Silly thoughts

Have you ever really thought about what all we ask our vehicles to do for us on a daily basis?
Besides the obvious, getting us to and fro, and protecting us from the elements, they are really pretty technologically advanced. Some of you have the ability to press a button asking your vehicle to get directions for you, some can play a movie for your children that keeps them entertained, some can identify a song on the radio and ask your vehicle to record the information for you so you can later download it on Itunes, it's like your car can be your own personal assistant!

The other day as I was on my way home, I was waiting to turn left onto our street. I turned my signal on, asking my vehicle to signal to other drivers that I was turning. Then, I pressed the garage door opener that is pre-installed, asking my vehicle to open my garage door for me. As I was turning into the drive way, I pressed the button for my side mirrors, asking my vehicle to fold the mirrors in for me, so I would fit in the garage. As I pulled to a stop, I again pressed the garage door button, asking the vehicle to close the garage door for me.
I'll admit I take it all for granted but you'd better believe I appreciate that I don't have to get out and manually open and close the garage every time I leave!

Picasso (hardly) but cute anyway!

The other day, EJ's Grandma decided to buy him some finger paints so he could create a masterpiece. Thankfully they are non-toxic and washable!

Here is one of my favorite pictures he made-

Doesn't it look like a peacock? With a purple head and yellow tail?

He is so talented!

For this child I have prayed...

I have had this blog written for some time now. I have just been too scared to post it. So now that I've got a burst of confidence I am going to post it, so here goes!

We had our first appointment last Monday, and as I sat in the waiting room I was so nervous, I found myself praying for peace and comfort.



We had an ultrasound scheduled before the appointment, and as soon as the screen turned on, there was our baby, cute, round and tiny. I held my breath until we saw and heard the heartbeat. What a relief that was! Following the ultrasound we met with our doctor who said everything looked good.



They scheduled an appointment with our perinatologist on Thursday, so once again I was filled with nerves. The last time I was at this office, we had an ultrasound and that's where we learned there our baby had no heartbeat. I had to force myself to breathe and try not to give into my fear. Once we saw the baby on the screen, I smiled and just waited. It seemed like forever, but there it was, the baby's little heartbeat. We met with the doctor and she recommended that we come in every week for an ultrasound, until I am 18 weeks along. So the chance to get a peek at our baby every week really does excite me. Tomorrow we'll be 10 weeks along, and although I feel peace right now, I think I will feel a lot more confident in two weeks.

My life flashed before my eyes

Well not really. But have you ever had one of those moments where you can see that something bad is going to happen, and you seem to be suspended in time? Even though it lasts only a few seconds, it seems like it's been minutes and you have had time to think about every possible scenario and what is the best decision?

That happened to us a couple of nights ago. We were driving home from my Sister-in-laws, chit chatting about the day that we had. We came to an intersection heading west, and our light was green so we kept driving. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught movement out of the drivers side window, from a car heading north. It was at that moment that my brain started processing everything in what seemed like slow motion.

"Is he going because he's about to make a right turn?" I thought. "It doesn't look like he's turning. If he keeps going, he's going to hit us right in the middle of the front and back seat. That's not a position that will make us spin, but can really damage the suburban. Or us. EJ's in the middle, that's the safest place for him. Is Joey wearing his seat belt?"
All the while, I am calling out loud, "JOEY! JOEY!"

He managed to see the guy barreling straight toward us just in time. I can't tell you if Joey slammed the breaks or hit the gas to get us out of there, all I know is at the last second the other truck finally saw us and hit his breaks, stopping just feet from us. All I could say was "Thank you Lord! Thank you Lord!" as I tried to catch my breath on the short rest of the ride home.

I am so thankful that the Lord had his hedge of protection around us, and kept us safe from harm. We serve such an awesome God!

Progress

As part of my pregnancy journal I felt that I should include what has happened in this pregnancy so far. First of all let me start at the beginning. I have never had trouble getting pregnant. I know what day I ovulate and usually which side I ovulate from. I can feel it, although it's a little uncomfortable. However we've had three miscarriages. Two before EJ, and one after him. So with Joey not working and not having insurance, we were very leery of me becoming pregnant. Because of that we were trying not to conceive. But lo and behold the Lord had other plans.

When I first found out, I was torn between wanting to be excited, and being scared about what could happen and about the timing of everything. It was a very heavy burden to be carrying not to mention the weight of my emotions battling each other in my head and my heart. It was hard for me to share the news with others because in the past we've found out that good news travels very quickly, but bad news doesn't. So deciding to start this journal is becoming therapeutic for me!

Anyway, last Tuesday I had some bleeding. It wasn't spotting which I know is normal, but bleeding. After having 3 miscarriages, in my mind it was a sure sign of something not being right.

My husband and I prayed and kept praying throughout the day and it finally stopped. Because Joey isn't working right now we don't have insurance, so I think I felt like I'll just wait and see what happens before I call the doctor. If it is bad I already know what is going to happen and how to handle it.

I ended up calling the doctor the next day to tell them what was going on. The doctor asked me to go get some blood drawn so they could check the hormone levels, so I went and they were normal. They then asked me to go again 48 hours later to make sure they had increased. We got the results yesterday and the hormone levels had increased but my progesterone levels were just a little low. So I will start the progesterone pills today and take them until I am 12 weeks. I have my first appointment and ultrasound scheduled August 4 with the Doctor we really wanted to see although I'm a little sad about leaving our midwife, who has been with us through it all.

But we have a great perinatologist who I see because I have Factor II, a blood clotting disorder, and she's been through it all with us as well. If there are any complications because of the Factor II, I would have to change to a physician anyway. So I feel better now, and am ready to enjoy the day before me that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it!

I thank all of you who are praying for this child and this pregnancy, you all mean the world to me!

There's more than one way to get out of here!

A couple of days ago I heard my sweet little baby calling "Mama! Mama!" from his room, signaling he was awake from his nap. I took a few minutes to finish what I was doing before I went to go get him. As I slowly opened the door ( I like to try to peek in without him seeing me so I can see what he does in his crib) I caught my breath and ran to get my camera.

What I saw scared me a little, but also gave me a sense of pride that my little boy was so strong!

I careful assessed his ability and concluded he is not physically able to get all the way up or over... for now. So needless to say we may be switching to a big boy bed rather quickly!

Flip Flops

Since I live in flip flops during warm weather- What Your Flip Flops Say About You

You are an outdoorsy person. You feel most comfortable in nature. Beautiful scenery and good weather always brighten up your day. Being outside allows you to feel calm and connected to the world. Problems don't seem so big when you realize how small you are in the scheme of things. Your ideal warm weather place: Costa Rica

The Flip Flop Test