Evelyn Edith

We're having a GIRL!!!  Another little girl.

We are so excited for more dresses and bows and all things girly.  And poor John will be sandwiched in between two sisters.

I cried a little bit when the ultrasound tech finally declared that she was, in fact, a girl. 

For one thing, we had postponed the ultrasound twice due to a crazy summer schedule, and then, being the modest girl that she is, she had her little hand wrapped around her knee, not letting us get a good look at anything that would tell us the gender.  But, alas, we saw that she is a girl.

Evelyn Edith.  Because we like Evelyn, and Edith is after my dear, dear maternal grandmother.  She died right before my wedding, and I wanted to somehow name this child after her (if it had been a boy, the middle name would have been her last name).  We will call her Evie, with a long E.

I also cried because it helps me so much to bond with the baby once I know the gender.  This has been a hard pregnancy.  I still feel sicker than I want to, so I am coming to terms with the fact that this will be the whole pregnancy; I have been extremely hormonal/melancholy; and I am exhausted all of the time.  It seems that this pregnancy I am going to skip the second trimester bliss, so...to find out it's a girl and begin to call her by name and imagine her little life outside of the womb is so helpful to me.  It really, really lifted my spirits.  And to hear that she is healthy.  I probably should have led with that ;) 

Now, there is much going on outside of the pregnancy, and I will hopefully come back soon with a quick recap of all that is going on (all good things, but overwhelming things), but I want to begin to record life again.  I really, really do.

And I want Evie to know that though it looks different to come into the family as the third child versus the first child, she is already so loved. 

Dear Evie,

we love you so much.  You are our precious girl already.  You have quite the crew waiting for you to make your big entrance.  A brother and a sister who love to kiss and hug my growing belly as a way to kiss and hug you.  Even John likes to call you by name and gets excited when he sees other babies.  We talk about you all the time--what will you look like and be like.  Will you nurse or refuse like your older sister?  Will you cry a lot or be a content newborn?  Will you let any of us sleep?  And your personality?  I can only imagine all that you will add to this family.  Ada even said tonight at dinner, "let's talk about Evie," because she is so eager to meet you.  Precious girl, I pray that God will watch over you and grow you healthy and strong in the womb.  I pray that he will be with the doctor and the nurses and in all of the details of your birth.  I pray that you will nurse as well as John did, even if it means I am a bit tired that first year, and I pray for the relationship that you will have with Ada and with John.  Mostly, though, I pray for your heart.  I pray that the Lord would turn your heart towards him.  That you would love his word and love prayer.  And that he would put his holy spirit in your heart, that you might spend eternity with Him. 

we love you, sweet girl!

Mom

Evie and Me...we are rapidly growing ;)

Shout Out to Firehouse Subs

Yesterday was Father's Day, obviously, and Scott's gift was to go see the new Superman (?) movie.  Well, about 30 minutes before he was supposed to leave to go to the movie, I got one of my massive, only-when-pregnant, make-me-sick, can't-do-anything-but-lie-there, headaches.  But I really wanted Scott to go to the movie.  He loves movies, and he never ever goes.  It's just not in the cards during this season of life, and I drop the ball, big time, about making time for him to go.  So, it was the obvious thing for him to do on Father's Day.  Plus, he had invited two friends, it was time for him to go, etc. etc. etc. 

So, though he graciously offered to stay with me and my headache, I set the kids up with some cartoons on the computer and got myself comfy on the couch to ride out the headache.  And that was how we spent the afternoon.  I mean, so many cartoons, way more than a kid should get to watch at one time, but I was just surviving the headache.  At one point I did have to rally and come up with some type of edible something to call dinner for the kids.  And I managed to clean the kitchen and fold a load of laundry or two, but it was basically kids watching cartoon, mom lying on the couch. 

