Overdue

Those of you who have been pregnant know what it is like to approach your due date. There is anticipation, expectation, and an ever present sense of waiting - at any time the moment will come that will change your life forever.

Now I'm overdue. I've never even made it to my due date before. I find myself thinking about things like induction and how induced labors have a higher rate of c-section and how we'd have to decide how long to wait before inducing. Yet I'm also filled with an indescribable gratefulness that God has given me a new circumstance in which to trust Him. If everything went the same every time with each of my labors, I would be grateful. But I would not have opportunity to experience God's faithfulness in a different situation.

My Bible reading today included Luke 21:34-36: "But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, and pray always, that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man."

The watching, waiting, expectation of my baby's birth is as natural as breathing right now. How I long to watch for my Savior that same way! I long for my heart to be filled with anticipation of His coming, yearning for His appearance, and prayers that He will indeed come quickly. How much greater is it to wait for Him than to wait for this baby. And yet my heart reveals my true priorities.

Oh, Lord fill me with anticipation at the thought of your eternal presence! Let me wait expectantly for the sight of your face!

Due date

I'm due tomorrow, and both times before I've been ONE DAY EARLY!

Come on, baby, it's time.

Unintended humor

Abby to her daddy this evening as I did the dishes:

"Daddy, will you change my diaper?"

Daddy thoughtfully whispers, "Go ask your mama."

Abby to her mama:

"Mama, can Daddy change my diaper?"

Refrain

I can't stop singing this hymn.

I need Thee, O I need Thee;
Every hour I need Thee;
O bless me now, my Savior,
I come to Thee.

And somehow, things seem better just by my simple realization.

Saturday

I definitely can't go into labor today. My husband is snowboarding, my mom has the stomach flu, and my dad is chaperoning a soccer trip. One of my friends just moved and another one is in the hospital having just had her own baby! That leaves, hmmm - my sister. She could take me to the hospital and . . . her husband would have to watch all five of our kids (all under five).

I guess I'd better just wait.

I wasn't sure what to do with the kids today since Keith is snowboarding. A big empty Saturday to fill and it's too cold to be outside for long. Finally I decided we'd visit the only thrift store in town that I hadn't yet been to. We looked around; I found a gift for my nephew and a bunch of unused greeting cards. I told the kids they could each pick something for a quarter. Isaac wanted an electric keyboard and Abby wanted every purse or doll she found. Ummm - I guess they learned that a quarter doesn't buy much.

Then we hit the jackpot - a large bag of Play-Doh accessories for $2! We love playing Play-Doh but all we had was the basic product plus a few cookie cutters. Now we have all sorts of fun new implements AND a good way to spend the rest of our Saturday. Thank you Lord!

Almost ready

Right around the first of January I put together a list of things I wanted to accomplish before the baby was born (I'm due February 26!). My list included things like washing windows, updating photo albums, reorganizing the playroom and of course pulling the baby things out of the closet! Now, about one week from my due date, my list is complete except for one item:

Finish tiling kitchen backsplash

Wouldn't you know, the one project I've been working on the longest AND which is also the one project I most want to complete is also the one that I just haven't been able to finish.

However, I'm thankful for all I have completed and I've been reminded how much I really can accomplish (even beyond my normal tasks) when I put my mind to it. I'm going to enjoy doing nothing but cuddling with my kids for a month or so when this baby comes. Okay, so maybe I'll do the laundry too. (I already have my freezer stocked with meals thanks to ladies from church plus some doubling up I've been doing as I've cooked these past couple of months.) And I probaby won't go a whole month without cleaning the bathroom . . .

But I think I'm ready.

Giving love = Valentines truffles!

The kids and I had fun making and delivering heart-shaped balloons and homemade truffles on Valentines Day. Though they got tired of driving around town for the deliveries (my kids aren't used to much car time!), I hope they learned a little bit about how to give love! The truffles were a hit - and super easy. Here's the recipe (with thanks to Sandy!).

