Due to our lack of internet this week, I'm a little behind. I've stolen away for some time at church, just me and the computer.
First, it has been four years since we packed up and made the move to Wewa. Four years. We've spent the bulk of our marriage here so far. We've had (and are having) our babies here. We've learned so much here. Many things have changed in these four years and some things have remained the same, but either way being here has been a learning and growing experience.
Second, Sabian and I celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary last weekend. We celebrated quietly and simply. Each year since I've had this blog I've posted about our anniversary...here, here and here. As long as there is any record of this blog, I hope that mine and Sabian's marriage is not a reflection of perfection (because it is not by any means!), but more of God's grace and mercy and love. We are SO human and we make mistakes and there are times we could be more thoughtful and sweeter and kinder. But that's where that grace and love and mercy enter in. I am so thankful for Sabian and for the love he shows me in so many ways.
He's a son, a brother, a brother-in-law, a son-in-law, a pastor, a daddy, a husband, a friend, and much more. He may not be perfect, but he performs each of these roles to the best of his ability and he knows the source from which he receives his strength.
And I get to spend my days with him! I am thankful for that. Happy six years, Sabian!
I would say that throughout this pregnancy I haven't been nearly as emotional as I was when I was pregnant with Addie. I think this past weekend I've made up for it.
We've had some whirlwind weekends these past couple of months. This last one was no exception. Friday we celebrated the wedding of Allison and Robbie, starting early in the afternoon setting up and finishing with tearing down later that evening. It was a beautiful, fun wedding, and while I also played the role of flower mom along with my sweet little (shy) flower girl, we had a great time.
Saturday we paid a visit to Wewa's Tupelo Honey Festival, spending time with the bunnies and the goats and we fit in a pony ride, some swinging and visiting with friends along the way. After a nap, Sabian and I stole away for an anniversary dinner. We celebrated six years on Sunday. Our night out was coupled with a few errands for church, as we were preparing for a graduation banquet the next night. The work of a pastor never ends...
Sunday morning Addie and I took a leave of absence from our morning service. Saturday was a rough day for her, which meant a rough day for mom and dad, and I couldn't quite put my finger on what was going on with her. It was evident when we returned home from our date that she just wasn't feeling well. This turned into a topsy turvy night watching Curious George until about 3 a.m., so I took us off the hook for Sunday morning. That afternoon we headed to church to decorate for the banquet and then home for naps and back to church for the banquet.
In comes Monday and we were wiped. It is now Wednesday and I still feel like I'm dragging. Some of it is the busyness of the weekend, some of it is my lack of discipline to get to bed earlier. I have almost nine weeks to go...certainly it's not too late to make that change!
So many things at once - tired, back pain, missing family, realizing it will be a while before we can get home, nine more waddling weeks, simply ready to meet this little girl and really ready to have a little more energy to take care of my family the way I feel like I haven't been able to for a while.
Oh, and did I mention our cable and internet are out and that we can't get someone out to look at it until next week? Sigh.
I'm really looking forward to my doctor's appointment next week to get another look at this little girl. She's been pretty active and I'm super curious to see how she's positioned. I think this will give us a good clue as to whether or not she's performing the same breech acrobatics as her older sister.
Before I forget, here's my Mother's Day, 29 week photo:
I had Addie just a couple of months before I celebrated my first Mother's Day as a mom, so it was fun to have her in time for that special day. This year, it was special to be able to be pregnant on Mother's Day, and next year it will be sweet to celebrate with our two little girls.
As roller coaster-ish as I feel like life has been the last few months, and while at times the hard things I mentioned above are just simply hard, I recognize what a growing time this is for our family and how it is really special.
I am thankful for the easy and the hard. I really am.
Photos of this past weekend's events will be posted later since we're camera (and internet) hamstrung these days!
I mentioned in my last post that one of our cameras met its demise and I was hoping to at least be able to retrieve the photos from the SD card. Mission accomplished, thanks to my husband.
First, several weeks ago during some awesome weather we were having, we had a little bonfire in our backyard and our neighbors came over to join in the s'mores making fun.
A trip to the beach:
A birthday party:
Mother's Day revisited:
So there you have it. Not quite caught up in our photos, but close.
I am thankful for the memories these pictures represent!
Some nights, Addie just needs a little extra. This was one of those nights.
It's been a bit of a whirlwind weekend for us. I'll blog a little about that later, as well as our anniversary, which happens to be today, but for now I just want to remember this.
