Silas Timothy

We are so thankful to announce the birth of our son, Silas Timothy!

 

He arrived at 11:35pm on October 11, 2012.

 

8lbs. 7oz., 22"

 

He's absolutely perfect...a joy...a bundle of sweetness from the Lord!



It's Confirmed...

...Little Man is all cuteness!

 

 

...all looks well from our ultrasound today!

 

...still all boy parts!

 

...we continue to wait to see his sweet face in person!

Labor of Love

I was joking with Linda on Saturday that while I wasn't laboring to deliver our little man, I was still performing a labor of love...

 

We're still waiting for our little man to make his appearance - some days with grace, many days without.  Please help me, Lord, to choose the right attitude while I wait!  We're 40 weeks, 3 days today...that impossible time when we suddenly have no date to fall back on...  Oh, well, one way or another, he should be in our arms by the end of this week... 

 

Anyhow, I spent some time laboring in the kitchen and prepping food to provide for meals for our family.  A labor of love because it can be tiring and time consuming and because I love to provide my family with healthy, nutritious food...

 

 

 

18 cups of butternut and acorn squash baked, scooped, mushed, bagged, and frozen... (Veggies are from our church garden.)  All ready looking forward to Thanksgiving dinner!  

4 dozen banana muffins - three kinds: plain, chocolate chip, and walnut - to suit the varied preferences of my gang.  I don't typically bake or cook to individual tastes.  But for me, the only walnut lover, it's totally worth it at times!  My usual mantra at meal times goes as follows, "This is what I made for dinner, so please eat, and don't complain.  Maybe tomorrow we'll have something you like better..."

Roasting tomatoes, onion, and garlic for homemade tomato soup.  I've decided this is one of my new favorite soup recipes...fresh tomato flavor, slightly chunky, mmm...garlic - more than the recipe calls for!  The recipe doesn't instruct you to roast the onion and garlic, however, that's what I did this time...oh, the lovely smell wafting from my kitchen.  Drooling.  I'll do it this way again!  The down side...my kids still prefer Campbell's canned soup...but I'll convert them before too long...at least that's the plan!  For now, it just means more soup for Mike and I to enjoy!  He, he!

 

I'm headed in for an ultrasound tomorrow to check baby - be sure he's head down (he's still floating around pretty high), get a guesstimate of his weight (in my experience, those estimates are never accurate and have always given me higher weights than reality), and check fluid levels.  Looking forward to seeing his cute little smushed face...

39 Weeks

39 weeks...just waiting.  I'm living in sweatpants if we are at home. Totally not my style, but they're just about the only thing I feel comfortable wearing for any length of time. It makes me feel lazy and sloppy, but since I'm exhausted anyhow, it works for now...  I completely cropped out my face because I look awfully tired and worn out.  Not pretty.  We figure we have at least a week to go beyond our due date since we've never delivered a baby any earlier than that.  Some days I'm okay with that, some days I'm not.  I'm so ready to meet our little man.

 

 

Today is one of those days that I just want to be done!  I'm dealing with a cough right now that is stretching my stretch marks and it hurts.  A lot.  I literally cradle my belly and press in to help lessen the impact of coughing.  Don't stand near me because I'm not covering my mouth!  I don't like to complain...but, oh, baby!  I'm trying to stay upbeat knowing that each day brings me one day closer to delivery.  I'm thankful that my kids are independent enough to care for themselves and Sadie for a few hours while I rested today...completely exhausted by the afternoon.

 

With help and motivation from my dear friend, Libby, I have been doing a lot of sorting, purging, and organizing which feels so great!  We've tackled sorting four tubs of baby boy clothing - such a blessing, office/desk supplies, arts/crafts supplies, sorting pictures/frames/photo boxes to finish organizing this winter, sorting papers/cards/hospital tags for memory boxes for each child, unboxing our massive collection of CDs, ironing and hanging curtains in our living room, entry, and dining room, sorting and recycling five years worth of boxes of home school papers/worksheets/workbooks - I only saved a few special papers for each boy's memory box.  Plus, Mike has been helping me get a variety of projects finished as well. 

 

Our home is really shaping up and feeling more "finished."  From the outside, many wouldn't notice the clutter or stuff that bugs me especially in our main living areas.  I have to have my surfaces clean.  Clutter and chaos make my mind cluttered and chaotic.  If spaces are messy, I can't concentrate nor do I feel motivated to tackle daily responsibilities let alone the mess.  I think the same applies to the kids, too, and that's a bad combination for life in general and homeschooling.

