^{Proverbs 16:9}

In their hearts humans plan their course,
but the LORD establishes their steps.

There is a lot of uncertainty in our near future. But isn't that always the case? Each day is a gift. Each moment precious. Money is unreliable. Health is temporary. I thank God for all the amazing gifts he has given us. As a new day breaks tomorrow with the sun's rise I must remember that I am not in control. I will try to embrace all I have been given and humbly remember that none of it is "mine." Lord forgive me for all the moments I have been ruled by self confidence, greed, or pride. I am excited to see what steps and plans you will establish for us next.

^{Proverbs 16:3}

Commit to the LORD whatever you do,

and he will establish your plans.

Baby Boys Everywhere!

My best friend from high school had her baby boy last night! He is a healthy 8lbs 8 oz. Close to Nina's 8lbs 10. =) I can't help but just be overjoyed for her! Wish I could go to Cali to see her and her little Adler first hand. One of my best girlfriends from college had her baby boy Eli less then 2 weeks ago. My two mom friends here in Chatt had their baby boys, Caleb and Filip, this summer as well. And now it's my turn! My neighbor directly across from me will follow shortly after. Are there any new girls out there??

Ps~ Thanks to all who gave a prayer on our behalf after my Tears post. Nina took 2 naps yesterday (she still only slept for 45 minutes and woke up crying, but she went down easily which was such a blessing to me and hopefully for her too!). And this morning she went down and is currently in a slumber. =)

Tears

I cried yesterday for the first time in months, maybe even the first time in a year. I mean a good old fashioned Kristen cry were I just keep breathing in and can't seem to let any air out. I think it scared David and confused him thoroughly.

Why the breakdown? Everything is about to change. There will be a baby in this house in 2 1/2 weeks or less. A BOY baby. My girl baby who I've adored and loved is turning into a toddler. She is testing her waters, started hitting this week, runs away when she is called for, and goes limp when you try to pick her up. I'm not ready to tackle this new stage at 9 months pregnant, but I don't imagine I will be much more ready with a baby sized incision in my belly, little sleep, and a new infant to figure out. Nina hasn't been napping well and I feel a sense of guilt that I'm not correctly providing her need of rest. I don't know how to help her get better daytime sleep, it has been going on for weeks now, and I miss my time during naps. And I miss her waking up happy from naps. I am also not packed for the hospital, baby boy's nursery is a disaster zone, i have many unfinished projects laying around...

HOWEVER I am excited. I know I want this new addition to our family. I can't wait to meet him. I'm excited to watch Nina learn to love and share life with another. Siblings are great blessings. I am so thankful for my family. My loving husband. My sweet, healthy, and growingly independent daughter, and for my patient heavenly Father who oversees this chaotic and beautiful family.

Ebay Adventures

I walked into Gymboree (a slightly unhealthy habit of mine) and found bins of 1 dollar items. Only these items were shoes, hats, booties, socks etc that usually retail close to 20 dollars. Not to mention I had a coupon so I was getting 20 dollar baby booties for 81 cents! I decided to finally give ebaying a whirl. I had been tempted to give it a try for awhile now and this was just the sort of low risk start I needed. I just mailed out my first 3 packages this morning! It is more work then I thought, but it has been a fun little venture.

Silly Nina Kate

Nina's latest quirks:

~climbing on the couch all by herself to read a book. She loves taking a "seat! seat!"

~she tries to feed the cat her milk. She says "mo mo" and sticks the straw up to his face

~she tries to sit on the cat. he was too lazy the other day to move and I thought she was going to kill him or at least rupture some important organ.

~she loves to shake her sippy cups upside down and make a mess even though she knows this is unacceptable behavior

~she enjoys "cleaning." She'll wipe down the grocery cart with the antibacterial wipes or she'll clean the floor when she finds a paper towel or wash rag.

