Wrapped in HIS Word

I had one of those “A-ha” moments at 3:00 a.m. while I was in the hospital after delivering Anna
Beth.  One of my nurses came in and proceeded to carry on a conversation with me about who-
knows-what, as she woke me out of a dead sleep.  She complimented the quilt that we had
Anna Beth wrapped in.  It is a beautiful quilt that is covered with scriptures that are meant to
encourage and inspire.  It is sure to become an heirloom.

After the nurse walked out, I started considering some of the scriptures embroidered on the
blanket, like Isaiah 66:13, which reads, “As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you.”  
What beautiful imagery to think of God acting like a mother to a child!  A mother is tender,
loving, kind, merciful, and usually just what an infant most desires when scared or hurting…all
of which God is to us as well!

Another scripture on the quilt is Proverbs 30:5, which says, “Every Word of God is flawless, He
is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.”  As I admired Anna Beth’s sleeping form in the
cradle next to me, I prayed this scripture over her.  I prayed that she, as well as Emma and
Luke, will always wrap themselves in God’s inerrant Word.  I prayed that they will always use
His Word as a shield against the things of this world that discourage our hearts and lead us
away from God.  I hope that they will turn to Him as a refuge in times of trouble and rejoice in
His Word in times of happiness.  I pray that their paths will be made straight in their
acknowledgement of Him (Proverbs 3:6).  It is my heart’s desire that they will know the Lord
and love Him first and most of all.

What about you?  Are you wrapped in His Word today?  If not, please consider how comforting
and encouraging it would be to feel His presence every moment as He guides and protects
you.  If you are wrapped in His Word, thank Him for His grace and mercy.

p.s.  Sorry about the super-weird spacing on this post.  Blogger hates me today.

Introducing...

Miss Anna Beth!

Born at 10:03 a.m. on Thursday, May 20, 2010. She weighed 9 pounds, 1 ounce and was 20 inches long.

Fun/Scary facts:

1. The anesthesiologist had to stick me twice to put in the epidural. Jason didn't watch this time, fortunately. I'd had a nice shot of Nubain, so I really didn't care.

2. Anna Beth's heartrate took a big plunge soon after I got the epidural boost. The nurse laid me flat on my back and my blood pressure started dropping like crazy.  I was pretty loopy as a result of the Ambien from the night before ("Good enough for Tiger Woods, good enough for my wife,"--Jason), the Nubain, and the epidural, so it really didn't occur to me to be alarmed until later.  Buzzers were blaring as my BP dropped to 83/38.  My nurse, Laura, called the nurse's station for help.  They brought her ephedrine to try to raise my pressure back up.  I was non-plussed as I watched her squeeze an entire bag of glucose into my veins.  After two doses of ephedrine, my bottom number finally started to come up a little.  I am thankful that my nurse never lost her cool and was totally in control.

3. Right after this episode, I told my nurse that I felt pressure.  She'd just checked and I was only 7 cm or so.  She checked again and I was at 9.  She phoned my doctor who told her to tell me to push when I was ready.  Jason called my parents to find out where they and the kids were.  They were still about 30 minutes away!  I told him not to tell them that I was pushing because I didn't want them to break the speed barrier to get there!

4.  After only 13 minutes of pushing, Anna Beth arrived.  Just like Luke, she had the cord wrapped tightly around her neck.  Also, just like Luke, she weighed the exact same as he did, but was an inch shorter in length.

5.  Emma didn't want to leave the hospital on the day Anna Beth was born.  She wanted to stay on and hold her all night.  She is SUCH a GREAT big sister!

6.  Anna Beth is a really good baby.  I told Jason that if the other two had been this easy, we would have had 10 or 11.  He gave me a serious stinkeye over that comment.  He tells folks that ask if this is our first baby, "No, it's our last."  That cracks me up every time.  It's totally true, though!

7.  I have bounced back from having Anna Beth so much faster than I did with my previous two.  God has really blessed me!

Thanks to all who've checked on us.  We appreciate your prayers as we start this new chapter in our lives.  Also, a big thanks goes to Rachel who visited us.  Not too much longer, Mama, and you'll have your "Cletus the Fetus" here to hold and snuggle! 

