Mental Health Day

Today was so neat.


I kept Cora home from preschool today (I know how awful of me and yes I know we are paying for it), but Cameron didn't wake up until 5 minutes of 8 when we would usually get up at 8.  Cora and I lounged in Andy's and my bed until Cameron woke up. Then she stayed in her pj's all day.  She said, "let's have a pj day!"  Speaking of pj's, when I was going through my closet I found the old navy christmas pajama pants that I bought last year after Christmas!  Score!  So anyways, while they watched tv, had cheerios and milk, and played, I started to organize the gazillions of clothes in my room.  Maternity clothes, too small clothes, too big clothes, the laundry that I had to put away.  It is all away and organized (for the most part).  It is difficult because my small clothes are definitely too small (like what I fit into this summer)but my maternity clothes are WAY too big.  So it is kind of awkward.  Anyways, to reward myself and to keep me working the rest of the day, we got in the car in our pj's and went to Dunk Dunk's to get coffee and donuts.  No we don't normally eat donuts but man that Boston Cream donut was D-E-L-I-CIOUS!  And the kids shared two donuts - the pink frosted with sprinkles and the red frosted with red and green sprinkles.  So anyways, they had lunch then they played while I cleaned up after lunch.  They have made up a new game called "hop race."  
This is how it goes, usually after a meal, Cora will start running around the dining room table and say to Cameron, "wanna play hop race."  They will hop/run around the table chasing each other.  It is SO cute.  I am so glad that they are so close and that we had them so close together.  
Meanwhile Cora had to go potty and I nonchalantly asked Cameron if he had to go potty.  Usually he says no.  But he nodded his head yes and said potty.  So I took off his diaper and he went nakey.  I put the potty seat in the kitchen and he sat on it.  He got up wandered around and about 10 minutes later went pee in the potty!  He has gone number two but he never peed in the potty.  Needless to say, this Mommy sang a song of celebration.  And while he sat there, we sang Bringing Home and Baby Bumble Bee which is apparently the FUNNIEST song to Cameron right now.  So I sang that probably 10 times.
My mom came over to give Cameron a haircut which he did great.  Apparently the key with him is to do it while he is very tired, not cranky tired, but tired and falling asleep.  Because he was half asleep the whole time (even when I by accident got his ear - ouch, he didn't even make a peep, I mean seriously this kid is funny).  After this, I put him in for a nap and he fell right asleep and from the kitchen I could hear him snoring on the monitor which was in the living room.  
While Cameron napped, Cora and I went back up to my room to do some more clothes organizing, sorting, folding, putting awaying, giving awaying, etc.  So I have three (no make that four because the other day I went through a too small bin and got rid of most of it) bags to donate!  Yahoo!  Simplify.  This is something I am not very good at it.  I love clutter or at least I tolerate it because my house is never filthy but it is not clutter free. 
Cora helped me put my shoes back in my shoe rack (some of them slip out which is kind of annoying).  She wore my heels (she might wear them more than I do haha), we listened to Pandora on my new IPhone and she watched videos of herself which she loves.


Cameron ate three bowls of cereal after his nap!  Talk about an early dinner haha.  He peed on the floor probably seven times.  But he did go number 2 in the potty (warning gets graphic: I had to pick him up and plunk him in the potty but he finished and sat there for a while so that counts right!?)  And when I put the cotton training pants (the underwear with extra layers) he peed in them and had no clue.  


Oh well.  Who knows, maybe he will take to it, maybe he won't.  But when I put his diaper on to go to bed he was like "no iaper" So I don't know maybe he is into it just not really getting the whole going on the potty concept. 


We had meatballs and pea pods for dinner dipped in a honey soy sauce I made.


It was just a good day.  I don't know what was so special about it.  Even though Cora wasn't sick, I am glad she appreciated the extra day at home with her Mama (even if she didn't get to see her father at all except at 6:00 when he brought her into the bed while he got ready for work).


