Things NOT to do when you're pregnant

1. While being one month pregnant, trying to celebrate Christmas-- instead, you'll sleep through it.  (Max)

2. While being two months pregnant, going to your own wine tasting birthday party, thrown lovingly by your friend Jill, and you can't even participate.  (Jack)

3. While being three months pregnant, getting a tail bone cyst that has to be cut out while you're awake and feeling it all because the baby is too little for any pain medicines or drugs.  (Max)

4. While being four months pregnant, getting the type A flu so bad that it last for over 10 days, with little to no sleep, many days of no eating, lots of fevers, and more coughing than one person should do during their entire life.  (Jack)

5. While being five months pregnant, moving to a new house, full of hardwood floors that you insist on mopping while on your hands and knees.  This is especially bad is you're slightly OCD and refuse to sleep or stop until everything is unpacked.  (Max)

6. While being six months pregnant, sending your 18 month old to his grandparents for the week- instead of relishing in the rest and enjoying your husband, you will cry A LOT, especially when you see other babies.  (Jack)

7. While being seven months pregnant, encourage your husband to remodel the bathroom leaving gobs of construction dust around the house that requires crawling on hands and knees multiple times a day to clean- and also encouraging him to do this whole project between you 1 year old's bedtime: 8:00pm and your own bedtime: 8:30pm, daily... makes for a very long project!  (Jack)

8. While being eight months pregnant, lose complete feeling in your hands so you drop everything, send your husband to another country, meanwhile forget to hydrate and start to have contractions, and simultaneously enduring a ATL summer that makes your legs swell up like the most humongous sausages you've ever seen. (Max)

9. While being nine months pregnant, go to Athens for your baby brother's graduation, while re-living your own hay days in your mind, walking around the University of Georgia campus like you haven't been having early contractions-- all while toting a 20 months old, and keeping up with your whole family.  (Jack)

10.  While being ten months pregnant, (and yes, the whole thing actually lasts almost 10 months...joy!) going into labor at 2am and having the baby at 8:41am... 2 (TWO!) days later after 50 hours of labor without any drugs, and no sleep and then the final 5 hours with an epidural.  (Max)

Stroke of Genius!

Sometimes it just hits.  And you wonder where such a great idea came from.  You walk a little lighter, feel like giving yourself a pat or 7 on the back, and you call someone to brag.  This happened to me recently, and it was pure genius!  I've recently turned the corner, pregnancy-wise, and not just because of "cutting my activity" but mostly because of growing a human being.  I'll expand more on this when I'm humble enough to post a picture, but let's just say, I'm almost "over it".  I'm tired and achy and ready to hold baby Jack.

So I was driving home from work the other day, exhausted and almost dreading my afternoon with my little people.  What was I going to do with them?  How could I keep them busy without using the tv? And how do I make sure it requires very little of me?  Then STRIKE--- a pool!  Like the kind from Target for your backyard.  Max LOVES taking baths and Gabe LOVES playing in the water with him-- the soak their bathroom each night.... so this would be a huge bath, and they could splash as much as they want, and I could sit.  GENIUS!

Well, it worked!  And it was adorable!  And I got to sit in a chair with my computer in my lap, working, and watching, and laughing :)  They played and splashed until I made them come in-- and as soon as we were dried off, they were already talking about playing in the pool again.  GENIUS!









I provided the pitchers, cups, toys, balls, bowls, and sunscreen- they provided their own fun and entertainment.  And by the time we went inside, my feet hurt less, my attitude was 100 times better, and I was confident that these two were the cutest things around :)

Max and Lizzy, the Dynamic Duo

It's been a while since I've posted any pictures, and even longer since I posted pictures of Max and his friend Lizzy.  I'm hesitant to call Lizzy his"best friend" because I don't want to be that mom forcing it, but let's be honest, he LOVES Lizzy!  We still have her seat in our car from the last time she was with us and he loves to point and talk about her when he sees it.  Anytime we head to the park, he expect Lizzy to be there and is disappointed (tears!) when she's not, ha!  BUT when they are both at the park, they do their own thing-- go figure!

[caption id="attachment_1553" align="aligncenter" width="224" caption="The Dynamic Duo at the Park!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1552" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Max and Elizabeth Grace (April 2011)"][/caption]

Anyway, these two are funny together for many reason-- first of all, the boy/girl thing-- it's neat to see how different their brains are.  Secondly, they are almost 6 months a part, so Anna goes through a hard time with Lizzy-- ex: clingy, disobedient, whiny-- and then 6 months later I'm pulling my hair our for the same reasons.  Lucky for me, I know it's just a stage because Anna already overcame it! Another fun thing is that they're both little smarties and the stuff they come up with is hilarious.  ALSO, they are both first borns and therefore bossy-- so when Max is at Lizzy's house, she is IN CHARGE, but when Lizzy is at Max's house, she follows his orders instead.  And then lastly, I just love Lizzy and Max does too, and it makes me happy.

