Had my 35 week appointment today. They did the group B strep test. Then the midwife informed me that I’m measuring big. As in 40 weeks. 5 weeks ahead.

None of my other appointments have they mentioned me being big, much less that big. What in the world?

I have an ultrasound scheduled for the morning. If she looks like she’ll be around 8 pounds, they’ll induce me at 39 weeks or so. If she’s bigger than that, they’re talking cesarean.

I am completely flabbergasted. How did she get so big, so fast? I’ve only gained 24 pounds this pregnancy. I’ve eaten carefully. And why did they not catch it sooner?

If she’s measured on track the rest of the pg, is it really still possible I’m farther along than the 35 weeks they’ve been saying? My dates were “off” at the beginning so I guess it’s possible. . .

So – moms of big babies – talk to me. Induction and cesarean both freak me out right now. The only consolation at the moment is the thought that at least I don’t have to worry about going more than about 4 more weeks.

But what in the world?????

I just love how God made sunsets. They’re so beautiful!

Yesterday I made a double batch of chocolate chip cookies to freeze. I didn’t expect to get almost 7 dozen from a double batch of cookies, but it was nice. They were just barely underbaked, making them practically irresistable. The hard part now is staying out of them, even if they are in the freezer!

The other day I logged onto Facebook to read some shocking news. A kid from my old church – now a soldier – was killed in Afghanistan. If you’re interested, you can read one of the news stories here.

What struck me is just how easy it is to forget that we’re even at war. We Americans go on with our lives, living as though nothing is even happening.

Then things strike close to home. Nick Roush was only 22. I used to go to church with him, though I didn’t know him very well. I think of the teens at my current church, the young adults who have recently graduated high school. Two of them are 19 right now. They’re old enough to join the Army, and old enough to die for our country.

Then I had to compare that with other news we heard this week – of two boys that we both know from teaching in a Christian school. They both made it in to The Citadel this year, and one is planning on enlisting when he graduates. While that is an honor, and I am honestly proud of them, I can’t help but think of this other family’s sacrifice.

We in America do not thank our military enough. Freedom is never truly free, yet somehow we forget about that until it hits us close to home.

Thank you to all those who serve in our nation’s military!

I discovered today how much Caleb really likes coloring. He sat at Samuel’s desk and colored for probably about an hour. I was surprised he stayed there that long. Our piano tuner was here, and Caleb needed something to distract him, but the crayons worked far better than I thought they would.

I couldn’t decide which picture to post, so here’s the other one. Caleb is trying to see into the room to watch what that man was doing in there to our piano!

Lately my days have been so busy. It’s been quite the challenge finding a balance.

First, we started school this week. We’re using My Father’s World this year. Not that it’s been long, but so far I’m loving it.

Another thing I like is Caleb is now old enough to sit at the table and color while Sam and I do schoolwork.

The thing that’s been the hardest for me is balancing housekeeping with work and my increasing lack of energy. Stephen has been absolutely amazing, helping me with household tasks that are typically mine. It frustrates me that I’ve had a harder time getting things done, but he’s been really understanding.

Quick update on the pregnancy – I’m currently just past 34 weeks. The baby dropped last week, which has been interesting to see how my symptoms have changed. I’ve had tons of contractions (which increase greatly when I’m on my feet) but at my last OB visit, they did a preterm labor test and apparently the contractions are just Braxton Hicks. It’s frustrating to me because they don’t follow “typical” BH signs like I’ve read about. I have another visit this Monday where they’ll check Baby Girl’s position and do the Group B Strep test, so we’ll see how things are going then. The countdown to my due date is now in the 30′s. I still can’t believe how quickly this pregnancy has gone!

There’s an upside to all the extra sitting though. I do occasional web design work for people on the side, and lately have been absolutely swamped with work. That’s pretty unusual for me, but I’m thankful. In fact, I got two new bids on work within 20 minutes of each other last week! It’s been a lot of fun working on the sites, but it has taken up most of my spare time. Neither of the current two projects have given me specific deadlines, but given how close I am to my due date, I’m feeling a bit of pressure to get them done quickly. I’ve felt like a bit of a web-nerd mom lately though! :O)

Another fun little tidbit is Samuel got his very own laptop this week. I was at a local Christian school last week them with their website, and made a comment about how I needed to get a bigger laptop bag. That reminded my Mother-in-law (the secretary there) about an old laptop they had there. She sent it home with me for Stephen to check out. Turns out it’s an absolute dinosaur and doesn’t work well enough for anyone at the school to use. They told us to throw it away, so we let Sam play with it. He LOVES it.

The only problem with smoothies is if they’re too thick, they make a mess on your face!

My big helper – helping me clean up the front yard in time for last night’s piano students to arrive.

My favorite part is the John Deere tractor pulling the Radio Flyer wagon. He does that a lot. When it’s time to water the dog, he fills a bucket of water, puts it in the wagon, and takes it to the dog that way. Maybe I’m biased, but I think he’s pretty smart!

I bought a multifunction printer on Monday. My favorite part (and the only function I have yet to try, lol!) – the scanner. We’ve been needing a scanner for work-related things for Stephen, but I’m excited to use it for fun stuff.

Another bonus is this thing is a lot faster than my old printer. I liked the old one well enough, but this is so fast that I feel rather spoiled. How fun!

Today Caleb and I stayed home from church. He still has just enough of a cough that he didn’t need to be in the nursery, and I can’t say that I’m not still contagious myself. So we stayed home.

First, let me just say that it was weird. Since our church only has one pianist, if one of the kids is sick, Stephen usually stays home with them. To be honest, it’s not a solution I’m 100% happy with, but it is the most workable of all our options. Every time he’s stayed home while I’ve gone to church, I feel bad that he has to miss. Today I got a taste of what it’s really like.

I miss church!

I am so thankful for the pastor that God sent us. He has been such a blessing, and I have been learning so much lately. The past few weeks he’s been doing a series on what young people face today. It’s been absolutely fascinating to hear him outline how to decide if something is appropriate. The first two weeks were on music, and last week and the week before were on dress and modesty. Stephen said tonight’s message was on dancing. I’ll have to listen to the recording later since I missed it. I really appreciate that Preacher is doing this series. As a teen, my excuse was often, “I don’t do ____ because Baptists don’t do that.” It would have been nice to be able to explain the why behind things.

I can’t wait until Wednesday. It feels strange not having been in church, and I miss the preaching!