Thursday, February 24, 2011

King Tut and Georgie Porgie update

We aren't planning to name the child George.

But we still don't have an official name.  We're getting closer and narrowing the pool, we talk about it all the time and "try on" different names often.  But we're still not 100% sold on any particular one.  Naming a person is kind of a big deal! 

We had a doctor's appointment today, so Benjamin and I got up and got ready and headed out the door, leaving GG here to stay with Benson.

She's been here for three days and I'm not sure she's sat down one time in those three days.
The woman is a machine!!
She's been nesting for me, since I can't exactly do it.  She's been cleaning and organizing and getting every thing in order for us.

A large chunk of her time was spent outside in our garage, which had become overrun with unpacked boxes (from our move here, almost one year ago, yikes!)  as well as "piles" (I'm really good at "piles".)  Piles of things to donate, sort through, deal with "one day", junk and trash.  My mom went through each square inch of our garage (which was no small feat!) and got it looking INCREDIBLE.

Benson's been shooting basketball on his little goal and riding his big wheel IN THE GARAGE, which if you'd have had the opportunity to see the disaster area before she got her hands on it, you would be utterly amazed.  We are, for sure!!

***

In her whirling around here each morning, she's been whipping up some amazing breakfasts for us.
Breakfast has always been one of her specialties!  

When we walked in from the doctors office this morning, we found this:

in my spot

KING TUT, sitting in MY spot, where I've eaten every meal for the past three weeks. 

smiley with fork

He was thinking he was something special, enjoying a deluxe breakfast put together just for him and served in bed, by his GG. 

munchy


breakfast

And who are you to judge?

papparazzi

You'd do it too, if you had a GG like his.  :)

gg and benson

Thanks so much, for all you did for us, Mama!  We are so grateful!!

As a funny aside:
I was having contractions every ten minutes for about three hours straight yesterday, and my mom came and put her face close to my belly and said "George!  It is NOT time for you to come out yet!  I know you're ready to play with me, but you must wait just a little longer!"  
Well, right as she said it, he let out a huge KICK and it bopped her right in the nose.  
We both looked at each other and died laughing!!  I wish I had it on video!  It was priceless!
mom and jess


***

We've made it to 29 weeks!
That's three weeks farther than when we started this whole hoopla!!  We're so thankful that "George" is staying put! We got a good report from the doctor today.  Still no dilation!  Praise the Lord!  I'm still having a ton of contractions (we actually spent Monday in the hospital again due to an increase in activity -  makes me sound like a volcano or something) but as long as we aren't dilating, we're excited!

29 week profile copy

I'm still spending my days in the bed which sounds pretty great until you CAN'T GET OUT.
Ever.
To do anything.
I had a realization this week that I've never (for either of my babies) washed my newborn's clothes and tucked them away into his little dresser in preparation for his arrival.  Someone else has had to do that for me.  And while I'm so thankful for the many willing hands and hearts that have pitched in for us, it still makes me kinda sad that I can't be the one to get everything all in order for the arrival of our new baby.  It's hard to have that "nesting" instinct kick in and not be able to act on it!

The goal is a healthy baby.  Not who washes his first clothes.  I know that.  But there's just a little twinge of sadness there.  But the Lord is Good.  His ways are higher than our ways and His plans are perfect.  Even when they don't match up with the ones I have in my head :)


We're looking so forward to meeting this little guy and having a snuggly newborn again.
And when THAT happens, I can resume laundry duty. 

I never thought I'd see the day that that sounded GOOD! :)

my hunny bunny

We're praising the Lord for how he continues to carefully knit this little one together in my womb and how he's blessed us abundantly and in so many ways over the past few weeks!! And it's so exciting to know that the Lord has already established this little babes Birth day!  Everything is in His hands!
 Psalm 139:13-16
"For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. 
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well. 
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them."

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

bracing for the SLAM

As I've already mentioned, we love reading our "Jesus Storybook Bible" before bedtime each night.
Benson loves it so much, he'll often look at the clock, no matter what the time, and say,
"Whew! Daddy, it's LATE!  I think it's time to read Bible Stories!"

Benjamin makes a game out of everything.  I've never seen anything like it.  He can take something that's so ordinary and everyday and make it into what Benson thinks is the COOLEST GAME EVER.
They have so much fun together.  B puts my creativity to shame when it comes to making up a game.
Again, my boys have the coolest daddy ever.  :)

When we read the story of Noah, we talked about how, after Noah built the ark and two of every animal climbed aboard, GOD closed the door. 
Every night, after our Bible story, Benjamin will flip back to the story of Noah, talk about the high points and then say, "And God SLAMMED THAT DOOR SHUT!" And slams the book.
And, you guessed it, Benson thinks it's the COOLEST THING EVER!

"There's a story back here I want to show you..."

the story

"I know which one it is, Daddy..."

knows its coming

Bracing for the SLAM...

the face

He tries to back so far up away from the impending SLAM, it cracks me up! :)

oooo

"And God SLAMMED THAT DOOR SHUT!"

slam

And Benson has the funnest daddy ever :)

loves his daddy

These two provide such endless entertainment.  :)

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Roger, Roger. What's our Vector, Victor?

