A known and unknown 2013

As tomorrow starts 2013, there are so many things that my mind has been pondering. What will 2013 bring?

In some ways, I know what 2013 will bring: a new baby, potty training Avery, pre-school in the fall for Avery, new recipes, new movies to be seen, and the list goes on.

But then there are so many things that are unknown, and for someone like me, that can be scary! I'm a planner, an organizer, and a structured person. Will Lucy be a difficult baby? Will Avery adjust well to the transition of bringing a baby into the house? Will I be disciplined in working out? What home improvement projects will be next on the list? What trips will we take in 2013? How much poop will I scrub out of the carpet?

What do I want out of 2013? If I could give it one tag line; what would it be?? I'd say this should be my 2013 verse:

Psalm 32:8 “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you."

What more could a wife, mother, friend, daughter want?! I recognize my weaknesses, my insecurities, and my short comings...they are numerous! The verse above assures me that I can say goodbye to those things, and hello to strong and capable leader who will watch over me as I walk into the unknown of 2013. Thank goodness for that.

Our Eve and Day

Merry Christmas!!

I had a no fun Christmas Eve and took a fall off the front steps on my way to the car. I fell strategically on all four so I wouldn't fall on my back (which is already a mess) or my belly (because of being pregnant) and I fell on my hands and knees. My hands are totally fine, but my right knee got banged up and is very sore, and my left ankle is pretty badly sprained and swollen. I iced/elevated/compressed it on/off yesterday and I think that helped a little bit. I wasn't able to go to our Christmas Eve service, which really bummed me out (probably the first time ever that I haven't been to a Christmas Eve service!), and I couldn't make the french toast strata last night to serve this morning because I can barely put any weight on my foot and standing for that long would have made things worse. I was pretty miserable last night, but reminded myself a few times that Mary had it waaay worse traveling pregnant on a camel!

I woke up with a little less discomfort this morning, and we had a great morning opening presents with Avery and our NY family via Facetime! Avery is over the moon with her new toys, and now we're watching the old school Grinch...for the 451 this season! She loves this movie! I made a Christmas dinner (ham, mashed potatoes, corn and biscuits) and then made a new dessert (open face blueberry-blackberry pie) for us. My foot and knee were in pretty bad shape after standing and walking...nay...hobbling around the kitchen, but it was worth it because the food was oh so yummy! We were able to Skype with John's family around dinner time, and Avery opened a few more gifts from them. We had the whole day to ourselves; just the 3 of us and I must say, it was lovely! I'm a super outgoing and social person 99.9% of the time, but it was so nice to spend the day at home with no agenda, rush, or plans. Avery has gone to bed, and John and I are enjoying some quiet time on the couch.

I hope you have a restful Christmas, full of joy and peace. From our family to yours...Merry Christmas!

A different look...

I don't know what to say. My mind has been consumed this weekend over the killings that happened at Sandy Hook Elementary on Friday. I can't stop thinking about it. Having being a teacher for many years, and now a mom; I really cannot imagine going through that tragedy!

Someone posted an article on Facebook that I really liked, and summed up my feelings well. There is no need for us to go all political right now, and there's no need for us to throw our opinions at each other regarding the tragedy. Instead, just be quiet and pray. It is so much more powerful.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/paperbacktheology/2012/12/it-was-an-act-of-madness.html

Following suit

 Here is Lucy at 28 wks

 Lucy again at 28 wks

 Avery at 31 wks

All of a sudden I wanted to see Lucy. This may sound weird, but sometimes I don't feel as 'connected' or even as cognoscente of my pregnancy with her as I did to Avery when I was pregnant with her. I just don't have the time to relish every kick, play music on my belly for her to listen to, fill out my pregnancy journal, and so on. I'm sure it's because I am chasing after a 2 yr old and this time of the year is crazy anyway without the added stress of parenting. Life is a tad busier this time around.

I told John a few days ago that I wanted to do one of those 4D ultrasounds, and was surprised that they had openings this week, so we went this evening after John got off work. The experience was different from when we went with Avery, because John was wrestling her to stay somewhat still and well-behaved and not tear the place down. She is currently obsessed with babies, and when she saw Lucy on the screen, but couldn't touch her; it sent her into a wild rampage. Funny, but not really :( When we had our ultrasound with Avery, we were all adults in the room and had 30 min of uninterrupted amazement.

