4 months in a blink

Why is Kirby already 4 months old? Well, Lauren, because she was born on August 23rd, that is why! Where in the world does the time go? I now fully understand how people say, "You just have grown up so fast!" I used to look at them like they were ridiculous and from outer space - for me it seemed to go by as slow as molasses on a Sunday. Life has been crazy busy. I can not wait for the day when I do not have to get up and rush to get Kirby and myself ready and out the door. June - you can get here as quickly as you want. Just keep Kirby at 4 months old and let everything else pass by, then we can pick back up her aging process in June. Ha, if only!
She is doing wonderfully! She is definitely "fearfully and wonderfully made"! She has her daddy's strong will. She is still in her hip brace, unfortunately. They say it is making progress but still too lax. They want everything to get much tighter now. Blah! At least they gave us a pink brace this time. I was determined that if she had to wear it any longer that we were going to get a girl version! I win! She loves taking a bath still - I hope that never changes. That is what I look forward to at the end of the school day. I know that when I get home I get to play with her for about an hour before she is ready for bath time and bed. For the most part she is still sleeping through the night (she goes down around 6:45 and sleeps until about 6). The last 2 weeks she has woken up twice, one set while we were out of town (to be expected) and then last night. She had shots yesterday so she was not her normal self at all. She does not like tummy time, still, but is getting better. She pushes her self up for a about 30 seconds and then makes herself roll over. She babbles all the time and smiles a lot. We have gotten a few really good Santa belly laughs out of her, but nothing like what she did for my grandmother and mom. She really likes laughing at her Grammy and GiGi. She really seemed to enjoy visiting in Montgomery. It was a long trip (8 days) but well worth the hassle. It seemed like we took a Uhaul worth of stuff up there, but being gone that long I wanted to make sleepy time as normal as possible. CR got to go hunting with dad and Ryan in Mississippi. Even though it was unsuccessful due to the lack of rain, they still had a good time with each other. "Long trip" is about all they wanted to say the night they got back, but over the last week I have heard some really good stories. It was great to see E and Kyleigh. Even though we had to bunk at my grandma's house, we still got to see them everyday. Ray and Brody were around some as well, and it was nice to have them join us in the Christmas festivities. Next year they will officially be one big family, so that will make everything that much better I am sure. Mom and I got to spend some time together as well, which I always enjoy bonding with her. Dad and I did not get to go on any of our long walks, but we did get some great visiting time. I love to see God work. Others may not see it and understand it fully, but I do, and He is up to something big. We also got to visit with the extended family and I am so excited to say that Jenny accepted Christ to be her Lord and Savior. Like I said, He is up to something big; I have been praying specifically for her for a long time. Praise the Lord. She seems to be doing ok, but is still taking treatments and in some pain. Pray for a miracle that only God can do. He is always up to something big! We got to meet up with Kevin, Bethany, Nathan and some of the Rod clan. So excited that Kirby and Nathan have gotten to see each other in October, November, and December! From the looks of the upcoming year, so far in January, February and March they have dates too! Yay for friends in the making!! Friends, CR, just friends!

Kirby book

Click here to view this photo book larger

Blessed beyond belief

This morning on my way to work, K-love had listeners calling in and describing their December in 3 words. Immediately I had the thought, "Blessed beyond measure." Being that I am an English teacher and that we just finished Shakespeare and alliteration, I changed it to "Blessed beyond belief"! I can not begin to believe how blessed I am.
1. I have a Savior who sent His son to die for me and my stupidness.
2. I have a husband who knows all of my flaws and still loves me even more.
3. I have a 4 month old daughter who I prayed for since I can remember - and we tried for so long to get. God knew His plan and His timing was perfect.
4. Kirby has aunts, uncles, and great aunts and uncles that she loves dearly! She even has an outfit that says so (My aunt rocks!)
5. Kirby has both sets of grandparents alive and in the same state as us. This is a huge blessing!
6. Kirby has great grandparents on both sides! She has Great-grandma Hemken, Great-Grandma Quallen, and Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Cave. How awesome!
7. Even though I hate leaving to it every day, I am thankful and blessed to have a job. Since I do not want to have it right now, it seems more like a burden, but I know there are many people out there who pray for a job like mine.
8. Kirby gets to go to her granny's house every day instead of day care.
9. We have a roof over our head (and a brand-new roof at that!).
10. For the most part, we are all healthy. Kirby (should) get to take off her brace at the end of this month. She had a good doctor visit yesterday, other than being constipated, and can start baby food in a few days! I have a small lump on the side of my arm that is getting tested (xrays yesterday ...waiting results.) but overall we are in good condition!
11. I have a best friend who I don't get to see very often, but when I do it is like we haven't even missed a beat. Bethany is so near and dear to my heart, and I am so thankful that God gave us babies close in age so they can grow up together! Funny story - we were right at 12 weeks apart as far as due dates go and then they were both born about 3 weeks early. Crazy?!
12. I have a Christmas tree up with presents underneath - materialistic, maybe, but I am thankful to be able to give during this season as a representation of what Christ gave for us.
My cup runneth over and I know there are many more things that I am so blessed to have! These were just my thoughts on the way to work this morning. I am blessed to have so many people in my life and to have relationships with them. I know relationships are one thing I take for granted because they come easily to me; there are many people in this world that do not have anybody because of past disputes, grudges, or misunderstandings. I often find myself praying for people like that during this time of year. If you have someone you love and want to mend a relationship with, do it now. Do not wait until tomorrow or next year --- time goes fast (read my last post!) and you never want to loose these precious moments.

