NST

Dear son within me,
Mr. "I bump around so hard I literally make my mom's whole body move." At night, you make my stomach more entertaining than the tv. We can see arms and legs rolls across my skin. It's so amazing. I wonder if I'll feel the same way that I did after pushing Lynn out: "That baby actually came out of me?!" :) Nah, I'm gonna be like, "Give that baby to me already!"
We had our first non-stress test this week. You moved around quite well and your heart rate raised accordingly each time. Good boy! It was really interesting to see. Your heart rate fluctuated between the 130's and 140's. They gave me some diet soda to drink but you didn't need the caffeine to get you moving. I had to push a little button each time you moved to make a mark on the print out, then they could see if the fluctuations matched up with your movements. I was pushing that button a bunch! After only 15 minutes of monitoring, they had enough "proof" that you were doing well. (Praise God!) She even left us hooked up for an extra couple of minutes to have an extra tear off sheet to let me take home for your baby book. :) We will go back in on Friday to do this again. Hooray! I like all this extra stuff that allows me to get to know you a little better. It really is amazing, though, how they don't do nearly anything for a "typical" pregnancy. While I was pregnant with both Lynn and Nathan, I didn't get any of this spoiling treatment. It saddens me to know that we had to lose your brother just to be put in this "special" category. If there is another one after you, little man (and your sister insists that there must be a sister next), I will expect all this special treatment again, even though they might not find reason to give it to me.
As you move around even now (you must know it's just about dinner time & are getting excited), I praise God for how He has given you to us and how He is growing you each day!
I love you, little man.
Your Momma

Tackle It Tuesday - stroller

To do: Try and resist putting the new stroller together :)

Outcome: failed miserably :) I couldn't resist!

Miracle Blanket

Anyone familiar with this product? The Miracle Blanket. Waiting for Happy is hosting her first giveaway and I'm interested in this product! My daughter loved being swaddled, but we never tried anything other than a regular blanket, which we tucked and folded just so to make her a "baby burrito" as my hubby lovingly called her. I would be totally excited to try out a product like this on my new little man.

4-D, wow!

Say "hi" to my little boy! We had an ultrasound this morning and were in for a delightful surprise when the u/s tech switched over to 4-D! What an amazing glimpse we got of our little man!

(The curly stuff below his chin is actually the umbilical cord - b/c his knees were drawn up, it pulled the cord up into his chin area. In that same area, you can see two elbows pointing out at you and two little fingers up on the side of his head.)

He's (still) measuring a week ahead of schedule and they estimate his weight to be 4lbs 9ozs. He's gained 1 lb. since the last u/s two weeks ago! (At that rate, we'll be holding a 9-pounder by due date!) We're so blessed to see that everything is right on and he's doing great. Fluid looks wonderful and I'll go in on Monday to start the non-stress testing twice per week.

bedtime delay tactics

"I'm hungry... I'm thirsty... Can I have the hallway light on... I'm not tired... I'm too hot... My ___ hurts... I have to go to the bathroom... "
Wow. It is pretty much a sure thing that when daddy is out for the evening, I will hear one of the above. Sigh... I try and make evenings special. If she gets everything done by a certain time, we like to enjoy a book together or do something together before tucking her in bed. "They" always talk about tucking your child into bed and having a sweet discussion time because they are sleepier, more open, more relaxed, etc. I have a problem with that on two accounts. First off, she is usually still wound up at that point. Despite having a routine and a consistent bedtime, she is all "on" til we shut the door and say "that's it - good night! No more talking." :) Then second, I am just way too tired by that point. I feel like I have juggled all my hats and when I put her to bed, I am done. I am ready to be just me. Ready to enjoy some husband-time, some relax-no-thinking time, a time when I don't think about what needs to be done or what I need to be for someone else. The fact that she delays bedtime just makes me all the more irritated with her and incapable of having an ounce of patience.
I apologize as this is a total "whine" post. I must admit... I am reading Elizabeth George's A Woman After God's Own Heart and God is impressing on me the God-given responsibility and honor that comes with my role as mother (and wife, homemaker, etc). Particularly with the role of mother, I know that my time with her is limited: she will grow and continue to mature as an independent young woman. I see that happening already, as she's in school all day and makes so many choices apart from me. I also have the privilege of working with teenagers which allows me to see the middle of the age spectrum. I see young ladies that have make wise choices and I see those that don't. Sometimes it's a direct correlation to parental involvement, but other times it's not. I don't know how that all translates down to me spending bedtime hours with her, but I know that we as mothers have a huge impact on our daughters' (& sons) lives. So for that reason, I'll press on and choose love... even when it's in response to the seventh or eighth excuse she gives as she comes out of her room at night. :)

Wordless Wednesday - train bell

Train ride at the park!
The clanging of the bell can be heard throughout the whole park.

