In the process of giving my blog a "facelift" I've added a little widget at the bottom of each post. Its called "you might also like". And I'm not sure if anyone else "will also like" the posts suggested or not, but BOY am I enjoying them! lol! What a trip down memory lane!
And I just realized that I've been blogging for 3 1/2 years. How is that even possible?
This blog contains archives announcing my last two babies as well as the unfolding story of Micah's adoption. Reading back through these posts... looking at the pictures, watching the videos... brings back such amazing memories.
I've contemplated closing this blog and starting a new one. And not using my children's real names but nicknames or codenames... but I don't think I'm going to do that. This has become such a fun way to record our family's journey. If and when the Lord calls me to close up this blog, I will. In the mean time, I'm really enjoying looking back over these posts. And it encourages me to keep writing. Charting my children's development and milestones. I'm so proud of each one of them. And I'm thrilled to share our story with others.
Thats all I have to say about that. :)
New Look
Its exactly 1:11am and I just finished the "new look" on my blog. *sigh* Why do I do this to myself? I'm going to be exhausted tomorrow! I've got a full day that involves the Muppets Movie and ice skating with my big girls and some friends. I'm really looking forward to it but... as I snore during the movie, I'll be dreaming of my beautiful new blog. :)
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!!!
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!!!
The gospel according to Elvis
In effort to get as much "into" the Christmas season as possible, which is seemly shorter every year, I've been leaving Christmas music playing in the house, almost 24 hours a day. I really enjoy it and the kids do too. Everything feels more festive with Christmas music going.
But there is a song that is really driving me crazy this year. Its not a new song, its been around like, forever. Actually the version I keep hearing on Pandora is Elvis! (Though he didn't write it.) Its the "Here comes Santa Clause, here comes Santa Clause right down Santa Clause lane"... you know the one. You're singing it in your head now aren't you? Ok good.
Part of that song says "Peace on earth, good will to men, if you just follow the light." Ok, that sounds good. But read this carefully, "Santa knows we're all God's children, that makes everything right. Lets give thanks to the Lord above, 'cause Santa Clause is coming tonight" Uuhhhh... ? No. I'm not okay with that. I mean, I'm not expecting sound Biblical doctrine from Elvis at Christmastime but... seriously?
Its got me thinking.
I'm not an ultra-conservative person. No, my kids don't believe in Santa and never have, but I'm not like, anti-Santa or anything. We watch Dr Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas and the clay-mation version of Rudolph every year. We have wrapping paper with elves saying "don't open til december 25th!" on it because I thought it was really cute. And again, I realize this is just another silly Christmas song. But thanking God that Santa is coming? I'm sorry, I have to draw a line there.
I can't help but think of it this way: If the enemy were to try to use something to deter us from celebrating the true miracle that was the birth of Jesus, what would it be? Maybe some other figure. Not something scary, people wouldn't go for that. (Although I think Elf on the Shelf is just plain freaky, but I think that's just me!) It would have to be something or someone happy. Jolly. That even (if not especially) children would love. What a perfect way to take the focus off of Christ.
And I'm not referring to the origins of Chris Kringle or St Nicholas or who ever. I'm talking about the figure of Santa today. What does Jesus think about Santa? I really really really am not judging anyone for teaching their kids that there's a Santa. Its totally your call. And I'm not trying to be legalistic. I'm just posing the question. At every mention of Santa are we missing an opportunity to speak the name of Christ to our children?
My kids know I buy most of their gifts. Ashley and Emily, just now being old enough to understand, bought all of their family members gifts this year as well. (From the dollar store. The one where everything is actually one dollar :) I love that place.) We've been talking about how Christmas is Jesus' birthday, but since He rose from the grave and lives in those who believe in Him, we give presents to one another, because its like giving presents to Jesus, who lives inside us!
I'm always trying to grow my family. I don't want to slip into parenting auto-pilot and do what everyone else is doing, but I want to parent with purpose. To raise my children as end time warriors for the Lord. Not to live as this world does and not to be desensitized by media that surrounds us.
Lord, I pray that in these last days, that You alone would be glorified. That we would teach our children to rightly divide truth. And that we can all experience the childlike wonder of Christmas when we learn of the birth of the Savior of the world- Your son, Jesus.
But there is a song that is really driving me crazy this year. Its not a new song, its been around like, forever. Actually the version I keep hearing on Pandora is Elvis! (Though he didn't write it.) Its the "Here comes Santa Clause, here comes Santa Clause right down Santa Clause lane"... you know the one. You're singing it in your head now aren't you? Ok good.
Part of that song says "Peace on earth, good will to men, if you just follow the light." Ok, that sounds good. But read this carefully, "Santa knows we're all God's children, that makes everything right. Lets give thanks to the Lord above, 'cause Santa Clause is coming tonight" Uuhhhh... ? No. I'm not okay with that. I mean, I'm not expecting sound Biblical doctrine from Elvis at Christmastime but... seriously?
Its got me thinking.
I'm not an ultra-conservative person. No, my kids don't believe in Santa and never have, but I'm not like, anti-Santa or anything. We watch Dr Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas and the clay-mation version of Rudolph every year. We have wrapping paper with elves saying "don't open til december 25th!" on it because I thought it was really cute. And again, I realize this is just another silly Christmas song. But thanking God that Santa is coming? I'm sorry, I have to draw a line there.
I can't help but think of it this way: If the enemy were to try to use something to deter us from celebrating the true miracle that was the birth of Jesus, what would it be? Maybe some other figure. Not something scary, people wouldn't go for that. (Although I think Elf on the Shelf is just plain freaky, but I think that's just me!) It would have to be something or someone happy. Jolly. That even (if not especially) children would love. What a perfect way to take the focus off of Christ.
And I'm not referring to the origins of Chris Kringle or St Nicholas or who ever. I'm talking about the figure of Santa today. What does Jesus think about Santa? I really really really am not judging anyone for teaching their kids that there's a Santa. Its totally your call. And I'm not trying to be legalistic. I'm just posing the question. At every mention of Santa are we missing an opportunity to speak the name of Christ to our children?
My kids know I buy most of their gifts. Ashley and Emily, just now being old enough to understand, bought all of their family members gifts this year as well. (From the dollar store. The one where everything is actually one dollar :) I love that place.) We've been talking about how Christmas is Jesus' birthday, but since He rose from the grave and lives in those who believe in Him, we give presents to one another, because its like giving presents to Jesus, who lives inside us!
I'm always trying to grow my family. I don't want to slip into parenting auto-pilot and do what everyone else is doing, but I want to parent with purpose. To raise my children as end time warriors for the Lord. Not to live as this world does and not to be desensitized by media that surrounds us.
Lord, I pray that in these last days, that You alone would be glorified. That we would teach our children to rightly divide truth. And that we can all experience the childlike wonder of Christmas when we learn of the birth of the Savior of the world- Your son, Jesus.
Not too busy to grow
"I've got my hands full" and "I don't have time to spend with the Lord"
On first hearing these two statements, you'd think its kind of the same thing. But its not. For me one is completely true, one is completely a lie.
These are two things I hear all. the. time. One is from... pretty much everybody. The other is from... hell. I mean lets just be honest.
On first hearing these two statements, you'd think its kind of the same thing. But its not. For me one is completely true, one is completely a lie.
These are two things I hear all. the. time. One is from... pretty much everybody. The other is from... hell. I mean lets just be honest.
I can't tell you how irritating it has become to me when I hear "Boy, you've got your hands full!" Its because of how often I hear it. But... it is true. My hands are full. I'm aware. My day is nonstop. Getting kids ready in the morning, packing lunches, making meals, cleaning (this big beautiful house that I'm so grateful for ;)), doing laundry (for eight!), nursing, changing diapers, filling sippy cups, helping with homework, giving baths, answering emails, budgeting, paying bills, staying on top of 3 different schools' functions, meeting with teachers, potty training... oh and trying to actually connect with my husband, my kids, my family, and my friends. And this blog? Its my "me" time, but each post is usually written over the course of a week (or more) unless its one of my silly posts like the last one. :)
~~~
~~~
When I was in high school, I was super close with the Lord. I knew what it meant to fully put my trust in Him. I was at church every time the doors were open. I sat on the front row and took notes in my journal for every message (I still have a big box full of those journals in our garage). I remember sitting in my closet and listening to worship music on my walkman. My walk with the Lord was more like running, dancing and spinning with the Lord.
I didn't know then how much I would draw from that time.
Now as a wife and mother of six, I don't have the time to sit in my closet with an ipod. I worship while scrubbing counter tops. In church I'm in the "overflow room" with a kid or two in my lap. Not taking notes in journals, but drawing animals on scrap paper to keep them entertained and quiet. But boy... I'm pretty sure I pray harder now than I ever did then. If you have children, you understand. (A friend of mine says "praying for my kids isn't the least I can do, its the greatest that I can do." Amen to that.) Since its hard to catch the first time, I like to re-listen to pastor Steve's weekly messages again online. While I'm mopping. One message pretty much covers the whole downstairs floor, its perfect. :) And I'm also fed through the fellowship of the saints. Amazing women of God who walk this same road I do. If I'm spending quiet time with the Lord it means its either 5:30am, or its the afternoon and my kids MIGHT be killing each other in the playroom, or its after they've gone to bed and before Jake's gotten home from youth group... and I'm struggling to keep my eyes open. But. :) My quiet times with the Lord, though they are admittedly fewer than I'd like, are deep and rich. He reveals things to me that are molding and maturing me, and I hide them in my heart to "chew on" through the day... or week... month... oy.
I think too often the enemy lies to busy moms. He did to me. And told me that I wasn't close to the Lord as I used to be because my days didn't look like they did then.
