We're here!

We made it to Denver! The nursery is cute, but it'll be even cuter with a baby in it, so this is the only picture I'll show you for now!
They still think he's Charlie, but his other name is Joseph! Isn't that great?!

My Metaphoric (Is that a word, Ginger?) Sun

Well, friends, I intended to post a picture of a beautiful sunset like we always enjoy in Kansas, but the sun was obscured by black clouds. However, it seemed to FIGHT its way out to smile on us briefly, so while this isn't a pretty picture, it's a meaningful one!

We are at Colby, Kansas, not far from Colorado. We drove 650 miles and got in about 9:00--it wasn't even dark here! We're staying where we stayed last time, except last time we arrived in driving snow!

I only ask three things of a motel:
1. Cleanliness
2. Coffee early in the morning
3. WIFI!!!!

So here we are at "a motel with a number in its name," as Beth Moore says! $42 with tax!

Here's part of an email Shannon sent about 5 p.m. today--
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"I had a rough day yesterday and was in bed most of the day... The appointment was good. Baby's heart dipped into the 60's a few times but he was reactive and passed the test. My amniotic fluid remained the same. Blood pressure still remains higher than normal but within reasonable measures. I am very anxious and emotional. Baby has dropped and I am contracting more. He is very low and busy. It looks like we'll make it til Friday! What a blessing. We made it full term in good conditions.
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Isn't she a trooper?! Please pray that they won't make him (she didn't call him Charlie--wonder if they're rethinking his name?!)stay in the nursery or NICU after he's born, because they really want to have the "family rooming in" experience.

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And keep praying the peace of God on us, ok?

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Thanks! I love you all!

iPod accessory

Well, this was all I could come up with tonight. I stole it from someone else's blog. As you know, I've got the Nike + iPod running shoes, and now Atech Flash Technology has created an iPod compatible toilet roll. (This is legit--I checked it out!). I admit that I run with my iPod and I sleep with my iPod, but that's all I'm gonna do with it, bloggerbuddies!

Just a little BABY TALK!!!

It's official! Ginger is a suburban mom now! They got a Tahoe, a "sweet ride" for Lainey!

I may get to be at the hospital when Charlie is born, after all! I had offered to stay at the house with the boys, but Shannon said Jody wants us there, so we'll take Taegan and Shea to preschool as early as we can get around, and then go! Woohoo! I'm excited! Still a little scared, but excited!

I hope all of you had a nice Memorial Day! I love you, bloggerbuddies!

MY PLANS

I'm heading into a couple of interesting weeks...well, interesting to me, at least, and maybe to my best bloggerbuddies!

Tomorrow (Monday)--Meet Ginger and Todd for lunch at Applebees in LR, go with them to buy a Tahoe so they'll have a safe family vehicle with a DVD player so they can bring Lainey to see her Grammy!
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Tuesday—Prepare for our trip (pack, run errands like picking up prescriptions, going to the library, and getting the cute cowboy quilt that Sandy made Charlie). Most importantly, lunch with the Es to celebrate Mark's 5th church anniversary (which is Sunday, but I'll be gone then).
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Wednesday and Thursday--Travel to Colorado in two days. We've done it in one day before, but it's too long and miserable that way. We’ll look for a motel with wifi so I can stay in touch.
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Friday--Jody and Shannon will go to the hospital real early because the C-section is scheduled for 7:30 a.m. She doesn’t want the boys to come until later in the day, after she recovers from the surgery and is in a private room. (She said she wanted to see what the severity of Charlie's and/or her problems are, if any, first. She nearly died having her last baby, so we need to pray for her, too.) We can take the boys to preschool, but I think I might just stay home with them until she calls. Joe might go ahead to be with Jody, though.
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Saturday--The boys will get to go to the hospital again, but then I think they’ll leave for their dad's in California for three weeks.
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Until Shannon comes home--I figure we'll hang around the hospital a lot, if we're not too much in the way. Jody doesn't plan to go home at all while Shannon is in the hospital. He'll sleep in the room with her.
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Wednesday--I think Jody will go back to work, and Joe and I will stay to help Shannon, if she wants us to, part of the day. Her mother will be flying in from Chicago later in the day. At some point Wednesday we'll start home.
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Thursday--We'll arrive home!
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Friday--I'll miss Charlie, but I'll be glad to see my friends again!
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Saturday--I might go to Cabot to see Lainey's nursery, if it's ready. I'll post pictures if I do!
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Sunday-Wednesday--Annette will be here!
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I'm soooooo glad I don't have to work anymore! I went over there recently to cut out some VBS stuff, and my former co-workers are running around like hamsters on those little wheels, not the balls that move all over the floor, but the wheels that make a lot of noise but don't go anywhere. It's the busiest time of the year for them! I had forgotten how stressful May was, getting all those summer workshops scheduled and prepared. The reason I said the wheels don't go anywhere is that you schedule a workshop and find out some schools have conflicts, or you can't get the room you need, or too many people have registered so you need TWO of those, or not enough people have registered, so you have to call them all and come up with an alternative. You also order materials and either end up with too many books (with no place to store them) or not enough because people keep calling after the registration deadline either wanting in or out!

