To My Unborn Son

"My SON!" What simple, beautiful words!
"My boy!" What a wonderful phrase!
We're counting the months till you come to us -
The months, and the weeks, and the days!

"The new little stranger," some babes are called,
But that's not what you're going to be;
With double my Virtues and half of my faults,
You can't be a stranger to me!

Your mother is straight as a sapling plant,
The cleanest and best of her clan -
You're bone of her bone, and flesh of her flesh,
And, by heaven, we'll make you a man!

Soon I shall take you in two strong arms -
You that shall howl for joy -
With a simple, passionate, wonderful pride
Because you are just - my boy!

And you shall lie in your mother's arms,
And croon at your mother's breast,
And I shall thank God I am there to shield
The two (in my case, the seven!) that I love the best.

A wonderful thing is a breaking wave,
And sweet is the scent of spring,
But the silent voice of an unborn babe
Is God's most beautiful thing.

We're listening now to that silent voice
And waiting, your mother and I -
Waiting to welcome the fruit of our love
When you come to us by and by.

We're hungry to show you a wonderful world
With wonderful things to be done,
We're aching to give you the best of us both
And we're lonely for you - my son!

~Captain Cyril Morton Thorne

Quote of quotes...

I love this quote about dear little boys!

"A boy is Truth with dirt on its face, Wisdom with bubble gum in its hair and the Hope of the future with a frog in its pocket."
~Alan Beck

It must be a 'boy thing'!

Well, I had my doctor's appointment today and I failed my sugar test miserably! I also failed it with that first boy of mine but not with any of my girls. Hmmm, do you think it's a 'boy thing'? Of all the complications you can have in pregnancy, gestational diabetes is a pretty easy one so I'll just be thankful for it and praise the Lord for it!


The rest of my appointment was picture perfect!! Noah's heartrate was 154 and I've gained another five pounds which brings my grand total for this pregnancy to 8 pounds. Woo Hoo! It doesn't get much better than that!

I go in just two weeks for my 4-D sonogram and then in another two weeks for my next appointment... and THEN I'll be going every two weeks!! Can you believe how fast the time is flying by? I can't!!

I had a lot of time to work on my knitted blanket while waiting on that sugar test so I'm nearly finished with it. I'll post pictures once I get it done.

It won't be long now! Just 99 days to go!!

100 Days To Go!!

Only one hundred short days until Noah Frederick arrives!!

Garage Sale Treasures!!

Today I had a wonderful day at yard sales! There was one particular sale that was fabulous!! Not only did it have all sorts of things I still need for Noah, it was the most beautifully organized sale I have ever shopped! And, I have shopped a few!! I had to compliment the ladies who organized the sale on their outstanding work!!Here is the list of what I bought today...

1 Dressy Blanket
7 Baby hats
6 Baby Washcloths
1 Pair of Booties
23 Newborn Socks
13 Socks for 12-24 months
16 Burp Pads
1 Cradle Sheet
2 Hand Covers (to keep newborns from scratching their faces)
7 Receiving Blankets
2 Mattress Covers for the crib
17 Bibs
4 Dressy Outfits
1 Gown
1 Sleeper
3 Onesies
7 Rompers
1 Pair of baby jeans
1 Small baby blue bear for the hospital cradle

1 Unopened box of baby drawer liners

1 Toy blanket with four teething corners

I also bought for my sweet husband four golf shirts, five pairs of jeans, two pairs of shorts and two pair of Sunday pants!

One of the dressy outfits will be for Noah's first Easter next year. It still had the price tag of $49.99 on it! I paid $4.00 for it. I also paid $3.00 and $4.00 for each of the other dressy outfits which were Feltman Bros. The rest of the clothing and supplies were $1.00 and under!! The grand total for today's shopping extravaganza was $37.50!!!

Praise the Lord for His mighty provision!!

'To Do' List

I am rapidly approaching my third trimester! Can you believe it? The second trimester has flown by at record speed and so I'm anticipating the same thing happening from now until Noah arrives! That leaves me with a LOOOOONG list of things to do and relatively little time to do them.

