Mercy

I have been doing my first ever Beth Moore bible study.  It's her latest, James Mercy Triumphs, and it is so stinkin good.  I'm still trying to decide how I feel about James.  He is in your face and he makes me uncomfortable.  Probably because the book of James just might be the most convicting book in the bible.  He states plainly, without any fluff, how we are suppose to live as Christ followers.  I cannot do my homework if I'm having an emotionally, hormonal day.  This bible study is tough because it's hard to hear what we are doing wrong, especially when it comes to our faith. 


We just put our house on the market.  We already found a house we love.  We have someone who wants to lease our house.  We can't seem to negotiate a fair price on the new house.  It's the only house we like on the market.  I would wake up at night stressing about what to do.  I needed a direct answer from God.  I needed God to send an angel to appear in my dreams and tell me exactly what to do with our housing situation. 


Yesterday I woke up and did my bible study homework.  Do you know what it was all about?  Submitting to God in everything.  He knows the well-deliberated plan for your life and how all things must fall into place for you to fulfill your destiny.  So submit to God.  God knows everything about you and every matter concerning you.  Nothing is hidden from His sight.  So submit to God.  Alright, alright, I hear you loud and clear.  Quit being such a control freak, Holly, and submit to God.

Today I woke up feeling a little lighter.  He has a plan.  His plan might be that we live in this house until we die, or he may have change coming for us.  Either way, it's under control.  I'll keep you posted as he reveals his plan to us!

I Was Green

Let me just start by saying that I NEVER get sick.  Ask the Hubby.  It drives him crazy.  That is except when I'm pregnant.  Let's just say that these tiny little babes wreak havoc on my body.  Last Tuesday night the Hubby was up all night with a nasty stomach bug.  Then our oldest got sent home from school for puking.  Then little man had the funkiest diapers you've ever experienced for about 24 hours.  I went to work on Thursday and then met my family in Dallas to celebrate my brother's birthday at The Porch.  Everything was going great until about midnight when the uncontrollable vomit started.  I will not go into any more detail than that, but let's just say that it kept coming every 30 minutes to an hour until there was nothing left in my system.  I was on my death bed.

After several attempts at fluids the next morning, my body was officially in shock.  There was cramping from head to toe and braxton hicks contractions nonstop.  I decided to call my doctor's nurse and ask for advice.  Her advice... go to the hospital and get some IV fluids.  Although that sounded like torture, it was better than dying a slow, dehydrated death at home.

I had to check myself in to triage, which is a place I am pretty familiar with.  After 4 pregnancies, 3 sets of kidney stones, 2 preterm labor pregnancies, and lots of dehydration in the first trimesters, I know the routine in triage.  They stick you in a cubical of walls made out of sheets.  You can hear everything that is going on with everyone around you.  It is uncomfortable and loud, and apparently the people that visit triage have lost their dang pregnant minds.   Most of them come through thinking they are in labor, when they aren't.  They think their water has broken, when it hasn't.  They moan and groan about particular aches and pains and want pain meds to fix them. 


This trip was no different than the rest, and since it was Friday the 13th, all the crazies came out to Baylor.  There was the sweet first time mom that was more upset that she didn't find out the sex of her baby at a routine ultrasound, than the fact that she had a terrible kidney infection.  There was the overly dramatic lady that made horrible noises every time she had a mild contraction.  I know they were mild because she got sent home instead of to labor and delivery.  My favorite was the lady on the other side of the curtain from me that brought all of her children with her.  They were loud.  They played with the curtain separating us the whole time she was there.  They ran back and forth to the bathroom and would yell questions at their mom who was laid up in triage for who knows what?  Finally her family of about 15 people show up and instead of taking the kids to the waiting room, just set up camp in her cubical along with them.  Seriously people?

All that being said, I again had wonderful nurses that took great care of me.  After 7 hours, 2 bags of fluids and 2 doses of anti nausea meds, I felt much better and was released from hell. 

Boy or Girl?

With our first two girls, we found out what we were having before they were born.  On our third, we thought it would be fun to wait.  I was certain that it was another girl and we did not own one boy item the day of his arrival.  In fact, the poor kid slept in a pink nursery until after he turned one.  It drove everyone we knew bananas not knowing what we were having.  Surprisingly, it didn't bother me a bit.  Sono after sono I would just turn my head if the picture started heading south.  It was the most amazing surprise.  I love surprises.  The anticipation was well worth the wait when the doctor held him up and everyone yelled, "It's a boy"!!! 