8oz brick cream cheese, softened
18oz package Oreo cookies (I used off-brand!)
16oz chocolate (Wilton's candy melts worked better than chocolate chips)

Pulverize (great word, eh?) Oreo cookies in the food processor until ground very fine. Mix with cream cheese and shape into 1-inch balls. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Melt chocolate then use a spoon or toothpick to dip Oreo balls into melted chocolate. Place on wax paper until cooled. Package and give! This recipe made 42 truffles.

Isaac's Journal

I think my boy has spring fever. For the first couple years of your life I couldn't figure out how you could be such a happy boy much of the time and yet a few months later you would be almost impossible to live with! Now I know: it's seasonal. Maybe you're also sensing imminent change with the baby about to arrive or maybe you're sensing Dad's stress at work but honestly I think you mostly just feel cooped up.

It was about forty-two degrees, sunny with no wind on Saturday so we went for a little hike. That was the happiest I'd seen you all month. You were totally engaged yet carefree, climbing up every hill and down every ditch you could find. Even later in the day you thanked your Daddy multiple times for taking you hiking. I'm so glad you love to be outdoors. I just can't wait until you're old enough that I can send you out by yourself regardless of the weather just to burn some energy.

That said, you have been finding some new indoor hobbies. You and Abby love to play “camping” complete with sleeping bags, a pretend fire pit, and toy plastic sheep for marshmallows. For some reason you actually love to fold sheets and do a pretty good job of it. You play piano a lot; I taught you the “names” of the keys (ABCDEFG). Whenever I get out the crayons for you to color, you spend the whole time with a pen writing letters and numbers.

We did a family fun night to Chuck E Cheese last month. You were so excited! You remembered it as a magical place ever since we were there almost a full year ago. It was interesting to watch you there – you really liked it but I think you were almost overstimulated by all the video games. You and Abby kept retreating to the playland area, which seemed to be more up your alley. We also went to the stock show where you got to visit the petting farm area and ride a mechanical bull. Your face was so hilarious to watch – you said you loved it but the whole time you were riding your eyes looked like they were ready to pop out of your head!

It's been a challenging month with my little guy. It's hard to hear you say unkind things to me when you're unhappy with decisions I make or discipline I must administer. You are often very stubborn and willful. But I remain committed to winning your heart – I know that once Christ has your devotion you will stubbornly cling to Him in a wonderful way

Abby's Journal

It is so sweet to see how excited you are about the baby who is about to join our family. You often hug my tummy, kiss it, and say “hi, Baby,” in a darling sing-song voice. Sometimes you even “feed” my tummy with your baby bottles and cover my tummy with a blanket just because “the baby might be cold”. I am sure you are going to be a very good big sister. You are even happy to give your crib to the baby because it means that you will get a big girl bed soon!

It has been a pretty low-key month. January and February are always hard because the excitement of the holidays is over but it's still too cold to be outside much. We have had a couple of warmish streaks which we took full advantage of – going to the park and whatnot. You learned to “pedal” your tricycle so we tried letting you ride that on one walk, but unfortunately you were still way too slow to keep up so Mama ended up pushing you. I think you thought you were doing it though.

You are also sort-of potty training. Somehow you know enough to make yourself go nearly every time I set you on the toilet, but you don't manage to tell me when you need to go. You love your “big girl panties” but I'm not convinced that I want to be the one who has to remember to take you to the potty. Sure would be nice to have only one in diapers though . . .

I like having my girl around. Isaac loves playing with you too. Sometimes that creates conflict because you'd rather help me cook supper or wash dishes than do just about anything – but Isaac always wants you to play with him! It is amazing to watch you “deal” with those situations in an almost mature fashion: “Isaac, I don't want to play xyz right now but you can play dishes with me.”

