Simpler Times… February 4, 2010

My girls have been fascinated with watching “Little House on the Prairie” episodes lately. Gabi thinks she’s Mary and Sarah is Laura. They call James “Pa” and me “Ma.” Yesterday Gabi even told James that his middle name is Charles Ingalls. Sooo precious. At dinner last night, Gabi asked, “How many old is Mary?” I said, “Probably about 11.” She said, “Well, this Mary is 11, too.” (referring to herself) In fact, they love it so much that my mom bought them Season 2 on DVD yesterday. (Less than $15 at Wal-Mart- a bargain, for sure.) When I told Gabi that Lollie was bringing her 6 new Laura’s, she said, “OH! She’s a good girl!” Anyhow, watching all these episodes with them have made me long for a simpler time. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely appreciate modern conveniences such as running water, electricity, and indoor plumbing. I can’t imagine having to wash clothes by hand, hitch up a buggy to go somewhere, or make all our food from scratch. I guess I just wish there was a happy medium. I mean, why does it have to be that, with modern conveniences, comes busyness? Why can’t we live in small houses that are “just enough,” eat food that is homegrown and healthy (that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg at the store because it’s labeled “organic”) and observe Sunday as a true day of rest, instead of a day spent rushing from home to church and back again, only to hurry through lunch, get the kids down for nap, and begin getting ready for the week ahead? What if TV wasn’t an option to distract us from our families and unhealthy, processed food wasn’t there to tempt us into obesity? I realize, as I type this, that we will never truly be able to go back to the way it was. However, I wonder what I might do different as a wife and mother to make life less complicated for my family. As we get ready to make a big move this summer, I have to admit that I’m sad at the thought of leaving our wonderful home with hardwood floors, a playroom, and a huge kitchen and dining room. It makes me nervous to think about living in a tiny apartment with all of these little people around my feet. I’m trying to look at is as a blessing, though. As we go through our “stuff” and try to separate what we need from what is unnecessary, I hope that our life will get a little simpler, even as it gets busier with James in school and working full-time. And, though I’m frightened at the thought of being a minister or missionary’s wife for many reasons, I wonder if it might bring some simplicity into our lives, too. It depends very much on what the Lord calls James to do. I do know that the missionaries I worked with in Romania were a couple with 2 small children that spent almost every day serving the Lord together. Do I dare hope for something similar for us? Might the Lord call James to something that would not only minister to others, but to his family as well? I don’t know; I’m just wondering, and hoping. Have any of you had thoughts that were similar? Have you found ways to simplify life for your family? I’m afraid to tell you that this is probably not the last you will hear from me on this subject because it’s one that is constantly bubbling around in my mind. But, for now, have a wonderful, peaceful day with your families. Love you all!

Rainy day fun… February 2, 2010

It’s a rainy day here in SC. The snow is almost finished melting and is in that yucky stage where it’s just slush and mud. I’m choosing to be thankful for the day, though, because I have much that needs to be done here at home. We’re having pajama day to celebrate . The boys are in their new pjs from Aunt B and the girls are in their new summer dresses- I guess we’ll call their day “dress up day.”  I’m going to make a list of things I need to do today; maybe it’ll help keep me accountable.

1) Spend time with the Lord

2) Tell my sweet husband how much I love him and appreciate him and how incredibly handsome I think he is .

3) Play with and read to my kids.

4) Snuggle with my baby boy who is growing way to fast for my liking.

5) Finish my book (It’s a historical fiction book based on the story of Rachel and Leah- very good. I’m eager to see how the author deals with the fact that Jacob married both daughters, since this story is set in the 1800s in Scotland.)

(now for the less-fun things on the list…)

5) Finish laundry and put away

6) Wash dishes

7) Clean bathroom

Maybe get started on the clothes I need to organize for summer… maybe

I’m sure my list will grow longer as the day goes on; it always does.  And I’m sure I won’t finish half of it; I never do. But it gives me a goal to reach, and some accountability. I hope you all have a wonderful day, rainy or not .

February 1, 2010

I saw this on another blog, and it looks fun… Corletta, if you’re reading this, you definitely should do it since you’ve now run a marathon .