~~~
I'm nursing Kate every 3 1/2 to 4 hours. We stare into each others eyes, fairly unhindered for 20 minutes, several times a day. When she goes anywhere, its in my arms. Feeling my warmth, breath and hearing my voice.
My relationship with Ashley much much different than my relationship with Kate. We don't spend long periods of one on one time together. We might go a few days with just basic interaction, but then the one on one times are so precious. We connect on a much deeper level.
But that time when she was a baby, like Kate, bonded us. Connected us. And we draw from it now. It was a completely necessary season to build on to have what we have today. Now we have a more mature relationship. Our time together looks different but we have a greater knowledge of one another. Our love is maybe even stronger than it was then, if that's possible. And in a few years, it'll look different again, and that's okay. Hopefully it'll be even richer, deeper, and stronger.
And so it is with my walk with the Lord. Go back and reread that last paragraph, starting with the second sentance.
But hear me out- if there is "busy work" in your life that needs to be cut out, do it. I'm a huge fan of boundaries. Good ones. But if you're a believer, busy with work that the Lord has called you too- that's. Different. If you're a mom, it doesn't mean you don't have time for the Lord. You can take Him with you as you go. Walking with Him daily but sneak in one on one times. And in those one on one times -though they may be few- take a piece of meat, chew on it well and swallow it as a stronger woman of God! And look forward to with anticipation your next, undoubtedly sweet, time with the Lord.
Relationships grow. They takes on new forms. Obviously the goal is to not wait too long for those one on one times. But if it is, know this, you aren't starting over with each rendezvous. You're building. Not going backwards, it just looks different. You must realize this to keep maturing.
If you're a mom of 1 or 10, I get it. Its hard to find one on one time. But we must. And we must continue to keep Him with us as we cook, fold laundry and wipe little faces. We have to learn how to do this dance called motherhood as a child of God. We have to learn how to grow in each season.
And listen, I'm not saying I've achieved this. Its just the thing the Lord has been talking with me about most recently.
If you're a mom of 1 or 10, I get it. Its hard to find one on one time. But we must. And we must continue to keep Him with us as we cook, fold laundry and wipe little faces. We have to learn how to do this dance called motherhood as a child of God. We have to learn how to grow in each season.
And listen, I'm not saying I've achieved this. Its just the thing the Lord has been talking with me about most recently.
Stand with me, busy women of God. Look deeply into the eyes of your first love and build on a relationship that's already been established. Don't let the enemy tell you it isn't there just because its been a while. Tell that liar you love your God and you're NOT too busy to grow in the Lord! To the lady gawking at your crying baby in Target- that's your call. ;)
Step One...
...is admitting there's a problem.
May your coffee be abundant and your creamers be yummy. Happy Wednesday!
May your coffee be abundant and your creamers be yummy. Happy Wednesday!
From a thankful heart
Its that time of year. Pondering all of the things I'm thankful for. And I can think of a ton of random things... like...
Pizza Friday at school
Naptime
"Kohls cash"
Pandora.com
My crockpot
Starbucks Gingerbread lattes
Kids big enough to brush their own teeth
Kroger fuel points
Chalkboard paint
Disinfectant wipes
The calculator on my phone
A picture where everyone is looking at the camera
A picture where everyone is looking at the camera
My bleach pen
Tums
... ya know. This is all good stuff. :) But this year I'm just mostly grateful for the "big things". Family. Friends. For these things, I find myself stopping to say "Lord, thank you!" So in no particular order, I'm thankful for:
~Good friends. Like, REALLY good friends. The ones that let me vent and don't judge me. The ones that keep me accountable. The ones that love me even though I'm quirky. The girlfriends that meet me for a late night meal after we've put our kids to bed and we're still wearing sweat pants and diaper bags... just so that we can connect. The "couples" friends that come over for dinner, prayer and a board game. The "support group" friends that I rarely talk to but we totally pick up where we left off when we need to relate to someone about Down Syndrome, adoption or both. I can't even imagine life with out each of these different friends.
~My husband. I love him. After nearly 10 years and 6 kids, I still think he's so cute. He's one incredible dad. An awesome pastor. I love the little dance he does while making himself a sandwich in the kitchen at night. I love that he cried during his sisters recent wedding. I love the way he laughs. I love that he's so patient with the 6 first and second graders he drives to school every day for the carpool. I love the way he smiles and watches Micah out of the corner of his eye at the dinner table while Micah is trying to imitate him. I love the way he holds his hands out and says "Beautiful!" after he's changed Mabry into her nightgown. I love the way he loves me.
~My kids. Ashley was just baptized last week and I could not be more proud of that kid. Emily is too cute for words with those huge green eyes, raspy voice and always inquisitive spirit. At school, Micah is making friends and is being invited to birthday parties. Abby is hitting all of her IEP goals and we had to write new ones. Mabry is talking a ton and knows almost all of her letters. Kate just cut her first tooth and has the cutest giggle you've ever heard. Can my heart be any more full?
~My house. It makes me wonder how on earth we survived in that tiny house before. The space. Is. Amazing. What an incredible blessing and we are so grateful for it. An open floorplan, huge living room, huge kitchen, enormous playroom, lots of bedrooms, a bonus room for the girls, killer master suite... not to mention the fenced in backyard, great neighbors and a culdesac full of kids!
Thank you Lord. I recognize that these blessings are from You, and give You alone the glory for them! Thank you.
"Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights..." James 1:16-17
Thats my girl
I've become quite Pinterest obsessed recently. How can you not? Its amazing. Not only can you collect all of the things you love from all over the internet (instead of having a bzillion bookmarks and favorites) to see in one place, but the ideas, tips, recipes and tricks are endless! Its got me making my own Febreze, pulled pork with Pepsi, roses out of magazine pages, wall art out of toilet paper tubes, amazing french braids in the girls' hair, and much much more.
Its kind of like crack for crafty people. There. I said it.
Apparently I reference it often because in the car the other day Ashley asked me, "Mom, do you think Pinterest will be around when I'm a grown up?"
Its kind of like crack for crafty people. There. I said it.
Apparently I reference it often because in the car the other day Ashley asked me, "Mom, do you think Pinterest will be around when I'm a grown up?"
:)
"I don't know Ashley, why?"
"Because I want to use it to decorate my house."
Beloved child after my own heart. :)
5
Happy Birthday to my big FIVE year old girl, Abby Grace!!! What a beautiful, funny, happy, loving little girl you have become.
Has it really been five years? Five years since my world took an unexpected turn down an unfamiliar road. Five years since I joined an unexpected "family" of travelers down this same path. Five years since I learned that God is in control and I am absolutely not. Five years that I've been in Holland. I used to say that with a lump in my throat. Now I can't help but smile. :) My baby girl was born with an extra copy of the 21st chromosome in every cell of her little body. And God says she was fearfully and wonderfully made!
Has it really been five years? Five years since my world took an unexpected turn down an unfamiliar road. Five years since I joined an unexpected "family" of travelers down this same path. Five years since I learned that God is in control and I am absolutely not. Five years that I've been in Holland. I used to say that with a lump in my throat. Now I can't help but smile. :) My baby girl was born with an extra copy of the 21st chromosome in every cell of her little body. And God says she was fearfully and wonderfully made!
Five years of love. Therapy. Intervention. Struggle. Tears. Hope. Success. Joy. Amazement. And more love.
Fearfully and wonderfully.
Happy Birthday Abigail Grace. My heart bursts with love for you!
*Her birthday was today, this video was taken yesterday. AND she was about ready for a nap :)*
*Her birthday was today, this video was taken yesterday. AND she was about ready for a nap :)*
Adventures in Motherhood: diary entry #7695
Today's adventures included getting six kids ready for church: dressed, hair fixed, shoes on, coats on, diapers packed, sippy cups labeled, etc, etc, etc... and into the car. That process in and of its self would make for a pretty funny video on Youtube. (For those unaware, my husband is the youth pastor at our church so I'm kind of a single mom on Sundays.)
Upon arrival at church, I got them all out of the car, little ones into the stroller... and then Mabry proceeded to throw up everywhere. All over herself, the stroller and the parking lot. I kid you not. I stripped down my puke covered 2 year old in chilly October weather and "washed" her with baby wipes. Some nice man saw us and ran back to his truck to get us a couple of towels he had. I sheepishly asked him if I could wash them and give them back. He looked at the large splat of vomit on the ground and back at me and said, "No its, okay, you can keep them." I cleaned up the best I could and loaded everyone back into the Suburban and headed home. So much for that.
Once home, I get my keys out of the ignition walk to the door and realized- I don't have my house key. Its not on my key chain, its in my coat pocket. But my coat is in the house. So I open the garage door but the door from the garage to the house is locked too. I'm locked out. Awesome.
THEN I realize, my phone is in the house. I can't even call anyone to tell them that I'm locked out of the house with 5 kids plus a puker.
I tell myself, "C'mon Amy, you can do this. Figure this out." So I head over to my grandparents house. I didn't want to take the kids in for fear that I would get my grandparents sick, so I just asked for some grocery bags (incase she thew up again) and asked Papaw to email and text Jake letting him know to meet me at Sonic after church was over. It was the best plan I could come up with.
I could have driven the 30 minutes back out to the church to get Jake's key... but we go to sort of a mega church with hundreds of people so it isn't like I could just pull up and leave all of the kids in the car to run in. And for obvious reasons I couldn't take them IN to get his key. On top of that, Jake would have already been in the middle of his message... can you just see Jake stopping, mid-sentence, looking over the high schoolers to the back of the room and seeing his children- all lined up and bundled in coats, and me: jumping and waving at him, with a naked 2 year old on my hip, trying to sign that I need his key? Ummm, no.
