To My Husband

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

I couldn't have asked for a better man to spend my life with and raise a family with! Thank you Aaron for being my sweet husband. I love you more today than ever before.

Happy Birthday Jenny!

Happy Birthday Jenny! I enjoyed making this for you...sorry it took a while for me to get it on your blog.

Growing Pains

Livy had trouble falling asleep tonight, so I went back in her room after a while to rock her. I rubbed her legs as I do when she needs some help relaxing, and she looked up at me and said, "Thank you, Momma." Sometimes she even asks me to do this..."Legs?" she will request. I wonder if she is having growing pains. It made me marvel at the unbelievable amount of growth she's made since her young life began 29 months ago. This brought to mind some of my favorite and/or most memorable "prego" moments, when her growth was most rapid:

• Covering up being tired and sick with massive amounts of Caffeine and DayQuil before we figured out why I was so tired and sick...Thanks to God for bringing her through that ok!
• Daily naps on the couch with Gracie
• That first sonogram when we learned how far along we were - Aaron was beside himself w/ excitement; I cried to learn that she would be born right before the start of the school year instead of early in the summer. I was devastated at the thought of not being home with my baby longer than 6 measly weeks!
• HORMONES - What a roller coaster ride - exhilaration, anger, tears, laughter, anger, sleepiness, unhappiness, nervousness, etc. (And that was just in the course of an hour!) I've always been relatively even-keeled and was completely taken aback this crazy experience. I think Aaron may have been, too! His sense of humor and goofy-fun-lovingness did not fly with me at this time. At all.
• Story time in the classroom. My kids would alert me when Baby was on the move. I also remember having to lean WAY back to catch a breath to continue reading, especially during the summer term when I was as big as a house.
• Watching and feeling Olivia's acrobatic moves in my belly. This was especially interesting when I wore my dress with the big floral print. It looked like flowers blowing in the breeze. :-)
• My favorite memories may very well be related to the relationship that was already building between my little girl and her dad. I never saw such a big manly man gush as he did over her. I woke up one Saturday morning about 10 or 11 to find him playing with the baby in my belly. He was talking to her, playing gutchie goo with her, and rubbing my belly, all while I was sleeping. She also liked to tease him. She'd do several wild somersaults, and when I would tell him to feel her moving around, she would immediately freeze. She did this so often it became a joke with us.
  

Here's a picture that was taken sometime close to the due date.
(Did you think I was kidding when I said I was as big as a house?)

Two things that made me cry yesterday

A former student and special friend was in a talent show at my old school, and I was able to watch her perform with her three younger sisters. Her and her family are such lovely people and are completely faithful to and filled with faith for God in the midst of Mom's battle with a glioblastoma, a cruel form of brain cancer. God is good, though, her health and all their spirits are remarkable considering their trials. Seeing such a precious family perform Do a Deer touched my soul to the core. After their performance, there was a duet. One of the girls was wheelchair bound, and her little body is strongly affected by Cerebral Palsy. But her soul is not! I watched these beautiful girls sing, "Take the shackels off my feet so I can dance! I just want to praise You. You broke the chains, now I can lift my hands. And I'm gonna praise You!" Wow! What a powerful message that touched the audience immensely!



I heard this song on the radio last night on the way to the talent show and watched the video on YouTube when I got home. Tears streaming down my face. If you have a little girl or are a girl who has that special bond with your dad, prepare yourself with tissue. I'm not savvy enough to actually post the video, so here's the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfxL0S-7yVo

Another First

Bedtime routines are crucial in our little household. Even to the last detail...like reading while sipping on a cup of milk, Livy turning out the light, and, most importantly, rounding up all her babies to go night-night with her. Well last night we finished the list of tasks with a bedtime prayer as usual. Olivia folds her hands sometimes but always watches with a smile. This time, after I finished and said "Amen" she shifted her gaze off me, turned on her side, folded her hands, and in her sweet elfish voice said, "Daddy. Ah-min." Her first self-composed prayer. Brought tears to my eyes, and Daddy was pretty happy to hear the story when he got home from work last night. I think we all had sweet dreams after that.