Here are some more pics:

Sweet Feet!

My Awesome Kids

Just.SO.Tired!

Have a great Memorial Day weekend!

She's coming!

As I type, I'm am having one WHOPPER of a contraction...unmedicated for the moment, thankyouverymuch. I was admitted to the hospital to be induced last night due to Anna Beth's expected large size.

So far, I've survived the injustices of a waaaaaay too small hospital gown and having to use the bane of my existence, the dreaded bedpan. *GAG!* (P.S. They fixed the gown problem. The one I'm in now probably hosted the circus last time it was in town.)

Anyhow, I sure would appreciate all your prayers today. We figure on having Anna Beth here by around lunchtime. Emma and Luke are really excited to meet Anna Beth...and to have the day out of school!

I will post an update later with stats and rants and whatnot. I'm not sure if I'll be able to get pics on here from my phone, but if we are Facebook peeps, check them out over there later.


Oh, one more thing...can I just tell you how pleased I am to know I should be back home for the "LOST" season finale!?! A girl's got to have priorities.


In the meantime, bring on the pain meds!

Butterflies

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about butterflies lately.  One reason is that we are decorating Anna Beth’s nursery in that theme.  The other reason is that we had five real butterflies living in our house up until recent days. 

Emma received a butterfly growing kit for Christmas.  Last month we ordered our caterpillars.  The box arrived with lots of instructions and a little jar, full of some really yucky substance and creepy-crawling with these hairy caterpillars.  (Jason was even freaked out by them.)  In about a week’s time, we had chrysalises on the lid of the jar.  In about another week’s time, we had these scrawny, nearly-colorless, weak-winged, so-called butterflies flitting around our mesh butterfly cage.  In about an hour after they’d hatched from their cocoons, these ugly insects had suddenly become spectacularly-hued, majestic, graceful flying creatures.  It was amazing to see the transformation!  

Since the lifespan of a butterfly is only a short three weeks, we decided to release them after only a couple of days of appreciating their beauty.  To watch them fly away was truly breathtaking.

I couldn’t help but make some comparisons between my walk as a Christian and the metamorphosis of the lowly caterpillar into the lovely butterfly.  Before I became a Christian, I had not reached my full potential that God planned for me.  As I learned more about Jesus, my life began to change and take on a more specific direction.  After I gave my heart to Jesus, a definite metamorphosis began to occur in me.  I learned to experience the beauty and freedom of a life that comes from following God’s plan for me.  God gave me freedom when I accepted His Son as my Savior, but He continues to nurture me and facilitate more growth and change in me every day through the Holy Spirit.  

As Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago."  I know that I’m not as graceful or as beautiful as I will be in Heaven, but I’m going to do my best with the short time I have here on Earth to glorify Him. 

A Kleenex-Worthy Post

Last night as I tucked Luke into bed, I snuggled him closely (as close as the belly allows for now), kissed him, and whispered in his ear, "I love you, little man."

Luke looked questioningly at me and said, "You know, Mommy, I already know that.  You don't have to tell me every day."

I smiled and replied, "I know, but I'm going to tell you every single day that I'm alive and that you'll listen to me say it."

Incredulously, he asked, "Even when you are old--like 64?"

I answered, "You better believe it!  EVEN when I'm One million and 64 years old and we are in Heaven, I'll still tell you every day."

He got quiet for a second.  "Mommy, do they have Facebook in Heaven?"

I half-grinned, thinking I knew where this was going.  "Umm, no, baby, I don't think they do."

With eyes beginning to tear up, he looked at some distant point over my right shoulder, "But, Mommy!  How will you be able to tell me that you love me if you die and I'm still here?"

A warm gush of tears filled my eyes.  I had to look away, too.  "You'll know it in your heart, Luke.  That's why Mommy tells you and shows you that she loves you every day now.  You'll always have that with you."

His voice choked as he inquired, "But what if I...(sob) forget?!?"

(Kleenex break.  I can't even type this without crying.  Whew.)

I assured him that there was no way that he could ever forget how much I loved him.  I hastily kissed him again, tucked him under the covers, and beat a hasty retreat to go have a good, old-fashioned ugly cry.

