Shining through the Sorrow

I'm almost 37 weeks now and am feeling so exhausted.  I'm grateful my hubby is home today and has given me a break with the kiddos.  I can't quite pinpoint why I'm feeling so tired, but I can assume it has to do with my emotionally draining day yesterday... Ruby was quiet all day long, from the time I woke up, all through church, and into the afternoon as I tried all the tricks - like drinking something cold and laying on my left side.  This is very unlike her.  She's one of those babies who's so active people can see her moving from across the room.  One of those babies who moves so often, I never have to think "Oh, I haven't felt her in awhile."  So, finally by about 3pm I had packed my bags and was almost in Crazy Town.  Decided to call the on-call midwife, who asked me to come into the hospital to be monitored - that way we both would have a peace of mind about it all.  After being there about an hour, it was determined that Ruby is just fin...

I really wasn't going to do another one of these, but I can't help myself!  With this being baby number four, it's just too tempting to look through my old photos and start comparing.  Plus, I actually had a 35 week picture for each kid! I'm getting more and more uncomfortable and even had a contraction so painful last night that it woke me up from my sleep!  I'm in that lovely stage now that everything makes me exhausted.  Field trip with Joel this morning, check.  Carrying laundry downstairs, check.  Opening the fridge, haha - it all makes me tired.   I will officially be checked for any progress during next appointment, which will be later next week.  Although I'm trying not to get my hopes up, I can't help but remember that both Joel and Gabriel came during my 36th week...  It's possible I could be holding this little one VERY soon. Wow.  Let's discuss, shall we?  Joel's pregnancy - giant and swollen.  Eve...

Hello dear readers.  Just a little PSA for ya.  At almost nine months pregnant, I may be having a problem covering up the growing belly.  So this is a just a friendly, apologetic message for the public - specifically those of you who happen to see more of me than you'd like over the next few weeks.  That's what happens when you borrow maternity clothes for your first three kids, and end up with almost none for baby number four.  New pics for you! 33 weeks 34 weeks Same day 33 weeks shot - notice the appropriate coverage in one of my few maternity tops.  34 weeks shot - Whoa baby, but at least my nails look good...  And in the final shot, note the use of the cardigan sweater to hide the exposed underbelly.  LOL.  Are you taking notes?  You should be!  ;)

My hubby and I had a very busy weekend preparing for Miss Ruby's arrival.  Yesterday we spent over four hours switching the kids' bedrooms around so that "the girls" will be sharing the larger of the two bedrooms.  (Oh em gee, I'm about to have "girls."  Plural.  More than one.) I decided to upload the pictures here on my blog to explain our thought process - Because the kids have multiple transitions coming up (new bedrooms, new baby sister coming, and Joel starting kindergarten), we decided to make the new room arrangements as soon as possible, so they had time to adjust before the next change happened.  We originally thought about putting the two oldest together, and leaving the nursery as-is for Ruby, but I was concerned about Zoe's anticipated jealousy increasing over the new baby being in her room, sleeping in her crib.  Not to mention that we'd have to make another transition of the girls moving into the larger room in about a year, anyw...

I just returned from a Women's Weekend and am feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.  Because of my short break - which gave me a chance to fellowship with awesome women, hear amazing speakers, and draw closer to my God - I have started this week with a newly renewed passion to be a better wife and momma.  And yet... there is a cloud hovering because of what this month represents. Through biblical teaching, I was reminded of so many amazing truths this weekend:  Our joy is not based on our circumstances, but on our relationship with Christ.  Somewhere along the way, "we bought into the fairy tale that our good works, plus God's great blessings , would equal a happy ever after ."  But God never promised us this.  As we endure troubles, "we long to be like the strong lighthouse, which stands strong even while the waves keep crashing upon us." We were asked, "What has to happen in our lives for us to realize our need for Jesus?  To start walking in faith...

Ah, motherhood.  The days are long, but the years fly by.  Zoe will be 21 months in a matter of days, and my days have been dragging, to put it nicely...  The time between 18 months and two years was very stressful with Joel, which made me worry about the dreaded Terrible Twos, and Tenacious Threes - but then the craziest thing happened - as soon as he turned two, and his vocabulary started to soar, he was a pleasure to be around again!  He went through Terrific Twos, Tremendous Threes, and Fabulous Fours!  I can only hope and pray that Zoe will follow that same pattern... Personality-wise, she's been pretty much the opposite of her big brother.  She's sassy, funny, and full of attitude.  She loves to make others laugh, and often makes silly faces during dinner just to get a rise out of my hubby and I.  She knows what she wants and gets terribly upset when we can't figure out what that is.  This is why I'm hoping an expanding vocab will ser...

31 Weeks with Joel 29 Weeks with Gabriel 29 Weeks with Zoe 30 Weeks with Ruby You can read about why Gabriel's bump looks so small and compact here .  You can see Comparison Shots II here , and the first round here .  Happy Wednesday, readers!  Hope the rest of your week flies by!  :)