Thanksgiving 2011

Well, we have so much to be thankful for this year.  God continues to pour His blessings on our family.  Our biggest gift this year was the arrival of Kyrie.  Even though her arrival wasn't how we planned it to be, God got her here safely and that is all that matters!  We continue to be thankful for good health for our family.  Sure, we have had our share of colds, but nothing very serious.  Yes, I might have passed out while 37 weeks pregnant, but the doctors didn't find anything wrong.  For these things we are thankful!  We are thankful that God continues to bless our ministry here in Northern Virginia and that Chris has a job to go to each week.  We know there are many out there who don't have a job and aren't able to provide for their family, so for this we are thankful.  We are thankful for our families who support us and the calling God has on our life.  We know that it isn't ideal that we live so far away, but we are thankful for your support and your visits.  We are also so thankful for our church family. They definitely step up and do things our family would normally do if we lived in the same town.  We have truly been blessed for all the meals that have been provided, the help with the kids as I recover from the     C-section and all the prayers and encouraging words spoken. For these things we are thankful.  We are thankful that God has allowed me to stay home with our children. Sure, we might not be able to vacation as much as we like or buy all the things that we want, but we are thankful that all of our needs are met.  The most important thing we are thankful for, is for our salvation in Jesus Christ.  Without Him, we might not see all these blessings.  We pray that you take a moment to reflect on all the blessings that you have in your life.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Birthday, Kyrie!

Date: 11/05/2011 07:40:42 PM
Well, Kyrie Eleison has made her entrance!  We got up early Thursday morning...like 5am early to get ready to go to the hospital.  The plan was to go ahead and turn Kyrie if she hadn't already turned.  When we got there and the doctor finally came in, she said Kyrie was still breech.  She was going to have to go ahead with the external version.  She asked if I had made a decision about getting an epidural and I told her I still didn't want one.  So she went ahead with turning the baby.  She got her head turned down, but for some reason couldn't get it straight down.  When the doctor did an ultrasound, she saw that her feet were down where my cervix was.  We had to wait four hours because I had eaten, so even though they were talking c-section they said she might move her feet in that time.  Well, she ended up not moving her feet and started laboring some, so it was off to get ready for the c-section.  I am so against having an epidural that I even asked to be knocked out during the c-section.  There were too many big risks to be able to do that, so I had to just trust the Lord with this whole situation.  The c-section was so quick from start to finish...we were walking into the OR around 12:05pm and they were pushing me into recovery by 12:40pm.  Kyrie Eleison joined us officially at 12:24pm weighing 6 lbs. 8 oz.  and measuring 19 inches long.  We are so thankful that she is here safely and is absolutely healthy.  Please pray for us as we transition to being a family of four to a family of five.

