Well...Hello Stranger!

Wow!  Can we say it has been a LOOOONG time since I've posted?  Let's see...the last post was in March before we had Jenna and it is now...um...OCTOBER!  Sorry, sorry...guess I'm not very good at this blogging thing.  I really don't make as much time for it as I could.  Let's just say I've been BUSY! 

So, where do I begin?  We had Jenna on April 20th of 2010.  That is a LONG story.  Long story short, my due date was April 16th and she never came.  I was having contractions all the time, but not much progression.  We scheduled the induction for Tuesday, April 20th because I really didn't want to have my baby on the same day as the Oklahoma City bombing.  A lot of people told me it would have been a beautiful day either way and even if I would have done it on April 19th, God would have used a day that meant death to some, to bring light and life into the world through Jenna.  Anyway, we decided on the 20th. 

I had a hard time grasping the concept of induction only because I guess in my heart and mind I felt like I was forcing something that I felt should happen naturally.  I really, really struggled with it internally.  We had friends calling us every day, "Is she here yet? Are you at the hospital? Is Wendy in labor?" and the more they called, the more it stressed me out.  Everywhere we went, everyone asked, "When are you due? What was your due date? Are you having contractions? How are you feeling?" and it was so hard telling everyone that the due date had passed and everyone was looking at us like they were waiting for me to burst and I couldn't handle the pressure anymore!  I didn't understand why Jenna was taking so long, I figured once we scheduled the induction, she would come right out, just like Isaac did.  We scheduled an induction for February 2nd with him and he was like, "Nuh uh! 'Ain't nobody tellin' ME when to come out!" and he came the very next day (January 28th) after we scheduled the induction and my water broke with him.  I guess I was just expecting the experience to be the same with Jenna...I was just waiting for the big event to happen and it never did.  I would stand in Jenna's room and cry in the middle of night and look into her crib and try to imagine her being there and it made me so sad that she just wouldn't get here! 

On the other side of the spectrum, I was interally in anguish in my heart thinking that this would probably be my last pregnancy and the last time I would feel a baby inside me and I didn't want her to leave my body.  It was the worst internal heart battle I have ever experienced and I could honestly say it was excruciating.  I don't know if any other Mommy's out there have ever felt the same way or can relate to or understand me.  My soul was literally in agony in those last few days.  Part of me wanted the pregnancy to be over because I was physically in pain and was just ready for some relief for my back and my bones and muscles.  I was also concerned that the longer she stayed inside, the bigger she would get and then I would have to have a C-section.  I didn't have to have one with Isaac and I didn't want to have one with Jenna although I knew that any way they got her out, as long as we were both safe and healthy, it would be fine. 

So, I did what I usually do in situations where my soul is torn and I called my sister Chantel.  I told her my fears and concerns about inducing and she eased all of my worries.  By the time I got off the phone with her, I let my husband know that I wanted to go ahead with the induction because we were about to cancel it and call the whole thing off and just let Jenna come when she was good and ready.  So, we went ahead with it.  It actually turned out great and a lot easier because we could plan for Isaac's care while I was in the hospital.  I could pack Isaac's bag and food and bathtime and bedtime "supplies" and prepare and relax and take care of everything the night before.  When the "event" happens fast, you don't have time to do all that packing and planning.  So, I actually really liked the idea of it being "scheduled" after that.  We were able to leave Isaac with my in-laws for his first-ever overnight stay without us and we went home and watched the video of Isaac's birth just in case it would help Jenna along on that final night.  I had contractions all night, but still no baby...

Wow...I could write all day...I really, really want to finish this story, but I think I will save Jenna's actual birth day for a seperate post so this one isn't so long...so....so long, farewell!

Blink

Click on the title of this post to hear the song.

On Monday night Justin and I were headed to the YMCA to cancel our membership.  It is a monthly expense we can do without for now.  I was driving, Isaac was behind me safely buckled in his carseat in the backseat, and Justin was in the passenger seat.  Justin and I had our seatbelts on.  We were driving down the road and I was telling him about a story I just saw on the news.  The news story was about a drunk driver rear-ending a family of four and killing a 5-year old boy and injuring a 3-year old girl.  So, here we were at a stoplight and I was looking at the cross-traffic stoplights to see when they were going to turn yellow, then red, and then mine would turn green.  So, the lights turned yellow, I inched forward a tiny bit...they turned red, mine turned green and I started going.  Justin yelled, "Stop...STOP!" and I quickly turned to my left to see the headlights of a pickup truck coming right at me!  As the pickup crossed the street in front of me at full speed, I honked my horn and as he went by I saw him eventually brake when he was way past the intersection.  I went through the intersection and parked at the Y and Justin got out to cancel the membership.  Isaac started crying a little bit when Justin got out of the car, and just hearing his little tiny voice made me break down and start balling.  I couldn't believe what just about happened.  I kept thinking, "I am almost nine months pregnant...that guy didn't even know...he didn't even look...he wasn't even going to stop...I wouldn't have stopped if Justin wouldn't have been with me...the impact would have been completely on me and Jenna...we could be in the hospital right now...he could have killed us both...we could have just been another story in tomorrow's newspaper..." and it took me awhile to gather myself.  I drove home rather slowly and cautiously, still quite shaken up.  When we got home, we went in the house and I was crying and Justin handed Isaac to me and said, "Isaac, give Mommy squeezes and let her know we're okay..." and I just held him and balled.

