HEART STRETCHING

Life has been a whirlwind lately. I'm glad things are slowing down.

Only seven weeks to go and still so many little things to take care of. The anticipation of Johnny grows so much more each day. Isn't the feeling of growing love so amazing? It's exciting to think our family is going from three to four in only a matter of weeks. Love grows, and Gods fills my heart as only He can. Some days I can't begin to know how I'm going to balance the ambitious little monkey we call Jacob, and a tiny baby's cry. There's assurance that plenty of parents do it every day and with even more than two, but going back to what God gives me is an even better assurance. There are things that come naturally as a mother, but wouldn't you agree there are many things that don't but you wish they did?! Most mornings I find myself praying that God would help me exhibit the fruits of the spirit. Lord, help me today that I would be grounded in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, so my child would witnesses your love for him which is far greater than my own. Thank you Lord for stretching my heart with love and this call to motherhood as only you can.

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BIRTHDAY'S AND MILESTONES
Birthday: Jacob celebrated his 2nd birthday in April. It was fun and sad at the same time. He's now a boy and no longer my little baby. The party was fun with plenty of friends and family. We did things small at our home with a fire truck theme. Jacob loves fire trucks and trying to make the sounds of the siren which gets old really fast on most occasions. Jason was able to pull a few strings and got our local fire department to come out to the house. The kids were extremely excited and Jacob had a blast sitting in the driver seat of the fire truck.

New Room: Jacob has moved rooms and is now sleeping in what used to be our guest room. This also means he has transitioned to a big boy bed. I assumed that this was going to be hard, but actually I haven't had huge problems. I think part of this goes back to the fact that he's such a great sleeper. Nap time and bed time have been a smooth transition. The only problem we've had is even though we have a side rail Jacob tends to move around in his sleep a lot and has fallen off the end of the bed. Of course when he would do this (which has only happened twice) he wouldn't even wake up. The problem has been rectified with two large european pillows that sit at the end of his bed, and now he no longer falls off.

Booster Chair: Jacob is out of the high chair and sits in a booster seat. It's been really great when we sit down as a family at dinner to have Jacob sitting between us at the table. We love it and it's so great to watch him put his hands out to both Jason and me and say "let's pray".

That's about it for Jacob. I always think about writing one of those sappy "I can't believe you're already two" posts, but I'm such a perfectionist I would hardly have enough time to finish it. Anyway, Jacob is the greatest two year old and it so much fun to watch him change and grow. His favorite place to be is outside. His favorite color is yellow. He can count to 14 with some help. He loves singing songs especially The Wheels On The Bus. He's all about cars and "beep beep trucks". He spends much of his time lining his cars up in special ways and playing with them on our couch or on top of his toy box. He likes eating hot dogs, chicken nuggets, most fruits, corn, sweet potatoes, peas, cheese, and he loves bread! Don't take him to feed the ducks because he won't share it with them.

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Pregnancy Update:
Today I am 33 weeks and doing fine. My only complaint is my pinched nerve. I never had this issue with Jacob but I wasn't toting a toddler around either. I do well with my walking, stretching, and regular visits to the chiropractor. Also, I have a support belt which has become my best friend. I pretty much wear it everyday, and especially when I walk and do things around the house. We have done a poor job taking pictures of my progression but I'll see if I can get one posted on here soon.

I have had typical doctors appointments with no complications. Johnny is growing and looks great. I'm measuring small but it was the same way with Jacob. My doctor said it probably wouldn't interfere with my due date but more than likely that I have small babies. More of this will be confirmed at my next appointment in two weeks.

We are looking forward to a lot of fun things in the weeks to come. We have weddings, holidays, birthdays, and fun people to see. My sister and her family will be coming back for about five weeks from Africa which is where they now call home. It's going to be great since they will be here when Johnny is born. We are very excited!

Anyway, that's plenty of blabbing for now.

Blessings.