TGFR! (Thank God for retirement!)

Counting My Blessings

Stephanie posted a great entry today counting her blessings, and I decided I'd do that tonight, too. It's a good thing, because I'm feeling like I could get sucked into depression otherwise.
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Shannon told me today that her amniotic fluid index is back down again. We were so happy when it went up from 8 to 13! Now it's borderline. (The fluid is what gives the placenta the nourishment so that Charlie can grow, as I understand it.) He has also gotten very still, and he's not big enough to be too crowded. Both of those things are of concern, but unless the doctor decides otherwise, she will continue to carry him until next Friday.
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Here are the blessings I'm counting tonight--
l. God's grace is always sufficient.
2. God is loving and trustworthy.
3. I've got lots of supportive friends.
4. I've got my health, and can even run (slowly)!
5. I've got my trusty laptop!
6. I get to see Ginger on Monday, and I may get to feel Lainey kick!
7. Joe said I could get new Nikes even though my old ones are less than 4 months old. They have fallen apart! I'm hoping there's a warranty or something, but if not, I've got to have new ones.
8. We have all the money we need. (We live simply.)
9. I cooked some chicken on the grill last night, and it was good!
10. Tomorrow is Sunday. (I LOVE CHURCH!)
11. My kids are great and independent, and I'm proud of them.
12. Jody is far away, but sometimes Mark lets me mother him.To a point.
13. Mende is snoring behind my chair, and it sounds so cute! (Mende is my dog when the Es go out of town.)
14. I've had the same best friend since Dec. of 1985.
15. I've been married nearly 38 years to a great guy!
16.We have indoor plumbing and hot running water (which puts us in the elite, when you think worldwide).
17. Heaven looks better all the time.
18. I got to go to Israel. (It was incredible!)
19. Charlie's heartbeat is good.
20. I get to go back to the Worship Institute with several great friends in July.
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God is good, and I'm sure Charlie will be fine. I just need to keep my eyes fixed on Jesus instead of looking at the waves!

Some random thoughts

Good morning, sunshine! Joe said it rained in town when I was running this morning, but we didn't have a drop out here. I really enjoy my early morning runs. Joe drives me to Lamar when he goes to Hardees, and on the way I throw out a bottle of water across from Ashley Morgan's house so I can hydrate on the way home, a concession to the warmer weather. This morning I felt strong, and I cut my time down to its lowest in over two weeks. I plan to do it tomorrow, which will be 5 times this week.

I should be losing weight, but I'm not because I'm doing some emotional eating. It's crazy, but the closer we get to leaving for Denver for Charlie's birth next Friday, the more scared I get. I would think I was losing my mind except I remember reading in one of my grief books that it's a pretty common emotion. See, as long as the baby is in the womb, it's safe there, but after it's born, we find out if it's really ok or if we're facing hard things like before. Anyway, I could use some prayers for God's peace to replace my fears.

I was telling yesterday how Spring and Mark feed off each other and keep me cracked up. Yesterday after a meeting we had about a recovery service we'd like to start, Joe met us for lunch (Lisa was at a luncheon at Becky's) and I asked him if he had mopped with the new Swifter we got. A little thing like that, and Mark and Spring are off and running! One said, "Is that anything like a Swiffer?" and the other one said, "Yeah, it's the generic brand from Wal-Mart!"

Then as we drove back to the church we saw a class walking over to the assembly, and we thought we saw Samantha. When we realized it wasn't, Mark said (not where she could hear, of course) "Hey, little girl, ya want some candy?"

Lisa is just as funny, too, and I suspect Ashley Morgan is, too, so I can't wait to be around all of them at the Worship Institute! It'll be like a Saturday Night Live sketch the whole time!

Here's an example of Ashley's humor--After church one time I overheard someone asking her what they were going to do with their little girl when they went skiing over spring break. She said, "Oh, we thought we'd just leave some extra food and water and put out lots of newspapers!"

My kids are funny like that, too, and I love it when Jody and Ginger and Todd get going. I may not be quick enough to say funny things, but I have a great appreciation for humor! I can even usually think of a funny retort...unfortunately it's not until the next day!

Love Notes

Tonight I want to talk a little more about my relationship with my mentees. Annette responded to yesterday's blog and said I mentored her, too, so I guess she was my first! I may have shared some lessons I'd learned with her, but she taught me what a wonderful thing friendship is, and I've never been the same.

I've loved Laura since she came to Circle of Friends. It was mostly older (as in my age) women, and I was always afraid she'd drop out before I got to know her, but she stuck with it and even became my substitute leader! I love her tender heart, and I love her affectionate nature. She kissed me the other day and didn't even notice she'd done that until I mentioned it, it was so natural to her! It's hard to imagine that not very long ago she was working in a bar and singing karaoke! I'm sure I would have loved her even then, but I'm so glad she's at FBC glorifying God with her voice and blessing my life now. I love you, Laura!

