A pregnancy update

It's been a while since I wrote about myself and the little one that grows inside of me. So here's a few updates.

I'm 16 weeks into the pregnancy now!! Wahoo!

The baby is growing and growing. I've been feeling my waistline "thickening" for a while, but the uterine growth is only just now becoming visible. I haven't had to pull out maternity clothes yet, but I don't think it will be long before I'm showing in earnest. :)

The boys are more and more aware of the fact that there is a baby inside of me too. Joshua likes to point at my abdomen and say "Bay-bee." And Isaiah is always praying "... and thank you for the baby that mommy has underneath of her stomach." He also frequently adds, "and thank you that daddy doesn't have a baby, and I don't have a baby, and Joshua doesn't have a baby. Because we're boys." You have to love 3 year olds. :)

I'm feeling the baby move more and more. It's still mostly quivering and fluttering (no distinct kicks) but it's exciting nonetheless. :)

I was "all day sick" during this pregnancy (I'm boycotting the term "morning sickness because it really doesn't seem to have anything to do with the mornings!!) with lots of nausea and queasiness, but I am past that phase and feeling really good now. I'm enjoying food again and cooking up a storm. I know my husband is glad!! :)

I have not really gained any weight yet, maybe a pound or two, but I'm sure that will be coming as my appetite increases. I always gain weight really easily during pregnancy, so the minimal weight gain is foreign to me---especially when I feel like I'm eating like a horse!! But maybe this will just be the pregnancy of all pregnancy's and I'll be one of those annoying skinny people the day after I give birth. ;) I can dream, can't I?

Nick is rooting for another boy, and I'm excited at that prospect as well. But having a girl would be pretty exciting too. I'm thrilled either way. I love babies!! I also love the fact that the baby's gender is not up to us, and that we get to be surprised and amazed by the Lord's sovereign plan. What fun anticipation!!

Overall, this seems to be a very different pregnancy from my last two. Although my previous two pregnancy's were a lot different from each other as well. With a big change of location, climate, elevation and # of children I'm chasing around, I'm sure these things are contributing to the differences. Either that, or this baby is a girl. ;)

A subject of some concern is a "glitch" in the health care out here and the challenge of living in a small town, with only small towns around. Because this baby will be born (Lord willing) as another VBAC, it looks like I will be delivering at a hospital 2 hours away from our home. I meet with the OB/GYN next week (at this very distant location) to discuss the details. The thoughts of driving 2 hours for appts, as well as a lengthy drive when I'm in labor are quite daunting. But we know that the Lord is in control and that He knows best. Again, a wonderful lesson in trusting God's sovereign plan.

I think that covers it for now!

26.2

It doesn't seem that impressive until you add the word "miles"


Yes, 26.2 miles. A marathon.


And now my husband has run two of these 26.2 mile races just this year. His first marathon was in Iraq of all locations. During Nick's second deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, he was able to participate in a Boston Marathon sponsored race for soldiers. In Iraq. That last part still amazes me.

His second marathon was much closer to home. It took place in Kansas City, MO. Obviously, the race was much different from the first in location, conditions, and climate-- but they still both involved a grueling 26.2 miles.

The best part of the run (for me anyway!!) was there at the finish line. I stood waiting for my husband to come running across. Perhaps you will think it silly, but I stood there with tears in my eyes. I couldn't help it. For a military wife who has been through so much waiting and anticipation, all the same emotions of pride, joy, and amazement came flooding in. Of course a marathon isn't the same as a 15 month deployment, but I felt every bit as proud of my husband at that moment. He had trained hard. He had worked hard. And now had reached the culmination of all the months of effort-- he had finished the big race and had finished well. I'm so glad that we were there to greet him at the end!

The boys were proud too. And they seized the opportunity to congratulate daddy as soon as he got down to stretch. Too cute. :)

All terrain vehicles

My boys love TRUCKS.
They love playing trucks.
They love making truck sounds.
They love reading truck books.

