Well, we’re beginning week #3 with our newest addition, and life has never been busier! I’ve had 2 days with DH back at work, only 1 of which I was by myself all day.

What gets done with a 4, 3, 1 year old and a new baby? Not much!

Life is basically “Go with the flow” right now. I’ve had several people comment on how calm I sound on the phone, which has tickled me. Thinking about it, as far as home life goes, I have no choice BUT to be calm.

Sure, I like my routine and being able to accomplish goals - but thankfully, I’m also a perfectionist. The thing about perfectionists that’s working in my sanity level favor right now is that if we can’t do something right, we don’t do it at all.

So, not much is getting done, and (can I say it??), I really don’t care about some of it. Sure, I’d love to have clean counters all the time, and not have my laundry basket overflowing. But the reality of things is - I can’t jump back into a schedule with 3 kids, we now have 4. And this 4th one likes to eat every hour and a half to two hours during the day.

Yesterday, we had his 2 week pictures set up at Target for 5 PM. We woke up at 7:45 (well, I did as the last one up). It was 6 hours later before I was able to get myself and 4 children out the door! We had planned on spending a large part of the day with my mom, but ended up with only about 2 hours.

The baby would NOT sleep yesterday morning. He wasn’t bad or fussy, he just wouldn’t take a nap (so I could shower). Note - brothers and sister don’t always let him be when he’s in his playpen sleeping, so we can’t leave him unattended (unless there’s a really good show/ movie on).

I have been thankful DH got us a TV convertor box while on baby leave. I wasn’t wild about TV watching before, but some of these new channels have been a life/ sanity saver for me this past week.

I’m hoping that we’ll soon learn how to become ‘productive’ again - LOL - but for now, I’m having to realize that it’s just going to take time and “Go with the flow”.

About Heaven In Our Homes - DH mentioned last night how he feels I really need to cut back on computer time (still). Our children are showing signs of needing a little extra attention since the baby came, and my first role should be that of wife and mommy. So, at least for the next month or two, postings here will be rare.

I really hate to give it up completely, so it will stay, I just can’t be on here as much during this season of my life. To keep in touch, Sonbeams will be resuming a slow paced blogging schedule soon, and then there’s our family site that will have several postings a month. (Email me for that link if you’re interested  - Candace@heaveninourhomes.com)

Praying you have a blessed summer, and hopefully we’ll ‘meet’ again in the fall!

Candace

Today I took our baby for his 1 week checkup (at 8 days old), mainly because he’s been a little jaundice, and I wanted to be sure it wasn’t too much. Just a quick blurb - he’s doing great, already passed his birth weight by 3 oz, which is something they look for within the first 2 weeks with breastfed babies!

The Lord gave me a quick lesson while sitting in the waiting room, and boy did I feel the slap on my hands. While waiting to go back, I found myself cringing at everyone walking by us (I tried to sit away from everyone) and at all the coughing going on. I know, I was in a doctor’s office, but not everyone is sick - like us!

Then I heard it, well, EVERYONE heard it - the screams of a toddler. The newest addition to our waiting room was a very upset little boy. He didn’t ‘want to walk’ inside, but instead wanted to ride in the stroller. He was giving his mom fits, and there were some eye glances going on inside the office. I looked down as they walked in, in disbelief at how this little one was acting.

The nurse called me up to the desk, and I mentioned something about being surprised my baby was sleeping through it all, and that he would be screaming if woken up. (My first no no). Her reaction caught me by surprise, especially since office staff is sometimes cold and not too happy to be working. Her face showed compassion, and she mentioned how he must really not be feeling well.

Ooh - got me. Here I was making judgements, and she’s showing compassion. I took my seat and listened in as the mother went up to the desk a minute later. She began sharing how she didn’t know how to control him, that nothing seemed to work. She was truly looking for answers!

The receptionist shared “The Strong Willed Child” by James Dobson with her. She explained that he’s not the first child to act like that, and how the book would give her options of different ways she could handle her son. By this time, my mouth was probably on the floor - I have NEVER seen someone being so kind and instructing to a mom in this situation. Really, it was such a blessing to see.

This receptionist was fulfilling Titus 2, she was an older mother teaching the younger. The young mother was so grateful to have someone listening to her, and she shared how embarrassed she got when he acted like this in public. My heart was now going out to her.

