Operation Baby Watch

Highlights from my 39 week appt this morning:

*down one pound from last week
*BP up higher than they would like
*Baby's heart beat was 156bpm
*I passed the Non-stress test
*cervix very soft but not dialated enough to really start anything down there, lol.

I go back on Monday for a BP recheck since it's been textbook for the whole pregnancy and now that's it's higher, they are a little concerned. My Dr did say that it's very unusual for someone on their 5th fullterm pregnancy to develop toxemia, when they never had a problem before....unusual but no impossible. They want to keep an extra eye on me :)

The nurse said that maybe I would go in before then...yeah, fat chance, lol.

Baby girl was moving all around, doing her thing...8 days and counting....

Four men in a tub

Giving Birth Naturally

I found a site, complete with blog, that has a lot of great information on it! It's called Giving Birth Naturally and has a lot of answers to many questions that arise as we get nearer to our due dates!

I highly recommend reading the information here to better inform yourself of your upcoming labor and delivery!

Free Eric from his garage

Apparently, a friend at church has decided to spend his days in his garage until he has 500 users on Fellow Tip.

So please, go over there and sign up.

You can find a live webcam there too...here

Help a friend out :)

Free 63 count pop-up tub of Huggies Soft Skin Shea Butter Baby Wipes

Free Wipes!

"Fatherhood doesn't just end at conception..."

A quote

Most churches would agree that racial or economic segregation runs contrary to the very nature of the Gospel. Most would also acknowledge that any sort of class bigotry is antithetical to the Gospel and should therefore not be tolerated. But there’s another, perhaps more subtle, type of segregation that many churches today have actually adopted and embraced. Following the lead of the advertising world, many churches today (and more specifically worship services) are targeting specific age groups to the exclusion of others. For years now churches have been organizing themselves around generational distinctives: busters, boomers, Generations X, Y, and Z. Many churches offer a “traditional service” for the tribe who prefers old music and a “contemporary service” for the tribe who prefers new music. I understand the good intentions behind some of these efforts but something as seemingly harmless as this evidences a fundamental failure to comprehend the heart of the Gospel. When we offer, for instance, a contemporary worship service for the younger people and a traditional worship service for the older people, we are not only feeding tribalism (which is a toxic form of racism) but we are saying that the Gospel can’t successfully bring these two different groups together. It is a declaration of doubt in the reconciling power of God’s Gospel. Generational appeal in worship is an unintentional admission that the Gospel is powerless to “join together” what man has separated. Plainly stated, building the church on age appeal (whether old or young) or stylistic preferences is as contrary to the reconciling effect of the Gospel as building it on class, race, or gender distinctions. Negatively, when the church segregates people according to generation, race, style, or socio-economic status, we exhibit our disbelief in the reconciling power of the Gospel. Positively, one of the prime evidences of God’s power to our segregated world is a congregation which transcends cultural barriers, including age.

-Tullian Tchividjian, from his forthcoming book Unfashionable

The nursery is done

It's been in the works for awhile, but I think I can finally say that things are pretty well done. I still have a few things to do, but they are pretty minor.

So here you go...

The view from the door:



I made the photo boards out of wood, batting, fabric, ribbon, staples and upholstery tacks. (also the one to the right of the changing table) The material used here can also be seen in the flag banner and the decoupage pieces:


I painted the pictures behind her crib:


The bedding:


Changing table/dresser:




I sewed the flag banner that is hanging over the dresser and decoupaged the Bible verse onto pieces of wood out of fabric remnants from the flag banner:



It's hard to read and looks darker because of the reflection from the picture, but it says:

"May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; May the Lord lift His countenance upon you and give you peace. Numbers 6:24-26"

38 week update

Still very much pregnant.

To quote John from last night:

I've never seen you quite so out there as you are this pregnancy.

Yeah, thanks!

At my appt, Doctor says that baby has dropped and is low. And here is my thread of hope for the week. As he was leaving the examining room he said:

Okay, see you in a week....or sooner!

They key word here is sooner...he has never said that to me before, so I am going to hold on to that until my next appt in a week, lol.

He asked me if I had any concerns. I told him only that he make it to the hospital on time. He said that I definitely keep him on his toes when I go into labor and that it keeps things interesting.

Considering he's only delivered one out of my four, what do you think the chances are that 1) he'll even be on call when I go into labor? and 2) that if he is on call, that he will miss the birth like he did last time and saunter in 10 minutes after the baby is born?

I've always thought that a July baby would be nice. Baby girl has a week to get herself out!

Tying the Knot Tighter

I was excited to find out that the most recent book by Martha Peace (co-authored with John Crotts) is available for purchase.