Lucy is just beautiful! I know I'm partial, and of course any mother would say that, but at 7 months gestation, she looks so perfect and healthy! She has the same Dorr nose as Avery, but her lips don't look as full as Avery's did on her 4D ultrasound. She was a mix of super active, and super relaxed. Precious! I cannot wait to meet this sweet little girl. She is constantly moving, and I am always telling myself to soak up all the kicks and wiggles in my belly, because I know I will miss them after giving birth.

Lucy has done a good job of following suit and looking just as cute as her big sister!

Saying goodbye

I've been hesitant to write a blog about it, but decided to go ahead with it. Two Shen (the school system I went to) students were killed in a car crash Saturday night by a drunk driver. Another Shen student badly injured, as well as a Shaker student. They had a candlelight vigil tonight, which they streamed live and I was able to watch all the way in VA. It was pretty cool, and very touching.

I watched students embracing each other, parents and coaches crying in each others arms, and thought to myself, 'Are they embracing because they knew the victims, or because they're thankful they're friends or children weren't in the crash?' Are they crying because they sat next to those students in class and will no longer see them every day? Are they crying because they know it could have just as easily been them, or their friend in a crash?

I say goodbye to my friends all the time, and rarely ever think about if it is my last time seeing that friend. I drive from point A to point B, and rarely wonder if there are drunk, irresponsible drivers on the road with me. I keep in touch with old friends on Facebook, but rarely think about their day-to-day life and how they're doing.

It's my prayer that this tragedy would change something in me, and others. I want to value friendships and relationships more, and not take them for granted. I want to hug my friends and family a little tighter, and savor sweet (and the not so sweet...) moments with Avery.

30 Days

I started off writing my 30 Days of Thankfulness on my blog, but when I was in FL, it was too hard to access the internet, and posting on FB from my phone was much easier. Here are my 30 days in no order of importance...

Day 1: my freedom
Day 2: my home
Day 3: my family
Day 4: my church
Day 5: my mother
Day 6: opportunity to vote
Day 7: my husband
Day 8: my daughter
Day 9: my close girlfriends
Day 10: modern day medicine, doctors and nurses
Day 11: friends near and far
Day 12: Michele and Ali Dominice
Day 13: my mom2mom group
Day 14: the gift of pregnancy
Day 15: music
Day 16: my camera
Day 17: the change of seasons and colors it brings
Day 18: our great babysitters
Day 19: being a stay at home mom
Day 20: yummy food
Day 21: sleep
Day 22: my life
Day 23: my faith
Day 24: nice neighbors
Day 25: I guess I forgot this day!
Day 26: the simple things in life
Day 27: a quiet and safe neighborhood
Day 28: my husband's sense of humor
Day 29: frozen yogurt
Day 30: I forgot this day, too!

December things

Oh man...it's December! This time of the year never fails to be totally crazy and busy, but I really want to make a concerted effort to not allow the holiday madness to drive me mad! Our calendars are filling up, and with all good things, but I also want to reserve time for good, quality time with my little family. Here is what we have on our calendar so far for this month:

Craft night with Michele
Secret Santa dinner with friends
Christmas cookie baking with my girlfriends
Girls' dinner out
Ornament exchange at church
Ralls Christmas party
Bible study dinner
Dorr family visit after Christmas

In addition to those social events, I have doctor appointments every two weeks now (say what?!), we have small group every Wed night, and John has BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) every Monday night. Goodness gracious! I look at my calendar and feel so blessed to have friends, and fellowship opportunities, but I also feel as though we need to start reserving calendar space for family time. This many not be hard for some people, but for John and I; it's hard! We are by nature extroverts and recharge our batteries by being with others in social settings. And Avery is that way, too! She doesn't do well just sitting at home. She likes to be out and about as well. We have 12 wks (ish) until Lucy arrives, and I want to relish and soak up time with Avery and John before we become a family of 4.

We aren't spending the day with family or friends on Christmas, which in a way makes me sad, but also kind of excited because it will force us to hunker down and enjoy the quiet and simplicity of the day. It doesn't need to be a day of traveling, exchanging countless gifts, and schedules. I'm going to make an early dinner for the 3 of us, and the plan is to just enjoy the day together: open presents, go on a walk, watch movies, and chill. We are going to see Les Mis after Avery goes to bed, which we are both super excited about...we have a countdown, actually :)

How are you choosing to spend the month, and how are you (if at all) protecting your calendar from getting too chaotic during December?