Busch Gardens

We went to Busch Gardens a few weeks ago with Uncle Brian, Aunt Alyssa and Andrew. It was fun! Graeme got to ride a few kiddo rides, including the carousel, which just fascinates him. It rained for a few hours towards the end of our visit, but we stuck it out until it got really bad LOL! So, without further ado, the pictures:

Yellow-wo-wo-wo

Graeme's new favorite word (and fav. color!): Yellow! Though, he says it more like "Yellow-wo-wo-wo". It became his favorite when we went to Johnny Rocket's two weeks ago, and he got a yellow balloon. He and the balloon were inseparable for two days. And it's still alive! He still loves his balloon. One day he took a nap with it...that's how much he "wuv'd" it :-)

Baby #2 update

Thought it's about time to get a post up here - if you're still reading this, kudos to you and I'm sorry I've been so quiet. I've got some pictures to upload soon, so stay tuned ;-)

My due date has been moved up to Nov. 10, and I'm measuring 2 cm. big, so *maybe* this baby is coming sooner than later :-) I'm just hoping it's here before Thanksgiving!

We still don't know the gender, and might not, which is fine with me at this point. We're having to work around insurance, doctor stuff - so we may not get in for a sonogram before baby gets here. Then again, we might! I'd love to know so I can stock up on clothes, since we don't have cold-weather clothes for a newborn, but I can get some gender neutral things for the first week, and I'm sure my mother or sister will be happy to head out to the near-by Carters outlet and stock up for me after the baby arrives - it'd be a drag, I'm sure, but they'll sacrificially do it LOL!

I've had several appointments with my new midwife here in VA, who is just great. Baby was in a good position this last Thursday, and feels like a good, healthy size - not "too big"...I keep getting comments from people "When are due?" (I say, Nov. 10) "No way, are you sure? Are you having twins???!!" And then I laugh half-heartedly and say, no, ha ha. I think I'm just short-waisted and carry all in front. All in all, I feel better and (feel like) I look better than I did with Graeme, so that's a positive. No swelling yet (and I was already quite swollen by now with Graeme), lots of energy, though I am hot all the time - looking forward to this weather cooling off. The only problem with that, is I'm going to need cold-weather pregnancy clothes for only 6 weeks...bleh. I'm going to try to buy as few pieces as I can to layer and get me by - this pregnancy has spanned three seasons, and as usual, three sizes (sm for the first 2 months, med after that, and now into some larges).

I am seeing a wonderful chiropractor, Dr. David Capps and his wife, Lola, who are continuing the Webster technique, which I started with a chiro in Augusta at about 20 weeks. Chiropractic care during pregnancy can really help encourage good positioning, and I am determined to do everything I can this time to help that. Graeme's c-section was due to poor positioning, I have been told that by both the attending doctor and my midwives. Upon looking back, I can see things I could have done to at least help that. Seeing a chiro, better sitting positions, a more careful diet - last time, I reclined in the sofa quite a bit that last trimester b/c of my swollen feet, which is one of the worst things you can do as far as encouraging a good position....so this time, I am working on sitting upright, walking more, cutting back on refined sugars and high-fat foods (like my dearly loved favorite, milkshakes), all to try to keep from growing a huge baby and helping him/her be in a good position. This article gave me a lot of ideas.

This baby kicks a lot more than Graeme did :-) Maybe that's an indication of personality, I don't know! Graeme was pretty content to snuggle in my tummy - he'd move around at night, but pretty reserved besides that.

If we get a sonogram, I'll be sure to post what the baby is and pictures. Otherwise, it'll be a surprise. Mark says the only "problem" with that is we have to come up with TWO names LOL - we have a hard enough time deciding on just one. Ah, well.

We're here...

...and don't have internet at the house until Sunday, so if I've not answered e-mails and (obviously) haven't updated the blog, that's why! I'll get back on next week and update everyone. Things are going well - crazy of course, but that's moving for ya! And we better get used to it, right?! TTYS :-)

Mix-ins we tried today...

For lunch, I sauteed some yellow squash in olive oil with some seasonings, then offered both the sliced squash AND a grilled cheese with a few slices of the squash "snuck" in. He had a few bites of the grilled cheese, but seemed to gag on one of the pieces with a bigger slice of squash. So I'm wondering if I should try more finely dicing them next time. He didn't even try the squash that was separate, but I'm going to keep offering!

Now on to the success! I don't know if this is unique or not, but I mixed equal parts avocado and peanut butter together to make a dip for graham crackers (one of his favorite things). He seemed to LOVE it! He ate the whole dip, which was probably 3 T. all-together, making a nice brain-healthy snack. I'm keeping this one in our repertoire!

Licking the bowl - our homemade popsicles!

I ran across a Popsicle mold at Target on clearance! It's been on my mind to get one, so I was thrilled to find it. So Friday afternoon I had Graeme "help" me mix some chocolate pudding up to make some "fudgesicles". And, of course, the reward for every good kitchen helper is licking the bowl - a first for him. It took a little bit of modeling for him to realize what I was giving him...at first he just looked at the bowl and looked at me like, "It's empty, Mom." But then....


As you can imagine, he caught on pretty quickly!!!!!

How did he like our finished product, you ask? Well, if this picture is any sign, I think it was awfully YUMMY! Mama forgot a bib, but that poor outfit already had a juice stain on it - and thankfully, the chocolate came out pretty well. That's my boy! :-)

Womanhood: the Titus teaching

I have not posted much on this blog about what I believe regarding motherhood and womanhood - for many reasons, mainly because that is not the purpose for this blog.

But I simply cannot pass this article up - it is an excellent call to re-think how we young women are being taught motherhood. I have long believed that our disregard of the Titus model has caused Christ's Church much pain...we young women *crave* the instruction that God designed older women to be able to give. Indeed, we desperately need it! What 25 year old comes "naturally" equipped to know the ins-and-outs of motherhood LOL?! None of us! That's for sure.

It's a great read if you can carve out 10 minutes:
http://www.fix.net/~rprewett/womantowoman.html

Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips, nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be dishonored. [Titus 2:3-5]

According to this plan, who was to teach the womanly arts? Who was to teach the young women how to love and be subject to their husbands, how to love their children, how to be sensible, how to be pure, how to be a worker at home, how to be kind within the home and to extend kindness from the home? It was the older women. The womanly arts were to be transmitted from the older women to the younger women.

Please note that no male was assigned this task. It does not appear in the overseers' (pastors') job description. It does not appear in the older men's job description. It does not appear in the young men's job description. It does not appear in the bondslaves' job description.

The pattern for the church specified to Titus was that the womanly arts should be transmitted from godly older women to the younger women in the church--male involvement in this process is conspicuously absent from this plan.