One-track mind

Forgive me for being rather one-track minded these days. I always go into the end of pregnancy (the beginning, too, for that matter) determined to stay objective even when my emotions get totally wrapped up in what's happening to me and inside my body, but I must admit that it gets increasingly difficult to remember that other people have monumental things going on in their lives when each step I take is filled with at least a minor amount of groaning (thank you, SPD, for the constant reminder that I am, indeed, pregnant), I can hardly eat anything without massive indigestion and yet have somehow managed to gain 2lbs in the past week, and we're all living with the reality of getting to meet this newest family member "any day."

At this point, I'm 9 days overdue and so I'm pretty sure I'm allowed to be at least a teeny bit myopic in my thinking. Still, I apologize to all of you who have to hear me go on and on and on about the pregnancy. The reality is that right now I'm kind of feeling like the pregnancy is going on and on and on.

I don't mind the waiting, overall. I've done this before (Bronwyn was 15 days "late") and I know from experience that I can't stay pregnant forever. The wait would probably be significantly less stressful if I had more options at the end, but even so I'm doing pretty well just riding things out. I figure each day between now and Sunday (the deadline for this baby's arrival), my chances of going into spontaneous labor must skyrocket.

In the meantime, the baby continues doing really well and so we get to just take one day at a time, which I honestly feel so thankful for. My amniotic fluid level is back down to around 6 on the AFI, but lower fluid is to be somewhat expected at this point and the baby is handling it fine. An ultrasound last Thursday (40+4 weeks) estimated the baby at 7lbs15oz, give or take a pound. (Based on my other children's birth weights, I'll take a pound, thank you very much.)

I feel huge at this point. I couldn't decide whether or not to take another pregnancy picture because seeing my size shocks me, but I know that someday I'll be glad I did-- and I figured if I were you, I'd really want to see just how big I am now that I'm 41+2 weeks pregnant.

Our growing little lady

Aubrey has grown so much in the past month! Her legs, while still trim, are much less scrawny looking than they were over the summer and she's got the cutest little cheeks these days. We are loving seeing her thrive.

This week, Aubrey was weighed and measured. She's now weighing a little over 23lbs (that's almost +1lb in just about 6 weeks and puts her as high as the 7th %-tile for the first time in... well... probably over 2 years!) and is 33.5" tall (almost the 30th %-tile). She puts food away like nobody's business, especially if it's chocolate, as well as continuing to breastfeed a handful of times each day. Our little healthy chunky monkey!

Aubrey's next visit with the cardiologists is December 10th. The anticipation is that they will again lower her daily dosage of furosemide-- her doctor hinted in June that they may even consider taking her off it completely!-- as well as doing a routine echocardiogram and ECG. We recently found out that our trip down there will also include some pelvic ultrasounds to check on some concerns about her reproductive organs, so just be praying that those come back totally normal.

We love this growing little lady and we never stop thanking God for her vibrancy!

Thinking About::

:: how much I love the way Aubrey runs to the door every time she hears it open, exclaiming, "Daddy home!" the whole way. Half the time it's somebody else, but that doesn't seem to quench her enthusiasm.

:: the fact that I filled out my first quarterly report for our superintendent yesterday. I can't believe Gabriel's as old as he is. Blame it on hormones, but I've cried a couple times in the last 24 hours just thinking about how fast he's growing up.

:: faith and trust, and how much more I need to grow in them. I spend way too much time fretting about things that the Lord then takes care of completely on my behalf.

:: the freezer that now boasts several pounds of local, grass fed ground beef that I didn't pay a penny for. Awesome.

:: the quiet of these Friday mornings with 2 kids out of the house, 1 kid sleeping, and 1 playing nicely on his own. I'm glad I don't get this every day because I think I'd get lazy, but it sure is nice once a week.

:: whether this baby is a boy or a girl. The later into the pregnancy we go, the more I flip-flop back and forth!

:: Christmas. I get way too excited about it.

:: Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

The way fall looks around here

We are enjoying an exceptionally beautiful autumn here in the north country. Each morning I wake up and declare today more breathtaking than yesterday. The sun and the cool temperatures and the bright colors and the fallen leaves all adds up to absolutely amazing. I wish I could bottle these days and save them up for those times when my soul needs a boost, because they are the sort of days that simply don't allow for melancholy.


Last Thursday two bushels of apples arrived straight from apple country. Not only were these apples perfect (I only tossed 1 apple of the whole bunch out because it was too bruised to salvage, and there were maybe a handful that needed bruised spots removed at all), they were also $8/bushel. Perfect.