Time

"Time is of the essence."
"So much to do and so little time."
"Carpe Diem!"
"Don't count every hour in the day, but make every hour in the day count."
There are so many cliches out there about time, however, they are all very true and pertinent. Time is very much of the essence, if you do not breathe it in, it will pass you by. There is always way more to do than there are hours in a day. You must cease the moment or it will be gone in the blink of an eye. You must make every second, minute, and every hour of every day count for something. As a Christian, it is very important to me to have relationships with people. Building relationships helps me to be more comfortable about sharing the gospel. I know you can share about God without having a relationship with someone, but it is easier for me to build the relationship and allow God's love and light to shine through me and for people to say, "What is it that you have? I want that peace and happiness!" Building relationships takes time. People often think that can happen over night, and it can not. Trust and love must be established and that takes time. I feel like lately many of my relationships have not had their "upkeep" time because of everything going on. Believe it or not, relationships is on my list of to do's for this week. You know, make that phone call and say, "Hey, how is life ... I have missed you!" My hope is to make at least two of those calls this week.
The reason that time has really been on my heart this past week is because it is just so darn precious to me. Saturday night CR and I sat down with Kitty's computer and looked at older photographs of Kirby, the twins, and from Thanksgiving two years ago. I remember crying that Thanksgiving morning because I wanted to be thankful for a pregnancy, and it just was not happening. God had a plan, but I could not see it in the fog of the moment. I needed to give Him time. It was so much fun looking at the twins' pictures from when they were learning to crawl. It just seems like yesterday they were born, and now they are off with their parents learning new things and pursuing the great commission. Oh how I wish we had more time with them this past summer. Kirby's pictures almost look like a completely different baby. She was so tiny in her clothes ... they practically swallowed her. I looked at the picture of the first time I got to hold her (almost 2 hours after I had her!!!) and I just stared at it for a few minutes. Oh that time was so precious to me, but little did I know how hard it was going to be to go back to work. Now every moment I get to hold her, I just breathe in and smell her, hug her, and try to notice every little thing about her. Yesterday she sat on my lap for a good thirty minutes just talking away. She was trying to mimic my voice. This morning she sat in her bumbo while I got ready to go to work. Every second I get with her in a day is so, so precious to me. I only get about three or four waking hours a day with her, so I try to make the best of every bit of that. That is why I have not had as much time to spend on relationships, working out, or doing much to the house. I keep every thing up, but that is about it ... no getting ahead right now!
I am very much looking forward to the Christmas break. I know that too will go by way too quickly, but it will be two full weeks that I get to spend with our precious gift from God.

"Every good and perfect gift comes from above, coming down from the Father who does not change like the shifting shadows." James 1:17

Shutterfly

Some photos were uploaded to Shutterfly: http://kirbyrosepatrick.shutterfly.com/

Enjoy!!

It's been almost a month!

I can't believe I have not had a chance to post something on here in almost a month. Crazy! I love my blessed life, but I hate that I do not even have a chance to take a deep breath right now. I really do not like this rushing around all the time, especially with work. I can not wait for my Mary Kay business to replace my school income. It will happen, it can happen, God can make it work! :)
I am on my lunch break at school right now so I can't post any pictures. Stay tuned ... Saturday I will hopefully get a chance to post some pictures of precious Nathan and Kirby playing together, as well as Thanksgiving pictures with the family.
Kirby is 14 weeks already. I honestly can not believe how quickly it has already flown by. She is really into smiling and giggling right now. Especially when she is eating and almost done. She unlatches and gives me the biggest grins. I have to remind myself not to talk to her or look at her until she is "all done" or she will never finish. I blesses my heart every time, though. She loves her Bumbo ... they are the best things ever invented. They are really helping her learn to sit on her own. She is already super strong, but the Bumbo is really helping with the core muscles. We put animals on her tray and she talks to them for about 10 minutes at a time. This morning when CR went to pick her up out of it, SHE REACHED FOR HIM. It was the most adorable thing ever. CR took her to the orthopedic again on Monday and the doctor said she still needs to wear the brace ... boo! Hopefully this is the last month. He said we are super close, and if they didn't have sonograms he would probably take it off, but since he can see it is still slightly out of socket, to leave it on again. Pray with us that we can stop after December. 4 months is enough if you ask me!
Stay tuned for pics on Saturday. Love and cherish you all ...

Mother

Today is a very special person's birthday ... my mother's! Today she is 59 - what a wonderful age for her. She has 2 beautiful grand-girls that love and adore her. She has 2 daughters that cherish her wisdom. She has a husband that loves her. What more could a woman want?! Knowing her heart, I know she longs to know God more, be closer to Kirby, CR, and I and to not have to worry about a thing. My mother is a strong woman who I see grow every year in many ways. I look forward to seeing what year 59 looks like for momma!

Back at school

Many are wondering how my first 2 days back at school went. They, of course, went very well. I do love my job, my students, my co-workers and everything about it; however, I love my child and our time together more. Each morning I think will be easier, but thus far each morning has been harder than the last. Kirby is getting to the stage where she really smiles and laughs at her momma. It is so exciting to go wake her up in the morning and see her get the biggest grin when I get to her bed. When I sing, "This is the day" to her she almost moves her body along with excitement. I just love it and it only gets to last about 30 minutes before I must leave for work. Of course as soon as I get home I get it again, but for 9 hours I have to miss what she is learning to do. I DO NOT LIKE THIS. I know that my mother-in-law is doing and will continue to do an amazing job with Kirby, but that is my job that God blessed me with. So again I find myself pondering and praying about stay at home options. There are many I am looking into:

1. I am going to start really selling Mary Kay ... I have done this for 5 years now for myself and family, but over the next 6 months while still teaching I am going to see if I can actually get some clientele built up. Don't worry, you will be getting an email soon enough about it and promotions! I believe in this product, use it myself, so I am going to put my heart into it.

2. Teaching at a community college in the evening. I am looking into Del Mar to see if they have late afternoon classes I could teach (1 or 2 a day would be ok).