If your life is like a clanging bell, what's it saying?
We have the ability to influence others with our lives, through our actions and words. Don't take that power lightly!

first project, complete

Canada project finished and Lynn presents it today! My little girl will be getting up in front of the class to tell everyone about it - totally out of her comfort zone. (Say a prayer for my first grader today?) I'm so proud of her. She did 99% of it herself. Picking out pics, cutting them, arranging them, labeling them, gluing them, etc. I just did the "googling" for photo options, helped her come up with an outfit idea, and encouraged her.

The idea behind the project: "We are pretending that “Mr. Monkey” is going on 21 different vacations. He is coming back with pictures of the places he visited and he is dressing the part. Your child will need to cut pictures from magazines, print pictures from the internet, and/or use home vacation pictures if available to show Mr. Monkey’s travels. These pictures can be displayed by poster board, scrapbook page, or tri-fold board." (And then she gave some guidelines, which hopefully we hit on target. One of those was to dress Mr. Monkey native to the country he visited, you can see our outfit for him below).







(Mr. Monkey with a "pet" polar bear he picked up in Canada.)

the great mat debate

Here is the problem: blank wall, in master bathroom




Here is the solution: a photo I took and had blown up.
However, I have another problem: Should I use the black mat or the white one? (bathroom fixtures are brushed nickel and the mirror has a wide frame - black with a silver decorative design overlay. I also have hanging - a very small, square framed cross/Bible verse that has a black background, white mat and silver frame). The leaves in this photo are inspired by the painting above our bed, which is a fall, tree scene painted on canvas.

Opinions??

O Canada...

Lynn's first real school project is due next week. She is to complete a poster board/display of a country that we chose the first week of school. We have Canada. My husband was unimpressed with the choice of country, however I thought that it'd be a good thing... learning the geographical placement of Canada would make real sense, as last year they just covered the USA/North America. Also, in college I went on a (mission) trip to Toronto, so I have some actual pictures of that section of the country. Part of the project is dressing the class stuffed animal monkey in dress typical of the country. Well... I didn't think that'd be too hard. :) Lynn keeps telling me that I need to "start sewing the monkey's outfit" and "what do they wear in Canada, mommy?" So, we checked some books out of the library and I think Mr. Monkey will wear a white tshirt (which we will hand stitch a red maple leaf onto) and jeans! This passed Lynn's approval, as her school just had red, white & blue day for 9/11. So, dressing in the colors/design of the country's flag made perfect sense to her (hopefully it will to the teacher as well. :) She enjoyed flipping through the books we checked out and has already picked out things she wants to feature on her board... animals made the top of the list... moose, wolves, bears, sled dogs, beluga white whales. She's definitely an animal lover. She even drew a picture of the white whale, so I think we'll just hang that one on part of the display board!
It is such a different feeling knowing that I need to help guide her on this project, but that it needs to be a first grader's work. I jotted down the things that she found interesting as we were flipping through the book, so that is a big thing as well... not steering her towards stuff that I think would be neat to feature, but what she wants to have on there. Giving up a little bit of control and letting my big girl take on responsibility for her social studies project. I don't know who's growing up faster... her or me :)

g diapers

I was approached about having a baby shower. People have been so incredible to us. I think they are just as excited as we are for us to have this little babe. :) So, I registered last week at Babies R Us. I decided I'd like to try the g-diapers. B R Us sells them along with the disposable inserts. Although you can't find coupons for them like you can with regular disposables, regularly they are about a dollar or two less for a pack of inserts vs. regular diapers, and actually break down in landfills (as opposed to regular diapers). I have a friend that is using them (although she is using them with cloth inserts/another option that I might consider down the road) and loves them. I was able to "touch and feel" one in B R Us and like them.
Any opinions from any g-users out there?

where I am right now

Gearing up to face an onslaught of emotions this afternoon as we attend baby Isaac's funeral... ever since making it to "viability age," I've been struggling with thoughts of Nathan, of this little one, and of our future. I tell you what, though, it's led me to seek the Lord a bunch! I know that worrying takes my focus off of God's sovereignty and the only combat to that is to seek His face. I've also been trying to memorize scripture to recall during the moments of worry-temptation. (My first is Isaiah 26:3-4.) The same day of the loss, we had another set of friends give birth to a healthy baby girl. It's amazing how many healthy births there are as compared to losses, but when you've been through a loss, the numbers of loss seem to magnify. Every hit is personal because you can identify.

