Terrific Tuesday

I'm just resting (a rest break recommended by my OB) while the kids are taking their naps.  I'm enjoying the warm, sunny, breeze coming through the open windows.  I have some major spring fever. Thoughts of picnics, fresh garden vegetables, many hours in the warm sun, picking strawberries, and flip flops are dancing through my head. Who can't be happy with Spring around the corner??? I love to be optimistic, happy, and smiling- no doubt this is a God given gift. I don't have much patience for people that complain and whine.  Why not allow yourself to dream of all the wonderful, simple things God can and will provide? Who knows who is watching you be thankful for the little things God is providing. Who knows who you may be able to lead to Christ through your love and happiness. Just some thoughts going through my mind. There are so many thoughts going through my mind these days as we're still reading Purpose Driven Life. It has been such a good study. The main focus is to help me, the reader, understand that we're here for God's purpose and not our own.
"It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for.  Long before we first heard of Christ, . . .he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone." Ephesisans 1:11
That is the verse in the dedication and the book goes so much deeper than that. It has been a wonderful experience for Chris and me, individually as well as a couple. The book covers many subjects. One I found particularly interesting is what way you draw closer to God. I learned I'm an activist who loves God through confronting evil and working to make the world a better place and a caregiver who loves God by loving others and meeting their needs.  Interesting stuff; it reminded me of the love languages.  Have you ever read about those? Check it out: The Five Love Languages It's a great book as well. I've studied the love languages a good bit in my MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) groups. 
We've been enjoying lots of time outdoors lately. The kids really love being outside.  We've played in the backyard, had meals outside, and just spent some good family time together. We just had Bradley's 5th birthday party this past weekend. He had a bowling party and told us it was the best birthday party ever! That makes it perfect for us.  We celebrate a week early due to Chris' work schedule, but plan to spend Bradley's actual birthday together just the 5 of us. Cameron's birthday is just 2 weeks away, so we're getting ready for her 1st birthday party.  Got some cute ideas for our sweet little girl. Can't believe I will have a 5 year old, 2 year old, and 1 year old . . . and of course one on the way! The 2 year old is hanging in there. He has had some lung issues lately, but we're hoping after a burst of oral steroids that he will improve.  We've changed a few meds as it seems as though these issues are a reactive airway type things from his lung disease. It's a little frustrating as it seems that he has taken a step backwards since his hospital visit in the fall.  So, hopefully the new medications will impove things and he will GROW! Say some prayers for him. Baby Wicker is doing well. I'll be 17 weeks in a couple of days. The big anatomy scan is just a couple of weeks away.  The doctor is going to check my cervix at that time to see if he needs to make any changes/improvements to it before the baby starts to really grow (about 20 weeks). My OB will also be looking for a few other things that may be issues as my blood titers (relating to the blood anitbodies) have started to go up.  So, I may have to start getting weekly ultrasounds very soon which was going to be fairly often anyway due to my cervical issues.  No point in worrying as God take care of it all, so we'll just wait and see how things look.  I've cut back on my activities a good bit, and am following the doctor's orders. These restrictions will be in place until I reach about 28 weeks and get through the part where he is most concerned when it comes to me and my history.  I started the weekly progersterone shot in my hip- aaaahhh the things we do for our babies! :-) So worth it! So far my blood sugar is doing well. That should start to change around 20 weeks, but maybe we'll see some huge miracle! So, we're just hanging out and enjoying life as usual. Keep smiling! And, I'm going to leave you with a few of our ABC's!

What do you think Baby Wicker is? Comment on this post, send me an email, or post it on my Facebook wall. It will be neat to see what everyone thinks, and I'll write it in Baby Wicker's Baby Book.  For those that want to know the facts of the pregnancy before you guesss:

-Heartrate was 157 at the last appt., right in between my boy and girl norms. My girls are always 160 and over and my boys are always under 150.

- I'm really tired like I was with Bradley's pregnancy.

- I'm not as sick as I was with any previous pregnancy.  I was most sick with Cameron's pregnancy.

-I've had headaches like Cameron's pregnancy.

- I'm smaller than any pregnancy before.

- I've really enjoyed fruits this pregnancy which is a first.

-Chris says it's a boy, and Bradley says it's a girl. They've always agreed and both been right with the previous 4.  The pregnancy is most like Bradley's overall.

- The baby seems fairly active on ultrasound. I can usually feel it at night when taking it easy in bed.  My girls are usually more active than my boys in utero.