Because of the headache, I had felt sick all afternoon, and I couldn't think of anything that sounded good to eat.  Well around 8:00 pm, it hit me, a roast beef sandwich from Firehouse Subs, which I had only had one time--while I was pregnant with John--but I still remembered it, and I had to have it.  So, we got the kids ready for bed, started reading (all of this takes a while), and as Scott is in the middle of the bible story, he realizes it's 8:50, and that Firehouse Subs probably closed at 9.  We both went into panic mode--over a sub--but it was a desperate situation.  I promise.  He basically threw the bible at me, grabbed his flip flops, and ran out the door, as the kids sat staring in confusion. 

And then John proceeded to turn on his new three year old routine which consists of being as completely uncooperative as possible.  And my head still hurt, and I was hungry, and I thought I might cry because all I could think was that Firehouse was going to close and I was stuck doing bed time alone for no reason at all. 

But Scott, who is such a gift from the Lord, because instead of writing off my craving as silly and unimportant, called Firehouse Subs and begged them not to close.  He told them he had a pregnant wife who was craving a sandwich, and could they please make it for him and he would be there in five minutes to pick it up.  And ya'll, they were very kind and said, of course they would do that for me.  And they even gave me five pickles because they knew I was pregnant.  And I ate every single one. 

That sandwich, those pickles, I have never tasted anything so wonderful.  I have feeling I will eat a million more of those sandwiches before this baby is born!  thank goodness for firehouse subs.

From Their Perspective

I say that I am not thinking about this baby as much as I did Ada or even John, but at the same time, having two older siblings, this baby is certainly not forgotten.  There is much talk from Ada about the newest addition.  For example, she keeps mentioning how she is going to feed the baby a bottle, and I don't want to burst her bubble, but if the baby follows in John's footsteps, there won't be any bottles.  But I am not counting on anything, though of course I am praying for a nurser ;), and we will give it our best shot. 

It has been very fun for Ada to be five, almost six, this time around, and for her to much more understand what is happening.  We have big plans to attend a big sibling class at the hospital, and she has lots of questions about "when will we feel the baby kick?"  "how big is the baby now?" "what is the baby doing right now?"  and on and on.  Plus, she and John like to "hug" my stomach as if they are hugging the baby. 

John, of course, adds his own humorous perspective.  For example, I explained in very simple terms how the baby comes out, so now, every single time I have to go to the bathroom, John comes running after me asking in a panicked voice, "is the baby coming out?!!!!"  He also often sticks about ten cars up his shirt at once and says, "mom, look at my babies in my tummy," and then they all fall out, and he yells, "ahhh, my babies!!!"  He also refers to all of his toy story characters as his babies.  He also purposefully tries to punch and kick my stomach, so he gets in trouble for that a lot.  When I tell him to stop, he asks innocently, "why, am I hurting the baby?"  such. a. stinker.

Ada is really counting on a girl, so I keep warning her that it could easily be a boy.  She does not want to come with us to find out because she thinks it will be easier to hear the news from us rather than the ultrasound tech.  We find out in a few weeks.  If Ada mentions that she wants a girl, John quickly says he wants it to be a boy, but I think it's just for argument's sake. 

In other exciting news, Scott just got a promotion, a promotion we have been hoping for and hearing about for a few months now, and it was the green light we were waiting for to look for a larger house.  So, that is a HUGE answer to prayer for so many reasons.  We are hoping to find a place where we can settle down for a while, so we are going to be a little more picky.  Based on that, there's still a huge chance we won't find what we are looking for before the baby arrives.  But I am certainly praying that we can be moved before then.  Now that reality is sinking in that we are putting a third child into this tiny house, I feel a bit overwhelmed.  It's going to be tight, but I know people throughout history have lived in much tighter quarters, or that's what I keep telling myself--as I pray for something bigger ;) 

Yikes, this is yet another post with no pictures.  Mainly I wanted to add a positive note about the light hearted things that have been a part of this pregnancy.

