Good Morning to You

Mornings are not my favorite. But, this morning is a little different, and better. First of all, we'll be going to Marcia's to help Julie with her scrapbook, that way her mom can help with the boys. It's exciting to have some plans today! It's always fun to get together with Julie.

The thing that's different is I haven't nursed Asher before bed the last two nights. And this morning I decided to give him a milk cup instead of nursing him. That means I'm really weaning him. Ah. How bittersweet. While I'm ready to be free of that for a few months before I start over again, I'll never have that special time with my little Asher. With him being such a mover, I don't get to cuddle him other than those times. My little boy....he's almost one! I can't believe it.

I'm also feeling really achy this morning...in my neck and shoulders and it's giving me a headache. I haven't been sleeping well in that area and I keep having all this pain. Jeremy had time to massage me a little before he left and that felt so good.

So sorry, I didn't mean to complain...

I hope you have/had a terriffic day!

Quite a Day

Today was the most busy I've had in a long time! I had two appointments at the OB, one with a nurse (preliminary pregnancy stuff) at 11, and then with the doctor at 1:30. I took Asher to my mom's this morning; we got there around 10 am. Anyway, in between the nurse and doctor visit I ended up walking up to the hospital's lab (my doc's office is in the same building as the hospital) and getting my bloodwork done. Then I stopped at the cafe and had some AMAZING Mac and Cheese! Yum! It reminded me of the GREAT food at the hospital and I can't wait to stay there again and eat it! Anyway, at my doc appointment they couldn't hear a heartbeat, just like with Asher, so they scheduled a STAT Ultrasound at the hospital at 3:30. With 1 1/2 hours to kill, I went to Party City and shopped for Asher's birthday. Then it was back to the cafe (I was hungry again!) for some soup and salad, and then back to the lab area for the ultrasound! It was so cool to see the baby on the screen and see that he/she is really there...and there is only one baby! That's good, (I'm pretty sure it's good!). Anyway, it was so cool because you can see all the body parts but the baby's just so tiny. He/she was in there jumping around! Everything looked fine so that was good news. I have a picture. I hope to scan it so I can put it on here.

Something I'm thinking a lot about lately is whether to attempt a VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean Section). I was all ready to try it, but then I heard a statistic. They studied women who got to the pushing stage and then ended up having a C-Section. These women were significantly less successful at a VBAC than women who did not get to pushing. As you may or may not know, I pushed for 3 hours before having a C-Section. I don't want to do that all over again, only to have another C-Section delivery. Chances are I could have another big baby and that could significantly affect things. However, we'll be watching for that this time.

Anyway, to some people it's hard to understand why I want to attempt a VBAC and go through all the pain of labor and pushing again - Not to mention the (very low 1-2%) risk of uterine rupture). But part of me feels like I want another chance at it! Another chance to be able to hold my baby upon his coming into the world. For him to stay with me, where he should be, not in the nursery while I recover! To have that first moment to remember and to hold him right away, not merely look at him while I lay unable to move on an operating table.

I know ultimately the important thing is to have a healthy baby. Of course I won't jeopardize that. I haven't made up my mind yet, but these are the struggles I feel inside over the issue. If you think of it, say a prayer that I'd have peace in this area, and can trust God to lead us.

Well it's been quite a day. Good night, ALL!

Strengths and Weaknesses

I thought it was cool that my sis in law Julie blogged about the book we are reading, Ordinary Mom, Extraordinary God. I was thinking of blogging about something I read in it too. I just came from the book study and Matt and Julie's house, and Jeremy and I were talking about the verses from 2 Corinthians 2:9-10 that talks about our weaknesses. "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

I always took these verses to mean that God would turn our weak points into strengths by supernaturally changing us. While that is true as a part of sanctification, it will not be fully realized until we reach heaven! Here on earth, however, I think that it works a little differently. I was questioning what it really means; what it looks like to "boast in my weakness" and "delight in weaknesses." How do you really do that? I usually just lament my weaknesses, and try to do better but usually fail miserably, and (trying to remember to) ask God to help me in this area. I'm sure God is always teaching us in the area of our weaknesses, especially if we are open, listening, and asking him to do so. However, God gave me another perspective on it tonight.

It's like a husband and a wife who have different areas of strength and weakness. Together, they are strong. But just because the husband(or wife) is strong in a certain way, doesn't make the other individually strong in that area. It does, however, give the husband's (or wife's)strengths a chance to shine through. The wife (or husband) may learn some things about that weakness of hers through her husband (or wife), but it will probably not become a strength of hers.

It's the same way with God and our weaknesses. While we may learn to improve in our weaknesses a bit, what really makes us strong is that God, in our lives, is able to show his strength in that area because we are weak and unable to handle ourselves! It's not that God makes us strong personally, but his strength is shown because we are out of the way and his power shines through! And ultimately, it shows us our true need for a Savior -our DIRE need, as the author puts it. Only when we come to this place can we truly understand our need for a Savior. Praise God that we have one in Jesus, and that his death on the cross took our guilt and shame of all of our weakness!

I hope this makes sense...I tend to be wordy. It just really encouraged me to gain this new perspective and it's something I hope to thinking on and applying to my life in the future.

Good Night, All.

Adventures in the Snow!

We just had Asher out in the snow for the first time (since he can walk). He loved it! We didn't have a sled so we couldn't do that, but oh well. Here's some pics and a video.

