A Friend's New Life Challenge

I haven't posted in a while, and I have lots of excuses, but here I am now.
The last few weeks have been challenging, not always directly affecting me & my hubby, but indirectly through my friends and extended family.

In different connections through friends and co-workers, there are several of us pregnant at the same time. We had 3 of us due within the same week in May! On February 15th, one of those friends had severe complications and had an emergency c-section at 27 weeks! The baby weighed 2 lbs 3oz and was 14 1/4" long. He is in the NICU and holding his own. The doctors expect him to be in the hospital through his due date in May. I know the Lord is working miracles and baby Andrew will do okay, but please keep him and his parents in your prayers. Mama is out of the hospital, but still having some problems, they say it may take up to a month for her body to get regulated.

I am so thankful for my healthy pregnancy thus far! Praise the Lord for blessing us so much. I know I am older than most 1st-time moms, but God is in control. My heart goes out to my friends and the situation with baby Andrew. I know that could just have easily been my husband and I going through the same thing.

My nephew, the 3-year-old Comedian!

Last Saturday, we picked up my nephew to stay the night. He is 3 years old and quite a handful! Most of all, he is a comedian! I know kids come up with some of the craziest things, but he takes the cake. He is constantly soaking it all in that little brain of his and then throwing something at you, out of the blue!

We took him to the new movie, "Hotel for Dogs". On the way there, in the truck, he tells us, "I have to get ready to go to work, I have a job and I have to pay bills". I said "what kind of bills do you have?" He replies, "I have lots of bills: red ones, green ones, blue ones." We asked, "so what kind of work do you do?"

HIS REPLY, BRACE YOURSELF: "PRAYING FOR SINNERS, THAT'S WHAT IT SAYS ON MY NAME TAG!!!"

Oh my goodness, where did he get that? My husband and I laughed so hard!!! He is hilarious!

Progress with Step-daughters! Yeah!

For those step-moms out there, especially those who have read my blog in the past:
THERE MAY FINALLY BE HOPE!

Last Thursday we traveled an hour to a doctor appointment for my husband. (He had shoulder surgery in December, this was a follow-up) His oldest daughter lives there and we usually try to eat with her when we go to the doctor. She met us at a restaurant and I just have to say, it was pleasant to have adult conversation with her! She will be 20 years old the end of March. I feel like she opened up about some things in the past, especially about her mother and the birth father she just met August 2007. I stayed out of some of the conversation, because I felt she and her dad needed this closure after so long. Most of the things they talked about happened before I was around anyway. She seemed very thankful that my hubby had chosen to raise her and love her as his own and "felt anger towards her mom who had an affair after all her dad had done for them". I think they made some progress. Praise the Lord!

Over the last few months, it appears she has been learning some life lessons and has even shown some maturity about things. She has been making her car payment on time and sometimes even early! She comes by our house "out of the blue" just to visit. Of course, she sometimes stays on our computer the entire time, but at least she comes home. We have even caught some jaw-dropping conversations between her and the younger daughter, with her handing out some very good advice! The other day she told her sister, (now 18, a senior) "you need to enjoy time with family because some day you will be on your own and it gets lonely, then you will want to spend time with them". WHAT?!?! My husband and I were both left stunned!

The younger daughter is going to school half a day to finish her senior year. Last year she was showing potential and talking seriously about joining the military. She had recruiters come and talk to her and was even set up to take the ASVAB test again to improve her scores. This year she has been messed up with a loser of a boyfriend and we are concerned she will not do anything after high school. Her plans now are to "move in with my sister" after graduation. The older one is already "laying down the law", so to speak. She explained that she would have to have a job, pay half the bills, and still follow HER rules! How funny is that?

Anyway, it seems some prayers have finally been answered with my step-daughters. Lots of things have happened since I posted about them last, but there is too much to update in one entry.

Baby Bedding

I got a great deal on the baby bedding we decided on! I love EBAY! I didn't get everything in the photo, but got a 9-piece set for $50 + $20 shipping. Cute, huh? We have a crib and changing table picked out at Sam's online. We will probably get that soon, because it is on sale. I have started trying to clear a bit of stuff out of the room, little by little. The hard part is finding a place to put everything!

Singing Women of Texas

I sing with a wonderful group of ladies called the Singing Women of Texas. We are the Permian Basin chapter; there are 5 other chapters around this great state. One Saturday a month, we put on a concert at various churches around west Texas. This past Saturday we had 29 ladies and put on one of the best concerts since I've been with the group. (I think this is my 5th year)

These ladies have been such a blessing to me. They are true prayer warriors. Whenever I need prayer, all I have to do is send out a mass email to the group and I KNOW prayers are being lifted up! They share in my joys and my sorrows. The Lord always knows who and what we need in our lives at the right time.

Oh and did I mention the talent?!?! We have a very gifted group! Many are wives of music ministers, pianists, soloists, or just talented ladies that love music. Our director is a God send. Her voice and musical abilities are a special gift. I have to brag on our accompanists too. These 2 ladies have been playing piano/organ together for around 40 years! I am sure they have the same mind. There has never been a piece of music thrown at them that they can't perform.

In June, the SWOT will be celebrating their 15th anniversary. A joint concert will be performed in Houston with all 6 chapters totaling approximately 200 voices! If you ever get a chance to hear one of the groups perform, I encourage you to attend. You will be BLESSED!

Planning for Baby

I am beginning to get a little stressed about not having anything ready for the baby. I am not as obsessive as I used to be about organization, but I do get stressed when things get put off til the last possible moment. Our baby is due in May, and so far we have NOTHING prepared! NO major purchases!

I really wanted this process to be a partnership between my husband and I. I try to show him cribs I've looked at online, names I kinda like, themes I'm thinking about, and I'm not getting a lot of response. Part of me says, just make the decisions and get things going.

I talked to him AGAIN last night and told him it was really bothering me and we needed to get the ball rolling. He said we could sit down when he got home from work today and "make a list." I already have some lists, but hopefully this is progress.

Weekend and the Baby

I had a good weekend with my hubby. It has been nice to have Saturdays and Sundays off together. We reached the 23 week mark in the pregnancy. I am feeling pretty good. The baby is really active. I am praying God will bless us with a healthy baby and also believing for a special musical talent that she can give back to the Lord someday. She really seems to love music because when I sing or she hears the music in church, she starts "dancing" in my tummy! Isn't that the coolest thing ever?