What is changing in your life right now?

Everything.

Well... first off... I haven't been here in a while. I want that to change. I want to start writing. I want to start sharing. I want to meet people.

So, to update everyone, My baby turned 4 last week! My little guy is so much fun! He loves snuggles. And helping mom. He's got so much energy and joy.

My princess turns 7 in just a couple weeks! First grade is going good. She's making friends and reading so much! She even learned how to ice skate.

My dear hubby changed jobs. He's home so much more which I love and appreciate. Sadly, this week (Valentine's week) he's been gone. A week of training for his job. But He comes home tomorrow and I'm really looking forward to it!

And for me... so much! I'm learning to eat healthier. I'm enjoying exercise. I'm actually feeling more comfortable in my skin. And I'm not as scared of being intimate with my hubby. That's a long story but I'm hoping to share more as time goes on.

And for us... we celebrate our 10 year anniversary in April. Wow! Can't believe its been that long already! The first 9 were not easy... but we've made it!

36 weeks

Well, I'm getting bigger and closer to my due date. I had a touch of some bug yesterday. knocked me totally out of commission. I even ended up going in to my doctor although my appointment wasn't scheduled until Wednesday. Baby is good. Heart rate 156... pointed the right direction (hopefully won't decide to try for breech). I'm doing well, now... I got a ton of sleep last night and feel so much better than yesterday.

My prince is going out of town on another overnight trip tomorrow. He told his boss no more as of January 31st, so I hope his boss will be understanding. It doesn't look like travel will ease up for my Prince after baby comes, either. The other coworker who does what he does put in his 2 weeks notice last week leaving only my hubby for these long trips out of town.

Gone again

My prince is gone again. He left early this morning but should hopefully be back before I go to bed tonight. But he leaves again tomorrow morning for an overnight trip. I admitted to him this morning that my biggest fear/worry is that I'll be out running an errand alone with Princess and my water will break. Especially with him far away. All these trips this week are atleast 4 hours away... Princess was born just over 4 hours after my water broke (born by c-section)...

speaking of my prince's work... Things are about to get crazier. 2 of his coworkers have left or put in their 2 week notice as of this week. This is going to make his job harder and will mean his boss will have to try and pick up some of the slack, which usually means problems and more complication. Keep praying that something will open up somewhere else for My Prince soon!

What a life!

Ok... so life is pretty good right now. I'm feeling much better than I had been. Its been tough getting adjusted to my anti-depressants. I'm finding they make me really drowsy, so I'm going to start taking them at bedtime in hopes that they'll help me sleep better!

My Princess is making some good adjustments to my new state of health. I can't really left her that easily anymore, so she gets to jump anytime she wants to get on my lap. That makes it fun for her and the upward momentum makes it easier to pick her up. Next week when my Prince is back in New York, my dear mother-in-law is going to take my Princess to her house so I can get some rest and less stress.

Speaking of my Prince... he informed me last night that his boss wants to send him to Montana for a few days soon... His boss has been informed that he doesn't want to leave the area as of January 31st since I'm getting close and Princess was born early. Well, the sooner he goes the better. I don't know how long this baby is going to hold out!

My Prince has been absolutely wonderful since we got home Sunday, too! He has been doing dishes and taking care of Princess as well as being super helpful and supportive of me. I'm doing what I can for him, which at this time isn't much... but I need to find some way to show him how much I appreciate him and all he is doing for me. He has even given up the bed for me right now (in addition to other things...).

Some discomfort

Well, I should have asked around long before now, but just assumed it was nothing. Apparently I've had some Braxton-Hicks contractions for several weeks now. I just thought the baby was pushing on me or something because it always seemed to happen when I stood up from a comfortable position. Its never been painful, just tight and uncomfortable.

I had a doctors appointment today. All is well! Baby is pointed head down. Heart beat at 140. I'm measuring 34 which she says is a little big, but nothing to be concerned over. I go back in 2 weeks for my next appointment.

My prince is going out of town again! He leaves tomorrow morning and won't be back until sometime Friday evening... He'll still be in North Dakota, but opposite ends of the state! Then, in two weeks he leaves Monday (14th)and returns Thrusday(17th)... back out to New York! Better be a quick trip! I don't want to have this baby without him there!

I've decided I should go back on antidepressants, but forgot to mention that to my doctor today. better go give her a call! I've been on the low end of the spectrum for weeks now and since I had post-partum after the Princess was born, I want to be prepared for this one!

