27 weeks!

I'm nearly done with my third trimester as I finish my 27th week. I've got a little under three months to go until my January 24th due date. Keegan will be here, God willing, before any of us know it.

Last visit to the perinatologist, showed that the cyst that Keegan has next to his kidney is the same size it was several months ago. It has not grown at all, and the perinatologist was surprised. "They always grow, this is unusual!" In fact, she says that the kidney is almost certainly functioning! We won't know for sure until the baby is born and an ultrasound is performed. What an answer to prayer!

Lately, I've been feeling better. I sleep most nights now in my own bed instead of the recliner. Last night was an exception due to two wonderfully tasty bowls of chili at Wednesday night supper. I knew I would pay for it, and did only minutes after digestion began. But I did manage to sleep well on the recliner, all the way until 5:30 AM when I dragged myself off the recliner and off to bed until 6:37 when my alarm kicked me back out again to get the kids off to school. It's important that the alarm goes off at 6:37, not 6:30 or 6:35. I feel like I'm cheating a little!

Anyway, pregnancy does continue to go well. I am aided by my life of leisure. No work means that I can take a nice long nap in the morning after the kids go off to school. As soon as I hear the bus pull away from our corner, I am off to bed until about 10:00 or 11:00 AM. It's a tough life, I know. Then I get up, make myself some Maltomeal and settle in to watch some TLC. I think I've watched every single Baby Story TLC has ever made, and cried at every last one of them. I also like to watch the Duggars -- Makes me feel that we've got a very small family in comparison!

I'm a little nervous waiting on the results of Tuesday's three-hour glucose test. Haven't had to do that before. The OB had me take a one-hour test earlier in the pregnancy that came out fine, and then (due to my age/weight/blood pressure/family history) I took a second one-hour test that came back elevated. Boo! So off I went for the three-hour. Such fun. Hopefully it will come back okay.

I've finally kicked my caffeine habit. I was motivated much more by trouble with tingly feet at night than possible gestational diabetes. I've LOVED my one can a day cola throughout pregnancy, but when one of my friends told me that she had to give up caffeine to get rid of her Restless Leg Syndrome, I had to think about my own caffeine intake. And I knew that the one can of cola was not helping. Plus, I was starting to not enjoy the cola. It was causing my stomach to sour, so I continued to cut back to about a half can, and then finally none at all. Surprisingly, I didn't deal with any headache issues, so I must have cut back slowly enough. What a thrill.

I'm not completely off soda, mind you. I've been greatly enjoying my mixed drink in the morning of ginger ale and orange juice. If I have to cut back on my sugar, I'm going to be really bummed. There's always hot tea, though. I love a nice decaffeinated tea as the cold weather sets in.

We've had a few colds go through the house, and I'm sure it's going to get worse, but it's part of the whole big family thing. We all LOVE to share our coughs, colds and flus. I took Kylie to the doctor last week and kept her out of school for one day. The antibiotics have kicked her cold out the door. Kade is next on the list. He's got a nasty cough. Since his ears weren't infected like Kylie's, I was hoping he'd kick it himself, but it seems to be getting worse, so I'm planning to take him to the doctor tomorrow. We most definitely will meet our family insurance detuctible -- as if that was ever an issue before!

Last post, I waxed eloquently about joining the YMCA to get back into shape. Boy, was I excited about it, until later on that very day after writing the post. I started thinking about all the people going to the YMCA with all of their germs. Now I'm thinking, maybe I'll just stay home. Since I have been feeling better, I've been getting quite a bit of exercise just doing household chores. I'm a wimp.

In Christ Alone Worship Video with Lyrics

Libera - Be Still My Soul

The adult child

I hope that Keri Lynn will take this the right way, but I've already grown accustomed to her being gone. It's not that I don't miss her, because I do miss her. I especially miss our talks. We chat on Facebook, but she as yet does not have a cell phone for easy access. (Hopefully that will change this weekend!) Whenever I drive the kids anywhere, I count heads and realize that the reason kids seem so sparse is because one of them is indeed missing. But, I've slowly grown accustomed to the idea of an adult child. She had been moving in that direction for a couple of years under our roof and then slowly slipped off into her own world. And it's okay. In fact, it's more than okay. It's God's intention for those precious arrows to be aimed out into the world to be witnesses for Him.

We still talk. We still have that special mother/daughter relationship that creaks and groans as mother lets go and daughter strikes out on her own. But I know her heart. Her Daddy knows her heart. And more importantly, God knows her heart. And it is with tremendous joy that we all watch her live out her life as God's precious daughter.

