12 weeks to go....

So here I sit. Now at 27 weeks, and aside from a very strong cough a few weeks ago, we have had a very smooth uneventful pregnancy. It is hard to believe that in 12 weeks or less we will have another baby boy.  Praise the Lord!! I sit here writing one foot swollen and the other normal.  My upper body and belly much larger at 27 weeks than with the 2nd pregnancy. My belly looks more like a large beach ball and often feels much heavier. Thank fully I have only gained 14 pounds and baby is VERY active.

They say no 2 pregnancies are alike.  I can vouch for that. I see the Doctor this coming Monday, and will have go through the wonderful normal 28 week tests, but I have resolved to be okay with it all.  I really do not like the blood sugar test, but I think I will be fine. I really want to show the doctor wrong.  ;)

I really can't complain and I don't. I think from what others tell me I am actually experiencing a "normal" pregnancy.  It is still hard to take in. It is getting harder to move around. I have moments of absentmindedness, which hubby likes to tease about. I am thankful for smaller children willing come to my rescue and pick up things off the floor so I don't have to try and bend down. I have hot flashes at night, and according to hubby and daughter I snore something awful--you try sleeping with someone laying on top of you....

I can't help being thankful for the smoothness of this pregnancy, and how God has answered prayer. And although I try not to think about it too much, I can't help but look back. 8 yrs ago at this time in pregnancy  I was in the hospital with complications and doctors not knowing what was wrong. That of course--a week later resulted in Josh coming into this world at 28 weeks. 5 years ago at this time in pregnancy I had just gotten over a severe flu virus (given to me by same son) and was soon to experience a whole round of new symptoms in the 3rd trimester. Even so, the 2nd pregnancy made it to week 38, when Shelby had to come due to not enough amniotic fluid.

On the home front school front. We finished out unit on Stewardship. This week we began a new unit on Patience. In this unit the kids will learn what it means to wait by looking at how things grow. More lessons on baby to come. How ironic that we should be learning all this and I am pregnant -- talk about a living classroom.

Josh is doing well in 3rd grade. He is beginning to get some of the basics that just did not come last year.  Miss Shelby, to smart for her own good at times, continues to be a challenge, but she is a smart one. She advanced from Kindergarten this quarter and is now in 1st grade.  She is so proud of herself--of course we are proud too. I still am amazed at what she can do--not that I should be as I see it with my own eyes. She has begun to pick up some of Josh's lazy habits and tries to play the "I can't do it" card. So I leave the room because I will not play that game. Something kicks in, and suddenly she can do it, and perfectly and neatly too.

Thank you, and please continue to keep us in your prayers through the next few months. And may God bless your home as He has ours.

I LOVE MY HUSBAND! Reflection.....

So here I sit, 24 1/2 weeks pregnant, I have been sick for the past week.  I think I had strep throat or something like it--sore enough that I gave up talking for 3 days because it hurt so much.  (Kids got in some good practice with sign language.)  This weekend hubby made me breakfast 2 mornings in a row.  I am truly blessed.

The other day I sat reflecting on the past few years--easy to do when you are too tired to do anything else.  It is amazing to us both that we are expecting our 3rd child; especially since neither of us ever thought we would have one, let alone with each other.

I realized last night that we have now been married half as long as we have known each other.  We met a little over 18 1/2 years ago.  There was a period of 8 years when we saw each other only briefly if at all and yet the whole time he was in my prayers with out knowing I had been praying for him.

See I began to pray for my future husband when I was 12 years old.  When I met Jody I never thought he was the one God had in mind for me.  9 1/2 years ago I was sure he was not the one, and yet as we started dating again, I would pray for him as a friend for he was a very good friend.  I was also still praying for my future husband, and became amazed as I watched God transform this man before my eyes.  

The day he proposed, I knew without question that he was the one; and I have grown to love him more each day.  Tomorrow, October 8, 2012 we will celebrate 9 years of marriage.  It is hard to believe at times that we are together, and have 2 children AND one on the way.  Our journey has had it many moments of challenges--each one drawing us closer together.  

We have worked hard to grow together through each trial.  We have never argued or fought as we have seen in many relationships.  Hard to believe I know.  Granted we have not always agreed, but we have always talked and prayed about everything.  We learned very early on that lines on communication must be open and transparent, and that above all else we must bring everything before God.  We know it is the only thing that has brought us through the many ups and downs this life has brought our way.

We are blessed to have two children who know without question that God is the answer when things are uncertain.  We have been doubly blessed when our children come to us and either ask us to pray with them when they are scared or offer to pray for us because they feel moved to do so.

So now as we embark on this next journey, we do so knowing that God IS in control and HE only has our best interest in mind.  We are in awe that God would entrust us with another life and look forward to the blessings this little one will bring.

I continue to pray for my husband and now for our marriage and our children.  I know he prays for us, and we see great miracles when we pray together.  I am blessed at how Jody loves me and shows his love and sacrifice for his family.  We may have only been married for 9 years but at times with all we have been through it seems longer.  We look forward to all the Lord as in store for us.  I am blessed to know that I have a man who will whole heartily walk with me.  I look forward to when I can say we have been married twice as long as we have known each other.

I love you Jody--and I look forward to growing old with you and those wheelchair races.  :)   

Week 19 +/-

So as we embark on this new journey, I am happy (WOW!  There's a thought.) to say so far so good.   So far things have been well.  Minor incursion with uncooperative veins when trying to get blood work done, but after two days trying and 4 vampires and many sticks blood word is done and now waiting for results.  Beyond that I just simply feel pregnant.  How nice is this?  It's very nice.

I will say we are still adjusting to the whole concept and at times it still feels very surreal.  But the kids are excited and we have been blessed with a few baby items that makes it easier to comprehend.

On other areas of the home front, we are now in our 3rd week of school.  I was surprised and pleased as the first week went much smoother than I anticipated, so I know the kids were ready to start.  We are learning about being good stewards and how it first means we learn how to care for our bodies.

In preparing for this years lessons, I was intrigued how several of the lessons focus on our bodies and how they were made.  I had been thinking of how to tread lightly when talking about exactly how our bodies were made, being not too deep when it came to anatomy--of course that was before we found out I was pregnant.    Now with baby coming there are more questions than I never expected to cover quite yet.  So I have had to rethink again what details to go into and which ones to go lightly on.  It shall be interesting.

Here is a sampling of the questions that I have had thus far-most of which have been vaguely answered or when probed for more have all been told, "we will talk about that later in school...."

"Mom, how did the baby get in your tummy?"  "Mom, how does the yolk get into the egg?"  "How will the baby get out?"  "Will that (all things baby from daughter) happen to me?"  (To which we answer, "yes but not for a long time.  Like when you are 25."  And she replies, "oh no!  I will wait until I am 40!!!")  We like that answer!