Bedtime Routine

When Grace was born, Jeremy was doing a midnight paper route and our bedtime routine was very lax. Grace would often be put down around 7pm and it would take me lying next to her, sometimes for over an hour, until she finally fell asleep. This continued until Abigail was born. Thankfully, by then, Jeremy had quit his second job and was awake in the evenings and able to help me put the girls down for bed.

I cannot praise the Lord and my husband enough for how diligent he was in setting up a bedtime routine. He thoughtfully planned a routine that started with Luther's evening prayer, and it has evolved over the last 2 years into a family devotional time, complete with hymns and Scripture verses. How wonderful to have a husband who has taken the role of spiritual leader so seriously. Even when tired or stressed, he has never skipped the bedtime routine. Sometimes it is shorter than others, but he always puts the girls down with prayer.

Here's a typical bedtime:

Each girl is dressed in pajamas, brushes her teeth, and is given a small cup of water. Their room is red-up (please excuse my Pennsylvania Dutch), and Daddy picks out a book or two to read. The girls sit in his lap while he reads the books, then they climb into their beds and Daddy recites the Apostles' Creed. Next Daddy leads the girls in their memory verses. So far that consists of John 3:16, Psalm 23, John 14:1-6, and the Ten Commandments.

That is followed by several songs and hymns. Our current reportoire is Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus, Jesus Loves Me, Amazing Grace, and Take me out to the Ball Game. :)

Then Daddy closes with Luther's evening prayer. Then the girls are kissed and told they are loved.

This whole routine can take an hour, but usually lasts about 30 minutes. It has become such a special part of their day and I'm sure they will carry the memory of their Daddy's love and attention all their life.

Thank you, Jeremy, for being such a gracious father. In this daily act of selfless love, you are showing our girls the love of the Father. You could be doing so many other things during this time, but you choose to spend it guiding our girls, showing them Jesus, and modeling for them the kind of man they will one day search out to marry and build a family with.

Goings On

We took the girls to Kalama for the parade today. They got a boatload of candy (it helps when you're two little girls dressed in summer dresses, waving and smiling at everyone) and we watched Carly who walked in the parade in support of one of our favorite candidates. It was so hot! The high might have reached 100 today. I'm so thankful that I'm not 9 months pregnant right now.

I cannot keep a secret, and so we've been telling some people what we're having. I think we'll keep the name secret until the birth though. So many people are rude and say how much they don't like the names we've considered that I am gearing up for the response to this one. The name has not been in the top 1000 since the 1830s; it's just that rare and special. :)

The next few weeks are going to be very busy. I have volunteered to be co-treasurer for our HOA, to help clean up the mess left by the last administration. The primary is coming up fast and furious and there are a lot of opportunities to volunteer to help support our next Congressional representative, David W. Hedrick (please, go check out his website!). We are in desperate need of constitutional conservative politicians right now. Our country is on a fast-track toward socialism (and ultimately complete destruction) and we need to reign in the out-of-control spending, regulations, and taxes.

I'm also preparing for the next school year. Carly will be gone a lot during August, which leaves me not much time to get the house in order (where'd all this paperwork come from?) and organize her curriculum. The little ones are going through a reading program with Daddy right now and will start Kindergarten math once that is done. There's also so much to get ready for baby - I have a list of things we need, which is amazing to me considering we just had two babies. Many things were used up or destroyed and then there's things like a car seat and new stroller, and figuring out sleeping arrangements.

Maybe next year we'll be able to have our garden. :)

A Picture is Worth Everything

Last week was our 2nd ultrasound. The first attempt we were unable to get a 3D/4D image because baby was hiding and wouldn't move. Thankfully this time baby was more cooperative, though still on the "shy" side. :)

I can't tell you how wonderful it was to see our precious baby move its arms and legs, yawn several times followed by puffy cheek faces, watch as hiccups shook it's tiny body, and see its little bottom as it curled up so peaceful and safe inside me. The baby is beautiful, almost a carbon copy of Grace and Abigail (hey, if it ain't broke . . .). I will never stop being amazed at the wonder of how a new life is formed. Fearfully and wonderfully made.

This pregnancy is so different from the others. With Carly, I was young and blissfully unaware of what it meant to have a baby. With Grace, I was excited and nervous and much more aware of the change a baby would bring to our family. Abigail was a difficult pregnancy and I often had negative thoughts about her arrival. That year surrounding her pregnancy and birth was a dark time in our marriage. So far, with the exception of my standard morning sickness/confined to bed period, this pregnancy has been easy. I am happy and looking forward to meeting baby, but not so anxious that I'm not enjoying carrying baby under my heart. I think this baby will fit into our family easily. I'm prepared, experienced, and ready to tackle all the joys and difficulties that a new baby brings. My eyes are wide open, and more importantly, so is my heart.

We may have had other plans, but God's plan exceeds anything we could dream. He knows us intimately and fulfills the desires of our heart.

The only regret I have is that my family is not a part of our joy. If you are so inclined, please pray for peace of mind that I can lean on God completely. Family may forsake us, but God is always faithful.