An new defiant streak has surfaced so we've graduated from slapping your hand. It seems so odd to hear such a nasty “no!” come out of my sweet girl's mouth, but I suppose you have a sinful heart too! I have been blessed that after you are disciplined you often tell me “I don't want to sin!” and we have the opportunity to pray together and ask Jesus to make your heart clean. One day, out of the blue, you asked me, “Is sin brown or black?” - so I think you have the notion that it is something nasty or dirty. I told you about how Jesus can make our hearts as white as snow!

Daily devotions

There's nothing quite like feeling overwhelmed before you even start the day. Too much to get done and yet how to do it? Every time I turned my back the children were squabbling. How to nurture when I am depleted? How to train and correct when I've done it a thousand times before?

Awake that half hour early - maybe I'd be better off sleeping? Yet I dig, grasp, beg for a morsel from my Father to get me through the day.

And He fed me.

Luke 11: 9-13
So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

He loves me!

Gifts

How refreshing and wonderful it is to take time to reflect on all He has given! A few of my little treasures to share with you:

277. A bedsheet fort and popcorn snack
278. Pizza picnic on the living room floor
279. Boy inspired to try his own science experiments
280. Bouncy golden pigtails
281. Tousled towhead stroking my hair
282. Three-year-old getting to hear unborn sibling's heartbeat
283. Fresh air enjoyed on a brisk walk
284. Sparkling snow run-off in the gutters
285. Chipper squirrel perched on barn-red fence
286. Employment trials = opportunity to trust
287. Late night talks, prayers, and cuddles with my man.
288. Suffering with Christ in mind is no suffering at all - JOY!
289. Date night with gift certificates
290. Uninterrupted sleep
291. Warm sunshine and lunch on the porch in January
292. Sparkly, fluffy, crunchy, radiant white snow
293. A Savior who cared enough to heal a twelve-year-old girl
294. Laughter with friends
295. Tiny hand curled around mine
296. Simple special things: popcorn, grapes and cheese for supper!
297. Leaving behind us a trail of snow angels as we walk through the neighborhood

I'm loving right now . . .

Good Earth Original Caffeine Free Tea.

A gift from my mom - sweet and cinnamon-spicy.

Kills the sweet-cravings I so often fight.

And sorry, but I'm not sharing it with the kids!

Hungry boy

Can you believe that a three and a half year old boy could consume the following in fifteen minutes?

5 four-inch pancakes
2 sausage links
2 pieces of bacon
2 (approx) scrambled eggs

Denny's had free Grand Slam breakfasts available to everyone today from 6am-2pm. We went for lunch with my mom and sister. As soon as I cut up Isaac's pancakes they were gone.

Not sure how long I'll be able to keep the food bill low!

Thrifty or . . . not

The kids and I had a free morning so we decided to check out the Black Hills Stock Show. I knew there was a little petting farm and I figured we could wander around the vendor booths collecting free pencils and stickers. I had a bit of cash in my wallet, figuring I would probably buy one fun snack for the three of us to split. Three dollars for a morning of fun seemed reasonable to me.

We petted the animals (twice), sampled ice cream, got stickers and coloring books for free, bought a bag of mini-donuts (yum), picked out our favorite quilts on display, rode the escalator and examined everything from truck engines to cowboy boots.

Our last stop before leaving was the Rodeo Hall. We sat on saddles and watched some eight or nine year old kids ride the mechanical bull. Isaac wanted to try it but I assumed he was too little. But I asked, just in case, and the operator said they could modify the ride to be less aggressive for small children. I had just told Isaac he could try it when the guy finished with "and it costs five dollars". Oops. I had assumed it was free - everything else at the stock show was! So now I had not enough money in my wallet and a very disappointed three-year-old.

The dude picked up that Isaac was distressed and let him ride anyway. Which was nice, but then I felt obligated to give him the $3.50 remaining in my wallet. So the cost of our outing doubled, and Isaac didn't even smile while he was riding the bull.

Moral of the story: ummm . . . don't assume the mechanical bull ride is free.