I cannot say how much her book The Excellent Wife has impacted my life. As a matter of fact, I think I need to reread it! It really changes the focus from looking at your spouse and all that he may be doing wrong and turns it back around to seeing my own sinful reflection. There is much to examine in my own life before I start worrying about nit-picking at the things that John could be doing better.

Here is the back cover of Tying the Knot Tighter: Because Marriage Lasts a Lifetime (click to make it larger)


I look forward to reading it and hope you get a copy too!

My boys

They weren't exactly into getting their picture taken...especially Gideon. He looked like he was going to cry at any moment. Was it really that painful? I just wanted to get them all photographed with their matching shorts on :)

Looking forward to L&D

Is it weird for me to say that?

Having been through childbirth 4 times...with number 5 quickly approaching (she can come WHENEVER she wants!), I find myself looking forward to what's ahead.

There is something to be said about waking your husband up from a deep sleep to tell him that IT'S TIME!

There is something wonderful about the experience of allowing your body to go through the motions of labor. It is the most painful and intense thing I have ever experienced, yet I want to be fully there, in the moment, to feel my baby make her entrance.

I look forward to natural childbirth and hearing the first cries of my daughter.

I can't wait to look at her face for the first time, and see her looking back at me.

I can't quite explain the way it feels to be alone with your baby, in your room, after all the excitement of delivery. It's like the calm after the storm.

Your room was once bustling with activity...nurses in and out. Then the baby arrives and is handed to you for the first time. You begin to nurse and are oblivious to anything around you. The only things noticeable are the beaming face of your husband and the sweet face of your newest child.

Then the nurses slowly leave...one by one. The doctor is gone. You have showered and feel refreshed and your baby is wheeled in after being checked over. Your husband has left to go tell of the news to your older children and relieve whichever family member has volunteered to be with them.

It's just you and your baby and all is well.

You thank God for the gift he has given you in this precious child, and you pray that your baby will grow up to love and know God.

Is it any wonder I'm looking forward to this again?

37 weeks

Can you guess the word I am thinking of??

Uh, how about huge?

Nolan, the avid golfer

Payson's room...thus far

The crib has been ordered and should be in this week :)

So far, this is what we have. I haven't finished off the rug yet, still waiting to see if I'm going to add any more to it :)

Yes, I admit it...I love matching outfits

John...not so much.

I made all the boys matching shorts, and had enough left over to make Paysie a matching jumper with capris. I'm thinking that the dress should fit this year, and the capris might be for next year.

I made up the pattern for the shorts...which is really easy to do, just make sure you leave enough length for the crotch. That always seems to be the place I have neglected in the past when making things for the kids.

These shorts are a bit long. I wanted the 'bermuda short' look...plus I wanted them to fit next summer!

A sign I saw

If only I had a camera on me...

Pets Love Grooming
Downstairs

I wasn't aware that pets enjoyed getting their genitalia groomed, did you? or that they needed to advertise it, lol.

Tickets have been bought!

We now have our tickets for Desiring God 2008...as well as our airline tickets :)

I'm also excited to report that airline tickets have been bought for the True Woman Conference being held the week after DG!

Hotels have been properly reserved.

And last but not least, we have a babysitter for the kids! I would have to say that this was one of main stressers every time we try to go out of town...and our sister-in-law didn't hesitate to say yes to watching the kids again! When you've got four kids, it isn't always that easy to find a sitter for 4-5 days...

The upcoming season of autumn looks like it's filled with traveling and great preaching...not that we don't get great preaching every Sunday, right?

What if worship were like a basketball game?

Works for me Wednesday....how to make the perfect Sweet Tea!

In case you didn't know, I'm a transplant to the south. It's not the deep south, but living in East Tennessee....it didn't take me long to hear the words SWEET TEA and wonder exactly what that was. You see, up north in New England, there is no such thing. We have three kinds of tea.

The first is hot tea...which you drink, when you have a sore throat.

The second is restaurant iced tea...otherwise known as UNsweetened tea. Add your own sugar. Have you ever tried to add sugar to a cold drink? Uh, yeah, the sugar doesn't dissolve and it sinks to the bottom.

The third is store bought iced tea....which comes in powder form. It is extremely sweet and tastes nothing like southern sweet tea.

I can honestly say that when I moved here 8 years ago, I really didn't care for sweet tea. I even had a hard time ordering it at a restaurant! Then I began to make it myself, with the perfect combination of tea, water, and of course SUGAR!

Here ya go....

First, you need a coffee maker.

Take out the thing you put the filter in (can you tell I have pregnancy brain???) and cover the entire bottom and up the sides a little bit with tea bags. You don't need the special tea bags for iced tea that they sell at the store. If they are the small ones....I find that 8 bags works well.

Next, put that back into your coffee maker and fill it with enough water to make a full pot....which is usually 10-12 cups. If you have a strong brew option, use it!