Spring and I had a connection from the beginning because she was a Lamar girl, and of course I immediately loved her voice, but I'll never forget the first time I really talked to her. I ran into her in the kitchen at church one night, and we ended up sitting down and talking for an hour or two. I told her about one of my most embarrassing moments, and she responded with so much humor and delight that soon I was laughing about it, too, something I never dreamed I'd EVER be able to do! I knew that night I wanted her and needed her in my life. Then while we were at the Worship Institute last July she told us a story about the time Jacob pulled an anthrax practical joke on her, and the way she told it cracked me up! She can tell a story like nobody I've ever heard! She's truly the funniest person I know, and when I get her and Mark together, like at lunch today, they feed off each other and keep me in stitches! She's a pure delight in my life, and she brings sunshine to my soul every time we talk. On the last night of the Worship Institute, I made a real commitment to her, a promise to support her in her role as a worship leader, and I take that very seriously. It's a bonus that she gives back so much joy to me!

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As for Lisa, I'm going to reprint here parts of a couple of letters I've written to her in the past. Lisa, you have put so much fun into my life! I love your warmness, your sense of humor, and how you have opened your home to me. I feel honored that I have my own key and can come and go as I please. And I am so glad that we’ve been able to exercise together some, and how your walking has inspired me to get my own Nikes and start running again! You’re an awesome mother, the best mother I’ve ever seen, and watching you interact with your girls really blesses me and makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside! I remember how scared I was when I gave you that “Friendships of Women” book. I was so afraid of rejection, and I knew it would crush me if you didn’t respond to it—but then I got a wonderful email from you and was beside myself with joy to know you were willing to enter into a friendship with me, too! You said you had wanted a mentor, and I’ve taken that very seriously. I could write a book about what Lisa means to me, but she already knows it.

And now for my newest mentee, Stephanie. It was weird how quickly we bonded, don't you think? For me it happened the first night I met you. I can't for the life of me remember why I was even in Mark's office the night you walked in, but he invited me to stay so I did. You were auditioning to be on the praise team that night, remember? That night the Spirit of God nudged me pretty hard. That doesn't happen often so it really got my attention! As an act of his sovereign will, he poured love for you into my heart, and I knew right then that you were going to be a special part of my life. And so you are.

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Sometimes I think to myself, why would these cute young thangs (I stole that phrase from Beth Moore) want to be friends with an old fart (Joe's phrase) like me? Then I remember that God delights in doing the unexpected, and I just worship him for his amazing creativity in doing such a cool and unusual thing!

I would love to add a paragraph in here about Mark, who has also graciously called me HIS mentor (to my great shock), but it would embarrass him so I won't, and anyway, he already knows what a wonderful gift of God he is to me. Long story short, he has changed my life, and it really needed changing! I couldn't have loved my other four mentees like I do if Mark hadn't first ministered God's healing to my frozen heart...Umm, I guess that WAS a paragraph. (Warts and all, Mark, warts and all!!)

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I can't wait until we go back to the Worship Institute this summer because all six of us will be together for 5 days and 4 nights! Woohoo!

Dinner With My Mentees

After I entered my “second calling” (I like that word better than “retirement”), I began unofficially mentoring Laura, Stephanie, Lisa and Spring. (The girl in orange is Spring's friend Regina.)

My four young women friends all have a passion for Christ, they’re all worship leaders, they all have husbands with needs to be met, and they all have daughters to raise up to be godly young women in an ungodly world.

I thought maybe they could use a little encouragement and support.

I don’t know a lot about mentoring, but I DID read this and it spoke to me:
“God is calling us women in the second half of life to be encouragers and teachers to younger women. Maybe it means he wants us to just provide a place and time to meet. Perhaps he will call us to start a Bible study. Whatever the case, all he asks of us is an open heart. Often it’s just the willingness to put your arm around a younger woman and tell her that she’s going to make it through this phase of life.”

We haven't had much time together with everyone’s busy schedules, but most of them have met with me weekly for the last month or so. We went to Western Sizzlin' tonight, and our next outing will be lunch at McDonald's (so they can bring their kids) next month. Even though we can't meet often, I CAN tell them that they're going to make it through all the stress and busyness and responsibility they have!

The first time we met rogether (at the Marina back in December), I gave them this challenge from the Bible as a goal:

“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you. Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t be so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out.” (Rom. 12:1-2)

I want to encourage them to live fully in the season they are in. I want them to learn from my mistakes, to choose carefully what they will do, which at times may mean doing less and doing it well. I want them to understand that there’s plenty of time left after their kids are grown, so they don’t have to do it all; they just have to focus on what really counts.
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And because it’s really hard to fix your attention on God without being in the Word daily, we've all got copies of The Message in a daily reading format. I challenged them to read through the Bible with me in 2007, and they're doing very well! I've always enjoyed reading a One Year Bible, and so many times through the years God has taken me through things at the exact time that he knew I would be reading in a place where the words would give me direction. I promised them that God would speak a personal “for the moment” word to them when they need it, too, if they are in the Word regularly. Sometimes we email our insights from our day's reading, too.
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The foundation of my second calling is prayer. They know they can call or email me whenever they have a specific need, and I will intercede in prayer for them. I’m not very good at praying around the world (or praying for people I don’t know), but if I know one of my mentees has a specific need, the Holy Spirit will lead me to carry that in my heart and pray for it unceasingly.
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It's a cool assignment God has given me, and it blesses me a bunch! Thanks, girlfriends!

