Do I have the best husband or what?????

Photography has been a passion of mine since high school. My parents bought me my first "real" camera for my high school graduation and I used that camera for many years. When we lived in Florida, one year I received some money for my birthday. We had a man in our church who owned a pawn shop and who heard that I was looking for a new camera. He told me he had a few and to come over and take a look. I fell in love with a Minolta 35mm, but mostly with the telephoto lens. He gave me an awesome deal on a great camera. It was all manual and I had to learn how to use it and what all the numbers meant. I had that camera for many years until I dropped it and it never worked right again.

For my birthday about 5 years ago, Paul bought me a newer model 35 mm camera-a Canon rebel eos. It is a great camera and I used it alot. I got it right as digital cameras were coming on the market, and I didn't even consider a digital. They were too much money and I loved my 35mm. The only drawback was the price you paid for film, developing, and putting the pictures on cd. It cost me about $10 a roll to get developed, and I take alot of pictures. As digitals improved and came down in price, I had my eye on my same camera, only digital. But, we didn't have that kind of money to spare, and my camera worked fine.

We decided not to get each other Christmas presents this year. We are trying to reduce our debt and to increase our savings, and honestly, we don't need anything. 3 days before Christmas Paul told me he had found the camera I had, but the digital model. What made this a great deal was that the lenses I have for my current camera fit the digital model. So, we only had to buy the body and the memory card. Great, I thought. I'll keep it in mind for when I have some extra money. But Paul told me he ordered this camera for me for Christmas. What??? I was a little surprised and alot excited. A day later he got an email that said they were backordered and the cameras wouldn't be in for a few weeks.

He called about it last week. Come to find out, they had no idea when the camera would be in, and even more discouraging, it was a "Chinese" model. I'm not sure what that means, but it made us very suspicious. Unfortunately, as he looked around for another one, he was unable to match the price. All the others were significantly higher. I was disappointed, but I understood.

Guess what showed up in a FedEx truck at my door today? Yep, you guessed it- my new 10.1 mega pixel Canon Rebel xti digital camera. He went ahead and ordered it and tried to keep it a secret, but told me a day or two ago. It's a beautiful camera and I can't wait to use it. We are waiting on the memory card, and then there will be lots of photos on my blog. And, it's just in time for Baby Ben. I guess I really can take thousands of pictures of him now!

Paul has always been generous with me, but this time he outdid himself. God was so good to me when he brought Paul into my life. And I don't mean just because of the big things like this camera. I mean in lots of little ways every day. Did I tell you how much he has done around the house, just because he knows I get a little crazy like that before a baby arrives? And how he has made sure to do all the little things I have asked him? And how he doesn't complain when our bedroom and bathroom get messy because I just can't get to it? My daughters will be blessed if they marry a man like their dad. No, he's not perfect. But he's mine. And I love him. Alot.


Thank you honey. You're the best.

Somebody must be praying....

My blood pressure today was the lowest it's been in a long time- 115/75. I was amazed and I think the nurse was also. I'll take it! Although today I was so tired, I wouldn't have minded the bedrest!

Samuel wore big boy pants all morning and afternoon. He did great in the morning and so-so in the afternoon. The girls took it upon themselves to do that and he did better than we thought. We'll just have to keep it up- he will get it eventually, right????

Have a great evening.

Ben the Flipper

He did it again! Baby Ben flipped himself over and did a somersault. He is now head down again. I wasn't surprised at all when the ultrasound tech told me. He has been very active this week, and I assumed he had flipped again. At one point, she showed me how he was playing with his toes- it was so cute and makes me very anxious to hold him and see him. I did not see the doctor today, so I have no bp news to report. You can pray for me tomorrow when I go back to see him that my bp will continue behaving.

Here are some pictures of about half of the 0-3 month baby clothes I had from Samuel. I don't know what I am going to do with them all. Only about half will fit in the space I have for them.

Samuel found some old wooden wheels the other night, and played with them for quite a while. I watched as he played with them, and then went and found some pencils and put them through the holes of the wheels. Homemade tinker toys! It was so cute.

