Sunday, September 21, 2008
Blessed!
The wonderful ladies at church gave me a diapers and wipes shower this afternoon. It was truly a blessing! When someone first approached me about giving me a shower, I commented that since it was my fifth pregnancy, I was not sure that I deserved one (meaning that I have received more than my share of baby gifts over the years). The sweet lady responded, "If anyone deserves a shower, it is you!" I really appreciate the thoughtfulness and the baby supplies! We should not have to buy diapers or wipes for a few months. Our church family is truly a blessing to us!
Saturday, September 20, 2008
You Look Beautiful!
I have been blessed with five pregnancies, and I have received quite a variety of comments throughout those forty-five months (give or take a few weeks). Many of them have been very encouraging, many of them have been amusing, and a few have been downright rude. Thankfully, most of the comments do not bother me, in fact, I usually find them a bit humerous. I thought I would share a few of my top pregnancy comments.
The comments begin as soon as the pregnancy is announced. We have heard more than our share of "Don't you know what causes that?" and "Bless your heart." I have also heard, "You are going to have your hands full!" many times. Then it subsides for a while, until I "blossom" to full pregnancy size (unfortunately, that happens to me a few months earlier than most women!). Then the remarks begin to pour in!
This pregnancy, it started towards the end of July. I walked into a gas station and the sweet attendant said, "Wow, you must be due any day!" I smiled and walked out, not explaining that, actually, I had ninety days until my due date. I have had numerous people tell me that there is no way I will make it until October 30. I have been asked several times if I am having twins. Someone else asked if I should be out. I have been told that I have "dropped" more times than I can count. When I was pregnant with Isaac, a fellow teacher told me that my pregnancy was starting to show in my face!
One thing that has amazed me about pregnancy comments, is that they almost always come from women. Men seem to know better. I suppose the women in their life have given them pointers. I have noticed that many men simply ask (with sincere concern), "How are you feeling?"
The comments do not always end with birth. A couple of weeks after Olivia was born, a lady patted my stomach and said, "It looks like she left some behind" and then smiled.
Pregnancy is an exciting time, and I do not mind talking about it. I have decided, though, that the very best thing to tell a pregnant woman is simply, "You look beautiful!"
The comments begin as soon as the pregnancy is announced. We have heard more than our share of "Don't you know what causes that?" and "Bless your heart." I have also heard, "You are going to have your hands full!" many times. Then it subsides for a while, until I "blossom" to full pregnancy size (unfortunately, that happens to me a few months earlier than most women!). Then the remarks begin to pour in!
This pregnancy, it started towards the end of July. I walked into a gas station and the sweet attendant said, "Wow, you must be due any day!" I smiled and walked out, not explaining that, actually, I had ninety days until my due date. I have had numerous people tell me that there is no way I will make it until October 30. I have been asked several times if I am having twins. Someone else asked if I should be out. I have been told that I have "dropped" more times than I can count. When I was pregnant with Isaac, a fellow teacher told me that my pregnancy was starting to show in my face!
One thing that has amazed me about pregnancy comments, is that they almost always come from women. Men seem to know better. I suppose the women in their life have given them pointers. I have noticed that many men simply ask (with sincere concern), "How are you feeling?"
The comments do not always end with birth. A couple of weeks after Olivia was born, a lady patted my stomach and said, "It looks like she left some behind" and then smiled.
Pregnancy is an exciting time, and I do not mind talking about it. I have decided, though, that the very best thing to tell a pregnant woman is simply, "You look beautiful!"
Family Tidbits
--My pregnancy is going well. I just had my 34 week check-up, and everything looked great. Bailey and Isaac both came at 37 weeks, and Olivia and Anna Grace both came at 39 weeks, so if history repeats itself, I have anywhere from three to five weeks left! I am trying to prepare as though he is coming soon, so that I will be ready, but trying not to expect him so that I will not go crazy! Given my history of big babies, I have an ultrasound scheduled in two weeks to check his size. Of course, this baby could be a "new kind of Johnson" and weigh seven pounds! Time will tell!
--Bailey lost her first tooth a couple of weeks ago. She was a little disturbed when she first discovered it was loose -- she likes everything in its proper place! She soon overcame her dismay, and we all rejoiced with her when $2.00 appeared under her pillow!
-- Anna Grace and Olivia started Mothers' Morning Out at a church near our house. They go on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, and they are both really enjoying it. It gives Isaac, Bailey and me some quality school time, and we sneak in an errand here and there.
-- Bailey has joined an American Heritage Girls' (similar to Girl Scouts) troop that meets every other week. She loves being around other girls her age.
-- Isaac started going to Boy Scouts last week. It is a new experience for both he and Mark. I think they are both a little apprehensive about some of the "outdoorsy" stuff. It should make for some interesting stories!