3. Offering TAKS tutoring for all age levels in writing.

4. Making wedding,birthday, special occasion cakes and cupcakes.

5. Medical transcriptions - suggestion from someone at church and they said it is in high demand.

Please join with me in prayer. I know the Lord has a plan and a purpose. I know I have a gift to teach, and that gift will not be wasted but possibly put on the side while I raise children up in the Lord.

Cancer and Sin

Has it hit anyone else like it has hit me? Cancer is really overcoming the human race. In this month alone, two people personally close to me have gotten news that they have cancer. Two beautiful, young women who have children and have wonderful things ahead of them. My cousin Jenny's cancer returned. I am not clear where exactly it is, but it was in her uterus before so it may be there again. I know it is in that area. The doctors are hopeful and said that it looks like with chemo things should be on the positive side. She begins her first treatment tomorrow. Please pray that her blood levels stay well and that she has the strength that she needs. My friend Shayla is the epitome of a healthy woman. She is in her early 30s, runs all time (encouraged me to run my 1/2 last year), is full of life and has 2 sons (a first grader and a 2 year old). She has Hodgskins Lymphoma (spelling is probably wrong). It is the bad kind. However, her doctors say that the treatment plan they have her laid out with has a very high success rate. Please pray that this is true for Shayla's case. Pray that her body accepts the treatment. Pray for Shayla's heart, the boys, and her wonderful husband.
This cancer stuff just seems to take over our bodies just as sin takes over our hearts and minds. It starts slow and then begins to cloud our bodies and our very being if not taken care of as soon as possible. As soon as they find cancer, they have to attack it or it may take over every part of the human body. As soon as we find sin in our hearts, we must attack it with every effort or it will take over every part of the human body. Weird to me how they are so much alike.

Kirby is doing well. I am still researching internet plans for our new house so that is why there are not many updates or posts. I think she is growing way too fast. She will be 2 months next weekend. They say that really she is only 3-4 weeks old gestationally, but I do not believe that. Here is why:

She engages very well.
She holds on to whoever is holding her.
She tries to stand on your lap.
When she lays down on the floor on a play mat, she kicks the ball that hangs above her feet.

All things that are right on target for 6-7 weeks.

We are going to be in Montgomery next week and I can not wait!

Family

Since the last Thursday in September - don't ask me the date - Kathernine, Jody, Caleb, Porter, and Anna Kate have been in Texas! Whohoo! The first week they stayed with the Simmons and this last week they have been with the Patrick's. It has been such a nice time having them around. It is bittersweet that they have to leave. I know they are going to do God's mission He has set them out on, but it is going to be hard letting them go. The church had a wonderful reception for them the first Sunday they were here. They had pastor's from around the area come and speak some wise words of wisdom to them. They had other mission families there and they had local church choirs come together for a big presentation. It brought tears to my eyes to see God's love pouring out to them as a family - even people that had no clue who they were, were singing their hearts out and showering them with prayers. This weekend we had Shannon, Ken, Sadie, Meg, Rob, and Eva out to the house for a nice family dinner with everyone. It was such a blessing to get to have everyone together one last time before they head off across the world. Even though I was pretty busy with Kirby Rose and did not get to visit as much as I would have liked to with our company, I could tell that everyone else really enjoyed the time they had together.

The boys showing Eva how to play the piano.
The Patrick children with all their kiddos!

Shannon and Anna Kate.

The choir presentation for Katherine and Jody.

Granny and Grandaddy with all their grand kids.

Thank you Lord for blessing me with this wonderful family. Thank you for not letting me let CR go when I thought that is what I needed. Thank you for your province, your mercy and your grace.

"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife ... " Eph. 5:31

With Christ

Yesterday we went to the orthopedic. Her left hip is not completely developed. From the way they showed us on the xrays and a drawing, basically her ball and socket are not fitting together right now. There is a gap between them. She will need to wear this brace for up to 4 months. It could come off sooner! They will check with an ultrasound every month and then update the brace or take it off completely. Yay! She is just like her mother ... this is similar to the brace I had to wear when I was born. It doesn't seem to hurt her in any way, she just seems uncomfortable. However, she is such a happy, easy going baby she is really taking it well. This combined with her gassy/colicky tummy was not fun at about 1:00 this morning. I ended up taking the brace off so that she could kick and pump her legs around like she likes to whenever she has a belly ache. Then we both slept well. They told us the more she wears it the better, but that we could take it off for a period of time each day to let her move; that might end up being middle of the night.
I am so thankful that this is all that we have to deal with. Yesterday while we were at Driscoll Children's Hospital I was very humbled. There were children there from about 1 to 15 that were in permanent braces, casts, wheel chairs, and walkers. There were children there for occupational therapy and mental issues. I kept thanking God over and over for the blessings we have. If this is the cross we have to bear for the moment, thank you Jesus, for it is a learning and growing of our faith even more.
I keep thinking about part time work, and then another doctor bill comes in. Where in the world do they come from and why can they not bill everything at once?! I know I need to work and I am reminded every day of that, but come October 28th it is going to be really hard. There is something that I am thinking about and going to propose to our ESC. Be praying for that, please. I am constantly reminded, though, of that simple and oh so known verse, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Phil. 4:13. I know that many people think it is cliche, but that verse does speak volumes and volumes. There are so many things we can do with His strength and His strength alone. Kirby can get through wearing this brace and Lauren can get through going to work!

Prayer Request

Don't have a lot of time (we have to go take care of a pig that has prolapsed - don't ask!), but I have a huge prayer request from you all. My cousin Jenny has cancer again. I do not know all the details but I did get to talk to her this morning. She is still in the hospital in Katy where they discovered this, but will move to M.D. Anderson soon (hopefully). She has to get her blood pressure down before they can release her. She will have to do Chemo instead of radiation because she did too much radiation before. She has 3 beautiful daughters and is young. She has so much life left to live. Please pray for comfort for her, for knowledge for the doctors, and for the healing hands of God to work wonders only He can. Thanks and I will try, I promise, to update with some pictures and info soon! Kirby goes back to doctor for well visit Friday ... :)

Refreshed and blessed!