The Most Fun I Had All Day

I woke up with a sinus headache which lasted all day, but I still had a little fun! I picked up Samantha and Emily after school and we went over to Heritage. "Granny" loves to see the girls. Mother decided she wanted to try the treadmill, so Samantha set it on the slowest setting and turned it on for her. WHOA!! It took off much faster than Mother could handle! We turned it off real quickly! She didn't want to give up, though, so we turned it on again, WHOA! Same story! I finally told her I didn't think she needed to be on it!

So then we just watched the girls playing on all the exercise equipment--it's much safer that way!

Happy Birthday, Taegan!

Taegan turned 5 today! I sent him a portable CD player, which he calls his iPod! His Nana from Chicago came and they went to Chuck E. Cheese tonight to celebrate.

Joe and I will be there next Thursday, and we'll take the boys to the hospital with us when Charlie is born next Friday.

See you soon, birthday boy!

This is for three friends who have told me you are interested in joining a local Health Stewards group, should we start one around here. There are two ways to join. You can attend a "real group" or you can be an online member. I'm posting a weekly update from a guy named Jim to give you an idea of what it's like.

No, you aren't reading someone else's blog. It's still my blog, just Jim's update. You can read many more weekly updates, including mine, at healthsteward.com.

Here's Jim's latest post. It's just one of probably 100.

As of today, Week #3 of the LLL or L3 (Legion of Liquid Losers) is under my belt. Or more accurately, down the drain. As a three-week member of a mini-accountability group within the larger Steward family (the above-mentioned “Legion”), I can truthfully say that our little group’s name is appropriate in a couple of ways. After all, we are using mostly shakes, more shakes, followed a few more shakes after that to drop the lbs., (theoretically, at least). So we’re “losers” that way.

But also, because we’re – or at least I – am drinking this many protein shakes PLUS a swimming pools-worth of water every day, well, you just can’t help but lose a lot of … hold on a second, be right back … [flush] Ahhhh. That’s better. Okay, where was I? Oh yeah, ya just can’t help but make a lot trips to the ol’ porcelain pal to make frequent offerings to the patron saint of healthy kidneys. Weeeeeeeeeeee! So, multiple losers we are. Proudly standing (or sitting depending on gender) for healthier living. And it appears to be working, too. At least, this week’s weigh in made me smile. A lot better than last week, to be sure.

So I’ll be glad to put up with the not-so-occasional interruption of whatever I’m doing to make a hasty retreat to the bathroom to eliminate. Or if you prefer -- to pee, piddle, make water, take a leak, take a whiz, water the lawn, shake the dew from my lily, take the pause that refreshes, answer the call of nature, see a man about a horse (where did THAT one come from?), hose down the porcelain, do #1, pay the water bill, make a pit stop, tinkle, put out a fire, pee like a racehorse, tap a kidney, and (drum roll, please), siphon the python.

Wow, that was a relief. I deeply apologize if the above litany of latrine language. Blame my lapse in good taste and decorum on suffering from water on the brain. The pressure must be getting to me. I DID have the good sense to leave out a few of the more colorful expressions I’ve heard over the years. But even so, I apologize again if anyone is PO’d (oops) at the above paragraph.

Moving on -- I started back into regular exercising this past week. My youngest son has introduced me to the painful world of free weights and I have the empty Excedrin bottle to prove it. My fear in getting too seriously into weight lifting is that I don’t need to bulk up. Certainly. If I can tone and shape and chisel (Ha!!! A guy can dream can’t he!??!) that’s great. Plus, I’ve always heard that muscle actually weighs more than fat. But, it sure looks better under a dress shirt than flab. So, I’ll have to take my chances.

As far as exercise goes, the thing about being on a mostly-liquid diet is trying to balance the need for exercise with the need to stay in close proximity to indoor plumbing. Long walks or bike rides can leave me looking like a deer in headlights if I go too far away from facilities. But, I’ve already done this subject to death, so ‘nuf said. Suffice it to say that the more liquid I sweat out of my pores, the less I have to get rid of in other ways. Spitting. I’m talking about spitting!! Of course.

One thing I’m anxious to work out is a new biking routine. Veteran Stewards will remember that my wife and I were/are avid road bikers and have even ridden some 50-mile or “half century” rides the couple of years. Nothing spectacular if you’re a true roady, but it’s an accomplishment for us. Can you say “saddle sore?” Diana (my lovely wife) and I had a fairly consistent routine where we’d mostly ride in the mornings – I work from a home office and can set my own hours – as in, 24/7 and until January, she was a stay-at-home domestic vixen and teenager wrangler. So getting out for a couple of hours after the kids were in school was easy to do many mornings in any given week.

Well, my dearly beloved has re-entered the working world and now has to be at work by 8 a.m. at least three mornings a week. Just ride in the afternoon, you say? Well, living as we do in hotter-than-Don-Imus’-email-box Southern California, riding in the afternoon is sometimes just physically not smart. I wind up sweating so much people riding behind me think there must be a street sweeper up ahead. So … we’re currently trying to work out how we get in at least three rides a week along with our nightly walks up and down the numerous steep streets of our foothills community. It’ll happen eventually.

