Friday Feast #137

Appetizer
What are you proud of? I am proud of the way Matthew and I are raising Philip and growing his little heart to love Jesus.

Soup
What is the best thing you’ve ever won as a prize? I really can't think of what would be considered the "best thing". I'm still waiting on the Publisher's Clearing House to show up!

Salad
Name something you do that is a waste of time. Read blogs of people I don't know (jump from a friend's blog to her friend's blog to her friend's blog...)

Main Course
In what year of your life did you change the most? 2005 when I had Philip. Having a child really does cause you to have an entirely new perspective of the world. It makes you completely concerned with protecting him from the world but also wanting him to experience everything good it offers.

Dessert
Where is a place you consider to be very tranquil? Sitting on a porch swing of a Gatlinburg cabin.

Week 34 OB check-up

After an hour of waiting and five minutes of seeing the doctor, we were told that I'm now considered just a regular OB patient. No longer any special monitoring for preterm labor. That was a relief but it also means that if I go into labor at any point, we're having the baby! At 34 weeks, the baby is strong enough to be born with little or no NICU support. However, I'm still taking it easy because even having to leave her at the hospital for 2-3 days would be horrible. When I leave the hospital, I want to have her strapped in her little carseat with us! Anyway, I now begin having check-ups weekly until she's born (that's just a maximum of 5!!).

I'm feeling pretty good. Nights are hard as it takes serious manuevering to get up out of bed to use the bathroom. Getting a little anxious about the labor and delivery as you never know exactly how it will go. Matthew and I are both set on tracking down our L&D nurse from Philip's birth because she was so reassuring and calming. You can begin praying now that she'll be working the day we go in.

Next week is Spring Break for our school system. It really doesn't affect us as Matthew still goes to work and Philip really doesn't know what day of the week it ever is. However, it's my goal to work hard and get Philip on a fun yet rigid daytime schedule (i.e. breakfast, tv, get dressed, outside playtime, book time, Mommy & Philip playtime, lunch, nap, toy play time, dinner, time with Daddy, bathtime, book time, prayers, bedtime). I'm going to type up the schedule and post it on the refridgerator. This schedule was adapted from the book On Becoming Toddlerwise. I will just feel more comfortable to welcome our daughter into the house if Philip feels like he knows what should happen from day to day. If he's on a schedule, I think the baby will be easier to handle too. This could all blow up in my face and I'm not denying that we will need a few weeks to figure everything out. I've just gotten lazy the last few weeks and Philip and I get pretty restless around the house in the mornings. Maybe a schedule will help.

Friday Feast #136

Appetizer
Who is your favorite news anchor/reporter? Why? I think his name is Jim something on the Weather Channel. Basically, anyone on the weather channel who is reporting live from the edge of a hurricane and things are flying around in the background. Makes me laugh as they try to stand still. Sorry if you think that is cruel!

Soup
Name 3 foods that are currently in your freezer. Nutty Buddy flavored ice cream, pepperoni (we buy it sliced in bulk and freeze portions), boneless skinless chicken breast (a staple at our house).

Salad
If you were to have the opportunity to name a new town or city, what would you call it? Merliffin (a name Matthew made up combining our first two ferrets' names, Merlin and Griffin).

Main Course
What will most likely be the next book you read? Probably Bringing Up Boys by James Dobson or Valiant Bride by Jane Peart (the first in a 12 book Christian romance series; we had a yard sale with my mother-in-law today and I never fail to bring home some of her old stuff. Yes, I brought home all 12 books!).

Dessert
What's the first thing you notice about the opposite gender? His smile or lack thereof.

Philip's Favorite Song

A mother trying to raise her son to become a Christian could not be prouder than when his favorite song becomes "Jesus Loves Me". I did sing it to him as an infant, but I really thank his Sunday School teachers and Bible Study leaders for helping him to learn it. This is a super cute rendition and I was thrilled he actually sang right to the camera. Again the bathtub is a great place for videos as he can't run away!


Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos

Friday Feast # 135

Appetizer
Name two things that made you smile this week.
1. Watching Philip pick up a disposable camera and say, "Say cheese, Mommy." I smile and say cheese. He then says, "Good job, Mommy." 2. Finding out our daughter weighs 4 lb. 15 oz.!

Soup
Fill in the blank: Don't you hate it when ________?
Don't you hate it when the phone rings in the middle of your nap?

Salad
When you can't go to sleep, what is your personal remedy to help yourself drift into Lullabyland? I recite Psalm 23.

Main Course
What is something about which you've always wondered but have not yet found a good answer?
How guys can play video games for hours on end? I'm sure they wonder the same about girls and scrapbooking. :)

Dessert
What is your favorite pasta dish? Stuffed marinara shells.

Week 32 OB Check-up

My appointment on Wednesday went very well. My cervix shows to have shortened some but is still in the normal range. My FFN test came back negative (no signs of going into labor for two weeks) which made the doctor not so worried about the change in my cervix. Our baby girl is growing stronger every day. I was hoping the ultrasound tech would tell us she had made it to 4 pounds, but hearing that she measures 4 pounds 15 ounces was a surprise. This little girl could possibly gain 4 more pounds if I carry her the full 40-weeks bringing her close to 9 pounds by May 7!! I have been hungry all the time recently and I guess we now know why.