This past week Kirby and I were able to go visit Montgomery for 5 days. It was much needed! Since we have been home from the hospital, every time she is resting I have been trying to organize or clean up the new house. Since we were not home, that could not happen. I was able to rest easily while we stayed with Kirby's great grandma. This is my grandmother's 5th great grandchild, and yes they are all girls! What a blessing it is for mine, Elizabeth's, and Jenny's children to get to know their great grandmother. She loved having us stay with her and Kirby snuggled up in her arms very well. While there, the rest of the Hemken side of the family got to come over on Sunday to meet Kirby Rose. Megan was a natural at holding her, and Aunt E got some good snuggle time in as well. Cousin Kyleigh was such a big help changing diapers and cuddling with her. Paw got to play with her and watch her grow everyday. Each day while we were there she changed in some way; the biggest was her legs - she has started to actually keep them straight now instead of so tucked in.

Update on her hip: we got the sonogram done yesterday and now they referred us to an orthopedic specialist. We go on September 29th. We are praying that it is not anything major and just something that her pediatrician needing clarification on.

She is such a great baby. She has some signs of possible colic - she gets very gassy, but I am hoping it isn't colic. We are trying some remedies :). When she isn't hungry or gassy, she is a happy, happy baby. She contents herself very well and smiles often. She doesn't LOVE tummy time, but she is getting to like it better. She doesn't cry when she is on her tummy, just kind of scoots and moans.

Her hair is growing in and this morning it was super crazy bed head (see pic above). I love it! Her eyes are still deep blue and her belly button is an outie! I love to smell her and rub my cheek against hers. Every time she cries I hold her close and remind her we are learning together and that her daddy and I are so blessed to be holding her in our arms. God is so good and His timing is impeccable!

Short and sweet

Happy birthday to my best friend and the best daddy Kirby could ever dream of having!

Gotta make this quick before dinner, but so many are wondering what is going on. Tomorrow I go to doctor and Wednesday Kirby Rose goes for her 2 week check up, so I will sit and update details then.

As for now ...

1. I can not believe she is already 2 weeks old. I cried for about 20 minutes today while I was holding her thinking about having to go back to school at the end of October. Please, share with me any ideas you have for me to be a stay at home mother - ideas where I can work from home. All suggestions will be thought and prayed about because my heart really wants to be home and not at school.

2. Kirby scoots up my belly and holds her head up for a little bit. She is very strong. I noticed today that she has her daddy's long arms. Sometimes when she has her eyes open she looks a lot like my daddy.

3. I got to make CR a birthday cake today and even put away clothes and kitchen items from some boxes, but I mainly snuggled and loved on Kirby.

4. God reveals Himself throughout our daily lives and it excites me when I just know it is all Him.

What's important

Besides the whole rushed birth and emergency C-section of Monday night, we had another fun event. CR lost my wedding ring ...

Since I had no idea I was going to the hospital, I of course had fun jewelry on for the first day of school. I took off all the junk jewelry and put it in my purse, but gave my Aggie ring and wedding ring to CR to put in his pockets. If you know him, you realize this is perfectly fine because he is a "cowboy" and does not wear loose jeans. Anyhow, when we went to the OR we did not have our camera ... it was in the car and CR did not want to leave my side to go get it. So he put my phone in his pocket with my rings so he could take pictures with that. He had to put scrubs on to be able to go into the room. Still all was ok; he remembered checking for my rings often. Then when Kirby was born he was whisked away to follow her to the nursery and to strip down his scrubs. Meanwhile he is pulling my phone in and out of his pocket to answer texts, etc. After about an hour we got to go to a room and he begins emptying his pockets. No wedding ring ... actually, my wedding band was there; it was the solitaire diamond (engagement) that was missing. He told me and I looked at him with my daughter in my arms and said, "That's ok ... it doesn't even matter." What? I honestly felt that. Yes, the idea of the ring matters. What it represents and means matters, but the material part of it doesn't matter. I had my "diamond" in my arms. He went and asked the nurses for a lost and found and let me tell you, those nurses went on ring search lock down. An hour later one of the nurses comes in with my ring ... she had found it in the bottom of the nursery trash can, underneath his scrubs. I still feel the same though. I have always tried hard not to be a materialistic person, but even more so now. God has given us the gift of life here on Earth and eternal life with Him when it is our time. Soak up time with what God has granted you and realize what matters most. It isn't that drink at the end of a long day, that new outfit that makes you look smashing or the huge new home you just built. Yes, these things are nice but they are temporarily going to fulfill that desire.

Speaking of new home ... Saturday we had a moving party with about 5 guys from church and one of my students. They got all of our big stuff moved in! We are still in the other house until they finish up a few final things, but the big stuff is in and settled. CR wants to sleep up there tonight but I want to wait until the other things are finished. We may go eat up there tonight though, so that should be fun. I will post pictures once it is all in and mainly set up.

Here are some pictures of Grammy and Paw's visit this weekend. Mother was able to stay here all last week (such a blessing) and dad came down Friday. They of course had to head back yesterday, but it was hard. I wish we didn't live 5 hours apart; hoping that may change sometime in the future, though.