A couple of quick observations from the journey so far: Something that has been made crystal clear to me is how blessed and honored I am to have stumbled (waddled?) into a key element of this process – that is – accountability to others. Specifically, accountability to a small number of others who not only understand intimately what your daily battles are, but who are fighting the same fight. I dearly love my friends, church brothers and bio-brother (hey, Bob!) and take great encouragement from their emails and posts, but knowing that someone is walking alongside you who struggles with the same temptations and food programming, feels the same frustrations and fights the same daily battles, well that is, as they say in all those MasterCard spots on TV, priceless. It certainly isn’t “So easy a caveman could do it.”

But I digress. Next, I need to apologize profusely to everyone who posted here last week. I can’t tell you how many times I started to post to your pages … even getting to read your own updates … when I got a client call, or realized a deadline was looming, or … well, suffice it to say that this past week has seen me sitting at my computer anywhere from 10 to 12 or more hours each day already. Please forgive me for not being able to eek out more time at the keyboard to post on your pages. My bad. And my carpel tunnel syndrome. And aching lower back. Hopefully this coming week will see more posts to you all.

Finally, I have a request: Quite a few weeks ago, one of you Stewards either posted or emailed me a bit of family wisdom, something their mom or pastor or somebody had told them that really got my attention. It was so profound, I meant to print it out and hotglue it to my forehead. So what did I do? Lost it. The gist of the aphorism was: “Success is choosing only the right path that’s in front of us right now over the wrong one. If we keep making those right choices, we will get where we want to go.” That sounds so lame the way I’ve written it, but you get the idea. When I first read it I thought … yeah, how simple is that? We just gotta keep making the right choice, especially the little ones, minute by minute. Not next week, or next year or “someday.” The decisions, the choices we make right now are all that matters. Does anybody remember telling me anything like that?? If so, could you please tell me again?!? I promise not to lose it this time. I’ve got my glue gun all warmed up.

Okay, that’s all for this week. Sorry for rambling. Water on the brain and all that. Not to bring up the whole potty talk thing all over again, but, I gotta go. Seriously … I really gotta go!!

Until next week, I’ll be on my knees, outta the fridge and in His grip. Jim

Life is still good!

Today was nice! I ran early, got my oil changed, and went to the library. Then I spent a few hours reading on the deck! Some of my young mother friends never get time to themselves like that, but on the other hand, they get to experience fun with kids. I was very blessed today because I got to do BOTH! To round out the day, I went to see Shrek III with the Es! It was great! My favorite part was the end--Shrek and Fiona had TRIPLETS! Even though they were orges, they were ADORABLE! They made me LONG for my grandbabies! I can't wait to get my hands on Charlie and Laney (or whatever their names turn out to be)!

This time last year

Can't think of anything to blog about tonight, so I've decided to give you a rerun like they do on TV! (If you keep a journal, you've always got plenty of material to draw from.)

OK, today is May 18. Last year on May 18, I bought a cigar! No kidding! For Mark, no less! Here's the story in three scenes:

Scene 1--When I was a little girl, The Arlington Hotel in Hot Springs was in its heyday. Nightclub stars and Mafia bosses and even U.S. presidents stayed there. My family couldn't afford such luxury, but the hotel advertised in my dad's newspaper, and instead of paying us, we got to vacation there free! My sister and I always liked to pretend we were rich little girls when we'd ride up and down the elevators.

Scene 2, which takes place many years later--Annette and I stayed there a couple of days (t was between 15 and 20 years ago, but I don't remember which baby she was pregnant with or I could tell you exactly.) So we're sitting at a little table out on the veranda, and Annette starts pushing her nose up. When I figured out she was pretending she was a snooty rich woman, I did it, too. It was so funny! Well, maybe you had to be there...

Scene 3--Last year Mark and Lisa decided to go to The Arlington on my recommendation, which made me a little nervous for two reasons:

1. After I recommended it, I started reading reviews on the internet from people who had stayed there, and one called it a roach motel!

2. Samantha and Emily were going to spend the night with us for the very first time, and I was afraid Emily might cry.

Oh, yeah, back to the cigar. When they dropped off the girls, I gave Mark a cigar and Lisa some bon-bons so they could sit out on the porch and pretend they were rich people, too! (He may still have the cigar. He didn't smoke it.)

Happy twist at the end of the story--Emily DID cry, but it was when they came to pick her up, and it was because she didn't want to leave!

LIFE IS GOOD!

Is there anything as wonderful as kids? I took Emily to the park Wednesday. She's all about the bars since she started gymnastics.

Shannon sent the pictures of my step-grandchildren. Look at the kitten picture--doesn't Shea have the cutest face you've ever seen? And look at Taegan wearing a Razorback t-shirt all the way out in Colorado!

The top picture is stuff Ginger got at a baby shower today. Can't wait until there's a sweet little granddaughter to go with it!

.Life is good when it has kids in it! When it doesn't, it's pretty boring.

CHARLIE GREW!!!!

