Baby is finally here!

The waiting is finally over. We have been blessed with beautiful new baby BOY! Little Samuel came out to meet us early yesterday morning. He is healthy and well, weighing 8 lb. 12 oz. and 21" long. And, of course, he is the sweetest little thing ever (yeah, I may be biased). All of his siblings have held/poked/prodded him and decided that he is a keeper. His brother is absolutely thrilled to have another man in our family.



Unfortunately, I do not have a way to post pictures at this time as I am working on a borrowed laptop in the hospital. Photos will have to wait until I return home sometime tomorrow.



Little Samuel is currently snoozing comfortably on my lap at I type. He is such a little miracle. You forget how little and tiny and amazingly precious a newborn is. Their skin is the softest thing ever. As my friend pointed out, you can take all the photos you want, but nothing can capture the essense of that baby's soft cheek. And those tiny little features! A baby is truly "fearfully and wonderfully made." I don't know how anyone could look at a new little one and NOT believe that there is a Creator. Every feature is in perfect miniature!



I need to wrap this up because this nursing mama needs some breakfast. So, I won't post any of the details about his birth right now, but it was a special blessing, too.

Waiting

Waiting...waiting...waiting...
That is the story of life right now. Part of me feels like my life has been put on hold waiting for this overdue baby. I don't remember feeling this anxious waiting for my other babies. I don't remember my hormones taking me on this same roller coaster ride that I am on right now.

I have been trying to do things to prepare for this little one and for the short period of time that I will need to be away from my family at the time of delivery. I have tried to clean the house - it seems to get messier by the minute because there are 7 of us that live in it every day. I have stocked up on food and supplies last week so my family would have plenty. I feel like the bulk of it has been used up and eaten already. I am spent. I have no more energy and all my work seems to have been in vain. My nerves are frayed beyond measure and I am struggling to have the strength to deal with the day to day squabbles and heartaches of the children.

Everyday I think "maybe TODAY is the day." Then a bit of panic wells up inside me that I have last minute things to do to prepare. I have started to pack a bag for the hospital, but much of what need to go inside it is used every day. I need to have food made for the family. I have made lots of bread and snacks, but alas that have all been eaten already. I feel like I need to start all over again and my energy is waning.

I do not wish to feel so negative. I do not want to set that example for my children. This should be a happy time of excitement. Instead all I am feeling is stress right now. I have been seeking the Lord, but He doesn't feel close right now and I don't know why.

Then a thought hits me. This anxiousness I am feeling...is this how we should be feeling as we await the return of Christ? Perhaps, there is a lesson that I may learn through this waiting process.

5Jesus said to them: "Watch out that no one deceives you. 6Many will come
in my name, claiming, 'I am he,' and will deceive many. 7When you hear of wars
and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is
still to come. 8Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the
beginning of birth pains. ...

32"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor
the Son, but only the Father. 33Be on guard! Be alert[f]!
You do not know when that time will come. 34It's like a man going away: He
leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task,
and tells the one at the door to keep watch.
35"Therefore keep watch
because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in
the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36If he
comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37What I say to you, I say to
everyone: 'Watch!' " Mark 13:5-8 & 32-37

Our waiting is to be a constant watch. We are to be constantly prepared - never letting our guard down. That is the mode that I feel that I am in. It is a constant watch and there are not single, one-time steps to preparedness. We have to constantly be on watch and constantly be prepared and then re-prepare.

1"At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their
lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2Five of them were foolish and five
were wise. 3The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with
them. 4The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5The
bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell
asleep.
6"At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come
out to meet him!'
7"Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their
lamps. 8The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps
are going out.'
9" 'No,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for
both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.'
10"But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom
arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And
the door was shut.
11"Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they
said. 'Open the door for us!'
12"But he replied, 'I tell you the
truth, I don't know you.'
13"Therefore keep watch, because you do not
know the day or the hour. Matthew 25:1-13

The wise virgins did not merely fill their lamps once. They were prepared to refill them until the time came for the bridegroom to come.

So. I sit here and am reminded that my pantry is stocked. I have prepared enough to have the ability to "refill my lamp". I pray for the strength to continue on and remain steadfast in this waiting for baby AND more importantly this waiting for Christ.

Scrappin' for Distraction

Well, my hormones are surging, but no labor as of yet. I feel tired and not like doing much of anything. To say that I am ready for labor to start is an understatement. I have been doing quite a bit of scrapbooking today. It is a nice distraction from my current discomfort.


This first page uses a few shots of my daughter playing basketball. Credits for the page can be found here.



