God is good

Yesterday started out as a cloudy, but beautiful day! I was going to take my friend Elizabeth's kids strawberry picking and to the pool and then go to baby shower for my dear little boy. I thought that I should start my morning out with a walk though...like every other morning since not working. Well, yesterday that was a bad idea! We were walking downtown and my dear dog saw a duck before I did and he went chasing after it and before I knew it I was on the ground, skinned up and I had fallen on the left side of my stomach. The place where I fell was full of big rocks that were cemented into the ground, so it wasn't even a smooth place to fall. Needless to say, I was frantic, half-hysterical, and bloody. I almost gave my poor husband a heart attack with the phone call saying "I need you to come get me and take me to the hospital" (all done while sobbing). The worst part was sitting there waiting and not feeling the baby move at all. It is a horrible feeling of not knowing if he was ok or not! We went to the Siloam ER and everything seemed fine, they gave me a shot to quiet the mild contractions that started and the baby looked great on the fetal monitor. I got sent home that afternoon and proceeded to have a sore, but GREAT evening at my shower!!

This morning however, I woke up and had about 4-5 contractions in an hour and called the doctor and they said, come in...we want to monitor you. So, back to the hospital we went and we were there all morning. I was hooked up again to the fetal monitor and the contraction monitor. It was interesting to see the numbers go up as I felt my tummy tighten. I had some blood work done and that was fine, the ultrasound showed no sign of placenta damage and I am not dialated at all yet. SO....we are back home again and it looks like everything is going to be fine. I am to just take it easy for a few days.

The very exciting part of the whole ordeal was that we got to SEE our baby and he is a cutie! Definitely still a boy, he has some hair and is 4lb 15oz already! The ultrasound said that he is 33wks, 6days rather that my due date of 32wks, 3days. We'll have to see if he comes early or not, but the blessing is that if he was to come early, he is a decent size and all his organs are functioning correctly. The tech said that he has a perfectly shaped head which is fabulous (let's hope that birth canal doesn't mess it up too much).

God is good. It is miraculous the way that he has created our bodies to handle impact and trauma and still the baby stays safe and snug. What a blessing!

I will post pictures of the shower...but for now am just going to rest. My arm that was holding Pooka's leash got really twisted (I thought it was broken for a while) and so it can't take much activity before it gets super tired.

Thanks to those of you that have been praying!! You are such a blessing to me.

loving summer

The rest of my first week off was so grand. I enjoyed every delicious drop of it! The thoroughly exciting part is that this coming week will be a repeat of week 1! A girl could get used to this whole not working thing. :-)

This weekend Jason and I went to a little farm in Tontitown and we can home with these:

Aren't they gorgeous? They were so sweet and juicy...and totally had that fresh summer taste that somehow doesn't make it into the boxes of store-bought berries.

We ate some and then I froze the rest. Looking forward to opening those up this winter and reliving a lovely May day!

This picture epitomizes the rest of our weekend so far:
We've done a whole lot of NOTHING! This weekend came at the perfect timing. My dear husband has been more tired that normal over the past few weeks. So I have been happy to let him get some extra naps in this weekend. The dog however, leads a lazy life, so I am not sure why he was all snoozy too.

Poor dear Arkansas...

So, sometimes I try and make-believe that I do not live in Arkansas. Actually, it isn't that it is a bad place...and quite often I really do enjoy where I live. Now, when my family comes to visit, I usually notice how much I have gotten used to the "culture" of where I live. (Granted, my parents live in Colorado, only the mecca of all out-doorsy people! They tend to be extremely trim, health conscious, and hybrid car drivers.) They often make comments about society here being different than theirs 750 miles away.

