Saturday, March 29, 2008

Old and New

One of the things that Jeff's mom kept
saying right up until the day she stopped talking was,
"David is going to look so BIG when that new baby comes."
He sure enough does, Mom, he sure enough does.
You can tell they are cousins.

Oh SO SWEET!

Ayden Daniel
March 29, 2008 ~ 12:25 a.m.
7 pounds 6 ounces ~ 19 inches

His mom is a superstar!

Friday, March 28, 2008

Bittersweet

Ayden Daniel is on his way.

Meridith went in this morning about 4:00, the contractions stopped, but since today is her due date they are inducing her rather than sending her home, much to her great relief.

Please pray for a safe delivery and that the sweetness of the day will outweigh the bitterness.

It is a sad thing for a baby to born grandmotherless, for Baby but especially for Mom.

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Got Hummus?

Does anyone have a recipe for GOOD hummus?

Any of my readers in Israel?

Anyone? Anyone?

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Preoccupied with 1995

Four babies and a trailer later, here we are.
Happy Anniversary, Jeff!

Monday, March 24, 2008

Happy Birthday to David!




We didn't even know we needed another baby, but what would we do without him a year later?! Tonight he was much more interested in the paper and packaging than the treasures they contained, but he knew exactly when it was time for cake...and any time there was a camera in his face, which was often of course. Happy Birthday, David, and thank you, God, for knowing we would need the kind of joy that only a baby can bring at this time in our lives.

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Friday, March 21, 2008

Buxton

Yesterday morning I scrambled around to leave the house for the day at 8:50 with all four children groomed and in tow. That is not an ungodly hour, I know. I leave the house at that time every day to drive the children to school, but save for the eldest two children, we are not generally groomed. But this was no ordinary morning. The plan was to take the kids to school, drop Kathryn and David off at an in-home daycare, and then drive by myself to the mall, by myself, to shop by myself, for upcoming birthdays and Easter attire, and then meet a friend for lunch by myself with no children or strollers. You can see why I, myself, might be extry motivated on such a morning.

In addition to the usual routine, the kids had a buttload of stuff they had to take to school for a read-a-thon and there were many important last minute decisions to be made, such as whether to wear Crocs to the read-a-thon or sneakers and whether to take a water bottle for their beverage of choice or iced tea, whether to take a special blanket Gramma Jackson had made or a beach towel to sit on, and of course which books to take to read. I also had the foreign task of packing a diaper bag for a caregiver, extra bottles, extra snacks, an extra outfit, and all the trimmings. I had a couple of items to return to the store and blah, blah, blah. But we made it out the door right on time.

I quickly dropped the kids off at school and was on my way. The horizon of my life was looking brighter by the second as I anticipated the absolute freedom of the day. The stress of several weeks was beginning to abate.

I managed to drive about 15 minutes before reaching for my cell phone for the first time. But, umm, yeaaah, it wasn't in my purse which I knew, as I had dumped its contents out onto the car seat in my frenzied search. And it wasn't in the cup holder where I often put it. I reached for the diaper bag at the same time I remembered I had switched to a larger diaper bag to hold all the extra stuff, at which time I remembered that my phone was in the outside pocket of the smaller diaper bag which was at home. I am not excessively attached to my phone. I often forget to take it and hardly know how to do anything but answer it. I don't even have very many numbers programmed into it, and I don't text or play games. But I needed it today because I was meeting someone at a yet to be determined time and would be awaiting her call. So nothing to do but turn my wagon around and head homeward.

At this time, Kathryn, who was absolutely overjoyed to be going to a babysitter (for real), impatiently growled from the backseat, "Mom, you NEED the Buxton Organizer!"

The phone was, in fact, exactly where I had thought. I snatched it up and was on my way once again. My plans were only altered by 15 minutes and it was a wonderful day! Thank God for babysitters, retail therapy, and good friends. And daughters with good suggestions. =)

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Phases




Despite a few setbacks, such as influenza and a busted sump pump,
we have made it this far.

Wednesday, March 05, 2008

Pro-Life?

This morning I was nearly run down in the grocery store parking lot by a speeding Buick driven by a bouffant-haired 60-something. She failed to yield. Badly. As she barreled on by, I noticed her bumper which was ironically emblazoned with "We are PRO-LIFE!"

The sanctity of human life apparently ceases once the life has exited the birth canal.