We actually had a terrible day today, nothing major, just things like the kitchen sink clogging up and John not napping and spilled diet coke all over the carpet (which I was only drinking to fight off a headache, because I still don't really like the taste).  Okay, terrible is the wrong choice of words, exhausting is more accurate, so I needed a reminder of the good.  The happy memories we are building.  And of course, we are so thankful that I am pregnant at all.  What a gift!!!

pictures just to add some visual to this post

The Third Baby

This pregnancy is moving right along.  So different from the ones before it.  Time just keeps passing, and my main focus, of course, is on Ada and John.  You know how it is with that first pregnancy.  It's all I thought about it.  Ada, Ada, Ada, all of the time.  And I will be really honest with you, I hardly remember being pregnant with John.  Maybe that's how this will feel when I look back.

In the midst of it, I certainly know I'm pregnant, but I spend less time imagining this little person that is growing.  It's been a hard pregnancy.  The hardest yet.  I am sixteen weeks and still sicker than I want to be.  I keep getting these massive headaches that sometimes take days to go away.  I am exhausted almost all of the time.  And I am super hormonal, feeling some of those post-partum feelings except it's not post partum yet.  not even close.  And I am fighting fear.  Because I think if the third pregnancy is this hard, what will it be like to be a mother to three.  I feel like my head is barely above water with two, so I feel crazy thinking I can have three.  And I have no excuses.  I can't say that mine are so close together.  That thing that I hear from others about how close in age all the kids are.  Mine aren't.  John will be almost four when this baby is born.  So, what excuse will I have when I am flailing about, my life looking quite crazy?  I know that the fear is not from the Lord.  Not even close.  But, I am struggling to hear truth these days. Whenever a gray cloud seems to fix itself permanently over my head, I have to fight so hard to sort through all the thoughts to find the true ones. 

I have a dear friend who asked me one day what I am so afraid of.  Being exhausted?  My house being messy?  And she said, those things will certainly be true, but it's okay.  It's okay that I am going to be tired and that my house will most likely be a wreck.  It's not forever.  And then I tried to dig even deeper.  What is the thing motivating this fear?  and, of course, there it was, staring me in the face.  I am so afraid of how out of control I will feel.  Which is such a lie anyway, to believe that I am in control now. 

Motherhood continues to make me feel so inadequate, to remind me of who I am, just dust.  And, praise the Lord, it continues to drive me to the foot of the cross.  To beg for some help.  To beg for God to equip me to do this thing that feels so impossible.  And he is always faithful.  Because I don't know how, but Ada is reading.  That was impossible.  I don't know how we did it or what we did.  But she is reading.  And John is in underwear, not diapers.  When I begin to feel so overwhelmed by life, I try to break things down to what needs to be done on this day.  And for a while now, those two things were our main things.  I mean, there was the daily stuff, but I mean, when I thought about the big picture, about what I am training Ada and John to one day be, the reading and the potty training were the basic things that to be done today to get us to the one day.  For Ada to and John to one day, I hope, influence this world for Christ, in a thoughtful and intelligent way, we had to start with the reading and the potty.  And those little things felt so impossible.  But God is faithful in that.

I am such a big picture person.  I get fired up when I go to conferences and talk about education and what classical education can prepare our kids to do and be as adults.  I love to read about education and discuss it and think about it.  But, then, when I have to come back home to parenting a three year old and a five year old and they aren't out changing the world for Christ, I have a much harder time with the details.  Details are not my strength.  But for Ada and John, reading and the potty were the biggies this year, and, praise the Lord, we did it!  And it's a reminder that for this little munchkin growing inside me, He will once again meet me in my need.  For now, the details are getting through this pregnancy with a healthy baby.  And then there will be the nursing and the sleeping and the adjusting to three children instead of two, and He will meet me there.   And that is the hope and the promise and the truth that I cling to in the midst of the fear that threatens to overwhelm. 