Below is a list of things people have done in their lives. I bolded the ones I’ve done. I’d love to see your answers, so if you do this on your blog (if you have one) leave the link in the comments. Here’s mine:

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland (well, “World”)
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch (sign language)
15. Adopted a child (2 of the most precious children ever!)
16. Had food poisoning (yuck- from a salad bar)
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language (Romanian, but the family I stayed with helped)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (had enough, but was I satisfied? I have to be truthful and say, “no.”)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke (not pretty)
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been inside an ambulance (on the way to the helicopter pad with my Matthew . )
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp (Dachau)
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter (wish I hadn’t b/c it was when Matthew stopped breathing .)
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy (Big Bear, got him for my 8th birthday and he slept with me until I was married- now he’s Gabi’s)
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book (if being published in a book with others counts)
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car (leased- never will again)
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous (David Robinson)
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby (2 of the most precious babies ever!)
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit (finally at a point in my life where I’m grateful for the lesson learned)
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Okay… your turn!  Have a good week!

What I like about you… January 28, 2010

Okay, so I’ve been thinking that I need to post a new blog- it’s just that things happen so quickly here that, by the time I write about them, 10 more things have happened that I want to write about.  So instead of writing about something that has happened this time, I’m going to write about someones.  To be specific, my someones: my family.  Since this blog is a way to record memories for myself, I thought it’d be nice to remember a little of what we’re all like at this moment in our family’s life.  Starting with the littlest:

Matthew: I tell ya, one day you’re going to see Matthew and he’s gonna have big chunks taken out of his cheeks. If you could die from getting kissed too much, he would.  He has the softest, chubbiest, roundest little cheeks. I feel such a strong bond to him. I’ve decided that it’s because we almost lost him.  Somehow, seeing your baby in the balance between life and death just makes their life that much more precious. Right now, Matthew is 3 months old. I have to admit, he’s kind of spoiled.  Okay- a lot spoiled. He loves to be held and I love to hold him. He is happy and content for most the day, but around 1 o’clock, it’s like his internal clock tell him that it’s nap time with mommy. If something happens and I don’t get to lay down with him, he’s fussy and won’t take a nap.  (See, I told you. Spoiled.) He eats 4 ounces every 3 hours, except in the evening.  Around 6 or 7 he wants an extra ounce or 2, then he’ll sleep ’til 12 or so.  Yep, it’s nice. He’s smiling and cooing and I love how he concentrates on my face while he’s “talking” to me. Oh, and he’s so funny when he’s really hungry.  He has this “mad” cry. The cute thing is that, when I put his bottle in his mouth, he lets out one more really mad-sounding cry as if to say, “How dare you make me wait!”  It’s adorable.  He’s the first of my babies to sleep on his back, which is good for SIDS, but bad for looks.  It also makes him the first baby of mine to have a little bald spot on the back of his head. Not pretty, but worth it if it keeps him safe.

Naaman: Naaman is our little cuddle-bug. If you hold him, he’ll put his head down on your shoulder and pay your back.  He also likes to give you kisses and copy everything you do, like blinking your eyes or clicking your tongue.  At 14 months he’s still not walking, though I believe he could if he wanted to. He’s just content to crawl, and that’s fine with us. (Studies show that if babies skip the crawling stage, their brain misses out on some important development that will later help them to be better readers…I don’t know if it’s true, but it can’t hurt.)  He loves the bath and splashing water… if he ever gets into the bathroom, you can be sure to find him in the toilet- and that’s why we make sure he doesn’t get in!  He’s got the longest eyelashes and, when he smiles, his eyes crinkle up and you could just squeeze him. And he LOVES to eat!  He pretty much only fusses when he’s hungry or tired.  Except for one other thing: this boy loves his cup! He will fuss and scream for a cup of water or very watered-down juice. (He used to like formula, but he’s not too hip on milk.)  I promise you sometimes we check his back to see if he’s grown a camel hump.  He likes to play patty-cake and “My Lord and My Lady” and any other lap games.  He brings such joy to our family!

