Pregnancy Pics ...23 weeks...1-23-07

Pregnancy Pictures...23 weeks

A few days ago I got four requests in one day to post some prego pictures. Clearly I am not a fan of putting pictures of myself up on here, but do to popular demand...here you are. These were taken almost a week ago at the end of a long day, so only look at my belly, not my face  I am definitely gaining weight (clearly!) and feeling the weight of the baby. I cannot sleep on my belly anymore and after 20 weeks they forbid you to sleep on your back so I am now stuck on my sides. This morning my hips were aching...and when I stepped on the scale I got a big surprise. So...I am guessing baby bear has had a growth spurt lately.

Lately I have been so burdened for the tragedy I see happening around me. For instance, a pastor and his wife (who live near us) lost their baby girl a two years ago when a fan fell into her crib. Since then, they have gotten pregnant and last week found out they are having a baby boy...to which they were ecstatic. The following day he and she went on a much anticipated vacation to the Bahama's...while swimming in the water a huge wave crashed over him and he is now paralyzed from the chest down (much like Christopher Reeve). Another family in the area was in an accident last week...they had four children...but the dad, the oldest son and the baby, their only girl all died. So a family of 6 is now a family of 3. Such split second tragedies...how does one ever cope with these things. I just don't feel that I have the strength that would be required to deal with losing one child...let alone two and a spouse. I suppose the only explanation is that God gives enough grace in the moment that standing on the outside we cannot comprehend...but going through it He must just supply the strength needed. It has all just humbled me...we have so very much to be thankful for.

Finally...a few Landon updates for those of you who live far away and want to keep up on him. He is now really into getting dressed on his own and surprising us. Usually his underwear end up inside out and backwards, his pants always backwards, and his socks only half on, but the kid is so proud of his accomplishment. His other hilarious developmental task as of late: when he goes potty he shuts the door and demands that we do not see his "Parvacy". He mixes the words "private parts" and "privacy" and calls it all parvacy. It makes us laugh everytime. Right now he is in the front walk playing in the snow with his truck. I love that we have a glass door so I can sit in my nice warm house and type while he plays contentedly in the snow. In our defense, we do usually go out with him. Saturday we all went out and built a snowman...such a simple thing but Landon loved it so much and it really made us all feel good to do something like that as a family. We also went to Lowe's on Saturday and tried to pick out colors for the nursery. We have it narrowed down, but no final decisions yet. Jonathan wants to make his own beadboard and attach it to the wall so we are trying to decide on the design for that as well.

In high school, my friend Krista used to use Thermasilk products for her hair. I use Herbal Essence hairspray, but they were out of it at the store last week so I bought Thermasilk...now every wiff I get of myself I am reminded of Krista and I miss her 

Finally, remember last June when I told you all that my husband's company was paying for a trip for us to Las Vegas and it turned out that he was using that to surprise me for a trip to see our friends Jason and Courtenay in Texas? Well, his company really is paying for us to take a trip to Chicago this weekend. I am so excited! Saturday morning we board the train at 7:30 am (yes, this will be a stretch for me  ) and they are paying for a hotel and and nice dinner and a comedy club (I have never been on a train or to a comedy club). So all of that is free and we get the daytime Saturday and Sunday to shop or do whatever we want...just me and Jonathan. My mom is keeping Landon. I am SO SO SO excited!!! A free trip to anywhere sounds heavenly to me...even if it is only for a night. It will be blissful!