Final Family of 4 Update

This will be my last official family update as a family of 4! My sister-in-laws were saying yesterday how it doesn't feel real to them that we're going to have another baby soon and I understand their viewpoint. They're not the ones carrying it around inside them, though! It definitely feels like there is a full-term newborn in there. :)

We've had some negative financial changes recently and we've been asking God to provide for us. Jared was thinking about possibly getting a part-time job again in addition to his full-time job, now that he's done the course he was taking. He mentioned he might want to deliver pizzas for a couple we know who are owners of a pizza restaurant, so I passed that information along to one of them. On Thursday, the owner texted her brother, who is close friends with Jared, asking if Jared wanted a job and could he start today at 4:30? This was around 2 p.m., so Jared said yes and started a couple of hours later. They trained him on making pizzas so that he will know how to do both, but he's hoping to mainly be a delivery driver. He will be working two 3 or 4 hour shifts a week over the supper rush. He has known the owners for years and some people from our church work there, so that's pretty cool and makes it fun!

Kiera has been conquering her fears this summer. I'm amazed at how she's growing in different areas! She used to be scared to climb in those tunnel/slide mazes they have for kids and now she has zero issues with climbing all the way to the highest one and sliding down. Last week, she overcame her fear of the automatic car wash. She screamed and cried at the top of her lungs the last time we took her, so after that we didn't take her. When she found out Jared was going to wash the van last week, she insisted on going along. So, Jared took her and she loved it! It was like a switch was flipped in her. Yesterday, we went to a park with a bunch of people from church and Kiera went on a zip line by herself! I had visions of her letting go halfway down and flying off, but she never did. She LOVED it and went down it over + over! She has also been throwing a lot less tantrums particularly when it comes to leaving a place she's having fun at. I've also been praying for a long time about her treating Blake nicely, instead of hitting or pushing him the second I walk out of the room. We're still having some issues with that, but we've also had several times now where they've played very nicely together for stretches of time by themselves! I see God at work and I'm just very thankful for all of the positive changes.

Blake has reached his "word explosion" stage. A few weeks ago, I wrote down all the words he is saying and the list was over 50 and now I can't keep track any more! I always thought he was way behind what Kiera was at his age, but looking back in the journal I have for them, he's not far behind! I've been praying he would be able to communicate with us before the baby is born and that prayer is being answered! He is definitely the clown in the family and makes us laugh quite often. I love when him + Kiera just sit there and make each other laugh!

There's not much new with me. I'm just getting ready for this baby. We moved furniture around this past week-end to get the baby room ready. We moved the bed to Blake's room and set up the play pen for the baby. Blake is still in the crib, but now the bed is there when he's ready (and when we're ready). I washed some baby clothes and this past week-end I washed all of the receiving blankets, too. I've bought a few packs of diapers and now all I have left is to pack our bags for the hospital! I've still been struggling with digestion problems and some days I get very discouraged. I was in the car one day last week and this song came on the radio which was PERFECT for how I was feeling. I only heard the last half, so a couple of evenings ago, I googled the lyrics I remembered and found it on YouTube. I sat there and cried through the whole song. It's beautiful! It's by Laura Story and she wrote it after her husband was diagnosed with a brain tumor. After numerous surgeries and treatments, it's gone, but he has been left with a vision deficit and memory loss.

I have 2 very good friends, only a few years older than me, who were diagnosed with cancer a couple of months ago and I know so many others going through different struggles, be it health problems or other issues. Here are the lyrics:

Blessings

We pray for blessings, we pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering

All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops?
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near?

What if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise?

We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough

And all the while You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears?
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near?

And what if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us, when darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
It's not our home

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears?
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near?

What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst
This world can’t satisfy?

And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise?

The words that jumped out at me were "We know the pain reminds this heart that this is not, this is not our home." Thankfully, I'm not in pain from my stomach problems and it could be much worse, but when I'm running to the bathroom, I'm just SO thankful that someday it will be over and ultimately, this isn't where I'm staying! I read a really encouraging verse yesterday: "He (Jesus) will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control." Philippians 3:21 Praise the Lord, I will have a new body!! No matter what, I have hope!

That's where life is at right now and I look forward to updating you again when we're a family of 5! :D

A Few Short Videos

This was from last week when Jared was on holidays

Every day is a party!

This was last week when we took them to the beach for the first time

I'm so glad I can capture memories like these since we never had a video camera growing up and regular cameras didn't do that!

Yummy Cupcakes

As soon as I saw this recipe online, I knew it was going to be yummy and it did not disappoint!  It is a light, sweet treat and it’s not hard to make.  Here it is:

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

1 package white cake mix

1 (88g) package strawberry jello powder

1 cup mashed fresh strawberries (can substitute strawberry applesauce)

1 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup buttermilk (I substituted 1/2 cup milk + 1/2 tbsp. lemon juice)

4 eggs

In a large bowl, stir together cake mix + jello powder.  Make a well + pour in the last 4 ingredients.  Beat on low speed until blended.  Scrape bowl + beat on medium speed for 2 min.  Pour into muffin pans.

