Miss Belle

She may be trying to kill us as well as herself. I have to write these stories so I don't forget them. In November, my husband and I went back to visit Oklahoma. To make the trip easier we stayed in a hotel on our way home so we wouldn't have to drive so far in one day. Once the kids saw the indoor pool, we knew we wouldn't hear the end of it until they had a chance to swim. Silly mommy forgot the swimsuit so it's off to Target we go. Just so you know, Target does not sell swimsuits in November. So we made do, knowing we would be the semi odd looking people at the pool and bought the kids small gym shorts and a t-shirt to swim in. They seemed content with that.

So there we go to the pool, already filled with many laughing children. Seven month pregnant Andrea does not swim so Max was on his own with both kids. Peanut decided he wanted a ride on his Daddy's back so Max sat Miss Belle on the steps and instructed her to watch. This is something we have done many times in the past and never had a problem with. I watched from a distance as Miss Belle sat on the steps and Peanut laughed as his dad swam across the pool. And then I saw it: that look in Miss Belle's eyes. A look of determination and confidence. As she stood up on the steps I knew what was going to happen and sure enough it did. Without a second thought about it, Miss Belle decided she knew how to swim and dove with great confidence into the water. As I stood and shouted for Max to grab her, another woman sitting by ran to the edge of the water in a panic. The pool was small so I had no doubts that Max would make it to her in plenty of time. As I neared the edge of the pool I looked to Max wondering why he hadn't picked her up out of the water yet and suddenly realizing that he couldn't swim very fast at all since he had Peanut in  his arms and he can't swim either. As I watched Miss Belle roll and tumble in desperation under the water my mommy instinct kicked in. So seventh month pregnant Andrea jumped into the water fully clothed just as the other woman standing by did as well. Two fully clothed women, in the pool, reaching for Miss Belle. She coughed a few times and cried a little, but within minutes wanted to swim more. I, on the other hand, was quite humiliated having to walk all around the hotel back to our room soaking wet.

Fast forward two weeks. Target again (we like Target...a lot). I'm looking at cleaning supplies, Max has the cart one isle over and I hear the noise of a head hitting the tile. Before I even hear Miss Belle cry I hear several women standing by gasp and make sounds of shock and disbelief. I'm so glad I didn't actually see the fall, as I think it may have been a little traumatic for me. Miss Belle cried for quite some time, then calmed down. And by calmed down, I mean wanted to do nothing but sleep; which of course scared us. My husband and I aren't quick to go to the ER or urgent care so we decided to call a nurse line first to see what we should do. They told us to go to urgent care, so we didn't feel like we were over reacting to the situation when we took her in. After waiting two hours Miss Belle was finally seen and was starting to wake up a bit. The doctor said that she had a minor concussion, but as long as after about 4 hours she showed signs of improvement, she would be fine. Why the nurse line couldn't have told us about the four hour rule I have no idea.

Miss Belle, we love you and would really like to see you grow and mature over the years. While I appreciate your feisty spirit and "all in" attitude, a few less incidences would really save mommy's heart. I love you sweet daughter.

This Time...

Despite my extreme lack of blogging lately, I refuse to give this blog up. Even if it becomes an occasional writing, it will still be a good history of our life at this time. And a good outlet for me when needed.

I'm usually the happy pregnant woman. The one with no morning sickness, who hardly gains any weight and who's babies aren't terribly large. The aches and pains of pregnancy that some women tend to feel for months in pregnancy, I can only scarcely remember towards delivery day. Except this time...

God has challenged and humbled me in so many different ways this pregnancy. To start, it took almost a year to even conceive this child. God tried my patience and trust in His plan when, for the first time in my life, it didn't match my plan at all. After the joy of finding out we were pregnant came morning sickness for 12 solid weeks with two small children staring at me as I tried to shew them from the toilet while I puked. Feeling sick and tired all the time made me miss my old self and I wished so badly that I could just force myself to be in a good productive mood. In all my pregnancies I have had to take progesterone injections twice a week, and while I am used to this, it is still a hard and mentally agonizing thing to have your husband give you shots twice a week for nearly 35 weeks.  Through all this, I knew that the morning sickness had an end in sight and the second trimester brought a renewal of spirit and some much needed energy.