Every now and then I get a big slap in the face, and I suddenly wake up from my daze and have to question..."why in the heck do I live here?" What, you may be asking, was the so called slap this time? Well, the story goes something like this:

I was in the local Taco Bell, sitting at a table across from my husband. We were munching down tacos and a bean burrito. It was a pretty regular day. There was a group of kids there that looked like they had just wrapped up their Saturday morning soccer game. I was dipping my taco in sauce, and people watching. All of the sudden I got slapped! Not literally...but I had to do a double take because I really wasn't sure that what I thought I saw really WAS what I saw. But oh no!! It WAS!! There was a gentlemen sitting across the aisle from me, and he was a larger person in a wheelchair. Not that abnormal for my town. The abnormal part was that his entire rear-end was completely unclothed and hanging out the backside of his wheelchair. I was shocked, and unfortunately had little more maturity than a 12 year old boy...because I could barely contain myself from bursting at the seams with laughter. Jason was super confused about the look of shock on my face and then the futile attempts at controlling my laughter. So, he got up, went to refill his soda and scanned the room. What he saw was, a large man in a wheelchair...with no legs!! He sat down again, and looked at me as if I had lost my compassion and asked if I was really laughing at guy with no legs?! Problem was, I didn't see that he didn't have legs...I only saw the the back side of him. Fortunately, the guy was done eating and he and his group left the restaurant. I started to try to explain to my husband what I saw. To no avail, my husband is convinced that I am a wretched person for laughing at a disabled person!! My argument still remains, that legs or no legs...surely one would feel the cold breeze on ones lower cheeks. Maybe he doesn't have any feeling past his arms (because I did see that they were working)...in which case I am really sorry for laughing. I guess I was just reminded that this place where I live is really quite "special". You never know what you might see at your local taco shack. But, for all of you that are reading this...please pull at least your undies over your bum, and make sure that anyone you are caring for in a wheelchair also has their lower regions covered! Arkansas doesn't need any more fodder for laughter than it already has. Poor Arkansas. And, poor man that I laughed at. I really do wish I could apologize.

Day two

Today was day #2 of being a stay-at-home-wife/soon-to-be-mom. I spent my day doing homework, gardening and just doing some projects around the house that I haven't had time for before. It was grand. I keep feeling like I have to get so much done because this "vacation" will soon be over. I suppose it is, in 62 days when this kid makes his appearance. Haha!

I had a friend call me today and ask if I would watch her son once a week throughout the summer, for just an hour. I don't mind helping, and said I could help some, but that I couldn't commit to anything after June (for obvious reasons). Anyways...after I hung up, I started to panic! I wasn't really panicking about watching her kid, but rather there were a million little thoughts that ran through my head. They went something like this: "How does one entertain a 1 year old for 45 min? Wait, what does one DO with an infant for an entire day? What am I going to let this kid play with while he is here? Is anything not dog-slobbered upon? I have NO toys! What is MY kid going to play with? I guess I could sit him(my friend's kid) in front of the TV (not that I approve of that as a method of permanently entertaining a kid). I don't like holding conversations with children that cannot coherently respond. What am I going to talk to my son about for the first 3 years of his life? I can't do this! I don't even like children!!"

I was about to reach for a paper bag to breathe in and out of, and then realized that I was driving my car...so I reached over to my phone to call mom and remembered that she is in Canada this week (blah...no international calls on my cell). I talked myself down off the ledge by remembering that I DO in fact LOVE my bf Elizabeth's kids! I really don't mind hanging out with them and I DO enjoy babysitting them. There may be almost no other children that I enjoy, but if I can enjoy her three kids...then surely I can enjoy mine, right?! Also, I find lots of things to talk to my dog about, and he can't respond at all...so this could work, right? Right!

to my son

Dear Baby Herron,

Today is Mommy's last day at work. This is a big change in my life, after today I will just be a wife to your Daddy and a mom to you. I wouldn't have it any other way. We prayed and prayed for God to give us you as a gift. Now that you are almost here, I am getting nervous. Not "cold feet" nervous, but just jittery. We are so very thankful that you are on your way and it won't be long until we can see your little face. I can see my tummy move when you kick (which is ALL the time), but I am aching to hold you in my arms and love on you.

Yesterday was the first baby shower that we had together. You got a bunch of super cute clothes and blankets and a few books. You even got one outfit that matches your Daddy's style of dress - a Hawaiian shirt! I hung up all your clothes, and folded the little blankets and stacked the shoes. You are blessed already my dear boy. People love you! We have two more showers together. One here with more dear friends, and one in Kansas with your Grandma Campbell and her side of the family. I am looking forward to those two showers as they are a true celebration of YOU! I will confess to you though that it feels strange to be on the Mommy side of the shower, rather than a giver.