Hello Blog! Many days have passed since I've written. There is so much to talk about I think I will just make this post in bullet fashion:

• 5 year anniversary tomorrow! Dear friend is babysitting all night tonight and hubs and I are hitting the town!
• Took NK to the Little Gym and she learned how to do a somersault, play on the parallel bars, walk the high beam, "shoot" a ball through a basketball hoop, and swing off the "high" bar! Downside I found out how much it costs to enroll your child so she will probably never go again.
• Went to the doctor this morning and little babyboyX is movin' and groovin'. Everything looks good.
• Nina discovered who Elmo is without any formal explanation or ever watching sesame street. She now finds him everywhere.
• She has started pulling Oliver's fur out and eating it. She probably just likes how much it grosses me out!
• Naps have been all over the place and she wakes up from them very unhappy. Hoping to find a happier balance or for her to grow out of the phase.
• Her molars are still coming in strong. They have all broken through but are continuing to emerge from her poor little gums.
• Pregnant Mama has been extra worn out and crabby this week. I'm thankful for a patient husband and forgiving daughter.
• I had the Baby Shower of my dreams! My friends threw me an incredibly elegant baby "sprinkle" and all my favorite people went out of their way to celebrate with us and shower me with love. It was a full on severe storm of love and kindness actually!
• I have been nesting! Made a lot of progress on a rag rug, painted a little bunny mural to go above the crib, and have been shopping for all the baby necessities (btw mattress shopping has just about been the death of me. i hate chemicals and how deceiving companies are about what is really in their mattresses).
• Nina has learned the word "no." Hoping if we get this stage out of the way now we won't have to go through it at the age of two. ;)

I am so happy. I thank my heavenly Father for the gift of love and relationships and for the opportunity to take care of such a sweet little girl and a growing boy!

Wedding Bells

We went to Orlando last week for my sister in laws wedding. It was absolutely beautiful. Nina Kate loved seeing her cousins. She is particularly in love wither her almost 5 year old cousin Ben who likes to dance about and entertain her. She calls him "Boon" and she inspired a game of "hi" where they shout "hi" back and forth as loud as possibly in the van. Very fun for the rest of the passengers.

The flights were quick. The wedding was breathtaking. The bride and groom were giddy with excitement. The heat and business caused my feet and ankles to swell up to an embarrassingly large size, but we had a great time.

Scarlet Fever Fun

My dear baby girl was burning up last Wednesday. For the first time she actually had a fever when I took her temperature, and it was 101.7 under the arm. I'm a pretty laid back mom when it comes to these things so I didn't worry much. Took her temp again that day and it was climbing. Called the pediatrician just for good measure and they said give her tylenol and if it stays high bring her in the next morning.

Well the next morning my calmness flew out the window when Nina Kate woke up BESIDE herself. She was crying and burning up. I took her temp and it was 102.5 right after waking up. We panicked and threw on some clothes and rushed out the door. When we got to the doc we noticed a redness all over her chest. Dr. John said it looked like Scarlet Fever and did a strep test. A swab to the throat and a few minutes later it was confirmed. She had strep or what they used to call Scarlet Fever. My mind flashed back to the story book my sister and I had listened to as children. "That bunny is wretched with scarlet fever, it must be burned," I heard the little boys nurse saying in my mind. In the story that boy was sick for weeks and I was thankful I had antibiotics so readily available.

WELL today, day 5 of the antibiotic Omnicef the fever is gone but Nina is acting crazy. She falls down all the time, walks funny, cries out, whines, sucks her thumb and rolls on the floor, and just acts pitiful. I couldn't take it anymore and called the doc. They brought her back in checked her out and decided to put her on a milder antibiotic. Went to publix and got their free amoxocillin and I'm hoping by this time tomorrow some of the crazy will be gone.

I am SO thankful that all of this happened while I'm pregnant and not while I have a newborn to care for as well. I am SO thankful that I don't have any signs of strep myself yet. I am SO thankful that God has been providing me with enough rest and patience to deal with a cranky pitiful baby.