Wordless Wednesday

Sunday

Today dawned clear, chilly and beautiful! It was a perfect fall day. Our church was comfortably full, and Paul preached a tremendous message on our response to suffering. He also sang and played a special on his new guitar. He is so thrilled with it!

Baby Ben (as Sam calls him)is moving more and more and I can feel him growing. What a blessing this baby is already. Tomorrow will be 4 months exactly until my due date. I've still got a toddler to potty train and get out of the crib before then, along with other various projects.

Today, Sam was a wiggle worm in church (as he is most Sundays!). I whispered to him, "Sam, be quiet. Church is almost done." He looked at me and whispered back, "Time for the blessed hose?" For those of you who don't attend our church, it has become a tradition for Sam to run down the aisle to Paul while we are singing the doxology at the end of the service. Sam calls the doxology the blessed hose, because of the end of the first line which says, "Praise God from whom all blessings flow!"

I took Anna shopping last night. She desperately needs new fall church dresses and skirts. We have looked at Goodwill for several months, with no luck. So I took her to Walmart as a last ditch effort to find something for her to wear today. Walmart is notorious for not having modest girl clothes, but I decided to look in the ladies section to see if I could find something that would work. I walked right to the clearance rack and pulled off a skirt and a shirt that were really marked down, asked her if she liked them and had her try them on. They fit great so we got them. All of this in less than 5 minutes. She is now wearing ladies sizes. Aghhhh! When did that happen?

Tonight we went to see on of our older ladies that is in the hospital. We took Ellie and Samuel with us. When we were done, Paul took us out for Chinese food and we had a really nice time with the two younger ones. Sometimes Ellie gets lost in the shuffle of the big kids and Samuel. It was nice to spend time with her by herself-well, almost by herself.

Have a great week this week.

Bear and Deer

The boys are at it again. They left today for the mountains, to hunt deer and bear. They were all so excited, and we pray and hope they take something! A bunch of men and boys from our church went, so I think they were just as excited about the fellowship as the hunt.

It has turned chilly here again- hopefully it will stay chilly a little longer this time! It was in the 40's this morning- nice Fall weather!

Wordless Wednesday

The Magic of Childhood

Our new Fireplace

The last few years, our heat pump has not been able to effectively heat our house in the winter. It doesn't get real cold here, but even 50's and 40's are cold with no heat. So he has been looking for a fireplace insert- kind of like a wood burning stove, but it goes right into the existing fireplace. They cost about $2000 new and $500-$700 used, way out of our price range.

A few weeks ago, I was at the Salvation Army thrift store, and found one! It cost $199, and looked to be in pretty good condition. I called Paul and told him. He went home and measured our fireplace and sent Paul Jr. and his dad back to the store to see if it would fit. By the time they got there, they had dropped the price by $100- it was now only $99!

So they bought it and it has been sitting on my front porch until Monday. Monday two men came and literally worked all day long to make the adjustments to the fireplace so the insert would fit. They also painted it- making it look brand new. I was not sure how I would like it, but it looks so nice. Part of the reason is that our fireplace is huge, so it doesn't get overwhelmed with the insert.

We are looking forward to being toasty warm this winter!

The Pumpkin Patch

A few days ago, we took Samuel to the little pumpkin patch here in town and let him pick out his own pumpkin. He loves seeing all the pumpkins laid out and touching them all. He picked out a small one, and has held and played with that pumpkin since we got it!

Homecoming Sunday

Today was Homecoming Sunday at our church. Not having been raised in the South, my husband and I had no idea what this was when we moved here 7 years ago. To put it simply, on Homecoming, you "come home" to a church you previously attended. We had some old attenders come today and it was so nice to see them, but we generally don't have that many come back. The church was comfortably full and there was a sweet spirit evident. Paul preached a mighty message today and he preached hard.

After the service, the church presented him with a gift for clergy appreciation Sunday. Our church has always been more than generous when it comes to this. Our first year here they sent us on a 5 day Caribbean Cruise! They asked me several weeks ago what they should do for Paul. I knew they were going to ask, so I started thinking about what I should tell them. The last two years they have given us money for some needed repairs on our house, but this year, I wanted it to be something just for Paul, something he would never do for himself.