Evan: On any given day, you could visit our house and find Evan running around in only a diaper with duct-tape securing it. Yes, he’s discovered how to undress himself and take off his diaper and delights in doing so. If you’re REALLY lucky, you’ll find him in a pink fuzzy hat, a duct-taped diaper, pink suede boots, and a purse thrown over his shoulder. He has a shoe fetish and he particularly likes to wear anything that is his sisters’. Yes, James is a little worried. You can pray for this if you’d like . Evan has a blankie that he loves- every once in a while I’ll forget to get his blankie out of his bed in the morning and, later in the day, I’ll find him crying in front of his bedroom door. We retrieve the forgotten blankie, and he grabs it with his fingers while his thumb goes in his mouth. He comes to me every 45 minutes or so throughout the day for a quick cuddle mommy, hold blankie, suck the thumb moment, then he’s down and playing again.  Lately he’s really started to play with the girls, as opposed to just playing beside them. Evan has a little scar on the back of his head where no hair grows from an IV he had when he was in the NICU. Though I hate that he has a scar, it’s a constant reminder to us of what a blessing and miracle he is.

Sarah: And we thought she would be the calm one… boy were we wrong! This is our little firecracker- very clever but has the attitude of a 13-year-old. She loves to boss the boys around, but also loves to take care of them. She and her lambie are quite the team. We stayed in Greenville with some friends one weekend and left Lambie at their church- big mistake! Thankfully, they were able to bring her to us a couple of days later. Whew! When I tell Sarah that Lambie needs a bath because he stinks, she says, “No, he not need a bath; he clean. He smell gooood.” So stinkin’ cute! Sarah has the most beautiful curly hair- she hates to have it combed out, but she’s getting better about letting me do it. She’s very organized, she’ll spend an hour lining all of our shoes or the trains or other toys in a row, only to turn around and line them up somewhere else. She just recently potty-trained herself, except for poop. When she needs to poop, she’ll bring me a diaper to put on her.  We’ve tried and tried to get her to go on the potty, but she hurts herself holding it in. We’ve just decided to give her time- eventually she’ll go on her own.

Gabi:  How do you solve a problem like Gabi? How do you catch a cloud and pin it down? Yep, that’s our Gabi. Precious, sweet, caring, helpful, wild, fun, crazy, active, creative… the list could go on and on. In some ways, Gabi has matured quite a bit in the last few weeks. She’s more helpful- when she wants to be- and is able to do more things. She’s been really helping me with laundry; she particularly likes to put things on hangers. (I’ve had to get over the fact that my color-coding is not being kept in order- she wants one of her shirts on one of Sarah’s pink hanger because the shirt is pink and “matches” the hanger- never mind the fact that her color hanger is purple…) And she’ll argue me to the death that her way is right . At least they’re hung up, right? She gets excited over little things and captures us all up in her joy. And she gets into EVERYTHING. There is absolutely no baby-proofing that is Gabi-proof. She can climb to the top of the fridge to get gum and hoist herself up on the sink to “wash dishes.” (Which means rewashing the ones I’ve already washed so that I have to wash them again. ) She’s a mess, but we love her to bits and can’t imagine life without her. (It’d be peaceful, yes, but so boring!)

James: As I’ve already told you, James has felt for some time that the Lord would have him go into some sort of ministry. He has applied to Southwestern in Fort Worth, Texas and been accepted.  He’s currently looking for jobs and we plan on moving sometime in July. We’re excited to see what the Lord has for our family, but sad to be moving away from our extended families. (But we’ll be closer to my sister and her precious family, so it kind of evens out!) Lately he’s been busy just working and keeping our family in order (sort of.) We’ve started going to the gym and he goes early in the morning and keeps the kids in the evening so I can go. He’s my hero and always will be .

Me: I’m just me. Busy trying to keep up with my house and kiddos, but always feeling behind. I’ve always been a voracious reader, but haven’t had time to really read lately. I find myself reading silly information on the side of the cereal boxes or toothpaste tube, I think in an attempt to appease that side of me. Pathetic, I know. Most of all I’m just grateful to feel so well after feeling so tired and achy during my pregnancy with Matthew. I can’t get over being thankful to just feel good. James and I are working hard to lose weight and get healthy, and I have to admit that I’m looking forward to shopping for new (or used) clothes and feeling good about myself in them.

