And on the third month there was a nursery

This is sort of the direction I think I'm headed with Baby Three's room. (Baby Three still remains completely nameless). The work begins now that we are through the busiest part of the holidays, and BJ is still home on vacation until Jan. 5. Hopefully I can get most of the furniture and bedding ordered over the next week. And then we will clean out the little guy's room,which is now packed full of boxes which are packed full of stuff that needs to be sorted and re-packed for storage. There's a lot of work to be done over the next 3 1/2 months...so now the work and the countdown begin!

"I want to see Jesus"

This is our first Christmas without Papaw. Kenneth "Bud" Withrow passed away Feb. 10, 2008 - one day before Lily's third birthday. Tonight as we were heading to a family gathering Lily asked BJ if we were going to see Papaw. BJ explained, "No Lily, Papaw is with Jesus. But we will get to see him one day." Several hours passed, and after we got home from the gathering, Lily said, "I want to go see Jesus by myself." Not understanding what she was asking, I asked her why. Again she said, "I want to go see Jesus by myself." I told her one day she could go see him when he said it was time. Then Lily asked, "Is Papaw with Jesus? I want to see Papaw." We will certainly miss Papaw this Christmas and the coming year. I'm so glad Lily has fond memories of him and I hope she keeps them until she gets to see him again.

Check Out This Website

I wanted to help promote my friend's new business and his new website. His name is Jon Matthews, jonSpot Photography. He did our photo session this fall. He and his wife make a great photo team. Please check out his website and contact him when you need photos. His work is amazing!

Christmas Miracle!

My back is healed! I'm feeling so much better and looking forward to a relaxing Christmas. Now I just pray Schaeffer heals from his ear infection and fever. He's been such a sick little boy and so miserable. I hope he will feel well this week and enjoy opening his gifts. I hate it when my kids are sick. I'd much rather be the one to suffer - not them.

Christmas "Peared" Back

BJ and the kids got the tree up and decorated tonight. I say "BJ and the kids" because I had no part in it this year. I'm trying really hard to keep a positive outlook on life, but it's getting increasingly hard right now. I'm very grateful for how God has blessed my life. It just seems like sometimes I have to share my burdens so that I can move on.

I just visited my OB this afternoon after having a week of unbearable back pains. I've never had back pains like this in my life. They are almost debilitating. After the nurse practitioner checked and ruled out a bladder and/or kidney infection, early labor signs, and pelvic inflammation, her conclusion was that my hips are separating, the baby is laying really low since this is my third pregnancy, and I'm experiencing lower lumbar strain. In addition, I'm not resting enough or drinking enough fluids.

I left the appointment this evening with no helpful tips or meds. Instead my prescription was to take a spa day, find someone else to lift my 18-month old, and drink no less than 8 ounces of water/fluid per day to help Baby Three float a little better. The nurse said I looked "dried out." I admit my skin looks a little flaky, but whose doesn't this time of year with the cold and wind? But then she explained that she wasn't talking about my dry, flaky skin. Rather she was referring to how my veins and lips looked. I have to admit, I've been neglecting the fluid intake recently. When I thought back on my day, I had only drank half a cup of coffee in the morning and a few sips of water during the day. It was already 5 p.m. and I'd only had about 5 ounces of fluids. I started feeling like a very negligent pregnant woman. How could I neglect my own body, and therefore neglect the very dependent growing fetus?!

After the appointment I then realized I may have to deal with this back pain for the remainder of the pregnancy - about 4 more months. I vowed from then on to drink more water, let BJ do as much around the house as he wants without me feeling guilty while watching from the couch, and to not stress out over getting the Christmas tree decorated or cookies baked, which I can't eat anyway. Which brings me to another point...I'm still able to control my gestational diabetes with diet right now. The few times I splurged and ate small amounts of dessert, my glucose levels were elevated. Dr. B reviewed my glucose readings today and instructed me to start sticking my finger 4 times per day instead of just 2 because of those darn elevated readings. So I guess I'll have to refrain from any sweets for the remainder of the holidays. That has been tough because everyone has given us chocolate in all shapes and forms. It all looks so yummy and enticing. But for the sake of Baby Three, no desserts for me!

The tree turned out just lovely this evening even though we didn't use all the ornaments and decorations I would normally use. We opted to hang only unbreakable ornaments so that the kids could help and so that they could touch the tree without Mommy wanting to chop off their arms. Turns out that the tree is covered in nothing more than plastic apples and pears. I guess you could call it our "peared" back Christmas 2008.