Baby, I want you to know that I am praying for you already. That you will be healthy when you get here. That your arrival won't be too traumatic (for both you and me). But, most importantly, that you will learn to love Jesus from a very early age. This will be my constant prayer for you.

You are treasured.

Love,

Mom

the last week

This week has been hectic. Every evening has had something planned...last night, I didn't get to bed till 2am (partly my own fault) and then had to be up at 6:15. An old college roommate is coming into town tomorrow night and spending the weekend at my house, which is great, but I am feeling tired and a little irritated that I won't be able to do what I want to do this weekend. When did I get so selfish? However, I am soaking up this as the last week at work. I am thoroughly excited about closing this chapter at 5pm on Friday, turning in my key and walking through the door as I open a new chapter of my life. Nervous, true, but excited! Part of me is totally ok with all the hectic"ness" and neediness of this week, as next week will be quite a different story.

Today I was praying for a friend. Well, really I was fretting and feeling like I needed to intervene and do something. All I could do was sit in silence and just whisper a prayer on her behalf. Now, I don't often "hear" God's voice and am always skeptical when people talk about "hearing" Him speak to them. BUT...today as I was squirming for this friend and feverishly whispering my prayers, I totally sensed God say to me "Liz, be still. Don't you think that I know what is best for her? I do love her more that you ever could, and I've got this under control. So, just sit back, rest and know that I am God." WOW...immediately I felt a huge weight just roll off my shoulders and I rested in the fact that God does know what she needs, and it may not be what I think she needs (imagine that!). Sometimes God is so tender, ever showing the shepherd side of Himself. I know He knew that I needed to be reminded of that today. He is my shepherd too. Ever beside me, today...making me lay down in some green pastures. It felt good to rest my soul.

Jason's new favorite toy (of course it has 4 wheels!)

I have been searching for MONTHS online to find a safe, well made, good brand and decent looking carseat/stroller. I had pretty much settled on a britax and figured I would frugal-style it by picking one up on ebay. So, I did just that! Found a steal of one that really is in decent condition, but when it arrived this week, well....let's just say that it didn't possess the "cool factor" that young Mr. Herron should be seen with. I agreed to put it back up for sale on ebay and with any luck, we'll at least break even on it.

So, that brings us to this weekend. Saturday morning Jason and I woke up, helped his younger brother put his belongings into a car and waved him goodbye after he finished up his freshmen year of college. We looked at each other, decided we had nothing else that was pressing to do that day, and so we loaded up the dog and ourselves into the car and headed to Tulsa. We have been a bit frustrated that most stores in NWA don't have much selection to choose from when it comes to strollers or infant car seats. I just wanted to take a look at them in person and see how they open/close, etc.

We ended up at the coolest baby store called Dingbats (if you are in Tulsa, you should check it out!). They stock the brand of carseat/stroller that Jason had been looking at. Forty-five minutes later, we walked out of the store with my husband's new favorite toy.

It is: 1- cool enough for the new dad to walk around with.

2- Compact enough to be taken as a carry-on if we are travelling somewhere

3- Light enough that mom can carry it.

4- Adjustable enough to where we can zip out the entire toddler seat when the kid is too young to sit up.
5- Blue enough that (hopefully) people will instantly know that our baby is a "he".

AND... 6- matchable to the diaper bag that is manly enough for dad to carry without feeling humiliated. (actually, this is a SUPER cool bag that has a ton of features that I am excited about).

Lastly...I found a fun baby food tray for freezing all that yummy spinach I plan on making him eat. ;-)

The stroller was a decent price, and after spending so much time online over the past few weeks/months looking for one, we decided that we couldn't actually get a better deal on a new one anywhere else, so we bit the bullet and bought it. It is fun to have in the house. Makes it feel all the more real that our kiddo will be here soon and we are getting ready for him. He still has no name, but at least he will be riding home in style. Haha.