Tired

I had a cold over the weekend and I feel a lot better today, but totally exhausted. I hate the feeling of lots of things I'd like to be doing but no energy to do them.

The kids kept fighting over every little thing, so I made some playdough and now they're happy as clams, working on their cherry-scented creations at the table. Hooray for simple pleasures.

Movin' Right Along

This baby has obviously grown! I can feel him moving all day long, and all over my belly! Wouldn't it be fun to be hooked up to an ultrasound machine all day long and watch him at his antics in there?

And in other moving news, Alif is over at our new house today, fixing things, tearing out carpet, etc. How exciting!

More great news!

So I went to a perinatologist yesterday to do a re-check of Baby's kidneys and heart. Everything checked out wonderfully! Baby is healthy as can be. Praise the Lord! He is growing beautifully. I especially loved how chubby his little legs are getting! And yes, he flashed his manhood several times - definitely all boy in there. I cannot wait to see his sweet little face!

Heart of my Heart

Malachi started complaining of chest pain about six months ago, just every once in a while. For a few weeks though, it was daily at least and we decided it was time to mention it to our pediatrician. She scheduled us for an EKG and chest x-ray the same day and referred us to a pediatric cardiologist out of town. Alif took him to that appointment today, where the doctor performed an echocardiogram and gave Malachi a clean bill of health! He gave Alif and Malachi various reasons the chest pain could be happening, none of them serious and none of them requiring any action unless the chest pains worsen or start to disrupt his daily life. Great news!

Intensity

I knew Malachi was intense from before he was born. After all, I progressed from 2 cm to 10 cm in less than 10 minutes of transitional labor. When he was not quite able to crawl, and he'd yowl every time I dared take a single step away from him, I felt his intensity. When he was two years old and defying me with every fiber of his being, he was intense. Years have gone by and with those energy-draining baby and toddler years in the past, Malachi's really channeled his intensity into activities that are much more enjoyable, which means, in my humanity, that I don't notice it as much. He's a mostly quiet boy, especially around people he doesn't know very well.

The first year Malachi played soccer we were pleased if he got one touch on the ball in a game. He liked to play, but he just wasn't aggressive at all. I wished he'd be himself out there, but the truth was, his shyness took over and he was just too nice. The second year was better for him, and he usually kicked the ball a few times per game. Last year he was like a different player. He'd get in the action and really play hard. With Daddy as his coach, he blossomed and had a great year. It's now his fourth year and that kid can really play. I mean, he's one of the best players on his team, and also one of the youngest. He is serious about soccer, and he's easily the best defender in every game we've watched this season. He's not at all afraid to step in front of a boy twice his size and steal the ball.

Today though, there was a really amazing moment in the game. Both teams were playing aggressively, and there was a bit of foul play going on that the ref wasn't noticing. Just as Malachi ran close to us on the side of the field, flanked by two elbowing players from the opposite team, my son glared at them and said, "Hey! No pushing!" and kept about his play. I have tears in my eyes just writing about it. It was the first time I looked at my son with true admiration. I could never confront someone that way, stand up for myself so clearly. In that moment, his short life flashed before my eyes - his angry cries when I dared leave him in the nursery at church, his defiant eyes when I disagreed with his plans as a toddler . . . and the words of dear friends of ours, Jim and Ginny Smith, when I was about to give up: "You will be so thankful someday that God has blessed your son with a strong spirit." If it took 8 years and an AYSO soccer game to prove them right, it's ok. What a miracle to have a glimpse into the intense, strong, true and fair spirit of my unbelievable boy. I'm so proud of you, son.

MomTime

A while back I came across the concept of MomTime by Lisa Whelchel. The basic idea is to get a group of Moms together and just have fun! Well actually, friends, food, faith and fun. I prayed about it and kept getting more excited about the idea, so I called Lynette and she agreed that it sounded really nice. We invited a couple of moms and had our first MomTime today! I was nervous about making all the details come together, but we had such a great time! The first hour is the food/faith hour, where we just eat the lunch and talk, and the second hour is the friends/fun hour, where we bust out a game and play. I am not a big game person but oh goodness, we had a blast! I can't WAIT till the next one!