The door is closing

DH got a call yesterday from Staples. they finally started interviewing and one of the guys had all the licensing they wanted. They need to finish checking out the applicant before he is officially hired, so they probably won't even interview DH. I won't say the door is completely shut, but its getting there.

I'm saddened by this and yet relieved for some sort of closure. I really want DH in a more regular type job that will allow him to be home nights and weekends (compared to his schedule in recent months). But I'm also relieved I don't have to think about moving 2 hours away in the winter when I'm 7 months pregnant!

Keep praying for this, though. DH still has options locally that I think he is keeping from me so I don't over-pressure him too much. (His best friend asked me if DH heard anymore from one place the other night and I had no clue it was still an option!)

good news!

DH got a call from Staples yesterday! They are interested in setting up time for an interview (finally!)... and they are willing to consider a Saturday interview since DH's work schedule during the week is keeping him so busy! Pray that if this is God's will for us, that Saturday interview time will be fine. And, if he, I mean, WHEN he gets the job that baby will wait to arrive until after we move!

Update

Thanks for all your prayers and well wishes. We are all feeling much better.

DH didn't go to Tulsa this week... don't know if he will be now... But Monday he leaves for Lennox, SD... for the whole week!

And for those who don't know, a V-BAC is Vaginal Birth after C-section. Its safe for most people and according to my doctor I should be perfectly fine... I just guess I can get worried over the littlest things. I'm scared of pain!

Registered

I've had a couple people ask if we were registering for baby gifts this time around. So, I registered at Walmart.com. Normally, Walmart wouldn't be a top choice for us, but after DH read this article, we decided to support the "buy-cott" at Walmart.

http://www.afa.net/emails/transform.asp?x=walmart_112107&s=browser&y=2007&m=11

and in other good news, DH doesn't have to go to Tulsa today! :)

Will it ever end?

Well, looks like DH is leaving... AGAIN! He's taking off Monday morning for Tulsa... coming home Wednesday night... and then the following week he will be in Lennox, SD for 4 days! He's calling Staples today to see if they would like to see him tomorrow... PRAY HARD!

Frustrated again

I just don't get how things work at DH's job. As of WEdnesday night, He still didn't know if he would be coming home Friday evening or if his boss was sending him to New Hampshire to return home on Sunday evening. How can a company be run that way? Well, atleast his boss is going to give him the day before and the day after Thanksgiving off. It will be nice to have him home for a long weekend... especially since he'll be spending 4 days the beginning of December somewhere in South Dakota on another project!

quick update

DH's New York trip was postponed again until Monday, so he'll be gone for about 5 days this trip.

He spoke to the guy at Staples today... still no interviews given, sounds like he is waiting for schedules to be available for several people to interview on the same day... DH's still in the running for that job!

We're back

OK. Just a quick post to let you know we made it to New York and back safely. The good news is DH's last New York (Which was suppose to start while we were there) was postponed, so He was able to be put on a flight with us back to Fargo!

... but the bad news is he is being sent back to New York on Friday for another week! (At this point it looks like Phoenix is out but New York is still there).

I'm busy catching up with emails and stuff, so I'll post again later with pics and details.

More news: good & bad

Its just after 11pm as I write this and my mind is spinning I can't sleep. Tonight when I talked to Galen on the phone, he had some more good and bad news for me.

Good news - He spoke with the guy in charge at Staples today and he still hasn't given any interviews and is still interested in DH. DH spoke with Gary (future co-worker WHEN he gets the job) yesterday about what needs to be done to get licensed for water treatment stuff, so the guy in charge knows how serious DH is about doing whatever necessary to get this position. So... as of today, DH is still in the running for the job.

Bad news - So, DH is stuck in New York until November 9th (DD and I will be there the 1st-5th)... He'll get home the afternoon/evening of the 9th... and it looks like as of the 12th he will be flown off to Phoenix for another job (supposedly only 4 more days) ARGH!!! In a 5 week period, DH will only be home for 6 days total!!!!!!!! DD is acting up so much lately and I just don't know what to do to control her mood swings!

Please keep praying! I know I am!

Exciting and encouraging news

Two great pieces of news in the past couple days that I request your continued prayers for.

First, DH's trip has been extended an extra week, making this New York trip a 3 week one! That's not the good news... the good news is that his boss has decided instead of wasting the company's money to pay DH's hourly wage while flying home for a weekend, he is instead going to spend the company's money so DD and I can fly to New York for a long weekend! We are scheduled to fly out of Fargo on November 1st with a layover in Minneapolis and returning on a straight flight from New York to Fargo on November 5th! I'm a little nervous about flying alone with a 2-1/2 year old, especially trying to get from one gate to the other in Minneapolis.