And when Cameron asks to rock after I leave the room and I say yes it is because I know at some point I am going to say man I miss those days.  So I am cherishing them now.


God, you are good.

19. Coo me please(after Cam burps)

20. Kids running around after dinner

21. Real play while I tidied up my room this morning

22. The after nap or morning toots

23. Cora reading stories to Cam at night

24. Twinkle lights

25. A relaxed thankful attitude in December

Memories that I want to remember/1,000 gifts

10. Hank you Mama (thank)

11. oo that one (do that one, referring to a video on youtube haha)

12. guess what.  what.  I love you. 

13. funny bridge (whenever we go over the bridge st bridge the kids say funny bridge and laugh the whole time)

14. snuggles

15. full body hugs in the morning from Cameron

16. December being a whole month of Christmas

17. new babies (Leanne's in particular)


18.  Mike Tomkins youtube vidoes

Tales from the Rocking Chair

Maybe I should have named my blog tales from the rocking chair or confessions of a green mama.  

Don't you think it would be funny to read confessions of a green mama?

Today, I took the kids sandwiches in plastic bags (gasp!)

I have been using disposable diapers on Cameron since we moved (ugh!)

I run the dishwasher sometimes when it isn't full (oh no!)

I don't dry my clothes out in the sun (this is disappointing to me I am not going to lie)

I don't compost

I threw away some paper today with the trash (oooh)

Well todays post is a tale from the rocking chair.

I have been spending some extra time with Cameron before bed rocking him in the glider.  He is 2.  (gasp, you still do that, are you thinking?  Isn't he supposed to be putting himself to sleep, do you still breastfeed too?  We just stopped breastfeeding this past month and I am very bummed, I had said that I would only breastfeed until he was 18 months.  That came and went and he turned 2 and we were weaning slowly.  He is about done, I don't think there is anything left :-( He asks every once in a while but it is almost jokingly because the last couple of times he has nursed I don't think there was much left)  Anyways, back to the rocking chair/glider tale...

I have really cherished the extra time we have spent cuddling, singing, praying, rocking.  The kids have listened to a worship CD at nap time and nighttime for as long as I can remember.  It is called Sing Over Me: Worship Songs and Lullabies.  And really they are beautiful.  What better to sing them to sleep than songs about Jesus and his love for them.  How Deep the Father's Love For Us, How Great is Our God, May the Words of My Mouth.  It is almost like in those times when we are rocking I can escape the troubles of today.  Enjoy being a child, praise God for the love between a child and his mother.  Thank God that he loves us like a parent loves his child.  Be His child, sit in his lap, sing to him, drink Him in.  Sometimes I pray out loud for my little blessings.  My kids share a room so Cora is usually in her bed about three feet from the chair where we are rocking.  I kiss his head.  Stroke his cheek, run my fingers through his hair.  Savor his little being.  Drink him in.  It is just absolutely wonderful.  I didn't do this with Cora, partially because I had Cameron when Cora was only 18 month but I was convinced at that time that babies were supposed to go right to bed on their own at 8 weeks, thanks Baby Wise.  (that is a little bit of a stretch, I think we did some sleep training when she was much older, 11 months or so)  Cora is 3 1/2 and I will take her to preschool this week and I feel like I missed something.  Those quiet times in the rocking chair.  Rocking, praying, singing, being, loving, touching.  They are not always going to be like this.

I was in a mom baby group after I had Cora and the lady who facilitated it would say to us, "ladies, love your babies, rock them, hold them" when we would say our babies don't go to sleep on their own, other people's baby's are going to sleep on their own.  Now that I have two babies - one who is going to preschool this fall and one who has just weaned my advice is to say love your babies.  Drink them in.  Caress their skin.  Feel their warmth.  Pray for them, thank God for them, because 

"it won't be like this for long."  

While he still wants to be rocked, I am going to cherish it.




Disclaimer: I know some kids don't want to be rocked and that ever kid is different and yes there are obviously other ways to love your child than rocking him at night.

1000 Gifts

Being thankful...

