Monday, September 28, 2009

Pay it Forward

Well, the move is complete. Today, the moving men came to my office and hauled all my stuff to my new space. It was quite an ordeal. I had a full schedule of patients to see in my disheveled old office while they were trying to move huge filing cabinets full of patient files at the same time. I never knew I had so much stuff in one small space. I was without a computer or phone for most of the day, so it was a bit overwhelming once everything was up and running again. The best part of my day came when I walked into my old office one last time to find Debrand truffles sitting there. A team member brought them to me for helping her out last week! What a beautiful surprise! Sometimes I wonder how this world would be different if we all took a moment each day to surprise someone else??? Her act of kindness left me feeling like showing others random acts of kindness this afternoon. I wonder if each of us did just one nice, unexpected thing for someone today, how they might respond and what the ripple effect might be. It's worth a try, don't you think?

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Thankful Thursdays...

Today, I am thankful for...

1. Matthew being a kid. There are many moments in everyday when I find myself on the verge of raising my voice, and there are definitely moments when I do, in fact, raise my voice, but for the most part, I realize that Matthew is just a little boy who is exploring his world. So today, when he dumped an entire pitcher of water on the floor (that Daddy left at home for him to play with), I just smiled as I watched him play in the puddle in the middle of my living room floor. I heard a pastor say once that we have to determine the difference between when our children are acting childish and just being children. This afternoon, I decided Matthew was just being a child. Mommy and Daddy are cleaning the carpets this weekend anyway, so I figure we just got a head start!

2. Our anniversary... tomorrow is our 5 year anniversary! I can't believe it has been 5 whole years already. Our lives have changed a great deal over the past 5 years, but we still make each other laugh and enjoy spending time together. If I had it to do all over again, I would marry Ryan in a second! He is a terrific husband and Matthew just adores him!

3. Last night Matthew and Ryan were folding laundry (Ryan was folding, Matthew was unloading and reloading clothes baskets as quickly as possible) when the doorbell rang. It was our neighbor girl selling volleyball booster cards. Ryan took off for the door and his little shadow followed right behind. What I didn't realize until we got to the door was that Matthew had my underwear in his hand to greet the world!

4. Ceiling fans. I did not have any ceiling fans in the house I grew up in, but Ryan and I have run a ceiling fan in our room every night since we got married. WE LOVE IT! I definitely like it now that I am pregnant and much warmer than usual. I find it very difficult to sleep without one these days. Amazing how you can become so attached to something.

5. All is set for Ella's delivery on November 18th. The plan is for her to make her entrance into the world around 11:30 AM that morning. We are getting very excited and looking forward to meeting this little bundle of joy!

Have a great weekend!

Thursday, September 17, 2009

The Countdown is on...

Well, the countdown to Ella's arrival can officially begin. I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and we set the C-section date for Wednesday, November 18th. This is the week before Thanksgiving, which is not necessarily ideal, however, it will be nice because Ryan will hopefully be able to take some time off work to help me once we get home! I may just have to have Thanksgiving dinner brought to me instead of heading out to all the festivities. Now, I just have to start making plans to get my house decorated for Christmas between now and then. I would like to have my tree up and gifts purchased so that will be one less thing to think about with a new little one... I will be making my list and checking it twice! We continue to be grateful for the progression of this pregnancy. We feel very blessed that soon we will be welcoming a new little life into our midst. Have a great weekend!

Tent Making

One of my favorite things to do when I was a little boy was to make a tent with blankets and couches and anything else I could find. So, the other night, I helped Matthew make his first tent. He thought it was pretty cool, and enjoyed running in and out of it and laughing at Daddy!

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Thankful Thursdays...

Today, we are thankful for...

1. A good report on ultrasound... it appears that little Miss Ella is growing and developing right on schedule! We are most thankful for this and also are excited to welcome a little girl into our family in a few weeks!

2. Good deals. My sister and I went to the Carter's outlet today and found some really cute clothes for the boys and Ella. It was fun to shop for a little girl.

3. A new baby! Some friends of mine welcomed a new daughter into the world this week! Ellie Lyn was born on Tuesday and joins her 2 older brothers at home! Congratulations to Scott and Deanna and family on your new little bundle!

4. Shipshewana flea market. I trekked through the flea market yesterday with my good friend, Nikki. We had fun and enjoyed some good bargains. Matthew even enjoyed it... well, not really, but he tolerated the excursion pretty well!

5. Lists. I love to make lists and cross things off as I complete them. I am so thankful that Ella's room is painted and has fish on the walls. We are so happy with how it turned out and even Matthew loves to play in there. Hopefully, he will love his little sister just as much!

Have a great weekend!

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Ready or not, here Ella comes!!!

We had our second ultrasound tonight and Baby Ella will remain Baby Ella! We have a fantastic picture of what is known to the ultrasound world as a "cheeseburger" instead of a "turtle." Ella looked beautiful on ultrasound and is measuring about 1 week ahead of schedule instead of 3 1/2 weeks as estimated by my belly measurement. It looks like we are on track for a November delivery! As I type this, Ryan has retrieved Adelynn's clothes from the storage room and we are looking through some PINK! Good to know all those hairbows will be put to good use! Have a great night!

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Labor Day Weekend Project

We decided we would put our 3-day weekend to good use, and decided to work on the new nursery. The nursery has an under-the-sea theme! We spent most of Friday night and some of Saturday cutting out the fish, and then we spent the rest of the weekend painting them! It really was a fun project, but we are certainly glad that the painting part of the nursery is done. Now, we just have to add the furniture and some shelves. Oh, yeah, and a baby! Enjoy the pictures!


Thursday, September 3, 2009

Thankful Thursdays...

Today, I am thankful for...

1. A long weekend! We are going to try to get baby Ella's room put together this weekend. Lots of exciting things to paint and put together!

2. I go to the doctor today for my 28 week check. I did my glucose tolerance test on Tuesday, so I will get the results of that and hopefully find out if another ultrasound is needed. I have been feeling good, just very tired in the evenings, but I suppose that is to be expected!

3. Beautiful weather. We are loving the nice weather around here!

4. Matthew's tantrums... yes, our little guy has figured out how to throw a fit! So far, they are few and far between, and although I am thankful they have all happened at home, I am also grateful that our little guy is figuring out how to express himself. He is also figuring out that tantrums are not a good way to get what he wants. This morning he was having a bit of fit getting his diaper changed. I decided to just put him down on the floor and let him have his moment. I started to walk out of the room and before I even got to the hallway he had stopped and was looking at me like, "Well, that didn't work very well did it?" Needless to say, we accomplished the diaper change without anymore tears! Hooray for small victories!

5. Christmas shopping. I have decided to start Christmas shopping. Yesterday, I figured out the budget and made a quick list of some early ideas. I figure I will not be at all in the mood to take part in the hustle and bustle with a newborn this year. I am going to try to have most everything done prior to having baby Ella!

Enjoy the long weekend!