Monday

Not much happening around here these past few days. It seems we are continually trying to get and keep the house clean and the laundry caught up, and that basically describes our days. Paul and Zack have been working alot, between their jobs at the movies, Walmart and lawncare. Zack is enjoying having his license and his own car and a little bit of freedom.

Benjamin is doing great in potty training! If he's running around naked, he's pretty much 100%. If he has a diaper on, he's maybe 50%. I'm thinking a few more days, maybe a week, of the naked training and then we go no diaper, all the time. I'm so proud of him! Sam had a much harder time training, not really getting it until his third birthday. We may actually have a week or two of no diapers in the house!

I am now 34 weeks. Baby will be here in 4 or 5 weeks, ready or not. I feel very unready. We're still working on the extra room, so I've not been able to clean out the little boys room, nor get any clothes ready or bedding or anything. I know I still have some time, but I feel that deadline approaching. I had another NST this morning and she was very cooperative. I was in and out in under an hour, much better than last Monday where I spent half the day there.

I can't believe tomorrow is June 1. Where did May (and April, for that matter) go? 2010 is almost halfway over!

Thursday

• Back to the doctor this morning for another NST for the baby. I'm proud to say she cooperated today and she did fine.
• I also had another ultrasound and we discovered she has hair. She is not a bald baby!
• The nurse today told me they wouldn't take her till 39 weeks. I've been banking on 38 weeks which adds another week. UGH
• My blood pressure? 102/68 I know I couldn't believe it either. I think it's the supplement I've been taking.
• My cough and cold are back for the fourth time this pregnancy. What a pain.
• Ben has taken to calling the baby Elmo Grapes. It's kind of cute when he says it.
• Summer is here- temps in the 90's today. Thank you God for air conditioning.
• That's about all!

Guess who got his License today?

That's right- Zack! We documented his first solo drive with some pictures, which he was not too thrilled about.

Shhh- it wasn't really his first solo drive. He's driven to the church and back a few times, but it was his first LEGAL solo drive and first drive out of our community.

I am assuming he did great, followed all laws and stayed within the speed limit.

His new car- it's a beauty!

FREEDOM!

The Doctor's Appointment

I had a doctor's appointment this morning at 10:20. I arrived and noticed that there were a lot more ladies there than usual, so I resigned myself to waiting for a while in the waiting room before being called back. But to my surprise, within 5 minutes of sitting down, the nurse called my name. I followed her back to her office for my Non-stress test. Basically, they monitor the baby's heartbeat for 20 minutes. They like the heartbeat to be "reactive" which means to move up and down. They like to see the heartbeat fluctuate like this at least 3 times in the 20 minutes. It is a good indicator that the baby is healthy and doing well.

Well, I figured I'd be in and out of there quick. Emma moves all the time. So I sat down in a nice recliner, put my feet up and listened to her heartbeat. While I was doing this, the doctor came in, they tested my blood sugar (perfect!!!) and blood pressure (LOW- 102/62!). I was psyched that all the numbers were great this morning. I had only gained 1 lb, which puts my weight gain for this pregnancy, at 1 lb! It was turning out to be a great doctor's visit.

But Emma changed all that. She never moved. This baby, who kicked me all the way to the doctor, went to sleep. Literally. Her heartbeat, while strong and steady, never moved like they like it to. I moved positions. Nothing. We tried to wake her up. Nothing.

Finally they gave up and told me I needed to go to OB assessment for a biophysical profile. (Basically an ultrasound which checks a few things to make sure baby is doing ok). Alright, not what I had planned, but I have had these before and knew they don't take much time.

By the time I got to OB assessment, it was noon. I lay down, got hooked up to the monitor, answered a thousand questions and the nurse's phone rang. When she got done, she looked at me and said you're going to be here for a while. The dr. that is doing your ultrasound just went to do a c-section. Groan. By this time, I was getting hungry. I had eaten a very little breakfast around 8, and was needing to eat lunch. I mentioned to the nurse that I was hungry and she told me to just go get something to eat and come back. Soooo, she unhooked me from all the monitors, and I left for about an hour and then returned.

