My 4-year-old

Yesterday was Emma's 4th birthday.  My how the time has flown!  Every year I say I can't believe it's her ____ birthday, but this year has been especially weird.  She's completely out of the toddler years and into the preschool years.  Wow!  I think the strangest thing is knowing 4 is almost 5, which means Kindergarten is just around the corner.  Impossible!!

The details of many memories fade over time, but I still remember the day (& night leading up to) of Emma's birth as if it were just months ago, not years.  I think that's why it's so hard to realize 4 years have already passed.  What a sweet day it was!   

This year was a fun birthday.  It was the first year she anticipated it and asked every day for a week ahead of time if the current day was her birthday.  She was so excited as we put her to bed the night before her birthday and that was fun to watch.  She has preschool on Tuesdays, so I was able to take cupcakes to her class.  We had a good time with that.  Last year she wouldn't blow out her candles when it was just our family at home, but this year she couldn't wait to have her classmates sing to her and watch her blow out all 4 of those candles!
 

It was a great day of celebrating such a sweet little life!  I am so blessed to be the mama of this little girl and even though I may be a tiny bit sad as each birthday comes, I am also overjoyed at what we have to look forward to.  I am excited about this year and seeing her grow and learn in new ways. 

Baby #3 Update

We had another ultrasound yesterday to check on the status of the hematoma.  Nothing has changed with the position or size of the hematoma, but my doctor said that because there has been no additional bleeding and it hasn't increased in size, he thinks the place that was bleeding initially has healed.  Yay!

However, there is no way to know if the hematoma will go away or if it will stay with me through the rest of the pregnancy.  Again my doctor mentioned the possibility of preterm labor if the hematoma doesn't go away.  Because of that, I am still supposed to take it easy, but I can return to somewhat normal activity.  I can finally pick up Abby again, which means I can be home alone!!  It's been a little strange being by myself today because I haven't been able to fully take care of my children in almost 6 weeks.  I imagine we will quickly get back to normal, whatever that is around here. :-)  

I asked specifically about the location of the hematoma in relation to the placenta, and they are not close to one another.  So, I shouldn't experience any problems with the hematoma interfering with the placenta, which would cause problems with the growth and development of the baby.  That was a relief to hear!!

The baby is still growing well and is a couple of days ahead of my dates, which was encouraging.  The heart rate was great as were all the measurements.  Two weeks ago, it weighed 3 oz and yesterday it was 6 oz, so it doubled in size in just two weeks!  I am constantly amazed at the miracle of life.  The way God creates us in the womb is mind-blowing!  This tiny little baby, at only 6 oz is already so perfectly formed.  We were able to see so many body parts in detail and it looked like there was even a little thumb sucking going on.  Truly amazing!  Here's just one picture from yesterday--a side view, and you can see that hand up there by the mouth.

Oh, and we also found out... It's a BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy 4 Months, Eli!

Becoming an aunt was one of the greatest things life has given me! Today my sweet nephew is 4 months old. It's hard to believe that in just a few short months, he's gone from this:

just minutes old--4 lb, 14 oz

to this:

4 months old--12 lbs

His cousins ADORE him. And poor thing, he's got a lot more ahead of him than having a collapsible funnel put on his head. Emma actually put his first princess crown on him today... oops! :-) Don't tell his daddy!

I love this little boy, and I am so grateful that I get to see him on an almost daily basis.

Happy 4 months, Eli!

Still Learning

I'm still trying to figure this whole blog thing out. Thanks to some help, I'm hoping I can post a picture the way I've been trying.

While I didn't get to put up all the pictures from the end of 2010 that I wanted, I still want to share a couple of pictures of my sweet babies. They're growing up so fast! They keep us busy and they keep us laughing! Here are a couple of pictures from our Christmas holidays.

Emma before getting her cookies out for Santa

Abby on Christmas morning with her doggy from Santa

Parenting is absolutely not for the faint of heart, but I cannot imagine my life without these two precious little girls!

I plan to post more soon, but for now, I'll leave this as my tester for posting pictures. Happy Monday!

Moving On

I haven't been away from my blog as long as it seems. I just haven't posted the one really long post I've worked on trying to catch up on all I've missed. I can't seem to figure out how to put a picture in the middle of my text, and I've just overall been frustrated with this whole deal.

So, I'm moving on. I'm starting fresh in 2011, forgetting what I missed at the end of 2010. I think everything I was going to post is on my Facebook page, so most everyone has seen the pictures anyway.

I went to the doctor today and had an ultrasound to check on the hematoma and the baby. Baby is doing well. He or she was moving like crazy... great, another mover! :-) The hematoma is about the same size and nothing has really changed. My doctor still doesn't know how this thing is going to turn out, but he was encouraged that the baby is doing so well. It looks like the place that caused the hematoma has pretty much healed, which is also good. And the placenta looked good as well. So all outside appearances are positive, except for the fact that the hematoma is still there. He said that if the hematoma isn't reabsorbed, that later on it could cause preterm labor. So, we may be playing the waiting game until the end. We shall see...

He cleared me for moderate activity, but I'm not really sure what that means. I still can't pick up Abby, who only weighs 20 lbs, so it's not like I can do much if I can't even pick up that much weight. I guess that means I can unload the silverware and the cups from the dishwasher now. :-) But I still can't do most household chores.

I have been overwhelmed by the number of people who have been praying for us and have given us words of encouragement through calls, fb, text, email, etc. We are truly blessed to have so many people who care about us! Thank you!

A Long Three Weeks

It's been a long three weeks around here. Between Thanksgiving, celebrating Robby's 30th birthday, me having the stomach bug while being 9 weeks pregnant, and traveling to Moultrie for my high school's Christmas choir concert, my blog has been a little neglected. I'm hoping to post soon about the fun things we've done in the last few weeks, but first, I want to post about my Christmas cards.