 

And so, at this point, I suppose I'll just continue wearing my stretchy pants, waiting, teaching, organizing, and dreaming about meeting this little man...

 

Any prayers you are willing to pray for us would be much appreciated!



36 weeks

In the final month's countdown to meeting our newest little blessing!  I'm so anxious to meet him!!!

 



32 Weeks

Mama and baby at 32 weeks.  Call my belly what you will...basketball or watermelon...it's all out front, all baby.  I always wonder how I can grow any more, but I always do!  This little man is growing like a weed, measuring two weeks ahead, and fighting me for space!

Sadie sometimes likes to get in on the picture taking...silly girl!!!

Can't wait to meet this little man!  Oh, he has no idea what's waiting for him...with all his family anxious to meet him and snuggle and kiss and hold and love and gaze and enjoy...

Thankfulness in Abundance

We took a family trip to our church garden again this morning and brought back quite a bit of goodness!  And while I am so thankful for the abundance, lying on the couch, resting my baby belly and back sounds so much more appealing right now.  Especially after bending, squatting, kneeling, and sitting in the dirt picking beans...

The pickled beets are done.  The carrots are peeled, blanched, and ready to be bagged for the freezer.  However, the green beans are still calling my name...and so, I'm hunkering down at the kitchen table with the radio blaring...

...thankful that my hubby and Luke are bringing home something for dinner after running errands...(for Mike's week long trip starting Monday...would you pray for us?)

...thankful that Elijah is keeping Sadie busy reading "The Lion, the Witch, and The Wardrobe" to her while munching on snack mix...

...thankful that Isaac appears to only have the sniffles at this point...

...thankful that I'm not doing all this on my own - so blessed by my Lord, my hubby, my children...

First Freezer Meals

The realization that our little man will make his appearance in just a short time is beginning to kick me into high gear in a lot of ways!  That fact, in combination with tons of fresh and free produce from our church garden, has me thinking a lot of preserving, freezing, and meal planning! 

I cringe at the thought of letting all this wonderful goodness from the garden go to waste especially knowing how much time and effort a few put into making the garden a reality for so many.  Namely my husband, but that's because he's my favorite gardener!  This season, I've grated massive amounts of zucchini for use in breads, sauces, ground meats, diced bags of green peppers for similar use, and we've consumed lots of the same as well as yellow squash, corn, beets, lettuce, green and yellow beans, raspberries, and did I mention zucchini?!  Yes, lots of zucchini!  I am hopeful to can lots of tomatoes when they are ripe, too! 

Today finds my Cuisinart Mini Chopper hard at work once again chopping onions, green peppers, one lone red pepper, zucchini, yellow squash, and one quart of tomatoes from last year. 

Cooking chopped veggies... 

Add cooked veggies to a batch of ground beef and sausage for assembly into lasagna freezer meals! 

Mmmm...smells good!  Can't wait to eat one meal for dinner tonight!

Baby Boy's Quilt

How has it been more than a month since I've posted anything here???!!!  Ah, well!  This post is short but scrumptious!!!

With our little man due to arrive in 9 weeks or so, I've been kicking into high gear to work on his baby quilt among other nesting type projects.  Sadie and I picked out these fabrics for him...love the brightness and fun.  These colors make me feel happy!

I'm basing this pattern on a free tutorial (Raw Edge Circle Quilt) from one of my favorite quilting blogs, Cluck Cluck Sew.  I'm hoping to begin sewing the circles onto the squares today...after a smidge of ironing.  I really appreciate the scrappy feel and "eyeball it" approach in this pattern since I rarely like to follow the rules when it comes to quilt making.  Fussy stuff hinders my freedom to do what feels right when creating.  Some projects don't turn out how I imagine them but that's the way I roll.

Blessings to you today!!!

Eighteen Weeks

Eighteen weeks and praising God that my sciatic nerve has calmed down a bit!  Still taking it easy...unlike yesterday when I over-did it a little whole lot by raging against all the dust bunnies in, around, and under the furniture on our first floor and basement.  Ah, well...I'm not stiff today and the house still looks clean-ish. 

But that's only partly because all snacks and meals have been eaten outside in the glorious warmth or at the movie theater... 

Does popcorn and soda count as a meal?! 

Yes, some days it does...like yesterday followed by ice cream in celebration of our boys' hard work at Awana and Karate this year!