Paul Jr. enjoyed playing with them also!

Monday

I can't believe it's been since Thursday that I posted. I've either been cleaning, organizing or sleeping! We got the baby clothes out of the attic last week and the girls and I had fun going through them. It seems that Sam had alot of clothes and Benjamin does not really need much of anything. I'm now getting them all washed and put away.

I finished the hand quilting on the baby quilt and have about an hour of sewing on the machine to finish it up. I plan to get that done in the next few days.

Tomorrow I go to the doctor for my weekly ultrasound to check on the baby and then back again on Wednesday to see the doctor. I guess they were very busy this week and didn't have the appointments back to back. I'm not expecting any "surprises". I checked my bp tonight and it was great.

Have a nice evening.

I'm Still Free!

I just got home from the doctors and my blood pressure was wonderful- 128/84. That's a great reading for me even when I'm not pregnant, much less 35 weeks along! I was thrilled and so thankful not to have to go on bedrest--yet. God is so good.

I had another ultrasound and Baby Ben looks great. He somehow managed to turn all the way around and is now breech. I am shocked that I did not feel him turn. He is also folded right in half! She showed me his head and right next to it was his foot! It was rather funny looking. I'm not concerned about him being breech because I am having a c-section. I don't think it matters which way they are turned.

4 weeks from tomorrow he will be here-ready or not!

We made the paper!! (Well, some of us did)

Today when Paul opened the newspaper, he had quite a surprise! On the front page of the local section was a big picture of him, Anna and Ellie and 2 girls from our church. They attended the memorial walk for the local sav-a-life here in town, and a photographer snapped their picture. It's really a nice picture. Funny thing is, last year, Paul and Samuel made the paper!

Here's the picture:

And here's the link if you want to read the story: http://www.macon.com/198/story/245688.html

I'm so Ready

I posted last week that I was ready to have this baby. I just thought I was ready. After these past few days, I AM ready! He must be growing because his movements have started hurting. I can tell when he turns that it's getting tight in there.

He will be here 1 month from today. That seems so short for all the things I want to get done. On the other hand, it seems like eternity feeling like this.

I have a doctor appointment on Thursday. Please pray again that my blood pressure will be ok. I'm just amazed I've made it this far without being put on bedrest. It would be great if I could make it longer.

Monday

We had wonderful Sunday services yesterday. A full house, a sweet spirit, and a great message from the Word of God. Paul has been outdoing himself these past few Sundays. It's amazing what the Word of God holds in every verse, and how it applies to us living here in 2008.

After church, we had two families over for hospitality Sunday. It was a nice time of fellowship and getting to know one another. Paul made a delicious turkey and the rest of us brought the sides. It was like Thanksgiving all over again.

When Samuel woke up from his nap yesterday, he cried and cried and told us his ear hurt. He never says that. I didn't think it could be an infection because it seemed strange to me for it to come on him so suddenly. But he didn't stop complaining about it all evening, so Paul decided to take him to the doctor last night. Sure enough, he didn't have just one ear infection, he has two. And one is pretty bad. So we got him on antibiotics and one dose of motrin and he slept all night and hasn't complained since.

I finished the first part of the baby quilt and am now quilting the second part. When I am done with that, it will be quick to finish the rest. It is satisfying to see it coming together.

Priceless

Lunch with my 15 year old son: $10.00

Movies with my 15 year old son: $11:50

Spending a few hours of one on one time with a 15 year old boy: Priceless.


Yesterday Zack and I spent the afternoon together. I started a tradition years ago for each child for their birthdays. I take them out to eat and then to a movie of their choice. It has become a fun time (and as they get older, the movies usually appeal to me also! It was tough when it was all cartoons!)

So yesterday was Zack's turn. He picked a movie that I would never have picked nor would I have watched. But it was his pick, so we went to it. Let's just say I was glad when it was over! I did enjoy spending time with him one on one. We had a nice lunch and time together.