--September seems to be the month of household repairs. Our freezer in the garage went out two weeks ago. This was especially painful because I had been preparing meals to freeze for when the baby comes, and I lost all of it. I also lost the blueberries we picked this summer and the spaghetti sauce I made from the tomatoes we grew. Mark joked that it was our way of sympathizing with our Baton Rouge friends who were dealing with power outages from Hurricane Gustav (that "joke" is a little funnier now, two weeks later!). We had a repairman come to check it out, and apparently it is a flaw in the design. He said he would order a replacement part, but there are already 1,200 on back order!
--The next Saturday, our old computer had a hard drive crash. The good news was that most of our important stuff (pictures, etc.) had been saved to our new computer. The bad news was that our Quicken files had not been saved in a couple of months. I have been reconstructing our checking account records. Needless to say we will be a little more diligent about backing things up!
-- Our Saturday repair for today has been a leaky toilet. Mark has made three trips to Home Depot today, and is working hard to correct the problem. Hopefully we will take a break from these little equipment failures next weekend!
--Bailey lost her first tooth a couple of weeks ago. She was a little disturbed when she first discovered it was loose -- she likes everything in its proper place! She soon overcame her dismay, and we all rejoiced with her when $2.00 appeared under her pillow!
-- Anna Grace and Olivia started Mothers' Morning Out at a church near our house. They go on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, and they are both really enjoying it. It gives Isaac, Bailey and me some quality school time, and we sneak in an errand here and there.
-- Bailey has joined an American Heritage Girls' (similar to Girl Scouts) troop that meets every other week. She loves being around other girls her age.
-- Isaac started going to Boy Scouts last week. It is a new experience for both he and Mark. I think they are both a little apprehensive about some of the "outdoorsy" stuff. It should make for some interesting stories!
--September seems to be the month of household repairs. Our freezer in the garage went out two weeks ago. This was especially painful because I had been preparing meals to freeze for when the baby comes, and I lost all of it. I also lost the blueberries we picked this summer and the spaghetti sauce I made from the tomatoes we grew. Mark joked that it was our way of sympathizing with our Baton Rouge friends who were dealing with power outages from Hurricane Gustav (that "joke" is a little funnier now, two weeks later!). We had a repairman come to check it out, and apparently it is a flaw in the design. He said he would order a replacement part, but there are already 1,200 on back order!
--The next Saturday, our old computer had a hard drive crash. The good news was that most of our important stuff (pictures, etc.) had been saved to our new computer. The bad news was that our Quicken files had not been saved in a couple of months. I have been reconstructing our checking account records. Needless to say we will be a little more diligent about backing things up!
-- Our Saturday repair for today has been a leaky toilet. Mark has made three trips to Home Depot today, and is working hard to correct the problem. Hopefully we will take a break from these little equipment failures next weekend!
Monday, September 8, 2008
Orange Beach
A few weeks ago we travelled to Orange Beach, Alabama to spend a long weekend with our good friends, Roger, Chemaine, Shepard and Rob. We were all excited about going, although seven months pregnant is not the most attractive or comfortable time to visit the beach! We had a good time splashing in the waves, playing in the sand and just spending time together. The biggest drawback to our time in the water was the jellyfish. Isaac, Bailey and Olivia were all jellyfish victims during out time there. Mark and Roger went on several shell hunts out in the water and were quite proud of the big shells they found.
Praise God for the beauty of His creation!
The Smell of Pine-Sol is in the Air!
I usually "nest" (obsessively clean and organize) most of the nine months of my pregnancies. This pregnancy has been quite different! I have had much less energy this time around. It has been pointed out to me several times that I am older (one of those things you love to hear!) and that I have four others to chase around. It has been a bit of a struggle for me, because my mind has many nesting urges that my body just can not seem to get motivated to do!
Finally, I have had sudden micro-bursts of energy these last several days. I rearranged our bedroom on Saturday (Mark helped move the bed). I cleaned out the girls' closets and took inventory of their winter wardrobes. Mark and I spent a couple of hours cleaning out the van on Saturday morning. Hopefully these bursts of energy will continue. After all, I would hate to bring baby Eli into a house with cluttered closets!
For some reason, I love the smell of Pine-Sol when I am pregnant. Other times, I can take it or leave it. Right now, I love to clean things just so I can smell that wonderful smell. Pregnancy definitely brings out my quirky side!
Finally, I have had sudden micro-bursts of energy these last several days. I rearranged our bedroom on Saturday (Mark helped move the bed). I cleaned out the girls' closets and took inventory of their winter wardrobes. Mark and I spent a couple of hours cleaning out the van on Saturday morning. Hopefully these bursts of energy will continue. After all, I would hate to bring baby Eli into a house with cluttered closets!
For some reason, I love the smell of Pine-Sol when I am pregnant. Other times, I can take it or leave it. Right now, I love to clean things just so I can smell that wonderful smell. Pregnancy definitely brings out my quirky side!
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