God has kept us guessing with this one; that is for sure! So, send me a message of what you're thinking!

Latest Whereabouts

Chris and I have been reading Purpose Driven Life.  I wrote about it briefly before, but basically it's a 40 day Christian study that we're doing together.  Everyday, once the kids are in bed for the night, we read a chapter and then discuss it. It has really been great. And, you know "when two or three come together in my name, there I am with them" Matthew 18:20 and "Two are better off than one, because together they can work more effectively.  If one of them falls down, the other can help him up . . . Two people can resist an attack that would defeat one person alone.  A rope made of three cords is hard to break"  Ecclesiastes 4:9. So, I encourage everyone to check out this awesome study; it will definitely change your life!
Bradley will be turning 5 in about a month, and his party is scheduled right before his birthday.  He wanted to go bowling like his buddy's party (a friend that plays on his soccer team). It should be fun.  He still has to decide what theme he wants for his cake. He goes back and forth between soccer, tractors, and a few of his favorite things.  Spring soccer practice starts this week.  We don't have the game schedule yet, but his first game should be the 20th.  Bradley is so excited, because the uniforms are yellow this season, his favorite color.  Bradley is very ready for warmer weather.  He misses our evenings and weekends outside, but I'm sure Spring will be here before we know it.  Bradley continues to be such a big help with his siblings as well as daily tasks.  I registered him for "Big School" last week.  Bradley will begin kindergarten in August at the new school, Meadow Glen Elementary.  It will be a huge adjustment for all of us, but we talk about it a lot and are trying to prepare him as much as possible.  We're also using his 5th birthday and Big School to get him eating more foods.  We've warned him for months that when he turns 5 that he will be eating the same things Mama and Daddy.  So, say some prayers for us in March as we hope to make a little easier with our pickiest eater of the bunch.  He may lose a little weight, but considering how big Bradley is he should be fine. 
Austin has been a little under the weather.  First, he had thrush which is caused by his steroid inhaler and then before he could totally recover from that he developed bronchitis.  Thankfully, bronchitis can be treated with antibiotics whereas a cold/virus can't.  So, we've been treating him at home with nebulizer treatments and his antibiotic.  It was a little rough and scary last weekend before we knew exactly what he had. I don't think he will ever be sick without us worrying we're going to lose him.  So, pray about that for us and him please.  He did lose some weight with the 2 illnesses, but his doctor wasn't too concerned since she knew he'd been sick.  She was very happy that he went 2.5 months without any illnesses.  She praised us and our efforts to keep him well.  I can't imagine parents doing anything different when you're told you child's life is in your hands.  Austin is doing well with his speech; we're seeing much improvement.  He is proud of himself too.  His daily 2 word phrases include "my turn" or "turn it"; "ready, set, go"; "come on"; "my go"; and "do it" to name a few. He saying more single words too.  He still has more work to do, but we're beyond pleased with his progress.  Austin eats much more variety than Bradley, but we're planning on giving him what eat too as well.  We'll add some fruit and maybe crackers to make sure there are enough calories on his plate.  He still drinks majority of his almond milk from a bottle, but until he starts growing better we can't force the cup as this is how he gets most of his calories since we supplement his milk.
Cameron went through a rough stage while Austin was sick.  The only thing we can guess is her teeth were bothering her, however the 1st tooth still hasn't broken through and she is close to 11 months!  Thank goodness she still does well eating, and dentists and doctors say it's best when they get their teeth later anyway.  She loves table food and has eaten everything from rice and gravy to most fruits and vegetables and loves macaroni and cheese.  She usually eats whatever Chris and I are eating.  It will be nice when she can have eggs, tomato products, peanut butter, etc at one.  That will open up a lot of options.  It's wonderful having a baby that can and will eat anything.  She may not eat much, but she will try whatever she is offered.  And, we don't have to worry about her size at all.  As of last week, she weighed one pound more than Austin and is only a couple of inches shorter at most.  Cameron is everywhere now and has been for more than a month.  She is crawling, pulling up, and cruising.  She can transition well from one to the next too.  She has taken one step here and there on her own, but I think we have awhile before she walks more than a few steps.  We shall see; it doesn't matter to us.  She is signing "more" and "done".  She feeds herself finger foods well and is drinking water from a sippy cup at meals.  She also take her bottle on her own unless it's time for bed. 
Chris and I are moving forward with plans to change the small downstairs bedroom into a mudroom/laundry room and make the sun room the kid's playroom. The next step is to get prices and meet with contractors.  If anyone knows of one that is experienced, does good work, and is efficient please send us his/her name.  Chris has been trying to finally finish the storage building.  He is building a deck and ramp off the front as well as finishing the garage area that he added on for his lawnmower.  Thank you God for giving me a husband that is smart and can do anything that needs to be done around here.  Chris provides so well for us, and I'm just so thankful for him in sooo many ways.  I love that man! We will be celebrating our tenth wedding anniversary in May! (Bradley will also have his preschool graduation on our anniversary- how sweet :-) )Time has flown, and this summer will mark 16 years that we've been a couple. I thank God for giving me Chris. We've been through so much;God knew when he linked our lives together what laid ahead and made sure we had a strong relationship.  I can't believe we will be welcoming our 6th child this summer.  Baby Wicker is doing well. I had an ultrasound last week; it was the first trimester screening and just amazing.  I think the technology has improved in just the last year since I was pregnant with Cameron.  The brilliant ultrasonographer was able to determine that the baby has normal nasal and facial bones (ruling out things such as cleft palate and charateristics of Downs, etc), kidneys, stomach filled fluid which is important as it shows the baby is swallowing properly, the fold on the back of the neck was in normal range, normal movements, and we even saw some practice breathing.  The heart rate was 157 which is not as fast as my girls, but not as slow as my boys. So, I guess we will all stay in suspense a little longer.  The baby measured 13 weeks putting the due date as August 11th which doesn't mean a whole lot for me, with my history, so expecting a late July or early August baby still.  My next ultrasound should be in about 5 weeks when we will be able to see if there needs to be any adjustments made to my cerclage.  That would be done quickly and right around my 31st birthday.  In March, I'll need to start limiting my activity even more as the baby starts to grow faster around 20 weeks and has a very fast growth spurt for 4-5 weeks and it's during that time that it's most likely that I could start to have complications with premature labor. So, I'll be doing as little as possible during that time as I follow doctor's orders.  I've already cut back a good bit on things, following doctor's orders, which is why there are more blog posts these days. I get off my feet every afternoon while the kids are napping- I've got to have something to do! :-) I was excited, because I haven't gained ANY weight and since I gain so much when I'm pregnant I thought it was great.  Well, my doctor asked if I need to go to a nutrionist/dietician. I'm eating, but I guess I'm so busy with the kids that I'm burning more calories- and at this point it's hard to eat that much at one time.  So, guess I better start finding some high calorie foods- which when my diabetes kicks in might be hard with carb counting but then there will be insulin and this issue will be history.  All of my other issues checked out fine.  There is one new thing- they found a new antibody in my blood. It's on the same scale- meaning if it gets to 1:16 the doctor will have to consider an in-utero blood transfusion.  It was actually at 1:8, so they're checking it again in another week or two and we'll go from there.  Just giving it all to God and praying for peace through everything. "Do not worry about anything, instead pray about everything" Philippians 4:6