When Addie was really little and sleeping in her crib in her room, we often stayed in her room at night until she fell asleep. I knew it was one of those "bad habits" that other parents and parenting books/experts warn against, but some nights it just made life easier. I also justified it knowing that it wouldn't always be that way and that while at some point I knew it would be healthy for her to learn to fall asleep on her own, I needed to cherish those moments knowing they were temporary. Granted, some nights it was frustrating, walking out of her room thinking she was asleep and hearing her cry and then starting the process all over again.
Fast forward to now and it's been longer than I can remember since she's learned that art of falling asleep on her own. Admittedly, it was Sabian who took the reigns on this lesson, but of course it is good and the natural course of how things should progress. It's been quite a while since the days of knowing that, at some point, each night I'd have a little visitor show up at my bedside, stuffed animals under each arm, waiting to climb into bed with us. Again, a "no no" and one of those things that wouldn't last forever...and it didn't. Every now and then I'll see that sweet little face at the side of my bed, not so quietly whispering, "Mommy, can I sleep in your bed?" I oblige, knowing even more that these less than frequent visits will lessen even more.
But some nights, Addie needs a little extra.
She knows once we've put her to bed that she's not to get out of bed. No more sneaking down the hallway into the living room, no more guerilla-style crawling to duck behind the couch until we notice her. Some nights we put her to bed and don't hear a peep from her until morning. Other nights she'll yell for us two or three times before she gets the picture, gives up, and falls asleep.
Then, there are nights like tonight. She didn't get out of bed, but she did yell for us. After I paid her a visit, then, after more yelling, Sabian paid her a visit, there was another round of yelling. This time, "Mommy, I want you," in a pitiful voice. Although tired after a long weekend and simply uncomfortable at 30 weeks pregnant, I couldn't ignore her pleas any longer - I had a hunch she just needed me to be in there. No more requests for drinks of water, or stories, or to pick out a stuffed animal...just me being there.
I laid down next to her, held her hand, and in just a few minutes she was asleep. She just needed a little extra.
Some nights it's hard, knowing what to do. Do I go in? Do I promise punishment if I have to go in again? What is setting a precedent for repeat occurrences? But then there are other nights, like tonight, when I just know she needs one of us and it's okay to break the rules.
After Addie fell asleep tonight (and so quickly, so I knew without a doubt it was just a little comfort she needed) I laid there for just a few more minutes, watching her, thanking God for her and realizing that I can be just like her. Sometimes, I need a little extra...a little extra patience from my husband and daughter, a little extra encouragement from friends, a little extra of a lot of things from other people.
I am thankful for the little extra things extended to me by friends, family, acquaintances and even strangers. I'm thankful for the lessons Addie is teaching me. This weekend, busy and fun, has also been a little trying, as Addie is very much three years old and independent and at times disobedient and is also not feeling very well. At times I've felt overwhelmed and emotional but yet I've been humbled by my actions and thoughts as a result of certain situations, all of which have revealed some good and not so good things about myself.
Some things I can fix now, some things will take some time, but in all things I am thankful for that little extra that is extended to me, most importantly, from my heavenly Father.
Well, here it is, my last "twenty-something" week of this pregnancy. This Friday I graduate to the 30 week stretch!
A quick update - my three hour glucose test results came back and I passed. It's been a week since that test and when I didn't hear anything, I took that as good news. Today at my regular appointment it was confirmed that I passed, so things are progressing normally. Baby sister's heart beat sounds good, I'm measuring normal and we'll be back in two weeks to finally get another peek at her.
While I was waiting (and waiting and waiting!) during my glucose test I heard my name called at the end of the hallway by a familiar voice. That voice belonged to Susie, the midwife I saw for the duration of my pregnancy with Addie. She also taught the lamaze class we took. While she is now "retired", she still sees patients a couple of days a week. I've been able to see her once this time around, but it was good to have a quick chat with her while I was waiting. If my test had come back positive and I would have had to go through the dietary class they make you take, I found out that Susie teaches the class. Now, while I didn't want to have to take the class, it would have been made better with her as the teacher. She is a wonderful caregiver and, if I should have to have a C-section this go around, I hope she is able to come alongside us once again.
I hope to soon post a 29 week belly photo, but we'll have to see if it survived the latest Chaney catastrophe. Catastrophe might be a little strong, but with the luck we've been having lately with electronic devices in this household, it shouldn't surprise us.