[caption id="attachment_1551" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Max at the soccer park-- "I draw M-A-X!""][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1549" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Lizzy wearing at hat at the soccer game because Max was wearing one :)"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1550" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Hugs!"][/caption]

(Of course, Lizzy's little sister is Evie-- who came into the world in February instead of April.... and has been wrapping people around her fingers ever since and now Jack will follow her and enter the world here shortly, and we'll get to see the newest dynamic duo in action... and as second borns, who are supposed to be more laid back, etc, I'm anxious to see what this looks like!) So fun to raise these kiddies together!

Overwhelmed Again...

I've written several times about being overwhelmed-- most recently I've been overwhelmed with the idea of bringing home a new baby when we already have a baby at home.  I do realize that I'm pregnant, really I do, trust me, and I do know that we wanted this and planned this.  But now it is really real- like 6 weeks away real.  And I'm overwhelmed all over again- but this time, it's totally different.

First of all, remember last week when I mentioned the potential pre-term labor?  Well there has been so much love and concern bestowed on me and my family that I've gotten weepy, several times!  That happened on Tuesday, and that night my friend Anna made me dinner and brought it to us for Wednesday-- it was delicious!  Katie from our small group brought dinner to me for tonight, and another Katie from our church is doing dinner for us tomorrow night.  And that doesn't include Danielle and Lisa from our small group who plan on serving us this way next week.  Now really, dinner is a little thing, you might be thinking, but that's also the hour that Max melts down and hangs on my legs flailing about because he MUST be held.  And cooking dinner (which usually I love doing) leads to needing to clean up dinner, not to mention actually feeding my people, so the whole ordeal takes several hours- and for someone who needs to "cut activity in half" these dinners are HUGE blessings!!

What love and what service from these people who just saw a need and are meeting it-- and honestly, I didn't even know it was a need until it happened and then I got to see how much it helped!

THEN, as if that isn't enough to overwhelm me with gratefulness, a group of sweet friends had a baby shower for me this weekend.  I will have to follow this post with some pictures later, because it was a Kentucky Derby themed shower, complete with big hats, but for now I just need to explain the love that was there.  All of these people are my friends- and have been my friends since before I had Max- and obviously showered us and loved on us when we had him.  (This includes my parents and my in-laws who are out of state but mailed us very wonderful things to the shower!) And now we're having another "him" and needing very little, but the gifts we received were so snuggly, so precious, and sweet and thoughtful, that once I got home to Chad, I was overwhelmed all over again.  I am so blessed by friends who showered us with gifts of blue, and diapers, and gift cards just because they love me and my family.  Seriously, my chest is tight thinking through this.  And I had a hard time falling asleep on Saturday night because of it!

Then in case you didn't know, yesterday was Mother's Day- but Chad declared it Mother's weekend at our house.  So I don't think I fixed a meal all day Saturday or Sunday, I got my hair did, and my feet rubbed, I took naps, I sat on the couch, I carried Max very little, and I got lots and lots of time with Chad and Max.  (Gabe was with his mom this weekend, but before he left, he gave me a flower pot he painted and a book that was precious and hilarious at the same time!)  I did help fold a load of laundry but that was just because Chad was folding laundry when I walked into the room to talk to him and my hands just naturally went to work.  And I only had 2 contractions all day Saturday.  I was loved on and spoiled all weekend, and now I feel rested and ready to conquer the week!

But I'm not done!  Today at work, they had a baby shower lunch for me.  And again, my co-workers are among the people that spoiled me the last time we did this-- less than 21 months ago-- but yet they set up lunch and strawberry cake from Gabriel's (my favorite) AND got me a very generous gift card.

So remember that "Before Jack Arrives" list?  Well I just used several gifts cards and bought everything that was left on my wish list... it should be to us next week.  And let me just say that we don't deserve this- I don't deserve this- I don't need this-- but this is just the way God works. He puts all this love in people's hearts and then it spills out on His children- on me and my children!  So yes, once again I am overwhelmed, but this time I am overwhelmed by kindness. It makes my heart so full to be able to sit back and see just how blessed we are and to revel in such wonderful friendships and relationships.

Thank you God!

Bedtime Prayers

Chad is working late tonight, so I had the duty of tucking both boys in tonight.  Usually, we divide and conquer-- Chad puts Gabe to bed and I put Max to bed, so it's not very often that I hear Gabe's bedtime prayers.  But tonight was one of those nights.

