Flower Baby!

From about 15 months old or so, both of my girls have loved to see themselves wrapped up in their towels after bath time.  It's a fun way to get them out of the tub.  C is on the last hooded towel that will wrap around her and it has petals for the hood...our little flower baby:

Into the Cave

I feel myself slowly sneaking into the cave that is mommy-of-newborn.  The last few days of cool weather have brought a welcome pause to this procession as I've been more comfortable to leave the house or just play with the girls outside.  The heat and humidity is definitely a force that propels me into the isolation of my home.  It's hard to want to go out for much of anything when you just can't get comfortable.

And I'm feeling pretty comfy in my little cave.  I've got things washed and ready for baby, I've got a good grip on school for the fall, I've got some meals in the freezer, I have help lined up.  I feel like we're in as good a place as we can be for this new addition.

Because I'm feeling comfortable with the condition of my cave, I'm hoping I'll be able to relax and really relish the days ahead.  I need to be sitting more than standing these days and that should be of great benefit to my girls.  I can read with them more, play games with them, color with them, etc.  Hopefully I can fill them up with some quality mommy time before I get snatched away by baby.  And then I hope to be able to take those newborn days for what they are and let life happen for a month or two, knowing that I planned to concentrate on my kids during this time rather than feeling pressure to do other things.

Just typing that makes me squirm a little.  I don't do "unstructured" very well and I thrive when my to-do list is long and looming.  But I want to make this a special time, a relaxed time, an easy time for my family, not a nightmare.  I want to enjoy the cave this time and all it has to offer.  I know that will make the sunshine even more spectacular when we emerge as a family of five.

Nesting

Some expectant mommies feather their nest by painting the nursery, sewing bedding, picking out clothes.  Me?  I buy shelves and organize!

Don't get me started on the saga that is the mismatched IKEA shelves.  Apparently, holding out to buy the same piece from the same line at the same store doesn't do you any good if you wait too long.  They no longer offer that color, size or door style.  I was absolutely disgusted.  You cannot begin to imagine how much the lack of symmetry bothers me if I open the door to that obsession.  So I hid the new shelf in the corner as best I could and filled it up.

I'm planning to do school in the dining room next year, so now all of our school resources are in one place.  I did such a good job of purging the shelves that I even ended up with room to grow.  All of our art supplies are here, too, and I've got the table covered with a cheap clear, vinyl tablecloth so it is ready to go when they want to grab a bucket of supplies and some paper and create.  It's fun that both girls are at an age where I can trust them with this now (at least at the table).

I covered some diaper boxes in fabric and filled them with board books on the lower shelves for little hands to grab easily.  In theory, our littlest will understand the concept of "no" and "don't eat the books" by the time he can reach the third shelf.  My two lower cabinets have locks on them that A can operate by herself and that's where I'm going to put her school workboxes.  More on that later, but I'm super excited about this method of organizing our assignments.

What you don't see is the extra purging of toys and books I had to do in C's room so that I could move some of our grown-up books onto the high shelves in there.  This has been a process, y'all.  I still need to reclaim some wall space in the dining room for hanging art work, maps and posters.  That will be a gradual migration of our current decor to the living room, I think.  Then some major wall patching since we have some shelves anchored to the wall.  That's probably why I haven't started with that yet.  All in good time.

For now, I'm quite pleased with the results and trying to restrain myself from breaking into the school goodies too soon.  We've already enjoyed the ease of doing art at the big table with supplies at arm's reach.  And they can help clean up, too.  Isn't it a cozy, particle-board nest?

When Did That Happen?!

Since I've been hiding from the heat, I've been relying on other people to play outside with the girls.  My mommy's helpers have been invaluable and J has spent a lot of time with them, too.  Imagine my surprise, then, when I went out this morning with them while the weather was tolerable and discovered that C can pedal her tricycle!!  When did that happen?!

I had tried to show her a few times earlier this spring how to let her feet take turns pushing the pedals, but then my belly got too big to bend over and it got so crazy hot.  I knew she would figure it out eventually.  But I was still a little sad that I wasn't there when she did.  Go, C!  Such a big girl!  Maybe if I hide inside all summer with the baby, she'll figure out how to potty train herself, too.

35 Weeks

We're in the final month of this pregnancy and I could not be more thrilled!  Had another check-up this morning and everything looks healthy and normal.  I've been feeling every little stretch and pop of my bones and muscles and complained about the pain to my doc, but she was not nearly as impressed by my symptoms as I was hoping she would be.  Guess I'm more of a wimp than I thought and I need to just suck it up for a few more weeks.  I told J this summation of my appointment and he wisely said that he wasn't going to be the one to tell me that.

We took the girls for a sibling tour of the hospital last night.  I was really impressed by the way the hospital structured this introduction for soon-to-be big brothers and sisters.  We got to see the rooms, the nursery, the waiting areas.  More importantly, they got to push the buttons on the bed to make it go up and down, blow up latex gloves like balloons, and bring home sample bottles and diapers for their baby dolls.  We are all getting really excited to meet our little brother.

Her First Nightgown

C recently made her debut into the little girl privilege that is a pretty nightgown.  It might have been a little early, because it almost swallows her up; but her reaction was worth it.  "I'm wearing a dress to sleep in!"

This is the same nightgown that A wore two years ago.  Why is it so picture-worthy, you ask?

Because it was my nightgown many years ago.  Another one of those handmade blessings from a Grandma whose loving hands continue to touch her family.

Why Me?

We heard an incredible testimony last week at our home group meeting.  One of the families in our group is about to return to India to be missionaries to their own people.  We got to hear from her father, who came to salvation under miraculous circumstances.  He was a young adult before he had ever heard of a Christian, and still didn't know what that meant.  Yet God orchestrated his life as an example of Romans 1:20, "For since the creation of the world, God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse."

As he shared his journey to Christ and the persecution he has endured since becoming a believer, I could not help but wonder the difference between his soul and mine.  Why have I been born in a place and time where I have easy access to the gospel?  Why was I born into a family with an extraordinary heritage of believers?  Why me and not him?  What is my responsibility with this blessing?  What would God have me do or be because of my circumstances that predispose me to belief?

My first response is to have the mindset that I am here "for such a time as this."  That God has put me here, now for a specific purpose and I just need to be alert for that purpose.  But I also know that God doesn't need me to accomplish any of His purposes.  He will fulfill His plans with or without me.  If I miss the boat, it's just that--I miss out on knowing Him more deeply by having worked together with Him.  It's a delicate juggling act, to not allow this unknown purpose to dominate my consciousness, but to trust that He who began a good work in me will carry it on to completion and not let me miss the opportunity if I am focusing on Him.

God, why do you have me here, now?  I don't believe it's random.  Tune my heart to you, that I would not miss any opportunity to make the most of the circumstances you have blessed me with.