Once again, it's time to pick out and send our Christmas cards. Trying to find a picture that is good and not 6 months old, as well as trying to find a Christmas card that is suitable can be a pain. I've already looked at 3 sites. Then I found out about Shutterfly's offer to give bloggers 50 FREE Christmas cards! YES!!! This really struck the coupon mama strings in me, so I am more than happy to give Shutterfly a plug in exchange for some free Christmas cards! I've always found Shutterfly's photo books to have really fun and cute layouts, and after looking through their Christmas cards, they've definitely got some great options. I'm sure their photo calendars, thank-you cards, and other photo products are just as great and would be awesome Christmas gifts.

If you have a blog and would like to take advantage, make sure you do so by 11:59 pm tonight. I'd have let you know sooner, but I just found out that the promotion ends tonight. So hurry for your chance to have 50 FREE Christmas cards!

Unending Joy

This week my Bible study has been on Joy. Beth Moore is an amazing Bible teacher, and I just can't seem to get enough of what she has to offer! I want to share a little of what the Lord has taught me through her lessons on Joy.

As a Christian, I know that my joy comes from the Lord and is not dependent on my earthly circumstances. But until this week, I didn't fully understand what that meant.

There are many reasons for us to rejoice, but there is one main reason that overshadows the others. And this is what allows us to have joy through the good times and the bad.

Our SALVATION! Seems obvious, doesn't it? But how often do we claim our Salvation as the main source of our joy?

At one point during Jesus' ministry on earth, he sent 72 disciples to visit the towns where He was preparing to go. When they returned, Luke 10:17-20 says,

"The seventy-two returned with joy and said,
'Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.'

He [Jesus] replied, 'I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.
I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome
all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.'"

Salvation is God's gift to us! We can rejoice in the fact that if we have accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, our eternity is sealed in heaven. Satan cannot take that away from us no matter what hardships he brings to us on this earth. Our Salvation is unending, thus, our joy is, too!

In saying all this, I am not diminishing the fact that we all have hardships in our lives. Just because we are a child of God does not mean we are exempt from trials. But it means we have a hope that points us to Heaven, and that hope gives us joy in the face of difficult times.

We live in a fallen world. We all are sinners, and that sin separates us from our perfect God. We will face tough times. But we can rejoice knowing that God desires restoration with us. If we will turn from our sin, either for the first time and accept His Salvation, or for the 1,000th time and seek His forgiveness, He WILL restore us to relationship with Himself. What a reason to rejoice! The God of Heaven, the Creator of this Universe, wants a personal relationship with ME and YOU! Why? Because He loves us! God's Word is full of Scriptures that express His love for us.

So what are we waiting for? We need to live lives full of JOY simply because we have Salvation!

The Green Zone

Ok, all you mamas. What do you think?

Compared to my pregnancies with my girls, this one is very different. I had very little sickness with either of them, but this time, I have an upset tummy pretty much all day. I have frequent headaches, too. I also have less energy than I did with either of the girls... although that could be their fault and not baby related at all!

What I want to know is........ what do you think the chances are of us having a boy?!?

Of course, we will not be upset if we're having another girl, but we would love to have a boy. I'm just wondering if that's what's making me feel so differently this time around.

Or, could this baby be displaying more of Robby's genes, girl or boy? Just a curious biology thought I've had. Emma is my mini-me, as you know, and I had very little "green zone" time when I was pregnant with her. Abby favors me less than Emma, but definitely favors me (or at least my side--many people say she looks like my brothers) more than she favors Robby. I had a little more sickness with her, but not much. So, could I be working on a child that will finally favor their father? I would like that!

I go this Thursday for my first ultrasound. I should also get my official due date. I'm really just counting the weeks until I get to 12--4 more to go! Hopefully, I will come through all the yuckiness by then and it won't carry on into the 2nd trimester. We shall see, I guess...

My Firstborn

Emma. My beautiful, smart, energetic firstborn. Oh, how I love her more than words can say!

But her 3-year-oldness is going to be the end of my sanity!

Last week, my Bible study was on the Spirit's Fruit of Love. 1 Corinthians 13 tells us that love is patient. My patience is being tested! The arguing and negotiating and just plain disobedience!

Just one example... Today she was getting out of the stroller and I told her not to step on the lunchbox that was under her seat. Her response, "That's not a lunchbox." What?? Why would she even argue about that? This was not the first time.

Her mouth is going to get her in trouble for years to come... I guess she gets that honestly!

Oh, how I do love her, and I know the Lord will give me the patience to raise her in the way she should go. I just hope I don't go slap crazy first! :)

Finally, I Begin

I've tried to get this blog going for a while now. I didn't know where to start. I've played around with the title, the theme, the first post, etc. until I was ready to give up. I've finally decided to go for it.

I don't know what this blog will be for me. I'm sure I will have pictures and stories about my children, family, and friends. But I also want it to be a place where I can record what God is doing in my life. He is teaching me so much right now and I want to be able to share that.

Hopefully not, but even though I'm getting started now, these first few months may be a little slow as I drag through my first trimester with baby #3. I was not prepared for how exhausting pregnancy would be with 2 little ones to chase after. Don't get me wrong, I'm elated to be expecting again, I'm just in those first few weeks of exhaustion, and I know I've still got several to go before I hit the wonderful second trimester.

I'll close with a verse from Galatians. I'm currently going through Beth Moore's study Living Beyond Yourself: Exploring the Fruit of the Spirit. This study has challenged me and opened my heart the the whisperings of the Holy Spirit more than any other Bible study I've ever been a part of. I hope to write much more on this as the weeks go by.

But the fruit of the Spirit is
love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness,
gentleness, and self-control.
Against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23