A little bit of energy

I'm feeling a little better today than I have been these last few months. I don't know if it will last, but I'm enjoying it while it does! I ran a bunch of errands today and just got dinner going. Usually, by now, after doing nothing but being exhausted and nauseated on the couch, I'd be trying to figure out how to pawn off dinner duties to the kids.

So you want to know how long we lasted without a TV? I did mention that it is football season, didn't I? Three days into our forced TV-fast, Keith was so disgusted that our service provider removed the split cable so that the whole system went straight to the Internet, that he went out and got a second split cable. The single cable was doing absolutely nothing to improve our Internet anyway, and now we can hook up our other computer in the family room that Keith and Kristofer have been working on to the Internet as well. We got all of our channels back that we had before and all is well with the world.

So much for saving time! The TV is back! (I'm not complaining, mind you!)

Keri Lynn and I were chatting on Facebook today right before one of her classes. She's upset because she got a 78 on a test where she thought she'd maybe gotten a low A. That's college for you. Good grades are harder to come by then in high school. She's not used to getting a C in anything, so I think she's a little worried that she's not going to be able to keep her GPA up high enough to keep getting the Hope Scholarship. It is a big deal and something to be worried about, but I am quite confident that she'll pull through just fine.

Otherwise, Keri Lynn is doing really well at school. She's met a lot of really great friends and is happy. She's enjoying some independence, a little of it forced because she doesn't have a cell phone and the phone in her room isn't working either, so we depend a lot on Facebook. She even opened up her own checking account. Keith and are are so proud of her. Please continue to pray for her as she builds relationships that will last a life time, and as she lives her faith among a lot of godless people.

I'm supposed to take Kathleen to get her physical some time this week so that she can try out for a couple of sports. She really wants to get on the soccer team. And Kristofer is hoping to get his driver's permit soon. He also put in an application at a grocery store which he may get thanks to a connection I have with a lady that I've subbed with who works there, too. Yay for connections!

Some of you may have seen on the news that Atlanta has been suffering from some severe flooding. We didnt' suffer any trouble and the kids are disgusted because they have to keep going to school when many of the counties north of us have had to call off school because so many roads are inaccessible. It has definitely been WET! Yesterday, it rained all day long. By afternoon, low lands and properties next to creeks and rivers where experiencing some real trouble. Eight deaths are blamed on the flooding so far. Today, thankfully, has been dry and we hope it will hold long enough for these problem areas to dry up a little so that families can go back to their homes. A lot of clean-up to go!

I have been craving chocolate like crazy lately. Last nigh, it got so bad that I got out a Pyrex 2-cup glass measuring bowl, added (without measuring) a bunch of sugar, a bunch of coco and a bunch of butter and stuck it in the microwave. Two minutes later, I took it out, stirred in some vanilla -- and got CHOCOLATE! So it was a little grainy, but it was still chocolate. Maybe that's why I'm feeling better today! I think I'll make some more tonight!

Despite the frequent chocolate cravings, I'm still 15 pounds down as I go into my 23rd week of pregnancy. This is not unusual for me. I tend to gain about 15-20 pounds by the end of pregnancy, but only lose about 10 after birth and then gain MORE after giving birth because I'm so HUNGRY! It has nothing to do with nursing either because I haven't nursed since Kathleen was a baby. I can't because of blood pressure meds.

I got to get back to finish up dinner! Pot pies tonight.

El Shaddai

Amy Grant - El Shaddai (Live)

[via FoxyTunes / Amy Grant]

Good news/bad news

Our computer and therefore our phone (through the computer system) has been cutting out on a regular basis. It was going out for hours at a time, so I called our Internet provider who sent someone on Friday to come take a look at it. He fixed it, kind of, I think . . . and now our TV is completely cut off.

While many of us are experiencing the shakes, lethargy and general anxiety over NO TV, it actually will end up being a very good thing for us. In order to cut our budget and save time, we cut out our basic TV at the end of last year and suddenly, we had all this TIME on our hands. It was truly a wonder! A few months later, we discovered that since the cable Internet services still needed a cable line, that we got intermittent TV channels on our TV. We could search and find several channels. At first, we had ABC and a couple of country music channels. Then, we lost ABC and got NBC, CBS and PBS along with the country music channels and a Catholic channel. THEN, only a month or two ago, we started getting Discovery Channel, and about three weeks ago, we started getting TLC and a whole bunch of other great cable channels. We were ecstatic and fully fixated on the box in the family room.

Then, the repair guys came. Yesterday. 3:00 PM. Trying to expand the bandwidth of the Internet services, and because we don't technically get TV through them, they changed a split cord to a single cord and now we have just the Internet services, like we're supposed to.

Sigh.

It's especially a sad thing for Keith who is whole-heartedly throwing himself into the football season. He'll have to content himself with going to friends' houses and going to the high school football games, because ESPN is no more. Even I'll miss ESPN because I enjoy watching tennis and golf.

I may find myself having a lot more time to do things like laundry and dishes, though. I've already entered into a deal with myself in which I clean for a half hour and play for a half hour on this fine rainy Saturday.

God must have known this was going to happen, though, because in the mail yesterday, what did we get but a package from Aunt Marcia with a bunch of books, videos and DVDs that she had sorted through while they are doing a massive overhaul of painting and re-carpeting their house. She and Dick have been working so hard on organizing everything, that it makes me tired just thinking about it.

I need to organize.