She sat down, thanking the receptionist for mentioning the book, saying she would go to the library and pick it up if it could really help her. And my favorite part of the whole thing was that this CHRISTIAN book was shared, the receptionist truly showed a Christian spirit, and now this mother will be exposed to God by this 5 minute encounter.

I had to chuckle a little as I heard the mom talking to her son when she sat back down - putting him down and starting another cycle….. she still has some learning. But don’t we all?

I am so glad the Lord allowed me to witness this today, it really encouraged me. I pray that I will be like this receptionist - being a teacher by a Godly example, not a degrading observer. Teaching love by showing love. Allowing others to share their burdens, because sometimes just an ear helps someone more than we can ever imagine!

Please join me over at our baby blog for the next week or so as I’ll be devoting a little time here and there to posting the story of OUR NEW BABY!! Time for a feeding…

www.NineMonthsOrLess.com

• Patlabor: The Movie movie download

Just wanted to share that a post has gone up over at Sonbeams for teaching children about the meaning of Good Friday and what sacrifice Jesus made for us…..

There are other ideas for Resurrection Sunday on the blog as well!

PLEASE NOTE - This is the last post scheduled to go up before the birth of our new baby, due April 10th. Unless the baby is REALLY late, I will be taking a short blogging break for the next week or two. Please visit blog archives during this time - there’s some great info to be found! This is the case for ALL of my blogs. Updates on the baby can be found by joining me on Facebook, where a friend will be posting new info on my wall should I not be able. I’m “Mrs. Candace” - and someone should be able to approve you shortly.

While driving to church today, something reminded me of a marriage from a past church that was ended by the husband - a leader in the church.

What could’ve went wrong? At first, my thoughts were the female (in the church) that apparently broke up the marriage. She DID spend a lot of time with him doing church related things. Up front, when they first visited our home on a visitation night, I was bothered by how comfy she seemed around him.

While working in the daycare nursery, I was bothered by how often she was in his office - with the door closed and blinds closed. She was sneaky, and there was always this ‘feeling’ I had about her.

How could she lure him away from his wife? For one, she was compassionate - when she wanted to be. She could make someone feel very cared for. This was the sad part - she apparently didn’t make her husband feel cared for. Or rather, have a desire to show her care for him to him. Her husband was a very broken man when this happened.

I could see how her lack of love in her marriage affected her children. Her daughter walking church halls with boys - touching things they ought not to at all, especially IN CHURCH! Her son being involved in a dating relationship that ended in marriage since his girlfriend became pregnant.

But then my mind went to this man’s family. Why would he turn to someone else, leaving his wife and children behind? Not to be cruel to his wife, she’s a very kind Christian woman, but was there something that as a wife she wasn’t doing?

She had an outside job, she was very involved in her children’s lives and church activities - but wasn’t a part of the visitation group her husband was in (with two other ladies). She didn’t know her husband’s schedule, he had his own secretary keeping up with that….

Didn’t she see the signs? Was she supportive and encouraging to her husband? They didn’t even sit together in church!

But as I was trying to figure out what went wrong, from the wife’s side - the Lord began asking my heart if I wasn’t guilty of some of the same things.

Sure, I love my husband, but does he SEE that? Do I listen to him - really listen, like another female could easily do? Do I support him? Do I encourage him? Do I praise him? Do I laugh with him, put him at ease? Do I make him feel wanted?

Or am I too wrapped up in our children, our home, the computer…. Am I more concerned with what I’m doing for/ with others than spending time with him?

Am I doing my part to make our marriage “Fireproof”? Just thought you might like to look at things this way too,

Candace

I’ve found myself getting more tense and emotional the past couple of days - as I near the due date. I had to apologize at one point to my children for ‘losing it’ on them yesterday.

Except under great stress, I am someone that can handle most anything. But when stress is present, well, let’s just say you don’t want to be anywhere around me. I crack easy, and tears are always RIGHT there.

I put on our ABC Bible verse songs yesterday morning, thinking the Scriptures would calm me down. It took until Q to begin to feel ‘anything’, and by R I was broken down in tears. “Resist, resist, resist the devil, and he will flee from you” where the words at the beginning.

Now, I wrote the song, but I knew the next part… But boy, I was fighting to resist - I felt too tired to do anything except cry. Then came the next part of the song - which changes tones and is actually the first part of James 4:7, “Submit yourself therefore to God”.