1. girls night

2. little voices in the monitor waking up in the morning

3. waking up before the kids to not only hear them wake up but to do a couple of yoga ish stretches to get my body awake

4. good friends and good conversation

5. rocking a 2 year old to sleep

5. marriage

6. prayer

7. A God who listens

8. These beauties

9. A compassionate, loving, amazing God

More about Cameron's birth story!

Okay some details I left out because I was writing a post so quickly.  He was due August 1st but I told myself the 5th so I wouldn't get too antsy (best advice to pregnant mother: give yourself a due month DO NOT get caught up in a due DATE, the baby coming on your due date is so rare.)  Or at least I got antsy with Cora and those last few weeks were really tough just waiting!  My parents still lived in Westford at this point but they were getting their floors refinished so she was staying with us for a few nights.  This was nice because I was so tired it was nice to have help with Cora.  Luckily, for us, she was there the night I went into labor.  Oddly enough I had a feeling that I was having the baby that weekend.  I am pretty sure it was a Friday because that Saturday my parents were planning on going to a college reunion and I remember thinking I think you might be watching Cora because I am pretty sure this baby is coming!  

Andy had gone to bed and that is when I started contracting enough to know what was going on.  I contracted while talking to someone on facebook chat, I don't remember who this was, was it you?  

My mom was laughing at me because there I am at the computer in the room she was staying in breathing, hanging out and chatting online.  So anyways, several contractions and an hour later I woke up Andy who was not so happy about the fact that he was not going to be going back to sleep. haha

Okay so now you can read the other post to get the middle of the story here








Now for some post partum happenings:
The funny thing about this was they did not whisk him away after birth which was great because a newborn's first moments should really be on the breast of their mother (unless medical intervention is really necessary).  I stepped out of the tub with Cameron on my chest and the placenta still inside of me which was weird because the umbilical tube was still connecting the baby.  I delivered the placenta and the midwife waited for it to stop pulsing blood and Andy cut it.  We didn't do anything with the placenta so she examined it to make sure it was all there and then discarded it.  What was funny about it is both Andy and I were kind of like hey isn't the midwife going to hold the baby now? haha  It was so nice at the birth center, they let you be and it was so homey with the comfort of the midwives.  
And now for some gross details: 
I did tear, but not as bad as the first and the midwife gave me a local shot of pain numbing medicine and she stitched me up - it was weird because I could feel it but it didn't hurt.  
The other gross detail was I passed a fairly large clot when I went to the bathroom a couple of hours after the delivery.  I knew that wasn't exactly right, called to Andy and Andy got the midwife.  My blood wasn't clotting so they had to give me some drugs to clot my blood so I wouldn't bleed too much.  That wasn't fun.  But it was fine and really it was a small obstacle considering what could happen.
Since he was born in the middle of the night, we tried to sleep from 2:30 / 3:00 until morning.  I had such an adrenaline rush after all I just had a baby so I didn't get right to sleep but I did snooze with the baby in between us.  Andy slept fine and before we knew it it was morning.  
I called my friend Leanne to come take newborn pictures and pictures of our new family of four.  I actually think she got there before my mom did with Cora.  My mom came with Cora and made us an AMAZING breakfast.  It was an omelet with zucchini, cherry tomatoes and cheese.  It was so good.  Maybe because I had just given birth but really it was good.  Cora was only 19 months when Cameron was born and neither of my kids are very verbal so she did not say much but she did hug him and kiss him.  My father came later in the day as he was in Westford.
We chose to stay in the hospital for two nights as the birth center offers that option for new families.  But luckily for us the room wasn't ready until late afternoon so we instead were in the beautiful birth center with barely any interruptions!  I had heard that Bridget from church had her baby the day before mine and that Tara (who is mentioned here) was in labor too. 

Bridget is on the left, Tara is next to her and Cerissa is next to me.  Cerissa had her baby about a month after ours.  It actually kind of felt like a party.  Bridge came to see me before she left and my friend Jocelyn came and we went to see Tara.  I felt worlds better than right after I had Cora.  