So, I thought for the purpose of clarity and organization, I should make a list of 'things to do' before Noah arrives...

~Get his bed and set it up
~Get Noah's baby chest and organize all his things in it (happening this weekend)
~Paint the boys' room... khaki color on three walls and two shades lighter on Noah's wall
~Paint the big girls' room... pick colors!
~Choose fabric for bedding
~Work on design for door bow and get small frame from Kirklands for it
~Buy two more gowns for hospital and begin to assemble hospital supplies (also need robe and slippers)
~Pre-register for the hospital
~Sign up for the hospital sibling tour for the little girls
~Continue to stock up on diapers, wipes, bath items and other consumables, Dreft
~Finish Noah's quilt
~Finish knitting Noah's hospital blanket and hat
~Make coordinating diaper bag
~Design and work on birth announcements
~Baby scrapbook
~Decide on goodies to take to hospital for the nurses, food staff, and doctors

Things I need to buy new or find at yard sales...

~Car seat (buying new)
~Breast pump (buying new)
~Video camera
~Baby swing
~High chair
~Crib sheets
~Bassinet sheets
~Baby socks
~Clothes in larger sizes for winter months (from 6 months and up)
~Play yard

Things I already have...

~Baby bed
~Co-sleeping cradle
~Stroller
~Exersaucer
~Bouncy seat
~Newborn clothes

Things already in progress

~Quilt
~Clothes from 3 to 6 months
~Coming home outfit (Mom is making that)

Baby Hiccups!

Noah had the hiccups last night for the very first time! You would think a spaceship had landed the way everyone gathered around fighting for a good hand spot on my tummy to catch the momentous event of hiccups. They stared at my strangely thumping tummy in wide-eyed wonder! It was great fun... to all but Noah who was very squirmy throughout. I'm not sure he enjoyed his hiccups but we sure did!!

24 Weeks Today!

Our Noah Frederick is 24 weeks today!! Yesterday we had a wonderful time at the hospital looking around the very familiar maternity floor with all the sights and sounds of new babies! It was very exciting!! In some ways, I'm so excited for Noah to arrive and I want to see each and every finger and toe! Will he have hair? Will it be dark or light? How much will he weigh? Who will he look like? It's all so wonderful to imagine!!

But, in another way, I want to keep him to myself and savor each and every day of this pregnancy. There is nothing like feeling his kicks and squirms and watching my tummy grow bigger and bigger! It is over so fast!! I want to enjoy every moment of it!!

Here is Noah's progress this week...

Your baby's growing steadily, gaining about a quarter of a pound since last week, when he was just over a pound. Since he's a little over a foot long, that makes a pretty lean figure, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon put on more baby fat. Your baby's skin is thin, translucent, and wrinkled, his brain is growing rapidly, and his taste buds are developing. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" and cells that produce surfactant, a substance that helps the air sacs inflate easily.

Your baby may be very active between weeks 24 to 28, when small size and ample amniotic fluid allow for freedom of movement. You may feel your baby jump in response to loud sounds or "settle" at the sound of your voice. Studies indicate that your baby can respond to touch.

Your baby is around 14 inches from head to toe, and weighs 1 pound, 12 ounces to 2 pounds 3 ounces.

Your baby is almost completely formed, and is beginning to deposit brown fat on his or her body. The purpose of the brown fat is to retain body heat. Newborns are notoriously bad at regulating body temperature at first. This is particularly a problem for a baby born early. Babies born at this point have some chances of survival with very special care.

Hospital love!

Today Flibby and I paid a visit to my sweet mother-in-law who is recovering from surgery in the hospital... the very same hospital where I will be in 16 short weeks having our Noah! As we were leaving, Flibby and I decided to make a stop by the second floor. That's the really fun place where all the babies are!! The nursery windows were open and we saw two beautiful little babies that happened to be in with the nurses instead of in the room with their mothers as most babies are. It was so much fun!!! One baby had on a handmade hat with matching blanket! I can't wait for Noah to be wrapped in the beautiful baby blue blanket I am knitting him right now! I'm going to make a matching hat for him as well. Stay tuned for pictures! The other baby was the cutest little bald thing!