Our friends, the McMurray's have two boys.  Any time they ever give us a gift, you can always guarantee it's going to quickly become a favorite.  They know about boys.

For Christmas this year, they gave Benson Dr. Seuss's "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish" as well as some headset walkie talkies.   

MY "boys" have had so much fun with each of these things. One night, Benson asked not only to read his new book, but WITH his new headset ON.
His sweet daddy obliged, and I'm not sure who had  more fun. 

one fish two fish

I've said it before, and as he grows, I see it even more, Benson has miniature versions of Benjamin's hands and feet and I just think its the cutest thing ever :)

sweet hands


smiley


wet pet get

I love how they're holding the mouthpieces in order to be more clearly heard.. since so much gets lost in translation in a one foot space.

roger, roger

I love these boys to pieces and I love watching them enjoy each other so much!!!
I don't know what kind of mama I'm going to be to two boys, but I DO know that they have they BEST DADDY IN THE WHOLE WORLD!!!

headset cuties

Monday, February 14, 2011

the view

Benjamin's been carrying the load all by himself these past couple of weeks.  And he's been such a champ. Some girls might get breakfast in bed on valentines day, I've gotten BREAKFAST, LUNCH and DINNER in bed for a week and a half!! Ha!  And always service with a smile :)  Chick-fil-a would definitely hire him, because he always has a "my pleasure" kind of attitude. And sometimes he even says it to make me laugh :)

One of the things he's had to do that isn't in his normal "job description" is grocery shop.  These pictures were taken as he and Benson suited up to go to Walmart.  They decided to wear their matching cowboy boots.  Daddy can find a way to make everything fun :)

huggy

My heart.  In a picture:

boots


smiley

cutie with the hat

I might not have a ton of scenery changes these days, but I don't mind... I'm lovin' the view :)

Friday, February 11, 2011

Bible Stories

monkey toes
*sidenote: i love these monkey toes :)

For Benson's third birthday, our pastor's family from Hartsville gave him "The Jesus Storybook Bible."

Over time, we have been given a number of children's Bible's and I had even researched and bought a couple, looking for a good resource to use for Bible stories from a children's perspective, but this one takes the cake.

Every night, after bathtime, we snuggle up in the bed and read  "Bible Stories."
I have to say, it's by far, my favorite time of the day.  :)

We started at the beginning and are now making our second stroll through this sweet little collection of stories.  Benson loves it, and I'm amazed how much has stuck with him after just going through it one time. 

 

The thing I like about it, is that it takes each story from the Bible, from Adam and Eve, to the battle of Jericho, to Jonah, and instead of just telling the story, it always points to Jesus.  

Instead of ending with Adam and Eve exiting the Garden, it says,
"Before they left the garden, God whispered a promise to Adam and Eve: "It will not always be so!  I will come to rescue you!  And when I do, I'm going to do battle against the snake.  I'll get rid of the sin and the dark and the sadness you let in here. I'm coming back for you!!"And he would.  One day, God himself would come.   "
It gives us a chance to talk about how even before Jesus was born, God was working through history to bring His people to Himself.... To redeem us, to show us that we can't do it on our own-  that we must depend on Him and His righteousness and not our own. 

DSC_0305

While I want our Children to be familiar with the Bible and Bible stories and Bible people, it's all pointless if they miss the POINT, which is Jesus.  And our need for Him.  And His complete sufficiency for us.

That's why I like this Jesus storybook Bible.  Because it's all about Jesus.  It trains us to read scripture, and even in a passage that doesn't explicitly SAY His name, it teaches us to look for Him.  Because as the tagline of the book says, "Every story whispers His name."

It's been such a blessing to our family.
If you're looking for a good Bible Story reader for your family, I'd highly recommend it!! :)

DSC_0310

You can get it from Amazon, here.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Fun with photobooth

I feel like the Mac is my umbilical cord to the world.  Seriously.
I mean, I can't get out of bed (well, here I had migrated to the couch) but I still have full communication with the outside world.
Not to mention the Mac is just FUN :)
Here's me with my little bedrest buddy having some fun with photo booth :)

fun with iphoto


Having this little guys company on a daily basis has always been fun, but it's been taken to a
WHOLE NEW LEVEL!  And he doesn't mind not having to share mama's attention :)

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

George is already taking after his big brother, Leroy...

Did you know we have a son named Leroy?
We do.  His daddy named him and I had nothing to do with it.
Although it has grown on me and now I think it's pretty cute and fitting.  

This is Leroy:
And this is my semi permanent view of him.

leroy with goldfish

As I've mentioned before, Leroy took it upon himself to name his new baby brother,  George.
(affectionately named after his favorite curious little monkey)
Although his parents have not agreed to this name, their indecisiveness on finding a real name has resulted in the default mode of referring to the baby as "George."

