A Hodgepodge of Many Things...

Well, we're dropping like flies. The pregnant ladies, that is. In my last post, I mentioned how many of my friends were due on the same day I am. Out of all these ladies, it's just Laura Beth and I hanging in to the end. Christie went in yesterday and had a baby girl, and Forrest's wife (I forgot her name!) went in today. I know it's a sin, but I can't help but be insanely jealous. But at the same time, I know that these babies are three weeks (give or take) early, and that with each day that passes with my little peanut safely in the womb, the healthier she will be. But still. Y'all. These women aren't pregnant anymore. Do you know how appealing that is?
Last week I had my 37 week appointment (I'm going once a week now) to check to see if I'm progressing. I was very, very surprised to learn that (as of last Thursday) I was already 60% effaced. At 37 weeks? Am I really going to make it to the 4th? I never got this far with Andrew, even AFTER I was induced! So, Brian thinks it's in my best interest to have a bag packed. I'm going back tomorrow for my 38 week checkup, I'm curious to see what's up. I'm very ready to not be pregnant anymore. I don't know what it's like to sleep more than 3 hours at a time, or go that long without peeing, either. I know that it's God's way of prepping me for life with a newborn. But I was really hoping to go into life with a newborn (and a 3 year old!) rested. But as they say, every time someone makes a plan, God laughs.

So, that's the pregnancy update. I wanted also to share with you a funny Andrew story. If you remember, we got him the Read Aloud Bible Stories book for Christmas. He loves it. We read it every. single. night. And sometimes at naptime, too. His favorite story by far is The Baby in the Basket, which is a 3 year old's way of saying The Story of Moses. To make a long story short, the "bad king" doesn't want any more baby boys, so he tells everyone to "throw away" all baby boys. One family makes a basket for their baby boy and hides the basket in the river...etc.

Well, last Thursday night we went to Chili's for dinner. There was an abundance of young toddlers and babies there, for some reason, and they really and truly all happened to be boys. Brian was talking to Andrew about how many little boys there were in the restaurant, and he jokingly asked Andrew, "What in the world are we going to do with all these baby boys?"

To which Andrew replied, with his hand thrust mightily in the air, "THROW THEM AWAY!"

Y'all, I laughed so hard. I guess you really never know how much actually sinks in and sticks in these little minds. But it secretly pleased me that he was learning these Bible stories. Just maybe we should vary the stories a bit, so that he doesn't go walking around telling people that he wants to throw their baby away!

Lastly, I wanted to do my part for the Haiti people and children by letting you all know about an orphanage that needs help. Our church is one of several churches that has missions in Haiti. We are partnered with Truth Evangelistic Ministry. Over the past few years we've built four Christian churches in remote areas of Haiti, and also have helped support an orphanage called Love A Child. If you all haven't made a donation to a specific relief organization, I strongly encourage you to check out these two web sites. TEM is working to distribute supplies to the people in remote areas that haven't received aid yet, and Love A Child has been set up as a very large field hospital near the border of Dominican Republic. They're getting up to 1,000 patients a day. It saddens my heart to see these poor people, who had nothing to begin with, lose what little they had. In most cases it was their loved ones they lost. But the Haitian people that our church and our ministry is reaching are still faithful that God will provide for them and heal them. So please, if God leads you to do so, make a donation!