What's Going On

Deep thoughts...

Nope, don't have any here lately.

I think the sudden change in sleep quality is taking its toll! It hadn't occurred to me until I wrote it - that losing lots of sleep does indeed affect one's ability to ponder, to stay focused, and to have nice, deep thoughts! So, this will be a lighthearted update on What's Going On.

The big three girls are in their final week of swim lessons (4 weeks total). Their confidence and even excitement over swimming is unbelievable. Absolutely of God! For my part, I'll be glad to be done with the sitting outside and sweating part, though it will have its own place in the happy memories that are making up this summer.

I've washed the basic neutral baby things and put them in Baby's drawers. Yes, I bought Dreft simply because I love its nearly intoxicating baby smell (what's totally intoxicating is the smell of a newborn's head, of course). Filling Baby's drawers means I also got CA officially moved out of the nursery and in with EG, which feels good to have done. Next, I need to pack the diaper bag and my bag for the birth!

All the kids' books are either here or are ordered, ready for the upcoming school year, and I've managed - by God's mercy and in several installments - to go through all our books and kind of tidy up and organize our bookshelves. Next up: school supplies and shoes.

Per my husband's good advice, I've started a few little lists: who to email when Baby comes, who to call; what to take to the birth that's not specifically birth-related, such as the camera, phone chargers, and food.

Lots of lists going on right now, for sure! And I ask God each day to show me how to spend my time, to help me know which task to put my hand on, so to speak. He does show me! And little things get done here and there and I'm always pleasantly surprised, because I get a bit paralyzed sometimes wondering what to do when and wondering how this or that will be accomplished. What needs to be done will get done. I ask Him for peace to let go of that which He does not intend for me to do. He gives it.

I'm making some reminders for myself to help with the flow of work around here: which child wipes the table after which meal; what jobs should we get done on Fridays, etc. I've decided to try to make Fridays a light-clean day for us. We need a loose schedule to keep ourselves from having totally icky bathrooms and laundry piled up to the ceilings.

We have been doing school about two days a week for the past several weeks. Well, I say school, but what I mean is multiplication review, leftover math worksheets from the big girls' school year, a math lesson a week for LC (chipping away at her 1st grade curriculum for next year). For language arts, we've just been doing reading and some phonics review for the older ones, a spelling test here and there, a couple of book reports (required for summer reading for school), and a phonics/spelling lesson a week for LC. I'll keep going with this as long as I can, but after Baby comes, no more school! Well, until school starts back, that is...

This has been such a beautiful summer for our family. I'm thanking God often for the mental break He's allowed me to enjoy. It's been a joy to see the girls just play and play and play, then go to bed properly exhausted. I love the long light (sunset at 9pm or so), the family swim nights we've been able to do at the public pool now and then, visits to the farmer's market - and the easy, delicious suppers we have enjoyed as a result of farmer's market produce and breads.

I think of trains and CA's waving at them, and her telling me that when she's a big girl, she'll take swimming lessons, too, and will get in the baby pool AND the big pool. And I will look back and smile when I remember this being the summer that we watched the old Star Wars trilogy as a family.

I praise God that because of the dynamics of our family at this point, I've been able to get more naps with this pregnancy than with the last several pregnancies. And, we thank Him often for the fact that this one's been much easier on me physically than the last - who would've thought?

So, this has been a big ramble...and as I've looked up from typing, I see the Baby's new car seat perched on the dining room table (by the way, did you know that car seats expire? Our old infant seat was in great condition, but was almost 10 years old, so we've replaced it). I need to look it over, figure it out...so it'll be ready for Baby's first ride.

One more thing about this summer - obviously, it's also a summer of anticipation. We are all getting very excited as Delivery Day inches closer! We can't wait to see when Baby will come, if it's a boy or girl (we have NO girl names...), and how big or small it will be....

Thank you, merciful Father, for the blessings of summer, of children, and family, of growing family. May we be people, may we be a family who Seeks first Your kingdom and Your righteousness in all these things. You are so good!
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Photos -
1-just before washing that first load of baby cuteness
2-we told the girls they *might* be able to hear Baby's heartbeat by listening carefully to my belly (and IF we could get them all to be simultaneously quiet enough!)...they were all vying for a spot pretty quickly. In the end, I think only EG really heard it, probably because she was in the right place. But it was a fun moment, with all 5 of my kids crowded close!