Today I took Emma and Luke to the cemetery where my great-grandparents, several great-uncles, and a great-aunt are buried.  Since this Sunday is Homecoming Day at our church, we typically decorate the cemetery with new flowers at this time.  We took  flowers to put on the graves of relatives that my kids never met, or were too young to remember when they passed away.

I explained to the kids that I know that I still carry the love in my heart that all of these family members had always shown me.  It's not something easily forgotten.  I think Luke feels better about it all now, but it served as a definite reminder to me that there should never be a day that goes by that I don't make sure that my children, family, friends, etc., know how much I love them.  I want them to carry that with them always.

Go love somebody today, okay?

Maybe It's Lost in Translation...

Last week I went on a field trip with Luke to see "The Wizard of Oz" in Birmingham.  When it was all over, Luke and I decided to go "someplace nice" for lunch.  (He suggested Taco Bell, which really wasn't what I had in mind.)  We enjoyed a wonderful and fun lunch at a hibachi table at Stix.  As we were about to leave, one of the Japanese waiters comes over to me and points at my stomach.

"Oh," he said.  "That looks like twins."

Y'all, I was so flabbergasted, I couldn't even react.  I mumbled something completely unintelligible about it just being one and walked away.

Well, at least it only happened once, right?

Oh, but no.

Alas!

Last Sunday night we ate at our local Mexican restaurant.  Our waitress looked at me and inquired, "Baby?"  I said, "Yes, only about 4 more weeks."

Her eyes stretched wide.  "4 BABIES?  QUATRO BAMBINOS?"

I quickly answered, "Oh, no, no, no.  Just one."

She laughed.  "Oh, okay.  First baby?"

I smiled as politely as I could.  "No, actually this will be my third."

Her eyes stretched wide again.  "Oh, so it's TRES BAMBINOS!"

I shook my head in a vigorous "NO" signal and excused myself to go sit in the car and cry.

Or not.  But that made you feel really sad for me, huh?

I saw a church sign today that said, "He who has tact has less to retract."

I like this a lot.  Especially right now.  The power of the belly compels total strangers to grope me and say things that are so far-fetched that I could scream.

In related news, I think we finally found Charlie Brown's long-lost "Great Pumpkin."

An Update of Sorts...

So, I haven't felt much like blogging lately.

I've been in the death throes of a raging sinus/ear infection with the added bonus of bronchitis.  

As if being uber-pregnant wasn't hard enough on its own.

The nesting instinct...

(Sorry, had to wipe sneeze off computer screen)

...kicked in about two weeks ago.  I was a cooking madwoman. I've got casseroles and lasagna and all sorts of pretty things in the newly-cleaned out and organized freezer.   I cleaned like there was no tomorrow...or like Martha Stewart was coming over tomorrow.  Whichever.

Then, the pollen plague kicked in, and I've felt like death ever since.  

Oh, the injustice.

Anyway, here is an update in pictures of what's been going on.

Luke called a girl last Friday.  This being the day after another girl called him.  He uses his hands a lot when he talks on the phone.  I may or may not have videotaped a large portion of his conversation to show him when he's older.  You're welcome, Luke.

We went to our church's egg hunt last Saturday.  My kids put all their eggs in one basket.  Emma came home covered in mud.  It was a good day.

The Easter Bunny was very kind to my kids.  They got Zhu Zhu Pets in their baskets.  While they enjoyed them a great deal, poor, long-suffering Tootie was not a fan.  Which, of course, led to all of us finding ways to chase her around with them.

They were mumbling something quietly here.  Tootie was on high alert.

"I will protect you, Mom, from the evil, tail-less talking squirrels."

"Did that one just move?"

"I think I can protect you better from over here...sitting on your feet.  Help."

I love, love, love this picture.  Luke adores his big sister.

It's only April and she's already got new freckles.

I love this face.

The pink ladies' club.  I smiled through the pain.  My ear and my abdomen were both nearing explosion.

Finally, this is why Tootie likes Grandmama and Granddaddy's house better than ours:

She can exert her dominance here.  And sit on the furniture.

"You WILL respect me, little man.  FEAR the Tootmeister."


I will end the post here.  I have lots more pictures and things to say, but I'm out of Kleenex, so...The End.