I'm a little sentimental today. Mostly because I'm starting to feel better again in pregnancy. I'm sleeping better, so I have more energy. Every household task is not so incredibly daunting. I'm starting to look outside of my own issues a little bit more. I see the kids coming up the pike after Keri Lynn. The girls especially are hugely influenced by her example -- for which I am very thankful. I find that Kathleen comes to talk to me now about teen things that weigh heavy on the hearts of young women. It is my privilege to hear her. I am reminded of a long-ago Focus on the Family program where Dr. Dobson encouraged parents to take the time to listen to their teen kids. In fact, he advised that a Mom's presence in the home is even more important for the teen years than even for the baby and toddler years. I have taken those words of wisdom and stored them in my heart for these amazing teen years. It is astounding to watch them grow.

In fact, I start to wonder, as we struggle with our finances. Here I am, STILL without a job. And not only do I have no job, I barely have the where-with-all to get up in the morning to get the kids to school. I wonder at the timing of the little one growing inside me, a full NINE years since the last baby was born! And as the months go by, and Keith and I creak and groan in our own personal growth, my heart grows more and more at peace. It is all in the LORD's very capable hands.

Also, I am quite hormonal. I cry at everything. It's not sad depressing crying at all. It's just hormonal crying. I cry at weddings on TV -- The latest being the Duggars' vow renewal. (Here I thought it was going to be so cheesy, but I cried anyway!) I cry Every. Single. Time. a baby is born on TLC's Baby Story. I cry when I see someone else cry. I cry in Bible study and at church, when I sing a worshipful song, when I read Scripture. I cry when I type about things I cry about.

Tomorrow, I'm going to my OB check-up. I don't get excited about the OB visits. I look forward to the Perinatalogist visits much more because there's the ultrasound machine and I get a glimpse of Keegan's progress. The OB just tells me all the things that the Perinatologist told them. It's just going through the motions. Half the time, I'm seeing a midwife or nurse practitioner -- neither of which will be delivering the baby. I've only met two of the doctors since starting prenatal care. I'll probably meet more in that last trimester, which is just around the corner! Time has gone FAST!

By the time I get back, Keri Lynn should be getting home for the weekend and the elementary school kids will be home, too. She has big plans that include El Charro's, Dr. Who DVDs and getting that cell phone. Keith finally switched to a pay-as-you-go phone that is working well. We're hoping that it will work for Keri Lynn, too.

I'm having some computer issues, so hopefully this will get to you all. If you're on Facebook (hint, hint), you'll get this in my notes anyway. And there's always the blog, of which I've been neglecting in a major way for lack of energy.

Good-bye, Evil Stomach Bug!

I am SO thankful to be feeling better after a 24-hour stomach bug. I wasn't feeling so well by Saturday late afternoon, and by Saturday night my stomach was roiling and didn't stop until 7:30 the next morning when I finally thought to myself, "I've got to throw up NOW!" I did just that and was finally able to lie down and go to sleep. What a relief!

Keith took everyone but Kylie (who had a cough) and Keva (who needed adult supervision) to church that morning. Both Kathleen and Kristofer sang in a mass choir that morning. They sang "Days of Elijah", one of my favorites. Kylie was supposed to sing, too, but she was battling that cough. While Kylie kept an eye on Keva, I slept off my rough night in my very own beloved bed until about 3:00 pm. Keith and the kids did dishes and foraged for food (we were at the end of our groceries, so when I say "forage" I mean "forage"!)

By Sunday evening, I was feeling better, but Keith was still having to do my usual Taxi Service to take Kristofer to his choir and praise band practice. Then, he stopped by Taco Bell for a dinner run. Kathleen was the main motivator behind that plan. I ate a tostada that thankfully stayed down. It may have not been the wisest choice, but after a lunch of Top Ramen, I was happy to just eat something that I didn't have to cook.

This morning, after most of the night sleeping in a fairly comfortable position in the recliner, I was able to get Keva dressed and to the bus, and see the rest of the kids off to school before hightailing it right back to bed until 11:00 am. Ah, the life of leisure! Mortgage payments are highly overrated!

I even managed to get groceries today, after such good rest and the end of that horrid little bug. It makes me nervous about the beginning of the flu season. Keith and I have been debating back and forth about whether or not I should get the regular flu shot, let alone the H1N1 shot.