19-week checkup

I went in for my 19-week checkup today (well, I'll be 20 weeks tomorrow). Caris came with me, which was nice. I'm always happy to have a little time alone with one of my kids! It occurred to me on the way there that this is the first appointment of this pregnancy that was totally routine. Nothing to be nervous about, not a new doctor or anything, just a routine appointment. What a relief that is! Everything looks good! I gained SIX POUNDS in the last month, which puts my total at -8 pounds. Baby's heartbeat sounds good, and I got the lab slip to go for the glucose tolerance test in a week. Oh joy. LOL Later this week I have an appointment with a doctor who specializes in high-risk ultrasounds. We just want to take a good look at the heart and kidneys to make sure everything is ok there. I hope everything is all cleared up.

Oh happy day!

Yesterday was my Birthday! It started off a little poo-ey because I'm apart from my sister. We share a Birthday and I haaaaaaaaaate when we're not together for it! I got up and there was a sweet note that Alif had left before he went to work, so that was nice. I did some cleaning and got ready, and then my Mom showed up! She is like, the Birthday Dreams Fairy, seriously. She showered me with love and affection and gifts the ENTIRE DAY. I can't even describe how special she made the day! I came home and rested a bit and then Mom & Rod came over to further the Birthday spoiling with a huge bag of candy, pizza (we found out that Megan had Domino's in Scotland for her Birthday so we HAD to do it too!!) and cake & ice cream. It was scrumptious and delightful. Graham gave me two little notes he had written me during nap, and the effort he went to to write them made me want to cry. What sweet kids I have!!

So anyway, I got up this morning and felt like I really just did not want to do today AT ALL. We had to go to the store and then there was park day and I was so pooped from all the Birthday fun, I just couldn't face it. Nonetheless, we went off to the store and guess what? I had made my menu for every meal and snack and expected to go over my max, but I was $20 under it! Praise God! We got home and I rushed to get the pasta salad ready for park day, and figured I may as well put the stew in the crock pot too. Park day was actually a ton of fun! I'm soooo glad we went. We stayed quite a bit longer than I planned to, and when we got home, the smell of that stew cooking made me feel comforted immediately. Dinner is ready, and it's only 3:00! It'll only get tastier as the next few hours pass by, too. Man, for a day that started out with such a bad attitude, it's turned out to be a huge blessing.

Good morning, Baby!

I awoke this morning to Baby's kicking, rolling, thumping. I thought to myself, "What could be a sweeter way to wake up?" Well, as I sit here now I can't help but think that a sweeter way to wake up would be to see his precious face next to mine, his fuzzy head waiting for caresses, his hand trying to appease the will to nurse . . . oh yeah, all of that will be sweeter. But for now, little one, your movements will have to suffice!

Oscar the Grouch

I'm so grouchy. Not all the time, and not in a horrible, life sucks kind of way, but just enough to feel really NOT like myself. I'm so HOT and so tired of being hot (even in my air-conditioned, comfy house I'm hot!). My Mom promises it will cool down the week after my Birthday. I sure hope she is right! The kids can be playing and one minute I think they're darling in their exuberance, and the next minute I am saying to them, "If you have to make that noise, please go somewhere else to do it." I guess they're being well-trained in the art of dealing with hormones.

On a positive note, I have been buying a few diapering things here & there for Baby! It is so much fun perusing for BOY diapers! So far I've bought one AIO, 3 covers and 2 dozen preemie prefolds. I can't wait until they start arriving. Oh, I also bought him a cute Gymboree outfit on eBay for really cheap. It's so fun starting to collect these things!! On Sunday we worked in the nursery, and it was so sweet being with all of those babies. It made January feel like a year away, though. I am hoping that with all that fall brings, time will go by a lot more quickly now.