Wordless Wednesday

Life

It all started when I scheduled Genevieve's Baptism.  

Her godmother-to-be mentioned a weekend that they'd be available, then a few days passed.  I looked at the calendar and saw that Blake and Owen were scheduled to serve a Saturday evening Mass that weekend, and a few more days passed.  I called Father Joe to find out if he'd be available that evening.  He would be, and he agreed to baptize our little sweetness following the Mass. 

 

 I hung up the phone, and went to write it on the calendar, and only then did I realize the significance of the date we had just scheduled.  It was only a week away, it was to be Genevieve's one-month "birthday", and it was the Feast of the Nativity of our Blessed Mother.  What an awesome day to be born into new life with Christ.

 

On Monday of that week before the Baptism, we learned that my grandma was not doing well.  My devoted mother began a vigil at her bedside, and by Thursday we knew the end was near.  Another call to Father Joe brought her the Anointing of the Sick, and we continued to watch her slip away.  By Friday, the doctor said it would be a matter of hours.  I began a silent prayer.  A prayer of my heart, that I wouldn't have shared with anyone but my heavenly parents.  The hours passed.  Early Saturday morning we got word that her life on earth had ended.  She had begun her new life on September 8th, the Blessed Mother's birthday.  My prayer had been answered.  My tears were happy, as her suffering had ended and I recognized that even in death our Almighty God is orchestrating a blessed symphony for us to live.

It was almost surreal, going through the familiar practices of Mass and Baptism that evening.  

 

The same hands that had anointed my grandma, brought new life to my first daughter through the Water and the Holy Spirit.  

 

There with us, through it all, was our Mother Mary.  As we rejoiced in the gift from God that she is, we knew that she was with my Abuela as well, welcoming her, as she began her new life.

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Because I Need to Move On

You know how it is, when you need to do something but aren't quite sure how to do it, and you avoid it a little, and forget about it a little, and push it to the back of the shelf, the corner of your mind, but it keeps popping up, and you keep knowing you need to take care of it, but the more time that goes by the less sure you are of how to approach it, only now you know you need to because you just can't live with it hanging over your head any longer?

I seem to be operating under those circumstances on a lot of things lately.  My plate is so full that I can actually only address about 1/8 of what's on it during any given day.  This drives the necessity of sticking to priorities.  Priorities become relative (as in, the amount of laundry that gets done is relative to what parts of the body actually must be covered, and how many days in a row a 6-year-old can wear the same shorts), and everything else gets pushed to the bottom of the list.

And that's where my blog has landed.  Except that I don't like it there.  And I don't want it to keep on being one of those things just hanging over my head.  This space is special to me, and the time I spend here is therapeutic, so I'm pushing it back up the list, as much as I can for now.

I'm not going to worry about "catching up" on what's passed.  I'll chronicle what I can, and hope that I'll do our family's story justice.

So with this post, my feet are officially wet.  Consider me a blogger once again.

It's not easy...

 ...losing your "baby" status...

 ...but he's getting used to it.

Announcing...

Genevieve Rose

Welcomed:  August 8th, 2012

...at a time determined by herself and God, no induction necessary, thanks be to God!

I have a daughter.  

Somebody pinch me.  Or don't, I'm too happy right where I'm at.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for the prayers.

Where I'm At

Or maybe I should start with where I'm not...

I'm not at the hospital, having a baby...
And I'm not busy caring for a newborn

Nope, I'm still pregnant.

I'm not really surprised, I thought I'd be late with this one.  I just thought a day or two, maybe four.

I didn't think I'd be sitting here, going into the sixth day past my due date, with no real signs of labor.

And I really didn't think I'd already have an induction scheduled.  Gosh, they are quick to start planning that induction once a woman reaches her due date!

So Thursday morning it will be, at the latest.  That gives me two more days to do it on my own.

We've walked.  We've eaten spicy food.  I'm downing red raspberry leaf tea by the gallon.  I've cleaned, and walked, and walked some more.

This baby is just comfy, I guess.

When they scheduled the induction last week, I tried to balance my frustration over taking that step with the knowledge/hope that there is every possibility that it's a moot point and that I'll deliver before we ever get to Thursday.  It's eight days past my due date after all, and the longest I've ever gone is seven past.  The reality is setting in though, that I'm going to blink and it's going to be Thursday, so we've really talked this out and tried to decide if we're okay with going through with the induction.

