• Oct. 5, 2006
baby #5, 26 weeks, already anxious to hold him!

This is fairly unusual for me:  I know that being pregnant is easier than having a newborn in the house.  I'm getting more sleep now than I will after the birth.  I'm enjoying the independence of my almost 2 yo.  But I'm longing to hold this new little baby in my arms and January just seems so far away.  Or maybe its just the week in bed that I'm looking forward to!!

My next midwife appointment is in two weeks.  I'll be doing the glucose screening then, yuck, but necessary after skipping the test in a previous pregnancy and having an 11 pound baby.

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• Oct. 4, 2006
Catching Up Part I

What happened to September???  It seems like it went by in the blink of an eye.  Didn't we just leave for the beach last week???

Here in WA state, fall has arrived.  Our trees are turning red and orange and shedding their leaves all over the driveway and the van.  The kids love watching the wipers throw the leaves off the windshield whenever we go somewhere.  Maybe this weekend I'll get out there and rake them up for the compost pile.

Where to start catching up?

The baby is doing great.  He is growing just right and making his presence known with kicks, bumps, turns and hiccups all day and most of the night.  This is my favorite part of pregnancy (I'm about 26 weeks).  Feeling the baby moving so easily is wonderful.  I can still take deep breaths, still wear some non-maternity clothes and the heartburn that will soon plague me hasn't kicked in yet.  But I have gained too much weight, about 25 pounds.  So I've gone on the low carb/low sugar diet that I do in the last trimester, just about a month earlier.  My son (#3) was 11 pounds...ouch.  So with #4, I did this diet and she was just 8 lbs 12 ozs.  With this baby being a boy and my weight gain so far, I'm a bit concerned.  So the diet starts early.

I've also started swimming at the YMCA.  I can swim laps in the large pool while my oldest children have their swim lessons in the small pool.  The toddler plays (mostly) happily in the playroom.  The first time, I could only swim for about 10 minutes before feeling like my arms were going to fall off, but it's getting better: I'm up to 15 minutes before arm exhaustion now.

There is much to report on the homeschooling front...that deserves its own entry, which I will try VERY HARD to do tomorrow.  For now, it's bedtime.

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• Aug. 31, 2006
Off to the Beach

It's finally time for our vacation out to the coast.  We stay in a cabin that overlooks the Pacific Ocean, it's so lovely.  This is the fifth or sixth year we've gone.  We'll be back on Labor Day, as Dean has to work the next day.  He's been off this week, though, and that has been wonderful.  It's his first real vacation in two years.

I have so much I'd love to share with you all, but our computer is having troubles.  It's an older one, at least 6 to 8 years old, not very poweful and frankly, I'm just praying it keeps working until tax refund time, when I hope we can get a new one.  Last week, this computer just about quit, I had to use the system recovery disk to get it going again.  The only thing we do with it is get on-line...adding any additional software causes it to get even slower than it already is.  The memory is maxed out, it's just old and not very powerful to begin with.

I'd love to have a notebook computer...our house is small and this one takes up a precious corner of our dining room.  I'd love to have a computer with a warranty and stable operating system and to be able to keep my checkbook on and use the homeschool tracking software someone bought for me and for the kids to use educational software on.  I'm starting to pray for this...if nothing "major" goes wrong between now and February, Dean is happy to spend the money for a new one.  I almost got one last year, but we needed to put a new transmission in the van.  Priorities, right? :)

Hope everyone has a great Labor Day weekend...I hope to post about our homeschool year soon...and more baby updates...and pictures from the beach...so many things, so little time!

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• Aug. 17, 2006
baby #5, 19.5 weeks, Ultrasound Results!!

IT'S A BOY!!!  Praise the Lord!!!  With three girls and only one boy (so far), we are so thrilled to be expecting another son!  We got a really good look at him, so there are no doubts. :)  More importantly, everything else looks wonderful, all the parts where and as they should be, and sized just right for my dates.

Now begins the name game...the hardest part of the game is keeping it secret.  So many people, especially family, want to know what we've chosen.  But we like to have a good look at our new babies before we commit to a name.  We do have a couple of favorites and we have picked a middle name...but still, just in case, and to have some surprise...it's a secret.