Such a blessing to have children and to be surrounded by friends who love the Lord!

A look back two years and some other thoughts!

So Cameron turned two yesterday!  I can hardly believe that it was over two years ago I delivered him in the water at the North Shore Birth Center.  It was really a great birth and I think fondly back to it.  It was fast.  I started contracting at 930 or 1015 the evening of the 30th and delivered him at 1:47 am four hours later!  But it was really intense! The contractions were bearable, and we left for the birth center around 1130(?) and they were still 5 or so minutes apart.  I remember walking around the birth center where the appointments are held because there was another woman in heavy labor and I could hear her and it was making me a little nervous.  So Andy and I walked around the other side of the building and were joking around a little bit.  The other woman delivered her baby and the midwife had to connect me to the monitors (by law - boo) and when she did that my contractions skyrocketed.  They got really painful and I remember saying may I PLEASE go in the water now , may I PLEASE go in the water now and demanding that someone give me a lower back rub.  hahah  SO after 10 or 20 minutes of the monitor, Andy filled up the tub and I went in.  I spent some time and there and at 1:35am (I think) my water broke - let me rephrase that, it popped.  I heard and felt it pop.  It was very strange.  Maybe I could hear and feel it because we were in water.  But anyways, a few minutes later Cameron was pushing himself out - the contractions were pushing him through the birth canal.   I remember thinking, um I guess I am pushing.  I must have pushed a couple more times because he was born at 1:47 am and I remember thinking HOLY MOLY that was FAST!!!!

To be continued....

Obedience

The other day we were leaving to go out on errands and Cora and Cameron were both playing very intently with some toys in the playroom.  Now there were a couple of days last week during Vacation Bible School that I felt like Cora really wasn't listening.  (I am thinking it had to do something with the fact that she was at VBS 4 days in a row without me and Cameron.)  I have been praying and trying to encourage Cora that obeying your parents is really important.  So I said to the kiddoes, alright guys it's time to go!  Cora stood right up walked over to the door and said "Oops my mommy's talking.  I am going to listen and obey."  I think I might have said that your head and heart should be saying ope my mommy's talking, I should listen and obey (even when you are in the middle of something)  That made me SO happy- I had such a grin on my face.  She has done this once or twice since then, but it is nice to know that she is listening when I tell her things and she remembered!!!

Now I hope that that is what I say when I hear my Father calling to me!

Cora

What is Cora like?

She is....




Sweet ~ today they were taking turns at the mall pressing the button to go on the elevator and when it was Cameron's turn she didn't fight it one bit she was actually helping him press the button!
Funny ~ she is just funny
Musical ~ she sings ALLLLL the time
Dramatic ~ today we were walking the mall and she stopped, looked down with her head and was like phew! She also does this pouty thing now where if she doesn't get what she wants, she puts her head down almost all the way down to her chest and sighs over and over
Sensitive ~ she cries if someone pokes her, really she is not very tough when it comes to getting hurt
Creative ~ she is so creative
Curious ~ everything is why:
Cora:  Why are we going this way?
Me: Because this is the way to go home
Cora: Why is this the way to go home?
Me: Because this road gets us back to our house.
Cora: Why is this the road that gets us to our house?


Into tv ~ she really gets into the shows she watches and she gets really scared if something is     dark on tv or suspenseful (I am really sensitive to tv as well)
Daddy's girl ~ "can daddy take me out of the car" "Can Daddy sit here (next to her) and you sit there?"
Well-mannered ~ she really is.  She was a really easy baby and she is a sweet little girl.
Polite ~ "May you go with me"
Likes to shop ~ sometimes when we go on errands she will ask me if we can go to more stores! haha
Helper ~ she loves to help! (sometimes, and we do tell her that sometimes good helpers sit out and listen and obey when something is too big for her)
A good learner ~ she is a good learner and likes to learn.  She was very patient as a baby trying to figure things out.  She is currently doing 25 piece puzzles that she got as a late birthday gift about a month or so ago and she really is quite good at them!