Moments with HIM

I get daily information, encouragements, and devotionals from several different websites, and lately I've been signing up for more that focus audience consists of  wives and mothers specifically.  After all, I feel as though God spent my whole life molding me for this moment, this season I'm blessed to be in RIGHT now, and I must make the most of it.  One site sent out information encouraging stay at home moms to start blogging devotionals.  Let me share with you some of the information this 14 page letter held:  "Some devotional blogs are simply spiritual blogs recording an individual persons walk and growth with the Lord. Devotional blogs have become very popular because they help the individual share their story and therefore providing a testimony to an audience . . .  Having a devotional blog is a great way to share our thoughts on what our daily Bible readings have done to our hearts. It also helps to unravel it's mysteries too. Writing is good for the brain, it helps clear the mind so we can have “room” to think about more stuff and learn more too! . . .  A lot of Christian Moms have also started a devotional/spiritual blog to minister to other Christian Moms and/or the non-believer. I believe blogs can be used as a powerful ministry tool by busy moms who simply feel the need or desire to do “something more” and share their faith with others. A lot of times writing in a devotional/spiritual blog is often the only way moms know how to share their faith because it can be too intimidating to actually talk to other people."  So, after reading all of that I thought, "OK" perhaps God is leading me that way, perhaps His plan is for me to share a little more. I pray this encourages you and strengthens your relationship with God!  It's truly awesome walking hand-in-hand with God through life, and I want all of you to experience it as well.

