And it is…

Well, it’s been a long day, and I’m just now able to sit down and spill the big news.

Little peanut cooperated very well and showed us what we wanted to see.

And we will be bringing home….

A BOY!!!!

I’ll be honest. It was a little weird to see his ummmm…..parts…on the screen.

I’m used to seeing girls.

His heart and kidneys looked good.

Which is why I shouldn’t be concerned about what they DID discover.

Apparently, all babies should have a three-vessel umbilical cord.

Mr. Peanut only has two.

The ultrasound tech was incredibly nice, and tried to make me promise not to freak out and go google-ing it.

She said that in 15 years, she’s never seen a “two-vessel baby” come back with anything wrong.

But because it can be an indicator of “things”, we are being sent to a perinatologist next Wednesday.

I have been strictly forbidden (by Stephen) to not look anything up on the internet. He told me if I did, that he would disconnect my ability to browse the world wide web.

I spoke with a friend of mine this afternoon who told me that her second baby had only two vessels, and that she too, was sent to a specialist. 

Her baby is now a perfectly healthy and functioning three and a half year old. (She mentioned they did some testing on her when she was born and did determine her kidneys were a little smaller than average, but not enough to make a difference. And…she said she has a small belly button.)

My bloodwork for neural tube defects and a few other chromosomal abnormalities came back negative. His heart has four chambers, and his kidneys are measuring right where they should be.

All the same, we would appreciate the prayers on this one.

But….regardless, we are thrilled to have a boy!!! Oh, but we have NOTHING blue. I don’t even think we have anything gender-neutral.

 

T-Minus….some hours and counting

Till the big ultrasound!!!

Anyone care to make any last minute guesses?

My friend Courtney asked me tonight if I was going to be able to sleep.

Normally, I would have said no, but we had such a full day today, that I’ll probably fall asleep before I make it to the bed.

Met up for our Wednesday playdate at Jumpits.

It’s a new inflatable jumpy place near Kennesaw.

Kenni LOVED it! And I think that Caia did too. I didn’t pay for her to jump, but she kept crawling into the obstacle course and running away from me.

Then, we came home and after what was SUPPOSED to be naptime, we cleaned up Kenni’s room, played, and I started on the two pots of chicken chili for journey group tomorrow night. (More on THAT in a minute.)

Caia has spent two of the past three days napless. We’re assuming teething since she’s waking up at night too.

The diaper she presented me with this afternoon also confirms my suspicions.

But, all the same, I made  her stay in her crib for what SHOULD have been nap time.

Now…my chili story.

I volunteered to make the chicken chili for our Thursday night Bible study. Now, when I did, I didn’t think about all the work that would be involved, especially when I’m not going to be here tomorrow.

I found a crock pot recipe that looked good and decided to go for it.

Not only did I have to soak and simmer two pots of beans, de-bone and de-skin 8 chicken breasts, chop up two onions, mince 6 cloves of garlic…I had to grind my own cumin powder!!! 

Long story short, I didn’t buy ground cumin at the store, because I knew that I had seen cumin in my pantry.

When I finally get ready to dig out the ingredients today, I pull out the cumin. The label reads “Whole Cumin Seed”.

Fab-u-lous.

So, I measured out what I needed and ground it up with a mortar and pestle.

That took some elbow grease.

And I don’t know if the potency of whole cumin seed is more or less than that of already ground, so we’ll see how this turns out!

Anyway…ULTRASOUND!!

Well, at 2:30, give or take some minutes, we will know what we are having. 

Team Pink? Team Blue?

Let’s just hope the little booger decides to cooperate.

We’ll update tomorrow with the results.

My Preschool Post in Pictures

Well, today was the first day of Preschool.

It was strange to have most of the family up by 7:30 (okay, 7:45)….but I kinda liked it.

I am NOT a morning person, but if I’m going to have to be up, it might as well be doing something fun like getting ready for preschool.

Caia was not so happy when I woke her up at 8:00, though. She sat in her highchair and glared at us for the first 20 minutes.

But, at any rate, we made it on time….with all of our supplies intact.

And I didn’t cry when we dropped her off.

But I did when I picked her up.

I don’t know. There was something about being in my first car pick-up line. And then when they brought her out of the building to my car, ah…she looked so big.

So, anyway…here we have it. What we could capture of her first day in pictures. (If you click them, you can see them a little better.)

As far as how her day went, she said it was great. But that she was sad.

Oh? Cause you didn’t want to leave?

No. It was because they didn’t go outside to play on the playground.

And…apparently, she didn’t want to put away the Bambi figurine during clean-up time. 

She told me her teacher had to take it and put it away. This does not surprise us.

But she also told me, and I quote,

My teacher is quite nice.

Yeah. She said that. “Quite nice”.

Just My Opinion

I’m no politician.

And I’ve never really followed politics.

But…is it really supposed to MATTER that Sarah Palin’s daughter is pregnant?

Why is this such a huge news story?

I am sure that this young girl has enough emotions to sort through right now without having to deal with the harassment of the media.