This is the first time since our oldest that we've found out the gender.  I like the fun of not knowing until the wee one is born, but Dean really wanted to know this time and now I'm glad to know, too.  And I'm also glad to know there is only one baby...twins would be a wonderful blessing and maybe I will be blessed that way someday. But for now, with our first full year of homeschooling coming up, I'm so glad the Lord has given me just one new one!

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• Aug. 15, 2006
We Trusted, Prayed and God said "Yes, I Will"

There will be no rent increase for us!  My mother in law has backed down from her stance on homeschooling (slightly!) to say that threatening to raise our rent just because we made a decision she doesn't agree with was "vindictive" and wrong!  This is a prayer answered with a great big "YES, I WILL" from the Lord!!

What a relief!  I'm so glad to now be focusing on preparing for the upcoming year and not have this concern hanging around.  It's also so awesome to see how quickly our trust in the Lord was rewarded...this whole "time of challenge" lasted about 2 months. 

Thanks to everyone who prayed for us...God is Good!!

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• Aug. 9, 2006
baby #5, 18 weeks, Almost Halfway!!

It's funny, at least to me, how my pregnancies seem to go in spurts.  The first few weeks seem to drag so slowly...waiting to be far enough along to tell people, then waiting to not be feeling so sick and run down.   Then the middle few months fly by.  That's where I am now.  The other day, I posted at a forum and was amazed when my ticker reminded me I am in my 18th week.  Almost halfway!

Movement is more definate now.  A few thumps and bumps and lots of wiggling.  Something new for me with this baby is that I can feel this on the outside much earlier than usual, probably because I lost 60 pounds inbetween #4 and this one.  What a difference!

I am feeling tired again this week, I'm sure from not getting enough sleep.  I'm trying to catch up on lots of stuff and staying up too late, considering I'm awoken each morning around 6 or 6:30 by my youngest, who leans over her crib (next to my side of the bed) and shouts "mommy!".  Except for the time, it's a wonderful way to wake up.

After much thought and discussion, we've decided to have an ultrasound after all.  We won't look for the gender, though with three girls and only one boy so far, I will be keeping a close eye out for "hints" ;).  We are thrilled and eager to welcome any child the Lord has chosen to bless us with.  If there is a problem that we can prepare for ahead of time, we'd like to know.  We don't do any of the other testing, so this is our best shot at discovering any major problems.

So the 17th is the big day...I'll let y'all know how it goes!

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• Jul. 28, 2006
Sleeping Arrangements

It's one of those quandaries that you dwell on as you fall asleep at night.  Where is the next baby going to sleep?  Especially if you live in a small house and already have four children. 

We currently live in a three bedroom house, but room #3 is not a sleeping room:  it holds my sewing area, clothing storage (no garage, attic or usable basement in our 1914 home), diaper changing table/supplies and the dressers for the two youngest children.  Very very crowded.  So the three olders share room #2, the oldest 2 girls in a bunk bed and our only son in a twin.  Our current baby sleeps in a crib next to our bed.  When she was a newborn, we had the side rail off to make night nursing easier, but once she was mobile, we put it back on for safety during naps.

So, my thoughts went like this:  where should baby #5 sleep? Some of the issues surrounding the decision included the fact that #4 is a light sleeper and having her in the same room with the olders may be a problem, since she goes to bed first...when the rest come to bed, will they wake her or will she learn to sleep through it?  Will having to be quiet help the olders go to sleep easier?

One option we considered was keeping her in our room, in the crib, but moving it to the other side of our room and getting a bassinet or some other sleeping place for the baby.  But what about nap time?  Will one wake the other?  A crying baby in the next room is not as loud as a crying baby in the same room.

This quandary occupied my thoughts on and off for several weeks, but I'm glad to say we have decided on a solution!