After measuring her, the tech said, "Let's see if we can see her face." I didn't know she was using the 3-D tool until we saw this sweet little face on the screen. Amazing!

It's all becoming more real as we're acquiring little girl clothes from very gracious friends and family. Even though the clothes are in the closet, I have a feeling we don't know exactly what we're in store for. God will provide His grace and we'll just take it one day at a time.

Big News!!

I'm so excited to share the news that my brother Mike and his wife Andrea are expecting their first child! Andrea is due November 8 so their baby and our daughter will be about 6 months apart. Philip, his little sister and their new cousin can grow up together! I thank you for your prayers for Andrea to have a healthy pregnancy and delivery a strong baby. They are going to be GREAT parents as they each have such loving hearts. I know Philip had a ball when he stayed with them for a week last summer.

Another Venture into the Kitchen...

This pregnancy I'm not really craving specific things just FOOD in general! I'm not sure if it makes it worse or works well as an outlet, but I've started watching the Food Network a lot over the last several months. Usually the food looks really good but too hard to make so I just drool in front of the tv. Well, the other night Matthew and I watched "The Secret Life of... Waffles". I love waffles and we were actually given a waffle iron as a wedding present. It's been used probably less than 10 times in the 7 years we've had it.




Well, last Wednesday morning (the morning after watching that waffle show Tuesday night), I was determined to make waffles. And make them from scratch as they had on the show. The waffle iron might not look like the toughest of kitchen gadgets, but I was still proud of myself. It was the first time I had ever separated the egg yolk from the whites in the shell and then beat the whites to a stiff consistency. The waffles turned out pretty good. It was a traditional recipe and I suppose traditionally, they are served with fruit and whipped cream on top because the waffles themselves weren't that sweet (I did add blueberries to the batter). However, plenty good to me after adding butter and syrup!!



This morning, Philip and I ate the last two so I might have to make another batch later this week. Maybe I'll add chocolate chips this time!

Current Profile

For those of you who aren't lucky enough to see me on a daily or weekly basis, here's the side profile these days. I'm really kidding but the photo was requested which was actually a good thing. With Philip's pregnancy, I had Matthew faithfully take my photo every month. This poor baby girl will be lucky to have 3 photos of me during the pregnancy in her scrapbook! Today marks my 32nd week. Only 8 weeks to go so we'll see what I look like then.

New Thing... Friday Feast!

My friend Melanie began posting the Friday Feast on her blog several weeks ago. I thought it was cute so here goes! It's a website (fridaysfeast.blogspot.com) which asks five questions every Friday. An easy way to let people in on the "real" you.
Today is Feast #134.

Appetizer:
What is your usual bedtime? Do you like that, or would you rather it be different?
Between 10:30 and 11:30pm. I probably should go to bed a little earlier but it works great for me as Philip is in bed around 8:30pm and then Matthew and I have time for ourselves.

Soup:
When it comes to advice, do you give more or receive more?
Right now I'm probably receiving more (asking friends for help on raising toddlers, everyone telling me to take it easy these last two months of pregnancy, and reading a book on strengthening your marriage, His Needs, Her Needs: Building An Affair-Proof Marriage by Willard F. Harley, Jr.)

Salad:
Describe a memorable meal you've had.
Last April, Matthew and I attended a marriage conference at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC for our anniversary. We ate dinner at the Blue Ridge Room. Our table overlooked the Smoky Mountains and the dinner was wonderful. It was a FANCY buffet (no buffet line but individual silver serving dishes over warmers) like nothing I had ever seen in person! The food was endless but it came at quite a high price: $40 a person!

Main Course:
Name a work of fiction that affected the way you think about something.
Blink by Ted Dekker. It was about a girl who escaped from Saudi Arabia due to the cruelty to women that occurs there. I'm assuming it is somewhat accurate and made me so appreciative and grateful to be an American.

Dessert :
What is your favorite type of fruit juice?
Pineapple even though it made me sick the first few months of my pregnancy with Philip. I wasn't so bright and thought I could drink it first thing in the morning!

Aunt Debbie is doing well...

Thank you, Lord and thank you to all who prayed. My Aunt Debbie was released from the hospital with a lot of bumps and bruises, a cut inside her mouth and a burn from the seatbelt on her stomach but no broken bones or internal injuries! My mom was riding with Debbie and Curt back to their house about an hour ago. She will spend the night and take care of Debbie tomorrow as Curt has to work. Such a scary thing to go through but it seems like she'll be just fine.

Prayers for my Aunt Debbie

Please pray for my Aunt Debbie (Mom's sister) who was in a head-on collision on her way to work this morning. She is now at Greenville Memorial Hospital (SC) and my mom will probably be going there in a little while. Debbie's husband Curt is already there. He called Mom this morning to tell her about it. He said Debbie could talk but was having pain in her neck and chest and bleeding from her mouth. We pray there were no serious injuries. Debbie and Curt got married last April and are now trying to have a baby. I know God's plan is always perfect but I do pray that it might be His will for them to be parents.


Curt and Debbie are on the left. This is a picture from my cousin Melissa's wedding. On the right are my little brother Mike and his wife Andrea.