I got back around 1, got all hooked up and waited. And waited. And waited, for about another hour. This whole time I was laying flat on my back, in pain. My back can't take that and neither can my sciatica nerve. She finally came in about 2 and did a quick ultrasound. She noticed that the monitor now showed a somewhat reactive heartbeat, so she abbreviated the ultrasound. But even then, Emma was stubborn. She wouldn't move. Finally she moved and the doctor saw it on the ultrasound and turned off the machine. I asked her if I was done, wanting very badly to sit up.

No, you need to be on the monitor for 20 more minutes. WHAT!????!!! I told her there was no way I could lay there 20 more minutes. She had sympathy for me and said, ok. This will be enough.

I limped all the way back to the truck and drove home. Ironically, the doctor told me to monitor Emma's movements and to make sure she moved at least 10 times every 2 hours. On the 2o minutes ride home, she must have moved twice that. Sometimes it really seems like she knows what she's doing!!

I've had these non stress tests with every baby and it seems they all do this at least once. But Anna was the champ. She was like Emma- moving all the time until they put the monitor on.

And I learned today that I have to go back twice a week for these tests until I deliver.

Here's hoping baby Emma learns to be cooperative!

Random Thoughts

• Paul is away tonight in TN with Ellie attending the wedding tomorrow of a young man from our church.
• I would have LOVED to have gone, but I know myself better than that and knew I would have been miserable. It is about 5 hours away and my ankles and legs would have been twice their normal size by the time we got there.
• I have been really uncomfortable this entire week. Lots of pressure and aches and pains and sciatica pain. Being pregnant is not for wimps!
• We have another stray dog living on our porch. She is beautiful, some kind of a chocolate setter whom the kids have named Shelby. We are NOT keeping her! We are trying to find out where she lives, but no one seems to know. She seems to be the neighborhood stray, going from house to house.
• Paul swears we get all these stray dogs because of Anna and her tender heart towards animals.
• Paul and the kids got a garden planted this week. We're hoping it does better than last year's, which was very disappointing.
• Can't believe May is about over. I'm still wondering what happened to April.
• Zack is enjoying being a car owner, even after he had to pay for tags, title and insurance. He's hoping to get his license this week.
• I go to the doctor on Monday to begin weekly visits and NST's. I'm 32 weeks, 4 days. About 6 more weeks to go. (After this week, it might as well be six years!!)
• Good Night.

Picnic at the Park

Zack's Graduation Surprise

This video was taken after his graduation and after he had opened all the gifts and cards. A couple in our church came up to him and handed him one more card. He opened it up and read it, which is what you see in the beginning of this video. About halfway through, you'll hear a man's voice say, "Here you go my friend. You're now the owner of a Volvo." And then you'll see Zack's reaction. He was shocked!

Zack has been giving their son piano lessons for several months now, and they wanted to do something special for him. This was beyond special!

Pictures From Zack's Graduation

These pictures aren't the greatest quality. I have the hardest time taking pictures in our church- can't get the lighting right. Anyhow, here's a peek at Zack's graduation which took place on Saturday. Zack playing his wonderful piano solo- a medley of "Tis so Sweet" and "Just a Closer Walk".

Anna giving her speech. (Isn't her haircut cute? I love it!)

The graduate.

Mr. Jim Williams who has been an influential part of Zack's life since we moved here 10 years ago. He spoke at Paul's graduation also.

Somehow, there is no picture of me, but I assure I spoke! Paul giving Zack a charge to realize that his life is not his, it's God's.

Zack giving his speech. I don't think anyone realized how well written and well given his speech would be! If you haven't heard it, it's on my facebook profile page.

The two graduates and their families.

The happy family!!!

Presentation of the diploma.

Zack reading his cards. (Isn't he handsome??)