This morning the boys and I read one of our truck books. The book has a plethora of pictures and information about almost every kind of 4 wheeled vehicle imaginable. The book was progressing along nicely until we got to the Farm Vehicle page. On it there was a picture of an all terrain vehicle. For fear of overwhelming the boys with the long name (and in truth to make reading this book a bit easier on myself), I abbreviated all-terrain-vehicle to ATV.

However, as is frequently the case when I try to outsmart the boys, I was quickly corrected by my 3 year old. "Mom, I think thats really an all terrain vehicle."

No more short cuts here. At least when it comes to something with 4 wheels.

Learning curve

Almost every afternoon I do preschool with Isaiah. Mostly it's simple things like shapes, comparisons, and colors. But the other day, we worked at the alphabet. Isaiah is very good at recognizing letters and names most of them quite well. Seeing that he already had the hang of memorizing letters, I started teaching him the sounds the letters make. So I would say cheesy things like, "A is for a-a-a-a-apple" and "D is for duh-duh-duh-duh-dog" and make the sounds. Isaiah seemed to think this was great and was happy to repeat the sounds with me.

Meanwhile, Joshua is in the phase of his language development that he can repeat (or try to repeat!!) different words. It's so cute to see what he comes up. "More, please" is "Moo-are, eeze." Some days he does better than others, but he really loves to talk and copy. So throughout the day, I prompt Joshua, "Say, bye-bye" "Say, Thank-you" etc. Isaiah frequently helps me teach Josh and is always asking Joshua to repeat things too.

Now, remembering that Isaiah has "learned" the sounds letters make and also loves teaching Josh, I overheard this "instructional lesson" this morning:

Isaiah: "Joshua, can you say, Bubble?"

Joshua: "Buh-bull"

Isaiah: "Good, Josh! Can you say, Trucks?"

Joshua: "Trux"

Clearly satisfied with Joshua's skills, Isaiah tries to take it up a notch.

Isaiah: "Joshua, can you say buh-buh-buh-buh-orange?"

I cracked up. :) Oh well. I guess Isaiah likes saying the sounds, but doesn't get that the sound is supposed to be the first part of the word!! Hopefully he'll figure it out before Joshua starts thinking that "orange" starts with a "B" sound.

Fire trucks

For Fire Safety Week, the local fire department on post had an open house. They welcomed kids of all ages to come look in, climb on, and check out the fire house and fire trucks. Knowing how much our boys love TRUCKS, we put it on the calendar.

Just touching a fire truck gave the boys thrills

The boys had a marvelous time. I think they would have stayed all day if we'd let them. They started by exploring all the fire trucks. Then they spent some time meeting fire men and asking important questions like "Can you turn on the lights?" "Are you going to go to an 'mergency'?" and making statements like "Fire is hot" and "I'm not going to drive it"

Our little fire fighter

Not so sure about driving with this hat on

After seeing the fire trucks outside, we headed into the fire house and saw things like a fire man racing to put on his gear before leaving for an emergency, a "smoke house" that taught kids how to get out of their house if there was a fire (Isaiah loved this part because he got to climb down a ladder at the end). They also had arts and crafts set up, a robot fire hydrant, and Spotty the Fire Dog shaking people's hands. What a fun day!

The Big Number "3"

I love babies... especially my own. :) I am very excited for this new little life that grows inside of me; the sweet baby that we will meet 6 months from now. It seems that I spend hours thinking and anticipating what this little one will be like. While I often sit and wonder at the personality, gender, and disposition of our child, lately my main thought pattern is on the new family dynamics that lie ahead.

The big number "3" seems both intimidating and exciting.

It's a mixture of fear ("Ahhhhhh!! The kids outnumber the parents!!") along with the joy and blessing of being fruitful and multiplying ("Wow! The kids outnumber the parents!!")

Thoughts and questions come to mind, mostly about managing every day life with 3 little ones-- grocery shopping, exercise, money, stroller rides, sleep: how does it all work with 3 kids?