These next couple of pages show off my daughters' new play kitchen that they got for Christmas from their Grammy and Gramps. The one shows when the got it and the other shows it sitting our kitchen at home. Credits for the pages can be found here and here.




Tomorrow I will officially be a whole week past due for this baby. I am finding it somewhat depressing which probably has a lot to do wit these crazy hormones. They are wreaking havoc with my emotions right now. I just have to keep telling myself that I WON'T be pregnant forever (it just feels like it right now).

Baby still on board

Yes, it is 5 days past baby's due date, but baby does not seem ready to come out and join us. I visited my doctor today and had another ultrasound and they checked this little one over real good and he or she seems to be fairing well. So, I am waiting.....waiting.....waiting. [sigh]

In other news...I actually took some time this evening to scrapbook a page! I just have to do that now and then so I don't go crazy, you know. This is a page to document this particularly trying time we are having with my 2 year old. Her strong-willed behavior goes beyond anything that I have seen with my other children. Just when you think you may have 2 year olds figured out, God throws you a curve ball!

The journaling on this reads:
Jan. 3, 2009
Rachel,
You are the cutest, sweetest little girl who tests my patience to the very limits. One moment you will be happy and charming and then something won’t go your way and you turn into a screaming banshee. The incessant screaming is enough to make me want to pull my ears off just so I won’t have to listen to another moment. We are working hard to calmly bring you through this phase of your life remembering that a “soft answer turns away wrath” (Prov. 15:1). Someday your strong will & determination may serve you well. Until them, I pray we survive it!

Credits for this page can be found here.

Updates

I thought perhaps I had better pop on here and give an update since there has been so much going on lately and we are expecting even more.

First, my mother-in-law had her surgery and seems to be doing very well. She is still recovering in the hospital, but may came home even as soon as today. She still has a long road of recovery, but we are all very thankful for the fact that she has been blanketed in prayer and is doing as well as she is.

Second, I am still pregnant. This baby's due date was yesterday, but this one is following the path of his/her older siblings and taking its own sweet time. As with all of my other babies, I got to watch my due date come AND go right by. I see my doctor tomorrow and will discuss whether or not to induce labor. I am one who would prefer to see things happen naturally, but because I have gestational diabetes and am trying to do a VBAC, I know my doctor is probably going to push to make something happen soon.

Otherwise, life is just progressing on. We go through our daily routines cooking, cleaning, schooling, etc. I have the nesting urge, but am feeling a bit frustrated that every area of the house that I have cleaned has already been messed back up by my little ones. Between that fact and the fact that my hormones are surging and my blood sugars have been roller coastering, I have been fighting quite a bit of grumpiness the past several days. I am thankful that I can see it for what it is and I have trying very hard not to let it loose on my family.

If I go into labor I probably won't have time to update my blog here, but hubby said that he would try to keep Facebook updated for those of you on there.

Happy MLK Day and Updates

I was talking with my daughter last night and the fact that today is Martin Luther King Day came up. I mentioned that public school kids are off of school. She got all excited figuring that we would get a day off as well. I informed her that she was not so lucky and she would still have schoolwork. My kids had plenty of vacation days over the holidays when hubby was off work. Now its time to hit the books while we can because before we know it, there will be the "Mommy is too sleep deprived from being up with the baby to think" vacation days, and then , of course, when the weather turns warmer there's the "It's too nice to stay home inside so we are going to the park" vacation days. I figure that we will use this day to take the opportunity to talk about its significance. Usually I print off a copy of MLK's "I have a dream" speech for us to read aloud, but this year I think we may watch this version coming right from his mouth that I found.



In other news....
I'm still pregnant. No shock there, for me anyway, since I am still 6 days away from my due date and my earliest baby so far arrived 5 days past my due date. I think the "nesting" has finally kicked in. For me nesting is more of "Oh my, I have nothing ready for baby yet!" I hunted up the wee baby clothes and soaked them and scrubbed them to get the yellow spit up stains that always seem to appear after clean baby clothes have been stored away for a few years. I have a handful of generic/boy clothes and tons of frilly pink things - a consequence of the fact that I have had 4 baby girls and only one boy and the box of itty bitty boy things is MIA. So, this is probably a boy, huh?


Dragging out the baby things and trying to figure out where I am going to put them has caused me to clean out my bedroom closet. We have a big closet that tends to become the stash for every one's out of season and outgrown clothes that need to be packed away. I decided to pull everything out and catch up on my ginormous laundry pile (Mt. Washmore). This has kept me QUITE busy over the past few days. I am close to being caught up. I just have to pack up some outgrown clothes in an organized fashion which for some weird reason is not a strength for me. Anyway, I am rambling...