A few days later I heard this song on the radio.  It's a new song by a new Christian band and I LOVE IT!  The band's name is "Revive" and the song is called "Blink" and I do not know all the words, but the chorus says, "It happens in a blink, it happens in a flash, it happens in the time it took to look back..." and then I read the following verses I had written in my journal several years ago:  "Show me, O Lord, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man's life is but a breath. But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you." ~Psalm 39:4-5, 7 (NIV) and when I read about why the band wrote the song, they said they were inspired by Psalm 90 where it says, "teach us to number our days" and they were challenged to evaluate their lives and what they were doing with their lives.  It was the same way I was challenged on that night our lives were nearly taken.  It really made me think and praise God for another day.  I hope you will all be challenged by the song's message.

Click on the title of this post to hear the song.

Blue Skies Looking At Me, Nothing But Blue Skies Do I See

YAY!  Today it is sunny outside for the first time in a long time!  We have had so much snowy, cold, nasty, dreary weather and today there is nothing but blue sky!  :)  All I have to say is this improves my mood greatly.  It's amazing how much the weather affects your mood.  I'm still feeling quite tired, but I guess that's to be expected in these last few weeks of pregnancy.  Also, keeping up with a 1-year old while I'm this pregnant drains me as well.  :)  I know a million women have done it and I'm no different and geez, think about the woman in Arkansas who has 19 children!  Think she ever gets tired?  HA!  I'm sure she does.  She also has a lot of older children who are able to help her around the house and with the younger kiddos too!  So, I can't complain.  :)

I've been re-reading a book called "What the Bible Says About Parenting" by John MacArthur and I really like it.  Click on the title of this post to get the link to the book on Amazon.com.  We went through it with our home group from church.  Of course, we had snow days and holidays going on during our meetings so we had to skip a few weeks, so I honestly didn't finish the book and really study it the way I should have.  I guess all I have to say about it is I wish sometimes that we could go back to the way things were in the 20's or maybe even the 30's, 40's, and 50's.  I know it's silly to want to go back in time and it will never happen, but I guess you hear about so many things now that they NEVER heard of back then.  Back then, kids didn't have video games, TV, the Internet, cell phones, iPods...kids played outside and they respected their parents.  Right now the book is talking about isolating your children from the world's influences and it actually says that you should NOT do that.  You shouldn't isolate your children so much from the world that they are prude about it.  I mean, if it were up to me, we wouldn't even own a TV or a computer because I don't want my children to see or hear half the stuff that is on it.  The book says rather than ignore all that stuff or just pretend it isn't there, instead give your children a Godly view of these things.  If they are going to watch a show or a movie they shouldn't, allow them to, and then discuss it with them.  Watch it with them and discuss what they saw.  The book does say that there is a lot on TV and the Internet that children SHOULD be shielded from, and we have to sift what we can, but completely banning it could cause more harm than good in some situations.

Basically, the main jest of what I've read so far is just challenging parents to get back involved in their children's lives.  Have a family night.  Eat dinner together and turn off the TV and TALK.  Ask your children questions.  Find out who their friends are.  Find out where their HEARTS are.  It's not about being nosey, it's just about being aware.  Justin and I think it's really funny when we read stuff like this and talk about it in groups because our son is 1-year old, hello...it's not like he's an adolescent or teenager yet.  We're not even close!  :)  I guess we're just getting prepared.  We're not even at the stages a lot of these books talk about and who knows what our children will be like or what we'll be like when we get there, but like I said, I guess we're just getting prepared.  It's good to know what to expect ahead of time and equip yourself with the tools you'll need to encounter those situations.