Well, that’s it. It took me 2 days and lots of 5-minute blocks to write this, but it’s done and I’ll be able to remember a little bit about this time in our life. As long as I remember that it’s crazy and busy, I’ll have the jest of it down. Hope everyone else is doing well and looking forward to spring!

Crazy Times January 12, 2010

Whew.   I love Christmas, but it sure it a busy time!  We had a wonderful Christmas celebrating the birth of Christ with our family.  We were especially thankful that we were able to stay home and have a relaxing day on Christmas day, instead of running around from house to house visiting people.  So much has been going on that I’m not sure to start.  I’ll just start writing- things may be out of order, though…

I think I already posted that we finalized our Sarah’s adoption on December 14th.  Saturday afternoon we were able to celebrate that adoption with our friends and (some of) our family.  (Aunt Whitney and the rest of the Ramseys, of course, couldn’t be there .  We won’t be so far apart for long, though!  More on that later…)  We had an ice cream sundae party (yes, it was a very cold day for that!) that was pinky/princessy/heart themed.  Worked out very well with all the Valentine’s stuff already out in stores .  We had ice cream with tons of toppings and a craft for the children to do.  I was amazed that Gabi sat for over an hour painting her heart.  She loved it!  It was so nice to be able to chat with old friends and new, especially my friend from college, Leigh, who I had not seen in several years.  We asked for books to donate to the foster children in lieu of gifts.  I was so excited that we got so many good books to give out!

I have been “seriously” trying to lose this baby weight (and more) since the week before New Year’s.  I was doing great and had lost 8 pounds, until James went back to work after a long weekend.  I guess the stress threw me off because it’s so much easier having small children when you have help .  I gained almost all of what I had lost back and am now working on losing those same pounds again.  Why do I do this to myself?  I really need to exercise, but I can’t afford the gym (and probably wouldn’t go if I could) and it’s too cold to walk outside early in the morning or late at night when James is home.  I found a DVD online that you can do with your children, so I’m saving to get that.  It might even help fill some moments in the day when everyone wants mommy and there’s only one of me to divvy up.

Well, I’ve been working on this post on and off for 3 hours now.  Let’s see… for the past year or so James has been telling me that he feels called to ministry.  I kept telling him, “No you’re not.”  (I know, I’m such a supportive and submissive wife :/. )  I just know that ministry is hard and I would never want to be a minister’s wife, nor do I feel prepared for it.  After some events in December, I finally said, “Okay.”  Since then, life has been kind of a whirlwind.  James has applied to go to seminary at Southwestern in Fort Worth, Texas, for several reasons.  One is that they have a lot of support for the wives and families of seminary students in what is a tough time.  (Having Daddy work full-time and go to school full-time will mean hard work for us all!)  Also, it’s only about 5 hours away from my sister, who lives in San Antonio.  It’ll be so nice to be close enough for weekend visits and to get to know my niece and nephew better.  Once he gets accepted, we’ll apply for family housing.  Hopefully we’ll get a house as opposed to an apartment or duplex.  (We’ve lived in both before and let’s just say I feel sorry for the family that lives beside/under/below us if we’re in a shared living space!  We try to use inside voices and inside feet, but anytime you have 2 preschooler, 2 toddler, and a baby, you have noise.  It’s inevitable.  Please be praying for these things, as well as that James would get a job that allows him the flexibility to go to school and also has family health insurance.

The children- Gabi is 3 1/2 and is a mess as always.  She’s very bright, but also very “into things,” which causes a lot of stress for Mommy.  She knows almost all of her letters and their sounds.  (Don’t be proud of me- it’s thanks to leapfrog, not mommy .)  Sarah is 2 1/2 and is a ball of fire.  She can be sweet as a kitten at times, and fiesty as a tiger.  It’ll be interesting to see how her personality develops.  Evan will be 2 in a month and is getting his own ideas about the world.  His vocabulary is improving and he recently added the word “no.”  Fun times.  He hates to be reprimanded and breaks into tears when he needs to be.  Naaman is a little over a year and is such a snuggly-boy.  When I hold him he’s lays his head on my shoulder and pats my back.  We’re still waiting to hear about what the future holds for him.  Waiting is the hardest… Matthew is about 2 1/2 months and is starting to develop his personality.  He smiles and coos and wants to be up and watching the action.  It won’t be long until he’s a part of the action!