I am feeling compelled to get this done quickly because I know that if the baby arrives before I get all of these piles sorted and put away, it may be quite some time before it happens and all my sorting work will probably get undone by several energetic children.


Also in other news...
My Christmas tree is finally put away! Last night hubby bundled it up and packed it away in its spot in the basement. I know we sound like such slackers, but I just wasn't motivated to do all the work of taking decorations down and I actually had still been enjoying the warm glow of the Christmas tree lights everyday during my morning quiet time. This morning I really missed them and had to turn on the fireplace so I didn't go completely into withdrawal.


Even more other news...
Now is the time to start keeping an eye out for great deals on clearanced clothing. I am a fan of Old Navy's clearance sales and they have a bunch on sale right now and if you use the coupon code EXTRA50, you can get an additional 50% off clearance items. Note that this only works on "clearance" stuff not anything else including their "bargains." (Found this over at Deal Seeking Mom.) I ended up finding a few things for EVERYONE in my family there including the new wee one for some awesome prices.


I should wrap this up and get prepared to jump into my day before the kids all get up and ambush me. Have a great one!

Random Thoughts from a Weeble Wobble

Yes, I am at that rolly polly waddling stage of this pregnancy that I just feel like a weeble wobble. Of course, it has been pointed out to me that I am a stinky weeble wobble because I DO actually fall down. Here is a photo from a few weeks ago on my daughter's birthday after my little spill on the ice with my sling on. Thankfully, my arm is much better. It is still not 100%, but for the most part I can use it fairly normally.

The rest of my body, however, has its share of aches and pains. I suppose that is just the way it will be for the rest of this pregnancy. My back, legs and buttocks are hurting all the time. I have to be a squirmy girl and constantly change my sitting and standing positions wherever I am. I constantly feel as though I have to use the bathroom. I suppose the baby is sitting on my bladder. I will race desperately to the bathroom only to be disappointed with the 2 drops available for deposit.

I keep hoping for that "nesting" thing to kick in because there is much to get done before the baby arrives, but I have been sadly short on energy. I don't think I have felt 100% healthy since we got sick during our power outage several weeks ago. I fight the urge to take a nap everyday and wish that I could make 7:00pm my bedtime. Perhaps, there is still time to get that whirlwind of energy so that I can catch up on my laundry and get out and clean up the baby things. But the baby is due in just over 2 weeks and I am feeling like the clock is ticking. I know that I won't have a bunch of energy to put towards household chores after junior arrives, so it sure would be nice to feel at least caught up.

Sorry, I know I am being a complainer. I shouldn't be be there is SO much to be thankful for . The baby seems healthy and vital and and growing right on track. The doctor is watching that the baby doesn't get to big because I am trying to have a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean ) delivery. I did this successful with my last baby and am hoping to be able to do it again. I much prefer the recovery of a regular birth versus the cesarean. It looks as though this baby may end up being one of my smallest ones unless it has a big growth spurt in the next couple of weeks. That would be just fine with me. I am just praying for a healthy child.

I am off to tackle my Mt. Washmore (read ridiculously large laundry pile) and if I am lucky sneak in a nap before it is time to start dinner.

It's a.....BABY!

It's a baby. It appears healthy. And that's all we know. After taking a family vote, we decided not to peek at this little one's privates and wait to be surprised as to whether this little blessing is a boy or a girl.

This ultrasound was actually done last month (11/4), but I am just getting around to scanning these photos. I honestly do not know where the time goes. Barry joined me for this and we had the opportunity to count ten little fingers and ten little toes, so at least that is taken care of already. I know that I am prejudiced, but isn't this little one adorable! I can't wait to meet him or her in just about 7 weeks.

I had been feeling pretty good for a while. The extreme tiredness I always struggle with during the early weeks of pregnancy had passed and I began to feel like a productive human again. I fear that this blissful pregnancy period is passing because I have been starting to feel tired and achy all the time. It is probably is somewhat due to being extremely busy lately and also fighting off a sinus infection. I guess this big ol' pregnant body can only take so much.

As we head into the busy Christmas season, I would really love to get my mojo back and feel like I can keep up with all there is to do. We are cutting back on our decorating this year. I keep telling myself that anything I get out will just have to be put back away in a month. I am sure I will not feel up to hauling much more than this big ol' belly by then. As it is, my abdominal muscles and my back are aching quite a bit already. BUT, when I look at these pictures, I know that it is all worth it. The discomfort is a short lived thing and soon I will be holding this special little creation in my arms instead of my belly. What a joy that will be!