Charlie grew a whole pound in 3 weeks! Bless you for praying for him, everybody!
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Here's a report from my daughter-in-law today:
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The prayers are paying forward. I saw two doctors today and had a series of tests. Jody was with me the entire time. They do not know the cause of the IUGR (Intrauterine Growth Restriction) at this point but feel that the baby is still tolerating the uterus. He still remains between 2.5%-5%. Even though he is tiny he has grown approximately one pound in the last three weeks. Average weight gain is half pound a week and we really didn’t know if he’d grow at all under the circumstances. So we think he has done very well! He is 4 lb. 15 oz. We hope to get him up to 5 lb. 8 oz. by delivery. This is a “magic number” for babies with IUGR. 6 lbs would be terrific. This would even move him up on the curve.

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The placenta is functioning, my blood pressure has stabilized, there is no protein in my urine, and I have increased my amniotic fluid. The amniotic fluid increased from 13 (last week) to a 17, the technician thought going from 8 – 17 was tremendous improvement. He passed his NST (heart rate reaction to movement and contractions) even though the doctors thought “he was sleepy”. He is head down getting ready for the final weeks.

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Jody has some pictures from our ultrasound test. The baby looks like he has a heart shaped face, round little chin and fat lips. We both have very thin lips so we got a chuckle that that is where all his weight has gone- straight to his lips! He looks perfect. We also saw a detail of his fist curled up knuckles and all, tiny fingers with fingernails. It was pretty amazing.

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They tested for strep today but did not perform an amniocentesis. They do not believe the IUGR is related to chromosomal defects or abnormalities. I am hoping he is just a small squirt but turns out to be healthy. I would really like to be able to nurse and take him home from the hospital when we are discharged. I pray there are no long term complications or neurological implications. 2 weeks and 2 days to go. Charlie’s got work to do! Grow, Grow, Grow!

Please continue praying until June 1 (Shannon's C-section at 7:30) that he would keep growing! Let's ask boldly for the "magic number" or above, ok, friends? Thanks for caring!

GREAT NEWS ABOUT CODY!!

Just got this word from a family member--

"Cody just got out of surgery. He did great! It's just a cyst, not cancer!!! Thanks so much for all of your prayers."

Woohoo!

Pray for good news about Charlie at his 10:30 appointment tomorrow, too, ok?!

Thanks sooooooooo much for praying!!!!

Dates to Remember

Please keep these dates in your prayers--

Tomorrow is Cody's brain surgery!

Wednesday at 10:30 is when the doctor will look at Charlie's internal organs.

We leave for Denver May 30, and Charlie will be born June 1!

Here's an update from Shannon--
At this point we do not know how much Charlie has grown (if any) but we will know on Wednesday. On the bright side we passed our weekly tests. On a personal note he feels very strong and remains active. He now gets the hiccups daily. It is so cute. I think an active baby is a good sign. If he weren’t moving regularly or seemed very weak I would be worried. His is putting his feet in a new place so I hope this means he is growing longer and trying to get comfortable.

The doctor reported that his reaction test (monitors his well-being through his heart rate, reactions to contractions and reactions to his movement) was “terrific”. The doctor was hoping my amniotic fluid index would not decrease. This would indicate the placenta is not functioning as it should. Anything under 8 at 35 weeks would have been cause for early delivery. A normal range is 12-25. I went from 8 to 13. I thought this was great news that I not only stayed steady but I made more. Dr. Volin will continue to monitor us closely but doesn’t think that we need to increase testing to twice a week. He believes we will go full term. He has scheduled our delivery for Friday, June 1 at 7:30 am.

Thanks for praying and caring, bloggerbuddies! I love you!!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Ginger is here! We took my mother to breakfast at Southpark and then to church for the children's musical. Now we're off to Conway to shop! Hope you all have a nice day!

I DID IT!!

The race was a blast! There were nearly 1,000 women running or walking! You can't see me in our team picture because I was in the back, but there were 28 of us from my clinic. The bottom picture is me with Karen, our director, and Susan, a Scranton teacher I've known for years.

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I didn't run as fast as I wanted to, but I DID run EVERY STEP! I wasn't really focused on speed--too much to look at! People had gotten out earlier with chalk and written messages all over the road, and I read them all! I also slowed to exchange "God bless yous" with all the Christian motorcycle people who were at the corners stopping traffic for us.

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I got a chair massage afterwards (nice!) and then wandered back over to watch some of the walkers come in. We clapped and cheered for a blind woman with her guide, a mom with a baby in a stroller, and several very obese women who were obviously just happy to finish.

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Thanks to everyone who encouraged me! Next goal--the Peach 4-Miler in July! You may wonder WHY I would want to RACE, since I'm nearly 58 years old and so SLOW. The answer is because I CAN! It's how I celebrate my health! To God be the glory!

AN ODE TO THE RAIN

Rain, rain, go away!

Come again some other day.

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But not tonight when Beyond Walls plays at the Relay for Life.

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And not tomorrow when I drive to Conway early to run my race.

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And not Sunday afternoon when Ginger and I are shopping. We'll be celebrating Mother's Day AND HER BIRTHDAY!

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My baby girl is 31 today! Happy Birthday, Ginger!! Next year you will have your OWN baby girl! Woohoo!