Those are the major things going on right now.  I miss my blog friends (especially you, Rebecca) but blogging is on the very end of my to-do list.  Speaking of which, I need to clean the table and sweep the floor before the timer goes off signaling nap time.  Love you all!

Our Sweet Matthew December 9, 2009

Okay, so I’ve been really bad about blogging.  But, this post should explain it all.  Last Thursday I was feeding Matthew about noon.  He hadn’t eaten all morning and looked kind of pale, so I was determined to get him to eat.  After getting him to eat a little bit, I held him up to burp and he projectile-vomited. While I was cleaning that up, he stopped breathing.  It was the scariest thing I had ever seen in my life.  His lips and the area above his lips and around his eyes were blue and the rest of his face was sheet-white.  I stimulated his chest and, praise the Lord, he started breathing on his own.  Jean was here cleaning, so I asked her to stay with the other kids and I threw him in the front seat of the car and flew to the ER.  (Thankfully we’re really close.)  At the ER, they moved really slow at first.  I’m sure they probably thought I was a young mother who was just worried about nothing. At least, they thought that until they saw him stop breathing and turn blue.  After he did it twice in a row in a matter of minutes, the doctor said, “We need to move on this baby,” and they grabbed him and ran him across the ER into a trauma room.  The doctor told me that they were going to transfer him to a larger hospital and they started trying to find veins for an IV.  Poor thing, he has tiny “rolling” veins like me, so they couldn’t find a place.  A few minutes later someone told us the helicopter was there.  They came in and asked questions about his situation, they wheeled him out on a stretcher.  He looked so tiny on that huge thing.  It was an 8-minute flight to the hospital (versus a 30-minute drive).  It was awful seeing him cry the whole way because the helicopter was so loud.  When we got there, he already looked a little better.  (The crying was probably good for his breathing.)  They ended up putting an IV in his head because they couldn’t find a vein anywhere else.  After a couple of hours they moved him up to the PICU.  My parents had been with us all this time (except for that James and they had to drive to the hospital because only one person could fly) but they graciously went home to get the other kids from a friend who was watching them.  Mom called the Kings and they headed to our house to get Naaman.  In the PICU they started tons of tests, including 2 EEGs, an echocardiogram (sp?), and an ultrasound of his head.  While the doctor was examining him they found a heart murmur, but he didn’t feel like it was related to the apnea episodes.  He felt pretty sure that it was reflux.  (I know, I had a hard time believing it, too.)  He said that preemie babies often forget to breath when they vomit.  They close off their airway so that vomit doesn’t get into their lungs, but their brains aren’t developed enough to know that they need to open them to breath.  He put him on Zantac to see what happened.  That evening, I fed him at midnight.  (He was soooo hungry by now because they hadn’t wanted him to eat up to the point in case they had to intibate him.)  Secure in the fact that he was on monitors and had a nurse about 10 steps away, I went to sleep.  I woke up to 3 nurses in the room because he had stopped breathing again.  They put him on an additional medicine and he hasn’t had an episode since.  On Saturday he was discharged with an apnea monitor.  We went to a follow-up appointment on Monday morning and his pediatrician wants him to stay on the monitor for about a month.  She said in about a week we can try to wean him off of one of his meds and see how he does.  I cannot even begin to describe the kind of fear I was feeling.  I have never seen my husband cry like that.  I was so scared that I would have to go home and explain to my other children that Matthew was not with us anymore.  I felt so helpless, but Christian friends and family here and far away rallied together and prayed and the Lord was with us.  Our sweet baby is growing and healthy.  I am amazed at God’s goodness to us, that we have 5 beautiful, precious, healthy, happy children.  We pray that God would give us wisdom to parent them with His love and nurture and that He would use their lives to bring glory to His wonderful name.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” 2 Cor. 1:3-4

The new “us” and other news… November 19, 2009

I’ve been wanting to post about our new life for awhile now, but it just never happens.  So, instead of trying to find a long period of time to do it, I’m going to leave this page pulled up and try to add a bit as I get time.  So, if it gets published half done or with gibberish, one of the kiddos probably got on here while I was otherwise occupied!  (Me, occupied, whatever with?)