I have read the statements that Sarah Palin and her husband released about the “situation”, and I think even more highly of her than I did before.

And, as much as I disagree with Obama, I respect him very much for what he said when asked his opinions.

People’s families are off-limits. And people’s children are ESPECIALLY off-limits.

He’s right…at least about this.

This has nothing to do with politics.

Her parents are giving her the unconditional love that she deserves.

Leave her alone.

Oh…and the CNN reporter who is insinuating that Sarah Palin shouldn’t run for office because it puts her daughter in the spotlight during what is a difficult time in her life??? 

Sheesh.

Blowing Kisses, Cheap Juice, and Politics

One of Caia’s favorite things to do is blow kisses.

Here are some step-by-step instructions that she put together. Please note that these actions must accompanied with a loud “MAH!” sound.

Last week at Publix, Juicy Juice was BOGO at $3.49…making them $1.75 a piece.

I found some great printable coupons, printed ALOT, and then headed out to stock up.

Here’s our stash….

8 bottles of juice for $6.00!!

We won’t have to buy juice for at least a month…maybe a month and a half. (We love some juice around here….)

And finally, I could never be a politician. Or a wife of a politician.

People throw around so much nastiness about you even when there’s no nastiness to throw around.

And for the record, I like Sarah Palin. I think we could be friends. 

How’s that for your random Saturday post…

Gaining Independence

Caia is nearing 14 months old. 

Not sure quite how that happened, but whatever.

And it has been in this past week that I feel like she has jumped to a whole new phase in developing her sense of identity. (Does that make sense? I’m no psychologist. I just babble and make random comments that I question whether anyone else understands.)

She is still very much a snuggler.

In fact, just this morning, all she wanted was for Daddy to hold her. It was the sweetest thing to watch!

She kept pulling on his pants leg and jumping up and down, whining the whole time of course.

When he picked her up she continued whining until he let her curl up in his lap and snuggle up against his chest.

She is a Daddy’s Girl.

But, where her independence has showed itself the most has been in how she plays.

She could care less if I’m there with her or not. She would rather crawl off into Kenni’s room and play with her, or wander off on her own to find something to do.

Stephen says, Enjoy it.

And I do. I had a friend tell me that, in the long run, that second child makes things easier on you because they already have a built-in playmate with the first child.

But, I often wonder if I’m giving her enough attention.

Stephen, ever the dismisser of my worries, says to just look at the fruit.

How is she developing socially? Is she withdrawn? Does she cling to only you? Does she trust you? Does she want to spend time with you, even if it’s just a little?

Well, in those aspects, she’s doing fine.

She is very much a people person. In fact, last night with our friends, she would crawl into whoever’s lap would hold her. And at one point, she just snuggled up to one of our friends on the sofa, laying her head on his shoulder.

But, as the arrival of Parris Baby #3 draws nigh, I worry that she’ll get that “middle child” complex.

She’s not the oldest. She’s not the baby. 

Oh, but she is loved. And she is special.

So, how do you know? How are you sure that you’re giving them what they need in the way of playing with them and letting them play on their own?

You’d think I’d just be happy that she’s so happy to play on her own and with her sister. 

I guess, at the end of the day, all I can really do is pray for the guidance to be their mommy.

Besides, do any of us humans REALLY know what we’re doing? I think we all muddle through it until we come out on the other side, and then we can look back and say “That worked” or “That didn’t”.

There is much to be said regarding the counsel of those who have walked in our shoes before us.

Preschool

We made it to Preschool orientation today. 

It was a little chaotic, and I think we may have missed some sort of important piece of information about when to show up or something.

My postcard said 10:30, but when we walked in at 10:29 the teacher was already in the middle of the talk to a group of parents.

When that group left, she sat down and talked to us and one other lady and gave us the same speech. 

I’m still not sure if I was late or if my postcard was wrong or if they were just running that far behind.

Oh well.

McKenna didn’t want to leave when it was time to go, which I guess is better than not wanting to come into the classroom to begin with.

So, on to the sign up sheets.

There was a spot on the sign-up sheet for Room Mom.

I didn’t sign it.

But I don’t think anyone else did either.

I’m reconsidering. I want to be a supportive parent. Especially being a former teacher myself.

But I have absolutely no organizational skills whatsoever. I don’t know how well I would succeed at that job.

I did sign up to bring a bunch of supplies, and I volunteered to make the red playdoh for September.

So, here’s my quandary…

I want to be involved and supportive. But I don’t want to be on of “those” parents.

Teachers know what I’m talking about.

The kind you hate to see coming.

Oh my word. I cannot believe that I am already on this side of fence. 

I am no longer the teacher.

I am the parent.

WHAT?!

When did that happen??? I always thought I’d be thrilled when this day came, and I’d totally know how was going to act.

After all, I’ve been in the teacher’s shoes.

Yeah, well. Nothing prepares for a new situation like just having to jump right into it.

Don’t I sound dramatic? It’s “just” preschool.

But it IS her first school experience. 

And, in a lot of ways, it’s my first school experience too.

Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Programming…

The Future Generation of Bloggers…

Isn’t she precious? :)

At 13 months, she’s quite a climber. Not so much a walker yet. But definitely part monkey or mountain goat.

Her sister walked at 11 months. Caia is perfectly content to just crawl around…she’s developed callouses on her knees as a result. They’re truly something to behold. Just beautiful.

In other news, tomorrow we take Kenni to her Preschool Open House. 

I may cry.

She’s only going to “school” for two days a week, three hours each day. But I can’t help but feel a little sad that my baby is growing up.

We’ll be missing our regularly scheduled Wednesday playdate to attend Open House.

And let me just say, I have so enjoyed our Wednesday playdates that our little group has put together. I look forward to it as much as Kenni does.

But I know Kenni is excited about school. I think this is really going to be a great thing for her.

We’re going to go pick out a backpack once we’re finished with Open House. 

Let the good times roll.

And to completely change the subject…speaking of school…(nice segue, huh?)…

Is anyone else just READY for fall????

Fall is my absolute FAVORITE season!!! I love everything fall!!!!

Pumpkins, apples, leaves, pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks… (I was told I could have one on Sept. 6th. Yes, I asked when they were releasing them. These are the important questions in life that must be answered.)

I cannot wait to buy a pumpkin scented candle. I am about to pop waiting to bake my first fall apple pie. 

But, I am breaking my September rule and will be baking a pumpkin pie for our journey group on Thursday. 

Normally, those things should not be baked before September. It just doesn’t seem right.

But my friend Allison requested it. And so she shall have it. And I have to find a pumpkin chiffon recipe because my friend Melissa mentioned it, and it sounds too good not to try.

And the fair….

Oh, I LOVE the fair.

I know. I know. It’s dirty and smelly and all that…but I LOVE the fair.

And I’m not ashamed of it. And yes, I’ll go on dollar night or whatever it’s called.

And yes, I’ll go through those warehouses where they display the prize winning tomatoes.

And yes, I will pet those questionably treated poor little animals and let my children feed them stuff with their bare hands.

I am a little sad that I will not be able to ride The Sizzler this year. It’s my favorite.

Oh well. I suppose the safety of my unborn baby is more important than taking a whirl on a rickety traveling fair ride.

But, then again, if I’m concerned about safety, maybe I shouldn’t eat that fair food.

 

Rain…

The light of day makes everything better.

If you read my last post, then you know what I’m talking about.

I won’t say sleep came easy last night, but before my feet touched the floor this morning, I prayed for the grace to carry myself through the day.

I felt better after I did that.

And it is true, “His mercies are new every morning”.

Even though the weather outside, makes me want to curl under the covers and sleep, I am renewed. I see things a little differently than I did before.

My family has a history of depression that I have had to fight against. And with God’s grace, I overcome. 

Is it embarrassing to admit that? Oh sure. But my hope in sharing is that you will see that being normal doesn’t mean you’re perfect. And that being perfect isn’t normal.

But there are days and there are moments where I get a glimpse into what people that battle this daily must feel.

Where all you want to do is crawl under the covers and hide from the world. 

I’m a pretty honest person, so I’ll let you in on a secret.

Last year, during Dinner in December, I struggled with this. 

But to God’s glory, I made it through.

Caia had relapsed with her reflux and was coming down with a horrible RSV-induced cold. Kenni was getting unexplained fevers.

Can we say “attack”?

Anyway, the point is God restores. God is faithful. 

And like the weather, this “rain” in my little corner of the world was needed.

It drew me to God all the more and increased my desire to pray for my friends.

Rain makes things beautiful.

Sometimes…

..things happen. Conversations. Things get said and misunderstood.

And you’re left feeling like the rug got pulled out from under you.

WARNING: Melodramatic thoughts ahead.

Plain and simple: today, I feel hurt.

I don’t even know if, logically speaking, I should. But when you deal with emotions and such, logic doesn’t play such a huge role. 

If I could detach myself from the situation, I might not be so inclined to say that I am hurt. 

Before anyone jumps to any crazy conclusions, Stephen and I are fine! In fact, we’re in this one together.

And, to give God glory through this, tonight I prayed as I walk into the bedroom,

Lord, could you please send someone to encourage Stephen right now?

As I said that, I heard his cell phone ringing. 

I looked at the caller ID. It was a good friend, so I answered it for him.

He just wanted to see if Stephen wanted to grab some dinner. I think he just wanted to keep him company tonight. (To be honest, I was a little surprised that God answered my prayer that quickly…)

And I so appreciated that. He didn’t assume that someone else would call him. He just did it himself.

Oftentimes, people think that those who are in church leadership have scores of adoring friends that they could call on at any given moment.

This is simply not true. And anyone who has led you to think otherwise is not telling the truth.

Anyway, I’m not angry. I don’t even think I would feel right about using the word “offended”. 

God and I talked about this while I drove home tonight. And I know that things are going to be okay. But I hate feeling like this. I hate situations like this. 

I hate it when things are “messy”.

But, deep down I know that God uses messy. God takes messy and makes them beautiful.

I’m looking forward to it.