The second piece of news is from a friend of mine who lives in Staples where DH has applied for a job. She called me the other day. One of DH's potential co-workers goes to her church. They (the others in her church) have been praying DH gets the job. Anyway, she was asking this guy, Gary, about the job. As of Sunday, nobody had been interviewed for the position yet. He also said they had only received 7 applications for the position... and in his opinion, only 3 were worth interviewing... DH being one of them! So, DH is still in the running for this job! Keep praying he gets it! :)

Women of Faith 2007 St. Paul

We decided to forgo the expense of the pre-conference this year, so we arrived Friday evening for the conference. We forgot to make note of the address for the Xcel Center and ended up half an hour late. The theme was Amazing Freedom and I was so excited to hear what they had to say. We missed a couple of the ladies intros, but made it in time to hear Nichole Nordeman's concert. I love her stuff! Its so beautiful and moving. I really need to get some of her songs.

Patsy Clairmont shared her story and some of her book "Living Lively through the Valley". Having overcome sever agoraphobia, she had some awesome Freedom stories to share. I was so busy laughing, that I didn't get any notes taken!

Saturday morning began with an awesome sketch by Nicole Johnson about Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-42. She was in her waitress character leading a Bible study. It was so funny! Her point was that we have the opportunity for a dramatic encounter with God. Let's not miss our opportunity!

Sheila Walsh opened by singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow". She has tied together stories from The Wizard of Oz with her own life in her new book "God has a Dream for your Life". She says that God has a dream for our lives but our dreams are often for the wrong things. There is a huge difference between the American dream and God's dream. We are in pursuit of a fatally flawed dream. Freedom is not the absence of bars but the presence of Christ. Jesus hasn't come to get us through our prison but to live in us through it!

After break, Anita Renfroe cracked us all up! She did a couple repeats from last year (like her ode to underwire to the tune of that Josh Grobin song - You raise me up...) And then she did that new song from her Momsense album about all the things a mom says to their kids in a 24 hour period to the the tune of the William Tell overture. She shared that God loves to hear us laugh. And she showed us a picture that reminds her of our freedom in Christ: Its a picture of John F. Kennedy in the Oval office with his son, John JOhn, playing with toys under his desk. She says with God, we have the freedom to never be afraid of playing in our Daddy's office.

Man, I love Thelma Wells! She is an awesome woman of God who has been through so much! She shared Zephaniah 3:17 "The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." And how God got her through her time in the closet (due to child abuse) by singing every hymn she could remember. She said she always left the closet with peace instead of anger after finding freedom in those hymns. To find true freedom she said we need to feed on the Word of God and Wait on Him. (Some scriptures she referenced were Psalm 100:1, Psalm 119:105 and Psalm 27). She reminded us that Jesus is a friend better than any other and He will be there when nobody else would. After sharing about a time of trials and disappointments, she said that you can beat yourself up for 15 minutes but then you need to let go and let God help you move on. She also reminded us that we need to study the word and Cherish our friendships. How can we expect to find healing when we hold grudges...

Nicole Johnson came back after the next break with a sketch about a girl who is a "cutter". What a powerful sketch! Sometimes I forgot there was only one person on stage as Nicole's voice changed to a more childlike tone when she pretended to be that girl.

Sandy Patty gave a concert next. Her vocal range is amazing. She shared a story of her dad when she was a child. Her dad let her and her brothers climb on the roof of their house and he would have them jump down to him. When it was Sandi's turn she was scared and he said to her, You are going to fall anyways, but if you fall backwards, I can't help you... if you fall forwards I can catch you. The same is true of our Heavenly Father. Due to our sinful nature, we are bound to fall no matter what we do, but if we fall away from Him, he can't help us. We need to Fall in to Abba Father's arms!

The show was paused for a few announcements... A woman shared with Mary Graham (the MC) that their pastor had just died that day! Not that the death itself isn't sad enough, but the saddest part is he was only 35 and left behind a wife and 3 kids (ages 5, 3 and 1)! It was so powerful to be in this stadium full of thousands of women all praying together for this man's wife and children as well as his church. No cause of death was shared. Not that the cause of death was important, but sometimes is easier to handle if you new this was expected (like cancer) or unexpected (like a car accident) especially since he was so young...