First, we are now a family of 7!  Our little Matthew Scott joined us on October 26.  He weighed 6lb 12oz and was 18 and 3/4 inches long.  We had a c-section as planned at 37 weeks since I was preeclamptic and my blood pressure was slowly rising steadily.  Our hopes that he would not have to go to the NICU like Evan were dashed .  Probably due to the fact that I had tons of extra amniotic fluid and possibly because 10% of my placenta had stopped working (which we found out later), our little Matthew had trouble breathing.  He was on various breathing aparatuses (I don’t think that’s the correct plural spelling, but oh well) from Monday through Thursday afternoon.  Thursday morning, he was taken off of his ventilator at 3:30am, but stopped breathing at 5:30am and had to be bagged and have CPR to be revived.  This also had happened to Evan the day before he was supposed to come home, which caused him to have to stay in the NICU an extra week.  The nurses and doctors told me that this is often common when babies are taken off ventilators.  They get so used to the vents breathing for them that they forget to breath on their own.  Well, common or not, it’s terrifying to be told that your baby was blue and had to be revived.  I look at our five children and am amazed at what miracles they all are:  Gabi- born at 34 weeks; exposed to various drugs and alcohol constantly during her time in utero; born to a mother who spent time in jail and was sexually active with multiple men and exposed Gabi to multiple STDs (including Chlamydia, which she had to be treated for as a newborn.)  Sarah- born at 38 weeks; also exposed to various drugs and alcohol as well as STDs during her time in utero.  While her mother was pregnant, she was homeless and lived on various front porches.  Evan- born at 31 and a half weeks; exposed to my sick body, including high blood pressures and a liver that didn’t function correctly; stopped breathing and had to be revived.  Naaman- born at 38 weeks; in the NICU for 5 days for failure to transition; saved from an incredibly abusive home.  Matthew- well, you know his story now.  It just amazes me how good God has been to us to give us these 5 precious children to love, nurture, train, discipline, disciple, and call our own while we have them here on earth.  I hope that God will give us more children in the future.  However, if He chooses not to, then we are already more blessed than we could ever imagine.

As far as the other children, everyone is doing well.  I was so glad to be home after 3 long weeks away from my sweet family and they were happy to have me back.  The first day I was home Sarah kept saying, “Don’t leave me.”  I went outside to talk to a neighbor in the yard and Gabi started screaming and crying.  Now that I’ve been back a couple of weeks, they’re back to their normal selves.  No one has really had any baby jealousy, though Gabi has been wanting us to take her potty and Evan was a little clingy yesterday.  The Kings, who watched our Nafa for 2 and a half weeks, spoiled him insanely.  I’m glad he was so well taken care of, but he definitely had to get used to not getting everything he wants with the first whimper!  The other kiddos missed him and I think he’s glad to be back in this crazy house, too, though.

My health is good.  My blood pressures are being controlled with only half my medicine, which is great because the higher dose makes me so tired and “blah” feeling.  I’ve had some “baby blues” which I don’t remember with Evan, but maybe I had them and attributed the depression to him being in the NICU.  It’s not awful, I just get kind of weepy sometimes out of the blue.  Even with all the raging hormones and feeling tired from being up during the night with Matthew, I still feel so much better than I did toward the end of the pregnancy, and I’m so grateful for that.

James is doing well, though he’s tired too.  A newborn is always lots of work, but such a precious blessing!  We’re glad that he has 2 days off next week for Thanksgiving.  He and my dad built a lockable gate onto our front porch so I can take the kids out their to play and not worry about chasing Evan to the street or Nafa falling down the stairs.  It’s really dirty, though, with spider webs and grime so we probably won’t go out again ’til we can borrow a pressure washer and get it cleaned up.