Bake at 350 F for 15-20 min.  Makes 24.

Lemon Icing

1 cup icing sugar

3/4 tbsp. butter (can substitute olive oil)

1/4 tsp. vanilla

1/8 tsp. salt

2 tbsp. lemon juice

Combine ingredients in a bowl and spread on cupcakes.

I brought these to a play date/brunch and the container was empty when I left. :)

Counting to 800

“But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me.” Psalm 50:23a

Jared was on holidays last week, so we were busy doing things together as a family.  When the baby comes, I don’t know how much time I will have to blog, but I hope to continue on a regular basis, even if it’s just once a week or something like that.  My kids have also been waking up earlier than usual, so blogging before they wake up (my usual blogging time) doesn’t always happen.  I’m behind on posting pictures, so I will attempt to catch up a bit today!  With feeling uncomfortable almost all the time, I have to make an extra effort to be thankful and focus on God and all that He has done and is doing for me.  Here are more blessings I am thankful for:

781. Watching the kids have fun with bubbles on my parents’ deck

782. Air conditioning having to come on at night and first thing in the morning because it’s so hot outside!

783. Watching Kiera learn to blow bubbles

784. Boston cream angel food cake with strawberries on top that our friends brought over

785. Hands raised in the air

786. After many suppertime battles and much chaos, we now have a better system of doing things which makes for more peaceful mealtimes

787. Jared with his kids on Father’s Day

788. Seeing Kiera run through the sprinkler for the first time at a friend’s house and she had fun!

789. Watching Blake finally being able to play with the NFL-sized football he got for his first Christmas at 7 weeks old (his uncle gave it to him)

790. Tan lines, which means I’ve been enjoying the sunshine!

791. Sharing big slurpees together as a family…I LOVE all the new fruit flavors they have this summer!  If I wasn’t pregnant, I’d be having a lot more of them.

792. The 3-hour Skype conversation I had with my sister

793. Watching him sleep in his crib…so sweet

794. Cheese + ham stuffed chicken breasts

795. Creativity in the kitchen

796. Kiera discovered a new movie that she likes from church…Boz

797. That my fingers hurt less after my chiropractor adjustment

798. The new glasses I got from Zenni online that were almost $300 cheaper than if I had bought them in a regular store

799. That I only have a few pregnancy doctor appointments left!

800. “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” Isaiah 26:3

The Wait

This morning, we met Jared's Dad + Step-Mom for breakfast at McDonald's. I tried something I had never had before and I LOVED it! It was the Fruit + Yogurt Parfait. I also had a bit of pancakes there + a hash brown patty (both of which I hadn't had there before) as the kids didn't eat all of their food and those were good, too. After breakfast, my Mom-in-law stayed with the kids while Jared + I went to my OB appointment. It was scheduled for 11:50 a.m. and when we got there, the receptionist immediately told us the doctor was running an hour and 45 min. behind schedule as she was on call and doing a c-section at the hospital across the street and it was running much later than anticipated. So, we left and went to the mall. I wanted to buy a nursing bra from a maternity store as I heard they are nice and a good price and I dislike the ones I used in the past. I walked in and the people working there immediately guessed that's why I was there, ha ha! I'm at the point where I'm not looking for new maternity clothes, so that must be why I was there. I should have bought them there 4 years ago when I was pregnant with Kiera. LOVE them! They were buy one get one half price, so I ended up getting 2. After that, we headed back to the doctor's office. We had been gone an hour and a half. We waited for a bit and then got called in to a room. I thought, "Great, we'll see her and then we can go out for lunch." There was a knock on the door and it was the receptionist, informing us that the doctor got called back to the hospital for a delivery and that she should be back in about half an hour. We went back to the waiting room and half an hour turned into an hour. Oh, and you would think the waiting room would be quite air conditioned at this time of year, especially considering it was full of pregnant women. No. It was HOT in there. I was so glad they had a water cooler with cold water and snacks on the counter in a basket. I finally saw the doctor rush back into the office at 3:00 p.m. and then we were called into a room again. As we were in the hallway outside the room, she said she had to go back to the hospital almost right away for another c-section, but that she had a few minutes. We waited for a few minutes in the room and I was starting to get discouraged, thinking she wouldn't get to us, but she finally came rushing into the room, apologizing, and said she would finish up with me before going back to the hospital. She was very friendly and was even willing to take time to answer any questions, which I didn't really have any. Jared got to hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time, she took my blood pressure, and did the swab for Group B Strep, which I unfortunately have been positive for with my other 2 pregnancies. So, I finally ended up seeing her a full 3 HOURS after my scheduled appointment. I think that system is ridiculous. If a doctor is on call at the hospital, they should not have any other appointments scheduled that day. It's not fair to her to have to be running back and forth between buildings all day like a chicken with its head cut off and it's not fair to the patients to have to wait for multiple hours. I know, life's not fair. Thankfully, I only have one more appointment there and it's 5 days after my due date, so hopefully the baby will be out before then! I'll be seeing my regular doctor for the rest of my appointments, whom I have never had to wait more than 10 min. for and usually there's no wait at all! By the time we got out of there, it was almost 3:30, so it was too late for lunch as it was getting close to suppertime. We were both VERY hungry by the time we got home, but we came home to a CLEAN house! My Mom-in-law had done all of the dishes and cleaned up the basement. That was such a blessing! I'm also thankful she didn't have any plans in the afternoon, as it took so much longer than we had thought it would. In the end, although our patience was tested, it worked out and we got to spend several hours of quiet time together!

