board a lady posted yesterday about how she also was at 28 weeks and pretty much feeling the same as I just described. Another woman responded with her story, which gave me quite a different perspective on the last trimester of pregnancy and was a real inspiration. Here is what she wrote:

Almost 4 years ago, when I was pregnant with #3, I had a 19 mo old and a 35 month old. My pregnancy wasn't going well, and I was tired, on yucky meds, stuck in bed, my house was dirty, my kids wanted more of mommy. I felt rotten, and in moments of weakness wished it "could all be over" and I could "fast forward".

My baby was born at 28 weeks and 3 days gestation, after my water broke. When I saw him in the NICU with a vent down his throat breathing for him, all sorts of wires and IVs on his tiny 2 lb body... I would have done *anything* to get my old tired, pregnant body back. At that moment, I recognized the miracle in each and every day of pregnancy. Each day matters. I'll never get to finish that pregnancy, to feel a third trimester enormous belly, or have an excuse to finish off 1/2 a pizza. To nurse him. But you will.

Exhausted means you're using calories to grow a baby. And each day that you provide for him/her in utero is a *gift*. Nesting means you have hormones pumping wildly through your veins allowing you to make a home for baby, by instinct alone. Commitments mean you are healthy and able to carry out all sort of tasks, and grow a human at the same time. Like a superhero. Don't wish it away. Love this time and your ability to create life. Craddle your belly and sing him or her a lullaby. 28 weekers can hear you, I promise. They can open their eyes, and "cry". They can grasp objects in their hands, and hear music. They are soothed by mom's voice. You may not see your baby's personality as much I saw my son's at 28 weeks... but if you could you would be *amazed* by what a baby at that gestation can do. And by how much more they need.

I pray for many of us that will never get that third trimester, that you see through my story how beautiful, special and *important* those last weeks are. Hang in there. I wish you a big, beautiful, healthy screaming 7 pounder. :)

ps - My miracle baby will turn 4 on May 8th. He's perfect.

Airborne?

Well, I thought that today we would be right back into our routine, but alas, we are all suffering the effects of a trip, specifically, some head cold/virus thing. I told you that Caleb started being sick while we were still in Colorado, and he was still running a fever and being really snuffly even this morning. He and Luke both woke up around 7:00 crying and fussing, so I gave both of them Motrin and told them to go back to sleep. Luke slept until 9:30 and seemed to feel better, although his fever came back up in the afternoon and he still is coughing. Caleb slept until we woke him up at 12:30 (gasp!), and he seems to have turned a corner! Jonathan started running a fever and coughing this evening, though, so it looks like it's one of those things everyone is going to get. Bob and I just have colds, so Bob stayed home from work today, which allowed me to run to Walmart to get Sudafed. While at Walmart, I noticed the big display of "Airborne" medicine and wondered if it really works. I mean, it seems like such a crock, but there is something about being on airplanes that makes everyone sick, and maybe just the psychosomatic effects of the medicine could be helpful in warding off viruses! Who knows. In the meantime, not much is getting done around here. Tomorrow HAS to be laundry day though, no matter how everyone, including me, feels!

We're Back!

We flew out last Thursday, landing in a big snowstorm in Denver. The kids were great on the airplanes, but it ended up taking us 2 hours just to drive out of Denver, not to mention all the way down to Colorado Springs, and that car ride was long! The saving thing was that our rental van had a DVD player, but it was a sign of how tired we were that we could not figure out how to make the sound come through the speakers. So Thursday night was "silent movie night". Of course the next day, after a good night's sleep, Bob pressed a button, and voila. Sound!

Friday we went to the mall and got pictures taken at Kiddie Kandids. This may seem like an odd way to spend a day, but I have always been so happy with Kiddie Kandids, and believe me, it is no small feat to get a good picture of all the kids at one time. So whenever we are in Colorado, I try to get pictures taken there. It took awhile, but we did get some good pictures, including some of just Anna. Now I can wait another year and a half before worrying aobut more pictures!