I have my quiet time with God when the house is quiet either during the kid's afternoon nap or at night after the kids have gone to bed.  Sometimes, I read from my Women's Devotional Bible or other times I read from Bible Gateway. I don't have a certain reading plan set up currently, but would love to follow one of the plans to read through the entire Bible in a year. Sometimes I'm led to read a certain book or chapter by something going on in my life that day, what I may need to draw strength from the Lord in regards to . . . other times it's a conversation with the kids, friend, or Chris that leads me . . . and sometimes I just somehow end up reading something which I have no doubt is definitely God led.  Lately, I keep ending up submerged in the books of Luke and Matthew which have a lot of similarities.  I'm not sure I ever realized that before.  The books include many great words to live by.  I've never hidden the fact that I'm not perfect and have much to learn- AND what better way to learn and improve myself then by following the word of God.  Plus, what better way to teach your children THE word then recite things to them over and over.  Life can be hard for the little guys, and I've definitely seen how God's word has helped Bradley when he is having normal life issues.  So, this means I of course need to keep reading and learning to help teach them as best as I can.
So, I wanted to share with you one of the excerpts from Luke.  This same topic is discussed in Matthew as well as other places throughout the Bible and I keep coming across it - so I thought "OKAY God, I read you loud and clear." This is something I obviously need encouragement in and should work on.

Luke 6:  27-36
“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.  Do to others as you would have them do to you.
“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

My perception of this is that I must love everyone.  It doesn't matter how I'm treated, good or bad, I must LOVE all.  We are commanded, by God, to "Love each other as He has loved us" in other areas of the Bible.  By loving that one person, you could bring him/her through a difficult time in their lives and lead them to God.  How incredible is that?!?! You could save their soul, free it from an eternity in Hell! It may be hard to love everyone continuously, and something we have to continually pray about, but I believe that through Christ we can improve ourselves and love others no matter what the circumstance. 
So, I end this with a prayer:
Dear God,
Thank you for being our Heavenly Father, for always being there for us in good and bad times.  Ultimately, it's you that we're living for- it's your purpose that we need to live for. 
I pray that this touches someones heart today. May this devotional reach out to to someone as if it was written specifically for them. I believe it was, that YOU directed my mind and heart and allowed my fingers to write your desires for us.  I pray that we're all reminded to live following your word and continue to submerge ourselves in it.  Please remind me of these words, on a daily basis, so that I may serve you in the best possible way and lead others to know your love and ultimately accept you into their heart.  I pray that we read this with an open mind, feel motivated, and become all that YOU have created us to be. In your name I pray, Amen. 

Chicken Parmesan

I cooked supper for some friends recently and made this dish.  This is a dish I've been making since Chris and I were newlyweds . . . for almost 10 years now! Wow, time flies when you're having fun! My friend asked me to share this, so I thought I would share this quick, easy, and fairly healthy dish with everyone!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
4 chicken breasts
2 eggs
Big Bowl of Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs
Marinara sauce of your choice, depending on time I may make my own or I may add some extra herbs to a pre-made jarred brand.  If using a pre-made one I usually add garlic powder, dried onion flakes, and oregano. 
4 oz.Mozzarella cheese
4 oz Parmesan Cheese

Make your Marinara sauce and let it simmer while you do the following steps.  Cut chicken breasts in half or into strips. Break eggs and mix in a bowl.  Roll chicken in egg, then bread crumbs.  Cover thoroughly and place in a baking dish.  This step can be done up to one day prior and placed covered in the frig.  Cook for 20 mins, uncovered. 
Remove dish and pour a generous portion of marinara sauce over the chicken covering most of each piece.  Then, top with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.  I usually cover majority of the chicken with both the sauce and cheese. Cook for 15minutes, uncovered, until cheese melted and a light golden brown.  Serve with pasta and marinara sauce on the side.  We usually have a fresh salad and garlic bread with it too.  Enjoy!

Cravings

One thing never changes with my pregnancies, no matter how many I go through, my cravings. (if you're wondering why I'm talking about this, then you need to read the post from a couple of weeks ago GO HERE) I always crave things early on and it continues throughout the duration of the pregnancy. Thankfully, diabetes doesn't kick in until after 20 weeks so for now I'm able to fulfill the cravings.
I'm sure I won't be able to remember each pregnancy as vividly as I do now, so I wanted to journal them because it is rather interesting to me.  I wonder if it shows what the child will like, his or her favorite foods???  It just amazes me at the difference in each of the pregnancies. Are you like that?  What have your cravings consisted of? Do you tend to crave healthier things or the worst things possible?

