Feeling Better

In the middle of the night Thursday night, I woke up and realized that I felt totally better. Thank God! I got up and got a big glass of water and some applesauce and ate and drank as much as I could. On Thursday, during the day, it was difficult not to worry about getting dehydrated, because I felt so bad, and was losing lots of fluids. I am just glad it was not worse. I mean, the girls could still have been sick, and I could have been dealing with 3 people and spontaneous bodily fluids, instead of just me. I could have had a terrible headache or other thing that could have made me feel 100 times worse. As it was, my stomach was very distressed, and I was exhausted, but I kept pushing fluids and trying to eat and drink clear foods and drinks. And I napped a lot. (Thank God for all those Strawberry Shortcake DVD's the girls got for Christmas, too). I was concerned about the effect on the baby, too. Thank God it was not one of those viruses that lasted a week. I really believe God helped all of us recover very quickly, and that He protected us from much worse.

Now there is just the rest of the things to catch up on. Got the dishes caught up today, but because of all the distractions dealing with people not feeling well, I still have to finish putting away Christmas gifts, and unpack bags, catch up on laundry, etc. Well, it could be worse. Thanks to everyone who was praying for us this week.

I am very optimistic about baby coming and the new year. Husband and I have a lot of work to do before the spring school semester starts. We got the girls new desk/furniture sets, so now we have to rearrange furniture to make room.

We were excited to find this set that was normally around $150 marked down to $40. We also may need to buy a new bookcase for the children because we are not sure where we will put all the books they got for Christmas. But, hey, that's the kind of problem I like to have.

The good news is that we are having a boy. The bad news has been that my husband got food poisoning from the local KFC Friday before Christmas. And then my children, starting with the oldest got a totally unrelated stomach virus starting Monday night while we were still at my parents' house. Apparently today is my turn. Been doing my best to rest & keep fluids down. Was hoping to avoid it like I usually do, especially considering I am about 20 weeks pregnantYou can pray for me if you want. I think I will need a vacation after this

It's A..........

BABY!!!!!

And, yes, that is my baby. What a cutie!

Reflections on Motherhood at Christmas

I am getting very excited about Christmas, my ultrasound, and getting ready to visit family. Last minute shopping, wrapping presents, trying to catch up on laundry, dishes, bag up the garbage....

I am also finding it difficult to slow down and reflect on why God sent His son. He said, Peace on Earth, Good Will Towards Men. Babies being born are almost always good news, though at times controversial. Some people are not happy with the birth of a new baby, like the king when Jesus was born. Can you imagine? When Jesus was around 2 yrs old, the king sent out soldiers to kill all the little boys of that age, trying to kill this one child. Now that is crazy, and mean-hearted.

Sometimes people are not happy with an unexpected baby, or one that seems to disrupt plans like school or work. Sometimes babies are born to irresponsible and neglectful people. Having a baby is a wonderful and awesome responsibility.

I have friends who cannot physically have a baby, and I see their grief as they watch growing families around them. There are those who have continued miscarriages and live with a silent grief. May God comfort all those who mourn.

I take being a mother a wonderful gift and serious responsibility. These children are put into my care to raise and love and teach. I try to imagine how young Mary felt about baby Jesus, and the weight of that responsibility. I mean, giving birth to the Messiah, the Saviour of the World, God who became man? At one point, as baby Jesus is growing and the Magi have come with their gifts, the shepherds have come and gone, it says something like, "Mary pondered all these things in her heart." She took time to consider. Maybe she wondered why God had chosen her, and if she would succeed in being his mother.

Sometimes I feel the same with my children. I am thankful to be chosen to be a mother, and sometimes I wonder why me, and not others. Then I think, well, I will keep asking God for wisdom and love and patience for my children. I will do my best to teach them the truth. I am sure that is what Mary did, too. So today, I will try to practice putting my trust in the One True God and be thankful to Him, even if my list of stuff to do seems overwhelming or distracting.

Can you believe it is already December 14? Well, I am 18 weeks pregnant today. Only two more weeks to the halfway mark. I have been feeling baby move off and on, and have been for a couple of weeks. Since I felt baby so early, it is not every day, so it is a great surprise when I feel movement. My ultrasound is scheduled for next Friday morning, December 22. You guys can pray that I can drink all that water and hold it, and not cry or have an accident (like I almost did last time with Little One). That 30 minute ride to the doctor's office last time during my pregnancy with Little One was excruciatingly long. My husband teased me that maybe we shouldn't bring the girls this time in case I am a grump and intolerable like I was the last time. Maybe I should just go buy some Depends and not worry about it. ha ha ha. Yeah, last time, I just about peed all over myself, and then when we got there, I ran to the bathroom and peed a little to keep myself from going all over myself. I mean, pregnant women are not designed to drink 32 ounces of water and then hold it for one hour. Even after all that drama, apparently there was still enough fluid in there to get a good ultrasound for Little One, and we didn't have to reschedule. But man, how embarassing. The ultrasound tech said I wasn't the only one, but that didn't make me feel any better.

