Bye-Bye July! Hello June-bug!!

Wednesday I had my first OB appointment and we discovered that I was a week off! So my due date is no longer in July... it's June 25! Miracle's birthday!!! Rick and I got to see our little June-bug on ultrasound (tho the doc didn't print us a pic) and she looks great! Her little heart-rate was 174 bpm. (Yes, we're hoping for a girl!) This doctor is a perinatologist in Rolla. Rick really likes him.... he's very knowledgeable in so many areas, he's very matter-of-fact, and he was a Navy Corpman for 6 years. So Rick REALLY respects him. I can DEFINITELY see the military medical training in this guy. He could really care less how this pregnancy affects me emotionally. He didn't once ask me how I was feeling or what hopes I had throughout this pregnancy. It's his job to keep me alive and he made it clear that that's all that is important to him. To me, he kinda sucked the fun out of going in for those prenatal visits. After taking my history, he tried to scare me half to death. He ordered blood work (which ended up being 14 VILES worth!!!) to test for everything under the sun. Then he expalined to me all the various ways this pregnancy could be "potentailly" dangerous. I guess he doesn't realize who he's talking to. He'll soon learn. :>) But, I will say, he IS thorough. He's testing me for things I've never even heard of. So, I at least am confident that he takes my lupus seriously and I'm sure if I ever sneeze, he'll run a test for everything from the common cold to the bird flu! lol

Oh that's another thing! He wanted me to take the flu shot. He said that being pregnant and having lupus are BOTH reasons that I should take it. He didn't ask me if I wanted it... he just ordered it. When the nurse brought it, I asked her if I could decline it. The doctor popped in and looked at me like I was nuts. He kept trying to tell me that it won't hurt that bad, yada yada. I finally explained that I'm not afraid of the pain... I'm just picky about immunizations. I feel that doctors these days want to inject us with everything under the sun. You should have heard the fight that he put up... but in the end, I won. He made me sign something saying that I declined it... and apparently, I'm the first patient of his to ever decline it. He said, "Just sign this saying that you're declining the flu shot even tho it could potentially kill you." Good grief. He may turn out to be more of a drama queen than I am! It'll be a fun 30 more weeks! I go back Dec 20 and we'll have another ultrasound then. YAY!!!

I'll post pictures as soon as I can!

We're having a BABY!

Baby #4 is due July 2, 2008! We just found out on Friday and we're so excited! Shocked.... but excited!!! Please keep our growing family in your prayers!

Yes... HE GOT A JOB!!!!

RICK IS WORKING AGAIN!!!!!!

I was so tired of saying "Rick got a job"... "No he didn't".... "He got a job"... "No he didn't" that I just quit. I decided I'd announce he got a job when he got his first paycheck. And today, HE GOT HIS FIRST PAYCHECK!!!!!! Rick is working for the Pulaski County Ambulance District (or P-CAD) as an EMT. He's also doing his Reserve Drill in the ER on Post and he's been filling in shifts for firefighters at St. Robert. He's staying busy!! AND getting paid! PRAISE GOD!!!!! I'm so proud of Rick! He's great at what he does!

Women At Rest Weekend Retreat

This past weekend, WAR-Missouri had our first Fall Retreat at Whispering Winds Camp near St. James. OH MY GOODNESS!!!!! This is the land that God blessed.

Here are a few pics from our weekend. These pictures here are of the campgrounds. I laid under this tree and took an hour long nap. All I could hear was the wind and occassionally a little rooster. When I woke up my cheek was warm - the sun was shining through the branches above me, as if God was sending down a gentle kiss on my cheek. I tell ya, those kinds of moments are the things that beautiful poems are written about. I felt like I was in a scene right out of a book or movie. When was the last time that you laid still, in the middle of a field and heard NOTHING?? "Be still and know that I am God." -Psalm 46:10

The House Of Yummy

The Dining Hall at Whispering Winds was affectionately dubbed "The House Of Yummy" and became one of our favorite parts of the weekend retreat! I don't know that I've ever eaten so well in my life! Each meal was completely home made from scratch. I think I helped myself to seconds on everything at every meal! Another favorite at the House Of Yummy was the "Magic Window". When you set your dishes in front of it, they disappear!! Even better... Magic Window came with Magic Man... and sometimes Magic Man came out of Magic Window and picked up your dishes for you!!! We all want to know where we can order a Magic Window/Man Deluxe Combo for ourselves!!!!

Here I Am To Worship

Friday night we learned about different creative forms of expression to incorporate in our worship time. Here we learn how to use the billows.

Riley.... or Kenny Chesney??

Riley just cracks me up. He came in posed like this and all I could think of was "Give the kid a shell necklace and he looks like a little Kenny Chesney!"