Skip to main content

A New Addition. . . or Two

Again I’ve fallen behind on my postings. So sorry about that, but life with 3 small kids (and 1 on the way!) keeps me busy and on the move.

A lot has happened since Th began school last Wednesday morning. TJ came home with a cat Wednesday night, and that alone has been an adjustment. He (the cat) is 2 years old and really sweet. His name is Rainbow, and his prior owner (a 6 year old girl) must have really wanted a female cat because all of Rainbow’s accessories (cat bed, toys, etc) are pink and flowered. Rainbow is orange with cinnamon swirls on his sides- a really unusual pattern. He came neutered and declawed, and with all his gear, which is why TJ decided to bring him home. We’ve wanted a cat since last spring, but didn’t want to have to pay to have one spayed/neutered or declawed. So, when this opportunity presented itself, TJ couldn’t pass it up. The little girl was allergic to him and despite trying to ignore the symptoms, they were getting to be too much for her to handle. She lives just down the street from TJ’s work so we can bring him by for visits! :)

In other news, we bought another van. We weren’t exactly planning to make a vehicle purchase now, and in fact have been saving our money to use as a down payment on land. We enlisted the help of a friend of ours from church who is a realtor, and found some properties we are/were really interested in. One is a 5-acre tract, another is a 2-acre tract with a pond, and the third is 2.34-acres with a creek on 2 sides. We have been searching and searching and narrowed it down to these, and was close to making a decision (and an offer) before the Lord intervened and directed us to the vehicle path.

With my school schedule, TJ is going to have to take the kids to school 2 mornings per week, meaning I would have to use his car. His car works okay, he keeps it in excellent running condition, but because of its age, it still has some problems. He didn’t like the idea of me being pregnant, in another town, and out in the country, all alone in his car. If something were to happen, I’d be stuck! So, we decided to use some of our savings (that we were going to use towards the land purchase) to invest in a newer vehicle that would accommodate our growing family. He bought a Ford Windstar through auction and got an awesome deal! We shopped around locally before deciding to move forward with this particular vehicle, and we had difficulty finding something in our price range that had low mileage and was in good running condition. The Lord brought this auction our way, and it has turned out great.

We purchased the vehicle Wednesday night, too, and picked it up Thursday evening. TJ brought it to his mechanic on Friday and was told it has been well cared for. TJ spent the weekend cleaning it up and installing car seats, and then cleaned out my van, as well. It is so nice to have a choice in vehicles to drive and now that we bought some more car seats, we don’t have to worry about swapping them or switching vehicles or anything. What a relief!

I did some preparing this weekend trying to get my house in order before school begins tomorrow. I cleaned some, I washed clothes and bedding and cleared up clutter that has been neglected for some time. Friday evening I began to have contractions (that’s nothing new!) only they were different in that I had cramping with them. I’ve had them all weekend, and at my doctor appointment today, he checked me and I am dilated to 1cm already. He really doesn’t think I’ll go past 36 weeks, if I go that far at all. My cervix is still normal, but I have to go back next week instead of the week after so I can be checked again. It was the same doctor who delivered T.G., and I am glad that he is acknowledging the fact that I won’t go to my due date because when I went into labor with T.G., he didn’t believe that I was in labor and was going to send me home when I was dilated to 5cm since I was only 35 weeks along!

It’s nap time now (my last one until the semester ends) so no pictures of Rainbow just yet. School begins tomorrow for me and I have a busy agenda so I don’t know when I’ll get a chance to post again. Say a prayer for Taco as I am a little nervous about the overall health of the baby if I deliver in the next couple of weeks. The doc gave me some statistics and we talked about what would happen upon delivery before 36 weeks, and I feel better knowing what to expect; but, of course, that was all best-case scenarios. I am still scared about lung development (I asked about brain development and he said there was no cognitive difference between a baby born at 34 weeks and one born at 39 weeks) and that more than likely, the only reason Taco would be in the NICU is to gain some weight. I am trying my best to obey Prov. 3:5 “trust in the Lord with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding”, but it’s so difficult. . .

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Couponing

As you probably noticed, I added a new ticker to the top of my blog. I have recently started to be more diligent with my use of coupons because of the fact that we will soon need to buy a larger vehicle.  We do not currently have a car payment and would like to keep things that way, but quite honestly, we don't have the cash saved up to pay for a vehicle in full (at least not enough cash for a newer vehicle). My goal is to save $2,000 by the end of January 2012. That equates to a savings of about $250 each month. I have always used coupons if I had one, but never really made an effort to maximize my savings potential. Until now. And it's awesome!!! I wish I had started sooner because the savings available are crazy. I love the feeling I get when I save 50% or MORE on foods and items we use every week. Our grocery bill is typically $80-$100 per week or $320-$400 per month. That seems high but considering we're a family of 7, that averages out to about...

Thursday Thirteen #3

Thirteen Things about South Carolina Mom 13 jobs I have held. . . 1. Special Olympics Swim Coach Best job ever and very rewarding! 2. Preschool/Youth swim instructor My first job (I volunteered until I got hired on at the Y, then I was paid.) 3. Lifeguard This was my first paid job. 4. Crew Chief/aircraft mechanic on the KC-10 I loved it- I saw the world on this plane and pushed myself the farthest mentally and physically I ever have or ever will again. Of course I missed my family and friends, but if I had to do it all over again, I would in a heartbeat. 5. Debrief personnel I talked with aircrews after they landed about their flight/mission. I learned the logistical side of flying. 6. Tool Crib personnel I gave the mechanics tools for various jobs needed to fix the airplane. I also inventoried and ordered new tools, and that was fun. Until this job, I had no idea that tool companies have a representative drive around in a truck full of tools for people to use and try. It was during t...

{Updated Blog List}

I updated my blog list to include some blogs that I have been following for a while but weren't linked. I also removed some of the links to blogs that were no longer being updated. I may add some more to my list, time permitting. This clean-up/update has been long overdue! :)