Wow...I could talk about this stuff all day.  This is just the tip of the iceberg...I'll write more about it later!  Now back to watching my son Isaac be adorable and cuter than ever!  He says "Uh-oh!" now and it is adorable!  He is really getting into things and he is so curious and I love it!  He loves to see how things work!  His Daddy loves to work on things and fix things and I bet Isaac will be a Mr. Fixit too!  Isaac loves to crawl underneath things and figure out how they're put together.  He also LOVES music and dancing!  He loves to sing, loves to dance, loves music, loves rhythm!  :)  With two musical parents, hopefully he'll have something musical in his future.  I can't wait to hear his little voice sing!  Speaking of his wonderful curiosity...I better go!  FUN TIMES!  Later everyone!

SuperBowl Fun

Boo hoo! Football season is over! Last night's SuperBowl match-up was a really exciting game if I do say so myself. It wasn't boring and it wasn't full of flags and penalties. I am really glad that the Saints won their first SuperBowl ever. I think Drew Brees is an awesome, Christian guy and seeing him with his son last night was really touching. I felt bad for Manning when he threw the turnover, I really like Peyton Manning a lot. If the Colts would have been in it with anyone else, besides Minnesota, I would have rooted for them. I think they really ran the first half and played very well.

What can I say? My husband has taught me A LOT about football! I would have to say it is my favorite sport to watch. He is now getting me into basketball, but I don't understand everything about it yet as well as I do football. I like the speed of basketball, how everything's always moving and it's exciting and the game can change quickly very easily. Sometimes football can be slow with all the time-outs, huddles, commercial time, penalties, and reviews, but I still like it. I really like college football better than pro until it comes to the playoffs and the SuperBowl. I can understand how men get sad when it's all over. Then comes March Madness and in Summer there's the NBA Championships and stuff, and then Fall and College Football!

I would have to say my least favorite sport is....don't anyone yell at me....baseball. I would probably rather watch a game live than on TV. My Dad is pretty much the only person I can watch baseball with. Actually, I could watch any sport with my Dad, even golf and fishing! I think baseball, golf, and fishing are all very boring and slow if I try to watch them myself, but for some reason, when I'm with my Dad I can get into it. I guess I've learned more about baseball from all the baseball movies there've been, and there are some baseball movies I like, and some I just can't get into. I think if I were a guy I would feel a lot differently about baseball. I can't understand it the way they do, but from a distance, I do somewhat understand their connection with playing catch. There's probably nothing like a good game of catch between two people. You don't have to talk, don't have to say anything, but during that game and after you're done, you've probably said a lot without using any words at all. I can somewhat get that, but not like a guy probably does.

Anyways, last night was really fun and we invited Justin's parents over to watch the game. I made taco soup and they brought some snacks and it was all really good! Here is my taco soup recipe in case anyone is interested: 1 lb lean ground beef, browned and drained; 1 packet taco seasoning (mild or original, whatever you prefer); 1 can ranch style beans (if you use kidney beans I've heard you have less gas); 1 can diced tomatoes (you could get Rotel tomatoes too, again mild or original); 1 can whole kernel corn; 1 packet Ranch dressing mix (I use Hidden Valley); Fritos corn chips; and shredded cheddar cheese. (I suppose optionally you could add diced onion to your meat if you like onions and spicy). You just mix everything together in a soup pot or crock pot, add at least one can of water, more if you have more people, simmer it all on low, and eat it with Fritos and cheddar cheese on top! Or, if you're like my husband, you put your Fritos on the bottom of your dish, put the soup on top, and then the cheese. YUM!

Try it and let me know how it turns out! Later!

Dreary Weekend

Well, my sister Kim is not coming to visit this weekend. :( I am totally bummed. That is the second weekend in a row she hasn't been able to make it because of the weather. Last weekend was Isaac's 1st birthday party and there was snow, ice, and treacherous roads. Thankfully, my sister Chantel, her husband Mike, and their two children Thomas and Tessa were able to make it to Isaac's party. My sister Kim's birthday was the day before Isaac's so the party was for her too. For now, her birthday cake is still frozen in the freezer I guess for another week. We'll see how good it is when she comes next week, if the weather is okay.