Jackson showing off the impressive size of the 20oz apples

Friday found me processing these apples for hours, literally. I'm pretty fast at peeling and slicing apples after years and years of doing so every fall, but still... two bushels of apples is a lot to process on your own!

This is what was still left after making 2 big batches of applesauce!

I jarred 16 quarts of applesauce and made more to eat right away, peeled and cored and sliced 80 cups of apples for freezing, allocated the most beautiful apples for eating, and filled the bottom drawer of my refrigerator with apples for immediate baking use.

10 bags full of 8c of apples each for baking in the next few months.
(I would freeze more, except I don't have an extra freezer and can only take up so much of our regular freezer with frozen fruit!)

My canning cupboard. It looks like it gets direct sunlight thanks to my mediocre camera, but I promise that it doesn't. Ever. A local friend who does the majority of her family's food preserving told me everything in it would be just fine-- she, too, leaves her canned goods in open cupboards in her kitchen.

Saturday afternoon we walked down to my parents' because the girls had raked up a bunch of leaves and offered to let the kids come and enjoy their efforts since we don't have many trees in our yard.

The walk down is a leaf-covered one, which the kids love


Aunt Julia showing Gabriel who's boss


Aunties and their kiddies

And, around here, fall this year is also looking like a very round belly. I'm officially overdue (shocking, I know) and a walking time-bomb. We hold our plans very loosely these days, knowing full well that as much as we plan, He will decide exactly how our week goes!

40+1 weeks!

Touching base

I feel like I should update just so that my readers know I haven't had the baby or anything (though most of you probably "see" me on facebook and/or in real life, so I'm sure it's not that big a deal).

There isn't a whole lot to tell right now. We are simply doing daily life and I have to say I am enjoying every minute of it. School, chores, hot breakfasts, candles in the evenings, cuddling on the couch, reading aloud, winterizing gardens, and so forth.

Yesterday evening Daniel and I did pack the kids in the van on an impulse and we all drove to our pathetic little mall just to do something special together. We even splurged and bought the kids each a small toy which, if you know us, is totally out of character (we are definitely Stick To The Budget sort of people). I keep thinking to myself what a great season this has been for our family and that, while I'm extremely excited for the next, I love the Us that's right now. So I keep savoring and enjoying and enjoying and savoring as best as my short-sighted self knows how.

On the heels of that thought, I guess it's no surprise to you that I'm really not a bit impatient. The reality is that this baby will come one of these days and will wonderfully interrupt everything, so I just keep living life the best I know how until then.

I love that.

I am honestly enjoying the surprise and unpredictability that surrounds the birth of a baby. I am so glad that we don't know if we're having a boy or a girl. I absolutely adore the fact that his/her birthday isn't known even to me, though his/her very body is cradled within my own. There is something so precious about the fact that only this baby's Creator knows the details right now. What an amazing thing!

[And, on a very fickle note, there are a few things I have planned through next Tuesday evening that I'd really like to be able to do, so I think it would be simply splendid if the baby held off at least until then (though not much longer than that, else I might start hearing talk of c-sections from the medical community).]

Anyway, I will do my best to make sure there are updates whenever I do go into labor and/or the baby arrives. I know how anxiously I await the good news of the arrival or others' babies, and I will try to make arrangements to cover all my bases in case there are others who are like me!

First Day, 38 Weeks Pregnant, and Rain

:: Today is the first CFA Enrichment Program (aka Friday School) of the school year. Gabriel has been counting down the days for the past three weeks. Bronwyn has vacillated between excitement about being old enough to go and absolute terror at the idea of being in a classroom without Gabriel. Fortunately, the pretty lunchbox she inherited from one of her aunts made all the difference this morning and she gladly helped pack it full of food before heading out the door.

I'm home with just two kids, and one of them naps from about 10:30am-12:30pm. It is eerily quiet.

:: I'm 38+5 weeks pregnant. I feel like my tummy is gigantic now, and I would post a picture to show the growth except that I'm too lazy to get up and take a photo of myself. Everybody makes comments everywhere I go about how "all belly" I am, which I'm beginning to think is the nice way of saying, "You're huge!" I've gained 24lbs to date and, surprisingly, nobody at my doctor's office has said anything negative about it.

The latest ultrasound showed yet another increase in amniotic fluid, bringing us to almost double what we were last week and totally within the "safe" zone. I still only measured 36cm at my appointment yesterday, but if you could see the way this baby fills up my belly, you would agree with my hunch that the small measurement is not because of a small baby.

