Bon-Voyage Friends...

What happens to your imaginary friends when you outgrow them? According to Peter, they go on a 1000-year vacation on the other side of the world!

Last week we asked Peter about his beloved friends, Jogger (the 100-year old man who likes to run a lot), Kanada (specifically a girl, spelled with a “K”), Diver, and Baseball. We hadn’t heard from them in quite some time. These friends have been through thick and thin with us over the years. They had birthdays on our family calendar--we even had a birthday party for Jogger a few years ago, complete with a personalized cake and family members in attendance! (Peter realized that no one in the family had a June birthday, so why not Jogger?) In a way I really miss them. But it’s also fun to move on to new adventures now. And who knows? Maybe Clara will have a new friend soon…time will tell.

In the meantime I hope Jogger, Kanada, Diver, and Baseball don't get captured on the high seas by Peter's latest birthday buddy:

Peter's birthday pirate...aarrrrg!

A Great Day!

I (Sarah) have recently been visiting the doctor every 2 weeks to check the progress of my pregnancy. Here's a brief overview of my visit today:

Blood pressure holding steady? Yes
Protein spilling/Kidneys failing? No
Any swelling/dizziness/blurred vision? No

By Ultrasound:
Is the baby growing? Yes
Is his heartbeat strong? Yes
Is the fluid level optimal? Yes
Is the placenta working? Yes

Is there anything at all wrong or worthy of concern? NO!!!! Every time I go to a check-up I can't stop praising God for health and wellness and vitality--and a precious new son (AKA "Baby Ratatouille" according to our kids). We are so blessed!

To add to the sweetness of the day, my sister surprised me with a great phone call--I love you Jessica! (Sorry, again, for thinking that you were the Romanians at first...Wrong Number)! And then when I came home there was a package on the porch. It's the new crib sheets for the baby's bed! What a perfect way to celebrate this great day!

Those Crazy Romanians

An odd thing happened at our house last Tuesday. It started for me around two in the afternoon. I was working (kind of) when I received a call from Sarah. She was kind of freaked out and was telling me about some calls that she was getting. She told me that twice already that day, starting around noon and again at two, she received about four or five back to back calls from some man on the phone. Each call would show up differently on our caller ID, but mostly as Unknown Name and Number. She couldn’t understand what this man was saying and she said she heard another woman’s voice in the background. It seemed to her like a telemarketing office, but she wasn’t sure. She asked me what she should do. Being the good husband I am I told her she was overreacting and that if she was worried she should call the telephone company. Being the good wife she listened to what I said and called the phone company. A little while later I received another call from Sarah, saying she received more calls. She also said she contacted the phone company. They were of course extremely helpful and told her to fill out the do not call registry again, and said for $4.50 a call they could trace the calls and build a file for prosecution. I sure am glad this company boasts about their excellent customer service (off topic). We decided to wait it out and see if it continued….it did. I got home around 6 that night and just before dinner we started to get the calls again. This time I answered the phone. “Hello….Hello” no answer “Who is this?” then a reply in terrible English “Hello”. This game was repeated for a little while, and then the caller hung up. This continued for the next two of the five total calls. On the fourth and fifth call I broke out my linguistic skill on the caller. “No solicito” “Wrongo Numero”. The calls then stopped for about an hour and started up again. After the first call, I went right to Bablefish and got a few translations to try out on them. I got “Wrong Number do not call” translated in Spanish, French, German and Italian. The next four calls I busted out the Babletalk on them, and hoped they would understand. This didn’t stop it, so I used Bablefish again to threaten the caller. Did you know that Police has the same base in about every language…..call police, policia, etc… At this point I was pretty annoyed and called the phone company myself. I actually did get someone who was helpful and he took a couple of numbers I did have on caller ID and traced to country code to....Romania. Unfortunately I didn’t get the Romanian translation on the web. Later that evening, the calls came again, but this time a woman responded. Had better English than the male, but not enough to have a conversation with. Through our “conversing” she asked for her brother, or called me her brother, I’m still unsure. I told her that I am not her brother, that I don’t have a brother (kind of a lie, sorry Wes, Josh, Dan, Micah and Nate), and to stop calling or I will call policia. This was around 9 that night. I am happy to report that the Romanians are leaving us alone for now and we haven’t had any other incidents. I didn’t realize I would be so offended, or that I could be so harassed by a stalker. Not that it was ever real high on my list, but I don’t ever want to visit Romania.

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!