A miserable day at Sonic it is.
I ordered our usual 8 corndogs and 4 tots. It was only 10am mind you, but a time-of-day-appropriate meal was the least of my concerns. The kids ate (minus Mabry) while I nursed Kate in the front seat. Then the kids played on the gated playground while Mabry watched "Letter Factory" in the back seat.... over and over and over.
Around the time that Kate needed to nap, we drove around for a little while to get her to sleep. Then came back to Sonic for more playing... and more tots. Desperate times call for desperate measures, don't judge me.
Around 1:30pm Jake pulled up. I'm not sure if it was out of love for me or out of fear of the look on my face, but he didn't even give me the "why aren't you organized enough to leave the house with a house key and your phone" speech.
But he would have been right. And I'm fully aware that I bring these problems on myself.
~~~
People ask me if I'm organized because I have so many children or if I have so many children because I'm organized. To which I answer "I'm sorry, I'm Amy, have we met?"
Random thoughts about hand rails
*Random warning. Random post ahead.*
Why don't builders ever install child-height hand rails going up stairs? Don't most 3+ bedroom homes contain children? I mean, whats the thinking there? I understand not doing say, child size toilets, because kids grow fast and won't use them long. But this is a safety feature. How many kids fall down the stairs a year? Probably a ton. (I'm sure lots of kids fall in the toilet every year too, but thats not dangerous. Just emotionally scarring.) And how helpful is it to hold on to a railing thats higher than your head? It isn't helpful at all, actually. I make my kids hold onto the rail, but when they slip, they're just dangling like they're on monkey bars. Its almost more dangerous. You're already installing a hand rail- for safety- why not install one for kids too?
Once when I was a kid, I tripped on the top step and fell down a whole flight of stairs. Mom said I stuck out my arms and legs in effort to stop myself, but ended up doing a perfect cartwheel down the stairs instead. I'm pretty sure I even landed on my feet.... Anyway this is not the piont....
So I've decided we definitely need to install a child-height handrail going up our stairs. It would get lots of use, for years to come.
I'm with the band
I need to list another "side" on my Many Sides of Amy categories. The drummer's sister.
Have I ever mentioned here that my brother is kinda famous? He is. Google Colby Buckler. He's an amazing drummer. He plays with TwoFresh, Eliot Lipp and some other bands. He tours all over the country, playing in clubs and at festivals. TwoFresh was Relix Magazine's #1 "Up and coming artists you should know about" in October of last year. The genre is kind of like... electronic Hip Hop Jazz with computers and a live drummer- Colby. He is "one of the strongest drummers in the live electronic music scene today". And I'm only pretty sure I know what that means. ;)
It was really irritating as a kid- the drums are not an instrument you want to hear you sibling practice daily. Nor do the neighbors... But since he was two, that's what he's been doing. But last night I got to witness (from an elite back-stage vantage) a whole venue full of fans shouting for him. I'm not gonna lie- it was weird.
He's playing in a different city almost every night. Mom's been to see him several times- anytime he plays close. But its been hard for me over the years to get out to his shows. But this weekend he was in Nashville, so we went together.
And going to see him was further confirmation to me that I'm getting old. He went on stage at 11... pm... which I'm told is unusually early. Seriously? I was leaving my house at the same time I'd normally be going to bed. And ya know, Starbucks isn't even open that late, so we had to settle for gas station coffee. 'Cause there was no WAY I was gonna make it through the evening (or is it morning at that point?) without some coffee. And once there, all of these uber-cool Nashvillian young adults at Mercy Lounge were surrounding me trying to show some ID, pay, and get a stamp on their hand. Meanwhile, I, with my coffee in hand and diaper bag on my shoulder (because I was too tired to find a cute purse) waited for them to find our names on "the list". I couldn't help but giggle a little as I would watch girls walk in painfully over-aware of themselves, trying to be sure they looked cute from every angle. I remember feeling that way in high school. It was miserable and I don't miss it.
Being the drummer's sister is a different hat for me. One I don't wear often. But I was so proud. Mom and I were shamelessly taking pics and videos with our phones while crazy looking people were dancing and bouncing all around us. Cheering for Colby. And I know mom was thinking the same thing I was. "That's MY Colby." Not that fame is everything; its really nothing and even Colby would tell you that. But it was hard to stand there and not be so proud of my little brother. He's worked his whole life to be an accomplished drummer. And he is.
I can say with confidence that Colby doesn't read my blog. So I don't mind telling you :) that on the other side of this whole thing, I'd love to see him settle down someday. Because I know this is a hard lifestyle. But for now he's doing what he loves and he's happy. So I'm happy for him. Did I mention how much I love my brother? Well I do. :)
These two were taken with my phone, so they're a little sketchy. And the video's didn't really turn out. :( You'll have to check him out on YouTube to see him really play.
The one of mom with Colby was before the show. Below is me with Colby after the show, hence his sweaty shirt!
There you have it. I'm with the band. I'm the drummer's sister.
Have I ever mentioned here that my brother is kinda famous? He is. Google Colby Buckler. He's an amazing drummer. He plays with TwoFresh, Eliot Lipp and some other bands. He tours all over the country, playing in clubs and at festivals. TwoFresh was Relix Magazine's #1 "Up and coming artists you should know about" in October of last year. The genre is kind of like... electronic Hip Hop Jazz with computers and a live drummer- Colby. He is "one of the strongest drummers in the live electronic music scene today". And I'm only pretty sure I know what that means. ;)
 |
| Colby with TwoFresh |
 |
| He's the tall one on the left. ;) |
 |
| Wowing the fans |
It was really irritating as a kid- the drums are not an instrument you want to hear you sibling practice daily. Nor do the neighbors... But since he was two, that's what he's been doing. But last night I got to witness (from an elite back-stage vantage) a whole venue full of fans shouting for him. I'm not gonna lie- it was weird.
He's playing in a different city almost every night. Mom's been to see him several times- anytime he plays close. But its been hard for me over the years to get out to his shows. But this weekend he was in Nashville, so we went together.
And going to see him was further confirmation to me that I'm getting old. He went on stage at 11... pm... which I'm told is unusually early. Seriously? I was leaving my house at the same time I'd normally be going to bed. And ya know, Starbucks isn't even open that late, so we had to settle for gas station coffee. 'Cause there was no WAY I was gonna make it through the evening (or is it morning at that point?) without some coffee. And once there, all of these uber-cool Nashvillian young adults at Mercy Lounge were surrounding me trying to show some ID, pay, and get a stamp on their hand. Meanwhile, I, with my coffee in hand and diaper bag on my shoulder (because I was too tired to find a cute purse) waited for them to find our names on "the list". I couldn't help but giggle a little as I would watch girls walk in painfully over-aware of themselves, trying to be sure they looked cute from every angle. I remember feeling that way in high school. It was miserable and I don't miss it.
Being the drummer's sister is a different hat for me. One I don't wear often. But I was so proud. Mom and I were shamelessly taking pics and videos with our phones while crazy looking people were dancing and bouncing all around us. Cheering for Colby. And I know mom was thinking the same thing I was. "That's MY Colby." Not that fame is everything; its really nothing and even Colby would tell you that. But it was hard to stand there and not be so proud of my little brother. He's worked his whole life to be an accomplished drummer. And he is.
I can say with confidence that Colby doesn't read my blog. So I don't mind telling you :) that on the other side of this whole thing, I'd love to see him settle down someday. Because I know this is a hard lifestyle. But for now he's doing what he loves and he's happy. So I'm happy for him. Did I mention how much I love my brother? Well I do. :)
 |
There you have it. I'm with the band. I'm the drummer's sister.
Another Emilyism
Tonight after dinner, Emily and I were going over her scripture memory verse for the week. "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you." We repeat each section over and over then string it all together. Well, when repeating "and I will bless you", Emily stopped thoughtfully and said (stretching her head forward and using finger movements for articulate emphasis)...
"Mom, it kinda sounds like 'bleshoo' after someone sneezes, except this is 'Bless. You.'"
Oh Em....
"Mom, it kinda sounds like 'bleshoo' after someone sneezes, except this is 'Bless. You.'"
Oh Em....
Its just. Tough.
I don't really consider 6 kids to be a big family. Some do. I don't. Not really. Not when I know several families through adoption and/or DS communities that have 10+.
On a side note, its ironic to me that the Duggars with their 19 kids (and counting) on TLC are so popular but the average child(ren) per household is what? 1.2? Hm.
Anyway, I have people tell me all the time "I don't know how you do it." Which strikes me kind of funny because I look at families with 13 children and think, "I don't know how they do it."
But really, I just think the Lord gives you the grace for the family that He's given you. Sometimes its equally as hard with one as it is with six.
Case in point. Last night Jake had a couple of friends over and offered to feed the kids and put them to bed so I could get out of the house. (Yes, I told you before- I married superman.) But with Kate still nursing, its a given that she goes where I go. And where I went was out to dinner with my mom.
We went to Wild Ginger. It was the first time I'd eaten there and the filet mignon sushi rocked my socks off, if you must know. So there we are, my mom, Kate and I at this nice restaurant. My sweet little baby girl all snuggly in her carrier, suddenly makes a horrific face, followed by a horrific smell. Great.
Then I scoop her up, and go to grab one diaper and the wipes out of my bag (so as not to lug the whole, big, unnecessary bag across the restaurant). Diaper? Check. And as I fish around for the wipes I have this flashback- like in a movie- of myself yelling out to one of the kids, "Grab me some wipes, please!" The voice calls back, "Where mom?" "The diaper bag!" <--- fatal mistake. Sooo... no wipes in the bag. Great. But I think, its okay, I'll wet some papertowels and make it work.