Getting ready to go out in the snow!

First steps in the snow!

Confessions of a Schlumpadinka

Hi. Well here I am. It's Thursday. The snow melted boo hoo but we're supposed to get more tonight. Yeah! I want to take Asher sledding. I think it'd be so fun! Last winter I was too big, still healing, or caring for a newborn during the snows. I'm ready to get out and have snow much fun again!

Yesterday I watched Oprah. She had "Schlumpadinka Makeovers." If you don't know what a Schlumpadinka is then you've never watched Oprah...but it's her way of describing a woman who has let herself go. Well as I sat there in my comfy shirt and pants that I had also worn the day before, I realized I was exactly what Oprah was talking about - a Schlumpadinka! So, I admit it. But, it is hard to get dressed and ready when I'm not going anywhere. And, my clothing options are limited, so I like to save my nice outfits for when I am going somewhere. But anyway, TODAY I got dressed. And then I realized even an outfit I thought was kinda nicer is probably still Schlumpadinka. So I guess I need to go shopping! A depressing thing for me, but the Oprah show gave some nice affordable ideas. So I was all proud of myself for getting dressed nicely today...but haha...did I dress my kid? Nope. But he looked so cute in his footy pjs today...and so comfy!

Speaking of Asher, check out these curls on my kid:

And here's a few other funny pics/stories about Asher.

Here he is "helping" Daddy find things in the fridge:

His 11 month pictures:




Asher will climb in/on anything: standing in his toy bin...




Today he was mesmerized by the theme song to Full House. He seems to love music. He likes the theme to Family Matters too.

Here he is with his favorite tube of vaseline. He loves this thing for some reason and calls it "Honey."

Turning 30!

Hi Everyone! I read this in an email and I liked it so I decided to share it here! Especially since I'm TURNING 30 next month!

Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about ageing that you think in fractions. 'How old are you?' 'I'm four and a half!' You're never thirty-six and a half. You're four and a half, going on five! That's the key. You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.
'How old are you?' 'I'm gonna be 16!' You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of your life. You become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony . YOU BECOME 21. YESSSS!!! But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There's no fun now, you're just a sour dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed? You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40 Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50! And your dreams are gone. But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would! So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60. You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it's a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday! You get into your 80's and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30; you REACH bedtime. And it doesn't end there. Into the 90's, you start going backwards; 'I Was JUST 92.' Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. 'I'm 100 and a half!' May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!! HOW TO STAY YOUNG

1. Throw out non-essential numbers. This includes age, weight and height.
Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay 'them!'

2 Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. 'An idle mind is the devil's workshop.' And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often,long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person who
is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable,
improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9 Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the shops, even to the next
state; to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity. AND ALWAYS REMEMBER: Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take,
but by the moments that take our breath away.

Truly an Adventure

I'm blogging to tell you all about our interesting day on Monday! Jeremy called me early while I was still sleeping and told me he blew two tires! He was waiting for AAA to come and get him. He ended up waiting 1 1/2 hours for them in his car on the highway! (He was almost to Harrisburg). He rode with the tow truck back to our StopNGo where we take the cars, because the tires were warrentied from there. So Asher and I bundled up in the below freezing temperatures and got Daddy. Just as Jeremy was about to leave for school, Asher had discovered a picture I had put out the night before of Jeremy and I. I put it on the floor so he could look at it and he was kissing it. It was so cute. Not 30 seconds later, he was walking near it, fell to his knees, and from his knees he fell directly onto the picture frame glass, breaking it with his head. He had cuts and scratches from the broken glass including one near his eye. There were slivers of glass on his face and I was afraid some were in his eye. So I said we needed to take him to the doc. Jeremy called his school, now saying there was a family emergency and he'd wouldn't be in at all today. Thankfully, the cuts are superficial and there didn't seem to be any glass in his eye! That's good. What an adventure. I tell you, I think this kid does need a helmet. Walking is certainly dangerous business for him! Here's some pics of his battle scars.

And now I'll take a moment to give Kudos to my wonderful Husband, Jeremy, in honor of many anniversaries and holiday we're celebrating. Yesterday was the day we started dating 7 years ago, and Saturday the 9th was the day he asked me to marry him, and of course, tomorrow is Valentines Day!

Let me just start by saying that as a housewife, even as a mother, I feel like I am failing lately. I don't have a lot of energy to put into cleaning or cooking or laundry, that is if I can find a few moments where I'm free of nausea and I've found something to eat that won't make me nauseous. I live for the moment when Jeremy comes home and can help me to corral our curious and disaster prone son. He works very hard at work and then he has to come home and work hard to help me. So I just want to say "thank-you, honey." Yesterday I expressed that I felt useless to him and he said the sweetest thing. He said, "You are not useless to me. I didn't marry you so you could be my housekeeper. I married you because you're my best friend and I just love being with you." That was so comforting to me just to know I'm loved with no strings attached.

Thankfully, having had a great weekend with Jeremy and the extra two days with him at home (during which all those days he helped greatly with caring for Asher. Today was the first poopy diaper I changed since Friday!). Those days helped to restore my energy and my spirits too.

And now here's some more pics of Asher to share. I tried to get a good pic of his curls in the back.

Here are pics from Monday night at Matt and Julie's. They are looking out the window at Grandma coming in, and having a race with their walkers!

Here's a couple videos of Asher walking and showing you what he does during the day to keep Mommy busy!