I will be adding to this...

Birth Story Part 2

So after we had told my parents we knew we wanted to tell Andy's parents in person.  We had been planning a road trip for Jesse and Katie's wedding.  So on the way to Buffalo we stopped in Rochester (we met them somewhere on the way ish) and gave my mother in law a birthday card on it with an ultrasound picture.  I had gotten a little sneak peak on the baby at work one day!  Andy's dad said he knew something was up and my mother in law was stoked!

We continued to tell people on our road trip that we were pregnant, we visited the Newmans in Ohio and told them, then Andy's sister Katie and her now husband Wade, and Rick and Kathrin and also Matt and Brooke Lloyd.

YUCK, I do NOT like my hair short, so please if I ever want to cut it like this, please don't let me!!!  And really don't make a drastic hairstyle change when you are pregnant!!!

It was so fun telling everyone, especially with your first!

Alright, so I am trying to remember some details of the pregnancy, I gained a LOT of weight with Cora.  I had her in January so all winter I was big and pregnant and BORED. haha  I had worked up until December 1st and instead of being wise and reading books or journaling or preparing I think I did a lot of vegging and relaxing before the baby came.  I remember Christmas coming and going.  December 28th coming and going.  That is Andy's birthday and Cora's due date.  New Years Eve coming and going, New Years Day coming and going.  At that point I was fed up and just thought heck this baby could just come in February at this point!  HA. The last few weeks of pregnancy are SUPER difficult!  Anyways, on my due date I thought my water had broken so I was admitted at Beverly Hospital and monitored.  Water had not broken but the monitor was showing pretty decent contractions that I had no idea were happening.  

I was sent home bummed.  So anyways a week went by...Thursday night came and I went to bed.  I forget why I was in the hospital that day - maybe the non stress test? Again contractions and I couldn't feel a thing.  Anyways, Andy is sound asleep and I was having contractions.  I think I threw up and walked around upstairs quite a bit just to walk.  I actually think the midwife gave me a sleeping pill to sleep because she thought labor wouldn't start for several hours.  I feel like I am forgetting why I was in the hospital because I know she sent me home with a sleeping pill saying labor won't start for some time...

I said to Andy, ah I think we should think about going to the hospital around 1145 or maybe 1?  I am pretty sure that Andy said something like this better be it haha because I had wanted it to happen so bad that I thought I was having symptoms once or twice. (I should have recorded this a while ago)  My red LL bean bag was packed with everything you could think of.  The CD that the kids listen to at night, magazines, Scripture cards, 16 extra DD batteries in case we needed 16 because who knows how long everything would take, right?

They admitted me again and I think I was 4 cm.  Contractions were mild to moderate at this point and I was walking around in the lovely hospital johnny they give you.  They have to monitor you every once in a while so I can remember being strapped to the darn bed during a strong contraction and my whole body would tense up.  I LOVED being up and walking or leaning on the bed, I think I used the birthing ball a couple times but not a whole lot.  I remember repeating things to myself like, I can do everything through Christ who strenghtens me and my body was made for this, you can do it, God made your body to do this!  I spend a good amount of time in the tub which is nice because the water is nice but it is hard to get comfortable in a bathtub in the hospital.  But the water does really make you feel weightless (I had Cameron in the water at the birth center...stay tuned for that story...).  I got out when I felt like I had to go to the bathroom.  So a labor coach will tell you having a baby feels like you have to go to the bathroom.  Yes, that is kind of what it feels like except it is a baby.  And yes that is very strange.  So anyways, I got out of the tub and soon after I felt like I had to push.  No one had checked on us in a while and I really felt like I needed to push so Andy pressed the call button.  About three nurses ran in and Andy, the first time labor partner, said "ahh, she needs to push."  They said, oh that's it and left. haha  This was at 7am.  There was a point where Andy asked me about the epidural which I really didn't want to do.  I was checked and I am pretty sure I was 8 cm or something like that so I did not want it for 2 more centimeters!  After all, that was in my birth plan - no drugs!  Luckily my labor had been relatively short so I could do that and I am so thankful for that!