We got another letter in the mail from our sweet angels.  It said that we would be receiving a key in the mail to a storage unit and that the unit would be filled with clothes, toys, and groceries.  We got the key last week and boy was that unit filled!  What an incredible blessing!  It even had brand-new matching outfits for the girls, which they love.   I also found out from our cleaning lady last week that we’ll get her for an additional 6 weeks, which I’m so grateful for!  I’m going to go through withdrawal when she stops coming!  If my angels are reading this, thank you so much.  We don’t even begin to know how to tell you what a blessing you have been during this time.

Well, I think that mostly catches us up on the basics.  I need to blow-dry my hair and put on deoderant before I forget!  (I’ve gone a couple days at a time forgetting to brush my teeth- gross, I know, but I’ll go to do it and get stopped along the way and forget what I was going to do!)  It may be awhile before I post again, though I’m trying to snap a couple of pictures a day to keep up with our life, so hopefully I’ll get to post those.  Have a good day!

So much to tell… October 19, 2009

Wow, has it been a crazy few weeks.  There’s so much to tell- I’m going to try to keep it short, but still keep the important stuff in for my memories.  9 days ago, on October 10, I called the doctor to let him know that I had seen “spots.”  They had called me in the Thursday before to “talk” because my labs weren’t good and we had to decide what to do.  They let me go home on bedrest with a list of symptoms to look for (including seeing spots) and said they were only letting me go home because I was a “reliable patient.”  Lots of pressure, huh?  So, I was in the bath Saturday night and suddenly saw lots of floating specks of light all around my face and decided that I’d better tell them even though I felt fine otherwise.  They had me come into Labor and Delivery, where my blood pressure was high and my protein was plus 1 or 2, I can’t remember.  The doctor decided to admit me.  So, I’ve been here since then, with my labs orgininally getting worse, then getting better starting 2 days ago.  Go figure… the doctor said that’s pretty normal though.  Today I’m doing a 24-hour urine (I know you love these details) to check my protein.  One of the symptoms of preeclampsia is that protein spills from your liver into your urine.  My blood pressure has been steadily getting higher but is still controlled enough with medicine to not have to deliver.  The specialists did tell me last Monday that they aren’t going to let me try a VBAC because of the high blood pressure- I’m disappointed because of the recovery time but okay with it if it’s healthier for Matthew.  I’m getting excited about nursing and have my Lact-aid all washed and ready to go- the Lactation consultant here at the hospital isn’t very supportive of it, but there’s a really great night nurse named Wanda that is very encouraging, so I feel good about it working, even if it takes a few weeks to really get “good” at it.  I’m a little concerned because the doctors may put me on Magnesium Sulfate for 12-24 hours after the delivery to prevent seizures from the high blood pressure.  I was on it the night before Evan was born through delivery and it makes you feel like your body is burning up and just all yucky.  I’m mostly concerned because I want to be able to nurse right away (assuming Matthew doesn’t need to go to the NICU) and don’t want to feel any worse than I know I will after a normal c-section.  The wonderful thing is that there’s only a 1 in 10 chance that Matthew will be in the NICU if he’s delivered this week, and an almost 0 chance that he will be in the NICU if he’s delivered next Monday at 37 weeks.  Apparently, even if he had to go in this week, it would most likely only be for a day or 2, so he should still be able to come home with me to deliver.  I still want no NICU, but anything less than 6 weeks is a miracle to us!  The doctor said he was pleasantly surprised that I’ve made it this far and we are too.  To tell you the truth, around 31 weeks I was kind of prepared for a repeat of what happened with Evie.  God has been so good to care for my and little Matthew and we are so ready to meet him!  I love you all and am so grateful for your prayers, emails, calls, and visits.  Hopefully it won’t be long and we’ll have pictures of a precious little boy to show you!

Nicki’s Diapers :) September 27, 2009

So, I need to write a quick post about Nicki’s Diapers because they’re having a free giveaway .  We ordered our other diapers from Greenmountaindiapers.com, but are going to order most things in the future from Nicki’s diapers.  The prices are the same, but Nicki’s has free shipping on diaper covers (which we need more of anyhow) and other items, plus free shipping on orders over $75.  (And I have to mention that we have a registry on there, you know, just in case…  it’s really kind of just a wishlist for us to keep track of what we need/want when we get the money, but still…)    Anyhow, they carry diapers and carriers and lots of other products, so check it out .  Have a good night!