Beginning the first of September or so, after we come back from our beach vacation, baby #4 will start napping in the "kids" room.  The tricky part will be getting her to stay put as she falls asleep, but that is a training issue, which I've dealt with before.  She is already quite confident in getting off beds and going up and down stairs, so when she is done with her nap, she can simply get up and come down, without having to be fetched. :) 

After a week or two, when nap time is going well, we'll move her in there at night, too.  At first, she will have to share a bed with her big brother, but it's a twin and he often sleeps on the floor anyway.  (why?  who knows?)  The twin is wedged into a corner and the bunk bed butts up against the other side, so with the mesh side rail thingie, she won't be able to roll out while she is sleeping.

When we get our tax refund in early spring, we'll buy another set of bunk beds and then everyone will have their own bed. 

Yeah!  Quandary solved!  Now if I can only get my 3 1/4 yo boy potty trained before the new baby comes, my life will be wonderful!  Two in diapers is do-able, three gives me the shivers. :)

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• Jul. 26, 2006
Standing Strong in Faith

Well, the homeschooling saga continues.

Dean told his mother this morning of his decision to homeschool.  (I was at the midwife's at the time.)  She is currently in Ohio, dealing with the passing away of her mother, and while it may not have been the best time to tell her, Dean has been so stressed over when and how to say it, it's for the best that she knows.

At first, he says, she just said "I see" or something similar.  But then she called back about 10 minutes later and basically said that since we had made a decision that she doesn't approve of, she was going to raise our rent...so that she is not supporting that decision monetarily.  ugh.  This is exactly what we thought and feared would happen.  She said she would let us know the new amount...

It's very frustrating, this feeling that she is trying to control our parenting decisions with her wallet.  But at the same time, I'm so proud of my husband for standing up and doing what he thinks is the right thing to do.  We think she is hoping that I will feel compelled to go work outside the home to pay the extra rent.  What she doesn't seem to understand is that Dean and I have discussed the issue of me working for pay outside the home and every time, Dean has said no, he wants me home.  (For that matter, I want to be home!) 

As far as extra income goes, there are a couple of options.  The first is that I am a consultant for Usborne Books...I signed up mainly to get cheaper books for my family and friends, not to really make money.  But I could start nagging all my friends to host shows, hand out my cards to everyone I meet, etc.  The other obvious thing would be babysitting.  I'd love to have a preschooler who would play with ds3yo a few days a week, keeping him busy while I do school with the older girls.  That would be easier than doing book parties and could easily bring in several hundred dollars a month.

Of course, this whole situation is held gently in the Lord's hands.  He will provide for our needs and *all*  we need to do is remain strong in our faith. We will be praying to see the Lord's good in this trouble.  I'm praying that through this, Dean's faith in the Lord and His Provision is greatly increased.  And if anyone else would pray for us...thank you very much.

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• Jul. 26, 2006
baby #5, 16 weeks, Visit to the Midwife

Today's visit with the midwife was wonderfully routine.  Her scale says I've gained more weight than my scale at home, but she told me the scale was new and we could continue to use the numbers from my scale to track my total weight gain.

I am still measuring big, but not quite big enough to concern my midwife!  Yeah!  I'm 16 weeks and measured 20.  If I'd been 21 or more, she would have strongly urged me to get an ultrasound.  I'd rather not do that, so for now, we are both comfortable skipping it. 

We easily heard the heartbeat, a nice 140's rate.

I need to work on getting regular exercise, chasing after the children doesn't count. :)  And she has asked me to keep a food diary for a week, to check on what I'm eating.  She does this with everyone and doesn't think I have any particular problems with my diet.  She likes to be sure her moms are getting the right balance of protein, carbs, etc.

My next appt is in four weeks...we're moving along here!

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• Jul. 22, 2006
The Last of a Generation

Cecilia Dean was 93 years old when she went to meet the Lord this morning.  She had suffered a massive stroke a little over a week ago.  Her last days were spent in the company of her two children, Barbara and Ed.  Several grandchildren were able to come to her side and more called to say their last goodbyes.  She was the widow of Edward Dean, who died more than 30 years ago.  She is survived by her two children, her 5 grandchildren, and by 9 great grandchildren.  Greatgrandma Cecilia will be missed so much, but we know that we will see her again, soon.

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