It cracks me up how so many people think we are absolutely crazy for not finding out.  Everyone wants to know what we are having, and when I tell them we aren't finding out, they look at me like I have a horn on my head.  The next thing they say is, "Well I hope it's a boy so Beckham can have a brother".  Well, he's getting a brother from the other side of the world, so we've got that one covered.  Then they ask if I have a feeling what this one is?  My gut feeling is that it is another boy, but my gut feeling was that Beckham was a girl, and my gut feeling was that Lola was a boy.  Obviously my track record isn't great, and I apparently have zero intuition when it comes to my own body. 


Some days I hope it is another boy because that would make our living situation easy, and because I pretty much think Becks is the greatest thing since sliced bread.  Other days I think it would be wonderful to have a baby girl that doesn't destroy everything in her sight and that will actually sit down at dinner and not rub food in her hair.  That sounds really nice most days.  Either way, this baby will fit right into our family like he/she has been here all along.  They will be loved unconditionally and add more joy (and chaos) to our family.


Here goes...What is your prediction?  Leave a comment on the blog with your guess and reason why!

Eventful Day

Well today started out like any other, rushing around getting everyone out the door in time for school, MDO and work.  I went into work for a couple of hours and then left early for lunch at Taco Joint and then my 20 week sonogram appointment with the Hubby.  This appointment makes me a nervous wreck leading up to it.  I just know so many people that got devastating news at their 20 week sono.  Babies that have Trisomy 18, heart defects, Spina Bifida, etc.  I was super relieved when my doctor checked every inch of our wiggly baby and said he/she was perfectly healthy! No, we are not finding out what we are having again.  It was so much fun last time, we can't imagine doing it any other way now.  My doctor says she has a sneaking suspicion, but didn't look to confirm.  It has to be one or the other!

I had checked our weather earlier this morning and knew that we were going to have some storms, but was caught by surprise when we left the doctor and the tornado sirens were going off in Dallas.  This is not a new noise living in Texas, but still makes you stop in your tracks regardless.  The Hubby and I headed back to Rockwall to pick up the little kids, thinking the storm was behind us.  Nope.  As soon as we got in the building, the tornado sirens started going off and the place was put on lock down.  All I could think about was getting back to Sophia's school to pick her up.  I called our sweet neighbor and asked her to grab Sophia for me because I had no idea when they were going to let us out of the building.  My neighbor said that it looked clear there and she would get her, not to worry.


The warnings were eventually lifted and I started home.  About 5 miles from the house the Hubby calls and wants to make sure we are okay because there is a tornado right around us.  What?  I don't even like driving when it is raining, and I really don't like driving when I might get sucked into an air vacuum.  I get home safely and head straight to the neighbors to grab Sophia.  She's not home.  The sirens start going off and the sky is black.  Holy.  Moly.  I run the little kids in, get some kind of supernatural powers, fling a twin mattress over my head and cover the bathtub with the babies in it.  Then my neighbor calls and says the school is on lock down, but she is inside with Sophia.  I'm getting about 100 texts saying there is a tornado right on top of us, but can't dial out or receive calls.  Praying, praying, praying. 


What seemed like 5 hours later, our doorbell rang and it was the neighbor with my big baby!  A few minutes later my dad comes over, then the Hubby makes it home and my mom and cousin come straight from work.  We look for any damage, but can't find a scratch.  Praise the Lord!  Unfortunately, the neighborhood less than a mile up the road was the one all over the news for mass destruction.  Nobody was hurt, but a lot were left homeless.  Keep those families in your prayers!  Sophia seemed very calm over the whole ordeal.  She said she just kept worrying that I was in my car getting hurt by the storms.  Sweet girl.  She also said that she covered her head to protect her brain!  Smart girl.

Tonight I am counting my blessings.  One healthy baby in my tummy, 3 others safe and sound and under one roof.  One on the other side of the world that I pray daily will go unharmed and feel loved.  One Hubby who was a nervous wreck not being able to be here to protect his family during the scary ordeal.  And one God who holds us tight in the palm of his hand.