I laid Max down first and then headed to Gabe, so that I could actually pay attention to what he was saying... Max thinks when you close your eyes to pray that it means that he should poke them or pull at your face to make you laugh... and let's just say, it's hard to focus!

Anyway, once the blinds were closed, his clothes laid out, his night light on, his cover situated just right, and his glasses on his bedside table, Gabe was finally ready to pray.  He bowed his head and prayed about the BMX bike tricksters that visits the 2nd grade today.

He said, "Dear God, thank you for those bike tricksters and that they tried their hardest- thank you that they dreamed in the hearts to 'intalent' us kids (no, I don't know what intalent means...your guess is as good as mine...).  Thank you that we can do whatever we put our minds to, and whatever we dream, as long as we try our best.  Amen."

UGH!  I was exhausted, I had the finish line in sight, I was almost done for the night- I didn't want to have the conversation that needed to follow that prayer.  But 5 minutes prior I had just prayed over Max, "God, thank you for blessing me with this baby, help me to be a mommy who makes wise choices, who doesn't take the easy way out, and is committed to leading him to You".  That prayer went for Gabe too-- but I'm tiiiirrrreeeeedddddd <-- that's how I demonstrate whining while typing.

And Gabe says the "I tried my best" or "I'm going to try my best" or "As long as I try my best" line ALL the time and it makes me want to gag.  I wasn't sure if I had enough patience in the moment to have a conversation that built him up- made him a better man- instead of just getting on a soap box.  I want Gabe to know the fullness of God, I want him to take responsibility for his actions- his wins and loses, his good grades and bad grades, his wise choices and unwise choices, and I feel like the "trying his best" is just a cop out from all that.  Was I really going to go there, now?  Couldn't it wait until another time?

But no- I had just told God to use me to lead these boys, I had asked Him not to let me take the easy way out- and I meant it.

So no easy way out for me.  Instead, I turned Gabe's light back on and said,  "Gabe, none of what you prayed is what we believe." He gulped. I went on to explain that God gave us every thought, every muscle, every ability, and every talent, and He is the only one who gets the credit-- not us.  I tried to gently tell him that believing in your own abilities, dreaming in your heart, and trying your best means nothing-- it is God and only God who makes anything AND everything possible-- He even gives us our ideas and dreams.  Gabe merely batted his long eye lashes at me.  So I went one step further and explained that is our job to practice hard, and study, and do what we can to learn and perfect our talents- but that it's only possible with God.  And I ended by saying that God is the only thing that matter-- it's our job to give Him all the credit.

Honestly, Gabe still didn't respond much.  He just nodded and pulled his cover up to his chin.  So I turned his light back off, and kissed his head and turned to walk out of the room-- and it hit:  "Um self, don't you think you need to take your own words to heart?"  How often do I "trust" my own abilities or get caught up in thinking I'm in control?  Even yesterday, I blogged about how I was going to cut my activity to keep this baby in... and never once mentioned the Lord, the giver of every breath... the sustainer of pregnancy... um, why yes, I did leave Him out and decided to "try my very best" instead.

And that is why being a parent is awesome-- you get humbled often-- knocked to your knees regularly, and shown by your kiddos just how much you need God.  So hopefully Gabe "got" some of what I was trying to tell him tonight, but regardless, my sweet Jesus used Gabe to speak to my heart-- words I needed to hear!

A Little Scare

So I've mentioned like 100 times that this pregnancy is totally different!  It's been great and easy and has just flown by... until a couple days ago. On Thursday I started feeling "off"- sometimes I'd have weird pain, sometimes I'd get clammy and dizzy, and sometimes I'd just feel like I was going to throw up.  I've had no appetite and really really bad heartburn, too.  And I've been having lots and lots of Braxton Hicks contractions.  Some of them have been really strong too-- not painful, but enough to catch my breath or stop me in my tracks.

So the side story, is that at my 28 week appointment, when I was telling my midwife how great I was, etc... she told me that technically it was time for me to start coming every 2 weeks-- but since this was #2 and since I was doing so well, that I could stretch the next appointment to 3 or 4 weeks.  And when I went to set the appointment, I was set on getting one with her because she is my FAVORITE, so it actually ended up being 5 weeks later-- at 33 weeks.... which is/was scheduled for tomorrow....

So back to being "off"-- I finally called the office and spoke with a nurse and told them what was going on, and they had me come in today.  And then all morning I basically had non-stop contractions.  It was the most intense that it had been- but still wasn't painful or actual labor.

