Quiet...

...and we'll see how long it lasts. Lily's toward the end of a nap, and if little boy makes it til five before waking wanting to eat, I'll be surprised. But I will take advantage of a couple of quiet moments to reflect here.

It has been two and a half weeks since Jack was born, and almost two weeks since we came home from the hospital. All in all, I think things are going well. Having my mom here has been an indispensable help. She's done a lot with Lily, from taking her out mid-day on little runs to the store to lifting her for me since I'm not supposed to yet. She is also a one-woman army when it comes to helping me get projects done around the house. She has helped me get so many things done! Pretty amazing. I am also feeling like I'm getting very spoiled with all of her help...she's allowed me to get a lot of rest and to stay off my feet a good deal. I'm feeling better each day, though it's still painful if I do too much, which sometimes makes me wary. Life is returning to normal, and I am starting to see the light of a routine at the end of the tunnel.

Evenings are particularly good. Lily usually naps until 4:30 or 5:00, and then we play, then have maybe one Baby Einstein, then dinner, bath, story, and bedtime. It is feeling comfortable. In the midst of it, I usually feed baby Jack, he hangs out and has some "awake time," and then he takes a little hap. Routines are the key to sanity for me. I need to work out a few more during the day, and once my mom leaves, I'm going to have to find alternatives to going out every day with Lily. We usually run an errand or have a playtime with someone just to get out of the house between her morning and afternoon naps, but I don't know if I'll be able to do that with two. I've been thinking of seeing if some friends want to set up a couple of playdates. Lily has so much more fun if there are other people around; who can blame her! Right now I'm trying to establish Jack's routine, but once I do, he'll be a bit more flexible. I just have to take it one day at a time.

I'm enjoying the rainy weather today, and amazed at how fallish it is. Last August we had a terrible drought and it was very hot, but this year it's been pretty mild. We have had a tremendous amount of rain in the last day--maybe eight inches--and the tree out front dropped an October amount of red and orange leaves. It looks like fall came to our front yard--but the weird thing is that we're the only ones. A branch may have turned here or there, but our maple is the only one that decided it was fall! I think the poor tree is just stressed from the lack of rain all summer, and then the sudden change in weather may have tricked it into thinking it's October. We have a pile of leaves covering the front lawn. Oh well; fall's my favorite season here anyway.

So pleasant...

We had such a lovely evening tonight. Joel got Lily in her jammies while Jack and I hung out with Grandma Brown, and when she came back she had learned to give the sweetest little hugs, complete with pats on the back. What a darling. She is settling in after the upheaval of having us gone so long, and it's good to have my Lily back. Jack is a sweetie and an easy baby, sleeping a lot and sometimes watching us with bright dark eyes. He loves his milk and likes being patted firmly on the back when he's fussy. He also loves being swaddled, unlike his big sister--but they are similar in needing to have their hands free to suck on and having little use for a pacifier. Jack will take one occasionally, but doesn't seem to need it much. Mom is so dear and so helpful...took Lily on a little outing to Target so I could get extra rest, and is making some dinner as we speak. I really appreciate having her here. It makes everything seem less overwhelming, especially taking care of Lily. It's hard on me that I can't pick her up...it breaks my heart when she comes to me with her little arms up. Thankfully, I can when I'm sitting down and I don't think I'm hurting anything. I'll talk with my doctor about it when I go in tomorrow. I've picked her up a couple of times; sometimes, you just have to!

We're looking forward to having the Treicks over tomorrow night for a low-key dinner. A dear friend has provided some lasagna, and Mom T is bringing the slush. Should be a lovely time.

Almost there...

Jack is moving--slowly--and I am thinking about the fact that soon I'll be holding him. I can't wait to meet this new little one. Just hours now! His little room is ready for him, and everything is set for tomorrow. Okay, except packing, but based on my experience last time, that doesn't take too long. Mom and Lily are heading over for dinner with Omi and Papa while Joel and I have a last little date. We went out to dinner the night before Lily was born, and thought we would do the same thing. I remember being at Outback in Fallbrook, and when the waitress asked when the baby was coming, being able to say, tomorrow morning at 7:30! Crazy.