So we will be looking for girl or boy parts. And then, once we know, then we can start discussing names. Long Haired Daddy and I have found that is a more peaceful way to go for us. Name picking is serious business around here, very serious.

There are no pictures of pregnant me yet, and we didn't even get Christmas pictures made yet. For those you who are family who usually get Christmas cards, they are still coming. My printer is out. Well, and those pesky family pictures. Long Haired Daddy is like one of those cute little bunnies that sits perfectly still and then you try to pick him up to give him a carrot (or to schedule family pictures) and he bolts. Well, not really. It kind of feels that way, though. He is cute, anyway. :) I am kind of toying with the idea of waiting for the ultrasound and then finishing the letter/card, but am undecided.

My parents and my husband have given me an amazing early Christmas present. They are paying for a cleaning lady to come and help me one day a week. It has been great so far, and I have a feeling I will be needing help even more when I get bigger and bigger and won't be able to pick things up or see my toes next spring. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. The girls are so excited when she comes, and they help her clean, too.

Today, the most pressing thing for me to tackle is about 200 loads of laundry. In the grand scheme of things, laundry is easy, no big deal. Not like terrorists or war in Iraq, or dealing with losing your home after a hurricane. So I try to press on, and be very thankful.

I am thankful we have a home, and clothes, and that we don't have to wash our clothes in a river where we bathe, go to the bathroom, and get our drinking water. I am thankful my husband has a good job, and he works very hard. Lots of people are dealing with getting downsized or laid off right before Christmas, and I hope and pray that God meets every need they have. I pray that each of us will be God's hands and feet to get help to those who have needs. Sometimes they are hard to spot. They hide very well.

There are those who have lost loved ones this year, and will be alone. God help us to see them, and help them feel included.

I am very thankful that a baby was born in Bethlehem who is our Savior and Messiah. I am glad that a person named Jesus was born. I am glad He was a Jew, and I am glad that the Jewish people are God's chosen people. I am glad that the Bible says that the Jews will always be His chosen people, and that they will never be forgotten.

There is only one God. One true God. He is a God who wants us to talk to Him and be like Him. If you want to see the nature of God, look at Jesus. Jesus went around healing people, feeding people, teaching people. He didn't go around saying, I want you to be lonely. He didn't say, I want you to be sick or feel so crazy that you hurt yourself. He didn't say, I want you to have nothing, and never have any food. He didn't say, well, the things you have done are so bad that you never have a chance to know God's love. When he saw people with needs, he had compassion on them. He did what he could to help. He fed people, he healed people, he helped people. He told them they were forgiven, and greatly loved by His Father.

It is good news to know that God in heaven is not out to make us sick, hungry, lonely, crazy, homeless or anything like that. When Jesus was born, the angels said something like, Peace on earth, Good will towards men.

I struggle with being selfish, lazy, impatient, complacent, blind to others around me. I am human. We are all like that. We all have faults. My desire is to have my eyes opened to others around me. I am glad each day is new, and there is good news to tell. I am glad that I am growing and changing, and God has given me the ability to have compassion and look outwardly at people in the world. He created us to love and to sacrifice for others.

I love Christmas because it helps me remember that there is a God who cares about us. I like what my dad says about peace and being excited about the season, and hoping that people will say cease fire and call a truce. It is good to stop fighting and think about how we can show love to others.

Exciting things are going on, and also scary things, in the world. I hope you have a reason to have hope and to celebrate. If not, I pray that you will not give up until you find that Hope, because there is someone who cares about you, probably lots of someones.

The Lord bless you and keep you, The Lord make His face shine upon you, and give you peace.

I Love Peep

Well, it may be Little One's favorite show right now, but I just love Peep. I have always really loved shows with good opening songs or theme songs. I love to sing along. This one comes on at around 7:30 am on TLC, and we have been watching every morning. Little One and I sing it together. I like singing it to her. It is a great song to start the day! I love, love, love it. Click here to listen to it and to see the opening sequence.
Peep Opening Song

"Well, it's a sunny day
I feel brand new
There's about a million things
That I could do!
Whoa-oh-oh
Would you like to
Do them, too?
Yeah
Well, it's a big wide world
And it's waiting for me and you!

Let's look around
What will we see?
Round every corner a discovery!
Whoa-oh-oh
There's no place I'd rather be!
Oh, yeah
Well, it's a big wide world
And it's waiting for me and you! "

On a similar note, if we are watching Mr. Rogers, if I am not singing along with Mr. Rogers, Dancer Girl always says, Mama, sing.... so cute.

I hope you have a wonderful day!

My Sweeties

Two of my babies. Aren't they sweet?