And Then There Was Joy.

I visited the doctor yesterday.  He wanted to see me even though it was a bit early for an appointment since we’ll be leaving this weekend.  The good news is that my cervix is tightly closed and everything looks normal.  He said the leg pain I’ve been experiencing off an on is related to the relaxing hormone that allows a woman’s hips to loosen up before delivery.  Because it is my third child, my body is just getting ready earlier.  Thankfully the pain is not unbearable or constant, but it is a new one with this third pregnancy.  I have reached the point in my pregnancy where they are now asking me if I am feeling plenty of movement.  The answer is a resounding “yes!”  In the last couple of weeks the baby has started doing what feels like jigs.  Some days the movements are so strong they are almost uncomfortable as the baby presses hard on my stomach.  But I’m glad that I have such a strong little child in there.  I had been asked when we started discovering Emma’s problems how much she had moved in the womb.  I felt at the time that she had moved quite a bit, but now in comparison to what I am feeling now, I think her movements were much less.  Though of course it is hard to remember.  The geneticist thinks that little movement could have contributed to Emma’s short cord, which made her delivery harder and longer.  So, if that is true, this baby has nothing to worry about in regards to cord length, unless the cord is too long.  :)

I left the doctor’s office with a signed doctor’s note, giving me permission to fly and an appointment for as soon as we get back.  The doctor gave me instructions to call with any questions even though I’ll be in California, as he’d rather me ask first before going to an emergency room if there are any problems.

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Elise and I sat down alone for supper tonight. I debated over getting a book to read while we ate since it was just her and me, but am glad I decided against it as our conversation was quite enjoyable.

“I thought we were gonna have a daddy,” Elise says as she pokes at her spaghetti.

“What do you mean?” I ask, wondering if she is upset because Daddy is not eating with us tonight.

Elise merely points at her spaghetti. “Oh, you mean spaghetti,” I answer, “that is spaghetti.”

Elise just smiles, enjoying her illogical 4-year old joke. “It sounds kind of like daddy,” says Elise, “but it’s different-asgetti. Sometimes I call it walliall” (or some other ridiculous word she’s just made up).

Elise looks out the window at the neighbor’s yard dotted with white flowers. “Mom, do you see all those white flowers?” she asks.

“Yes,” I answer, “they are called Star of Bethlehems.”

Elise smiles as she realizes what this refers to. “Like in the story where Jesus is being born?”

“Yes, that’s right” [...]

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I thought it was time for a general update of what has been going on in our lives.  It’s been rather busy here lately.

I am finishing up my chemistry labs at JBU.  I have 2 weeks left and then I am done.  I will not be returning to JBU in the fall.  Despite the fact that I love teaching it has been an added stress this semester and the time commitment is a little unrealistic with the expectation of an infant in the fall.  I will be taking on a new responsibility at Mothering Matters, which is the mothering group our church sponsors.  I have been involved in the leadership for three years now and next year will be the coordinator.  That means I am involved in all the decisions for the group and delegation of the various responsibilities.  I have people lined up to help me and am actually hoping for a co-coordinator to come alongside me, but we’ll see what God has planned.

John has been busy at work, and is really enjoying his job as Art Director.  God has prospered the work of his hands as the projects he’s worked on have really been successful for the company.  My brother Ben just recently joined the team at my husband’s work as well and though his job is different than John’s, it is nice to see him there when we go to visit John.

Elise has been taking a bit of a break from organized preschool at home.  I’ve gotten busier and she was beginning to lose interest.  We will pick it up again in the fall.  I’m sure it will be exciting and new again by then.  She is very close to being able to start reading anyway, so she is way ahead of many 4 year olds.

Today I had the sad job of having to take missing puppy posters to the vet and the animal shelter.  Elise’s puppy Kit disappeared from my parent’s yard when we were out there this weekend.  We have seen no sign of her and I’m afraid may never see her again.  Elise is handling it well, though she goes back and forth from saying she wants to find Kit and she wants to buy a new dog.  I think I am more upset about it than she is, but it has led to some interesting conversations as she relates the loss to losing Emma.  She even mentioned that we could put up pictures of Emma, but realized that wouldn’t work as we already know where Emma is.

In less than three weeks we will be heading to California on the first family vacation with just the 3 of us that we’ve ever had.  We’ll be visiting John’s family there as well as some tourist attractions.  Elise is counting down the days, and John and I are anxiously watching the days slip through our fingers as we realize we are running out of time to finish some things that need to get done before we leave.  But we are both excited as well.  We’ll be flying, so that will be a new experience for Elise, and neither John nor I have actually flown in several years, so it will also be an experience for us with the tightened security.

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Well, I have reached 24 weeks and had another appiontment today.  Everything looks good.  The baby’s heart rate was 145.  I remembered my questions for the doctor this time and was satisfied with the answers.  We will be on vacation when I would normally have my next appointment, so we are meeting a little sooner next time right before we leave.  This is good since the doctor will then clear me for flying since we are going by plane.  He didn’t think it would be a problem, but would like to check and make sure the baby is showing no signs of wanting to come early.

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