Thank you so much for all your prayers.  Things seem to be getting a lot better for us.  Yesterday didn’t start out well, but by noon it was getting a lot better and has been continuing to do so.  I’m not cramping and my back feels a lot better.  As long as our little pumpkin’s heart is beating normally next Monday, I think we’ll be in the clear! 

Interestingly, the other pregnant teacher at LC had the very same problems beginning on the same day (she’s fine now).  I tried to think if there was anything in the lounge that we ate, but we haven’t had snack in there since last week Tuesday.  Then I wondered what the moon was like this week.  It’s a bit of a wives’ tale, but when the moon is full, more women go into labor.  Supposedly, doctors avoid scheduling C-sections and inductions over full moons because they know they’ll already be busy with the women who go into labor naturally. 

I’m not sure how “close” to the full moon symptoms occur, but there was a half-moon last Saturday and a full-moon this Saturday.

In other news, I slept good last night!  I went to bed at 8:40 and woke up at 7:40.  I did wake up once or twice during the night, but it wasn’t too hard to fall back to sleep.  Nice!

And Peyton is doing well, with the exception of some yelling and screaming here and there.  Out of the blue, he told me this morning with the sweetest little smile, “Daddy not marry Mommy; I’m going to marry Mommy.  I’m going to marry Mommy and make you happy.”  He followed that with a beautiful little love song from Aristocats, “Everybody wants to be a cat…”

All the Beatles love songs he knows and he sings me a jazz number on wanting to be a cat.  I see how it is.

Things weren’t going well this morning – the doctor fit me in at 1:00.  The baby was measuring small by about a week, and the heartbeat was at 75 (should be around 150).  This could be relatively normal if we just conceived one week later than estimated.  If the baby is only 6 weeks, not 7, the heartbeat is just beginning and it would be okay for it to be so low so early on.  If this is the case, baby is due October 21 (happy birthday, Daddy).

Or it could be abnormal.

The doctor said it could go either way at this point; only time will tell.

Thank God for midwinter break, so tomorrow is my last day at school this week, then we’ve got three days off plus the weekend as 90% of Lynden goes to state championships. 

My next appointment is next week Monday – hopefully the baby will be growing appropriately and the heart will be up to normal.

In the mean time, pray for us!  Waiting is hard!

You might remember my mention long ago of the Farmer’s Almanac, its accurate forewarning of the last two snowstorms, and its prediction for yet another bad storm this month.

This month has mostly come and gone, and we were beginning to doubt the Almanac’s predestination.

We were only slightly surprised by the half-inch of snow that fell yesterday before we awoke.  By 10 am you’d never have known it had snowed at all.

And that was it for our horrible February storm, according to newspapers and weather websites.  Or so they thought.

This morning it seemed awfully bright outside.  I was already planning walks to the park and perhaps a trip to Bellingham.  When Peyton finally convinced us to roll out of bed, James peeked outside to see what the dogs were doing.  He nearly screamed in fury – there was another half-inch on the ground, but that was difficult to measure because the air was white with snow.  It didn’t look like it was going to stop, either.

The temperature hovers around 35, so we’ve had a mix of rain and snow all day.  The cement is still clear and the grass still pokes through the snow, but we still feel somewhat trapped in the house.  Especially since Peyton is in a bit of a mood today  

On another note, I check American Baby’s October Mommies message board, and a lot of the other moms have pictures with their signatures.  Since I spent hours of work on one for myself, I thought I’d post it for the rest of you.

I probably forgot to update everyone!  A week ago Peyton’s regular babysitter Mrs. Jenn had her baby – Dylan Jakob.  So today marks one week at “Miss Mickey’s” house.  Miss Mickey is actually Mrs. Niki, and she used to teach at LCHS.  She has a five year old boy, a three year old girl, and a nine month old baby boy.  She also has a really super cool basement and – even better – toddler-proof scooters!  Peyton loves playing with the other kids, and he loves riding the scooters “like Mariokart.”

It’s been hard transitioning – Peyton loves Miss Mickey and his new friends, but it’s new and different and that causes him some stress.  This past week has been full of tantrums and fits, screaming and lots of the word “no.”  He’s had a couple of nightmares, too, but probably his highest stress time occurs an hour or two after I pick him up.  He puts out so much energy being a good boy for everyone else, he’s done being good by the time I get him!  Add to that Mommy’s need to make dinner rather than hold him, and probably his hunger as well, and soon there’s a toddler screaming from the kitchen floor.

I’m sure he’ll adjust soon – tonight was far better than last night, so we are making progress.  In fact, I’ll bet he’ll turn into a little angel again…probably around the time that Miss Jenn is ready to have him back!

If the Beatles had ever been pregnant women, they’d have changed their Golden Slumbers song: 

“Lack of slumbers droop my eyes

Smiles? No, no, just let me die!

Why, little darlin’ must I lie

Awake!  Awake all stinkin’ night?

Girl, you’re gonna carry that weight!  Carry that weight a long time!” 

