Adios November!

So much has happened in the last week it's just crazy! Too much to write thoughtfully about it, so tonights update is in bullet form.

* My 3rd nephew, Simon Cole, was born on the 25th by emergency C-section. He was 6lbs 13oz. My sister is now home, but Simon is in the NICU because his lungs were not fully developed. He had chest tubes, a Cpap machine, suction to his stomach, IV's, etc. It was hard to see the little guy all hooked up. He's doing better each day, however. He got the CPap machine off today, one chest tube out, the other capped and ate for the first time tonight! What a trooper!

* Due to all the chaos of Simon being born, Marc and I ended up being parents to 3 boys for 3 days. The boys did great over here and Isaac loved having his cousins around 24/7 to play with. He's now constantly asking for 'woovi' (levi).

* We cut down our first Christmas tree with all three boys on Friday. It's decorated & we're almost ready for all the parties coming up.

* A little over 5 weeks after my miscarriage, my body is finally getting back to normal. There have been some days which trigger my emotions and I end up crying myself to sleep, but those are becoming less and less. I'm finally getting back into some sort of routine and feeling a bit more on top of things. Not completely yet, but getting there.

* Our car broke down this weekend & is going to be $600 to fix. Sweet. Cause we have lots of money in our ER fund after all this Quimby street crap. Seriously.

* My baby is going to be 2 in less than 2 months! It's just crazy how quick time flies!

* I am trying to get into a exercise habit by rotating the Biggest Loser Bootcamp & Yoga DVD's. I did the bootcamp one tonight and already feel my muscles aching. It's a good ache though! Hopefully I can keep up with this.

Weigh-In Wednesday

I wanted to skip posting today, as it's a tad embarassing. I'm up .5lbs. So, total after 4 weeks is now 6lbs. I have to also admit that I weighed myself in the morning, as opposed to the afternoons as I have been doing. It's probably more than .5lbs that I gained, but we'll go by the scale. :)

And, for my other goals - big FAT FAILURE!!

I think my only goal for this next week (being thanksgiving and all) is to NOT gain any weight. That's a legit goal, right?

blah

I should be 15 weeks pregnant today. It's been a bit of a rough evening as I remembered. It's been just over a month and some days I don't even think about it. Others it's on my mind constantly. It's not helping that we're not able to start trying again yet. I'm anxious about the future and our family. I'm fearful that it could happen again. I'm tired. I feel like since it happened, I haven't been on top of anything. Today, I missed a meeting that had been rescheduled because I missed it last week. That's the story of the last 5 weeks. I haven't been using my planner and feel like I'm always doing things last minute, which is not like me. I've been lazy, unproductive and just kind of blah. I really hope this changes soon.

Weigh-In Wednesday

I'm 30 today. Whoa. I woke up to flowers and a card from both my husband, and my son. :) I showed our Quimby street house to a very interested fellow, got a latte, got some work done, got the OFFICE season 5 on DVD, the game Boggle, and a new black sweater from my hubby, and now I'm waiting til 6pm when I go out to dinner with a few friends. I'm looking forward to a 'girls night'. I can't remember the last time I've had that. Most of my girl nights include my son.

Anyhow, I weighed in today and have lost 1lb this past week, bringing my total in 3 weeks to 6.5lbs. Not to shabby. I think my 1lb is due to sitting on the couch for 3 days straight due to strep throat. Hopefully I can get back into some physical activity this week.

And as far as my goal of going to bed at 11pm. Yeah. FAILED!! I'm not sure why it's so hard for me, but I just can't seem to do it. I'm going to try again this week, although a youth group trip to Chicago over the weekend certainly won't help with that routine. I think perhaps I'll add a goal of drinking more water as well. I got a sweet new purple water bottle to inspire me to drink more. Hopefully I'll have better results when I check in next week!

Strep Throat & countdown to 30

After a few days of feeling like I was swallowing razor blades, I went to urgent care and was diagnosed with Strep Throat. Boo. I started my anti-biotics, which quickly gave me a stomach ache. Boo again. I only hope I feel well enough to go out for dinner with a few friends on Wednesday night for my 30th birthday.