After the final break, Marilyn Meberg shared her story. She shared the lack of closure she felt at her husbands death from cancer and how she found a type of closure. and then she shared about her baby daughter (Joanie) who died 41 years ago and the lack of closure she has because she couldn't get her self to go to the hospital to say goodbye. She said we need to fully embrace every experience... we can't fully experience God without fully experiencing life... the good, the bad and the ugly. She said God is greater than our feelings and shared from Colossians 1:13-14, 1 John 1:9 and Colossians 2:13.

Nicole Johnson did a final sketch about Betrayal... Judas and his kiss.

And then Lucy Swindoll spoke. She shared something Dr Henry Cloud said at the pre-conference. He said, If you have seen the realization of a dream in the visible world you can be sure it started elsewhere. Nothing that happens in our lives is because of anything we do... its what God does though the things in our lives. She shared Galatians 5:13-16. Then she told the story of working for 18 years at a job she hated before the job she loved was offered to her. The change didn't happen because of anything she did. She finally gave it to God and asked Him to take care of it or take her home. When she finally let go, God took over. Her advice to us was to show up, shut up and let go!

Well, through this all I learned a couple things for myself. First of all, I realized I have a couple past relationships (primarily with ex-boyfriends) that I never had closure on. I think thats part of why those relationship still cause problems with my marriage. I don't know how to go about getting yet, but I need to find closure. Secondly, I learned there is nothing I can do to get the things I want in my life if they aren't the things God wants for my life. I need to ask my self am I seeking the American dream or God's dream for me and my family? I want a bigger house with this baby coming and I want DH to get a different job, but is that what God wants for us? I know I have to be content in all things... so I need to find a way to make this 616 square foot space work for a family of 4 until God choses to show us something else... and I need to trust that DH's job is the one he is doing right now until the right doors open. His boss isn't Christian or very respectful of anybody but himself, but maybe DH isn't supposed to leave until he has shown his boss who Christ really is? I don't know. Only God does and I'm choosing to trust Him.

Very sad this morning

Well, I went to the Women of Faith conference in St. Paul over the weekend. It was truly awesome and I'll share more about it later.

I got up this morning to check my email and ask my boss to send me the amounts she spent over the weekend so I can make sure she had money in the account. What I found floored me! It was a long email from my boss taking away every responsibility I had and giving me some menial task if I wanted instead... saying she would accept my resignation if that is what I chose! This from a professing "Christian" woman who claims to listen strongly to God's voice. Not saying I was perfect at my job, but she gave me the responsibility of paying her bills and making sure there was money in the account (she is an impulse/emotional shopper). She wanted to be able to call me before spending money to verify the money was there. She kept telling me how thankful she was for the boundaries we set together. She has always bucked my suggestions and I guess finally got tired of me trying to save her money and keep her out of debt. She wanted to be able to spend when and how she wants. I fear for her and her family as well as her business. If they keep on the path they are on I see bankruptcy looming on the horizon.

Well, I lost my job (not that it paid much) and who knows if I lost a friend through this mess...

Frustrated, please pray

Well, no news is supposedly good news, but I'm getting frustrated waiting to see if DH even gets an interview for this job in Staples. I'm afraid for him as he has some rejection issues. I'm concerned that if he doesn't get this one that he may give up completely and continue to work at this horrible place he is at now. Pray for this. As a family, it would be super wonderful for him to get out of his current place of employment... and for his own health as well (the stress is causing sleep issues for him). He leaves for New York tomorrow and won't be home until November 2nd.

Please pray for my cousin Cindy, her hubby Billy and their baby Tucker. Cindy was allergic to being pregnant. Her water broke several months early and Tucker was born by emergency c-section on September 14th. He seemed to be doing pretty well, considering, and was taken out of NICU and being fed by bottle. Cindy was feeling better from the moment Tucker was born. My mom informed me this morning that Tucker, however, has taken a turn for the worse. He had a blood transfusion earlier this week and isn't improving much. Nobody is out of the woods yet. Please pray for this family. They are high school sweethearts who have been married almost 2 years and have gone through so much so far.

Movement!

I felt the baby move for the first time yesterday! I forgot how neat a sensation it can be. I told DD the baby was moving and she started poking my belly button trying to find baby. :)

DH was working in Staples yesterday and they need somebody to work at the water treatment facility. So, he picked up an application. I hope he follows through... I don't know much about Staples, but I'm so tired of the hours he works that any change would be better.