Saturday was the funeral, and it was a beautiful service. The funeral home did such a good job with Nana's body, and she literally looked 20 years younger--like I remember her when I was in high school or so. In fact, I later heard Caleb say to one of the boys, "Didn't Nana's shell look pretty?" We had been talking about how we would just see her "shell" because what really made Nana "Nana" was already in heaven with Jesus. Anna was wriggly, but the other boys were pretty good during the service. Afterwards we went out to eat at Nana and Papa's favorite German restaurant, Eidelwiess.

Saturday night we met Anthony L. at USAFA and watched an Air Force hockey game. That was a lot of fun, even though Air Force ended up losing in overtime. I miss being able to see good college games so cheaply! We enjoyed catching up with Anthony, but it seemed so funny to see him there as a cadet! He fit right in though.

Sunday we did not even attempt church. Instead we had a leisurely morning of exercising and then the boys swimming. We met back up with everyone to eat at another favorite of Nana's, Souper Salad. And then we had a great Super Bowl party back at the hotel! Another benefit of living in Colorado--the game started at 4:00 and ended at a quite reasonable hour!

Monday we did some shopping, and I started the laborious process of trying to stuff everything back into our suitcases. Unfortunately our hang-up bag broke earlier in the trip, so we had to buy a new one of those at the USAFA BX.

Tuesday we finished stuffing the suitcases and drove back up to Denver on a beautiful day, quite unlike the day we landed! The weather really was gorgeous the rest of the time we were in Colorado. Boy, I never get tired of looking at those mountains and that incredibly blue sky. Ahhh. But that's why Amy gives me a Colorado mountain calendar every year for Christmas!

Anyhow, we dropped off the rental car, and the boys said a sad farewell to the DVD player (I think that if you asked them, that would be the highlight of the trip for them, LOL). We used a skycap to check our luggage, a first for us. It's so hard to spend the extra money, but wow! What convenience! We ended up having 9 things to check, and it really was a hassle trying to move that pile of luggage around, so I think it was money well-spent! Our plane took off at 2:30, and the flight went just fine, but when we landed in Cincinnati for our layover, it was in the middle of a big snowstorm. Hmmm. Praise the Lord, our connecting flight was NOT cancelled, as many were, but it was delayed quite a awhile. We were supposed to take off at 8:00, but it was around 10:00 before we left, after sitting on the runway waiting to be de-iced for a LONG time. Anna was wiggly (understatement), although thankfully not loud, and once we did take off she fell fast asleep. Caleb had started some cold thing 2 days earlier and was running a fever, so he was bit fragile too. Fortunately he also fell asleep. At least he wasn't the ring bearer for a wedding, right Dan and Melinda? LOL. Must be something about air travel for him . . .

So we landed here at Dulles at 11:00 in the midst of more snow, and Elizabeth came to pick us up in our van. I can't tell you how nice to was to see her and not have to dig out our car in long term parking! She told us that our friend Christine had left us a meal in the fridge, and Bob exclaimed, "Oh no! She saw our messy house!" I said something about how I needed the hotel maid service at home because it doesn't take long to get used to that. Imagine our surprise when we walked into a totally clean house! Elizabeth and Lisa and their girls had cleaned up our house for us! What a great birthday present! And Christine's meal included a cake, so my birthday (which is today) was well-celebrated! That was just such a blessing for me. It was so nice to be able to fall asleep last night and know that there was nothing pressing to do upon waking. All the kids slept really late this morning, which was good since it was 12:30 before they were in bed! Tonight is still going to be an early night, however.

I am so glad we were all able to go. It was really wonderful to spend the time with my parents, and my aunt, uncle and cousin. Bob joked that it was like a cruise, since we had a big breakfast every morning at the hotel, and then we would go out to favorite restaurants for lunch and dinner! I so enjoyed the break from cooking and cleaning, and it was just a relaxing time. We all have good memories of Nana in Colorado Springs, so it was very fitting that we could all meet there and have such a good time together. And I am SO glad we didn't try to drive all that way in this crazy winter weather! Flying was well worth it!

Now we can relax for a week . . . and then the kids and I drive out to Ohio for 2 weeks (Lord willing and weather permitting, LOL!)!