Then came the 26 weeks mark, when all of the sudden I couldn't roll over in bed or move my legs certain ways without extreme pain in my pelvis. With a little research and confirmation from my midwife, I was diagnosed with Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction. It's a nice long term that means the cartilage that holds one's pubic bone together in the front has softened too much, and my pelvis has become misaligned causing extreme pain when I move certain ways. I have a fairly high pain tolerance, but have never been in such constant agonizing pain. The kind of pain where it's all you can think about and all you want to talk about. The kind where I had to think about EVERY step I took or movement I made to make sure it didn't cause an extreme sudden rush of pain. I cried every night at the thought of laying in bed, as this was (and still sometimes is) the most uncomfortable place to be, and rolling over is the hardest and most painful movement to make (if you have ever been pregnant you know how many times a night you need to roll over). It was humbling to watch my children try so hard to help me by bending over for me or offering to "rub my back". I had to sit on the couch and think about all the stuff around the house that needed to be done while not being able to do a thing about it. It was mentally agonizing and extremely humbling. Through all this, I had to learn to depend on my husband in a way I never really have had to do before. He did all the work at his office and all the work at home. His constant acts of service made me fall in love with him all over again and showed through action he really did mean "in good times and in bad."

The most dreadful thing about the pelvic problems was the lack of hope. Everything I read on the Internet said to rest and that the issue would resolve after the baby was born. That at best, I may be able to still walk by the end of this pregnancy but that crutches and wheelchairs were common with this condition. And just when I was at the end of my rope, there came hope. A simple book written by a Physical Therapist that my dear friend just happened to have. To make an already long story shorter, the book gave me hope beyond belief and a regimen for eventual healing. If I stick to a pelvic exercise routine every day, twice a day and continue to pay attention to my movements, I am about 90% pain free most days (minus common pregnancy pains).

There are still nine weeks to go and I pray that I can enjoy them the way I did my other two pregnancies. And while I don't know if this baby is a boy or a girl, I can steal feel his/her tiny kicks and wiggles, reminding me that at the end of all of this is a sweet little soul to hold and nourish in God's love.

Big News!

Yes, I'm alive despite the scarce blogging these days. I figured it is due time to announce that after what seemed like a long wait...

BABY NUMBER 3 IS IN THE OVEN! Due to arrive mid February 2013!

We couldn't be more excited. Your prayers for a healthy pregnancy and birth would be greatly appreciated.

Peanut is sure it's a boy and wants to name him David Goliath. Bipolar at it's finest. Miss Belle is sure it's a girl and wants to name her something that I don't understand in her two year old language. Somehow my husband has convinced me to wait and find out the sex of this baby until birth day. (There were some serious negotiations involved), so we shall see! Thanks for the prayers!

The Gift of Compassion

Today I drove by a homeless man. It happens often, but today was different. This man, to the depths of his soul looked so...sad. His sign read, "Hungry, Homeless". I thought about how I have never had a moment in my life when I didn't know where my next meal was coming from. How I have never really experienced true hunger. I tried to stop to give him one of the bags I keep in my car for homeless people, but traffic was too rushed... always rushed. I waved and tried to smile, thinking at least I could give him that, but still sadness filled his face. And my heart ached for him. I looked around my car. Me driving in my nearly new mini-van, air conditioning blowing, music playing, kids laughing, hot burritos to fill their bellies, and amazing sushi for mine. Me who just came from a store to pick a two hundred dollar counter topper for our newly remodeled bathroom. And I didn't stop.

What is Christianity without action? What is love without giving of yourself? How will I teach these children compassion if I myself show none in my actions? And so I turned the car around and drove back to that place where the man with no home stood. I found a spot to park close by and gathered the food in my car and a bag full of hygiene products and snacks and made my way towards him. As he grabbed the things that filled my hands, he said,  "thank you kindly" and turned back to his corner. But not before giving me a quick smile, which is more than I could ask for.

I know many people pass by homeless people without a second glance because, "they got themselves there" or "they will spend the money on liquor". But this man's story is not for me to judge, and when I give of my money or possessions it should be with a free heart. A heart that thanks God for all the gifts he has given me and begs to never become immune to those in need.

"Each one of them is Jesus in disguise" -Mother Theresa

The Things They Say (8)

Riding in the car Miss Belle wouldn't stop saying "no" to every little thing Peanut asked her. It was frustrating him. Finally I told him to just leave her alone and not ask her any more questions since all she would answer was no.