So I head off to the restroom. To which I find no changing station. Are you kidding me??? Now, sometimes I just change my babies on my lap. But this is a full on, new born poop explosion. The creating-a-yellow-circle-stain-in-the-middle-of-the-back-of-her-onsie kind. The can't-pull-the-onsie-off-over-her-head-because-it-would-get-in-her-hair kind. Ok, you get the point.
I took Kate back out to the table (growing yellow circle on the back and all) and hand her to my mom. Then I went back to the bathroom, wet several papertowels, and shoved them into a plastic ziploc baggy I happened to have in my bag. Meanwhile cute 20-something girls in skinny jeans and stilettos are touching up their lipstick in the mirror and looking at me like... well, the weirdo that I was, shoving wet papertowels into a ziploc bag.
My only option was to take her out to the car to change her. But don't think it didn't cross my mind to just change her right there on their booth for all the world to see. Maybe then they'll put a changing station in the restroom, I thought.
Anyway, I did the best I could, came back in and carried on with dinner. We lived. But the point of all of this is to say- that little adventure was with one baby. Not six kids. And it occurred to me that craziness doesn't come from the multitude, it comes from parenthood. PERIOD. The multitude just multiplies it. ;)
So you moms out there with 1 little one or 20. Keep on keepin' on. We're all in this together.
On a side note, its ironic to me that the Duggars with their 19 kids (and counting) on TLC are so popular but the average child(ren) per household is what? 1.2? Hm.
Anyway, I have people tell me all the time "I don't know how you do it." Which strikes me kind of funny because I look at families with 13 children and think, "I don't know how they do it."
But really, I just think the Lord gives you the grace for the family that He's given you. Sometimes its equally as hard with one as it is with six.
Case in point. Last night Jake had a couple of friends over and offered to feed the kids and put them to bed so I could get out of the house. (Yes, I told you before- I married superman.) But with Kate still nursing, its a given that she goes where I go. And where I went was out to dinner with my mom.
We went to Wild Ginger. It was the first time I'd eaten there and the filet mignon sushi rocked my socks off, if you must know. So there we are, my mom, Kate and I at this nice restaurant. My sweet little baby girl all snuggly in her carrier, suddenly makes a horrific face, followed by a horrific smell. Great.
Then I scoop her up, and go to grab one diaper and the wipes out of my bag (so as not to lug the whole, big, unnecessary bag across the restaurant). Diaper? Check. And as I fish around for the wipes I have this flashback- like in a movie- of myself yelling out to one of the kids, "Grab me some wipes, please!" The voice calls back, "Where mom?" "The diaper bag!" <--- fatal mistake. Sooo... no wipes in the bag. Great. But I think, its okay, I'll wet some papertowels and make it work.
So I head off to the restroom. To which I find no changing station. Are you kidding me??? Now, sometimes I just change my babies on my lap. But this is a full on, new born poop explosion. The creating-a-yellow-circle-stain-in-the-middle-of-the-back-of-her-onsie kind. The can't-pull-the-onsie-off-over-her-head-because-it-would-get-in-her-hair kind. Ok, you get the point.
I took Kate back out to the table (growing yellow circle on the back and all) and hand her to my mom. Then I went back to the bathroom, wet several papertowels, and shoved them into a plastic ziploc baggy I happened to have in my bag. Meanwhile cute 20-something girls in skinny jeans and stilettos are touching up their lipstick in the mirror and looking at me like... well, the weirdo that I was, shoving wet papertowels into a ziploc bag.
My only option was to take her out to the car to change her. But don't think it didn't cross my mind to just change her right there on their booth for all the world to see. Maybe then they'll put a changing station in the restroom, I thought.
Anyway, I did the best I could, came back in and carried on with dinner. We lived. But the point of all of this is to say- that little adventure was with one baby. Not six kids. And it occurred to me that craziness doesn't come from the multitude, it comes from parenthood. PERIOD. The multitude just multiplies it. ;)
So you moms out there with 1 little one or 20. Keep on keepin' on. We're all in this together.
Still grateful
The other night I was standing at my kitchen sink doing the dishes. I chore I dread yet somehow I tend to have my deepest thoughts and prayer times there.
I was thinking about and praying for some of my friends that are in the adoption process and remembering all too well the pain of the wait... and more specifically recalling how anxious I was over raising the funds. Jake had so much peace about that part of it, but it really stressed me out. How in the world does one raise over $24,000? In a matter of months no less? Well, let me tell you, "one" doesn't. The Lord does. And I can't speak for others that have raised money to bring their children home, and maybe this is wrong of me (It feels wrong and I feel guilty about this for some reason. Don't judge me.) but I can still remember the name of almost every person that donated. I think its because as the money came in, I was so... shocked... and so grateful. I felt like I was literally, tangibly watching people be Christ to me. An email would come in from Paypal saying so-and-so donated x amt of dollars. !!! SERIOUSLY?! And oh that humbling feeling. Its that same feeling when your friends gather around and lay hands to pray for you. You know you need it, and you're so humbled, but you're so grateful and receive it with an open, needy heart. Whew. Humility. (And I think I feel guilty because financial stuff always feels so "worldly". Like I should still remember every person who prayed for us as well. And I do remember many of those people, but when you're looking at a screen of email after email of people who gave out of their personal resources. Wow.)
But the reason for this post tonight is: I really want those people to know... you know who you are if you're reading this. I sit here, over 2 years after that process, still grateful from the bottom of my heart... to you. Thank you for giving. Thank you for being the church to us. Every bit of that money was raised, and much more. I'm still in awe. Thank you. You were and are a part of Micah's redemption story.
I was thinking about and praying for some of my friends that are in the adoption process and remembering all too well the pain of the wait... and more specifically recalling how anxious I was over raising the funds. Jake had so much peace about that part of it, but it really stressed me out. How in the world does one raise over $24,000? In a matter of months no less? Well, let me tell you, "one" doesn't. The Lord does. And I can't speak for others that have raised money to bring their children home, and maybe this is wrong of me (It feels wrong and I feel guilty about this for some reason. Don't judge me.) but I can still remember the name of almost every person that donated. I think its because as the money came in, I was so... shocked... and so grateful. I felt like I was literally, tangibly watching people be Christ to me. An email would come in from Paypal saying so-and-so donated x amt of dollars. !!! SERIOUSLY?! And oh that humbling feeling. Its that same feeling when your friends gather around and lay hands to pray for you. You know you need it, and you're so humbled, but you're so grateful and receive it with an open, needy heart. Whew. Humility. (And I think I feel guilty because financial stuff always feels so "worldly". Like I should still remember every person who prayed for us as well. And I do remember many of those people, but when you're looking at a screen of email after email of people who gave out of their personal resources. Wow.)
But the reason for this post tonight is: I really want those people to know... you know who you are if you're reading this. I sit here, over 2 years after that process, still grateful from the bottom of my heart... to you. Thank you for giving. Thank you for being the church to us. Every bit of that money was raised, and much more. I'm still in awe. Thank you. You were and are a part of Micah's redemption story.
Gum
Its a good thing Emily's not allergic to peanuts. Because tonight I had to slather her hair, neck and chest in peanut butter to remove the abundance of dried gum.
Yes, peanut butter gets gum out of hair and it works like a charm.
Yes, Emily had THAT much dried gum in her hair and on her body that I had to cover her in it and SCRUB. HARD.
Yes, she woke up like that this morning with no time to "fix" the problem or she'd be late for school, so she spent the day covered in dried gum. (Can you imagine walking around with a sticky neck all day? Yuck.)
No, I don't really know how she got this covered. Except that she must have fallen asleep chewing it.
No, I don't ALLOW my kids to chew gum at bedtime. (Nor that much gum... ever.)
Yes, the gumball machine she got from her Papaw had to be taken away.
Hopefully she's learned her lesson.
Oh Emily. I think even if I just had her, it would be enough to blog about for years.
Yes, peanut butter gets gum out of hair and it works like a charm.
Yes, Emily had THAT much dried gum in her hair and on her body that I had to cover her in it and SCRUB. HARD.
Yes, she woke up like that this morning with no time to "fix" the problem or she'd be late for school, so she spent the day covered in dried gum. (Can you imagine walking around with a sticky neck all day? Yuck.)
No, I don't really know how she got this covered. Except that she must have fallen asleep chewing it.
No, I don't ALLOW my kids to chew gum at bedtime. (Nor that much gum... ever.)
Yes, the gumball machine she got from her Papaw had to be taken away.
Hopefully she's learned her lesson.
Oh Emily. I think even if I just had her, it would be enough to blog about for years.
Mermaidia
What do you do when you've just moved into a new house, your husband is gone for the week, two of your kids are at their grandparents', and its too hot to go outside with the little ones? Why, decorate of course!!!
Next, I took the swatches from that paint and headed to Joanns. I got 4 different fabrics in those shades that I thought would keep with the feminine, whimsical, beachy look. I made a curtain, 4 throw pillows and a lamp shade. My grandmother came over and taught me how to make a ruffle and I love the way it all turned out! I'm so proud! :D
I made two pillows solid, and two pillows with four squares.
I already had a bunch of mason jars for the seashells. And already had some shelves...
I love love love the way this room turned out. The girls loved it, its functional, its CLEAN and organized (for now anyway ;)) and it feels so good to have at least one room of the house finished. The girls have dubbed it "Mermaidia" haha!
I found some string lights that look like starfish and match the color of my mermaids hair perfectly. I get really excited over little details like that. :)
While Jake was in the Dominican Republic, he bought the girls a painting for their room... its an underwater scene with a whale and fish and coral... its beautiful! It totally fits the theme and now they have something super cool from the D.R. so once I get it matted and framed, it'll replace the cork board.