Down to double digits

washing #2
Originally uploaded by greenjellysnakes

Did you notice that according to my little baby in a bubble on the right that there only 99 days to my sweet little blessing's due date? We are into the double digits now!

I really do enjoy being pregnant, even with all of the maladies associated with it. There is nothing quite like carrying your child and watching your belly grow and feeling those sweet kicks. It is a special closeness and bond. However, I really can't wait to hold that sweet little newborn baby. There is also nothing like that precious little gift, fresh from God.

I have my first ultrasound scheduled in 3 weeks. The dilemma we have now is to decide if we are going to peek and see if it is a boy or a girl. 4 out of 5 of our little ones were surprises. Only with our last little girl did we peek. It was fun because we brought all of the children to the ultrasound appointment and we all found out together. This time I think I am leaning towards being surprised. As a good friend told me, it is one of life's last great surprises. I suppose we will have to take a family vote.

Sleepless in Indiana

I think God prepares you during pregnancy for the sleep deprivation you face with a new baby. It must be a hormonal thing, but if I wake up in the middle of the night, I have a terrible time falling back asleep no matter how tired I am. My body is exhausted, but my mind kicks into overdrive an won't let me rest. Unfortunately, my bladder has been waking me most nights (another pregnancy thing), so I have been up a lot.

Last night I decided to get up and do some scrapbooking and make good use of my awake time. This is one of the pages that I completed. The photo was actually taken by my daughter. I have become quite lazy with the camera lately because she has spoiled me by taking tons of photos - and the are really good. It is so nice to have a bunch of great scrappin material right at my fingertips. I love the expressions of my girls here. It just makes me think of sweet companionship. The page can be found here with credits.

Where to begin...

I know I been awful quiet lately. I have had a whirlwind of things flooding my time and my thoughts. When my mind is this cluttered, I have trouble sitting down and organizing my thoughts enough to write a simple blog post.







I have really been thinking hard about the direction of our homeschooling. After ten years of experience under our belts with this, you would think I'd have this under control and be handling it like a pro. No matter how long you do this, it is still work. It takes thought and effort and creativity. What works like a charm for one child doesn't for the next. Where the kids are in life and their development is constantly changing and being able to adapt to that is important if you want them to have a love for learning.



Although we homeschool year-round, we tend to get into a simplified maintenance mode in the summer. Then when fall comes around and everyone around us is gearing up for going back to school, I feel the need to examine where we are and kick it up a notch. This year, though, I feel a lack of direction and a bit overwhelmed. Part of that is the fact that, my oldest is officially 9th grade - a freshman in high school. Technically, I only have 4 more years to prepare her to face life on her own. The clock is ticking. I also need to come up with a better system for record keeping, because right now I am terrible at it. I don't know for sure where God will lead her, but if it is college, she needs a good transcript. My little scribbles in my calendar planner are not going to cut it!


So, I have been doing a bit of studying of my own. I have been praying, and reading several books by godly homeschooling women. I feel like God is nudging me in a slightly different direction, but I am having trouble seeing it. I am considering various topics of study and curriculum options, but although they all seem good, none of them feels quite right to me. I think that is the Holy Spirit telling me that He has a better plan for us. He has just not fully revealed what it is yet. I guess I need to go through a period of spiritual growth before I am going to get it. That is one thing about homeschooling, you think you are doing it just to teach your children and it ends up that you are doing just as much learning and growing through the process!

If you are interested, here are a few of the books I have been reading and getting a lot out of:

Senior High: A Home-Designed Form+U+la by Barb Shelton

The Heart of Wisdom Teaching Approach: Bible Based Homeschooling

Managers of Their Homes: A Practical Guide to Daily Scheduling for Christian Homeschool Families by Steve and Teri Maxwell

And I plan to read
Homeschooling the High Schooler by Diana McAlister

and, of course, the Holy BIBLE - the best instruction manual.


In other news...
I'm still pregnant - in my 19th week. I am still having a bit of nausea which is unusual for me and I am still lacking a lot of energy. This means that I am having trouble keeping up on housework and laundry along with everything else I need to do. Hubby is anxiously awaiting that "nesting" thing to kick in so he can have a clean and organized house. Sadly, it's kicked in for me mentally, but certainly not physically. So, I am seeing all the things I want to accomplish, and have no oomph to get it done.