Less than a week

WOW!  Less than a week, and we will be a family of five!  The last week has been pretty eventful--more eventful than I would like.  A little over a week ago, the kids and I were on our way to meet Chris for lunch.  I started feeling really hot and little sick to my stomach. Then there is a time period that I don't even remember--guessing I blacked out.  I remember waking up at a green light and seeing no cars and thinking, "I need to go so I don't hold up traffic."  I called Chris and told him that we were just going home b/c I didn't feel well and feel like I had blacked out.  He came home right away.  Shortly after he got home, a police officer showed up looking for the driver of our van.  We understand he has a job to do, but he was really insensitive to the fact I wasn't feeling well and was 37 weeks pregnant.  Once he saw me, his tone changed, and he became a little more understanding. He did say that I needed to go back to the accident or that he would have no choice, but to charge me with a felony.  So Chris loaded the kids and me back in the van, and we headed back to the accident--I NEVER knew that I had hit anyone--the impact didn't wake me up. The damage to the bumpers made it look a lot worse than the accident really was--nobody was hurt--Praise the LORD!! They didn't charge me with a felony, so I'm so THANKFUL for that.   I did call my OB when we got back home because I was still feeling pretty bad.  She wanted me to go to the hospital and be monitored in the Labor and Delivery wing for a few hours.  After being there for awhile, they decided that Kyrie was doing fine, but they wanted me to go to the ER to be monitored for a few more hours to make sure I was doing OK.  After being there for a few more hours and having a few tests done, they couldn't find anything wrong.  The conclusion we came up with is sometimes an artery can get blocked in pregnant women from sitting the wrong way and the weight of the baby which can cause them to pass out.  We were so thankful that our good friends the Porters and the McLeods were flexible enough to come watch the kids while Chris and I were in the hospital.  We knew the kids were in loving hands, so it made it easier to focus on what was going on at the hospital. After being in the hospital for 8+ hours, we headed home.  We decided that it would be best for me not to drive until after Kyrie gets here--wasn't expecting to be laid up in the house this early, but I know it is best and safest for all.  The next couple of days, I was pretty tired.  It was hard to tell if being tired was from the incident, Josiah getting up 3 to 4 times a night for a couple of weeks or just pregnancy related.  Chris was supposed to be on a camping retreat with the youth, but earlier in the week we had a conversation, and I told him since this summer and planning the trip I never felt like he should go.  I told him a couple days before again that I felt like something bad was going to happen and that he may need to make plans to have some other leaders be in charge...little did I know what was going to happen, but Chris made plans to be around.  I'm so thankful that he listened and took me seriously.  We made it through the weekend for the most part.  Josiah started getting this cough in his chest that was very wet sounding.  On Monday, we decided he needed to go to the doctor, so we called to make an appointment for after my OB appointment.  We dropped Sophie off at another friend's house (Thanks, Cruzes!) while we went to the doctor.  While at the OB, we found out that Kyrie is breech with her head under my ribs--the first blow of the day.  Then we headed to Josiah's appointment and found out that he has a form of bronchitis/asthma and needed to start breathing treatments--second blow of the day.  It was a hard day...let's just say a hard week, but I am so thankful for our church family!  I have received LOTS of encouraging phone calls checking in to see if we needed anything from the store or if I needed help.  We have someone organizing meals.  It is hard to not have family right down the street to call when help is needed, but the Lord has taught me the last few days that family doesn't have to take the form of being related physically by blood, but family is those who are covered by the blood of Jesus.  So I need to say a BIG THANK YOU to our RPC church family for stepping in and taking on the role of "family" this past week and the weeks to come as we adjust to having Kyrie here.  God has truly blessed us with a wonderful and amazing VA family!

Septmeber Update

Well, it seems like I have been doing more of a monthly update lately--hey, it's not like I don't have a lot going on right now!   

Where do we start?  Well, we started school the Wednesday after Labor Day.  We do lessons (Bible, language arts, math and a monthly theme) on Wednesdays and Fridays, a science experiment on Thursday afternoons and a Bible lesson and craft on Saturday mornings.  We do Calendar Time and Weather Tracking every day.  I was really trying to hold Sophie off for another year, but she was picking up so much last spring when I was teaching Josiah, that we decided to go ahead and do a few things with her. Some things we have been working on (she already knew most of them, but we are having a more focused learning time) the name and sounds of Aa and Ff, reading and recognizing the color red, the number one, the circle and some of the parts of an apple.  The other day she started counting and counted from 1 to 12--I guess she learned that from playing hide and seek with Josiah.  I just continue to be amazed at how much her little brain is absorbing!  Josiah has been learning quite a bit--again, some things he already knew, but we are just reinforcing them.  This year, we decided to add scripture memory to our Bible time.  Josiah has already learned Genesis 1:1, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."  Along with the scripture memory, he has learned that God is the Creator of all things.  We have also been learning the seven days of creation and have been making a craft for each day.  He has also learned the Lord's Prayer.  We have been saying it each night after we did a devotional on the Lord's Prayer.  One night, he started saying it with us and now has learned it all! He has also learned the days of the week during calendar time and can fill in the blank for "Yesterday was..." "Today is..." and "Tomorrow will be...."  He has really enjoyed our apple theme for the month of September.  He has learned the parts of an apple, how an apple grows, had an experiment where we tasted different apples, planted apple seeds and even went to the apple orchard to pick some apples!  We have also been doing some science experiments which he really seems to be enjoying!  We are working more and more with his reading, but he is having some confidence issues.  I just continue to praise and encourage him on how well he is doing.   Chris is going to NC this weekend to get some of my school things and will be bringing back my kindergarten curriculum, so once we finish the rest of the letters (there were a few we didn't get to last year) we will start with that.