I had an ultrasound and a doctor appointment this week. Little man looks good. He's still measuring a week ahead (consistent with where he was at our 20 wk. u/s) and the fluid levels look terrific. The latest doctor I've been seeing is wonderful. We just sat and talked (sorry to the ladies waiting in the waiting room!). She wanted to hear about how the gestational diabetes management was going, how I was doing emotionally, and any other concerns that I had. We talked about my concern over my (lack of) weight gain (I've only gained ten lbs in these thirty wks... this is not typical to my Lynn's pregnancy, but is about where I was in Nathan's) and game-planned what was next. I get another u/s in two weeks just to measure fluid levels, since that is a major point of worry for me (the only "guess" we have for Nathan's loss) and then another complete u/s two weeks later, when I'm at 34 weeks. I start my non-stress tests in two weeks, at 32 wks. I'll go in twice per week to be monitored for 30 mins. A lot of appointments to come, but that is fine by me! It means I'm getting closer and that it'll make sure we keep a close eye on this guy.

10 weeks and 2 days, counting down...

CDH

With sorrow, I ask for prayer for my friends this morning. Their 1-month old son has gone to be with the Lord. In a prognosis during her last month of pregnancy, they found out that their son had a congenital diaphragmatic hernia (basically he had a hole in his diaphragm which made his stomach and intestines to grow up where his lungs should have grown). She gave birth full term and he was in NICU on various machines, helping him to breathe and purify his blood. When levels finally looked safe, they tried taking him off (needing him to eventually breathe on his own to handle surgery), but problems persisted and his levels rose again (mainly potassium in his blood), too high to sustain life. While I have not had the trauma and life upheaval of a child in NICU for four weeks, I do understand the hole that is now in their arms and their hearts. Please remember the "G's" - husband, wife, a 7 yr old and a 5 yr old. All now learning what their new "normal" is and trusting God to get them there.

Wordless Wednesday - dress ruffles

Ruffles!
I've been pulling so many girl clothes out to sell at the upcoming consignment sales, that as these three dresses were hanging there, I just got the "itch" to capture all those ruffles. :)

Tackle It Tuesday - tv stand

To do: Use gift money from Christmas that we set aside to find, purchase, and assemble a tv cabinet to replace our "makeshift" stand
















Outcome: We've "grown up" and now own a real tv stand. It took a little while to shop around to find what we were looking for. The parameters were a certain dollar amount that we had set aside, a taller cabinet height, the ability to hide tapes/discs behind a door or drawer, plus our components behind glass (i.e. no open shelving). The one fit everything. The one change we made was to replace their wooden knobs with brushed nickel knobs to match our lamps and accessories in the room.

surprise!

Ahh!! I am sooo excited. My best friend just mailed me my baby bedding set, totally by surprise! Mr. UPS man arrived at my door and I had no idea what was in the box... it's so fun, so "boy" (no more pink/purple!), and I can't wait to see my little man tucked inside it all :)

Wordless Wednesday - bubble rocket

A little fun with the "bubble rocket."
Run, jump, stomp, blast off!

For more WW, see 5M4M.

Tackle It Tuesday - craft closet

To do: (inspired by Heidi's last "Tackle" at Blue Eyed Blessings)
Clean out and organize the craft closet... I have stuff in the future baby's room (it used to be our art/scrapbook room) that needs a new home. Somehow it will have to go into the craft closet!

(the closet, "before," not being utilized fully)


















(stuff to put in the closet, in the baby's room - gonna consign the bookshelf to get that out of there too)


















Outcome: Done! Pretty much my leftover scrap stuff (getting out of this hobby) on the top shelf, along with yarn and my Knifty Knitters. Second shelf down is my gift box (I grab clearanced kids' toys, etc when I see them to stock up for birthday parties) along with gift bags and wrapping paper. Next shelf down is for board games. Lynn has space in her closet for her games, so these are mostly adult/older board games. Next one down actually holds more gift stuff in a box: ribbons, Christmas-specific bags, etc. along with a spare fan that we sometimes pull out. That leaves the floor for my sewing stuff: machine, sewing box, as well as a container full of scrapbook paper that is fair game for whoever has a paper/craft need. I also store some extra fleece throws in this space for grabbing if we get cold. I'm happy with what I got in there (and what I cleaned out and trashed from there!) The baby's room has considerably been decluttered. Now I just have to wait for the consignment sales to get the rest of the stuff out of the baby's room. Then it's fair game to become "baby boy's" domain.