Even Kit and Josefina are happy with the new room so ya know... mission accomplished. ;)
**Big sigh** One bedroom down, 4 more to go!
And how do you decorate when you have a very limited budget to work with? Buy paint and fabric, and make the most of it! I'm so proud of myself! It was a surprise for the girls and I had so much fun doing it.
From the time that we first decided to move and the girls' knew they'd have their own room (as in, not with babies) they said they wanted a "beach" themed room. Ashley has this obsession with seashells (and rocks... but... whatever) so I thought a beach themed room would be perfect for displaying her seashell treasures.
So when we had the house painted, the "big girls' room" got painted a soft shade of aqua.
And the week they were out of my hair the house seemed the perfect time to decorate.
But ya know, beach theme can go about a bzillion different directions. It can be bright and colorful or you could do a palate of whites and light turquoises. It can be hawaiian or it can be sort of nautical. But mostly, beach themed kids rooms can get cheesy and cheep looking really easily. Yuck. So I went to my favoritest inspiration, the Pottery Barn Kids website. ;) And they had all of this super cute summer stuff, but my favorite thing were some whimsical mermaid decals. TOO cute.
So this became the inspiration for the room. More of a feminine, whimsical, underwater vibe, with a pink and aqua palate. PERFECT.
But I sure didn't want to spend the $$ on any of the stuff from PBK. So I took one of the mermaids and traced it (on the screen of my laptop, lol!). Then I did the little trick where you make a grid on the paper and a grid on the wall and draw one square at a time on the wall. Then I got some of those little $3 cans of paint from Lowes and painted it in. Voila, an entire wall filled with a beautiful blond mermaid for just $12! Whoo hoo!!!
I actually changed her up a little from the one on the decals. I changed her tail to be stripes, and I made her eye a closed lid instead of a big dot. And I gave her a fully covered bodice instead of a midriff. :)
So this became the inspiration for the room. More of a feminine, whimsical, underwater vibe, with a pink and aqua palate. PERFECT.
But I sure didn't want to spend the $$ on any of the stuff from PBK. So I took one of the mermaids and traced it (on the screen of my laptop, lol!). Then I did the little trick where you make a grid on the paper and a grid on the wall and draw one square at a time on the wall. Then I got some of those little $3 cans of paint from Lowes and painted it in. Voila, an entire wall filled with a beautiful blond mermaid for just $12! Whoo hoo!!!
I actually changed her up a little from the one on the decals. I changed her tail to be stripes, and I made her eye a closed lid instead of a big dot. And I gave her a fully covered bodice instead of a midriff. :)
Next, I took the swatches from that paint and headed to Joanns. I got 4 different fabrics in those shades that I thought would keep with the feminine, whimsical, beachy look. I made a curtain, 4 throw pillows and a lamp shade. My grandmother came over and taught me how to make a ruffle and I love the way it all turned out! I'm so proud! :D
I made two pillows solid, and two pillows with four squares.
I already had a bunch of mason jars for the seashells. And already had some shelves...
I love love love the way this room turned out. The girls loved it, its functional, its CLEAN and organized (for now anyway ;)) and it feels so good to have at least one room of the house finished. The girls have dubbed it "Mermaidia" haha!
I found some string lights that look like starfish and match the color of my mermaids hair perfectly. I get really excited over little details like that. :)
While Jake was in the Dominican Republic, he bought the girls a painting for their room... its an underwater scene with a whale and fish and coral... its beautiful! It totally fits the theme and now they have something super cool from the D.R. so once I get it matted and framed, it'll replace the cork board.
Even Kit and Josefina are happy with the new room so ya know... mission accomplished. ;)
**Big sigh** One bedroom down, 4 more to go!
Beyond burdened... breaking...
This is the last thing I should be doing right now (blogging) but my heart is so heavy, I feel like its sunken down to the pit of my stomach and is making me sick. And I have to get this out...
On the surface, my day looks like this:
I woke up this morning and nursed my baby. I got myself ready, came downstairs, got my 1st and 2nd grader dressed, fed, and hair fixed. I packed up backpacks and met 2 other moms in the driveway for our morning carpool. After my husband drove all those kids away, I came back inside and got the next 3 kids dressed and fed. Then I loaded all 4 in the car to take Micah to school, only to realize my stroller was in the suburban with Jake. And I cannot take 3 "hand holders" and a baby carrier across a parking lot and into a busy school... without my stroller. It physically cannot be done. So I called my grandfather to meet me at the school and sit with the 3 girls while I took Micah in and got him settled into his classroom.
Now I need to take the girls 30 minutes out to the church, where Jake is, so that I can get the stroller out of the suburban. So that I CAN take my stroller and children into the school to pick him up at noon.
Then I'll bring them all home, feed them lunch and lay them down while my grandfather (the superhero) sits here with them during naptime so I can run over to Abby's school and have the big IEP meeting. Then I'll come home, get the kids up, Ashley and Emily will get home from school, I'll start dinner, feed them all, do homework with the big girls, bathe the little ones and put them all to bed. Then I'll sit on the couch and wait for my husband to get home from youth group so I can hear about his day.
So.
Why, in the midst of this day, is my heart so burdened? Because right now, on the other side of the world, there's a little 11 year old girl with Down Syndrome. She does not have a family because she has Down Syndrome. And she's wasting away at a mere 10 lbs. Unless someone saves her. I know that I cannot. But who will? Most people won't even look at her profile. Most people feel helpless so they don't even look.
And the ONLY thing I can think of are these words "If Jesus is the answer, and Jesus lives in us, doesn't that mean that WE are the answer?" Over and over these words repeat in my head.
So there she sits. If she's still alive as I type this.
On the surface, my day looks like this:
I woke up this morning and nursed my baby. I got myself ready, came downstairs, got my 1st and 2nd grader dressed, fed, and hair fixed. I packed up backpacks and met 2 other moms in the driveway for our morning carpool. After my husband drove all those kids away, I came back inside and got the next 3 kids dressed and fed. Then I loaded all 4 in the car to take Micah to school, only to realize my stroller was in the suburban with Jake. And I cannot take 3 "hand holders" and a baby carrier across a parking lot and into a busy school... without my stroller. It physically cannot be done. So I called my grandfather to meet me at the school and sit with the 3 girls while I took Micah in and got him settled into his classroom.
Now I need to take the girls 30 minutes out to the church, where Jake is, so that I can get the stroller out of the suburban. So that I CAN take my stroller and children into the school to pick him up at noon.
Then I'll bring them all home, feed them lunch and lay them down while my grandfather (the superhero) sits here with them during naptime so I can run over to Abby's school and have the big IEP meeting. Then I'll come home, get the kids up, Ashley and Emily will get home from school, I'll start dinner, feed them all, do homework with the big girls, bathe the little ones and put them all to bed. Then I'll sit on the couch and wait for my husband to get home from youth group so I can hear about his day.
So.
Why, in the midst of this day, is my heart so burdened? Because right now, on the other side of the world, there's a little 11 year old girl with Down Syndrome. She does not have a family because she has Down Syndrome. And she's wasting away at a mere 10 lbs. Unless someone saves her. I know that I cannot. But who will? Most people won't even look at her profile. Most people feel helpless so they don't even look.
And the ONLY thing I can think of are these words "If Jesus is the answer, and Jesus lives in us, doesn't that mean that WE are the answer?" Over and over these words repeat in my head.
So there she sits. If she's still alive as I type this.
And I will go pick up my stroller and get my son from school. I'll go on with my day. I'll click seat belts through my kids' chubby little legs and be reminded that there is a girl who's leg is no thicker than one of my finders.
God please.... God please....
I have no more words.
Getting into the groove
As we slowly slip into the groove of a new school year, I'm feeling so very blessed.
I was really anxious about Micah and Abby's school situations this year. Though we still live in the same town, we are now just barely inside a different county. Which means Micah and Abby can't go to the same school anymore unless I want to pay out of zone fee's. And not only do they have to change schools, but they'll both be going to different schools.
It was previously written in Micah's IEP (Individualized Education Plan) that he would be in PreK this year, 5 full days. But. This new county doesn't "do" preschool for six year olds (no matter how far behind in development apparently). So Micah has to go to the school we are zoned for and start Kindergarten. *Big sigh* I can't believe my little boy is starting Kindergarten.
So now I'm not only dealing with stress of "figuring out" a new school but also all of the emotions of another one of my babies starting Kindergarten. That's an emotional milestone! And extra stressful for me with Micah because I'm completely NOT convinced he's ready. But when it comes down to it, will Micah ever be ready? Probably not really, no. So here we go... we're strapped in to this wild ride of a roller coaster called Elementary School.
So that's how I WAS feeling. Then we went in for Micah's Kindergarten testing. I got to meet everyone that will be working with him this year. And it was a great meeting! I feel so much better about sending him now. Though its a mainstream class, his teacher has a background in Special Education, he'll have his own TA (teachers assistant), and the best part (to me) is that they are all willing to sign with him! HURRAY! In fact they're encouraging it! Of course he'll still have his speech therapy, we are by no means giving up on the hopes that he'll some day talk. But this will open up communication for him in a huge way at school. As I was chatting with one of the staff, I looked over and his TA was hunched down, looking in his face, smiling and signing "friends". I thought I was going to melt right there. :) :) :) It was like a little wink from the Lord saying "he's gonna be fine".
Now, why is Abby going to a different school? Well, this school doesn't have a preschool program. So Abby has to go to the closest school that will provide special education preschool. Which isn't far at all, but I am sad she won't be at the same school with Micah. And when she starts Kindergarten, she'll likely go to Micah's school... on one hand, I'll be really happy they'll be in school together again. On the other hand, that means 3 schools in 3 years. :(
I haven't met anyone from her school yet. We've got lots of evaluations and meetings before she can start. So I'm just praying the Lord will line up the right people for her.