An incredible gift… September 24, 2009

I went back and forth about whether to share this or not.  I guess since I don’t know who is doing this for me.  I’m afraid to share it and not fully express the absolute gratefulness that I feel- how do you do something like this justice with words?  Anyhow, I finally decided I had to share because, as I’ve said before, this blog is for me:  it’s really my only record of our life right now, especially since I’m not great at getting out the camera and taking pictures and creating scrapbooks.  So, here goes…

Sunday night we went to the hospital to check on Matthew.  I had been having pain under my right ribs (in the liver area) and he had not been moving all day.  Of course, my bp was up, but nothing’s new with that.  My doctor (my favorite one, Dr. Ellis) thought that I should get Matthew checked out just to make sure.  He was, of course, fine.  I think I’m worse than a new mom because I know what can happen and it’s hard not to be fearful of that happening again.  Everyone says to trust the Lord, but I guess I trust more that He will be with us whatever happens, not that He will prevent bad things from happening.  I know I still need to find peace in Him and not worry, but that’s a little tougher to actually do!   I know, you’re thinking, so get on with the story…

So, when we got home around 9pm or so, there was a bucket sitting on our back stairs.  It was filled with cleaning supplies.  (My first “Kate” thought-because I’m a funny person, was “Oh, someone’s trying to tell me that I need to clean more often!)  However, there was also a note, and I’m going to type it out so that if I lose the hard copy, I’ll always have the words on here:

Dear McKinney Family,

You are a special family and God has laid on our hearts to do something special for you.  There is a lady named Jean.  She cleans houses for a living. She will be coming to your house on this Thursday, September 24th, at 9:00 and will clean for 4 hours.  She will continue to come to your house one time a week for at least the next 6 weeks.  If she tells us that she thinks she is making a difference for you, then she will come for 6 more weeks.  We have asked her not to give you our names, so please do not ask her. She will bring cleaning supplies with her and they will be safe for your young children. We hope you enjoy this gift of love. Thank you for blessing the lives of these children and for allowing us to bless you in return.

Love,

Friends in Christ

Yes, I cried.  Then I read the note to James.  Then I cried some more.  People who know me well know that I love a clean environment, but don’t particularly like to clean, though I’m getting a little better at being joyful because I know that God wants me to care for my family and home with joy.  Still, though, when I do try to clean, it’s almost impossible.  If I clean 1 room, the children wreck 2 more.  I wash 2 dishes, then have to stop to change a diaper, referee an argument, or fix a cup.  I’m not complaining, just explaining .  I love my “lots of kids,” but it does truly multiply the work, especially while they’re little and can’t help much.  This was such an incredible blessing- especially with my concern that we’ll call my parents in the middle of the night to come over if I’m in labor, and I would be embarassed for them to walk into a messy home.  (Do you think Matthew would cooperate and come on a Thursday afternoon or evening? )  I don’t know who did this for us.  I of course, have gone through the possibilities in my mind, but I’m not certain and I’m okay with that.  If I knew, I would want to repay them in some way, and I know I never could.  Jean came this morning and my home smells delightful!  My toilet is cleaner than it’s been since we moved here, and I can’t wait to take a bubble bath in that sparkling bathtub tonight!  (Yes, I’m going to be selfish and take one before the kids do!)  She didn’t get every room because this is such a large home, but she did way more than I expected or could have asked for.  My wood floors are dust-free and shiny and my kitchen sink glows.  Well, there you have it.  That’s the “gift” I’ve been kind of vague about.  Now you see why I had to sit down and write it all out- how it’s not something you can write one sentence about and be done.  James and I earnestly pray that one day God will give us the provision to be able to turn around and bless others in the way that He has used others to bless us in these tough years.  Thank you, Father, for laying this on Your people’s hearts.  I am so humbled that You love me so much, especially after I’ve fussed at James or complained because my own mess stresses me out!  (Oh, and readers, I don’t have time to spell-check today… sorry!)