The answer is.... I think so.

My doctor assured me that we can go with a minimally invasive induction.  The hope is that my body won't need much help at all to get going.  I'm all about natural, but I'm also all about recognizing that I live in the real world and there's only so much that I have control over.  There are reasons they recommend putting an end point on pregnancies, and while I don't necessarily agree with all of them, or feel that the concerns apply to me and my baby, I also can't say with certainty that everything will be fine if I keep carrying this baby.

In reality, I've needed "help" in some form with all of my deliveries.  I have stubborn bags of waters.  Some of my more natural-minded friends are appalled when I say that the doctor has had to break my water manually 4 out of 6 times.  They feel that should be part of the natural process of labor.  Well, I had one delivery where it had every opportunity to be a natural part of labor, yet my body didn't do what it was supposed to - I dilated to 10 with an intact bag of water.  Of course no one realized I was at 10 until I had to push and no one was there to deliver, and still my water didn't break.  By the time a stand-by doctor finally found his way into the room, broke my water, and delivered the baby, all within a few minutes, my sweet little newborn had already suffered a head injury, from fighting against that stubborn amniotic sac, and then be rushed through the birth canal at break-neck speed.  The ramifications of that "natural" birth are still with us daily today.

So... maybe I'm tainted.  Maybe I'm tired.  Maybe I'm just trying to convince myself that it's okay, since it's looking like induction is the way it's going to go.  Maybe I'm just trying to be calm, and pray, and let God handle things from there.  He gave me this baby, He led me to these doctors, and He's allowing this pregnancy to proceed on His time.  I'm not looking to force my will on any of it, I'm just trying to trust the process.

And, God-willing, this process will come to a close this week, with a safe, healthy, happy birth, and us holding a new life in our arms.

If you could offer a prayer?  Perhaps that God's will be done, and that this Mama has peace?  But mostly for our baby, that all focus be on giving him or her the best possible start at life. 

Thank you!  And God bless you!

Thirteen

And so it begins.

Happy birthday, to my dear eldest son.

We're blessed to know you.

Praise God for Good News!

I was so anxious about my follow up appointment this week, after the concern at last week's appointment.
Mr. Smith adjusted his lunch hour so he could go with me.  (Have I ever mentioned how much I appreciate my husband?  I hope so.)
Within one minute of beginning the ultrasound, the tech confirmed that I have PLENTY of fluid and there is no need to worry about it any further.
After that, it was just fun!
Going in, I had been planning on asking that the monitor be turned off.  I didn't want to risk any chance of detecting the gender, and I've never really liked the idea of seeing the baby this close to actually seeing the baby.  Seemed kind of like cheating or spoiling something good.
I was so wrong!
The only thing that happened was that I fell a hundred times more in love with this little being, and I'm a hundred times more excited to birth, meet, hold, and care for him or her.
We saw a chubby baby, clutching his or her foot in the grasp of tiny fingers, we saw a mouth making sucking motions and a tongue sticking out, perfect little feet.  We saw lots of hair on a "good sized" head (all of my babies have had "good sized" heads, keeps things interesting.)
Best of all, we saw a perfect, beating heart, free of any visible flaws, including the slight concern they detected at the 19 week ultrasound I had over the winter.
Prayers answered, weight lifted.
God is so good.

A Week in July

We had a really nice week around here, with the Fourth of July and a piano recital keeping us busy.

 The Fourth was hot, hot, unbearably hot.  It's so hard to break traditions though, so we headed out to our little hometown where they do the 4th of July up like no other day.  We started with the parade in the morning.  After multiple glitches, we weren't early enough to snag a coveted shady spot on the curb, so we settled in in the direct sun.  It was the hottest Fourth in recent history around here, and it only took me about 5 minutes to realize that there was no way I'd be sticking it out there.  I headed around the back of the dry cleaner's building that we were sitting in front of, and sat under the shade of their awning for the duration.

We came home to rest, but Mr. Smith decided to take an offer we had received from some earthly angels we know, for swimming in their in-ground pool.  He took the five older boys, and I stayed home with a napping Sebastian.  He thought they might swim for 1/2 hour, just to cool off.  They were gone over three hours.  These angels of ours take good care of us, and before they knew it there were hotdogs on the grill and cookies for all.  I savored my quiet time at home in the air conditioned comfort.