Last night, Paul and the older boys went to Camp Eunice for their men's retreat, so we had a girls night. We rented the lastest installment in the Love Comes Softly series and we really enjoyed it. This morning we are cleaning in preparation for our company for hospitality Sunday tomorrow. I will say since we revamped our chore system, there is alot less to do.

Thursday night I was up very late "unquilting". I had quilted the middle of Ben's baby quilt, and was just not satisfied with it. I ripped all the stitches out and started again. I was going to quilt it on the machine, but I just couldn't get the stitches right, so I opted to hand quilt the middle. I find it much more relaxing to hand quilt- it is actually easier, although it takes much more time. So while we watched the movie, I quilted. I'm almost done with the middle, and then I will use the machine to quilt the borders. My goal is to be totally done with it by the end of January- I would love to be totally ready for the baby by then also. We're getting there, slowly but surely. 3 rooms down, 4 rooms to go.

Thursday

Today was a busy day. I ran around most of the day, ending up at the doctors. I had another ultrasound to check on the baby. He scored an 8 out of a possible 8. I'm not exactly sure what that means except that he is doing well. He had his hand near or in his mouth the entire time. Another thumbsucker. Oh my.

My bp was up again today. I'm not sure why- it was great two days ago. The doc checked a few other things, and didn't seemed that concerned about it.

The girls and I finally made it into Sam's room tonight and the front porch is now covered with toys we will take to Goodwill in the morning. I haven't gone through the clothes yet, so I'm sure there will be more. He just doesn't play with alot of toys. We also rearranged his room a bit to fit the changing table in. It looks good- not even tight. Tomorrow we will go through his clothes, clean out the closet and get the baby clothes out of the attic and wash them and get them ready.

Monday we went to see the new baby in our church. He is so sweet, just a little thing. I was holding him, and Sam came and stood next to me, just looking at him. After a minute he said to me, "Mama, can I pet him?" It was so cute! So he "petted" the baby's arm.

5 more weeks!

The Great Squirrel Hunt

The boys and Dad decided to go squirrel hunting the other day-even Samuel got to go. He had been talking about "quirrel" hunting for many days, and was so excited to be able to join the "big" boys for a hunting trip. He brought his two guns, had his orange hat and vest and was ready to go.

They shot one squirrel, brought it home and cooked it up. (Yuck) I only posted a picture of Samuel holding the tail, because honestly, the rest of the squirrel looked terrible.

But Samuel had a wonderful time and talked and talked about his adventure. He's ready to go again, as soon as the boys give him the chance.

 

 

 

 

Monday

Today, we spent all day cleaning out the girls room. Well, it seemed like all day, but was probably about 2 or 3 hours total. What a mess. They don't have many toys, but what they do have is clothes and trash. They just can't seem to keep those two things under control. I helped them today thin out their clothes and we have 2 big bags to take to Goodwill tomorrow. We took out at least 2 bags of garbage, and a big box of books. Hopefully they will be able to keep their room neat now.

Tomorrow we tackle Sam's room. It needs going through badly. Toys he doesn't play with and clothes he has outgrown are all over that room. We've got to make room for the baby clothes and stuff. Honestly, he doesn't play with many toys- he'd rather be outside.

I'm on a mission- to have a clean house, ready for the baby, before he comes. It will be a challenge to get it done, but more of a challenge to KEEP it clean!!!

The second of the three pregnant ladies in our church is at the hospital right now. Her water broke earlier this evening, so she will probably have her baby in a few hours.

So, that leaves me. Funny, I knew this was going to happen. I knew at some point I would be the only one left pregnant. But, I was a tad bit jealous when Paul told me that she was at the hospital. I want it to be me.

I can say that I've "turned the corner" and I am ready to face the pain of childbirth and a c-section just to be done being pregnant. It's amazing how it seems that all of the sudden, you're ready. I was apprehensive early on in my pregnancy about the c-section. No more. I've been in a lot of pain this week, in my back and legs, and I am ready to have my body back and my baby next to me, instead of inside me.

6 more weeks.

Trigger

Our dog, Trigger, has a very bad habit of running away. This is his favorite time of year, and if he gets loose, he will be gone all day. He is almost impossible to catch and almost impossible to keep contained.