Bradley's: Sweets, such as chocolate candy bars.  Hawaiian Punch, and I drank it after every meal so that it would be "better" coming back up (I got sick for about 12 weeks, averaged 3 times a day).  Chocolate Fudge Milkshake from Sonic.  Strawberries, the last 3 months or so I had them every morning with breakfast and sometimes for a snack too.  I was working at Lexington Medical Center at the time and one of the deli's would cut them up and sell them like that.  It was winter and the grocery stores hardly ever had any as ripe and juicy as these.  So, a sweet co-worker would walk all the way across campus to get these for me every morning- those and 3 strips of bacon.  Sweet tea, and it didn't have to be sweetened with sugar, Splenda worked too. Pizza Hut Pan Cheese Pizza.

The Triplet's:  It was weird, as if each of the children had different wants and as quick as one would come it'd be gone and I was wanting something else- often before I could fulfill the previous craving.  However, I really liked the Creamy (sort of like ranch but with a peppery spice) salad dressing sold at Japanese restaurants.  My sweet hubby even bought a pint size container a couple of times from the local Hibachi restaurant.  Strawberry Fruitista from Taco Bell.  Cookies: Peanut Butter, Chocolate Chip Oatmeal or even the combination of the 2.  A ham and turkey sandwich with cheese on real, white bread with Duke's Mayo.  Apple Juice Slushes from Sonic.  I was sick a long time with this pregnancy, and I tried to eat more protein as that helps with it.  So, I made my own pasta salad with wheat pasta, chunks of cooked ham, bacon, shredded cheese, almonds, and ranch

Cameron's:  Fudge, cakes, and Cupcakes.  Salads from sub places like Jersey Mikes and even Publix' Deli; turkey, ham, cheese, with shredded lettuce (yeah I know, no real nutrition), cucumbers, pickles, pepper, vinegar, and ranch dressing.  I hated most meats, the only ones I could handle until about 20 weeks had to be shredded, finely cut, or ground.  Cherry Cokes.  Japanese Hibachi.  Zesto's fried chicken, coleslaw, and chocolate-dipped ice cream cones.  Hot fudge sundaes from Rush's or their chocolate milkshakes.  Fries were very tasty as well with vinegar on them- some places have spicy vinegar and that just hit the spot!  Little Debbie Honey Buns and Nutty Bars.  Whopper's Mini Robin Eggs

Baby Wicker's: Oranges and orange juice.  Strawberries and peaches.  Lots of fresh fruits thank goodness . . . finally!  Although sugar cookies and peanut butter cookies (with the Hershey kiss on top have been yummy).  Cherry Coke Icees or Slushes.  Chick-fil-a Nuggets.  I'm still not feeling quite like myself (only 11.5 weeks, so I'm sure I will have many more cravings this pregnancy). 

I never eat that much the first 12-16 weeks, but somewhere after 16 weeks my appetite begins to grow.  And, at about 22 weeks I'm so hungry I want to eat everything in site.  With diabetes I can't eat until I'm full, so I just deal with it.  I remember at the end of Cameron's pregnancy I told Chris I was going to be the only women to ever have a baby and gain weight afterwards, because I just couldn't wait until I got full. Then, I had her and realized there was no time to eat anymore! :-) ha ha

WE WON! (and baby wicker update)