He broke his guitar several months ago, and I knew he would never buy himself a nice one, so I told the deacon about that. Well, he took it and ran with it! He got with another few men in our church who knew something about guitars, and they got him such a nice one! He was so surprised when they came in carrying the guitar case but he was shocked when he opened the case and saw what kind of guitar they got him. It was a Seagull. Now, if you are like me, that name means nothing. But if you are a guitar player, you know it is the "rolls royce" of guitars. They are each handmade and so beautiful when played. He would have never been able to get one for himself.

It was a great day!

The Ultrasound

We arrived at the doctor's office at 9:30, right on time for my appointment. After filling out some papers, we sat and waited for an hour. There were a few other people waiting also. Finally, the nurse called my name and we went back into the exam room, where they took my blood pressure (it was on the high end of normal) and other fun stuff like weight. Then we followed the nurse down the hall to what I thought would be the ultrasound room. Nope. We went into another waiting room and waited.for.another.hour.

Finally, the tech called my name and we went into the ultrasound room. As she was getting ready, she asked me if we knew the gender. I said no, but we were hoping to find out. Within 30 seconds of starting, she said, Oh! It's a boy. I wasn't surprised at all- I kind of had a feeling it was a boy. I was thrilled for Sam to have a brother close in age. She then looked at the baby, and took several measurements. He was moving all around and she had to chase him down a couple of times. At one point, he had both of his little feet pressed up against my stomach. It was so cute!

The ultrasound took about 45 minutes. After, she led us back down the hall and into a little room where we waited.for.another.hour. I'm not kidding. It was an entire hour of waiting to speak with the doctor. Finally he came in and told us right off that everything on the ultrasound looked great. It seems my risk for downs syndrome is 1:68, just because of my age. My increased risk (due to the blood test) was 1:50. I didn't think that it was that big of deal. He said because of the good ultrasound, the risk went up to 1:168, but even though the ultrasound didn't show anything, it still missed 1 of 3 cases of downs syndrome.

He told us we could have an amnio, which we politely refused or come back in a few months for another ultrasound. We haven't decided yet if we will.

So that was the marathon doctor's appointment. We walked in at 9:30 and out at 1:30! I wonder when those nurses eat lunch???

Paul and Paul Jr. are off hunting today. They'll be back tomorrow sometime and then leave again next Thursday for another hunt. I hope they get some deer for all the work they put into hunting!

That about says it all! I will update more tomorrow as I am tired tonight. Everything with the baby looked great! Thanks again for the prayers.

Wordless Wednesday

I'm feeling sentimental today! This picture is from 1987, when Paul and I were in a singing group for our college. I can't believe it has been over 20 years ago!

PS- Ultrasound tomorrow! Please pray that our baby is healthy (and that we can find out what it is!)

Tuesday

This has been a long week and it's only Tuesday. Paul left today for a hunting trip. He went alone which wasn't his choice. Zack's face is so swollen and burning from poison oak that he did not want to be in the woods right now. Paul, Jr. is swamped with work this week and will not be able to go until Thursdy. So Paul drove away by himself tonight to hunt for a day and then return for church tomorrow night. I felt so sorry for him that I offered to go with him. Relax, I was only joking! He needed to get away this week, and it is probably better that he is alone. (Of course this means he will have to do all the setting up by himself- he is used to having both boys take care of most of the work!)

Zack has been to the doctor twice in 3 days for his face. It is just not clearing up and is driving him crazy, burning and itching. He got it when he and Paul were clearing some logs out. We are noticing that Zack has very sensitive skin. He put some cream on his face to help with the itching and it made it worse. I never noticed that about him when he was younger.

Sam was playing the other day, shooting things with his fingers. He pointed his finger right at me and shot me. I said, "Sam. We don't shoot people."

He looked at me and said, "Take it away mama. Take it away." as he held out his finger to me, knowing full well I couldn't take his finger away!

Sometimes he's too smart and ornery for his own good.