So anways, pushing was HARD.  I also don't think I really knew how to push, I wonder also if lying on my back was the best position to do that...but I can't really do anything about that now.  I pushed for two hours and out she came!  I was exhausted and elated!!!  We called my in-laws and my parents to tell everyone that we had a GIRL.  We didn't know what we were having and we named her Cora Elizabeth.  She was so precious and beautiful!

WARNING: gets kind of graphic...(not that it hasn't already but this is about post partum)  

Now I do have to say that after I had her, I tore very bad and they had to stitch me up.  They asked me which drugs they should give me and I told them to knock me out! haha I had just had a baby au natural and I had NO idea really what needed to happen after someone has a baby.  So anyways, Cora had meconium so the NICU people were in the room, and they whisked her away rather quickly.  I was then taken back to surgery and Andy was left alone.  I remember the nurse putting a needle in my back and soon after I totally passed out sleeping.  I woke up in some room and there was no baby, no husband, no nurse nothing.  I was very confused and upset.  I was pretty sure I had just had a baby but I didn't know where she was and I didn't know where Andy was.  I am pretty sure I was in an overflow room because they kind of forgot about me.  A nurse did come and checked on me but other than that I was alone in a random room.  I am kind of still upset about this.  So after a while Andy came down and they eventually transferred me to another overflow room and I am pretty sure they brought back the baby at that point too.  That is my least favorite part of this story, the confusion, the aloneness, and feeling forgotten about.

My parents, aunt and Grammy Sun came to see us.  It was very overwhelming and exciting!    

I really do think labor is actually very cool and empowering...especially with your second.... 

Power, Breathe and Living Water

Holy Holy is He.

Jesus your name is Power, Breath and Living Water

She has such a beautiful voice!

Kari Jobe is the newest channel on my pandora and I am LOVING it!

Why have I never thought of this!

I can't believe I have never thought of this.  We have all been there.  Just needing to clean up from breakfast, make dinner, put away the laundry when one or more of your children is/are screaming/whining, grabbing your legs making it so you have "little earthlings" as I say attached to you.

This was me this morning.  I decided at 730 to have playgroup at my house.  I wanted to clean up the breakfast mess and fold the laundry and put it away (and I needed to get dressed and get the kids dressed out of pj's - Cora never made it out of pj's but she looked really cute with her little skirt on over her floral pj's.)

So a friend and I did a little toy swap.  Cameron had played with this little ball popper thing at the Drop & Shop for probably close to an hour (I should have bought it, it was only $7, but we have a LOT of toys) and so I was telling said friend about it and she said you know what, Jenna, we have one, you should borrow it for a few months.  I thought to myself, really!  What a great idea, I will give you something for a couple months and when we get our respective items back the kids will be overjoyed!  On Sunday, we got the toy at Cerissa's from Tara (more info on the craziness of getting 6 families together, read here.  I hadn't taken it out of the car and my oh my am I glad I waited until this morning.

The kids and I had just finished eating breakfast, Cameron was very needy (for some reason and it seems like almost every morning, he just screams at some point in the morning, I think his teeth may hurt, his eye teeth are coming in and he is VERY drooly.

These are NOT very good quality pictures, but this is the evidence of the drool.

People were coming in 45 minutes, I had to get some stuff done before people set foot in my house (most importantly get out of my pj's).

Usually this would be not super easy unless I was RUSHING around like crazy, but the teething toddler pictured above was making it very difficult.

Cue new COOL toy:

Thank you Tara and Playskool for occupying my children for the whole time so I could cram clean (it felt like cramming for finals as I remember telling myself 30 minutes before the exam that I wasn't going to learn anything else and I should just rest and pray a little bit and let the information sink in.  

I was half dressed when the first guests arrived and needing to fold the laundry so people could sit on my couch.  I finished folding the laundry, brought it upstairs and finished getting dressed and joined the fun!