Meanwhile, after that little stomach bug episode, it was made very clear to me that I really need to get into better shape. So tomorrow, I'm heading off to the YMCA to start an exercise program for my weak pregnant self. It's not something that we can afford to do, but on the other hand, it's not something we can't afford not to do either. I think I should be able to get a discounted membership after I fill out some paperwork. And then once I eventually get a job, we should all be able to get the family membership. I have big plans for the YMCA -- with the elliptical machine being the main focus -- not too hard on my crackly knees. Then, I plan to do weights two or three times a week as well. After watching a hundred episodes of A Baby Story on TLC, I'm ready to get into baby delivery health!

I'm 24 weeks now. It's hard to believe that time has passed so quickly for the little one and me, but then again four more months seems like an ETERNITY away! I'm planning on having my Mom and Rich come for the baby's arrival. This is kind of funny, because I never asked anyone to come help before for any of the other babies, since family has always been close by in case of emergency anyway. But this time, I'm not so sure I'll be springing back as easily, if just the pregnancy is any indication. I have never felt so tired as I have these 24 weeks. Everything just zaps my energy in a major way. The perinatologist puts it so "nicely", "Well," she ways, "You're old!" Yes, I am, and feeling older every week! So even though I don't have the major fatigue and nausea of the first trimester, now I've got the extending tummy to deal with. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled to see that tummy. In fact, I still kind of get a jolt of surprise to see that tummy in the mirror! "Hey, I'm pregant!" It is very truly a blessing!

I'm off to go make dinner now that there is something to cook. I'm making a chicken & rice soup. I made it last week and it was a surprisingly big hit. Soup is always a big hit for me personally, and it's so nice in this cooler climate. It was 70 degrees this morning. We haven't touched the air-conditioning in nearly two weeks. Soon, it will be time to start up the heat, but for now we're enjoying the few weeks of lovely fall weather before sinuses start flaring up! The leaves are turning, too. The willow tree that I pass on the road to town is already bare!

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.

The 80th!

Happy birthday, Stan!  What a milestone!

Surely you know that I'm not exactly the most promt person by now nor the most organized!  So, yes, your birthday was last week, but it doesn't mean that my heart isn't thankful for who you are and what you mean to our family. 

Thank you for getting down on your knees early every morning to pray for your family. Throughout his growing up years, Keith remembers running down the stairs to see you doing just that.

Thank you for praying for Keith, for reading God's word to him, for speaking to him of spiritual matters, for showing him how spiritual things relate to everything in the world.  He passes on those insights to his own children.

Thank you for praying for Keith's family now.  I am the beneficiary of such wealth and so are our children.  They know about Papa and his faithfulness to his God, to his family and to his church.

Keith was on the phone with Keri Lynn last weekend.  She'd had a rough start to college life, and was about to go to bed, when Keith asked her, "So where are you going to church tomorrow?"

This is the very question that you asked Keith in his young adult years as he began to make his way in the world, "Where are you going to church tomorrow?"

For we do not forget our heritage.  We do not forget our love for God, the Creator of the Universe, the Savior of the world.

Thank you and happy 80th birthday!

"Keegan!"

Lots of news.

We took Keri Lynn to college yesterday. Bittersweet to leave our daughter on her own. Life is going to be pretty drastically different for her for a while, but I'm confident that she will settle in well and enjoy some brand new independence.

I didn't even cry, at least not until Keith and I had driven away and Keith said, "We didn't pray for her. We need to pray for her now." And he did and the tears flowed down my cheeks. May God bless you, sweet girl.

This morning, I dragged myself out of bed to get kids on their way to school. I was tired from the emotions and traveling in August weather all day yesterday, so I signed agendas, gave out lunch money, helped Kade with some last minute homework, and as soon as everyone was out the door, headed off to bed to squeeze in about an hour and a half more of sleep before going to the perinatologist for the long-awaited amniocentesis.

Turns out that the doctor postponed the amnio because the lab required more amniotic fluid than the doctor was comfortable removing at 16 weeks. She will do it in another two weeks, but wanted to make sure that I wasn't going to terminate a pregnancy if results came back positive for Down Syndrome or anything like that. I guess 18 weeks is too long for a conventional abortion. Ick!

Anyway, I said that absolutely I would not terminate a pregnancy and to wait two more weeks was fine. Two weeks makes a huge difference in development. Two weeks ago when I went in for a blood pressure check, the baby was lower in my abdomen and a lot smaller. Now the top of my uterus is at my belly button already. This is exciting news! This means that my belly is not ALL fat anymore, it's baby, too!

