Thankful for My Husband

A lot has changed in the nearly twelve years since I met my husband, even how much I love him. It's even more than on the day I married him. Just this weekend we got to live out some of those marriage vows, especially the "in sickness and in health" part. Boy, were both of us sick from what we think was food poisoning. But even being as sick as he was, he still tried to take care of me and single-handedly got Gavin ready for bed. He even went as far as wrapping some presents we needed to take to the church, all the while tying to take as much care with them as I would.


And while I am so thankful for his new job, I truly treasured those two months we had both being home together. No one else makes me smile, laugh or feel as taken care of as this man. He is amazing with Gavin and I know of a certain to-be-born little girl that will be adored by her daddy.



This goof ball of a man gets me out of my comfort zone yet keeps me grounded. He's the right-sided partner to my left-sided brain. And without getting too gushy, he's the only one for me.

Thankful for a Baby Girl Who is 33 Weeks

I thought I might combine my weekly pregnancy update with what I am thankful for. This little miracle growing in me is truly amazing. She already seems so different and unique from her brother and brings us a lot of joy just thinking we will get to hold her soon.

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 33 Weeks

Since I don't have a picture of me, here's one a few weeks ago at an ultrasound. We'll get to see her again in another three weeks.

Size of Baby: About 17 inches - the size of a pineapple - and weighs around 4.25 pounds.

Maternity Clothes: I am kind of concerned how I am going to extend my maternity wardrobe for the next seven weeks. A few of my shirts are getting a bit short, but that's probably what I get for wanting to wear regular shirts and not maternity shirts.

Gender: It's a GIRL!

Movement: She still moves mostly at night but I also get the random surprise kicks sometimes. Just in the past week, I have been feeling some pain in my left rib which I am pretty sure is due to a foot being jammed into it.

Sleep: If I didn't have to turn over from side to side, I think I would be ok.

What I miss: I'm still having Diet Dr. Pepper cravings and I seriously wish it wasn't so hard to bend down to pick things up.

Cravings: Protein!

Best Moment of the Week: Hearing little girl's heartbeat is always so reassuring. I had a good check up today and the doctor said that after the next appointment, we would be going to weekly appointments! We also just got our picture files from our maternity/family photo shoot. I can't wait to share them.

Thankful for the Word

So I didn't exactly get on the thankful bandwagon like I saw so many of my Facebook friends do, but I thought since Thanksgiving was a week away (can it be true?) that I would post (or at least try to post) a blog each day of what I am thankful for.

Today, the first thing that popped into my mind was God's Word. I am truly blessed to have grown up with it in my life, but not until the past six months or so can I say that it has been something that I feel like I can not live without. Hmmm, maybe it has to deal with the trials we have gone through. It's been amazing to see how various things I have been reading or the part time editing that I do have tied into my daily Bible reading.

I still feel like I have so much further to go in terms of really ingesting what I am reading and having it placed on my heart, but for now I am enjoying this bit of daily reading. As I am finishing up on the one year Bible, that I admit has taken me two years to do, I am hoping that next year I can take smaller sections and truly let them soak in my life.

32 Weeks

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 32 Weeks- eight months!

Size of Baby: About 16.7 inches - the size of a large jicama - and weighs approximately 3.75 pounds.

Maternity Clothes: All maternity pants but still trying to mix up maternity and non maternity tops. I don't think this is going to change much. I'm just not the biggest fan of maternity tops especially the ones with the ties in the back. I do like the longer maternity t-shirts though.

Gender: It's a GIRL!

Movement: She is getting more and more cases of the hiccups like her big brother did, but they are a lot softer. D also commented that she does not seem to be as feisty either which I have to agree.

Sleep:I am trying to squeeze in more sleep if I can. This morning I already had a list of things to do, but after getting up early with D and reading my Bible I decided that it was going to be ok so go back to sleep for a little while especially since big brother was also taking the opportunity for once.

What I miss: My feet! They had been slightly swollen where I could barely tell, but about three days ago decided to turn into large sausages. - not pretty!

Cravings: I am actually drinking more water and after a few weeks of being hungry all of the time, I am starting to not feel like eating so much.

Best Moment of the Week: We took Gavin to a sibling class at the hospital. It is the only class we are taking this time around, so I was hoping to get in a few questions myself. Gavin got to hold a "baby" and change its diaper, which thankfully he was all so eager to do. That will stay that way, right?



We also took a tour of the hospital where he sported his new big brother shirt they gave him. Being at the hospital again made me excited but also nervous. Maybe it was because D was teaching Gavin how babies break dance. I can't believe that in just about seven weeks we will be there having our little girl.

