Just Taking Notes

Nov. 10, 2006 - Labor fears fading too

Each night in bed, my body reminds me that my due date is closing in quickly.  My hips feel like a dilapidated old wooden swingset that creaks and moans with every swing, giving the swinger the strong impression that it could collapse at any moment. I wonder what giving birth in paradise would have been like, glorious no doubt.  But even with the work and pain of pregnancy and labor in this sin burdened world, I am amazed at God's design of the female body and it's ability to perform such amazing tasks in such an efficient manner.  Reading Ina May's Guide to Childbirth taught me even more about the process, not just the physical aspects of birth, but more about the mind/body connection and the se*ual aspects too. The mind of a pg woman is irrational more often than not.  Just a week or 2 ago, I was in a state of near panic fearing labor and the arrival of a new child, unable to read the birth stories in Ina May's book.  With the onset of all the discomforts of the last days of pregnancy my mind occasionally snaps back to rational thought and I remember that in a matter of 1-2 weeks I will be begging my body to please start labor as I cannot bear to be pg any longer.  Wonderous isn't it? If you read this entry, please say a prayer for me.

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Sep. 13, 2006 - My heart melts

Aug. 11, 2006 - LOTR Camp

The boys decided yesterday that they wanted to set up a tent in the back  yard which they occassionally get to do for fun.  Looking out my kitchen window today I see 4 tents, 1 fire pit, 1 screen room and many happy children.  The downside to all of this is that I am the only one who knows how to break camp properly.  Oh well.  They have been outdoors all day imagining that they are Legolas, Aragorn, Gandalf and other such characters fighting the bad guys and saving the world.  My 11yo even made a, what did he call it, a mace out of a 1 gallon milk jug and several 20oz water bottles all bound with duct tape.  Yes, I do know what  a mace is, but his version hardly resembls one.  Much safer for play acting though I am sure.  Very cool and creative.  I made several bows from tree braches and yarn for the little ones to use to fight off the bad guys but they always break them within a short time.   And I kept them well stocked in lembas bread (homemade crackers) after they used up all the saltines which they had meticulously wrapped in sycamore leaves, an entire basket full.  Another A+ for creativity. Days like today bring my heart much joy.  I can look out my window and see my sons absorbed in something they truly enjoy, building friendships, and creating lasting memories that they can carry with them for years to come.  Not to mention that they are creating rather than destroying as boys are often wont to do.

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Aug. 2, 2006 - Chocolate surprises

Jul. 13, 2006 - Fire Drill, or Something likeThat

This morning was an early morning for our family, I actually had to be out of bed by 7am and out the door with all the kiddos by 7:50 in order to make it on time for my OB appointment.  And by some miracle of God, we did it.  Amazing feat.  Of course it always helps to have hot baked oatmeal on the table when they stumble, droopy eyed, down the stairs. All seemed to be going well for us today until my 11yo began thinking, or perhaps better said, not thinking.  It all began when I noticed toys that were once carelessly thrown up onto the roof had begun falling out of the sky onto the ground.  My 3rd born soon followed by rounding the corner of the house screaming "Joshua and Jacob are on the roof of the house!!!" Sure enough, there they were on the roof of the house.  Keeping my cool, I strolled around to the back of the house to find my 9yo jumping off the roof onto the ground (only one story fortunately) for the 3rd time.  My 11yo was not quite brave enough to make the leap. I soon discovered that they were practicing the "fire drill" escape route.  They had climbed from their 2nd story bedroom window out onto the 1st story roof of our split level, for what reason I do not know.  Why ask?  The answer would not be worth the frustration it would bring.   The climb is not an easy one.  Their window actually overlooks the concrete patio 2 stories below, but the roof is just to the immediate right of their window and just a little bit of a climb.  Here is a photo of the back of our house showing the escape window. Escape hatch Still keeping my cool, I informed my 11yo that he needed to get off the roof immediately, but after several painful minutes, I realized that jumping would only result in broken legs for him so I headed for the upstairs window to help him back through.  (This provided much material to use on him when he is puffed up and prideful).  Joshua is afraid of heights.  Only once before have I seen so much terror in the eyes of my firstborn.  When he was 6 or 7 we had to cross a major highway over a footbridge in order to get from our parked car to the building we were headed to.  The moment we stepped onto the bridge, he fell to the ground kicking and screaming apparently under the impression that he was headed straight down to the speeding cars below us.  My husband had to carry him over the bridge that day and he still has trouble crossing it to this day. Back to the story.  I had him lay down on the roof so I could ease him back through the window, but by the look on his face you would have thought he was about to fall down the face of a cliff.  Remember "Cliffhanger" with Stallone?  Something like that.  He never got more than his elbow over the edge.  In the end I had him use an 8-10' section of 6"PVC pipe leftover from some plumbing experiment of DH's.  He was able to slide down fireman style and safely return to earth. I am SOOOO glad I have a husband to deal with this one.

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