Building the Nest

My sweetie and I took the girls to IKEA on Saturday. I had never been to the one here locally. The one and only time I have been to an IKEA was in Germany and that was over 10 years ago! We had a lot of fun looking at all the neat furniture and storage ideas. We are still thinking about how to arrange the bedroom to accommodate our two little girls, the new baby, and still have room in case another blessing is sent our way. Not an easy task for a room that is only 10x12! We've considered giving the kids the master bedroom, but I kinda like being able to walk around our king-sized bed. :)

While at IKEA, I ran into my very good friend who is also expecting. She's due the day after I am. I still can't get over that. God is so good, and has such a sense of humor. :) I also saw another lady that I know from another blog. She is expecting her second child in a few weeks. In fact, I think every woman at IKEA was pregnant and in the throes of a nesting urge. IKEA is like Mecca for pregnant women! It was good to see so many children about to join our human family, especially in an area known for Progressivism and pet-worship. Made my heart proud.

A Rant

I love my husband. He works very hard for a boss who appreciates him very little. That said, there is just something on my mind I have wanted to say outloud for a long time. Here goes:

It's hard enough for a man to be a husband to his wife. So much is on his shoulders in providing, protecting, and doing all the gentlemanly things expected of him. It's unconscienable to demand that he also act as "husband" to his female co-workers. Either equality in the workplace exists, or it doesn't. Women can't have it both ways.

Phew! I feel much better now.

On Our Own

When my oldest daughter struggled with reading, I was introduced to the book, "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons." Half-way through the book, her struggles were overcome and she was off and reading on her own. I had always planned to use the book again if I had more children. What I didn't expect was to use it with a 3-year old. Jeremy has started going through the book with her and she is doing very well. (Yes, I'm bragging. It's my child and my responsibility as a mom to do so.) It's amazing to me how quickly little ones can pick up on reading skills. Before we started with the book, she was trying to sound out letters on her own and even doing a good job of figuring out what letter started words just by the sound the word makes.

Homeschooling is not about sitting a child at a desk at age 5 and going through textbooks while at a chalkboard (or whiteboard - don't want to date myself too much!). It's about teaching them at every stage of their development, focusing on their interests, and challenging them to do more than they think they can. It happens in the car, snuggled in bed, at the dinner table, playing outside. You get the picture. :) It doesn't take a "professional" teacher, a degree, or an institution to teach. It takes a dedicated parent who is willing to take the time. It doesn't take expensive curricula or fancy methods. Parents teach their children all the time without trying. It comes naturally. We teach them by our words and actions everyday. That's why Grace shouts, "Come on, stupid people!" when we're in slow traffic on the road.

The Name Game

Choosing a name for baby is, to me, the most anxiety-provoking aspect of pregnancy. The significance of the perfect name cannot be understated. The name will be associated with this new person his/her whole life. It will shape who s/he is. First impressions will be based on it. His/her personality will hang on it's sound, meaning, and any nicknames derived from it. Yep, I'm completely scared to death when picking one out!

With Carly, I had a perfect name picked out early on. My family belittled it. I am always amazed at how bold people are when giving opinions about the name you've picked for your baby. I can't remember how many times I've been told, "Oh, I HATE that name!" Makes me want to use it even more when I hear that. :) Carly wasn't always going to be Carly, though. The name I had picked was Autumn Lilac. Autumn because it's my favorite season, and Lilac because it's my favorite flower. However, God had a different name picked out, and I agreed to Carly just before she was born. Carleen Emerson. It fits her very well.

Grace was Grace years before she was born. Jeremy and I had decided on that name probably before we were married. I had had an ectopic pregnancy, an abortion, and a miscarriage after Carly. We thought that I may not be able to have more children, so if God decided to bless us with another, and it was a girl, she'd be named Grace. God did bless us, and we kept our word. Grace Eleanor. Grace because God gives us what we don't deserve, and Eleanor in honor of my mother who had passed away the year before.

Then God blessed us again with Abigail just 13 months later. Abigail's name was not even on our radar. When we found out she was a girl, we prayed over names that were placed on our hearts, placed them into a hat, and drew. The contenders were Sarah, Rose, Tesia, Abigail, and Beatrice. Jeremy, Carly, and I were all rooting for our favorites, but Abigail was not one of them. It was, however, God's chosen name. It means "the father's joy." And Abigail Elyce is very much a sweet girl who brings her father, and her Father, much joy.

Two years later we are faced with the task of choosing another name. For a boy, it is Tobias. For a girl, either Vivian or Beatrice. Slim pickin's this time around - but we believe in praying over names and God just didn't give us the go-ahead on very many. After finding out the gender, we considered names again and added one more. It was not a name Jeremy or I had seriously considered before, but it seemed God was telling us to and so we threw it into the hat. Jeremy prayed over the names and we picked one out. To everyone's surprise (and possible chagrin) it was the name we threw in at the last minute. Once again God had chosen a name that we weren't considering, but we can rest assured that He chose this child before the foundation of the world, and the task of naming him/her belongs to Him. A middle name has also been chosen, and the initials are C.J.

I can't wait to meet C.J! S/he is going to be a very special person!

I joked with Jeremy that if anyone can guess the name, I'd give them a $50 gift certificate to the store of their choice. It's like Rumplestiltskin - I sincerely doubt anyone can do it!

God is always surprising us with His provisions. :)