35 Weeks!

The countdown is on: 5 more weeks or 35 more days until my due date.  This was by far my easiest pregnancy, as I had almost no discomfort of any kind.  I would now say that I’m experiencing much more pain + discomfort than in my previous 2 pregnancies, so thankfully it’s close to the end. 

Symptom #1:  A few weeks ago, I suddenly got the “it feels like I pulled my groin” symptom which I have never had before.  It’s painful and it’s not constant, but mostly hurts when I’m standing, walking, or switching from lying on one side to the other side when in bed.

Symptom #2:  My feet hurt, particularly at night.  I have to waddle when I get up to go to the bathroom.

Symptom #3:  I am HOT at night, in spite of it being a comfortable temperature in our house with the central air running.  I usually wake up around 2 a.m. to go to the bathroom and that’s when I grab my wheat bag from the freezer.  I put it in between my feet and lower half of my legs and go back to sleep.  I also usually wake up at 5 a.m. to go to the bathroom, go put the wheat bag back in the freezer and grab the gel pack from the freezer.  I put it between my feet and go back to sleep.

Symptom #4: This one started last week and I’ve never heard of it before from anyone.  I have pain in my fingers and it’s what I imagine arthritis to feel like.  It hurts to turn a door handle, unscrew a lid, or even just to make a fist.  I googled it and it turns out it’s something like pregnancy carpal tunnel.  It is caused by swelling in the fingers (which I have) and goes away after the baby is born and the swelling goes away.  It is the worst at night, but thankfully it’s not bad enough to keep me awake.  It also helps to do stretches with my neck, as everything is connected, so I stretch several times a day.  It makes simple tasks more difficult and I find myself massaging my fingers quite often, even though that doesn’t really help. 

In spite of all the discomforts and pain, of course, it is going to be totally worth it to meet this child!  I just keep the end goal in sight.  I feel so busy with Kiera + Blake that I really don’t know how I’m going to handle adding a 3rd to the mix, but I know that God’s grace is sufficient in every situation and that I will get used to it.  At the same time, I’m totally excited and I know that Kiera is looking forward to having another sibling and Blake loves babies!  I am praying and praying for a content, peaceful baby as that will make the transition to being outnumbered a lot smoother!  This baby is a lot less active in the womb than my other 2, so that could be a good sign!  God knows exactly who we need to complete our family, so I trust Him.  I don’t think it’s possible to feel totally ready for life to change drastically and permanently, but ready or not, here it comes! :)

June Blessings

“The more I count these blessings, the more I realize that they really are not the product of my own efforts. They are truly gifts of grace from God above. It’s incredible to open my eyes to them week after week. And humbling. That I should be graced with such wonders? Me… whose heart is weak and black, yet covered with much mercy. How great is Your unfailing love, Lord God of all!” ~Sharaya Crossan

It’s been a little while since I’ve added to my thankful list with everything that has been going on in our lives.  Here are more things I’m thankful for:

761. Her clips as we are growing out her bangs – she either wants all of them or none of them

762. Apple scented dish detergent

763. Getting adjusted at the chiropractor

764. That my Grandma is in heaven…no more suffering!

765. Watching Kiera converse with Mickey Mouse

766. Sitting underneath a big tree while the sunlight filters through the branches

767. That my Grandparents celebrated their 60th anniversary!

768. Being barefoot outside

769. Watching the kids play in their pool for the first time this summer

770. That Jared is done his course this week Friday and then is going to take at least a year off from courses!  I am SO tired of solo parenting and he is SO tired of school, so the finish line is close!

771. This Strawberry Shortcake backpack I bought Kiera for Preschool…I don’t know who likes it more, me or her!  Oh, and it was on sale from $40 down to $16!

772. Plaid shorts

773. Getting pictures with each of my kids on Father’s Day (we forgot to on Mother’s Day)

774. Getting a picture of my Dad + I…probably the first Daddy/daughter picture since my wedding over 5 1/2 years ago!

775. Cloth covered hangers from my Grandma (the one in heaven)

776. This gift I got from a friend to remind me of my Grandma…that she’s home now and someday I will join her there.  It made me cry and was the perfect gift!

777. Watching him fall asleep

778. His cute overalls

779. That we went to Perkin’s for supper as a family…that was a treat!  I got Boston Cream pancakes which were very yummy!  The kids each got balloons which they both LOVE!

780. That another finish line is in sight: I am now 8 months pregnant, so I’m now in my final month of hopefully my final pregnancy! :)