On a side note, we were cleaning up the playroom yesterday and Abby held up a letter M from a puzzle and said, "Mom. Mmmmm." YAY ABBY!! She knows almost all of the letters' sounds. I'm so proud of that girl. :)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile, for the big girls, we just started a carpool with 3 other families in our town. And I'm super excited about it! I think its going to be really helpful to all of us. We'll never have to drive out to the school on Jake's day off, which rocks. And the girls won't have to spend every afternoon in aftercare which equally rocks. But bless Jake's heart, he's the one doing the morning driving and gets to spend his morning car ride's listening to the conversation of 6 early elementary kids! Lord, give him some extra grace!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stay tuned for more school year adventures from the Spencer family.
I was really anxious about Micah and Abby's school situations this year. Though we still live in the same town, we are now just barely inside a different county. Which means Micah and Abby can't go to the same school anymore unless I want to pay out of zone fee's. And not only do they have to change schools, but they'll both be going to different schools.
It was previously written in Micah's IEP (Individualized Education Plan) that he would be in PreK this year, 5 full days. But. This new county doesn't "do" preschool for six year olds (no matter how far behind in development apparently). So Micah has to go to the school we are zoned for and start Kindergarten. *Big sigh* I can't believe my little boy is starting Kindergarten.
So now I'm not only dealing with stress of "figuring out" a new school but also all of the emotions of another one of my babies starting Kindergarten. That's an emotional milestone! And extra stressful for me with Micah because I'm completely NOT convinced he's ready. But when it comes down to it, will Micah ever be ready? Probably not really, no. So here we go... we're strapped in to this wild ride of a roller coaster called Elementary School.
So that's how I WAS feeling. Then we went in for Micah's Kindergarten testing. I got to meet everyone that will be working with him this year. And it was a great meeting! I feel so much better about sending him now. Though its a mainstream class, his teacher has a background in Special Education, he'll have his own TA (teachers assistant), and the best part (to me) is that they are all willing to sign with him! HURRAY! In fact they're encouraging it! Of course he'll still have his speech therapy, we are by no means giving up on the hopes that he'll some day talk. But this will open up communication for him in a huge way at school. As I was chatting with one of the staff, I looked over and his TA was hunched down, looking in his face, smiling and signing "friends". I thought I was going to melt right there. :) :) :) It was like a little wink from the Lord saying "he's gonna be fine".
Now, why is Abby going to a different school? Well, this school doesn't have a preschool program. So Abby has to go to the closest school that will provide special education preschool. Which isn't far at all, but I am sad she won't be at the same school with Micah. And when she starts Kindergarten, she'll likely go to Micah's school... on one hand, I'll be really happy they'll be in school together again. On the other hand, that means 3 schools in 3 years. :(
I haven't met anyone from her school yet. We've got lots of evaluations and meetings before she can start. So I'm just praying the Lord will line up the right people for her.
On a side note, we were cleaning up the playroom yesterday and Abby held up a letter M from a puzzle and said, "Mom. Mmmmm." YAY ABBY!! She knows almost all of the letters' sounds. I'm so proud of that girl. :)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile, for the big girls, we just started a carpool with 3 other families in our town. And I'm super excited about it! I think its going to be really helpful to all of us. We'll never have to drive out to the school on Jake's day off, which rocks. And the girls won't have to spend every afternoon in aftercare which equally rocks. But bless Jake's heart, he's the one doing the morning driving and gets to spend his morning car ride's listening to the conversation of 6 early elementary kids! Lord, give him some extra grace!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stay tuned for more school year adventures from the Spencer family.
Resolutions
I was talking with a friend the other day about school starting and she had a great point that really got me thinking. The back-to-school time of year is kind of like a New Years for moms. Its true! Its a time we mothers (of school aged children) set all of these resolutions and goals for that school year.
But I'm hoping that unlike New Years resolutions, these School Year resolutions won't fall apart after just a few months. Its worth the effort if I can hang on to even one of these goals! I'm really going to try.
Ok, so wanna hear mine? (This is in no particular order.)
Resolution #1 ~I'm going to iron uniforms this year.
I really tried to purchase polyester uniforms for the girls this year. That glorious fabric that doesn't wrinkle or turn up at the bottom hem. But for whatever reason, all brands that have that fabric run wide. Or at least- wide for my string-bean children. So I bought them "slim" jumpers in a khaki/cotton material. And unless they're ironed after every wash, the bottom hem will start rolling up. So I'm going to be a little more domestic and iron my kids uniforms.
On a side note: I was ironing uniforms yesterday and Emily asked what I was doing. "Ironing" I said. "You mean you're flattening our clothes?" Emily asked. Hmm... something like that. "Yes," I replied. "Can you flatten my shoes too because they're really crumpled." "No I don't think that'll work." I wasn't even going to ask what exactly she meant by crumpled shoes....
Resolution #2~ I'm going to wake up 30 minutes before the kids need to get up.
I should tell you, I come from a long line of southern women who never leave the house with out "putting their face on". This baffled me as a child. How do you put a face on and take it off? But now, as a grown woman with very blonde eye lashes and an uneven skin tone... I get it. If you've ever seen a mom drop off her kids at school or standing at the bus stop wearing sunglasses and a hat on a very overcast, dark morning- don't ask. It means she hasn't had time for a shower and barely made it out the door. Give her some grace.
This year I want to get myself ready for the day even if I don't have plans to leave the house. I will. I must. I resolve that my husband will not come home to a wife wearing no makeup and sweatpants. But if I don't get up before the kids do, it won't happen.
Resolution#3~ I'm going to pray with other moms.
Two of my best friends and I had our first babies within weeks of each other. Then, we blinked. And now they look like this.
I love that they are still best buds after all these years. :)
So we're going to meet, weekly if possible, to pray for them. I know that we each pray for our kids. But there is power when believers get together and agree in prayer. (Matthew 18:19) And these three snaggle-tooth kiddos represent 10 more younger siblings! Yes. Prayer. Lots of it. Bring it on.
And that's it for my resolutions. Lets keep the list short, I think it'll have a higher success rate that way. :) We'll see how its going in six months.
But I'm hoping that unlike New Years resolutions, these School Year resolutions won't fall apart after just a few months. Its worth the effort if I can hang on to even one of these goals! I'm really going to try.
Ok, so wanna hear mine? (This is in no particular order.)
Resolution #1 ~I'm going to iron uniforms this year.
I really tried to purchase polyester uniforms for the girls this year. That glorious fabric that doesn't wrinkle or turn up at the bottom hem. But for whatever reason, all brands that have that fabric run wide. Or at least- wide for my string-bean children. So I bought them "slim" jumpers in a khaki/cotton material. And unless they're ironed after every wash, the bottom hem will start rolling up. So I'm going to be a little more domestic and iron my kids uniforms.
On a side note: I was ironing uniforms yesterday and Emily asked what I was doing. "Ironing" I said. "You mean you're flattening our clothes?" Emily asked. Hmm... something like that. "Yes," I replied. "Can you flatten my shoes too because they're really crumpled." "No I don't think that'll work." I wasn't even going to ask what exactly she meant by crumpled shoes....
Resolution #2~ I'm going to wake up 30 minutes before the kids need to get up.
I should tell you, I come from a long line of southern women who never leave the house with out "putting their face on". This baffled me as a child. How do you put a face on and take it off? But now, as a grown woman with very blonde eye lashes and an uneven skin tone... I get it. If you've ever seen a mom drop off her kids at school or standing at the bus stop wearing sunglasses and a hat on a very overcast, dark morning- don't ask. It means she hasn't had time for a shower and barely made it out the door. Give her some grace.
This year I want to get myself ready for the day even if I don't have plans to leave the house. I will. I must. I resolve that my husband will not come home to a wife wearing no makeup and sweatpants. But if I don't get up before the kids do, it won't happen.
Resolution#3~ I'm going to pray with other moms.
Two of my best friends and I had our first babies within weeks of each other. Then, we blinked. And now they look like this.
I love that they are still best buds after all these years. :)
So we're going to meet, weekly if possible, to pray for them. I know that we each pray for our kids. But there is power when believers get together and agree in prayer. (Matthew 18:19) And these three snaggle-tooth kiddos represent 10 more younger siblings! Yes. Prayer. Lots of it. Bring it on.
And that's it for my resolutions. Lets keep the list short, I think it'll have a higher success rate that way. :) We'll see how its going in six months.
Potty Talk
I think we need to buy stock in Pampers.
I've been changing diapers steadily for almost 8 years now. We are currently buying diapers in size 1, size 4, and size 5 pull-ups in pink and in blue. That's a lot of booties to wipe every day.
I've got a whole diaper changing station set up under the TV in the playroom. A child locked cabinet is complete with diapers, pull ups, baby wipes, diaper rash creams (Aquaphor and Kroger brand desitin), disposable gloves (for those random explosions and I figure the babysitters appreciate them :)), grocery bags (who needs a diaper genie when you can use grocery bags, they're free!) and a vinyl nap-mat that I pull out to lay them on because there are wood floors in there.
Of course Kate has her own changing station in the livingroom. I don't lay my 6 wk old on the floor in the playroom. ;)
But I have to say, Micah's not being changed on that nap-mat much these days. His potty training is coming along wonderfully! He really only wears one pull up a day and is keeping it dry! He goes #1 in the potty and if I make him sit there long enough he'll go #2 as well, YAY MICAH!!!!