I felt kinda bad for the person cleaning the area around where we sat...popcorn everywhere...

But it wasn't on the floor at my house.  I don't think I could have bent over to pick it up anyhow...

Facing Fears

This pregnancy has me facing a lot of fears.

In the beginning, it was the fear of man and his opinion of our choice to have another baby.  I wasted the first few minutes after confirming our pregnancy, hidden in the bathroom, paralyzed by the thoughts of what others would say to us and about us.  Fear of how man would think we were crazy or foolish or who knows what.

Worried by the fact that there was no going back...we really were having our fifth baby.  How I questioned whether we could do this.  Fear of not being able to handle five children.  Fear of failure.

Then came the thoughts of miscarriage.  I don't have a history of miscarriage, but I've feared it with every pregnancy.  Each time I'd use the bathroom, I'd take a deep breath and sigh from relief when all was good.  The closer we came to thirteen weeks, the less I worried, but the fear was still there.

In the doctor's office, waiting impatiently for the Dr. to come in, preparing myself not to hear our baby's heartbeat at twelve weeks. 

Feeling those first flutters and pokes around fifteen weeks, then not feeling anything one day...fearing that for some reason our baby had died.  Intentionally poking my tummy and drinking a sugary drink to stir up the baby just to feel something to no avail.

And now, as we approach our mid-pregnancy ultrasound, I find myself fearing what we will learn at that appointment.  Part of me feels like "the jig is up" thinking how it's probably impossible for one person to have five healthy pregnancies with no complications.

A few nights ago, I found myself reading blogs of families who are facing difficulties in pregnancy, stillborn births, chromosomal defects, and the knowledge that their babies are not likely to survive outside the womb if they even survive to full term.  The fear grows with every story I read or family that I personally know who has faced such circumstances.

Lying in bed that night I was unable to go to sleep, fearful.  Crying out to the Lord to fill my mind with His peace as a verse to that effect kept floating through my mind.  Knowing that even if any one of those scenarios comes true in our lives that we wouldn't change our decision to have this baby, to carry this baby to term.  But, consumed with fear.

One blog post I read (with all the blog jumping I can't find the link now...) was speaking about their son whom they lost mid-pregnancy due to chromosomal issues.  They wrote that even though they couldn't have known the length of their son's life during their pregnancy, his life was never truly in the balance.  The Lord always had a plan for him.  Their son's days were known to the Lord before he was even conceived.  She made the point that for those of us who know the Lord, our lives are not hanging in the balance either.  Anyone of us could lose our lives or one of our children at any point in their lives.  Our days are numbered according to the Lord's plan.  As hard as it is for me to imagine losing a child, it was one spark of hope in the midst of my fear.

A dear friend left these verses tucked in my purse today at church after sharing my fears with her...

"You will keep in perfect peace

him whose mind is steadfast,

because he trusts in you."

Isaiah 26:3

"There is no fear in love,  But perfect love drives out fear,

because fear has to do with punishment. 

The one who fears is not made in perfect love." 

1 John 4:18

While I know there is nothing to gain in fearing what I can't control, my sin nature keeps me focused there.  A thought came to my mind the other night, maybe something I've heard elsewhere, or maybe just from the Lord...

"Fearing the uncertainties of the future robs me of today's joy."

So what am I to do?

I need to keep my mind focused on the Lord and His peace.  I need to be in Scripture.  I need to be cautious of the reading I do...the internet is not always a good thing.  I need to avoid personalizing other's stories and fears as my own.  I need to live today trusting that the Lord's plan is perfect and good despite my lack of understanding. 

I need to fight fear. 

Big time.

Fifteen Weeks

Little wee one is 15 weeks 1 day...and mama is feeling pretty good physically. Tired, but good. (Though the mama in this picture doesn't look too tired...must be the rejuvenation of reaching a super low point and now climbing the hill of action again!!!)

My only truly bothersome symptom is fairly constant sciatic nerve and low back pain. It limits what I can do, makes me feel stiff, achy, and old. And it's too easy of an excuse for not vacuuming or hauling laundry up and down the stairs. Oh, but little one, you are worth it!!!

Don't you love that belly button? When I was pregnant with our first baby, it embarrassed me and I'd cover it with a band-aid. This time I only tried to keep it "hidden" until our exciting news went public. Now, it's just forever sticking out like a beacon in the night...

P.S. I'm clinging to the hope of wearing my favorite jeans for a while longer!!! Good thing they sit low on my hips!