The first realization that he was getting a car. His response? Unbelief. He was shocked and speechless.

Still shocked and speechless!

Unfortunately, the camera battery died right then! But he was thrilled (to say the least!) and he and his dad insured the car and registered it today. Next step? Get his license. I'll post pictures of the car tomorrow.

Zack's Slideshow

Here's the presentation I put together for Zack's graduation.

And where have you been the last 32 weeks??

I mentioned to Paul last evening, after everything was over, that it had been a wonderful day, but I was now ready to move on to the next big event in our lives.

"And what would that be?" he asked.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?" I replied. "THE BABY THAT IS COMING IN SIX WEEKS!"

Hello?

Sometimes he scares me. :)

What a Day!

My second son graduated from high school today. Even as I write that, it is still hard to believe. It was a wonderful ceremony. Zack and another homeschooled young man from our church shared the service. They both outdid themselves.

Zack played an awesome piano solo. I told him it was the best I had ever heard him play. One of my friends, who was sitting right behind me, tapped me on the back when it was over and said, "Did you know he could play like that??" I chuckled to myself. Yes, I knew he could play like that, he does it all the time at home. But what he doesn't realize is that when he plays for the services on Sunday, people aren't really listening to him. And, he doesn't play like that for congregational singing. Needless to say, everyone enjoyed his solo. If you haven't heard it, I've uploaded it to my Facebook profile.

Anna gave a speech she had written about Zack. It was so sweet and I was proud of her for doing it. I then gave a speech. I thought all week about what to say and came up blank, until last night when I sat down at the computer and started writing and it all came together within 15 minutes. I was glad I had my speech all written out and didn't have to think about what to say. I saved all the "mushy" stuff for the end and was glad I did. I teared up but was able to finish.
Paul gave an excellent speech to Zack and a charge to live a Godly life.

Then it was Zack's turn. As he got started we all realized we were in for a treat. He did so well. His humor shone through and it was evident that he had put alot of thought into this speech. At the end he asked the church to pray for him and he said some really insightful, deep things, which just made his father and I tear up even more. He blew us all away. I guess I had never heard him give a speech before- he needs to do that more often! I've put the speech up on Facebook also.

What a great day. I am so blessed. Some days on this homeschooling/parenting journey are hard. Some days, I want to quit. Some days, I wonder if what I'm doing counts for anything. And some days, like today, take all that discouragement and doubt and replace it with gratitude and thanksgiving. What I'm doing does count, in these lives God has entrusted me with. Thank you Father for your Grace and mercy in my life and in the life of my children.

PS- I will put up pictures and his slide show tomorrow. It's getting late and I'm getting tired!

Anna's Birthday Party

I'm not sure how it started, but it has become a tradition to have Anna's birthday party on the beach. This is the third year in a row we've done it. The other two years have been beautiful, but this year was just plain HOT! But that didn't stop the kids (or adults) from enjoying the evening.

Anna opening her presents. Hmmm, wonder what Dad is up to??

What's that behind his back? It can't be the bowl with the ice water in it, can it????

Oh yes it can! Poor Anna never saw it coming.

But she was a good sport about it all.

Yum, watermelon!

Two cute, dirty, sandy boys.

The highlight of their evening was feeding the ducks that came by at the end.

Ben was beside himself with excitement.

Mother's Day

Two silly little boys

Two dirty little boys

Paul bought me a delicious steak and Zack cooked it. It was one of the best steaks I ever had. And for dessert? Reese's cheesecake. Yum.

Yankee candle from my little boys

Candles and candle holders from my girls

We didn't celebrate Mother's Day on Mother's Day this year because of family camp. I didn't want to rush through things or stress people out, so I opted to wait. So we celebrated on Tuesday night and my family gave me a very nice evening. It's been somewhat rough around our house lately, with me being increasingly pregnant and tired and woozy, but I do enjoy my family and I LOVE being a mother. God is good.