P.S. And, Schaeffer has had a fever the past two days. He has definitely wanted me to pick him up and hold him a lot more this week. I'm sure that's not helping my lower lumbar strain one tiny bit.

All-Natural Products Review

I've come across some new discoveries in my quest for all things natural. The first is Aveda shampoo and conditioner. I love this stuff! My hair has never felt so soft and smooth, and it's all done naturally. What a cool concept. Aveda products can be purchased at several salons and spas around Knoxville. I purchased mine from Natural Alternatives.

The second discovery is Boscia skin care. I like how this product works, completely removing all my makeup at the end of the day with one cleanser. However, it's got a really strong scent. Even though it's all natural it almost has a scent as strong as cleansers with chemicals and perfumes. And it's a little on the pricey side. I may try and find a cheaper alternative. Since I've enjoyed Aveda hair care, I may give their skin care a try since it's a little less expensive.

My all-time favorite find is Pure and Natural Rosemary and Mint bar soap. This product is relatively inexpensive and can be found almost anywhere like Target and Walmart. The rosemary and mint has a clean fresh scent, but not perfumey. And I think it's really cool that the biodegradable, 100% post consumer packaging is embedded with baby's breath seeds. You can plant the box in dirt, add water, and watch it grow! I'm saving the boxes until spring to see if this really works.

Christmas with the Nanas!

Every Christmas we enjoy celebrating with both Nanas - BJ's mom, Nana Kaye, and her twin sister, Nana Faye. I love visiting Nana Kaye's home. It is such a warm, cozy log cabin in the Smokies. It is such a beautiful setting for a Christmas celebration. Nana Kaye and Nana Faye cooked up a big meal including fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, cole slaw, yeast rolls and some yummy desserts. Then we enjoyed opening gifts next to the humongous stone fire place. Such a great start to the Christmas festivities!

Schaeffer, and especially Lily, love Doug! Doug became a part of our family when Nana Kaye and he married a few years ago. It's fun watching the kids chase Doug around, play and laugh. He's such a fun "Nana-dad."

Merry Christmas!

I wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas! What a wonderful time of year to celebrate our Savior's birth!

It's a Boy!

Our 20-week ultrasound today revealed that we are having another baby boy! I'm so thrilled! I didn't care if it was a boy or a girl. I love them both and value their difference equally. I love my sweet precious little girl, and I love my chubby-cheeked little man. It's exciting to be adding another bundle of sweetness to our family! He looked healthy and he is growing well. We're still on track for our due date of April 29, 2009. No names so far. This might prove to be a more difficult decision than the past two. We'll just see how it goes the next few months with the name game.

Not Cut Out for the Big World of Preschool

I guess Lily is just not ready for the big world of preschool. As much as I want her to be ready, she just isn't. Today I made it official and withdrew her from the really fabulous program at Messiah Lutheran. Her teacher was really great and the director was very sweet and helpful. Maybe we will try it again next year.

Lily never really enjoyed preschool (playschool would be a better description of the program). I only remember three times when she was somewhat excited to go, and those times she was more excited about showing off her new rubber frog and dinosaur to her teacher. Every school morning was a battle: "Come on Lily, let's get up and go to school today." The usual response would be, "No Mommy! I don't want to go. I don't like [school/my teacher/other kids]." And then the straw that broke the camel's back was the day she threw a huge tantrum when I dropped her off. Her teacher said the tantrum lasted about 45 minutes and then she refused to do any of her work all day, which are things she normally loves to do such as coloring, painting and gluing. And now we're having difficulty getting her to go into her class at church on Sundays and some Wednesdays. This had gotten much better over the summer, and it's what made me decide to try preschool this fall. I guess it was just too much too soon.

I've been told that this behavior can be normal for her age. But then I look around and see other 3-4 year olds who look forward to going to their classes at church because they get to play with their little friends. And, I haven't met another 3-year-old lately who hates "little kids" as Lily says. For some reason I don't believe Lily's behavior is completely typical at this age. Some days that's frustrating, and some days it's upsetting because I think why can't she just be normal. But then I come to grips with it all and realize that Lily is Lily and this is the way God designed her to be. It's funny for me to think she should be someone else or act like someone different. She is perfect just the way she is. She has so many other talents and special qualities that I should not overlook. Certainly God does not overlook any of her qualities, and He knows every hair on her little head.