Remember how I said God laughs at our plans ....

well Poot is here. She got here the day after I wrote the post about having a "planned" busy week. The Lord blessed me with the opportunity to meet my students on the first day of school. While there, I really decided I should call my doctor to see about the possibility of leaking amniotic fluid. I knew that my water had not broken, but I just had a feeling something was not right. My contractions that I had been having really weren't there anymore so I just put in a call. This was at lunch. I was determined to meet everyone, so I stayed until 3:45 (the Lord really watches over me, I tell you). Then I picked CR up in Driscoll, we stopped at TCBY for yogurt because I was starving and thought it may be my last time to eat for awhile, then headed to the ER at Bay Area. My doctor was not in the office but thank the Lord he was on call. I had to go through the ER to get checked out. They totally admitted me and then did a swab to see if it was amniotic fluid. It wasn't, but everytime I had a contraction (that I still never felt even though they showed to be decent on the rector scale) baby's heart rate dropped significantly for a few minutes at a time. Once I heard that, my eyes were glued on the monitor and I just kept praying it would all be ok. Dr. Supnet came in immediately because apparently he gets the monitor screen on his phone and he said this wasn't good. I wasn't leaving and I had 2 options. 1) was to induce labor and have baby that way ... caution: every time you contract baby's heart rate may drop more and more and there is only so much she can take. 2) have a c-section and get her out of there as soon as possible. So I said, "well, we need to do what is best for the baby". "Lauren, if you go through labor we worry about cerebral palsy or still birth because of the heart rate ..." "ok, well then to me there is only 1 option, let's get her out!" 35 minutes later I was receiving my epidural and soon after that baby was out. IT'S A GIRL BY THE WAY! Kirby Rose Patrick was born at 8:36 pm weighing in at 6 lbs, 7 oz and 18 1/2" long. They said, "You have a little peanut!" The whole time I was being cut on I kept praying and saying, "You know the number of hairs on this precious baby's head. You have brought us so far with this pregnancy and the issues that it brought; I know this is the big finale and you have something so amazing to show me soon." Sure enough, I can not imagine being any more happy or in love with what He has given us while we are here on Earth. This was not the route that I of course would have chosen, but this is the route God took us through and He was amazing (did we ever doubt) the whole way through. I immediately began praying as soon as I heard I was for sure having the C-section and a minute later God sent me an Angel ... the nurse that was with me the whole time was the best thing I could have had while there. I have heard many bad stories about people who had horrible nurses that just did not empathize at all. Not Kris; she loved on me, rubbed my back and made me feel so warm and safe in this time where I was really concerned. CR took everything with stride, too. Over this last week in the hospital God just kept reminding me how blessed I am to have him for a husband. I will update more later, but mom, dad and Kirby need my attention right now. Enjoy her beautiful pictures at the new shutterfly ... I had to make a new one because somehow I was always a guest on my own and couldn't change things. So here is the new link :) ... http://kirbyrosepatrick.shutterfly.com/

Progress all around ...

So this next week is "planned" to be a very busy week. Wednesday we should finish with all the corn in the field, CR promises we are moving in on Saturday, and baby is scheduled to be induced on Tuesday (August 31st). Talk about everything coming together at once! Eek! and Yay! However, we know from our experiences that things do not always go as planned. I have heard the phrase many times, "God laughs when we make plans." Sometimes I agree with that, but to an extent as humans we have to have plans. Otherwise we would all be running a muck and it would just be the Pitts ... or as the Patrick's say the Dickens. (One time I asked if the Dickens were the Pitts neighbors! That one got a laugh for the books!)
When we went to the doctor last Thursday we got to see baby on the ultrasound. They were very cautious about not showing us any areas that we didn't want to see. According the them the baby weighs 5 lbs 10 oz, which the doctor said is a little small for being this far along, but that I have been measuring about a week smaller all along and all looks healthy. CR even asked to check for a hair lip or something like that ... I never would have thought about that. The lips looked good though. They confirmed that a foot has definitely been between my rib cage and its booty was to one side. I knew this because my belly has been slightly tilted ... Kyleigh lays like that when she is tired so I knew for sure that was what Poot was doing. Funny huh? I was still at 2 cm dilated and 50% effaced. They scheduled an induction for 5 am August 31st, but that I was "ripe, so really any day now ..."
I went and spoke with the person in our district office in charge of insurance and disability. I am going to end up taking 41 days ... just a little over 6 weeks. This poses a bit more of a funds gap than we were predicting, but my heart said to do it and I felt Jesus' hand reminding me He would take care of everything. With the weekends and such it ends up giving me almost 2 whole months to just think about baby. I know they will fly by and I will not be ready to go back, but it is what I could do.
School starts back tomorrow with the kiddos. It is going to be an interesting year. I am excited that I really do not know any of the students in my classes. I know a few, but nothing like the previous year where I got many of my old students back. I get to start fresh with these guys and that gets me excited. I am still co-teaching, which means that my classes are pretty stacked with what they call "SPED" kids. We know labels are often wrong, so I look forward to seeing what God is going to do with these kids minds, my heart, and my co-teachers talents. I have a new "partner", so this will be a learning experience as well. I love her so far ... she has lots of great ideas to bring to the table it seems like and her kids did awesome on TAKs last year. Ours did too, but maybe with her we will get that boost we need to send CHS into exemplary (we were 3 dropout kids away last year).
CR is frantically trying to get the house ready. He keeps saying, "I promised you we would be in before baby came ... and I let you down a lot with the farm so I am keeping this promise." I just love his sweet heart. I told him that it really didn't matter at this point, but it does to him because it is the principal of "letting me down". As I write this that brings tears to my eyes because his heart is so true. I am so blessed to have a husband that empathizes yet is also so much fun. I am so blessed to have a Godly leader. I am so blessed God lead me to CR for the 2nd time so that I wouldn't miss him again. I love how God sometimes just drops things in front of us and says, "TAKE IT".
No pictures to post right now because CR wants the rest of the house to be seen in person. I will tell you the fireplace got all finished up on Wednesday and it looks better than I could have ever imagined. The man that pieced Grandmother's rock together is a true artist. I am so excited that they got to use her rock ... I never got to meet her and now I feel like in some way she will be a part of us forever.
We will keep you posted on the progress of Poot. Pray with me that Poot stays put till the 31st because then we I go back, it will only be 3 weeks until Thanksgiving break!

Some pics ...

Poot's first pair of boots!