We WON the photo contest!!!  Thank you everyone who fully supported us and voted their hearts out for us! Y'all are awesome! To view the photographer's blog about the win click HERE.  And, to see more of Amanda's work go HERE. She is awesome, does fabulous work, is a Christian, reasonably priced, and a mom to twin girls (to give a little important background information on her).  So, now we will get pictures done when Baby Wicker is born in August.  Yay!
I had an appointment at the OB last Friday, and Baby Wicker was looking great. . . moving lots, strong heartbeat of 179, and all looked well.  About the heartbeat . . . I've been thinking it was a boy because I haven't been as sick this time around as with Cameron.  However, that heartbeat looks like a girl as our girls have distinctly faster heart rates than our boys.  Our boys are always in the 150's or slower and our girls are always upper 160's to 180's.  We shall see. . . anyway, I go back in about 2 weeks for another ultrasound. They will measure the nuchal fold to get an idea of if this baby is at risk for certain genetic abnormalities such as downs, etc.  Some of you may know that we did the full 1st trimester screening with Cameron, because of the the cerclage surgery. The doctor wanted to rule out Trisomy 13 or 18 as most of the time those babies die in utero and the cerclage would prevent my miscarrying the baby naturally.  Anyway, they did blood work, ultrasound measurements, and we met with the genetic counselor.  The results came back that Cameron had an increased chance of  Down Syndrome.  We never really knew the whole pregnancy whether or not Cameron had Down's and while it didn't change our feelings for her we did wish that we could have prepared ourselves it if were the case to best care for her.  So, obviously she was fine and the results gave a false positive.  So, this time I've opted to just have the measurement done as my high risk OB likes to do it to prepare parents.  The ultrasound is the most reliable way to determine such risks.
Okay, for all of those that want to know the other medical details of the pregnancy and my high risk factors . . .  when this ultrasound is done they will start measuring my cervix.  My OB is hopeful that the cerclage will work again, just as it did with Cameron. However, there is a chance that it may not tighten down correctly and some changes may have to be made to it surgically. So, he will continue to check my cervix, via ultrasound, and should know if it is working correctly by 18 weeks.  Then, he will follow it closely until I reach about 28 weeks when he will stop checking all together.  He will be checking my "Big E" antibody this pregnancy, monthly, just as with Cameron and the triplets. To remind you it stayed 1:16 and 2:16 all of Cameron's pregnancy, but if it goes to 8:16 (the 1st number doubles, so it will always be an even number 1, 2, 4, 8, 16 etc and can go from 2:16 to 8:16 in one month) they may decide to do a blood transfusion on the baby during the pregnancy.  I acquired this antibody through carrying one of Chris' previous children (Bradley or a miscarriage before the triplets).  As long as it stays low there are no big concerns.  They will check, through ultrasounds, to make sure that the blood flow to the baby looks good the last half of the pregnancy as it can cause issues. Then, there is my small Protein S Deficiency which puts me at high risk for blood clots during pregnancy. You may have heard of things like this where women take shots of blood thinners daily, but I'm able to be controlled by daily baby Aspirin.  Next, is my gestational diabetes which he doesn't expect to rear it's ugly head until 20 or 22 weeks at the earliest.  So, until then I'm going to do a one or two day trial every couple of weeks of all day blood sugar testing (fasting in the am and 2 hours after every meal). The placenta produces a hormone starting around 20 or 22 weeks and peaks at 28 weeks. This hormone causes some women's pancreas, such as myself, to not work properly. So, this is why I shouldn't have issues until after 20 weeks.  I'm already trying to watch what I eat and not carb overload, but this shouldn't have anything to do with the outcome besides going ahead and getting my mind in the diabetic way of thinking. I'm almost 11 weeks and haven't gained any weight- yay! They always want me to shoot for about 40lbs, so I know it will come later especially when insulin is added to my daily regimen as insulin causes people to gain 10-15 pounds. I will start to have weekly ultrasound and non-stress tests after 28 weeks just as with Bradley and Cameron due to diabetes. So, that is about it.  This pregnancy continues to be amazing as far as God providing for everything- sickness, childcare, etc.  I'm not too sick to take care of the kids everyday, my doctor continues to work around Chris' schedule for my appointments, and God just continues to provide in every way.  So, I know that all this other stuff above will be taken care of too, and I'm going to give it ALL to God.
 Now, we have to come up with a boy and girl name.  Leave your comment or email me and weigh in with your opinion as we'd love to hear it.  Do you think we should "go on down" the alphabet to a 'D' name or should we stick to an 'A, B, or C' name since all of our 5 children have had names starting with those 3 letters and allow the kids to continue being our A,B,C's??? Coming up with a name for a 6th child, after naming our 5 children, is getting kind of tricky! :-) What a great problem to have though! "Thank you Lord, how could I ask for more!"
Know this song? Check it out! How could I ask for More by Cindy Morgan- great song played on WMHK often.

Need YOUR help ASAP!

Amanda Joy Photography took this picture in October, and now she is having a Best of 2010 photo contest. This picture was picked, by her, as one of the Best of 2010. So, I need YOU to help us win a free session and free 16x20 canvas ($350 value!!!)by voting this picture THE BEST OF 2010.  Just go to her website HERE to do so. You can only vote once, and this needs to be done this week. Please share with all you know!  She does great newborn pictures, so I'd love to have her take picture of Baby Wicker and the rest of the family when he/ she arrives. Then, if you are on Facebook go to Amanda Joy Photo and put that you like #4 and that I sent you.  Amanda said this will allow you TWO votes!
Thanks so much. Hope everyone is having a blessed week and staying warm!