Cody, Running, and Prayer--and Charlie!

I've got three different things to talk about tonight, ok, bloggerbuddies?

Here's an email from Linda about Cody--
"They got back to Fayetteville last night to get a phone call to come back tomorrow, Friday. A world renown surgeon looked at his MRI and wants to do his surgery. Then they called and told them to come today for another MRI and then consult tomorrow. We still don't know when the surgery will be." So they weren't getting jerked around at ACH, after all. It's comforting to know they'll have such a good surgeon, although that probably means it's either a rare or difficult surgery to do. Please keep praying for him.

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Today was my last training run for the race Saturday. It was pouring down rain at Paris and nobody was running, so I ran at the church track. I set my Nano at "5K" and ran until I was finished. I was pleased with my time, and I feel ready for the race!

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Awhile back a friend and I were praying about something, and I got confused about how to pray. See, I go to Bible Study Fellowship every week, and it seems like every week they talk about the sovereignty of God, and that made me feel like God was going to do what he wanted to anyway, so we just had to pray "Thy will be done," and maybe not even THAT!

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Then I read something from David Wilkerson (who is NOT a "name it and claim it" guy), and he pointed out that scripture tells us that God WANTS us to come BOLDLY before the throne of grace and present our requests to him. And of course, there are lots of other scriptures about prayer (you have not because you ask not, for instance, and the effectual prayer of the righteous man availeth much, scriptures I obviously memorized in the KJV)!

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So I asked boldly, and even though it didn't turn out like I was asking, at least I felt like I hadn't let my friend down. (Both of us wanted God's will above all, of course.)

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Anyway, this week's BSF notes addressed my confusion, so I want to share what they said:

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Does prayer get God to change his will so that he conforms to our wishes? No! But prayer is the necessary channel that he has established for accomplishing spiritual work.

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There are two common errors at this point.

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First, there is a superficial belief that understands that God is sovereign and that his will is always done. It errs in deducing that prayer is unimportant, except in regard to how it changes us.

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The second is the error that makes God somehow weakly dependent upon us. It ties God's hands, as if he were made impotent apart from our prayers.

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The right understanding is that God not only appoints the end to be obtained, he also appoints the means to attain that end, and God's appointed means to all spiritual blessing is prayer. God works through human channels.

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Hmmm, so perhaps it's God's sovereign will to answer our prayers, unless for some reason, it's not good for us. That makes sense to me!

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BREAKING NEWS FLASH! I just got this email from Shannon--I just wanted to remind you that we have our tests on the baby’s well-being tomorrow at 3:00. They are the same tests as last week. I am expecting everything will be ok and they will send us home. They will continue to monitor us and baby’s IUGR closely. We have our iteral growth test next Wednesday. Pray for a good report, ok?

Guess I'm a Redneck

"You know you're a redneck if your biggest thrill is taking a kid to Wal-Mart."
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Well, that's exactly what I did today! They have a new arcade area, and Emily didn't mind if we put money in the slots or not, except for the car, and she was sweet to share that with a little boy. She loved the motorcycle, even though she wasn't actually doing anything but riding on it.

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Got this word about Cody--"After all this time with no news, they let him go home today. We still don't know for sure when the surgery is. He goes back for clinic next Tuesday and they might do the surgery that Friday, but we don't really know. I'm hoping their lack of urgency is good news. I will let you know what we find out Tuesday. Thanks for all the prayers and thoughts."

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Please keep praying for him, ok, bloggerbuddies?

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And keep praying for Charlie to GROW!

I HAVE DESCENDED BACK INTO HELL.

I hit my head on the corner of the car door this afternoon. My pump knot might not be QUITE as big as the picture, but it's pretty big, and you wouldn't believe how much it hurts!

However, I've gotta say, it's a good reminder to pray for Cody's brain tumor. (Don't you just hate those physical reminders?)

Sing with me--"ON THE ROAD AGAIN!"

It was exactly a week ago today that I woke up with a sore throat and descended into hell. OK, I'm being a drama queen. But it really WAS a rough week! If you prayed for me, THANKS SO MUCH!!!

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Today I felt almost well, so I got to run again! It felt GREAT, and my time was only about 2 1/2 minutes slower than it was the last time I ran!

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I'll go over to Paris Thursday for our last training run, and then the race! I'm excited!

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Remember, Cody's surgery isn't until tomorrow. Please pray that they could talk to a doctor today, for heaven's sake!

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And keep praying for little Charlie to GROW!!!

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Thanks, bloggerbuddies! I love you!

Update from Linda about Cody Mon. night

I just talked to Mary and they are not doing the surgery tomorrow. They haven't seen a doctor all day and had to have the nurse call to see if the surgery was on. She told them no but they would send someone tomorrow to talk to them. I think a little more communication would be so much easier on all of them. Cody is climbing the walls, bless his heart. They also haven't gotten the test results from the scans they did this weekend. That would be driving me insane.

Feeling better

I finally felt better today!
I also felt very loved today! Thanks for loving and caring about me, friends!