35 weeks and then some ....

Kyleigh was in charge of taking pics. These 2 women are what keep me going! My mother was able to make it to this Calallen shower and I was so glad that she got to meet the many mentor women that God has blessed me with. I really do have an awesome family of God down here. Kitty inspires me to be the "good wife". There are times when farming can get to me, but then I look at her and how she handles everything and gets involved, so it helps me to hike up my big girl panties and jump on the bandwagon ... or should I say the tractor?

The wonderful hostesses and my mentors!

Today we went to a birthing class. There really wasn't anything that they "taught" us that I didn't already know through my wonderful momma friends, books, and emails. My mind set is still to attempt this whole thing without an epidural. I may not make it, but at least I tried. I am already having some pretty regular contractions about every 20 minutes. Last Wednesday I had some really painful ones (which is when the doctor thinks I dilated) and they weren't unbearable. I know they get worse, but I think I can make it through the contractions. It's having 'Poot' squeeze through my body that I am so unsure of. Again, we shall see! I have my Ipod ready to sing me through it. I did learn, though, that if I do have to be induced next week then I will probably want the epidural. Apparently the inducing meds make the contractions come on stronger than if they were to occur on their own, so that may push it over the edge. Please be praying for 'Poot' and I this next week. I feel great, praise the Lord. I start in service tomorrow and I can forsee a long week coming on of sitting. I want to at least make it to the first day of school, meet my kiddos, and then tell them "see you in 6 weeks"! Honestly, the longer baby stays the better because then when I go back, I will be that much closer to Thanksgiving break. I know the Lord will give me strength to get through going back to school, but I also know it will not be easy. "He never said it would be easy ... He only said you wouldn't go it alone." Thank the Lord for that. Love you all and will update as we progress!

Progress

So, I went to the doctor yesterday and I am dilated 2 cm already. I am 35 weeks and a few days, so I am praying it stays put just a little longer. I go back on Thursday to get an ultrasound to check the measurements and such. If I have progressed some more then they will probably induce the following week. I am ready, but I am not. I want to start school to see all my new students, but if God is ready for Poot to be here, then we welcome Poot with open arms whenever He is ready. I had a wonderful shower today. This one was put on by some friends from Sunday school and church. Of course we were showered with many great gifts and the fellowship was great. It was so wonderful to see everyone that we miss since we go to the early service. I love the people that the Lord has brought into my life while being in Bishop. He is amazing! I will post some pictures soon :)!

Realized how long its been ...

So I just now looked and saw how long it had been since I last updated! I knew it had been awhile, but not that long. We do not have Internet at our house right now, so it has been a chore to just long on enough to check emails and pay bills. I think that we can live without Internet ... and then we do for a few weeks and realize how much of my banking and bills I do on there! Eek!
House is coming along ... slowly. The biggest project we are waiting on is the fireplace. This has been a long headache from the day that the framer put it up. Apparently they weren't supposed to frame for it ... they were to wait until the fireplace was in. Well, the fireplace just got put in. So now they have to come back and frame around it. And then the masonry guy comes to put the rock up. Then we can do the last of the floors and should then be able to move in. By the way, I am 36 weeks along. But I am ok with it ... we were told we would be in mid July and we weren't, so now I'm just going along and not stressing about it. We have a pack- n-play so we are ready for baby to sleep wherever we are! No sense in worrying!
Kyleigh has been with m all week. It has been such a joy having her here. I forget during the hustle and bustle of the year how much I miss getting to see her every week or so. Now it is usually months at a time. With Poot coming, though, hopefully that will change.
School starts back for us on Monday, then the following Monday we get kiddos. I'm very interested to see how this year is going to go ... lots of changes. Change can be good, though, if people embrace it and try to make the best of it!
That tis' all for now. More insightful updates later ... right now I get to go play with Kyleigh.

Montgomery Shower

A good friend of mine made me a card with this verse on it and I thought it was very appropriate for our child ... "I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him." 1 Samuel 1:27 As you all know, CR and I prayed for a child since we got married and tried for about two years. In God's grace and wonderful timing, He blessed us with "Poot". This weekend my sister Elizabeth, sister-in-law Shannon, and wonderful family friend Michele Rod threw me a wonderful shower. Of course it was western themed and they out did themselves with some really creative decorations and goodies. It was such a blessing to see some family that I had not seen since Christmas, and some friends that I had not seen in over a year. Of course there were some that did not make it that we missed, but the friendship, fellowship, and food (oh the food!) was supercalafragalisticexpealidocious! Thank you girls for the shower and thank you Michele for opening up your beautiful home! CR and I are truly, truly blessed.

For more shower pictures, visit our shutterfly account: http://patrickpachangaphotos.shutterfly.com/

Shutterfly

I decided to open a shutterfly account for pictures. I will still do some favorites and sneak peak pics on here so it isn't just my rambling and antics, but shutterfly is much more picture upload friendly. Here is the link: http://patrickpachangaphotos.shutterfly.com/
Today I had a doctor's appointment and everything went well. I am measuring exactly 32 weeks according to the tape measure looking thing. So ... 8 weeks from today is September 10th. :) I need all 8 weeks because we are not in the house yet and I need to nest! The baby's heart rate was at 150 bpm and I gained 2 pounds over the last month. I am at 15 for the total and the doctor said that is just fine since the baby is measuring right on.
The farm got started on harvest this week. I am so glad because to me it is getting too close for comfort for baby. I hope and pray all is out by the time "Poot" gets here. The Lord has blessed us with almost a week now of dry, breezy weather, so that helps tremendously.
I am excited about going to Montgomery in a week. I can not wait to give Daddy a hug. I can not wait to see E, Mom, and Kyleigh ... and then on Saturday I hope to see many friends and family that I have not gotten to see in awhile. My cousin Megan got a new job (something more up her career path) and I am so excited for her! Shannon and Ken have been in Colorado for a bit so it will be super nice to hear all about their adventures. My mother and father's long time family friend gets to come up ... she remembers me when I was 2, so hearing old stories (again) will be sure to bring back some laughs.
After Montgomery I have to go to Austin (eek) for almost a week for a TAKS item review. I loved this last year ... I think that eventually I want to freelance write stories to go on these silly standardized tests. We proof read the stories and questions for errors, as well as determine if they are fair and if there are a wide variety of question/answer types. It really is super interesting ... I am just curious how well this is going to go since I will be almost 34 weeks by then. :) This baby will know how to go, go, go that is for sure!
Until next time ...