He escaped yesterday morning and was gone for a while. In the afternoon, I was doing history with the girls and Zack came in, quite breathless, and said, "Mom, I need Anna to help with Trigger." I said, "No Way. We need to finish school and if she is trying to catch him, it could take a while."

Zack then went on. "I think Trigger's dead." Well, there was no holding back Anna now. Zack went on to explain that they could see Trigger under the neighbor's house and he wasn't moving at all. Anna was smaller and they figured she could squeeze under and see what was going on.

A few minutes later, in comes Anna, red eyes and sniffling. "He's dead mom. He won't move and I can't reach him." Paul, Jr. came in and went out on the back porch, just pacing and breaking sticks. I thought to myself, "Please, God, don't let him be dead."

Anna was really crying by now and decided to go back out and see what she could do. All of the sudden I heard a commotion and they came running in the house.

"It wasn't him Mom! There was a stuffed dog under that house the same color as Trigger!" And in comes Trigger, trotting around, receiving all kinds of hugs and kisses.

Oh, did we laugh over that! We were all so relieved!

Doctor's Appointment- Thursday

I had a doctor's appointment this morning at 8:50. I arrived at 8:45 and sat down and waited. And waited. And waited. Finally, at 10, I asked the ladies at the desk if they had forgotten about me. No, they said, the doctors have been swamped this morning. Funny thing is that ladies that came in after me were finishing up and going home while I was still sitting there. It was my turn around 10:15. I had an NST today, so I lay down on the table while the nurse got everything situated. She had a hard time getting and keeping his heartbeat, so I got to have an ultrasound. It has been over 3 months since I've had one, so I was excited to see Benjamin.

I was sure he was small. I have only gained 9 pounds (much less than I normally do), so I just assumed he was a small baby. Was I wrong! Right now, he weighs 5 pounds 13 ounces- almost 6 pounds! He is in the 96th percentile for babies his age. I guess my hope of having a small baby does not rest with him! He looked perfect and the tech was actually able to see some hair on his head. He will be born on February 22nd as of right now. 6 weeks from today. Wow.

I finished the top of the quilt, and I must say, it is so cute. It won't win any prizes, but I'm sure Benjamin will like it. His brothers and sisters were quite impressed (and I must admit, I was a little impressed also!). It came out just as I had planned-that doesn't always happen. Now I need to quilt it and bind it and I am finished! I will post a picture tomorrow.

Calgon, take me away....please....

It was one of THOSE days. It just seemed to get worse, instead of better. Nothing went the way I planned. We didn't finish school until after 6. Paul was gone all evening. The kids were bickering at an all time high. The baby is on my sciatic nerve and every step was painful. The dog got out twice today. My room was a mess all day. Laundry did not get caught up. The kitchen floor is sooooo dirty. I planned to clean out the laundry room but never got around to it.

Let's hope and pray tomorrow is better.

The doc said I will probably have this baby on the 22nd or 23rd of February. They will set a definite date when I get to 36 weeks. So, that knocks 1 whole week off my due date- only six more weeks! And I'm so not ready. I mean, I'm ready to have him and to not be pregnant, but I have much to do to get ready for him in the house. His quilt is almost finished- the pieced part is done. I just need to add borders, quilt it and bind it. I will get it finished. He may not have any clothes ready to wear, but he will have his quilt!

Monday

Paul, Jr. has wanted to go the Coca cola factory in Atlanta since the day we went six or seven years ago. For the past two years, he had wanted to take the family for his night. We couldn't work it out to go before Christmas, so we went today. It was a nice, family experience. The kids all loved it, except Sam, who was terrified of the big bear and the 4-D movie. Their favorite part had to be testing coke products from around the world. Some of that stuff was just plain nasty! I stuck to diet Sprite.

As you probably figured out, I am NOT on bedrest-yet! My blood pressure was fine this morning at the doctors. It was on the high end of normal, but it was still normal. I do have to go back on Thursday for a NST test. They just monitor the baby's heartbeat for a while, to make sure it goes up when he moves. So far, I will have it once a week. With Sam, I had them twice a week, so I'm not complaining. 6 1/2 more weeks!