Stats from the Doctor

I finally took John in for his three year well visit.  I had to take him to the doctor a week ago for his millionth case of pink eye/clogged tear duct, and while I was there, I went ahead and scheduled his well visit.  Why is it so hard for me to make the call to schedule the appointment?!!!  Because I keep forgetting to save the doctor's number in my contacts list, that's why.

Anyway, we went this past Friday morning, and John was really excited about it.  No joke.  He knew that a sticker was involved, and also, he just likes going to the doctor?  He's also really excited about his upcoming visit to the dentist.  He and Ada could not be more different about this type of thing.

And, of course it was no shock to find out he is low on the charts for height and weight.  All I have to do is look around the church nursery to figure that out.  He is 9% for weight, and a whopping 3% for height, but the important part is that his growth is right on track.  He's just a little guy.  Everything else was great, which is a relief to hear.  I talked to the doctor about his eating habits, and he told me what I thought he would.  Don't make him eat.  Offer the food, he chooses to eat or not, don't let him eat junk in place of meals, etc. etc. etc.  And I really think we follow these things fairly well.  He also told me he just doesn't need that much food.  So, it's good to hear those things from the pediatrician.  We're doing what we're supposed to do; maybe one day he'll be a good eater.  We'll see.  He said most of all, don't make it a power struggle.  Offer the food at meals, but if he chooses not to eat it, don't make a big deal out of it, so that helps me.  Dinners have recently been turning into power struggles, so I can let that battle go.  Other than the, no you can't have a cookie if you don't eat your dinner.  The obvious things ;) 

Also, he had to get one shot, which I was nervous about.  He was a trooper, though.  He lay on that table, barely squinted his little eyes when the needle went in, and didn't shed a tear.  He didn't even make a sound.  Dramatic Ada was watching, and she said, "maybe next time I have to get shots, I'll do that."  That's a thought!!  At her four year appointment, last time she had to get shots, I am sure the entire office could hear her screaming.  The nurse and I both had to hold her down just to get the shots in her.  And you remember our dentist experience (though our last dentist visit went wonderfully, so I think she is finally outgrowing the dramatics). 

I worry about all the things I haven't taught John that Ada already knew at this point.  He doesn't know his alphabet; we don't spend a lot of time on numbers; he's just sort of along for the ride with whatever I'm teaching Ada.  I am going to try to be more intentional with him next school year.  We shall see.  I do have a funny John story that describes him perfectly...

He is obsessed with the letter H.  Who knows why?  I don't even know how he learned the letter H.  Why is John obsessed with a lot of the things he fixates on.  But, the letter H it is.  If I am writing his name on something, like a cup, he makes sure that I write H.  And if I am counting for any reason, he wants me to include the letter H.  So, one day, I asked him if he could write an H, and he very confidently answered yes.  And, indeed, he grabbed a pencil, and wrote a capital H, no problem, on the piece of paper.  The problem is, he has no interest in learning about any other letters.  Isn't it fun to see these personalities that God creates in our children.  He and Ada are so different from each other!!! 

Ada showing John some ballet moves ;)

Southern Belle Farms

I know that I am still not blogging.  ever.  I am feeling much less sick, praise the Lord, but I am now so very tired at night.  Especially tonight.  We had a full day, so John skipped his nap, meaning I had zero down time, and I am ready for bed at 7:30.  Too bad no one else in the house is ready for bed ;)  This baby takes a lot out of me.

Anyway, I was determined to pick strawberries this year before the season was over, and we barely squeezed it in.  Scott has been very busy with work lately, so this was the first weekend in a while when
 we were able to get out and about as a family.  Plus, not so long ago, I was basically just surviving first trimester and wasn't really up for any outings.  So...we jumped on this free Saturday and headed to a local farm to pick strawberries.

It was perfect weather.  Blue skies, mid-70s.  Amazing.