So by now, it's probably obvious that I'm a worrier.  Apparently, I get this from my great grandmother Lucille-- my Dad calls me Lucille anytime I start to get worked up or nervous or anxious.  It's his way of telling me to calm down.  For instance, the other night, when there were storms across the south, as soon as our sirens started going off, me and the boys went to sleep in the garage (where our house is underground) while Chad went outside to watch!  If someone says they'll be here at a certain time and then they are late and not answering the phone, I assume it's a car wreck, etc etc etc.... WORRIER!

So anyway, by the time I was getting close to the doctor, I had myself so worked up that I was sure that I was going to have to have a c-section today, birth a 4 lb baby, stay in the NICU for weeks, and barely be able to hold myself together-- all while Chad was working and unable to make it to the hospital-- because that's realistic, right??

Anyway, I have started to dilate slightly, and I am having a lot of contractions, but the baby is under no stress, his heart rate is wonderful, and I show no signs of real labor.  So I have to 1) eat more protein 2) drink more water 3) cut my activity in half.

Did you read number 3?  Um.... I have a 20 month old-- how exactly should I go about explaining that to him?  And what about the laundry?  And dinner?  Do you think my family will be ok with no dinner or clean clothes for the next 7 weeks?  I kid, because obviously, it just needs to be a temporary life style change and Chad and Gabe are already helping tremendously-- but the thought of cutting my "activity level" in half, with my personality, just makes me chuckle.  And makes me crazy.

But the bottom line, as my doctor said, is that my body is telling me something, and I can either react to it now, or be put on bed rest-- my choice.  Um......... I choose to take it easier. She also thinks I'll easily make it full term if I just adjust a bit-- so really-- this is not a big deal, and maybe even a blessing in disguise that I'm required to chill out, but I did pull a Chicken Little today as I drove and convinced myself that surely the sky was falling.

TMI: The Projectile Vomit Edition

Yesterday started off with a conversation with Courtney, our sitter that went something like this:

"Max slept 12 hours and doesn't seem like anything is wrong or hurting but something is off.  He won't eat breakfast, he didn't eat dinner last night, and he doesn't want to play."

Courtney followed up throughout the day just affirming all of that- he seemed fine, continued napping well, barely ate, but didn't even shoot basketball.

Weird!  But it's not like I could call the doctor and say "he's not playing basketball today" and expect them to take me seriously!

So then at dinner time, as Chad and Gabe were stuffing their food in before soccer, we stopped to pray as a family for friends who have gone into pre-term labor.  While we were praying (and everyone's eyes were closed) Max grabbed Gabe's water bottle and began chugging.  After the prayer, I put Max in his chair, hoping he was now hungry.  And all of a sudden he threw up.  But it was just water- so I assumed it was because he drank too much too fast.  The only times Max has thrown up was when he ate too much too fast- so I thought that probably applied to drinking too.

Of course the throwing up scared him and made him cry, so I picked him up and set him on my lap at the table and he was ok. For a minute.  And then he began the projectile stuff-- everywhere-- all over him, all over me, all over the table and floor- over and over and over.  I don't even know where it all came from- because again, he didn't eat all day! Gabe disappeared to his room and shut the door (smart boy!) and Chad who was getting dressed for soccer practice began bringing me rags and wash clothes while trying to tuck in his shirt and tie his cleats.

I of course, responded like any helpful, encouraging, mature mother would- I started bawling-- sobbing, really.  Suppportive, I know.

So Max was scared, stuff was flying out of his mouth and nose, he was dry heaving and looking at me with sad, confused eyes, unable to understand what was going on, and his mother was crying.  Hard.  After several minutes of this, Chad and Gabe has to head out (Gabe used the front door to avoid the crime scene- again, smart boy!) And it was all I could do to get us both stripped out of the puke clothes and get Max to the tub.  Max was very upset that he had gotten stuff all over me- he kept saying "On Mommy" and pointing to my covered, splattered, and chunked clothing.

It took a long time to get everything cleaned back up- including two loads of laundry... and the rug is still hanging over the fence as of this morning, hoping the GA rain and storms will wash it clean.  And honestly, it was all I could do not to puke myself.

Max is now on the BRAT diet-- bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast-- they are supposed to be easy on your stomach.  And we were up many many times together throughout the night.  Lovely.  But it seems as though the things that are going in, are now staying down, and we can move on with our lives. Although, I am pretty scarred by this.  And I'm sure Max is scarred as well.

I think we've been lucky to make it 20 months without a stomach virus- which was obviously God knowing that I would not handle such things well.  It is/ was absolutely horrible to see my child like that- unable to help or alleviate the problem.  And really, unable to even explain it at all.  I just held him all night, rubbing his back, and telling him it was ok, while choking back my own pathetic tears.

This mom has had enough fun for one week- and it's only Tuesday.  Yikes!