 As for Kyrie and Mommy, we are doing well.  She continues to get bigger and bigger each week.  Unfortunately, the nausea and morning sickness have come back.  I have to admit not nearly as bad as they were at the beginning of the pregnancy, so I am not going to complain.  I honestly can't wait until she is here--one big reason is that I am so over having heartburn!!  If the old wives tale is true about having heartburn and have a kid with a head full of hair, Kyrie is going to come out looking like a monkey!!   Yes, I just said that she might look like a monkey.   There really isn't that much longer until we will be meeting Kyrie.  More than likely no more than six more weeks. The doctors are talking about inducing me early.  Chris and I go to an appointment in a couple of weeks in which we will try to set up a date to be induced.  There is still quite a bit to get done, but I am hoping to check off quite a few things this weekend when Chris and the kids are gone.  I am hoping the lazy bug doesn't bite me too hard!  

 Well, that is it for this update.  Stay tuned for an update in October

33rd Birthday

Well, yesterday I turned the big 33.  I had an absolutely wonderful day.  My morning started off with a Thomas the Tank Engine breakfast.  A certain three year old wante his Mommy to have a Thomas birthday, so Daddy took him shopping and they got a Thomas tablecloth and used the balloon from Josiah's birthday.  After breakfast, Chris and the kids dropped me off, so I could get a prenatal massage.  It was 90 minutes of bliss.  After that we came home, and Chris made some turkey burgers for lunch.  We all took a long nap. Then Chris and I got ready to go out to dinner.  Some of our good friends came over to watch Josiah and Sophie, so we could have a grown-up dinner.  When I got into the car, Chris had gotten me the new New Kids on the Block/Backstreet Boy CD.  I was WAY EXCITED!!!  We were going to go to a local Italian restaurant, but they were closed for Labor Day.  We ended up going to the Olive Garden and had an enjoyable meal.  After dinner, we went to Carters and got Kyrie her going home outfit.  We also got three shirts--Josiah a "Big Brother", Sophie a "Big Sister" and Kyrie a "Little Sister."

All and all, it was a GREAT birthday!  I need to say a BIG thank you to Chris for letting me relax and take the day off from all of my mommy duties.  I really enjoyed my day and thank you for making it so special!

27 Weeks

WOW!!  I can't believe that I am already 27 weeks!  That means we only have 13 more weeks until we get to meet you---OK, give or take a little.  We have been pretty busy the last few months traveling, but you should be happy to know that we are all done until after you are born.  Let's see all the places you have been while in my belly---March-TN, April-Orlando, May-NC, June-GA, July-Daytona Beach and VT!!  That is A LOT of places, but you have been a wonderful traveler.  We go a week from Monday to have another ultrasound--we are hoping that you will cooperate so when we have  your Reveal Party on the 27th, we can find out if you are a boy or girl.  If you don't reveal what you are, we are still going to have the party and reveal the boy name and girl name--your Mimi has been trying so hard to get me to spill the beans, but my lips have been sealed.    Well, little one...it is getting late and this mommy is pretty tired, so I'm going to say good night, sweet dreams and I love you!

Long overdue...again!

It seems more and more lately that my titles for the journal entries are entitled "Long Over Due."  At least it is not talking about me being past my due date!   It seems that as I get further and further along in this pregnancy, I have a harder time keeping up with regular things.  I am still puzzled that with Josiah I was responsible for 20 kids every day, and I don't remember being as tired as I am with keeping up with Josiah and Sophie!