Instead of the amnio, the doctor did do an extensive ultrasound. That's when I found out that the baby is a BOY! So now I know I'm carrying Keegan around. And Keegan is very busy. He was moving all over the place. The technician was having to step it up to get measurements. Also, at this point the doctor sees no markers for Down Syndrome. We won't find out for sure until the amnio is done.

As for the Kell antibody, the reason for the amnio in the first place, there are as yet no signs of Kell problems. But that doesn't usually occur until the end of the second trimester and into the third. However, if the baby proves desensitized to Kell, then that will be a mute point.

The biggest news, though, with this office visit is that it appears that one of the baby's kidneys does not function. There is fluid collected in his little body that is probably urine that somehow got clogged up. As the doctor puts it, "And that is why God made two kidneys." Apparently his other kidney works just fine because the amniotic fluid is at normal levels.

I looked at her questioningly, and asked, "Does that mean that amniotic fluid is pee?"

"Yes," she said, "After seven kids, you didn't know that?"

"Um, no," I said, "No wonder it's yellow!" (This I know from previous amniocenteses.)

So we will continue to monitor the cyst and see what happens with it. I have no idea what this means for the long haul, but everything else looks good. His heart looks healthy as well as blood flow to his brain. And he looks SO CUTE! I'm in love!

And other news . . . Kristofer turns 16 tomorrow! I can't believe it. I guess I should since he's been taller than me for several months, but I'm in denial. Keith is getting together a paint ball war for Kristofer and two of his buddies to celebrate his birthday.

And they're off!

We sent the kids off to their first day of school yesterday. It's always odd starting so early in the school year here in Georgia, but starting on a Friday was even weirder. Now I like getting out early in the school year, though. We also have a lot of week-long breaks throughout the year. All in all, I like the schedule. But even more odd this year, was that Keri Lynn stayed home while the rest of the kids got on their buses.

Once everyone was away, I yawned and stretched and went back to bed! This getting up early in the morning is for the birds! I wasn't sure if I could just plop right back to sleep, but before I knew it, it was 10:30 AM. So I got to be a lazy bum for one more weekday!

I'd rather be a lazy bum for many more school days, but that would be bad. It's kind of important that we pay our mortgage, so my job search continues. If I end up working as a substitute, which is looking more and more likely, then Keith is going to need to get a second job to make ends at least be able to wave at each other.

I've not totally given up on a teacher's position, but it is just not looking real good right now. I was talking to a teacher over at Kristofer's high school, and she was saying that you never know what will happen. Teachers leave all the time -- their spouses have to relocate, there's a death in the family, illness, etc. While I would never wish ill on anyone, I'm just praying that I'll be in the right position at the right time. At least substituting is still available to me. The county has cut back so much that substitute teachers are not even being newly hired, let alone provisional teachers!

I have a few other possibilities that I want to explore. First is finding a position in a Christian private school. The pay wouldn't be nearly as good, but working in a Christian environment would be wonderful. The other is tutoring in the evenings or weekends to supplement substitute teaching. We'll see. As always, God has it all in His very capable hands.

This coming week will be a big one for us. Keith and I will take Keri Lynn off to college on Thursday. I am not looking forward to that one bit, and Keith is in worse shape than me. Thank God we have so many ways to communicate, and of course she'll be home for breaks. We'll use Facebook primarily until we can afford to get Keri Lynn a cell phone. Currently, with our job situation, we're down to Keith's phone that he uses a lot at work.

On Friday, I'm going in for the amnio to see if I have to have further testing on the Kell antibody. I suspect that the baby will be unaffected by it, and then it will be pretty much a matter of keeping track of my blood pressure. At the end of 15 weeks, my jeans are starting to feel uncomfortable. My belly fat is starting to round nicely into that lovely muffin affect further up on my stomach. Sigh. I really need to start walking again. Now that I'm feeling better, there is really no excuse. The heat is tough, but I don't have to walk for every long in it to get some results! And in a few months, the weather will start turning cold again. It's always hard for me to imagine that it will EVER be cold again in the summer and then in the winter I wonder if the sun will EVER shine warm again.

The house is quiet this morning. Five of seven kids are out at sleep-overs. I think it's the last hurrah before school really gets into gear! Monday begins the big crackdown on TV and video games so that time can be used for studying and getting to bed at a decent hour. We've all really enjoyed a lazy summer. It was good timing for me because it would have been difficult to work during the last two months.