I am glad that Jack did not come early. Even at this point, the timing would be fine. Mom is here to help with Lily, along with Omi and Papa, everyone is off work, and we are ready for the big day. It's kind of relaxing. I don't even have to be at the hospital until 9:45, and I anticipate being awake far earlier than that. I trust the Lord for a healthy delivery for our little one, and am so grateful that Joel and Jack will be with me the whole time. I wish dad could be here, but I'm just thankful he'll be here soon. What an amazing month of visits and fun and celebration and recovery and exhaustion and quiet lies ahead. I pray the Lord will be glorified in all of it.

A quiet evening

Joel had session meeting tonight and is spending time with one of the elders afterward, so I have some time by myself. Lily's in bed, the rumbling thunder outside has not yet given way to rain, the fan is keeping me cool, and everything feels quiet. I have appreciated the Bible readings that come to my inbox each day, though sometimes I get behind; but tonight I read from Isaiah and began 2 Corinthians, and it was good to feel like I had a quiet space in which to do it.

One thing that stood out to me was the fact that in Isaiah 54 God promises many things to His people, and I was reflecting on the fact that some of them will only find their fulfillment at the end of the story. But then in 2 Corinthians 1:20-22, it says:

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God. Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

So really, even the promises that still seem far off are ultimately fulfilled in Christ Himself. This is a profound thought, and I think it drives home the fact that the peace and hope that fills Isaiah 54 is most explicitly pointing toward Christ. So in some way, I can expect a taste of that now as I know Christ.

Food for thought on my quiet evening.

Time flies...

My last post was June 30, which says a lot about the month of July. I think it may be this feeling of impending I'm-never-going-to-be-able-to-leave-the-house-again with two kids; in any case, this has been an unusually busy month. The fact that I feel as big as a house--and not just a regular house, but maybe one featured on Extreme Makeover Home Edition--has not stopped me thus far, though I am definitely slowing down. Only one fun event scheduled for today, and very little this weekend, so that's good. I think I will be doing a lot of lying on my left side.

It's raining outside, which is a very good thing for three reasons: 1) our lawn and all the other green things are desperately thirsty; 2) it's cozy; and 3) it cools things off. Obviously, #1 is very important, but I'll admit that #3 is at the top of my list right now. Feeling very thankful for rain.

Paula

What is it about Paula Deen? I love that lady. I am sitting down for a moment in between ironing shirts...with Jack kicking and how tight my tummy is, I can only do a couple before I need to sit for a minute. Paula is inspiring me as I iron. I don't know if it's her reckless use of butter and mayonnaise or the way her grown sons come through and help her and relish her finished products, but I love that show. I tivo it and sometimes watch a few moments while Lily and I play after breakfast, but today I'm enjoying Paula's version of macaroni salad while ironing shirts. Six down, seven or eight to go. I decided I just want to iron all of it so I don't have to do them one by one. It's easier. Oh, and I need to go throw the next load of laundry in. Bless Lily for sleeping a bit this morning so I can get some chores done. :)

Tuesday afternoon

I have been fairly productive today, and with Lily down for an afternoon nap am enjoying some time to just sit. My Walmart fan is buzzing away like the propeller on an airplane and it's keeping me cool. It's actually cooler today, and the forecast calls for thunderstorms every day this week. They bring welcome relief from the heat, which was about 100 yesterday.

Joel moved the crazy rope ladder from its regular position (blocking the basement stairs) up into the ceiling, where it will no longer attack me every time I go down to do the laundry. It's amazing what a difference a little thing like that can make. It feels like a luxury at this point!

I moved some winter clothes into two storage boxes and ran out of room. I need to come up with a different solution. More space-saver bags might work, though I think getting rid of a ton of stuff is probably smarter. I just don't want to have to re-buy anything when the seasons change. But, there's a bunch of stuff I never wore this past winter. Hmm. Every project takes four other layers of organization and work. But, I am making progress, slowly but surely.

Lily and I stopped by the church today and played with Jackie for quite a while. Lily loves tearing down the halls, running up and down, and playing with the toys in Jackie's office. Joel was able to come out for a few minutes, too, and Lily loved running to Daddy. She was acting a little shy at first, but soon was off on her own adventures. By the time we got home it was almost three, and she was ready for a nap.

Which is why I have some time at this moment. Mmmmm.