They have remodeled this hospital since I was last there. I was privileged to attend the birth of one of my dear friend's baby this time last year and the remodeling was underway. Today I was able to see all the new improvements. The baby cradles are now all made of this beautiful dark cherry wood! The rooms have new colors and everything looks so fresh, new and modern. I can't wait to be a patient there again!! Have I ever told you how much I love the hospital?? (only when I'm having beautiful babies, that is!)

It won't be long now!

Fun with Noah!

We are all having the MOST fun feeling little Noah doing all his acrobatics... and my blooming tummy is frequently found covered by tiny (and not so tiny) hands! I've noticed my children don't make eye contact with me anymore. When they are standing and talking to me, they are generally staring longingly at my tummy while rubbing and caressing it. Noah is already getting LOTS of love!!Virtual M&M's to anyone who can correctly guess which hand belongs to which family member!

Funny little happenings...

A variety of funny and strange looks and comments have been happening to us all recently in regard to our family size. I find it all a little amusing. One has to have a sense of humor about these things! What is interesting to me is when it all started to happen. Voddie Baucham said it best when he said of the Christian community, "...two children is all you are supposed to have but there is this unwritten rule that if you have two children of the same gender, you may try one more time for the other gender." But, three... that's it! Four children might get you a pat on the back and people looking at you in awe at your abilities. Five... now you're crossing over into carnival freak territory! Six... oh my! People gawk and stare more than if you were a rare albino Ascension flightless crake found in the deserts of Africa! It's amazing!

Recently Flibby and I were shopping in a kitchen store. As we were checking out, the cashier - maybe 20 years old - asked me when I'm due. That took me aback because I keep living under the illusion that I'm not really showing enough for people to just assume I'm pregnant. My family continues to assure me that I am past the point of no return on that one! At any rate, I answered the inquiry. Then she asked me if I knew what I was having. I proudly told her we are expecting a noble son! She then asked, "Is this your second?" I, of course, thought she meant second boy. She actually meant second child. I told her that yes, it was our second son and that my first born son was delighted because he has been grossly outnumbered with four sisters. At this point, I can't be sure, but I think she dropped something glass and shattered it. The two other employees that were standing within earshot, turned and the interrogation began. "How old are they?" "How many do you have again?" "On purpose!?" "Did you come from a big family?" And, my favorite... "Y'all must homeschool, right?" Goodness, does it show? I answered all their questions while trying to concentrate on writing my check and gathering my packages. The cashier actually followed me to the door with Flibby snickering behind us all the way. She patted me on the back and asked, "So, is this going to be your last one?" I turned and said, "I certainly hope not!" That was it... I think her fellow employees had to be called in to help revive the poor girl!

This past weekend at yard sales, I was with my sweet mom and she was answering questions about me... have you ever noticed how people will ask someone else questions about you like you aren't standing less than two feet away?!! They asked Mom, "Is this her first?" Mom very nonchalantly answered, "No, her sixth." Both the husband and the wife gasped... or more like yelped... in horror. I turned to them, chuckled and said, "I get that a lot." The woman went on to tell me that she would have liked to have more than one child but they didn't start soon enough. I told her that I was going to be 41 when this baby is born. Again, I think medical intervention was needed on the poor girl. Last I saw, her husband was attempting to revive her as we walked away! ~wink~

Then Mr. P had a 'incident' with a bank teller this week. She was expecting a baby and he asked her how many children she had. She told him this was to be her first. He told her he was expecting his sixth! As he told me the story, he described her look and the look of the neighboring teller as something akin to cartoon characters with eyes popping out of their heads in "AAA-OOOO-GA!" fashion. There was no more conversation after that. Mr. P had to gather up his own money off the counter and leave them staring blankly and struck dumb.

Remember that old Sesame Street song?

"One of these things is not like the other.

One of these things just doesn't belong.

Can you tell which thing is not like the other,

before I finish my song?"

We're certainly not like all the others... and I'm so thankful!