A few weeks ago our beloved Mac desktop died. It was the first big purchase Sabian and I made a few months after we got married. We just so happened to be in St. Louis on tax-free weekend and figured it was the perfect time to buy a new computer (since we really did need one). That was almost six years ago. It may have been time for it to go, but is it ever really a convenient time for a computer to burn out? We are limping along on our laptop for now. Long ago I wrote about our two cameras. Long story short, my smaller, more portable CyberShot met its demise Sunday afternoon in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Prayerfully the SD card (which was still dry when Sabian took it out) is still intact, but we'll know more when Sabian tries to retrieve the photos tomorrow. Until then, I have a few grainy iPod photos to help this post along.
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| Mother's Day smile. |
Mother's Day was such a sweet day. We had a great church service and then headed home for lunch and naps for the rainy afternoon. I was really hoping to make it to the beach since we didn't have church service that evening and was happy when the skies cleared and the sun made an appearance. After our naps we packed up and headed for the sands. Addie was so glad to be at the beach and she ran a lot, even for her. When the sun set we grabbed a bite to eat, made our way home, put our tired girl to bed and Sabian and I camped out on the couch to watch the Survivor season finale. I was so thankful to spend a fun day with Sabian and Addie and their sweet cards and gift were just icing on the cake. Not to mention, it was as though Addie knew it was Mother's Day because she behaved so well all day. How did she know?!
I miss my mom on Mother's Day and I will always be thankful that I was able to celebrate my first Mother's Day as a mom with her in Illinois. This year we talked on the phone but it would have been nice to have been with her in person. I hope it won't be too long before we can see family again!
Here are a few photos of my girl to round out this post. A little puddle jumping (favorite activity now whenever it rains), Madsen riding, snoozing and flower (weed!) picking.
I am thankful for being able to celebrate Mother's Day and every day with Sabian and Addie.
I took this picture meaning to post it and boast about how awesome our weather had been a little while ago. Yes, had been. A couple of weeks ago it was pretty glorious around these parts. Our windows were flung wide open and we spent plenty of time outside with no fear of over heating. I even allowed myself to day dream about what it would be like if the weather would stay like it was until the end of July.
Of course, I had to snap out of it quickly, almost as quickly as the heat and humidity started making their appearances. To be honest, it hasn't been terrible. I know it will soon be pretty uncomfortable, but so far it hasn't been that bad. But, I am seeing the evidence of summer showing up in the form of bug bites on Addie's legs. The down side is that mosquitoes are here and here to stay for a while. The up side is that so far her bites have not turned into the mammoth bumps they have in times past. Maybe we've turned the corner in this department.
In baby news, tomorrow I will roll over to 28 weeks. Just 12 weeks to go. I had my check up and glucose test this past Tuesday and the baby sounds good. It's a little nutty to think that this month I start my bi-weekly appointments. I've had more energy this week and, thanks to help from my thoughtful husband, our house is clean and even the clean laundry is put away. This is monumental.
One not so great development is sending me back to the doctor this Tuesday to take the three hour glucose test. As a result of my test this week, my glucose levels are elevated so they're sending me back for the longer test. While I'm obviously not excited about having to take this test, I'm not overly worried, either. I'm praying that all will be well and that our baby is safe and sound. I won't lie, when I first got the call I was pretty disappointed, but I can't say I was completely surprised. There have been days when I've wondered if my exhaustion and general not feeling so well was being triggered by something else other than the surge of hormones and other things that go along with being pregnant. Again, I'm just praying and if you will, keep us in your prayers as well!
Later this month, along with the doctor's appointments and general busyness, Addie will be in her first wedding as a flower girl. Allison and Robbie, college students who were a part of our church when we moved here, are getting married. They are high school sweethearts and both ended up spending two years at Central Bible College in Springfield, MO, which also happens to be Sabian's alma mater. They've been integral members of our church and youth group and we are happy to be celebrating with them. As they move on into life together we may not see as much of them as they will be living in Panama City, but we hope to see them as often as possible. I am excited to attend their wedding and can't wait to see Addie represent her flower girl duties.
More busy seasons are upon us and I hope to be able to keep up with documenting it all as much as possible. Still more baby planning to take care of and I am feeling way more unprepared this time around in some ways than I was when I was pregnant with Addie, but I know it will all come together. And this time, I have Addie's "help", right?
Today I am thankful for what is seemingly going to be a more laid back weekend for us. Unless I've just jinxed it by saying that!