A lot of parent's shared their experiences with me. The stories were mingled with tales of postpartum depression, sleepless nights, and "when MY children were young we didn't have it so easy you do now..." None of which came close to the motivational speech I thought I needed to hear.


Part of me yearned for the comfort of a blanket reassurance: "It will all be okay." "You're a great mom." "You can do it." But deep inside I knew it wasn't enough. I knew it wouldn't hold up. I knew I was still lost if I battled on the basis of being a great mom.


As is often the case, my wonderful husband came through on more than one occasion. He listened to me. He validated my concerns. And then... he pointed me to Christ. That was the best and most comforting thing I've heard. There are going to be trials. There are going to be sleepless nights, days where I am frazzled and tired, and evenings when we reheat dinner 3 times before sitting down. But our strength and comfort is not of or in ourselves. Our hope is in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who has paid the debt, who knows our needs, who keeps us under the shadow of His wings, who bears our burdens, who pours out His mercy and grace, and who gives us the promises of His word.

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

Isaiah 41:10

Yes, that is the hope, that is the comfort. Amidst the challenge and excitement, the fear and amazement of 3 children. God is in control and will never leave us or forsake us. What a promise. What a comfort.

Pumpkins, pumpkins, pumpkins everywhere

Last fall, when Nick was deployed and my mother was visiting, we went to a pumpkin patch. We had so much fun, and took such sweet pictures of the kids amidst the pumpkins, that I was convinced we should make it a family outing each year (and hopefully most years Nick will be able to join us!)(although Mom was a great back-up!!)

So this weekend, after the rain subsided and the glorious sun and blue skies appeared, we headed off to Meyer's Farm. We'd heard rumor of what a fun place it was, and now there is no doubt in our minds. We had a wonderful time.

The farm had every "farm-like" activity available (hay rides, corn mazes, farm animals) as well as some "extra's" (rides in cow shaped carts pulled by a tractor and a hay tower high dive onto a hay covered trampoline). The boys LOVED it. :) After sorting through, climbing on, and yes, even kissing the display pumpkins at the main entrance, we headed off on a hay ride to pick out our very own. It took some hunting and some squishy-squashing through the mud, (it down poured 3+ inches of rain the day prior), but we finally found the perfect pumpkins!

Just before we left, the boys posed at the harvest display. And I snapped a some great shots!

My goal now is to carve one, Martha Stewart style, and then to use the by-products in some great holiday cooking. I can't wait! Yum, yum, yum, this pregnant gal loves the holidays!

Coloring pictures

Yesterday we received a letter from Uncle Joel. He is currently in Basic Training at the same post we are stationed at. We have yet to see him, but it's been nice to hear from him. In his letter, among other things, the new recruit mentioned the lack of mail coming his direction. And further indicated that after receiving our first letter last week, he would now be expecting to hear from us every week!!

Since we love Uncle Joel and since I'm good at taking hints, this morning I had the boys color pictures for him. I'm not sure if he'll have a place to hang them up, but at least he'll know we're thinking of him.

The boys put a lot of work into their pictures. Isaiah attempted the new "muscle it" technique which involves breaking crayons as you color as "hard" as you can. Apparently this makes, "cool pictures, Mom." Joshua concentrated hard on his project too. He made a beautiful drawing using many colors... and sometimes many colors at once.

**For anyone who'd like to write to Joel, I'm sure he'd appreciate it. You can email me for his address **

I had to laugh

Just a random anecdote from our household.

The boys sat at the table eating chocolate icecream. Clearly remembering the importance of sharing, they took it upon themselves to "feed" mommy a few bites of their after dinner treat. While being fed (gooey, sticky, Double Fudge Brownie icecream by a 1 year old and 3 year old) I applauded the boys for their generosity:

I said, "Isaiah, you are so good at sharing! And Josh, you are too!!"

To which my 3 year year old, Isaiah, quickly responded, "No, Mom. Josh is one."



You have to (two! too!) love the literal phase.

Love at first sight