 I did manage to clean and prep some fruit and mini marshmallows for the boys to make fruit kabobs with when they got home.

 Always a hit.

We had crafted a bit the day before, so the house was festive.

 Then it was off to the fair.  The good thing about the heat was that there were no lines whatsoever for the rides, I don't think anyone could stand being there for very long.  The bad thing about the heat was, well, the heat.  It was really bad by that point in the day.  Again, I recognized my limits, and spent much of our time there sitting in the grass under a tent, drinking the best lemonade ever by the gallon.  It's a good thing Mr. Smith is so awesome.

 My mom and dad live near the park we were at.  All I had to do was make one phone call saying we were on our way, and minutes later we arrived to a feast.  She knew we'd be coming, but we weren't sure of the timing, so she had bought things like cold cuts, sub buns, salsa and chips, and cold desserts.  We feasted and rested for several hours over there, before heading out to the fireworks.  

It was a close call with rain, but they pulled them off, and it was a great show, as usual.  Sebastian was the only one not impressed.  He had fallen asleep and not quite come all the way to when they started.  We were quite close to ground zero and the "booms" terrified him.  He spent the entire 1/2 hour whimpering and clinging to his daddy.  Don't tell him I said this, but it was actually super cute.  He recovered, and to this day is telling us he likes the booms and the fireworks when we ask.

Overall, a really great day.

*****

 After the Fourth, we had our sights set on today, when we hosted a piano recital for the three families that our teacher teaches.  When I said I'd host, my friend Colleen, one of the other moms, insisted that she would bring all food and drinks.  It was a win-win for me, I didn't have to deal with any food prep, and my house is sparkling clean.  One of the things she brought was this awesome set of piano keys.  It's frosted sugar cookies and brownies.  So clever.

 Owen and Peyton pulled off their duet beautifully, after months and months of giggling and/or fighting while practicing.  I managed not to get a shot of Blake at the piano, but I'm so very proud of him.  He played three songs, including Mozart's Rondo alla Turca, which he has been working on night and day for weeks.  He was the most advanced student at the recital today, and everyone appreciated his talent.  It was nice to see him in his moment to shine.

And once everything was quiet, we settled in for some down time.  I grabbed my knitting, and Blake grabbed my camera (his new hobby).  It's been a while since we've taken a picture of me, so I asked him to.  Apparently, this is what I look like at nearly 37 weeks.  Wow.  Sometimes lately Oliver will walk into a room that I'm in, almost running into me (he never stops moving and doesn't know the meaning of graceful, bless his heart), double-take at my belly, give it a quick rub, and simply say, "Whoa, your belly is huge", as if it just happened over night.  Yes, sweetheart, it is.

On a Tuesday Morning

You know what's really difficult?  Balance.

This baby is due in four weeks.  I have delivered three weeks early, eight days late, and everywhere in between.  Clearly, it is crunch time.

WAIT!  Crunch time?!  What on earth is that supposed to mean?

If there was ever a time to rest, isn't it now?  I'm eight months pregnant and it's July.  I should put my feet up, sip ice water, and finish knitting my current project, while patiently awaiting the arrival of our new blessing.

And yet, all I can think of is what I need to DO next.  Do, do, do, an impossible list of things to accomplish without enough hours in the day to do them, pregnant or not.

I tell myself to slow down, then my next thought is of all the things I have to get done in order to be able to slow down.

I've been feeling good, and this pregnancy has been uneventful.  I went yesterday for my 36 week check.  They do a "quick" ultrasound to make sure the baby's head is down.  I've never had a breech baby, so I wasn't worried.  Sure enough, head down.  Then the doctor started to check the fluid levels, and was very quiet for a few minutes.  He finally said that my fluid is low and that he was going to get a bigger ultrasound machine to get a better look.

Wait a second, this is not how my pregnancies work.  I don't have low fluid, or any other cause for concern.  I go in for my check, they say everything is fine, and I go on with my day.

He came back and scanned with the larger machine, searching out and measuring every little pocket of fluid he could find.  He was satisfied that we're at the low end of normal, and said we'll check again next week.  With a full ultrasound, looking at growth too.  I don't like having so many ultrasounds, it goes against my ideal of low intervention during pregnancy.