Paint is complete!

Well, lots has been going on around Patrick Farms! The house is getting closer and closer to being completed. The painter came in and took care of everything in just 3 days. He will come back this next week to paint the trim and interior doors. He may also stain the cabinets. That would be a great load off of us if that works out. The brick is almost completed and the fireplace will be in soon. Thank you God for providing us this opportunity just in time for the precious miracle growing inside of me.

Speaking of "Poot"; I had another small scare this past weekend. Nothing major, just more spotting, but this time it lasted for 2 fulls days. Before it was less than a day, so I was kind of worried. I wasn't able to talk to my actual doctor since Monday was a holiday, but the nurse on call said if I didn't have pelvic pain then everything was OK, just to put my feet up and rest. I didn't have pelvic pain, but my back was having spurts of pain, which I was concerned was back labor. Thankfully by Tuesday morning both had passed. Again, thank you Lord for that blessing.

Jody, Katherine, Caleb, Porter, and Anna Kate are with the Patrick's again this week. It has been so great having them around. I feel like I am finally able to get to know them even better. We have always lived at least 5 hours away from each other, so this has been very refreshing. I just love this family that I have married into. I could not have asked for better in-laws all around. Again, thank you Lord for the family I was born into and the family that I married ... I am truly blessed with the relationships and friendships I have from all sides.

Now on to something that has been on my heart lately. Discipline. How self-disciplined are you? It is so easy for us to look into other people's lives and tell them what habit they need to stop or what they need to start, but what about our own lives? There are many things I know I have lost discipline for since becoming pregnant (working out - I can still do it to a certain degree, I have just lost the routine; quite time - I still have it, but it almost seems to be patterned now and quick). There are always areas in our own lives that we can become better disciplinarians of. I challenge you to look at your life and see where some discipline action could occur. "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." 2 Timothy 1:7

Now on to the fun stuff ... pictures!

CR isn't too sure about this bathroom. I told him to just wait until I could finish my magic! I'm excited! I think it looks fun. :) The back wall where the mirrors go is a shade darker than the other walls.

I am super pumped about the shower! They still need to come in and wipe it all down (those are the smudges on the wall), but I am really pleased with how the tile came out.
Ceiling in our bedroom.

Soon to be "poot's" room!

Ceiling above the eating area ... I got my red in there!

And I got my red in the laundry room! Maybe it will make doing laundry even more fun! Yesterday my sister turned the big 3-0. What an exciting time! Go out there, believe and achieve! We love you E!

Picking out Paint and such ...

So many choices go into building a home. When you are the contractors it is even harder because you do not have the interior decorator's advice to help guide you. So far I think that CR and I have done a good job getting things that flow well with the style of our home. I am so not picky and he is so picky; we make a good team. The overall feel of our colors will be the same as our home now because we like them so much. We know they are warm and welcoming and we enjoy their ambiance as they say. I am going to be bold and do the guest bathroom in a pop of color that others aren't so sure of. You will have to come visit us in South Texas to find out just what that is. For now all the bedrooms will be neutral and as we "move in" to them over the next few years I may go in and re-paint them. Since we don't know boy or girl on Nugget (or Poot as CR now calls the baby), we have decided this is the best bet. Quicker too ... we want to be in the house in 3 weeks.

This last week I was blessed to get to rest and visit back home. It was so nice not to have to get up in time to drive an hour to Corpus for class. I was able to sleep in if I wanted to, but that didn't really happen ... I am just an early bird. Dad and I got to go on our walks that I love, I was able to do water aerobics with mom (well she was busy one morning and had to miss), I went to the ranch and spent the whole day catching up with dad (very refreshing day for me), and then I drove to Katy to see my best friend and their beautiful bundle of joy Nathan. He is just so precious and I can not believe that our little one will be here in just about 10 weeks. This trip was so nice to get to sit and take in everything. I didn't get to visit everyone I was intending to (as usual) but hopefully when I go back in July for my baby shower I will be able to get together with the other girls one day or evening. It is just so hard to get together with everyone in such a short period of time. Mother and daddy brought me home on Thursday and stayed with us until Sunday. Again, too short of a visit but very nice and refreshing. We had wonderful seafood one night and then dad cooked for everyone Saturday night. Saturday night was the nicest evening and dinner I have had in a long time. Sitting and visiting and not thinking about what to do with furniture, paint colors, trim, or texture; just loving the fellowship and taking it all in.

Katherine, Jody, Porter, Caleb and Anna Kate are in South Texas for the next month. It has been very wonderful catching up with them over the past few days. The boys are getting so big and talking up a storm. They know LaLa and Tio and enjoy riding the tractor. Anna Kate is doing well and getting her own precious personality. She loved her pink shoes, so I knew her and I would get along just great!

There have been some options in my life that I am just so thankful for. I am ever so thankful that God has such an amazing plan. I love how He is so faithful to do as He says. I love reading and growing and can not wait to see what He has in store for us with this precious gift from above that will be here before we know it.

"The Lord's unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in Him." Psalm 32:10

Beginning of the brick laying!
It's hard to see the true color in these pictures ... it has more of a red tint to it than brown.

Wall tiles in our shower.