So much has gone on in the last few weeks.  Chris' mom came to stay for a week, so Chris and I could go to Daytona Beach with the youth group.  This was the first time that I have left the kids this long, so it was a big deal for me, but God was good in helping me not be too distracted by missing them.  We left on a Saturday and headed to Goldsboro, NC for a two days.  It was nice to be able to visit with family and friends and worship at our old church.  We got up Monday morning and drove the rest of the way to FL.  While in FL, we got to worship with Chris Tomlin and hear some wonderful messages from Louie Giglio.  It was so AWESOME to see God working in the lives of the youth and be a part of that.  Sure, I know who all the youth are and know some things about them, but this was my first time to really have some undistracted time with them and really get to know them. Most Sundays, I have to head out to bring the kids home for their nap, so I don't get to stay for youth group.  This was definitely a special treat to spend this much time with them.  While we were there, we had a bit of a scare.  I started bleeding one afternoon.  I have spotted with the other two, but this completely different.  Chris and I decided it was best for me to go to the ER to be checked out.  You better believe that I was fervently praying that everything would be alright--we've had quite a few friends recently have some complications with pregnancy, so I was pretty worried.  While driving to the ER, I just got this overwhelming peace that no matter what everything was going to be OK.  I've never trusted God like this before--for those that know me, I am a planner and worrier.  Chris said a prayer for me and the baby and into the ER we went.  While there, they ran a few tests and then wanted to do a pelvic exam. While doing the pelvic exam, the doctor said she couldn't find ANYTHING wrong...that there was NOT even a single trace of me bleeding...no dried up blood or anything.  We had to wait a little bit for the other test results and to be discharged.  The doctor told me to go home and stay off my feet for 24 to 48 hours.  On the way back to the hotel, I asked Chris if this was the healing that he had mentioned earlier in the week.  (He made the comment that the only thing that would make this week over the top was to have a healing happen).  All we can do is praise God for healing me and keeping our little one safe.

 We got back from our trip the next Saturday and had a week to get our  clothes cleaned and packed for our trip to VT--did I mention that our dryer died while we were gone to FL, so we had to air dry everything?  

 We left for VT Sunday night around the kids' bed time.  We were thinking that they would fall asleep shortly after we got in the car, but let's just say it took them 3 hours to FINALLY fall asleep.  Josiah did sleep from 10pm to 5am.  Sophie slept from 10pm to 1am.  She got up and chatted with Chris for about an hour and then went back to sleep until 530am when we arrived in VT.  Chris was a super driver--he drove the WHOLE way.  I kept getting up to check on him, but not once did he ask me to drive.  He got about 24 hours of books on tape--he said that would keep him up and sure enough it did.  We spent the first couple of days with just the four of us.  It was so relaxing to be surrounded by the mountains, grass and lake.  The kids had so much fun running around and just being outside.  They had no problems sleeping at nap and bed time each day.  Josiah was able to go fishing with Chris, had his first motor boat ride, went tubing and had a ride in the kayak.  Sophie went for a ride in the motor boat--she LOVED it and went kayaking.  We really enjoyed our time away from the big city and really enjoyed the quietness around us.  On Wednesday, my mom and niece arrived along with some of my cousins and one of my aunts.  Life got a little chaotic trying to keep up with everyone, but it reminded me of when I was little, and we would go to my grandparents' camp.

 While we were there, we got to go see my gram.  Sophie LOVED Little Grammy.  She wanted to sit with Little Grammy on her bed or get a ride from her in the wheel chair.  Josiah liked all the attention he got from the other patients along with Little Grammy.  I'm so thankful that we were able to visit with her as much as we did because we don't know how much longer she will be around.  I know the kids won't remember the visit, but at least they will be able to see pictures and read about their visit with her.

 We left to head back home on Saturday, but only drove part way.  We stopped in PA to see the Crayola Factory.  The kids had a WONDERFUL time there.  It was a great way to finish up our family trip.  We decided this will be our last trip until after baby is born.

 So the next few months will go by pretty quickly as we prepare for our Reveal Party, get ready to start back with school, celebrate my birthday, kick off the fall at church, attend youth group activities, start back to MOPS, continue with swim lessons,  and we can't leave out a visit to the apple orchard and pumpkin patch.  So as you can see, the next 13 weeks should go by pretty fast!  I will try not to let too much time pass between updates between now and when baby arrives, but there are no guarentees!