I don't like...
My ideal...
Go on with my day...

Really, is this what I sound like right now?  I have a healthy baby, kicking and growing, and the day that we meet him or her is ever closer.  I have lovely children who feel my tummy all day long, in hopes of getting kicked so they can squeal with joy.  I have a supportive husband, who can't wait for this baby, who loves us and takes care of us, while humoring my every whim.  I have competent doctors who are on top of everything, doing their best to ensure a safe and healthy entry to the world for our baby.

And I'm whining because something isn't going just as I planned.

You know what the doc told me to do when I left there yesterday?  Go home, drink lots of water, and rest on my left side whenever I can.  The nerve.  Hasn't he seen my to-do list?
What if the baby comes before I get it all done?!
What if?
Well, I suppose the baby will come, we'll swoon with joy and count our blessings.
Hmmm.

Today is a slow day.  I will rest.  Mr. Smith will be home tonight, and tomorrow for the holiday.  He will not let me do a thing, if I know him.  It is summertime.  We have a sprinkler and a swing set.  These days will pass quickly, whether I "allow" them to or not, and God's Will will be done.

I will remember my humble place as His servant, and put my own stubborn will aside.  I will pray for my baby.
And I will count my blessings.

7 Quick Takes Friday: Catching Up

one.

What better way to catch up on a bunch of neglected posting, than with 7 Quick Takes, right?  Maybe I'll take care of all the things I meant to say in one fell swoop, and then we can get back to our regularly scheduled programming.

two.

Way back on Friday, June 8th, we joined up with the thousands of other people in nearly 200 cities across the country, to rally for our religious freedom.  It was kind of a huge undertaking for me, being in the heart of a big city which I am not accustomed to navigating (especially on my own, in my gigantic van with a brood of kids in tow), but I knew in my heart it was the right thing to do, so we went.  It was educational, motivating, and a true display of faith and patriotism, and the older boys will not soon forget it.  I'm so glad we participated.  We even came home with a souvenir:

three.

Our gardens are growing nicely.  The strawberries that we planted last year have multiplied, and are giving us bigger berries and more of them.  I love to see the boys head back to the berry patch and just pick and eat.  Makes me forget we live in the city.

The blueberry bushes that did nothing last year did produce some fruit this year, but we're still waiting for it to ripen, and what's there seems to be getting eaten a little at a time by something.  I know blueberry bushes are slow to become happy in a location, and develop over a period of years, so I'm still hopeful that we'll get fruit from them in the future.

We also planted one raspberry bush last year, and it is spreading like crazy!  We have yet to see any fruit on them, but it's early yet and they are covered in flowers.

We also have roma tomatoes and cherry tomatoes, zucchini, bell peppers, green onions and sugar snap peas, all coming along.  The boys planted their own garden with pumpkins and watermelon.

four.

My (current) baby is TWO!  Sebastian turned two on Father's Day.  This is what you look like in your birthday pictures, when Grandma and Grandpa gift you with a water table minutes before you blow out your candles:

five.

Two days later it was Isaac's turn, now he's four.

He is a very happy four-year-old.

six.

Last weekend I attended our local Catholic Homeschool Conference.  It was such a good experience, and I feel refreshed and ready to plan our coming year.  We've wrapped up this year for the most part, and are enjoying our summer break.  I've got 6 weeks before this baby comes, and I plan to use every minute of that time getting ready (for baby and school!).

seven.

Oliver.  Just Oliver.

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Not Because I Meant to...

...take a break, that is.  Just a whole lot of everyday life going on over here.

It's all good, and I'll be back soon.

Getting Crafty: A GPS Holder

Before our recent vacation, we decided it was time to invest in a GPS.  I know next to nothing about electronic devices, but I know this thing is worth its weight in gold.  It's been so useful, not only on vacation, but for getting around town to sporting events at unfamiliar fields, etc.
I figured out, after leaving it in the car during a track meet on a hot day, that it shouldn't be left in the car during anything on a hot day.  It had shut down, and gave us a "due to extreme and dangerous temperatures" warning when we turned it back on.  I'm sure this is somewhere in the directions for usage, but I probably didn't read those thoroughly...
Anyhow, I figured it should come with us when we get out of the van, but it didn't come with any kind of case, and my purse can be a treacherous place.  So I decided to make a simple holder that we can slip it into when it's not in use.
I had a little bit of this vehicle fabric in my stash, and thought it was perfect for a navigation device :).