Floor tiles in our shower. I am so happy the way it turned out. When some people saw the tiles, they said, "Oh, that isn't going to look good." Now they love it!

Ceiling above dining area of kitchen. I am going to paint this a pop of red!

Our bedroom ceiling. The framer came up with this all by himself ... it was not in our plans. We really like the way it is turning out, though.

Lights, Sheetrock, Bathtub ... oh my!

Some exciting things have been happening in Our House, Texas. PEL is really wearing out this preggo, so I apologize for not updating sooner. On Tuesday we had all of the insulation put in. They were super fast and for a change ... CLEAN!They also put in the tub/shower combination for the guest/kids bathroom. The framer actually made the bathroom wider than the plans had specified, so the tub was short of hitting the back wall. Not a problem ... what do we do ... have them add a hiding closet!

Believe it or not, CR fit through this little opening to run the very last wire for the electrical in the house!

Tomorrow they will begin the sheetrock. This is super exciting to me, because then we get to go in and paint! After painting, the cabinets should be ready to go in, then counter tops and we are about there!

Oh ya ... how could I forget the best part? We have electricity and running water! I walked in tonight to check everything out and since we had lights, I was able to see and take all these pictures. Whoohoo ... thank you to my wonderful mother-in-law and husband. They did an awesome job.

Besides the house, we had an unexpected but exciting visit with my sister and Ray. Ray had to come to Corpus for a firefighter's training, so E rode along. They met us at church Sunday night and then she stayed with us on the farm for the night. We got to meet up again Tuesday for lunch before they had to head out. It was very refreshing to get to visit with just the two of them.

Nugget is doing well. I go back to the doctor again on Friday. It seems like I was just there, but I like going every 2 weeks. It makes me feel better about everything. I (think) I have started to have some Braxtin Hicks contractions. These are just preparing me for when I really get contractions. My belly gets really tight and it is an interesting feeling. The baby has really been moving this week. Last night I think it was teaching itself how to do forward and backward rolls. I will try to update on Friday before we leave for Montgomery. We are going up there for Father's Day and will hopefully get to see the whole family. It has been since Christmas since we have seen everyone and it would be really great to see them all.

Nesting ...

A question that I often get asked: "How does one nest when they do not know what they are nesting for?"

I have been collecting some clothes whenever I see any that seem to be gender neutral. For clothing, the options are really thin lately. If it is yellow, it has flowers on it and if it is green it has dinosaurs. I went to a Carter's store last weekend and found some ducks, bears, and puppies. They will work for the first week for sure! The bedding is very similar to the picture above. I found some black and white cow print instead. If it is a girl, we will add some pretty turquiose and maybe lace; if it is a boy, you got it, just a bunch of John Deere tractors across a shelf at the top of the room.On top of not knowing what we are having, the nursery is actually being built along with the rest of our home, so I can't exactly go in and start nesting in there. My in-laws think we can be in the house in about a month, so that will give me some time to get this nestingness (word?) out of me then.
"How beautiful are the feet that bring good news ..." Romans 10:15

Announcements

"For I know the plans I have for you ... " Jeremiah 29:11

My best friend Bethany had her baby on June 2nd. Nathan Matthew was a little early, but not small in size by any means! He weighed in at 7 lbs, 12 oz. and was 20" long. He was just ready to come out and start learning football from his daddy. I am very excited for The Thompsons. They are a very special part of my life and I can not wait to see Nathan grow into a wonderful young man that the Lord and the two of them will mold him to become. Sorry the last 2 pics are kind of blurry ... copyrighted from facebook! :) I will have live and in-person photos in a few weeks when I get to see them!! Congrats Bethany and Kevin!

The kind of scary part is ... Bethany was right at 12 weeks ahead of me in her pregnancy. So, in reality, that could be us in just 12 weeks! We need to get crackin'. Sorry it has taken me a week to give you an update on the doctor's appointment. Life has been so busy in a blessed way. Thankfully everything went well last Tuesday at the appointment. They got me in a bit early since I was so concerned. They listened for the heartbeat right away and it was lower than Nugget's normal, but still considered a resting heartbeat for the baby. I think that I just wore Nugget out so much the last 2 weeks that he/she just decided to sleep for a few days. They sent me up for an ultrasound to make sure that they weren't in a compromising position since I did have some bleeding, but everything was fine. The lady had the monitor on the TV the whole time so I was really nervous about seeing what it was. I looked really quick to see the beautiful face and then kept my head turned the whole time. Nugget is getting big! According to "averages", Nugget is a little over 2 pounds and 14 inches long. Yesterday I definitely felt that in my rib. CR said they were giving me a tickle fight. I go back on June 18th so stay tuned!
Today began the summer intensive portion of my principal certification course. It was a lot of fun. Besides having to drive into Corpus everyday, I am really looking forward to this portion of the course. This class has already taught me so much with the different professionals that Mr. Spencer (our Santa Clause) has invited in. I am excited to see who else we get to meet with over the next few weeks. For my wonderful classmate Bev ... PEL YEAH! As for the house building, it is still moving along really well. It doesn't seem like as much is going on because it is mainly things that one doesn't "see". The air conditioner people finished up with all the duct work, Kitty and CR are almost finished wiring the house for all of the electrical work, the garage door was installed (see above), and the water lines have been dug and are just about complete. Friday installation goes in and I believe Monday the sheet rock will start to go up. The Patrick's really think we can be in July 16th or so ... that seems hard to me, but I will definitely take it! That will give us almost 2 whole months before baby.

All the outside trim and underpinning has been painted. It is kind of dark, but check out the cedar posts. I just love them. I told CR I thought it would be neat to get our friends who have brands to come over and put their brand on them. Kind of like a record of visitors, but instead of in a book, we have it on our posts! And this frog is for Kyleigh Anne. A few weeks ago we had hundreds of these guys all over the yard. They weren't bigger than a nickle. Now they are about a half dollar.