Those words sunk deep in my heart, and I had no option but to fall to my knees in prayer, crying. Here I am in a place that frightens me, mainly the pain (I’m going to try and go all natural for the first time). The kidney stone episode is still in my mind, and this will be worse…. IMO.

But am I submitted to God in this baby and it’s birth? HE is the one that created this life, this is HIS will for my life - am I submitted to follow His will? Am I as Mary, when she said that she would do what God desired for her?

Thankfully, the next song was even more of a comfort - the S song, “Seek Ye First”. That IS what this baby’s life is about, about bringing another life into this world to live for and follow Him - to benefit God’s kingdom first and foremost.

With Resurrection Sunday approaching, it’s come to my mind many times how much pain our Lord suffered for us - out of His great love for us. There is nothing in comparison to what HE went through - he was sweating drops of blood in knowing what was facing Him.

He knew the outcome, and was willing to offer Himself for us. While not exactly the same, I will be facing similiar circumstances - laying down myself for this baby’s birth - all out of love for my child.

Please pray for us as we prepare for this arrival at any time now! After tomorrow’s contest announcement, I will be taking a short break from posting here, probably at least 2 weeks. You can keep up with updates at www.NineMonthsOrLess.com/blog (and maybe a few pics??) as well as Facebook (as Mrs. Candace) and Twitter (as MrsCandace) - though I am still VERY new to how that works.

Isn’t it a blessing to have God’s Word to comfort us! I’ve already planned to take some instrumental hymn and praise cd’s for the labor, as well as the ABC songs for the baby to get God’s Word themselves.

Candace

Thank you Phyllis for this AWESOME bag! Readers, be sure to check out her site - it’s Christian based!

Giveaway: Thermal Zippered Tote

Offered by: Phyllis from Thirty-One

(A faith based company based on Proverbs 31:31)

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

8

Timestamp: 2009-04-03 21:13:21 UTC

Congratulations Bonnie! You’ll be receiving an email soon with the details!

A special thank you to Leigh Anne for sponsoring this contest! Be sure to check out her site for homemade candles!

Giveaway: $20 Gift Certificate

Offered by: Leigh Anne from Sea By Me Candles

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

8

Timestamp: 2009-04-02 16:00:35 UTC

Congratulations to Vanessa! You will be contacted shortly! There’s still two more contests up and running, as well as on my other sites - www.Sonbeams.com and www.NineMonthsOrLess.com/blog.

While we weren’t able to go to church due to a snow and icy roads here in Alabama, we spent the day together, having more fun as a family than we’ve had in a while!! (In a good way)

Depending on if you measured on a hard surface or on the grass - we got 1.5 to 4 inches of snow - which is a TREAT to us here in the South.

We laughed, built snowmen, threw snowballs - even I got down and made a snow angel! (Then realized how I was indeed 34 weeks pregnant when I tried to get up off the cold snow - ha. NOT the best idea to do - lie flat on your back in 29 degree weather - wind chill 16 - in the snow, while pregnant…)

Our oldest smiled and giggled with glee as we had a family snowball fight, our DD laughed constantly, and snow shy baby even got into it before it all melted away.

Simply putting away everything else for a few hours and playing together outside made their day. (Then I had to spend quite a while on the computer going through hundreds of pics for our family blog! Oh well…)

We had so much fun together today, and I just thought I’d share a little piece of our day/ life with you all for a change!

My daughter, 3, made several funny remarks today….

1) I like chocolate. Do you know I like chocolate? It’s my favorite!

2) (Near the end of the day…) Mommy, why aren’t you wearing pajamas?

Hmm… maybe I wear comfy pjs a little too much?? My child is confused that I actually have on real clothes in the late afternoon.

3) In reference to her Daddy and my uncle - we were building another snowman. She wanted this one to be “Uncle B” - we laughed, since she become quite interested in this great uncle over the past few months.

She wanted ‘Uncle B’ to be big, like her Daddy was big - “But he’s not as big as Daddy”. Now, if you knew her Daddy and Uncle B, you would see that Uncle B IS bigger than Daddy. So this was really pretty funny to us. But it’s sweet that in her mind, DADDY is the biggest, bestest, and strongest man there is!

Here’s a few pictures of our snowy day…