Because of my past history of gestational diabetes, and the fact that I had periodically checked my blood sugar early on and discovered it was a bit high, I took the glucose test that you normally would get at about 26 weeks early. It came out too high so my doctor is having me watch my diet and regularly check my sugars. It looks like I am going to have to start on a low dose of insulin like I did with my last pregnancy. I'm bummed, but that worked out great before, so I am hoping that it will work out as well this time. too.

So, that's my life lately. I'm falling behind on a lot of stuff including laundry, scrapbooking and even taking photos of my kids. Thankfully, my oldest daughter has been in photography and has been making up for me.






You can see more on her blog, Everything.

A Bit of Scrappin'

I've done a bit more scrapping recently. It is something I can sit and do when I am feeling tired, so I have gotten two pages done.

This one uses a picture I have shown off here on the blog on two other occasions. Can you tell that I really love it? When I saw this fun background by Julie Mead (Cottage Arts), I knew this would be a great photo to use. Extracting Abi on the swing out of the photo was a bit time consuming because of the chain and her wispy hair, but it was worth it. I am really pleased with how this came out. Credits for the page can be found here.

This other page a did a few days ago. It captures my littlest bringing me a flower which is a new thing that she has learned. It is just so sweet. Credits for this page can be found here.

I want to thank you all for the kind words and well wishes in response to my announcement. It is wonderful to have others excited with us about this new baby! My sister-in-law even wrote the sweetest entry on her blog. Not many people understand our conviction to leave our family planning up to God. I figure that I am only human and not always real smart, but HE is the creator of the entire universe, all-powerful, and all-knowing. I think He just might have a better idea of what is best for our family. ;-)

Several people have asked me about my due date. I haven't seen the doctor yet to get her official date, but according to an online due date calculator, we are looking at January 25th. I am in my 11th week. I'm experiencing the typical nausea and tiredness, but everything seems normal so far. Thanks for all your sweet words of encouragement!

Announcement - Big News

Can you guess my news?

I think most of my "real life" friends already know this, but I thought it was time I spilled the beans and told my online buddies. I'm expecting!

So if I seem quiet, it's not that I am away, I'm probably just napping [wink]. I get pretty wiped carrying babies. I am in my 11th week and I am hoping once I am officially in my 2nd trimester, some of my energy will return. I am tired of craving a nap everyday because it is not often realistic to take one.

The whole family is getting excited and my son has already informed me that he wants a BOY and has begun to pick out names. For his sake, I hope he gets a little brother because he is woefully outnumbered with 4 sisters, but I hate for him to be disapointed if we have baby girl. I keep telling him that God knows best who should be a part of our family and that may end up being a girl.

I created this scrapbook page to journal about some of my thoughts and emotions. Credits for it can be found here.

Here is what I wrote:

The Faint Pink Line

There is was, staring me in the face…the faint pink line on the pregnancy test telling me that I was carrying a brand new life. Wow! It is hard to explain the abundance of emotions welling up inside of me: joy, excitement, fear, thankfulness, insecurity, and more. A new baby – what a blessing! I think about holding a sweet little newborn in my arms again and get so excited. Then other thoughts crowd into my mind. I am 39 years old and I already have 5 precious children. I wonder, “Am I physically and emotionally strong enough to do this?” Each of my pregnancies has been successively more difficult for me. Having a baby at 24 is quite different that at 39. But, I am comforted to know that God is in control. He would not have given me this precious life to carry without also giving me the strength to do so. A peace washes over me.

I relax and relish is the joy of the knowledge of this new little life. That is, until I think about sharing this news with others. I don’t feel ready to face the reactions I will receive. When you announce a first or even second pregnancy, everyone is overjoyed for you. By the third pregnancy, the excitement of others has waned. By he fifth, the reactions can be quite different:
“Are you crazy?”
“Don’t you know what causes that?”
“Don’t you know how to prevent that?”
“Glad it’s you and not me!”
“And you’re happy about this?!?”
These are actual responses I have received on more than one occasion. I want to cry out, “No, I am NOT crazy!” Every one of my children is a precious gift. There is not one that I would choose to give up. A child’s value is not dependent upon their birth order. My fifth child is just as special and important to me as my first. I know that God created even this sixth child I carry for a special purpose.

Feeling unready to face the reactions of others, I keep my news to myself. It is nearly a month before I reveal this to anyone, even my husband. It is a little secret that only God and I share and I can take joy in the knowledge of this new child untainted by the words of others.

Now, as we slowly announce our news to the world, I steel myself for the comments that I will inevitably receive. I pray that God gives me wise words to use in response. I have to choose not to let others steal my joy away and continue to cherish this new little blessing of life I carry.

Thanks for letting me share!