My project this week was to pack a bag for the hospital. I haven't done it. I just want the baby to stay put for the next 3 weeks because there are lots of fun things happening that I simply don't want to miss out on, and putting off my projects helps me feel like I have control over that. (How selfish-- and ridiculous-- is that???)

:: I think one of my favorite things about fall is that it's the only season that is improved upon by rain.

The other day I was driving just after a rainstorm and I couldn't believe how much more vibrant and shiny the colors all around me were thanks to the rain.

In the fall, I want to stay inside as much as possible, cook hot soups, and sip warm beverages all day long. I love that the rain helps me justify doing so.

I adore that my kids have to wear their rainboots every time they go out to play because the ground is cool and damp.

Eight Years!

When I stop and think about the things I get/am the recipient of through Daniel and our marriage, a lot comes to mind: leadership, covenant, friendship, inspiration, faithfulness, commitment, laughter, sharing, love.

(And sports, of course!)

Today, as I look back over the past eight years and what God has done, I am particularly thankful for our kiddos. They certainly aren't the only blessings that have come of our marriage, but they sure are some of the best!

What an awesome, beautiful, and humbling thing it is to partner with the Creator of the universe in bringing forth life; and what an undeserved privilege to steward these wonderful gifts. It's been an amazingly blessed eight years!

Don't you see that children are God's best gift?
the fruit of the womb his generous legacy?
Like a warrior's fistful of arrows are the children of a vigorous youth.
Oh, how blessed are you parents, with your quivers full of children!
Your enemies don't stand a chance against you;
you'll sweep them right off your doorstep.
Psalm 127:3-4, The Message

Our growth curve

We've now completed 7 full weeks of our fall/school routine. Overall, it's been a great 7 weeks. We've had hiccups, but I actually expected a lot more, to be honest. I think the difference this year is that I spent a couple days prior to developing our routine just watching/observing the kids and myself: how do we do/accomplish things; what are our most productive times/hours; what are the most difficult/frenzied hours; how are my children best motivated; how am I best motivated? Instead of making some idealistic and-- let's be totally honest-- unrealistic schedule of what I think our days should look like, I figured out what they do look like and how we could make minor adjustments and changes to best suit the needs of this season.

And now it's been several really great weeks, but I'm starting to see the next set of minor adjustments that could really benefit us all.

1. More outdoor time.

My oldest loves playing outdoors. My second-oldest hates it. (She often cries and cries and cries when I say it's time to head outside.) My third is generally swayed by his older brother, but occasionally joins in with his big sister.

[My fourth would spend her whole life outside, running into the middle of the road right in front of mack trucks and climbing trees that are too big for her if I'd allow it, but that's another issue.]

Regardless of personal preference, it's good for them to be outside. Not just good for their physical bodies (though I am right now especially aware of how necessary the fresh air is for them since what's now inside is that lovely recycled-through-the-furnace air that we breathe 6+ months out of the year), but also good for their minds and imaginations.

Our outdoor time usually happens, but all-too-frequently doesn't. I want it to happen every. single. day that isn't rainy or single digit (or worse) temperatures.

2. More diligence in chores (me).

I have a weekly housekeeping schedule because-- honest confession-- I am totally "over" housekeeping and I would otherwise put off the necessary cleaning. True: I love a clean house. But I am so bored with the process of having one.

The thing is, housekeeping is an important part of my job. And there have been too many days lately when Daniel is rummaging through the baskets of clean-but-unfolded laundry for an undershirt. *wince* I need to buck up, renew myself in the why behind housekeeping, and just. do. it.

3. Less "screen" time.

This means less movie-watching on the kids' part and less computer time on mine.

I actually heard one of my children say to me the other day (after being told no about watching a movie), "But, Mo-om, we didn't watch one yesterday or today!!!"

As if going 2 whole days without a movie is such a terrible and cruel thing.

Now, I'm no freak about screen time. Really, I'm not. I see a lot of benefits in some movie-watching (not only do I get a breather while the kids are watching something, but they actually do learn quite a bit, so long as the viewing is in moderation so that they're brains aren't being turned to mush) and I honestly think facebook and email, etc., is an amazing gift for stay at home moms who otherwise can easily feel totally cut off from civilization.

But I know we need to guard our time, especially from these time-suckers. I'm not entirely sure yet what that will look like, but I think setting up a schedule for when movies will be watched and when the computer will be used is probably the place to start. I'm okay with making exceptions, but I want to know it really is an exception and not just the norm.