Gloom and Doom

I woke up with a sinus headache, and I didn't get rid of it all day. I went to church and choir rehearsal anyway as a "sacrifice of praise," but I was pretty miserable.

JaNell is calling in a prescription for a nasal steroid (?) spray that may help. Hope so. My race is Saturday, so I really need to get well!

Don't forget to pray for Cody and Charlie, bloggerbuddies!

Have a great week! I love you!

Please pray for Cody

Madeline only had one cousin, and they loved to play together. I was always impressed that he was so sweet and loving to her. He was on the other side of her family, so I haven't kept up with him, but I just found out he has a brain tumor. Please pray for Cody Wilson, age 10, who will undergo surgery Monday (hopefully) at Children's Hospital.

I'm a sick puppy

I'm not going to blog tonight because I feel rotten (sinus infection, I think).

If you're checking for details about Charlie's doctor's appointment, see below!

Have a nice weekend, bloggerbuddies!

Charlie and Prayer

Here's part of an email I got from Jody's wife Shannon today--

"I wanted to let you know that every night Jody and I are praying together and we are so thankful for all your prayers."

So thanks for praying, bloggerbuddies!

Pastor Darrell is preaching on "Connecting With The Church" Sunday, and this whole experience with Charlie has been a prime example of why having a church is so important. As soon as I got the news that Charlie wasn't growing like expected, I went straight to the church, barged into staff meeting, read the email from Jody, and WOW--every single staff member prayed powerful prayers for him! I walked in totally distraught, cried a lot as they prayed, then walked out with peace that passes understanding. Then last night the elders met and prayed for him again! And I've had 40 people email me that they were praying, including some who have put Charlie on prayer lists at other churches!

And now you want to know how Charlie's tests went today, right? Well, the doctor ruled out two of the major causes of IUGR (Intrauterine Growth Restriction--you can google it). The placenta and amniotic fluid both looked fine! The doctor is still a little concerned, Jody said, but I guess not too much because he's waiting until May 16 to measure him again!

The doctor isn't talking about taking him early. Even if he's small, he'll be full term, and he'll look huge to us after having a 2-pounder!

And they know he's strong because Shannon said he kicks harder than her other two boys ever did!

So let's just keep praying for him to GROW so he'll get into a higher percentile and they won't have that "concern" to think about anymore, ok?

God is good!

Thanks, everybody!

Thank Heaven For Little Girls

Aren't kids cute? This came across my laptop--

Brittany (age 4) had an earache and wanted a pain killer. She tried in vain to take the lid off the bottle. Seeing her frustration, her Mom explained it was a child-proof cap and she'd have to open it for her. Eyes wide with wonder, the little girl asked: "How does it know it's me?"

Yesterday I picked up my borrowed granddaughters from school/preschool and we went to Wal-Mart to kill time awhile so Lisa could take a nap. I had never noticed it before, but Wal-Mart has a cool grocery cart with two seats, so I took them riding around in it! It was so much fun! We were going to get a movie, but then decided on earrings instead. (Samantha got her ears pierced recently and is all about earrings, and Emily likes the stick-on kind.)

And we got Shrek Vanilla Wafers that come in colors! Who would've known?!

Thank heaven for little boys, too! Yesterday the doctor told Shannon (my daughter-in-law) that it's too early to be worrying about Charlie's (my grandson's) growth, so I'm not going to! Crisis over! Life is good! Still--pray he'll GROW, ok, bloggerbuddies?

I'm back!

Well, I survived my two weeks of fasting from blogging, and here I am again! I increased my running, lost 5 pounds, and gained new insights on prayer, so it was all good!

In this new phase of my blogging I think I'll just give a basic account of what I've been doing or thinking each day, and if I don't do or think anything, I'll just skip it. So if you don't see a post, you'll know I'm bored and my brain is empty.

Ok, bloggerbuddies, you probably all know that there is some concern that my grandson in Denver seems to have quit growing in the womb. The church staff prayed with me yesterday and about 30 people have emailed or called and promised to pray in the last 24 hours, plus he's on several church prayer lists and chains already, so I feel real good about it today.

Last night I went to bed with my NEW iPod and listened over and over to the song Mark and Lisa sang at our 3rd Night of Worship, because it expressed my heart so well:

I don’t know
what this day will bring,
Will it be
disappointing
or filled with longed-for things.
No, I don’t know
what tomorrow holds,
Still I know
I can trust Your faithfulness.

I don’t know
if these clouds mean rain.
And if they do,
will they pour down
blessing or pain.
No, I don’t know
what the future holds,
Still I know
I can trust Your faithfulness.

Certain as the rivers reach the sea,
Certain as the sunrise in the east,
I can rest
in Your faithfulness.
Surer than a mother’s tender love,
Surer than the stars still shine above,
I can rest
In Your faithfulness.

I started this morning with a scripture from Laura that has been on my heart lately anyway but is now even more meaningful to me. Lamentations 3:22-23 (NIV)--

"His compassions never fail. They are new every morning: Great is your faithfulness."

Joe and I both have a lot of faith that the baby will be fine, but let's zero in on praying that he would GROW a lot soon!

On another subject, I found a support group for people like...well, you, Annette. It's lipbalmanonymous.com (Smile)