Three Eyed, Two Horned, Walking, Blue Candy Eater

We have had some serious computer issues lately, as in, we are wondering if we will lose all of our digital photos from the last couple of years. So we (D and I) have been desperately trying to back them all up the past few days. I had plans on posting about all of Gavin's fun costumes that he willing and insisted on putting on everyday. Something about hearing it was cold outside triggered this desire of his. Maybe it was because two weeks ago when it was in the eighties we may or may not have told him it was too hot to wear a costume to the store.

Anyways, while we are finishing the photo backing up process (sounds technical, right?), I did manage to snag one picture to post. This is his alien/monster/cookie monster/dinosaur costume (we had lots of guesses) and me in my skeleton mama and baby shirt that I made. We sported them at our church's Trunk or Treat. Gavin doesn't look too enthralled, but believe me he had a great time.

31 Weeks

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 31 Weeks

Usually the picture is what holds up some of my maternity posts, but last week I had the picture and no blog. I'm going to use the picture from last week for this week but just imagine me a little bit bigger now.

Size of Baby: About 16.25 inches - the size of four navel oranges - and weighs approximately 3.3 pounds.

Maternity Clothes: All maternity pants but still trying to mix up maternity and non maternity tops.

Gender: It's a GIRL!

Movement: She has had a few cases of hiccups and seems to actually respond to Gavin or D's voice. It could also be the poking she gets when either of them are around. Both of them think my now outie of a belly button is funny.

Sleep: I kind of feel like I am burning the candle at both ends. There has just been so much to do that I'm probably not getting the rest as much as I do, but when I'm out, I'm really out.

What I miss: Picking things up off the floor easily and my energy level.

Cravings: This week it has been ice cream which is nice that Blue Bell has been on sale.

Best Moment of the Week: Gavin went with me to my check up for the first time. He was so excited about hearing baby sister's heart beat. After we listened to it, he asked me why she wasn't crying and why she wasn't coming out now. Later on, we asked him what his sister's heart beat sounded like, and he responded with, "Like Bullseye!" (the horse from Toy Story).

Super Kid

I realized there is a certain little boy who I have not blogged about lately. It's not because he has not gotten all sorts of attention, tickles, and love at home, but merely because I have pretty much had to set the blog aside the last couple of months. However, I don't want this time to slip by and forget all of the sweet memories we have made like this morning when I heard his sweet little voice say, "I'm awake now." We usually sing the Good Morning song to each other, do a series of stretch and rolls, and see which stuffed animal can knock down his Tigger from across the room.

This boy makes me laugh. Some days, I see so much of D but others like this day, it was totally me when he displayed his talent called, Monkey Toes. It's a trait passed down to at least the third generation on my side.

D and I are trying to daily teach Gavin of God's love and most days he seems to get it. When you ask him who took care of his bobos, he says God heals him. He prays for just about everything he can think of including things that have happened in the past. And for some reason, his prayer about his grandparents goes like this: "Thank you for Nee, thank you for Poppy, thank you for Me Me, thank you for Grand daddy's birthday."

But other days, he absolutely doesn't want to pray when it's his turn. I'm realizing it's a tough spot for a parent because you want them to love God with all of their heart, but you also want them to love Him on their own accord. In the picture below, he is making sure his friends holds hands while they pray.


I love these little hands which are getting much too big and capable these days. Gav likes to figure things out and will often find a way to fix something. I'm noticing lately that he seems to be a visual learner. When putting together a puzzle, he will often refer to the picture for clues.

I really don't want to say it, but he is beginning to transition from the toddling toddler to a preschool runner.



I was concerned a month or two ago, when he started stuttering rather suddenly. What I researched proved true, he was going through a language growth spurt. Lately, when we ask Gavin a question, he will respond with a very thoughtful,"Well........" Other phrases he uses a lot:

"That's just silly."
"I love you to the moon and back."
And embarrassing as it is, to a stranger he might shout out, "Hey you!"

I can pretty much understand everything he says, but of course I am around him 24/7.


Like many other three year olds, Gavin can be somewhat clumsy. One day after the second or third time of him falling, I told him we would have to get him a helmet. He came back with this contraption. I have to say, that it might actually protect him and cause bodily harm to others.

We are so thankful that D found a new job. He was part of the thousands who had been laid off as a result of canceling NASA's space shuttle flights. If someone would pay D to stay home with us, I would be fine with that because I truly enjoyed having him here. And I know, this little boy did as well. It gave them some bonding time and I can say that D does a much better job at playing Batman and Star Wars than I do.

Gavin is also going through a huge super hero phase. I probably shouldn't call it a phase because it may be the beginning of a lifelong fascination with all things super hero. He loved that his grand daddy's birthday was a Superhero theme. In our eyes, this kid is pretty super.


I'll try to post sooner next time so I'm not writing a novel.