So why do I not switch him to undies? Trust me, I'd love to go back to just having 3 in diapers. Its because (and this is SO frustrating) Micah still won't tell me when he needs to go potty. :( He knows the sign for potty, so it shouldn't be a communication issue. I just have to guess when he might need to go again, usually timing it around the time that I'm changing the little girls' diapers. And sure enough, he'll go. So he's holding it... so long as I don't forget and make him wait too long. If I randomly ask him if he needs to go, he'll say yes every time. Just for something to do. And because he loves washing his hands. *insert eye roll*
From what I understand, this is typical "time training" from the orphanage. They just took all of the kids to sit on potties at set times every day and they learned to hold it until those times. Kinda sad. If any of you adoptive moms have any tips for breaking the time-trained thing, I'm happy to hear it. I wish he would just tell me when he needs to go. :(
So the other reason I'm keeping him in pull-ups is because... I'm scared. Its just the truth. But if you ever saw what comes out of that kid if he accidentally gets milk... you'd be scared too! As long as he doesn't get dairy in his diet, we're good. But when he does, watch out. And I really don't want to clean that out of underwear. Or where ever else it might land.... ugh.
Abby on the other hand, will say "Uh oh Mommy! Pooped!!!!" This is her universal phrase for letting me know she needs to be changed. Then occasionally she'll follow it up with the signs for "wet" or "dirty". Which, as her proud mother, I think is pretty impressive. :) And she really likes sitting up on the potty if and when I take her but shes terrified if anything comes out and wants down immediately. Nevertheless, I'm confident that she's really close to being ready to potty train. At this point I'm only waiting on Mabry.
Mabry turns two this fall and the plan is to potty train Abby and Mabry together. I had hoped to do Abby this summer but ya know, having a baby and all, I've been a little busy. :) So hopefully by Christmas we will have only one more to potty train and five kids successfully using the potty!!!
Then I'm going to buy stock in Charmin.
Montage of baby Kate's first three weeks
Avery Kate has been in our family for almost a month now. :) I can't even believe it. Here are some pictures of her first three weeks of life. What a sweet little blessing she is...
Peaceful Summer
Its time to talk about this new season. And I'm not just talking about the weather.
If you were listening at my front door it might not sound peaceful. There are still 10 little feet stomping running through the house like a heard of elephants, Electric Company blaring from the livingroom, squealing kids flying down the slide in the playroom, doors slamming as the girls come in and out from riding their bikes, the constant running of either the washing machine or dishwasher, and a baby crying because its time to nurse for the umpteenth time today. Even at night, the deafening sound of "rain" is coming from the sound machine in the upstairs hall. But despite the decibels... there is peace.
We're home.
Is it hard juggling 6 kids? Two with special needs and tiny newborn? The answer is actually no. Comical? Usually. ;) Tiring? Yes. But hard? No. Its been pretty smooth. But over and over I keep thinking, there's no way we could have done this in our old house. In this house, we all have our own space. We fit here. And everyone can feel the difference. Its wonderful. :)
And it feels so good to build new routines. I knew that between moving and having a baby this summer, I could not over commit myself. So I didn't. Which means- I have no where I have to be. And it feels great. :) We wake up, have breakfast, the kids play while I clean up/do some laundry/nurse my baby. Then we have lunch, the little ones and I nap while the girls play in their room. When everyone is up, we have snacks, play some more, have dinner, go to bed, and do it all over again the next day. With so much routine, I find myself thriving and growing as much as the kids.
I'm anticipating a smooth transition into the school year as well. While we're enjoying a peaceful summer, I know the kids will be so ready for school when it starts. And I'll be ready too. How sweet it'll be to have time alone with Mabry and Kate. I'm looking forward to lunches and shopping with my Grandmother and my mom... diving back into couponing... soaking in the Word at morning Women's Study... taking my time decorating each room of my beautiful new house... its gonna be awesome. :)
And it feels so good to build new routines. I knew that between moving and having a baby this summer, I could not over commit myself. So I didn't. Which means- I have no where I have to be. And it feels great. :) We wake up, have breakfast, the kids play while I clean up/do some laundry/nurse my baby. Then we have lunch, the little ones and I nap while the girls play in their room. When everyone is up, we have snacks, play some more, have dinner, go to bed, and do it all over again the next day. With so much routine, I find myself thriving and growing as much as the kids.
I'm anticipating a smooth transition into the school year as well. While we're enjoying a peaceful summer, I know the kids will be so ready for school when it starts. And I'll be ready too. How sweet it'll be to have time alone with Mabry and Kate. I'm looking forward to lunches and shopping with my Grandmother and my mom... diving back into couponing... soaking in the Word at morning Women's Study... taking my time decorating each room of my beautiful new house... its gonna be awesome. :)
Now, understand me. I fully believe that my home is in heaven. This is temporary. Never do I want to become so comfortable and complacent that I grow stagnant, not growing in my faith or being effective for the Kingdom. I hope that I can always say that I'd give up all that I have if that's what the Lord was calling me to do. But I also know that I know that He's blessed us with this house and I'm grateful. There are seasons of refreshing and we draw from those for our times in the fire. Sometimes we stand up and fight, sometimes we lay our heads on His chest and just soak Him in. And you never know whats around the corner.
And right now I'm thoroughly enjoying this peaceful summer. Sipping some sweet tea, watching my kids play, smelling my new baby. Aaaahhh, peace. :) Thank you Lord, You're so good to me.
John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you."
A 7 year olds prayer
This is just too sweet not to share.
A few weeks ago Jake took the two big girls to church while I stayed home with the little ones. Ashley wanted to stay in service with him and I'm not sure what the message was about that day but at some point, she wrote this prayer out on the back of a visitor welcome card. She saved it, brought it home, showed me,I cried, and now she keeps it on our kitchen table because she likes to read/pray it before dinner. :)
Translation just in case :)
God I thank you for my Dad my Mom my sister's and brother and I thank you for my life and for my friends and family and I pray for all those that are in beds all their life without food til they die and those at the dump and at Ukraine that need to be adopted and Jesus name Amen.
The prayer for "those in beds without food" is referring to Eastern European mental institutions. She's really soaked in the reality of what Micah's life would have been like had he not been adopted and is very concerned for the other children with special needs in those countries. Seriously.
"Those at the dump" is referring to the large communities of people living at a trash dump in the Dominican Republic, where Jake was last summer. Her little heart broke when she saw his pictures of people getting all that they had from others' trash.
(And she still can't quite pronounce "adopted" yet, hence her confused spelling of it. ;))
Its so hard to read kids sometimes and I never know how much of what we teach them and share with them is actually soaking in. Until I see something like this. And I don't have to tell you how incredibly good it feels to know that something is getting through and my kids are aware of the hurting world around them. Reading my seven year olds prayer of thanks to God for her life is one of my most amazing experiences as a parent, to date. Thank you Lord for my sweet girl!!
A few weeks ago Jake took the two big girls to church while I stayed home with the little ones. Ashley wanted to stay in service with him and I'm not sure what the message was about that day but at some point, she wrote this prayer out on the back of a visitor welcome card. She saved it, brought it home, showed me,
Translation just in case :)
God I thank you for my Dad my Mom my sister's and brother and I thank you for my life and for my friends and family and I pray for all those that are in beds all their life without food til they die and those at the dump and at Ukraine that need to be adopted and Jesus name Amen.
The prayer for "those in beds without food" is referring to Eastern European mental institutions. She's really soaked in the reality of what Micah's life would have been like had he not been adopted and is very concerned for the other children with special needs in those countries. Seriously.
"Those at the dump" is referring to the large communities of people living at a trash dump in the Dominican Republic, where Jake was last summer. Her little heart broke when she saw his pictures of people getting all that they had from others' trash.
(And she still can't quite pronounce "adopted" yet, hence her confused spelling of it. ;))
Its so hard to read kids sometimes and I never know how much of what we teach them and share with them is actually soaking in. Until I see something like this. And I don't have to tell you how incredibly good it feels to know that something is getting through and my kids are aware of the hurting world around them. Reading my seven year olds prayer of thanks to God for her life is one of my most amazing experiences as a parent, to date. Thank you Lord for my sweet girl!!
Meet Kate
She's here!
The next day, Jake brought the three little ones up to the hospital to meet her. And yes, it was a little crazy having 6 kids in that little postpartum recovery room, but I think all things considered, they did pretty good. :) Here's my very-long-much-less-glamorous video of that experience. :) I don't expect anyone to watch the whole thing, I'm mostly posting because I think the grandparents will get a kick out of it. :)
(Disclaimers: 1.) Poor Micah had some bad experiences in hospitals before he came home and still gets really stressed when he's in one. Hence the look on his face for most of the video. 2.) Fixing little girl hair is not one of Jake's many fatherly talents, so please excusethe back of Abbys the girls' hair :))
Today is her 1 week birthday.
She's doing great, nursing great, sleeping... some... ;) and I have to say that I really feel great too. I certainly don't feel like I had a baby a week ago. For some reason I thought that each baby would be harder and harder on my body. And while each pregnancy is NO walk in the park, the postpartum time with Mabry and Kate have been much easier than I've anticipated. I kinda feel like a normal person again, and its wonderful. :)
And yes, Kate. We'd tossed around the idea of calling her Kate before she was born. When we saw that little face and as we're getting to know her little personality, she feels like a Kate. :) So baby Kate it is.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now that we are more settled into our new house, and now that baby Kate is here, I'm getting the first tastes of our new family rhythm. And I'm loving it. What a great new season. My heart is so thankful for the many blessings the Lord has showered (and is showering) over us.
This busy but blessed momma of six will check back in soon. Until then I hope you all are enjoying your summer!!