Here are some pictures of late:

Cameron's Words

Mama
Dada
ra-ra/rora (Cora)
ba (ball)
ight (light)
on 
off
ight ight (night night, he actually said it with an n today before his nap!)
hi
bye
hello
elp (help) up
ee (please, he sometimes will say eeash)
water (this is not common but he has said it before)
moo
baah
la la
ow (meow)
oof/woof (roof/woof)
waaa (baby crying)
ga-ma (grandma)
love you
ug (hug)
no
es (yes)
mine
eat
out
own (down)

Why did Jesus die on the cross 'cause?

Uhhh...my daughter asked this yesterday while she was looking through the Easter book that we have. My dad chuckled and said "your mom can answer that or you can ask your pastor."


I thought about it for a second and I said "because people did bad things and God sent his son Jesus to die on the cross."  Yes, she is 3 perhaps the better explanation would have been because He loves us as Andy said later in the day.


Later I told her that God wants to be friends with us and we had sinned/done bad things and we couldn't be friends with God without Jesus.


I have the Jesus Story Book Bible and maybe it is time to start reading it with her before her nap.

The other funny thing that happened yesterday was what she said after reading Fancy Nancy with my father.  My dad was telling Cora that my family, Mimi, Papi, Mama, and Auntie Maressa had been to France.  All of a sudden, she got very sad and started crying.  We asked her what was wrong.  She said, "I sad cause eddybody is going to Paris."  We all chuckled (Andy was home and my grandma was here too) and said oh no we WENT to Paris a LONG time ago.  Before you were born, in fact.  She was very sad for the rest of the night.

Thanks Anna for introducing us to Fancy Nancy!

Cora's Birth Story (Part 1)

Better late than never, right!




I remember so clearly the morning I took the pregnancy test.  We lived on Summer St in a third floor apartment.  Andy was getting ready for work and I used the first sample of the day.  I was probably 5 weeks.  We were doing natural family planning and were pretty open to getting pregnant.  I took the test.  I left the room and left it in there.  We went in together.  We both said, "whoa."  Andy went to work and I don't remember the rest of the day, but I remember that morning so clearly.


I was working at A Woman's Concern in Revere and I really don't remember how long it took for me to tell anyone at work.  I do remember telling my parents.


Andy and I were going to borrow my mom's car (which is sitting in my driveway now as we have inherited it) because she was going to China and therefore had no use for a car in Massachusetts.


We showed up and we talked in the kitchen.  I told my dad the news.  He hugged and kissed me on the forehead and said "Congratulations!"  I got married pretty young and here I was 6 months later pregnant.  He immediately got his cell phone to call my mom who was in California on her way to China.  We had been debating between telling her before she left or after she came home so we could tell her face to face, but if we had waited she would have been the last one to find out and that would have been no good.


"WHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAATTTTT" was my dear mother's response.  "You're WHHHHHHHAAAATTTTT!   I am too young to be a grandmother."

She calls herself Mimi and and I am pretty sure she likes every minute with the child that made her a grandmother.

Holy Week

So it is Holy Week.

The week before Jesus died on a cross for me.  For you.  For all of us.

I didn't give up anything for Lent.  I was "too busy."

God and I have been reinventing quiet time to be a time when it is not so quiet, but the kids are quietly watching a tv show.  Yesterday, when I was feeling so frustrated I wanted to run away, I hid in my closet and journaled.  I am so blessed to have a walk in closet now because I can make that my little prayer closet!!

In study last week, we were talking about why and if Jesus had to come.  Why did Jesus have to come?

disobedient people

sin increasing

a conditional covenant that we couldn't keep

missing out on the relationship with God

God needed to judget His people who had become so disobedient

Jesus took the judgment for us.  He became sin so that we may be forgiven.

Tim preached on the cross this Sunday.  Why the cross?  Why didn't he save himself.

He wants to be with us.  He died to bring us to God.

If that isn't the best news you have heard all day, I don't know what is.