Halfway there

I am 20 weeks pregnant today! Woo-Hoo! Anybody that's ever been pregnant knows the significance of that milestone- HALF WAY DONE!! Only 20 weeks to go until the baby comes. Actually, since I'm having a scheduled c-section, I'm probably more than halfway. They'll take the baby at least a week before I'm due, maybe earlier depending upon my blood pressure. Sam came 1 1/2 weeks early, so maybe this one will too. I'm feeling it's a boy. I'm not certain, like I was with Sam, just a feeling. Hopefully we'll find out if I'm right next Thursday.

Great Doctor's Appt.

I thought I would update all of you who are following my pregnancy. I had a great doctor's appointment this morning- I wish all my appointments were this uneventful! My blood pressure was perfect, the baby sounds great, and that was it. Yay! Thanks for the prayers.

Around My House Today....(Wordless Wednesday)

Delicious, homemade bread


A gently used bassinet for our new baby


Hanging out clothes to dry

Cowboy Sam

Fun at the Fair

 

 

 

 

Monday

It's a quiet Monday around here. Paul surprised the kids and took them to the fair. They were so excited to go, especially Samuel who really had no idea where he was going. He kept saying he was going to the "barn" to see the animals. I am not a fair person, and really do not enjoy going. I've gone before, for the kids, but I knew I would not make it walking that much. The baby is bothering my sciatic nerve, and at times, each step is painful. So, I get to spend a quiet day by myself. Too bad. NOT!

This past week was unusual. First, my dad "dropped" in for lunch on Wednesday. My parents live 17 hours away, and cannot just drop in for lunch. He was attending a conference an hour or two away and drove down to see us and take us to lunch. It was so nice seeing him and visiting with him. Sam calls him "Pastor" and we have no idea why. The funny thing is that he is a pastor, but no one here calls him that. He talked and talked about pastor and then when he saw my dad he wouldn't talk to him. The minute we got in the van after lunch, he started talking and talking about pastor and eating lunch. He also wanted to know, several times, where Grandma was.

Then on Friday night, my brother, who was attending the same conference as my dad, and I met halfway for dinner. Another unusual occurrence as he lives about 7 hours away. It was a nice visit, and I enjoyed getting to see him and talk with him.

It almost seems as if someone flipped a switch on the baby, because for the last few days I have felt so much movement. It is a joy to feel the baby move, because it reassures me that everything is alright. We will hopefully find out the gender at the u/s on the 18th. I can't wait!

Have a nice day.

An Increased Risk

Not the words you want to hear from the obstetrician. I got a call from the ob. this week, telling me my baby has an increased risk for down's syndrome. I don't know any of the numbers or anything more specific, just that there is an increased risk. They took blood from me and tested it for levels of specific markers. This test does have alot of false positives; in fact, the dr. told me that in the 8 years this practice has been open, they've had hundreds of "increased risks" but not one of them has ended with down's syndrome. I'll be honest, it threw me for a loop. I told Paul, that on one hand, it doesn't make a bit of difference. I will gladly love and accept any baby God sends me.

On the other hand, it opens up a whole new set of questions and expectations of which I am not familiar. This is a whole new area of pregnancy/baby/childhood that we know nothing about. It's a bit scary and very much unknown.

So I go for a level 2 ultrasound in about 2 weeks. They will look for markers that indicate down's syndrome, but the ultrasound will not be definitive. The only sure way to tell if a baby has down's syndrome is with an amniocentisis, and that is not an option for us. There is a marked risk of miscarriage, which we are not willing to take.

Most of me wishes I didn't know this; now I will be concerned for the rest of the pregnancy. I won't worry- that can't change anything. And truth be told, if this baby has down's syndrome, then I will praise God, for He ordained this little baby's life before the world began. And He knows what's best for me, the baby and the rest of our family.

Keep us in your prayers. Like I said, this is unfamiliar territory, and with the unknown usually comes fear. Pray that we will have peace and joy no matter what.

Wordless Wednesday

(I realize I'm a little late! I should have titled this Wordless Thursday)




I know this is not the best picture, but look at that little face. Doesn't it look like Sam's? It's Paul, my oldest. Paul and I have always said that Sam reminds us so much of Paul Jr.