Twice today I was reminded that I'm not pregnant anymore. The first time was when the nurse asked me when my last period was, to write it down on her charts. I had to explain to her my miscarriage. It's only been a month, but she treated it like it was a very matter-of-fact medical things to write down. She didn't look at me at all as I talked, just kept focused on her stupid chart. The doc at least offered a 'I'm sorry' after asking the same question. Sidenote: why does the nurse ask, write it down, and the doc have to ask again?

Second time was when I was reflecting on my goals before I turn 30. One of them was to be pregnant again. I haven't failed that goal, but I will not get to enjoy the outcome in May. It's strange to me that whenever I have to fill out medical forms, I will have to report 2 pregnancies, but only 1 living child.

Not a great day physically or emotionally.

Tradition (no, not a post about Fiddler on the Roof)

This holiday season, I am hoping to start new family traditions. I'm not exactly sure what they will be yet, but they will happen!

Marc has never been one to 'get into the holiday spirit', but this year I think I might be rubbing off on him a bit. More than ever, I am anxious to put up decorations, pop in my Martina McBride Christmas album and start baking! As Isaac is starting to grow up and become more aware of what Christmas means, I want to begin family traditions. Marc has agreed this year to go cut down a Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving. I'm not sure that will be a lasting tradition for us, however - it's a little hard for me to justify spending money on a tree that sits and slowly dies and makes a mess.

Anyhow, I'm looking for ideas for Christmas traditions - share any that you have had & why they are meaningful!

Weigh-in Wednesday

Down 2.5lbs this week bringing my total in 2 weeks to 5.5lbs. Yay!

This week I was sick & did not exercise at all. I'm feeling a bit better today and will try to get in a workout video at the very least. I really want to focus on being healthy, not just loosing weight, and exercise has got to be a part of that.

More than anything, I need to get into a routine in my life. The last few weeks have been so emotional and exhausting that a routine was the furthest thing from my mind. Now that I am feeling stronger, I want to get back into it. I would love to jump into all my goals at once, but I know I will fail, so each week when I weigh -in, I'm going to choose something to work on. This week it's going to be going to bed by 11pm each night.

So if you see me on facebook playing bejeweled, you have permission to yell at me.

A few of my favorite things

As I was eating my Lime tortilla chips with lunch, I was thinking about how they are by far, my favorite chip ever. And a blog post was born. Here is a list of a few of my other favorite things.

* good fitting shoes
* sleepytime tea
* When Marc has a night off work
* the Heidelberg Catechism (yes, seriously)
* Martina McBrides Christmas album (I might be busting that out soon!)
* the holiday's, when I get to reunite with tons of friends
* naps
* Sunday nights off
* Sunday nights when students really 'get it' at youth group
* my pink Columbia fleece
* helping others reach a goal
* playing with my son
* weekends away
* stepping on the scale to find out I've lost weight!
* Thai food
* Chaco flip flops

Auction for Olive Hope

I am associated with a couple - Rusty & Lynette - who are missionaries in Thailand. I met Rusty my freshmen year at college, when he was then dating one of my best friends. I didn't keep up with him after they broke up, but they remained friends and so I hear periodic updates about his life.

Well, they recently had a baby. Way to early. She is struggling for her life, and they are struggling with decisions, questions, and medical bills. Friends and family of Rusty & Lynette have started a blog auction to help with the medical bills & I have donated a baby blanket (yet to be made) for the cause.

Check it out at:http://auctionforolive.blogspot.com/

You can read more about their journey here: http://rustylynette.blogspot.com/

Do a little Christmas shopping while helping a family in need!

Home Remedies

I've got a cold. Any home remedies to try?

Quimby Street Update

Marc and I met this morning at 5:30am after both of us got done working. We actually got to go to bed at the same time! Anyhow, we tried to get a little sleep then got up to head to Quimby Street. Marc has successfully gotten to the point of laying the subfloor. That means next week we're up to drywall and cabinets! The following week, Marc will lay the new hardwood floors & I will paint. Then we just have the finishing touches of a countertop and hardware for the cabinets.