With as much joy and pride as can fit in one mommy's heart, I'd like to announce the arrival of Miss Avery Kate Spencer born on June 21, 2011, via induction. She was 6 lbs 13 oz and 19 1/2 inches long. And she's got a head full of dark hair!
The delivery truly could not have gone any better. The doctor that delivered her was the same doctor that delivered Ashley, one of my favorites in that practice. :) The nurses were wonderful. The day was smooth. My mom and my grandmother were in the room for the delivery which was really special. And because Jake's never been a cord-cutting kinda guy, my mom even got to cut the cord, which I'm pretty sure made her year. :)
We went in at 6am, got all set up with pitocin by 8. They broke my water soon after and a bit later did my epidural. All went totally smooth. Not long after the epidural, I was at 4 cm, then all we could do was sit back, visit with one another, and wait for my sweet baby to make her arrival. At some point, I think around 2pm, I was blissfully painless (thanks to my epidural :)) but knew from four other deliveries that the time was getting close. ;) So we called in a nurse and sure enough, 9 cm! Almost time. The great team of nurses and my awesome doctor got everything all set up, and after 3 pushes our sweet 5th baby girl entered the world. It was beautiful.
Not long after, Ashley, Emily and some of our family and friends came in to see her. The girls got to watch the nurse give her the first bath, which was cool. Our good friend Kory was able to capture some of it on his camera and put together this awesome video that we will forever treasure....
The next day, Jake brought the three little ones up to the hospital to meet her. And yes, it was a little crazy having 6 kids in that little postpartum recovery room, but I think all things considered, they did pretty good. :) Here's my very-long-much-less-glamorous video of that experience. :) I don't expect anyone to watch the whole thing, I'm mostly posting because I think the grandparents will get a kick out of it. :)
(Disclaimers: 1.) Poor Micah had some bad experiences in hospitals before he came home and still gets really stressed when he's in one. Hence the look on his face for most of the video. 2.) Fixing little girl hair is not one of Jake's many fatherly talents, so please excuse
Today is her 1 week birthday.
She's doing great, nursing great, sleeping... some... ;) and I have to say that I really feel great too. I certainly don't feel like I had a baby a week ago. For some reason I thought that each baby would be harder and harder on my body. And while each pregnancy is NO walk in the park, the postpartum time with Mabry and Kate have been much easier than I've anticipated. I kinda feel like a normal person again, and its wonderful. :)
And yes, Kate. We'd tossed around the idea of calling her Kate before she was born. When we saw that little face and as we're getting to know her little personality, she feels like a Kate. :) So baby Kate it is.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now that we are more settled into our new house, and now that baby Kate is here, I'm getting the first tastes of our new family rhythm. And I'm loving it. What a great new season. My heart is so thankful for the many blessings the Lord has showered (and is showering) over us.
This busy but blessed momma of six will check back in soon. Until then I hope you all are enjoying your summer!!
happy fathers day jake
im going to attempt to blog from my phone in honor of fathers day. for those who only keep up with me in blogland... yes we are finally in our new house and its amazing. yes i survived a week alone while jake had summer camp and no ive not had this baby yet. but in keeping with tradition of the last 3 an induction is planned for tuesday the 21st because this little girl is quite cozy and has decided she doesnt want to come out.
right now we still dont have internet at the house which hasnt been too bad because of our smartphones. but it is the reason for my blogging break. but lo its fathers day today and i cant pass this opportunity to brag on my amazing other half. even if for whatever reason my phone wont let me use capitalization or punctuation lol
aaaahhh jake. what can i say about this man. how can i express how truly incredible he is. jake was made for fatherhood. he has a sixth sense for it. he stepped into parenting almost 8 years ago just expecting to get his hands dirty and hasnt looked back.
sleepless nights.
a bzillion diapers.
baby food.
car seats and baby gear.
jake embraced all of it.
and did it all looking pretty hot in my opinion.
then came abby.
emotions.
confusion.
searching for answers and trying to figure out what life would look like now.
leaning wholy on the lord.
he stepped up to the plate.
supported me in all of my emotions.
loved our little girl with a fierce daddy love.
took on new challenges like they were nothing.
next challenge adoption.
a faith test in raising funds and traveling to the other side of the world.
lord knows what he went through over there. alone.
a new son.
the challenge of loving a child thats not yours by birth.
again lord knows the battles that have been faced with this um... busy little boy.
two more baby girls.
more sleepless nights.
more diapers.
meanwhile ashley and emily are leaving the baby phase and have become little girls.
naked barbies everywhere.
lip gloss.
ballet recitals.
spelling tests.
car pooling.
sisterly bickering from the back seat.
drama.
tears. lots and lots of tears.
and his job isnt over by a long shot.
hes got a house full of kids to help with math homework
teach to drive.
protect from boys.
marry off.
and two to help navigate life as adults with special needs.
and ya know based on what ive seen so far hes going to do it with amazing intuition and wisdom. a gentle loving firmness he could have only learned from his father... and heavenly father. what an incredible dad. not because of the things that have been thrown his way but because of the way he receives them. his passionate love for his kids. his determination to raise them to love the lord.
jake i love you so much and i continue to stand in amazement. im humbled and honored to parent along side you. our kids might be too little to express their gratefulness for you on fathers day but i see it in their eyes daily. you are loved. and appreciated. be blessed today. happy fathers day.
Your weekly update: Uncreative juice
I've really been wanting to blog. Well... I guess I do blog. I should say: I've really been wanting to post. And to write. Something creative. But alas, my creative juices... aren't creative. And that just leaves juice. Yeah I don't know what that means either. Whatever.
Ok, so anyway, there is no lack of information and happenings to share, so I'm just gonna throw 'em all out there and hope you enjoy the update.
(This is in no particular, significant order by the way.)
The kids are done with school.
Ashley is officially a 2nd grader, which freaks me out a lot less than I thought it would. On the other hand, I'm totally an emotional wreck over Emily graduating from Kindergarten. (And I'm too tired to figure out the difference in why.) Micah and Abby will officially be changing schools next year because our new house is just inside a different county. I have mixed feelings about that too... I don't really want them to have to go through the process of new teachers/friends/routines/etc. but I also know the schools in this county are generally much better, so maybe in the long run it'll be a great thing.
We move into our house in 3 days.
While the nesting mother in me has been completely appalled and quite honestly, discouraged, by the previous nastiness that was in that house... I'm starting to get really excited watching the walls all be painted and the floors put in this week. Bye bye gross stuff that I won't even share on my blog; hello clean, new, big house!!! :) We paid someone to paint the whole house. If you know me, you know how painful that is. I LOVE to paint. Love the colors, love the smell, love that it creates something clean and new, love the satisfaction of results. But, I had to come to terms with the reality that I'm 35 weeks pregnant and that house is 3500 sq ft. Yeah.... not so much. So I picked all my colors, hired a friend, and its looking awesome. I also hired a friend to clean the bathrooms because of previously mentioned-- well... unmentioned I guess-- funk. Yuck. But as with the painting: weird to pay someone because I'm a mom and thats what I do. (I also used to do it for a living.) But again- 35 weeks pregnant, a strangers nasty bathroom germs, and hardcore cleaner fumes don't mix. And as with the paint- really happy about awesome results. :) :) :) And tomorrow all of the hairy, stained, royal blue carpets are being replaced. One word: Hallelujah. By Friday it'll be like a completely new house. It almost feels too good to be true.
Avery.
Ok, its time for me to start making my predictions. I think she's going to be one of my bigger (if not biggest babies). OR she'll be like Emily... small but muscular. Abby was, of course, the smallest at 5 lbs 5 oz. Mabry was the biggest at 7 lbs. 12 oz. Emily was 7 lbs. 1 oz. but had incredibly muscular legs (to no surprise by me). Avery kicks every bit as hard as Emily did if not harder. Hence my prediction: she'll either be big or just muscular. I also think she's going to have lots of hair. I had the most heartburn with Ashley and she had the most hair. I have more heartburn with Avery than EVER and she MIGHT come out looking like Rapunzel.
But of course now that I've said all of that she will come out at like 6 lbs and bald. What do I know. :)
I did have one little scare about a week ago. I felt this huge movement, not just a normal kick, and then a ton of chest pressure (but only when I would lay down) and then almost no movement from Avery for the next few hours. It really worried me. But I went in to see the Dr and she did a quick ultrasound which showed a healthy Avery Kate in a head down position. So we're gonna guess that big movement was her finally turning head down (maybe she was breech before?) and that the pressure was from her new position on my diaphragm. And of course she said that if I ever don't feel movement like that again, to go straight in. So that was the end of that and now she's back to her crazy strong, kicking self. If I post soon saying she actually broke one of my ribs, don't be surprised!
Ok well, thats my life right now. Shopping for light fixtures and doorknobs with 5 kids who are no longer in school, while being kicked in the ribs and breathing fire. Yeah, that sounds about right! ;)
Counting down
I kind of feel like my whole life is in count down mode right now.
5 Days until all four of my school kids are officially done for the year
8 Days until we move into our new house
5 1/2 Weeks until my due date
I was thinking in the car the other day that I don't want to live life in countdown mode. I want to live each day to the fullest regardless of what things we are waiting for. Knowing that each day my kids are still growing (and will never be this little again). Knowing that each day is bringing me closer to the end of this pregnancy (and unless God intervene's in some miraculous way, I won't ever carry a baby again). Knowing each day is bring me closer to the return of my King. Oh please, Lord, come!!!
Its not been easy to have that kind of eternal perspective lately. When everything in me wants to be done with this very difficult (yet short) season. But thats my goal. Not some huge, groundbreaking information, but thats my thought for the day. :)
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