Milestones

Lots has been happening this week in our family. We have so much to be thankful for:

Peter…
-Read his first full-length book, “Go, Dogs, Go!”
-Took his first excursion train ride.
-Went to his first Halloween party without Mom & Dad.


Clara…
-Danced to the Nutcracker for the first time.
-Took her first excursion train ride.
-Got her first layered haircut—very cute!


Baby Brother (Little Whoever)…
-Weighs 12 ounces, and is 20 weeks old. We’re halfway there!
-Got a GREAT report at his check-up this week. We can’t stop praising God for His goodness and protection!


In the midst of my (Sarah’s) overwhelming happiness flow a few tears…how quickly they are growing and changing! How much longer will Peter delight in the simple pleasures of childhood, like the music box Grandma gave him that plays when you turn the crank? And how sweet it is to hear Clara speak her emerging language, “Look at we pumpkins!” How blessed we are to be expecting a baby boy, and how precious when Peter and Clara talk about their new brother! I am overwhelmed with gratitude and love.

Wacky October

Beware the month of October when your name is Sarah:

1. My credit card info was stolen. Some nasty thugs in Canada are walking around trying to spend my money.

2. I was rear-ended in the parking lot at Peter's school.

3. The Kindergarten Halloween party will be over, relieving me of my party-planning duties. Wouldn't you know every other class had a long list of willing volunteers--mine had none? Isn't it fun to solicit help from busy (or uninterested) parents? One happens to be the mom who rear-ended me. Awkward!

I'm praying for good days ahead...

It's a Boy!

Well, the word is out. We're having a baby BOY! We are all really thrilled! Peter is so excited about having a brother, and Clara doesn't quite get it yet. I told her she's having a brother and she looked at me like, "Peter's my brother, crazy!" As long as she can give the baby a pacifier I think she'll be fine. She already repeatedly gives my belly a pacifier each day. Good practice!

Everything else looks very good so far. We're still watching my blood pressure, but the baby is growing and thriving and I am having no symptoms of complications at this time. I'll start going for check-ups every 2 weeks now, just to keep a close eye on our progress. I am so thankful for a good doctor and a great report!

I now have doctor's orders to rest as much as possible and eat a very low sodium diet. We'll see if I can rise to the challenge! I urge you to read your food labels this week and see if you are eating less than 1500mg of sodium each day. Did you know that even milk has sodium? It's a near impossibility to eat anything out of a box and stay under the daily limit. Looks like I'll be eating lots of produce for a while. I'm glad to take the challenge--it's for a very worthy cause!

Now onto the name debate...we have 4 1/2 months to agree!

Oh Boy! Or Girl?

It's official. We're having a baby! (I know, you are aware of that already, but it's been hard for me to admit it in writing until now). Stay tuned tomorrow for the NEWS! We will go for an ultrasound in the morning to check the health of the baby, and to (hopefully) see who it is! Peter votes for a boy and Clara wants a girl. John and I are convinced that it's a boy--no concrete reason, just a sense. We'll see!

Bittersweet Sports Weekend

This weekend was a tale of two sports Baseball=Good and Football=Bad.

Football - Sat night was terrible, and I am sure you know why. Is it too much to ask our 6'2" and 6'0' corners to cover two 6'6" tight ends who run like the wind, have soft hands, and a quarterback on fire? Surely it is Cosgrove's fault (this comment is only a little tounge in cheek). But really something does have to be done. Sunday wasn't any better as both the Saints and Seahawks lost. Hopefully the tide is turning for these teams.

Baseball - What a great weekend. The Red Sox swept their series with the Angels and are going to the ALCS. And there is only one thing that approaches a Red Sox win, and that is a Yankees lost. It was a beautiful thing tonight to watch them lose and get knocked out of the post-season. I also feel a great off season coming with Steinbrener already making threats. I would love to see them losing Torre, Posada, A-Rod, Rivera and Clemens. The primary reason a boy from Grand Island became a Red Sox fan was because of the Rocket and it pains me to see him in pinstripes. Some might say that they have a lot of young talent, and that is true, but so did some of those teams that Mattingly was a part of in the Eighties. Lets hope he brings that same attitiude with him.

Go Sox!

How Many?

For my paternal grandparents it was 4, maternal grandparents 5. For Sarah’s maternal grandparents it was 5. My family was 3 and Sarah’s was 4. So how many children should a family have? I don’t know, but since our news, I have been thinking about this topic off an on.

One thing that comes up when I think of this is Psalm 127: 3-5: “Children are a heritage of the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. As arrows in a soldier's hand, so are the sons of the young. Blessed is the man who has filled his quiver with them.”

Am I making this a tougher question than it really is? Here are some of the things I think about with respect to this verse. Today we are not trying to: populate a nation, create an army, or build a labor force. Generally, your wife isn’t dying at a young age due to pregnancy complications and the mortality rate of children is thankfully very low (at least in the US). What I guess I am trying to say is that there used to be a need to have many children, but is that need still there? Where do you draw the line? Sarah and I are really blessed. We are so thankful that she has a choice to stay home with our kids, we have food on our table and a roof over our heads. But if we had many more, would I still be able to provide for my family? Is that what it is all about, dependent on affluence? I don’t have the answers, some say that you will know when enough is enough. I thought enough might be at two, but was open to the calling of the Lord. The Lord called, and I will answer. Will He call again????