The Belly

Okay, so for those of you who don't see me regularly, here's a recent picture:

Just when I think I can't get any bigger... I do.

I Voted!

I voted in the election today! It was the first even-year election EVER that I was able to vote in person instead of with an absentee ballot. Thanks to all the volunteers who make it possible to vote and are nice to the many, many toddlers who come along to help. (Incidentally, Ellie and Josiah both have strong and consistent opinions on who they're voting for. You can ask them all about it the next time you see them).

Right Side Up!

Luke and I went in to the hospital today so they could try to turn our little guy, and when they checked with the ultrasound to see where he was, they found his head already down! We thank God for answering our prayers! And we also thank all of you who were praying for us. What good news!

Up-side Down!

We just found out our little guy is breech, which explains why nothing feels the same as it did with Ellie. I thought maybe this baby was just smaller... but maybe not.
Anyway, I'm going in to the hospital next week to see if they can get him to turn. If not, then it's another C-section for me. Luke and I were talking about days, and when a good day would be to schedule a C-section if necessary, and it struck me just what an odd conversation that is. There's this huge illusion of control over a situation where we actually have very little control.
The point of all of this is to say that it does me good to remember how God is in control and knew this sweet baby by name before we ever imagined him. This also helps me as I start to panic, thinking-- we could have a baby in the next two weeks?! That was true before, too, but I was fooling myself into thinking November was much further away. Oh, no, wait. There it is. On Saturday!

Balloon Fiesta (or, The Great Bus Ride, or Mmm, Funnel Cake)

It all depends who you ask. We went to the balloon fiesta with friends last weekend, but the balloons couldn't fly due to wind. The evening was still a great success, because we took advantage of park 'n'ride. Ellie was thrilled to ride the bus. She kept saying "I on a bus, Daddy!" When she sees pictures now, she gets excited all over again.Luke wasn't too disappointed about missing the balloons. He still got to eat hot dogs and funnel cake. And cotton candy, too, which he shared with Ellie and Chloe.

The balloonists were there with their baskets and equipment, so after the sun went down they entertained us with some fire. It just didn't get old for Ellie, who was astounded and had to make sure I knew every time the fire came again.We saw some great fireworks and finished the night off with a snow cone and another bus ride. Who needs balloons?

Yay Luke!

We enjoyed a mini-family-vacation this weekend down at Elephant Butte, NM. Ellie and I relaxed and cheered while Luke completed an Olympic distance triathlon! It was a mile swim, a 25 mile bike, followed by a 10K run. We're so proud of Luke!

This is NOT sunset, folks. It's the other one. You have to get up very early to be a good triathlon spectator!

Here's Luke, hydrating and getting his game face on for the camera.

This is Luke's wave of athletes starting their swim. And here's Luke finishing the swim and running out of the water (and up a HUGE-- I'm not kidding-- HUGE sandy hill to his bike in the transition area!)Ellie had her own idea about triathlon. You notice she paces herself for the swim...

...but really kicks it into high gear for the run

Having left everything out on the course, she waits with thumb and puppy for Daddy to finish his race.I didn't get any pictures of Luke during the bike portion because he was just too fast! He finished the run strong, up yet another sandy hill to the finish line.

As Ellie would say, "Go Daddy go!" Yay Luke!

Where Have We Been?

I looked back at the dates of my last blog posts and realized I've become a once-a-monther. Probably nobody even checks now, because I'm that girl with a blog who doesn't really write anything. Well, that's not about to change, but here's an update on us for September:

I'm now officially a licensed in-home daycare provider. Right now, our friend Josiah is our only daily visitor, and I plan to keep it that way until I feel fully adjusted to having two of my own children!

It's been great having Josiah with us so far. Ellie's learning a lot about sharing and taking turns, and I'm discovering the bossy side of her that was bound to come out eventually (where does she get that from?) They look forward to seeing each other every day, and wear each other out so that I can look forward to solid afternoon naps! For them, not for me. I take solid afternoon rests, mixed in with solid afternoon cleaning sessions, when I feel motivated enough...

Yes, the third trimester fatigue is setting in. I'm just about 31 weeks now, and while "6-11 weeks left" doesn't sound like much, I know I have a long way to go as far as swollen feet and restless nights are concerned. I had my first middle-of-the-night-wake-up-for-no-reason the other night at 3:30 am. I guess it's preparation for the middle-of-the-night-wake-up-to-feed-Baby that is to come. At least with this pregnancy, instead of calling the nurse line in a panic whenever something wierd happens, I think, "oh, yeah. I remember this now."

Adding to the fatigue is Luke's travel schedule. Other than a week of illness and a week of much-needed catching up at his desk, he's been out of town Tuesday-Thursday every week for a few months now, and will continue through the end of October. It doesn't seem like much until we actually live through it. By Thursday night when he gets home, we're both exhausted. It's helping me realize and appreciate how much he takes care of Ellie and me when he's here, that's for sure!

As much as I'll be glad to have him home more often, I don't want to rush through the next two months. Time's flying by fast enough as it is. Even though I'm not in school anymore, September still feels like the beginning of a new year to me, and as the days get shorter and cooler and we bring out the sweatshirts for mornings outside, I thank God for giving me the opportunity to be a mother to Ellie and to this baby yet to be born, and pray that He will give me strength, wisdom, patience, and grace to glorify Him and enjoy Him in the work He's called me to in this season.

So I'll leave with some words from a song by Nichole Nordeman called "Every Season" that I've always thought of at this time of year:

Still I notice You when change begins
And I am braced for colder winds
I will offer thanks for what has been and was to come