Brew your tea.

In the meanwhile, fill up a gallon container about halfway with cold water.

When the tea is done, pour it into the cold water. Add approximately 1-1/3 to 1-1/2 cups of sugar and mix. If you need to, fill with more cold water to completely fill the gallon jug.

Serve over ice (the tea will be a little warm).

ENJOY!!

A dress for Paysie

I found this pattern yesterday and had to try it out. What I love about this jumper is that it can be used as a shirt, when she's older!


It was easy and quick to make....there will definitely be more where this came from!

And because I couldn't resist myself, I had to take pictures of Jamison in it. I wanted to see how it fit for sizing as a shirt. It was close getting it on him, but look at how cute he looks. (shhhh...don't tell John!)



Edited to add one more....I made this one in the next size up. I love the fabric (thanks Grammy!). I'm hoping it will fit come fall/winter.

John wrote me a poem

Oh, how I love thee...

Let me count the ways...

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31.

My response: You only love me 31 ways?

Pregnancy update

I had my 36 week appt on Thursday. Nothing really new to report...he said that the baby is still pretty high and that I'm about 1cm dilated...which doesn't mean too much!

Ever since my appt, I've been feeling more pressure, and I think the Dr woke my cervix up from hibernation.

I can just hear it now..."it's that time AGAIN?!?"

Her movements are different since I can tell she is much lower now...I'm thinking she is more engaged than she was at my appt.

I told John that I will keep assuming she will be early (wouldn't that be a surprise?) until she goes past my due date.

Yeah, I know my shirt doesn't cover me anymore, lol.


And look at the cute gift I received in the mail from a friend!

What's a girl to do, when she's nesting...

and her house is clean???

SEW!!!

John thinks I'm nuts for making yet another bag/diaper bag. He obviously missed the memo that a girl can never have too many bags!

It started on Monday. I had the material ready to make myself a new diaper bag for the baby. I searched on Etsy to figure out exactly what I wanted. I then designed it according to size and made it up while the kids were resting. When it was done, I realized that it was bigger than I wanted...but makes a nice tote when we are going somewhere with all the kids!

It has seven pockets inside and the dimensions are approximately 17hx20wx6d. It is lined with flannel and has a hard interfacing for the bottom so help it keep its shape.

Here is the result:




Today, I wanted to make something a little smaller, yet still have enough pockets to contain a bunch of stuff! I loved the fabric that I used on the tote, and I had just enough to use it again! This has 4 pockets inside, is also lined with flannel, and has a magnetic clasp. The dimensions are 15wx17hx3d.




I also had other fabric that I have been itching to use, so I made both of these bags today at the same time. This one is a little different and has two straps that can be used over the shoulder or across the chest. There is also 5 pockets inside. The inside fabric is a pretty green gingham and pink flowers :) This bag has the same dimensions as the other and also has a magnetic clasp!




My boys always have rest time in the afternoon, so I was able to get the majority of the work done while they ate lunch and rested on the couch. Needless to say, when I was finished, my house was no longer as clean as it had been....so that gives me something to do tomorrow!

Works for me Wednesday....easy ways to decorate your burp cloths!

Those that know me, know that I am a lover of all things consignment. If there is a sale somewhere, I am usually there!

Last fall, I went to a local consignment sale that had a couple bags of previously used burp cloths. You know, the old fashioned diapers. I snatched them up and saw that they were like new!

At that time, I didn't know if I was having a boy or a girl, but that didn't matter. All I knew was that I wanted to embellish them to make them just a little bit more decorative than the plain white that they were.

I finally got around to it last week! All I did was add some old vintage ric rac, ribbons and whatever I may have had to the edges, to create something new from something old. It didn't take very long and was very easy!

Here is the result:



Some of them have two or three stripes on one side, while others have one stripe on each edge. It makes them that much more special for my newest arrival!

I don't mean to be a downer

Over the past couple of months, I have come across some pretty heart wrenching blogs and stories of child and infant loss. I don't look for these things, I just happen to find them while reading or browsing....and they touch me in such a way, that I can't help but share them with you.

Maybe it has to do with the fact that I am nearing the birth of my daughter and the thought that this could happen to me or anyone else at any given time, really hits hard.

Maybe it has to do with the fact that over the last seven years I have suffered through three miscarriages, and however traumatic that was to me and my family, I still cannot fathom losing a child that I have felt move within my womb...that I had to give birth to....that I could see their face, yet know, it would never see mine.

I am wowed by the grace of God in these women's lives. I am overwhelmed by the faith these women have while they go through such suffering. Again, I feel the need to share. I can only hope and pray that when I go through true suffering...whatever it may be...that I can shine with the grace of God and bring Him the glory He so richly deserves.