When the Internet repair guys came yesterday (Yesterday seems so FAR away!), I felt like one of those hoarders on a show we were watching last Saturday on A&E. They can't throw anything away. There are stacks and stacks of things everywhere and they can't seem to deal with it. In some cases, there was serious health risks involved. I felt a little bit like Martha Stewart while watching those shows. It made me proud that we could walk through our house with relative ease. Sure there was the smell of those turtles and the smell of the incident of Keva's diaper from Wednesday night, but surely THOSE smells didn't count. At least I didn't have 119 skeletons of cats found in my garage . . . But even so, as the repair guys went into my room, I cringed because that's where Keith and I dump anything that we just don't know what to do with yet like bills, computer stuff, and hobby things. It's embarrassing, and I never let anyone in my room if I can help it.

However, today, I'm taking a stab at actually working on a few piles -- 10 minutes at a time, anyway. That's as much as I can handle. Then I'm off to another project. Martha Stewart, I may have a ways to go, but I'm coming for you! Now that I can't watch Baby Story all day long, or Jon and Kate plus 8 (which depresses me anyway), or Fox News (which depresses me even more!).

Anyway, back to the box we got from Aunt Marcia. There were a ton of movies that the kids just loved! They watched about four of them last night alone while I read one of my favorite books that came in the box, too. Daddy Long Legs. It was fun revisiting it. I had it finished by dinner time. I think I'll send it with some stuff I need to mail to Keri Lynn.

So thanks, Aunt Marcia, again for a box of goodies. It was perfect timing and is helping us get through the post-TV detox!

9-11 while gestating

May we all remember this important day in our nation's history. I've been watching a lot of 9-11 specials on TV off and on all day today. The kids, too, when they got home from school. We didn't let them watch too much of it in previous years because they were so young, but now that Konner (the youngest) is eight, I think everyone can handle the traumatic events of this day eight years ago. The little boys especially ask a lot of questions, since they have no memory of that day. Kathleen remembers it only because her trip to Disneyland with Grandma was canceled that day!

This afternoon, I went for a "normal" OB visit. How about that! No special tests, no hoops to jump through . . . just a regular visit! Keegan kicked the baby doppler. And my blood pressure was good. I have another regular visit scheduled in four weeks, just like any other pregnant woman. Of course, I have a visit to the perinatologist in between, but I'm practically giddy with the whole "normal" visit thing!

After my "normal" visit, in which I asked a bunch of questions about flu shots, pain medication for restless leg syndrome (the strongest stuff I can take is Tylenol PM, and I'm definitely going to try it!), and, um, constipation, I dropped by the perinatologist office next door to see if the final results of my amnio had come in yet. And it had!

First of all, last Friday, they called and said that the baby is NOT affected by the Kell Antibody. I was very relieved about that. No more extra tests for Kell for me for this pregancy! Yay! Then, today, I found out that the baby does NOT have any genetic abnormalities. No Down Syndrome. And Keegan is definitely a boy, genetically speaking, which of course we already knew from the way he flashed us in ultrasound.

The perinatologist told me, "You don't know HOW happy you are that the baby is not affected by Kell!"

Maybe I do. I don't know. But I had a feeling that it would be okay anyway, given that the last three pregnancies had absolutely no signs of Kell activity either. Surprisingly, the Down Syndrome thing was causing me more anxiety, given my age, even though I only had something like a 4% chance of having a baby with Down Syndrome anyway.

The doctor and I had a whole mini-appointment right there at the check-in window. I asked her about the flu shot (Get the regular flu shot, wait on H1N1 until CDC gives it's final recommendation for pregnant women), and I asked her about special permission to use Advil for Restless Legs (she gave me the same answer as the OB -- RATS!) All in all, it was a rather merry little meeting. There were a half dozen patients there in the waiting room, and there I was as happy as could be about the amnio results. I felt kind of bad later, because most go the the perinatologist for fairly significant problems. I wanted to announce to them, "Don't worry, I still have my blood pressure issues! I'm not out of the woods either!" -- just to make them feel better. : )

And so here I am . . . gestating . . . with no job on the horizon. Please pray for us as we make some big decisions. We need to get some more serious financial counseling as to how to proceed from where we are. However, lately, I've been starting to think about my trust in the Lord and His provision, or rather the lack thereof. I've been so anxious about the job that I've neglecting many things. Financial pressure has a way of making a person fold into herself. It's a paralyzing feeling. At least that's how it has affected me. Yet, the Lord has provided miraculously in so many ways over the years. All my life. All Keith's life. Why can't He do so now? Why do I fret? It's foolishness.

In the midst of it all, is a little one growing inside me. A miracle after a nine year hiatus. He's moving around staying very busy in his place. That movement is my favorite part of pregnancy, especially now when there is room to do the acrobatics. I feel blessed. Thank You, Lord!

Hosea 2:14-20

14"Therefore, behold, I will allure her,
Bring her into the wilderness
And speak kindly to her.
15"Then I will give her her vineyards from there,
And the valley of Achor as a door of hope
And she will sing there as in the days of her youth,
As in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt.
16"It will come about in that day," declares the LORD,
"That you will call Me Ishi
And will no longer call Me Baali.
17"For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth,
So that they will be mentioned by their names no more.
18"In that day I will also make a covenant for them
With the beasts of the field,
The birds of the sky
And the creeping things of the ground
And I will abolish the bow, the sword and war from the land,
And will make them lie down in safety.
19"I will betroth you to Me forever;
Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice,
In lovingkindness and in compassion,
20And I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness.
Then you will know the LORD.



* Note that in verse 16, "Ishi" means husband and "Baali" means
master.