This is George:  

27 weeks

on the way to the doctor at 27 weeks in the oven:

27 weeks profile

George is already trying to be like his big brother, Leroy.

In case you weren't aware, Benson was ready to come into the world a little sooner than he should have.  I wrote about it here in a post entitled, "Never Put off til tomorrow what you can do today, because you might go into labor."
You'd think, with a post titled like that, a girl would learn a thing or two. 

Since we had preterm labor last time at 31 weeks, they started me on progesterone shots at 16 weeks this time in order to try to avoid preterm labor.

I, rolling my eyes, took the shots, just knowing that what happened with Benson's pregnancy was a complete fluke and that this time around I'd go to 41 weeks and have to drink castor oil or something to get the kid to come out.

Well, I was wrong.

I went in Friday for my shot (26 weeks and 1 day) and mentioned to the doctor that I'd been feeling a number of contractions.  (Anywhere from two to five an hour) He sent me over to the hospital to be put on a monitor to make sure that "what I was feeling was indeed contractions."  He said I'd probably just be there for a couple of hours.

They stuck the monitor on my belly for a few minutes and the nurse walked out of the room.  She was back before too long and showed me the contraction printout strip.  Even though I was only feeling contractions every 15-20 minutes, I was actually having them every TWO to THREE minutes, regularly.

So of course, when the doctor saw that, he admitted me and started me on meds to stop the contractions.

It was like a really bad, you've got to be kidding me, form of deja vu.

They went ahead and gave the steroid shots to develop the baby's lungs in case there was no stopping it.  Having been through it before, I was definitely calmer this time around, but probably a little more disgruntled.  Like, are you SERIOUS?!! What on EARTH and I doing WRONG??!!

Praise the LORD I haven't dilated any!  That has been our constant prayer, that even though I'm contracting, it won't cause me to dilate.   After monitoring me overnight, they sent us home. (Again, PRAISE THE LORD we didn't have to stay in the hospital like we did last time) The prescription is full bedrest until the little munchkin makes his appearance (or until 36 weeks, whichever comes first.)

I'll be 27 weeks tomorrow.

HOW CAN YOU BE ON BEDREST WITH A THREE AND A HALF YEAR OLD?!
Uno.  Hi Ho Cherry-O.  Cartoons.  Books.  Puzzles. Starfall letter games
And, the BEST HUSBAND IN THE WORLD.  

Benson's hoping this never ends.

And I'm thankful for a buddy and a sweet little reminder that I can hold onto and look back and remember all that we went through to get HIM here and how every single step was so worth it, and in light of what he is to us now, all of the difficulties we went through, were NOTHING.  Just LOOKING at him and kissing his curly little head of hair is more of an encouragement to me than anything I could imagine. 

I'm so thankful for my TWO baby boys and even though I'd have written their birth stories differently if I were the author, I can honestly look back and say that I know it was God's PROTECTION for us to go through all we did last time and I have faith that He is in control of all of this and knows best. 

So it's bed rest for us.  Indefinitely. 

Another PRAISE is that, this time, I can get up and go to the bathroom and take one 10 minute SHOWER every day (since I'm not dilated and I guess they aren't afraid the baby's going to fall out,) which, had that never been a restriction on me, I wouldn't appreciate the FREEDOM there is in SHOWERING!!!  Praise the Lord for Showers!!!

I'm still just contracting away... same as last time.  The medicine seems to calm those small two to three minute contractions (which if left alone would turn into monster ones) but I'm still contracting regularly throughout the day.  Apparently this is just the way I make babies.

It's pretty frustrating not having a REASON as to why this happens to me.  There's no EXPLANATION other than, "you're just prone to preterm labor," which isn't very comforting.

But again, I trust Lord.  I trust that even when things don't make sense and there's nothing I can do to make it any different, He is in CONTROL and He is GOOD.

I'm so thankful for our family who has rallied around us.

I'm exceedingly thankful for our church family at Hartsville Pres who have been such an incredible blessing on so many different levels.  Meals, playdates for Benson, PRAYERS and encouragement.  God is so good to have given us such a sweet family of believers here in Hartsville.  It's incredible to see the body of Christ at work during a time like this.  And I'm so thankful he's provided that for us in this place that is just now becoming "home" to us.

I'm abundantly thankful for my Husband who already wears so many hats, and yet is now being stretched in even more directions, yet has such a patient, cheerful, servants heart through each minute.

We are blessed.

And for the next ten or so weeks, we'll be blogging from the bed. 
It should be exciting.  Riviting.  And HOPEFULLY, extremely uneventful. 

I know you can hardly wait :)

Thanks for praying along with us.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

We're having a few issues...


with static electricity around our house...

spike

smiley static bw

stickin up

          Between crazy hair and the *spark* I get when Benjamin walks in from work and kisses me,
it's evident that we could use some dryer sheets rubbed on every surface of our house!! 

It's electric!  Boogey woogey woogey! :)