John struggled a bit with the hay bales.  Bless his heart.  Soon after this, he called out in desperation. 

here, Ada and John are feeding the goats, or in John's words, "eating the goats."  For some reason, it really cracked me up every time he asked if we could go eat the goats.  And he really wanted to feed them, so he asked to eat them a lot.

a little taste test

do you see how John is running to me?  This is what he did every time he found a strawberry (the strawberries were everywhere, not hard to find), yelling, "I found one, I found one!"  He was as enthusiastic when he said, "I found one," as when he said he wanted to "eat" the goats.  Love him.

so, a fun day at the farm.  And I am worn slap out.  Oh my word.  Luckily, Scott is home today, and he already bathed the kids, and John did skip his nap, so soon we can tuck us all in to bed.

I have more blog posts coming--John's overdue 3 year well visit, Ada's ballet recital, the school year coming to a close, pregnancy thoughts.  If only I can muster up the energy to type them. 

Update

I think I will do a quick list style blog post to get things up to date, and then maybe I will blog more often?  Who really knows. 

1.  A few weeks ago the first trimester sickness reached it's peak, resulting in my lowest moment of pregnancy to date ;).  At that point, my mom suggested I come to Scottsboro to get some help/rest, and I took her up on that offer.  So...we spent a few days in Scottsboro, which was just the refuge I needed.  I had not been that relieved to be at my mom's house since John's newborn days. 

2.  The Scottsboro trip came after my family was in town to celebrate my paternal Grandmother's 90th birthday in Marietta, GA.  That was a fun day of seeing family I don't normally get to see.  A reunion of sorts.  Plus, it meant that Ann was able to drive my van to Scottsboro, since she rode here with my parents', and in my "sick state," it really helped that someone else did the driving.

3.  We finished up Classical Conversations for the year, including the end of the year presentation.  Ada's class sang a portion of the timeline song and recited the helping verb chant.  As always, I am so very thankful for Classical Conversations.  It has been so great for our family, and I am not sure I could homeschool without it.  The community is a huge encouragement to me.  I, unfortunately, did not take many pictures at the presentation.  Oops.  I was still feeling somewhat sick, and was thinking more about getting through the presentation in tact, crunching on my crushed ice the whole time ;)  And Scott was busy trying to keep John quiet, so, no good pictures.  Maybe next year.

4.  I had my first ultrasound, which never ceases to amaze me.  This precious baby is very healthy, so far, and is growing right on track.  We saw those little hands and feet, and that sweet profile.  Amazing.

5.  My stomach has started to rapidly grow, and like past pregnancies, I am astounded that my stomach is this big and I am only this far in.  Yikes.

6.  I just returned from a weekend at a homeschool conference.  As always it was an encouraging reminder that my children are a precious treasure, and that I must be intentional in the day-to-day with a vision for what God has called them to be for his kingdom.  It's always good to gain some fresh perspective.  Plus, the encouragement I receive from being away for a couple of nights with dear friends is priceless!!  So much fun.  Plus, Scott's family came here to hang out with Scott and the kids while I was gone, and Ada and John loved that.  A fun weekend for everyone.

while at the conference, we met our couponing hero, Jenny Martin from Southern Savers.  Also, my stomach is already quite large, but I don't think it's quite as large as it appears to be in this picture.

7.  I will be 12 weeks on Wednesday--second trimester, here I come!!  I am still not feeling 100% not sick, but things have improved greatly!!!!! 

So, that's where we are.  Although CC is done, we still need to finish up some math and reading before we can call the year finished.  Ada is also busy practicing for her end-of-the year ballet recital.  They will performing some scenes from the Wizard of Oz, and Ada is super excited.  And we are eagerly anticipating the rest that comes with summer. 

Also, while at the conference I bought myself the book Desperate, have ya'll heard of it?  I am super excited to read it, and I will share thoughts on that for sure!! 

p.s. I think there was more to say or more pictures to add, but at this point in life, I just want to get the post up or it won't ever happen.