I don't know about anyone else, but I am ready for Spring! Spring is probably my favorite season of the year. Oh I don't know...now that I said that I love Summer and Fall too! Sure, snow is alright, but not when you live where they don't know how to clear the roads and all we have is ice storms and everyone freaks out every year. I love when everything turns green in Spring and all the flowers bloom! I also love tornado season. Now, I have lived in Oklahoma for my entire life and have never seen or been in a tornado once. Ironically, it's my most reoccuring dream. Just had one the other night! I don't really want to be in one, but I think seeing one from a distance would be cool and I like thunderstorms. I love Fall because the weather is just about perfect when things are just starting to cool off and it's like 75 all the time and the leaves start to turn pretty colors. I also LOVE college football! GO SOONERS! The best thing I like about Winter is Christmas because that's my birthday. It was more fun when I was younger, but I still love the Christmas season. I am pretty bah-hum-bug about it and don't want to listen to any Christmas carols until it's really time. I can't really stand Christmas shoppers, but giving and receiving gifts is always fun and of course, THE FOOD! :)

Well, I am in my third trimester of pregnancy and lately I have felt like the weather looks outside. I am tired all the time now. Taking care of Isaac during the day really wears me out. By the time he's had breakfast, a bath, and I've gotten him dressed, I am spent! I am happy to report that I haven't gained as much weight this time and I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not yet. Last time I gained 38 pounds and this time I've only gained 13! WHO-HOO! :):):) Last time, I was less active because I was sitting down for work ALL DAY. I also ate cheeseburgers, fries, and fast food all the time. This time I am way more active with taking care of Isaac and being at home cleaning all the time. I am also eating way healthier too!

I've got exactly 10 weeks left before we meet Jenna Mae! Last night I started having some more Braxton Hicks contractions and I started getting worried about "What if my water broke early and I had a premature baby? What if they had to transport me by helicopter to the City? We don't have a new carseat for Isaac yet and none of our bags are packed! Would we leave Isaac with the in-laws or would Justin take him with us? Would I pack enough clothes and food for him to be taken care of while we are gone from home?" and I started feeling like I need to get things in order today. Guess it's the nesting process. I cleaned, straightened, and organized the guest bedroom and also the guest bathroom. I honestly love throwing stuff away. I hate clutter and needless junk and totally believe that every single, solitary thing in our home should have a purpose or function and if it doesn't, in the trash it goes. My husband is always wondering what I've thrown away next. Sincerely, you better take your chance to go through it when I ask you to or else you'll never see it again. :)

Brrr....it's cold outside, but I'm always warm since I'm pregnant! I love being pregnant in winter because you never get cold! I always used to get cold, but Jenna Mae keeps me well insulated. :) I'm like a hibernating Mother bear or something, HAHA! Well, time to go grocery shopping as soon as the Sooners Men's Basketball game is over, COME ON GUYS! I can't wait to buy some snacks! I am hungry ALL the time now and need something for those midnight cravings! Fritos and bean dip sounds really good! Later!

New Blog

Hello everyone! I used to have a blog at www.justysguitargirl.blogspot.com but the last time I posted on it was October of 2006 and let's just say that A LOT has changed since then and I couldn't even get back into it to edit it at all.

So, where do we start? Justin and I are doing well! I quit working in October of 2009 and am now a stay-at-home wife and mother and I AM LOVING IT! We found out in August of 2009 that we are expecting again, and to our joy and surprise, we found out on November 19th, 2009 that we are expecting a BABY GIRL!!! We couldn't be happier and the timing is perfect for us. We have decided to name her Jenna Mae. First name Jenna, middle name Mae, sometimes we'll put it together, but her name is Jenna. So, our children will be 15 months apart and I think it will be wonderful to watch them grow up together!

Our baby boy Isaac Dale was born on January 28th, 2009 and he weighed 8 lbs. 2.1 oz. and was 21 1/4 inches long when he was born. Motherhood has been an absolute joy and an experience unlike any other I have ever known! Isaac turned 1 year old last Thursday and I cannot believe how fast the time has gone! We are happy we are going to have a new little baby-baby to fuss over since we can't go back in time with Isaac. Isaac's 1-year check-up went great and he now weighs 21 lbs. 2.5 oz. and is 29 3/4 inches tall! He is not walking yet, but he is pulling up on things to his knees so the doctor said walking should come soon. He was a late crawler too and the doctor said some children are more outgoing and rambunctious and some are more reserved and cautious like Isaac so that means he'll be a thoughtful boy who will think about something before he tries it...probably like his Mommy. :) I'm sure his sister Jenna will probably be a go-getter like her Daddy and I'm sure she'll learn a lot of things faster from watching her Big Brother! We can't wait to meet Jenna and just thinking of the day that Isaac gets to meet her for the first time is so very special! Isaac will say, "Baby, baby..." a lot and I'll say, "Where's the baby Isaac? Is the baby in Mommy's tummy?" and he'll come over to me, give my belly a hug and then bend down and kiss my belly...it is TOO SWEET!

Well, speaking of being a stay-at-home Mommy...I've got to get to some laundry and cleaning so I can relax a bit over the weekend when my sister is here! Talk to everyone later!