I sewed it to this gingham with two layers of batting in between, for cushioning the GPS.  The two scraps of blue gingham are from an old curtain valance, and it already had the hem in it for a rod, which saved me a step.

From here I quilted each piece with simple diagonal lines.

And then sewed them right sides together, just around the green fabric.  I stopped short of the blue, to preserve those openings in the hem, and left the top open.  I turned it right side out and added a length of ribbon from my stash for a simple closure.

 It worked out great!

This was a satisfying little project!

We had such a good day today, and it all started with my morning declaration:

"Boys, we are unplugged.  Until further notice."

No t.v., video games, computers, or hand-held devices of any kind.
(Wait, what?  Oh no, that doesn't count for me and my computer!  That would be cah-razy.)

It's not that they spend a whole lot of time doing those things anyway, it's just that they spend too much time asking about doing those things.  They are boys afterall, and there are six of them.  I can easily be asked a dozen times in a day about electronics in one way or another.  It gets old.

So that was that, they knew better than to even ask, and then they forgot about it altogether.
They played outside.
They made a model of a Roman Road.
They concocted their own formula for cement.
They produced journals and drew comics.
They read.
They rode bikes.
They threw around a baseball.
They played kickball.
They practiced piano.
They revisited their old lapbooks, reminiscing about the making of each one.
They ate ice cream.
Owen taught Sebastian to say "shovel" and "shoe".

I can't wait to see what they come up with tomorrow.  This ban may last longer than they realize.

7 Quick Takes Friday

one.

Two things happened here at relatively the same time:  The weather got warm, and Sebastian started wanting milk in his sippy cup.  These two things wouldn't be related, if almost-two-year-olds were capable of reasoning and would take care of their sippy cups and place them in the sink when finished.  Not the case though.  They wind up under toddler beds, behind my desk, under the couch in the basement, and just generally spread all over the place.  It never seems to be less than 12 hours before I find it, and by then it's all over.  One of them was so far gone that when I opened it to wash it, I put the lid right back on and it went straight to the trash.  Could. Not. Bear. To. Smell. It.
Yet still, I fill it up and watch him toddle away with it tucked under his arm...



two.

I had kind of a bad day today.  When I'm this pregnant, my motto becomes:
When all else fails, take a nap.
So I did.



three.

Have y'all read these books?  The Mr. and I are reading our way through them now.  He's finished the first and on to the second, I'm just a quarter or so of the way through Pierced by a Sword.  So far, we're both loving them.  I'll wait until we're finished to write a full recommendation, although I doubt we'll be disappointed.



four.

If you're in the mood for a miracle (and if you're not, what the heck is wrong with you?!), click on over to this blog for a few minutes.  I've been following the events that have transpired over the last two weeks, since their baby boy had a terrible accident.  Truly uplifting:  Both the strength of their faith, and the story of his amazing recovery.



five.

So I mentioned last week that we were looking into an addition on our home, and I think I indicated that it could be a possibility in the near future.  Well it's not, and that's totally okay.  It's one of those things that would have been really exciting if it had worked out, but once it was clear that it wasn't going to, we were both a little relieved.  Good, responsible, grown-up decisions are our goal these days, and this was one of them :).  Even though doubling the size of our house as we welcome this new little one would have been awesome!  All in due time.  We'll get there, and we'll do it the right way.  Eventually.



six.

Another quick plug for something I'm excited about right now, but will eventually get into more detail on:  The Institute for Excellence in Writing PAL Program.  I'm doing this with Oliver right now, and we both love, love, love it.  (Okay, that might be more me.  He likes it and sits through it, which is saying a lot!)  We've only been working on it for a couple of weeks, and we're kind of moving like molasses through the lessons, but I love what I see.  I'm planning on purchasing more IEW products for the older kids at our local Homeschool Conference this month.  I can't wait to dig into those materials too.



seven.

My absolute favorite picture of the week, and I didn't even take it.  I'm so glad that Mr. Smith grabs the camera when I'm lazy and/or distracted.

That's an upside down/backwards batting helmet that he found and put on himself.  He was ready to go (and quite proud of himself.)


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Memorial Day 2012 - In Pictures