Yeah, that’s pretty much my life right now   Around 10 am at work every day I’m ready to nap, but obviously that wouldn’t work very well.  Whether I go to bed early or late, I wake up frequently.  Whether I nap or not, I wake up frequently.  Whether I walk or lay around all day, I wake up frequently.  If I go to bed before 10, I wake up around 4:30 or 5.  Why even go to bed?  Maybe I’ll start pulling all-nighters until mind triumphs over body, forcing body to submit for the rest of the 7 1/2 months ahead of me until I actually have to wake up every few hours singing the Beatles’ actual lyrics – “Sleep pretty darling, do not cry!  I will sing a lullaby!” 

Girl name survey: what do you think of Camille? 

Peyton’s ears are feeling better  

We’ve been asking God to give us just the right name for the baby.  One night James said he’d ask for God to tell him in a dream.  He woke up in the morning and told me about it.  God was standing in the water on the beach, a beautiful sunset in the background.  God told him to name the baby “set apart.”

We searched online baby name books for set apart, consecrated, dedicated, or devoted.  Nothing.  We bought a baby name book from the Christian bookstore, but we’re going to need to put out a few fleeces before we name a little girl “Iona Ogle.”

I had a dream last night.  Our baby girl was named Nathaniel.  Not to mention the fact that I almost let her drown in the bathtub – Peyton saved her.

Our boy name is set.  We need a girl name.  James’ choices: Audrey, Sophia.  My #1: Cadence.  We’ll see what actually happens.

Yesterday I posted on Peyton’s ear issues.  He slept terrible (if he slept at all – I know I didn’t), rolling around and crying that “my ear really hurts.”  We gave him what children’s tylenol we had left, but he still tossed and turned from 1-3, then slept in until 8:30.  He and I stayed home from church this morning.  After naptime we went to Target to pick up some more tylenol.  Between there and the car, I noticed a lot of wax had drained from his inner ear to the outside of his ear.  When we got home I cleaned his ear off, then I took a flashlight and peered inside.  I won’t even describe for you the disgusting, nasty gunk that nearly filled the hole!  We put a hotpad under his  ear while he laid with the yucky ear down.  A lot of it loosened up or drained out, but there’s still a lot of nasty stuff in there.

I guess Peyton will be going to the doctor tomorrow!  But at least we know what the problem is!

He did have a few words for you:

y8y8tt7ty79tyu98yt98y9ty09y790y97y97yy7y7y7uiyiyyi cvhkhghhbhbhbhhbhhhihiuhghuggyoi

uigfyuhufyfyfyvbfbbnnbvmbnmbjhbnmbbnmnjnhjhnjnhjjnjnjbnnn  bmbnnmb.m,nb,bnmnjjj

87g78b uitihiyhhglhhghy8uyy8yy987y6yihyuyiytytyhhggutugyihyuthuuyuyhhhhjhnhjhjhhkjhjhjhjhjhjioghjiohjiguity9y8u9uoyuyhuuyujihjjyiyiuyyut

We celebrated Valentine’s a bit early – the *four* of us went out for dinner at Olive Garden (thanks, Gina!) tonight.  Peyton was amazing!  He sat perfectly, ate perfectly, and he even tried tomatoes and salmon without spitting them out (no, he didn’t like them).  He drank his milk, ate some breadsticks, and loved his “cheese noodles” (alfredo).  As reward, Peyton and I shared a chocolate gelato with caramel and chocolate pieces sprinkled on top.  It was really good!

After dinner we walked around at the mall for a few minutes.  Peyton only needed to be carried down the very last stretch, after walking all the rest on his own.

Arriving home, however, something happened – I unbuckled his carseat and he got out, but he immediately started crying that his ear hurt.  I thought he scratched it on the buckle or something.  He never stopped whining about it.  He had wanted to play “golf” on our wii, but when we tried to get him to play, he just wanted to be held.  He really needed a bath, and he usually likes baths, but he sobbed the whole time so we cut it short so I could hold him again.  I sat next to him until he fell asleep, but he woke up not long after and was again crying that his ear really hurts.  There is some very light rash-like spotting behind it, but I think it’s more likely ascribed to the rubbing of the ice-pack and cloth than to any bug bites or worse.  I think he just scratched it, but perhaps he’s exhausted from being so good earlier that he just wants to cause trouble tonight!

It appears that ours is not the only expecting family -

Congratulations to Grycels (LCHS), Mark and Allison, Scott & Denise, and Tim & Michelle (all from Valley).

And to Peyton. 

Apparently Peyton has a baby boy Joshua in his tummy.  He pulled up his shirt yesterday and said “Look, Mommy, baby Joshua is growing!”

Last night as I tucked him into bed, he randomly asked, “Hey!  We need a baby bed!”  This morning the conversation continued after I showed him his old crib (in pieces in the spare bedroom).  A few minutes later, he asked, “Mommy, where’s your baby going to sleep?”  I replied in a confused manner – in your old crib.  He said, “No, that’s for baby Joshua, my baby…where’s your baby girl going to sleep?”

By the way, Peyton’s decided the boy’s name is Joshua, and the girl’s name is Baby Girl.  And since James and I have never been able to agree on a girl name, it might just turn out that way.

Welcome to our new blog for our growing family!

No, it’s not a dog this time.  We’re expecting a little one to arrive some time near October 14.

We wanted to keep it a secret until the end of the first trimester, but that doesn’t seem to be working.

In the mean time, we’re searching for girl names, even though Peyton says it will be a boy.