Sunday

We had a nice Sunday today. Our church service was good and Paul's message was very good. Samuel was a wiggle worm again, but he did tell us he needed to use the bathroom! We'll take anything right now on the potty training front!

We spent the afternoon at a friends house. It was a great time of food, fun, and fellowship. The kids played and played- Samuel was so tired when we got home. He jumped on a trampoline for the first time and LOVED it.

I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow. Please keep me in your prayers. Pray that my blood pressure behaves and I won't have to go on bedrest and pray that if it doesn't behave and I end up on bedrest, that I will have a good attitude. :)

New Babies

We have 3 pregnant ladies in our church, each due about a month apart. (I am due last). Anyway, the first lady had her baby about a week ago- a little girl. Paul and I went to see her last night at her home. She is absolutely beautiful- perfect little head, and perfect features. As I held her, I was amazed. Amazed that she was so perfect, so complete. Amazed that her mama's body grew her. Amazed that she was born at home, with only a midwife and her assistant- no medical intervention.

I don't know how anyone can hold a newborn baby and doubt the existence of God. It truly is a miracle. I remember holding my first son Paul when the realization hit me: God loves me more than I love this baby. I remember being astounded at how much I loved him at first sight, and then realizing how much more God loves me. I also realized then how much my parents loved me. Those realizations hit me stronger with each baby I have, as I hold that new baby in my arms and am almost blown away with the love I have for him.

Holding that baby last night also made my arms ache to hold my baby. Paul keeps telling me that he's not ready- that it hasn't hit him that we're having another baby. I keep reminding him that it won't hit him until he holds Benjamin in his arms, or maybe the first night we're up most of the night with him. I don't think anyone is ever ready- how could you be??

And it Begins....

I had a doctor's appointment this morning. I felt great, so I was expecting everything to be fine. Wrong. My blood pressure was up significantly- so much so that the doctor sent me to the hospital to be monitored for a while, just to be on the safe side. As soon as they took my bp at the hospital, it was normal. All the lab work was fine and the baby sounded great. It was just a precaution.

However, I do have to go back to the doctor on Monday. If it's still up, I'm certain it will mean bedrest. It may mean that even if it's normal. I can't complain- I had 3 weeks longer than I did with Sam, and I was just concerned about making it through Christmas without having to be on bedrest.

But that means I will be working furiously on the baby quilt this weekend- I do want to have it done before he comes. I also have a list of other things I wanted to get done also. Hopefully I will be able to knock some of them out also.

It is cold here- second day in a row. It is in the teens when we wake up and we are so not used to that! Our fireplace has been burning continually for two days trying to keep the house warm, and I must say it is doing a good job of it. The house is much warmer than it's ever been.

Samuel got his staples out yesterday. Paul took him and said he only fussed a bit. Sam was very proud that he did not cry. He saw a little baby at the doctor's office and was telling me about it when he got home. He then said, "We don't like babies." Oh no, I said, we LOVE babies! Hopefully he'll change his mind when baby Ben arrives!

Happy New Year

This was supposed to be my 200th post in 2007, but we got in a rousing Monopoly game tonight that dragged on and I missed the deadline! I also lost the game terribly. In fact, everyone else is still playing and I just gave up and came to bed.

Paul wanted to start a new tradition of having corn beef and cabbage on New Years Eve. Of course, he told me this too late to do it in the crock pot and almost too late to cook it on the stove. So I decided to cook it in my pressure cooker. I've made it before this way and it was delicious. But not this time. I don't know what happened- I followed the recipe exactly, but it burned. Terribly. Smoke filled the house as we hurridly opened the doors to try and air it out. All of the water had boiled out- not supposed to happen. The pan is a mess and the meat was ruined. We still had a nice dinner, but not corn beef and cabbage! Trigger polished off the meat after dinner.

Happy New Years to you and yours! May 2008 be your best year ever!