Here is baby Autumn's story, Joy to Sorrow:

Around 5 pm yesterday Kurt and I received the news that our baby's heart stopped beating sometime during the night or morning.
Our hearts are aching for this loss - the joys of expectation shattered and broken.

I, truly, am undone.

And yet... this has been hand-picked by our God for us to bear... and we do not want to dishonor him by dull-minded complaints.
He knows our hearts. He has examined our frame and found we are but dust... and he knew the second that our baby's life left. Not only that... but he decided it. I write it with tears streaming down my face... but with conviction in my heart.
He is a Man of Sorrows - he was acquainted with grief... no one else could sympathize with us as Him... and we love Him more for this.
We've just come home on a pass from a very long day at the hospital where the doctor inserted a drug intended to soften my cervix and bring on labor... and although I'm cramping and spotting there is nothing that said we couldn't come home and try to sleep - as last night was full of sorrow and tears. We will be heading back tomorrow morning to retry another insertion - or sooner if my water breaks. And then the plan is to enter full-scale labor and push out the baby normally.

Please, please pray for us, and for our families... half of our grief is seeing the sorrow of our parents who we love so dearly... and knowing that this baby was a cause of joy for so many.
We will be planning our baby's funeral in the coming days, and will need strength for that. God has already used our little one's death to spread his fame... and we are glad for that.
God does what is best - all the time. For He is all-good and all-wise and always does what is right. We cannot see clearly now - but truly: the 'shine' of this world has been somewhat dulled by the pain of our baby's death... and we remember that this world is not our home. We are waiting and hoping for something better. We know that joy does return, but we have been sobered and taught to always seek God as our source of comfort and happiness.

This is not what I would have chosen - but "to whom else will we turn"?

Today in the hospital, Kurt read me a passage that made tears stream down my face: "You who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice: though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold which perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ - whom having not seen you love."

Our faith is precious: pray that we would guard it and continue to love Jesus - even though we do not see Him. The coming days will be hard - devastatingly so. But God knows. I want to feel, as surly as I feel my husband's hand holding mine, that our God is there when we hold our baby and say goodbye and that He is trustworthy and without fault... because that is true.

Thanks everyone.
Love
Kurt & Kendall

I encourage you to read through her posts.

Overheard in my house

Nolan: "Gideon, mommy's going to take a shower, and I'm going to go on the computer."

Gideon: "You better not go on cyber hymnal. I want you to go on hotwheels dot com."

Nolan: "Oh but Gideon, I want to hear a couple of songs...it's all for the glory of God...don't you remember?"

Shai Linne: The Atonement Interview pt 1&2

Are you down with that??

A quote

“Man is an idol factory”
-John Calvin

Works for me Wednesday....5 Ingredient Edition! Stuffed Shells!

Today, at Rocks in My Dryer, she is hosting a FIVE ingredient edition of WFMW! Be sure to check it out....you might get some great meal ideas!!

I usually double this, so the recipe I'm giving is enough to make 2 lasagna pans full. I freeze half and have it on hand for one of those days when dinner is the last thing from my mind!

Stuffed Shells

2 boxes jumbo shells
32 ounces ricotta cheese
4-5 eggs
4- 16oz jars of Barilla Marinara Sauce
32 ounces of mozarella cheese (shredded)

8 oz parmesan cheese (shredded)- optional
italian seasoning- optional

Cook the shells until they are al dente. You will probably have to cook the shells in two batches. While you are filling the first batch, have the second box of shells cooking.

While the shells are cooking, empty the ricotta cheese into a large bowl. Add eggs and 8 ounces of mozarella cheese and mix.

Rinse the shells under cold water, so they are easy to handle.

In a lasagna pan (I use disposable...makes it easy to store and no cleaning!), spread some tomato sauce on the bottom of the pan to coat it. This will prevent sticking. Usually about half a jar.

Begin spooning the cheese mixture into the inside of the shells. Line them up in the pan so they are touching.

When the pan is filled, cover the shells with a jar and a half of the marinara sauce.

Top with the remaining half of the mozarella cheese. If you want, you can also top with a few handfuls of parmesan cheese as well. For added taste, sprinkle some italian seasoning.

Bake at 350 for about an hour (if it isn't frozen). If it has been frozen, it will take longer, so bake accordingly. I like to finish it off by broiling it. It gives the cheese a nice golden brown color.

Serve with a salad and garlic bread!

ENJOY!

As a 1930s husband or wife...how do you rank?

Marital Test

I scored:

105 As a 1930s wife, I am Very Superior Take the test!

Todd Bentley...be aware!

I recommend you read this article: Healer or Heretic?

There is also a post by Colin Hanson over at Between Two Worlds.

If you've got time...watch this:

Church Pirates?