This has been a headache, for sure, but it's going to be impressive when it's done! Hopefully it will help the house sell when we decide to put it on the market again.

I'm getting too old for this...

I have an all-nighter with my middle school group tonight. Yes, an all-nighter, not an overnighter. All-nighter meaning no sleep, running around, playing games, keeping kids out of trouble, trying to stay positive & energetic, all while wanting to be home, in bed and fast alseep.

I seriously might be getting too old for this.

Doctrine can bring Comfort

This semester I am taking the class called Reformed Creeds & Confessions. It has been providencial that throughout the difficult month of October, I have been required to read the Belgic Confession, the Heidelberg Catechism and now we're into the Canons of Dort. Each of these have brought in their own way comfort, understanding and assurance during periods of hurt, confusion and doubt.

I'm not sure I quite understand those who believe that doctrine is dry, boring and not relevant for our lives. My greatest source of comfort has been these creeds & confessions. I am thankful for my Reformed heritage and the depth of it's insight into God's word.

I've already shared a few Heidelberg Q & A's in previous posts, so I'll only include the Canons & Belgic this time.

Canons of Dort
Article 17
The Salvation of the Infants of Believers
Since we must make judgments about God's will from his Word, which testifies that the children of believers are holy, not by nature but by virtue of the gracious covenant in which they together with their parents are included, godly parents ought not to doubt the election and salvation of their children whom God calls out of this life in infancy.

Belgic Confession
Article 13
The Doctrine of God's Providence
We believe that this good God,
after he created all things,
did not abandon them to chance or fortunebut leads and governs them
according to his holy will,
in such a way that nothing happens in this world
without his orderly arrangement....
...This doctrine gives us unspeakable comfort
since it teaches us
that nothing can happen to us by chance
but only by the arrangement of our gracious
heavenly Father.
He watches over us with fatherly care,
keeping all creatures under his control,
so that not one of the hairs on our heads(for they are all numbered)
nor even a little bird
can fall to the ground...

Weigh-In Wednesday

My body has been through a lot in the last few weeks. I've been more aware of my body recently than I have been since giving birth. I'm realizing that I'm not altogether healthy. I may have competed in a triathlon only 2 months ago, and I may not be obese, but I am certainly not as strong or fit as I could be. And I have no doubts that my eating habits need to improve. I had a goal of getting down to my pre-Isaac weight before getting pregnant again. I failed. Now is another opportunity to get there, so I'm going for it.

On Monday I joined about 15 other women who are doing a local 'biggest loser' competition. We weigh in on Wednesday's and track our progress on a blog. If we gain, we pay more into the pot. It's going until January 13th - Isaac's 2nd birthday! I weighed in on Monday and weighed in again today & have lost 3lbs already! I think I may have weighed in right after eating lunch on Monday or something. :)

Anyhow - I thought I'd track my progress on my own blog as well.

Just to clarify:

I am NOT interested in being a skinny minnie. I am NOT interested in looking like a model, or being able to wear a bikini. I am NOT interested in unhealthy obsessing over my looks or weight. I am NOT interested in placing my value or worth on my weight.

I AM trying to get to a healthy weight for my height and frame. I AM trying to get healthy so I can teach my son healthy living habits. I AM trying to get fit so that when I hopefully am able to get pregnant again, my body is in good shape for it.

So, Weigh in Wednesday #1 - 3lbs lost! Total lost: 3lbs

Rememberance Ring

It will in no way ever replace the dear baby I lost, but it will be a constant reminder of the short life he or she had. It will also remind me of God's faithful plan for my family, which is obviously different than what I had in mind, but I remain confident in Him.

My little American Idol

In His Hand

Heidelberg Catechsim

Lord's Day 10

Question & Answer 28

How does the knowledge of God's creation and providence help us?

We can be patient when things go against us,
thankful when things go well,
and for the guture we can have
good confidence in our faithful God and Father
that nothing will separate us from his love.
All creatures are so completely in his hand
that without his will
they can neither move nor be moved.

My baby is so completely in His Hand. That brings me comfort.