I still need to conquer some major laundry. A few of the kids do their own laundry, and a few of them TRY to do their own laundry when I nag them. The result: Still a lot of laundry left. And worse, now there's all that laundry that I stuffed in the guest bathroom back at the beginning of summer when the dryer broke down. It's STILL there. Maybe we really don't need it that much since we managed the entire summer without any of the clothes, but I guess I'm still going to have to deal with it anyway.

I came up with a laundry plan! I'm set up a little TV in the laundry room doorway, where I can watch DVDs while I work. Right now I'm watching Mrs. Paulfry at the Clairmont. It's a cute movie and I've gotten quite a bit done there in my Inner Sanctum. I figure I have some quality laundry time coming all the way until October when my washer/dryer warranties are done. Then, I may need to start taking laundry over to a nearby lake or river to pound them on the rocks because you know my machines are going to break down early November.

Good-bye, July!

Can't even believe that today is the last day of July! How did that happen? That means that school starts for the kids next Friday and move-in day for Keri Lynn is the Thursday after that.

We finally told Keri Lynn that we changed our minds about her going to college. We have the perfect solution for her! She can still learn all there is to know about early childhood education by staying home and helping take care of the baby! It's PERFECT! We don't have to say good-bye or miss her or anything! She only laughs and shakes her head and thinks all matter of silly things about her parents. It's getting to be that I can hardly stand the thought of her going away, but this is what we've been working for all these years -- to send her off into the world as equipped as possible to meet all of life's challenges. We are so proud of her!

Everything is all squared away for Keri Lynn for school. She has her school card that gets her everywhere she needs to go on campus, her parking permit for a car she doesn't have yet (we're planning on using it when we come for visits for now), her textbooks are pre-ordered, she's made contact with her roommate. It's all kind of exciting!

I've started getting to bed a little earlier and getting up a little earlier so that my body won't be in complete shock when school starts. It's still going to be painful for the first month!

I've been working like a dog to get all of my paperwork and stuff done for acceptance into University of West Georgia. I had been dragging my feet on this, thinking that I could just tell the schools that were interested in hiring me that I was in the process of applying, so I wouldn't necessarily have to start classes in the fall. Well, as it turns out, schools can't hire me in a provisional teaching position if I'm not officially enrolled in a school to get certification. So now I'm scrambling to get the rest of the last items checked off the check list. Official transcripts -- check! Immunization report -- still working on that. Where DID I put that pesky immunization record? And I KNOW I haven't had a Tetanus shot in the last 10 years, and CAN I get a Tetanus shot while pregnant? Still making calls to figure that out. All these little details take time to iron out and now I'm feeling foolish that I didn't get more of it done over the summer. But then again I was not feeling at all well through June or July. Thank goodness I'm starting to come out of the first trimester when the nausea starts to go away!

Still, I'm applying at all the counties near our county in hopes of snagging an interview. The plan is to get through the interview process without saying anything about the pregnancy until the end when it's time (hopefully!) to sign papers. Then, I plan to say, "So in the interest of full disclosure and because I want you to know that I am trustworthy, I have a little glitch . . . " And then proceed to tell them about the baby. Then it will be up to them to determine how desperate they are to place me as a special education teacher! Such fun!

I will be having the amniocenteses done in two weeks. This is the big test that I've been waiting on pins and needles for. It will tell us a ton of information, from the sex of the baby, to any genetic problems (like Down Syndrome -- I have a 3% chance of having another baby with Down Syndrome) to whether or not the baby is sensitive to the Kell antibody. If the baby is not affected by it, then that will eliminate all of the usual fun tests that I went through for the last three pregnancies. That is an amazing and absolutely new test that wasn't available before! Whoo-hoo!

My blood pressure remains relatively stable. My feet swell sometimes as the day progresses, but we are in the hottest part of summer. I keep cranking up the air conditioning when no one is looking. And I adore going to the OB because they keep the offices like meat lockers for all of the hormonally challenged ladies coming through.

Immanuel

The Fire Part 01

We Christians let too many things slide because we don't want to repent. This is convicting. It's a message to Christians whose lives aren't much different than those who don't go to church.

The Fire Part 02

"Star Spangled Banner" By The Gaither Vocal Band

Happy Independence Day!

Pray for Kate McRae

Would you please pray for this sweet family.