Peanut: "Mommy, how do we make her stop doing that?"
Me: "I don't really know. But just leave her alone for a while"
Peanut: "Maybe we could just cut her head off..."

*he got the cutting the head off idea from David and Goliath, not from his parents, just FYI


Peanut: "Mommy how do band-aids work?"
Me: LONG explanation about how band-aids work. Pressure, blood absorption etc.
Peanut: "Then why didn't Jesus get a band-aid when he was on the cross for us?"

This story was told by my mom:
Peanut: "What's the 'toy section'?"
My mom: Explains what the toy section is
Peanut: "Oh, yeah! Sometimes we go to Target and I ask my daddy if we can go in the toy section and he says, 'no not today'.
My mom: "And does your mommy ever take you to the toy section?"
Peanut: "Well...sometimes when my mommy says 'no, not today' I say, 'PLEEEEEASE can we go to the toy section?' and she says, 'Ok just for a minute!"

I guess he has us pretty figured out at a young age.

Miss Belle is TWO!!!

Last weekend, Miss Belle turned two years old! When my husband and I went to bed that night, talking about what a blessing she is to us, we both said we didn't really know how to describe her. After a moment of silence, my husband hit the nail on the head. Everything Miss Belle does she does with every cell in her body. There is no in between with her. If she is loving you, she is loving with everything she has in her. If she is playing with you, she is only paying attention to you. If she wants something, she uses all her energy to get it and contrastingly, if she doesn't want something, every cell in her body will let you know (which is where it can sometimes get ugly). She is one of the most passionate, sweet and joyful kids I have ever seen. She also has one of the strongest wills I have ever seen. We plan with everything in us, to turn this will to Christ, which will put her in good company with other strong-willed saints like St. Paul. I am so excited to watch her grow, and seeing the girl she is becoming is such a joy.

Some things I want to remember about her at this age:

She asks "Why?" ALL the time (really pronounced 'aiy') She also uses the word "Aiy" for "yes" which  makes it really entertaining to watch people respond to her.

Every morning when she wakes, the first thing she does is find a pair of shoes to put on. She LOVES shoes. Particularly other peoples shoes. If she sees me put on a pretty pair she smiles with excitement and says, "OOOOOOO!!!!!!!" and laughs with joy. I have no idea where the shoe fetish lies in the gene pool (I don't have one), but she got it.

Miss Belle also loves purses. She carries one everywhere. When people come to our house they know to put their purse on top of fridge or the little purse snatcher will take it and carry it around for the evening.

She is one of the toughest kids I have ever seen (thanks to her brother). From the day she was brought home she has been rolled on, pushed and played with as if she was much older than she is.  If there were some kind of baby wrestling match I would put money on her.

She loves to give, what we call, "nose kisses". If you ask her for a kiss, she will grab your face, say "nose" and kiss you on the nose. It's rare to get a kiss anywhere else.

She idolizes her brother. Everything he does, she copies. The two can hardly stand to be separated and will always stand up for one another in a group of children.  

One of my favorite qualities about Miss Belle, is how she follows me everywhere. She doesn't care what I'm doing, it's enough to be at my side doing it. She is NOT entertained by television in the least bit! She could care less if that purple dinosaur is dancing and singing, she would rather be doing something hands on. I don't think she has ever sat through a television show...maybe not even five minutes of one.

Miss Belle, your birth was only a foreshadowing of the joy you have brought and are bringing every day to this family. I love you and am so proud to be your mother! Happy 2nd Birthday!

The Things They Say (7)

Peanut had a little school play and apparently during rehearsal he grabbed the microphone out of his teachers' hand and announced, "I'm spider man and I love Jesus!!!!"

Peanut has been making up words lately and one that has stuck is "panacas" (pronounced just like it's spelled). He started calling his rear his "panacas". Randomly the other night he told me, "Mommy, do you know why I made up the word panacas?" No... "Because I don't want to say the word butt because it's gross and that's where poop comes from." Ok then!

Peanut talking to Henry (our dog): "Henry, you always need to listen to mommy and daddy"
Me: "Thank you, peanut, but I'm not Henry's mommy. Henry can just call me Andrea"
Peanut: "Mommy, that's really silly. Dogs can't talk."